You're Fired! | 2011

After several attempts on disciplining Jakjak when he does his naughty bits, I believe we have finally found a compromise between being fair and being mean. Jakjak, being an only child (for now, we hope) has been on the receiving end of spoil-dom in the last five years. Admittedly, it was not really what we had in mind. I am assuming that for the simple reason of being an only child, we had managed to give him the impression of him being a little prince (to be honest, he really is a prince). 


Over the course of the years, some trial and error, a few misunderstandings and some heart breaks, Jakjak simply must understand the consequences of his actions. We have tried to lock him up in his room when he threw a ride-on car (you know, those big plastic cars that he rides on?) when he had a tantrum. It made things worse because he kept on crying and gave us a headache. We have tried to smack him with a "pow-pow" stick on the bum when he threw a tantrum and kicked me on the ... err ... family jewels. That didn't work either because for a parent, it really will hurt you more than it hurts your child. We tried slapping his hand when he scratched his claws ... err ... fingers on his mum when he didn't want to take a bath. That didn't work because he kept on laughing. Apparently, he was ticklish with that sort of thing.


Today though, with all the "toys" available to him (PSP, X-box, Cable TV, DVD, etc.), we introduced him to the word: "grounded". We made him understand the meaning of the word and surprisingly he keeps to his word. The first time we tried it out, he was grounded for 2 days, and he did not touch any of his electronic toys for 2 days. In fact, he was borrowing the PSP from me and I was about to give it to him, he suddenly says to me: "Oops, Dad, remember, I'm grounded?", and we left the PSP to play toy cars in his room. It's a relief to finally find something that works for everyone that does not break anyone's heart.


After one TV show though, the little prince blurts out: "Dad, being fired is like being grounded right, so Dad, you're fired!" ... I was grounded from being a dad for the rest of the night. Sheesh!

Rough | 2011

One of a parent's worst day is when their child is sick. Whether it's a simple cold or a high end fever. Jakjak had been having a rough cough for almost a week. The first batch of medicine had done nothing for him, unfortunately. He is now on round 2, with antibiotics included. We're all hoping that this round he wins over the coughs.

I'm quite afraid that he would have to go see a specialist doctor if this goes on through to next week. It's not about the consultation fee or the medicine, he is covered by insurance after all. It's the burden of the cough that he has. It's not a normal cough. I can tell just by the sound of his breathing. It's difficult for me to see him suffering like this. I know what it's like because I was like what he is now when I was about his age. A stubborn kid who dislikes medicine and doctors (which translates to: your going to get worse before you get better).

We'll have to prepare an incentive for him to get better soon. At least to make him eat more and drink his meds.

Go Ahead, Milk a Cow | 2011

There are times that being crazy is the only way to get through the day. Days upon days of work and school have built up some tension within the household. It's normal for us. And it's actually normal for us to be on the edge of biting each other's ears off. And being normal, that's just how we deal with it. 

Days and nights that should be boring and non-eventful more often than not turn into nothing short of alive. Some blame it on PMS, some blame it on being burnt out of stress. It happens. The more you let stress get into your head however, the more you are likely to implode (or explode, whichever comes first). So as a family, we take time out to just let it all out. Most of the time we just eat the stress out of our system, but that really does not favor the weighing scale battle. So we look for other stuff to do.

This can be anything from going out to shop for toys (for Jakjak, of course), shoes (for Mum) and even more toys (for Dad). Of course, that's not always possible. So this list then includes, swimming in the local sports complex, playing in the park, playing some kinect games and then some. Sometimes it could even be as simple as watching a movie together or building puzzles and making art work. Being crazy does not mean having to spend much money. Spending more than enough time being crazy sometimes solves the problem of stress and boredom at the same time. So go ahead, milk a cow.

Teacher, Teacher | 2011

It has been weeks now since Jakjak started school. We have been doing our best to talk to his teachers when we can (this usually means picking him up from school on Fridays). Feedback from his homeroom teacher seems to be good. She said he was improving on a daily basis and he is not as shy as he was the first few days. She said that he now has a good friend in his partner (a young lady which he keeps forgetting the name of, and which I don't know how to spell).


The problem is with his Chinese language class. From writing to speaking, Jakjak does not seem to show any interest at all. In fact, it is probably his least liked subject. We still encourage him as best that we can. Although we really can't help much, us being non-Mandarin speaking folks as well. We're looking for options, but at the moment, it seems that he must bear with it for a little while.


When we talk to Jakjak regarding school, he is not really enthusiastic. He keeps saying he is bored. It's possible, considering the things that he is interested in learning. I mean, they don't teach you about engineering and architecture in K2 like what he watches in National Geographic and Discovery Channel. He also still has quite a bit of separation anxiety (okay, quite a lot) which explains why he keeps crying every single time his bus service picks him up from our block. 


But it's important that he learns the basics of going to school and dealing with teachers and classmates. So we support him, we encourage him and we try to motivate him. We hope that it is just that stage in one's schooling life that is keeping him from being at ease in going to school. We are now in observation mode, hoping that things turn out well for the three of us.

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.