Raising Rockstar

1) School Lunches Around The World.

Pike fish, green beans and Parisian mushrooms – no wonder he’s willing to be photographed with the food haha

In Rawalpindi, Pakistan, a school principal is quoted as saying, “If we discover that a child has junk food, we ask his or her parents to please make a little effort for their child’s health.” Ouch. But not uncommon, nowadays – when did we ever have this during our time in school (though I do remember the government-issued milk packets and teeth brushing), now there are even “fruit-only” snack breaks in some schools, and whole learning units about healthy eating and the consequences of our choices…

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2) I knew it! 😀 All dogs go to Heaven, at least that’s how some people are interpreting the Pope’s latest remarks on the subject…

Cool guy.

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3) Not a link, “just” an opinion:

“As a Muslim I’m not going to apologize on behalf of the moronic man who took hostages in Sydney nor the Taliban who just massacred innocent children ‘coz I don’t see them as fellow Muslim brothers but as blady demons…” (Bahasa baku spelling for “bloody”?) Lotsa likes on her Facebook comment, some of whom I recognize as our Muslim and Buddhist/Taoist schoolmates… My best friend from secondary school always was pretty feisty 😀

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4) Scratch or bite by rare Aussie bat can apparently kill you even years later. It’s called Lyssavirus, is similar to rabies, and far as I know bats don’t like to be messed with anyways so I don’t suppose the Bat People are going to come after me for saying don’t play with them. (Even found one clinging to a shower stall in my dorm in Singapore – afraid it was lost, gently scraped it off with a piece of cardboard and went to put it outside. Had close enough look at fangs, claws and facial expression to get the hint – they really don’t like being handled.)

Growf. (pic of common vampire bat from national geographic)

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5) Bu-ut… Reptiles Too, Can Be Cute.

No Caption Necessary

Tee Hee.

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6) Public service message: What To Say If An Interviewer Asks If You Have Kids.

Really liked the suggested answer:

“Perhaps you’re asking if I’m focused on my work, can travel, or handle late hours. I can tell you that I have a very strong work ethic, regardless of what happens in my family life, and feel I can contribute a lot, particularly in the [xyz] area. I would like to know more about your goals for xyz.”

Why it’s here is because I don’t think I did that well when asked a version of this. Not too long after Rockstar was born (I went back to work a bit under 3 months after having him) I had a new boss. My boss and reporting line changed about 5 times in 3 years which, at this particular bank, appears to be quite “normal” for them and so my new boss was “interviewing” me, in the process also telling me his expectations and vision… I said “The budget (i.e. P/L target) is fine, I should be able to meet that (I did)…. just don’t give me a leadership position. (After I meet target each day), I would like to go home to my young son whom I’m still nursing.” (Ok fine, pumping milk for.)

Another senior boss had also reminded me to watch my stress and aggro levels when I got back or it might affect my breast milk. He said he’d seen it happen with his own wife when they’d had their two (now grown) kids. Both these bosses were fathers. Thing is, I’m pretty sure while they wanted their wives to put parenting (of their children) first, it’s very difficult when it’s your subordinate. I don’t mean to say it in a bad way or anything, just that this one is a toughie..

On my part, I was also a naive first-time working mother – I assumed being good enough would be enough. It’s not really. Not everyone is going to “get” that. (The ones that “got” it were high-achieving female bosses who were also mums. No matter how demanding – and this boss had a rep in the market for being demanding – if I performed, I could tell her I was off home to Rockstar. Sure, I’d get an email at midnight expecting an answer by 8am. But if I answered (and I did, because I had 90 mins to pump milk and check the blackberry) she was fine.)

My mistake was assuming everyone who is a parent could see it like this beloved mummy boss of mine could. They can’t, a bit of appearance still matters – in fact it probably matters more if you have a pretty doting father as a senior boss because then he probably remembers how he would want his own wife to give up some work stuff to focus on his children and then he’s gonna look at you and possibly assume……………..! 😀 (Ok, I’m aware this entire thing I just typed is just horribly politically incorrect and please dads, don’t scream at me, I’m just saying I’ve had dad bosses who really were like that. They even said so. Not that every household is like that, but if one parent (I didn’t say dad!) is super gung ho at work they probably expect/prefer the other parent to erm, not also be cos otherwise who’s going to parent the kids…)

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7) The Rise Of Extreme Daycare. This is really sad. It’s not for super career-focussed parents (in fact, you might have noticed a rising trend in people who can afford it choosing to stay home with kids), more like those who can’t make ends meet unless they work round the clock – double Home Depot shifts, stuff like that.

