Asian Parenting – true or false?

My parents are Malaysians, and although they come from very diverse ethnic backgrounds (mum is Kelabit and dad is Chinese), they seemed to have some pretty quirky unifying behavioral traits. I’m not sure if I can enlist them as typical to “Asian parents” per se (your feedback is most appreciated), but these were some of the things/practices I grew up with. Welcome to my childhood.

p/s: Mum/dad, if you’re reading this, I love you veeeeeeery much, so please don’t take this the wrong way. :-D

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#1: They speak louder on outstation and international telephone calls

Apparently, the further the geographical distance, the harder it is for the person on the other line to hear them.

#2: Word of the day – STUDY

Question of the day – “Have you studied yet?” Anything apart from studying is unacceptable and a total waste of time.

#3: Holidays are an opportunity to get ahead of others in school

Holiday? What holiday? Tuition = A way of life.

#4: Anything less than an A+ is unacceptable.

In your report card: A = average, B = bad, C = crap, D = die, F = there is no such thing. Oh and if you don’t get at least an A for Mathematics, you are a disgrace.

#5: No matter how well you did at school, they always know someone whose kid did better than you.

#6: Second most important word of the day – EAT

“Finish your food”, “Don’t waste your food”, “Do you know how many children out there don’t have food to eat?”, “Eat first”, “Eat now”, “Eat while it’s hot”, “EAT!!!!”

Oh and plus, your food will always has rice in it, no matter what. Maybe that's why now, I can't live without eating rice at least once a day.

#7: If it’s not on sale, don’t buy it.

#8: They think they’re doctors, even though they’ve never set foot in med school.

#9: They want you to study hard and be a Doctor. Or a Dentist at the very least.

#10: Every conversation with them turns out to be a life lesson

So how many of you also grew up with the rotan (cane) for discipline, Tigerbalm as a solution to most things, and a piano/organ in the living room? :-D

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X-rated lessons I learnt

Those who know us well enough will concur that #babybaby and I are one of the most boring young couples you could ever find.

Well, for starters, we’d pick home over a night out, movie in our living room over the cinema, bottled water over any form of alcohol, shopping for gadgets over clothes. Perhaps that’s why we ended up marrying each other. *laugh* Perfect, right? 

I believe we can actually count the number of times we’ve been out to the movies with 10 fingers. Or less. This is over 2 years, mind you. So yes, we have a lot of catching up to do.

Last Friday we contributed one more finger to our movie counter through a date with the mutants via the highest-grossing film in the X-Men film series. Besides the fact that it raked in USD310+ million in just the first seven days of release, I must say that this seventh installment in the X-Men film series left quite an impression on me, a layman.

X-Men: Days of Future Past.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST - Official Trailer: The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. The beloved characters from the original "X-Men" film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from "X-Men: First Class," in an epic battle that must change the past -- to save our future.

While I leave the proper review of this engaging movie to the X-Men purists, I’d like to share 6 powerful leadership lessons I learnt from Charles Xavier during my 131 minutes with the mutants. :-D

Logan, I was a very different man. Lead me, guide me, be patient with me. -Charles Xavier

Always be remember and be grateful to the leadership figures in your life who chose to see past your immaturity and focus on your potential, making you the leader you are today; be it at your workplace, your social circles or even your home.

I’ve been trying to control you since the day we met, and look where that’s got us. I have faith in you. -Charles Xavier

There couldn’t be a clearer definition of management vs. leadership. Leadership 101. Are you a manager who tells people what to do, or are you a leader who nurtures and empowers others?

Enough ripples and you change time, for the future is never truly set. -Charles Xavier

Never discount the small things that make the big difference. Every decision you make today will affect your future. Never do something permanently foolish just because you are temporarily upset.

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” –Vincent Can Gogh

Your best is enough. Trust me. -Charles Xavier

No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress as a person or a leader, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying. Remember also, that when values are clear, decisions are easy.

The greatest gift we have is to bear their pain without breaking and it comes from your most human part, hope. -Charles Xavier

Leaders are dealers in hope. As a leader, your job is to keep hope alive. Never give up on the people you love, no matter how unlovable they might be at times.

“The man who can keep his focus on what he wants can achieve it without feeling the pain it took to get him there.” –Dennis Devader

Just because someone stumbles and loses their way, it doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. -Charles Xavier

Failure is never final. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come. Like John Maxwell once said, “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

Thanks for reading! Have you watched the movie and are there any lessons or quotes you'd like to add? :-D

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You're gonna LOVE this genius invention! Hehe.

Okay, this is totally random; but I'm having so much fun with this new toy that it would be so selfish not to share. Lol

If, by the time this video ends - you're still unable to grasp the concept of this "THING" - there's a picture right at the end which should help you visualize. Haha.

Thank you #babybaby for this brilliant buy. I wouldn't have thought about it on my own. Haha.

I dedicate this to all who are bold, brave, creative and fun. Enjoy!! :-D

Okay, this is totally random; but I'm having so much fun with this new toy that it would be so selfish not to share. *smirk* If, by the time this video ends - you're still unable to grasp the concept of this "THING" - there's a picture right at the end which should help you visualize.

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"How's Married Life?"

It's been awhile since I uploaded my last unboxing video. Blame it on wedding preps, work, etc. (excuses, excuses, excuses...)

So post-wedding, now that we've pretty much settled in, I decided to make an effort to get back in the momentum of video uploads. Next, there was the BIG question:

What should I buy and unbox this month?

Side track a bit. Since we got married last February, we kept getting the same questions over and over again - "HOW'S MARRIED LIFE?", "WHAT'S CHANGED?" - so much so that I thought of just answering them once and for all (so you're NOT allowed to ask again or I'll have to 'ketuk' [Malay for "knock"] your head!

*calms-self-down*

So. Tying it in to this month's unboxing, here are the answers to your million-dollar-questions. If you're a newlywed like us, you'll understand. *solemn-nod*

Since we got married in February, the million-dollar-question we keep getting is, "HOW'S MARRIED LIFE?" *sigh* Hope we answered your question in this video, together with this long-due unboxing video. I love my new toy BTW!!!

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