L.R.C.

My daughter studies in Manjusri Secondary School. The school start at 7.30am. If you late for 1st time, you got warning, 2nd time you will be sent for L.R.C. after school. L.R.C. is Learning Reflection Class, it is the nicer name for Retention class. One L.R.C. is about 1 and a half hours.

1 st time : 1 L.R.C.

2 nd time : 2 L.R.C. (2 days)

3rd time : 3 L.R.C. (3 days) etc

Until 8 times or so, the school will stop you from attending the class lessons. The student will be sent to the discipline hall to face the wall. Of course, they are kinder than this, they will let the student do self study in the hall. No lesson for the day. The problem is the hall is humid and hot. My girl said it is like "left there to rot".

My girl was once prevented to attend class, hence, later she rather skip the school than going for the L.R.C. I heard that almost the whole school was havig L.R.C. at least once.

Some school, the teacher will ask the student to write 300 times, "I will not be late, I will be punctual for school" some things like that.

Of course, there are school will not purnish the student by coming to school late.

I personally don't like the implementation of L.R.C. in the way of multiplication 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X.

Can't the school just make it simple by if you are late, you go for one and a half L.R.C. and that it.
It is definitely not a good way to prevent student from coming to school late, end up the student rather to skip school then to be late.

Dress Code

Yesterday, the discipline head called me at 8.30am to complain that my girl refused to corporate by removing the stitches of the dress, so that the dress can extend another inch. I talked to my girl, she was complaining that she was discriminated because in this school, there are other girls dress also very short, they also never catch them. Why only her? "Because they are short, and I am tall..." I think what she meant is short people wear short skirt, you don't feel much, but a tall person wear short skirt, it is obvious, because they have long leg. I pasted the message to the discipline head. She said, "Just like a theft was caught by the police, you can not ask the police, why you did not go to catch other people, but me!" She continue,"we have set certain rules and regulations, and we expect our pupils to obey it." " We don't allow you do what you like!............"
As a parent, frankly I was more concern what in the hell she wasn't allow to be in the class to learn her lesson, but stuck at this discipline hall! Furthermore, I felt humiliated if I was asked to remove the stitches immediately. She said, the form teacher has already gave a lot of warning, but nothing he can do. Finally, I requested the displine head to allow the girl go back to the class for lesson, and I will do the unstitching at home when she back home.

I almost forgotten my promise to the head. I almost went to sleep without doing that. I got up from my bed to look for that dress. I think my girl tried to hind it so that I will not do it. I found it some how. In fact, I think my girl will be just as sweet even the dress is 1" longer. Why waste the energy to fight with the authority? When you are not in your uniform, you can put on you hot pant, when you are in school just comply their rule, what's wrong.

On the other thought, if it is sin for the girl to dress shorter dress (not near to knee cap), then, why let all girls put on their PE shorts, they still show their long leg right. Why don't the school insist that all girls has to wear long pants for the PE lesson. A bit conflicting, right.

Frankly, nowadays, I give a lot of liberty to my girl. I let her buy her own clothes. She knows what she want, she observes the trend and style for her age group. I think she has good taste, at least better than me. I am glad she is independent and know her staff herself.

My son has lung inflammation

The room 15, the special treatment room for patients who need immediate attention, especially for young children come with fever, or breathless.
We put the boy on the wheel chair because he is breathless, easy for mummy and easy for him. He is waiting at the X-ray room. The X-Ray cost S$8/-.

So much medicines for one week treatment. Our subsidize cost is S$8.40 for these medicine.
S$7/- for the doctor's consultation.

This afternoon, I was so sleepy because I was not able to sleep for the whole night yesterday. My son felt breathless, he was moaning the whole night.............

This morning I brought him to the neighbourhood polyclinic - Geylang Polyclinic. We took Taxi there because was too weak to walk. Our queue no is 4145, at that time only serve till 4045, at least 100 people at head of us. After half an hour of waiting, one clinic assistance come to me and asked, "Your son got fever? You can bring him to room 15 to see the nurse first." I have come to this clinic for many years, I didn't know about Room 15!

