Road Safety Town Trip

Doesn’t really qualify as a post, I just happened to take some pics of the Road Safety brochures from Rockstar’s recent school trip to the nearby Road Safety Town

  

(Looking at the brochure, Rockstar would go, “Whozzat? The policeman speaking to us was a girl. And she wasn’t dressed anything like that.”)

Anyway like a dorky dork I read the whole comic strip and brochure out to him. There were so many things I hadn’t thought to tell him (thanks, HK police).

They had all these join-the-dots papers too… I should really stop being so tickled by “nothing,” but really the chim-looking chinese I can’t read impresses me every time <giant “L” on forehead>

And then there was the bus safety one…

Oh look at all the happy, spaced-out cartoon eyes… Like in that scene on a plane in Fight Club where Brad Pitt tells Edward Norton they drug the passengers and evidence of that is in the flight safety brochure where everyone is caricatured with really serene, glazed expressions even when the plane is about to crash…

That is a STUPID JOKE ok, please don’t anyone start saying I imply they sedate the kids on the school bus. (Not that it’s a bad idea, but…)

OKOKOK kidding kidding kidding.

Fine, came to what I really wanted to say.

Was really bummed about not being able to go because there were too many parents who’d wanted to go and must’ve been wayy ahead of me asking for slots… I had not even realized parents could go, until a reminder email was sent out. <Loser loser>

And then I confided in another parent on text message how bummed I felt about being that blur, particularly when feeling like I’d been struggling to keep up while handling Ms Rockstar – where upon I immediately got a “Parents can go meh?” call.

Rockstar would later tell me he’d seen said parent then bring her child direct (rather than travel from school after the first class or two) and stay on there (obviously she didn’t tell me she was going to do that).

When I was doing the ole’ WHY Didn’t I Think Of That, Should I Have? Forehead Slap, Rockstar goes, “But then I’d miss phonics.” (One of his favorites). It would seem I got satisfactory points (from The Rockstar) for having tried AND he’d rather have phonics than me going. I… should be happy. I guess. This is like when my son used to tell me “I’m busy, Mum,” when I was volunteering in Kindy (though he insists I should still go). But honestly this whole on-the-ball parenting thing in Hong Kong… I’m barely keeping up. (Better at least make sure I’m keeping up with his school work <ducks head>)

So maybe it’s a blog post after all.

Oh yeah, and look what he’s doing to Ms Rockstar, now she can almost sit up. They had their first confrontation today. He jumping up and down on sofa in front of her, and she…. I have never heard that sound coming from her before. It sounded a bit like a cat hissing. (Which is actually quite funny because she is a fairly small, un-fanged baby)

Balancing Act

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What Could You Be Doing On A Friday?

Instead of sifting through 10 million Tweets about the first 2012 US Presidential Debate (and Big Bird), you could be……

1) Spray painting pigeons for a festival in Venice….

 

2) Upsetting the cat people with a new book…

 

3) Painting your fingers

 

4) Painting buildings around the world

 

5) Developing a tool for determining how much a picture is photoshopped. No wait, someone already did that.

 

6) Shaming a toddler on Reddit. NO, not really, I wouldn’t, I hope I didn’t, would you, did you? Examples of other parent shamers at bottom of article.

 

7) Get Bagel Head, scare your boss. (Wow, you must really be bored.)

Ok, happy ending/have good weekend time.

Things that make you go AAAWWWWWwwwwww:

Ms Rockstar: Next time shave first, Daddy.

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Rockstarism #231 – Now What’s Your Excuse For Not Eating?

#231

The moment he gets in the door…..

Rockstar: Mum. See my tummy?

(It’s a trick question – he probably didn’t eat in school again and I’ve said before that he has totally no tummy when it’s empty.)

Me: I cant wait to hear your excuse for not eating today.

Rockstar: Tsk <mildly annoyed> wha-aat…

Me: Without checking I know you didn’t eat your lunch – you’re trying to get me to say you still have a tummy. You come up with all these reasons for barely touching your school lunch right.

