A little boost

Now and then, a little boost encourages us not to give up and to keep working at it...

Chess is something Jon himself showed an interest in, and it's been a few months since he's joined the school club when he barely knew how to play the game. Of course, I was also hoping chess will help him focus, especially since being distracted in class, not just at home, is becoming a bigger concern, with his teacher raising it yet again.

However, if you've watched him play a game, a lot of times it does look like his mind is elsewhere, and you can't help but wonder what his chances of winning are. For the exposure, we've signed him up for a few competitions that his teachers have encouraged him to go for, and also because he usually expresses a wish to participate in them. But win or lose, there's more to it than playing the game just to come out tops.

Some things, like this aircraft he built in a snap out of Lego blocks early one morning, has been Jon's passion since much younger. They are the kind of stuff, that not just he, but probably any boy and girl, will want to do over their schoolwork, anytime! And surely it takes some concentration to put together. If only it's not just easier said than done, to channel such positive energies to schoolwork.


But I digress. Yesterday, Jon had a little boost in a particular chess tournament that had gone on week after week, every Thursday evening. Up till last week, he'd only managed to draw two games, and lost all the others. Finally, in the very last of two games played, he beat his opponent, a fifth-grader, whom he had lost to, just minutes before that.

Overall, it wasn't a significant victory, but defintely a wonderful end to quite the marathon of a tournament, and that big smile on Jon's face said it all! "Gimme five!" I slapped my palm on his, and it was a boost for me, too! I turned to his coach, to thank him -- thank him for believing in Jon, for helping Jon believe he could do it! And you bet I more than whispered a "Thank you, Lord!", too -- "Thank You for making Jon's day, and mine!"!

And you know what was the best part about yesterday? It hadn't exactly started out nicely. Jon had woken up in the wee hours of the morning, coughing badly and complaining of a bad nose. He came to look for his dad and me, climbed into our bed, and all I remembered doing, in between trying to catch some winks myself, was trying so hard to pat him back to sleep. But cough, cough, cough, he went on and on. None of us really slept, and finally, after a dose of cough syrup, he got like maybe one hour of sleep, and missed out on three, possibly four!

Morning came, Jon swore the cough mixture served only to give him a parched throat. We wanted him to stay home, or at least to rest first and see if he was up to going to school. But he made his own choice not to want to miss it, and I went to get him right after school was over. I was going to take him home, not to the chess tournament. Instead, there he already was, in a practise session with the rest of his chessmates, with some of them cheering him on in the only game being played at that point -- Jon against another schoolmate. This was before they set off for the nearby school, where participants from schools all around would gather for the tournament. The competition would not end until after 6pm, making it a really long day for Jon.

"Are you sure you aren't too tired?" was my concern, "We can go home and rest, you know." I was thinking his health should come first, before chess. "I'm fine, mom", came his reply, "I want to do this". And he must have shown more confidence in the competition than this mommy. And if you knew how week after week, he had been up against older kids from the other schools, and one look at the bigger-built opponents, you couldn't help but feel the odds were always against Jon, besides he being fairly new to the game still. Was it going to make any difference whether he got to play in the last session of this tournament?

But my son knew better, way better. Jon persevered till the end of the tournament, and the last of the games. For him, even though he didn't win in a big way, the competition was anything but a loss. There was a different, one-off tournament he'd just played over the weekend, that he only drew games but not won any. So this little victory, was a huge encouragement to him! To me, too!

The win was like a needed breakthrough in the series of no-win's. But more than the win itself, it was a simple but precious lesson in determination, Jon taught me also. I guess I needed to see and know from this, that if he sets his heart and mind on something, yes, he can do it!

Sometimes, all we need is a little boost like this. To let us know we're doing fine, no matter how not-so-great things may look and seem. Jon being distracted, super distracted, is not going to go away overnight. But maybe I should go and get one of those stress/squeeze-balls for him to take his energy out on, so he won't always be looking for some stationery or whatever item he can lay his hands on, to give him the perfect excuse to walk away from his homework (while at home), or schoolwork (while in class)... for the umpteenth time! Anyone tried that before?