We came to room 15, the nurse asked me a few questions, and immediately do some routine checking like blood pressure etc, and let him lying on the bed to accept inhalation of Ventolin which is able to release the pain in his chess.

They also get the doctor to check on him, and decided to let him take an X-ray before the consultation.

The doctor confirmed that he has lung inflammation from the negative of x-ray, and want us to go to Room 18 to learn the proper usage of the inhaler before we collect the medicine. And the doctor gave 3 days MC for my son.

At Room 18, the nurse speaking with me in Chinese, explain to me the difference between Beclo-Sama 50mcg Inhaler (Beclomethasone dipropionate inhaler for oral inhalation) and Salbuair CFC-Free (Salbutamol inhaler for oral inhalation). Both can be used together.

The one with the blue cap is to help release the tightening of the muscle in the lung. So it should use first to relax the pipe. The one with the orange cap is to help soften the pipe, because if the pipe is inflamed, the trespass way is small. If the inflammation go on for too long, the muscle around there will become harden. Hence the orange cap inhaler has to be used 4 times a day until the doctor further advice. My son should prepare to use it for at least 2-3 years until he is getting better since he has been has the same problem since he is 2 and a half years old.

The child should be able to run, swim, do any things just like a healthy kid if he takes the medication properly. God must be with me this time, for the first time, I got the message clearly from the doctor and the nurse. I will supervise and make sure that he use it diligently. He must clear of this problem before he turn 14. I will bring him back here to see the doctor before the medicine finished, not waiting till his condition lapse. For years he has been sick every alternate weeks, and months. The same problem again and again. You know what I thought some time? I thought there is a curse on me or my child, how can the problem like demon like that never go away. Now, I see the light of solving this demon.

The other medicine we have are:

Mucosol Elixir - 1 Bromhexine HCL 4MG/5ML Elixir 90ML/100ML- for flam

Expectorant - Diphenhydramine Paed - Diphenhydramine HCl BP/ Ammonium Chloride BP/Sodium Citrate BP - for cough

Chlormine - 1 Chlorphenamine 4MG/5ML SYR 100ML/120ML for running nose

1 Amoxicillin 125MG/5ML SYR 100ML - Antibiotic

1 Erythromycin 200MG/5ML SUSP 60ML - Antibiotic

For the same kind of service, if I go to the specialist clinic, it will easily cost me S$300-S$600/-. I remember one friend told me she spent more than S$1000/- for the similar treatment.

I must say thank you to our Singapore government once again. Without the subsidize, my life will be harder. Thank you........ Thank you..........Appreciated.

Boy cannot wear pink colour mer?

This school bag cost me S$130/+ to buy it. I bought it for my daughter because this school bag was designed to help the children to maintain the good posture despite the heavy weight.
My girl only used it for one year when she was in Pri 5. The next year, she rather choose a more fashionable brand than to use this more functional bag.

I decided not to waste my money for any new bag since this bag is still good. I passed it to my son. He has complaint to me numerous times to change another bag for him, he wanted some thing more boyish. He said the classmate laugh at him for he wear a pink bag to school!

I don't think I want to waste money for nothing really. I am thinking to go to Takashimaya to buy some blue dye to dye this bag. Wait for a while longer, I am going to do that, ok son.

Lazy or reluctant?

My son has English spelling every Monday. Last week, he scored 10/10 for the English Spelling. I was happy for him, because this is the first time in his entire 11 years old life, score 10/10 for the English spelling. He used to get zero mark or 2/10, 3/10. He score 6/10 after returning from the June Holiday, and 8/10 on the 2nd week, and 10/10 on the 3rd week.

This morning I tested him in running sequence, he has done quite well for the 9 spellings. When I took my bath, he asked my permission to take a rest, and I said OK. After my bath, I tried to test him in random order, oh, oh, he mix up again. I think he was not focus and last his concentration. I suspect his mind now were on the ants now.

Then, I saw him took up the maths assignment book and left it on the table. And it was already eleven o'clock past ten minutes. He supposed to go to school by 11.30pm to attend his English tuition class. I think he thought the tuition class is not important, and he thought I will teach him the maths instead of hurry him for his tuition class.

