The story of the busy, buzzing bumble bee
The search of one's own kind..

Do you recognise this bumble bee?
He was spotted in a school recently.


HELOOOOOOOO!! Teehee hee:)



Me? Im the bumble bee?

He was invited to a fairytale ball at TKP
Not sure which fairytale has a character of a busy buzzing bumble bee
But he didnt care did he?
Upon reaching, he spread his wings under a tree
And tried to find his new identity.


Then he met a princess.
She gave him a ball


he accepted it gleefully.


No wonder they call it fairytale ball. We get free balls! Yippeee!

Soon he was surrounded by more princesses.



But alas, none of them wanted him as prince.
He was a little too short for them.
besides, none of them wanted to have anything to do with yellow stripes, squirly antennaes and a yellow pointed tail.
But he didn't care did he?
Coz he was proud to be a busy, buzzing bumble bee.

he wondered if there is any of his kind around.



Off he went and he met,
a witch, snow white and a dwarf,none of which are bees...



a fairy and a human auntie..not bees either.....



Tigger..he was almost fooled by the stripes!



he drew a little


and darted off again




Soon he was tired and rested for a drink
and THEN he spotted one of his kind!!!! he smiled from antennae to antennae!!!!



he ran to her...
only to find....
she isnt a pure buzzing, busy bumble bee!!
she had a head of a bee but a body of a fairy!
he was disgusted. before he could escape, the giant fairybee grabbed him and took a snap!


Yucks! A crossbreed!!!!

so disgusted was he that he wanted to leave...



but this bee is indeed a funny bee.
barely a minute later, he forgot that he was angry.
Off he went again, buzzing busily as bees would be.
And soon he found a tree.
With flowers, all so pretty.
He smiled cheerfully
coz he's just so happy to be a bee, flying free in TKP.





THE END!

hehhee..well, my school had a fairytale ball, an event for primary 1 pupils. The kids and parents are supposed to come, dressed based on a fairytale theme. So I menyebok and brought Irfan along. We rented the costume 30 minutes before the ball started and straightaway brought him to my school. he refused to take the costume out even after we reached home. He really looked liked a busy bee, darting around being his usual tak tau diam self.
When he first put it on, we really had a good laugh coz he really looked so funny in it. He was looking in the mirror at the costume shop and going, "lawaaa, lawaaa". Terus bekenan, tak nak bukak.It was the first costume he tried coz I asked the sales guy if he had any costumes for 2 year olds and there wasnt that many. They had peter pan too but after trying the bee, he refused to take it out and didnt want to try anything else. So dengan costume tu jugak we went straight to the ball.
Of course, he was one of the smallest at the ball coz it's for primary 1 after all, so he got quite an overwhelming attention from others. After a while, when he saw people coming towards him, he just starting running the opposite direction.

Heh, he just looked funny to me.:)

Yes, we were some of the thousands who thronged the streets to catch the fireworks and bits of the parade. Very the on, hor!


Happy Birfday Singapore!!


The Usual Suspects. Kesian Irfan terselit.


Apa pesen ni?


Nenek's classic camera.


Waahhhh...

I was so dead tired when I got back. Felt like the sun sapped me off all my energy...
Crowd and heat is a bad combi for me..luckily the company saved the day. :)

Anyway, this is really a basi entry. Next up, would be a story about a bumble bee. Don't miss it!!!!

I can't wait for national day to be over. That would mean I have one major task to strike off from my 'to-do'list this year. I am in charge of National Day this year and it's my school's tradition to have entrepreneurship day on the same day too. And we didnt employ any vendor this year so I had to come up with the training booklet and look into the logistics and all that stuffs..which is giving me major headache and makes me wonder time n time again, WHYYY exactly am I doing all these?!

im feeling more and more like an events manager these days. maybe i should change my profession. do they earn more?

so im really looking forward to 8th August, 12pm, when the whole entrepreneurship day cum national day would be over. and then the looooong weekend!! yes I can't wait!
I just need the break to REST!

And on to something random- THE CURE didnt quite cure my 'blues' away last nite. But for a while, it did take my mind away from some unnecessary thoughts.

Irfan really surprises me sometimes. Opening the door as I reach home from work and seeing him just brightens up my day, no matter how shitty I felt just minutes before that. It's amazing how being tiny and cute has that effect on people. Today, when I got back from work, as usual I asked my mum, "Irfan naughty tak?!" My mum was busy watchin some filipino drama serial and so as expected, she ignored me. Instead the lil twerp answered, "POK POK" and showed his hand. Ok let me translate that to you. It means someone hit his hand. So I asked my mum, "Mak pukul tangan dia tadi eh?" Of course I had to ask her 2 or 3 times coz, like I said she was engrossed in her filipino drama. When she finally heard my question, she was quite shocked and asked how did I know. True enuf she did coz Irfan was being naughty. He actually threw his toy fishing rod out of the window when both his nenek and atok were not fast enugh to grab the rod!

