Today is the first day in 4 weeks that I'm back in office. It was definitely WOW.
I made some changes today:
1) My blog header now reads as "Clara's Voice - Diaries of a commando mummy" - the extension "Diaries of a commando mummy was inspired by my friend Gabriel. See how he makes me do wicked things even after 20 years? Kidding.
2) I made a mistake in quoting the lyrics from the TV8 drama series in my previous post and that has been corrected duly. It should read as "每个人都不普通...每个人都不同 translates to everyone is not ordinary, everyone is different." instead of "每个人都普通...每个人都不同 translates to everyone is ordinary, everyone is different." Now we all know why I am not an A star student in Chinese but I tried.
Going back to office put me back into the world of adult conversation. Not that I didn't have much adult conversation but I had overdose of baby talk and child care. No wonder my hubby said I cannot be a stay home housewife. He knows me too well.
Ryan is much better now and his wound has healed very well, the swelling from last week is gone. His next check up is in June and I hope that the wound closes up by then. He seems healthy enough but I still have a nagging feeling in my mind which will probably not go away until he doesn't need to go back for further checks.
Xavier is going for his second swimming lesson tomorrow. His first lesson last week returned mixed feelings for everyone. Xavier is a very cautious child and he is often timid when he tries his hand at something new despite all the bravado before the actual attempt. On the way to swimming class last week, he said he wants to learn how to swim properly and take part in competitions. During the lesson, we can hear him crying "Ahh!! Aaahh!! Daddy!! Mummy!!!". I asked my hubby to go talk to him and ask him not to panic and relax. He said to let him handle the situation himself. After a while, there were no more cries and we can see him relax visibly. Apparently kids are really resilient.
Keane has continued to show improvement in his speech. But other than that, nothing much to report. This guy is a "deep waters" person.
I finally finished "The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew" and progressed to volume 2 "From Third World to First". To be frank, the first volume was an easier read than the second because the first was written in chronological order while the second was written by subject. According to the author, it would not have fit into one volume if the 35 years from 1965 to 2000 was written in chronological order. Without sounding too much like PAP propaganda, I really respect the man. Before reading his books, I looked up to him as the man who made Singapore and my respect was out of reverence towards someone who is far removed in the ranks of the highest order. After reading his books, I learned a great deal more about my country's history and I really take my hat off and give him a deep bow. I know that my comments are nothing new and a lot of people have expressed their thoughts more eloquently than I ever can. But I still want to say my piece. Lee Kuan Yew is a remarkable person who is real evidence of a statement on a poster in my office cubicle: Real Leaders are Ordinary People with Extraordinary Determination.
In any situation, be it in governmental politics, commercial office politics, secular organization politics, sporting organization politics or even family politics, it is never possible to have all parties come into agreement. What is important is to keep the big picture in mind, to remember the purpose of the organization, do what is right for the good of the people. We cannot satisfy everyone in the organization as no one is the same. So what we can do is to follow the 80/20 rule and ensure we take care of the majority. Maybe in some cases, we can take care of 90%, sometimes we can try to make it 95%. To be able to do 100% is impossible. Why? People have different expectations. People have different needs at different times. We cannot control how they think, we cannot control how they feel, we cannot control their circumstances. However, we can manage their expectations. Never over promise. Under promise and over deliver.
Going back to office has put me back into "reality" but I miss spending time with my kids. I enjoy being able to sit down to Tom and Jerry with Xavier, carrying Ryan and going for a short walk, making silly faces with Keane. These are things I won't be able to do for much longer. When they grow up, I don't think hanging out with their old mummy can count as having fun. But I can always hope, can't I?