Why children are meant to be carried

So that those incredibly succulent cheeks are within kissing range of your lips! And if the said child turns away those said cheeks? Those highly edible earlobes are yours for nibbling.

You need more reason? Really? You do?

OK. Here you go.

You get to hold in your hands those super duper squishy bums for your squishing pleasure!

Bedtime Story Scene

"Oru oorula oru paati irundha" I began.

Paati ikka? Ikka? Paati ikka? Thatha? Thath ikka? Iyya? Bye poch? Aunty? Aunty ikka? Ommore aunty ikka? Two aunty? Three? Four? Four! Four? Four FOUR? Amma? AMMA? AMMA!

No, I'm not renting him out.

All of last week, I was uninspired to blog, so I guess Ashwin decided to take matters into his own hands.

What?! Cleaning is serious job, don't laugh!

I did not set him up to do this. Cleaning is now his favourite passtime. Needless to say, we now have a soggy, spotty (oops!) spotlessly clean house!

My day out with Ashwin.

On Saturday, Ashwin and I went to Singapore Discovery Center. At first I was apprehensive about taking him out all by myself - he would get bored and I would get tired - but I must say that my son is a delightful companion.

At first, we took the SAFTI bus tour. We were the only ones on the bus beside the guide and the driver. I enjoyed learning about the way NSMen live and work and play while Ashwin enjoyed … the bus ride. We even got to wave to a group of soldiers passing by.

The exhibits at the center were meant for an older audience but there were buttons for pressing and that was enough for Ashwin. There was a station where you could be a news reporter and watch yourself live on TV. Ashwin took the hotseat and started to report on the first MRT operating in Singapore. "One Two Buckle Shoe" he began … and then he noticed himself on TV and went totally shy! Not another word spoken into the microphone. The spectators enjoyed this cheeky grin for the rest of the show.

For a cultural touch, we got to try some Malay dancing.

We caught an iMAX movie on Mount Everest. I mentally prepared myself to leave the show half way through if Ashwin got restless. I bought a packet of popcorn for added measure. Throughout the 45 minute show, Ashwin watched with fascination. Guess who was the one digging into the caramel flavoured popcorn?!?! The movie was inspiring and at the end of the show, I was filled with a kind of tenderness towards Ashwin and the world at large that it actually ached (or was it the popcorn causing heart burns?!). I was proud of the world for being such an interesting and beautiful place for my son and happy for him to have the choice to explore and conquer the world or sit back and watch others do it - whichever pleased him more.

We shared a pizza for lunch. I was sure that all the olives would land on my plate - being black and all. My epicurean son however discovered two things - one the olives fit his thumb perfectly and two, they were delicious!

On our way back, Ashwin sat down abruptly on this step. I was about to think this would make a cute snap but the thought bubble must have popped out of my head because before I could react, Ashwin asked, "Poto?" Ashwin, the mind reader!

This morning, I asked him again if he liked the "big movie" and what did he see and he replied "Aunty uncle up up po ikka. Aunty KAI vizha kka"

Obviously, I was not the only one inspired!

Adjectives

Ashwin's choice of adjectives to describe situations really brings on a smile.

The hand rail but it is a bit high and he cannot reach: Heavy
A bottle he wants to open has the lid on too tight: Heavy
The fan is off: Empty
He cannot operate the microwave (power switch is off): Empty
The CD player has stopped playing: Empty
He wants a full glass of water: Big
The infant that can't sit on the tricycle: Big
Clothes have to be put in the laundry basket: Dirty
Unwanted flyers to be thrown in the dustbin: Dirty
He cannot have it as it is for adults (like nescafe): Spicy

Rapt Attention

This is one of Ashwin's birthday gifts that I had put away for later because how could a two year old possibly play with radio controlled toys?! Answer? Very well indeed!



This thing guzzles batteries at the rate of 4 "AA" energizers per few hours of play.

Can..not..afford.

Boys will be boys

Ashwin called me when he returned home from his morning play at his friend Shaun's house.

Me: What did you do in Shaun's house?
Ashwin (with utmost pride in his voice): Shaun push pa ikke. (I pushed Shaun)

What can I say??! At least I have an honest bully!

The future looks bright.

Yesterday, for the first time since becoming a mother, I took a two hour day time nap.

Alone.

In a quiet house.

With no one kicking my ribs.

Or pulling my hair.

Bliss!

(Ashwin was off to Shaun's house for his morning play and I was off work sick)

Life is a journey.

Our Sunday morning ritual goes something like this.

After breakfast, we leave the house. If you ask Ashwin where he is going, he will tell you: Bus okkachi… Train okkachi… Ommo train okkachi.

We walk hand in hand to the bus stop and wait for the bus to Clementi. At this stage, he will tug at my handbag and go "Card.. Card.. Card.." I have to hand over the ezlink card to him. Once the bus arrives, he will go to the driver and say "Hi.. Gomoing Diver Uncle". Considering that it is common practise to pretend that the driver simply doesn't exist, I'm sure the driver's day is totally made. He will then sit in the bus wearing an all-important expression on his face. (Look, I'm sitting in the bus! I'm THAT important!). At every stop, he will check with me, (aachi?) and give a running commentary (Uncle bye poi, paati bye poi). If anyone in the bus sneezes or coughs, he has to imitate them as well.

At our stop, he will wave bye to the driver, tap the card once again and get off. We then walk hand in hand to the MRT station, take the escallator on the way where he strains on his toes to hold on to the hand rail. Once at the MRT station, he will run to the ticket gate and tap the card to make the door oppun. If it is already open, he will wait until it is closed to tap the card - HE has to make it open.

We then take the train to Jurong east. In the train, he once again wears his all-important expression as he sits. If someone smiles at him, he will return a shy smile and look down. In jurong east, we get off the train and Ashwin will ask "ommore train?" We then take the connecting train to Bukit Batok. His commentary continues - door kosh pa irukka, baby okkachi …

In bukit batok (where we live), we leave the train and head home.

Before leaving home, Ashwin will take some coins from the coin box by the door and keep it in his pocket. In bukit batok MRT, there are usually some people soliciting donations and he will drop the coin in the box in exchange for the sticker. He will press the button at the road crossing and wait for the green man so that we can cross the road. Watching shadows, asking to be carried, acting like a baby, touching the cars and bikes on the way keep us busy until we get home.

Our entire journey takes about 1 hour but Ashwin will talk about it with pleasure all day. His last sentence before dropping asleep last night was "Diver Uncle Gomoing Solli irukka… Bye solli irukka".

Life is a journey of simple pleasures. Ashwin has taught me that and I hope I don't forget it anytime soon.

A Parable.

This one? Ashwin asked when I was uploading some photos on the computer.
Hmmm. I replied, without looking at him.

This one? He repeated. OK, I said, still riveted to the monitor.

This one? With the surprise in his voice growing.
I turned back to see him holding a pair of scissors.

NO!

He grinned, (I knew it, was just testing you!). Gosh, I nearly failed.

Moral of the story? When the question "This one?" is repeated twice, answer NO.

Saying Goodbye is never easy.

That's why we wanted to say it over a PARTY!

While we are excited and looking forward to the next chapter of our life in Australia, saying goodbye to good friends is not easy.

Thanks to all of our friends who attended our good bye party and made it memorable. They are the reason we enjoyed our stay in Singapore so much. We hope our friendship lives on. Perth is just a Tiger Airways flight away, and we've already bought our guest room furniture for Perth!

We hope to see you all there!

You can see all the party photos here.

Happy New Year!