A Bright and Positive Living. Daughter and Dad.

Have to get back to school soon....
Daddy said it couldn't be too soon.
Just before the holidays, I learned a new word, Global Warming. Sounded complicated when our teacher took awhile to explain it. We went for lunch after that. I had chicken, rice and then some ice-cream. I didn't take a drink that comes in a can, because I don't want to add to the 'rubbish mountain' that we are already building. We talked about what we were going to do during the holidays and everyone got so excited. Right after lunch, we had already forgot what global warming is about. On the way home from school that day, I asked dad about it, and he said, it means 'Big trouble'. I love my dad. He has the abilities to make hard and difficult to understand subject simple.

He said there was a whole big bunch of people from all over, meeting in Bali, talking about how to cut down on the production of some harmful gases or something like that. He said, the right way is actually for them to cut down on eating so much, especially onion. What does eating onion has to do with harmful gases? My daddy can be so funny sometimes. I told him I would like to go meet those people and tell them that I am not sleeping in an air-con room, so as not to use up too much electricity. I am sure they are already doing that themselves. Dad said I should go thank them for taking the trouble to come over from all the cold countries, knowing very well they will end up with nothing much to do but just sit around under the hot sun, on the beaches, read their newspapers and novels. Yah, poor things, I should do that. Dad can be very thoughtful sometimes.

small bright head

The new year is soon going to be here so I better get on with my resolutions for the new year. This year, I made good effort to at least read something everyday. I did rather well and dad agreed too. So to save me the trouble of thinking up a new resolution, I will stick to the same one. Dad is proud of me for more or less able to achieve what I set out to do. He also said my spelling has improved. I can now spell long and complicated words correctly, but, I still have trouble with the shorter and simple ones. Dad said, I could be a genius, like Einstein, because, he too had problem spelling simple words when he was younger.

I took up taekwondo for my first term after school activities. Dad wasn't too sure that I could last the term, but I did. So I am going to stick to it until end of the school year. Master Tan, our instructor, is a nice man, and he looks so young for his age. 65 or somewhere there. Most men his age can't even walk straight, so, it is really nice he can still teach us a combat sport. Dad said that most men his age are too busy worrying about their prostate than doing anything useful. I must remember to check out in the dictionary what prostate means.

I got my junior yellow belt before end term. So, I took about three months to achieve it. I am really proud of that. I have a mean kick now and my punches and blocks are good too. But Master Tan, still has to tie my belt for me every time before class. Dad, said, at this rate, I should be able to get my black belt just before Master Tan turn ninety. I hope he can wait for me.

Dad is worried about the petrol price going up in the new year. He said soon a full tank of regular will cost more than his car. He was dead serious when he mentioned that, so I didn't take it as a joke. Dad takes me to and from school everyday, ever since the first day of my school life. I like it when he takes me to school, because we get to talk a lot during these trips. He said soon he has to impose a fuel surcharge on me.

For the new year, dad said we should reduce our fast food consumption by half. I did a quick calculation and told him that, including a late night hunger emergency, we went four times in all this year. He said that he is preventing me from sizing up. I protested. It's not fair. I never get to size up. It's always medium!

small bright head

Hi. Oops! I didn't write anything for so long. Sorry. I was kinda of busy with school, kinda of lazy, kinda of forgot and kinda of spending time chatting with my friends too...he he..

Last month, I attended a workshop on the environment for school children. I was so excited that I was able to go. I have never attended any workshop before in my life. It was really cool. We children talked about global warming and how to save our earth. We had group discussions and we came out with many ideas to help keep the environment clean and all that. Practical stuff that we children can do to help stop polluting the world. We made friends too. Children are good at making friends. Dad was so proud of me for all the things that I planned to do in school for the environment.

Dad said that in fact children are the ones who will save the world. Adults are allowed to help.

