Living in a seasonal country in the suburbs.

Have been wanting to write this entry for some time but because of more interesting events in my life, just didn’t get around to writing this. More of a reminder to myself than anything.

Since I have been living in the East coast of the States for almost 2 years, I’ve experienced the four seasons twice and it has been very wonderful to see nature at work. It’s also a great opportunity to be reminded of God’s miracles. I’m also living in the suburbs instead of in the city, so I can fully experience the forces of nature. I think raising children in a seasonal country and in the suburbs is very ideal. It makes their senses very keen and they get to enjoy the perks that comes with every season. Here’s why:

Spring

This is my favourite season. The weather is cooling. Not too cold like winter or too hot like summer. Good for taking walks around the neighbourhood. Spring is also a time for planting flowers. Everywhere you go, you can see pretty flowers everywhere. Tulips of different colours are seen on almost every front yards or grass patch. On walks, children get to learn the names of different flowers and how they look like. They can even get to help with the planting of flowers, grass or herbs. It also brings true to the proverb, ‘April showers bring May flowers’.
This is when the trees start flowering after the winter and seeing the process of the trees growing back their leaves is wonderful classroom material too. However, because of the pollen everywhere, it’s also a very bad time if you’re allergic to pollen or have sensitive noses. This is very common period for flu.

Summer

This season is when schools are out and children get to play the whole day! A good time to go to the beach(if you stay near the ocean). The beach in CT is the famous Long Island Sound and even in shallow water, you can see small jellyfish. Can get very hot. Good time for children to play outside the house and sweat it out, which is very healthy!

In the evenings, fireflies can be seen in the front and back yards. Coming from a city, it’s very fascinating for me to see them. I even learnt how to catch them. Apparently, you just put out your hand and bring them very gently towards you. They will just stay still on your hand. You can cup your hands together to see their ‘fire’. I’ve read from somewhere in a blog that in S’pore, some people hit the fireflies to make them giddy and then catch them. Poor fireflies! Summer is also a time when all the bugs and flies are out. Children have fun catching all sorts of bugs in the yards too and again, they learn the names and how the different bugs looks like.

Fall/Autumn

As the name suggest. Fall is when the leaves turn colour and fall off the trees they’re in. In New England(where I’m in), Fall is the prettiest. When driving along the highways, you can see trees of different colours, like orange, red, brown, green, yellow, etc. Each tree has their own timing and that’s why you can see the different stages of the leaves turning colour and falling off. Children can have fun raking leaves with their parents in the yards, although it’s a lot of work sometimes. One game to play is to gather all the leaves into a big pile and just fall backwards into the soft and crispy leaves. Very fun, albeit dirty. Can get cold at night but a light jacket would suffice(depending on where you actually live in).

Winter

Used to be my favourite season. Actually, ask any S’porean and they probably would say this is their favourite one too. That’s because we didn’t know any better! Can get very, very cold and freezing sometimes that you would not want to go out at all! It’s ok if you just go out for a while but not to go for long walks as your toes would be freezing. The wind chill factor is a big thing to consider. Children are able to play in the snow, build snow men, make snow angels, make snow forts, have snow fights and go snow sledding. The best thing of all after that is to have hot chocolate by the fire-place in the house! Also, can roast marshmallows right by the fire-place. A good chance for family bonding.

Older and more enterprising children can go around shoveling snow off others’ driveways to earn some extra money. Schools can also be closed because of too much snow. It’s also very pretty to see white everywhere after it snows. When you go outside, the cars are muffled by the snow on the ground and it’s actually very quiet and peaceful. But very, very hard work to shovel snow off the driveway after a snowstorm. Roads can be dirty or messy too when the snow are at the stage where they melt but not fast enough. Ever seen black snow? That’s when cars have been on the roads for some time and the dirty tires make them black. Yuck!

Well, these are some of my experiences and observations from my almost 2 years of living in CT. It may not apply to all seasonal countries or suburbs. I certainly appreciate nature a lot more but the changing of clothes and the constant need to check the weather before you get dressed is a hassle. Would I get used to hot, sunny S’pore again? I don’t know!



Sylvia
July 18, 2006 at 4:32 pm

winter? nah… spring’s the best. But my nose runs often so… :( and fireflies.. aww, what a pretty sight it must be..

A busy day

Yesterday I finally went to send my box of stuff home. Actually I packed everything into one box as it’s cheaper than sending 2 boxes. However, there’s a weight limit of 66lbs and a box length limit. In the end, still ended up sending 2 boxes.

