Art Therapy- Oh what a noisy Zoo!

Gerrard attended his very first play at the Esplanade, Recital Studio on 23 Oct 2011 to watch "Oh, what a noisy zoo!". This play was inspired by a book titled "Silly Animal Poems for Children & Big Kids too! by Arthur Chan.

It was free seating on the floor and there is a small stage where the main characters- Julie, a girl going to the zoo, the zookeeper and 4 other actresses and actors who dressed up as monkeys, parrots and elephants. There was also use of animal hand puppets, together with musical wood instruments and lots of singing and actions during the play.

Although Gerrard was quiet most of the time, I can see that he is observing and absorbing every single detail. His eyes hardly blinked and the whole time, he appears to be in awe with all that is happening. Towards the end, he joined in the "Roarrrrrr" with the last animal, the lion and told us that he liked the play. There is another play coming up in Feb 2012 about an elephant learning the Alphabet. As Gerrard loves anything to do with alphabets, I am sure he will like the next play. However, will wait till nearer the date before I purchase the tickets as I am still trying to do more research about whether the play is suitable for 4 year olds.

As I am exposed to music since young, I strongly believes that it is good to cultivate an appreciation of music and arts because it provides an avenue for one to express ourselves, be in when we are feeling happy or sad. Although I have tried a few times to teach Gerrard to play the piano, he doesn't appear too keen to learn. Instead, he seems to prefer singing and moving to the rhythm.. well, maybe he is still too young as I recalled, most of my students were at least 6-7 years old before they started to actually like playing the piano. In any case, the trip to Esplanade has created a new experience for our little boy and I will definitely be on the lookout for more plays and musicals that we can enjoy in the future.

A rather scenic spot in Punggol

Yes, you have read the title right... you can actually find scenic spots in Punggol. No offence to Punggol-ians but I have always thought of Punggol/Sengkang as a rather “deserted” and “under-going development” area of Singapore. However, we have a few relatives who stay around that area and inevitably, we will go there for gatherings once in a while.

On Saturday, we had a family dinner gathering at Uncle Leong’s Seafood, which is located at a quiet and quaint part of Punggol East. Upon getting out of the car, the first thing that greeted us were beautiful kites flying in the sky. We discovered that it is a really relaxed place for food, fishing and walks. In the centre of the eateries, there are anglers learning the trick of fishing and experienced ones showing off their skills. There is also the option to BBQ what you have caught. The row of eateries overlooks a park and a river, with a long pathway for people to take a leisurely stroll, cycle or jog. The only downsides to this place are that the pathway next to the river has quite a bit of mosquitoes and I heard from Liting that the carpark is perpetually full so you’ll need to either make reservations or arrive earlier for your meals.

Gerrard with his cousin Baby Sheldon- he has mastered this "signature grin" nowadays as he says this is how his classmate Biacka looks like when she smiles at him

It's rare for us to take a family picture together so really thanks to Liting for this =)

When we were leaving, the night had already befallen and we saw a few kites that were lighted with flickering lights, flying in the night sky. It was very nice and too bad I didn’t bring along my camera to capture the pleasant night scene. All in all, it was a rather enjoyable evening for a family evening out and I believe we may go back again.

Orchid Mini Bowl at Downtown East

We went to Downtown East for dinner about 2 weeks ago and although we had passed by the bowling alley before, Gerrard was quite keen to go in there to take a look this time round. We had bowled at there previously but because I did not like the shoes rental there, I was reluctant to bowl again so it’s just to go in to watch the people bowl. However, we were met with a pleasant surprise at the side of the bowling alley.

As well as having the usual bowling facilities, Orchid Bowl also has a coin activated mini bowl for the littlies. This is great to play when your kids are just a little bit too small for the bumper bowl. The balls are much smaller, as are the pins and distance to roll. It is a great introduction to bowling for our young ones. We had 2 rounds of games and I could see that Gerrard had great fun although the balls were quite heavy for him. With my assistance and superb skills (ahem!), we managed to knock down most of the pins in each round =)

Eager to start his bowling game

Daddy helping him with Round 1

Mummy helping with Round 2- we striked!

Maidless Week 3

Just when I thought my luck with maids is improving, my trusty domestic helper, A, decided to terminate her contract 2 months earlier. I admit that I did feel a tinge sense of betrayal as I feel that she should at least stay and help me until the new maid comes, given how nice we have treated her. However, I am sure that for people with maids, you know that once their heart is set on leaving, there is really no point talking to them further. I had a few unhappy experiences during this time so we booked her ticket, chose a new maid and sent A home, all within 1 week. As our new maid takes about 6-8 weeks to arrive, we are officially back to how it was like in 2 years ago when we were maidless.

Week 1 was quite a chaos, in packing to go out, I forget to bring my handphone, when I remember my handphone, I forget to bring Gerrard's school bag... the list goes on. And being the perfectionist, I still want everything to be spick and span, floor to be mopped everyday, clothes to be scrubbed before putting into the washing machine, all admist holding onto a full time job mind you.

Week 2, I had fallen. Literally. I had a bad sprain on my spine and could hardly walk! My left leg felt lifeless and suddenly, I couldn't bend, I couldn't walk properly and couldn't carry my dear Gerrard. Everything seemed to come to a standstill and at this time, my knight in shining armour, Dear, helped out in so many ways. It is the first time since marriage that he took the lead in ensuring that the house is in order. He also took very good care of Gerrard and I really feel so touched and grateful to have him around.

This experience also taught me a very good lesson, to learn to let go sometimes and being insistent on every single detail may not necessarily be the best for everyone. Hence, by end of Week 3, I had learnt to take a step back, focus on what's important and not to sweat the small stuff. I have overcome my personal "hurdle" and accepted the following facts which indeed made me less uptight:

- it is really OK if the floor is not mopped for 1 day
- it is OK if Gerrard's bedsheets are changed every 10 days instead of 7
- when life gets really busy, the washing machine washes just as well even if the clothes are not scrubbed before putting into the washer

Another great thing I observed is that without the maid around, Gerrard has learnt to be a tad more independent. Now he is able to lift up the potty to pee in whenever he needs to and also helps me to carry the smaller stuff when he sees that I am struggling with my bags. He even knows to remind me, have you brought the keys mummy? did you remember your handphone, mummy? He's such a dear.

As long as everyone plays their part, nothing is too difficult to conquer. What's most important is the whole family stays together and sometimes, "wasting time" to have a good laugh is so worth putting off the laundry cleaning to tomorrow =)




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