A funny conversation that ensued after going through the spelling list in preparation for Elaina’s spelling quiz the next day…
Me: Good luck for your spelling tomorrow.
Elaina: Thanks. Good luck to you too.
Me: Why are you wishing me “good luck”? I don’t have spelling quiz.
Elaina: I hope you won’t get fired from your job….
Showing posts with label In Conversation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In Conversation. Show all posts
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
I Want to be a Blonde
The following conversation ensued at least twice....
Elaina: Mummy, can I colour my hair next time when I grow up?
Me: Sure.
Elaina: I want to colour my hair gold.
Me: Why?
Elaina: Because Sleeping Beauty has golden hair and I want to be like her.
(Aurora is her favourite Disney princess only because she decks out in a pink ball gown... same reason why she supports Nicole Seah during the recent election.)
Elaina: Mummy, can I colour my hair next time when I grow up?
Me: Sure.
Elaina: I want to colour my hair gold.
Me: Why?
Elaina: Because Sleeping Beauty has golden hair and I want to be like her.
(Aurora is her favourite Disney princess only because she decks out in a pink ball gown... same reason why she supports Nicole Seah during the recent election.)
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Thinking Ahead
Matty, barely 6 years old is already worrying about serving his National Service!
He told his father today that it must be very uncomfortable squatting in a jungle and that sleeping in his bed is much better. He even complained that it is so unfair that his sister will not have NS obligations.
He told his father today that it must be very uncomfortable squatting in a jungle and that sleeping in his bed is much better. He even complained that it is so unfair that his sister will not have NS obligations.
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Guess who has the quality of a diplomat?
Ms Angeline: Matthias, so what did you have for breakfast today?
Matty: Sausage bun.
Ms Angeline: How about me? Can you share with me?
Matty: There is one for me and one for 妹妹.
Ms Angeline: Huh?
Mummy: He is telling you subtly that there is none for you.
Elaina: Why so long never take the bus to work?
Matty: Sausage bun.
Ms Angeline: How about me? Can you share with me?
Matty: There is one for me and one for 妹妹.
Ms Angeline: Huh?
Mummy: He is telling you subtly that there is none for you.
***
Matty: Can I go to the airport today to pick up 姑姑?
Mummy: Sure, just remember to tell 公公 to bring you along.
(30 minutes later)
Matty: Maybe I won't go to the airport.
Mummy: Why? I thought you wanted to go?
Matty: I might be busy.
Mummy: What are you going to be busy with?
Matty: See how later... if I am busy I won't go. If I am not busy then I will go.
***
Elaina: Why so long never take the bus to work?
Papa: I won't be driving today. Would you like to walk me to the bus-stop?
Elaina: No, I am busy.
Mummy: Hmm... what are you busy with?
Elaina: You know... I need to eat my breakfast and take my shower.... I have a lot of things to do. The bus-stop is very far and I feel tired walking there. I think one time is enough already.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Planning in Advance
Matty: Next time I want to have my wedding at Pan Pacific Hotel.
Mummy: Ok. How about Fullerton? I thought you like that place too.
Matty: But Pan Pacific is cheaper. I want to save money.
A little too early to be planning for his wedding but at least I can take some consolation that his concept on money management isn’t too fuzzy.
Mummy: Ok. How about Fullerton? I thought you like that place too.
Matty: But Pan Pacific is cheaper. I want to save money.
A little too early to be planning for his wedding but at least I can take some consolation that his concept on money management isn’t too fuzzy.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
All I want to do is dream…..
Matty recently started to have a clear understanding of what dreams are and that there are good ones and bad ones. Dreams are so abstract that I find having to explain what exactly it is to my kids really hard… it is there but not quite there… intangible and tangible at the same time. I used to tell Matty that it is in the mind and only happens when he is sleeping, and what he dream of are usually about things that are constantly on his mind during the day. I didn’t think that was a clear enough explanation but anything more than that will be way too mind-boggling for a pre-schooler to handle.
The school probably did a good job somewhere along the line and I knew about it because one fine day about two months ago, Matty just blurted out of the blue that he hated bad dreams and he has been having them almost every night (which also explained why he kept waking up in the middle of the night… ermmm like that is anything new?). He couldn’t narrate any of the details but could only tell me it bothered him. Surely he has to know what dream is in order for him to tell me all that.
