Sprint, Run, Dash

NOTE: The recent policy changes by Google has left me thinking about the proprietary rights of my work. This is the reason why there has been a pause in my blog. I am still not convinced if these changes have (or have not) actually made Google "evil", but I am currently taking precautions. Whethere it is called for or not. This is only temporary and I shall resume regular blogging in due time.

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A few months ago, while I was registering Jakjak for the Cold Storage Kid's Run, I asked him if he wanted me to run with him as in prevous runs. To my surprise, he told me he wanted to run on his own. It was good, really, I told myself. At the time, I felt proud that he was being independent and competitive. I knew that he was growing up (a bit faster than I was hoping for). And at the sale time, I felt a bit of a worry. The kind of worry that dad's have watching their children grow up. I was worried that he might not be as old as he thought he was to run on his own, I was worried that he might feel alone and scared during his run, I was worried about a lot of things. It's not because I don't think he could do it, it's just that I was afraid that he might not cope with not being the best in case he does not win.

The weeks poured on and we forgot all about training and practice. We would eventually end up running short sprints as we were playing tag, but never any real distance running. And before we knew it, it was race day.

The morning did not turn out as calm as we were hoping for. Being earlier than 9, it wasn't really our best "waking hour". So we all struggled to get ourselves straightened out and ready for the race. We got there, eventually, with a few minutes to spare (and thankfully, no more grumpy people with us). The pep talk only began as we were settling in. By that time, Jakjak had already been fully awake and aware of his surroundings. We reminded him that he may not be able see us during the race because parents are no longer allowed to run the track in the category that he was in. We told him that we would be at the finish line waiting for him. We also told him to do his best, and that no matter what, he should have fun.

It took a while for us to find him in the batch he was running with, but once we did, and we acknowledged him running, it was all out. He was smiling all the way. I could see him getting tired (we never really trained for running) but I could also see his determination in finishing the race. All the marshalls were cheering everybody on and I was running along the sides with a camera and bag in tow. I never realized how long 800m was until that day. We reached the finish line. Well, Jakjak did. I walked my way to the finish line in the last few meters, he managed to sprint ahead of a few more kids. It was like he had been saving his speed until the last minute. It was great, he made us real proud.

At the pick up point, this is what he said: "Dad, I did not win. But I did my best". All this with a smile on his face (although I could tell that he was a bit disappointed). I didn't know if it was tears or sweat that was making my eyes water at that moment. My little baby, is not so little anymore.

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All my fears of him falling down during the race was gone the moment he crossed that finish line. He could be careless at times, which is why I am always uneasy when he is alone. Of course, being Jakjak, he did get into a small accident after the race. We were simply resting and catching our breath when he got caught in a safety net and tripped. Well, you can't win it all. 

The Titanic Obsession

Yes, it is in fact true. We went back to the ArtScience Museum to bring Jakjak to the Titanic exhibition. We did this right after watching Wicked, but in his mind, it was the Titanic that he was thinking about. In fact, when he saw the white lotus shaped building, he immediately started shouting "Titanic! Titanic!".

Ever since the first time we went to see it, Jakjak has been obsessed with the ship. We thought that the second time he saw it, he would finally be content and it would die out. I guess not. He sees pieces of the Titanic in everyday things. Even the small things like how a hallway looks and how a seat or a lamp looks like the one on the Titanic. All his toys now have to be broken in half to simulate the separation of the Titanic's bow from it's stern.

We have almost completed a project together which is a paper mache model of the Titanic. Initially, it was going to be a static model, but now it is one where the funnels break off from the ship. Thankfully, what we built seems to be strong enough to take the abuse. All that's left is to put in little details and then it sets sail.

He also has a copy of National Geographic's Titanic centennial edition. He has watched every Titanic related show on History channel and Nat Geo. He even watched, and finished, the James Cameron movie of Titanic (which runs slightly above 2 hours!). Every now and then he mentions the ship, the artifacts he saw, the stories he has heard, the video clips that he has seen. This, I believe, is obsession.

UPDATE: The Titanic paper mache we have been building is completed halfway except for the four funnels, which, apparently always gets "misplaced". We now also have a 3D puzzle version of the Titanic which we recently got from BHG.

*Jakjak himself took this picture complete with backdrop. :)

Adventure Day At Universal Studios Singapore | 2012

Just like when Enchanted Kingdom opened in the Philippines all those years ago, we weren't that excited when Universal Studios Singapore opened in October 2009. It was not because we were not interested nor were we too eager to go there. It's just that feeling of "it's right there in my backyard, so what's the rush", right?

Well, the time finally came that we had time and expenses to spare to go to Universal Studios Singapore. And we went with cousins and family, which made the trip more fun for everyone.

