Let’s face it…Christmas can be quite a stressful period for adults. Behind all that warm smiles and festive greetings hide the stresses of gift buying, jostling with the crowds (and traffic jams everywhere), occupying the kids (no thanks to school holidays), packing and unpacking (for those lucky ones who go on trips!) and finally to face the reality of paying the Christmas bills and getting the kids ready for another hectic school year. All that while being bombarded by the 10000th variation of … [Read more...]
What Christmas means to me…
What does Christmas mean to me? Actually the short answer to that is "Nothing”. Really. Nothing. The hyped-up commercialization of Christmas where everyone, from family members to colleagues, Christians or otherwise, exchange gifts while uttering ‘Merry Christmas’ has made this day where we commemorate the birth of Christ, into a feel-good merry-making event that has missed the mark by a far stretch. A quick visit to the Daiso store yesterday for some stationery, seeing the snaking queue … [Read more...]
When Two’s a Company – A Tangram Tee Giveaway
Sometimes seeing how our 7 year-old takes to her brother kind of makes us regret. Don’t get me wrong...We regretted not getting her a sibling much sooner, though it was something beyond our control. She loves playing with her younger brother, running around and even carrying him. She loves reading to him and talking to him. She helps us babysit him (to the best of her ability) and looks forward to the day they can swim together but due to the large age gap (she’s 7 while he is just 1 this … [Read more...]
Ping’s TeoChew Seafood Restaurant, Bangkok – Out of Singapore but Feels Right At ‘Home’
When we heard the impending closure of Sashlik, we felt a tinge of sadness for it will soon join the likes of other iconic restaurants like Mong Hing, Boon Lay Rajah among others who have shut their doors and along with that, the loss of their heritage dishes soon to be gone forever. Fortunately not too far beyond our shores, there are still amazing heritage dishes to be found. For travellers who frequent the shopping haven of Bangkok, there’s a Chinese restaurant serving exceptional Teochew … [Read more...]
A Letter from Prison: How Parents Want The Best for Their Kids
“Please Sir; please let me know how she is doing in school...” As an educator for close to two decades, I’ve interacted and conversed with scores of parents of all backgrounds and from all walks of life. From talking to them about their child’s progress at Parent Teacher Meetings to at times, listening and trying to help them find a way out of domestic issues at home. But never have I come across this, a handwritten letter penned from a Mother who is currently incarcerated in Changi … [Read more...]
National Gallery Singapore – Keppel Center for Art Education
The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer One consistent thing about the many great cities we have been to (such as New York, Boston, London and Tokyo) is that despite being prominent economic and political power houses, these cities do not neglect their children. In fact, they devote precious resources to nurture their young particularly in the area of the arts and sciences where their curiosity can be stoked and creativity … [Read more...]
Penang…with a Penangite
I was born and bred in Penang. Spent 20 of my formative years there before I headed overseas to study. It is no surprise that Penang will always have a special place in my heart even though I've now relocated to Singapore. My family, along with many close friends, in fact, are still there. So what does a Penangite do, where does he eat and go whenever he goes back? Well, here’s taking you on our trip last Dec (Yes! This is a super late post!) when we brought Buddy … [Read more...]
‘Think Happy Thoughts’ – My 1st MRI Experience
I held on to the blue squeezy thing with my right hand…not too tightly. My heart palpitating, my mind racing fast. “Should I squeeze it or should I not ?” this thought raced through my mind hundreds of time within those few seconds. 5 minutes ago, the nurse had just had me strapped in. ‘Alright, Mr. Sim, this will take 20 minutes. We will begin in 50 seconds’. These were the words of the nurse as she strapped me securely to the MRI machine, tugged me in a warm blanket, gave me ear plugs (It … [Read more...]
Love changes everything…or does it?
Love is the foundation of parenting. You may truly love your children, but unless they feel it, they will not feel loved. It’s 6:45am on a Public Holiday and the PSI (Pollutants’ Standard Index) is hovering at 200 (Unhealthy level). Singapore faces another hazy and unhealthy day of smog from man-made forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia. Looks like I have to shelf my much-anticipated cycling and swimming plan with the kids later but for now, I’m out buying breakfast for the … [Read more...]
Street Art of Singapore @ Everton Road
Take a stroll down memory lane...at Everton Road. Ever had one of those rare ‘Hmmm…I wonder what shall we do today' days? Well, today was it. Rare as it was because I decided, quite simply, to procrastinate, slow down and commemorate Teachers’ Day by experiencing the joy of spending a weekday morning with my own kids…for a change. After bringing the girl for her specialist medical appointment in the morning, we decided to take a detour to Everton Road to check out the new street arts … [Read more...]