Rockstar: Yeah I haven’t thought of a new one yet.

Me: Well, how bout the truth, you’re too eager to go out and play.

Rockstar: <reluctantly> Y-eah o-kay.

Me: Boring?

Rockstar: Yup. <long-suffering, theatrical sigh>

Me: Okay, so what great work of fiction have you dreamed up now?

Rockstar: Hmm… Ok – Too much cheese in my sandwich.

Me: Since when do you not eat cheese?

Rockstar: In a sandwich. With salmon. <shrugs>

Me: That was sausage.

Rockstar: Oh. Hee. Then I didn’t know it was sausage. 

Me: <examining sandwich> There is one bite taken out of it. You knew it was sausage. (In fact he likes cheese, sausage and salmon). And I know you found some new area to play in. (He was just talking about it). What else ya got?

Rockstar: How about I’ll eat it now?

Me: Yes. Please.

So Rockstar eats most of his lunch – at 4pm after school – and then his normal huge dinner at 6pm when he declares he’s “hungry again.”

This was taken before he went to school on photo-taking day. I was trying to do something about the bed-head. He was pretending to be a cornered wild animal.

 

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Rockstarism #230: You Say Potato….. (Cantonese Version)

#230

So Rockstar has made friends and now really enjoys his Yamaha/ Tom Lee music class every Friday, conducted in Cantonese with about 10 other (local) kids and their mums. Please don’t read further into my narration below other than that Rockstar was displaying more boh liau humor; we actually especially like his teacher in this class, which is why we stick to a mildly inconvenient timing.

One of the many songs the kids had been “playing” along to cd music accompaniment in order to practice keyboard fingering is called the “Frog Song”. And so several weeks ago we learned how different frog “croaking” in Cantonese is. (Somewhere in there is an argument for babies’ cries sounding different based on the languages spoken at home). So anyway Frog Song goes “Do Re Mi Fa Mi Re Do (played on keyboard/ sung),” followed by “<frog croak><frog croak>.”

Except when they “sing in Cantonese,” it doesn’t sound like “ribbit” or “croak,” – it’s  “kuek – kuek,” almost “quack – quack”. Obviously this elicits some amusement from Rockstar, who nonetheless “kuek”s with gusto….

But then there is also a single-beat rest at the end. Because it’s “Do Re Mi Fa Mi Re Do <Rest> Kuek-kuek.” The “rest” however is not “shush” or “shhh” the way Rockstar is used to in English. It is pronounced “shi.”

Can you see it coming?

Repeatedly:

Rockstar: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Mi-Re-Do Shit! Quack-quack!

Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Mi-Re-Do Shit! Quack-quackHEE HEE HEEEEEE….

And here he is, ruining another shot. "SSHHhhhhhhhh...."

Oh yeah - we have matching hairbands (but I balk at bows)

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Rockstarism #229 – Moon Fish Cakes And Mid-Autumn Festival

#229

Rockstar: Look! It says moon cakes! Why are they called moon cakes?

Me: They’re shaped like a full moon and for celebrating a festival during a full moon.

Rockstar: <mildly disappointed> Oh. They’re not from the moon?

Me: No, unfortunately… You could make up your own version though. What would your moon cakes from the moon be like?

Rockstar: Fish!

Me: What do you mean fish, cakes shaped like fish, made of fish… (Rockstar says made with fish)… There’s no water or really atmosphere on the moon for fish.

Rockstar: Bring some from Earth. Then bake them on the moon.

Me: And that makes them moon fish cakes?

Rockstar: Yeah! 

This is like when Rockstar says the best way to eat honeydew and marshmallows is with parmesan cheese (discovered at a buffet)… And btw, he doesn’t like moon cakes, fish or no fish.

Anyway our day really started at 5pm. Kings was up since 3am the night before, working and feeling unwell. Made valiant attempt to wake around noon, slipped a pill, nope, not good, went back to bed, felt better at 5pm whereupon he was all What Are We Doing Today Again?

