100-Day Project #11 - No Harm Trying

Some kids are very shy and reserved while some are very open and friendly. My kids definitely falls into the latter. They are mostly friendly and engaging, make friends easily and are comfortable in a crowd. This is something that is rather alien to me. As a child, I almost always will try to fade into the background. Seriously, the then-me would love to have a coat of invisibility!

One example will be when they attend kids' shows that are usually held in shopping malls. To break the ice and get the mood going, most such shows will almost always have a Q&A session where the kids get to go on stage to answer a question and get a small gift. My kids will always have hands up to try to answer. Yes, even my littlest who probably has NIL idea what is going on!

They are not afraid to try. They will always WANT to try. It doesn't matter that they may not get it, come next question, their hands will shoot right up again! What a great attitude and I am so happy to learn this from them!

Try: to attempt to do or accomplish

100-Day Project #10 - Taking Initiative

My kids are very pampered by my mom. She have no qualms about catering to their preferences when it comes to food. My mom always says that my kids thinks her house is like a hawker centre, want what got what!

As with all grandmothers, she dotes on her grandchildren and do not ask them to help with anything in the kitchen. Then again, I must say that I too need not help in the kitchen. Being the most fantastic cook in her own family, my mom prefers to do things her way and we who are not even a quarter as accomplished in the kitchen as her will make sure to steer clear!

One day, while my mom was preparing dinner, I was quite delighted to hear my gals volunteer to pluck bean sprouts. My mom's reaction, however, was pretty classic as her reply was "Aiyo, you all can or not. Wait my bean sprouts got no head no tail!" Of course my gals professed that they know and thankfully yes the bean sprouts retained their heads safely!

I am very happy to know that while it does not happen always or even very often, they sometimes do take the initiative to help :)

Initiative: readiness and ability in initiating action; enterprise

100-Day Project #9 - Learning is Everywhere

My gals were recently involved in a performance. Being rather regular performers, this is not something new or unfamiliar to them. in fact, both gals thrived on such opportunities and are always grateful for any performance!

Time round however only my no.2 was performing per se. No.1 was too tall and did not fit into the needed profile. When I first knew about it, I was a tad worried, that my no.1 may feel left out as an earlier show this year saw only my no.2 performing as well. 

I was quite pleasantly (and gratefully) surprised when she told me that she is happy as long as she is involved in the performance, in any way! Her logic - "I can learn about performing, whether backstage or front stage, it doesn't matter, I am still learning and get to observe."

Learning: the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill

100-Day Project #8 - Never Cease To Feel

This is my no.1's favourite movie. She had seen it no less than 7 times. No, I am NOT kidding.

Yet everytime she watches it, she is in tears. Yes, even after 7 times! While I can understand that hormones are upside down now in teenage years and she may be more affected since the story is about her age now. But after 7 times? Seriously???

We happened to chat about this once and I was asking her how come she still cries? I can understand for the first 3 times? but 7??? She answered "I still feel it! What the characters go through when things happen and when they lost contact etc."

Is it becos I am jaded, as a much older person, that I am not as touched? Or she is just more emotional? I think is the former. As we go into  adulthood, we are taught (unknowingly) that we should NOT feel or be affected as much as we are now "adults". Yet, feelings are very much part of a person, a human. Is it wrong to feel and empathise? Is it "un-adult" to feel?

I am humbled, that my child was able to teach me that feeling has nothing to do with being adult. One can still feel and should continue to feel!

Feel: to have a sensation of (something), other than by sight, hearing, taste, or smell

100-Day Project #7 - Apt Imagination

At 4-years-old, imagination is a wonderful thing. It creates worlds of make-believe that makes role-playing realistic. It allows you to have your own rules and it allows you to create your own characters and environment! Needless to say, my littlest has an imagination as big as Mount Everest!

