School hunt

And so my mommy life is full of hunt...yaya hunt, good food hunt, bargain hunt..and one of the biggest yet is our school hunt. I'm telling you being in a foreign country is challenging especially if their educational system is not supportive of using the English language. I don't get it especially for Math & Science because I believe that at the minimum is universal so a person can easily adapt when these 2 subjects are in English. My friends are asking me how it is in the Philippines and I told them school's medium is in English. So you don't necessarily have to send your kids so fancy and big league primary school to ensure they have the good foundation. Anyway my hunt so far has led me to this: 1. We are targeting to send her to a private school. However, most private schools are shifting their curriculum to International Curriculum with "international school fees" of course and you cannot simply move around your kid as it can either be a British, Australian or American curriculum and each would be so different from each other. Ryan & I can't believe why we have to send Iaree to an overly expensive school at this stage whereas kids would be expected to be studying the same foundation. Some would argue that the quality would be there but I tell you I have been sent to a private school - Primary & Secondary and 2 things I can tell you. a) It was a big environment adjustment for me to be sent to a public University, one that paid off but was still a big shift nonetheless b)I was always in the top 25% of the batch population but I have seen so far 5 batch mates belonging to the lower percentage who are now doctors and great entrepreneurs. The primary & secondary education despite the "label" they had didn't stop them from succeeding in life. 2. Back-up plan is not to move the whole family back the Phils (at least not yet). Chinese school or local Malaysian school maybe if they will accept foreigners. I'm just having hesitation on the educational style in Chinese schools especially on the homework and writing part. The language part I'm perfectly okay with it but to torture kids with tons and tons of homework and repeated writing activity which the writing part I asked my Chinese educated friends they never used anyway. Now the local Malaysian school I have yet to find out if they would accept us. Maybe if that's the last resort I will just get language tutor for Iaree. Feel sad about that part though as she can't even speak Tagalog and here she would learn to speak BM. Oh well!Wish us luck it's 2 years away and I'm glad I have already started doing my research.

My guilty pleasure

My guilty pleasure that is not shopping or food related (just thought I should make that clear first) is to be complimented sincerely -- "Wow you are a mom??!" "You really have 2 kids?" "You just gave birth?" and to get the same compliment 3x in the same day is wow I must really be looking good today. Hahahaha..I'm so vain! I told Ryan when we were only married for a few years my personal goal is to look like a hip young mom. Alright of course I will not always be young but I really want to look cool and act my age nicely. Just like lola...she was sooo elegantly beautiful. Let us not forget that if I don't dress up nicely and I am with Iaree in expensive play areas other Filipino maids approaches me to ask "Alaga mo?" (in english, is that the kid you take care of?) or..."Chinese amo mo?" (seeing my daughter looking like Chinese they would assume that I work for Chinese family and taking care of this pretty Chinese girl) hahaha...So I hope you would pardon me for my guilty pleasure for looking good once in a while and basking on the compliments. Oh and a new addition the the list -- Ryan and I attended his colleague's wedding. An office mate who didn't make it saw our photos and was teasing Ryan "Hey who's that babe you were with on Choo's wedding? Does your wife know about this?" It didn't register to him immediately that it was actually his wife his office mate was referring to. LOL! So there...I don't care I'm guilty as charged for vanity! Hahaha.