Jamie, We Are Proud of You! 你真的很不错！

It's very hard to use words to describe how I felt while I watched Jamie danced on the stage.

It was Jamie's first concert performance. I was more worried she gave up trying than forgot the dance steps. As she is a year end child plus being the youngest in class, I was always worried about how she felt if she was not able achieve what her peers could. 

Months back, she told me that she was scared and didn't think she could dance in front of the audience. After the full dress rehearsal a few weeks ago, she was cranky and upset. She told me again that she didn't know if she can do it. She said she is shy and she cannot remember the dance steps. 

Laogong and I told her we will be proud of her always, even if she dances wrongly, and even if she decides to find up trying. However, we will be even more proud of her if she at least tries. 

This morning she told me she was worried if she could dance well. I told her my story in hoping to cheer her up. 

Laogong is a natural and very good public speaker. I was not a born performer but I had big dreams. I wanted to perform on stage but I had stage fright when I was young. I even did a bad job and embarrassed myself as a narrator in my primary school English drama club. 

But the setback  didn't stop me from continue to try. I then started off in Chinese orchestra group performance in AISS and eventually becoming an emcee in YJC Chinese society cultural nite performance and an actress in the Chinese drama club performance in NUS. 

I could feel tears in my eyes as I watched Jamie danced. We are proud of her not only because she danced well but because she did not stop trying :)

Jamie! 

You are a Great Girl! 

你真的很不错！

你太棒了!

Check out the photos! 

Brought her to school at 2.30pm to prepare for the concert

Setting off to concert venue

Browsing the exhibition just before the concert starts 

Jamie's Fan Club

Didi kept shouting 'Jie Jie' when saw Jamie on stage! 

Laogong was busy running between school and concert venue but luckily he managed to get back to the concert in time for Jamie performance!

We are really so proud of her! 

We swarmed excitedly to congrats her after the concert

Jamie posing with her dance mates

Jamie's Big 4 Parties

It's the time of the year again!

Jamie's big 4 parties starts in a few hours and Mummy Jolene is all ready for her princess' parties!

Haha! Most friends who know me, know that i am ever eager to plan family events! Usually I don't like to do last minute planning, so I always start min 2 months in advance. Now that I need to juggle with work stress, didi and my slimming regime, I try not to expect as much from myself.

Nonetheless, this type of busyness makes me happy!!! Coz I am the type of person that loves to see the smiles on my guests' faces! Yes, I always try to please everyone. I know it's not easy to achieve the perfect outcome and I am happy with just a desirable outcome. 

I also love to use this type of family events to gather close friends too! Now that many of my close friends are starting to have their little ones, I will love to see how our little ones interact with each other. Looking forward to attend their parties too! 

After years of tiring activity planning, we decide to do a simple BBQ party this year. We managed to book a pool terrace this round so that the guests and their children can feel free to dive into the pool for a swim or simply enjoy the cooling water!

However, I realised even doing a BBQ party has minimum costs and it is definitely not simple to estimate how much food to order for BBQ ;)

Usually buffet catering go by per pax but for BBQ we ordered ala carte items. 

I thought what I ordered seems fair enough but few of my friends felt I ordered too much. Hahaha anyhow I am the typical Chinese who believe in 有余 is good!!! So Aunty right :P

It was also not easy to confirm the party theme, because like every child, Jamie is fickle minded. First, she wants her all favorite Mickey Mouse theme, then she went crazy with Cars (Lightning McQueen) and Carebears. There was a period she even wanted Hello Kitty... 

Last month, I noticed she likes the 'new kid of the board' at Disney Junior Channel.......... Sofia The First and decided on it! 

These days, Jamie calls herself 'Sofia' because the character, Princess Sofia, has a brother called Prince James! Hahaha! 

This is Sofia with her mum, stepfather (the King) and two step siblings! It gave everyone a whole new insights about what happens after the King sweeps his beloved lady to his castle... Esp when there are step children involved! It also shows how step siblings can be great kins too! 

Interesting story huh?!! Start watching it and I believe you will love to watch and be in Sofia's journey in learning how to be a true princess ^^

As it's pretty difficult to entice everyone to dress according to the theme, we try to do a colour theme this year too! As pretty Princess Sofia loves purple gowns, we are having pink and purple as the theme! 

See the pretty banner and table cloth we are using at the chalet. 

Really love the colours! And amazingly Jamie has starting loving the same colours like me ^^

Wish to see her happy everyday like Sofia... 

