One tough Cookie

Cookie: Born ? Died 26 March 2007

Dear Cookie,

This week marks the second anniversary of your death. I can't believe that two years have passed so quickly. I often wonder what you would have been like if you had the chance to grow old. Difficult, I would imagine, given your handicap. But your poor broken back and backward legs are not how I remembered you. Your spirit and sweet, sweet nature (guess your name is quite appropriate) is what I recall.

I remember the first time we (Sean and I) caught sight of you. We were on our way home and at a traffic light. I saw this white shape 'slither' across the road. Couldn't believe that you could move so fast using only your front paws. Needless to say, we took you in and brought you to the vet. Funnily, I was never afraid that you would bite me. You were a stray that had been knocked over by a car and left with paralysed hind legs, life must have been hard for you. Yet, you let me carry you and never growled even when you were poked and prodded at the vet's.

Trying out the 'wheelchair'

Sean loved you. You were HIS. He never felt this way about our other dogs. He named you Cookie because he didn't like the nurses at the vet giving you the nickname "men" (which means smelly in Thai). He insisted we visit you every single day after school. Poor you. You were in the hospital for almost two months. You had a host of parasites in your blood stream, on top of that, your hind legs were raw and almost scrapped to the bone because you were dragging yourself across rough asphalt.

You loved treats. You would come with your tail swishing from side to side when you heard 'Cookie.... treat'. You were a wanderer. I guess given your history, to keep you caged up would be the worst kind of punishment. You took to your 'wheelchair' and would zip around in it.

But I guess you were not meant to be long with us. We were devastated when you died. My little boy cried for days when he found out. He kept asking why did God take you when you didn't do anything wrong.

The last picture of you with Sean.

You may have been with us for a very short time, but you will always be remembered with love. I know that you are in doggy heaven and running around free and without pain. You may have been unwanted when you were born, but you were loved when you left this world. Rest in peace.

A kick and a jab

A few years ago I thought of starting Sean on some form of martial arts. I happened to speak to his swimming coach and he mentioned Muay Thai. Honestly, it never crossed my mind because my impression of Muay Thai was that it was pretty rough. Besides I thought Sean was too young for it (he was six).

I asked around and luckily we have a friend who has several Muay Thai instructors on his payroll and he offered lessons for Sean. We decided to give it a try. I have to admit I was apprehensive as what I knew of the sport was what I saw on TV - lots of hard kicks and grappling. I didn't want my baby exposed to that!

After a few lessons I saw the beauty in the sport. How graceful the Wai Kru was (Wai Kru means to show respect to your teacher and only the head instructor can teach that. It may look like a dance but is acutally a way for the boxers to stretch). The fluidity in the kicks that belie how much it could hurt someone. The grappling that seems to be just two guys hanging on for dear life but in actual fact, skill and technique is involved

Sean has been doing it for close to three years now. He likes it and one day when he is older, I hope he appreciates the fact that he was given this chance to learn Muay Thai. One really good thing was that TH decided to take it up too after sitting in on a couple of lessons. Now, HE is obsessed with it and if he could, would go everyday. It is a good thing because he is doing things that he thought he could not do after his accident.

It is good for Sean because it is a very aerobic sport and at the same time, it teaches you to defend yourself. So once a week, my skinny little boy puts on his Muay Thai shorts and heads for the gym where he will kick, punch, elbow and jab his instructors. Occasionally, he will get to spar with an older child (one of whom is only 12 and already has 40 fights under his belt!).

With these hands

This was made using a clay called 'Jumping Clay'. Don't ask me why it's called that because it does NOT jump or anything. It feels like Play Doh when you take it out.Unlike Play Doh, it dries up to be non-sticky and foam like.

I am not creative. Neither is TH. That is why it surprises us that Sean has a spark of creativity. That boy loves making things. I have a boxful of cards, a trayful of figurines made out of clay and bits and bobs of things that he made hanging from various parts of the house.

His school provides a range of after school activities. This term he has decided to take Japanese cooking. I was not too keen as it was a bit expensive (it's outsourced so a fee is payable) . But I saw how keen he was and agreed to it as I try to encourage interests if it's educational and affordable. So far, he has made a range of sushi, dessert and a rice burger. Unfortunately, most of the end product did not last long enough for me to take pictures. The last one made it only because I took it away the minute he stepped out. Personally, I think it is pretty good. It tasted

pretty good too!

Made from rice, egg. Mayo was used as 'glue'

Portrait of an artist

This post is inspired by Monica ( http://hedgehogcomms.blogspot.com)who wrote about her son's artwork.

