A Stressful Tuesday, a Determined Skater

This past Tuesday was one of the most stressful days I’ve experienced in a while — not for myself, but for my youngest, Cass. And when your child is stressed to the point of tears, it’s almost impossible not to absorb that stress as a mother.

Cass had a full-dress rehearsal for Skate Malaysia (which will be held next week), and the skaters were required to arrive at Pavilion Bukit Jalil by 6PM, already dressed in their costumes with full makeup on. The timing couldn’t have been worse — Tuesdays happen to be her co-curricular day, and school only dismisses at 4.45PM.

It was chaos trying to work things out. There were tears, some tension, and a lot of rushing. In the end, her dad stepped in to save the day — driving through the peak hour madness to pick Cass up from school. But before that, he had to swing by home to collect her big luggage bag filled with her skates, costume, makeup, and everything else she needed. I prepared her dinner in a lunchbox and handed it to my husband to pass to her on the go.

Everything was happening at breakneck speed, and amidst it all, Cass still had to revise for her upcoming tests. That night, she only managed less than 3 hours of sleep — not that it was unusual. Lately, with SPM Trials looming, she’s only been sleeping about 3–4 hours a night.

I constantly nag her to go to bed earlier, but like most teenagers, mothers’ advice often falls on deaf ears. As much as I wish I could take the burden off her shoulders, I know this is a path she’s chosen and worked so hard for — balancing her academic responsibilities and her passion for figure skating.

Last year, Cass proudly won Gold in her category at Skate Malaysia. This year, with the added weight of SPM stress, I honestly don’t know what the outcome will be — but that doesn't matter as much. What matters is that she’s giving it her all. Whether she comes home with a gold, silver, bronze, or just the satisfaction of having done her best, I hope she will be happy and proud of herself.

To my dear Cass — I’m so proud of your grit, your strength, and your determination. I pray you’ll stay healthy, calm, and focused through this challenging season. Good luck next Thursday at Skate Malaysia — I’ll be cheering for you with all my heart.

My Bangkok salad was very good.

On the last day of the mid-year school holidays, I took Cass to La Juiceria to dig into something healthy. Both of us love the food at La Juiceria, it's our kind of healthy food with lots of greens, superfoods, and healthy chicken breast on our plates.   We don't mind eating this kind of food every day, but the cost is my main turn-off!

Cass's high protein plate with a big portion of grilled chicken breast and surprisingly, the chicken breast was very tender, juicy, and flavorful.