SweetieTots

Some pictures of kids during Chinese New Year.

Here’s a new poem I come up on my own for the Chinese New Year in view of the frustrations I am having…

新年到新年到
新年来了我就病倒
赶来赶去不得了

新年到新年到
孩子陪我到处跑
他们也就快病倒
不得了不得了

每年新年要来了
擦擦洗洗不能少
孩子陪我怎么扫
过年真是不得了

说个新年到笑话
祝你新年笑个饱！

May I wish all readers a Happy & Wonderful Chinese New Year!

Someone in the family inspired me to write this post.

Not that that someone asked me to write, but what had happened to the family member caused me thinking.

She has been working for approximately 17 hours a day…. for about 2 weeks continuously.

She is so tired that she met 2 cab drivers that tried to do something funny.

One hid her NETS Card (a payment card but not a credit card) and insisted that he had returned it. Despite her tiredness, she insisted to search for it. It was finally found slotted on the coin placer that’s located in the middle of the cab.

Another cab driver returned the change for the cab fare less by $5. Luckily that she was still able to tell that something is wrong by looking at the change. Thought for a bit and told the driver the amount was wrong. She got back the $5.

Subsequently, she told me about the nasty emails that her boss was not pleased with her on failure to perform certain simple tasks e.g. swiping the time card… She was on the verge of breaking down.

From the looks, she was definitely tired out from work. One couldn’t help but show concern and ask her not to work so hard. She was practically working her life away….. Her hand was trembling by itself badly last week. And she was suffering from dizziness.

How many of us have heard such cases from our friends and relatives? I bet this is rather common.

Subsequently, when she told me that her colleagues had text messaged her that the office is like “dead fish” without her around, and that how her boss had to close the door when it gets too rowdy. And on several occasions at late midnight, the whole gang of them went out for supper. Maybe that explains why her boss was not happy and sent out nasty email that they have to remember to swipe the time card.

She may have been too “comfortable” at work and incurs the wrath of her boss.

But its a fact that she’s working very hard too. We know that she’s not an irresponsible person.

We presuaded her to quit her work if this goes on, as its not good to always to work late to rush to meet the project timeline. But she told us she really liked this job.

If so, there’s really nothing else we can do, except to remind her she got to take care of her health.

Personally, I would rather work for myself, my family, than for someone else who in the end, might not appreciate what I have done. If I ever work to death, my boss will only send me a condolence wreath to my funeral. If I ever work to death, I would rather die for myself, and my family.

Then again, who in the right mind will want work to death? Definitely not me.

I feel sad everytime I had to part with Miloboy at the school gate. He likes to ask me if I misses him when he is at school. I sure do, and he said he missed me too.

Beginning of last week, he asked me if I will come to see him in school, I thought he was referring to his lunch break so I said no, as parents ain’t allowed to help, only can see the kids from afar.

Subsequently, he asked me why he never see me at school. I then realised that he has not yet understand what is happening around him. And I had a good talk with him on being a Primary student. (We did prep him but apparently I think he just shuts off when there are too many mouths saying the same thing.)

He also asked why his sister is not studying in the primary school (my girl is still in Kindergarten Two) and that he wants his sister to be in the same as school as him. Then he rattled on that he wants to be younger than his sister. Its a sign of insecurity???

I felt closer to Miloboy now that I am taking care of him, and we frequently chatted with each other. I just hope he tells me more about his school life, so that I can know how he is actually coping in school.

Well, finally the teachers started their curriculum for my boy’s class today. One parent told me that the other classes have already started. So?

Well, most important thing is the kids are able to adapt to the new school life. At least, that’s what it matters now.

Today is the second day of primary school for my boy, Miloboy.

As usual, he’s nonchalant and does not care much what is happening around him. He can pretty much adapt to the new environment, I guess. Just before he went to bed just now, he was telling his sister that he had learned NOTHING so far….

This is just the 2nd day, what can you expect? The actual learning has not started. Well, I can safely say that I will not be surprised that every other single student in his class has attended or are attending enrichment courses, but my boy does not.

Maybe I am depriving him of a so called “additional edge” but I am also giving him in return, a less stressful and happier childhood, enjoy more time with the family, and grow up to a kind and happy person.

My boy’s teacher also give out a letter on her expectations and what is required for school. Guess I will be busy doing some shopping then.

Oh yeah, I was actually VERY pissed with the over-zealous parents…. in Singapore, we call such parents “Kiasu”. I am unable to understand why most parents cannot tolerate a bit of waiting.

Warning:

Before you proceed, note that I am going to be VERY SARCASTIC below.

You see, the gate of the dismissal of the kids are not very wide, quite narrow in fact. On the first day of school dismissal, practically 95% of the parents jammed packed the school gate, making it very very slow, as in order to get in and get out, you need to squeeze through the CROWD… The school has already told us that dismissal are by classes, so it is actually more efficient if parents wait with a distance and only go forward to pick their kids when a class of kids comes out to be fetched home…..

but apparently, the majority of parents “CANNOT UNDERSTAND INSTRUCTIONS”, despite being fully educated.

On the second day, which is today, the situation does not improve BUT the school made adjustments in attempt to counter such Kiasu parents by placing barriers to avoid swarming of parents to pick up their kids. Such ungraceful behaviour of the parents puts me off.

Ok, that’s enough of my rant, and thanks for reading this.