He can be a pirate now, shooting canons at the castle that he is attacking. Next he will be a train conductor, instructing his older sisters to get on or off the train. His worlds can be a complete fantasy at times and sometimes completely realistic too! He loves role-playing doctor as he could then go around poking all our butts with his "needle" and hearing our "Ouch!"!

One weekend, we were all exhausted after coming home from their Saturday activities. All 5 of us slept like piggies! My littlest woke up nearing dinner time, asking for food. As I struggle to wake up from my grogginess, he said something that jolted me awake.

"Daddy is a super hero!" he declared.

"Awww..." I can almost hear that!

Taken aback, I asked why and which super hero is he? 

OK, some explanation here. While most kids may see their dads as their super hero, my kids never said so. Not becos he is not heroic but more becos he is so fierce that they only see the fierceness and discipline. To them, super heroes save the world but Daddy scolds! So I was TRULY taken aback!

His answer? "Daddy is the Hulk!" He proudly declared. Why???

"Coz Daddy make Hulk noise (grunts) and this (thumps like "Hulk Smash")"

I burst out laughing and I know that hubby dearest, who was trying his hardest to pretend to sleep was listening in too! His shaking shoulders were hard to ignore! Daddy the Hulk then obliging gave a loud grunt and breathed loudly which brought my littlest scurrying to my side of the bed, pointing at his dad "There! Like that!"

The last super hero I would imagine my hubby to be is Hulk yet hearing what my littlest said, its hard not to draw the similarities though I would REALLY appreciate the 6-pecs that Hulk has!

Imagination: the product of imagining; a conception or mental creation,

often a baseless or fanciful one.

100-Day Project #6 - Cutting Bangs

My no.1 had had the same hairstyle since she was P4. Now a teenager, I wasn't too surprised that she indicated that she wants a change of style. She wanted to cut bangs and was wondering if it will look ok on her.

In my opinion, bangs means youth. Don't ask me why but it just seems that way to me. She pondered on it for awhile, researched online and even tried out apps that allow you to superimpose a hairstyle on your own photo! 

At the hairdresser, I asked if she would want to go ahead or wait till a couple of months later when she is due for her next cut. I know that she wasn't very confident of having bangs so really do not want to push her. Much to my surprise, she wanted to go ahead with it.

Upon asking, she told me simply "Actually, after thinking so much, its only hair and it will grow back." For a teenager, that seemed so unbelieveable! Yet, in my mommy's heart I was so proud that she worked that out herself and was mature enough to know that it is indeed ONLY hair and it does grow back!

Happy ending - She was very happy with her bangs and was quite surprised that just a few strands of hair could make such a big difference and yes she agreed with me that having bangs do make her look younger!

Mature: fully developed in body or mind, as a person

100-Day Project #5 - Wait For The Right Moment

We were recently at the zoo. It was glorious weather being a tad windy, hardly any strong sun and no rain :) The little ones saw plenty of animals and were happily walking from one enclosure to another. At the end of the day, when we were about to go home, we stopped at the River Safari souvenir shop after seeing the pandas.

Well actually the littlest one, who was the keenest to see them, didn't actually saw the pandas as he himself fell asleep! We tried waking him up to see but he cracked open his eyelids, took a glance and promptly went back to sleep after declaring "I know! But I want to sleep!"

Anyways, at the shop, my no.1 was browsing and saw a red panda soft toy. She told me that she felt indignant every time she sees it as many years ago (at least 7 years ago!), when we were at Hong Kong Disneyland, she had wanted this but we said "No!" *Opps!*

Well, she went to the Daddy, told him the (sob) story and Daddy dearest of course said "OK, u get it now then." SUCCESS! Now, those who know my hubby will know that this success definitely did not come easy! He is more a disciplinarian than an indulging dad so u can well imagine my no.1's glee!

I was teasing her that she remembered till now and she told me cheekily "Well, it worked!"

Seems that waiting for the right moment, even after 7 long years, can sometimes work wonders!

Wait: to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens

100-Day Project #4 - Wake Up...

Spied the following phrase on my no.1's desk...