So we did the usual.

Tanglung-shopping!

Well actually Rockstar wanted to use his horse from school (classmate’s mum gave every kid in class a lantern just before the long weekend, Rockstar very thrilled to get the only horse…) but well Daddy wants to go lantern shopping for the Real Thing (candle lanterns) so we shall go for the Real Thing, so help us.

First ever McQueen Rockstar managed to say “no” to. With a little help, that is.

Another tempting one. (Btw did you know National Geographic Kids published an issue dedicated to Space Angry Birds? My parents found it in the airport. My parents come to HK to shop the airport. And 360. And Great super mart. And the pet shops.)

No, Rockstar, that is in fact not a lantern.

Guess what these are?

We are also passed by a very blonde and blue-eyed family – shopping in English for lanterns with two small kids.

Rockstar almost got the plane… The traditional tanglung of choice for me as a child was a goldfish. Can’t imagine why. I can understand why there are lotsa rabbits, but… goldfish? What’s the significance of goldfish to mid-autumn, anyway?

Guess what Kings was looking for, exiting the appropriately tanglung-ed 7-11, lighter? candles? Nahh, and anyway they sell those at the tanglung places…

Mooncakes!

These actually did not come from 7-11; they came from somewhere within walking distance, though. Biggest joke is we’d bought a box of relatively high-end ones in a silk presentation box from a swanky hotel weeks before, scarfed them down while hanging around at home, and then realized last night we were out.

No, that’s not the biggest joke. The biggest joke is these taste really yummy and Kings ended up inhaling quite a few in front of the telly late last night. What tummy bug? Sigh.

Rockstar refused to touch any. Then to add insult to injury as a compromise he decided on….

chocolate marshmallows!

Wow this whole Own Family Tradition thing gets better and better. And then for dinner we had…

Pic from http://rantaupr.com.my/

Hawaiian Tropical pizzas from PHD!

Because it was Sunday and Rockstar long ago decreed every Sunday is pizza night and woe betide anyone who tries to break that family tradition. We even have spare Hawaiians in the freezer (funny sentence, no? :D) for just such an emergency – in case we forget to order before 6pm in the course of our Sunday and end up waiting too long for one.

Then we got down to the business of trying to not to burn down the apartment block.

We had little paper ones that have been around since my school days…

And Rockstar had finally settled on a turtle “because it was so cute”

There. On our balcony. For like, 5 mins. Nice right?

Perfect string of traditional candlelit paper lanterns more than 20 floors up  after we burned our laundry line into several pieces.

What I don’t understand is why we were the only ones. There was a sign about no wax burning, but I didn’t see anything about lanterns. We only lighted it for a couple minutes before our line caught fire we realized we were being stupid anyway. And then our clothes pegs melted Rockstar lost interest because James Bond Tomorrow Never Dies was on tv  and anyway the baby  slept through it all (it was the remote controlled BMW that enraptured him).

HAPPY MID-AUTUMN, EVERYONE!

BOUNTIFUL HARVEST FOR ONE AND ALL!!!

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“It’s Iron Man!”

Ordered Rockstar’s Halloween costume way in advance online, because then it was only about USD 20. He’d been waiting anxiously for it to arrive and wearing it around the house since. What I really like is Ms Rockstar’s: *Gasp* IT’S IRON MAN! face. She does that a lot, with whatever her brother’s up to.

Ps: It’s Mid-Autumn Festival today and we’re doing church followed by lantern search; Mid-Autumn is big here, and it is to Kings what Christmas is to me – one of the days where we try to start up a family tradition of our own. Will blog more later…

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How Many Fridays Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb

1) Just had to follow my last post with World’s Best Father, David Engledow’s photo series laughing at himself and his Daddy Duties. First pic is dedicated to my beloved well-meaning husband, who gets very, very freaked being alone with crying Ms Rockstar – without the need for young adult horror novels.

