It’s Almost Halloween…

Halloween decorations are in… Ocean Park and various other amusement parks will probably be having some cool events for the youth population again, like they do every year.

And people dress up too… Best costume I’ve seen was the teenaged girl  enjoying the Ocean Park ghoul rides dressed as the traditional evil spirit under an umbrella (Pei Pah Ching I think they call it) – elaborate period chinese costume complete right down to the shoes, plus an old chinese parasol, and all the white makeup

Rockstar refused to stand anywhere near the spiders so he’s standing just outside the frame while I get this shot of some of the decorations newly put up around our development.

For School Dress Up Day in 2 weeks, Rockstar wants to be a policeman, after briefly considering the fireman costume: “It looks hot. No, I want policeman then.”

It’s going to be my first attempt at volunteering for the school and us volunteers meet today at the Hong Kong Cricket Club. The Year 2s had several mums  (led by a mum who was an event organizer) who wanted more activities, so they rolled up their sleeves and organized ‘em themselves. Zero budget from the school. They pay first, split up among all the mums, absorb the difference.

When the school suggested Year 1 mums follow their lead, me and another working mum raised our hands (do they still do that in the schools?)

I’m thinking about what I should wear.

What, you thought people only put on “costumes” for Halloween?

Really?

You have another think coming. Many of us “dress up” a lot more than that.  We do it for work to be taken seriously, and when we don’t work, we do it to be taken seriously.

I wear my diamonds when I’m hanging around our housing development (I bother less, when I’m shopping or hanging out with friends). And I’m definitely not the only mum chasing their rockstar on his bike or scrambling up some toddler gym with her diamonds on. Seriously – beautiful, antique looking engagement rings, classic Tiffany 3-stone rings with the sapphire side stones, Big Fat Rock rings, you see em all.

(Why? Didn’t ask the other mums, but I’m doing it because sometimes an idiot guard or receptionist mistakes me for a helper when I’m walking JD and gives me a hard time (much to the amusement of ex-colleagues I relay this to):

“It is the rule to muzzle your dog in this development. Oh, she’s wearing a muzzle? Well, you need to change it because the dog is black and the muzzle is black.”

“Yes, I can see you have now sewed a pink ribbon onto the black muzzle. However, I can now also see the dog is panting heavily despite having it on. That must mean you have not tightened the muzzle sufficiently.”

“Are you even 30, to get to live in a place like this?”

Welcome to the concept of “F* O* Diamonds.” Wear them, and you don’t have to say that to people. F* O*, I mean

I like a drugstore fake tan on occasion. However porcelain fair skin is highly prized among North Asians, there is absolutely no market for “hitam manis”. So if you’re darker and not a Sarong Party Girl or on a Gwailo’s arm, you must be the maid.)

AND THEN –

I’m going to put myself out there and say mums judge each other.

(Fine, You Who Do Not Judge, you’re a better person than I am. Happy?)

It’s like telling yourself not to think of Mc Donald’s French fries when you’re on a diet. Or Double Fudge Sundaes. Or Starbucks Grande Caramel Lattes with the whipped cream on top. Or a Bailey’s. Snickers. Mars Bars. Oooo Kit Kat.

It’s reflex. Human nature. We stop judging when we’re 6 feet underground. Or in an urn.

Sitting and waiting together for the principal to arrive and give us an introductory talk as mums of the new kids, WE JUDGE.

In the holding room before our group of toddlers begin their evaluation interviews, WE JUDGE.

When another mum is totally dressed to the nines and clicking after her toddler in 4-inch heels, WE JUDGE.

When the other mum is on the cellphone and doesn’t see her toddler clambering up the barricade until he topples over the top and starts bawling, WE JUDGE.

So I put on my “appropriate Mummy outfit” today – preppy Ralph Lauren or some other collared shirt, no wide neckline (many mums of toddlers would have learned the hard way that no matter how trendy you wanna dress, you can’t wear a wide neckline because you will forever be flashing everyone as you bend over to tend to your toddler), nice flats – except Rockstar isn’t even with me today.

And why am I not at all surprised every single mum at the meeting is swishing on an iPhone to keep up with the school emails, health notices and what not? Oh, and we’ve all downloaded software like ABC Balloon Pop for our kids…

Viva la Halloween. When everyone comes clean about putting on costumes.

And you have an actual excuse for eating multiple Kit Kats.