Fatherhood Reflections XXIII - Successful Registration Into Primary School

I guess if you're not a Singaporean parent, you'll never understand the anxiety and headaches of registering your kids to the primary school of choice.

Well that was one thing we got to check off last week when it was confirmed that the boy had his place confirmed in the primary school of our choice, not his, since he didn't have any haha.

We had spent weeks volunteering and now it's paid off.

I hope the kids can adapt well to our highly stressful educational environment.

This begins our journey as kiasu parents!

W Hotel 2016

I I think this is the fifth consecutive time we  are doing our annual family staycation on Sentosa. At the W Hotel no less.

The kids still love the place, the swimming pool especially. Also it helps that the W is such a top notched hotel, it's staff and bespoke service is impeccable.

Meals at Quayside Isle can be quite expensive but is still a joy to have. This year some restaurants have moved out and new ones have taken its place.

Yet I'm unsure if I'll be back next year. If only because I want to try something new next year.

I'll still recommend it to one and all though.

Kidzania Singapore - A Kiasu Parent's Wet Dream - 2016 Review

Kidzania is a wet dream for every kiasu parent out there, regardless of race, language, religion or nationality. It recently opened in Singapore to much fanfare. 

I recently had the chance to bring the kids there and needless to say, they had tons of fun. For us, it was tiring but an educational experience. We spent a full day (10am - 6pm) in Kidzania and my kids completed 9 jobs in total. This was on a weekday which was a non-school holiday, so the notorious queuing times were not really as bad. We never queued more than half an hour for any job, and the quickest job the kids got were immediate walk-ins.

I think this concept was what a lot of kiasu SG parents dreamed of. A taste of real working life for their overachieving kids, a chance to one up as many parents as possible, with a little dose of education from the School of Hard Knocks to test each parent's preparedness for the years ahead..

Therefore this is not only an experience for the kids, but also a big learning experience for parents alike.

Are you ready to challenge yourself against all the other kiasu parents out there?

Various Jobs

There are various jobs available in the Kidzania compound, from pilot, doctor, dentist, policeman, fireman, actor, fashion designer, journalist, newscaster, store attendant, cook (chef), flight attendant, cashier, delivery man, museum curator, travel agent, headhunter, nutritionist, scientist, sportsman, candy maker and many more. 

Not surprisingly, for the kiasu parents, the most popular choices were those that commanded high pay and most respect in the real world. These were jobs like pilot, dentist, doctor, scientist, nutritionist.

For those who simply let their kids choose, the popular ones were of course limited to those they would have learnt since young. These were jobs like pilot, doctor, fireman, policeman, cook (chef).

So naturally if there was an overlap of the above, a kiasu parent's choice PLUS a popular kids' choice, then the queues for these jobs would surely be the longest. So yes, pilot and doctor were most sought after.

What are you, as a parent, trying to get out of this?

So this means it is very important for you to first decide what you are trying to get out of this whole experience together with your kids.

This is important because it helps you manage you and your kids' expectations so that you don't get disappointed by the shock and pressure all of a sudden in that arena.

Here are the most common reasons:

1) For kids to experience as many jobs as possible

-> go only on a weekday, go with the shortest queue jobs first

2) For kids to earn as much from jobs as possible to buy something they want

-> go only on a weekday, do only jobs that pay your kids money (some your kids need to pay), do multiple high paying, short queue jobs

3) For kids to just have fun with the jobs they like

-> go any time, leave kids on their own, chillax at parents lounge at the mezzanine with free wifi

4) For kids to learn the specifics of jobs YOU like

-> go only on a weekday, make a list of the jobs you want your kids to go for, start early and start with the most popular jobs

For each reason you are there for, there are preparations to be had and expectations to be managed.

Parents' Preparation 

Here are some important things to take note for parents heading there.

A) Kiasu parents exist not just in Singapore, but all over the world. There is no need to stereotype or criticize, they exist in many forms. Be prepared because their behaviour brings out the kiasu parent traits in you too.

B) Make sure your kids understand the concept of first in line. Kids have to queue themselves and make many decisions themselves in Kidzania. If they don't know how to fend off a queue-cutter or tell what is worth their valuable time, then it will be their loss.

C) Bring a fully charged phone and power bank, a full copy of the papers including classifieds, and a very thick book. Phone signal there is terrible too. Because you will never have spent a full day rushing to wait and waiting to rush so often in your life. Unless you have been with the Singapore Army then maybe you have.

D) Have a lunch and dinner plan. It is so easy to get so caught up in the jobs that the whole family can forget to eat. That is not healthy.

E) Don't forget the Kidzos Department Store! Your kids didn't earn all that money for nothing. Find the store and let your kids go in and spend the spoils of taxing day by deciding what to buy with his own hard-earned, parents-sponsored money! It would also help if your kid had a preview first to see what he could aim for.

F) Some jobs cost money! Jobs that are food-related tend to cost money. I think it's because the kids leave with souvenir foods. If your aim is to get your kid to earn as much as possible, then you might want to consider giving them a miss (Paddle Pop, KFC, Soup Spoon, Pizza Hut, Cotton Candy), which may or may not please them.