Tak sangka pandai ngadu!!
And i suppose he understood my question when i asked my mum if he was naughty. And that he knew the repercussions of being naughty. you get 'POK'!

Slowly Im discovering that he knows more than we think he knows and that is indeed a pleasant surprise!

My poor parents, having to be on their toes all the time. I suppose one lil fella is enuf to make them huff and puff ....

Ok tll later!

OF CRAYONS AND SUCH



Irfan is turning two. He has been ready for school for a long time now.
The confines of our tiny house and the company of my parents is just not enough for him anymore. His mind is just waiting to be stimulated. And for us, we really believe the earlier he goes to school, the better it is for his development.

I realize, Im fussy about school. That's about the only reason why he isnt in school earlier. Which brand of education is gd for him? Montessori? Music and Art? Secular + religious, drama, play? a bit of everything?

It's only a 3 hour playskool, and yet im already thinking so much. If possible, i would want a closer look at their curriculum, themes and how well the various skills are integrated into their themes. And the reading porgramme! That's important to me! so u see, Im really fussy. During our visits to some playskools, I've asked so many questions. about this n dat..Looks like im turning out to be the nightmare parent whom i so want to avoid in school as a teacher myself! OH_OH! :0

Nanti dah masuk primary 1 macam mana agaknyer eh?

I have sooo many considerations, but If i were to choose, I would look for a really engaging teacher who can bring characters in a book come alive and make every other mundane thing look so interesting! I think that's extremely important for a lil kid with a constantly restless mind and itchy fingers. Just someone who can capture his limited attention would already be good.

His daddy just wants him to go to school so that he can be disciplined and follow a certain routine in a school setting rather than be home and watch Harry Potter or drive my mum insane with his non-stop activities.

He's such a Harry Potter fan, one of the youngest, perhaps? Macam paham ajer tengok Harry Potter. He can sit quiely for over 2 hours watching the whole thing, without moving an inch, mouth agape, all wide-eyed. The picture of Harry Potter and company on the CD cover is enough to make him squeal in delight and clapping his hands enthusiastically. Recently he has repeatedly taken my mum's sayur serai from the kitchen, held the bottom end in his hand and pointed it to us, made the sound of an explosion and squealed, "API". It took us a while to realise that the serai was indeed his magic wand.

For his daddy, that's a signal for him to go to school and make better use of his free time.

So come August, he will go to 3 hour playschool. I'm really excited about it! I just hope he would enjoy school and be as engaged in school as he is, watching Harry Potter.

Can't wait to see how he would behave in school. Can't wait to see how the teachers would react to his antics. That should be fun!


Yes teacher, Im listening to you..


See, Im not eating the clay. Im rolling it into a snake.


I will remember to draw on paper. No floor, no wall, no floor, no wall. ok ok I get it.


I'd be good. I promise.
Goodbye Harry Potter. Im starting on my own adventure.

Ok pics of london and paris are up.
Go to designitoo.multiply.com to see.

Till later.

PICTURES

ok, so the switzerland pics are up.
Go to designitoo.multiply.com to view.

i'll upload paris and london some other time...
gotta clear school work first..plenty of things to do:((

Just some pics from the recent trip.
I think it would be a long while before I upload the rest.
Feeling kinda lazy...


Irfan met a girl called Alex, at the stonehenge.
They ran around the vast green fields, and turned and tumbled together.


we managed to catch him for a family pic. he was still smiling from all that flirting with alex. :)


then there was danielle, at the london eye. Danielle liked him so much and they played and played while the london eye went round and round.
Irfan looking a lil perplexed from the threesome. Heh.


they met again at madame tussaud's, much to their delight!


then there was the french boy at eiffel tower. we didnt catch his name.


language was no barrier as they shared their toys and gave each other a brotherly hug.


and the big brother from india who couldnt stop cuddling irfan.


and the swiss girls at the park.


outside louvre museum




caught him, grabbed him and took a pic before he runs off again..


Buckingham palace


Switzerland!


At jungfrau, top of europe.
That's irfan saying 'juk' 'juk' (SEJUK)



Lying down, refusing to get up.


He was so still that someone said, "I think he's frozen."


the 3 of us.

more later. :)

Europe Trip 2007

It's been a looong time since I wrote an entry here. For those who still check out this page now and then, I guess I am finally back now with some stories to tell. The reason for my absence was really coz I forgot my password and user id and admin stuff like that. Too many passwords, my limited brain cells can't seem to take it these days.

