This Ain’t Hogwarts, but It’ll Do

This post has nothing to do with Hogwarts or Harry Potter for that matter. It’s about their school actually, but the kids have talked about how cool a school like Hogwarts would be, like forever. Their school in reality looks nothing like it. That’s life kids. You could build one when you’re successful next time, haha.

That’s it for this year’s summer break. It’s back to school and Jayden’s in Year 6! (And Mommy can finally get some respite from the kid).

Looking back, I think we started school a little too early for Jayden. Sigh, if only he behaves his year-age. Anyway, this year marks the fifth year since we shifted the kids’ school to GEMS Metropole School, the school just next to our (then) new apartment. That was the idea. We had been looking for a school and apartment combination just like that, and this fits perfectly! Here’s a look back at their school life.


First day of school (or was it the second?), 5 years ago, in Sep 2019, at GEMS Metropole School. Justin just started Year 5, and Jayden, Year 1. New school, new uniforms! See how little they were at that time


It was only less than half a year later that friggin COVID-19 happened! Here’re the kids at our apartment, just before the lockdown started – Mar 2020. The building in the background (with the little bit of green, is their school!)


Back at school after the lockdown ended. Jayden in Year 2 then, Nov 2020. (Justin was already in class, in Year 6, on that day). Year 2 students could still be dropped off by their parents…


Start of another year! Aug 2021. Justin’s first year in secondary school (Year 7). Jayden’s starting Year 3. This was Justin’s last full year at GEMS Metropole School. He shifted to Singapore in his first term of Year 8 in Metropole…


This was the ‘Farmers’ Market’ set up to celebrate ‘Spring Fest’ at their school… There’re bouncy castles, musical performance, etc. Jayden was in the school primary choir. He’s not shy of singing (unlike Justin), and he’s quite quick at picking up tunes and lyrics… Mar 2022


Sunny Side Up! The first musical production in GEMS Metropole School's history, thanks to the Head of Performing Arts and the Principal of the school. Jayden was one of the very few Year-3’s chosen to participate in the school production. As you can see from the masks, COVID-19 was still very much a part of life… Mar 2022


Actually, we exposed both Justin and Jayden to music at a reasonably young age. Although Justin hates to sing, he could play the guitar and piano. Here’s Justin, playing the guitar in the orchestra at his old school, GEMS Royal Dubai School’s graduation party in Jun 2019


And this was Jayden’s old school, Newlands School – Graduating from FS2 (Foundation Stage 2, the UK equivalent to kindergarten), Jun 2019. The lady standing on the left, was Jayden's FS2 class teacher, Ms Leyla Borich, from Bosnia. June 2019 was the last time the kids were at their old schools before we changed their schools


Justin’s last full year at Metropole was filled with competitions. Here’s he with his classmate and friend, Jamal, in Dubai Mall, after a round of events for the World Scholar’s Cup. – Jun 2022. He’d love to continue participating in the World Scholar’s Cup if possible, as they’re held all over the world, but his current Singapore school isn’t in this. Plus participation ain’t cheap…


Back in Metropole, Nov 2022. Jayden’s all alone now, with his Koko gone off to Singapore. This is the school’s Lost & Found Room… JAYDEN, WHERE DID YOU PUT YOUR JACKET AND HAT???!?? Nope, not here. You’ll be amazed at the treasures that lie here… stinky shoes, sweaty clothes, etc. Luckily there’s no half-eaten food, (I think they throw the food away, before stashing the lunch boxes here… Can’t imagine if they’d not done that, Yeccchhh!)


The choir strikes again – Nov 2022. Is this for UAE National Day or Christmas?? I think it’s for the National Day, as that falls on 2nd December, but what are they doing with Christmas hats??


Jayden enters Year 5. Here’s he, with his Year 5 teacher, Mr Ashley Kearsley, from the UK – Oct 2023


Another musical production, the Little Shop of Horrors – Mar 2024. There was a change in format, and the head of performing arts of the school. The 2024 production featured only secondary school students, but the primary choir (which Jayden was in) was included in the last minute… Here’s the lead character mourning over the loss of his love, whom he accidentally fed to the plant monster seen in the middle. Duh, how did that even happened??


GEMS Metropole School, Home of the Mustangs, Feb 2024. Jia you, jia you!(加油! 加油!)

I hope both the boys turn out good. I hope they know the value of putting in effort, and maintaining discipline and perseverance, to achieve success. That they continue to value kindness, righteousness, tolerance and humility in their walk in life. That they are smart, practical, respectful and brave in doing the right thing. God, please look after them, and guide them. In Jesus's name I ask, Amen.

A Foodful Trip Back Home

Ahhhhh…. Scrumptious Malaysian fusion food, at Kafe Empat Sekawan, Butterworth, Malaysia – Jul 2024

Did it! Here’re all the valuable family photos of our recent trip back home!

It looks like it’s all about food, but it’s more than that. (Although, I admit that we’ve been heaping up on the cholesterol… ahem. Can’t help it. There’s just so much variety, everywhere, and for a fraction of the cost of what you’ll have to pay in friggin Dubai). (No wonder, Malaysia’s the most obese country in South East Asia!!! Sez some report. Not something to be proud of unfortunately). Amazing, how dad and his siblings remained so thin…


First breakfast of our Malaysia trip …Dim Sum at Thong Sum Restaurant, Butterworth. Eat up dad! Match our size, haha!