"Wake Up With Determination, Go To Bed With Satisfaction"

What a great mantra to have! Indeed if we all could have this mantra and live by it, we will all be much more fulfilled at the end of everyday. Granted, not all days are rosy, some are downright horrid! Yet, I always believe that there are always two sides to a coin as there is always something good in anything bad. Some may say that I am deceiving myself. Maybe. But at the end of the day, finding something good, going to bed feeling better and waking up feeling much better, that would be the main point. Finding contentment is a skill and I was glad to be reminded by my no.1!

Satisfaction: confident acceptance of something as satisfactory, dependable, true, etc.

100-Day Project #3 - Never Lose Heart (Tenacity)

No.2 had been wanting to get on the school team for Floorball. Being a very very petite gal, we did try to taper her hope (and expectations) by reasoning out that it may not be very easy as there will be (very) many bigger sized girls who will be vying for that few spots. She was not daunted and told me that she will still want to try.

After many gruelling training sessions, a training camp and tryout sessions, she came home one day quite disheartened. The list for the school team came out and she was not on it :( We left her alone to sort it out on her own and told her that its ok, there is always next year. She was rather upset for that evening, keeping to herself and not wanting to talk.

A few days later, she told me that there is an extra training session and that she wants to go. Curious as normally such extra sessions were reserved for the school team, I ask why is there a need for her to go? She told me "There is one more slot left for school team and I want to try." It was stated such a matter-of-factly that I was floored for a few seconds.

Tenacity : the quality of being tenacious, or of holding fast; persistence

I know that with an outstanding older sister who is an all-rounder in sports, academic and leadership, she feels the pressure to measure up even when we told her that all of them are different. She wants to try, even when there is only ONE slot. To her, that one slot is hope, notwithstanding that it is only ONE! Her tenacity amazed me. She is usually quite laid back and do not really put in 100% effort for almost all things. Studies comes naturally to her so that was pretty effortless as well. I am so grateful for this ONE slot. It showed me how determined she can be. Hopefully it will also show her that sometimes the journey is more rewarding than reaching the destination itself.

100-Day Project #2 - I Can

My no.3 had always been a go-getter. However, being the youngest and having 2 much older sisters meant that he has always been left out of most things because of his age. The 2 sisters had to play with him at his level which is not very easy at times. Though I must say that they do try, sometimes after some nagging from me of course!

At his current age, he is game to try anything and everything! His granny was peeling hard boiled eggs one day and he asked to peel too. The granny gave him one and a bowl, instructing him to put all the shells in the bowl. In the granny's mind, she had already "written off" that poor egg as seriously you don't really expect it back in one piece after a "peeling session" by a 4-year-old.

He promptly sat down and began peeling, in all seriousness. In a very short while, he promptly showed all of us a big fat shiny egg, in ONE piece and without a single chip off the egg white! Needlessly to say, we were all amazed! Upon seeing our reaction, his parting shot "See, I said I can. U all don't want to listen,"

We all stand corrected, my dear little one! Yes! Indeed YOU CAN!!!

Can: to be able to; have the ability, power, or skill to

100-Day Project #1 - Adaptability

#1 Adaptability

My no.1 recently had to overcome a challenge, a physical challenge and one that even I cringed at the mere thought of it :( I will not share it in detail here as I know that she would prefer to keep it private.

At first she was very distraught about it. She cried bitterly and for that moment, I was really at a loss for what to say and do. Being Mommy for more than 10 years, it still did not prepare me for this moment. It wasn't something that was easy to accept nor get use to. It is not something that is over in a while. It will be a VERY LONG while. I know I had (need) to get her out from that black hole and I was very grateful to have a light bulb go off shortly.

Putting it into perspective, she quickly thought through and accepted it. With her dark cloud lifted, she was back to her chirpy and cheeky self. Though she still had reservations, it was not that dark deep kind. Rather, she took it off in a totally new direction and could even come up with advantages of having it!

