wow....a month since I blogged. Juggling part time work and household chores and cooking is not easy. Sometimes i wished i worked full time, that way I wouldn't have to worry about cooking lunch and cleaning constant mess, just send em to the babysitters. At other times I wished I was full time mum, so I wouldn't have to rush my household chores and the children. I'm constantly rushing so I can get to work on time.
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Anyway...today was an interesting day. I spent the afternoon at an NGO, auditioning underpriviledged children and orphans. If all goes as planned, I will be teaching music to these underpriviledged children starting next month.

I remember the first time I volunteered at an orphanage the year I came back from the US. I helped out at 2 orphanages and it was in many ways a rewarding experience. Most of the time these children wanted someone to talk to, someone who'd love them, who'd come regularly and not drop out like many volunteers do.

Sometimes teaching them is not easy. There was this time I was teaching a group of 6-7 year olds music. I think there were 10 of them. I remember how they came barefooted in shabby clothes. It was hard teaching that class. Everyone wanted to sit next to me, and hold my hands....so there was much shoving and pushing and I spent most of the time trying to control these children. At one time I told them "Let's hold hands and make a circle and dance around." So I had like 2-3 children holding parts of my hands, and some hanging on to my shirt...and we moved, not in a perfect circle, but more like a perfect blob of people, all clinging on to me.

Anyway, today's children seem pretty talented, especially in rhythm and dance! they could hip-hop, do break dance, do hand stands and cartwheels. Interesting. Some of them were so shy...and some so very brave and independent. But they all had huge lovely eyes....

I don't know yet what teaching them will be like.... I anticipate that a few of them will be a problem.. Some may have ADHD i think...and problems understanding. Most of them speak Tamil. we'll see when time comes, but I am already looking forward to the time when classes will begin.

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*

Ever since Jo was born, we've had help with the housework. Recently, we decided to do away with that help, and life has been different. My life of luxury has been removed and when I wake up each day, I wonder where to start.

Well, I don't really have to wonder, coz the first thing I see is the pile of laundry stinking the house. When I get that load of laundry to the washing machine, I see the mess of pee and poo that my dog's left in the laundry area. I think my crazy over excited dog has a bladder control problem. He pees far too much!

Oh yeah, I also have my two little "crumbsters", i'll call them that coz they leave crumbs, and spills and toys everywhere (although they're learning now to clean up themselves). Apart from them, there's also the poopy rabbits on my porch. THey never suffer from constipation, they seem to have problem keeping poo in their bodies. They leave a mountain of poop for me each day!

ahhh...the list goes on and on. For this week, I'll survive, as I'm on a break. Come next week.....*shivers* I'll have to learn to cope. For I work now 5 days a week....
if all gets a little too tough...I'll have to do something.

First on the list....
----- get rid of rabbits
----- bug hubby till he gets me a dryer. Drying takes too much time...especially with rainy weather, rewashing and redrying takes farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr too much time!
------- keep Camel the mad dog in a cage when I'm not around
----move into a one bedroom hut to minimize cleaning (preferably built on stilts with holes between floor planks to minimize sweeping.)
------ get rid of all plates, leaving one per person to discourage random use of plates and cups
------ get rid of all clothes leaving 2 per person to discourage unnecessary change of clothes

Any other suggestions????? (I'll be happy to get some.)

Anyway, my kids have been kinda cute. Sometimes when they notice me doing work, they come along and queue up, little Jo behind Nel. They stand straight and say out loudly "Mummy's Helpers are Here! How may we help you!" haahha.....

the other day I told them to help me by bringing in their own clothes from the laundry line. After a while, they were still outside, and I went to peek. This is what they were doing...

Nel took down a trousers and said "Jo, this will look nice on your head." She put it on Jo's head as a hat. Next she took down a shirt "Jo, this will look nice as a cape." she tied it around Jo's neck. WHen they were done, little Jo walked in with clothes tied all around her body. She looked really funny and amusing. :) haha....


ok....ciao. gotta go...... work to do. Lecture begins next week too....I haven't prepared my notes... and filled in all documents.... heck, don't care. Gonna take the kids out today. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!!!!!!!!

I've been busy busy. Semester has started and I've been given a new course to teach. That means a lot of reading and research to do and notes to prepare. WOrking part time is not easy. Sometimes I think full time would've have been easier. WHen I was working full time I had the office to myself to do all my work without distractions.

Now I work part time, i barely get by reading a page before one of my kids come disturbing. So I find myself either resorting to the television as a baby sitter, or I find myself working very late into the nights after the kids are in bed. It's not good for my darkening eye bags and achy shoulders.

My schedule is different every day. Sometimes I've forgotten classes totally and parent and kid appear at my doorstep to find me in rags and hair looking like a crow's nest. haha....and sometimes I've scheduled 2-3 classes together without realising it. Then when all these students appear at my doorstep, I ask them why they're at my house. I must be going nuts.

Being a full time mum would be nice, but reality states that I should work to help with household income. CAn't place the entire burden on hubby alone. COst of living is getting incredibly high.

Yesterday after a full day's work (kids and work work), hubby called to ask if I'd join some friends for a bowling game. Though I was feeling so extremely tired....I decided to just go. I did ok on the scores and it was pretty fun.

We got back at almost 11:30pm. Considering I woke up about 5am, you'd know how tired I was. PUt my super duper wakey kids to bed... then went brushed my teeth and washed my own face.

Mechanically I put on my face moisturizer ...and after a while realised it was extra creamy, and smelled different. I looked at the bottle and knew why then. On the bottle it read, "Hair Nourishing cream. Will promote hair growth." Rewashed my face and put on the right moisturizer.

Well, I woke up this morning and checked my face, no, no extra facial growth. thank goodness.
ok... the day awaits, I must go. it's gonna be a heck of a long day. (there's extra classes for my speech students coz concert is this saturday.)
taaaaa..........................