Life of a primary 2

It ain't easy being a primary school kid, what more one who attends a chinese school (ming xiao).  The extra tuition class till 3pm started this week   Poor Erin, just after two and she is already down with flu.  This morning when mommy walk you to the school gate, mommy's heart is very heavy to see you walking in to the school with a tired look.  So, my dear girl....please sleep a little bit more early tonite. Remember your bedtime should be 9pm and nothing else.

Mommy really disagrees with all the staying back for extra classes 3 times a week.  Don't worry girl, mommy is trying my best to help you to 'de-stress' and at the same time, working with other parents to 'overthrow' this silly arrangement set by the school HM. We parents only want options to be given to us whether we want to sign up for the extra tuition class and not make it compulsory as set by the school HM.  Besides that, mommy will also 'fight' for better quality food served to children during lunch.  So glad to know there are quite a number of parents are in this together.  Hope more will join us.

Lesson to be learned in this post my girl is...if you think you should have the right or should be given a choice...fight for it, stand up for yourself.  Do not expect other people to fight your battle.  You may be the 'only one' to start the cause but if others were to join you then you are from 'only one to become the 'first one'. But in all you do, do it with wisdom and courage.

Hello 2013...and a quick recap for 2012 :)

My...my...my...has it been a year already??...Gosh, i feel time just flew by!...2012 that is. Ought to feel ashamed of myself for not able to keep up with my own promise to update this blog...(*hands are busy clearing the 'cobwebs' in this blog ;P).

Anyway, its January again, in the year 2013, here I am writing my very first post for the year. Hope its not the last one like 2012...*smiling sheepishly*.  Lets recall what we have done and went thru in 2012.  Here goes....

Erin started Primary 1 in an elite chinese medium school (as commented by many ppl) in S.Jaya).  This is a very historical day for us as we have only Erin, so there is no 'take-two' for this day :) Of course unless mommy here decides to get impregnated later on...*gulp*...:)  No tears or whatsoever from our princess on the first day of school unlike her first day of kindie.  She was assigned to class 1H with a very very strict and fierce homeroom teacher.  She made a lot of friends but I would say no bosom friend as yet.  School work wise, she did well.... to my standards.  Throughout the year her score in all her exams are in the league from higher A to a C...well, that was a balanced i would say :).  Learning is a lifelong task...so my dear girl, you have many many more opportunities to achieve As in the exams that are to come :) But besides ace-ing in exams...character and attitude building is equally important. Which mommy has overlook at times too and went into some 'disagreements' with your daddy who always stresses this over good results.   "Without a good character, even the smartest kid will not be successful in life". 

Back to school topics, she was quite a blur girl in class.  At times, not listening properly to the teachers' messages or instruction.  Lucky thing mommy has a network with other mommies in school. :)

Aside to this, Erin has also started attending after school daycare cum tuition at a centre nearby the school.  So far we are quite satisfied with this centre which is a corner lot house with quite a big garden for the kids to run around.  Academically wise, it may not be the best to offer but so far we are okay with its services.  Attending a daycare is consider another milestone for Erin as previously she was whisked home after her lessons at the kindie.  With the start of this new experience, i say Erin has become more independent.  There are things where we thought she is not there yet but she showed us otherwise :)  Well done Erin!

There are many interesting and not-so-interesting stuffs that happened along the way throughout the year. Some are happy and some are not.  Let the unhappy ones be flushed away....kick it out of our lives...we don't need them to hog the space in our lives.  So fast forward to the yearend...we made our first family trip overseas....well, somewhere nearby but still 'over-the-sea'.  We went to Krabi for a 3 nites/4 days holiday.  It was a real awesome holiday for us becos for one, Erin get to sit in a plane again.  Krabi is quite a laidback place as compared to Phuket which is more happening with many 'things' to see.  But its not all boring in Krabi though.  We had loads fun....went island hopping to Phi Phi Ley, Monkey Beach and of course the ever famous Maya Beach where the popular movie "The Beach" starred by Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed here.  But probably my expectation was too high, but it was abit of letdown due to the high number of visitors at the small beach.  It is indeed a very nice beach...a small lagoon actually. After that, we proceed for lunch at Phi Phi Ley and Erin again played in the clear sea with daddy while mommy soak in the sunshine by the beach on a nicely laid out mat sipping a cold coke :)  Overall, it was a relaxing yet adventurous and exciting holiday for us.  Had alot of local food which taste fantastic.  People there are polite and helpful.  Did I mention the number of massages both daddy and mommy had...oh, they were good and cheap!!! Everyday we went for massages from foot to whole body aromatherapy. 

That was a quick recap of 2012.  And now, we are in 2013.  Erin has just started primary 2 with the same classmates but different homeroom teacher.  This year, her teacher seems abit 'milder' as compared to previous one but she is still strict.  Well, strict is good but not overly and crazily fierce.  Erin will also need to start attending extra classes from Mon-Wed till 3pm.  This will start on 14th-Jan.  We are all not used to the idea yet but we shall let it sink in slowly.  When princess heard about the longer school hrs, she complained and asked if this can be skipped.  I'm sorry my dear....it can't be.  Its compulsory.  So far, Erin is doing fine in std 2 and hopefully this girl of mine will slowly phase out her blur-ness and absent-mindedness.  **My dear princess, mommy knows you can do much more than now if you put your heart to it.  You have improved leaps and bounds in terms of mandarin vocabs and conversational skills.  You are also becoming a diva too at home.  We know this is a phase and its our (mommy  & daddy's) responsibility to show u the wrongs and take time to explain so you could grow up to be a better person for yourself and to the people around you. And you are able to contribute back to the society.  When the right time comes, you will learn to undertake self-reflection and examine yourself from time to time and correct any mistakes that you made.  This is part of the growing up and it doesn't stop when you reach adulthood. Even adults need to stop what we are doing at times and take a step back to self-reflect and improve.  That is the only way to become a better person each day :)

We have something to celebrate coming up soon.  Currently, it has not started but both daddy and mommy foresee we will be very busy in coming weeks.  Shall not say anything yet as of now ;-P

Here we go....the first post for 2013 :) and hopefully there will be more to come...hehe.