Covid-19 The New Normal

This is life in the new normal. Mask is the new underwear, wear it everywhere you go. Luckily mimi sews masks for the whole family... no need to kill the environment while keeping safe. 

 

At home, food plays a huge huge part in this new normal. Hohoho... YY picks up cooking at her grand old age. Its unbelievable... even mimi is amazed that her daughter who never steps into the kitchen is now asking about the difference in soy sauce! But hey, why not? This is giving my brain a workout. Having new appreciation for ingredients, techniques, equipments and more importantly, the heart that goes into putting food on the table...

Heart fluttering when Morgan comes into the kitchen asking "what is mummy cooking?" and Megan giving the nod of approval. Many hits and misses but that moment of acknowledgement is LOVE... 

Ken suggests that lunch will be easier with bread base meals like tortilas, burgers, grilled fish tacos, foccacia, pizza etc. Throw in some cheesecakes, muffins, churros... because desserts are what makes life happy!

Shout out to all my gfs and bfs for sharing recipes and encouraging this hopeless cook along. I hope I have done you people proud.

Megan is not spared from my onslaught in the kitchen  Pork floss bread from start to finish. Never need to buy this from the bakery no more. 

Morgan, measure the ingredients! Morgan, beat the eggs!

"C" to chef Morgi's home bakery. Kneading the dough is fine but we all know he cannot throw and aim. No idea why throwing the dough means throwing high, over the head, lands on the floor, his head, his feet, ladder.. Hygiene level is... well depends on my belief on how clean my place is... even he asks me "is the dough dirty, mummy?"... Er... we will bake this garlic bread in VERY HIGH heat and hope nothing happens to our tummies... 

Kid's activities take a backseat since school started, teachers, take over!!!! Plus, I am exhausted man... need a break from dreaming up all the games and home activities. 

Social gatherings have resume... Hurray. Ethan loves Morgan to bits and now we have a new nephew!!! Can't wait to see how Morgan carries his baby cousin! Ha. 

On home ground, Megan pauses her Parkour (a real pity) and takes on another super cool sport -Archery. I want to join too!!!! The kids hit the pool often due to the super hot weather. 

This aeroplane assembly toy marks the longest ever conversation that Morgi has every engaged in. Megan wants to assemble one plane as well but he does not want to share. It sparks a whole back and forth of negotiations with passive aggressive reasons and excuses... I am over the moon watching this play out...

Art is his first love while Megan has a new toy - so many gears to assemble, reckon this will keep her occupied for months... Lx, you know exactly what I am thinking.

I petition against the NDP goodie bag but gosh, totally underestimate how excited the kids can be over NDP. Megan really wants to see the mobile column and both the kids come home sweaty and ultra exuberant.

At the pool in PJs watching live action fireworks and saying the pledge that night... It is lovely. Can not resist getting M&M to paint the very next day and they deliver. (That is the MRT station btw)

Farewell EIC and Miss Dhanya. Morgie is embarking on a new phase in his life, starting a new school. He has done so well over the past year, we are all so proud of him. Grateful and excited. We will miss all of you guys.

See you Monday! It's gonna be a brave new tomorrow.

Covid-19 post CB phase 1&2 Limbo stage

The Limbo stage is upon us me. School has started halfway, regulations flip flop like roti prata, office does not unwelcome us back. Library books, netflix movies, ideas, wine, sake, beer have all run dry. Only one word can describe me now - SIAN.

Inspirations! Descend onto me!!

Inspiration comes in the form of a frog. Apparently there is a bake-a-frog-bread trend during this lock down. Wooo... I can bake a frog! Discover my talent as a Circuit Baker. Megan is super enthusiastic about baking our first milk loaf and it tastes soft, fluffy and yummy. What started as a frog soon became a crab because geee... frogs are hard crabs are way cuter.

Chef Morg pitches in on our second batch edible play dough kneading exercise. Add chocolate chips, Add more!

Wheel of fortune is making a huge comeback in Mr Morg's life. I am not sure in a good way. Hahah.. just saw that the winning phrase is "Morgan is on the TV.". Well, TV remote control access has been denied to the boy so I guess this is truly what he wishes for. 

Talking about drawings. Someone in the house thinks that paper is free, refuses to draw on both sides. Totally against my principle of reduce, reuse, recycle. Old blobs of colors and doodles MUST be up-cycled to give them one more chance at usefulness before going to the recycled bin. Outline and re-imagine these into another art work!

Exploring new ways to get Morgan to do show and tell. One sentence, one star. DEAL! Wah... Anything to earn stars... Speech police everywhere in the house. No escape.

Morgi   : I want Mario
Daddy   :  .....
Megi     :  You have to say the magic word
Morgi    : Abracadabra!

Paper cutting. It is all about how you fold the paper... Hmmm... Morgi does not seem very impressed. But Megi does a very nice disco giraffe there.