Little Jamie is a big help this year in assisting with the goodie bags packing! It's amazing to watch her slowly get more involved in the planning of her own birthday :) 

Love the cups a lot! It's a simple but pretty goodie bag! 

'Princess in Training' shows how my little baby princess slowly grows and learns to be a great future leader! 

Looking forward to the two cakes too!! Both are going to be chocolate cakes! And the home cake is baked by Godma!!! You can't imagine how proud Jamie is, telling all her friends that her Godma bakes her birthday cake! 

The school cake is from Pine gardens (always)!!! But this round I decide to just choose Jamie favorite chocolate flavour instead of the healthier strawberry shortcake :P 

It's after all Jamie's birthday so let her have her way for this once a year ^^

Looking forward to her important days! And she is looking forward to give her friends and little guests the goodie bags! 

Bye bye HFMD, I don't want you in my house ever!

It was a tiring and worriesome 10 days. Thank goodness it's all over soon!!!

FINALLY!!!

But 'it was worth it' because this episode triggered me to do a lot of serious and thorough thinking. From these thinking, I achieved great enlightenment and found out what I really need (vs want).

Due to the fast pace of life at work and at home (because there was so little time after work, which had to be shared among my Laogong, my children, my household and my helper), I did not have the luxury of sitting down to think through before I plan and execute my every move. I had simply been relying on my impulse (and not my instincts). 

The HFMD outbreak didn't make my pace of life slower, instead it filtered out the distractions and allowed my instinct to emerge. 

What's my instinct?

I am just a simple girl who wishes that everyone who cares for me and who I care for, are healthy and happy. 

Seeing everyone sick in the house, I felt myself being slapped in the face. I felt that I has failed badly in my role as a wife, a mother and an employer (to my helper). So what if I have great vision of a dream? How much more family/social/me time I need to sacrifice and how much more I need to deny my instincts before can I achieve my dream? It's definitely not going to come easy and I am not willing to give up my instincts for it. Because achieving this dream is really meant for the benefit of people who I care for. Without them, I don't need this dream. 

So now I just want to do well in my core reaponsibilities as a wife, a mother, employer and an employee. I don't know if I can meet everyone's expectations but I know I will never stop trying! 

I feel happier now because I know whatever I am doing now, is what matter most to me!

It was fun cleaning and disinfecting the house together as a family, though I don't enjoy throwing so many fabric items away. This episode also tells me that I need to act fast after I think through and made a decision, because there are many things in life we have no control of. 

Am looking forward to this Sunday when Laogong, Jamie and James are all well again!!!

Pain Pain Go Away!

Anyone miss me? 

Anyone wondered what happen to me?

Hahahahaha.. I know I am very thick skinned but I do really hope people will miss my presence...

It's coming to 20 days since I extracted all 4 of my wisdom teeth.

Ouch! It still hurts when I eat hard things. So I try to eat soft food or liquids eg, fruit juice and/or without yoghurt and soupy food that had been cooked for long hours etc. 

The part I hate most is the food stuck in the 4 holes whenever I eat. Dentist gave me a special syringe to wash the food remains but it is difficult to carry it wherever I go. Hence, I will always carry a bottle of water so that I can rinise my mouth after each meal. 

Why not use the tap water? You see, the second molar on my right bottom row of teeth was badly infected before the wisdom teeth extraction. Hence dentist had to get it filled up and sealed, in the attempt to save it. 

Yah, save it.

Dentist told me if I came later, I might have to do a root canal. But it seemed that my repaired tooth is still alive. So let's pray it gets well soon so that I don't need to spend a bomb to do root canal! 

Dentist said it takes 1-2 months to 'link' up the fillings with my nerves. Meantime I will still feel pain on this second molar, whenever I drink water that is below room temperature :( Tap water is usually below room temperature, thus I will be torturing myself if I use it to rinise my mouth. :P

Sob.. I hope my second molar will recover soon :( if not you will see my face twitching whenever I eat food below room temperature. :(

I really like my surgeon dentist, because she is very motherly. After each of my review, she would say "poor thing, hope your teeth will get well soon". 

During the last review on 4 Nov, she even had this 'cannot bear to leave me in the hands of other general dentist' kinda of look. And she repeatedly asked 'you have your own dentist?' When I said 'no fixed dentist', she said she will arrange one for me so that he/she can look after me. 

Feel so loved!!!

Hope I will fully recover by the next review in February 2014! 

See my non-swollen Chio face Lolz 

Laogong said this one looks nicer. 

But I think this looks better! 

Which do you think is nicer? 

^^