Amidst the frenzy of daily life, a boost now and then is really nice! But everyday things, like when the children enjoy a favourite homecooked meal (and drumsticks always do the trick!), can make even the craziest of days seem OK after all! It doesn't take a lot to make a mom happy -- when the kids are, so is she! =)

A taste of Singapore

Above: Satay is not unique to Singapore, but it is one of many yummy things we miss about our home country. This one's my first attempt at a semi-homemade version using storebought marinade, specially to give Jon's classmates a taste of Singapore.

Satay, chicken rice, and bak chor mee, are just some of many gastronimical delights featured in a repeat episode of food celebrity Anthony Bourdain in Singapore*, we caught on TV recently. And after that, it had me dreaming about the prawn noodles that photographer Russel Wong's wife made for him, and the "die die, must try" chilli crab Seetoh of Makansutra took him to eat!

But this is Missouri, not California or New York, and while there are Chinese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, and Korean restaurants here, there aren't any Singapore, Malaysian, or Indonesian eateries that we can just go to, for a lot of the things we like to eat back home. How I miss also the convenience of a hawker centre or foodcourt a pebble's throw away, with a 101 things to choose from, any time you want to eat out on a shoestring budget -- breakfast, lunch, dinner, or supper!

So, what has Anthony Bourdain to do with this post? Well, you see, Jon's class is having a look at culture and heritage. His teacher asked if Vern could go share with the boys and girls about Singapore. After watching that food show, it gave me some food for thought (literally!), and I thought it would be a nice little treat for Jon's friends if we could let them try some typical food. How better to get a taste of Singapore?

So while Vern started looking for pictures and clips from the Internet for his presentation, I went to work on the part for the kids to really chew on! My husband's only concern was that I was giving myself work, although when I asked him for suggestions of what food to make, he came up with not-so-easy stuff like laksa and rojak! Those would really have me scratching my head, because some ingredients, and even fresh produce, are just not so readily available here. There were other considerations, like peanut allergies, and whether spicy food would go down well with the children.

After a bit of brainstorming, we decided on a simple dessert that as kids we liked -- almond jelly with longan. Subsequently, I added satay also, when I was able to get the ready marinade from the global supermarket.
Although the idea of a kebab may not be that foreign to the local kids, there's something fun about this particular finger food, that I hoped would make it a hit with them. "Chi wan wan", as we say in Chinese, meaning, to "eat it for fun"! And it was my first time making the satay.

My maiden effort made easier, with these storebought mixes. This particular satay marinade won me over, because it supposedly had no MSG or preservatives! The almond jelly mix was the only one I could find, and it turned out OK.


Using chicken breast tenderloin (a "tender" cut, so said the label on the packages), I sliced it into cubes, and left it to marinate overnight in the fridge. The skewers had to be soaked for 30 min in water, to prevent them from splinting, before threading the meat through them just before cooking.



Fastforward to yesterday afternoon...
Vern had a lot to tell the second-graders, but in the short time, it was a glimpse of the Lion City turned city in a garden, he gave them. Also some similarities to America/St Louis, as well as differences. But only one child whose family currently stays on the 21st floor of a serviced apartment, could identify with highrise living.



Everyone had no problem saying "hello" in the four languages, and Gurmit Singh and Jack Neo's rap had them chanting along, "Why we talk like that?"! At the end of the half an hour sharing, the American children knew a bit of Singlish, too. Enough to say "shiok", but not so sure whether you can add "lah" to the end of every sentence!

And then it was on to the food tasting!

In the absence of a grill, I used the oven to bake the satay at 375C for 10 to 15 minutes, and then switched to the 'broil' mode towards the end. We served it just like this, without the peanut sauce (the dip) because of allergies among the classmates, and possibly a bigger cleanup to spare the teachers and ourselves!



