Gross!

Hello one and all! It has been a very hectic and busy term 3 for me so far. Hope that you are enjoying a better pace of life than I am, . . . wherever you all are studying at!

Just to share with you. After the paper plane episode, it's been 'mealworm time" for us at our household. Yes, . . . one young one had to observe and study the life cycle of mealworms, and we therefore had to keep them . . . lots of them!! Yesterday, some of these things developed into pupae and that got everyone in the family all excited. I am thankful that his Science teacher had set him off to study these relatively small living things!

Then I had to struggle with the existence of the "tooth fairy" with the same young one whose milk teeth have been dropping like nobody's business. I did not remember having to try so hard with the older ones before him. SIGH! They sure do not make kids like they used to!

On a lighter note, just the other day, a Chinese foreign lady residing near me requested that I loan her my clothesline to hang her bedsheets. I was tickled! Culture assimilation hiccups. Then again, I sure must have looked hell of a friendly. What next? Borrow my Significant Other? Haha!

Down and out

Okay, I, the indomitable Ms Q, am down and out with acute flu . . . no, no, not of the H1N1 variety! But nonetheless lethal enough to knock me off my feet for two days running now! I had a raging fever, sore throat and cough and had to be off school for two days! The 6 had to manage on auto-pilot mode mainly and my guess is I'll have to undo a lot of damages once I'm back on my feet again.

Just to share with you: Do you know that as a patient screened with high fever, I get priority in seeing a flu clinic doctor at the polyclinic? My visit to the clinic took all of only 25 minutes, including the dispensing of medication. Wow! That's uber-fast! And as usual, I met the nicest of people at these medical establishments. Erhem ... this time round, a very nice and polite young man manned the screening station at the clinc entrance, and boy was he super enthusiastic and warm to all and sundry who streamed in! I even overheard him volunteering translation services to the elderly at the pharmacy counter. Bless him! He had ear-piercings and some might say he is a trite effeminate. But in my eyes .... he was simply a very welcomed sight for the sick.

Vagabond resighted

Remember the old vagabond who walks around in my neighbourhood with his possessions on his shoulders? Well, he 'disappeared' for a while; but is now back. He does not look too good --- gaunt and less spirited by my reckoning. His barang-barang is considerably less; perhaps he just cannot handle the old heavy load anymore. But what troubled me was that he is walking around these days sans footwear! I just cringe when I imagine how his feet must hurt when the relentless sun scorch our metalled road and pavement to unforgiving temperatures!

I finally found time to approach him when I next sighted him to offer him a pair of slippers. My daughter who was beside me was a little worried if the old man might be mentally unsound (as we suspect!)and harm me in retaliation for my nosiness. Our fears were unfounded. The grouchy vagabond brushed aside my offer and grunted that he was better off minus footwear as his feet were swollen and hurting.

So that's that. I feel much better now when I see him walking slowly in the neighbourhood.

Happy Youth Day!

Have a very Happy Youth Day this Sunday, one and all! Celebrate the prime years of your life and have a ball of a time! I know . . . the H1N1 virus is wreaking havoc at many fronts; but do learn how to make the best use of the situation. You have to take the necessary precautions of course and not be foolish with unnecessary exposure to the virus.

Yesterday son number 3 reminded me of the care-free spirit of youth. There was to be a paper aeroplane flying contest in his class, and for one whole day, he researched and pondered on his model plane entry. Finally, he proudly showed me his Prototype Two plane, complete with well-thought over modifications to the plane wings, tip and under-belly. He very seriously explained to me his adjustments to accomodate air-dynamics, gravity and aesthetics. Well, . . . for a 9 year-old, he sure spoke a lot of scientific sense. I laughed . . . so like 'brainiac' to undertake every set school project with full enthusiasm and to the best of his ability.

Brainiac flew his prized Prototype and it chalked up the longest distance in the class competition! We were all very proud of him. YOUTH --- its raw energy, untainted naiveity and unabashed openness to having fun are reminders to all of us that life is enjoyable if we set ourselves free sometimes!