i love christmas

It’s not much but here’s our way of saying Merry Christmas

December 17, 2010

This Christmas, I’m taking a cue from The Bloggess and spreading the love to this side of the Pacific. Well, I can’t give out 20 gift cards, but I can afford 3 and I’m hoping that makes a difference to 3 people, at least.

You see, Christmas has always been the best day of every year for me. Ever since I was a kid, my parents have gotten us awesome presents for Christmas every year. We wake up on Christmas morning to the thrill of tearing open the wrappers and seeing the widest grins. And it’s not just about the presents, but really what they stand for – the giving and the love.

Last year, we really wanted to bring the kids to the store and get them anything they wanted. But I had left my job to be with the kids and all we could give them was just that. The *joy* of having momma around and not much else. (Oh, we did get them a new set of clothes but we all know that when you’re under the age of 10, clothes are terrible gifts for kids) So on Christmas morning, we held hands and told ourselves that they were too young to understand. That having us around and a house full of love was enough.

We were thankful that they still got great gifts from relatives and friends but at the same time, I couldn’t help feeling a stab in the gut knowing that we couldn’t splurge on toys for them. As a parent, I want to give my kids the best presents they will ever get. I reserve the right to get them the train set that they’ve been waiting for an entire year. I need to be able to make their dreams come true.

And it sucks not to be able to do it.

This year, we took them to the toy store and they carefully browsed every single aisle before each picking out their chosen gift. As we watched their eyes open wide in wonder and look absolutely thrilled at the prospect of choosing “ANY TOY IN THE STORE FOR REAL??!!”, we felt that inexplicable joy that comes from seeing your kid happy. Absolutely priceless.

I know what it’s like to have to pass on the toys for the kids and opt for the necessities instead.

So to use the words of the bloggess, if you’re struggling for money right now and don’t know how you’ll give your kids presents then leave me a comment.  You don’t have to use your real name or leave a url or prove anything.  Just leave me a comment and your email address (always hidden and never used) and I’ll send a $30 Takashimaya gift voucher to three people who leave a comment explaining why it would make a difference in their lives right now. Or if you know of someone who could use a little help, you can leave a comment on their behalf.

Thank you for making a difference to me through your support of this blog, your kind comments and your awesomeness. It’s a privilege to be able to give back or to pay it forward. Make somebody smile this Christmas. Have a good one!

UPDATE: It’s nice to know that most of us while not filthy rich, do still have enough to go around so that means that we are feeling the effects of a GDP of 13-15%. It’s even nicer to know that there are so many who are willing to share what they have with those who might not have enough and I can’t thank you all enough. That’s what I call a real Christmas miracle.

I figured since there aren’t any on the blog who need help, I’m going to pass on the vouchers to Melrose Home a.k.a Children’s Aid Society. They have about 50 kids who are probably not going to wake up to any presents this Christmas and we can change that. I’m hoping they can each get a $30 voucher to buy themselves a decent XMAS present.  So if you would like to contribute, drop me a mail at daphne@motherinc.org and I’ll consolidate all of it by 23 Dec (Thursday).

UPDATE x 2: You guys are INCREDIBLE! As of now (22 Dec, Wednesday 12 midnight), we’ve raised $1,530! That’s enough for a $30 gift for each kid at Melrose Home plus 1 for Charmaine. Thanks for sharing the love of Christmas to kids who otherwise would not have felt it.

UPDATE x 3 : $2,120! Details.

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a spot of singapore

Turns out, I’m way less geeky than I thought I was

December 15, 2010

Among all the places of interests we’ve brought the kids to, the Science Centre is pretty much the geekiest of them all. In fact, it’s probably the epitome of geekdom. Tru has been intrigued by dinosaurs of late and we decided to take him to the dinosaur exhibition there. I figured I’d cultivate some Asian geekiness into him at an early age; get him interested in Science and all that.

There were easily hundreds of exhibit stations with more science packed into it than Einstein’s brain. Naturally, I got bored after a grand total of 3.26 minutes and went around touching the dinosaur bones. Speaking of which, the dinosaur display was a tad disappointing. It was really small, with only 4-5 dinosaurs.

This best exhibit was this mirror that transforms faces into pirates and cowboys. It wasn’t like a fixed frame where you had to align your face to the props but really a mirror so even when you move, you still see a pirate looking back at you. If you know what I mean.

And Kirsten looked terrifying with the ghostly makeover.

While it was mildly entertaining for a while, the sheer number of exhibits and the geekiness of it was totally overwhelming. It’s like they were trying to squeeze in so much educational value into it that somewhere along the way, they lost sight of the importance of having fun.

Let me illustrate with a graph.

I’m all for learning through play but come on, we do enough of learning in school and the level of learning has to be proportionate to the amount of fun involved or else it gets painful. And the Science Centre is dangerously close to becoming painful. That’s coming from someone with a moderately high geek factor. I am Asian after all, and I do like me some challenging mind benders from time to time. But this place is hardcore, so unless you’re the hardcore type, you’re likely to get bored after a while.

That being said, the CSI exhibition seemed like fun. Maybe we’ll go without the kids one of these days.

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Truett goes to school

The first graduation, kind of a big deal

December 14, 2010

My little man Truett graduated from playgroup last week, with a killer performance and everything. I watched him get jiggy on the stage and it was like he boogeyed the remaining shreds of his babyness right off.

And my heart almost burst.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqyMltQNgsY

A year ago, he put on his uniform for the first time and stood at the school gate looking apprehensive. He held my hand tightly with his little one, refusing to let go even though momma said “Bye sweetie, I love you” for the 27th time.

Not this time. This time, he took my hand and walked me into his class to show me all the art pieces he’s done.

When it was time for his performance, he gave me a wave, got up on that stage with his newfound friends and started grooving to the beat, looking all confident and debonair.

Next year, it’ll be a new school and a new chapter. But for now, I’ll play that video on repeat for another couple of days while I try to hang on to my 2-and-a-half-year-old boy for just a little while longer.

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