The D-Day came when she had to face that physical challenge for real. She took it bravely. I was pretty worried and kept checking with her if she was ok. After the 3rd time asking, she told me "Mommy, don't worry ok? I will probably forget about it 10mins later!"

Adaptability - able to adjust oneself readily to different conditions

She taught me that. No matter how tough or difficult the situation, she had taught me again and again that adaptability saves the day (and your sanity too!). Adapting to the new condition also meant a new perspective which then makes everything else much easier.

Embarking On "100-Day Project"

Inspired by tons of 100 day projects online and on Instagram, I was super tempted to start on something! Yet, at the very back (and honest) portion of my mind, I know that I will be hard pressed to actually MAKE something continuously for 100 days! Heck, sometimes just trying to do a week's worth of memory keeping is hard enough! 100 days? Who am I trying to kid?!

So....in a (rare) brilliant moment, I turned to writing. I think (hope) that I should be able to do a 100 day's worth, staying through to the project. But what can I write continuously on for 100 days? My days are spent circling around my kids' schedules, and trying to fit everything in for all that they want to do. Many a times, my daily photos are taken in an instant, when something happens and "snap" I go :)

Cutting a long pondering short, I then decide to do.....

"100-Day Project of Things My Kids Taught Me"

That, should do it! I really hope and it will serve as a great look back too!

So, next post will be the start of this momentous 100 days project! Wish me lotsa of luck!

*fingers crossed* 

*to know more about the 100 days project and its creator, go here :)

Our Christmas Tradition - The King's Cake

 Photo from Creative Commons

 

 

Christmas had always been a magical time for me. I love prepping gifts, seeing Santa (Yes, I still do!), telling stories, tracking Santa on my iPhone app and chasing my kids to bed! Being a non-Christian family, I have never celebrated Christmas in the traditional way. I don't go Christmas mass and I do not have a Christmas tree. I do exchange gifts, visit Orchard Road for the lights and eat Christmas dinner!

 

 

We moved out on our own when my firstborn was 2. Hubby then started a Christmas tradition just for our family :) When he first wanted to buy the  King's Cake or the Galette des Rios, I went along for curiosity's sake. It was a pie (rather) made with buttery puff pastry filled with sweet almond frangipane. Not too sweet, it was a great after dinner dessert as it wasn't too filling. What made it unique is that there is a toy hidden somewhere in the cake! And whoever who found that toy will be "king" for the day! Most importantly is not to accidentally reveal where the toy is when cutting it! Luckily hubby always has the honors for this :P
 

 

Photo from Creative Commons

 

 

A more detailed story of the history of the cake can be found here.

 

 

We bought our cake from Bakerzin. And we bought from there yearly thereafter, creating our own form of Christmas tradition! The kids love to eat and try to get the toy. Whoever gets the toy is "king" or "queen" for the day! Comes complete with a crown, the cake was a success!

 

 

 

 

 

Photos above from Bakerzin's website

 

 

So what does being "king" entails? Well, the other siblings will have to listen to him or her for the day. Parents? Well, we have immunity otherwise I will have a riot on hand! To make the agony short for the kiddos who did not get the toy, we usually have this cake as a dessert after an early dinner, making the "King's hours only a few hours long :)

 

As Christmas rolled around last year, we went to make our yearly purchase at Bakerzin. Imagine our shock when we couldn't find the cake on their Christmas menu! Undeterred, we even asked the manager for confirmation but to our horror, they are not making it! Desperate, we took to the internet in the hope of finding another bakery but there was none! Imagine the kiddos' reactions when we had to tell them that there wouldn't be this cake this year! That was definitely a lesson learnt!

 

Come around to Christmas now. Hubby is not taking any chances and we checked out Bakerzin again and were so pleasantly surprised when they have the cake back! We immediately placed our order and we are definitely relieved and grateful to have the cake back on their menu!

 

It may just be something small but being a sucker for Christmas and its magic, I am so grateful that hubby started (and maintained) this tradition for so many years! It is a simple tradition but it is OUR family tradition!

