Whispered poetry…
And then the procrastination started.
I will do it tomorrow. I will find time later.
I must make it a personal aspiration to pen my thoughts and start journaling. This will be my portal to compartmentalize my thoughts.
A blank canvas to draw my emotions with words.
My second child is almost 2 years old and I still feel a void in me. I do not feel like a whole person. There are times I am just moving around in a daze. I am walking around wondering if I have healed emotionally. I need to feel a certain purpose in doing daily chores. I do not want to feel like a lifeless mindless person, doing routines and getting by on the clock.
I need to feel reborn. I need to feel renewed. I need daily words of affirmations to keep me mentally sane. To look at things with a different perspective. To not be so spiteful of my situation and to let go of expectations.
It is tough. Easier said than done. But I will get there. With baby steps, I will be rejuvenated. I will feel a sense of worth and lead a purposeful life, living each day with gratitude.
So whenever I can find the time, I will drop by to list a few words that were resonating with me for the day. I know that words are powerful. I hope this will help guide my emotional growth and complete me as a person.
Words for today…
Gratitude
Space
Personal bubble
Sage
Many pregnant women encounter different health scares and sudden changes to their body during pregnancy. I am a hyperthyroid patient and managing my condition during my second pregnancy was overwhelming and extremely challenging.
Before pregnancy, I had to do a routine blood test every 12 weeks to monitor my TSH and T3/T4 levels and I was on Propylthiouracil (PTU), 2 pills a day. My T3/T4 levels were in good range then but I was advised by my endocrinologist not to stop my pills till my TSH levels were stable.
I found out that I was pregnant in Feb 2021 and the first thing that got me worried, was my PTU pills. Thankfully, my endocrinologist was very supportive and helped to closely monitor my T3/T4 levels. And so I found myself going for blood tests every 6 weeks. It was exhasuting to travel to the hospital regularly but I had to do it.
I was still on PTU during my first trimester and it made me very nervous and worried about the side effects to the baby.
Would the contents in the pill pass through the placenta?
But I was thankful that my T3/T4 levels stabilised during my second trimester and we went on a journey to wean me off my pills. From 2 pills to half a pill and eventually none.
I read articles that pregnancy may normalise the thyroid hormones and many mothers find themselves with stable TSH and T3/T4 levels during the second and third trimester. It is not a blanket understanding that it happens with all pregnancies. This phenomenon varies with different mothers and different pregnancies.
So now its been almost 9 months post delivery and I have received 2 reminders from my doctor to do a follow up blood test to check my thyroid levels. I am not procrastinating. I am just not able to squeeze in the time to go for a blood test and I am absolutely dreading the thought of bringing my baby along. So for now, to support my thyroid health, I’m taking 2 brazil nuts daily, in hopes that the selenium will help heal my thyroid.
I realized that it has been more than a year since I wrote on my blog.
This is the very epitome of procrastination. I keep telling myself to write but I end up on Netflix instead. And I blame the inner voice ‘Tomorrow, we shall write tomorrow’.
And so, a year has passed and my family of 3 has become a family of 4.
I welcomed a baby boy in the third quarter of 2021. It was a difficult but beautiful pregnancy. I had an amazing and nurturing OBGYN and the best doula who held my hand throughout the journey and was my pillar of support and my voice of reason up till the very end. I love my doula. She is God-sent and an angel in my eyes.
2021 was a rollercoaster ride that delivered my precious baby. It was challenging with the ever changing COVID measures and the Delta variant outbreak. We were hermits because I was not yet vaccinated then and I was afraid to step out. But I eventually agreed to get vaccinated with Pfizer at 37 weeks pregnant. I guess the pressure and fear was getting to me. But after the first dose, I honestly felt less burdened.
The journey was tough. I am thankful to my husband for the love and support and for always being there to hold me up. 2021 taught us that we only have each other and we need to cherish and hold each other. We should not depend or expect too much from the people around us. We always need to have contingency plans should people decide to walk away from promises.
We managed my post partum confinement alone. It was just my husband, my daughter and my newborn son. But it was perfect and we could not ask for more. It made us closer and we treasured every moment.
And so life goes on.
2020 has been a rollercoaster ride for many. A time of uncertainty, loss and frustrations. From multiple lockdowns to border closures, the world has been trying to search for normalcy in these tough times.
