Dinner for Mother's Day

Shaun Shaun and I had saved money to buy Mother's Day dinner for my Mah Mah and Mami. We invited Ah Mah, but unfortunately, she was tired as she went out the whole day with my Aunty.

We had a simple dinner at a Chinese Restaurant nearby. I was very happy that we had enough money to pay for dinner.

Counting my money
to pay the bill

Just 6 more days of stress

6 more days to my Electone competition. It will be held this Sunday. I am not sure if I am feeling excited about it, but I am certainly nervous. There are still improvements that I need to make. I need to improve on my body movement. I am not very natural in moving, as my body is not so flexible.

I pray that God, by His grace and mercy will help me play perfectly well. Amen!

Birthday... I love Birthdays!

My birthday has just passed. There was no celebration, but Mami bought my all-time-favourite chicken pies and vitagen for me to share with my classmates in school.

I am very blessed to have received lots of gifts this year. I love every single gift. Was pleasantly surprised by some gifts from classmates who gave me a present because they told their mommies that I was very helpful to them.

Thank God for good friends.

Outings with Friends

I am very fortunate to have friends, whose mommies are so friendly and nice. My Mami met them when I was in Primary One. Since then, the mommies have been encouraging my friends and I to meet up as playdates. 

Shaun Shaun and I at the roller blade ring

We have had several outings since Primary One till now. Some joined in the group early this year. I have always looked forward to meeting my friends outside of school. We have gone twice to a friend's club to bowl and swim. We have gone for movies and roller blading together. It is just so fun to be together.

My TiTi, Shaun Shaun loves to be with them too. In school, I am well known amongst his friends, and vice versa. My friends love Shaun Shaun too, as he looks really cute and adorable. He is a boy, well liked.

Shaun Shaun wearing a friend's cap

Roller Blading team

Went for Spider-Man movie on Labour Day.
Shaun was there too. Too shy for photos.

Finally, A Medal For Sports Day

I am so happy. I am so so happy. Today was my school's Sports Day. I was initially disappointed that I was not selected for the 100m race for boys event. The school will normally select best two from each house colour. I came in third.

I did not attend Sports Day last year, as it was too far for Mami to drive. Dadi was away at that time. I did not win any medal when I was in Primary One. So, today marked the day I won my first Sports medal from school. I participated in the Year 3 Telematch, and my house came in first. I was the last boy in the telematch to bring in the gold medal into my house team. I was so so happy. My good friend in front of me carried me up to express his joy for winning.

I thank God that He is a gracious God. I prayed hard this morning for myself and for Shaun TiTi to win a medal today. He has also miraculously gave Shaun a bronze medal for his 50m run for boys. It was really tough for him as he is a year younger than the rest.

 

Dadi and Mami were very supportive of us. They even wore blue t-shirts to support us.

God is certainly good. Glory to God.

All Stressed Up

Last weekend hasn't been good for me. I am all stressed up and my allergy has set in as well. I sometimes wonder if my allergy symptoms are related to stress. My stress level is high (yes, even at this young age) and my lips are cracked and puffy.

Last Saturday, I consulted a dentist, Dato' Dr How who specializes in orthodontics with Imperial Dental Specialist located in Bangsar. He is really the best in town. I had a tooth abnormality. I had an extra tooth growing behind an existing permanent teeth. The dentist advised me to undergo a minor surgery this weekend to remove the extra tooth. I am all stressed up because I am fearful. I will be put to sleep. What if I wake up in the middle of surgery, or what if I don't. As it is, I am a light sleeper. I wake up very easily, and I have difficulty in falling asleep. Argh.....Stressed! Stressed!

I am also in the midst of preparing for an electone competition which will be held next month. I am still making alot of mistakes playing the song. I find the song really difficult to play. Despite working hard practising the song, I am still nowhere ready for it. My music teacher was not happy with my performance last weekend, and I ended up in tears. I hope to be able to spend more time practising to improve my piece. I woke up this morning and practised before leaving for school. I hope to be able to practice twice a day. Hopefully, this will help me improve as the competition date is drawing near.

Mami has reminded me to stay positive and not worry about tomorrow.

