Thursday, March 14, 2019

Sakura 2019

Singapore, the country that can never grow sakuras ironically has flowers that blossomed before the cherry blosssoms in Japan. 


Thanks to the invention of plane and (probably I'm guessing) chemical to hasten the process of plant thriving and blooming. You will surely know when the season is too when shops embark on this pretty pink craze and you'll see merchandise and sakura infused food or sakura designed food.  

See! Even Bakerzin jumped into the band wagon.


Celebrate Hanami with These Sakura-themed Items. Click here 

Sakura Matsuri gets me really excited all the time. It's lovely to walk in the cooling Flower Dome, admiring the cherry blossom trees with low hanging branches bursting out from their buds to petite flowers. It's sad that cherry blossoms don't last that long reminding us of life's fleeting moments.

For 3 years, my friends (YL, ML) and I would make a trip down together and we will continue for as long as our friendship lasts. 

This is an interesting link on the varieties of sakuras. Click here

It's a good thing that I'm a GBB member, so I can go as many times as I want. (I made my money worth) I'd usually go at least 2 times each flower display to get some pictures. But sakura is one where I can go as many as 4 to 5 times.

On this day, I went twice. Once in the morning with YL and ML and late noon with the girls. 







2nd part of the day















































Monday, March 11, 2019

CCA allotment

Finally, che-che's CCA allotment is out. Happy that she got her first choice - Interact Club. 

[ Her choices were 1st --> Interact Club. 2nd --> Shooting. 3rd --> Band]
At that time when she went for both trials, immediately she told me she feels she has no hope for shooting coz' they choose very few people and she didn't do well. Hmm.... in other words - cockeye lor! Haha!
My concerns was why was Band in her option coz' if she didn't get either first 2, it's more likely that she will get her Band. But she did explain she had to put something she was confident she could pass the trials, otherwise she may be posted to something which she don't like or worst with the heavy time commitment that I/she was trying to avoid. 
She thought she wouldn't be able to blow her saxophone when she went for the trial coz' as she explained to me she hasn't touched sax for a year and she has her braces now. But she was surprised that she could blow. Amongst the sax J1 students, she's the only one who could play both alto and tenor sax, so I thought she might stand a higher chance in getting in. The teacher found out which secondary school she was from and immediately asked about Mr Sim. He has earned himself quite a good reputation. 
   
We've been waiting for this news for 2 weeks, at the same time she had to go for Band practices as she was also shortlisted for Band. I guess she was also beginning to enjoy band coz' she must have felt her hope of getting her first choice - Interact Club - dimmer. RI had their CCA allotment news so much earlier, this goes to show how "efficient" her school is. Nevertheless, this was a good surprise as recruitment number is relatively limited. And they having the need to do a write up, trying to convince teachers why they should be recruited. I thought my girl is not the kind to know how to hard-sell herself kind.

Finally, with this allotment, I know which days she is free. For weeks, she's been missing piano lessons on Mondays (Band CCA day). I can also do my menu planning.  

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Countdown

Lil' one is doing the countdown for the collection of the second car - this Thursday. It has been put off from the weekend (2nd/3rd March) to 7th.

Whatever has happened to "I love to take bus! It's so fun to take bus" ? Taking bus for the initial 2-3 times seems fun but not when she had to take more than 12 times, it's more than what she can handle. So I guess, I'm not the only one who's spoilt, she's spoilt too! She's too tired from walking under the hot sun after school. 

What does she do on the bus? Play handphone? Talk? Nap? She'll sit there diligently staring out of the window, looking out for the stop (she's worried about missing her stop). It's that same behaviour when we were in Shenzhen in 2016 - where we took a bus from OCT East Theme Park(Tea Plantation) back to hotel. It was a long draggy ride, and we tasked the girls to know how many stops to our hotel. Only lil' one was counting (she was sticking her fingers out counting) while che-che was busy playing with her phone and the 2 old folks (us) dozed off with the motion. 
She doesn't really talk on the bus unless her friend happens to be on the same bus to Eunos.