Recap 2016 (III) - Lynn's P4 journey

School has already restarted, and I have not done the P4 final update yet.  Had a really very busy Dec'16.

Lynn's school doesn't do year end meet the parent session (it only do mid-year session); so the year end update is really my own conclusion of the year. 

Lynn has the most successful academic year as far as I am concern.  It is not measured by position, marks or prize she get or didn't get, but is based on efforts-vs-results.  In the first 2 years, she was in randomly formed classes, and she got top 3 positions in both years.  And also best in Maths for the cohort with a few other pupils for getting 100 marks for P2.  When she was streamed into the top 2 classes in P3, I did not give her any pressure to get the top positions.  But of course I was concern, and checked with her consistently how she fair in comparison with her classmates.  I did that discretely and skilfully.  

I put more effort in stressing that efforts bring results.  For both years (P3 and P4) I put in efforts to guide her in correct techniques in learning Chinese and Science.  For Chinese, she begin to like it better than previously.  I believe this change is due to her ability to finally grasp the language.   This is my achievement that I am really proud of.  She did ask if she can not take higher Chinese in P5, which I turned her down.  I believe she not only can manage it, but she will enjoy the challenge and the ultimate reward, in the form of mastering the language and getting decent results.

As for science, I can only bring her a few years of advantage.  The technique is in using key words in explaining the facts.  Eventually, she can use this skills and learn on her own.  Lynn like science; I never did.  I hope her interest will continue.  She has very good P3/P4 teacher, Ms. Chua, who really go the extra mile to encourage her students.  Lynn missed out being best in Science in her cohort.  Ms Chua recognise the efforts that Lynn put in for the subject, so she took Lynn and another boy in her class, both of whom top the class in Science, to buy presents.  This reward trip to Kinokuniya books store was only for prize winners (top 3 in class, and best in cohort for certain subject), which is officially only for 6 students in Lynn's class.  But Ms Chua took 8 students, including Lynn and the other boy.  Lynn is really blessed to have good teachers.

And for Math, Lynn almost got the award this year.  There were quite a handful of pupils in her class that got 100 marks for SA2 paper.  Lynn got 98, and it was a careless mistake that caused her the 2 marks.  I am both happy and disappointed that this happened.  It will be more and more difficult to her to get this award as she progress to P5 and P6.  However, I had also been waiting for this kind of opportunity to illustrate what we always nagged her about - checking for careless mistakes.  No amount of nagging or teaching will be enough to learn this; only an experience will seal the understanding once and for all.  So, this is one item that can be checked off my list. 

Finally, for English, her grades is still in band 1 but below 90, and I know she has done her best.  She has very good English teacher, Ms Kalpana, who had been demanding.  I have not been monitoring much, so I'm not very sure how to help.  Well, let's see how it goes from here.

Time files, she is now on her PSLE journey already.  I hope she has a good academic, character building, and learning journey ahead in P5. 

Ms Chua sent us photos in Whatsapp of a class activity after the exams:

Sweetie made this ice-cream chocolate milk dessert for me one night.

She got 99 for Maths, 94 for Science, 92 for CL2, and 87 for English.  Very good results for P4. 
I wonder what Ms Chua means by "display courage when making difficult decisions".  Based on May's PMT session, I think her last comment " should continue to set high standards for herself and strive for excellence" is a loaded (as oppose to causal) comment. 

Below are pictures of her CL2 essay.  I got compliment from WK that I taught her (CL2) well. Actually, my goals are more complex than that.  Lynn is not competitive by nature, and I believe there is no need to be what you are not.  However, she will be short-changing herself if she gives the bare minimal effort in things she do (that's what Ms Chua and Ms Kalpana are harping on!).  Thus, what I want to achieve is the delicate balance of setting high, stretched, but achievable standard.  To teach her that she bear the results of actions(/inactions) and choices. And very importantly to cultivate the liking for learning.  Wish me success!

Recap 2016 (II) - Bffs

At different stages of my life, my BFFs changes.  BFF are defined as "forever", but circumstances change even if people don't. 

I had spent quite a fair bit of time with these 3 ladies in the past 2 years.  They are not in my daily life, but there are my mental support.  They are also the catalyst of change.  2016 proved to be eventful and emotionally charged, partly because of them.

2016, the year of relationships.  Thank you my friends. 

One last BD dinner in Oct before our Whatsapp title changes again..

18th Nov, sometime "new" that challenges boundaries. 

Weekday dinner: "give and take".  At Duxton Hill.  Can see the words on the plaque on the bar top?

Recap 2016 (I) - 20th Anniversary

These few years I meet up with old friends a lot lesser than in the past.  In the past, I have many different groups of gathering, like Sec school/JC//NTU friends/Deloitte/Gul/Chartered/Jabil. 

Back in 2006, I initiated a 10th year anniversary gathering with the folks from Deloitte, my first job upon graduation in 1996, where I meet WK.  There were 9 of us from NTU that Deloitte took into group 5.   Joc was very excited about that gathering back then, and she opened up her house for the occasion.  Then she said for quite many years that she will remember to organise one in 2016 for 20th year anniversary.

This year, she moved house.  Like 10 years ago, she stays alone, so she open up her house for the gathering once more.  However, during that Sat in Oct, only 4 of us could make it. 