Sean has always loved to draw. Don't know where he gets it from as both TH and I are artistically challenged. He started off with the usual finger painting, progressed to Picasso like works and now he tries to tell stories with his little scribbles. He is fascinated with the whole process and will stand quietly and watch while a person sketches or paints.

I have a box of his drawings which I plan to keep and give it to him when he is older. Many of his drawings come with little "I love you" notes. When he is a surly, rebellious teen, I will fish these notes out and remind me of this time in his life when he was sweet and not shy to tell his mum that he loved her.

His first 'family' painting. Includes all our pets, even those that died. His 'girlfriend' Po somehow made it into
the picture too.


One of his many notes: It reads " I love you mam and dad bcos you ar snis to me"
Don't know what the bird is supposed to signify

He started drawing really small figures (some with details) to tell a story. Can't remember what this one was about.

I'm Popeye the sailor man..

Current favourite vegetable.

My son is a closet vegetarian. It's not a bad thing but he is so skinny that he's been described as a having skin stretched over his skeleton.

It's my fault because when I was pregnant, my friends will complain about how their children refuse to eat their veggies and they had to find ingenious ways of feeding it to them. I resolved that MY baby was not going to be like this. So when Sean started on solids, he was fed, carrots (not too much cos didn't want him to turn orange), loads and loads of broccoli (supposed to be good for brain) and spinach (because Popeye ate it). Till he was about 5, his favourite meal was plain porridge and steamed vegetables (no seasoning at all). It took him sometime to enjoy food with flavour.

Now, he would rather eat a whole plate of spinach or tau gae (bean sprouts) than meat or seafood. In a way, this does make things a little easier when we travel because I remember when we were in Lijiang (China) and donkey (yes, you read it right) was on the menu, I cooked some leafy veg in the steamboat and fed it to him. He ate it without complaint and loved it because the vegetables were so fresh.

I'm sure that as he grows, he's going to discover other things that he likes, but for now, he is my little vegetarian.

Dollars and Sense

Last Friday, we (parents) organised a mini sale of food and drinks to the students in the school that Sean attends. Funds raised from this sale was donated to a foundation that helps pay the school fees of less fortunate children. A father approached me to say that he is opposed to taking money from the younger children (his daughter is 4). I told him bluntly that I had no qualms about taking money from a young child if it was for the sake of fund raising. Of course he was shocked and we had a debate as to what age should a child start being made aware of money and its value.

Many parents I know don't want their children to think about money (ie how hard one has to work to earn it, buying something within your means etc). They feel that money shouldn't be a topic that a child has to think about. As a result, I see many children who have no concept of the value of things and take getting money for granted. Sean has a classmate (he is 8) whose dad bought him a Mini. The real one not the matchbox kind. My eyes almost fell out of my head when his mum told me that. Does the boy realise the value of the car? Does he know how even some adults (OK, me) will not fork over that kind of money?

Living away from Singapore (and my real life as I like to say) and in BKK with expats who come with large allowances for car, housing etc, I am afraid that Sean will grow up thinking that all this is normal. Our friends live in big apartments or houses, everyone has a maid, almost everyone has a driver (some children have personal drivers) and all the children have some form of electronic game/gadget.

I don't use the old 'we are poor' line. We aren't poor. We aren't rich either and he has to know that. I tell him how we get money and it's not by going to the ATM that magically spits out money. I tell him that if he wants something, he has to earn it. If he loses something, he has to pay me back. He has had to pay 800 baht (S$40) when he lost his Tamagotchi in school after I specifically told him NOT to bring it. Did he learn a lesson? Sure. now, he thinks twice about bringing expensive toys to school.

When he was 3, I gave him 20 baht and took him to the supermarket. Told him he had to buy 1 item for that amount or less. The dad that I had a debate with argued that a child that age can't read or write yet. My arguement was that they were starting to learn to read and recognise numbers and should know how to read price tags. Did Sean manage to buy his sweet for 20 baht? Yes he did. Best of all, he felt proud that he was given the responsibility of picking out his own sweet and going to the cashier.

When he started learning addition and subtraction, I told him to buy 3 items for 100 baht or less. He had to make sure he received the correct amount in change. It went on from there and now that he is at the ripe old age of 8, he gets 130 baht a week and it is up to him whether he wants to buy a snack or save the money.

He is like Scrooge and saves. But I am happy to see that he willingly gives to people or animals in need (he has a fund called "Poor dog in need, please help").I like to think that I've helped him learn how to budget. I do not top up money for him if his purchase exceeds what he has.

He has progressed to currency exchange (very interested in that, asks loads of questions and hoards US$ because I told him it's the most widely accpeted currency). Recently has has started to ask questions about stocks and shares.