This is the second time I deal with USA state offices. The first time was when I tried to take my driving test. Now, I have to deal with another stupid incident with stupid and inflexible people.

Now, long before I packed my box, I’ve already went to the post office in downtown Fairfield to ask about the costs, dimensions of boxes, weight limits, etc. I even had the woman there write down the information so I can refer and adhere to it when I buy my box and pack my things. After I packed, I went online to check too and I thought that everything was good, except that maybe I’m over the weight limit. But those things had to be sent home as they’re taking too much space and I don’t need them anymore, at least for the next few months.

I know that my box is like over 70lbs, so I can’t carry the box by myself. The day before, I got Dan to put it in the van so I can bring it over to the post office. In Fairfield, there’s 3 post offices. Bere said I should go to this other post office instead of the downtown one as they have a trolley available there to help with big packages. So, I listened to her and went to this other post office. When I got there, the trolley is nowhere in sight. I had to go inside the post office to ask the man at the counter if I can have one. He was helpful enough to get it for me, but I can sense his reluctance. This is what passed between us:

Me: Do you have a trolley I can use as I have a big 70lbs(a lie!) box in the car that’s too heavy for me to carry in.

Him: Are you sure it’s 70lbs? We cannot take more than 70lbs. Ermm…I don’t know if we have a trolley. Ermmm…let me go check. You go wait outside by the blue door. If we have one, I’ll bring it out there.

So, he got one for me and I brought the trolley to my car, pulled and struggled to put the box onto it and pushed it back inside the post office. I joined the queue for like 10mins and ’suay suay’ it was the same guy that got the trolley for me that served me. When I pushed my trolley towards him, he was like, ‘ Oh boy, here we come!‘ in a not funny way.

The moment he saw my box, he’s saying, my box is too big and does not meet the standards required. He proceeded to pull out the thick book of guidelines and flipped to the one for S’pore. Then, he took out his measuring tape and started measuring the box and confirmed that my box is too big. I was going like, what! I did ask before about the measurements and I’m sure my box is below the requirements. It maybe overweight but it certainly is not too big! But, he kept pointing to the book and even showed me and refused to weigh the box or do anything for me. I had no choice but to bring the box back to my car. But the man even had the cheek to say, ‘You can use the trolley to push the box back to your car but please push it back and leave it beside the blue door.‘ I nearly wanted to slap him! I’m NOT that rude to leave the trolley outside. I may be wearing bermudas and t-shirt and wearing my glasses and obviously an Asian, but I’m not rude or stupid!

I was boiling when I finally drove away and I said to myself no way I’m going to go buy another box and repack all my things. So, I decided to go to another post office and try out. This is the 3rd post office that Fairfield had. I remembered that the people there are always friendly and helpful, so it should be better. This time, I got wiser and didn’t bring my box in. I waited in line and when it’s my turn, I asked the guy for the dimensions and weight for sending a box to S’pore. And the guy said he wasn’t sure and wanted to give me the number for the previous post office I went to and ask them! He said the guys there would know.

Well, I told him then that I had my box with me in the car and can I bring it in to show him? He asked for my dimensions and I told him it’s 18×18x24. When the guy heard that, he said, ‘Oh, that’s fine! That’s not too big, bring it in. And when you come in, don’t get in line again, just come straight to the counter for me.‘ I was so happy! He’s nice! The only thing is, I hope it wasn’t too heavy.

The problem is, this post office is smaller and I don’t see any trolley around so I didn’t ask for one. I had to try to carry the box in myself, which is impossible. I resorted to pulling and pushing on the ground until a kind old man saw me and offered to help me carry it in.

Alas, my box is too heavy! The computer wouldn’t even acknowledge how heavy it was! I still had to bring it home and take some things out to be packed into a smaller box. These going around, looking for a box, scissors, paper, tape, repacking and all made me sweat so much in the hot summer weather.

An hour later, I appeared at the same 3rd post office with my 2 boxes and I got them sent out! Managed to cut the big one down to 56lbs and the smaller one is 17lbs. Both together including insurance cost USD140.35 to send. It’s so freaking expensive although I already chose the cheapest way of sending, i.e., by boat, which will take 6-8 weeks to reach.

Actually I have more adventures to write about my events yesterday, but having written such a long one for the parcels, I’m tired. It’s time for lunch. I’ll write next time.




Kid
June 28, 2006 at 6:18 pm

Oh mine…what a hassle! But thankfully, its settled. One load off your mind liao.

