I feel like a robot :(

28 July 2012

Had been a really bz week! My classes are getting really packed that i no longer have some time to relax and take a break :( On the mornings when i have no classes, i will go to the gym for my exercise.. and if i do, i will work throughout the morning, rush home to cook soup for dinner, prep the ingredients which i need for that night, laundry and clean up the house... Right after that, i head for my lessons all the way till 6+ to fetch Celeste...

After i cook our dinner, i had to let Celeste have her dinner while i do up her laundry.. After her dinner, she will rest before she takes her shower and let her enjoy her playtime while i hang up the laundry.

Just when i was about to take a short break, Celeste will ask me to make her milk, pat her to slp... Hubby comes back and press the start button for the men's laundry to be completed, he have his dinner and we do the dishes..

Finally when i have time for myself, its already so late that i cannot afford to stay awake otherwise i would have no energy to teach the next day... :(

Endure Endure... after the CA2, i will give myself a 2-3 days break to spend time with me and myself... :)

I was having a lesson with a pair of brothers... Apparently, the younger bro (#2) had gotten back his test paper and got a B+ results but his mom was a little worried.. I can understand how she felt because the mistakes he made were avoidable. I showed the parent the past work we had done and went through and we felt more like "Wasted!" than "Is my son ok?".. haha..

#2 is a bright child and he actually is at a P2 level but he always pretend he doesnt know unless u push him on. But today was the last straw to the matter.. I asked him if he knows how to do a question (honestly), and he replied "yes". Then "Why didnt you do it?" was the next question u are having in ur mind right?

His reply was... "Because im lazy"

I saw the urgency to let the mother know so i got her to come over to our table and when #2 repeated his reply, the look from his mother's eyes was very painful to me.

At that point, i asked myself, "can i do anything to help?"

As a tutor, what i can do is very limited. I worked very closely with parents to let them understand what their child is going through now, as well as their progress (honest comments) in their school work. I also give suggestions to their parents, e.g. #2's brother was very occupied with 3 CCAs which was affecting his academics and many times, the reason for not completing his work was because he had no time. Well, as a tutor, i need to notify the parent and give my suggestions to them so that they can make a right decision for their child. Im very pro "school-play balance" sort of tutor. Each time i see that my student is good academically and in their CCAs, i feel very proud of them and give my support to them. But at times, we do need to prioritize.

I recalled when #1 told me that he had no time for his work, i saw an red light blinking because that was the 3rd time telling me the same reason after he started his new CCA 2 weeks ago. Previously, it wasnt that bad unless his having competitions or gradings.

Im glad the parents and myself worked closely together to understand the child's needs than understanding their own expectations alone. Reality checks were also given to the parents who set sky-high goals for their child. I think this is what i could do on the emotional part.

I do strive to perform well and prove results like any working moms would do. But my results are not entirely in my control, sometimes, we cant fault the child for having exam frights because their mom's voice keeps ringing in their ears to get an A for their exams if not..........

I love my job but i do wish i could do more. Which educator do not wish that their student could perform well and become someone useful to the society in future?

'At every step a child should be allowed to meet the real experiences of life; the thorns should never be plucked from his roses.' - Ellen Kay

Losing Weight?

12 July 2012

I was reading a yahoo article about losing weight yesterday..

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/seeking-thinspiration---claire-s-story--.html

I was attracted to it because i am currently on a weight loss project and i hope to learn more from others.. Basically, the article did not mention in detail how she managed to lose weight healthily, but more about what she did wrong at first which i think it will be super helpful to teenagers whom dont feel good about their physical attributes.

As for me, i just want to shed some weight to ease my back pain and also to prepare for my next B project. With my current weight, there is no doubt that i will be 100kg if im pregnant now. I need to stay healthy to be able to take care of my children and family next time. Although it meant that i will prob have my next baby next year or later, but no energy, bad health would meant that i cannot work hard enough to support my children's living expenses too. However, if i keep a healthy body and mind, even if im 40 years old, i have the energy to take on more tasks and remain positive.

I went to my GP and discussed with her about my weight and my back pain and after hearing her advises, i set my mind to go through the weight loss project.

I did the same think back in 2003, when i was over 90kg with a waist line of 40inches and within a year, i lost about 30kg and wearing a top shop size 10-12. I realise that my main prob with weight gain is FOOD INTAKE. But that time, it was easy to lose weight because i was young and active.

Almost 10 years later, after 2 pregnancies, my stamina lost, my energy level dropped and i start to neglect my food intake habits, so the weight gained was SCARRYYY... I start to have very painful backaches to the extend that it hurts even when i cough.

I started my project about 3 weeks ago. With some medicine prescribe by the doctor to push start and exercise, not forgetting the healthy eating habits.. I managed to lose weight bit by bit every week.

I was on NO CARB diet at first, and i have to admit, my body cannot take it. At first, i was very sad that i cannot go on no carb and i keep pushing myself until one night, i did some reflections and looked back at my goals - HEALTHY BODY. So i told myself, everyone's body is different, i can go on LOW carb instead of NO carb even if it meant that i would take a longer time to reach my goal. Ultimately, its healthy body which i am going after, not so much on the physical appearance.

So 2nd week, i continued with my exercise routine -

1.   At least 20 -30 mins each time i exercise

2.   3-5 times a week (by doc), but due to work and time constrain, im on twice a week but i will make use of household chores like cleaning the house as an exercise routine.. Meaning, i will vacuum and mop the floor without taking breaks for a straight 20 mins and i do it in a fast motion and i was perspiring like mad after 20mins, just like a normal workout in the gym.

