Carys and Cayden

Carys turns 5- Presents

2012-01-22T23:33:00.000+08:00

I feel very blessed and grateful to have received these beautiful gifts.

The presents are dressed in lovely wrappers and..

accompanied by cute little greeting cards.

Let's unleash the surprises!!

Thanks a million to the following people for the thoughtful gifts and heart-warming greetings:

Por Por, Grand Uncle KF and Grand Auntie SL, Ah Pek and Ah Mm, Yee Yee and Yee Cheong, Kao Fu, Auntie Monical and Alicia Jie Jie, Biao Yee and family, Uncle KT and Auntie HZ, Auntie Veron and family, Auntie Adeline and Family as well as Auntie Tona.

- carys

Carys turns 5- School Celebration

2012-01-21T10:48:00.000+08:00

The Cake

"You want your usual Mickey and Minnie cake?"

"No no!! I want Angry Birds!! And I want the pigs!! Mickey mouse is no longer my favourite...."

And so, my parents got this cake from Auntie Yochana, who could bake well and possessed excellent fondant moulding skills:

Flavour: Moist Chocolate Cake

This Castle Jelly was selected by me, too, from the same bakery.

Photo-taking

It was my school's dress-up day for CNY and so my teachers helped to put on my cheong sam for phototaking.

My teachers- Ms Tien and Ms Kat:

Time for birthday song!

A photo with the girls....

and the boys.

Let's attack the cake!

My classmates were all eyeing the angry birds fondants!

I distributed the cake to each and every of my classmates...

and then, sat down in a cozy corner to enjoy the cake. Among all, I selected my favourite black angry bird, which I believed to be the most powerful in the game.

The cake was very moist and not too sweet. Yummie!

A few of my classmates asked for second helping for the cake and jelly.

The Gift Packs

My classmates were all excited about the utensils in the gift packs, which I was glad.

Thanks to my teachers who helped make the celebration smooth and relaxing, we had a terrific time!
- carys

What do the ABCs say?

2012-01-19T11:10:00.000+08:00

I have never been hooked on any TV nor DVD show, not until my parents introduce me to the LeapFrog Letter Factory which teaches sounds of letters. I repeatedly watch it umpteen times and never get tired of it.

Alphabetical phonics is being introduced in the form of songs which makes learning easy and fun! (Click HERE to watch an extract of the show)

I can now remember and pronounce the phonetic sounds of A to Z. Yay! My sister too picked up phonics by watching the same show.

Here is a video of me making letter sounds:

I will slowly relate the phonetic sounds to words and put them into use.

- cayden

Carys turns 5- Preparation

2012-01-18T00:16:00.000+08:00

My parents planned to hold a birthday celebration in school for my 5th birthday and the date happened to coincide with the Chinese New Year dress-up day. Hence, Mummy tried sewing me a simple cheong sam:

Fabric used: Humming birds by Designer Michael Miller

As there was no tutorial nor pattern available online, Mummy took reference to other cheong sams and sewed based on imagination.

She hoped it would turn out well....

Theme of the celebration would be my latest favourite ANGRY BIRDS (finally, no more Mickey or Minnie)

Instead of giving the typical snacks as well as stationery sets as party flavour, which I had received tonnes of them, we prepared IKEA utensil sets for my classmates. It was something practical and not too costly.

I hope they would like this gift.

- carys

Carys @ 4Y11M

2012-01-17T00:37:00.000+08:00

English:
- Able to do silent reading independently
- Able to pronounce and read words using phonics
- Enjoy reading books of all kinds
- Able to spell some simple words such as Tiger, Baby, Lion etc
- Understand plural and singular
- Understand countable and uncountable nouns
- Able to articulate expressively about own thoughts and feelings

Chinese:
- Possess a strong interest in chinese language
- Enjoy reading chinese books
- Able to differentiate traditional chinese characters (繁体字) from simplified (简体字)
- Initiate to communicate in mandarin with Mummy
- Not able to clearly articulate my thoughts well in mandarin. Need to speak and practice more
- Sage Formula Basic Chinese 500 (基础汉字500): Completed up to Confident Reader series. (Waiting for the shipment of Fluent Reader collection)
- Understand basic hanyu pinyin including 4 pronounciation tones and vowels
- Love to attend Chinese enrichment classes
- Able to write and remember the names of all chinese character strokes (ie. 笔画)
- Able to write simple chinese characters but not familiar with stroke sequences

Maths:
- Able to do mental calculation for simple addition and subtraction (up to 10) using CMA approach
- Able to count in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s
- Able to recite multiplication (2 to 9) by singing the CMA song

- Completed Kumon Addition Workbook 1 using finger and beads counting

- Understand that there are numbers beyond hundred (Favourite saying: "I love Daddy and Mummy 145 billion times")

Writing and Tracing:
- Able to write numbers up to 100
- Able to write simple words but tend to get mixed up with upper and lower case alphabets
- Able to write my own name (Carys Lee)
- Appreciate the importance of neat handwriting

Artwork:
- Enjoy colouring
- Enjoy art and craft including painting and pasting
- Enjoy drawing human, hearts, smiley clouds, happy sun, trees, flowers etc
- Able to operate scissors but not skillful in cutting curves
- Favourite colour: Pink (varies at times)

General Knowledge:
- Understand that there are 365 days a year and 7 days a week
- Concious about date and time
- Able to name and identify location of the 7 continents on the world map
- Remember location of some countries on the world map including Canada, Mongolia, Iceland, Greenland, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Antarctica(my dream place to visit), Madagascar etc
- Recognise various landmarks in the world including Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower
- Enjoy reading about volcano eruptions and water cycle
- Strong interest in the solar system and remember names as well as sequences of the planets
- Understand the concept of 4 seasons, day and night as well as earth rotation etc
- Appreciate the importance of nutrients, healthy food and significance of moderate eating

Eating:
- Excessive talking and dreaming during mealtimes
- Not picky with food
- Favourite: Japanese Udon, Seasoned baby octopus, brewed soup, rice, bread and margarine, mushroom, fish skin, brocolli and fruits

Self Help:
- Visit the toilet independently
- Dress myself independently
- Clear eating utensils and bowls after eating
- Open and close room and car doors (finally tall enough to reach out for door knob..haha).
- Buckle seatbelts
- Operate DVD player
- Dry myself after bathing

Music and movement:
- Able to play short and simple melody on the keyboard using both hands
- Able to read simple musical notes pertaining to G and F clef
- Currently at Yamaha Junior Course Primary 3

Others:
- Like to give instructions to my peers
- Enjoy bullying my brother..kakaka..
- Have a strong bonding with my teachers and classmates
- Have stronger preference for girls as good friends. Current best friend is Jeaneane
- Enjoy playing with iphone and ipad
- Favourite cartoon characters: Angry Bird and Mcqueen (goodbye Mickey and Minnie!)
- Tend to dream and be in a daze at times

My biodata:
Weight: 20.3kg (85 percentile)
Height: 1.07m (25 percentile..hehe)

- carys

Carys and Cayden Speak

2012-01-13T22:51:00.000+08:00

Mummy: Carys Cayden, it is very crowded here, please don't let go of my hand!! There are many bad guys waiting to catch young children.
Carys: What will happened if the bad guys catch us?
Mummy: The bad guys will bring you far away and you will not see Daddy and Mummy again. The bad guys will make your life terrible.
Cayden: Oh...
Carys: What will they do?
Mummy: They will beat you and be very nasty to you and not give you proper food. You will be very miserable, hungry and sad. No one will care about you.
Cayden: And I will cry right?
Mummy: Yes!
Cayden: I will have runny nose, you know??!! And then there will be no tissue paper. Oh no!!
Carys: I will be hungry and then I will become an African!!

*At IKEA*
Carys: I want to buy the hotdog bun!! I want to eat!!
Mummy: No, hotdog is not healthy food. Excessive eating is not good as they use preserve meat to make hotdogs.
Carys: Oh ok, I know I know! Dog's meat is not good for me.

Carys: Mummy!! Mummy!! I tell you something!! Last time Mummy was inside Mummy's Mummy's tummy, you know??
*Mummy took a few seconds to decipher* You get it? :)

Nicole @ Botanical Garden

2012-01-10T22:08:00.000+08:00

This was a photoshoot treat for Daddy's sister's family- Ah Teoh, Ah Kor and their daughter- Nicole.

Our cousin, Nicole, has very lovely enchanting eyes! She is so sweet!!

A picture of Nicole and their helper- Vicky:

During the photoshoot, the innocent Nicole witnessed how mischievious, cheeky and playful the two of us can be....hehehe...

