Smaland Elections Made the News..please see below

News @ AsiaOne IKEA's new "Smaland Government" The new Government, an IKEA initiative, will consist of "Smaland citizens" from the children club, who will decide on important matters from paper recycling to animal adoption. -AsiaOne  Fri, Nov 21, 2008 AsiaOne There is a new Government in town and it has nothing to do with politics. What's interesting is that the Ministers and members of this new Government will be made up of the most important people in the world - children. IKEA's children club, Småles, is launching its latest initative - the Småles Parliament- for children aged between 4 and 10 years old to express their views and embark on projects that will make a difference to the society and the environment. The Cabinet will comprise six ministries and 12 Ministers supported by Members of Parliament. Although applications have closed on Nov 9, the Smålish citizens are waiting anxiously for the election results which will be revealed during their "First Parliament Session" on Nov 23 at IKEA Tampines, Level 2. The swearing-in of the first elected Småland Government will start from 10.30am - 12pm. IKEA's Småles Parliament initiative is to let children know that their opinions matter and their views are taken seriously. The projects will provide the children a chance to be involved in social and environmental issues, as well as to instill a sense of ownership. "It is important to let children know that their opinions matter and that they, even at their young age, can make a positive difference. "I am heartened to know that organisations like IKEA has taken the step to engage our children and their parents, and create opportunities for families to spend time together," said Dr Amy Khor, Mayor of the South-west District and Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources. Country Marketing Manager for Singapore, Lars Svensson said:"IKEA believes that children are the most important people in the world. Through the Småland play area and the Småland nation, we want to show our young visitors that we see them, that they matter and that we take them seriously at IKEA. "With småles Parliament and Government, we want to bring this message further and manifest it in such a way that the children can see it for themselves and also really act on it." What challenges await these newly-elected Ministers and MPs? Activities such as paper recycling programmes and animal adoption at the Singapore Zoo are just a few of the numerous exciting projects in store. Other activities include allowing them to run their own businesses at the Annual Småland Christmas Bazaar. The Smålish citizens are enthusiastic about the new Småland Government and are already making proposals and plans. "I will encourage Småles to be kind, responsible, respectful and charitable by organising a donation drive and give to the less fortunate," said 9-year-old Lim Jun Heng. Jun Heng aspires to work with the other ministers to organise events and activities to make Småland a better place and he also intends to hold an annual fun fair on "Småland National Day" and surprise birthday parties for the less fortunate. Other Småland citizens such as Elton Pang, 5 and Sean Long, 9, want to set up a library to exchange books and make Småland, as well as IKEA, more environmentally friendly. However, it's not all fun and play for these children. They will be required to attend regular minister meetings (four times a year), facilitated by IKEA and Monsters Under the Bed - a language and storytelling school. During the meeting, these young ministers can give their feedback and make decisions on issues within Småland, which is the play area in IKEA. In order to avoid conflicts, the MPs will also get to vote on the proposals from the Ministers before any action is taken in implementing it in Småland or IKEA. The upcoming minister meeting will be held on Dec 5 and they will be visiting URA to view the URA Master Plan Gallery. This will be their first opportunity at coming up with ideas for Singapore, from more bicycle lanes, to boat rides, and free medical or schooling for children to free admission to attractions on Children's Day. So mark your calendars and pop by IKEA Tampines, Level 2 on Nov 23 at 10.30am to witness the First Parliament Session of the new Småland Government! For further information, visit http://www.smales.com.sg. Love Theresa & Felicia

Smaland and PSLE Results

Dear All

Felicia wasn't elected for any ministerial post and she cried herself to sleep. She lamented that she had so many ideas for smaland. Anyway, she attended the MP parliamentary party last Sunday with her best friend Bianca. She can invite 2 friends and the other friend flew off for vacation on Sat so only 1 friend made it. It is good that the 2 girls enjoyed themselves. On hindsight, it was lucky she isn't elected otherwise we parents have to fetch them to all sorts of meeting. The 1st ministerial meeting was Sat (22Nov), then the party (23 Nov), then to URA visit (5 Dec) then visit the real parliament house (11 Dec). They are THAT serious about this ministerial thingy. Geez, the kids are only 4 - 9 years old!! The youngest, 4 - the makan minister, could hardly ascent the baby steps to go on stage to receive the appointment letter!! Anyway, the magic show was pretty good, and it kept both kids and parents meserised.