Matthew 6:34

New International Version (NIV)

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Yes, I need to remind myself of this bible verse everyday. Mami can't believe I am full of worries at the age of 9.

My School - Is the Best for Me

I am currently in Year 3. Studying in my school has been fun for me as a student.

The school which I am currently attending had recently switched from the local KSSR syllabus to an international syllabus. Last year was the first year they started international syllabus. There were some minor hiccups with the implementation initially. Some parents were in the opinion that the teaching method and syllabus were not 100% according to Cambridge standard. Till now, not all teachers are fully trained, and not all teachers are teaching the "Cambridge way". I am sure it is not easy for a teacher to switch their teaching method overnight. Nevertheless, I believe that the teachers are doing their best to teach the best they can with the international syllabus. I believe that God will carry the teachers through as they are constantly being prayed for by the school.

I must say that I have been blessed with good teachers from Year 1 till now. My teachers are not perfect, but they are the best to me. They are dedicated and committed to give their best to the students. They are understanding, and tries their best to understand the behaviours, strengths and weaknesses of each child. It is not easy for them to handle 28 students with unique personalities within a class.

My school gives an opportunity for every student to bring out their best potential. All are given the opportunity to hold positions in class. Class Monitors, Assistant Monitors, Book Keepers etc are changed every month to give opportunity to every student to carry out a role. Every student is given the opportunity to prepare for any competitions (e.g. story telling/ show & tell, spelling bee, chinese chess etc). The teachers will then select a few to enter the finals, competing with other classes. There are occasions that students are given the opportunity to serve in playing musical instruments and song lead. For secondary school, the students practically takes over the worship during Chapel services. You don't need to be a super smart student to be a prefect.

There is no studying stress in my school. The amount of homework given is reasonable. There are days that there are no homework. There is constantly progressive test/ assessment given to us. We are expected to revise constantly because our assessments can be on any day. Most of the time, the teacher will inform us of our assessment a few days before. There is no class positions. The school does give end of year awards for best students in the core subjects.

Co-curriculum is lacking in my school. We are not trained for any type of sports during school hours. There are sports activities which a student can join after school holidays. I initially wanted to join the badminton team, but decided to focus on my swimming outside school.

Whether a school is good is actually very personal. I may like my school, but others may not. I may think that the school is fair, but perhaps some may think otherwise. I may think that my teachers are great, but others may think the teachers are not prefect enough.


I am proud to be a student in my school. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

A Change in Swimming Instructor

I learnt swimming a year ago at USCI Swim the World school located at Taman Connaught. The swimming lessons were conducted 30 minutes a week, as individual lessons. Within a year, I have learnt how to swim all four swimming styles. I would not dare say that I am a good swimmer, but at the very least, I can swim and survive in water. I enjoyed learning at UCSI as my swimming instructor makes every lesson fun. I certainly enjoyed my lessons.

I had recently switched to a new swimming instructor at Bandar Tun Razak. The lessons at Bandar Tun Razak are conducted in a group. The group is a reasonable size with a combination of students who can swim, and those who are still learning how to swim.

Why did I switch to a group lesson?

1) Individual lesson at UCSI was costly. As I already know how to swim, I no longer need individual coaching. Group lessons is more than half the price of individual lessons per month. The cost of learning at Bandar Tun Razak is much cheaper.

2) Exercise is important. Learning in the group class would help build stamina. The group lessons are more intensive compared to individual lessons. Please don't get me wrong. UCSI provides group lessons for stamina building too, but again, the cost is a factor.

3) My cousins are learning at Bandar Tun Razak. So, the company of my cousins are certainly an incentive for me. I love playing with my cousins.

4) Distance of the swimming pool is nearer to home.

Then why did I not learn swimming at Bandar Tun Razak initially?
It was because I was very fearful of water. Bandar Tun Razak did not have individual coaching classes. With such fear, Mami thought that it would be better for me to have personal attention. I would be able to learn faster.

Similarly, my Shaun TiTi is now learning swimming at UCSI. Mami hopes that he will be able to learn swimming for a year and eventually switch him over to my group lesson. Although I know how to swim, Mami wants me to continue swimming lessons so that I have weekly exercise. Who knows, perhaps one day, I would be interested to go for swimming competitions. There is no pressure for competitions. At the end of day, it boils down to my interest and determination.

