I havent been back to KC in ages… (and OMG the O in Katong made my ass look 10x bigger!!!)

For those reading this and dont know, yes I am from Katong Convent. You may continue your snickering and judging but I loved being in KC.

I dont think Ive been back since I graduated from O levels but let me tell you, the Family Days we used to have were not as big as the one I went to today -_-

BLOODY MASSIVE RIGHT?!! I dont remember having such a big one back last time when I was still studying there. They even had the big bouncy play areas all around the courtyard.

And what the hell is this?!!!! I dont believe it man..

Although we didnt see that many teachers who taught me, we ended up seeing some friends who decided to teach here.

But honestly, I cant believe how EXPENSIVE the food was! Yeah la..it was also to raise funds for the victims in China (which of course I dont mind helping) but $5 for Chicken Rice?

But okay.. I still got some pretty good food. After all, thats all I got with my coupons

Damn sad though..have way through it started pouring like mad. So all there was left to do was eat and check out the rest of the stuff.

Everything SMELT the same The office, the gym where I was always at for dance..where we finally found some teachers who taught us..

Ohhhhh this is Mrs Siva. She was nice, taught us Geography well BUT she had the weirdest punishments! KC girls, you know what Im talking about if you were taught by her..

The Punishment List

• Squat on the floor like a duck and walk back and forth the aisle
• Run around the school
• Jumping Jacks for every question you can answer

Sounds normal when I write it down but I tell you, I was fine with standing at the wall – none of this extra PE punishments.

And of course, there were the KC girls who were more than happy to have their boyfriends parade around with them within school grounds :)

And of course, who could forget the fiercest one of all time?

Hahahaha I was petrified of her man..she was the Discipline Mistress at the time. And I was always late for school right..

All the late girls had to stand in a row, ostracised from the rest who came on time (like the pic below) and go for detention after 3 chances..

What? I tried to be early..just kept missing the bus.

Heheheh it was fun

IT MAKES COMPLETE SENSE…

1. You are tired

2. You need a nap to get some rest

3. Find a place to sleep during lunch!!

Brilliant right? I think so..I am a genius. Finally, today Audrey found a place that I MUST SHARE WITH YOU!

Chop Chop Massage Express has massage services and room rentals for Power Naps (30 mins).

HAPPPPPYYYYYY

A) Not much was accomplished; seeing as most of the group’s members, namely myself (and possibly a few others), were on the brink of inexplicable exhaustion; the causes thereof including but not limited to: work, academics, balancing the two, love lives..and in my case, the lack thereof and (thus ?) the inevitable and virtually infinite  (aftermath of) the end of the world as I knew it.

OR

B) To quote one Miss M, newfound friend, ” we got a lot “done”..between the two of us.”

In opting for B), I’ll err on the side of optimism and positivity and concur with Miss M.

I found myself introducing my ever-rampaging demons to Miss M, who continues to battle with some of her own, including a mental illness and somewhat troublesome past. Miss M, among other things, is a listener/agony aunt of unparalleled caliber who moonlights as a (currently out-of-commission) rugby player.

I knew Miss M was a kindred spirit when she was able to quantify my haphazard description of my general lack of functionality and the frozen, vegetative aura that embodies the majority of my time into concise prose, rid of fluff:  ”immobile moments”, she said, calmly, knowingly.

Miss M, on moments of immobility:

- Rechannel. Elsewhere.

Miss M, in a pine/sunflower/other minute nutshell, on the end of the world as I knew it:

- “Be glad. Be very glad.”

- “Sick. That’s why.”

- “The point is that some DON’T.”

Miss M, in a nutshell, on world reconstruction:

- “You can develop the different spheres of your life.”

- “Know what I think would be a good idea? You could come to my Rugby banquet with me.” I, who wouldn’t know one end of a rugby ball from another, think I just might.

Miss M, in general:

- “I like talking to you. You’re very easy to talk to.” : ) : ) : )

Likewise, my friend.

A.