"Come'on Nicole! Come join in and have some fun!!"

- carys and cayden

My school's new home

2012-01-06T23:56:00.000+08:00

My school- Learning Kidz, shifted from Ang Mo Kio Hub to a new premise at Jubilee Building (along AMK Ave 8) since 2 months ago.

Compared to the previous location, this is slightly nearer to my Por Por's (grandma) residence and the place is much more quiet which is better.

It is very nicely renovated.

I now attend 2-hours lesson every day but Mummy has never visited me once.

This morning, she decided to take some time off work to drop me a surprise visit.

She spotted me in one of the classrooms near the entrance.

My teacher was distributing some sweets.

Very soon, we were getting ready to go home.

There was no chaos- everything was done very systematically and orderly.

I was thrilled and pleasantly surprised that Mummy was here!!

Here is a photo of me and my Por Por (grandma) who fetches me very punctually every day. I love her!!

- cayden

Skipping Naps

2012-01-02T00:02:00.000+08:00

I have been skipping nap in school.

Daddy and Mummy are very worried that I have not been getting sufficient sleep. A normal 4 years old needs at least 10-12 hours of sleep daily but I only sleep for about 8 to 9 hours a day. This has been occurring for the past 3 months

While all my classmates are napping, I waste my time lying down, staring into the thin air.
At times, I get distracted by what the teachers are doing. Other times, I count sheep. Is there any discomfort hindering me from falling asleep? When questioned, I told my parents that the temperature was just nice and the environment was condusive for sleeping. Or have I developed the habit of skipping naps?

Strangely, I am able to nap punctually back home over weekends. So where does the problem lie?

No angry birds in school?

- carys

YJC Primary 2 Assessment and Performance

2011-12-30T00:07:00.000+08:00

Practice and Preparation @ Home

We started doing regular home practice 2 weeks before the actual day. I also took the opportunity to select the tune for solo play.

I initially selected "Party in the Sky" and "Hush a bye" but decided to change the latter to "The Cuckoo".

Actual Day

Daddy and Cayden were here to support me. Yay!

Playing in a group was fun and relaxing.

And then, the moment came where we had to perform individually.

Parents were equipped to capture the moment.

I was the 3rd to perform.

The selected pieces were "The Cuckoo" and "Party in the Sky". Even though it was not perfect, I managed to complete both pieces quite smoothly.

Finally, there was dance-along with the "Drumming Cat" song. We had so much fun!

I look forward to be promoted to Primary 3. Yeah!!

- carys

My Childhood Buddy

2011-12-27T00:31:00.000+08:00

I love you, Thomas.
(His real name is James..but I call him Thomas!)

Thank you for being there...

....on rainy days

... keeping me company when I am bored

... putting me to dream land

... following me overseas and everywhere I go.

You are my best childhood buddy!

- cayden

Let's have a blessed christmas...

2011-12-25T23:46:00.000+08:00

.... by unwrapping our lovely presents!! Yay!!

Let's unleash the surprises!

Our presents:

a big

THANK YOU

to..

Grand Uncle Kai Kong and family, Uncle KT and Auntie HZ, Auntie Josephine, Auntie Helen, Nat Nat Gor Gor and Janelle, Jia Peng and Auntie Claudia!

Merry Christmas!!

- carys and cayden

One morning @ Hort Park

2011-12-24T00:51:00.000+08:00

There was lots of fun;

lots of laughters;

lots of climbing;

lots of exploring;

lots of healthy walking; and

lots of kindness, because we helped to fill the fishes' tummies and...

shared our fish food with this little girl!

Oh!! What a lovely morning at Hort Park!!!

- carys and cayden

Meet-The-Parents @ Cambridge CDC

2011-12-22T00:17:00.000+08:00

This was the last Meet-The-Parents (MTP) session for the current year.

While waiting for their turn to speak to the teachers, Daddy and Mummy took the rare opportunity to explore my classroom and surroundings.

The walkways were decorated with attractive display of student's art pieces....

and then, they spotted mine. I was proud of my masterpieces.

Shortly after, we got to meet my teachers.

This was Ms Alina- my English teacher. She was my favourite teacher.

And this was my very kind and patient chinese teacher - 田老师 (Miss Tien)

As per usual, both teachers commented on my excessive talking especially during meals and lessons time. Generally, I had been a very good student but tend to get emotional at times. Academically wise, I had been doing well.

In the midst of discussion, my chinese teacher shared the following video, which was taken during lesson time, featuring my classmates reading a book after me. (please pardon us for the inferior video quality)

Miss Tien further mentioned that I possessed a rich knowledge library of chinese vocabulary as compared to my peers. Mummy was surprised and pleased with the flattering compliments.

At the end of the discussion, my report card was returned. It is reflected as follows (click images to enlarge):

VG- Very Good, G- Good, S- Satisfactory, T- Trying

I now look forward to be promoted to K1 the following year!!

- carys

Singing Superstar

2011-12-20T23:30:00.000+08:00

I came in as the 2nd Runner Up during the recent Nursery 2 singing competition in my school and was awarded the following certificate.

I did not get to attend the stage performance and award ceremony as we were overseas in USA then.

Below is a video shared by my school:

Prior to the competition, my parents had prepared me for a different song and set of actions but I opted for something else during the assessment as featured in the above video. Nonetheless, there are glad that I have done well.

- carys

Tai-Por turns 90!!

2011-12-20T00:08:00.000+08:00

We celebrated Tai-Por's (my maternal Great-Grandma) 90th birthday on 21 Nov 2011.

A cozy dinner gathering was held at Peach Garden - Novena Gardens. The food was fantastic. Yummie!

While others were busy enjoying the food, I went around testing out my photography skill.

Let's take a family photo! Say Cheeze!!

May Tai-Por stays healthy and happy always!!

- carys

My First Visit to the Dentist

2011-12-17T09:30:00.000+08:00

While queuing for my turn, I was very excited. The waiting time was reasonably short. At the very same time, Daddy was mentally preparing himself for an upcoming dramatic dental visit.

Once in, I was put onto the chair. Being surrounded by such interesting equipments, it was a challenge for me to abstain from any voluntary act of mischief.

Shortly after, the chair got lowered and the dentist explained to me the cleaning process. I was exceptionally cool and calm.

The cleaning process started. Daddy was all ready to deal with any sudden emotional outburst. Surprisely, I was enjoying myself chatting with the dentist at ease. What a relief for Daddy..haha

The dentist commented that my set of teeth was very clean and well-maintained.

Very soon, we were done.

Can you see the glitters on my teeth?

- cayden

Sewn specially for me

2011-12-15T15:30:00.000+08:00

We had a wedding dinner to attend at Shangri-La but I did not have any formal dress for the event. So, Mummy decided to sew me one.

Ingredients:
Matching colour thread
Fabric (thai silk for dress and organza for flower)
Sateen ribbon (for bow)
Glass beads (for flower)
Buttons
Precious time and love (priceless)
Total cost: Approx $10

The sewing:

The fitting:

The accessories:

Mummy covered the buttons with the same fabric and sewed them on.

Petal by petal, mummy cut each organza circle and singed the edges. Once sewn, the flower was further adorned with glass beads.

We then attached the flower and tied the bow.

The final product:

You like my dress?

Below are the related tutorials. Why don't you give it a try too?
How to sew the dress
How to handmake the flower

- carys

Our Love for Reading

2011-12-13T12:00:00.000+08:00

I enjoy reading

.... but only certain books.

Generally, I prefer the following types of non-fiction books:

Related to transportation modes, busy airports, busy contruction sites;
Possess interactive content such as lift-the-laps, sounds or jigsaws etc; or
Related to my favourite Thomas and Friends.

Even though my attention span in reading is shorter as compared to my sister when she was my age, there is gradual improvement over time. At least, I am able to sit through to complete a book and at times, even request to repeat the same book again right after.

In the process of reading, I prefer to have the pictures described to me instead of listening to the words being read and I have little patience to follow stories.

Below are some of my favorite books:

A video of me enjoying (and kissing) a book:

My parents hope that I will grow to love reading, even more.

- cayden

A little bookworm

To me, reading is one of the greatest enjoyment in life. Since 6 months old, it has been a daily routine to read before I sleep.

I love all kind of books- both fictional and non-fictional.Below are a few of my current favourites:

Among all, I love this Solar System book the most. It was bought from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. I have repeatedly read it countless times. It is a great treasure to me. Believe it or not, I even sleep with it under my pillow every night!

With the use of Ladybird's Peter and Jane (PnJ) book collection, I learned to read on my own at 3 years 5 months old. Phonics was used to help me prounounce each word. By the time I completed book 2b, I was able to read simple stories independently. I moved on to other books as I found PnJ's stories comparatively less interesting.