Coming to the topic of Tiffany's PSLE, I was pleasantly surprised with calls from long lost friends like Vera, Wai Meng and Phyllis, who called just to find out how did Tiffy fare. So sweet of them. 1 mother of the girls in Tiffy's school told me that this year's t-score was low, hence aggregate scores are mostly on the low side this year. I do take these news as consolation and in perspective of Tiffy's score. I just thank the Lord for such friends who I believe are sent as angels to reaffirm that Tiffy has done well in light of the "national" average. Her cousin was so sweet when she told him her aggregate score...he said "can get in express is good already lah!" Most importantly, Tiffy feels she has done very well, and indeed she has as she has improved greatly from her prelims, as did most of her friends. It was surprising that those who did well in the prelims that did not fare as well as they and their parents want to. 1 mother who didn't have her daughter in any affiliate school expected her daughter to do well like 250+ aggregate, but had 204...she is now going around the various neighbourhood schools to see which one would take her into the express stream. When I hear of such sad stories, I really thank the Lord and Mother Mary for their mercy and blessings. Today, a friend told me it's better to have a child who is average in studies and high moral values than a child with high academic achievements but with no or little moral values. I believe she's another Godsend angel speaking to me.

PLSE posting results would be out on 18 Dec 08. Please continue to help us pray that Tiffany would be able to get into St Anthony Canossian Secondary School Express Stream. The school is 1 of 3 schools this year which was awarded the Distinguished achievement award, and most likely, with the kind of aggregate levels I am hearing from kids from non-affiliate schools this year, I think competition for her school could be tough. Tiffany has confidence in herself, and that is good, but I tend to be a great "worrier" so please pray for me.

Love Theresa and Albert

Closing Date of Ikea Smaland Vote and PSLE Results Day

Dear All

Today's the closing date of voting for Felicia. It seems there was a glitch so every smaland member who voted earlier had to vote again for their vote to count. Seems like many friends' kids are not smaland members :(

Anyway, even if Felicia doesn't get voted in (she says she'll be very very sad if she doesn't get the post, poor kid) she'll still be a member of parliament. Tiffy and I told her not to get too upset as at least she has tried and that was what that counts.

Since 2 days back, Tiffany was very very worried she failed Chinese in her PSLE. Her worry caused her to have sleepless nights. Luckily it was only for about 2 or so days before today's PSLE release of results. We praise the Lord and Mother Mary for miracles! She has performed much better than her prelims (with a B for Chinese!! Yay!!) and qualifies for express stream. We pray that she'll get into her affliate school, St Anthony's Canossian Secondary which is just next door to her primary school. She had hoped to do much better to qualify to a different school like Hai Sing Catholic but we all feel she better play it safe and go back to her affliate school. Anyway, she did much better than expected and she's very pleased with her results. For us parents, we are pleased that she had improved in her grades and qualifies for express in St Ant.

There were mixed emotions in the school canteen as girls from other classes filed out to break the news to their parents. Our Tiff's class was one of the last to be released. Bert joked was it because they were the best class? Our joker Tiff saw the results slip and the highest aggregate for PSLE - 287 - was the 1st thing she saw and her eyes almost popped out of her head!! She thought she got 287 lah! Her classmate was better still - she saw the lowest aggregate score 1st of 87 on her results slip and HER eyes almost popped --- she thought she scored that low!! Ah ya, these children!! At least Tiff is optimistic by zooming in on only the good stuff?? Haha.

Anyway, this family was waiting for their daughter when she came out with her friend, teary eyed. She told her parents her results (couldn't and didn't want to hear anyway) and then the flood of tears came. Made me tear a bit too. Then she tried to smile a little. Her mum tapped her on her head. Don't know if it was tears of joy or sadness. 

One of Tiff's best friends did quite well (at least one of the better ones amongst her friends) but was emotional too as she didn't get good enough aggregate points to enter her 1st choice school. I heard that when she got home, her mum was displeased with her results. I told the poor girl that her results were pretty good and she still has some choices. I guess if a child usually does well in school, the expectations are very high whereas if they are average, if they do better than normal (although it is not fantastically high) that in itself is satisfaction for both the child and the parents. I guess in life, it's all about relativity. Those girls who are PRs and don't do 2nd language amongst her friends did so much better than Tiff in their aggregate scores. I feel it wasn't fair to those who have to juggle 4 subjects than this small group who only took 3 subjects...plus they usually sweep the top 3 positions in class because their average score is higher. The playing field is not level actually. As I usually tell Tiff life is not fair, she reiterated to me today that well, life isn't fair. Luckily for us, God IS always fair and merciful to us!