I usually welcome the quiet, but today it’s daunting.  I’m not as excited as I thought I would be to have two whole hours of uninterrupted work time.  Suddenly I don’t know what to do with myself.  I just dropped my youngest off at preschool for a third day in a row, and it went the same all three days.  She squeals with delight, skipping excitedly at my side as we walk into the school.  When it’s time for me to leave, she clamps onto me like a huge suction cup, crying as she buries her face into my shirt. 

I know that the best thing to do when this happens is to kiss her goodbye and leave quickly, but I hate it.  I feel like I’m betraying her.  Thank goodness she has an awesome, nurturing teacher or I would really lose it.  She does the same thing when I come to pick her up.  As soon as the parents start showing up, she cries.  I have to carry her out to the car, and she won’t even talk to me until we get home.  The teacher assures me that this is temporary, and I agree with her.  I know my daughter is more than ready for preschool.  But my heart obviously doesn’t listen because I continue to sit here, worrying like a nervous Nelly the whole time she’s away.   

When I dropped my son off at second grade last week, just the opposite happened.  As we walked down the hallway to his classroom he kept scampering ahead of me, impatient.  When we got to the room he ran in and got busy catching up with his friends.  I think he forgot I was in the hallway, waiting for my goodbye for a good minute or so.  This also saddened me in a different way.  My family is reaching the stage where mommy and daddy aren’t the center of the universe anymore, and in certain cases we can even be extremely uncool.  The pace at which Nick seems to be growing up totally freaks me out sometimes.  No matter how much I try to stall it. 

So here I am, fretting about my “baby” at preschool when I’m supposed to be carrying out all my grand plans for the morning.  I’ve been counting down the minutes until I can pick her up.   I think I’ll give up on the whole work thing right now.  Mommy needs some time to adjust, too.   It seems I’m having just as much trouble letting her go as she is me.  Maybe it’s because she’s my youngest.  Or maybe it’s because I’m realizing how quickly she’s reaching that next stage of childhood.  In any case, I think I’ll go for a run and ponder the issue.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Reminder of things to do:

Friday 03/09/10

1. Work till 6pm

2.Aqualabel Video Blog Workshop at 6.45pm till late

3. Put up video blog post

Saturday 04/09/10

1. Nixxon Art Splash @ Old School

2. MCM 21 Black & White Party @ TAB

BOTH OF WHICH AT 6.30pm..Omg, need to come late for 1 of them.

3. Possible after-party? HIGH CHANCE..when is there not? NAUGHTY GIRL IS NEXT DOOR.

Sunday 05/09/10

1.Church (sadly Im slowly going back to being a Sunday Catholic)

2.  School project at NLB from 2pm till late 

Following Weekend

Friday 10/09/10 (Hari Raya Long Weekend)

1. High chance there’s a school project meeting to finish up the work 

2.Nique and Geordan’s Birthday Party at 4pm-ish

Saturday 11/09/10

1. Teebox Flea Market @ Supperclub ( I got a stall with 3 friends so PLEASE SUPPORT)

Damn it…I know Ive got more. Gonna update this again later.

typical work-at-home mom scenario

I love being able to work from home.  It definitely has its perks.  I can sit at my desk in my pajamas for as long as I want, and forget about makeup.  I can make my own hours and spend more time with my kids.  It also comes with a few minor challenges.  You work-at-home moms know what I’m talking about, right?  There’s a kind of tug-of-war constantly playing inside my head.  And summer brings with it the endless temptation to want to blow work off altogether and enjoy the weather (which I’m giving in to more than I should lately).  When I’m working, I feel guilty for ignoring the kids.  When I’m with the kids, I feel guilty for blowing off my work.  Time becomes a little blurred, and before I know it, it’s 5pm and I need to scrounge up some dinner.  The house is a disaster and I wonder what I accomplished all day.  Does any of this sound familiar?

