Happy New 2018!

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Cheers to the new year!

It’s only been a few days into the new year and our little girl has already been teaching me a lot about Japanese traditions and the language.

She taught me about Shishimai / Lion Dance as we made our queu for her head to be “bitten” for protection and goodluck (hopefully for the whole family, with Yui as our representative). Albeit she didn’t really lecture me about it’s significance and history, Yui did teach me about the different forms of Shishimai.

Here’s to a great New Year!

baby diaries: Merry Christmas 2017

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For some reason, you were so enamoured with Santa and his reindeers this year. You were just so excited for his gift to you – in which you wished for My Little Pony’s Crystal Empire. Thing is, Mommy and Daddy took a long time before finally sitting down to make our order. This meant Crystal Empire can’t make it for Christmas. Time for Plan B. We had to explain properly that Santa needs help because he can’t deliver the Crystal Empire on time. That he needs you to help him by choosing your top 2 choices at Toys R Us. I had to emphasise that this is to help Santa so we will not be buying anything. Just window shopping for Santa. I know I was relying too much on your EQ. But you know what? You delivered. You really just selected your choices and not even once did you ask us to buy you anything. You were amazing. Of course you first chose Precure Transformation gadget (forgot how you called it but it’s the life size version of the gadget the Precure girls use for them to transform and my goodness how expensive it was! Your second choice was more expensive but I just did not see the value for money with the Precure gadget). Thankfully you moved on. And eventually chose the Barbie set complete with a horse and a carriage. I was teary-eyed. The last quarter of 2017, your first quarter as a 5 yr old, saw you transform from wishing for dinosaurs to wishing for girly toys. It would have been easier for me and Dad to just buy it right there and then because the queue and the crowd was so terrible. But it was Santa’s gift so I decided to go back there the following day and brave the crowd again. It was well worth it. You were giddy with joy when you woke up in the morning to find the Barbie you wished for. You were high-pitched all through out as you danced and smiled from ear to ear. The delight on your face was immeasurable reward/recompense from the tiredness of braving the crowd. You gave us a gift that’s priceless as exchange for our gift that has a tag. Thank you. By the way, on Christmas Eve, I attended the Christmas Mass and sang with the choir (you wished me goodluck in singing when I left after our Christmas dinner). When I came back home, I saw the snacks (munchkins) that you prepared for Santa. Thoughtful.

life with a kindergartener: lessons on tough love

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Us talking a couple of weeks back while you’re in the toilet….

I was complimenting you about a good deed you had and how I appreciate that you have a kind heart. I then pointed out that your deed (it was related to an animal but I totally forgot what it was, sorry baby!) was similar to how little Moana protected the turtle.

Yui: I’ll be more gentle than Moana. I will carry the turtle in my arms and bring it to the water’s edge so that the bird definitely can’t eat it (this you said in mix Japanese and English).

Me: that would be gentle indeed, yes. But I’m not sure if that will be good for the turtle. You see, I think the baby turtle needs that long walk in the sand so he could get some exercise and strengthen its….flippers?? Or it’s feet. If you carry them, then their growth might be stunted.

Yui: *pensive expression on* I see….okay, I’ll just protect the baby turtle from the birds while it slowly walks towards the water. I will not allow them to eat the turtles. I will kick them! I’m brave!

Me: yes I know you’re brave and I’m glad you are. But かわいそ (poor) birds yo. They just want to eat. They may be hungry. Like us, right? When we’re hungry, we eat.

Yui: *still pensive* I see….okay, I’ll just firmly shoo them away!

You then gave me a brilliant smile. It extended all the way to my heart.

Grow up well, baby.

life with a kindergartener: Kirakira Precure Ala Mode

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You’ve been egging us to set up our Christmas Tree for a couple of weeks now. But you’ve been egging us to watch the Precure movie for a month now. Hence, when I asked you to choose between Christmas tree setup + pancake or Precure movie, the latter was an easy choice for you. Daddy definitely didn’t want to torture himself to watch the movie and I was convincing you to change your mind as I wasn’t too keen to watch it either. But your mind was set on what you want in that you even said, “I’ll watch by myself!”; as if we will allow that.

I was a SailorMoon fanatic but Precure was too much for me. I don’t feel tortured though whenever I see you happily waving your “Miracle Light” (the Staff gave this on the cinema entrance) every time the heroines in the movie ask the audience to help in combatting the evil force by raising your Miracle Lights up.

You were very excited to attach your light on your bag and I have no doubt you’ll brag about your light tomorrow at daycare and how you now have the same light as some of the other girls.

It was a challenge to watch the movie but seeing you happy and excited makes the challenging 1.5 hours totally worth it.

PS: Where usually it was a challenge to wake you up and make you eat in the mornings, this morning (the morning after) you woke up by yourself and was animatedly eating; excited to show off your miracle light to your friends.

PPS: for our future reference – this movie we saw was how the Kira Kira Precure group (six uberly cute and styled-up, anime style, girls of varying ages) saved the city of Paris-turned-dessert-city from a ghost patisserie.