Swimming is a great from of exercise. Fun and refreshing too.

Recipe Finder for my Grandma

A few years ago, my Ah Mah was very ill. Her mysterious illness took a very long time to recover. During that time, she had lost interest in everything....baking, cooking, gardening and many more. It was probably depression that caused her to not want to do anything.

Towards mid of last year, my Ah Mah started discovering back her true passion in life. She started being her true self, regaining her self esteem and confidence. Now, she is very active in every aspect of her life. She bakes, cooks, does gardening and goes out for fellowship with her relatives and friends. Since last week, she had even gone for cell group meetings.

Since she started baking and cooking, I have been very busy googling for recipes for her. She does not know how to use the iPad or computer. So, she appointed me as her recipe finder. I have been searching for many good recipes for her over the internet.

I am a fan of Amy Beh. I do not know why, but I seem to like her recipes. Simple and good. Amongst the recipes I found for Ah Mah were Chicken Chop, Butter Cake, Chicken Rice, Plain Dhal Curry and many more. It makes me very satisfied when Ah Mah serves a dish based on the recipe I have written for her. It takes a lot of time and effort for me to search and copy word for word on a piece of paper for Ah Mah. She certainly treasures all that I have written for her.

I am happy that I can be part of my Ah Mah's recovery. She loves Shaun Shaun and I very much and she has sacrificed much for our well being. We truly appreciate her.

Favourite Past Time

Shaun Shaun TiTi and I love to play Legos. We have lots of them. Lots of figurines and bricks. Day in, day out, we will be shifting our Lego boxes out from the storeroom to our living room during playtime. Though I am turning 9 this year, I still love to have my playtime everyday. I will never let go of my legos.

Lego is certainly a toy which is very costly. Dadi managed to buy quite a fair bit during his business trips to Geneva last year. It was cheaper there. Sometimes, Dadi would order them from the internet.

I have reminded Mami never to give away my Lego sets to anyone. Lego will be kept for my children in the future.

Chinese New Year (2014)

This year, we had Yeh Yeh and Mah Mah spending the Chinese New Year with us in KL. We were grateful that they could come a week before Chinese New Year. Shaun Shaun and I had a great time with them.

Nevertheless, we certainly missed the presence of Ku Ku and her family. This is the second Chinese New Year celebration without her family since she migrated to Australia. Chinese New Year celebration feels quieter.

As it is still Chinese New Year, do allow me to wish all my blog readers a very Blessed Chinese New Year. May 2014 be a year of God's favour and blessings for us all.

New Year Resolution

I have been looking forward for a new 2014. A year with new resolution, with anticipation for new things to come.

School has started and my Shaun Titi has entered Primary One. Though he is tall for his age, he still behaves very much like a normal 5 years old...turning 6 this year. As expected, he cried for the first 3 days in school. Nevertheless, my Ah Mah feels that his crying is far lesser than mine when I first entered Primary One few years ago. Shaun has stopped crying, and I have been accompanying him whenever possible in school.

We are all very thankful that God had arranged good classes and teachers for both of us. We like our form teachers, and believe that our subject teachers are good as well. As for Shaun, he is indeed blessed to have the best Science and Maths teacher this year. Praise God for answering our prayers.

My activities this year are more or less the same. However, I have dropped my badminton training, primary due to the damage made to my upper back muscle. The intensive training last year was overly strenuous for me. As a result, I had to go for chiropractic treatment during the school holidays. Swimming was recommended to me to correct my back.

With badminton out in my list, I have decided to switch my focus on music. Music has been close to my heart as Mami has been constantly reminding me that God has blessed me with a musical talent. I should expand this talent for good use. I agreed and told Mami that I will aim to be a "Master of Music". I call this in short, MOM. 

So, it shall be. My new year's resolution is to improve my musical talent. I guess this means that I have to put in more hours in music everyday.

I pray that I am able to fulfill this resolution by God's grace.

I am a Poet

Yeh Yeh and Mah Mah have been calling me a Poet. I have been composing many poems during the school holidays. It started when I made a Christmas card for an aunty in Muar.

