I was heavily pregnant with Binbin then. Keatkeat was not even 2 years old. I desperately needed help to clean my house as I was working 12 hours a day, in my retail business, 7 days a week.

It was by chance that I met this other bazaar participant. Her name was Minh. She introduced her helper to me – Rose. Rose is the most hardworking and smart person I have ever met. She looks more than 10 years younger than what she really is. *smile* She used to work in an office when she first came to Singapore. She loves to read and her English is extremely good for a Filipino.

To my boys, Auntie Rose has been with them ever since they can remember. She comes once a week back then and has helped us for 5 years! She does more than what she was assigned. Many chores that were not required of her to do, she will go out of her way to do it. She will stay longer than she is required to, so as to make sure everything is proper and tidy and clean before she leaves each time.

My boys love her and my heart is filled with gratefulness, especially during those times when Binbin was still a newborn and Keatkeat, at 1+, was still quite a handful, Rose has initiated to help me in more ways than one.

She is returning home to her country for good with her husband. They decided to retire and leave hectic Singapore. Doing cleaning for others is her way of passing time, not her way of survival. She does not need these cleaning jobs to fill her tummy with meals, yet she put her heart and soul to it. And hence, she is packed with 2 houses to clean 6 days a week! Referrals went to her like river, she had no choice but to reject. She is really an excellent helper.

Yesterday was her last day with us, but Keatkeat could not be present to say goodbye to her because of school. He was stamping his feet and crossing his arms when I told him yesterday was Auntie Rose’s last day with us. “Oh Man! Then I can’t chit chat with her for the last time!!! So unfair! Binbin gets to chitchat with her for the last time and I cannot!”

Luckily we managed to snap the above photo when Keatkeat was exempted from school because of the PSLE students 2 weeks back. If not, Keatkeat would really have missed the chance to capture the last memory…

Keatkeat and Binbin love to chat with her and get teased by her. They love to disturb help her too. And because she had babysitted or rather children-sitted kids in the past before, thus she knows how to make them really happy. In short, my boys love her to their bones.

So on this very last day, the privilledged ones who got to say goodbye was Binbin and I. Binbin hugged her and so did I. She felt really uncomfortable because of her perspiration from all the cleaning, but Binbin and I did not care, we just want to hug her. *Smile* It was an emotional moment….

Goodbye Auntie Rose, We Will Miss You Very Very Much!

Today is Teacher’s Day, so there are no lessons today. The kids are all ready for a fun-filled day with Allan and I. Finally, its play day again!!! *Grin* We have everything planned out the moment they wake from their dreamland….. but before that, let me share what a nerve-racking morning I had yesterday….

Yesterday morning, Binbin was hoping to get flowers for his Teachers. I remembered the provision shop near my house sells those pre-wrapped-one-stalk-flower during Teacher’s Day. But there was nothing this year.

Oh man!

Where in the world am I going to find 2 stalks of flowers for Binbin’s teacher as a Teacher’s Day present, at 8am in the morning??? Binbin was already running late for school. I suggested that he buys chocolate or a hair clip or something else which the provision shop sells. He said no. He insisted on flowers. So I told him, I will go get the flowers when he is in school and we will give them to his teachers when school ends. He agreed.

When we reached his school, the door was already closed. LATE. *eyes rolled* The moment the teacher opened the door to welcome the late-comer, my favourite girl in Binbin’s class came over and said, “Huh??!! No present for teacher?”

“Later!!! I will give later!” Binbin snapped. He was obviously upset when he saw so many presents on the teacher’s desk. Then he turned to me and said, “Mommy, remember ah!” moving his indexed-finger up and down as he told me in a lecturing tone. “Go now! Quick! Byebye… Go!” He instructed. *giggle*

So I went around the neighborhood, it was too early!!! All the flower shops were still closed! One hour has passed. I panicked. So I went to grab some chocolates for both Binbin and Keatkeat’s teachers, losing faith in finding flowers.

Just when all hope is gone, I spotted a bucket of flowers at the bus stop’s mini-shop. They were packed in 10 stalks per bunch. I asked for individual wrapping, they did not provide such service. To me, giving a naked, unwrapped stalk of rose is not presentable; might as well not give it. I walked away without buying them.