 

To celebrate Christmas, Bakerzin had generously offered all HSBC, DBS & POSB credit card holders a 15% discount if you place an order online! The discount will be shown upon checkout. Bakerzin will only be taking online orders till Thursday, 22 Dec 2016, 2pm. There is still time to place orders for their Christmas goodies!

 

So visit their website at https://www.bakerzin.com/eshops/ to get your cake or Christmas treats!

 

Do you have any Christmas family traditions? Share them in the comments and maybe we can adopt more traditions!

 

Have a blessed Christmas!

Musings of a PSLE Mommy

With the release of PSLE results last week, the wait was finally over! Many months of preparation, hard work and perseverance all for the finality of this piece of paper and what is written on it. It sounded so final and so conclusive yet behind this piece of papers lies all the sweat and fear that probably started way back!

 

 

My firstborn had always been a below average student. Her dyslexic meant that she had to work doubly hard especially when it comes to her languages. I can well imagine how "easy" it is to read, digest and remember all those floating alphabets and words! Math is yet another subject that isn't easy. Sometimes I just wonder how is it relevant to solve questions as such?! Nevertheless, being in mainstream education means that she either has to keep up or get left behind.

 

 

When she first failed her Maths in P4 midyear exams, she was completely devastated! It was her first failure and it shook her badly. She worked even harder for her final exams and though she passed, it was a bare pass. She was not happy. Come P5, the Maths was even harder and she more determined to do well. She wanted to find out what was her problem, why isn't she understanding the questions. She did more revision, this time from P3 onwards. She worked at all topics, re-visiting her weaker topics over and over again. She did assessment after assessment to strengthen her understanding. She redo topical tests again and again. All these was done with help from her tuition teacher and her own determination. Against all, she thrived. She finished P5 topping her class in Maths and Science. Am I proud of her? Yes!

Proud of her determination and hard work.

Proud of her mental strength.

Proud of her tenacity to continue.

If it was me, I may not have the perseverance to continue. I really take my hat off to her, many times over, for revising her P3, P4 and then P5 Maths. It was more than an uphill task, but she did it. Her weekends were spent poring over questions, self-marking, memorizing formulas and more. She did all these while keeping up with her P5 work. It was nothing short of amazing to me.

Come P6, she was even more determined, more self directed, more focused. She wanted to do well, not for us but for herself. She wants to get into her preferred field of study after 'O' levels. She knows it will not be easy but she did not let that stop her. U may not believe me but I did not plan her revision. She did all that by her own. She listed topics that she had difficulties in, was weaker in. Planned her revision schedule, for all 4 subjects. Systematically tick them off as she goes through them. Scheduled more time to re-visit weaker topics again as the time neared PSLE. She self banned herself from her mobile, not wanting any distraction. She updates me on her revision, letting me know that she is on top of things.

She also cried when the stress gets to her. Bawled for not knowing if all these will translate into good results. Confided her fears and expectations. Teared when she just can't seem to get it. Stoned when it gets too overwhelming.

 

 

When PSLE comes around, she was very fearful on the first 2 days. Being language papers, she was most fearful of these and if she could do well enough to get a decent grade. I accompanied her to school all 4 days. I told her, on all 4 days, that it is NOT the end of the world, nothing is. There will ALWAYS be a way out. And no matter what is the result, she had put in her best work and that is all that matters.

Fast forward to the "D-Day". As we sat there nervously waiting for the results to be given out, I was praying for her hard work to be rewarded, for her not to be disappointed. I was mentally preparing to console and to cry along with her if it did not turn out well. I was more nervous getting her results than my own many years ago!!!

 

When she took the result slip and dare not look at it, instead waited for me to reach her side. As she took a deep breath and fearfully peered at her results, instantly giving a yelp of joy, my tears dropped. I did not even look at the results. I hugged her, thankful that her hard work did not go to null and that she was not disappointed!