I am so proud of my dad.

small bright head

I was once grumbling about why my BFF (best friend forever) is no longer my BFF. Dad said, "Look at the positive. Things happened for a reason". Hello! I am no longer BFF with my BFF, its serious matter here. I need to cry. I need some consoling. How to be positive about it, daddy??? Dad said that I will have to learn to sort out my girl to girl relationship on my own. And the earlier I learn to deal with it the better it is for me. Something about me having better social skills when I grow up and duh... And all I got was a hug.

Yesterday, we went to the PETROL station to top up boy boy (dad's car). He is actually quite old. No, not my dad. The car. So, he should be old boy boy.

Anyway, after dad has done filling up boy boy, got into the car, started the engine, put on his seat belt and was about to say something, I said, "Dad, everything happens for a reason. Look at the positive". He protested and said that he wasn't about to grumble about the petrol price but was actually speechless, too shock for words by how few litres of petrol he got for Rm50. I said, "yah dad" and I gave him a hug.

Daddy has suddenly started to fuss about boy boy. Checking his tires. Filling up more air. Topping this up. Topping that up. So strange. Good for boy boy. He is usually so neglected. He he.

I hope I don't have to take the school bus to school on Monday.

small bright head

Everyone is so excited and can't stop talking about petrol. It seems like they are no longer interested to talk about the usual gossip gossip stuff...he he. I can talk about anything with my friends. Chat, sms, whatever... but not football. Which are the only things the boys in school ever talk about.

Everyone is talking about planning to or thinking about planning to change or planning to think about changing or planning to plan to change to a smaller and more petrol-saving car. They talk to plan about driving less or driving only when absolutely needed. Wow!

Then, yesterday, I realised that it could be kinda of a good thing if people have smaller cars and drive around less. That way we will be polluting the air less. During our children workshop on the environment, we were told about how cars are one of the main causes of global warming. So God must be making things happened so that people will pollute the environment less! I think God is a lot smarter than us.

Dad said that the human race is the no.1 freeloader of the universe and that God is not going to just sit around doing nothing while human happily destroy the earth.

Way to go God! High five! He he...

small bright head

Lately, for the past few months anyway, a bunch of monkeys has been making regular visit to our area. They are from the nearby hill forest. Dad said it's because they don't have enough food in the jungle anymore. On top of the hill there is a sort of lover's lane where the smarter ones can go and get food. They will bug loving couples until they are given Pagoda Brand groundnuts or some other tidbits, as payoff. I wonder whether they have tasted any other brands. He he... I have seen some of them drinking from soft drink cans. They are that good. Cool hur! Once they have collected their goodies they will then go up to their nearby trees and wait for more couples to turn up. Dad said they are so human. It's like going to the Cineplex. First get your snack and drink, then look for a comfortable place and then settle down to watch the show. Ha ha!

Those that raid our housing area are more organised. Dad said they are the gatherers and not the beggars.. he he. Today, the regular bunch came by. They walked along the fencing, perimeter walls and the electric cables from one house to another. They always come to our garden because we have two fruiting papaya trees. We had them for a while now, but we have never even eaten one because the monkeys would usually get them before we do. But, I am so glad they came to eat the papaya because otherwise they might not have much to eat, because, the rambutan and chiku have not fruited yet.

Dad said, even though the two papaya trees are in our garden, they actually belongs to the monkey. Some birds or the wind brought the seeds and they grew on their own. When they became visible, dad decided to let them be rather than pull them up. Then, the rain watered them, the sun shone on them, the earth supported them and nature just took care of them. Dad didn't do anything at all. He didn't teach the papaya trees how to grow or when to sprout their leaves or when and how to flower and then fruit. They did it all by themselves. Nature just took care of them. And, since the monkeys are also part of nature, they have all the rights to the papaya, more so than us, because they needed it more then us. You can't expect them to shop for papaya at Tesco, right?

