Art Jamming - 25th September 2O1O

Updates on my right-brain-pursuits Soul be It

Joy

Joy is when my dead i-pod touch resusciated!

Farewell, Rain

Rain is one of the rare people I really like.
I didn't tell her that, I don't think I can ever say something like that to a person, I can only rely it perhaps to someone else.

She has this optimism about her, a nice deposition and a quiet steadiness.
With her workload and all, she has never thrown a tantrum or bang the files on the desk like some others. Not even nag or whine.

To double it, her perseverance is strong, given her day job plus her part-time degree programme she's juggling.

She's fiesty and warm, doesn't carry tales, has a sense of communion.

And so today, is her last day of work at our office.
Her ex-boss has asked for her return and had displayed her gratification for her to return to her team. I guess any good worker with all these plus virtues will be sort after. Though I'll surely miss her daily presence in our office, I am happy that she's happy moving on.

And so, I wish her everything good.

At the park

Sunday 19th September 2O1O

Like A Boy

She has just woken up from an afternoon nap.
Earlier that morning, I trimmed her fringe and the sides of her hair.... she looks so much like a boy.

Sunday 19th September 2O1O

She loves playing peek-a-boo!

Read This Card

Another one of Chrystel's art work. Not exactly art as it's a card.
It says "sad", meaning she's sad she's leaving her Kindergarten and proceeding to Primary 1 (P1), and that "read this" arrow is so out-of-place but funny. Children... =)

Silverlight

This is my niece's drawing. It is entitled "Silverlight" I don't know why, I have asked the mom but have not gotten a reply. She's 6 years old and I feel that her work is good. Lots of details.
Look at that Papa bird in hat, with Mama & Baby bird.

A new Minnie

Ta-da! A sweet little minnie mouse.

I don't intentionally dress her up all the time but as it turns out, she has many charismatic outfits. Normally, I let her wear her nice dresses on Sunday as we attend her enrichment class. Today, her teachers all exclaimed over her. Her Japanese teacher- Misago Sensei, was the most candid of all. She exclaimed "Kawaii! Kawaii!" (可愛) so many times. Her English teacher went "oh! cute little princess" (which I think is not apt at all) I think the word "princess" should just be limited to the Royal Princesses or to Disney/Cartoon Characters, or when doing some form of dress-up or during a stage play. I hate to comment this cos many people, including my friends, have this 公主妈妈病 (the psychosis of thinking that their child is a princess). I don't even say it is 公主病 because I think it's the 妈妈 who instilled the 病 into the toddler, who may have this faux notion that they are princesses when they really are just brats. (no oops!)
Sure, you can by all means have the fun in playing the role of a princess but if the role playing becomes weeks and months, it will lead to a behavioural faux pas where the child thinks that she is the princess and everyone else is a commoner (?!?!!) The child is not to be blamed. Just look at who's feeding that notion to her brain.

Well, this entry was not meant to deal with this topic, I just got carried away as I am so passionate about our children and to bring to your awareness on how easily we could be influenced by what is being fed to us from the media, prints, movies, songs. We don't live in fairytales, although we wish we could all concoct one for ourselves. Well, I am in no position to tell anyone what to do or not to do, but I do hope that those princessy kids perhaps just all go to a make-belief land. No lah. That's just an unkind thought. Ha. Seriously, I just wish that all mothers have more insights and wisdom. Including me.

Sunday 12th September 2O1O

Came home for milk and played with a new balloon while we wait for the sun to go down a little bit more before we head for the beach for an evening walk. This weekend has been tiring, a good way of tiring as we exercised a lot, in terms of swimming and walking. Kiki was crying during breakfast at 10am. I was puzzled by her outburst and abruptly asked Maricar to bring her home as I sensed she was tired. True enough, she took 3.5 hours of a morning nap! wow. It must have been the swimming yesterday. Ha ha. We are so going swimming again next week. Growth, growth, growth, physical growth!

Sunday 12th September 2O1O

This is the second week that Kiki's walking with more confidence.
She inspects her shoes when they sounded different as she walked on sand.

She sashays at the jetty, enjoying the breeze and taking in the setting sun.

Looks like a big girl in this long dress.

Saturday, 11th September 2O1O

We started the afternoon with a visit to the pool.
The sun was scorching hot and so we needed the sun block and swimming cap for her.
We've bought her a life vest and I thought it would be useful, but I think she needs to be heavier and older in order for the float to work better. A lot of care needs to be taken while using this vest because it tilts the baby forward and unless the baby has some professional coaching with swimming or water confidence, you've got to use it with care.

