It's Hari Raya celebration in school today, and us parents have been asked to dress our kids up in traditional costume.
We were debating if we should let her wear the hanbok or recycle the qipao romper she wore during Chinese New Year.
We asked the little boss' opinion and she chose the hanbok lol; the hubs also voted for the hanbok but in the end I decided on the qipao because, eh, hanbok a bit too much. Later kena ostracised for trying too hard how? 😂
No time to take pictures at home so we took a famfie at the lift lobby.
She was at Phase 2 of drop-off, i.e. clingy so super reluctant to take pictures.
And then we took the lift with an older kid from her school, wearing.. A hanbok.
*cue music* *hoolala hoolala* 😂😂
Caught a "you see lah!" glare from the hubs lol.
Next time lah ok, next time? 😂😂
Drop-off went the same, but today she walked in on her own calmly, about 3 seconds after crying "No! No!" and then waving goodbye to us with tears in her eyes.
Pick-up went well. My sis and helper were there, and her teachers said she was very well-behaved, able to play on her own, drinking a lot of water (I think #tamjiak monster might have been hungry 😂) and willing to let her teachers carry her.
My sis said she smiled when she saw them. 😁
Sis reporting #thingsclarissasays.
This one is my favourite:
No. Sit.
😂😂
In other news, I've been feeling tired and lethargic.
No amount of sleep seems to make the body aches and perpetual dull headache go away.
Yesterday I managed to take a 1.5 hour nap, until 6pm.
I had a call from 7pm to 9pm, which was acceptable.
And then I went to bed around 11pm.
Woke up a few times in the middle of the night but managed to go back to sleep.
Finally got up at 630am feeling like a train wreck. 😩
There's nothing bothering me at home or at work so I'm really not sure why I'm feeling so lethargic.
Can't wait for the weekend to come!
Maybe all I need is a haircut.. or some shopping?
Retail therapy came through the mail, though none of it is for me. 😂
Wanted to get Clarissa more tshirts for wearing at home / as pyjamas and there was a promotion going on for the airism range, so #buybuybuy.
Got one for the hubs too!
Decided to also get some leggings for her go wear to school, and to get free shipping.
Her current Uniqlo sizes range from 80 to 100 – 80 is getting snug, 90 is just nice, 100 is big but comfortable.
So I decided to get a range of sizes 100 and 110.
Hahaha turns out that she can only wear half of what I bought. Size 110 is too big for her! Didn't expect it to be so much of a jump.
But it's ok! Shall keep them until she's three years old. 😅
Food for thought
I have an offsite meeting next week, and there is a theme going on.
We have to dress up as superheroes fol. 😬
Now I really like my bosses, my co-workers, my work.. but wearing costumes for dinners?
Erm, how about no?
I know people say it's fun, it's ok to let your hair down.. but really, what's wrong with wearing something simple and enjoying the dinner?
Why must dress up leh? 😂
So anyway there is no way out for me this time because the young enthusiastic ones have taken the lead to order costumes from taobao.
The theme for our team is japanese superheroes so the team leader suggested sailormoon, hello kitty etc for the ladies.
(Seriously how is hello kitty a superhero? 😂)
So I Googled for the more agreeable characters I can possibly dress up in.. and found this:
Mai from dragon ball.
I know nothing about dragon ball by the way, and nothing about this character except that she wears a trench coat, and I think I can put on a trench coat and still feel like myself.
I showed it to the hubs over WhatsApp and he said this character isn't even popular, and he suggested:
Vidal.
Android 18.
Hahahaha.
I cannot.
I told him I really don't need to stand out.
I have to join in because I don't want to stand out by being the only one not dressed as a "superhero".
But I don't need to stand out by playing some popular character and look too loud playing it.
(And please no cat woman super girl kind of body suit, because other people need to eat their dinner properly.)
The bad news is that they do not have Mai costumes on taobao because it's too unknown so my colleague suggested:
Goku wtf. 😂
I asked the hubs for his opinion again and he said I should go ahead and have fun.
He said if I played Mai, I'd become Siew Mai instead hahahaha wtf.
So I agreed! Not because I was eager to "have fun" but because the costume looked comfy enough (and not erm figure hugging, I hope).
This actually set me thinking about the hanbok vs. qipao decision I made for Clarissa.
She picked the hanbok when we asked her which of the two she'd like to wear to school.
It was not an informed choice (I mean how would you explain the entire context of a hari raya celebration to a toddler and that it might be odd for a Korean to show up? 😂) but it was her preference.
If, in future, as she gets old enough to make a conscious decision to stand out, should I, as her mother, let her know the consequences of "standing out"?
Or should I let her go ahead with the decision, and learn the consequences later?
I say "consequences" with a wee bit of negative nuance, because it's simply not me to stand out. I just want to be me and not to try to be someone else, and in the process of trying to act like someone else, bring unwanted attention to myself (albeit for a short time. Yes it's just a dinner but some memories may make you cringe forever.)
Or should I let her be herself, if she turns out to be outgoing and fun-loving and confident, with no qualms about standing out or WANT to stand out?
I shouldn't cram her style and tell her, "Aiyah just do something normal so you can blend in", right?
Am I over thinking this? 😂
weeirdism 