People have started working from home. Education system has drastically evolved to throw out the age-old paper and usher in digital learning. Everything has changed in a snap of the finger. 2020 was about change and adapting to it.
2020 was not the year to get everything that you wanted. It was the year to appreciate everything you had. Learning to appreciate family and friends. I have learnt to reduce food wastage. I have learnt to donate more and share more food with the community. This was something I never really put much thought into but it was a wake-up call for me. It was time to cut down food wastage and it felt really good to pass it forward to willing recipients. I felt happy doing so. And now my daughter knows that if we have unopened food that we are not going to use, we should donate or pass it forward.
Now, 2021 is about remembering lessons and values learnt and becoming a better person for our families, friends and the society. 2021 will be about us practicing social responsibility and understanding that our actions carry a domino effect on the community.
Let’s be safe, responsible and considerate towards our loved ones and the people around us.
Wishing everyone a happy new year filled with bountiful peace, happiness, laughter and great health.
I can’t sleep because this feels like a brain-mite, slowly eating me up.
I have never been the parent who blames another child for how my daughter reacts or responds. It has always been “It’s my daughter. She could have been more … or perhaps done things differently’ But recently, I find myself leaning towards noticing my daughter mirror the negative behaviour traits of her friends. I tried so hard to ignore but it seems to be getting worse by the weeks.
For the past 3 weeks, my husband and I have been noticing my daughter imitate the tantrums, screams and whines of her friend. My daughter is 4 years old. Her friend is 5. He has the tendency to frequently scream, whines and gets his way within 5 minutes, throw toys and even slam the door while his parents are trying to reason with him. Thus far, I have seen my daughter mimic the screams and whines. Exact same posture, tone and even length of scream to test how long we, as parents would tolerate it. She has noticed her friend’s parents throw in the white flag within minutes. Perhaps she thought it would be the same for her. BUT.SHE.THOUGHT.WRONG.
My husband and I never gave in. But we noticed that she has been having random tantrums, tries to scream to prove her point, keeps using ‘But I want…”. She seems to have no respect for her teachers in the enrichment classes. She goes for Art and Swimming lessons, outside of her usual school days. She seems to only care about putting on a perfect image for her school teachers. She does not seem to care about discipline with her enrichment teachers.
Just today, we gave her a prep talk before her swimming lesson. ‘Put your swim board on the deck, listen to coach and safety first’. To which, she said ‘Ok Mama.’ And when she reached the pool, she started jumping on her swim board (she has never done that before), refused to enter the pool safely and was reprimanded by coach.
I felt embarrassed. I didn’t say anything. That was coach’s turf and she was good with disciplining the kids. So I let her deal with my daughter. But I felt very troubled. I keep asking ‘What’s happening to my 4 year old?’ I am trying to reflect and connect the dots. But there seems to be a missing link. I am totally at a lost. I do not know what caused this sudden shift in her behaviour. Is it me? Am I not doing it right? Is she trying to prove something?
A friend recommended a few books to read, on parenting calmly and dealing with the tantrums of a 4 year old. I sincerely hope that book helps. I really need a different perspective. We have tried to scold, punish, take away rewards and TV times. We even tried reasoning and and trying to meet in the middle. We are trying so hard, or at least I feel we are trying. I keep thinking, ‘We did not behave as such when we were young, what is happening to the kids these days??’
Everyone has different parenting styles and we should not judge. I need to know what works for us as a family. There is so much trial and error. ‘Lets try this. Lets try that’ It is either a hit or a miss. It used to be a hit, now we can’t seem to get it right.
I do not want to feel like a lousy parent. I want to know I have tried. I just need to know if I am doing it right.
I used to complain or just simply rant away that my husband and I never had any quality time together. Life was such. The only time we had to talk was in the car, on the way to work. We had 45 minutes to talk. And then another 45 minutes when he picked me up from work. We hardly ate together as his dinner timings did not coincide with mine. I used to be pissed that he was too focused on his intermittent fasting. We ate separately.
We could hardly talk in the house because my daughter would want to be part of the conversation. She would want to be the only one talking. So our conversations at home gradually stopped. We argued over different modes and methods of disciplining our daughter. Most of which involved me being the bad person. Perhaps the evil one, while daddy was the calm and collected one. We eventually stopped arguing and marched into our separate roles – Good daddy and Bad mommy.
And then came COVID-19 and a lockdown.