3.    Go slow for 20mins or fast for 20 mins - the results are the same. (by doc) Therefore, i go at my pace, a pace which will not make me feel uncomfortable after exercise and my body can handle due to my backache. It may be very stressful having another person beside ur tread mil and jogging faster than u.. But heck, i always remind myself that I COME HERE FOR MYSELF, NOT FOR U TO COMMENT. With this in mind, i felt that im alone in the gym! :)


As for food intake, i keep to these rules

1.   BREAKFAST IS A MUST (7-9am) but of coz no ba chor mee or bak kut teh... I normally take soupy food like fish ball soup or fish soup. Only wholemeal bread, no WHITE bread. Remember, most "white" food (i call it), like white flour, white sugar, white rice should be avoided because its high in carbo. Egg, on the other hand have super low carbo in whichever manner u have it, but u also have to take note of the oil u are using to cook the egg.

2.   No food after 8pm.

3.   At least 8 cups of water everyday.

When i was on NO carbo at first, it was very painful for me.. this cannot , that cannot.. but hey! we are in Singapore u know... lol!! I know that my white food intake was very high in the past, so "white" food is one of the confirm NONO for me.

I still take veges, fruits and meat even thou fruits and vege have carbo in them.. but HEALTHY HEALTHY HEALTHY is what i am going towards plus, i do within my body limits (i dont want to faint on my way to the market).. lol.. When cooking, less oil is very impt too. We go to my ILs' place twice a week and it would not be nice if i dont eat anything my MIL cooks. No rice, but i will eat veges, meat and drink tons of soup (cantonese style). She always insist i eat rice, but i stand firmly to my rules. (btw, u can eat about 1-2 table spoons of rice if needed)

I need to take fruits to make sure i got good bowel routines because i tend to get very heaty due to the weather in Singapore. Water helps me in the bowel routines too!

I eat mac too! The chicken salad, filet burger without the bread is ok too! Not easy for a start, but determination makes a great difference u know?

Some stuff i learnt recently:

• Understand ur body - Know what causes ur weight gain. Some are inherited, some are due to imbalance diet etc. As for me, its the food i put into my mouth :(
• Consult a doctor for assistance and advises. I try not to go on diet without asking someone who knows because we tend to try EVERYTHING that seemed to work on others and along the way, we might harm our pockets and body.
• Do what u think u can. Dont over exert but dont be lazy too, u dont want to get turned off with exercising just because u did it wrongly the first time.
• There is no SOP for diet plan, no one size fits all. U have plans in mind and also gathered thoughts thru reading and research but u should look back at ur plan and adjust accordingly as and when u think something's not right.
• Diet might be tough because u are not used to saying no to some ur favourite food or u might have to spend time in the gym than in front of ur tv. But it should be a happy thing, diet should not make u feel lethagic or restless. In fact, after routine exercises, you should feel more refreshed and more stamina to complete ur tasks.
• Give urself a treat once in a while but remember to give and take. If im craving for lor mee, i will take it during lunch, and only take half portion instead. Then for dinner, i will take more soup and meat instead of fruits and vege, just to make sure my diet for the day is kept at a good level.

Please please do not follow my plans if u are planning to go on a diet. GO CONSULT A DOCTOR FIRST! Let ur doctor know ur plan, let them know what u cannot go without, and ur reasons for dieting. They are pros, not me!

I post this to remind myself and others who might be trying too hard to diet, that, we should do whatever within our means. Over doing might give a negative effect. If choc bar makes u happy, understand the food label first, take a bite instead of a bar? Give and take and still stay happy is what i always tell myself.

Good luck!

Celeste Turns 2 in June!

4 July 2012

We had a mini celebration for Celeste's 2nd birthday.

We were glad that almost everyone made it for her party and we had a great time laughing and catching up... Since Celeste loves Barney so much, we had a Barney themed party for her. From Barney balloons to Barney banners to Barney cakes... She was soooooo happy!

During the cut cake session, i asked her..

"Sasa happy?"

She replied, " Happy.."

I believe many of our guests' hearts melted when they heard a sweet innocent voice replying.

Nothing to hide, but we are not well off financially in the recent years, but isnt that what life is suppose to be? Like ups and downs? Obstacles? Wrong decisions made? Well, as long as we are contented with what we have, be brave and positive about whats ahead of us and not envy about what u dont have and be happy with what u have.. I think things will certainly turn out well soon.

Nonetheless, we managed to organise a small party and had great fun!

Our mini cupcakes and cheese agar agar



 Barney banner with barney balloons

 She cant wait to grab hold of those cupcakes!

We even got her a barney top!

Opening up presents after her bath..

Celeste is very fortunate to have so many people loving and doting her.. My cousins came all the way from SengKang to attend her party.. Gave her tons of kisses too! She was very shy as she seldom mingle with them... So paiseh about it too...

A few days later.....

Celeste was about to sleep and she suddenly touched her face and said, "Yee yee sayang sasa" and "jiu jiu sayang"

Yee and jiu jiu refers to my cousins, and it was comforting to me.. i quickly recorded her words and whatsapp to my cousin... :)

Im glad she appreciates the love she receives from everyone...

Happy Birthday Sasa!