Today, there were a few very young ones. They were really small. They were so so so cute jumping from tree to tree doing what monkey loves to do. One of the really tiny ones got up the papaya tree to pick a half-ripe papaya. That papaya was much bigger than her (anything that is very cute is always a 'her' to me, he he), she then struggled down with one hand holding the papaya and quickly disappeared into the rambutan tree. Probably to share it with her mom. She was so cute. She was so tiny and yet so strong and independent. And so cute too. Her mom must be so proud of her.

Then, they went off to the jungle. Happy.

I hope people won't cut down the jungle to build some silly condo. If so, they won't even have a place to go back to. Monkeys have rights too, you know. They have rights to their jungle and rights to their fruits. Monkeys can't live in condo. They won't know how to use the toilet. He he...

I hope they will come back soon for their papaya. I was so happy to see the tiny ones today, I almost cried.

And, did I tell you they were so cute?

small bright head

An Attempt at Poetry. Ver 1.1
Daddy daddy I love you, I want to impress you with this poetry
I like to refresh, in case your memories are fragmented already
I can remember most of it, and some were really funny
I am writing this not because I am eyeing a newly released cd
Or that my wardrobe has lately become a little puny
Oh! Incidentally, the new i-phone looks kind of trendy

First day of play school; we arrived even before the were ready
Shocked teachers thought we wanted to rob their money
You said first day can be stressful so it's better to be early
It was a good thing I was calm because you were jittery
I was excited because it was my first step to the university
You kept hoping that my class teacher would be pretty
We were so early, so we took a tour of the facilities
Little toilet bowls, tiny wash basins with pink hankies
See-saws, colourful slides, sand boxes and bars for the monkeys
You checked on how food were prepared in the pantry
While I searched for the place where they taught geometry
You concluded that lunch would not be very fancy
I was disappointed; the plastic microscope was for biology
As it turned out, my teacher was a good looking young lady
I calmed you down before you could make me look silly
She was keen to get us started and had a good strategy
We sat in a circle; she praised us already and gave us some candies
She got us to wave bye-bye to all the mommies and daddies
The pick-up time was set for eleven fifty-three
But, you, my dad, was one who will not go easily
You mimed through the windows that you already missed me
The class laughed out loud and teacher thought you were mushy
You lingered beside the flower pots and then behind the laundry
You only left when the principle threatened to call the security

That was what I remember; the first day in kinddy

small bright head

No other dad in the world can wake up as early as my dad. When I was in primary school anyway. He said he kind of "spoil the market " for all the other dads. When I was in primary school, parents were allowed to take their children right up to class. Mostly moms. Dad was the only dad who would turned up with me, hand in hand, everyday, rain (too early, so no sun yet), heavy down pour, thunderstorm or flood. Not to mention the traffic. Often, I needed desperately to get to the toilet (the big kind) on reaching school. He had to run with me to the loo. No, more like running after me with my school bag. I, of course ran much faster than him because I didn't really like washing dirty panties. he he.

After dropping the children at their classes, many moms would sit out the traffic jam by gathering at the canteen, for their friendly morning chit chat.

Dad was never brave enough to join them for some "chitchatting".

Source: daddipedia.org (another one of those free encyclopedia)
Chit Chat (verb): an art-form; group activity
Participants must be capable of talking at very high speed to everyone in the group at the same time and are also required to listen to what everyone else in the group is saying.

Once, for some reasons, he was sucked into a chitchatting session. I didn't know what happened. Maybe they dragged him into the canteen. Maybe he was kidnapped. Ha ha...

There, they complimented him, from left, from right and then from left and then finally from right again. They said things like, "Oh, you so good farder ha, evelyday blink your dorter to school. My husburn so lazy to wake up wan. Tomolo, I must ask him to bling our girl girl to school. I early early wake him up. Quarleety time ma". With that, they went into serious chitchatting mode and that was when dad made his escape. He told me later that subjecting another human to mental torture is not legal in this country.