Over the next couple of days, he started to ask why we have bad dreams, why he can see himself in his dreams, why is it that sometimes he can remember what he dreamt about but not all the time, what I had dreamt of in the past and which is my favourite and worst dream.
Matty told me once a few weeks back that his favourite dream is of the family having ice-cream together which I absolutely forgot about (the problem with having kids is that they remember everything but not the parents). Yesterday when we were talking about dreams again, he asked if I knew which was his favourite dream, my instant reaction was to get him to tell me because I didn’t know and I was slapped right in the face with “I told you before right? It was about us having ice-cream together”. Obviously the content of the dream, even though something simple was a pure bliss to this 5-year old to make him want to label it as his best dream.
Today while holding my hand on the way to school, Matty asked if I dreamt last night. It was like hot topic of the week and had turned up as conversation topic two days in a row. He told me that he dreamt of him and his gong gong at the seaside and gong gong asking him if he wants to go to the airport. He replied with a yes and the dream ended there... and that to me was pure bliss - having my boy share with me a part of him on a daily basis.
The school probably did a good job somewhere along the line and I knew about it because one fine day about two months ago, Matty just blurted out of the blue that he hated bad dreams and he has been having them almost every night (which also explained why he kept waking up in the middle of the night… ermmm like that is anything new?). He couldn’t narrate any of the details but could only tell me it bothered him. Surely he has to know what dream is in order for him to tell me all that.
Over the next couple of days, he started to ask why we have bad dreams, why he can see himself in his dreams, why is it that sometimes he can remember what he dreamt about but not all the time, what I had dreamt of in the past and which is my favourite and worst dream.
Matty told me once a few weeks back that his favourite dream is of the family having ice-cream together which I absolutely forgot about (the problem with having kids is that they remember everything but not the parents). Yesterday when we were talking about dreams again, he asked if I knew which was his favourite dream, my instant reaction was to get him to tell me because I didn’t know and I was slapped right in the face with “I told you before right? It was about us having ice-cream together”. Obviously the content of the dream, even though something simple was a pure bliss to this 5-year old to make him want to label it as his best dream.
Today while holding my hand on the way to school, Matty asked if I dreamt last night. It was like hot topic of the week and had turned up as conversation topic two days in a row. He told me that he dreamt of him and his gong gong at the seaside and gong gong asking him if he wants to go to the airport. He replied with a yes and the dream ended there... and that to me was pure bliss - having my boy share with me a part of him on a daily basis.
Monday, 5 July 2010
There is a Reason for Those Tears
When asked why she is often caught crying over everything, Elaina explained to her aunt the other day (in her exact own words) that "When you need something, you need to do something."
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Taken For a Ride
Elaina was throwing a tantrum yesterday morning after a pooping session saying that her butts were in pain and needed a plaster over it *slaps forehead*… it was just the usual stunt that she pulls with her grandparents just to con some sympathy or a plaster which she often wears like a fashion accessory.
To pacify her, Gong Gong tried to distract her by suggesting that they make a trip to the library. The kids started to enjoy going over to the library with Gong Gong every now and then to while their time away. Except that the poor Gong Gong has reservations about bringing Elaina too often, because she makes him carry her all the way home with a bag of books from the library.
The little girl took the bait and even agreed to the condition set by Gong Gong that if they go to the library, she will walk and not demand to be carried. She gladly accepted it and walked all the way there as promised.
The minute the two stepped out of the library, Elaina promptly requested that Gong Gong carry her home. Gong Gong hastily reminded her that she had promised to walk. In the end the 63- year old man lost the battle to the 3-year old Elaina when she said this “Yes, I promised to walk to go to the library. But now we are going home.”
To pacify her, Gong Gong tried to distract her by suggesting that they make a trip to the library. The kids started to enjoy going over to the library with Gong Gong every now and then to while their time away. Except that the poor Gong Gong has reservations about bringing Elaina too often, because she makes him carry her all the way home with a bag of books from the library.
The little girl took the bait and even agreed to the condition set by Gong Gong that if they go to the library, she will walk and not demand to be carried. She gladly accepted it and walked all the way there as promised.