The almond jelly, served with longan. The boys and girls told us they were having longan for the very first time!


So, of the two food items, which was the winner? The satay, though not unique to Singapore, but it was shiok enough for Jon's friends to come back for more...

Satay is shiok! Jon's classmates enjoy second helpings of the chicken meat on skewers!


Jon took these pictures, of Vern, and of me doling out dessert, with Ben helping with the disposable cutlery on the side. Ben waited so patiently to be the last one to get the longans, after all the other kids were served theirs!


Then, just before school dismissed, a quick picture of Ben, and "Lord Jonathan" and Jon's coat of arms. One of the other fun things done in class, as part of an ongoing segment on knights and castles (the boys are the Lords, and the girls, the Ladies, but of course!). See what are some favourite things Jon's put on his shield...


Back at home, in the evening...
We had a taste of something more American, that's available in Singapore, too, which was one of the questions the kids asked -- if pizza can be found there.

It was awhile ago when we had this at home, and that's because it's one lunch we do order for our boys from school every now and then, like a treat for them! And it is one American meal they like. But it's not exactly a meal we have that often to designate a "Pizza Night" once a week, as some families here do.


For us, one boy will always want his with sauce, but not the other. I think the next time we should try it with satay sauce! Yes?


This semi-homemade pita bread pizza is easy to make on a busy day. And on a less hurried evening, it's fun for the kids to assemble their own toppings using readycooked ingredients they like, or whatever you can scrounge from your pantry, fridge, or freezer!

*P.S. Can someone enlighten me please -- where in Singapore is that restaurant featured in the Bourdain food show, where you eat off an operating table, and your dining chair is a "gold" wheelchair? I mean, I understand the hype, and see the need to keep up with the latest in the culinary world -- the foam, and test-tubes, and nitrogen-frozen what-have-you's! But like Bourdain, something about the hospital look and feel of that place just doesn't make me want to give it a good prognosis. What about you? Anyone's eaten there before?

Ice, sleet, and snow!

"A WINTRY MESS" read yesterday's headlines. And one look at the front page shot of quite the convoy of snowplows working hard to shove aside the slush -- seven in all, hot on the heels of each other on one highway -- and you get the picture, of how not so fun a winter storm can be!

The wallop of ice and sleet started before dawn, Thursday, and surprised schools expecting to deal with it later in the day. And many, like the school our boys go to, announced closings first thing in the morning, if not, early dismissals, and then again the next day, when a second wave hit yesterday.

And while the steady fall of slippery sleet was enough to ground flights, not just imperil driving (and thankfully, road situations improved yesterday), staying home all day also saw Jon and Ben at each other's throats a lot! So much so, their daddy, besides me, had to tell them, enough was enough, no more driving us parents up the wall! Yes, it was that bad, I wished I knew just how to channel their energies to more creative use. But all the talk about driving did drive me to sit them down to a little project that had been on my mind.



Not so fortunately, not that I didn't know how short both their attention span was, the boys' enthusiasm was short-lived. And what could have been easily done, turned out to be nearer to "Mission Impossible", and just another of this mommy's "crazy" ideas! Every time the boys walked away, I thought to myself, maybe I should have just sat down here instead, to do my own online version in the first place!

So here goes the story behind this story, of that belated post -- one of those things I've been meaning to do, to help me make sense of the pictures when I look back next time!

That Martin Luther King weekend last month...


It was not freezing rain nor sleet, but a snowstorm we arrived to in DC, for a long weekend over the Martin Luther King holiday, at the same time Vern was having a conference there.

Whether it's ice, sleet, or snow, if you ask me, winter isn't the best time to travel. So then, you could say making this trip was rather radicial by my standards. If not now, though, it would be awhile more before we could all be able to set foot on those same steps where the famous civil rights leader had delivered his "I have a dream" speech!

At the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the Washington monument...