It was not until recently that Mummy took out PnJ book 8b and found that I could already read this level independently.

Watch video of me reading Peter and Jane Book 8b for the first time:

I cannot agree more to the chinese idiom "书中自有黄金屋，书中自有颜如玉" (Literal translation: In books, there are treasure houses of gold and faces of jade. Meaning: Through reading, you can acquire success. And bliss as well as fortunes will follow.)

- carys

5th Blog Anniversary

2011-12-10T00:56:00.000+08:00

Our blog is 5 years old today!!

To commemorate the happy occassion, here is a summary of our blog journey:

Dec 2006 Our blog was born

Jan 2007 Carys was born

May 2007 Our blog had a new set of Winnie the Pooh clothes

Apr 2008 A new blogskin with macromedia flash header was being implemented.

Mar 2009 Cayden was born

Dec 2009 Mummy completed sewing the current set of clothes for our blog. Similar to the previous skin, it had an animated flash header. I also welcomed Cayden on board as one of the blog authors.

Over the years, our blog has accumulated a total of 620 posts, attracting more than 38,900 pageviews. Despite a reduction in our posting frequency recently, the number of pageviews had hit a high record of 3,438 last month.

A million thanks for your continuous support! We hope to bring you more interest and informative posts. ^_^

- carys and cayden

Cambridge CDC Year End Concert 2011

2011-12-04T13:16:00.000+08:00

It was time of the year to go on stage to perform together with my school peers.

Similar to the previous year, the event was held at Yio Chu Kang Grassroot Club.

My parents specially arrived early before the show to express their support as well as encouragement. They were surprised to witness my high spirit while I cheerfully made my way to the backstage. Here is a photo of me with my all-time best friend- Jeanene.

This was the program sheet, highlighted were my performance items.

It started off with the Kindergarten 2 Graduation Ceremony....

... and then the show began....

I Like to Move It- Madagascar

Can you spot me? I am somewhere at the back.

Video: Can you see me? I am on the left hand side of the screen between two boys.
(pardon us for the lousy effect as it was taken from quite a distance)

Lilo and Stitch

In this dance, Jeanene was one of the centre of attractions. She was fantastic!!

Video: Can you see me? I am on the left hand side of the screen once (again).

Playgroup

This group of kids were so cute that we couldn't help but to share about them. Some of them were hardly 2 years old. They were so adorable!!!

Most of them were totally clueless and intimidated while others were crying. Hahaha...how entertaining.

They looked really tiny on stage.

Their performance:

Grand Finale

After the Show

I had sushi dinner as reward for the marvellous performance.

In comparison to the previous year, I appeared to be so much more at ease this time round. Daddy and Mummy felt so proud of me!!

- carys

A bed of my own

2011-12-01T00:14:00.000+08:00

Many thanks to Auntie Josephine, who is Mummy's colleague and good friend, for giving me this hand-me-down furniture set, I now have cozy corner of my own.

It not only provides me with a comfortable bed to sleep on, there is additional storage space to keep my belongings.

Even though it has been used by Auntie Josephine's son- Raphael gor gor, for less than a year, we are impressed by its tiptop and brand new condition.

I feel so blessed to have a bed of my own. ^_^

- carys

My Por Por

2011-11-29T23:55:00.000+08:00

While my parents are at work in the daytime, my Por Por (grandma) takes excellent care of me. She showers me with unconditional love and provides me with good guidance. We are really fortunate to have her.

I love my Por Por and my Por Por loves me.

I hope my Por Por will stay healthy and happy always!!

- cayden

天下交流会及成绩表 (Tien Hsia Final Term Review)

2011-11-25T23:59:00.000+08:00

This was the last lesson at Tien Hsia Language School 天下语文中心 for the current year. Similar to the previous terms, parents were invited to watch a mini performance.

Unlike the past where I was not at all shy to go on stage, the thought of performing alone made me anxious. I finally agreed to sing a song together with my classmate, and I did well.

At the end of the performance, my report card was being returned.

Together with the report card, my test paper was attached.
(Click image for a clearer view)

This was the first time I got full marks. In my previous papers, marks were deducted unnecessarily by virtue of my carelessness.

My parents are very pleased with my improvement in the language and will continue to sign me up for the upcoming terms.

- carys

Cayden @ 2 Years 8 Mths Old

2011-11-23T22:34:00.000+08:00

Motor Skill
·        Walk and run steadily
·        Walk up the stairs bymyself independently
·        Walk down the stairswith rail support
·        Squat with no support
·        Jump up with both feetoff the ground
·        Throw and kick a ball skilfully
·        Not hyperactive but canhardly sit still for more than couple of minutes
·        Challenge simple mazesquite skilfully
·        Construct simple towerswith building blocks
·        Draw vertical andhorizontal straight lines and do simple tracing
·        Remove shoes, socks, shortsand pants on my own
·        Put on shoes and certaintypes of clothing (shorts and pants) independently
Cognitive/LanguageDevelopment
·        Speak proper sentencessuch as "I sit down because I am tired.", "I will beangry with you if you take my train."
·        Answer simple questionssuch as "How old are you?" (my answer: "two and a half"),"What is your name" (my answer: "Cayden" or "NaughtyBoy!")
·        Remember and addresspeople by name
·        Sing songs with clearlyrics
·        Enjoy telling simplestory to share my experience eg. “Por Por brought me out. We bought fruits, youknow?”
·        Understand the use of"me" and "you" (finally, no more "I wan Mummy to carryyou")
·        Speak fluent mandarin
·        Quarrel and argue withmy sister at times
·        Gotten over the phase ofstammering
·        Ask questions to clarifydoubt eg. “Daddy, what are you doing? Why?”, “Why is the room so dark?”
Literary
·        Recite the beginningletter of words from A to Z "eg A for Apple, B for Banana, C for Cat... Mfor Macdonalds..."
·        Recognise andrecite number 1 to 20 ascendingly
·        Count up to 7 physical objects
·        Understand oppositessuch as "tall and short", "hot and cold", "loud andsoft"
·        Recognise most commoncolours including Grey and Brown.
·        Recognise most commonfarm and some wild animals
·        Recognise most commontransportation modes
·        Recognise most commonfruits and vegetables
·        Recognise most commonshapes including trapezium
·        Enjoy reading but veryselective with book preferences
Feeding
·        Able to self-feed but nopatience to finish meals on my own
·        Drink properly from acup without leakage
·        Eat my meal ernestly
·        Consume 2 sessions offormula milk with 240ml each
·        Favorite food: Sweetcorn, mushroom, brocolli, fish ball and white rice
·        Dislike starchy foodlike potato

Social andPhysiological Development
·        Emotionally attached toMummy, Daddy and Por Por
·        Friendly and sociable tostrangers
·        Enjoy going to school.Able to interact well with peers
·        Understand the conceptof “taking turns”
·        Willing to share toysand food, most of the time
·        Love my sister's companyand enjoy imitating her actions
·        Enjoy irritating mysister at times
·        Can be left on my own toplay with my sister
·        Expressive at times andsay “I love you so much”

Others
·        Strong liking for cars, trains espThomas and friends
·        Rinse my mouth properly with a cup
·        Enjoy pretend play suchas Passing a gantry (mummy's hand) while riding on my car, Being a cashier and collect money from my sister
·        Not fully toilet-trained

Biodata
·        Weight: 13.3kg
·        Height: 89cm (I can finally open the door!!)

- cayden

CMA

2011-11-22T10:34:00.000+08:00

.... stands for Classical Mental Arithmetic and is an enrichment centre specialising in two-hand abacus mental arithmetic.

Mummy brought me for the assessment session just to check out the place but I expressed strong interest and kept urging my parents to sign me up thereafter.

I have attended 4 lessons so far and found the content to be very fun and enjoyable. Some homework is given after each lesson where simple arithmetic questions are to be computed using the abacus.

A package to be bought and brought home includes an abacus set, some books and a music cd. By listening to the music cd, I have managed to pick up songs relating to number bonds and multiplications.

Below are some videos of me singing:
Note: This is part of home practice, please pardon the misakes I make :P

Cayden is also slowly picking up muliplication! See him sing:

The most effective way of learning is through fun! ;)

- carys

Travel USA (Part 4)

2011-11-15T00:43:00.000+08:00

Orlando

Places visited: SeaWorld, DisneyWorld- Magical Kingdom

Peculiar sights and experience:
We caught an early morning domestic flight from Las Vegas to Orlando, Florida.

