Both Kids in Secondary School

So the boy headed off for his first day in secondary school on his own. Well, technically he didn't make his own way there. The 'baby' of our family still got chauffered there by his dad. But none of us hung around. Dad just dropped him off at the porch in the pouring rain. I didn't even send him off. I got to sleep in a little longer before heading for work. For years, this has been our routine.
Dad is a morning person. Mum is a night person. Therefore, anything requiring early morning wake ups will rely on Dad and anything to do with late night stay ups, will rely on Mum. Good arrangement except when Mum is dead tired at 1 am on a work night and one kid needs Mum's help with cutting his toenails and the other needs Mum to dig her itchy ears (can you believe these are secondary school kids?).

Anyhow, the champ came back and said a whole bunch of parents hung around the school hall on the first day of school. Wow. Didn't even think of doing that. I mean, cut toenails and dig ears I can but bite my nails over their first day in secondary school?

The girl? Aiyah, already in Sec. 4. Didn't even buy new books this year (said she didn't mind using her cousin's old books) and have yet to buy any new uniforms. Think it's not comfortable and uncool to be wearing new uniforms in Sec 4.

She came back and said she was the only one who had handed in her art project in her class. Good job, girl! All those nights of falling asleep with paint smeared all over her face and fingers (not to mention my badly-treated paint bruses and paint tubes!!!) have resulted in the teacher awarding her some extra marks! But really, jeepers creepers, don't you think instead of just getting extra marks, the rest should just fail??? I'll post some of her art soon. She's got some talent going. I think she should combine her love for the computer and art and head for some digiart course in the polytechnic after her 'O' Levels this year. The girl hasn't quite made up her mind yet if she should aim to enter a JC or the Poly. She's still wondering if she should give up struggling with her normal Chinese paper and sit for Paper B instead. I'm all for it. It's a stupid policy that's affected my kids' lives and changes on a National level will come too late for them. So Mum, who's evidently the self-elected Minister of Home Affairs will decide. Paper B it will be!!!

My thoughts are a bit random today. It has to do with the fact that I'm suddenly freed from the confines of having a primary school kid! I've suddenly decided that I'm going to let my eyebrows and short hair grow out. Ha ha. Random. I told you. I'm sick of having to pluck my eyebrows every other day because the follicles seem to have time-release fertiliser working on them. As for my hair, well, I'm not much of a short hair person I think. Not anymore anyway. Used to have short hair during my school days but I feel really tom boyish in short hair now. I can't quite be bothered with using hair products (to make my hair stand) and so, it ends up looking quite limp and auntyish. It's actually been 2 months since my last cut and twice yesterday, people said I'd changed my hairstyle even when I haven't. I think it's only because it's suddenly grown out and you know how it is with short cuts. You have to cut every 5 weeks or so to keep it in shape. I'm much too lazy and not adventurous enough to go for such frequent hair cuts. Visits to the hair salon usually end in disaster for me. That's how I deduced I'm not much of a short hair person. Yes, I should have thought of that before snipping 'em locks off! 

BTW, I'm nursing a knee injury that's been a pain in the ___. Have been unable to climb stairs without pain the past few weeks. Made me realise just how inconvenient the world is for the handicap. Also made me realise how much good health means to me.