"Somebody's Gonna Pay For Switching The Channels!"

Sophia in full piggy mode. She doesn't do this as often now but often enough to remind us that she is, after all, born in the year of the Pig. And to remind us that she would like to get her way once in a while.

"Is She Malay Or Chinese?"

Neither, she is Malaysian!

Our people will never learn. In all the time I've spent in Singapore, and despite the rather unusual name that Sophia carries, I have NEVER been questioned by anyone on her race. And that's saying a lot because I'm out in Singapore with Sophia more than I am indoors. She has two activity classes a week and I've had to sign her up more than once for a few things; you know, the requisite form-filling and what not. People behind the counters or at their desks don't look at me, then at her and ask, "What race is she?" or "Is she Malay or Chinese?"

People would see us strolling along or taking the elevator to and from the MRT stations. They'd talk to her or remark on what a cute little thing she is. In all the times we've been out in the little island state, I've never once been asked a question on her race. Maybe the fair people in Singapore are so exposed to different races and the myriads of expats that one unusual name is but a drop in the ocean.

I get asked by other moms during Sophie's open gym sessions about where we're from. But that's because I also ask where they're from; they and their little ones. And also because we know that we are probably not locals seeing that we are taking our kids to let off steam at 2pm or 4pm on a weekday, not the usual times the hardworking locals would likely be there with their kids.

We've been wandering up and down Singapore for the several months that we've been living there and other than the fact that family and friends are in Malaysia, I feel more at home there than I do here. At least I am not classified as a race. The first question out of people's mouths when they see Sophia is not to ask what race she is. Does it even matter? It shouldn't. Instead they ask how old she is and sometimes whether she's a boy or girl. One of Sohia's teachers in class calls out to Sophie whenever she goes for open gym, "Sophia Meiyin!! How are you today?" and I comment to her, "Wow, you can remember her full name!" And she replies, "Of course, it's so unique!" And it ends there. Not a peep out of her about the origins of her race.

The attendant at Aquaria probably meant well, but it just goes to show how the whole race polarisation issue has permeated our daily lives and the mindsets of the people where all we can think of is if the other person is the same race as us or not. It's taken 50 years for the damage to spread to the masses, it'll take another 50 years, if not more, to undo the damage, if they manage to.

Luckily for the attendant, she directed her question at hubby who was carrying Sophia while I was busy with the stroller. I don't remember hearing his answer. But I was miffed. If it was me, I would have said, "Neither, she's Malaysian".

Happy birthday Malaysia? Until we can think of ourselves as Malaysians before we think of ourselves as Chinese, Indian, Malay or any other race that just happens to reside here, another birthday for this nation is just another mark on the calendar; it doesn't necessarily 51 years of independence.

Moving on

My monthly column in Mother & Baby ends in September because the editor left. As I'm not sure who's the new editor and whether they will continue the column, I've started writing for Notes From Venus online.

It's not too bad, I get to vent; I just have to do it within 300 words.

Being concise is not my forte, nevertheless, a paid gig is better than none. My piece just went up recently. Check out this month's No Reservations.

Stormtroopers

I just had to post this, courtesy of the hubby of course. I about fell out of my chair laughing. Enjoy!

Paper cut

Daddy was careless while watching Sophia today. And annoyed that she'd messed up the living room with her incessant drawer-pulling, content-emptying shenanigans. He wanted to chuck all the stuff back into the coffee table but poor girl was in the way.

Result?

A paper cut that streaks from right below her right eye all across to the bottom of her lower lip. It looks worst right under her eye for about an inch or so where the cut is a garish, angry red. The cut tails off and is barely visible until you see the trail it's made across her lower lip.

Poor baby.

I think it actually looks worse than it feels. She was in shock right after the cut but calmed down sufficiently after. About 15 minutes later, it was as if nothing had happened. Even bathing doesn't seem to bother her. Nor eating. She'll just have to crawl around with a bright red scar for the moment.

Baby Steps

This week she's been practicing her walking, a few steps at a time. She walks to the cat, she walks to the chair and she walks to her mom and dad. If she's in a good mood, she'll walk to particularly nowhere.

