as I write this, I have fingers in my ears, one hand typing. I feel I am about to go deaf and am gonna be smoked out like the mozzies! it's Chinese New year eve and the fire crackers have been going on for 20 mins now. The sound of the crackers (LOUD ones) are interjected frequently by the FRIGHTENING bomb like crackers. I jump everytime one explodes (JUMP)(JUMP) ouch my ears!! Will end here and head for the quieter cnfines of the room, which isn't much quieter since much of the house is made of wood and not sound proof. (JUMP) (JUMP) . I feel ilke I'm in the midst of a war. Gonna run now.
Happy New year everyone! :)

p.s Although this is the year of the Ox, I've been eating like a pig here. I must say, the food in Kuching has improved TREMENDOUSLY, lots of fantastic restaurants!!

nel cries..

today I dropped Nel at school as usual. I watched her walk reluctantly to her row in the assembly hall. She looked lost and alone. I waited for a while coz she kept looking out for me. Finally the school bell rang indicating time to walk to their respective classes.

I left the school premises.
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.
.
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Picked her up in the evening.... and this was her story....

"Mum.....why did you leave so early? I wanted to run to you to give you one last hug before you left but I couldn't find you. Mum...... as I walked to class, I wanted to cry, but I told myself not to cry.
I tried and tried not to cry,...... but when I got to class, I couldn't control anymore and I cried. I was embarassed, so I hid under the table. Nobody noticed me coz I sit right at the back.

Then all the children left for the computer lab, but I continued crying under my table. My class teacher heard me crying after the children left. She also saw me, coz I made sure that my head was out a little so somebody would see me.
She was kind mum, she talked to me and walked me to my computer class. She told me because I am new, she'd sit with me, and she sat with me till I felt better. Mum, she's a kind teacher.
I want to give her a card and a present mum."

That was Nel's story today... Wow, my daughter hiding under a table and crying? Anyway, I'll make sure Nel gets to write the card she wants to write. Such a kind teacher...we need more like her around instead of the shouting/caning type. I appreciate that teacher, will write her a note myself.

today, i drove an hour to work. 5 mins before lecture, I was so darned thirsty, and realised I'd left my water bottle at home. NO canteen nearby. However, there was a water dispenser in the office, but NO paper cups. Desperate for some water, while the secretaries were away, I grabbed the fax paper, made a cone and "collected" some water in it and drank whatever was left after half of it leaked through the sides onto the carpet.

After work, drove an hour home, picked Jo from my mum's. Drove another 50 mins to pick Nel from school and got home darned tired. Helped Nel with homework, wiped up the stinking pee left by my dog, cleaned dishes did laundry. So darn tired, and now I can't sleep. *sigh* [it's 12:28am]

Oh yeah, Nel has received her first warning at school. She finished this Chinese Science homework and passed it up a few days ago. Now teacher is asking her where is that book! Her teacher said "where is the book? bring it tomorrow or you'll get the cane!"

Darn teacher. Give my child a break, this is just the first week at school! I can't find that book at home, perhaps she's passed it on to the wrong teacher? my dear sis-in-law will be speaking to the teacher on behalf of me tomorrow. hope Nel will be spared the cane or they (the teachers) shall see my wrath befall them !! (that is, if I can speak in broken Chinese, or they can understand my English.) *more sighs*

Nel's first day at school

Nel officially started standard 1 last Monday. So far smooth sailing…so I thought. Well, she’s in Chinese school and doesn’t understand most words. She can barely speak or understand that language.

So the first few days she just went by dreaming n ignoring most instructions coz she didn’t understand anything. She didn’t even raise her hands when her name was called. They probably pronounced her English name all wrong, and she probably didn’t recognize her own Chinese name.

2nd day she desperately needed to go to the toilet and didn’t even dare to ask for fear she’d mention the wrong Chinese word. Thank God my sis-in-law was peeping in and noticed Nel’s desperate face.

She comes home and says “no homework” coz the homework notices are written in Chinese.

Most of all, I told myself, they’re gonna turn our daughter into a communist. Hahaha…. They’re told- How to stand, heads up, finger always on mouth when walking to toilet, no talking, bangs above eyebrows etc etc….and they’ve been warned that if homework is not done, they’ll be given the cane. (one or 2 strokes on the palm!) *shudder*

She carries a tonne of books to school everyday…really, it’s heavy for me too! So I’ve bought her a trolley bag or whatever you call it. Comes with wheels.

Ok, perhaps I’m being pessimistic…. Coz, c’mon, thousands and thousands of kids have been through this system, but survived. Well, bottom line, I’m watching her closely.

Imagine, just 4 days of school, over roti canai yesterday… she said in desperation “Mum, school is so BORING! All you do is SIT SIT SIT SIT! And write and listen. The boy sitting next to me is so naughty. He keeps saying the bad word mum. And the 2 boys in front of me like to tease me. Mum, I prefer my kindy, I don’t like this school.”

I told her “Nel, hang on…just a year….And everytime they start the teasing, you ignore them and do your work quietly. Think about how when you come home each day, mum and Jo will be waiting for you and we can play.”

Nel replied “one year mum??? but it’s too long………… too long. I don’t even get to play anymore, I come home so late…I’ve not been to the playground at all this week! ”

She sounded like she’s been given a prison sentence. And there were tears welling in her eyes as she spoke.

Before going to school I said “Nel…let’s pray.”

I prayed “God…help Nel settle in school and to enjoy her learning. Most of all, I pray that either the boys become nice to her, or you change her seat and put her next to a nice girl.”

Before going to school we sat on the swing for a while, us and our idiotic dog.

Time passed and in the evening she came home and said “guess what mum??? remember you prayed for me today?? Mum, teacher changed my seat! God didn’t make the boys nicer, so He changed where I sit and now I’m sitting next to a nice girl! God answered our prayer mum!”
I was happy for her. Well…we’ll see how it goes in the months to come. I’m still kinda pro home-schooling…I really wanna do that…but we’ll wait a few months

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As for my SVT, I went to see a specialist. He said that the episodes I had were too frequent....and suggested that I may want to undergo a catheter ablation where the catheters are inserted into the veins in the groin and into the heart. They do some tests and zap some nerves. That's as far as I understand. I've opted for medication for now, and see how it goes.