When you have a child, there are some priorities that you need to consider when going to theme parks. On this instance, you realize that not all rides are kid friendly. Flashback to a few years back, Jakjak barely reached the minimum height for the rides at Escape theme park in Pasir Ris. It wasn't a pretty sight seeing him sad and disappointed. So this time, I had hoped that he would be able to ride most of the attractions at Universal (and thankfully, he is! and most rides will allow smaller children to ride with an adult companion).


First stop then, Madagascar. It was a water raft ride where you go on board a raft and watch Madagascar come to life with Alex, Gloria, Marty, Melman and the penguins. Entertaining, but definitely kidstuff. 

Transformers, The Ride was up next. We expected the queue to be long, and it is but it was acceptable. Plus the kids did get to push buttons and hit switches while waiting in line so it wasn't at all that boring. Action packed 4D awesomeness. We all enjoyed it. Jakjak and Andrae (his cousin) enjoyed it so much that they had another go at it (and they also figured out that there were 3D glasses for children).

A dizzying Accelerator ride with the kids and Revenge of the Mummy coaster for the adults later and most of us were already pretty stumped. The heat does that to you, I guess.

We soon arrived at Jurassic Park where a flying Pteranadon ride called Dino-soarin' gave the youngest of our pack their first ride (we brought along 1yo twins!). Fun, but again, kidstuff, even by Jakjak's standards. It was the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure that took the heat off our bodies though. Literally. As the warning sign at the ride entrance says "you will get wet, possibly soaked". They weren't kidding. Ponchos were available to buy, but we were there to get wet, and we did. The combination of action, suspense, darkness and getting wet was all good. The best ride for us thus far (yes, even better than Transformers). I am no theme park expert, but these rides are real and beat altered reality (3D and 4D) rides by a margin.

The drying pod didn't do us any good, so we lined up for the next ride that we thought might do the trick, the Canopy Flyer. It wasn't really a roller coaster, but you sit on a canopy, feet dangling over air and it wasn't really slow. Not at all. Fun and tame for adults, but exciting enough for kids at 122cm (and above). That was the last ride for the day though. The park closed it's doors as it was getting dark. Seven o'clock was the final call.

We ended the day taking more pictures. With lunch, snacks and ice cream thrown in between. That, and lots of liquid and fans. A little bit of shopping (we did get vouchers with our tickets after all), a good hearty dinner and it was lights out (if only we lived a tad bit nearer). It's interesting to note that you can have tons of fun with your kids here, although it doesn't come cheap. You can consider multiple trips with an annual pass, which is not cheap outright. However, if you take 3 or more trips and don't mind the queue, then it is well worth the price it is offered at.

Remembering The Titanic | 2012

The Singapore ArtScience Museum is holding a Titanic Artifact Exhibit. This will run until the 29th of April 2012. More information here: http://titanic.sg/.

We took Jakjak to the exhibit while we were there at Marina Bay Sands. It was a spontaneous thing as we didn't actually have any plans at all that Saturday. It just so happened that the trip to MBS now has become more convenient for us thanks to the Circle Line. The reason we went to MBS was to give Jakjak a gondola ride at the river floor. A ride we missed the week we were there for the iLight Marina Bay light exhibits. It was just for us to let of some steam and Jakjak certainly enjoyed the short roundabout trip on the gondola. 

As we were roaming around the bay area, taking in the cool breeze, taking photo breaks while Jakjak was running around, we came to the ArtScience Museum. We saw the posters of the Titanic exhibition and the model ship displayed at The Shoppes, but we weren't really paying that much attention. We figured, if it's free, why not go in and explore? Well, it wasn't free. But my wife bought the three of us tickets to go in anyway. Unfortunately, photography is strictly prohibited inside the hall. Not that it would have been very easy to do it in the dark anyway, but it would have been nice to get some souvenirs.

We were given our boarding passes as we entered the RMS Titanic. There were rusty remnants of what was salvaged off the great ship. Some of them as big as furniture for your home (It was the darkness in the hall that was eerie though). You walk through the re-made halls and rooms, areas that were created to mimic the real ship. And those small areas of the exhibit did make you feel like you were on board the RMS Titanic. Even the grand staircase was replicated and you were allowed to have your picture taken there, officially with the exhibit's photographer of course, which we did not go for. As you sift through the artifacts recovered from first class, you are then whisked away into third class where the difference between bunks and rooms are like night and day. And again you get to see artifacts recovered from the ship. You get to see parts of the ship that were torn off, the passenger's belongings that were found in their suitcases and cabins, the cargo that the ship was carrying as it made it's way to New York and other bits and pieces. The eeriest part was the deck of the ship where there is nothing but dark starlit sky outside. It was a great display and it really gave me goosebumps. It was like the exhibit brought with it the spirit of the Titanic, and it was the sadness of the tragedy that you feel through.

At the end, there was an iceberg which explained how most people died from hypothermia rather than drowning. And the passenger list where you can try finding the person that was on the boarding pass that was given to you at the start of the exhibit. In the passenger manifesto, mum's boarding pass holder survived, and those that were with me and Jakjak died. Ironically, the one that survived was in first class. And this is what Jakjak wrote on the journal: "My dad and I died! But my mom survived". 

The aftermath of it all was intense. Ever since that day, Jakjak has been obsessed with information about the Titanic. He has been through dozens of YouTube videos from National Geographic and Discovery Channel and even the film and parodies of the movie Titanic (you know, the one with Leo Dicaprio and Kate Winselt?). He now even talks about the RMS Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic. Day in and day out, one (or more) of his conversations will include facts and questions about the Titanic. He has been asking us to bring him back to the exhibit, and we just might. To get him answers and maybe he would finally let the Titanic rest in peace. And maybe so that he would stop singing Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" (The Titanic movie's them song).

Dad's Rude Awakening | 2012

We go on and on about the nice things in our lives.
We go on and on about how hard we worked to get to where we are.
We go on and on about the challenges we overcame to accomplish something great.


Today, my son sent me a recording. 


He was telling his mum about how I broke his heart when I got angry cleaning up his mess. Now, Jakjak's mess is there everyday. It's all over the house, and that's normal for us. I tell him to clean up every chance I get, but I end up doing it anyway. While I don't exactly really get mad, I do get terribly emotional and tend to show that I am not pleased with what I have to do. Jakjak reacts to this differently on different occasions. Sometimes he just doesn't mind me, sometimes he just talks and talks, and sometimes he helps me clean up. (Of course, it isn't all about the mess)


What I didn't know was how this attitude of mine was affecting him. And while he admitted that he gets hurt, he hasn't told me about it. He only tells his mum about things like these. And it doesn't feel right. I have always wanted my son to be able to talk to me, to be able to tell me things. Not just now, but as he grows up. Because I was never like that with my dad. And I wanted to change that with Jakjak. I need to.


I write this because I know that most of us think that we are doing our best in raising our children. I write this because I thought I was doing a darn good job of being a good dad. But in all the effort of keeping things in perspective, in giving our families the best of what we can, we sometimes forget the little stuff that really matters. Listening to our little one's silent voices.

The Lorax and a Hundred Monggo Seeds | 2012

We have just come home from watching the movie adaptation of The Lorax.


We have been reading Dr. Seuss books to Jakjak for quite a while now. In fact, the time has already come that Jakjak has started reading on his own (and I mean, really read and not just pretend reading). As with the majority of Dr. Seuss books, The Lorax is one of those that engages a child's imagination and yet subliminally injects little lessons in life that is meant to help a child in developing good habits.

We enjoyed reading the Lorax, so much in fact, that there was a time that Jakjak would only ask us to read it for weeks as his bedtime story. Of course, that being said, we were especially excited when the movie trailer was shown for The Lorax. We already knew what to expect, because of the adaptation of Horton Hears a Who. Adaptations of books don't necessarily have to be the exact narration of the book. And we were right. It was a good interpretation of a classic, and by no means was it half baked. Still, we were (and still are) fans of the actual book and we kind of expected more. But then again, it is not a mere adaptation, it is more of an update. I mean, the book was first published in 1972 after all. And to appeal to today's audience means it needs to be 21st century material, and that effort paid off with a well made Lorax movie.


Well, now it is Jakjak who speaks for the trees. And he says that we would need to plant more seeds that turn into trees. But we only seem to have monggo seeds at home, and that means we have to plant hundreds of monggo seeds. And so now we go home to plant seeds for the Brown Barba-loots, the Humming-Fish and the Swomee-Swans. I just hope that this upcoming generation will be taught about the importance of nature in time to save Gaea.

Athletically Speaking | 2012

I vaguely remember parts of my childhood. Not because I have forgotten, but because I chose to forget. In particular, I chose to forget about my history as a sportsman. This is because I was never one. I was nothing more than a bench warmer. I sucked at sports. After all these years, the only sport I have ever attempted to excel at is playing video games. But I'm now getting in over my head. This isn't about me, this is about Jakjak being a sportsman.


Jakjak's school recently held Junior Olympic Day. It's a closed school event, but with mum playing the role of a parent volunteer (PV), she had access to the event, the children, the teachers and this gave her the opportunity to try her hand out at being a soccer-mom.


As sports events go for primary schools, it's not all about championships and beating your opponent to a pulp. It's more about the children exerting effort and fostering teamwork. And that's what the children did, and they had fun while doing it. Of course, the parents of the kids doing volunteer work were probably cheering their own like crazy to win. And because there were a number of PVs there, some of the events made for teacher-student became parent-student events instead.

At the end of the day, Jakjak and his "team" brought home gold trophies for being the champion at P1 football, and mum and Jakjak also brought home a medal each for taking 3rd place in a parent-student event of stick-ball (gotta remember that he took home 3rd for Chapteh last year at K2 as well). Carelessly clumsy at times, when he is in control of his body movements, he seems to be an excellent athlete. The future is bright for this kid. 

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