It's flooding, let's RUN daddy!

28-Apr-2013, Sunday.

While waiting for the roti-prata man in the coffee shop to serve our breakfast.

Daddy: "Look at the news, it's flooding at Chai Chee and that car can't even move."

小tz: "Daddy, why is it not flooding here?"

Daddy: "Because we are very far from Chai Chee."

小tz: "But daddy, Singapore is only a small red dot on the map. So Chai Chee should be very near and its going to flood here soon. Let's go home fast!"  ;p

#facepalm#

My cheeky daughter. Ok, ok... I am not a teacher. Remember?  :p

It hurts...

小tz,

Seeing you cry a week ago hurts me deeply. More than a week had passed and while you appeared to be back to your usual cheerful self the very next day, I still can't get over it that I allowed all this to happen.

If my memory is still good, that was the third time you were visibly shaken ever since you starts to be aware of the environment and understand things.

Your first happened more than a year ago resulting from a mis-communication. Mummy wasn't there to watch your mother's day performance and received your hand-made gift at school. You were strong then as your teacher had related to mummy that you did not cry, even when most of your classmates’ mummy was present, except yours. However, once you stepped out from your school bus and into the comfort of mummy's hug, you started crying non-stop. That's the first time we noticed what a strong character our little angel have. How she choose to protect her mummy, by not showing her classmates and teachers that she was disappointed and sad because her mummy wasn't present. Believed us, we are terribly sorry for that to happen. Especially mummy who thereafter,  always call your school nearing any festive season just to be sure she never miss any of your performance again.

The second incident happened during your weekend stay at grandma's house half a year ago. A small fire started at the void deck of grandma's flat that resulted in you and grandma having to evacuate during your sleep. It must be really traumatizing to witness fire, smoke, policemen, firemen and people all evacuating to safety. When I rushed over to make sure grandma and you were safe, you just keep hugging me. Only when mummy told me that you must be traumatised by the event, then the silly daddy noticed that you wanted my comfort through the hugs.

The third incident that happened a week ago set me thinking, as I witness the unfolding of the event. While you were partly at fault, I felt the intensity, the use of words, the antecedent and complexity of the adult's world was just too much for my six years old baobei. It's just not right that you were involved and at the receiving ends. Similarly to the last 2 incidents, once out of the situation and into the comfort of mummy and daddy, you cried, and cried and cried. So much emotions yet unable to express your feeling on how deeply you must be hurt. Our hearts bleed seeing that...

If I know that it would hurt you so much, I would have intervened earlier. I am sorry darling. 
:’(

Through all these events, I am pleased with you, 小tz. Your strong character, your willingness to let it all out with us and allowing us to share your feelings. However, I am also equally concern if we have enough time to assist you in developing that great character and right attitude in life.

We are and will always be there when you needed us, but what if we are no longer around? We cannot outlive you and we hope you either get a reliable life partner or become even stronger to face all those alone.

For now, while I would still wants you to have the opportunities to face life, I will try to dress it up a little so that it doesn’t hurt that badly, anymore. I promise.

Just like the photograph of the artwork I took during an event, simple, clean yet lively. That’s what a child’s life should be. Isn't it?

I became lazier, happily.

There are some changes to bus routes around my area and now, I have services just at my door step. Life just gets better for once... haha.

While taking the bus to work this morning, I was pleasantly surprise with the good customer service offered by the bus captain. He is visibly an Indian but speaks English, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay and of course his Tamil. In addition to knowing every single bus-stop the bus travels in the above languages, he is also able to cater his answer to the needs of his customer. I heard him telling a auntie carrying a market trolley in Hokkien to board the bus at the opposite bus-stop to get to the market due to the changes to the bus route, telling an old Chinese lady in Cantonese that the bus doesn't go to Chinatown anymore and assuring a Malay lady that the bus will be heading to her desired destination.

So as I said, I just became happily lazy. I am also wondering how many such good drivers are around these day.

Happy and lazy, I am.

fUn time...