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8) JD has the skit for a change, with a little help from the Miss, titled Look Ma, No Hands! 

“Oh, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!”

“Ta-raaa! I shall balance my Little Human on my head!”

“Who needs hands?”

Ugh sorry. I wanted to post a some pics with JD’s smile. Good weekend dears, will do a really funny Rockstarism next. (Not necessarily funny haha)

1) The Fall of Christmas, by The Very Worst Missionary. She does mission trips, writes in a way I can only wish I did……. and was once a teen mum.

“…… I learned a long time ago to hold loosely to the things of this world, possessions and people both, to the degree that I honestly worry it’s too easy for me to let go of the things I love….. For me, it’s easier to pretend not to be sad than to be sad…”

It fell over. Literally, metaphorically…

“…Jesus didn’t come to fix it all.  He came to be with us in it all.”

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2) An Ebola Doctor’s Return From The Edge Of Death. (He HOPED he had Malaria…) 

In my former life I used to consider mission trips a good way to “detox,” between bank jobs. (As in, being in a place with people less fortunate than yourself – the real ones, not the ones who pretend to be – makes you feel rather ashamed of most of the stuff you whine about every day in your part of the world. Figured it was very good perspective-management before commencing a new job, a new chapter.) Yet even then, those in my mind were of the help-in-orphanage or help-teach-English sort in China or Vietnam. (Having to start new jobs, or finding myself pregnant got in the way – I have never been on a mission trip; and The Purpose Driven Life then gave me the idea my calling might be elsewhere. You know how your experiences, especially the tough ones, are meant as Refiner’s Fire to prepare you for what He plans for you…?)

What I can barely fathom is the incredible selflessness of health workers, doctors who, instead of a cushy private practice choose to risk their lives in areas of specialization like infectious diseases. (Ditto the SARS health workers, when I finally stumbled upon their memorial in a beautifully peaceful part of Hong Kong park.) Many of them have worked hard, gone to school way longer than I have – only to come out and have a bright future of their choosing – risking their lives for others.

What kind of people must they be? 

Dr Ian Crozier

““Anyone who was on the ground in Africa and not in West Africa, you would think, maybe we’re missing the bus, missing something remarkable.” …………“And my skills meet the need.”…..”

“…….Dr. Crozier signed on with the World Health Organization — expenses only, no pay………”

“……there were warning signs early on that Dr. Crozier might become severely ill. The viral load in his blood was extremely high, more than 100 times that of the other patients Emory had treated.”

Even as he surprised everyone and recovered, “…“I thought we’d be discharging him to a nursing home as a cognitively impaired person,” said Dr. Colleen Kraft, one of his doctors….”

Guess what he did next? Yup.

“There’s still a great deal left to be done,” he said.

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3) Things You Believed In Your 20s That Just Aren’t True

Could be here solely for #3: Being Good At School Means You’ll Be Good At Work.  In other words, a good student does not a good professional/ worker make. Very true on oh-so-many levels and the reason I care oh-so-much about the Rockstars’ character and social development. You need some academics sure, but people skills are hugely under-rated compared to academics, I believe.

And yet… #5 – (Not) everyone has to like you. Painfully and sadly true. I wanted so badly to be liked, to have lots and lots of friends growing up. Then I grew up and learned that my RMs will infinitely forgive me not going out drinking with them if I still made them and their clients money. One of the biggest privileges I came to value about being good at one’s job (former. Job.) is the prerogative to say no to getting drunk or whatever, to make my RMs like me. (Oh, and I have some really good “foul-weather friends” – everyone reschedules and reschedules around work (and now kids) and we can don’t see each other for months. Maybe even years, especially for those in different cities. But if you’re in trouble, i.e. the weather is “foul” – that’s when their schedule is wide open. I hope I’m a few people’s “foul-weather friend” too.)

Oh, and one more: #8: Competition is more important than collaboration. Yeah I really consider this one so not true. This is one thing I learned from 3 bank mergers (I don’t want to use the word “surviving” because it gives the impression you don’t get slapped around. You still do. (And how.) But in the office people all have to work with someone. That can be you, or that can be your so-called competitor. I would think you’d prefer it to be you. So always be the best you can be, the nicest you can be……. without people taking kindness for weakness. Nope, not an easy balance. But loyalty is under-rated. I had one very much respected yet no-nonsense boss (who btw quit the investment banking market for 4 years to have 2 kids – who went on to top and almost-top the Hong Kong public secondary school exams) who chose loyalty over sheer ability/ ambition (but of course you need some ability and ambition).