This one, for all the other dads (since Kings can no longer drink due to health problems)…

2) And then it’s like you just have to mention what this dad did for his daughter – HK tycoon offers USD 65 million bounty for any man who can woo his daughter away from her gay marriage.

3) And what a grandfather would do for his dog – 66 year old man wrestles 7 foot alligator to save his dog. His kids must be thrilled. 

Please don’t anyone tell my mum in case there are alligators in Gurney Drive where she walks her super fat Border Collie and Other Animal SPCA Assures Us Is Also A Dog.

4) Daily Telegraph’s The Pampered Dogs of Hong Kong. Was a little trippy recognizing Sai Kung and some of the dogs in those pics, like the colored poodles and the bulldog everyone takes pics of, who has this crazy ornate leash with little dolls or soft toys for e.g. his owner changes very often.

5) Victoria’s Secret, Jessica Alba, Julia Roberts…. subject to Photoshop fails. You can be uber-famous, beautiful or capable – but the person editing your picture… N-ot so much. For anyone who never thought Photoshop was that widely used. Me too.

6) So what if all that was for the birds? They make amazing pictures. Especially if you throw a dog or two in.

Hang on – Is that the same dog and bird in both pics? That’s one dumb bird… Or one of those superfast cameras that catch umpteen frames in a split second.

7) Last one sticks in your mind, right? Couldn’t wait til next week to stick this one in – it’s actually an article by an MD about having to shame parents into doing the right thing because parental obesity is a major factor in child obesity.

http://youtu.be/nXy2UZPncrk

Ok, so I’m not obese (that I know of), but when I watched the videos, the tag line “Today is the day we set a better example for our kids” hit me.

The colleagues who give up tv weeks and months ahead of their kids’ exam times, the very local Cantonese speaking ones who have “5 minutes perfect English” conversations throughout the day where they make sure they drop everything when their otherwise Cantonese-speaking kids call them on their cell phones – the condition being their kids must practice their English – despite they themselves being way more comfy in Canton…..

Not just the habits, but the values. I think it was Christian author Gary Thomas who said your best chance at getting your kids to turn out right was to not be hypocritical in their raising. There’s always room for setting a better example. It’s powerful, useful motivation to be a better version of yourself.

Good weekend then…

(But don’t let yours change the lightbulb.)

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CSI Hong Kong Island: Baby. Must….. Sleep!

Baby is kicking on playmat. Moments later, she begins to fuss. A moderate fussing, nothing too dramatic.

Husband: Hmm. Baby Ngeh-ing. Must Put Her To Sleep.

<Picks baby up. Begins to rock baby to sleep.>

Baby tries to explain.

But-

But Daddy –

Husband: Baby Ngeh-ing. Must Sleep.

I just caught the tail end of Terminator III while switching to Baby TV (for background noise) couple days ago. Is it just me or is it a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger receiving programing instructions: Kill John Connor. Don’t Kill John Connor. Pound Fist In Car.

Rock. Baby. To…… Sleep!

But Daddy I Haven’t –

<rocking gets more determined>

Husband: Baby Ngeh-ing. Must….. Sleep!

Well, if you insist...

That inexorable, mechanical rocking.

Ms Rockstar has no choice but to succumb.

(Btw, Kings has superb rhythm – for some reason he has often successfully rocked both infant children to sleep fairly effortlessly despite not having that much hands-on practice. Except this is then his default solution to everything. Really. What did Uncle Ben say to Peter Parker about great power coming with great responsibility? Humph.)

Baby…… Asleep. Mission….. Accomplished.

Husband settles baby for good long nap. Perfect placement of two blankets (different textures – she soothes herself back to sleep either chewing or grabbing each one) and a bean bag over her hips and legs (keeps the blankets from sliding right off when she kicks). He even remembers to spread out the extra sheet above her cot to shade away the morning light.

It’s a perfect execution of Putting Down Of Baby For Long Nap.

Ms Rockstar is sound asleep.

Yes. Have Fixed Baby… Check!

