Tag Archives: Updates

2018 Secondary 3 Week 27 Update

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This was week two of term three of school. Both GG & BB are so tired when they come back from school, that they just crash and vegetate.

The week started with a holiday for Youth Day and so both children were at home. We managed to get the applications out for the renewal of their OCI card (not because it expired, but because their passports were renewed and being minors, they needed a new OCI card, for which we had to pay, even though this card was barely a year old!)

Earlier in the week, BB’s social studies teacher called me to speak with him since we could not meet during the parent-teacher meeting. The feedback was similar to what the other teachers mentioned. He is not consistent and needs to buck up. He manages to do well for exams but not on a day to day basis. His handwriting is very bad and when the examiner can’t understand what he is trying to say, they don’t give him the marks.

The way I look at it, BB’s temperament is more suited to a junior college environment where everything hinges on one major exam. He only studies when there is pressure, while GG is more consistent in her day-to-day work and does something daily. I feel she is more suited to the polytechnic environment as you have to be consistent from day one because the grades are calculated on a cumulative basis.

Oh, BB also had a medical check-up for his OBS camp in September and as expected, he is overweight and so he is now trying to be more conscious about his food choices.

This was our school week. Happy Sunday!

2018 Week 26 Update

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Half the year has gone by and we’re now in the second half of 2018 and in July.

Another week has gone by with no updates in either in job front or my helper’s status, both of which are intertwined. I can’t afford a helper while I am unemployed and I can’t work fulltime if I don’t have a helper at home. What a catch 22 situation I am in. If this was happening to someone else, I would have probably laughed, but when it happens to you, laughter does not come that easily.

I am slowly getting used to the idea that in the next four to six weeks, I will most likely be a SAHM. I need to start getting used to doing all the housework, something I have not done, or done minimally in the last five years.

Have a great week everyone!

2018 Secondary 3 Week 26 Update

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School started earlier this week on Monday and boy are the two happy that the weekend’s here. I am guessing it’s starting trouble after a month of chilling.

Both have an extra period daily and so this means they come home later than usual, which is adding to their stress and tiredness. BB also has to stay back one day a week this term for his Math Olympiad lessons which I understand is going to be taught by a professor from the National Institute of Education, so a teacher’s teacher!

GG will be going on a school trip in August and will miss a day of school. She is super excited about the trip and has been counting down to the days when she will fly off. The school will most likely have a briefing for the parents on the trip closer to the date. BB’s school will also go for their Outward Bound Singapore camp. The cohort will be split into two parts, with one half going in August (where the second half will have their September holidays) and the second half goes in during their September holidays.

Let’s see how this term unfolds. Have a great weekend folks!

 

2018 Week 25 Update

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School holidays have ended and the children have gone to school for term 3 & 4 this morning. The house feels a bit empty this morning after being filled with their voices for a month.

This week we also managed to get their passports renewed. I could not get an e-appointment to pick up the passports, so we decided to just walk in. We had to wait for around 45 minutes, but this being Singapore, it was done very efficiently and quickly. The passports now have retina scans and fingerprints for the children also.

I also received notification from the ministry of manpower that my helper R’s contract is expiring in two months time. I am now in a real bind and don’t know if I should renew the contract or not. Without full-time work, it makes no sense for me to have a helper at home, especially since she does not have much to do now that the children are older.

One option is to wait for a couple of weeks to see if something clicks in the job front. If that happens, then it’s back to status quo and I don’t have to have any difficult conversations with R. Otherwise, I need to have to the difficult ‘it’s not you, it’s me‘ talk and ask her to look for other options. I will then become a SAHM for the next 16-18 months till the children complete their ‘O’ Levels and then look for full-time positions. We will not have any helper at that point since the children will be out pretty much the whole day. I will probably get some part-time helper to come help once or twice a week for the more intensive chores, but yes, that will be it. In the meantime, I am going to see if I can get some part-time work which I can do when the children are in school or some freelance work from home.

Anyway, let’s see what the future holds for us and me specifically.

Have a good week everyone!

2018 Secondary 3 Week 25 Update

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School holidays end for BB & GG today and they start term 3 of Secondary 3 tomorrow.

Schools here have new timetables for the second semester and this is a chance for them to make changes depending on the class strengths and weaknesses.

BB’s school has listened to parents feedback and now has incorporated a lunch period for the days when they do not have CCA. This means his class ends around 40 minutes later each day. This does not include any supplementary lessons or extra classes like the Maths Olympiads.

GG’s timetable also has been released and the timings are pretty simple to the previous semester except on one day when she has an extra period of physical education.

The holidays have ended quite quickly and these terms will be quite short. Before we know it, it’ll be the end of the school year and the children will be in Secondary 4!