Hello, Hello, can you hear me? Everyone hates picking up the house phone but we all want to know if paper cup phones works. Try it taut, loose, looped, bent, clipped string... Pretty amazing. It works!

Recently Megan and me talk a lot. Because there is a lot to talk about. She hears about the protests in US about Black Lives Matter but cannot see beyond it being a current affairs news. I introduce "a kids book about racism" by Jelani Memory to her.

A week later, we watch "All I did was smile and say hello", a short animated film by King Yaw Soon on the rising discrimination against Asians during this Covid-19 period. Megan does not understand. But watching the animation still hurts. Mummy, what does prejudice mean, she asks.

Coincidentally, the only interesting show on Netflix is a long documentary on the Vietnam war. A bit hesitant when Megan joins me to watch such a brutal war played out on screen. I think of Paula bringing Vivian to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the 12 year old daughter woke up crying from nightmares for a whole week after. How could her countrymen do such a thing?! Paula also felt slightly conflicted but it paid off. Vivian's thought process suddenly matured after the Japan trip. She became more interested in news and politics and how everything is inter-related and inter-dependent. Every American needs to visit Hiroshima, Paula tells me.

This generation needs to be educated in reality and know our history better instead of living our heads in clouds believing we are so special. Talking about it is better than not talking about it. A phrase borrowed from the Vietnam War documentary - It is difficult to dispel ignorance if we retain arrogance.

On games. Ah yes, we have Jenga in the house... Big thank you to Morgi's classmate for gifting him this new stacking cups toy. First time trying cup stacking. But boy does not want to follow the 3 5 3 stacking rules! I never like scrabble (coz can't spell) but ohhhh Morgi likes.... 

Dig your arm further into the cupboard and you will find unopened new toys! Step by step LEGO instruction booklet is good. If he can practice a few more of these, he can assembly our IKEA furniture in the near future. 

Awesome collection of signage is the result of mummy needing a valid reason to pause every few meters from "jogging" along the park connector. Tell me about the sign, Morgi? What should you do when you see the sign? Megi,what is the rational behind the sign? Meant for whom? Does the sign even make sense?

Sam recommends Morgi to listen to audio-books since his listening is weak. Good idea. One audio book a day!

Covid-19 HBL with M&M S#2 Last Days

Yeah!!! Handing over M&M to school teachers tomorrow. We are so ready!

I try try try to do science experiments with the kiddos. Frozen grape growing crystals in super-cooled water.. FAIL (3x). Growing ice experiment... FAIL... Candle in a bottle... err... partial success.

A 3/4 successful experiment! Finally! My science projects success rate damn low...

Found a dead branch!!! This represents an opportunity - for decoration... Morgan says he is doing a lot of butterflies... Mimi asks me what occasions are we decorating for... err... Dragon boat festival.

Recycled branch for some pattern painting. Throw away branch. Done.

An evolving artwork. 

Day 1: 

I want to paint my face blue, Morgan says. So I tell him  why not do it both on face and paper? Birth of a blue A3 background... it is an coincidence without purpose. 

Day 2: 

Morgan, do you want to draw an umbrella on a rainy day or sea creatures on your blue background? I want to draw a ship... The blue is now endow with meaning. It is the sea. 

Day 3: 

Mr Morg, fish or crab or octopus? 

TADA!!! The epic battle of of the deep sea octopus (yes, that is an octopus) vs the ship in turbulent stormy waters. Deep scars on the (big fat) arm of the octopus... wow.. Mad confusions of colours, dunno what these exploding sea balls are but they scream DANGER... Skies merge with the sea, a puff of cloud under the ship...

Ok, this is just me speaking. What I am trying to say is : the battle is very happening.

Actually, Mr Morg just goes got-space-got-balls-just-paste-paste-paste.
Scars is just the unfortunate results of why-did-I-draw-such-a-big-surface-to-colur-so-wth-I-am-angry-and-impatient. No meaning, intent or purpose... sigh.

In comparison... Megan's paint by number art is super tranquil and relaxing... intent is to match the color to the number. Life is not that complicated.

Wow... we do have a lot of jigsaw puzzles in the house.

Commission Megi to construct a hopscotch. Brilliant.

An adult attempting hopscotch is extremely faint inducing. Goggled "panting heavily after exercise" immediately because I do feel out of oxygen + absolutely unwell. Page 1-3 search results come back with "is it normal for your cat or dog to pant heavily after exercise". Does nobody care about humans?

Morgan refuses to use beanbags, he keeps using a piece of steak from his store to throw, which hardly ever lands on the correct box.

Chocolate muffins for back to school snacks. Oh no... Morgan has ulcers again! Do not let grandfather know we bake chocolate muffins.

Scooter skate and roller blade. I am glad you exist.

Worksheets achieved: