The Best Job In The World | 2011

The best job in the world was believed to be being the caretaker of an island by the great barrier reef in Queensland, Australia. An unbelievable offer of a great pay to basically be on vacation for 6 months.

While most of us dream of such grand scale jobs, some of us are actually in the best job in the world already. Fatherhood. On a different scale, on a different approach and a different point of view, this is the best job I have ever tackled. For one thing, I don't see myself getting fired from it anytime soon, so that accounts for security. The pay is negligible but the perks are absolutely amazing. There are no sick leaves and annual leaves mean you are still working (you still have a job!). There is no overtime pay and severance pay, but there are merit increases from time to time. It's hard work, but bar none, being a father is the best job in the world.

Where else do you have to clean up after everyone in the house, put up with being expelled your own bed, do extra hours to earn a living, get psychologically attacked by purple dinosaurs and talking monkeys, be able to close your eyes every night with the satisfaction that you'll be doing it all again when you wake up tomorrow and actually look forward to doing it all over again?

 

Nowhere in my life have I ever been as happy as being a husband and a father (and sometimes a slave, sometimes as a clown, sometimes even as a super hero, and sometimes as a transforming robot).

Jakjak's Day Off | 2011

After two weeks of school, Jakjak seemed exhausted from all that studying. Like me after a few weeks of work without unwinding, it's pretty stressful. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, he would have been burned out like his dad. So we decided to give him (and ourselves) a little break.

The last day of the week was actually already a start. He loved that double decker bus ride home. So come Saturday morning, we finished up our chores (me, finishing up Jakjak's chores as well) and dressed up for a little time out. 

One of Jakjak's favorite things to do is to splash around in bodies of water. And one of his favorite places is Vivo City / Harbourfront. We've been there so many times that I don't really mind anymore that it's just about half a country away from where we live. Half a day all to himself. Wet. Playful. Happy. Relaxed. It was a quiet weekend. One we would be looking forward to more often. I just hope it's feasible.

School Surprise | 2011

It was half past four. I was in a conference call that should have ended five minutes ago. Jakjak is about to come out from school in another half hour, and I've still got a long way to go to get to school. And I have no car. The call finishes in another five minutes, I rush out of the office as fast as I can hoping to grab a cab fast and furiously. No cabs in sight (Typical irony, why are there almost always no cabs when you actually need one?). Finally flagged one from the opposite side of the street. And I would like to thank that uncle who was quick and safe on the road from getting me to Jakjak's school on time. Cheers!


At school, I tried peeking in at the small window of his last class. I couldn't see him. He was probably curled up in one corner. It's been two weeks and he still says he dislikes school. I think he does like it. What he doesn't like is being away from home, from mum and from all his toys.


He didn't expect me (nor mum) to be there as he normally goes home on a school service. So when he saw me, he lit up. I can still see his face all smiling and excited. I love that moment. He probably loved it too as he came out even while the teacher is still calling the other kids. I managed to talk to his two teachers and asked about his progress in school. At least he is warming up. He has been interacting with the other kids. They never mentioned his performance in class, but I don't doubt his skills. He already knows most of what is in the curriculum anyway, he's just as lazy as I am when it comes to studying. What concerns us is his Chinese language class. Good luck to the three of us then.

After class, we were both surprised to see a small fairground at the mall opposite the school. So we had a snack there and he had some rides. But I prepared a surprise (well, semi-prepared) for him on the way home. Because he and his mum usually take the cab back home from school, I opted to wait for a bus. He had been bugging us to catch a ride on a double decker bus for days now, and I've observed that the 28 bus is almost always a double decker. The 28 bus is one of two buses that ply the route of the school. So when he saw the bus, his eyes lit up again. He was so excited. We stepped up and sat at the top in the front. Best view in the bus, albeit a bit cramped (it was not the most comfortable seat I tell you). A few minutes later, we were home. One of the best few hours of my life.


*Sorry I don't have a photo of bus 28. I purposely did not bring my camera because I wanted to spend some daddy time with Jakjak.

Video Revolution | 2011

The first time I set my hands on a video game console, I was in secondary school. And back then, the only thing we had was Nintendo's Family Computer. Even then, the problem was apparent that the problem comes down to the number (or lack of) of available games. It was so expensive and so rare at the time that the game I played over and over was titled Battle City. All 99 levels of it done and reset to 1.


I remember the "rules" that my mum set for me and my brother all those years ago. No games on weekdays. No new games if we got bad grades. Totally no games during exam period (not even on weekends). You then find me and my brother sneaking out to the living room at 12 midnight playing Ninja Gaiden on mute.