F) Remember to be respectful to one another. This is a highly-charged environment. It is so easy to get caught up in any situation after a tiring day and letting off steam by shouting at your own child, someone else' child, another parent, a Kidzania staff, your own spouse. This is where you learn as a parent. Be respectful and be tolerant. 

Strategies For Your Trip To Kidzania

This has been covered many times before in many websites already. The concepts are pretty similar. Here are some key pointers and add-ons.

I) Go on a non-school holiday weekday. I have heard horror stories of job queues having waiting times of 3hrs! In fact my son went on an earlier school trip to Kidzania where he was on his own, and in a full day he only managed to complete 3 jobs. This time, we did 9 jobs, being better prepared.

II) Don't be so eager to go to the bank. The queues are long, and there is no money value in waiting in line at the bank. Go later in the day when the queues are shorter.

III) Do the math. Most jobs pay 8 Kidzos (their currency) and take 20mins to complete. Each entry gives 50 Kidzos credit. On a normal day, Kidzania SG is open from 10am-8pm. Even assuming no meal breaks, no toilet breaks and no queues, the probable maximum each child is able to earn in a day is 50 + 10x3x8 = 290 Kidzos. To put things in context, a small cheapo little football-themed ball-point pen costs 100 Kidzos while a princess crown costs 350 Kidzos at the store. Don't be too hard on your kids just to try and earn as much Kidzos. 

IV) Queue for the pilot job early. It is the most popular by far and one of the coolest, according to my kids. It is so popular that you have to queue just to get a queue number. Go figure.

V) People start leaving by 2pm. The crowd thins and that's because kids need to have their naps or kids tire. So wait till after the crowd thins before trying the very popular jobs (those with long queues in the morning). Great time to go to the bank too.

VI) Be civil. I can't emphasize this enough because one full day trip alone allowed me to experience kiasuness from all nationalities. Even with a low turnout day, with short queues, parents were either being overprotective, overenthusiastic or overly demanding with not only their kids, but other people's kids as well! It is never nice and there are times you yourself are in danger of turning ugly. If in doubt take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Keep calm and carry on. Also the Kidzania SG staff are very young, maybe fresh out of Uni or Poly, so they are not trained to adequately handle customer service and complaints.

What Could Be Improved

Overall, I left Kidzania SG with a very positive experience. My kids had a great time and they enjoyed all the jobs they did, even the very menial ones.

Here are a few things Kidzania SG could do to help improve the experience further.

- More parent amenities. More activities to entertain parents.

- Mobile phone charging stations

- Better trained staff at crowd control

- TVs showing sports/entertainment 

- Beer :)

Happy Birthday To Me

Another year older, none really the wiser.

The concept of time is moving a lot faster these days. Maybe the schedules are so busy, the routines of family time so fixed, that we lose track of it. Heck, it seemed so recent that I was last at the W Hotel (last September), but here I am again.

It has come at a time to be sober too. For personal reasons.

I'm now in the 'late 30s' category, moving on from 'mid-30s'. It feels rather sad when thinking about how quickly I've gotten to this age. I get very nostalgic and tend to reminisce a lot more. Yet I am apprehensively satisfied with how I've lived my life thus far and how things' expectations turned out. 

Sure I could've been a lot richer if I didn't gamble so much, but I should not be complaining. Failure has, after all, proved time and again that it is one of the best educators of life. I have learned some.

I am more pensive now. I also forward-think a lot. It makes me find that people who don't do so seem far more immature. Which explains my shrinking social circle.

And yet in this supposed gradual loneliness, I find myself enjoying this solitude very much. There is so much to savour. 

In my current state, I know that at some point in old age, I will lose plenty of myself. My knees and ankles will give way, liver might be a problem, heart might become problem, and worst of all, my memory will likely start failing me at a certain stage in my later years.

So it is important to take good care of myself while I can.

All I can wish for is many more years of happiness, good health, and prosperity.

#forever21 #thanksforthecakewhotel

MR Loh

We see this quite often on social media for peeps around my age group. No, this doesn't mean calling someone by their surname.

MR means Military Reserve in SAF terms. When someone MRs, it means he has served his prerequisite National Service requirement of at least 7 high-keys before the age of 40. Hence an honorable discharge from further military service.

I received my certificate earlier this month, and trust me, it is more met with joy than relief.

I will miss all my buddies and friends from my unit and hopefully we will continue to keep in touch for years to come. It is them who have made my reservist life so much more palatable over the last almost 20 years.

MR loh!!!

My Simpsons Birthday Present

One of the best surprises I've received for a birthday present in a very, very long time.

This is The Simpsons encyclopedia for the first 20 seasons! Currently they are into the 27th season! 

Just look at how thick it is!

Next up, Futurama memorabilia!

Seems like mummy still knows best.

Numbed

#prayfornice

OWNDAYS

Wanted to shout out about my positive experience with them!

A printscreen within a printscreen!

Totally recommend trying them out at least once in your lifetime.

Dunman High School 60th Anniversary Celebrations

This was the first time I got a chance to attend my alma mater's anniversary celebrations.