Sylvia
June 28, 2006 at 10:09 pm

peng san lah you!!haha..oh well, its over eh.. more interesting stories to read soon.. ;)

Why am I still single?

Winnie, you’re single because you don’t want to settle

You, more than others, have a fairy tale fantasy of how things should be. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve probably dreamed of the perfect wedding, coming home to a white picket fence, dog, and 2.2 kids (how does that work, anyway?). When someone asks what you’re looking for, you don’t skip a beat: You’re likely to have a handy checklist that details your perfect partner. Hair and eye color, height, religion, education, career, interests, the list goes on.

While it’s great to have standards — Hey, you shouldn’t have to settle, after all — there’s one slight glitch in your master plan: No one has made the grade in real life — at least not yet. Next time you’re out with someone, keep yourself from mentally checking that list, and give love — and others — a chance. That special someone who you’ve written off may be perfect for you after all…

Why are you still single?

If I were...

If I were a month, I would be:… May

If I were a day of the week, I would be:…Friday

If I were a time of day, I would be:…6pm

If I were a sea animal, I would be:… a whale

If I were a direction, I would be:… North

If I were a sin, I would be:… gluttony

If I were a historical figure I would be:… a Victorian Princess!

If I were a planet, I would be:…Pluto

If I were a liquid, I would be:… ice-tea

If I were a stone, I would be:…a diamond

If I were a tree, I would be:…a maple tree with maple syrup!

If I were a bird, I would be:…a robin

If I were a flower/plant, I would be:…a lavender

If I were a kind of weather, I would be:… the period between spring and summer

If I were a mythical creature, I would be:…an unicorn

If I were a musical instrument, I would be:…an euphonium

If I were an animal, I would be:…a labrador dog

If I were a colour, I would be:…purple

If I were an emotion, I would be:.. deliriously happy

If I were a vegetable, I would be:… carrot

If I were a sound, I would be:… a cute little girl’s voice

If I were an element, I would be:…gold

If I were a song, I would be:… any happy love songs

If I were a movie, I would be:… The Notebook

If I were a book, I would be written by:… God

If I were a food, I would be:… Dark chocolates

If I were a place, I would be:… Heaven

If I were a taste, I would be:… sweet

If I were a scent, I would be:… cotton candy

If I were a religion, I would be:… Christianity

If I were a word, I would be:… love

If I were a body part, I would be:…eyes

If I were a facial expression, I would be:…a sweet smile

If I were a subject in school, I would be:… literature

If I were a cartoon character, I would be:… Pocahontas

If I were a shape, I would be:…a star

If I were a number, I would be:… 19

If I were a piece of jewelery, I would be:…a necklace

If I were a piece of furniture, I would be:…a bed

If I were a car, I would be:…a convertible




Sylvia
June 18, 2006 at 9:10 pm

hahaha… what in the world is a euphonium?!

Winnie
June 19, 2006 at 11:20 am

That’s the instrument that Secai was playing before he became drum major. A big thing that you sort of had to hug and blow into it?

Sylvia
June 19, 2006 at 3:57 pm

orrr… now, i wonder why you chose the euphonium?!hee.. ;)

How do you see me?

To everyone who reads my blog, I would assume that you are my friends because I only use the blog through friendster. Can you do me a favour? I really want to know how people see me, especially my friends. Can you go to this site and do the Johari Window for me? It’s on how you see me. I guess with the answers, I would be able to see what my strong or weak points are and be able to work on them. Please leave a name or a nick that I would be able to identify you with. Thank you!!




Kid
June 16, 2006 at 2:39 am

Hey, who is Sylvia Lu? Her selections on Johari and mine so similar wor…i was thinking of whether to select religious but then decided to choose something else. If so, ours would be exactly the same sia.

Winnie
June 16, 2006 at 3:24 pm

Sylvia Lu is a S’pore PR, Indonesian Chinese that I got to know here in the States. You know why you have almost same choices? You kow the same person - me! Hehe…

Kid
June 19, 2006 at 9:18 am

wah biang…didnt know you could come up with this…trying to be funny yah! smart. okay..you must intro me to Sylvia Lu when both are you in SG, think we should get along real fine

