This morning, I had my usual dilemma: should I or should I not go to dance class.
All because hubby had a working bee at church. Which meant I would have to take Miss J to music class with me. And make sure she was quiet and meaningfully occupied throughout the 1.5 hour class.
Which also meant I wouldn't be able to do my own thing...Read. Uninterrupted.
It worked out ok in the end. Miss J behaved perfectly. The teacher seemed a bit testy today though. Barked at students who played out of turn. Barked at students who played the wrong notes.
He gave Beth a (well deserved) lecture on the state of her Minuet in G, which she has steadfastly refused to practise. Her effort made me cringe.
Her excuse? "I was practising Intrada."
To which the teacher responded: "Perhaps the Minuet is too difficult for you? Perhaps I should find you an easier piece...like Grade One?!"
Afterwards, I gave Beth a mini-lecture of my own. She grinned (!!!) and agreed that she had indeed deserved the rebuke from her teacher.
Her bo-chap attitude made me wonder how much pride she really has in doing her best.
But back to dance class.
The group was smaller than usual, and it was the nice instructor, not the strict one. Which was great cos it meant beginners like moi got more attention and encouragement than otherwise.
I actually managed to keep up with the teens, which felt great! And I finally figured out the "leap" and "turn" components of corner work. The only thing I still struggle with is the "spin", where you have to spin across the room really fast with your eyes on a fixed object. That one made me so dizzy I had to crouch down to regain my balance.
We also learned a new move today - the pirouette. Shall have fun practising it at home.
Near the end of our Janet Jackson Black Cat routine, the instructor said to me, "Well done. You nailed it."
High praise indeed.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Answered Prayer
After days of to-ing and fro-ing over the missing OTP, with both Auspost and Speedpost seemingly unable to assist, I finally received the news we had been hoping for from our agent in SG.
"I have just called speedpost, they managed to receive the item today afternoon!!.... So I should receive it either tonite or tomorrow
I will inform the buyer's agent now and will do the necessary."
This came 5 mins after I'd replied to her earlier email to let the buyers know we intended to honour our original agreement. They were apparently worried that we might change our minds, which would portend having to go through the househunting process all over again, when they had already sold their own flat.
Hubby and I had discussed and suggested to our agent that perhaps the buyers could wait for us to arrive in SG to re-sign the OTP if it really remained missing.
We must commend the customer service officer that I spoke with this morning - Michael.
Of the 3 officers I spoke with in the last two days, he has been the most helpful and compassionate. He took down my details and our agent's, promised he would initiate an investigation as our promised delivery time clearly exceeded the 2-4 business days guideline, allocated us a case number that we can use to track the progress of the investigation, and promised to contact Speedpost to find out what had happened.
We are guessing that it is his enquiry and contact with Speedpost that enabled them to suddenly retrieve our documents from their system.
Most importantly, this officer was the one who enlightened us as to how the EMS courier system works. Apparently, our documents left Melbourne and arrived in SG on the same day (a fact not mentioned by the other 2 officers) because flights between Melb and SG are direct.
So the delay has all this while been on the part of the SG side i.e. Speedpost. Without this clarification, we were unable to point the finger of blame at anyone.
While all this drama was going on, I remember thinking that perhaps God had other plans for our flat, and I prayed that we would remain within His will whatever happened.
Thanks be to God for His grace and provision. He really does take care of all our needs.
"I have just called speedpost, they managed to receive the item today afternoon!!.... So I should receive it either tonite or tomorrow
I will inform the buyer's agent now and will do the necessary."
This came 5 mins after I'd replied to her earlier email to let the buyers know we intended to honour our original agreement. They were apparently worried that we might change our minds, which would portend having to go through the househunting process all over again, when they had already sold their own flat.
Hubby and I had discussed and suggested to our agent that perhaps the buyers could wait for us to arrive in SG to re-sign the OTP if it really remained missing.
We must commend the customer service officer that I spoke with this morning - Michael.
Of the 3 officers I spoke with in the last two days, he has been the most helpful and compassionate. He took down my details and our agent's, promised he would initiate an investigation as our promised delivery time clearly exceeded the 2-4 business days guideline, allocated us a case number that we can use to track the progress of the investigation, and promised to contact Speedpost to find out what had happened.
We are guessing that it is his enquiry and contact with Speedpost that enabled them to suddenly retrieve our documents from their system.
Most importantly, this officer was the one who enlightened us as to how the EMS courier system works. Apparently, our documents left Melbourne and arrived in SG on the same day (a fact not mentioned by the other 2 officers) because flights between Melb and SG are direct.
So the delay has all this while been on the part of the SG side i.e. Speedpost. Without this clarification, we were unable to point the finger of blame at anyone.
While all this drama was going on, I remember thinking that perhaps God had other plans for our flat, and I prayed that we would remain within His will whatever happened.
Thanks be to God for His grace and provision. He really does take care of all our needs.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
When the best courier service fails
On 15 March, I went to Auspost to courier the Option to Purchase on our HDB flat to our real estate agent in SG.
Auspost recommended, and I accepted, the fastest and most expensive option: Express Courier International aka EMS.
Cost: about AU$38.
Expected delivery time was 2-4 business days.
By 21 March, the agent was emailing to ask why the documents had still not arrived. The intended purchasers were getting anxious.
So began my attempts to track said documents online and to contact EMS to follow up.
The tracking screen shows the following -
Auspost recommended, and I accepted, the fastest and most expensive option: Express Courier International aka EMS.
Cost: about AU$38.
Expected delivery time was 2-4 business days.
By 21 March, the agent was emailing to ask why the documents had still not arrived. The intended purchasers were getting anxious.
So began my attempts to track said documents online and to contact EMS to follow up.
