The Enchanted Little Alden

In an effort to avoid the flu bug, we gave Alden a two-week break from play school and let him recover from a terrible cold. After almost two weeks of 'quarantine', Alden got better but started misbehaving every chance he got; shouting at mom and dad, throwing tantrums and pinching little Alva. I guess being absent from school and not being able to socialize with other tots made him a grumpy little man. Yesterday, I decided to cheer him up with a fun outing. The destination? Air Force Museum of New Zealand. Not exactly the most exciting place to visit but to my boy Alden, it's the ultimate playground.

Strategically located at 45 Harvard Ave, Wigram, the museum is only a stone’s throw away from home. Admission is free and guided tours for pre-booked groups are available at a cost of $6 per person.When we arrived, I was particularly excited for Alden because he is sooooo into airplanes, helicopters and space shuttles. The moment he saw a replica of a WWI airliner at Harvard Ave, his eyes sparkled with glee as he shouted "mane! mane! mane mane! mane! mane! mane! mane! mane!". Saying that he was over-excited is an understatement. Alden was ready to jump out off the car to get on the aircraft! Hehe. Good thing he was strapped on the car seat. By the way, the word mane here means PLANE ;-).

It took us at least 10 minutes to park the car, get the stroller out and coordinate baby and overly-excited boy. Since Alden wasn't happy to see little Alva in his stroller (jealous + manja), I had to carry him and scurried to the entrance before things went out of hand. I wasted no time and started taking a few shots.

Alden's new hair cut...

Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch keeps the national collection of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). The collection is varied and includes objects used in the early days of New Zealand military aviation, from the time of pre World War I, post-war period to the present day. As we entered the atrium, we could see five different types of aircrafts, each representing a different era in the history of aviation. 

 Seeing this reminded me of the movie Night at the Museum 2.

Alden was absolutely thrilled when he saw all the aircrafts. The word "mane" echoed in the quiet atrium but no one seemed to mind. Thank goodness!

     Pilot wannabes....

Sampai Alva terbangun.....

Inside, there were more "manes".....

We took loads of pictures. At one point, Alden finally got tired, sat limply on his stroller and just marveled at the airplanes silently. No running, no outbursts, no more shrieky noises, no more "mane! mane! mane!". Just silence.

                                  

The tour was a hit. Alden was exhausted but he was once again his charming self. On the way home, he was all smiles and kisses. No more grumpy little man. I guess this means I should take him out more often :-)

Punishment should fit the crime

Remember my elaborate entry about my lost parcel? The one with the sort-of happy ending? Well, this is a sequel to that. I received a letter from the NZ Ministry of Justice stating that the offender in my case has appeared in the Rangiora District Court and has been convicted and ordered to pay me a reparation of NZ$300.

NZ$300 ONLY. The parcel was worth AUD$300!

Naturally, I'm outraged. The thief should pay me double, get a few strokes of the cane and spend at least a year in prison. Now that's JUSTICE. What do you think?

Knowing that he doesn't have to suffer for what he did reeeaaaalllly SUCKS. Yesterday, as I thought about this, I came up with a very good plot to sabotage him. One filled with vengeance and revenge. You see, since I still have the spare key to the old house, I could do a lot of damage to David Gordon. I could duplicate the house keys, attach his address and place them at "strategic locations" around the city. Locations where boy racers and crime offenders hang out. Evil huh? What happens next? These boy racers will then invade his house (while he's out for a beer) taking all of his belongings including the sofa in the living room.  They take EVERYTHING. Can you picture that? He is now broken and penniless. As he sits alone on the floor of the now-empty house, he sobs "Why me? Why me?".  Out of nowhere, a Morgan Freeman-ish voice echoes "My dear David, this is what you get for stealing Alice Wong's parcel. Have you learnt your lesson now?" The little thief freezes in shock and involuntarily pees on his pants. Scared for his life, he then mutters "YES! YES! YES! I have learnt my lesson. I am soooooo sorry. I will never ever steal again". The End.  Well, that's just my idea of a sweet revenge.

Soooo, what do you think of the plot? I told hubby bout it and of course he didn't approve. Not that I'd do it if he did  ;-).  Anyway, just so you know, the reparation of $300 will be paid by installment in the sum of $45.00 a week. Downright ridiculous kan? By the time he finish paying, he would've forgotten all about it. I guess punishment doesn't always fit the crime. With that perspective in mind, I guess i'll have to settle for $45.00 a week. Hai....

More Blossoms

Since I'm still having the blossom fever, I thought it's a good idea to show you other versions of the Sakura. This was taken last week...near the Christchurch Botanical Garden This is a white Sakura. Since hubby was facing the sun, the picture didn't come out as it's supposed to. This was taken this afternoon as I was driving to campus. Just couldn't resist taking a few shots. Close up The ground was covered with a blanket of pink petals I think the pictures say it all. I shall stop here and make this my shortest post ever. Hehe.

Spring has Sprung

Spring is finally here. It’s a pleasant 17° ceclsius outside and people have started walking around barefooted. Yes, BAREFOOTED! Just this afternoon I saw a pretty girl strutting around kaki ayam at the campus, wearing a cute yellow sun dress, happily showing off her perfect pedicured toes. People going around barefooted is just one example of the telltale signs of spring. Other signs include budding of the trees, warming of the temperatures and the blooming of cherry blossoms and daffodils. I’m not particularly crazy about daffodils despite its status as the most popular flowering buds. But Cherry Blossoms, now that’s just the most gorgeous flower.