Perhaps it was a sign from higher powers to stop me from whinning and complaining.
We were home bound for 2 months. Now that we easing away from being captive at home, I have to reflect if I have appreciated and spent my time wisely with my family.
Before being captive at home, my daughter would be in childcare for about 10-11 hours everyday. I would drop her off at 7am and pick her up at 5.30pm. For a child in school for such long hours, I am pretty sure she must be missing her parents.
During the lockdown, there were moments when I was so exhausted having to deal with her daily bursts of tantrums and mood swings, that I’d find myself angry and just snapping at anyone or anything. Her constant need for attention was overwhelming. Her constant attempts at trying to negotiate and hoping to get things her way (never happens 80% of the time). Her requests for TV was annoying me. Her lack of ‘please and thank-you’ made me as if I failed to teach her manners. Her lack of listening ears made me wonder if she had ears to begin with. The list will go on.
But I decided to take a step back the past week. Though I have been guilty on numerous occasions saying ‘I wish she was in school’. It might have hurt her feelings. I am sorry but it was too noisy for me. Tomorrow my daughter returns to school. Her childcare is finally taking the children in by staggered weeks.
I should have spent more time (I think I tried here and there), to watch her grow. She has grown taller. Instead of telling her to do house-keeping and cleaning up her table, I should have watched how she developed. I noticed her colouring improved. Her painting improved. She was dancing more. She was singing in rhymes. She could write a few alphabets without the dotted lines.
I should have noticed her love for plays and musicals. Especially when she made me play ‘Elmo-the musical’ on repeat. I should have noticed her love for books during breakfast lunch and dinner. We bought more books for her. Instead of scolding her to eat independently, I should have been more patient and read her stories while she ate. I was more engrossed on routines or afraid that she might forget routines. I shouldn’t have been so stiff.
Just as us adults were feeling suffocated and emotional during this period, I should have been more considerate to a toddler who was greatly missing her friends and teachers. After all her life did revolve around them.
Tomorrow, the house will be quiet. Her toys will be untouched. When I return home earlier from work, I will be slapped with silence. There will be no Pingu, no Sesame Street or Pinkfong running in the background. Absolute silence. I might find myself very sad and perhaps lonely.
Very lonely.
The world is facing a time of tremendous pain, suffocation, frustration, fear and loss. At this moment, we know the world stats. Everyday the numbers are alarming and rising. Families are losing loved ones to the virus. We are now transiting from shifting blames to coping with internal struggles and controlling the spread. The world is watching closely. Discrimination is on the rise as people are too quick to point the finger at thy neighbours.
In the blink of an eye, towns and states are getting wiped out. It is causing so much fear. There is trembling uncertainty of what this virus can do or capable of mutating into. What was reported in January is no longer valid. What is this I hear? From being transmitted only by contact to the virus being airborne.
Whispers are heard. ‘Stay home and stay safe’
From where I come from, the number of local transmissions are increasing by the day, jumping by the hundreds. Though this number is nothing compared to larger stats in Europe and the US, it is still alarming for us since we are a small densely populated country. No amount of social distancing seems to yield positive results. Everyone has to leave home wearing a mask. We can only leave home to buy essential items and the list of essential items are never ending. It seems that everything is essential. Why? Such cracks in the system. No wonder the streets are still filled with people. Something does not add up. Some people just do not get it.
Our lives have shifted to a whole new phase.
With lockdowns in so many countries, people are forced to stay home. The lack of basic human-to-human interactions may soon be damaging to the mental and emotional well-being of an individual. This lack of physical close interactions will remain in the human psyche for a long time. Soon, we may become averse to a mere touch. Soon we will find ourselves expanding our personal space radius to allow technology to invade into our daily lives. In just four months, the world has shut itself in its cocoon. The screen is now our mode of communication. There is fear that the human touch will soon be forgotten.
Times are tough.
Let’s just take each day as it comes, for tomorrow seems to be an uncertainty to many. Be thankful for the many things we have. Be thankful for the front-line workers and health care staff. Be thankful to the teachers who have to toggle family and home based learning so your children still get the well deserved education. Be thankful and pray for the safety of friends and loved ones. Everyday, say a silent prayer for the lives lost to COVID-19.
This storm shall pass…
And yes ladies and gentlemen… We finally managed to watch a full movie!!! Yes! Yes! Yes! My daughter FINALLY sat through a full 1 hour and 43 minutes!!! It is truly a huge, majestic and fantabulous milestone for my daughter!!
