Cambodia - Day 4 AM

There are only 3 terminals at the lobby... on my left, the little one is playing games from www.thomasandfriends.com. On my right, the big one is reading news from CNBC, an article with the headline "China suspends military exchange with US". The little one has a glass of milk sitting on the computer top... the big one has a cup of coffee sitting on the computer top. Both has somewhat the same expression of concentration.

And so this is Cambodia - Day 4... we've just had the same good breakfast - the little one ate his croissant, stuffed with mangoes, ham, noodles, egg and butter while the big one has some of everything off the buffet table and fried yellow noodles with pork - and we don't have anything to do until noon.

Day 1: Landed around 10am. Checked in, walked to the old market area for lunch and walked back. It was really hot and we all got sunburned. Took a nap, swam and went out again to the old market area for dinner, visited the Angkor night market - all selling silk scarves, trinkets, bed/table runners, US$2 T-shirts and Dr.Fish massages - and arrived home in a tuk-tuk.

Day 2: Left the hotel at 5am to catch sunrise over Angkor Wat. Moving in the dark, I nearly fell off one of the terraces. Thank goodness I didn't else I would have broken some bones for sure from that height.  The rest of the day, we moved through Angkor Thom - the capital city of the Khmer empire, visiting temples such as the Bayon, Baphuon and Phimenanakas (we gave up climbing this one because the little one was melting with exhaustion by then). Somehow, we made it through the Terrace of the Elephants with the boy still using his own two little legs. But the boy soon had a meltdown and refused to walk any further. Our tuk-tuk came to the rescue. Lunch at a touristy place... the boy slept for almost 2 hours and then we went on to Ta Phrom, followed by an elephant ride up Phnom Bakheng to watch sunset over Siem Reap. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3: Breakfast followed by a tuk-tuk ride to Chong Khnease, where we got, for US$40, a boat to take us out to see the floating village along the edge of the Tonle Sap Lake. This lake is the largest freshwater lake in Asia. It's so expansive it looks like an ocean. The guide tells us it will take 5hr by speedboat to get to the other side of the lake. Stopped by the Old Market to buy pack some lunch. Rest of the day spent nuah in the hotel, sleeping and swimming. Had a buffet dinner + cultural dance show at Angkor Mondial restaurant. Boy fell asleep watching the Apsara dance and we lugged him back on a tuk-tuk.

Cambodia - Siem Reap

 

Fending and feeding some mosquitoes while blogging at the same time from the lobby of the place where we are staying. Even borrowed the photo you see here - someone left it on the computer desktop. So far so good. The boutique hotel at US$40 a night is basic but clean and comfy. It's kind of a studio corner terrace brick house with a little porch and a small planter ( 2 banana trees, one that still holds a huge bunch of green bananas, some birds of paradise and one really nice plant - I don't know what it's called but it is in full bloom with some really tiny but fragrant white flowers) and the swimming pool is just less than 20 steps away from our door.....am fighting a losing battle with the mosquitoes. Going to run back to the safe haven of the room.

Last but not least

... told the boy this year will be the last year we are having an egghunt party. He went, " Why?". We said, "You are growing up. Next year you will be in Primary 1. Egghunts are for little kids.

He said, "But I like egghunts. Last but not least, this is the second last egghunt ok?

Conversation got diverted to how to use the phrase "last but not least" correctly.

So last but not least, there will be an egghunt this year.

How much do you earn?

Everytime I ask a colleague about his/her salary, I get a I-can't-believe-you-are-asking-me-this-question look. Ok then, I'd say, "If you tell me yours, I'd tell you mine....?" and then get an even more incredulous are-you-mad? look.

Is it really illegal to discuss about salaries in your workplace?

And so at best, we gossip about who's getting what... and assume those with higher grades, bigger cars, nicer apartments or more pompous sounding job titles get more. Always, when people tell me so and so earn 'a lot', I can't resist the invitation to ask, "What is a lot?" and then get the are-you-serious-you-don't-you-know-what-is-a-lot? look.

I seriously don't. I mean, unless you do, you are simply just guessing right?

And so when people ( if they are mad like me) ask me how much I earn? I have only 1 pre-requisite - you tell me yours and I'd tell you mine.

How do you then decide whether what you are paid is fair? If it isn't, how then do you make sure you get adjusted?