Once again, I roared to my voice top. I told him, " you supposed to take out all your homework on Friday night, and I will try to find time to teach you. I can't help you now at the eleven hours. I told you yesterday, you will attend the English remedial class on Monday 11.30pm, and Maths remedial class on Tuesday 10.30pm. This classes are very important, they are going to help you. I can't do any things right now, and you have to pack and go immediately. No point crying now."

I think his quilt and nervousness for not finishing the maths home work make him lost his focus as well. Well, I afraid this is part and partial of learning lessons for him.

Mum, can I rebone and dye my hair?

My girl treasure her hair, she said that it is the crown on her head. Her hair influence her mood, when she has good hair day, she feels wonderful, when she has bad hair day, she feels frustration. She has a silky, nice stylise hair now and she has been thinking of re bonding and dye her hair.

I was careful about cutting her hair since she was a baby. I don't blade her hair and only scissor was used because I afraid the new hair would grow too thick. Whether it is true or not, it is my believe, and I don't take chance for her hair.

I worked in Hair Salon for 3 months. I saw most women who dye their hair have to come back to salon regularly to patch up when their new hair has grown. Most women who tried to dye hair to cover their white hair eventually grow full head of grey hair when their new hair grown.
I don't understand why, but I think it is partly due to the "breaching effect" in order to get the desired color of the hair in the very first place.

I have experience dye hair and re bonding when I was younger, my hair become dull, dry and weak after that for a long, long time, and my hair doesn't have natural shine unless I go for hair treatment or another round of colouring.

I am now keep it simple, and I think my hair has become vibrant again.

I am tuitor for my son

Yesterday, was the last day of the June holidays. We were struggling for the last minute work on the June holiday assignment. He was doing maths. I taught him odd no, and even no. I taught him 1,3,5,7,9 is odd no and 2,4,6,8,10 is even no. You can divide the number with 2, if there is balance, it is odd no, all even no can be divided by 2, and you can identify the last figure of the no.....blah blah blah.

As usual, this boy give me a blank look, he circled the even no by trial and error. After I have repeated myself for at least 5-6 times, he still couldn't get the answer right! I started to feel irritated. "What's wrong with you???" "Why till today you still can not understand what am I talking??" "#$%@&*^" I started to say vogue words. I poured water on his head, "wake up............" My poor boy finally got the answer all right with tears on his eyes. Then, we went on to prepare English spelling for tomorrow.

Before he went to bed, he said to himself, "you scolded me, but it is for my own good...."
Then I went to bed pretending nothing has happened. The next day, I hugged him immediately when he woke up, and I apologise to him. " Forgive me, son for I use water to pour on you, OK......" He noded his head with a smile.

Today, when I came home, he asked me, " can you help me to print out this picture for my friend Ho Wei?" he pointed to the picture of longhouse in Sarawak, this is for the social studies project. I immediately respond, "I help you to do homework is enough, why you give me extra job???" "Furthermore, printing pictures need inks, the inks need money?" He begged "I only asking for one picture? I have promised him. I will not promise any other person OK." "You teach me how to print it, I will print it myself."

I finally printed the picture for him. On second thought, he is such a kind and wonderful boy.

Lesson from the rich uncle

I have a rich uncle. He built a seven stories hotel near bugis without any loan from the bank. We visit him every year in the first day of the Chinese New Year and his birthday cerebration.
I am always curious how the immigrant from the mainland china, came to settle in Singapore can accumulate so much wealth in his lifetime. One day I sat next to him and asked him to reveal his secret. He only has one word for me "thrifty". At first I am not satisfy with the answer, but on 2nd thought it is the "true".
I remember for so many years when we visited his bungalow, there were leaking roofs were not repaired. Eventually, that land with the bungalow was sold for at least 12 millions to the bank.
"Thrifty" is a virtue that very hard to follow in this materialistic world today. Being "thrifty" will not able to make a person wealthy today, but I am sure, "thrifty" will help people get out of financial troubles and help to save some moneys and lead a comfortable life eventually.