So anyway, I just got back from one of the most adventurous trips I've ever had I think . Adventurous coz, we were in europe, in 3 different countries in a span of two weeks, with a manic, super hyper toddler under two and the amount of luggage that comes with it. Carrying diapers and two big tins of milk to last for two weeks, really adds up to a lot of stuffs. Over there, we were largely guided by maps after maps and a lot of intuition and helpful people. We were glad, alim's parents came with us to London and Paris, leaving us on our own in Swtzerland, while they made their way to Rome.

But i must say, it was one of the best trips we've ever had precisely coz the little one came along. People around just warms up to us when they see his quirky antics and friendly nature. He made so many friends along the way and it was just nice to watch them play. We were lucky he didnt get sick or anything like that and surprisingly slept soundly the most part of the 14 hoours flight. Phew for that! To those who worry about bringing a lil one to travel far and away with diffrent time zones, I would say, just go for it. You won't regret it coz u would have so many funny memories to bring home with you. But be prepared in case things go wrong, pack all the medicine he would need just in case, enough toys to keep him occupied and most importantly, read his body language to know when he's tired or has had enough.Irfan had one day of wacky sleep patterns and adjusted just fine the following day to the right time zone.

If you want to go sumwhere but not sure where to go, I would strongly recommend to go Switzerland!! You must go there at least once in your lifetime. It's just like paradise, the view of the mountains, lakes, glacier and alps just takes your breath away. trust me, the pictures and postcards that u see? well, the real thing is even better than that! I like the place so much, the air is fresh, its calming and the view is so panaromic that you cant believe your eyes. You should just lay your mat by the lake, with a view of the white alps and green mountains before you, and just sit there and do nothing. Everywhere you are, everywhere you turn to, the view is just like a picture. When I was there, I really didnt ever want to go home. You must go there, you must you must!!

London and Paris is full of history, like u would imagine it to be. London is full of historic castles, palaces that dates back to centuries ago. We went to buckingham palace and witnessed the change of guards, trafalgar square and picadilly circus and witnessed the youths hanging out. we also went to windsor castle, tower of london where the crown jewels are and finally saw the London bridge. Madame Tussaud was interesting and some of the statues really looked real, very real. But some, looked nuthing like the real people.
but the highglight of London, to me was taking the London Eye and of course, Stonehenge! It's quite spooky actually seeing the stones, standing majestic in the middle of the empty stretch of green field. Some of the stones looked like they had faces on them. Hmmm, makes you wonder...

The drive out of London was nice. We rented a car and took two days to drive out of london and see the countryside. We were surrounded by green fields and pretty cottages along the way. We managed to visit Shakespeare's birthplace and his home town as well as oxford university. The cottages were really pretty and we were so envious of the acres of empty green fields they have everywhere. If you ever decide to drive from london out, you might want to stay at cheltenham, at this place called the rising sun hotel. The hotel is on a hill and you would definitey not be dissapointed with the view. Along the drive you would pass cotswolds, one of the most scenic drive (as claimed by lonely planet) out of london.

And then there was the Eiffel Tower for Paris. To me, Paris didnt feel as romantic as it was hyped up to be. Maybe coz, we had the little one with us, and running around chasing after him, didnt quite capture the romantic atmosphere that Paris is famous for. Having the lil one spill hot chocolate while we relax at the cafe also didnt quite fit the idea of chilling out at the cafe and sipping latte. Told you, you would bring back many funny memories, if the lil one comes along! And I must say, Paris is not as clean as I expected. We could smell the stench of piss along the way. But i suppose the eiffel tower makes up for everyhting. the view from Eiffel Tower was great and very very windy. We took a boat ride along the river and we had a good view of the its famous buildings, like Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe.

If you go to Paris, you must also visit the Louvre musuem where the real painting of Mona Lisa is placed. The strcuture of the musuem is really unique too.

Things are super expensive there, so we didnt shop much. But we did walk along oxford street in london and champs elysee in paris, where the shopping streets are.

If you ask me to compare between these three countries, I must say my personal favourite would definitely be switzerland. I just cant get over it. I keep telling alim i must go back there. You see the pictures and u would know what i mean. If you decide to go, visit grindelwald and you see great views. Go to jungfrau which is the top of europe and play with snow.Super cold! jakun irfan had a great time playing with snow and throwing em around. The view from there is also breathtaking. But the best part for me was when we took the cogwheel train up to schynige platte and you see clearly the peaks of the three highest alps in switzeralnd; jungfrau, eiger and monch. Haizz..i cant describe it. You could also capture the view of the oberland, where the two lakes hugs the mainland. We also took the boat ride along the super green lakes. Relaxing.

