A Singaporean [Quitter] in Maesai

I buy toys for my kids (naturally) and I am a bit selective on the toys I buy.  I refrain myself from getting toys like action figures, barbie dolls and those that I think are just marketing hype.  I prefer toys that stimulate the senses and makes you think and build with it.  In short, toys that boosts creativity and your imaginations.

LEGO is one of the toys then I spend most whenever I get back to Thailand.  That's because they don't have it in Maesai, the nearest shop selling them was in Chiang mai and they are not cheap.  I bought Girl girl's LEGO Duplo (those bigger tiles) at her 2 year old birthday and she loves it.  So when I saw an ad on the newspaper on the Robinson sale.  I plan to get it.  I told my sister and mom about it and they think its a great idea.

I was on shift so I did not had the time to drop by Centrepoint to take a look.  So I got a surprise when I saw an SMS from my sis that she bought the toy as she and mum were at Orchard to do some shopping.

I got home and got a shock.  Haha.  Because its a HUGE set.  SUPER 4 in 1 pack containing over 250 pieces (I think its more that that).  Its a Zoo kit pack with animals, cute accessories and bricks for building the Diorama.  I opened it to inspect the pieces and they were gorgeous.  But the box seems to be to big for me to carry on board.  Most probably need to remove that box.

Girl girl (and boy boy)already has a few set.  One of them is a farm and another a house set which has cute kitchen sink and bathtub :P.  So I guess she will go crazy with this new set.  Need to tell her to share with her little brother though :)

Mum is not allowing me to take the set back to Thailand yet as she plans to be a surprise for the kids when they come to Singapore.  We are planning to have them come over in October when Girl girl has her term break (about a month).  Ah Boy's status has been settled and he is no longer stateless, so we can go to Bangkok this coming July to settle passport and marriage certificate.  Here's one more photo of me with the LEGO set... kekeke  

For those interested in the set.  Its still on sale at Robinson. $189. inclusive of GST and according to my sis, its snapping up by lots of shoppers so better HURRY up for the great SG sale.. BUY BUY BUY!!! :P

None other then my son.  He's 11 months now.  He can stand on his own (can't walk though) and can crawl super fast.  He also has 2 little teeth and knows how to defend himself from his sister by shoving her away whenever she comes for a hug that he does not want :P

He can makes sounds now... basically is dadadadadadada... which do sounds like Hit!hit!hit!(打打打） in Chinese.  And while chanting this slogan, he normally is really whacking on something.  The picture in this post shows my boy banging and whacking on my keyboard while we were doing a video conference.  He is blur because he is aggressively banging away.. :S

Boy is cheeky also. He likes to play sneak attacks (like me).  Wife says every morning he will be the first to wake up and crawl towards where Jie Jie sleeps and disturb her by burrowing his head into her or chewing on her fingers or digits... Once girl woke up he would quickly crawls away and hides in a corner and smile.  If Jie jie goes back to sleeps again, he would repeat until my girl wakes up and bear hugs him.. :D

Ah girl also getting more sporty.  She learnt how to cycle by herself and she is getting good at it.  She likes to run with the neighbouring kids and play chase.  Which I think its great.  SG kids don't do that anymore.. One thing I dislike is the way she likes to climbs the chairs and tables in the house.  Wife even told me she once caught her trying to climb over our house's fence... :S  She still adores her little brother but I think they will start to fight soon.  Most likely is the boy will bully her sister hehehehe.... 

This post is in my head for quite some time but I did not have the energy to pin it down in writings.  After I told my mother that my wife's status has changed, she pop the question again "So when are you moving them back to Singapore?"  So I gave her my usual response (its not the first time) but I know this time it won't be easy to win the argument.

What happens usually is I would reply that I wish to go over there, but I can't, because of my wife's statelessness (so I can't apply for an 'O' visa).  And I just say wait her status is changed then we discuss on this.  So here we are again....

As I have a feeling I no longer could use the argument above so I just stay silent..... and she continued to grill me what I plan to do and what's wrong with Singapore.

"Too expensive for them to stay here, I can't earn enough to support them here" I replied
"I can chip in a bit and the way you fly to and fro also expensive"she countered. 

"I got no house." I replied.
"Stay at my house lah" she replied "Not like I mind" she countered.
"But you and my wife would fight, and (my elder) sister may get disturbed by the kids!"
"She won't mind, she like the kids too!"  mum countered "Not like you can look for a work in Thailand"

So in the end, I just say I would think about it and close off the conversation. 

So after the debate.  I did started to think about this option but its a no brainer.  My heart is still in Thailand :) .  And there are of course, various other reasons..

First, my wife can't even speak english and she can't read or write in Chinese too.  So practically she can't find a decent job here in SG.  If we only have girl girl then still possible but with ah boy around.  It would be tough for both of us. I don't wish to depend too much on my mum in this too.

Second, girl is already 4 years old and all her friends and playmates are in Maesai, Thailand.  She enjoys it there too.  Its possible she might change if I bring her here too but I think it would most likely be a culture shock.  The kids in SG are waaay different from the kids she knew back home.  If she is younger then maybe.  And she can't converse in English.  She speaks mainly Thai and Chinese. 

Thirdly, what would happen to our stuff and house in Thailand?  Sell them off?  Leave it and no one take cares of it.  My wife's closest relative is her sis whom is in Hatt Yai working.  Its a home to us and we just can't leave it. 

There are more but I think the 3 listed above are the major ones.. So yes, I definitely would go back.  But the question I can't really answer now is WHEN?

Recently due to the new car and baby,  I need to work harder here to earn more money to pay off the car loan and other extra expenses that the new baby has incurred.  This means I need to find a job in Thailand immediately if I were to go back now, which might be tough as I still can't read or write Thai scripts.

So most probably I will continue to work in Singapore for a few more years.  I still have my dreams of opening a photo studio in Thailand but the location is important (thinking of Chiang Mai or Bangkok) and it might take some years to plan and source for resources.

I could give my answer to my mum.  But I guess grandma misses the kids and want them over :P.  So I am prepared to be nagged for a few more years.. huhuhu... not her problem but mine...

Posted this some time ago in Facebook but seems like tons of my friends missed it.  (My FB wall's privacy has been beefed up).  So here we go.. 

The young girl in the video is Pin Kam (neighbour's daughter).  And I sound wierd in that video... :P