<feels very good about self>

Where’s My Cape?

<looks back at iPhone>

<kisses still-milk-pumping wife goodbye>

<trots out the door to work>

It Be A Good Morning!

Wife finishes pumping and –

What the –

WHY IS THERE A FULL BOTTLE OF BREASTMILK STILL ON TABLE AND NOT INSIDE SLEEPING BABY??? She hasn’t fed since last night!

Whodunnit?

The people who write for the CSI Series need to take note: Blissfully sleeping baby. Full bottle of untouched breastmilk. Baby feed log indicating her last feed was more than 4 hours before Crime occurred. Prone body of husband in lift lobby. What could possibly have happened here?

"Yaaa-aaaaawwwnnn..."

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Rockstarism #228 – You Change Race When You Change Hair Color

#228

Rockstar: Mum. I learned to write “moon” in Chai-nese. It’s like this. 

(Writes in air. No, I have no idea whether that is really “moon in Chai-nese”. Though yes when he does that every day with English alphabets after school I can tell he’s got the right alphabets…)

Me: Wow, really? Impressive.

Rockstar: No wait. That’s wrong. This is “moon.”

(More hand movements in the air. Honestly he could be totally messing with me on this and I would never know.)

Me: Oh, ok, that’s cool. Looks nice.

<pause>

Rockstar: Also, I think one of my teachers is turning into a Eurasian.

Me: Wha-at? You’re born Asian, Caucasian or Eurasian. You don’t turn into something else.

Rockstar: Now I think she’s a Eurasian.

Me: I thought you couldn’t tell Eurasian from Caucasian and Asian.

Rockstar: I just think now she’s a Eurasian not a Caucasian. Now she looks different.

Me: What d’you mean, did she change her hair color or something?

Rockstar: Oh yeah that’s it! Her hair color is different. It’s not so blonde.

Me: You’re born a certain race/coloring, darling. You can pick up other traditions or religions – for eg Christmas – but just because you change your hair color doesn’t mean you change your race.

(Decide to leave tanning and the Michael Jackson black or white thing for another time, if he ever asks if you can change your skin color. Hair color is easier, my mum leaves boxes of hair color around the apartment.)

Rockstar: <looking dubious> Um…

Me: If you colored your hair blonde would you still be Asian?

Rockstar: Oh. Yeah. 

Sometime later…

Rockstar: She’s not a Eurasian anymore.

Me: Oh really. Your teacher you mentioned earlier.

Rockstar: Yeah. She’s really Caucasian.

Me: You decided, or…?

Rockstar: I decided. She looks Caucasian after all, not Eurasian.

Me: But you can still write “moon” in Chai-nese.

Rockstar: Yeah. It’s this.

(More hand movements. I have no idea if any of his “moon in Chai-nese” hand movements were ever the same.)

Me: You know Mummy has no idea if you’re messing with her or not when it comes to your Chai-nese, right?

Rockstar: Yup.

Me: So are you messing with me about your Chai-nese writing?

Rockstar: I might be. 

Me: Why “might be”?

Rockstar: Because I can’t remember if I got it right. 

 

 

Ps: Mummy friend asks for pics of him in her tailor-made clothes and I ask him to oblige, this the kind of posing I get…

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I’ve Got You Babe (II)

Rockstar posing with “our” baby… Took some coaxing to get him to hold her, and then after he was comfortable he wouldn’t hand her back… Which is something, because the Rockstar is very much not a huggy, kissy child. Good luck, any future baby boyfriends…

This my favorite… more natural, he wasn’t smiling especially for the camera…

Then it was the dad’s turn:

 

And then… it was mine 🙂

(She was feeding sleepily though)

Ps: I’m still 56kg on a good day, 57kg on a bad one… I have two of these Vince cotton jersey navy blue dresses, the one I’m wearing in the pic is an XS from before I was pregnant, I also have an L (last piece on final sale why not) which I used when pregnant – they fit pretty much the same to me, except I have to hike up the L a lot…

 

 

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