What happened the next few days was hilarious (big word; it means boisterous merriment or convulsive laughter). Sorry, there are some even bigger words in there. he he....

Fathers turned up. Since they don't know where to go, children were dragging them everywhere, like headless chickens, ha ha.. Of course most of them were only half awake. Most were unshaven, uncombed, untidy, under-dressed and mostly very unhappy. Some were still in their pyjama with mismatched flip-flops. They were fun to watch. Children needs entertainment too, you know.

Dad wasn't worried because he knew the competition could not last.

Soon, it was back to dad and all the moms. But, he had since not gone near the canteen.

small bright head

Touched by your poem
Daft things from the past retold
How not to feel old

So now in return
Here's something for memories
Keep this blog precious

Cute baby you were
Glad you didn't looked like me
Fat old and ugly

Hair black like cin cau
Skin fairer than Korean stars
Angel in disguise

So considerate
Just only one feed at night
Slept tight till morning

Born to be cheerful
Smile long before you can talk
Front tooth only one

How not to love you
Dad is the first word you said
Tears also came down

A joy to handle
Since babies are great like you
Good to have a few

Asked your mom to try
She told me to go to die
Sorry, no siblings

My, how fast you grew
Got past your stumbles and falls
Next you went to school

So eager to learn
Also went to ballet school
Piano on Sunday

Transport no problem
Taxi hopped from place to place
Daddy the driver

Virtues I taught you
Be frugal and not to waste
Polite and humble

Treat food preciously
Many hungry in the world
Have heart for the poor

Save, not for yourself
Leave for next generation
Act not selfishly

Don't be dishearten
Just deal with the big issues
Soon, things will be right

Must say I am glad
That you grew up well rounded
So far no regrets

Hope you have strong heart
For the future will be tough
I have trust in you

Now I call time-out
There are plenty more to write
Now, Euro Cup time

big bright head

If there is an award for frugality, my dad would be World Champ hands and feet down...he he. Nobody I know is that good (not like as if I know so many people). Showering. This is how he does it. No, I don't watch him shower!! He has told me about it enough times, I think it is going to stay with me for the rest of my life. Anyway, one burst of cold water to wet himself first. For those of you who are reading from Alaska or the northern part of Russia, our average temperature here is 30.1'C. Don't know about 'F. You have to convert it yourself. Dad said, we stopped using 'F since the British left. Then, he will shampoo his hair, brush his teeth, shave, scrub and then one more burst of water and it's done! Cool ah? I can't do that though ....lol. Bye.

Source: daddipedia.org (world famous free encyclopedia)
Frugality (n): an art-form; individual or group activity.
The ability to not waste; use, get by or eat as little as possible but still remains happy. Individual who uses more than necessary will often ended up being nag to dead or otherwise having to pay for their own utilities bills. Urgh!

small bright head

I am so happy today because I received a snail mail from my friend in Japan. She was in my class for many years but now she is living in Japan. I love snail mail. They are so not fast. Dad said the fun is always in the waiting. Yah, but I don't think he really enjoy waiting in traffic jams..he he. Her snail mail from Japan took 5 days to reach me, while mind to her took 14 days. I thought it would take longer. I am glad we have a better snail mail service than in Japan. I mean, snail mail is supposed to be slow, right? Dad said, we have the best snail mail service in the world. A letter to the other side of town will take a week. I think a real snail would've reach there first...

We used to send each other little hand-made cards and notes when we were together in the same class. We kinda missed that. So while chatting one day we decided it will be fun to do that again and then snail mail them to each other. So, it was back to glue, cutter, colour papers, magazines and then cut cut, chopped chopped and pasted pasted. It was playschool fun, all over again. I took 5 days to complete mind.

Everything about snail mail is slow. I love it. I had never being inside a post-office before. It was really cool. The people working there were slow (no, I am not complaining) and the queues were even slower. I guess they don't call it snail mail for no good reasons, right? Then we got the envelope WEIGHTED and then we had to buy these colourful little STAMPS so that we can STICK them on the TOP right hand corner of my enormous brown hand-made envelope.

