Twenty years (and more) ago

I have always been interested in the 'science' of things. Maybe it's because of my educational background. Thanks to the Malaysian education system (I shan't say more), I was in the science stream in school and continued to be in that field in university. I had a good time learning the 'biology' of things although at the end, I could not see myself making a profession out of it due to my varied interests.

While waiting for my STPM (high school) results prior to entry to university, I took up a part time job as a dental assistant. While some people may not relish the thought of looking at someone's oral imperfections and the gore that followed, to put it mildly, I somehow quite enjoyed watching the dentist at work, performing almost miraculous feats and transforming a person's smile to something quite perfect and pleasing. After that two-month stint, I even had dreams of taking up dentistry!

My exam results were not good enough for me to qualify dental school plus those days, the Malaysian university 'system' was not 'flexible' for 'certain categories' of students which I happened to fall under (If you are Malaysian and not of majority race, you know what I mean). For me to have qualified, I'd have to have scored straight A's.

I wasn't too disappointed actually since I was still unsure of what I really wanted to do. My dreams ranged from being a dentist, a scientist, to a musician. Career guidance was not readily available in our education system then, unlike now where you have qualified counselors to provide proper assessment of your interests and strengths and point you in a better direction. Options are much more vast now too with the mushrooming of private colleges, twinning programmes, distance learning, part-time courses, and overseas education for those who can afford it.

To cut the story short, I was blessed by the 'system' with a place in Universiti Sains Malaysia (Science University of Malaysia) in the beautiful island of Penang. My four years there were one of the best times of my life where I met great friends and enjoyed close camaraderie. That was almost 20 years ago. I still keep in touch with quite a number of them, besides my primary and secondary school mates, and we've all grown older and wiser and settled down into our own little worlds in various parts of the country and the world.

Twenty years is a long time but it still feels like it was just yesterday. A twinkle of an eye and how much things and life have changed and evolved. If I look further back, past my uni days to my school days, that would be over 30 years of history! I wonder what it'd be like in the next one to two decades when I look back....

This post was triggered by an email exchange with some friends where one of us will be among the first this year to celebrate our 40th year on planet Earth. Happy 40th year to you, Pat, and to all of us 'monkeys' of the Chinese zodiac. And yes, I've yet to dig into my memory bank to help you out with details of our yesteryear games like 'zero point'. Kids nowadays only know games in their computers, Playstations and Nintendos. It's just so sad. We should start introducing five stones, congkak, the 'feather-shuttlecock-kicking game', 'hantu galah', hopscotch, what else?

Shed session

Drums enthusiasts in the Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur) can look forward to a shed session (drummers' term for jam session) come Thursday, March 20th (a public holiday). There will be one session in the afternoon and another later in the evening. Admission is free and open to drummers and just about anyone interested in drums and music. This event is organised by DrummerforChrist.

I hope to be able to take Caitlin there to expose her to other drummers, watch and listen to some live drum performances or jam sessions.

Click on their poster below for more details.

Blogging

It's interesting to look at what bloggers write about. Some make blogging a business so they write about anything that they are interested in (or maybe not) as long as they pay. Others write about things that happen in their lives, their feelings, their thoughts, passion and interests in certain niches. Some don't write much but turn it into a photoblog filled with beautiful photographs. Some make theirs a videoblog. Some turn it into a forum or discussion board.

But what's more interesting for me is why bloggers blog. This month marks the first anniversary of this blog. I set up Stories of ACE and posted my first entry on March 20, 2007.

It all started when a few of my friends and I shared a blog to update each other and keep in touch. It was kept within our small circle and slowly fizzled out because only a few of us were actively updating the blog then. The short experience ignited my interest and I decided to create my own blog to record the little things (even the mundane ones) that take place in our lives. This way, I didn't have to repeat my stories to different groups of people. Subsequently, two of my friends from the initial blogging group have started their own blogs too to fulfill their own needs.

Why do you blog? I came across this site with a group of bloggers sharing "one word to describe why you blog". It's fun and interesting to learn in just one word why bloggers from around the world blog.

Moving to a new home

Sometime in the middle of this year, we plan to move into our new home and I can foresee the work involved once we receive the keys from the developer: checking for defects, rectification if any, shopping and installing the necessary fittings, packing, moving and unpacking. We do not plan to do any renovation since the house is brand new and we are pleased with the design. We might just need to paint a few walls to the colours of our choice and definitely Caitlin's room which she has already specified to be pink in colour....

The house should be ready by end of this month so I guess we should start making a checklist of things we need to look into and set the budget. I shall be surfing the Internet once again for checklists and tips. I used to be quite a 'pro' when it came to moving, especially during my campus days, when we had to move our stuff out every semester break. Then in my early working days of renting rooms and apartments, moving was still pretty easy since I had only myself and my own things. It's been nine years since I last moved. And in those nine years, I've accummulated lots of stuff, one husband (and lots more of HIS stuff!) plus one kid (and lots, lots more of HER stuff!!).

Win some, lose some

We got home from Caitlin's classmate's birthday party a couple of hours ago. While making small talk with the boy's father, I learnt that both he and his wife work and leave their two sons to be cared for by live-in maids. They hired two, one to care for the kids and the other to maintain their 2 1/2-storey home. The father sends the two boys to kindy in the morning but after school, a hired driver fetches them home. The house is installed with CCTV for the mum to monitor the maids and kids while in the office. I could tell that both kids are very much loved and adored and live a good and protected life.

We compared notes about schooling options next year (when our kids start formal primary education), and discovered that we've registered our kids to the same Chinese school. They, like us, are also a non-Mandarin speaking family and are apprehensive (like us too) about the kid's ability to cope in school.

Caitlin has the opportunity to get additional Mandarin reading lessons since I'm around to take her for extra-curricular enrichment activities, including music lessons. She has me at her disposal 24/7 so to speak, while her classmate stays home with his 'kakak' until his parents return home in the evening.

It is a choice all couples have to make once they have kids. If both are working, the dual income translates into higher costs of maintaining home and family via hired help. Less time in a day is spent with kids and the kids are pretty much home-based after school (unless you have trusted hired help or extended family to lend support for outside activities). All is not lost however if a balance is achieved somehow when quality time is spent and extra activities provided for over the weekend and holidays. It's not the quantity but quality.

If one parent chooses to stay home, the much-decreased income translates into less spending on hired help like maids (unless you can still afford the same lifestyle on one income), more opportunities for the kids to have outside activities, more attention from the parent.

For us, we've had to do without the maid and revise our budget. Our apartment always looks dusty and cluttered, especially with Caitlin's toys. On the other hand, I don't need to worry or install a CCTV to ensure my child's safety. I get to spent loads of time with Caitlin (...but how much of it is quality time I sometimes wonder!)

I guess whatever choice you make, you'll win some and lose some.

Just make the best of it!!

(I'm telling myself this actually! I miss not having to watch the clock, buying books by the dozen, travelling and enjoying life's little luxuries...and I wonder when I can stop battling detergent allergy!)