The first time I saw the cherry trees, I just went gaga. They were soooooo beautiful, looking exactly like the Cherry Blossom trees in Memoirs of a Geisha. Why was I so sakai? Well, in my previous life, the closest I got to a Cherry Blossom came in the form of a flower-themed calendar. Untouchable. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the first cherry blossom in Christchurch. I had to ask hubby to do a U-turn (illegally!) so I could get a closer look and take some good shots. I think I got too carried away, what with the spring fever and all, and like some woman with psychiatric disorder, I started plucking the blossoms excitedly. Pathetic huh? I think I would’ve plucked more if it weren’t for hubby’s obvious embarrassment. He was waiting by the sidewalk, saying “Bah dear, capatla…” So, I stopped plucking and took pictures instead. Working hard.... Checking to see if anyone's looking... Mission accomplished!

Spring is indeed a magnificent season. It's only the beginning of September but I've already noticed a remarkable change in the landscape around the city. Flowers are blooming everywhere and trees which appear to be dead during winter have come alive. Even the birds are behaving differently. Recently, I've noticed that the birds around my neighbourhood begin to twitter noisily at 4.00am, every day! But that's okay. Compared to what I had to endure in the cold winter months, that's really nothing. Now that winter is over, I can look forward to sunny days and cheaper electricity bills! I can hang my clothes out on the line and have the smell of fresh air on them! Yes, being able to hang your clothes on the line to dry is a luxury here. Kasian me, I know ;-)...Well now that spring has sprung, I better enjoy it as much as I can :-)

*The Daffodils I saw today reminded me of this famous poem.  

"Daffodils" (1804)  
I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud 
That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils; 
Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. 
Continuous as the stars that shine 
And twinkle on the Milky Way, 
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance, 
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 
The waves beside them danced; 
but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay, 
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought 
What wealth the show to me had brought: 
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood, 
They flash upon that inward eye 
Which is the bliss of solitude; 
And then my heart with pleasure fills, 
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

WORK is WORK

My dear friend Octavia tells me that the office is a place of solace for her. I can't help but agree 100 percent. Now before you knit your brows and burst “S-O-L-A-C-E? Are you insane??” let me first set the parameter for this perspective. It only applies to moms who get no peace at home, are sleep-deprived and have more than 1 kid to handle. Moms like me okay? Before I became a mother of two, I’d never thought I’d see my office as a secret getaway from my chaotic home. Now, I see it as a place where I get in touch with the outside world and get a grip of sanity. You see, at the office, things are always organized, neat and quiet. There is no annoying background music of Little Einsteins or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playing in my head. There isn’t any shouting or screaming that is loud enough to burst my ear drums, causing suicidal behaviour. NO. None of that. To me, the office equals TRANQUILITY. 

Having said that, I must admit not the same can be said about all offices around the world. In fact, most people, no matter how much they love their job, complain about their workplace all the time. The reasons for these complaints are many but two prominent ones are negative behaviour of staff members and social conflicts. Now I'm sure most of us at some point during our working lives have been affected by conflict and negative behaviour in the workplace. The kind of conflict I'm referring to doesn’t take the obvious form of a WWE, hair-pulling fight between colleagues. On the contrary, it is often subtle (hush hush) and may only be visible to those who have been affected by this over a period of time. According to Vivienne Patterson, director at EQ Consultants Christchurch, subtler form of conflicts and negative behaviour can be manifested in many ways: - unfriendly or disparaging comments - minimal communication - ignoring or attempting to ostracize others or simply not wanting to be helpful My friend NS for example, is often ridiculed when she wears something fancy to work. Her colleagues would eye her critically and say something like “Ko ni mau pi menyanyi ka mau pi office?”. This kind of remark is then layered with a smile and a devilish smirk, making it even more irritating. Another friend of mine CL, has to put up with her colleague’s habit of taking stuff from her desk without permission. To maintain harmony in the office, CL has to bury her instinct to strangle the cow (her nick name)and seethe silently. A torture really. I feel for you CL ;-). To both NS and CL, the office is NOT a place of solace. It’s a war zone where façade and diplomacy become weapons for self-defense. The better the façade the safer you’ll be. 

Sooo, where am I getting at? How do we sweep away low-profile conflicts at the workplace? Does a perfect workplace exist? An office where everyone loves everyone and everything is pink and peachy? I think you and I know the answer to that one. Wherever we go, there's bound to be a jackal (or two) who’ll make our lives miserable. And what’s more, we may not be able to kill this jackal because that’s just not the norm. The norm is to ignore conflicts and let them resolve on their own. So what are we to do? Well, we do what’s right. We work our butts off to make a living and focus on the positive sides of things. When we’re down, bored or going insane, we FACEBOOK and play FARMVILLE. Yes. That's what you've been doing right? Okay, if farming in cyberspace doesn’t appeal to you, there are many many more games to choose from in the internet. The point is, don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s just not worth the effort. We gotta live a little :-) By the way, FACEBOOK is a powerful tool that can either make or break you. Look at this: Be careful with your status updates in FB :-)