I was cracking my brain to find a way to wrap the flowers. Then ‘TING’!!! It was like those cartoons where there is a light bulb appearing above my head!!! I was almost 100m away from the shop already when it happened.

I scolded myself as I walked back to the mini-shop, “How silly of you!!! You used to wrap and sell bouquets of flowers during Valentines Day! And there are still so many nice flower wraps at home!! You can wrap them!” *slap slap*

And so I hurried home with the chocolates and the flowers. Climbed up to the highest shelf in my storeroom and took down the flower wrappers and ribbons…….

But wrapping flowers and selling them on Valentines Day was some years ago, my skills were rusty and actions were rough… but still, I managed to get them done for my boys’ teachers in that 1.5hours….. Oh man! Mad rush…

All thanks to Binbin, Keatkeat has really nice presents for his teachers too…. (Initially, my elder one wanted to give just a card.)

Keatkeat came home with a bouquet and a box of chocolate. His proclaimed prettiest Chinese teacher (after being taught by 4 Chinese teachers) was absent yesterday. I doubt the flowers can last till Thursday, since there is no school tomorrow. *fingers crossed*

Keatkeat also giggled a lot as he described how his classmates used my small bouquet of flowers to pretend to propose to the teachers and female classmates for hand in marriage. *huge laugh*

He also told me as his face beamed with pride when his English and Music Teachers said they loved his (or my) flowers very very much. *smile*

Hereby wishing all Teachers a

Happy Teacher’s Day!!!

Oh, and parents too! All parents are natural teachers the moment they hear their newborn’s first cries….

Parents, Happy Teacher’s Day to you too!!!

*smile*

And his secret? A Heart of Thankfulness.

Teach Your Child when they are young, to have a Heart of Thankfulness.

When one’s heart is grateful for whatever he/she has, instead of looking at what he/she does not have, nothing else matters….

Today I received a Facebook message:

“hv u ever play vombie farm.
my credit bill rcvd for two mths,
charged me one hundred over dollars
convert fm usd mthly for playing this game
by the boys.
any knowledge of this game, is it got any auto buying while playing.”

*** My friend’s boys are only 5 and 7 years old.

As the world is so filled with all sorts of entertainment, it is so easy to find a ‘temporary nanny’ just to look after our kids for that few minutes or even an hour.

It used to be

“Go play with your Toys Or “Go watch Cartoons…... Let me (parent/nanny/guardian) do some work first.”

Now it has become

“Go play with your Facebook games. Let me (parent/nanny/guardian) do some work first.”

The PC or the Internet has become our ‘temporary nanny’ which we could easily seek help from, so that we could get a few minutes or even a few hours of break from the noisy little ones.

This ‘temporary nanny’ has proven its worth time and time again. First, ’she’ has the ability to capture the kid’s attention 100%! Next, ’she’ brings joy to them; you hear laughter and never cries. Of course, you must be fair, it has to be one PC to one child. ‘She’ is so popular, your kids would fight over ‘her’.

But what could be the damage?

Poorer eyesight? Autism? Social and communication skill decreased? Bonding with the family reduced? And/or even the lost in monetary terms, just like the message I received this morning.

Do you really know what your child is doing on the Internet?

Do you give them 100% freedom to do whatever they want on social media sites like Facebook?

Do you put restrictions on what they can play or do?

Do you?

‘She’ is a great nanny, but ‘She’ is still a non-living thing afterall, should you have full trust in ‘Her’? What is the relationship between your Kids and Facebook?

When I was badly beaten down by a sudden illness last week, many have asked me what did I eat or do differently from usual.

I thought really hard, do not remember eating anything unusual. But doing something extraordinary? YUP!

But I do not see the link between my illness and this:

Keatkeat’s school was selected as a participant in the Torch Bearer Relay on Thursday, 12 August 2010. This event is to promote the Olympic Values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect.

His school supported the event and we were invited to join in the joyous celebration too. So we watched the parade buses drove passed (see above).

Then we saw the perspiration-filled girl, the Torch Bearer, ran passed (see below).

Unless you tell me that I breathed in too much car soot or carbon monoxide, if not, I really cannot relate this event to why I fell so damn sick that very night…

Its still a mystery man….