Our experience with the domestic flights in the States was better compared to Asia:

a. Beverages including fruit juice, hot chocolate, coffee and tea were served at no additional charge.

b. Simple snacks were served

c. There was plenty of leg spaces thus more comfortable.

Anyway, it was 2hr flight with a +5hrs time difference. When we reached Orlando, it was already 5pm.

The weather in Orlando was like Singapore, and the town itself was bustling with activity until late.

The next day, we attended Daddy's boss' daughter's wedding ceremony which was also the main agenda of our journey to the United States. If not for the wedding, Mummy would never have come. The ceremony was indeed an eye-opener.

It started off with an Hindu Ceremony....

... followed by Western Ceremony.

Daddy was tasked to sort out the itinerary for Orlando but as usual, his 'Don't Worry and take it easy' attitude got Mummy worried. Luckily, our travel plan in Orlando was simple, 1 day each for Disney World and Seaworld.

Seaworld

Daddy's boss told Daddy that we should not miss the Grand Canyon and Seaworld in the US. At Seaworld, we saw many types of sea creatures for the first time.

There was Shamu the killer whale and many Dolphins.

The performances was entertaining even though we got wet due to the SPLASHES...

We thought we were very lucky to had gotten a front seat...

Not until.....

ONE, TWO....

GO!!!!

SPLASSHHHHHH.......

Oops!! We got hit!

It was an exhiliarating experience. Haha

Having witnessed how gigantic and "fat" the Walrus was, Mummy decided to change Daddy's nickname from Seal to Walrus.

Since Halloween was celebrated in US, the park was giving out free candies. I was helping myself going to different stations.

Disney World- Magic Kingdom

Orlando's Walt Disney World had 6 theme parks altogether (namely Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdo, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon). Mummy opted for the Magic Kingdom as she thought that Mickey and Minnie would bring us greater joy than other theme parks.

Disney World was enormous. We had to park the car, then take tram to the park entrance. After purchasing the tickeys, we had to take a skytrain to the park. The park was crowded and there were long wait times at most rides.

As extensive walking was expected, Daddy decided to rent us each a stroller (USD36 for full day rental).

The magic kingdom was decorated with a cheerful orange halloween theme.

There was long queue everywhere even thought it was a Tuesday. We caught a few attractions including Mickey's PhilharMagic 3D show, It's a small world, Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Snow White Scary Adventures. Most of the rides were similar to that of Hong Kong disneyland. We should have choosen other special rides were unique to DisneyWorld....

We then saw an exhibit that had a short queue - The Bear Jamboree. So why not we thought. Instead, we queued for at least 25 minutes to watch a B O R I N G bear show. With the limited time remaining, it was a bad move..argh!

Finally when we were getting tired, it was time to catch a picture with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I was starting to get grouchy because of tiredness. However, all my worries evaporated the moment I saw the stars.

Despite the exhuasion, we decided to endure and stay back for the Disney Electrical Parade as well as Wishes Nighttime Spectacular (fireworks). While waiting, we got to admire the beautiful castle at sunset.

The night performances was indeed well-worth the wait.

The 3D visual effect and fireworks extravaganza was stunning and magnificent. My parents had watched similar night performances in other Disneylands but none came close to this. We even witnessed a Tinker Bell flying in the sky...

Before the fireworks ended, Mummy and Daddy started our dash out of the park. As we looked at the Magical Castle from the train, we counted ourselves lucky to avoid the crowd and made our way back to our hotel.

Our Journey Home

It was a 28 hours flight home with 2 transits in between. The journey was rather torturing as Mummy was suffering from bad dizziness while I was coughing profusely and even vomitted. Fortunately, Cayden and I were generally very well-behaved.

End of the day, we were glad to be home, safe and sound.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL SET OF PHOTOS

- carys

p.s This is the last post on our USA Adventure. Thank you for reading. ^_^

Basic Chinese 500 (基础汉字500) Part 2

2011-11-11T15:33:00.001+08:00

At my own leisurely and relaxing pace, I have completed the first 4 series of the Sage Formula (a.k.a. Basic Chinese 500 基础汉字500). My parents are on a look out for the last series which is not yet available in the Singapore bookstores.

With the recommendation from Ah Mm, I started off with this book series at the beginning of the current year. At that point of time, my chinese knowledge word bank was no more than ten characters, or almost null. Today, I am able to read short simple chinese stories with little help and my interest in the language has also improved by leaps and bounds.

By reading the sentences outloud, my English accent is gradually fading away. Despite this, there is still a huge room for improvement in my ability to articulate fluently in mandarin, which we will continue to work hard on.....

Previous related post: Basic Chinese 500 (基础汉字500)
- carys

Weekend Farm

2011-11-09T23:18:00.000+08:00

While driving around Choa Chu Kang area, we chanced upon the Weekend farm which grew and produced fresh vegetables.

Visitors were free to explore the premises to see first hand how the leafy vegetables were grown. We had a terrific time.

The pavement around the farm was very friendly to visitors.

We witnessed how the freshly harvested raddish were cleaned before being transported to the market for sale.

Besides vegetables, there were also animals and a fish pond on display.

End of the trip, we visited the farm market where the fresh harvests were sold. Just as the name speaks for itself, this retail outlet operates only during weekends and public holidays.

We could not resist and bought some fresh vegetables home.

We plan to return to explore other interesting farms around Choa Chu Kang area.

- carys and cayden

Learning Kidz Evaluation Progress Report

2011-11-07T17:09:00.000+08:00

I have been attending the 2-hourly thrice weekly lessons at Learning Kidz for coming to 6 months. Below are the final term progress reports:

(pls click images to view clearer resolution)

Here are some of my masterpieces:

Time to practice and improve my colouring :P

- cayden

Travel USA (Part 3)

2011-11-04T17:21:00.000+08:00

Grand Canyon

Places visited: The South Rim- Grand Canyon Village, Tusayan, The Hermit Road (via shuttle bus), Desert View Drive

Peculiar sights and experience:

It was a long drive from LA to Grand Canyon.

We stopped to admire the sunset when we were just 15 minutes away from destination.

Tusayan was a very small town and we stayed at the Best Western Squaire Inn. The weather was cold but the hotel was very nice and comfortable.

The next morning, we proceed to Grand Canyon Helipad to catch the helicopter ride of the Grand Canyon.

Mummy was stuck in the middle with me screaming and crying with fright due to the rotor sound and refused to put on the headphones.

For my sister, she was tired and just wanted to nap. You can imagine how steady and comfortable the helicoper ride was.

When the helicopter pilot said, "Grand Canyon Helicopters would like to Welcome all of you to the Grand Canyon", we knew we had arrived. Mummy was delighted when she saw the Grand Canyon, which has been her dream. The view was breath-taking - until today, we do not know if the Colorado River parted the Grand Canyon or did the river flow because of the Canyon parting.

After the helicopter ride, we proceed to Grand Canyon National Park. The sun was extremely hot but thankfully, my sister and I were well behaved.

We braved through many stops in the Park, and in the evening, observed sunset. Viewed from different stops, the Grand Canyon had different facades, each with its own identity.

Our drive back at night was greeted with a skyful of stars. We have never seen anything like this before, the sky full of stars.

We were supposed to drive to Las Vegas early the next day, but decided to start later because we wanted to see the Desert View Indian Watchtower that we missed the previous day.

After that, we briefly stopped in the National Geographic Amphitheater before starting our long drive to Las Vegas.

Daddy and Mummy could not venture and trek because of us, but that would be an incentive to come again next time. It would be best to spend a week in the Grand Canyon.

Las Vegas

Places visited: Hoover Dam, The Strip

Peculiar sights and experience:

Hoover Dam was 39 degree celcius, really hot! And the air was extremely dry. With that kind of heat and because it was late evening, we did not spend much time there.

A point to note is that many people died while building the dam that serves the needs of the population today. "They died to make the desert bloom"

As we touched the rocks, with all its hardness, we cannot imagine how much of labor the people put in to build the place.

Thereafter, we continued our journey towards...

... not Paris...

... not New York...

... nor Egypt

but Las Vegas!

The reason of coming here was because we needed to catch a domestic flight to Orlando without needing to drive too far from Tusayan. Las Vegas is a city of neon Lights, especially at the Strip. Big hotels, stretched limousines, millions of tourists.....and lots of casinos. We spent quite a lot of time at the M&M Shop, the Coca-Cola Store and the factory outlets.

Though most of the attractions were man-made, the atmosphere in Las Vegas was really remarkable.

We did not capture on camera but it was kind of a cultural shock that we kids could freely enter the casino. Walking through the casino was also the only route to access the breakfast cafeteria from the lobby. What an eye-opener for my sister and I!