I’ve tried to break my day up into increments, and it works out okay…sometimes.  In the morning, I hang out with the kids and run errands.  In the afternoon I try to block off some time to get stuff done.  Sometimes it goes off without a hitch, other days…not so much.  For instance, I put a movie in for the kids the other day so I could work on an assignment (I’m also taking a course).  Ah….sweet silence for about 70 minutes.  But I can always tell when the ending credits begin rolling.  Suddenly my silent sanctuary is replaced by shouting, fighting, and the pitter-patter of little feet running up the hallway to tattle about the other sibling’s latest offense. 

The kids play on their own pretty well, but I can only expect them to do this for so long.  Usually an endless stream of distractions prevent me from getting too involved in my thoughts.  I hear “Can I have a drink” and  “Can you help me (insert request)?” pretty much every day.  I must say, when left on their own, the kids do become quite creative in finding things to do.  Last week my daughter ran into my office with bright orange nail polish smeared all over her hands.  ”Isn’t it pretty mommy?”  I pretty much laughed and cried at the same time.  What could I say?  I probably shouldn’t have left her and the polish alone together.

I’m not writing about this to whine.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Working in and out of the home both have pros and cons, and each mom has her own personal experience with/preference about it.  With the added freedom of being home, I found I needed to have a ton of added discipline.  I’ve sacrificed many a night with my husband to catch up on work, plugging away at the computer until the early morning hours.  It’s all about finding balance in my life, something I’m still learning to perfect.  I think that’s one of the main challenges moms face today, and I suspect I won’t stop working at it anytime soon.

Disclaimer: If you’re a part-time student and dont dread it..good for you, be a scholar

I have a marketing exam this Friday and his notes are CRAP. Gone are the days where answers were part of your lecture notes.

So as a treat to ourselves, and after much pestering from Reka, we played Mahjong.

<img title="Mahjong with the girls

I would have died without the translations

The Winner - Reka Sadogopal BEATS Joyce Peh in Mahjong

Okay la..if some of your reading this are foreign to Mahjong, play it online for free by clicking here but dont play the Solitaire version for beginners. That one confuses the heck out of me..

<3

My iPhone has joined Audrey in Shanghai by accident.

She’s going there for training and had a caller from my phone to wish her well. BOTH OF US FORGOT THE PHONE WAS WITH HER…and now, my phone is in Shanghai for almost 5 weeks.

If only you could fly back to me….like this:

HAHAHHAHAHHA i wish…oh well.

Audrey managed to get a very nice SQ steward to bring it back to Singapore on his flight back (Monday 1am, goodness).

Although it is latest 1am flight, I AM GETTING  MY BABY BACK!!! My phone, my camera, my mp3, my mobile twitter and Facebook etc..all in 1 phone okay! My only other true companion.

I will only rejoice properly once this dude really gives me my phone back.

Until tomorrow, I will feel “naked.”

This one was inspired by my cousin who’s doing a temp job now in my office for the school holidays. She wanted to put feather decorations to line her cubicle to make it look more cheerful so wanted to search the other ways to decorate ze common cubicle.

Voila!

Themes

Never will my desk look like this…NEVER.

Random Decor

Ohhhh this looks VERY useful….you wanna get away, just jump with super air cushioned heels! Now, we need someone to create one.

Clever Interior Design

Oh my..

Yes…that IS suppose to be an office

BUT…..

I only have 2 days to study for my exam…WHICH IS TOMORROW! ahhhhH!! Feel like I screwed myself over only taking 2 days but…a girl’s gotta work to get the cash for school.

My Mini Exam Survival Kit

1. Get out of the house away from all distractions

2. Lots of snacks – Calbee chips

3. Lots of drinks – Green tea

4. No laptop or else I’ll keep playing my online games. I HAVE U KNOW I AM ON A BREAK NOW…dont judge me

Ahhhhhh back to studying..

Wish me luck for tomorrow darlin’s *meowing -off*

DURATION: 24 HOURS

VOCAB DIARROEA STARTS NOW.

* Your very smart friend forgot about her reflective essay.