Happy Birthday Pa!

My father turned 68 a few days ago on 24 August. Birthdays have hardly been celebrated in a grand way in our family for as long as I can remember, apart from the small birthday parties with cousins, a few best friends from school and neighbourhood kids during our childhood days. When we got older, we simply commemorated it with a meal at home or at a restaurant, and gave presents or angpows and sometimes even without the traditional cake and candles.

Since Caitlin came into the picture, the cake became a must-have as for her, birthdays mean singing the song (in English and Mandarin), blowing the candles (she'd gladly do it for you), cutting the cake, and eating the cream or icing, cherries, chocolate shavings, strawberries etc (but not the cake!).

Pa's (and everyone else's) birthday have received more attention these past few years thanks to Caitlin.

I remember my father as a doting dad but one with a quick temper and did not spare the rod when we misbehaved. I believe he was the one who introduced the love of reading to me. I remember our weekly Saturday afternoon visits to the old little bookshops in Melaka to get the continuing edition of my favourite Secret Seven or Famous Five and other Enid Blyton books during my primary school days. Then there was an occasional handwritten letter or two from him in Indonesia when he had a short working stint there while I was in university in Penang.

He is now a doting grandfather to all three of his grandkids and has changed his tune when it comes to the rod. That's what grandkids can do to even the most military-type. Caitlin, being the eldest grandchild, has received love in abundance since she was born. And she indeed knows she can get away with anything when "kung kung" is around!

Pa said a few days ago when preparing his muesli with chopped apples that he wishes to live as long as possible. I do hope he will, so that he may enjoy, together with Ma, years of happiness in whatever they choose to do.

Caitlin's first movie at the cinema

We had planned this about 10 days ago but we overlooked pre-booking our tickets. Being the school holidays, Ratatouille would surely play to full house at most cinemas here. By the time we realised our mistake, it was too late since Caitlin had already been looking forward to the movie for one week, having kept to her promise of finishing her homework before the weekend.

We checked out two cinemas yesterday morning to try our luck but were met with either full house or migraine-inducing front row seats up to the next few shows in the afternoon. We managed to get tickets for good seats at the second cinema for the 7.00pm show luckily.

On the whole, Caitlin was pretty happy and thrilled with the new experience of a dark hall, many seats and large screen plus surround sound. I guess the movie was entertaining and straightforward enough that she could sit attentively throughout the one hour and 50 minutes. She even laughed at the appropriate moments. We were actually prepared for her usual "what's happening" and "why" questions but there were hardly any.

She requested for another cinema experience to watch her current favourite movie "Dinosaur", which she has on DVD, but since it's a little dated (2000), we told her we'd have to look out for some other fun movie for kids next time.

This morning, she decided to broadcast her cinema adventure to her teacher and classmates, so that got her going in the end to start getting ready for school.

Manic Monday

School resumes today after a one-week break. Caitlin wasn't too keen on going. She's not quite a morning person just like both her parents most days and is slow in getting ready to get out the door in her uniform and backpack by 8.30am. She got to school at 9.05am today, 20 minutes late.

I've been pretty behind in a number of things lately and suddenly feel overwhelmed with the heaps of stuff still sitting on the backburner. The daily chores need to be done too and I've just got half of them out of the way.

I've four intended posts pending: two for PayPerPost, one about Pa's birthday on 24 Aug and another about Caitlin's first experience in a movie theatre last night with Remy the Rat of Ratatouille.

Other stuff pending are for QuestNet, our trip to Singapore this Thursday, and a personal health 'project'.....

Friends

I've just placed a quote by Shakespeare here on my homepage. I find it very true. In my almost 40 years as a social creature, I've made many friends and through the ups and downs and thick and thin, it's been a journey of discovery -- learning about people and how we relate to each other, finding out new things about old friends, going through changes from good to bad, bad to good, etc.

Shakespeare defined it very clearly for me.

And speaking of this, I've just joined Facebook and can now interact with my friends in a whole new 'environment'!

School break

I've been busy this week with Caitlin at home for the one-week term break. That's why I've not been able to stick my butt to the chair to write much here.