I could really go on and on about switzerland but this entry has gotten to be very lengthy. And Honestly, we are dead tired now. I dunno how I am going to go to tommorow's meeting in school, where reality strikes back. Irfan is also very lethargic and suffering from flu and slight fever. Guess we are adjusting. Glad he got sick only when we got back and not while we were there. I think you could imagine how tiring our trip was, having the lil one with us, making milk along the way, changing his diapers every now and then, chasing after him everywhere. Im just glad non of us fell sick there. Thank god for that!

Im just glad i got to spend two full weeks with irfan. The time spent was really priceless. As a result, I think he has become very clingy towards us. Dunno how it be for him when we get back to school.

Will upload the pics later. So many stories to tell..silly things that happened along the way, but maybe I'd do that later. Right now, Im gonna catch up on some sleep. Till later..

I have finally uploaded the rest of the Philippines pictures.
Go here.

Today, a Mr Ducat held pre-school students hostage in Manila.
Although I don't agree with the way he did it, but I suppose Im not the only one who has strong feelings about the state of the education system there and how the political arena is responsible for the lives of so many disadvantaged children there.

I can't agree more with him.
Having said that, I'm also quite mad with the fact that he will cause the kids involved to be deeply traumatised. They should not be put through this torture even if it is intended to be for a common good.

Anyway, read more here if you want to

5th and final entry
Ok this is the final entry on philipines...

The only reason the pictures are so pretty is not because I'm fantastic with apertures, shutters and f-stops. Neither did I bring the bulky slr with me. Anyway, that belongs to Him.
The reason these shots were captured is simply because i met a certain someone who flew across parts of the ocean to meet me.
someone who landed in cebu at 4am and had to spend the night at a dingy motel, just so he could continue his journey the next morning to the resort Im staying.

2 nights before I left, while I was at beautiful cebu resort(where we stayed), having debrief with my fellow groupmates at the poolbar, my eyes gazed past the pool and i saw a shadow of a familiar frame and the features of a guy I know.
My instincts made me jumped out of my seat, ran to him and almost fell over whilst giving him a big hug.
I totally did not expect to see him.
I was caught by surprise.

I would have fallen for him if not for the fact that I have already done that 9 years ago.

He came at the apt time coz my job was officially over, and the last 2 days was for RnR. Of course, I had to 'abandon' my roomate and joined him for the next two nites. the next few days together, we braved the streets of Cebu on our own, took the jeepneys, walked along the streets,mingled with the locals, patroned the night market and pretended we live our lives that way. That's when he took the photos u saw. We tried to speak very little, playing along with the fact that almost everyone seemed to think we are filipinos, till we open our mouths that is.

the other day was spent quietly at the resort. took the jetski, hanged around the beach and shared with him everything that i have experienced over the last week in Phillipines. I poured out to him about how I felt about my group, the pitiful sight of the lil children, how my views had changed and how piffed I was about the education system there. I must say, I really enjoyed that talk we had.
and of course, our conversation drifted to the lil one back home, whom we both sorely missed.

if there's one thing i remember about the resort we stayed at, it would have to be the bright stars that shine in the night. there were plenty of them and all u have to do to enjoy the night is to pull the beach chair right in front of the sea, lie flat and just watch the zillion bright stars above you. we managed to see some fireworks too. apparently they were having sme kind of celebration at some distant corner of cebu.
for me, it's indeed an unexpected bonus to be spending that special moment with someone u had fantasised being with, just a few days ago.

i shall not bore u with the educational aspects and work-related stuffs which I have learnt. There were so many learning points from team management to leadership and passion.

there were also some memorable moments, funny ones and scary ones( the ghost kinda scary). but what I could not escape from, was the usual reaction of how I young I was and friends we made there guessed that I was at the most, 20. Hah! That's like NINE years younger than what Im supposed to be. A principal of one school even joked that I must have graduated when i was ten years old! of course, I didnt find that funny. I'm just tired from telling everyone that i just LOOK young but Im actually not THAT young. But the fact is, I AM the youngest in my group and always seen as the baby in the group. Well, good and bad I suppose.

I came to philippines with a lot of apprehension and left with a greater understanding of a life I almost forgot about. Sometimes, seeing so little, makes one realize about the basic fundamentals, about things which are really important to our lives. it's good to be woken up like this once in a while, coz 'sleeping' too long can make me too self-absorbed, myopic and confused about what really matters most.

ok. so that's about it. Im glad to be back.

back to work, now.

Religion and culture- Entry 4
Filipinos are mostly Catholics and are strong devotees.
We went to a Church to take a look and here are some of the pics.






They love music a lot. Particularly guitars.




Slums.