White Collar Boxing

JW and JJ were in China  (JW in Xian for 7 days while JJ was in Shanghai for 10 days). Dad had taken a week off so it was one of those rare occasions when mum and dad were alone without the kids. Plans to go to Bangkok, Malaysia and even Macau did not materialise (couldn't get tickets at the last minute, too expensive, etc, etc) so we just stayed in Hong Kong.

Not a bad idea after all since we have not really explored Hong Kong or enjoyed simple weekday activities together. Simple things like long relaxing lunches, going to the movies....

The highlight of the week for me was the White Collar Boxing event (and the Hong Kong Sevens - another great event synonymous with Hong Kong) And that's the thing about Hong Kong. There are so many interesting events here that we don't get in Singapore.

A charity event, the White Collar Boxing is organised by and for the financial industry. It is a black-tie event where working professionals - brokers, traders, etc, from the financial industry train for months to fight for one night. Mind you, this wasn't just some fun and entertainment where everyone's there just for the food and socialising. These boxers take the event very seriously and have to be fighting fit on the day itself. We heard that one guy had to withdraw from the fight as he had broken six ribs while training!

With a ringside seat, I had full view of all the action. The evening was adrenalin-charged and the fights were as good as any professional fights I've watched on TV. There was blood (really, really), sweat and a lot of cheering (and jeering too, of course).


To further raise money for the beneficiary, the Children's Surgical Centre in Cambodia, a live auction was also held. So you had items like a signed limited edition of the exact replica of the ice axe used by Sir Edmund Hillary when he conquered Mount Everest, Usain Bolt's personally signed Golden Puma running spike as well as a Fender electric guitar signed by the 2 surviving members of the greatest band of all time, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. There was even a Barack Obama signed book "The Audacity of Hope" framed with a US Presidential Seal. An incredible item of the World's most powerful man which sadly received a rather low bid.


But what is boxing without some form of betting, right? To make it befitting of a professional event, each table made their predictions on the winner of each bout (7 in all) before the fights started. Each person contributed HK$200 to take part. The table that had the highest number of correct predictions would take the pool money. The total at stake was about HK$50,000.


How did our table fare? Miserably, to say the least. We only got 2 out of 7 right :(. Four tables eventually tied for the pool money so lots were drawn. But the joy of winning soon dissipated, I think, when the winning table was asked if they wanted to donate their winnings. Could they possible say no when this was a charity event?


So we lost HK$400 in total. But it's OK, it's for charity after all. And a small price to pay considering the enjoyable experience and the memories I'll bring back to Singapore.
 
All in all, what a week! So, what will it be next, Hong Kong?

The Artist In Me Or Not?

Apart from JJ who showed some natural ability to create some nice drawings (he could draw very detailed renderings of his favourite Pokemon characters from memory), we as a family don't really have any artistic talents. So it was a real surprise that the two boys created these Chinese water colour paintings when they were enrolled in a cultural enrichment class in Singapore. When they were there, they learnt Chinese calligraphy and water colour painting.


These were JW's who was nine years old at that time.

 
And these were JJ's who was seven at that time.

 

From then till now, they have not touched a Chinese paint brush :-(

The plan is to frame these up as a keepsake, but publishing them here will do in the meantime :-)

JJ The Chef

JJ spent just short of two years in a primary school in Singapore. And of all the things that he remembers about the school, it is that it's got great chicken rice and to-die-for gravy! In fact, when he just started P1, I had asked him what his favourite subject was. His answer? "Recess". Sadly, recess now is no fun as he does not get to buy his own food and there's no chicken rice :(.

In fact, he now brings lunch to school (as he does not like the school lunch and seldom finishes it). One of the things that he and some friends sometimes do during lunch is to share their food. So he comes home and tells me what his friends gave him. Or that his friend liked his lunch. Apparently, they like his pork chop and salmon very much.

Once in preschool, he had to choose a book for his 'show and tell' session. He chose a children's cookbook that I had bought for him. His teacher was so amused. At home, he would sometimes take out my cookbooks and copy out the recipes into his notebook.

So I guess it's no surprise to know that he wants to be a chef when he grows up. Not only that, he wants to have his own restaurant. Even now, he will think about what to call his restaurant, what he should serve, what the pricing should be like, etc.