The tracking screen shows the following -
Tracking summary
Friday, March 18, 2011
Declaring your faith on FB
Unwittingly created a mini-furore on FB when I innocently reposted a friend's comment.
Here's what the original post said:
I liked the forthrightness of it, so I took up the challenge.
Within 5 minutes, one friend had commented:
Otherwise known as emotional blackmail.
And another jumped in:
i agree with Thomas... not putting it in fb does not constitute denial.
it's no different to, say, jihadist saying that if you love allah, go blow yourself up...
As you can see, this is one of those emotional topics that can divide friends and create enemies.
But I have a clear conscience. I reposted with only the intention of declaring my personal faith. Not of deriding anyone else's views or of being a scaremonger.
So I am resting in God's supreme power and grace and ability to turn bad into good.
The word that He sends out will not return to Him void.
Here's what the original post said:
I liked the forthrightness of it, so I took up the challenge.
Within 5 minutes, one friend had commented:
Otherwise known as emotional blackmail.
And another jumped in:
i agree with Thomas... not putting it in fb does not constitute denial.
it's no different to, say, jihadist saying that if you love allah, go blow yourself up...
As you can see, this is one of those emotional topics that can divide friends and create enemies.
But I have a clear conscience. I reposted with only the intention of declaring my personal faith. Not of deriding anyone else's views or of being a scaremonger.
So I am resting in God's supreme power and grace and ability to turn bad into good.
The word that He sends out will not return to Him void.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
How to make yourself more valuable to your employer
How to make yourself more valuable to your employer
Check out this fascinating article by Pete Bissonette on the Learning Strategies blog.
Almost makes me wish I were an employee right now, so I can try out his ideas.
Check out this fascinating article by Pete Bissonette on the Learning Strategies blog.
Almost makes me wish I were an employee right now, so I can try out his ideas.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Mum and Me
It's been an interesting 2 weeks with Mum visiting.
I still remember 4 years ago when she came to visit after Miss J was born. How stressful it had been having her share my physical space. How cramped, resentful and insecure I felt. How mortified I was when she barged into and dominated conversations and social situations involving church friends whom she had only just met.
What irked me most was that because of my upbringing and natural timidity, I hadn't the courage to speak up about how I really felt, and to say no to things I wasn't comfortable about.
My mum, you see, lacks a sensibility about boundaries.
As a result, she frequently intrudes on others' privacy without even knowing it. And if confronted, she responds with a hurt and bewildered air. She does this to members of the extended family and as a consequence, she is the marginalized one in the clan.
I have this theory, rightly or wrongly, that in every large family, there is invariably one older relative, usually single, usually female, who irritates everyone else and whom no one particularly warms to. But because they're family, they can't be completely ignored either.
In my family, that's Mum.
But I can't bring myself to explain to her why others feel offended and manipulated by her.
It would mean disclosing that I am privy to these sensitive conversations with the rest of the relations, and she would feel betrayed.
When Mum first announced that she was coming to stay, I kept hoping she would put off the trip or even change her mind about coming.
But here she is for 3 weeks.
And I've survived intact so far.
I would even be so positive as to say that 90% of the time, I am able to get along with her without feeling resentful or irritable like I normally do when we're under the same roof.
Perhaps God has been hard at work on the both of us, bringing us towards the middle ground, enabling us to focus on what we agree on rather than what divides us.
The girls have been a great connector and a lens through which I am able to see Mum in a different light.
Mind you, I am still not proud of how Mum manipulates people into doing things her way.
I wince when she makes remarks that reveal her racial, cultural and socio-economic prejudices about people she is meeting for the first time.
And I roll my eyes when she declaims to friends and acquaintances how she has helped us with household chores and babysitting Miss J when I'm out running errands.
When all's said and done, perhaps it's not about me vs. her but about making peace where possible and standing up for what's right where necessary.
I still remember 4 years ago when she came to visit after Miss J was born. How stressful it had been having her share my physical space. How cramped, resentful and insecure I felt. How mortified I was when she barged into and dominated conversations and social situations involving church friends whom she had only just met.
What irked me most was that because of my upbringing and natural timidity, I hadn't the courage to speak up about how I really felt, and to say no to things I wasn't comfortable about.
My mum, you see, lacks a sensibility about boundaries.
As a result, she frequently intrudes on others' privacy without even knowing it. And if confronted, she responds with a hurt and bewildered air. She does this to members of the extended family and as a consequence, she is the marginalized one in the clan.
I have this theory, rightly or wrongly, that in every large family, there is invariably one older relative, usually single, usually female, who irritates everyone else and whom no one particularly warms to. But because they're family, they can't be completely ignored either.
In my family, that's Mum.
But I can't bring myself to explain to her why others feel offended and manipulated by her.
It would mean disclosing that I am privy to these sensitive conversations with the rest of the relations, and she would feel betrayed.
When Mum first announced that she was coming to stay, I kept hoping she would put off the trip or even change her mind about coming.
But here she is for 3 weeks.
And I've survived intact so far.
I would even be so positive as to say that 90% of the time, I am able to get along with her without feeling resentful or irritable like I normally do when we're under the same roof.
Perhaps God has been hard at work on the both of us, bringing us towards the middle ground, enabling us to focus on what we agree on rather than what divides us.
The girls have been a great connector and a lens through which I am able to see Mum in a different light.
Mind you, I am still not proud of how Mum manipulates people into doing things her way.
I wince when she makes remarks that reveal her racial, cultural and socio-economic prejudices about people she is meeting for the first time.
And I roll my eyes when she declaims to friends and acquaintances how she has helped us with household chores and babysitting Miss J when I'm out running errands.
When all's said and done, perhaps it's not about me vs. her but about making peace where possible and standing up for what's right where necessary.
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