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The Drama Queen Strikes Again!

28 May

It’s exam time this week and the Drama Queen in M2 has surfaced. Bouts of illness has struck and the agony in studying has also surfaced. This reminds me of the time when she sat for her big exam two years ago.

Rewind to two years ago…

Anxious to hear her feedback from the first day’s papers, I called home to check on her. “So how did it go?” I asked.

“It was ok. No, it was awful cos I kept coughing and snort kept coming out,” M2 complained.

“Aww…” my heart sank.

“Then it was so uncomfortable as my cough made me not focused, I almost blacked out,” she went on.

“Oh dear…” I think my heart fell to my feet. “That bad ah?”

“Ya…” she concluded.

Speechless and not expecting such news, I told her to take a hot shower, take some medication for the cough and flu and then rest. Feeling uneasy, I shared the news with the hubby. At this point, I don’t know if it’s the Drama Queen or for real. Am I over reacting? The sudden bout of illness became more evident in the morning of the first exam day. She was fine on Monday and the day before!

So hubby called home again and spoke to M2.

“So how did it go?” his turn to query.

“Ok laa,” she said and went on to say one language paper was easy as questions were familiar; she’d done them before. The other language paper was manageable albeit a bit tough and the Math paper, she didn’t know how to tackle two questions. All in all, it was okay.

This was not how she told me! I’ve been had again by the Drama Queen. Hrmph.

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Where Shall We Go?

25 May

The mid-term school holidays are coming up and this will be the first time, if we decide to go somewhere, it is just the three of us.

The last time the family traveled together, prior to M1’s leaving for university, was to Bangkok, Thailand. It is weird to plan now. Where shall we go?

Bangkok? Again? We were just there. Bali? Nah… Been there. Hong Kong? Too hot. London? Certainly not. Singapore? Hmm…

For every destination that comes to mind, M2 would have a comment and we feel incomplete without M1 around. Maybe we should just stay put and enjoy the comforts of home.

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Why Aren’t You Studying?

8 May

There was a time I called myself the Study Police. My duty was to ensure that M2 in particular (I didn’t have to worry about M1) would be bogged down with her books and studied until her brains oozed with instant answers in preparation for upcoming exams. Trust me, it was very stressful for both her and me.

But last year, the national education system changed, the school had to follow suit and suddenly, my Study Police role became obsolete. Things are now less exam-based. However, every now and then I will still need to check on her. Like last night.

“Why aren’t you studying? Why is the iPod in your hands?” I asked.

“I am,” M2 replied me, “I am studying.”

“With the iPod?” Disbelief in my voice.

“Yes. I am studying Pixar story plots.”

Ka-doosh. M2 at her best yet again!

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A Proud Moment

27 Apr

I can’t remember the last time I went up on stage with an auditorium full of audience. What more to receive an award. Or awards. It was indeed a very proud moment for hubby and I to be able to savor this moment as M1’s high school awarded her with various study awards.

It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon when the Awards Day took place at a music auditorium. Initially hubby and I agreed we would take turns to go on stage to receive the five awards that M1 has achieved. But in the end, it was me who went up to receive all because hubby was on Skype with her for her to witness the moment live. She stayed up past midnight to be with us for this occasion.

Her decorated awards are Best Student in two subjects, Leadership Award as Head Librarian, Best Student for her school year (2014), Best Top Scorer (10A’s) in the 2014 national public exam, SPM, and Overall Outstanding Student of the school. The last award, the Tan Sri Dato’ Asiah Award, is the highest accolade from the school to the most outstanding student for the school year and it was my M1 who took this honor. I had some watery eyes when I went on stage for this final acknowledgment to receive the award on her behalf.

No parents could be more proud than hubby and I are of our firstborn. This must be what good parenting is about. Her achievements are also our achievements. Her glory, our glory. As she is now away in university, the distance has not dampened the moment and we are truly blessed with such a wonderful child.

  

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Snail Mail

10 Apr

There is definitely a reason why mailing a letter is termed ‘snail mail’. It’s more than two weeks and the first letter to M1 has not even arrived! Since then I have mailed another one last week and plan to mail another this week.

By the time the letters arrived, it would be stale news already. Maybe I should write in past tense to coincide with its arrival…

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Just Like Grandpa

9 Apr

Not too long ago I told M1 that her Grandpa diligently wrote me letters when I was in college every single week and she requested that I do the same for her. So I decided to write real letters and mail them weekly to her at university in the USA, just like Grandpa did. Sometimes some things ought to be done the old fashion way. 

There was no such thing as emails back then. Technology was probably at its infancy and for me to even get close to a computer to send emails was unheard of. Moreover, mom and dad didn’t even own a computer! So snail mail was the way to go. I still have all those lovely letters from Dad.