We only spent 1 day in Las Vegas before heading to Orlando by air the next morning and wished to be back again in the future.

FOR FULL SET OF PHOTOS, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

- cayden

The Elves and Shoemaker

2011-11-02T16:07:00.000+08:00

Synopsis

(write-up extracted from sistic.com)

iTheatre Proudly presents:

There was once a shoemaker, who, by no fault of his own, had become so poor that at last he had nothing left but leather for one pair of shoes.

Have you ever wondered why?
Come with us to a little village, on the edge of the forest, just beyond the city, and visit the Shoemaker’s shop. It stands between Old Geppetto’s Toy Shop, and The Gingerbread Bakery.
And where are his customers?
Walking along the street, meet Madam Imelda, with her two daughters. Trailing behind them, like a servant, her stepdaughter, Cinderella. They are just NEVER satisfied with the shoes he makes – and always demand that he remakes and repairs them at no cost…

This, you might realise, is where the story begins…

A brand new, crazy, magical and tender-hearted musical for Singapore, based on the famous story by The Brothers Grimm – including special appearances from a few more famous characters you might recognise! The story of a good and generous heart rewarded, and virtue celebrated – of selfishness defeated, and honour upheld. Are we all getting too cynical for this? Or is it time to revisit, and celebrate, with children everywhere, the glory of the gift, and the wonder of the wish!

Venue

Drama Centre Threatre @ National Library

Duration

110 minutes (with 15 minutes break)

Meet the Cast

Conclusion

I did not understand certain part of the story (magic taken away?) thus did not really enjoy the whole show. In comprison, there was less laughters and audience interactions as compared to the Gingerdread Man play.

Nonetheless, it was a fun experience.
- carys

The Black Widow Witch

2011-11-01T00:56:00.000+08:00

..... was my halloween outfit.

I had a half-day Halloween Celebration in school. Mummy thought it might not be worthwhile to buy a new custume for this purpose thus customized this simple outfit for me.

It was adorned with hand-sewn halloween pumpkin, bat and...

poisonous black widow spiders!!

I loved them.

I thank Mummy with evil laughters.......... wahahaha......

- carys

a-MAZE-ing Fun

2011-11-01T00:08:00.000+08:00

With the use of this kumon Book of Easy Mazes,

I can now do simple mazes on my own.

Along the way, my sister sat by me to ~~distract and irritate~~ provide some guidance.

(The maze line in this video is a bit faint as I was using pencil)

Here are some of my completed mazes:

- cayden

Lanterns and Candles

2011-10-31T00:52:00.000+08:00

This was an outdated post meant to be published last month but we were too occupied with our trip preparation then. Nonetheless, it was one of the simple but heart-warming events worth documenting.

This year, we celebrated mid autumn festival with nothing fanciful but lanterns and candles.

We had lots of fun on the eve...

and on the actual day...

There were loads of laughters and smiles.

We may not truly appreciate the real meaning of the festival but are thankful for the joy it has brought upon us.

- carys and cayden

Travel USA (Part 2)

2011-10-30T01:51:00.000+08:00

Getting Around

Due to certain reasons, Daddy did not rent any GPS for directional guidance. Having the assumption that there would be hardcopy street directory provided in our rented car, Mummy was not worried as she was usually the map reader. However, they were shocked to realize that hardcopy street directory had already been phased out in the States. Uh oh, so how did we survive our drive?

All thanks to the late Uncle Steve Jobs, our iPhones had free GPS which we relied on throughout our drives in Western USA. Did you know that GPS still functioned well even when there was no phone network coverage?

See a snapshot below (notice there was "No Service" but the GPS was still working well):

Photos

Click HERE to view photos taken in San Francisco, Monterey and Los Angeles.

San Francisco

Places visited: Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Chinatown, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge and Presidio

Peculiar sights and experience:

This city was extremely hilly. Everywhere, we saw steep slopes...
and slopes...
and even the buildings were tilted. Cars parked perpendicularly along a 40 degrees steep road, was commonly seen around town. How extraordinary...In a cable car, up and down we went. The seaview could be admired when the cable car moved downslope. Beautiful.Cable Cars were manually rotated by operators at the end-point terminals. To us, it was quite an interesting sight since most transport systems had been automated at the present era.

The city was decked with Victorian architectures. Very elegant and classy.

One of San Francisco’s smelliest and most famous tourist attractions was seal- watching at Fisherman's Wharf Pier 39 but the sea creatures seemed to have deserted the docks. Not a single seal was spotted during our visit which was a disappointment. Their disappearance was unusual.
We travelled a few thousand miles longing to witness one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World- the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was fully swallowed by fog during our visit. We returned the next morning and managed to catch a glimpse of the tip of the towers.
Fortunately, the drive-through offered a clear view of the architecture.
San Francisco is a very charming city where we have left our hearts .... We will be back!

Monterey

Places visited: 17-Mile drive and Pebble Beach, Monterey Aquarium, Dennis the Menace Playgroun, Cannery Lane

Peculiar sights and experience:

In comparison to other scenic coastal drives around the world, we felt that the entrance fee of USD9.50 into the 17 Mile drive and Pebble Beach was not worth paying for. In return, we were given a colourful brochure map and granted view access to the golf course, some expensive houses as well as a stretch of rugged coastal line. In our view, the "free stretch" of coastal line at pacific grove was as scenic. (just our personal opinion)

Given the tight timeline, we should have allocated more time for the award-winning Monterey Aquarium.
Along the 17 miles drive, they had the famous Lone Cypress tree (the foggy silhouette image in far distance below). Nothing spectacular we thought.
It was quite a pity that limited time was left for the Monterey Aquarium- renowned worldwide for its research on deep-sea marine life and other programs in marine biology. There were so much to see, learn and play. It was an aquarium like no other. The exhibits and attractions were very unique, definitely worth every cent paid for.

One very special fish tank featured thousands of tornado fishes circling above us. I called it "Traffic jam".

The fishes in this exhibit swam in one direction. Where to? I thought they were swimming towards the "Traffic Jam" Hehe..

A fish with no tall? It was a large ocean sunfish. We were fascinated by it.

It was Mummy's wish to witness huge schools of tornado fishes and she was overjoyed to find it here. Round and round they go.

Besides the Monterey Aquarium, another attraction worth visiting was the Dennis the Menace Playground. Entrance to the park was free.

Los Angeles
Places we visited: Hollywood Boulevard, Griffith Observatory, Beverly Hills

Peculiar sights and experience:

The Griffith Observatory was one of the best attractions throughout the trip. You are not going to believe that entrance is free for all.

The Hollywood sign was visible from here.

As it was located up the Griffith Hill, we could oversee Los Angeles city from here.

The exhibits were highly interactive, captivating and very educational.

This visit was definitely better than any textbook read.

Have you seen every single element in the periodic table?

I have been reading much about earth rotation but nothing like viewing it in motion:

After the visit, I could now recite the names and sequence of all the planets found in the solar system as well as remember the characteristics of some of them!

We will share more in the subsequent posts. Stay tuned!

- carys

Let's Get Married

2011-10-20T17:56:00.005+08:00

Carys: Mummy, can a girl marry a girl?
Mummy: No, a girl must marry a boy.
Carys: Oh, so a girl and a boy can get married right?
Mummy: That's right.
Carys: I want to marry my 弟弟 (young brother)!
Mummy: No no!! Brother and sister cannot get married! You cannot marry 弟弟!!
Carys: Yes, I can. He is a boy! Come'on Cayden! Let's get married!!

Watch us get married:
The ending seems to reflect the truth to (some) marriages after a few years... :P

- carys

My Full Set of Teeth

2011-10-17T23:36:00.005+08:00

After observing that I could eat and chew better during our USA trip, Mummy found out that my 2 upper second molars had started erupting before the trip.

I now have my full set of teeth!

I need to protect my precious set of pearlies by keeping them clean!

- cayden

Travel USA (Part 1)

2011-10-16T01:01:00.001+08:00

It took us a couple of days to recover from our exhuasion before adjusting back to our daily routine.

Regarding our trip, there is just too much to share. We shall try to keep it as concise as possible.

This post summarises some of our experiences and challenges faced during the trip. Write-up about the individual cities would be highlighted in the subsequent posts.