... Fortunately, or unfortunately, I got to learn a bit more about how this works as a manager:

> do you give more to the employee who grumbles about being paid 'less' that he/she should?
> do you give more to the employee who is underpaid for his/her level but does not know about it?
> do you give more to the employee who threatens to leave if his/her pay is not adjusted?
> do you give more to the employee who is being promoted?
> do you give more to the employee who's personal circumstances has changed?

...and finally when you finish balancing your sums and your conscience, you'd find that it's all a stupid game, because the rules somehow changes and someone with a bigger hand swoops down to undress your bishop and knights in what they call a top-down approach.

Wedding

So my dear Nephew got himself a gorgeous wife last Sunday and we had a really nice dinner at a really nice hotel and laughed when his MC asked them to cut the 'birthday cake' and laughed even harder when he thanked guests for coming to his 'show'. For an irritating child who insists on getting on your nerves and charming everyone thereafter with his beautiful big eyes, he has morphed into a really charming guy with irritatingly beautiful eyes. We are all really happy for him and wish them well.

And oh, our little one got to play a part in the celebrations too - he got to roll around the couple's bed and received a really fat red packet in return. (",)

He 'earned' more in 1 minute than what I do in an hour.... so hey, anyone getting married soon? Boy for rent!!!

6颗星

听写

The boy now has weekly 听写 (spelling) on Thursdays. 5 characters and 1 phrase. This week's spelling list  耳, 男, 女, 牙, 手, 一个人
Went through the list with him last night. Had some arguments about the sequence, angle and lenght of the strokes but I think we are good to go. This morning, I asked if he was comfortable taking the test? He said he wasn't so sure about 牙 and we left the house with the list. The boy looked at it whilst in the car on the way to school.

So I caught a glance of this baby of mine, still sitting in his booster seat, revising his list and bit hard on my lips to stop them from asking, "So you can get your 听写 all correct hor?"

School update

We received another 3 photos of the boy from the teacher at the end of last week... one showing him displaying his art & craft, another showing him with a spoon and a scrunched-up face. The teacher's notes...  "Manage to snap a photo of him tasting lemon. Look at his expression :)"

Today, I was dragged into a photo-taking session with the boy whilst pushing the boy through their door.... I was hoping to shoot back out of the door when they told me to wait. Smiled for 2 photos. I asked, "Why? What are we taking these photos for?" They said they are preparing a welcome letter. ???!??? I forgot to ask... Welcome letter for who? Me? Why?

I'm a bit overwhelmed by all these photo-taking. How do you teach and snap photos at the same time? Why lose the opportunity to deepen the level of understanding by focussing on what is happening rather than taking the picture?

Pictures LIE! I work in advertising for god's sake! You choose the photos that tells those lies best...and what is the purpose of this photo? Hey, we conduct experiments *SNAP* in this premium school of ours, we let the kids be learn through experience *SNAP* and they are happy *SNAP*... he's eating well...*SNAP*... *SNAP*!!!!

A picture speaks a thousand words.. but I'd like to add that beyond the frames lies the whole truth.

Happy family photos on our walls? Hardly any. More often, we are just enjoying the moment and not posing for them.

Passing moments.

The woman is in her office chair, blogging.
The woman looks around. No sight is new.
She listens. No sound is unfamiliar.
The woman sniffs to make sure, but smells nothing.
There is neither fragrance nor foul.
She looks at her fingers paused on the keyboard
and wonders.....Am I dead?

Literal translations

Literal translations by a 5 year old drives us mad!!!

> He was asked to go ROUND the house to greet people.
Refused, saying the house is not ROUND and therefore he cannot go ROUND!

> The medical officer asked him to OPEN his shoes.
He grabbed his shoes, tugged it really hard and exclaimed, "HOW TO OPEN MY SHOE? CANNOT OPEN!"

At the new school

No trantrums, no tears, no complaints... in fact he told his grandparents that he likes the new school and he's happy to be in school the full day.

He enjoyed the food there too... On Monday, they had honey stars with milk for breakfast, sweet & sour fish, tofu and egg soup for lunch and cheese sandwich with camomile tea during teabreak. All his favourites. Yesterday they had rice with chicken mince, green leafy veg and radish soup. He stated quite clearly that he finished the veg - something he will never allow enter his guts if presented to him at home.

His classmate was really helpful too! Told us where to place his bottle, dental kit, comm book, bedding etc. Had a good chuckle when the kid told me her name.

The teacher emailed us a couple of his photos taken on the first day. Pleasantly surprised by the effort... imagine....10 kids / 10 emails / 20 different file uploads - assuming each set of parents had 2 photos each like we did.