Besides, making phone calls were also very expensive back then in the dinosaur era. Nowadays, we are very fortunate to be so connected with WhatsApp, FaceTime and Skype.

But all in all said for the effort, I find it funny to be holding a pen and writing so much! All these while, with the advancement of technology, one just sits at the desk and type away on the keyboard to compose what they want to say in the email without holding a pen. Now I find myself struggling to pen decent looking sentences that hopefully, she can make out what I am writing!

Then again, I am pretty sure my handwriting will improve with time. For the sake of keeping up with what my Dad did, I will continue with weekly scrawny handwritten letters and snail mail them to her.

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So Quiet

3 Apr

Suddenly the house seems even bigger than ever! Today M2 goes off for a 3 day/2 night camp leaving us folks to fend for ourselves. In an unfamiliar situation, I have a feeling both of us are not quite sure what to do. I guess we have to face the fact that the children are not so little anymore.

Sigh…

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History Does Not Repeat Itself

31 Mar

Life in university for M1 started on a good note as far as dorm life is concerned. She has a Japanese room-mate whom she met at the airport upon arrival. I am relieved that this little worry turned out okay unlike what I experienced.

As I had mentioned before, what are the chances of history repeating itself, let alone for two situations – the arrival and the room-mate? You can gather by now, my initial college years did not start off well but towards my junior and senior years, it was much better and overshadowed those trying moments.

During my time, I was supposed to live in the dorms. I got to Flagstaff a few days earlier before the dorms opened. Soon after my arrival episode, I checked out from the motel and reported to the International Students office; I was hosted by a Taiwanese girl, who lived off campus. Her room-mate was away, so she was able to put me up. This temporary arrangement worked out well until I had to move into the dorms.

This is where it all fell through…

I remember clearly as I lugged my luggages through the room door, my American room-mate was there in the room with a guy, presumably her boyfriend.

My presumption proved to be right because the first thing she said to me was,”Hi. My name is…. (Somehow I don’t recall) and this is Scott (This, how can I forget?) and he will be here on a long term basis.”

Oh. My. God.

What a statement. What a welcome. Stunned and speechless was what I was…

My tummy retched. As liberal as I was (and still am) I just couldn’t stomach this. Everything was a blur after that but it did not matter. That night, I went back to the Taiwanese girl and slept on the couch.

The next day, I went straight to see the Director of Housing and made my case to terminate my supposedly non-negotiable dorm contract. Citing moral issues and culture shock to top off this unsavory experience, I was able to convince him of this undesirable and unwelcoming situation. Thankfully he was very sympathetic. As I did not want a reassignment, fearing another similar episode, I was accorded a full refund. However, as a result of this decision made, I was left to my own devices to find accommodation and semester was starting soon!

Thank goodness, there’s always a good soul around who helped me on the accommodation problem. I ended up living off campus, sharing a two bedroom apartment with two American girls and a Singaporean girl.

So looking back now in comparison, I am so glad none of what I went through recurred for my child. She’s got a good start.

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Coping Well

30 Mar

It’s been slightly more than a week since M1 left. We are adjusting. Suddenly the house seems too big and too quiet despite the fact we still have M2 around. Life goes on… starting with a no carbo regime for me to get back in shape.

Thank goodness for technology, we ‘whatsapp’ all the time, sometimes at the oddest of hours forgetting the different time zone and Skype twice a day, once in the morning and again at night, our time. Both hubby and I are very happy and pleased that she has settled down well in the dorms and enjoyed her one week of orientation.

Classes start today.

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A Fat Mermaid

26 Mar

Last night I had my gym session with just my trainer and it felt strange. No hubby (he had a dinner meeting) and the girls around unlike the week before where it was the final gym session for M1 with my trainer. It was fun because M2 came along and we sweated together for the last time. I thought it was a necessary session (remember my weighing scale?) especially to rid all that guilt (and fat) from the constant eating during the last week before M1 flew off.

My trainer gave us a tough time and everyone gasped for breath. But that wasn’t all. While doing stretching on the floor, M2 commented that I looked like a manatee. The gall of her! Giving her mommy a tough time too.

My trainer perked up and asked politely, a what?

Unabashed, she reiterated the manatee mention and fueled it further with a fat mermaid description, and that I looked like both. Eeesh. But all in good fun, we had a great laugh, gasping for breath all over again. M2 was on a roll with her acid jokes.

Right after that, she also mentioned that a fat unicorn is actually a rhino in disguise. Geez… The things they learn from the internet.

Well, fat mermaid and fat rhino aside, I really have to sweat it out and was glad we had that session together last week. Another memory etching moment to cherish.

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