Before Jakjak started school, he had free reign on my PSP. But all that is about to change. We are slowly removing the PSP from him while he's at school. He's still allowed on the computer, since his games are mostly educational in nature anyway. I have customized the apps on the iPod for educational entertainment as well. So far, the slow retraction of the devices are working smoothly. At the very least, the withdrawal syndrome is not that bad.


But then something came creeping along ...

Weekend Waiting | 2011

Ever since Jakjak started with school, we started to look forward to weekends even more than before. It was probably a shock for him that he now had to go somewhere else every afternoon. And it's probably more of a shock for mum to be at peace with herself while Jakjak is away at school. I am at shock because I still can't believe that Jakjak is now going to school.

As a parent, school is probably one of the pinnacle of our child's achievements. Sure, he still has a long way to go (in fact, the way school has changed it's curriculum in the last decade, he would be in school longer that I had been), but the first day and then the first week and then the first month would be a good gauge on whether one would be going to school more often (either for praise or as a subpeona). 


School has made Jakjak more tired in the afternoon than usual. He had lost some of his pep when I come home from work in the afternoon. While he still jumps at me when I get to the door, it now takes a few minutes before he grabs me and drags me to his torture chamber ... err ... play room. So the weekends are now more important to us for sitting down and "hanging out" (Jakjak's words, not mine). So even if I look forward to a quiet weekend, I now have to shrug it off and look forward to some bonding time with the little bugger.

And the last weekend had been tremendous fun for the three of us. We hung out, we walked, we ate and we basically spent the lazy weekend to ourselves. Surprisingly, it did not turn out into a shopping spree. It just became a food trip. Which is just as well, it had been a while since we had a good eat. That was Saturday. Sunday had been more laid back. A late lunch at home, some sand and wind in the playground and ice cream at the end of the day. It was a perfectly laid back weekend. No fuss, no hassles. Now, if only all our weekends can be like the last one. 

Here's looking forward to the next big day! (which is probably tomorrow)

The First Challenge | 2011

As I begin my journey into the realm of self control, I have to clear my mind. Even at work, I tried to relax my mind and not get worked up about a process that has gone awry, or a problem that just would not go away. On my way to and from work, I shrugged off my pet peeves like inconsiderate users of public transport and nasty litterbugs. I was in zen mode. 


When I got home, I was greeted by paper that had been processed by a paper shredder all over the floor, the furniture, the hamster and all over Jakjak as well. I thought I was going to die. One thing that frustrates me the most, is a mess. A bloody good mess. 

Luckily for me, I have a very understanding wife that had intervened. And as my son frolicked around swimming in the sea of shredded paper, I breathed deeply and just enjoyed the view. He was having so much fun that I just could not bear to get cross. I know I'm still going to be the one to clean that mess (which is why I don't like messes in the first place), but that had to wait until the next day. In fact, Jakjak was having so much fun that I just decided to snap away some pictures of the mess along with him. This misdirection had worked to get my mind off the clean up duty. 

When I cleaned it all up the next day, I even put away some of the paper for him to be able to play with it again. Thankfully, he has not bothered since to spread it all across the floor.

Today is the Day | 2011

"Today is the day that I will do ..."


For the more lazy crowd, it starts with "This year is the year ...", but honestly, these resolutions, do they ever resolve anything? 


From what I have observed (from personal experience), these change-for-the-better thoughts that we have happen instantaneously. They also happen to fade in the same way. Which is why I am going to experiment. I have often told myself to do this instead of that or to eat this instead of that. But the problem is, I don't really follow through. It happens for a few days, sometimes weeks and then it fades away. I find this is because I do not see a goal in sight, or if there is a goal, it is rather vague. 


All the things I have intended to do is for the sake of my family. I would like to live long enough to see Jakjak through the years and have a grandchild (or two). I would like to provide my family with enough wealth to live content and still be able to share with the needy. I would like to own a McLaren F1 (hey, it's the only supercar I know that has 3 seats) and bring them on a road trip. I would like to do so many things. But sometimes you have to accept the fact, that people age. Jakjak is all grown up now going to school and I am getting wrinkles and white hair. 

So the experiment goes like this. For whatever goal I have, be it big or small, it goes in here. On the blog. I would like to see the results. As tangible as possible. Because I believe that if we do this (see the results), we would find encouragement to continue, or even do better. First up on my list ... is anger management (sigh, I can almost see myself failing this miserably).