I had a two failed movie experiences with my daughter. The reason was partly because I did not do my homework and perhaps had a high expectation for a three year old. I mean, I read reviews and I guess I had this pre-conceived mindset that my daughter should be able to sit through an animated film. But.I.Was.Wrong!
First Failure
I totally regret not doing my homework. I was so excited that Lion King was opening in the cinemas, I had assumed that it would be similar to the animated version. I did not realise that it was CGI animation. Every character looked so real. And I did not watch the trailer and neither did I read the reviews and recommended viewing age. My daughter started crying and wailing 25 minutes into the movie and we left the theater. The reason: She was so sad when simba left his mom and got lost. I failed.
Second failure
I mean seriously… Wouldn’t you expect toy story to be toddler friendly? Yeah and that’s what I thought too. But I guess my daughter had other expectations. She started crying and wailing 45 minutes into the movie (a progress don’t you think?). She was heartbroken and really upset that Bo Peep lost her arm (but still could not accept that it could be taped back). So we left the theater again. Once again, failure.
First success and praying for many more
So I took some time to read the reviews for frozen 2. Different parents have different views and a considerable number did not recommend to children below the age of 6. And I was really torn because my daughter loves frozen. And I mean school bag, water bottle, wallet, socks, dresses etc… kinda crazy. And she really wanted to watch it. It did not help that the malls were decked with more frozen posters and life-size cutouts as compared to festive Christmas decorations. Totally commercialised.
So I took a risk. A huge risk. Daddy and I talked about it and decided that if there was a scene that was too overwhelming, we’d do a timeout and explain to her at the back of the theater. So I bought us aisle seats (finally).
And I must honestly confess that frozen 2 was technically heavier in story line and carried more deeper messages and had darker and mild violent scenes that were not friendly/appropriate for a toddler. We had to do a 5 minute timeout at the back of the theater when the earth giants came. But somehow, the writers managed to incorporate Olaf at the appropriate time and scene to lift the tension on the impending dark messages/scene and focus on Olaf’s funny and extremely hilarious antics.
Dear Olaf
Thank you for being a very special part of the movie and for lifting the tension whenever needed. My daughter was able to laugh throughout the movie (of course with prompting from us parents). The older children were laughing too and that was a cue for my daughter to join in the laughter. You appeared at every opportune timing and you were just amazing. It was truly artful how you manged to turn around a dark scene into something totally hilarious. Thank you Olaf for making this movie experience a success. Love you!
Why Alice why? Why would you follow that white rabbit and fall down the rabbit hole… Why Alice why?
I remember watching this movie (not the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version). I vaguely remember sitting and crying from the start. I remember asking so many questions. I was afraid.
Simple.Plain.Fear.
I was afraid to explore. I was afraid to fall. I believe my fears were warranted since I was really young. Perhaps I was also afraid of what I would find when I opened one of the doors. Why did they have to lock the door?
I was afraid of the cake that said “eat me”. Why would anyone write that? Was that to tempt me? or was it to test my restraint? It looked really good though. I would have eaten it in a heartbeat too!
I was scared and lonely. Alice could very well be an adventurer. But at the age of 6, I was still very much sheltered and was not the least bit willing to be in that strange wonderland filled with strange people.
Is it the current world personified? We are surrounded by people of varied personalities and opinions. Each giving their own recommendations and suggestions. Tested by the very society we live in.
When I was 6, I never thought about a world so different. To me, my world revolved around my toys, my sister and my newborn baby brother, and of course my parents. I did not want to be alone.
Such metaphorical images for a young child to understand. It was a movie. It looked very real. It was such a roller coaster ride for me, only to wake up and realise it was all a dream! Are for you real?!
I was 6 when I first saw the movie. It was my first time…and my last. I have not read the book, neither will I ever sit through another Alice in Wonderland movie again.
Is this what people refer to as ‘childhood phobias’ translated into adulthood?
While there are many who prefer to take the risk and find out what is behind that door, lets just say, I’d prefer not to *wink*. Perhaps life would be better if you take some risks. Or perhaps not. Now that’s a thought for another day.
Goodbye Alice in Wonderland. You’ve truly changed my perception of ‘wonderland’.