Happy Splashing

The daddy and her has this "yoohoo" thing going on. The daddy says "Yoohoo!", the baby completes with action. What a duo.

Saturday, 11th September 2O1O

Then, we went to this eatery called "The Old Hong Kong" for lunch, although it was already 4pm.
Nowadays, I let Kiki nibble on everything we're eating except for spicy food and stuff like onions. Today, she had chicken cheese-baked-rice, minus the chicken. I don't give her much chicken as I have this adverse notion on its rearing process and the growth hormones and all. In Singapore, chicken is one of the cheapest meat and more often than not, we tend to choose it out of ease. I make a conscious effort to minimize giving her that meat. Sometimes, when we go to a party or when I eat KFC, I do let her have some. And this is alright with me. For now, I am very glad she is receptive to fish and pork. Her meals are largely brown rice porridge with brew of either fish or pork, and a mixture of one or two vegetables. Brocolli, Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoe, Carrot, Potatoe, Tomatoes, Cauliflower, Chestnut, Spinach. I have yet to introduce her prawns. Maybe tomorrow. I must tell you, I am so thankful for that old, mini clock pot. I'll never know if it is clock pot or crock pot or something sounding like croc. That clock pot is a magic pot. We just taw and wash and dice everything and just put it in the magic pot. She loves the porridge everyday. But I got to tell you, we let it slow cook and stew for hours. (add veggies later).

Saturday, 11th September 2O1O

After a short rest at home, we headed to the trucky rides at the beach.
One unattended child (whose mom was running a stall nearby) was rough. She shoveled and pushed Kiki out of her driver's seat. This time, Kiki frowned. (she normally gets shocked and stunned but not this time). And so, we told the girl gently to stop.
With this bus, many kids wait around to hop on when some mothers slot in a coin. Normally, the payer gets to be the driver. We invited the children to come onboard and they all were happy. A bus load of happy kids, haha.

A cute Minnie driver. Ha!

Saturday, 11th September 2O1O

Some of the time, Kiki goes to "twilight zone", and this is just one of it.
She stares blankly at nothing and will not respond to my calling, clapping, snapping. She is aware of what's happening but she chooses to be in the zone. I must interview her next time when she's older, on this funny habit.

Mickey and Minnie. HA HA HA.

Sunday, 5th July 2O1O

On the eve of being 17-month, Kiki began walking independently.
It brings joy to our hearts to see her walking to her room, made us laugh when she sometimes walks diagonally when intended to walk straight. She can do an about-turn, an immediate U-turn as she wishes and she walks like the robot vacuum cleaner-- specific areas, to and fro, U-turn or cover all areas, and is determined on the surface area she would explore.
Sometimes, we want her to move to a certain location, she might refuse and would use her body weight to resist our pull. Most times, we let her explore as long as the area is safe.

She is also beginning to verbalize some words, like "turtle" and could call herself Kiki, quite loudly and clearly too. She doesn't say "train" but says choo-choooooo in an oh-soo-darn-cute voice.
She still doesn't call me Mama and still calls me Baba. She calls the three of us Baba. (my helper, Bren & I) but she would specifically call her daddy Baba when he comes home.

Shyness

(from http://www.babycenter.com)

Why it happens

If your child frequently hides his head in your pant leg and resists trying new things, you've probably already concluded that he's naturally bashful. He might also be a bit anxious or restless and cry when he's faced with unfamiliar people or situations. Maybe he's a light sleeper. Perhaps he's even more sensitive than other kids to teething and illness. You may wonder where this tendency came from and whether it will last.

Most experts now believe that, to a great extent, a child's basic temperament is inborn — that some kids come into the world outgoing and assertive while others are naturally bashful or reserved. This is a relatively new notion. For a long time it was believed that a child's environment was primarily responsible for shaping his character. But scientists today believe they've found genes linked to shyness, fearfulness, even thrill-seeking behavior. So your child's temperament — largely a product of his neurochemistry — may predispose him to be wary of new situations and make him slow to warm up to the unfamiliar.

Before deciding that your toddler is shy, though, consider that he may be going through a shy stage brought on by separation anxiety. Here's how to tell the difference: If your child has suddenly become more cautious around strangers or fearful of letting you out of his sight, it's probably separation anxiety, which suddenly crops up right around the time most children become more mobile and independent. Almost all children go through at least one episode between 7 and 18 months, and many continue to have bouts of separation anxiety until they're 3 or even older. (These may be triggered by situations like a new childcare setting, a parent going out of town, or a fear of being alone in the dark.)

If you sense that your toddler's bashfulness is more than a stage, try not to worry. The fact that he has a more introverted personality doesn't have to hold him back. He might occasionally need some special TLC from you, though.