Joyride | 2011

Back in my day, there had always been these coin-op ride-on machines in some of the most inaccessible places (like a Casino in Baguio for one). It had been very scarce an you really had to go out of your way to get to one, or if I was lucky, we would be going to a place where it is a side treat.

When we left for Singapore, these coin-op ride-on machines have already proliferated even to our remote haven. Albeit they were located within shopping malls, they were pretty much accessible (and cheap as well). I remember having ridden one and I personally do not find any appeal in these machines (I mean, you sit on it and it rocks forward and backwards and cost some ten pesos back when ten pesos could get you a decent meal and it came with the most annoying music no less).


Jakjak, for the most part is in it for his imagination. He would ride on, but he would not always slot a coin in it (probably because he realized that there is actually no point in rocking back and forth). He would rather pretend to drive around picking up passengers and going to the supermarket. He also almost always would break down and he has to go down and "fix" his car. These things have evolved throughout the years. They now have better soundtracks and some even have TV screens and interactive buttons in them. In a time when COE prices are soaring, maybe it's time to get myself one of these.


Disclaimer: Please note that Hello Kitty is not the only coin-op ride-on car near our place and is not in any way Jakjak's favorite.

Chillin' | 2011

After two days of school, Jakjak decided to just hang out and chill. He had the right idea actually. 

Work, on my part, can be really stressful. I always looked forward to coming home to a relaxing day with Jakjak and Judy. But sometimes, even that does not seem possible. And that's when I usually blow my top. I am really bad at handling stress, and sometimes it's Jakjak that gets to be on the receiving end, which is why I am trying my best to get that stress out of my system as fast as possible.


As a father, I can't afford for my son to keep on seeing me as a harassment. I want him to respect me as an authority figure, but at the same time, I don't want him to do it out of fear. It's this striking a balance that sometimes gets frustrating because Jakjak's thin line, is not so thin. I know he understands what I'm trying to say most of the time, but he still manages to push the wrong buttons (whether intentionally or not, I can't really tell). 


By far, this will be one of my greatest challenges as a father. But I am going to succeed in this. I want Jakjak to grow up as a gentleman, with respect and with the right state of mind.

School Blues | 2011

We just took Jakjak to school.


Well, technically, it was the teacher-parent orientation at the school. And while it was not a complete disaster, some of my fears were realized. Jakjak was taking after my side of being shy. It does not usually take him long to warm up to people, especially our friends., but there must be something about school that makes him weary and shy. He is not shy in the playground, nor at the beach, not even at the library. So why is there a shyness that overcomes him at school?


The school itself was pretty basic pre-school. In all honesty, Jakjak has already learned a lot of the things that will be taught in school from his grandmothers that were both teachers back home. The only difference would be that he would finally have classmates. Some sort of social feedback that he had been lacking for a few odd years. It would be good for him, surely. But until he warms up to the concept of what school is all about, we would have to wait and see.

Hopefully, he learns to un-cling himself from his mother when he sees how the school operates on Thursday.

Twenty Eleven | 2011

Happy New Year! 


Wow! Jakjak is now five years old (he turned five last November 24, 2010). We're all looking forward to a great new year ahead. 


Jakjak would be going to school this year. K2. It would be the first time he would be away from home (for a few hours per day) and honestly, I feel a bit of anxiety. I've been so used to having Jakjak at home and teaching him as we play, and now it feels like he's all grown up. I'm also concerned about his well being in school. He is, after all, an alien in this world. We're hoping that we have taught him enough to hold his head high and not be a bully. We would rather see him recognized by his teachers and classmates for his achievements rather than rude behavior. I miss him already.


We're also looking at a year when Jakjak becomes eager to get into things that he was not exposed to at home. He would have new friends and classmates who have interests that are different from him. I wonder what he would be led into, what would pique his curiosity. I also wonder how he would be affected by his peers thoughts, actions and language as well. We hope he would influence them, rather than the other way around. Especially the way that he talks (no Singlish, please!)!


Judy would probably be bored to her wits when Jakjak starts school. But at least she would have time to do some things that does not involve the little rugrat all the time. She said she wants to bake. I take it now is the best time while the distraction is off at school. Who knows, she may have something cooking up her sleeves that we never knew about.


Me, on the other hand, need to re-think my strategy. All these changes may not look like it would be affecting me and the way that I work or live my life for Judy and Jakjak. But it does. And I know for a fact that with the way I think and live my world, it would be a very stressful first quarter of the year.


But hey, life is what we're looking forward to. Let's live it!