Was her results fantastic? Yes to us but probably less than stellar to alot of parents. Are we too easily contended? Maybe but no matter the results, we were already very proud of how hard she had worked. Proud of her determination and tenacity. Proud of her resilience and strength.

To us, the numbers in her score did not represent her. Instead it was the journey to this day that had defined her. She had gone beyond our expectations in many aspects.

She was disadvantaged with a learning disability. Yet she is now a avid reader with an appetite for many genres of books.

She was devastated by her fail in Maths. Yet she overcame that through sheer determination and hard work.

She was never an attention seeker. Yet she was selected as a student leader in school and showed us her leadership ability. She even represented her school in sports, making it to school team as a first team player.

With all these, she still have time to play with her younger brother, help her younger sister with schoolwork. Was she always willing? Nah, she is still a teenager and being at that age brings with it all the angst and what-not. She has her moods and her opinions and as with all parents of teenagers, I am learning how to handle this as best as I could yet still give her the freedom that she could have.

 

With all that being said of PSLE and its scores, I am thankful that I was truly happy for her, right from the bottom of my heart. Perhaps she could do even better? Maybe. Yet that does not take away any ounce of how proud we are, of her determination, her hard work, her tenacity and resilience! An old schoolmate asked me point blank "Aren't you too easily contended? Her scores aren't good!" My answer? "Yes, in the whole scheme of things she is nowhere near what the current society has deemed 'good'. Yet she has exceeded all our expectations, exceeded her own expectations and all was done through her own hard work and sacrifice. This alone makes us proud and we are not shy to shout it out!"

 

She had taught me how good being hardworking feels, how satisfying when you know that u have given your best and how humbling when you finally get your results.

 

She had taught me that the journey is INDEED more important than the destination.

 

She had taught me that no matter how high the odds were stacked against u, with determination and grit, you CAN remove them one by one, piece by piece.

 

Thank you my dear, for teaching me through your experiences and your actions. I have never been more humbled than when I look at her and how much she had grown and matured :) GRATEFUL.

Our Interactions with a certain Paper Monkey

The kids first encounter with the Paper Monkey Theatre was when they had a performance at SAFRA Jurrong. You may ask what am I doing there since I practically live on the other side of the island! Well, ask the Daddy! After he chanced upon the advertisement of the Paper Monkey performing at SAFRA Jurong, he was determined to bring the kids to see them. 24hourly Dad? But of course!

Hubby is a strong believer in the arts influencing the kids. He always wanted them to see the more vintage and weathered kind of arts, to let them know that it is not something that drops from the sky but it is there because of someone else's hard work and undying passion. With my kids being involved in theatre from quite a young age, they were suitably interested :P though it was quite the first experience for my No.3 as it turns out!

The short performance was to drive home how trees and animals are affected by deforestation using a simple fairy tale story with colourful and interesting looking puppets. The main character, a young girl, was presented as a shy person but with a strong desire to protect the forest and its critters. I had always been amazed at how alive the puppets become in the skilful hands of the puppet master!

Nearing the end of the show, "trees" were needed and the 2 older sisters "sabo" my No.3 and poor boy had to stand there waving tree branches but we could all see how excited he was! He was very taken by the main character as well and kept wanting to touch it!

After the show, we noticed that there were many other small and intricate looking puppets on display. It was very different seeing them up close apart from being on stage as one could really see how intricate the coloring was and how the expressions on the puppets were drawn to present its character!

One of the puppet master was also demonstrating a cute little dog that was unbelievably life-like! My No.2 was fascinated and asked to try handling it. Poor Mommy here had her heart in her mouth all the while as she pranced around with the little doggy! Thank goodness it was returned to them in one complete piece!

The kids enjoyed the play and completely no regrets driving all the way when we see the awe and the happy faces of the kiddos! It definitely isn't everyday that we get a chance to let them see these rare puppets up close and even try their hands at it!