Thanks to the uncle at the shop selling soya bean products, we ended up spending hours trying to fix this 3D castles he gave 小tz.
:'(

Ok, we have fun and lots of bonding building it.

"Daddy, it's not like that la..."

Fun...

Hearing a wonderful news after a day's work.

While yt and 小tz were waiting at the clinic... ...

"Mummy, since I am seeing doctor later, I ask the doctor to give you cream to apply on your nose pimple k?"

Telling me when I came back from work the other night, what I heard was not just about the sweet words that 小tz said. I heard our hearts doing that little Gangnam Style dancing, jumping with joy and delighted to have a caring daughter.

小tz is not an angel like what her teachers and our friends always told us. She throws tantrum too just like most children. But it is moment like this that assured us that our effort are seeing results, in small but firm steps toward building a character that will help her in her life.

Have a wonderful weekend guys!
:-D

Sometimes, the old ways are still better.

Shaving, I supposed to do everyday. Think north, by the way.
-_-!!!

Shaving cream, after-shave lotion, complicated and flexible twin head electric shaver? I have none.

Well... I tried those and was even thinking of going back to use those expensive stuffs, made believe to be good through heavy advertising expenditures, a year ago.
Fortunately, an article I read from the Art of Manliness (http://www.artofmanliness.com) convinced me not to and that saving equate to more bowls of my favourite herbal soup, 老火汤. Yippee!!!
;P~

Why not?

Those shaving cream and after-shave lotion are not natural, created in the lab, injected with artificial favours to make them smell nice, mixed with chemical to numb the skin, ease the pain and provide that refreshing sensation.

Oh, and have you ever tried putting your skin on a rotating fan?

Ouch!!!

That's what happened when you shave with electric shaver. The only difference is, you now have 2 or 3 tiny blades instead of one huge one. That's also the reason why cream and lotion are important. They numbed your feelings, eased your pain and provided you with that refreshing feeling after the shave. Will you be prepared to suffer without those?

Do we really need multiple cuts and induce so much friction to trim our hair?

Well, that's a no from me.

We just need a good cut using our old, reliable and tested manual shaving blade that many folks are still using.

Ultimately, it's the method that matters. Wetting the surface, allowing the moisture to soften the pores, ensuring the surface is covered with adequate soap, shaving along the growth of our hair and not against it.

Although we may not get a cleaner shave when compared to shaving against the hair growth. Do we really want to irritate our skin or worst, encourage in-grown hair?

The only problem I faced when shaving along the hair growth is that, it became almost impossible if the hair is too long. So... daily shaving is a must.
:(

Life is simple. We sometimes spend lots of effort and money hoping to impress others, or thinking it would be better. It doesn't, it just ended up being complicated.

Letter writing lesson, anyone?

小tz: "Daddy, your boat very nice, I like it. Do you like my castle?"

Me: "Thank you. Yes, your castle is nice too."

小tz: "Thank you daddy. But daddy, the way you wrote the letter 'h' is not correct. It's only 1 stroke, not 2. Come, come. See... like this. Daddy, you practice writing it again."

Me: "... ... ..."

With great power comes great responsibility

That's what Uncle Ben told Spiderman, Peter Parker before he die.

And it's just so true!

While most of us does not have the great power that Spiderman, President of USA or CEO of big corporation acquired, we do have the ability to influence the life of others around us. Our children, students, clients, colleagues and people under our care.

So in situations when our decision affect the life of others, what then should be the basis for our decision? Should our consideration for that decision be based on our own interest, the benefits of the organisation or the well-being of others whose life will be implicated by that decision?

If a fair world ever exists, your decision will hardly have any impact on others around you, as they have the options to accept or ignore your decision without any consequences. Their decision to accept your action would very much depends on their values, their relationship with you and the benefits they received in accepting your action.

But NO!

The world is never fair and there are always this group of people where their life is depended on others as they would suffer if they did not agreed to the action of others. They may be severely ill, physically and/or cognitively challenged.

"With great power comes great responsibility."

Please remember, and do consider the core of human spirit.

Picture from http://en.gtwallpaper.com/spiderman.html