I do believe that adults underestimate children. We forget how smart they are and how quick they are to learn. They also like feeling that they are being given responsibility by handling money which is largely an adults area. So, will I take money from a child in exchange for food/drink? You betcha!

Up, up and away...

Nowadays, I realise that many children do not do the things that I did when I was a child (all those years ago!). With so many mechanical and/or electronic things on hand, children like Sean have missed out on some of the simple pleasures of childhood.

Recently, we introduced him to kite flying. Yes, I know it's a simple thing but living in a major concrete jungle with very little open space, it's not something that we can do everyday. TH was trying to explain to him how he used to grind glass and coat the kite string with it before 'fighting' with, and cutting other kites. My practical son commented:"you are wasting money when you kite gets cut and flies away."

I thought it was also a good 'daddy and me' time for the both of them. Most days, Sean is asleep by the time TH comes home. I don't want to be doing everything with Sean and not leave anything that TH can do with him. I thoroughly enjoyed watching my husband re-live his childhood and my son discover a new experience. Both of them had a blast!

Mini chef

Sean has always been interested when I cook. He's helped me slice,dice,stir from the time he was 2 (if grandma knew, she'd freak out). I figure, if he wants to cook, why not? After all, many well known chefs are men. His newest favourite thing to eat is eggs. Loves it scrambled and sunny side up. He's been cooking eggs for himself for breakfast almost everyday now. I started by showing him how the start the stove, warned him about water and oil NOT being a good mix etc... He's gotten the hang of it and loves it.

Dress up

When I was in school, we never had things like dress up day, Halloween dress up day etc. Ever since Sean has been to school, there is always something or other to dress up for. The school he attends usually takes these dress up days to raise funds for a certain charity.

Point to note: I am NOT a creative person so I've had to really crack my head to come up with things sometimes. These are some of the things I have made/bought for Sean over the past few years.






(from top and left to right)

He went as scubaman for Halloween. Am quite proud to say the costume was REALLY easy, just paint 2 water bottles silver and use black thread to make loops for the arms. He won for best costume at school and at a birthday party.

He was supposed to be a knight and I made a 'coat' of mail (made out of tin foil cupcake holder). But it ripped after a rolled around. Sigh... I really like this pic cos he is with his two best pals and they look so happy!

Every boy has to go as a pirate just once!.

For International Day in Kindergarten. Bought the Chinese outfit.

Here is ....Garfield (can't you tell?). This was taken just this morning (hence the pic is not so clear cos it was at 6.30am and I am NOT too sharp at that time of the day). School had a dress up as your favourite book character for Book Week. My friend pointed out that he sure was a skinny Garfield.

Stories by Sean

The author

My friends on Facebook would have already read this. I thought I'd share this with everyone as I think it shows how innocent Sean still is.

At the end of every school year, parents get all the work the children have been doing over the past year. This is an essay by Sean as part of his English work. note: spelling and punctuation are all his.

Title: how the lion got the fish tail

{Long, Long ago in ancient times in Singapore there was a lion who was walking by a lake. He steped on a rock and fell in to the lake. Then a fish saw the lion so he helped him. He said "wake up lion". Suddenly he woke up and he saw the fish "thanks for helping me" said the lion in a soft voice. The the fish said "would you marry me" he said "yes". Then me marryed him and after that thay had a parrty. It had food, games, movies, songs and best of all rides. Then one day the fish babby came out. It hurt allot. But she did it. The babby looked like this body is a lion and her legs were like a fish. Her name was merlion. And thats why the merlion repesents singapore. }

I thought it's a new spin on our merlion....

This next one is play. He is learning about the different types of writing (fiction, poems etc)

Title: A play about princess willy and princess maggi

Prince willy:"ahhhhh! Help! Help!"
Princess maddi: "Oh! what is that thing?"
(Looking surprised)
Prince w:"it's my pet rabbit"
Princess:"oh it's your rabbit"
Prince:"Why?"
Princess:"I thought it was a frog and you know how I hate frogs"
Prince:"O yes I know"
Princess:"It's OK"
Prince:"Can you help me put my rabbit in the cage"
Princess:"OK"
Prince:"thanks"
Princess:"come back here"
Prince:"I will not work"
Princess:"Oh"
Prince:"I got an idai put some carrat's in hes cage"
Princess:"OK"
Prince:"And wait"
Princess:"He's comeing"
Prince:"1,2,3 let GO!"
Princess:"finely"
Prince:"Thanks again"
Princess:"It's OK"
Prince:"Oh"
Princess:"Why?"
Prince:"never mind"
Princess:"OK"

The End

I thought this was pretty funny. It reminded me of a lit play I had to study called "waiting for Godot".
And best thing is Sean had to act it OUT!!!