Happy New Year

Happy 2006 people!

A lot had happened in 2005. Good and bad. At least there’s a balance to it. There must be a reason when people say, too much of good things will kill (is not good for?) you. So you kinda have to take it all – good and bad, just to stay alive! Heheh.

2005 saw me moving to a new company and leave behind the place where I have been loyal to, for exactly 6 years. Yep, my last day in the previous company was on the 6th anniversary of my employment there. It was time to move on and move out of my comfort zone. I needed to face different challenges and that was exactly what I get in VSA – the current company I’m working for. Except that the challenges are packed with vicious, heart-wrenching management politics that caused the team to fall apart. We started off with 6 team members, including a project manager, all relatively new and eager to start the project. The fort started to crumble just a few months after. They left, one by one. Six months after that, I am the only one left from the initial team. I am now actively looking for a job that is HR oriented, preferably with PeopleSoft environment coz that’s what I’m good at.

No more work talk for now.

2005 also saw Deli and I in a dilemma when it comes to choosing the best kindergarten for Kakak. We were torn between ECK and CK. I wanted her to go to ECK, which is a bit posh for a kindergarten, but have everything she needs to prepare her for primary school and most importantly (to Kakak that is) has a swimming pool. The bad news is, they have strict learning program and the students are expected to do homework everyday. They are expected to do a series of tests and will be evaluated and reported to the parents every now and then.

CK on the other hand is a regular kindergarten with Montessori teaching method. It’s just like the kindergarten I used to attend, but of course without the Montessori thingy. She will have a few friends from LF attending CK with her and the owner of the two places know each other while the bus driver has previously transported kids from LF to CK and vice versa. Sounds like a good place for her but it was not my first choice. I think ECK would give her more compared to CK

After giving it much thought and after numerous discussions with Deli, we both agreed to send her to CK. We quickly paid off the fees and got Kakak all prepped up for it.

Why did we settle for CK? Well, in terms of monetary, learning method and the environment – yes, we had settled for less for reasons both Deli and I have agreed upon:

We want her to enjoy kindergarten and not worry unnecessarily on homework.
We want her to be comfortable with her friends and teachers.
We want to instill self-confidence in her.
We want her to feel as competent as the next 6 years old.
We are actually investing on her self-worthy.
We want her to attend school because she wants to, not because she had too.
Most importantly, we want her to love learning stuff and not because she had to.

Before realizing all those, I was a parent who is so selfish and ignorant that I didn’t put my child’s welfare on top of everything else. How can I not see that to pressure her to learn and perform will destroy her love and passion for leaning? My parents pushed me so hard to excel in my studies that I had to give up (some of) my dreams. I am not blaming my parents – I won’t be here if it’s not for them and their constant yakking. I was a lazy bum anyways, so I deserved all the yakking. I studied (memorized) well but I did not learn much. Why? Simply because there’s no passion in learning. All I know is that if I studied hard enough, I will do well in my exams. I will get to attend great schools and I’ll score better jobs and position in life. I didn’t remember much of the stuff I studied in school but that was not the case during my college years. I had the opportunity to experience and choose the field I liked best (with minimum Math subjects, of course) and I used the things I learned then, in the office now. Interest and passion will make you appreciate the knowledge more than you can imagine.

I want exactly the same things for Kakak as my parents once hoped from me but I want to do it differently. I want her to have the interest and the passion in learning. I’m hoping when she finished high school, she would be able to tell her parents want she wants to do with her life and be able to pursue her dreams.

Do you remember when your teachers asked you of your 3 ambitions every year? What do you want to be when you grow up? Mine changed each year. I can tell you right now that I am not who I imagined or wished I would be during those years. Not even close. I always wanted to be working in a bank because during those days, bankers are the wise and respectable people in society. Later on in life I found out that I hate Math. Down the drain it went. I remembered wanting to become an investigator when Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys books were as famous as Harry Potter books nowadays. Didn’t happen either. I still enjoy reading that kind of books though. I am almost a fanatic for CSI series (except CSI: NY) and Murder at 1600 is my all-time favorite movie. Maybe there’s something to it after all. * Grinning *

A lot of us are forced to study and excel in education whether we realized it or not. We have read about teens or even a seven year old (in the Utusan yesterday), were pressured by their parents and perhaps society, to perform and excel in education until they couldn’t take the burden anymore and some did take their own lives. I do not want to be those parents who treat their children as trophies and compare them to every other kid in town. Every child is unique. Their learning abilities differ from one another. We parents, of all people should know that. We went through the same thing when we’re their age (not too long ago) and I’m sure you still remember how it felt to be compared to your cousins and neighbours' children.

Well, January 3rd came and we were glad that she enjoyed her first day. She sang and responded to the teacher with such enthusiasm. She stayed cool and calm when some of the kids cried and held tight to their parents. She was excited about going back to LF with her friends on the bus. Her eyes sparkled when she told us all about her first day at school.

It all paid off. Her first day of kindergarten was fun and she loved every minute of it.



Here’s to a good start in a child’s life – cheers!