It was such an adventure, snail mail. Children should try it.

small bright head

Last Sunday was Father's Day. We completely didn't even realised it. Anyway, we are so not into these things. Daddy was cool about it anyway. We are usually very nonchalant (wait wait, big word time; in French it means: buuuf, I don't really care) about so many of these "Day". Dad said that the whole lists of these "Days" were created by The Shopping Mall Association....ha ha. Dad can be so funny sometimes. Anyway, he said with a daughter like me, everyday is Father's Day...he he.

Dad said, some fathers only feel like a father on Father's Day and the rest of the year is; sit in the corner and keep quiet; go down to store and get the papers; look after the house, we are going to Bali for two weeks; have you done washing my car yet?

So, dad came out with his own list of "Day" that we should celebrate.

Buy Nothing Day - (24th of December)
No Hangover Day - (26th of December)
Donate To Charity Day - (30th of each month)
Waste Nothing Day - (1st day of New Year)
No Flora Destruction Day - (14th of February)
No Random Hugging Day - (mid-night, 31st of December)
Piggy Bank Day - (Every school day)
No Gossiping Day - Everyday (this one is from me)

Spell-check is the greatest thing ever invented since....forever.

small bright head :)

Dad told me something the other day. He is so good at telling me things out of the blue. So his talent. As if these things just down out of nowhere into his head...he he. I just hope it wasn't bird droppings though.

He told me how he got me to get rid of my pacifier and pillow when I was four years old. I used to love both of them. They were like my good friends from the day I was born. They were both well used and wore out especially the pillow. It looked more like an old rag filled with some soft lumpy thingy....he he.

Dad said I looked like the baby in Simpsons. Never seen without the pacifier. I called my pacifier, chuop chuop, the sound I made when I sucked on it. He he. Dad took me to a seaside resort for a weekend. Soon after we got there....

Daddi, whear my chuop chuop?
Aiyah! (big dramatic expression) sorli, daddi forgot to bring
But, i wan myz chuop chuop wor....
we go schwim schwim pray pray now, then we buy a new one, ok?
Ok, daddi

My dad was very good at baby talk when I was young. Sometimes he was more me than me...ha ha..

Then, we went diving into the hotel pool; then, we dug out the beach for sand castling; then, we cleaned up the buffet table in the restaurant for lunch; then, we teamed up for Daytona Race at the video arcade; then, we hopped onto the tiny bouncing castle; then, we drove back into the pool; then, we dug into green tea ice cream at the poolside bar; then, we sat down for the children magic show; then, I cried because the clown was more scary than funny; then, it was free balloons time from the clown; then, I cried again because the clown looked even scarier than before..............and just before bed time.....

Daddi, whear my pilyow?
OH! (more dramatic expression) sorli, pilyow at home
But, i wan myz pilyow wor...
Ok, we go get your pilyow now
Ok
But, we go home, tomolo how to schwim schwim on the beach?
Daddi, I no need pilyow oleidi.........
Ok, I read story book to you so you can scheep scheep ok?
Z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z......

Dad said, after that weekend at the resort, I never asked for my pacifier and pillow.

He said that; Habits are formed by routine. Break the routine, you break the habits. Wow, cool, it sounds like a secret spy code. The type you have to say to identify your secret partner. Did I tell you I wanted to be a spy when I grow up? Dad said that I am smart enough to be one. But, he said he can read me like a book. So not a good point for a spy. I think I will just become a teacher.

small bright head

Dad went to the post office to collect his Rm625 fuel rebate. He was so happy because this is the first time ever in his life that he collected any money from the government. He hopes that the government makes it a habit of doing that. He wanted to be paid by cheque because he wanted a picture of it for memories. Aiyoo, my daddy! He got it in cash. I was happy because we were supposed to go shopping after that...he he.