This was what I composed and sent.....

Christmas Tracting Adventure

My church had sent several groups to go tracting at several shopping malls and LRT station prior to Christmas. Our cell group covered 1Shamelin mall.

I wrote a poem as a testimony for my church and I recited this poem during our Thanksgiving Service last Sunday.

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas is near,

I have something exciting here,

I had an important mission,

To share God's love and vision.

I started off going,

Without really knowing,

How to show them,

God's big love for them.

Prayer and boldness,

I needed to get,

I charged forward,

Without looking backward.

 

I went to 1Shamelin,

I started trembling,

Who will I meet there?

What will I do there?

I looked around,

I tried to go round,

I bravely approached,

A man with a broach (the security guard).

 

I handed out a tract,

He smiled and took it back,

Was it difficult to do,

No! It wasn't difficult to continue.

 

I finished my tracting,

With great joy and clapping,

I hope I was able,

To touch the hearts of all people.

God bless them all!

Special guest in Decatonics

Shaun Shaun and I were privileged to join our church's mini choir group named Decatonics. We played the cajons, performing in SS2 mall and Christmas church service. Decatonics sang beautiful Christmas carols and we had a great time during practices and performances. I praise God for this opportunity.

Speech Day 2013

Finally, Speech Day for the year has passed. It was lots of fun for me as I thoroughly enjoyed my group performance of a song called "More, More, More, I Want More More More". Although the costume looked silly, but the song was nice and catchy.

This year, the school had trimmed down significantly on the awards for the students. With the Cambridge syllabus, there are only three core subjects i.e. English, Maths and Science. One award was given for each subject to each class. I obtained an award for Maths. I had also received an award for Bahasa Malaysia during the school assembly before Speech Day. BM is a non-core subject, hence it was given out separately.



I thank God for His grace and mercy upon my life in school this year. God has been good to me.

Pastor Dorai from Full Gospel Assembly
came and presented the award

Year 2 Dance team

My little TiTi

Ah Mah came to show her support

My class teacher 

Lots of fun and eating

School has been fun for me. There are still lessons taught, particularly for English and Science. However, we have been busy with our Speech Day dance and it has been fun. I love dancing.

We have been having lots of parties recently. Two of my friends had their birthday parties last week, and another had her birthday party in school yesterday. We had yummy ice cream cakes. Today was Children's Day and the school provided us with KFC chickens and ice cream. Tomorrow will be our class party and I made chocolate truffles for my class. It was really simple to make. You can check out this website http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/easy-chocolate-and-condensed-milk-truffles-L4891.html for the recipe. Instead of Marie biscuits, we used Ritz biscuits.

I am looking forward for the days to come. More fun in school. Field trip is just round the corner and finally.....our Speech Day.

Hooray! School holidays are coming.

Yamaha Claris Mini Concert 2013

We had a mini concert at Yamaha Claris to celebrate the end of our JXC programme. It was combined with another class of a higher grade. There were few electone students who were invited to perform as well.

I had a great time there. I played The Entertainer on the electone and an ensemble entitled Comical Train. My teacher was also so generous to give us angpow for the good results our group had received.

My TiTi also had a mini concert two days before mine, but unfortunately there were no group photos taken. So, here he is in this group picture, as many in this group also had siblings performing in his concert.

Percussion Lessons

I was so glad when I heard that our church organized a percussion lesson for us to learn how to play the cajon. We have two cajons at home. One for me and another for Shaun Shaun. I have been actively playing on it on my own.

Last Sunday was the first lesson and I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson. I hope to be able to play the cajon one day during church worship session. It would be so fun and cool.

Our Percussion Teacher was the handsome young man
sitting on the bright red cajon. He was the one who
made my cajon.

Yamaha Grade 9 piano examination

I praise God for a Distinction in my Yamaha Grade 9 examination. I worked hard and I had a dedicated teacher who ensured that we did well. Everyone in my Yamaha group class did well, scoring merits and distinctions. We were really proud of our teacher, Ms. Aw. I thank God for her dedication and commitment. I also thank God for Mami who helped me in my practices at home. Above all, I thank God for GOD. He is certainly good to me. I would not have done well without Him.