Third

Clarissa, my third child, and second daughter, is a real character. I think the nickname "chilli padi", while quite cliched, is probably the best one to describe her. She is a ferocious creature, and possesses more gumption than her age betrays. In front of the camera, she always puts on her best appearance, and poses for every shot. In this picture,

I was trying to get a candid shot of her eating her kueh, and she was a little sullen at the time, but the moment she caught me holding my phone in front of her, she at once smiled straight into the camera - except she was looking at the wrong end of the phone, as she did not know where the camera on the phone was exactly. Always looking the best for the camera. And always looking for a good picture. She actively asked me to take a picture of her with these chocolate cows,

just because they were pretty and cute, and i suppose she thought were worthy enough to be taken with her in the same picture.

When the camera is not on her, on the other hand, she lets loose her fierce temper without reserve, and her siblings, in particular Gareth, are often on the receiving end of her fiery wrath. She insists on getting her way all the time, and throws screaming fits when she doesn't.

I must say, though, she is unbelievably perceptive, and has such a sharp and quick-thinking mind, she often analyses the situation quickly and chooses the best available option. As a result, she gets her way out of potentially unfavourable situations more often than her siblings, in particular Gareth.

She is extremely eager to learn new things as well. Every class that we offer her, be it ballet, piano, guitar, she always grabs hungrily, and is so focused on learning at every lesson. I almost feel guilty for not being able to find the time to squeeze in more for her.

Makes it all the more important that she has the right values. She's undergoing the phase now where she's being a bit rebellious, purposely doing what she is told not to do, and is testing her boundaries by seeing how far she can go without being punished. We're going to have to manage this carefully, and it's been a challenge, but the hope of the potential she can go on to reach maintains our motivation to find the right balance.