I say walk but what I really mean is she steps. It's quite hilarious; it's like watching a zombie trying to walk after it's spent eons in the tomb. She holds out both arms almost diagonally out to her sides for balance and takes stiff, tentative steps. It's funny, exciting and exhilarating at the same time. And that's just what I feel. I wonder how she feels?

Any day now... .

A Day At The Museum

Just like the National Library , I have only good things to say about the Singapore National Museum. Especially if I compare Singapore to Malaysia. I think I won't even bother. I just have to accept the fact that Malaysia is a fine example of a mismanaged country despite the abundant resources that we have. Anyway, I digress... .

Yes, I do believe I love the National Museum. Even Sophie loves it. There was a special installment for kids as we went during the school holidays. There were special exhibits tailored for kids and a special play area designed for them too. Called Murmurs, there were lots for the kids to do, even for one as young as Sophie. Check out her happy outing:

Nothing satisfies a child more than balls, and lots of them in different colours.

Mommy and Daddy had fun exploring the museum as well. Their permanent exhibits are well-thought out and quite interesting. The building and all exhibits are well-maintained. Even the cafe had great food and great ambience. Wait, wait. I really must stop comparing M'sia and S'pore. I get depressed when I do. Stop, stop!!

Anyway, it was so much fun at the museum but we didn't have enough time to see everything so most likely we'll be heading back there sometime soon again.

Books, Books, Boooooooooks!!!

I've found my book heaven, and it's the Singapore National Library.

I've been there on average once a week or so. I started going there since end-June and I can't wait to keep gong back. I don't need to build my own library anymore (this wil only give me more moolah leftover for stuff and clothes for Sophie) and I haven't bought any books in...two months! Why would I need to when the SNL has EVERYTHING that I could possibly want to read?

Its collection is so extensive that I haven't found anything that's not on their shelves, save for a few new releases. At least if I borrow the books first and read them, I can decide which I'd rather buy to add to my collection. Too many times, I buy a book to read it to only find that it's satisfactory and not mind-blowing. Well, borrowing books from the SNL will only help me whittle out what I'd rather just read and put back on the shelf. Plus, I'm gonna be able to save $$!! Talk about whacking two birds with one stone.

No need to gush about their search system but it is totally AWESOME! I can search the catalogue online and I can find out if the book is on loan, in transit or on the shelf, as well as in which branch it's available. Oh, and reservations can be made online too.

Taking the books out of the library is as simple as inserting your library card into the CPU, waiting for a prompt and then just putting them on the pad to scan. Returning books is even easier: just drop them in the book drop where their status is updated immediately and electronically.

I LOVE the National Library!!

Here's a list of what I've borrowed so far:

1. If A Tree Falls At Lunch Period - Gennifer Choldenko
2. A Crooked Kind Of Perfect - Linda Urban
3. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
4. Slam - Nick Hornby
5. Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out Of A Tree - Lauren Tarshis
6. Jumping The Scratch - Sarah Weeks
7. So B. It Sarah Weeks
8. An Abundance Of Katherines - John Green
9. Forget Me Not - Isabel Wolff

There were a few more books whose titles elude me. Anyway, as I was saying, the SNL could very well be one of my favourite places in Singapore. I daresay Sophie has her share of fun crawling around the carpet in the children's area and digging into the chests of books. Sometimes she gets so excited she ends up shrieking and it takes all I have to keep her noise levels acceptable.

What's so great about the SNL is that they also have a parenting/baby room which is huge and spotlessly clean. Hardly anyone uses it and you need to get someone from customer service to open it up for you. There are two rooms for breastfeeding and a huge padded bench on which you can let your young ones crawl around on. Or feed them if you need to. I use it to change Sophie. It's perfect because it's soft and wide and because she's standing up with her hands against the wall, it's ideal. She hates lying down to be changed and she dislikes those pull-down diaper change stations. It may sound exteme but I've never failed to use that room everytime I visit the SNL.

The SNL is such a well-thought out facility and the collections are so good that it really is a veritable pleasure to drop by and spend a quiet afternoon there.

Figured Out

Looks like the problem isn't with Blogger but with my latest updated version of Firefox. So it's back to Explorer for now. Sigh...

What The @#$% Is Wrong With Blogger?

Somehow, it's locked me into html mode when I post. I can't manipulate the code for nuts and am going bonkers.