What a lovely event it was, with so many nostalgic moments and seeing so many familiar faces once more.

What's more, a lot of our old teachers from 20+ years ago are still around!

We had Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean as Guest of Honour. Sam Goi the Popiah King was an alumni! And quite a few MPs as well.

1,500 people! Get ready for a warm evening.

Haven't been back in a looooong time!

Teo Chee Hean's welcome address.

What a nostalgic souvenir!

Qiu Shen, our notorious discipline master back in the day.

Mdm Tan Bee Hong, my form teacher in sec2.

Ms Tang Siew Boey, my art teacher in sec 1 and 2. Still looking gorgeous.

Mr Tan Tui Gi and Mr Ang. Both scout teachers. 

What a fabulous event.

Hopefully we can keep coming back in the years ahead.

#dhs60 #诚信勇忠

Aaaaand Jeremy Lin Is A Net

Not a bad deal signing for $36mil over 3 years!

Just followed the Brooklyn Nets FB page.

Viva La France!!!

Promotion

Another promotion at work.

But is it a good thing?

Do it commensurate with the amount of responsibility I now must take on?

Is it worth it?

Am I happy?

Honestly I don't know.

Half Day Walking Around Taipei

So I had half a day to tour Taipei. A couple days before I went to prepare myself by Googling for some half day options and finally settled on visiting the top four must-visit places.

These were:

1) Longshan Temple

2) Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

3) National Martyrs Shrine

4) National Palace Museum

So I set off that afternoon (I had woken up late :( ) and started off on the MRT and following the directions.

1) First stop was the Longshan Temple. I'm not really someone who appreciates temples, so I didn't hang around for long. The place was nice and huge and incense was free.

2) Second stop was the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. This was more interesting, the memorial ground was very expansive and it was a long walk out from the MRT station. Kinda reminded me of the Lincoln Memorial with the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC. The main memorial hall had a bronze sculpture of CSK himself sitting like Abraham Lincoln. Also managed to stay for the hourly changing of the guards, which was quite cool. Weather was a torture though.

3) National Martyrs Shrine

Due to time constraints, I ended up having to give this a miss. It was out of the way from the nearest MRT station, and time was running out for me.

4) National Palace Museum

So I decided to spend my time at the National Palace Museum instead. Now it is said that the number of items on display here was so expansive and large

that at any one time, only 1% was displayed. It definitely looked majestic and there was a lot of Chinese artistic history to take in.

And that concluded my history tour of Taipei.

Addiction Aquatic Development (AAD), Taipei

I read online that this was a must-go for sushi and sashimi lovers, so I made it my main priority to visit the moment I reached Taipei.

My hotel was really close by, in fact it was only a 10min walk with the help of asking a few friendly locals. Taiwanese locals are exceptionally friendly when asking for directions.

The entrance itself wasn't as grand as I expected or envisioned. I had Googled the reviews, maps and photos to get a rough idea of the place. It was also harder to find that I thought, what with Taipei's many little alleys, nooks and crannies.

That said, I was already excited just to have found it!

AAD is supposed to be a fish market, fresh seafoods grocery store, several restaurants all rolled into one. Some reviewers even say that you get the next freshest seafood in Asia after Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan, right here!

Unfortunately, you have to manage your expectations abit especially if you've been to Tsukiji. It is definitely NOT as expansive, nor expensive. The establishment is rather small in fact, and it is not a wholesale market. AAD is meant for retail consumption only, unlike Tsukiji.

The live seafood mainly consisted of crabs, lobsters and shellfish. It was actually disappointingly small. Don't let the pictures fool you!

After the initial disappointment, things got better heading into the standing sushi bar, which was in the middle of the grocery store. 

The takeaway choices were simply amazing! From sushi, sashimi, sake, et al. Simply overwhelming. Cheap and they came in enormous portions too.

Thankfully there wasn't much of a crowd so it wasn't hard to get a slot to have my early dinner.

The staff were extremely friendly and always prepared to make recommendations.

I ended up ordering a beer, a sushi set comprising 6 pieces of sushi, salad, grilled Alaskan crab leg, seafood miso soup, as well as a side order of seasonal sashimi 8 pieces, and lastly, a small bowl of Uni (sea urchin).

OMG. I ordered way too much.

The sashimi pieces were huge!

The soup bowl was huge!

So I really struggled to finish all my food.

Was it fresh? Oh you bet! This was one of the freshest seafood I had. The sashimi pieces all tasted like (for lack of a less morbid description) the fish just died awhile ago.

In fact this guy from LA (I asked!) beside me ordered a fresh lobster and when it was put on his table, the lobster head was still moving even though the rest of it had been nicely cut up and ornament ally displayed in an ice bowl! Zoinks!

Also, the meal was cheap relative to other high-end sushi places. Granted you had to stand throughout dinner but this was nothing compared to what I had been through the last 9 days ;P all in I paid NT$1,750 which works out to about SGD76 only! For all that!

Needless to say I almost puked on the way out from being too full.

If you're a sushi or sashimi or omikase lover, then this is a MUST-GO if you're ever in Taipei.

Thumbs up!