Here are two drawings he did when he as about 6 years old. And it's about, what else, but food! And come to think about it, he actually draws quite well.

One of his favourite channels on TV is the Asian Food Channel. I sometimes wonder if all this has anything to do with the fact that the launch of my business, Kooky Art, had something to do with him. After all, his 6th birthday party was officially the start of my business. And if you did not already know, Kooky Art deals with food - food decorating art to be precise. Perhaps I should credit him for my starting the business in the first place.

On one of our trips to Bangkok, I decided that we should do something

different with the kids. Since we were all into food - cooking or eating or

just talking about it, I enrolled all of us in a Thai cooking class. 

On top of that, I enrolled them in a baking class where they made chocolate ice-cream and hotdog buns. It was a professional baking school and the class was designed just for the two of them, with an English speaking instructor.

To this day, JJ talks about the yummy ice-cream that they made.

As for the hotdog bun, they made so many we had to give them away. I was really proud that my boys decided to give away the food to the many poor children along the streets of Bangkok. 

While we have yet to make the hotdog buns at home (must make it a point to do it during the next school break :), the boys have put into practice one of the recipes they learnt in Bangkok - Thai fried rice. A real yummy effort, I must say.

So will JJ realise his dream and be a chef and restaurateur one day? We shall wait and see......

The Duck-Billed Platypus

Here's a piece written by JW when he was in P6. I really enjoyed reading this as it read like a genuine folktale. So believable.

The Duck-Billed Platypus

by JW Lee

October 2008

A long time ago, there lived many, many animals. The forests were diverse with life, from the smallest ants to the most gigantic mammoths. Among them lived a very peculiar animal, the platypus. This platypus was very vain. He wanted to look outstanding among all other creatures.

So one day, he went to the wise Kingfisher. The Kingfisher was roosted on a branch looking at the morning sun. When he saw the platypus, he asked, "Why have you come to me, so early in the day? All the other animals are sleeping, so why aren't you?"

The Platypus looked at the Kingfisher and said shyly, "I want to look outstanding among animals. Can you help me?"

The Kingfisher was amused by the platypus' answer. The Kingfisher said, "Ah, my friend, you want to look outstanding, you say? Well, then, come back next time when you think you know what you want to look like and I will see if I can grant your wish." The platypus replied, "Oh, thank you, Wise One!"

The Platypus did not go back home until the next day. He was trudging along the riverbank when he saw a dam made of sticks. He walked next to it and saw on the other side of the dam a beautiful looking tail. He made a snatch for it. "Youch!" the Beaver yelped. "Sorry, oh hardworking Beaver. I did not see you there."

The Platypus liked the tail and might ask the Kingfisher about it. Then, the Platypus saw the duck's bill and webbed feet. He liked these too. The Platypus continued walking around and passed by some more animals but did not like them. He decided to go to the Kingfisher's house.

"Ah, my friend, you have come back again. I take it you have what you want?" said the Kingfisher. "Yes!" said the Platypus, "I want the Beaver's tail, the Duck's bill and its feet."

"Very well, go to the wishing pond by my house and your wish will be granted."

The Platypus ran as fast as he could to the pond. He jumped into the pond and slowly, he could see his body changing. When he stepped out, he could hear the slapping of his beaver's tail behind him, his duck's feet slapping on the ground and the "clack clack" sounds his bill produced. He loved how he looked. He went back home and has stayed there for many decades.

And so, to this day, the beaver-tailed, duck-feet-billed platypus looks so outstanding among other animals.

The Black Cloud

This was written by JW in February 2009 under the theme War and Peace and his teacher submitted it for a poetry contest.

The Black Cloud 

by JW Lee

Crackle, crackle, crackle

The steady chatter of gunfire breaks the silence,

The acrid stench of blood fills the air,

The people moan in despair,

Crackle, crackle, crackle

The battlefield strewn with the corpses of the dead,

The wicked soldiers merciless

The black cloud of death engulfing everything,

Crackle, crackle, crackle

A river of blood flows down the valley of the dead,

The people mourn for the dead,

As the soldiers march down the valley towards ultimate victory,

Crackle, crackle, crackle

The soldiers mercilessly hack at the remaining survivors,

They burn their bodies and let the ashes fly,

The carrion birds peck at the coprses of the dead,

And let out a shrill cry,

Crackle, crackle, crackle

The soft whisper of the wind sounds like the dead are rising,

A remnant to the killing that has occurred,

The tortured souls of the dead scream in pain and soldiers regret what they have done.