The minute the two stepped out of the library, Elaina promptly requested that Gong Gong carry her home. Gong Gong hastily reminded her that she had promised to walk. In the end the 63- year old man lost the battle to the 3-year old Elaina when she said this “Yes, I promised to walk to go to the library. But now we are going home.”
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
A Chip Off the Old Block
Once upon a time, that someone who came up with the saying that “your child will grow up to be just like you” must have had firsthand experience. If it wasn’t, then I think my own encounters are probably good enough to justify it and put some truth in that statement.
Elaina is starting to sound and look like a little “kaypoh”… little as in size and age but the “kaypoh-ness” in her is big enough to beat any of the adults in the family. She picks up the tone and mannerism from the female adults surrounding her. She will rest her 2 hands on her hip when trying to show her dismay even the tone she uses sounded just so familiar. She bosses everyone around like a parent talking down to a child or a superior exercising her power over the subordinates. Often, we end up having to self-reflect if we need to change ourselves in order to change her.
To make it worse, she has also picked up Singlish unknowingly and from who else other than us. I remember that Matty was using the less than perfect English at one point but it stopped after a while. Whilst I think there is nothing that bad about speaking another “language” it is hard to explain to a 3-year old why she should exercise some discretion from time to time or when to use what and who the target audience should be.
Matty is not any better except that he doesn’t mimic the tone and mannerisim but he uses our line of argument against us (talk about Karma!) not with the agenda of getting back but it still made us eat our words after that.
Couple of weeks back I told Matty that he needs to drink his milk in order to grow tall and strong and how I didn’t like milk when I was a child which resulted in me being less than the average height. Subsequent to that conversation, he will probe me every now and then on the reason why I didn’t take to the taste of milk. Because there was no logical explanation to that, I was only able to tell him that it was the taste. Wrong move… because shortly after that when I tried to make him swallow his greens, the next question that I was be met with was “Why didn’t you like your milk and why didn’t you drink your milk?” with him sounding innocent. I was dumbfounded. At that point in time, how I wish it was in me to tell him not to disobey his mother.
Making Matty eat his vegetables is equivalent to making him swallow poison, other than if it was mixed into his soup. We threaten, cajole, hid it in his rice and even explained to him the good of fibre. If we can make him take one leaf, it is as good as wining it big time. The father often go with the line of “you never know until you try it”. And yes that came back to bit him big time too when he outrightly told his son that he didn’t like apple juice (which the boy loves). Matty took what was said to him in the past about vegetables seriously and handed his dad a cup of apple juice muttering the exact same words – try it… if you don’t try it how do you know you won’t like it?
Elaina is starting to sound and look like a little “kaypoh”… little as in size and age but the “kaypoh-ness” in her is big enough to beat any of the adults in the family. She picks up the tone and mannerism from the female adults surrounding her. She will rest her 2 hands on her hip when trying to show her dismay even the tone she uses sounded just so familiar. She bosses everyone around like a parent talking down to a child or a superior exercising her power over the subordinates. Often, we end up having to self-reflect if we need to change ourselves in order to change her.
To make it worse, she has also picked up Singlish unknowingly and from who else other than us. I remember that Matty was using the less than perfect English at one point but it stopped after a while. Whilst I think there is nothing that bad about speaking another “language” it is hard to explain to a 3-year old why she should exercise some discretion from time to time or when to use what and who the target audience should be.
Matty is not any better except that he doesn’t mimic the tone and mannerisim but he uses our line of argument against us (talk about Karma!) not with the agenda of getting back but it still made us eat our words after that.
Couple of weeks back I told Matty that he needs to drink his milk in order to grow tall and strong and how I didn’t like milk when I was a child which resulted in me being less than the average height. Subsequent to that conversation, he will probe me every now and then on the reason why I didn’t take to the taste of milk. Because there was no logical explanation to that, I was only able to tell him that it was the taste. Wrong move… because shortly after that when I tried to make him swallow his greens, the next question that I was be met with was “Why didn’t you like your milk and why didn’t you drink your milk?” with him sounding innocent. I was dumbfounded. At that point in time, how I wish it was in me to tell him not to disobey his mother.