Shopping can be strenuous work, so we decided to feed ourselves before we start. We decided on our favorite, teipanyaki. No, it wasn't in a fancy and expensive Japanese restaurant, where the waitresses in kimono would shout welcomes in Japanese and bow 16 times to you. Those are for special occasions only, like, when dad strikes the lottery...he he. The one we went to is called "The Good Value for Money Teipanyaki Thingy Place". Dad has a nick name for everything. He even gives nick names to nick name. He he... This place was kind of different from the rest because the waitress greeted us in codes; "Two?" and "Sit here!"

This place is likable because, every time just when you are starting to eat the fried salmon, they will dump a small mountain of fried mixed vegetable over it. You then have to start digging the salmon out from below. It's was so fun. I couldn't finish because they gave so much, so like all good frugal father, my dad cleaned it up for me. He said I am the only reason why he puts on weight.

As soon as when dad has done picking his teeth, we went shopping. I couldn't decide where to go so dad recommended that we try the "The Really Worth It Factory Surplus Everything Got Clothing Store" I wasn't too sure if they have what I wanted but I have to try it, at least to please dad.

I was like totally shocked. Not only did they have everything, most of them were of really good quality and designs. Of course some of them had their labels' removed but then, who needs the labels anyway, right? With dad acting as my personal assistant and after a few rounds of choose, change and try, I got myself 5 nice tops and a pair of jean for Rm125. Dad was pleased and said they were really smart and sensible choices because there are room for growth in all of them. He he

On the way to the car park we passed a branded clothing store. Dad said it was a good thing we didn't go in there because with Rm125 we would've probably gotten a pair of designer's sock and a hand towel.

Dad said the Gap between the 'have' and the 'have just enough' is getting bigger. I Guess we are the 'have just enough', and proud of it! He he.....

small bright head

Sunday breakfast time
Hot coffee and some burnt toasts
Life is good to us

Good time for a chat
Daughter got news from the net
Lindsay Lohan hitched

Oh! So nice I said
Who is that lucky bridegroom?
Hope till death they part

Daughter was in shock
Are the toasts that bad? I asked
No! A female groom!

Why? She's not ugly
Many men will kill for her
And, I would too, dear

Daughter half resigned
Hope it's just a PR stunt
Or a silly prank

Woman should wed man
Makes a lovely family
With children and pets

Proud you think that way
Sorting things out in your head
What's right and what's wrong

haiku by big bright head

The boys in my class are always talking about football. It has gotten worst now because of the Euro Cup or something. They talk about everything football but will always end up talking about how much players are making per week. It's only about players in England. It is like as if the rest of the world do not play football or something...he he. Now, it's all about whether this dude in ManU will leave for some Spanish club or not and how MUCH he will be earning per WEEK. I know ManU because my dad is a lifetime (it means a long long long time) supporter. When I was four, he signed me up as a supporter and bought me a red ManU t-shirt with the picture of Freddie the Red (that cute little devil thingy with a huge yellow fork, like he's going to have fish and chips or something...he he) on it.

They will go on and on about how many hundreds thousand Pounds players are making per week and what cars they will be driving soon and da di da da. My class teacher has stopped them a few times already.....

"Hello!, Reality check time" I love reality check time. At the last reality check time she told the class that; one hundred thousand Pounds is more than enough to feed a whole village in Burma for a year and maybe even have enough left to build a small school. She told the boys that while it's good that people make a lot of money but what is more important is that we should not forget people who are suffering. Children need to learn to care more about others around them. Otherwise this world has no future. She said, we should think of ways to help those who are not as fortunate as us. One way of helping people of the world, indirectly, is by not using so much of the world's resources. If we waste less and use less then there will be enough to go around.

I think she is so right. I hope she will give more reality checks. It keeps the boys quiet too, for a while...he he. I like, love, like my teacher a lot. She is really sensible.

small bright head

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