London bridge without the Changster

Last time I went to London, I went with the Changster and we had lots of fun at the Natural History Museum, London Bridge, London Eye. Tonight, I'm on my own at the airport and will be gone for two weeks. It's the first time ever the two of us are separated for so long (almost two weeks) and everyone could smell the tension in the air from couple days ago. She cried and wanted me to stay. My heart ached and I also know she won't do it for much longer. Before I know it, she will be saying "Please mum, just drop me off two blocks away from school ppplllleeasssee?!"

I love you sweetie and I will bring something Little Mermaid related back for you. See you soon and be good!

Your child may not look like you but...

...your child is a mini-you!

Out of the group of fathers waiting anxiously outside of the delivery room, the nurses went straight to Daddy to inform him of the birth of Changster. Yep, that's how much the two look alike. I was totally convinced by the theory that babies look like the father in the first few months in their lives so that the father cannot deny the relationship.

One birthday cake after another and I came to term that Jesus didn't hear my very persistent prayer. But wait! I think Jesus did listen and granted me my wish, not quite the same as the one I hoped for but technically flawless: I wish my daughter is more like me and she does, in terms of personality! (See, be careful of what you wish for!)

Where should I start? She can get really cheeky and knows how to guide you to the answer she wants. That's not very Daddy like. She does the exact opposite of what she's told to do and I had that comment under "room for improvement" in all my report cards. I like to eat but I am also very particular about the way of how my food is prepared and she's the exact same way, even at the young age of 7 month.

She was telling us a story that she made up the other night and there were lots of weird stuff like how to make the magic potion (squid brain, squid eye balls...etc) and that the sleepy head monster was out there to eat little kids and she should be allowed to watch TV in the living room. I was pretty much the same way by telling my dad that a tree in the middle of the school yard ate children from other class and I shouldn't be sent to school.

I admit, I'm the one who told her that I fart because I eat thunder whenever there's a rainstorm (and thunder is therefore nothing to be afraid of!). I don't know if it's me influencing her or it's genetics. All I can say is it may not be obvious but children are mini-me's of the parents.

It's just a matter of time when she starts forging my siganture for sick note. Perhaps I should start signing in Chinese!

Completion 蓮香

When I was little, one highlight in my rather dull week was having dim sum very early in the morning with my grandmother on a non-school day.  It was our time together and dim sum was done the way it was meant to be - one type of tea and two choices of dim sum 一盅两件.  I was an easy to please child.  The humongous lotus seed buns with a whole salted egg yolk, packed with saturated fat and cholesterol put a big smile on my face.
 
The tea house we went to was a 500 square foot street level shop three blocks away from home.  The presentation and ordering of food was very interactive.  Diners examined the steamers stacked on a metal tray that the staff carried around.  It was loud, the tile floor was wet, and the food rustic.  It was the little dim sum world that my Grandma shared with me.  
 
I stopped going to dim sum with Grandma when I went through my rebellious teenage year.  Then Grandma passed away when I was 16.  The dingy tea house we frequented disappeared and on that very same spot, a new “luxurious apartment building” replaced the building with herbal shops, tea house and a bakery.     
 
A friend was working on a project on dim sum and we quickly formed a small group of dim sum buster to try out a list of restaurants in town.  We went to very nice places with dim sum so well made that I could imagine them being food for Kings were they made 100 years earlier.  Yet, something was missing.  The name Lin Heung popped up during one of the dim sum sessions and I was very determined to get the group to go and I got what I wished for.  The breakfast was supposed to start at 8am but I was so eager to fill the empty spot in my heart, I was there by 7:30am.
 
The place was grand compared to my little tea house.  The food, whilst old school, was not quite the same as what I had either.  I munched away and happy memories of my dim sum highlight came back.  The part when I refused to go for dim sum with Grandma could not be changed and there will always be an imperfection in my book as a result.  However, I think I know why Grandma took me.  Dim sum wasn’t just about eating your breakfast.  It was a place where everybody knows your name (Yay! Cheers!)  You learn not to waste your food and be grateful for the treat. It’s a place where Chinese people feel uninhibited to express their opinion (Boy!  It’s been so long since I last heard about the 3 years and 8 months of Japanese occupation). And you learn not to be an introvert when you need to fight for your dim sum and strangers sitting at the same table might strike up weird conversations (Oh!  This time I am not Korean with plastic surgery or FOB mainland Chinese. I am Singaporean now).  And of course, you work out the rules whilst things seem to be chaotic (important life lesson)

I am going to make it a monthly activity with the Changster and I hope she won’t tell me to “drop me off two blocks away from school and STOP following me around” when she’s 15.
 
Thank you my friends who woke up early for my rather selfish excursion

Four is no ordinary number

Number theory taught me six is the first perfect number because 1x2x3 = 6 and 1+2+3=6. As a mother, each number means something special and unique. In Feb 2011, I have "FOUR".

Changunnie, now that you are four (and a big girl as you said), I hope you will remember the following and I hope they will be useful for you in navigating through the ups and downs in life. Here's my FOUR for you

For better or worse - What exactly does it mean when people say it? To settle for the lesser? Be grateful that your situation isn't the worst? To me, it means no matter how bad the situation is, you will get over it. Your fate is in your hands and your attitude determines your action which determines the consequence. I will either be there for you or when you are older and I am not there physically, you can still download a pile of notes from me. Use your common sense, have faith in yourself and you will be fine. Trust me, you will have a smile when you look back on seemingly awful situation so long as you keep your faith and don't loose your cool.

Omnivores - Yes, be an omnivores. There are so many cliche diets on what's good and what's not for your health. In the time of Mama's grandparents, they ate lard over rice in good times and bark when they were running away from the Japanese. My grandfather lived to the ripe old age of 97. The key is balance. Do not discard any food group from your diet and of course, do not touch contaminated food. Do not chuck the egg yolk (you need that for your eyes and brain), eat a healthy amount of fat (for your skin and hair, and to protect the internal organs and your nerves) and a good chunk of veg and fruit every day (for the vitamins and the fibres to clean your AC).

Understand who you are and learn to be humble. No one is perfect and thus don't be full of yourself no matter how good you are in some area. Being an a&& do you no good. However, learn to identify one and be able to deal with them as there are tons of them around.

Respect the others. You should respect people who work hard and are honest. It doesn't mean you should agree with them all the time (this is going to be another note) but you should respect them. In a world where people have very skewed world view, it is not easy to stick with one's principle. Also, it is only through respecting people that you will benefit from other people's wisdom. Be very nice to people who serve you at shops and restaurants. Working in the service industry is tough and at times horrible. You should appreciate the help from them.

Happy birthday and let me tell you why I love to kiss you.... because I fall in love deeper with you each time I kiss you.