Today, Jerry gave me a nagging on going to bed early. He saw that I have some spots on my jawline and asked what they were. I told him that they were zits which I have cos my skin is not good. Since we have not yet explained what zits are to him, it was with great surprise that I received the following lecture from him:
Mom, you should go to bed earlier and not watch so much t.v. at night. You should instead watch t.v. either in the a.m. or during the day when I'm at school. You should go to bed early like dad does (his dad puts him to bed at night, thereby giving him the impression that LH goes to sleep at the same time he does). We (using the royal "we" here) really care about you and I'm not trying to make you feel bad, just caring about you and trying to help you.
He said that all in one go. Obviously, the above is not verbatim as he lectured in Canto. However, I'm sure you get the picture. I think we may have another "Fahn-drew" on our hands....
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
mid-autumn festivities cont'd
See how she is really into the kids' fun & games. Michelle is the luckiest kid in the world to hv the best GooMa--haha.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Mid-Autumn festivities
Michelle & Jerry get along well for cousins who see each other abt every 4(?) months. It appears that they're playing a modified form of hopscotch...
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Chee Sin
Another funny episode in the car occurred tonight. Jerry was contemplating what it was like to be grown up and the things that grown-ups can say which children cannot. He asked why adults, especially his "elders" liked to say "chee sin" a lot (crazy in Cantonese). Since I don't say "chee sin" in front of him, I told him that not all elders said that. He said that most of them did, especially at the mahjong table, when the game is drawn (his exact words: "Dah Wong" which is mahjong jargon). Just from that simple statement, it is obvious that Jerry is very attentive, even if he doesn't seem to be paying any attention. He never sits still to watch mahjong playing, he is always doing something else nearby. The first person who comes to mind and says "chee sin" the most at the mahjong table is our Auntie 2...Jerry appears to be heavily influenced by her, especially in saying things that we'd rather he didn't at his age. If anyone has been in Auntie 2's company for a period of time would appreciate that Jerry does get a lot of odd sayings from her. (Lisa, you know what I mean :D)
seung ngor
Chinese legend has it that a fair maiden named "Seung Ngor" floated up to the moon after eating some magic pills for immortality that were meant for "Hau Ngai", a tyrant of a king who wanted to rule the world forever. Seung Ngor's "sacrifice" came about because she did not want to see more suffering and turmoil under such tyrannical rule.
Subsequently, every year at Mid-Autumn Festival, people would eat their mooncakes while remembering Seung Ngor on the moon.
As Jerry was getting ready for sleep tonight, he told LH that Seung Ngor had it all wrong. She should not have eaten the magic pills, but instead, she should have sit Hau Ngai down for a serious talk, to teach him that he should not be a tyrant and treat people nicely. That way, Seung Ngor would not have had to float up to the moon causing people down on earth to miss her so much.
I thought that she should not have eaten the pills but thrown them in the toilet (the ancient type w/o flushing) for then, I'm pretty sure Hau Ngai would not want to eat them for all the worlds that he could rule over.
I think both streams of logic are quite reasonable, don't you?
Subsequently, every year at Mid-Autumn Festival, people would eat their mooncakes while remembering Seung Ngor on the moon.
As Jerry was getting ready for sleep tonight, he told LH that Seung Ngor had it all wrong. She should not have eaten the magic pills, but instead, she should have sit Hau Ngai down for a serious talk, to teach him that he should not be a tyrant and treat people nicely. That way, Seung Ngor would not have had to float up to the moon causing people down on earth to miss her so much.
I thought that she should not have eaten the pills but thrown them in the toilet (the ancient type w/o flushing) for then, I'm pretty sure Hau Ngai would not want to eat them for all the worlds that he could rule over.
I think both streams of logic are quite reasonable, don't you?
cinderella
Jerry does not like to watch cartoons/t.v. programs or motion pictures where there is an antagonist (especially witches, monsters and evildoers). So, basically, he has not been able to finish watching many of the Disney movies. Tonight, he mentioned that he was not scared of Cinderella when he was two years old (he attributes all past events to age 2 years), but now that he is 4 years old, he is afraid of watching it because of the evil stepmother.
I tried to comfort him by telling him that it was only a story and that he did not have an evil stepmother; therefore, no need to worry.
He went on calmly to tell me that if I died, LH would have to remarry and he would have a stepmother (implying that perhaps "that" stepmother would be evil). So, I could only reply that possibly, when I died, his dad would find him a stepmother, but his dad would take care not to find an evil one!
What can I say but that his comments left me "beh beh seng"...
I tried to comfort him by telling him that it was only a story and that he did not have an evil stepmother; therefore, no need to worry.
He went on calmly to tell me that if I died, LH would have to remarry and he would have a stepmother (implying that perhaps "that" stepmother would be evil). So, I could only reply that possibly, when I died, his dad would find him a stepmother, but his dad would take care not to find an evil one!
What can I say but that his comments left me "beh beh seng"...
Friday, September 12, 2008
daily activities
Since neither boys are babies any more, it is difficult to film them without resistance. Usually, when they know that they are under the camera, they hide all the giggles and playfulness and become self-conscious (yes, self-conscious at ages 4 & 1.5).