Making Matty eat his vegetables is equivalent to making him swallow poison, other than if it was mixed into his soup. We threaten, cajole, hid it in his rice and even explained to him the good of fibre. If we can make him take one leaf, it is as good as wining it big time. The father often go with the line of “you never know until you try it”. And yes that came back to bit him big time too when he outrightly told his son that he didn’t like apple juice (which the boy loves). Matty took what was said to him in the past about vegetables seriously and handed his dad a cup of apple juice muttering the exact same words – try it… if you don’t try it how do you know you won’t like it?
Friday, 5 March 2010
The Definition of Evening
The other day I was trying to explain to the kids about the difference between night and evening, and that the evening is basically the transition from daytime to nighttime.
Matty was able to grasp it quite fast and even gave a very funny definition – “evening is when the sky gets really squeezy with the moon, the stars and the sun up there”.
Matty was able to grasp it quite fast and even gave a very funny definition – “evening is when the sky gets really squeezy with the moon, the stars and the sun up there”.
Monday, 9 November 2009
Where is the Rice and Where Are Your Eyes?
Yesterday for lunch I decided to skip the rice and noodles, and serve potatoes instead (I always try and cover the 3 food groups when it comes to meal-planning) because I wanted to clear the potatoes I bought 2 weeks ago. Upon seeing the food that was served-up, the first question to me from Elaina (the little rice-tub) was "Where is the rice?". Hmmm...
This morning Daddy has to rush to work and so I took over the chauffering job. While making the way to Matty's school, he asked "Why he cannot see my eyes" while staring at the rear-view mirror. I am short... so short that the rear-view mirror is above my eye level ok my boy? -.-""
This morning Daddy has to rush to work and so I took over the chauffering job. While making the way to Matty's school, he asked "Why he cannot see my eyes" while staring at the rear-view mirror. I am short... so short that the rear-view mirror is above my eye level ok my boy? -.-""
Saturday, 24 October 2009
How Sweet
I suffered a skin-crack on the underside of my left thumb last week due to excessive washing and wore a band-aid around it for a couple of days.
Earlier this week while in a car ride, Elaina suddenly turned to me and asked "Is your boo-boo better?". I couldn't catch what she was referring to at that moment and she went on to say "show me your hand"... grabbing my left hand. Seeing that the skin had healed she exclaimed that "Oh, its better now. No more boo-boo".
That was heart-warming and it is the existence of such moments that make one remember the worthiness of parenthood.
Earlier this week while in a car ride, Elaina suddenly turned to me and asked "Is your boo-boo better?". I couldn't catch what she was referring to at that moment and she went on to say "show me your hand"... grabbing my left hand. Seeing that the skin had healed she exclaimed that "Oh, its better now. No more boo-boo".
That was heart-warming and it is the existence of such moments that make one remember the worthiness of parenthood.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Witty Solutions
Matty has recently picked up the skills of retorting. Not in a negative way but he leaves me speechless.
Last week he told us that he doesn't want to wear his watch ever again the reason being that each time we tighten the strap, it leaves him feeling some pain. When I asked him how is he going to tell the time if he is staying off ever wearing a watch, he replied in a matter-of-fact manner that he can always look at someone else's watch.
Took the kids to the zoo last Sunday again and decided that we should probably take up membership since the kids are enjoying zoo so much. They were going gaga over the new membership card and I had to remind them that if they drop the card we will never be able to enter the zoo again. Matty promptly offered me a solution - we can always buy another card. Good one my boy, but it ain't going to happen since your mother doesn't print money for a living!
Last week he told us that he doesn't want to wear his watch ever again the reason being that each time we tighten the strap, it leaves him feeling some pain. When I asked him how is he going to tell the time if he is staying off ever wearing a watch, he replied in a matter-of-fact manner that he can always look at someone else's watch.
Took the kids to the zoo last Sunday again and decided that we should probably take up membership since the kids are enjoying zoo so much. They were going gaga over the new membership card and I had to remind them that if they drop the card we will never be able to enter the zoo again. Matty promptly offered me a solution - we can always buy another card. Good one my boy, but it ain't going to happen since your mother doesn't print money for a living!
