Faking it

I always wonder if I am a good parent. 

We were offered numerous books on parenting when we had our first child, but in the end it all comes to how you were raised and what your values as a person are. You go by instinct and that is the plain truth. Am I raising my kids well, will they learn the good things and possibly ignore the times when I lose it a little? 

I have come to a conclusion: I have absolutely no idea. The kids are growing well so far - learning from both the good and the bad. But what I am showing them is that my husband and I are both human - we hurt, we sometimes get mad without a good reason, we cry. And I believe this is truly important - for the kids to see us - their parents - as people, not only as a figure of authority and as someone keeping them fed and dressed. 

Not sure if we are succeeding, but we will just keep faking it and hope for the best. Like all parents do.

Laugh or Cry?

Not sure how to even start this one...

I watched, for the lack of a better word, I will say an interview. With an Australian politician, from about 15 years ago. About a tanker, whose 'front fell off'. 

While watching it I had the strange sensation I am looking at a Monty Python sketch. The more I watched, the more the feeling grew. I am still not sure whether I should be laughing or crying. You decide. 

Eh?!?

I get writing ideas just before going to sleep. 

My brain starts putting words like mad and the end result is wonderful. 

I got myself a notebook and a pen in my nightstand drawer for that purpose, but I am too tired to take it out and write - and I am also worried I might wake myself up and not be able to go back to sleep. 

So many masterpieces lost to humanity!

Hot Weather Effect

 I experienced an unexpected side effect of the hot weather. My kids are screamers. Who knew.

Well, I knew, of course, but I mean as in them running around and screaming.

Let me explain.

Because of the hot weather we started sleeping with our doors open. A very risky move, I agree. But necessary in this weather.

Which leads to my earlier statement about the kids being screamers. As in screaming in their sleep. I was jolted from my sleep in the middle of the night by one of the kids shouting at someone for a few seconds before silence descended again. Unfortunately, my heart would not calm down for a while.

I finally managed to doze off again only to be awaken at around 6 am by the other one talking loudly in their sleep, explaining to someone how misunderstood they were in this life. Funny, I know.

The Diary of a K-Drama Addict (Part 1)

The year was 2020 and being robbed of any other entertainment, we subscribed to Netflix. Gamechanger.

All of us were hooked to the vast number of films and series available at the click of a link, but none more so than me. I got hooked on K-Dramas, and eventually on C-dramas and J-dramas (although K-dramas will forever hold a special place in my heart).

Yes, yes, I do understand they show a whimsical and unrealistic picture of love and relationships, but a girl can be mesmerized just the same (even if happily married). I will come back to that in another post.

However, they also showed me what life in this part of Asia is really like, Korea being the one I learned most about so far. So here are the few things I learned.

Beauty

Skin as pale as possible

Eyes as large as possible

Waif-like appearance for women

Men should be as tall as possible

The smaller the face, the better

Nose and eye jobs are normal

A lot of men find childish behavior in women sexy (childish by western standards, that is)

Society

Korean society is very, very hierarchical, based on position, wealth and age

Women are still expected to stop working after getting married, especially after having a child. As a result, a lot of women do not want to get married or if they do – they do not want a child

Women are treated differently than men in the workplace

It is very important whether you went to university and whether it is a prestigious university

Who your parents are and what they do is important

The educational system is highly competitive and schooldays start early and finish late. It is very hard to get into a top university if you don’t put a lot of additional effort, which often means you must have rich parents

 

This post will be continued, as soon as inspiration hits again 😊

Life got in the way. But mainly laziness.

 What can I say - life got in the way, had no time and there wasn't enough inspiration. But mainly laziness. 

After about a decade - I am back to populating these pages, so stay tuned. 

A lot more to write about (the family grew, jobs were left and found, moved to a different - debatably - country, have a driver's license now, etc., etc.)

Chat soon!

Green, greener, the greenest

The prevailing colour is green, the most worn accessory is a leprecon hat and the keyword of the day is parade. Guessed what I am talking about? Yeees, it is St. Patrick’s Day, or as they call it lovingly in Ireland – St. Paddy’s Day.

We set out to the city center on a fine day in March to witness for the first time what is called a grand street parade. And in fact we did witness it, along with thousands of others trying to push their way to the front for a better view J

What can I say – it was festive, overcrowded and with a lot of loud music – just like it should be! We had a fun day out, but the best part came after the parade when we hurried to the pub to wet our parched lips with a large glass of cool Guinness.

Sloncha!!!