Our Itinerary

East USA

Day 1- 21^thSep Singapore - San Francisco

Day 2- 22nd Sep San Francisco

Day 3- 23rd Sep San Francisco - Monterey

Day 4- 24th Sep Monterey - Los Angeles

Day 5- 25th Sep Los Angeles

Day 6- 26th Sep Los Angeles – Grand Canyon

Day 7- 27th Sep Grand Canyon

Day 8- 28th Sept Grand Canyon – Las Vegas

Day 9- 29th Sep Las Vegas

Day 10- 30th Sep Las Vegas

West USA

Day 11- 1st Oct Orlando

Day 12- 2nd Oct Orlando

Day 13- 3rd Oct Orlando

Day 14- 4th Oct Orlando

Day 15- 5th Oct Orlando (Depart for Singapore)

Lengthy Flights

Flight to San Francisco
Total Duration: 19 hours
Route: MCO-IAD-NRT-SFO

Our transit flight to Tokyo Narita was affected by the powerful typhoon Roke which strucked Japan at a speed of 162km/h. Landing was being delayed as the captain made a few detours.

Our safety was at the mercy of strong wind as there were lots of forceful jerkings and instances of "free fall" caused by the rough turbulence. Abrupt changes in altitude and large variation in airspeed could also be felt. Everyone was terrified.

The captain made numerous announcements explaining that we had to make detours since it was unsafe to land. The atmosphere was very tense.

After 40 minutes of delay, the skillful captain did a marvellous landing and everyone applauded with relief and joy. Phew!! We were extremely thankful to be safe.

Upon arrival, Mommy noticed this.

Flight back home
Total Duration: 28 hours
Route: MCO-IAD-NRT-SIN

Our tickets were purchased through zuji.com which furnished the wrong transit information. During check-in, we were astonished to learn that there were an additional transit on top of the stated resulting in a longer duration. We are definitely going to lodge a complaint!

Anyway, we kept ourselves occupied with books and reading material. Other times, we felt drowsy and slept the flight hours away.

Hotels

Prior to the trip, my parents spent many sleepless nights scouting for decent accomodations with the consideration of various factors including good online reviews, convenient locatiosn and reasonable rates.

One of the costly hotels during our trip (more than sgd200 per night):

where breakfast equals to this:

and the cheapest hotel (about SGD100):

Luxurious buffet breakfast with a fantastic spread of food including smoked salmon, shell fish, desserts counter as well as other nice western and asian options.

With factors including free parking, conveniency, friendly servies etc being the same, isn't it ironical? :)

Reason: The expensive hotel was located at Monterey (near San Francisco) whereas the location of the second hotel was Las Vegas. Hotel business in Las Vegas was highly competitive thus rates were much more reasonable. :))

Jetlag

It was not too difficult to curb jetlag during the trip as there was too much daytime acitivites and excitement which kept our mind occupied. Regardless, we did feel drowsy at times on the first two days.

Witness Cayden dozing off while munching his food during our first meal at 4.30pm US time.

and finally...

Jetlag was more of an issue after we returned to Singapore since we spent most of our time resting at home. It took us almost 5 days to fully recover.

Roadtrips

Who says distant driving is boring?
Our journeys between towns and cities were accompanied by scenic landscapes:

Photos

Using Daddy's DSLR and Mummy's compact point-and-shoot digital camera, the total number of photos taken were about 8,000 shots. We promise to post them for your viewing very soon. Thank you for your kind patience.

- carys

28 hours journey home

2011-10-08T04:04:00.003+08:00

After a long flight, we have returned home safely from our 15-days US holiday and are currently experiencing sleeping disorder due to jetlag. Thank you for your interest and patience. Daddy and Mummy are in the process of tidying the photos which would be posted online for your viewing soon.

In the interim, here are a few to share:

Have a nice day!!

- carys & cayden @ 3.40am

Travel USA

2011-09-23T22:03:00.003+08:00

We are now in the USA. I am enjoying every minute of it. Our short journey will bring me to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vegas, Grand Canyon and Orlando. A holiday is definately enjoyable for us but definately stressful on Daddy and Mummy.

Outing @ Birdpark

2011-09-05T00:52:00.001+08:00

Daddy took leave today to spend some time with us. Unfortunately, it started drizzling in the late morning but that didn't stop us from paying a visit to the Jurong Bird Park.

Daddy was not concerned about the rain because the two of us were seated comfortably in a sheltered wagon. Nice!

There were many interactive and edcucational activities.

Let's feed the birdie!

Oops..

It was a fun day out and we hoped to bring Mummy along at our next visit!

- carys & cayden

Honeys & Jams for Teachers' Day

2011-09-01T00:27:00.000+08:00

It is time of the year to show our appreciation and gratitude towards our teachers.

We prefer to give something practical thus opted for Honeys and Jams.

Let's wrap them!

Firstly, I write the gift tags...

Then I carefully wrap them using transparent gift bags which we bought from DAISO.

Ta-da!! Done!

I hope my teachers will like them!

And these are to be presented to Cayden's teachers.

Happy Teachers' Day!!

- carys

Potty time for the Angry Bird

2011-08-27T00:45:00.004+08:00

Mummy purchased this urinal potty from Gmarket since 3 months ago but had not been successful in toilet-training me until today. Everyone at home was overjoyed to hear the "sound of water"!

The urinal potty could be attached to any smooth surface at any suitable height. The design also helped to reduce spillage as compared to the conventional form of potty.

During this period of toilet training, "accidents" were inevitable but my parents hoped that I would succeed soon!

- cayden

Leap Frog Tag

2011-08-18T01:07:00.002+08:00

Since the birth of Cayden, my parents has not been buying much toys for us as they feel that it is more worthwhile to invest in books.

However, this Leapfrog Tag: Interactive Books for Kids seems to be quite a reasonable buy from the amazon.com bulk purchase since it has good educational value.

Through the interactive world map, I have cultivated familiarity with the seven continents and various countries in the world.

Cayden is enjoying it as much as I do!

We love it!

- carys

Our 1st Visit to Universal Studio

2011-08-14T23:46:00.004+08:00

Ever since its official launch in Apr 2011, we had been avoiding this amusement park due to the notoriously long queues.

So why were we here today? Well, Mummy's company had a family day event where tickets were sold at low prices and so we decided to give it a try. Would it really be that bad? Uhmm...we shall see as it was a Saturday and we knew it was going to be crowded....

We arrived at 10am. The sun was already scorching hot.
Not having done much research beforehand, we felt kind of lost and overwhelmed. Which of the rides were child-friendly?

In the midst of searching and exploring, we found ourselves staring up at the 14 storeys high mess of steel- the Battlestar Galactica. It was the world's tallest duelling coaster. There were plenty twists & turns and overhead twirls. I felt intimidated by the loud roar of the roller coaster and horrifying screams.

The architecture of the Ancient Egypt land was magnificent.

Yeah!! We found a kiddy ride- The Treasure Hunters.

Umm... would the queue be long?

Fortunately, it took us only 15 minutes before hopping onto the ride.

The car ride was quite cool but it lasted for less than 5 minutes.

At this point, we started to get a bit drained due to the hot weather.

And the crowd grew denser imposing a challenge to move around without feeling frustrated.

After settling down for a rest, we took a carousel ride in Madagasca land.

Finally, this was something enjoyable with a short and fast-moving queue.

We loved it so much and went for a second round.

Next, we headed for another ride in Madagasca land which was highly recommended by Mommy's colleague - A Crate Adventure.

Unknowingly, we were stranded in one of the longest queue which could easily last more than an hour. The end of the queue was not even visible.

Along the way, we kept ourselves hydrated. It was marvelous that they installed watercoolers in the queue area.

Due to the heat and exhaustion, my sister and I turned antagonistic towards each other.

30 minutes later....

"Daddy, I want to go home!!"

We finally abandoned our plan and left the amusement park. 4 hours and we only covered 2 types of rides. What a mockery!

We do not foresee ourselves returning any time soon.....

- cayden

Counting 1 2 3

2011-08-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

I started recognizing numbers at 13th months and learned to recite 1 to 10 at 17 months but did not relate numbers to quantity until recently.

I am now able to point fingers at objects and count up to 5.

Today, I can recognize and recite up to number 20 but hope to master the skill of counting one day.

- cayden

Little Miss Bossy

2011-08-01T00:07:00.001+08:00

"She exhibits some form of leadership qualities but can be quite bossy at times." commented Ms Alina (my form teacher)

At school, I like to give instructions to my peers and ensure that they do things the correct way.

I reprimand those who do not follow instructions.

Back home, I guide my brother and ensure that he listens to me. I am the little bossy girl!

Even though I am friendly most of the time, my parents pointed out that I ought to improve my communication skill and learn the importance of being humble.

My parents were shocked when they heard me say the following to Cayden:

"You better don't misbehave ah!! Stop doing this! My mood changes very fast ok!?" (this is one of Daddy's fav quote)

"I am not in good mood today. Stop playing and listen to me now!!"