Becoming Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds… If only it was as easy as it seems
I now write as a teacher, an educator in the year 2019. I’ve been in the teaching service for about 13 years and there has been so much change that some are hard to fathom and some are hard to keep up with. Some are carried out with great love while other directives are carried out with great resistance. But our main characters will always be the students (at least for a good number of us).
I feel this great paradigm shift in who we expect as students and who we eventually get in our classrooms. We walk into our classes with a mindset that these group of students should fit into the mold that we have virtually created for them. We expect them to or at least try. Imagine trying to fit a full grown elephant into a tiny 1 x 1 x 1 cube. I know its impossible… But that’s what we were trying to do.
In the initial years (early 2008 to 2013), the students did their best to squeeze themselves into the mold. We made them. Now in the past 5 years, systems have changed. Students start to speak up. They are more transparent with their wants and needs. They no longer choose to fit into a given mold. They have finally started to understand that they too have a voice and are not afraid to speak. Freedom of speech at its highest.
These days we have a higher percentage of students undergoing depression, looking for alternative outlets to relieve their pent up frustration. With the inclusion of social media that has inter-twined with their lives, the internet, online gaming and far more other online sources have been their preferred outlets. They no longer feel the need to speak to anyone.
Daily, we meet students, who have the mind of Einstein but choose online gaming as opposed to school. Is online gaming bad? Oh well, if they are playing such violent games and returning to school with only 2 hours of sleep and are constantly angry, then I presume yes.
Our youths these days have a beautiful mind. Beauty set with amazing abilities and a bright future carved for them. But it breaks our heart, that no matter how much we try, some youths keep rejecting our help and simply did not want to be saved. But I feel every child should be saved. Yes?
I am no marine. I am no saint. I am no psychic either. I can’t seem to break the rules to change their lives. What do I do when some youths these days “choose to die” Death in this case is not about going 6-feet under. Death to them is the disconnection with people and society and immerse themselves in their personal bubble.
What do we do… When they choose to “die” and be disconnected from society?
Dear Youths… Why fit in when you were born to stand out… believe that you can achieve greatness. Let us help you…
Imagine reading a few nursery rhymes to your child, only to come across something that makes your jaw drop. It’s a good thing my three year old can’t make out words on a paper. I feel like I am lying to her while I have to scramble to rephrase the rhymes.
1.Ring-a-Ring O’Roses
I had no idea there was actually a true meaning behind this rhyme, till my husband told me about it. Then it hit me. And I started reading up on the rash-like plague that took many down. And how people walked around with a pocket full of herbs (also called posies) to ward off the smell from the plague. Ashes, being the cremation of those who did not make it through the illness. Why…why am I singing this? Please enlighten me. I literally thought it was a song where kids were singing in a garden full of roses.
2. Goosey, Goosey Gander
I was just reading this out loud, this I came to a halt at the last phrase “and threw him down the stairs“… Why are we printing out such violent acts in a children’s nursery rhyme? Are parents required to censor that part on their own while reading? Is it suppose to be funny? Are children suppose to think that throwing / pushing someone down the stairs is a hilarious act? I am appalled.
3. Three Blind Mice
I used to sing this song so many times as a child. There was another version too. I really do not remember the part about the tails being cut off. But these days as I read out this rhyme to my daughter, I have to rephrase the tail part of the song or totally eliminate it. Once I read it out so fast but my daughter caught on to it. She started to get upset when she heard that the tails got cut off. I know my daughter can be a little emotional, but how do I tell a toddler why and justify the act of cutting off an animal’s tail? I know they are pests and rodents. But the most we’ve said is “they are not clean, they carry germs…” *slaps forehead*
4. As I was Going Out
Are you for real? Was this supposed to be metaphorical? Or was this rhyme writer trying out for a horror movie script? Am I losing my sense of humour? Why would I even want to read to my child about her head falling off. Three year old kids ask TOO many questions. Why this… why that.. Mommy why did his head roll off? Why is his feet on the bed?” I have managed on numerous occasions to successfully skip this page. I wish I could tear out the page. The picture in the nursery rhyme book for this rhyme, is an untidy bed with only two feet sticking out. And there’s no body or head. Even I’m scared. It’s like a page from a horror story. *shivers*
5. Sing a song of sixpence
It was all good from the beginning, though my daughter did ask about blackbirds in a pie. I brushed it off as a joke. But I just froze when I saw the last line. I had to think of something fast. “… when down came a blackbird and kissed her nose“. I do not think my child is ready for acts of revenge, with a blackbird coming down for her nose in revenge. I am trying to see if it could be funny or perhaps a tad bit humourous. But I can’t bring myself to sing that line out. I am sure kissing her nose sounds so much better. *keeps fingers crossed*
6. Rock-a-bye Baby
Is someone trying to indirectly hint to parents not to build a cradle on a tree branch? Well, I think it may have worked. I’ve read the origins of this rhyme. When I read it out, my daughter cried for a while because she felt sad that the baby fell. And then she wanted to know if the baby was well. Or if the baby was bleeding. Or if the baby was caught. Told ya… it was the age of unlimited questions. Perhaps, I’ll just repeat and repeat and repeat just the first 4 lines till, the cradle will rock and totally eliminate the parts after the bough breaks. Now, that will save the day.