Thanks to all of you for praying for us and Tiffany! Continue to help us pray that Tiffy can get into her 1st choice school. We had already submitted our options form and pray that all will go well for her.

Love Theresa and Bert

Help Vote for Felicia!!

Dear All

Felicia is keen to be the next Prime Minister (PM)....not of S'pore lah....of Smaleland in Ikea Singapore :)

Here is the happy candidate, all smiles and ready to serve...

What she had written (those tiny words below the blue ones in the above poster) was "I will make sure that Smaland is a fun and nice place for everyone. I enjoy reading and singing. My favourite animal is the elephant and I like to eat chicken wings."

If you have kids below 12 years and are members of Smaland, please vote for her. If your kids are not Ikea's smaland members yet, you need to bring your child's birthcert (or just ezlink card?) to Ikea at either Alexandra or Tampines and apply for a passport.

Our potential PM's brief campaign poster (same as the above) will be put up on www.ikea.com.sg and Ikea Tampines from 14 Nov. Voting is opened from 14 to 20 Nov.

For your info, in case she can't be voted in as PM, her 2nd choice is Makan Minister. Kinda of cute huh??

If you can, please give her your support. She'll be appealing to her classmates tomorrow as well. I told her if she wants the post badly, she has to "campaign" and gather votes herself. So she said OK, she'll do it.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Love Theresa

My recent experience with sales people

Dear All

This morning, I had a phone call from this sales person from an financial education company for children. I had met her at the Tampines Mall rooftop playground about 2 or so months back where she approached me whilst I was watching Feli playing. I decided to hear her out as I feel anything new could be beneficial or interesting to know about. Anyway, I gave her basic info like my 2 girls' name and age and school. The course is about teaching kids money management skills. If I had remembered correctly, it's a 16h course costing a bomb of at least $500. If it was an office training programme, I'll go for it as it is considered reasonable...but for kids as an enrichment programme that comes from our pocket, it's a luxury and extravagant expenditure!

Anyway, she had been persistant in following up, and I had told her I am not interested. Don't know why these people have selected listening skills...still persist in pushing another program to me...studying skills that is offered by another section which she's not under...but being in sales line, I guess she wants the commission.

Anyway, from then on, I told me I'm busy and call me another time. Anyway, she called me yesterday and was not free to talk to her. So she called me again this morning, so as I was a bit freer, decided to listen to her. 

1st boo-boo she made was refer to Felicia by another name!! I asked her who is "Gloria"? She avoided answering me and managed to find out Feli's name. Next, she asked how Feli did for her exams. I told her she passed and when she insisted how well Feli fared, I told her I'm happy with her results. Then she asked what was her grades, and I find that kind of personal so asked her why she wanted such an info? Then she asked if Feli has tuition. I told her of course! (I believe I had already told her that before!). Then she told her if Feli wasn't doing well in studies, she should attend the study skills program. I told her her programs are too expensive and asked how did I know...I told her I had asked her before! Next biggest boo-boo which cheesed me off was she told me to drop all tuition and the money saved could pay for the study skills program and I would never ever need tuition again!! I was mad that this sales person who doesn't have children of her own and doesn't even remember much about me and the kids, who has not assessed my needs, is just too keen to push her product. I told her good-bye. Try again next year. Economy not good, so good-bye again. Then she asked if my job was affected. And I told her I'm a stay-at-home-mum, and that I had already told her that before! Still, she hung onto the phone. So I told her again good-bye and call next year lah! This is an example of a very bad sales person!! So many boo-boo and blunders. And she still had the cheek to push a product that I don't need.

Just soooo cheesed off with her! And I thought I pitied her and give her a listening ear, and she was so irritating!!!

If there's any of you in the sales line, sorry, no offence. Anyway, none of you do that to us :) I just was so irritated by her I wanted to get it off my chest! Afterall, it's not a cheap product. I believe these info can always be picked up from books and I believe there are software programs available that teach you such things anyway. Much cheaper than attending such programs where you only retain at best 60% of what you learn. 

Theresa