It's been less than a year since Kylie's first lesson with Fun With Abacus and her progress doesn't cease to astonish me. Term 1 saw her learning the basics of abacus and mental calculation and Term 2 saw her dealing with more numbers. Now in Term 3, Kylie has moved on to calculating double digits mentally and she can even do sums involving hundreds with the use of the abacus. She's grasped the concept of numbers pretty well and I'm sure it won't be long before she can calculate big numbers mentally. It really wows me because she's progressed from hardly being able to calculate 9+9=? to 9+9+22-18=? WITHOUT any help or even using the abacus as well! Watch the video below to see her progress for yourself!
You can also view more on her progress in the links below! Term 1 Term 2
On the 10th of Decemeber last year, Shane and I got to marry each other proper in church, before the eyes of God, our family and friends. To clear some confusion, Shane and I registered our marriage back when we were 19 due to my pregnancy but I never got to wear a gown then or have a proper ceremony in church. All we did was legalise our marriage in the registrar's office, in front of our parents and brothers and that was it.
Having a proper wedding ceremony and donning the wedding gown is every girl's dream and it's made even more significant to Shane and I both that even after all these years, knowing with a clear head what marriage entails and what forever really means, we're still choosing to commit ourselves to each other and to love each other unconditionally just as the Almighty loves us.
#shaneandestherweds was 5 years overdue but I'm glad we waited to do this. Better late than never! (: Everything about the day was perfect and it was all I could ever dream or ask for. Having the girls there made it all the more special, seeing the photos below, the light in Kylie's eyes as she witnessed her parent's love for each other just fills me with such gladness. I still can't believe that the day has came and passed just like that but my heart is full and our love, forever. Just like these photographs and memories I'll hold close to my heart until my very last breath.
A few weeks ago, I shared about an organisation called Babes whose aim is to help pregnant teens. Because I know that many teenage girls who have been in similar situations as I have, turn to my blog for hope and advice, I'll be sharing more in-depth details about the organisation and what they do, in hopes that it may somehow benefit some of you. Or if you know someone who needs help, maybe you could share this information with them as well.
I'd like to disclaim that I do not stand to gain anything by helping to raise awareness about this organisation and that this is completely voluntary. When I first found out about Babes a couple of years back, I knew that I would want to give back someday in some little way and well, now's the time.
About BABES
Babes is a teenage Pregnancy Crisis Support Centre which offers programmes that supports teenagers who experience an unplanned pregnancy crisis by proactively providing information and community resources that facilitates responsible decision-making. Babes was launched on 22 February 2005 under the umbrella of Beyond Social Services, a voluntary welfare organisation that works with the community to support children and youths from low-income families. In 2013, Babes established itself as a separate organisation to focus more on the issue of teenage pregnancy. On top of case management, Babes provide additional support for our service-users by organising pre/post-natal workshops, skills upgrading workshops, referrals to partnering agencies for employment, accommodation, training and financial assistance.
I met up with Christina, the Executive Director of Babes sometime last month to find out more about what they really do at Babes and found out that apart from counselling these pregnant teens, the organisation also helps these teen girls by:
- Helping them to make the right decision
- Provide emotional support by going with them to break the news to their parents
- Accompany the girls to medical appointments if need be
- Seek for financial aid and assistance
- Following the girls' journey through their pregnancy and the child's first year
- Provide skills workshop and help them find a proper job or continue their studies
I know how being a young mom can be quite a struggle and it doesn't help when there's a social stigma around teenage pregnancy - although I understand why. Being through the struggles myself and seeing how some young girls are not as fortunate as I have been, I do not encourage or advocate teen pregnancy and I believe that no teenage girl would intentionally want to get pregnant and put herself through the emotional trauma. It is not something we encourage. BUT, there is help if you're in that situation.
I guess what we're saying here is, we understand the fear, we understand the confusion and anxiety and sometimes, what's done is done and judging or labelling people won't help. Instead, let's all work towards moving on and providing help, support and assistance to these teenage girls and let them know that it's not the end of the road. It's a tougher road ahead yes, but they are not alone.
If you need or know of anyone who needs help, you can call their
24hr hotline:
66648591
or email them at hello@babes.org.sg
If you wish to find out more about Babes and volunteer as well, do visit their website at
A little can go a long way, so do like their Facebook page, follow them on Instagram and most importantly, hit share to raise awareness about their organisation. You never know who in your friends list may need this information.