I guess some rhymes are just stories from different perspectives. Maybe a five year old or six year old will find it hilarious. But I honestly doubt my child will sit and take it with a pinch of salt. I guess these days, parents may need to sieve through age appropriate materials for their children. Be it YouTube videos, Netflix kids shows or even our age old nursery rhymes. Some rhymes are totally unbelievable and make little or no sense but we read it while growing up. Perhaps when my daughter is much older, she too would laugh it off – when she is more emotionally stable and mature.
Read the heart and not the letter for the pen cannot draw near the good intent
– Michelangelo
Dear Mother
Each time I start to pen my letter, my heart is filled with overwhelming emotions of regret, guilt and pain. What should a daughter write to her mother?
I should be thanking you for bringing me into this world and for raising me through the storm to be a strong individual equipped with the tools to bash my way through thorns and impenetrable hills. I thank you from the whole of my heart for the sleepless nights when we were ill and for doing everything in your power to provide decent meals in times of hunger and financial crisis. I must admit, we were not the easiest children to raise.
Mother, now your daughter is a mother too. Learning and trying her best to be just like you. But why do I feel judged in your eyes? Why do I feel as if anything I attempt for my child is never good enough for you?
Your grandchild is three years old now. It’s been 36 months since her birth. And not once you’ve looked at her with approving eyes. There is always something lacking. There is always something I should have done more. There is always something not good enough. Why do I try so hard to get you to smile with approving eyes, eyes that say “daughter, I’m happy that you are doing your best for your child”
36 months it has been and counting since I yearned to hear you say I am trying my best to be a good mother to my child. You have never once told me that my daughter is growing up well. Each time we visit, you inspect her and noticing the slightest bit of weight loss, you chide with a subtle accusing tone that I failed in someway to feed my child well. It does hurt a little.
Perhaps I have become more sensitive. Perhaps I might be reading too much. You’ve seen me struggle and yet you stayed away when I asked for help. Perhaps you thought I could manage. Perhaps you thought I was learning to be strong.
But all I want is for you to say “Daughter, you are doing your best to be a good mother.”
Mother I am not perfect. I have flaws that need reflecting upon. But I yearn for you to say those few words. Now I try to be hard on my daughter so I do not disappoint you with her upbringing. Am I doing the right thing? You won’t say perhaps because you want me to figure it out on my own.
Perhaps I should stop trying to impress and gain your approval. Perhaps I should try to do my best to be a mother to my child, who will someday write to me saying “dear mother, thank you for believing in me. That is all I ever wanted.”
Love
Your eldest daughter
Mid-age – let’s not go there. Let’s all just agree that age is a number. Perhaps I would start feeling the effects of age when my body starts aching and my muscles resist the climb of just 3 flights of stairs. Riiiight…. Now that is most probably not a mid-age problem. It’s just my body screaming that I am terribly unfit and I desperately need to head to the gym. Yes I shall just add that to my new year’s resolution for 2020 or perhaps for 2021. Age… I want to do so many things yet I have only 24 hours a day.
Crisis – It’s a crisis if you think it is. It’s a problem if you think it’s causing one. It’s a worry if you feel yourself brooding over it every night. How does something become a crisis? I don’t know… Is it because I’m awake at 1.30am in the morning trying to figure out if life is going as it should or I should be doing more to make it worth it?
I am no psychologist. I cannot speak for anyone.
But I just realised that I was falling… somehow I am so sure that I am not going to land with a spine breaking agony. Perhaps I feel something is going to cushion my fall. My fall towards long uninterrupted slumber.