We, at Gurney Bay, Penang, a new park built on reclaimed land along Gurney Drive. Right after our medical check-ups in the Penang Adventist Hospital. We, typically do a full body check-up, when we visit Malaysia. Dad, Anu and I did it. Hazel was supposed to do it, but opted out due to her period. The results were OK, luckily. (It would’ve been worse, if we did it a week later, looking at all the food that we gorged down in the week ahead, ahem). I prefer the old Gurney Drive promenade to this reclaimed, ‘sanitized’ version. The old promenade was cooler, ermmm… more natural.


More food!! At the famous Teksen Restaurant, Penang …where you’d have to queue up to get a place, even at 5-ish pm. Don’t believe me? Go visit yourself. Heck, even the tourists queued up (it must have featured in some tourist guide). Right behind us in the queue, was a Dutch couple on holiday.


Visiting the Ipoh family. Meet Tuapek, dad’s eldest brother, at the Moonlight Care Centre Old Folks Home. Tuapek is the ‘delinquent’ of the home, well-known for his exploits of trying to escape. Don’t blame him. What’s an old man gotta do to get some freedom? His children visit, but they stay overseas, unfortunately. He’s got a little ‘behavioural dementia’ according to the home. We saw a little of that on the first time we met him, but on the second and third, he was lucidly clear. Just didn’t like the lack of freedom in the home, he said… Pity him, I hope he gets a better deal soon


And this is Tuakor, dad’s eldest sister, 90 years old this year (a year older than tuapek), with son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Still strong, but thin as a reed. Sure hope they’ll eat more. If only I could give them some of my excess fat…


Ah Yee, my cousin sister from mom’s side, with husband and son, at our Canning Garden old house. Thanks for pandering to my last-minute plea for meeting up!!!


Looking for food in Ipoh. Dad’s a stickler for the tried and tested. But all his favourite food shops were closed! Maybe because it’s a week day. We ended up in Concubine Lane (near where dad grew up in Ipoh), and tried a new restaurant, at our prompting, The One Café, that specializes in Chee Cheong Fun, with multiple flavours that you could choose from. Not bad! “Get out of the way, Jayden!” The photo-bomber of the family strikes again.


Back in Butterworth… another new restaurant, again at my prompting, hehe - King Kong Ramen. See, it ain’t bad, right?


Cheers! First time, in a long time that we had a drink in a pub! The Beer Factory, Butterworth, P Pinang, Malaysia


Time to go! So quick. – Penang Airport. Sure wish we had more time. Hope to visit again soon! Stay strong, stay happy!


We’re in Singapore! Hello Justin! We miss you! The Jewel, Changi Airport, Singapore – Aug 2024


Time to tuck in, again. With Jason, at Tai Er Restaurant, a mainland Chinese restaurant which specializes in… wait for it. …Chinese Sauerkraut Fish! Sauerkraut?!? What’s sauerkraut doing in a Chinese restaurant? Sauerkraut’s a friggin German thing! Wait, ooh, it’s only ‘suancai’ or what we called ‘kiam-chai’ in Hokkien (salted vegetable). Kiam-chai therng (salted vegetable soup) was a pretty common dish we had at home, growing up. But who’d have thought of pairing it up with fish! But it obviously worked, or it wouldn’t have grown into this big a restaurant chain, with branches all over! This is their Singapore Jewel Branch. Thanks, Jason, for the treat!


Another meal. This time a Korean barbecue. So that the kids could serve us for a change, haha. They loved the cooking! Seorae Korean BBQ, Compass One, Singapore


Hey guys, family photo time! At Compass One (near Jason’s flat), Singapore, before we fly back to Dubai!

That’s it for our short trip, with lots of errands, but we managed to squeeze in a road trip to Tioman Island, hehe. More on that next time. See ya!

The Lion-Less City

The Merlion, at Marina Bay, Singapore

We’re back! From our Malaysia home trip with short stopovers in India and Singapore. Two weeks is too darn short, now that it’s done. Still having holiday blues, and tired with jet lag. Guess I’ll put up some leftover Singapore photos of our last family visit in July 2022, while I sort out the photos of our latest home trip. Here goes.


Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

No, there’re no lions in Singapore. Although Singapore literally means ‘Lion City’ (in Malay), lions have never existed in this tropical island, nor anywhere in South East Asia. But, there’re legends, and statues, and symbols, and dances, and what-have-you, all about the mighty lion! I guess these were borrowed from India through the Hindu and Buddhist epics and stories, when South East Asia adopted these religions.

And so it is with Singapore, when a Malay prince in the 13th century (whom I assume would never have seen a real lion before, …unless he ventured to India, the Middle East, or Africa, which I doubt), saw a ‘lion’ on the shores of this island, and decided to establish a kingdom with its namesake on the island! Nobody knows what he really saw, was it a tiger? Or a bear? Or a Chimera? Or some silly Chinese people in a lion-dance costume? (which I doubt happened at that time).

Anyway, fast-forward to the 1960’s when Singapore became independent, and the inhabitants of the lion-less ‘Lion City’ were trying to find their identity, some smart alec thought, “Hey, what the heck! Since we’re a maritime port and a ‘lion’ city (without a lion), why don’t we combine the two?” And Voila! The Merlion was born. That’s how you create a mythical creature, folks!


The Jubilee Bridge at Marina Bay, Singapore. Do you see the Merlion? It’s at the far end of the bridge


Jason was our guide for the night…


Anu at the Jubilee Bridge, Marina Bay, Singapore


A walk in the rain, by the Singapore River


Smile! Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore River


Boat going under the Anderson Bridge, on the Singapore River


And here’s something from Nov 2022, when I dropped Justin off in Singapore to start schooling – catching up with an old friend, Raymond Ho, at Dian Xiao Er Restaurant, in NEX, Serangoon. Thanks, Raymond, for the treat!


Bye-bye, till the next post. The Butterfly Garden in Changi Airport’s Terminal 3