End of the day, I know that my parents are the bosses at home.

- carys

Krabi - Trip highlights (Part 2)

2011-07-29T22:43:00.004+08:00

Elephant Trekking

There was a maximum limit of two person per elephant so we had to split up. Daddy and my sister would ride on one while Mummy and I took another.

Mummy was putting up a strong front but she was really frightened deep down. To begin with, she was reluctant to go for the ride feeling intimidated by the height but Daddy insisted on trying. She was worried that the elephant could possibly run wild any moment. Thank goodness it was quite obedient.

Grabbing me tightly with one hand, she gripped onto the sedan armrest with another.

As the elephant moved upslope, we were tilted backward facing the sky. Mummy's heart skipped a beat before the elephant hauled itself back to even ground. Being unaware of the danger, I was not at all afraid.

As the journey progressed, she got used to the rocking rhythm and her fear subsided.

Half way through, we had to stop as Daddy and my sister were lagging behind. Their elephant was busy eating tree leaves. Daddy and my sister were enjoying themselves and did not seem to be at all worried.

End of the day, Mummy was very relieved that we managed to return safe and sound.

The experience was thrilling and memoriable.

- cayden

Under the bamboos

Despite the hot weather, it was extremely cooling to dine under the bamboo trees.

We got the recommendation as well as direction from the hotel staff and were glad to be able to locate it even though the sign board was written in thai. We did not know the name but it was located in Krabi Town.

The food tasted awesome.

A little fairy visited me over breakfast

On our last day here, we decided to have our breakfast outdoor for a change to admire the surprisingly rich ecosystem that the garden possessed.
While eating, a butterfly came landing on my hand. Wow!

It felt a little ticklish but I was stunned with amazement. What a charming little creature!

- carys

Why Krabi and not Phuket?

We chose Krabi because it was relatively less commercialized and essentially a place to rest and relax. It was also less crowded hence the beaches were less polluted.

We shall be back

Krabi has truly captured our hearts and we are deeply in love with this place. We plan to return in the near future. (:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COMPLETE SET OF PHOTOS

- carys & cayden

The Phase of the Endless Whys

2011-07-27T00:07:00.004+08:00

Cayden: Why thomas and friend train has no legs, Daddy? Umm?
Daddy: The train does not need legs. It has wheels.
Cayden: Why, ummm? Why?
Daddy: The train needs not walk, Cayden.
Cayden: Why the train doesn't walk, uhm?
Daddy: It travels on rails.
Cayden: Why, uhm?

and it goes on......

I have begun to engage my parents with endless stream of questions. Daddy and Mummy know that this is just a passing phase and essentially a good opportunity for me to pick up new knowledge through communication. They try their best to answer every question of mine, most of the time.

Some of my other favourite questions include:
"What are you doing?"
"Eh! What's that sound?"
"What is that?"
"Where are we going, ummm?"

A response may require a moment of thought on their part, but an informative reply may benefit me a lifetime....

- cayden

Writing my chinese name

2011-07-24T11:16:00.003+08:00

Mummy always thought that she would be the one to introduce me to writing my chinese name but she was really delighted to learn that I had picked up the skill from school.

Even though I have acquired the basic writing skill of my chinese name, Mummy observes I would still need to improve on the strokes sequence and appearance.

See me write my name:

Just to share, the meaning of my name is depicted as follows:

雯

meaning: multicolored clouds 成花纹的云彩

欣

meaning: joyous 快乐

- carys

A Nomination Letter for Ms Melissa

2011-07-20T18:07:00.004+08:00

Ms Melissa - my Nursery 1 teacher, has been nominated for the MCYS CHILD CARE AWARDS 2011 OUTSTANDING EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER.

As part of the nomination process, a few parents in my school are being invited to contribute commendation letters and my parents are one of them. They have always been very grateful to Ms Melissa and are really glad to be given a chance to help.

Below is the write-up by Daddy:

“We will take care of her. Don’t worry Mr Lee”, a cheerful heart could be heard. A big smile would accompany. That was in year 2010, the venue was Cambridge CDC at Lorong Puntong, and that was the start of our wonderful parent-teacher relationship with a certain individual, Ms Melissa.

How reassuring those words are when we have to leave our child out of our minding. Everyday, we work hard and aspire to provide a good standard of living for ourselves and our family. Whatever our vocation, none is more noble of that as an Educator. And Ms Melissa the Educator has good demeanor, she is likable, authoritative when necessary and most importantly, she is caring. These are the attributes that bond a child to an individual. But to do so to twenty 3-year olds, you must be special.

It was evident from Carys at home that she really took to Ms Melissa. She always said ‘Ms Melissa said we must be kind.”, “Ms Melissa said we must eat well.”, all the positive rhymes instilled that Carys brought home. It was with Ms Melissa that Carys developed early learning and today she can speak and read. Most importantly, Carys enjoys learning and has an inquisitive mind. And why is that? It must be because there has always been a convincing answer back to every question, and I am sure that Ms Melissa really made learning as much fun as possible to Carys. And this goes beyond A, B, C’s and 1, 2, 3’s. It has to be the way communication and trust is developed. And I thank her.

Back then, Carys always found it hard not to cry whenever we dropped her off at school. Every-day, it would be Ms Melissa who would coax her into stepping into class, playing with her classmates and ultimately, settle down. With 20 other children under her care, I thought that she would just sit my daughter at a corner, but I was wrong. Ms Melissa would sit her on her laps and sing together with her. How glad that Carys had such a caring teacher. And till today, she hums the tunes that were taught to her in N1. An educator needs to be able to provide comfort to her charges, and Ms Melissa does that so well. Without comfort, there is no control, and with no control, there is no education. And I am sure that it all comes with passion for the job.

No amount of words can validate how much a child has learnt at school. It is behavior and character demonstrated that makes an individual. Children need to be nurtured from young, be it eating, reading or playing habits. “Share your toys”, Carys would be reminded. And she does so these days with her younger brother. And all these I have observed to be attributes that Carys developed in Cambridge CDC, again under the guidance and attention of her teachers, and most importantly, Ms Melissa.

Forward to Nov 2010, it was time for the CDC Graduation Ceremony. Carys had been practicing in earnest for this big day. She would not tell us what she will be performing, only that Ms Melissa was teaching them the steps and the rhythm. And on the performance day, we were so happy when we saw our Carys on stage, gyrating happily as an Arabian dancer. After the performance, we took a picture of her teachers and Carys’ favourite was with Ms Melissa. We had always known Ms Melissa to be Carys’ teacher, but it was the emotional speech that she gave at the Graduation ceremony at the Grassroots Club that really struck a chord. For someone to give up an Engineering background to nurture our young ones, to give up monetary benefits for passion is indeed commendable.

I hold very true to the belief that good character will bring us a long way. And I have high hopes that Carys will demonstrate such. And seeing her grow, I am pleased with the progress of her early learning. All this would not have been possible without Ms Melissa’s guidance. Carys today is in N2, learning and developing well. She is still Ms Melissa’s “Gemuk, Gemuk”, meaning “Chubby” in Malay. Just 4 years old with a lifetime ahead, I am pleased that the start has been good and enriching. In fact, we will be sending our son to the CDC soon so that he too can benefit from the teachings of Ms Melissa.

Whilst accolades are showered on Ms Melissa, I believe that Carys’ other teachers Ms Fong and then Principal Ms Chow also played a part. And I am grateful to them. However, if I have to single out I individual, it would be Ms Melissa.

There will be many other teachers being nominated with a generous amount of praise. However for us, the most apt would be after the selection, the MCYS CHILD CARE AWARDS 2011 OUTSTANDING EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER would go to Ms Melissa.

Thank You. Sincerely

Daddy of Carys Lee

- carys

My New Passport Photo

2011-07-18T15:15:00.005+08:00

Daddy realizes that my passport is due for renewal soon and thought it is time to get ready a photo for my new passport.

Besides, my current passport photo has minimal resemblance of me as it was taken when I was barely 2 months old. [See related posts: Passport photo and Approved!!]

As the Application for Passport On-line Electronic System (APPLES) accepts photo in jpg format, we decided to DIY.

In the process of photo-taking, there were multiple attempts to get the right smile, position and expression...

and finally...we have these.

Which photo do you prefer? Cast your vote!

- carys

Carys speaks

2011-07-15T11:04:00.003+08:00

Carys: I will have my own baby next time right?
Mummy: Yes, will you love your baby?
Carys:Yes, I will love my baby. I will make my baby do a lot of worksheets just like what you are doing to me!
Mummy: Oops...