Then again, there are times, when Jerry knows he's under the camera and he "over-acts"! However they appear, they are adorable all the same.
Then again, there are times, when Jerry knows he's under the camera and he "over-acts"! However they appear, they are adorable all the same.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
why did you have children?
Jerry often asks why we had children. Earlier on, we told him that because we loved each other, we wanted to raise children together. Soon, that answer was not enough for Jerry who provided his own answer: God arranged for him to go into my tummy and be born as our son. Not satisfied to stop there, he asked whether God arranged for the births of all his close relatives (he had to ask about them, one by one).
Two nights ago, he asked LH about who took care of him when he was a child; who took care of his parents when they were children etc etc. Naturally, that brought on the topic of his great-grandparents (both on my side as well as LH's side) and he was fascinated to know where they now are. For example, who are Tai Poh's (a.k.a. Jerry's great grandma Ip) father and mother (great great grandparents Lam). If great grandfather Ip is dead and is in heaven, is he watching us just as Cowboy is watching us (notice that he never loses a link)? If great/great great grandparents on LH's side of the family are also in heaven, would these common yet unrelated great grandparents know who each other are in heaven? Then Jerry got distressed, because, according to him, if he went to heaven, then he would not be able to recognize great great grandfather and great grandfather. LH had to answer that he would, of course, introduce them....
I can't go into details as to how LH answered, as the Q&A session was neverending and I was not there. Suffice it to say, more questions are coming, so please help us (God?).
An aside: Jerry says that rain clouds are spiders and at some point would sprout legs and land them on our heads, hence we get rain.
Another aside: A friend was scolding her son one day and her son said: If I had a baby, I would not scold the baby so. Her son is 4 days older than Jerry.
Humans are indeed animals of intelligence.
Two nights ago, he asked LH about who took care of him when he was a child; who took care of his parents when they were children etc etc. Naturally, that brought on the topic of his great-grandparents (both on my side as well as LH's side) and he was fascinated to know where they now are. For example, who are Tai Poh's (a.k.a. Jerry's great grandma Ip) father and mother (great great grandparents Lam). If great grandfather Ip is dead and is in heaven, is he watching us just as Cowboy is watching us (notice that he never loses a link)? If great/great great grandparents on LH's side of the family are also in heaven, would these common yet unrelated great grandparents know who each other are in heaven? Then Jerry got distressed, because, according to him, if he went to heaven, then he would not be able to recognize great great grandfather and great grandfather. LH had to answer that he would, of course, introduce them....
I can't go into details as to how LH answered, as the Q&A session was neverending and I was not there. Suffice it to say, more questions are coming, so please help us (God?).
An aside: Jerry says that rain clouds are spiders and at some point would sprout legs and land them on our heads, hence we get rain.
Another aside: A friend was scolding her son one day and her son said: If I had a baby, I would not scold the baby so. Her son is 4 days older than Jerry.
Humans are indeed animals of intelligence.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Jerry & the devil
Jerry goes to a Christian school which perhaps gives about 20 minutes to tell bible stories each day. Periodically, he also brings home books with seriously abbreviated and animated bible stories. This week being the beginning of term, he brought back one of these books and asked to hear the stories. One of them was about the temptation of Jesus. (We all know the story, right?) When I told him the story, he merely asked where the devil was (it was not illustrated). When LH told the story later at night, he had deeper thoughts.
He told his dad that he was naughty sometimes because he heard the devil tempting him but he could not hear God. LH insisted that Jerry should resist being naughty and try to be good all the time. He also suggested that God would talk to Jerry as he slept, but Jerry insisted that he could not hear. LH then had to say that God talked to us (the parents) and taught us how to teach Jerry behaved. Obviously, Jerry had to follow up with a dozen more questions, including how and when God spoke to us, etc etc. This episode is ironic as LH is neither religious nor partial to Christianity. Perhaps, on a certain level, it is easier for LH to analyse God and his ways in this detached manner of a bystander (my analyses would only be from a viewpoint of a good reader of the bible rather than a Christian).
Hopefully, Jerry will not be always confused about the devil. This morning, he suggested that Aaron (and basically all children) listened to the devil; that is why children are usually naughty. This could be quite scary if placed in a movie.
He told his dad that he was naughty sometimes because he heard the devil tempting him but he could not hear God. LH insisted that Jerry should resist being naughty and try to be good all the time. He also suggested that God would talk to Jerry as he slept, but Jerry insisted that he could not hear. LH then had to say that God talked to us (the parents) and taught us how to teach Jerry behaved. Obviously, Jerry had to follow up with a dozen more questions, including how and when God spoke to us, etc etc. This episode is ironic as LH is neither religious nor partial to Christianity. Perhaps, on a certain level, it is easier for LH to analyse God and his ways in this detached manner of a bystander (my analyses would only be from a viewpoint of a good reader of the bible rather than a Christian).
Hopefully, Jerry will not be always confused about the devil. This morning, he suggested that Aaron (and basically all children) listened to the devil; that is why children are usually naughty. This could be quite scary if placed in a movie.
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