My Chicken In My BMW Car

I suddenly recalled something that JW did when he was two and a half years old. But a little background first.

When he was just 18 months old, I enrolled JW in a playgroup. As both my husband and I were working, I did not want JW to be at home with Lucia, our domestic helper, all day long. So the moment he was old enough, I enrolled him in a playgroup. It started with just a few hours twice a week.

It was tough at first. He went through separation anxiety. No, correct that. We BOTH went through separation anxiety! I recall the first day when I was there with him. Not wanting to distract him, I just sat in a corner and observed. Being only 18 months old, he had already learnt how to walk. But sitting on a chair and getting off by himself was still a bit of a problem. My heart sank when he fell as he tried to get off the chair and sustained a bruise on his cheek. That was his first day at Raintree.

Raintree was housed in an old black and white colonial house set in a beautiful large piece of land . I was drawn to the lush and quiet surrounding. It was so green and peaceful, with lots of space for kids to run around in. Sadly, the school has since closed and the house is now a private residence.

The first weeks were still rather difficult and he would cry in school. According to one of his teachers, whenever he went to a particular area during his break, he would start to cry. Then one day, she realised why......there was a wall where photos taken during field trips were displayed. And there was photo of me together with him in one of the photos! Poor JW was thinking of and missing mummy....

JW was such an adorable boy that everyone in the school knew him. One day, when he was about 3, his teacher had to be away for a while and the school supervisor, Miss Joanne took over the class. When his regular teacher came back, he went to Miss Joanne and said to her, "Miss Joanne, you can go now. My teacher is back." Miss Joanne was so tickled, she told me about the incident.

Oh dear, how old memories start flooding back when I think about the early years. But back to what I wanted to write in the first place. One of JW's teachers, Mrs Surreinder, had captured what he said by typing out on a piece of paper with his drawing of a chicken. It was titled My Chicken:

My Chicken

My...My  Mrs Surreinder my white chicken is my friend. I love my white chicken. My white chicken can paddle boats. Chicken sit inside the boat and merrily merrily down the stream. Then my chicken sat in my BMW car. My chicken send car lighting store. My chicken went to the lighting store to buy car and lighting. Lightning comes first then rain will come. 

Mrs Surreinder had captured the word "lighting" but I'm pretty sure he meant "lightning" because if I recall correctly, just around that time, my brother or my dad had told him that lightning comes before thunder and that if you see lightning, it means that the rain will come soon.

Ten years on and my boy is still telling stories, but not of chickens anymore!

Lucia

Lucia was our first domestic helper. She was very young when she first came to live with us. JW was then about 15 months old. Fifteen months later, JJ arrived, 6 weeks premature. While JJ was looked after by a nanny (we felt Lucia was too young and JJ was too small to handle) Lucia took care of JW. But Lucia loved JJ very much and every morning she would play with him.

As a gift to Lucia before she left, on behalf of each of the boys, I wrote these poems. She cried when she read them. We had kept in touch for a while after she went back to the Philippines but have lost touch with her for a long time now. I do wonder how she is now.

For Lucia From JW

When you first came,
I was fifteen months old
I didn't know how to call your name
I just learned how to walk
I could hardly talk
I was still sleeping in my baby cot

(Do you remember when
I frightened you by climbing out of my cot
While you went to make my milk?)

Then I went to school
And you had to come with me on the bus
I cried when you were not with me

Now I am almost three years old
I go to school by myself
And I talk like a pro
I argue, I say "no"
I ask "Why?" all the time

I can sing and make new songs
And I can tell you stories or
What I did in school
Now I can ask questions like
"Why are you crying, Lucia?"

I will remember that you were
The first maid that took care of me
And I want you to know
That I will miss you when you are gone

Love,

JW


For Lucia From JJ

I arrived six weeks early
And weighed only five pounds
I was all skin and bones
You did not know
How to carry, feed or bathe me

But now I am five months old
And you know how to take care of me
I like it when you play with me
And make me giggle and laugh

I don't know how to talk yet
So I just want you to know that
I will miss you when you are gone

Love,

JJ