A child's trust

The other day was playing with Kara and Brigid outside the house in the driveway. They were on their bikes(Kara on her 4-wheel bike and Brigid on her tricycle) and going around the driveway while I was sitting by the side on a bench. I started to play with them in that when they passed by me, I would shout, ‘Stop!’ and they would stop and I would shout, ‘Go!’ in about 2 seconds and they would go again, just like I’m a traffic light. This went on for a while, like 3-4 times and I decided to tease them a little. When Brigid came to me, I shouted, ‘Stop!’ and then proceeded to look away and pretend that I ‘forgot’ about saying ‘Go’. It wasn’t long, probably about 10 seconds or so. I thought to a young child, that would be long and she would get impatient and told me to say ‘Go’. When I happened to be ‘looking around’ and glance at Brigid, I saw that she wasn’t showing any signs of being impatient. She was just staring at me and waiting patiently for me to give her the command. She didn’t get it that I was teasing/playing with her. Her face was devoid of expressions(but not blank look) and just looking at me. I don’t really know how to describe it. When I saw that and look into her eyes, I saw one thing - TRUST. It is at that moment I realised that it’s Brigid’s best look and she really looked very beautiful, more than any smiles that she could give. Just to see that face, I did the ‘forget’ part a few times and all those times, she was still very ignorant and very patient with me. I really enjoyed playing with her that day.

This is one of those times when taking care of the girls that I feel myself ready to lay down my life for them. Even though they’re not my own children, sometimes when I hold them or when they do something, I would feel my heart just bursting with love for them, so much so that I want to cry! Hehe…

Children can be troublesome and worrisome sometimes, but it’s those moments of happiness they give you that makes you forget about all the troubles in the world and you just want to make sure that they’re safe and happy.

I’m going to miss my girls so much when I go home!!! :~(




Kid
June 16, 2006 at 3:02 am

I understand how you feel and reading this entry brings a smile to my face. I just wonder how you are gonna get through to regular momentum, pre States, coz you will really miss the family badly. Then, every single task will bring back fond memories. Be it, playing with the kids, dining together, the jokes, the outings, the companion…argh…nevermind, when u return, we go out often…me act as kid for you to take care. heheheheheh. Syl will join in the fun too.

Sylvia
June 16, 2006 at 3:13 am

yeah yeah.. we be kara and brigid lah..bec be kara cos she older and i be baby brigid lah..you can reminise then.. :) hahhaha…

Winnie
June 17, 2006 at 11:37 am

Haha! Thanks for your thoughts but it’d get kinda awkward if I hug you to my busom and give you kisses all over, right?

What Colour?

I was listening to 93.3FM through net radio and they were doing this colour test. Found it to be VERY accurate, at least for me.

Now between four colour combinations, please choose one:

a. Orange + Yellow
b. Red + Yellow
c. Purple + Pink
d. Green + Pink

I choose Purple + Pink, and woah….!

Orange + Yellow

你過於保護自己讓人覺得太過現實，考量太多現實層面的狀況會讓你太過理智，顯得過於保護自己，一旦覺得不快樂的時候就馬上拒絕對方，這樣的態度自然阻擋了追求者的出現，而且記得要把對舊情人的愛完全放掉，才能重新找到新感情。

Red + Yellow

因為你的強勢把追求者嚇跑了，基本上你太過大男人或大女人主義，具有強烈的掌握慾望，處處想要佔上風，所以你會想要約束對方，但這樣的態度反而會讓人不敢接近。

Purple + Pink

太過被動的等待愛情是你的致命傷，如果想要被人追求就得先轉變生活圈，才有可能會遇到好的對象。選擇這個顏色的人個性會比較保守而且對愛完全理想化，雖然平時可能給人家的感覺是非常開放的，但是她的內在卻非常傳統，一旦談戀愛就做好嫁人的心理準備。

Green + Pink

眼光太高而且愛挑剔別人的你，讓人有距離感不敢靠近你，試著把標準放低一點，追求者自然會出現!

Dutch - The best Doggy in the World

This week will be the last week I get to spend with Dutch, the Labrador dog of my host family. On Friday, Anne’s parents will be coming over to the house and when they go home on Monday, they will bring Dutch back with them. This is because Dutch needs to be quarantined for 6 months before she can go over to London. She’s still in her quarantine period and it will end in Sept. So, Anne’s parents are going to take care of Dutch in the meantime. My host family will get her when they come back for Dan’s sister’s wedding in Sept. This also means that I would not be able to see Dutch again after this week.