It was the first time in 10 years that I met up with William.  He is still our 老大哥，initiating and leading the catch up topics.  The difference this time round was that he did not bring his children, who are already in Secondary school.  And the other striking point is that I was pregnant back then, and this time we brought Lynn, who was turning 10 year old in 2 week's time, to attend the gathering .  That was the first gathering.

 

Someone initiated a replacement date, and it was fixed on 11 Nov.  It was a dinner at Tiong Bahru area.  And all of us made it this time round, expect for Serena who is in Australia. 

We manage to catch up a little, since time was short and there were 8 of us.  Poh Chen, Soo Hui and Hazel did not change job for these many years.  We did not have much opportunity to catch up on kids. 

And then we went for drinks, and took these 2 pictures to send to Serena via Whatsapp.  We talk about more frequent gathering, but I wonder when will the next one be..

小感动

3 to 4 years back, I was the excited new P1 mum, posting quite a bit on both FB and blog about the preparation and the first weeks' experience.  This year, it was suppose to be a non-event.  We bought text books early, which was last Nov when the holiday started, so for more than a month, there was not a glimpse of school reopening.

Finally on Saturday, I asked Lynn to pack her school bag, which she did on her own.  I only commented that it was heavy and asked if she can lighten it.  Yesterday night, I asked her to do the final preparation, and she got ready the uniform, including the prefect pin, again by herself.

Then came the "shocker"; she said that she need to reach school by 645 this morning (we usually leave home about 7 am).  She lamented about having to guide "crying" P1 new students.

That's when it hit me that she's going to P5!  The memories of her attending P1 came back, that her school task the P5 students to buddy P1 new students.   Wow, my baby's in P5 liao...

 

642am.  My happy gal deep in thoughts about the day ahead (I guess..)

Pokefloral trail

Ever since we started playing Pokémon go, my mobile album is full of photos of places we visited.  To put it more precise, they are mainly photos of plants/flowers, and a small number of scenery and buildings of these places.  In other to house keep my phone, I want to post them, so that I can start deleting them.  So here's the compilation:

 

 

ECP - we went there multiple times, to catch Voltorb, Magnemite, and Pikachu.  (This flower is really very special, I shall post one more picture of it individually after writing this post)

 

 

 

It rained very heavily on 17th Sep night, so the park is full of fallen branches on the 18th morning.  The middle picture is a tree that had fallen previously and had grew new roots. 

 

ECP again on a weekday after I drove WK to the airport and was on leave.. 

 

 

Bishan park was nest for several items in the past, such as Geodude, Machop, and most recently Jynx.

We went MBS very often, to catch Dratini and other rarer stuff.  Once we were there for Kabutos.

Here's a random photo in my phone of this flower at TPY Lor 3 market place.

We sometimes go to Garden's by the bay from MBS area.

Here's another weekday, when Lynn's holiday started, that WK and I took her to ECP.  I remember it was this day that we first caught a Ditto (at Liang Court before we came here).

Other than ECP, Bishan park, and MBS, we went to new places too. 

This day, we came here for Omanyte

This day we went Bedok reservoir for something (a nest), but I can't remember what. 

At the beginning of Dec, we have visited a lot of nests, and it was the first time that went after rare pokemon.  We use SGpokemap.  That morning, we went after a Aerodactyl at Woodlands but miss it by a few minutes.  Then we spotted a newly spawned Hitmonchan at Senoko, drove there and successfully caught it.  Afterwards, we drove to Sengkang park for Jynx (nest).  It was my first time at Sengkang.  This new town gave me a rather deserted feeling.
 

And this morning, we we visited MBSS again, I took pictures of the rarer white and yellow lotus flowers. 

OK, here's the picture of that very special flower at ECP.  So now, I can start deleting a lot of pictures from my mobile liao...

Wish me courage

Since I started writing the blog, most year ends I struggle a bit to pen down some meaningful and memorable words about the year gone by and the year to come. 


2016 HAD been a year about relationships.  Something major happened but it is a very private affair that I won't share in this blog.  It went unnoticed to most people around me, but my closest friends were there for me.  Through this episode, I learn the meaning of love, the meaning of self respect and love, and the meaning of growing older, wiser and nicer.  I am not ready to put down the burden of what had happened, but I am very willing and eager to use this experience to improve relationships going forward. 

Still on relationship, back in Nov I had a rare outing with Mum and Sis to Marriot Hotel high-tea buffet on a weekday.  That day I spent the whole morning running errant with Mum at banks and the CPF building.  Mum is the old fashion type whom I can't discuss topics such as financial planning (eg Will) with; thus it was a good opportunity that I grabbed, to put some controls in place when she initiated to open a joint account.  I know it is wistful thinking, that Mum will one day appreciate what she is blessed with and not keep dwelling on unfulfilled wishes.  Oh well, I will continue to do what is within my capability and not dwell on the unbridgeable.

IN 2017, I want to muster all my courage to carry out my wish.  I had postponed this for a year now, and I hope I won't postpone it again.  So next year may be yet another turning point for me.  I feel that I have come to point in my life where there is no strong push to complete anything major.  If I have 84 years to live, I have completed half of it.  It is time to restart again.
    

Merry 🎄⛄️