And then there were the neatly typed and pasted notes in the comm book that was a good surprise too - until I wondered when they get the time to do this? Or maybe it's no effort at all? Just 10 pieces of paper to paste. Can be done in 2 mins?

Am relieved...

Hard Rock Cafe

Had lunch on New Year's Day with a couple of girlfriends and their families at Hard Rock Cafe. They had a 20th anniversary promotion...Eat all you can buffet for $20 nett per adult. Free for kids under 6. Lots of entertainment too... there was popcorn, candy floss, a bouncy castle, a seriously amazing balloon sculptor - the boy refused to get me a fish and asked for a gun instead... so I had to shamelessly join the line to get  myself the fish (".) - and games like tikam-tikam and Q&A.We got something like $55 worth of vouchers from playing those games.

I haven't been back at the cafe for ages! They were once 'my' client. This was 10 years ago..... and the reason why I'm on their contact list for promotions such as this $20 lunch on New Year's Day.  I really like working with them. The same cannot be said about the @#*$(@*& IDIOTIC ART DIRECTOR in my agency responsible for producing creatives for this account. Still, it was fun, partying till the door close and then staying some more for a photoshoot in their premises before bouncing across the road to Orchard Towers for the biggest 5am breakfast one can get at Denny's 24hr cafe. Oh, there was always other interesting propositions along the way that kept me bemused.

And if we travel back another 10 years, to when Hard Rock Cafe first open its doors, you'd find me queuing up with my friends, all dressed up to look older than we are, to get in. It's impossible to get it after dinner - because then you had show your ID...and so we got in early, bought the cheapest dinner on the menu and then waited... and always, uncannily exactly when the jug full of bendy black straws with tea ( from long island?!?)  arrives to quench your thirst, the bouncer arrives, demands to see your ID and then throws you out.

That bouncer, the same one that threw me out 20 years ago, the same one whom I worked closely with 10 years ago, I saw him again on this New Year's Day.

Then I wondered... what has changed? A lot and yet not.

2009 Year end break

Some of the things I/we did:
- Visited Snow City
- Watched Avatar in 3D
- Watched Alvin & the chipmunks 2
- Visited 'Body Worlds' and the 'Sound Exhibition' at the Science Centre
- (me) Went to the dentist
- (me) Did my hair and had a pedicure - took a freaking 5 hours!
- (me) Painted the boy's room
- (me) Read a couple of books including 'The Passport' by Herta Muller & 'Forex Patterns & Probabilities' by Ed Ponsi.

The plot in 'The Passport' is too chiem for me to understand but never mind if I don't get it. The prose is nothing like I've ever read before... most of the sentences are composed of no more than 10 words. As a result, each line packs a punch. A small excerpt:

"Around the war memorial are roses. They form a thicket. So overgrown that they suffocate the grass. Their blooms are white, rolled tight like paper. They rustle. Dawn is breaking. Soon it will be day."

It's been a long time since I paid more than a $100 for a book. This one costs about $140.... but I did enjoy reading it so it wasn't a waste of money.








- Attended a few parties and hosted a couple more.
- Closed the "Biggest Loser" challenge. We both lost. The big one lost more than 5kg but still lost. Apparently a new challenge has been drawn up by the winner. This time for $200 each. Weigh-in sometime in April.
- The small one attended his last day of school at the childcare centre. A bit sad... he's been going there half his life!
- We all went for the orientation in his new school. Quite impressed by his Chinese teacher, not so much by his English teacher... who can't seem to understand my simple questions and answer them directly. Quite disappointed. Will have to watch his progress very carefully over the next 2 months.
- Played a round of golf with the big one and totally enjoyed it!

2010 New Year Resolutions

Revisiting previously made resolutions:

2008 Resolutions:
(1) Consume less
(2) Save More; and
(3) Be happier...

2009 Resolutions:
(1) Consume less, lose some baggage.
(2) Save more, be wiser and more patient with investments.
(3) Be happier, everyday.

2010 Resolutions: 
It's a new decade... must make SMART resolutions. Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-specific resolutions: 
(1) Get off my butt and work out at least twice a week for at least 30 mins. Weekly yoga session not counted!
(2) Quit spending such long hours at work. No more than 1 hour overtime per day!
(3) Read at least 12 books
(4) Learn a new language - Spanish?
(5) Build an alternative income stream. Equivalent to10% current pay by end of 2010.
(6) Be grateful for each and every single day.