Chilling at Haji Lane on a Saturday evening : Feb-22

En'en wanted to buy some gummy at a shop in Haji Lane, and so we decided to chill our Saturday evening shopping and eating along the Haji Lane, visiting Bears & Friends, Shalaby Sweets and Momolato, mainly just for sweets...

Next to Haji Lane is also Bali Lane, the place where I stayed when I was born. I remembered spending such lovely childhood at that place... It had since transformed to a shop totally unfamiliar to me now.

Qi got Covid-19 : Feb-22

If someone going to get Covid-19 in the family first, it must be Qi... She was always so out-going, even during this pandemic, and thus, she was our perfect suspect to contact the infamous virus.  

Thankfully, on her day 1,  she was still responsible enough to conduct a self-test when she felt some discomfort in her throat when she woke up.  The outcome wasn't easy for her to swallow thou.

While the recommended protocol said that one could go out when tested negative on the third day, Qi was not that lucky.. It took her a good seven days to fully recover.  Fortunately no one else was infected because of her.

Tabata with Instructor Shin : Feb-22

As Qi had contacted Covid and isolating at home, we thought we should also act responsibly and minimise our out-going and mask off activities like exercises.  As a result, we decided to exercise at home and I joined Ling in her SWEAT app Tabata workout... It was a tough one!

Animated photos : Feb-22

The artificial intelligence of https://www.myheritage.com/ is so awesome... I uploaded some old photos and looked at these amazing outputs.

Valentine's Day : Feb-22

Ling and myself seldom celebrate Valentine's Day... To me, it is more important to appreciate each other every day.  Nevertheless, as our girls celebrate with their friends and valentine on this day, so I am thinking maybe I will also bring my valentine out for a meal.  Thus, we celebrate our valentine's day this year at a pretty nice restaurant at the old Seletar airport, just two of us...

Chinese New Year Day 1 : Feb-22

Although this year our Chinese activities are still very much constraint by Convid, we are grateful to be able to continue with our 拜年 tradition on Day 1.  This is such an important tradition to show our respects to the elderly and also, to be blessed by them for a great year ahead.

Since the visit number is limited to five, there is basically no CNY home visiting for us this year.  Thus,  we 'reroute' to visit MBS instead.

Pokemon Shin : Jan-22

 Ling is addicted to this Pokemon game for the longest time... She will catch them, feed them, gloom them and even fight them, perpetually anytime, anywhere...  This clip is just a trailer when she starts her Pokemon journey again in end 2021 until now...

Chinese New Year Preparation and Reunion Dinners 准备过年 : Jan-22

Although every year seems very routine, it is still fun to prepare for this joyous gathering of the year, cherishing every moment and enjoying the process. 

A Peek Into My 2021 : Jan-22

At our last wd dialogue of the year 2021, I’ve encouraged all my wds to share a lil’ of their victories or challenges for the year, or even their expectations for 2022. Well, since I’ve asked that of everybody, guess I should also share a lil’ of my 2021!

两件在年头挂在心里的事总算有突破。第一件事是我小女儿。

在课业上，她不像她两个姐姐那样认真和勤奋。 更让我烦恼的是她那种什么都不当一回事的态度。 我一直困扰着无法帮助她充分发挥潜力，因为我对她不够严格。 她今年念中二，在年底将凭成绩选择她在 ‘O’ 水准将就读的科目。我很害怕她会考试成绩差而被分流到最差的班，读她不喜欢的科目并限制她以后的进修选择。因为知道她智力没问题，是态度大问题，懒惰成性。

同时，我和她的关系在年初非常糟糕。 她完全不听我的话，即使我问，她也不会告诉我太多。庆幸的是她喜欢和姐姐们喋喋不休。很多时候都是透过她姐姐才了解到她的状况、她的想法。

不能这样继续下去，我只好坚信法华经兵法，通过设定祈求目标、向御本尊唱诵大量题目，和全心全意地投入学会活动。我决定相信这个过程。

在Serene的鼓励和指导下，我不再把小女儿和她的姐姐们作比较，我只是希望她能够以自己的方式发光。我诚心地为她祈求，并努力将我对她的所有负面能量和愤怒转化为温暖和关怀。 我无视她所有的不整洁和不可救药的坏习惯，以免对她生气和大吼大叫。

祈念一旦改变，想法和行为也渐渐不知不觉地有所不一样了吧。我成功了！我可以再次将她视为我可爱的小女儿，她也恢复了告诉我关于她的朋友和学校的事物。 

年中考试后，一直认为课业不重要的她既然开始担心起自己的成绩和明年中三能修读的科目！ 我总算松了口气。她会自己担心学业，我就可以放心了！她有努力温习课业，甚至把数学的 assessment books 作为日常伴侣。我很欣慰了，也很感恩御本尊。

最终的年尾考试成绩并不是最理想的，但她总算有很大的进步。 最重要的是，她能够修读大部分她想要的科目。 敢说这一年，她的成长和成熟最为显着。 我为她感到骄傲。 当然，她仍然是一个进行中的项目 (WIP)，她还是会不断地激励我为她唱更多的题目!!😅😅

另外一件是关于自己的。

Treating my back ache : Jan-22

While exercising, I had over-exerted my back and suffered back ache for several nights.  Keong did magic again treated me with acupuncture, I fully recovered in a few days, just in time for Chinese New Year.