According to calculations, I should be ending my work with my host family in or around Sept. After that, I will do some travelling before going back to S’pore. So, I guess I may have to miss seeing Dutch in London. Didn’t think that I will miss her that much but as the week comes to an end, I realise that I do and will miss her. She’s the dog that I never had(except for ‘boy boy’ which I had for a short 3 months in 2001). Dutch is also the best and most well-behaved dog I’ve ever seen. She understands what you say to her and never barks unnecessarily. The most precious thing is that she’s so good with children. She’s so patient with the girls(especially Brigid), all over her. The most she does is to grunts a little or sigh but she never throw them off her or does anything to harm children. Because of Dutch’s big size, young children will naturally be scared of her if they see her at first. If they only know! I always feel sorry for Dutch that she has to be misunderstood just because of her big size.

I think Dutch realises that she’s going to not see me again. This week, she’s especially attached to me. Wherever I go in the house, she follows me. When I’m in the study on the computer(which is like most of the time), she’ll stay in the room with me too. She also likes to go to my room and look for me and even if I’m not in my room, she’ll lie there instead of her usual spot in my host parents’ room where she has her own bed. I guess she wants the smell of me in my room. Of course, sometimes she follows me around because she wants me to give her dog treats but even after I gave her some, she’ll still stick around. I can’t understand what she wants. Normally she doesn’t behave this way. Does she really know what’s going to happen? I didn’t even tell her!

Labradors normally can live up to 14-15 human years(I think) and considering that Dutch is already 9/10 human years old, the chance of me seeing her again after I leave, is slim. In a way, I think I’m glad for that too. I can’t imagine being there when she’s too old or too sick and have to be put down. Or worse, having an accident of some kind. I still remember how ‘boy boy’ died before my eyes. It was horrible and I don’t want to go through that. This way of saying goodbye is good cos I’ll always have the memory of when she’s well and cute in her own way, with her sad and pleading eyes. I’ll always remember taking her walks around the neighbourhood, giving her treats and meals and her eating right from my hand ever so gently.

I guess Brigid will find it difficult to adjust too. She loves her doggy! Always giving Dutch kisses on her head, patting her, hugging her and even using Dutch as a bed/pillow and laying on her. But for Brigid, it’s just a short few months of separation. For me, it maybe forever. Well, I’m thankful for this opportunity to have a dog to take care of and also love in my own way. Will always know Dutch as the Best Dog in The World!

Sylvia

June 8, 2006 at 4:23 pm

awww.. you make me wanna cry too.. i’m sorry you have to leave Dutch behind dear..

Packing up

Yesterday was with Bere in my room trying to pack up some of the things that I’ve accumulated these 2 years and send them home. There’s no way I can squeeze everything that I have now into the 2 luggages I brought with me when I first came. I figured it’s better to send them from here(USA) than from London as the English pound will be so much more expensive than the US dollars.

Anyway, as I was packing, I had to decide which of the things I want to leave with me and which ones to send home. This is when I’m reminded that I only have to decide what I’ll need for the next 4-6 months. I don’t think I will stay any much longer than that. Having been away from home and S’pore for almost 2 years, I feel that maybe it’s time for me to go home. Even if I do plan to stay longer in London, I do want to go back home and see my friends and family first.

When I first packed to come here, I packed for what I’d need for a year. Now, I need only to pack for what I’d need for a few months. I also have to reduce the things I have to carry in my suitcases because I do plan to travel in England and I do not want to have to lug heavy luggages around when I travel. This greatly stresses me as I’m not able to decide what I do and will need and I’m used to the thinking that I may need a lot of things. It also saddens me greatly. When you pack for a long trip, it always fills you with a feeling of excitement or sadness. This time, because I’m packing in preparation for going home, it just gives me the reality check that I’ll soon be going home, to S’pore, maybe permanently. I’ll be leaving this host family that I’ve come to love and be loved, that I’ve grown comfortable to, that I’ve spent a memorable part of my life with. Who knows what the future may bring and whether we will meet again.

As the date for moving to London grows closer(somewhere around the first two weeks of July), and I have to pack again(this time, everything), I’m sure that I will feel the sadness for this house that I’ve called home for the past 2 years. It’s a big, beautiful and comfortable house that I would not have to chance to live in again. I’ll also have to say farewell to this part of the States and the States itself. It has been a vacation of 2 years and I really feel blessed to have the opportunity to experience all that this country has to offer me.

Well, I managed to pack up all my things into one big box(18" x 18" x 24") and I realised that this frees up a lot of space for my suitcases. Maybe I can go buy more stuff to fill them! Hehe…But then I have to spend like over a hundred dollars just to send this box home, I guess there goes the money to buy more stuff. :( I’ll just control myself and save up money to go travelling in Scotland and Ireland! Woohoo!!