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4) OK too many words. So let’s do Vet Makes Wheelchair For Disabled Tortoise Out Of Son’s Lego.

‘Nuff said.

SO simple – tortoise has weakened legs due to growth disease

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5) Another creative one: Graphic Artist And His 2D Painted As 3D Creations. This is kinda fun – Rockstar’s been doing 2D vs 3D in school for math…

Rockstar would say the difference between 2D and 3D is volume. Ergo, how you paint this stuff theoretically is by faking volume in the 2D picture. But really why it’s here is because this painter has never had art lessons, and he left school at 15. “I think everyone is capable of anything – you just really need to want to do it…”

(Of course, you have to find something you want to do…)

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6) This week The Rockstars star in Sometimes It’s Just Really Hard To Get One’s Baby Sister Out Of The Coffee Table.

Like so…

“Maybe if I used a ‘Bis-kit’?”

(Don’t you know it…!) 

Gonna shoot this out quickly; the kids are taking turns at being sick – Rockstar had a blocked sinus that led to infected tear ducts (not very contagious because it’s a mostly internal infection) and had to be out of school to see the doctor – which is relatively rare, for a child who tries not to touch his face with his hands to cut down the chance of being sick… And now the Miss has a cough that keeps her up at night…

Good weekend dears. Will write again when I’m conscious coherent soon. I hope. 

1) Because cute animal pictures trump anything I could possibly have to say… always. Animals Seeing Snow For The First Time.

*No caption possible*

OFF! Get it…… OFF!

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2) Greek Mum’s Response To Picky Eaters (basically “then don’t eat until the next meal”.) Not sure that works entirely because both my kids are determined and strong-willed and I don’t want determined, strong-willed kids with ulcers but I think some form of it I think is good… Btw I had an ex colleague who didn’t even allow her kids to send back wrong orders when restaurants messed up their orders, because she thought it taught them to adapt when things sometimes didn’t go their way in life… We were at the restaurant and one of her boys who must’ve been about 10 was served pasta with a white carbonara sauce instead of the tomato marinara he asked for…

But the link is there more because of the slide show at bottom re some of the weird eating habits kids have. I met someone whose boy doesn’t accept food on a plate if the different kinds are touching each other. Carrots must maintain a respectable distance from peas. Here’s more:

And in the same vein, Rockstar’s would be, “Hi, my name is Rockstar. I don’t eat tofu unless you fry it in extra virgin olive oil and don’t tell me what it is. And then I love it.”

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3) Another Just Let Em Do It: Science “Jerk” Sells Nobel.

What price, honor? The whole reason the Nobel can command that kind of money lies in it being the highest honor that will bend lotsa people’s noses out of shape. (Well d-uh). So I was well…. if you need the money… it’s better than stealing it…

“But Brutus Is An Honorable Man?” I read all the other things the article says about this guy, and how he’s doing it to upset people. He’s been quoted as saying some pretty awful and racist things and I assume some people say awful, scandalous things just for the shock value – it’s easier to horrify than to inspire everyone. But isn’t it also obvious he’s some old guy who is just increasingly looking for attention?

Well, whatever – if he’s making donations, which is one of the things he says he wants to do with the money, then just let him sell it, offended science community and what-not. Because out of a huge vanity gesture, shalt come some real good. Pride should not be confused with honor. Pride is worth selling away. Respect can only be earned. And honor is the value you place on your own word. Your honor is your respect for yourself.

(Wah chim. Sorry. Changed my Nespresso capsules :D)

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4) Fastfood Order Hacks. No idea if this works in Asia (special ordering fast food will make it decidedly not fast in Malaysia and in Hong Kong even though it’s fast people probably hate you way more) but getting a real egg from Mc Donald’s was attractive. (Because apparently there are 3 kinds of egg and only that one is “real”? So what are the other two?!)

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5) Not sure which is more daring, the fast food one or this: Daredevil Moab Monkeys.

Real Men Use Pink Rope?

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6) Rockstar has the skit this week, titled Self Portrait:

One fine day in the Rockstar household…

“Watcha Painting, Ko-ko?”

Yes, really. The Guinea Pig with the crazy hair.

And his Self Portrait:

Good Weekend, Dears…