So, when the Paper Monkey Theatre puts up a show - the Magic Lantern in collaboration with Esplanade to celebrate the Mooncake Festival, no prizes to guess who went!

I was initially worried that my No.3 will not sit through the whole 45mins. Thank goodness he did, most of the time apart from traversing from his seat to mine twice, asking for milk (yes!). Well, I can say he was *quite* behaved! At very least, no screaming and no tantrums. To which, I am most grateful!

This story is about filial piety and what caught my attention was a song about the greatness of Mother at the end of the show. It cleverly weaved in the modern day situation, asking us to go home and have meal with her...very touching!

To hear the song, click here!

All in all, I was again impressed with the extreme care and hard work that goes into making and preserving these puppets. They aren't exactly light to hold (kid you not! I tried once and the head was really H.E.A.V.Y!) Imagine swinging the puppet on one arm, saying its script with sword fighting scenes here and there as well! It was more than a job well done! It was a passionate display of how determined the puppet masters were, to continue to preserve this art form!

Show your support by liking and following their Facebook Page at

https://www.facebook.com/PaperMonkeyTheatre

or visit their website for more information at

http://www.papermonkey.com.sg/

A disclaimer - This is NOT a sponsored post. It was a post borne out of respect for the passion and the hard work of these puppet masters! I sure hope that my grandchildren will still get to see this art form!

Kidszania - The Fun & The Not-So-Fun!

Kidszania definitely provides an experience of its own. Kids get to explore and try out different occupations, the very basic of what a job entails. It also allows them up close experience of doing something that earns $. Most importantly, succinctly summarised by my No.2 - "I am at "work" whole day and only earn so much?". Value of hard work!

The number of choices of jobs can be overwhelming. The queues daunting and the different requirements of some jobs - confusing! Though I must say, Kidszania does a good job of emulating a real virtual city for kids - "adulting" for a day does teach them that its not all roses in the land of adults!

Fun comes in many forms here :) Most kids have lots of fun going for their ambition. Be it being policeman, fireman, surgeon, journalist, CSI investigator, basketball player etc, they all have longer than long queues. Pilots, cabin crews etc have double queues which speaks a lot for their popularity! Parents are mostly left at the door, trying their best to get a decent shot of their kids while they "work". However, some jobs do welcome parents! If your kid is going for pilot or cabin crew, you will be welcome to join in as "passengers" and if they are going for their basketball tryouts, you get to be their adoring fans cheering them on!

Next on the list of popularity will be jobs where the kids get to eat! Want a piece of chicken? Go work at KFC. Craving for pizza, there's always Pizza Hut where u learn how to make a small pizza! Want some desserts? Go to the ice-cream making factory for some Paddle Pops! Need a more fulfilling meal? There's Soup Spoon where u get a soup of your choice and a croissant that u make yourself! Want some candy? There is the candy making store for you to try making your own. Be forewarned though, it's yet another double queue system!

My kids did not get to try the popular ones apart for one or two. The queues are really as long as the Great Wall of China and since I do plan to bring them back, I really do not want to waste time on queuing. One of the more popular ones that they did try was being Paramedics. They got to doctor a real "patient" (a child that volunteers to be patient) and ride in an ambulance! This job warranted a 40mins wait and we were entertained by firemen putting out a fire at a burning building nearby with the police maintaining order :) The firemen gets to ride in a fire engine as well! Oh! And they will receive a "Hospital Staff ID Pass" at the end of it. Every time u complete a job at a related industry, you will get a stamp :)

They also tried being a health researcher at the Health Institute on Level 2. This is sponsored by Lifebuoy and after learning how to make the liquid soap, they each get to bring back a sample bottle of it! I thought it was very generous of Lifebuoy!

Another popular one that they tried was the Milk Innovation Lab where they go through the steps of making the milk powder that they drank when they were young. This warranted a 1.5hrs queue where I settled their lunch with a slice of pizza while in the queue. They will also be given a sample pack of milk powder and a $5 discount voucher at the end of the session.

