Counting

JE knows how to read a little now.  And count.  Up to a hundred at least.

Previously I'd stuck one candle in a slice of cake for my birthday.  So she remembered that and told me, Mummy I know you are ONE year old!  Because there was one candle for your birthday.  The following year I stuck in TWO candles, for continuity, and she remembered that too.  (Coincidentally, that was my real exact age minus the decades part, so it was very easy to remember)

That was the good old days.  Now that she is 6, of course she knows I can't possibly be younger than she is.  So when she asked my age, I told her (rounded it down a bit ahem).

Recently in the car...

(Kids playing with a toy)
Me:  Oh I want to play also!
JE:  MUM-MEE!  YOU ARE FORTY YEARS OLD!!!

Aiyo hahaha.

JE: Ignore my mummy. She's too old for toys

Do it myself

SE likes doing things herself now.  Like holding a breakable glass full of juice by herself, and clinging on to the heavy glass for dear life should anyone try to pry it from her.

Like trying to grab a folded umbrella, longer than she is tall, away from kakak because she wants to be the one walking with it.  And ending up with both pulling away at the umbrella while walking. SE won.  Luckily it was on a not-busy street from building to carpark.  

Like wanting to be the one holding up a shared umbrella in the rain when she is wayy shorter than the adult holding it.  And ending up with both parties trying to snatch the umbrella (she is surprisingly strong for her size) while walking in the rain.  Difficult, and dangerous too.

No need to hold my hand! I can go up myself!!

It's not THAT high

See, can go up by myself

Sometimes you can't let her win as it will be dangerous. Yet she will be struggling to, which may be dangerous as well. I think I should just keep her safely locked up at home.

Playground

One day, the girls were being couch potatoes.  And were in danger of picking up smoking (haha ok, those are actually lollipop sticks).  So I scooped them up and took them to the playground opposite our house.

Off the TV? Why? We like watching TV!

The playground is in parts muddy, sandy and overgrown with weeds, and the equipment is rusty and ill-maintained.  But there are things a kid can do there.  SE is 'cooking' in this hollow pole - the girls would pick grass, weed flowers, twigs and whatnot and throw them in, then stir everything with a long stick.

Cook cook cook

Some of the equipment can still function...

Swinngggg!

The next pics are from another day, notice the change of clothes...

See.Saw. See.Saw.

 

Heheheee!

Should do this more often!

Cannot take camera

SE isn't allowed to take my camera.  She's clumsy at her age and I don't want to risk an accident with this relatively expensive camera.  I did try saying she could hold it ONLY while sitting down, but this one doesn't listen and would walk around with it.

That's why she forbidden to... hey, where's that girl?

There she is... now why is she there??

Hey!!

Look, tiger cub, look at this photo

Yep not much point sometimes, with this girl.  Like with my phone, which she isn't allowed to touch, she IMMEDIATELY pokes around the moment she sees it unattended.  At least she has taken the time here to go into hiding before the illicit activity!

Another view

Hari Raya people

JE was referring to Malays as 'Hari Raya people'.  So I was trying to tell her about different races of people.

Me:  These people are 'Malays', you know?  Not Hari Raya people.  There are different types of people.  Like (classmate) Tishana is Indian, your teacher Su is Malay.  And you are Chinese.
JE:  No, I am English!
Me:  Huh???
JE:  I know Chinese little bit only.

Haha so she was referring to language proficiency!  Mandarin is her worst language and she's better at English and Bahasa.

Race is a sensitive issue these days.  While I don't want her to focus on differences in race/religion, she also needs to know about them.  The call to prayer from a nearby mosque can be clearly heard in my house and she asked recently about the 'singing'.  I told her it was 'praying' - not sure if she's aware what THAT means as we are not particularly religious.

Hello, I'm English.  Hehe.

Sekinchan day trip 2016

After AGES of wanting to go, finally went to Sekinchan!  Unfortunately it was the first day of Raya holidays and the place was PACKED.  I'd anticipated heavy traffic going there (got that) and super-hot weather (got that too).  But I didn't bargain for near-standstill traffic within the town which made a real challenge of drives of just short distances.  And trudging from restaurant to restaurant only to repeatedly find out that the wait would be over an hour.  And having no paddy in the fields (ok this one is due to lack of research!)

On the plus side, my dad eventually came along after having tummy trouble in the morning so everyone was present at the family trip.  All the stuff I bought were yummy - fish ball/fish cake, water jambu, mango.  We skipped the crowded Mango King and went to the paddy museum...

Paddy museum

The paddy talk

Across the aisle at the paddy talk

We gave up on having seafood for lunch.  We couldn't even eat together as my brother's car was stuck in traffic somewhere.  Ended up in this kopitiam.  Luckily the food was pretty nice.

Like my noodle!

After a long-ish drive (seriously walking would have been faster), made it to the wishing tree...

Say cheese!

The three of us

The way various deckchairs and chairs were tied to the trees with thick ropes were quite ingenious. Pic below of JE with her BFF cousin Elyssa (I doubt Elyssa's BFF is JE, and actually SE claims her BFF is JE and ok, let's leave it as "it's complicated" teehee)

With my BFF

In hindsight, we should just have gone straight to the beach for lunch.  The food-stalls looked really happening and the few things we ordered were good.

Me and my little shell

Kakak trying to help SE down. SE refusing to be helped

The beach would be nicer in the evenings once the scorching heat has eased off.  Maybe another trip in the future.  Without traffic jams and human jams.  With paddy in the fields, yummy food/snacks and seafood.

Feed the little sis

My mum asked me to come and take pictures.  I came over, and saw this:

Nah, watermelon for you, Su Ern

JE:  Eat. Ahhh

SE: Ahmmm

Yummy!

She's like that, my big girl.  :)