As I lie in the comforts of duvets and pillows, hearing the rumbles (snores) from my dear husband by my side, I think back to younger days. Days when I was prancing around, soaking in the transition from teenage-hood to adulthood. How life has changed. How gawking and staring at guys brought absolute “peace” to our already stirring hearts. Oh please, we were only 19? or was it 18? I was not alone in this. I had a full battalion of girl pals who felt ogling and sometimes drooling was just part of growing up. Of course, we had to keep re-directing our attention back to our books. Some of us failed miserably. But still, I must say my adventures sort of stopped just at the ogling. I was too afraid to do anything else. *shrugs* I just needed my friends to pass me lots of tissue to wipe off the drools.
I remember watching soccer with my girl friends. Sitting up all night, watching a game so we understood what the boys were talking about. Don’t judge. We just wanted to feel included in conversations. And then we watched A.C. Milan. Who would have known… We (now i speak for all my girl friends) were watching just.one.person.
Paolo Maldini. *swoons*
When he walks into the field, you feel an Alpha male stalking his preys (opposing team), eyeing their every move, moving like the wind, faster than you can catch your next breathe. Watching how he claims his side of the field, standing his ground, and so no one can get through that wall. Very powerful. Very mesmerizing.
He was most probably in the prime of his career, being the captain the football club, some say he was one of the best defenders yet. What would I know… What would we, young girls know… We were just watching him and perhaps only him.
His eyes… Yes those eyes… What colour are they? Grey? Blue? A mix of both? How those eyes used to sing to our youth and cradle our dreams. Those were the days… younger days… We’ve only seen him on TV for interviews (which we tried not to miss). And watching him talk, the 6 of us girls, swoon and just stare. It was too rude to drool then. You can’t drool at Paolo Maldini. Gotta give him respect for that. You had to savour those eyes. Just let them drag you down into eternal abyss. Drowning us in our youth, eyes holding as we fall… crashing. Painfully sweet.
It is funny now that I reflect. How those eyes just toyed with our minds, gluing us to each game, watching and admiring his every move made. Enthralled by his dance. It was just youth.
I sit here now (still hearing the snores), I married my anchor, my husband, who stole my entire being with just his chestnut brown eyes, lifting and cushioning me from my fall in the abyss. I cannot define what I can’t figure out. But I know for sure, when I fall, he will pick me up from whichever crisis I land on.
Have you ever looked at a YouTube show and just watched it in awe? Wondering how on earth your mouth curves up and you just burst into random giggles and laughter especially when you have no idea what the characters are talking about?
Don’t fret! My husband stumbled upon PINGU on YouTube and he insisted that we allow our daughter to watch one episode. I was the least bit willing because our daughter was currently queuing sesame street episodes for almost an hour.
Now is that too long a TV time for a 3 year old? Please I beg of you to not judge…
So I watched Pingu… And I must say…
I LOVED PINGU!!!!!!! Sarang hae
I was initially concerned about what a penguin and his parents were going to do for a 10 minute show. But oh boy was I amazed… For the record, Pingu is the elder son of a family of three. His parents have a younger baby nestling (chick), who is slowly introduced in later episodes. The episodes pride themselves as short mini films that broadcast the teaching of values such as tidying up your toys after playing with them (we call it housekeeping with our daughter), finishing dinner before playing with toys (includes finishing the vegetables and greens! plus cleanup), daddy-son work/play time. Mummy-son play time (with many many hugs). But what melted my heart was Pingu being an amazing and doting brother to his younger sibling. (am i using the right word here?). From changing diapers to baby sitting and bringing out the little nestling for walks… I just say WOW!
But of course… there’s bountiful humor, mess and chaos… they are kids afterall!
I would have expected mindless throwing of snowballs throughout the episodes and penguins chasing each other in the southern hemisphere. I am actually speechless now. More like struggling with words… I have always preferred my daughter watching a show in which she would be able to learn about values and there is no age too young for that. Although she is laughing hysterically while watching Pingu waddle with his family and friends, I try to sit with her to explain why he’s doing what he’s doing… And that too because… I don’t trust advertisements on YouTube…
Is it 100% worth it… I can’t say it for you. But please just perhaps try one episode to see if it appeals to you. It’s fun for all.
Thoughts and Whispers 