Oh! This reminds me! At the start of the session, they will give each kid a hair cover. Please do not throw these away! When your kids go for other food making jobs and it requires the hair cover, having an existing one earns them an extra dollar! Good way of reminding the kids (and parents) to reduce, reuse and recycle! PS. Owl not included :)

This was also where we experienced the 1st unpleasant encounter :(

When we first reach the queue for the Milk Innovation Lab, I quickly counted and confirmed that my kids will be able to go in for the next session. It was a session with a maximum of 6 participants and there were already 4 kids in queue. My kids happily queued and my poor legs were taking a much needed break when my No.1 signalled for me to go over. She whispered that a boy suddenly appeared and joined in the queue with his sisters who were originally in the queue. This effectively means that my kids will not get to go in together unless they wait for another session. It had been stated very clearly that all kids need to be present for all the queues and the parents who were nearby just completely ignored that. There wasn't much that we can do as no colored bracelets were given and there was no proof. I voiced my concern to the person in charge when they came out to ready the kids for the next session and thankfully colored bracelets were given for the next round. Seeing how annoyed my kids were, I decided to let them have a quick lunch while in queue.

After that first experience, I was more aware of how some parents simply flouted the rules with no concern for what they are teaching their own kids! My most common mantra to my kids is not to do unto others what you do not want yourself. Its common manners and simple logic yet, its much easier said than done. Many a times, its a case of monkey see, monkey do. Like it or not, our kids learn from us. There had been countless times that I heard my own commonly used phrases used by my kids when playing or interacting with others!

Then again, at Soup Spoon, we had the unfortunate "luck" to experience yet again this way of "queuing". This was a job that allows 10 pax per session. Seeing that the queue was only 3 in front, my kids were overjoyed as it was something that they had wanted to try. While waiting, a group of 5 kids suddenly appeared and join in to the 3 kids in front. It turned out they were from the same group. It was pure luck that my kids could still join in as it was just at 10 pax!  

Nearing the end of the day, there wasn't much time left as most jobs started on their last session for the day. One of the wanted job by my kids were to be a driver. However, there were many steps to it as they will need to first get an eye-check, attend driving school before they can "drive" a car! Seeing that most last sessions had commenced, I decided to let them go be an optician and also to get their eyes checked at the same time. Being an optician was interesting as they get to use an actual eye-checking machine and they could see what an optician see! At the end of the session they receive a card certifying that their eyes were checked. This eye-check will be valid for one year :)

One will see that most "upmarket" jobs like pilots, surgeons etc are extremely popular. A mom commented, while our kids queued outside the 7-11 store, that such jobs are popular as these are jobs parents want their kids to aspire to be. No one wants their kids to be store assistant at 7-11 or be a petrol kiosk assistant hence the much shorter queue. While I have to agree that this view is probably not incorrect, I have to defer on my personal stand.

At the start of the day, I told my kids that they should try out for jobs that were interesting and jobs that they do not get to experience easily. These are jobs like being credit officers where they distribute "cash" to other establishments by walking around pushing a vault. Another job which I wanted them to try was the one as a petrol kiosk attendant. They had always seen them hard at work when Daddy stops to top up gas. I wanted them to know that its not as easy to be one and to be aware of how each and every job contribute to society as a whole, no matter how "upmarket" or how "common" society views them. Just like the garbage collectors. If we do not have them, can you imagine how smelly and dirty our living areas will be?

All in all, Kidszania was an interesting experience. It was rather amusing to see how kids react when they get "paid", how important the "economy" of each job is when they realised they may have to part with their "hard earned" money! It is completely exhausting as well, practically walking around the whole day with little opportunity to sit and rest. There were seats around but with just as many , if not more parents, grandparents or helpers who will sit on that seat throughout the day, helping to take care of belongings while the kids run around, I spent 90% of my day on my feet! So the next time u need a workout, Kidszania can be a good choice as long as you walk around with your kids and not put up your legs at the Parents Lounge on Level 2 :)