But before I get round to sharing a bit more on the "patriotic" sights in the country's capital, (and looks like it'll have to take another post, another day for that), here are some highlights of what there is to do indoors. My only "research" was based on Fodor's and Frommer's travel guides I went and borrowed from the library the day before we left, and a friend's top picks that went beyond what we managed. But if like us, you aren't looking to do too much, or have kids in tow, these may be the kind of places that'll work for you, too! =)

Must see: Air and Space Museum


Our boys got off to a flying start here, where you can find some amazing treasures of air and space -- from the earliest days of balloon flight, to the current explorations of space.


And that's the Spirit of St Louis, not the replica, and of course it caught our attention -- that first custom-built plane to make a solo, non-stop trans-Atlantic flight.


There are hands-on activities also, to interest children in the physics of flight. Think of that section of the museum as a mini Science Centre!


Most crowded: Natural History Museum


Also one unforgettable moment for Jon, as he came up close with a madagascar cockraoch! Ben went for the dinosaurs instead, always a favourite with him, and he was just thrilled when I told him he could go ahead, "Please touch" that Triceratops! It's his most favourite dinosaur!


Pity The Mammal working on the fossils was off-duty though...


But with so many wonders of the natural world on display -- over 100 million specimens, there are lots to see, although, no, we didn't try to do everything! I do like how the exhibits are arranged, the sections flow rather seamlessly from one to another!


Must try food @: American Indian Museum


With the American History Museum closed for the time being, this was our next best choice! Jon had buffalo burger for the first time, and gave it a thumbs up!


Ben found good old chicken just as finger-licking, lip-smacking, good. Vern liked the tamale (chicken and masa/corn in a corn shuck) a bit more than I did. These, among other native-inspired meals and snacks that the museum food court offers!


Food aside, there are diverse collections of American Indian art and culture objects, as well as interactive displays showcasing the lives of Natives told from their own perspective.


My favourite spot is the Lelawi Theater (not shown), with its tiered bench seating around a canvas of sorts, with a woven blanket hung over it, that served as the screen. The images in the film also got projected on a rock below it, not just the domed ceiling overhead. Making it seem like an omnimax, except this was a much smaller, cozier setting.

You can tell, too, that careful thought has been given to the architecture of the building, that's more than the usual brick and mortar.


Has travel guru Frommer's (and also my!) stamp of approval: Postal Museum


Here's where I took the boys on the day we were on our own. Not top of most tourists' list, however, I picked this place partly because it was recommended by travel guru Frommer, and partly because it was right next to the Union Station! Most of the other places required a lot more walking from the subway station.

This is the place to learn about postal history, and even what role Benjamin Franklin played. And that's Ben, and his namesake, with Jon giving him a hand (a lift!) for a closer look!


The displays of different modes of transportation, and a chance to climb aboard a full-size, big-rig truck, show how moving mail from one place to another, has come a long way.



The interactive displays were pretty cool, too, and the Postal Inspector section ones had Jon and Ben trying to crack some cases!


Make a stop also @: Union Station


It was here that my lovable sons stopped and made monkey faces at me! And in the struggle to see who should have the camera, it fell to the ground! A kind passerby, who saw my hands full, volunteered to take our picture for us instead!


True, I was less up to it, and not as adventurous to hop on and off the subway and buses as much as I did on my own with the boys, in New York over a year ago now -- that one and other time we followed Vern for an out-of-town engagement. But breaking up the day to do a bit at a time, helped. It worked, not to try and pack in too much. I couldn't because of the queasiness, anyway. But this was how it went pretty much for our trip, and the smiles in these pictures remind me of so much there is to be thankful for!

When I can, I'll like to finish the rest of this account with the part about the memorials and monuments. You bet I saved those to do with Vern, so he could be the one to carry Ben when our little boy's feet tired of doing all the walking! Hey, with all those "excess" baggage (additional layers that makes travelling in winter more cumbersome), he does weigh quite a lot, you know! ;p