*Mummy and Carys are going through the world map.*
Mummy: Look at this line in the middle, this is the equator. Places near the equator are very hot.
Carys: Wow? How do you know? You have been to the equator when you were young? You went with Yee-Yee issit?
Mummy: Errrm....
Carys: I don't want to go to the equator. My favourite place on earth is the Antarctica....

*Carys and Mummy taking a stroll chatting*
Carys: I love Daddy, Mummy and Cayden alot you know?
Mummy: Really?
Carys: I love all of you 100%. That's a lot!
Mummy: Is that alot?
Carys: *paused for a moment* ok I love you 000000000001%!! Wow!! So much!

Krabi - Trip highlights (Part 1)

2011-07-13T23:24:00.001+08:00

The hotel

When it comes to good service, nothing comes close to Amari Vogue. Let us tell you why:
- From the moment we arrived at the hotel, we were warmly greeted by the front desk staff and offered the most refreshing cold towel and chilled welcome drink.
- The general manager (Michael) specially came down to the hotel lobby to give us a warm welcome
- We requested for a king size bed over online booking and declared that the room was meant for family of 2A2C. To our pleasant surprise, there was an extra single bed installed free of charge
- There were tasty pastries delivered to our room every afternoon, at no additional cost
- They surprised us with ice-cream and water at the hotel's private beach, free of charge
- The lobby staff gave us friendly call one day before departure to check if any special arrangement (eg transport) at check-out was required
- Children were presented with coloring kit before food was served over mealtime
- Every single hotel staff were warm and friendly

The room was extremely spacious with a bigger-than-usual king size bed. Divine!!

Island Hopping

For convenience sake, we hired a private longtail boat @ 2000 baht for a trip to Hong Island and Pak Bia Island. We set ~~off~~ sail after breakfast, right from our hotel's private beach.

We were not used to boat rides and clinged on to mummy for security. Shortly after (approx 15 mins), we arrived at Hong Island.

(Hong means room. It is named as such because the island has an enclosed lagoon accessible through a narrow opening like a room.)

It was low tide in the lagoon and our boat was not able to sail deep into it. We headed for the sandy beach instead.

The scenery was breathtaking.
We came prepared with bread but did not have the courage to feed the fishes initially. With some help and encouragement from the boat uncle, we were surrounded by hundreds of fishes in no time!! Thrilling!

There was not many visitors on the island at this hour.

I played sand while Mummy went snorkeling.
Next, we tried accessing the enclosed lagoon but the water was too shallow and the seabed was rocky. Our boat got stucked and boat uncle had to get into the water to "free" it from the rocks. Daddy said "never mind, we will come again!"
We then headed for Pak Bia Island. She was an enhanting beauty.

We noticed that the waves were more friendly here compare to Hong Island. With our bread, the fishes came.

The most memorable thing at Pak Bia island was Mummy encountered a giant jellyfish while Snorkeling. What a close shave!! Scary!!

Giant white jellyfishes could be spotted everywhere, even from our boat. There were people out there harvesting jellyfishes.
Another interesting sight spotted during our boat ride was that people actually stayed in tiny caves above sea to harvest bird nests. They had to climb up vertically steep cliffs to get the nests. Indeed a highly dangerous task!

We shall continue our update in part 2...

- carys & cayden

Krabi - Sneak Peek

2011-07-11T17:23:00.006+08:00

Can you guess what is this?

Answer:
More to come. Stay tuned!

- carys & cayden

Eating on my own

2011-06-29T23:29:00.000+08:00

is a skill to be mastered.

I am gradually improving but do not have the patience to finish the entire meal on my own.

See me eat on my own:

- cayden

Bid Farewell to Chor Chor

2011-06-24T00:33:00.008+08:00

Upon receiving the news that Chor Chor (Great-grandma) was very sick and weak, Daddy applied for leave and planned a trip to Malacca the next morning.

On 24 Jun 2011, Daddy and I departed for Malacca at dawn. Unfortunately, Mummy was not able to go due to work commitment. Cayden was under Por Por's care (grandma).

By 10am, Daddy and I were present by the side of Chor Chor's bed. She could hardly move and appeared to be unconscious. "CHOR CHOR!!" I called out to her loudly but there was minimal response.

We stayed a little longer and decided to take a rest in the hotel before heading back to visit her in the afternoon.

Half hour later, Daddy received a phone call that Chor Chor had departed. With a heavy and sorrow heart, Daddy broke the sad news. I was speechless.

Chor Chor left us at the age of 94.

When a loved one becomes a memory
That memory becomes a treasure.....
May she rests in peace.

[Above pictures were taken during Chor Chor's birthday the previous year. See related post HERE]

- carys

Art Garden @ SAM

2011-06-21T23:43:00.005+08:00

This is an annual event at the Singapore Arts Museum not to be missed.

The exhibits are very interesting, interactive and appropriate for young kids, as per depicted below:

Paper Forest

Let's beautify the trees with colours and drawings!

Crafty Fruit Market

Over here, you can make a paper fruit (free with each ticket and $1 each for any additional).

Paramodelic-Graffiti

To Cayden, this is heaven since he loves trains. At various intervals, you get to construct the tracks and let the trains run on them!

Dancing solar powered flowers

The flowers stops when you shine light on them. Fun!

Mummy Dearest Dress-up Room

Let's decorate the tiered cake...

and decorate the dress-up dolls with the velcro apparels.

The Arty Elephant

His body is decorated with cute little stickers.

The weather Station

Push and match the huge circular disks with the colourful circles on the floor.

The Colouring Station

It's stencil time! This is my favourite station

In this room, there is a mini train set to play with.

Picture with Dots

Mummy thinks this is the most fun among all.

You colour and plan...

collect the colourful discs ...

and form an image

However, the queue is too long and we will have to come back another day to try this out.

This exhibition is currently still ongoing and will last till end Aug 2011. Do drop by if you have the time! :)

- carys & cayden

p.s Free Admission on Friday night 6 to 9pm :)

YJC Pri 1 Assessment

2011-06-21T00:32:00.003+08:00

I have officially completed the Yamaha Junior Course - Primary 1. On the last lesson, there was a mini performance where our musical skill was individually assessed.

Watch my turn to play the electone (Mummy could tell that I was a little nervous :P):

- carys

Happie Daddies' Day

2011-06-19T00:27:00.001+08:00

Thank you for being our wonderful Daddy!! Happie Fathers' Day!!

- carys & cayden

Meet-The-Parents @ Cambridge CDC

2011-06-18T15:57:00.003+08:00

My parents and Cayden were here in my school today to meet my teachers.

While waiting for our turn, we admired the beautiful and interesting display of masterpieces that we made in the course of our semester.
This was my form teacher - Ms Alina. She was my favourite teacher.
Meeting with English Teacher - Ms Alina

Comments by Teacher
"Carys has been a very good student in class. She is generally very well-behaved."
"She has long attention span. I don't think she watches much TV at home right? She is pretty strong in her English Language. I believe that you have been reading to her back home?"
"One concern is that Carys talks a lot. Therefore, she eats very slowly. During lesson time, we need to occasionally remind her to pay attention and not talk."
"Carys displays Leadership Qualities in class. She likes to lead her classmates and is always the first to volunteer."

My parent's view
It was quite expected that my teacher would comment on my excessive talking. Hehe. They were glad that I had been well-behaved in school. Ms Alina was a nice teacher and they knew that I was in good hands under her teachings.

Meeting with Chinese Teacher - 陈老师 Mdm Chen

Comments by teacher
"雯欣对知识的吸收能力很强,而且学习速度相当快.是个不错的学生.不过写字方面许要多加练习."
("Carys is able to pick up new knowledge well but she would need to improve on her writing skill.")

My parent's view
Mummy was surprised that Mdm Chen did not comment much on my communication skill. Somehow, she did not seem to be truly aware of my weakness in the language. However, she was a very loving and patient teacher towards students. My parents were thankful that she had been taking good care of me.

- carys

My cooking dairy - Fish, Mushroom & Corn Pasta

2011-06-15T15:50:00.002+08:00

With some guidance and help from Mummy, I am learning to cook my own meal. Here I go:

Let me check out some iPad games while waiting for the food to cool down...

Its ready to eat! Let's tuck in...

Mmmmm....Goodie Goodie!!

- carys

Lots of Fun @ The Playground

2011-06-12T17:01:00.004+08:00

Lots of Sliding

Lots of climbing Lots of happinessLots of love

Lots of fun And finally, we get exhuasted... let's take a rest...
... till we return next for more fun!!

- carys & cayden