生活点滴：给儿子们的忠言

晚餐时由老婆仔不小心踩到小瓜的脚，小瓜说妈妈肥，然后变成老婆仔说儿子背不起妈妈，最后又变成老婆仔很认真的告诉儿子们选偶条件的忠言。

老婆仔是引用那种没安全感的无聊女人才会问的很废的提问开始… 

老婆仔：“以后你女朋友问你：‘我和你妈妈一同掉入水中，你会先救谁？’，你会怎样回答？”

两个瓜很天真的说：“救妈妈先。”

老婆仔（暗爽）：“那你女朋友就不要你了哦！”

我加一句：“你说救女朋友先她就会说你没有良心，妈妈都不救先，然后不要你。”

两个瓜很迷惘懊恼。

老婆仔打趣的说：“说救女朋友先，因为妈妈肥会浮。”

我们一家人笑成一团。

我说：“爸爸跟你们讲，以后你们有喜欢的女孩子，在还没有变成女朋友之前，一定要带她去游泳。第一可以看她的身材好不好，第二是可以确认她会不会游泳，免得以后给她问你这样烦的问题。”

我又说：“带她去游泳池，她不会游泳就教到她会为止。如果她已经会了又问那样废的问题就告诉她‘当然是救妈妈，因为你会游泳’。”

大瓜做状认真记小抄的样子。

老婆仔说：“应该说你会拿两个救生圈，一个丢给妈妈，一个丢给女朋友，然后同时把两个人一起拉回来。”

在我还没有提醒她之前老婆仔也想到了会问这样废的问题的女人一定也会继续刁难的，她马上又说：

“当然你女朋友一定会问你如果只有一个救生圈你会丢给谁？这样的女朋友你都是不要算了，妈妈从来没有问爸爸这样的问题的。”

我们一家人又笑成一团。

就这样老婆仔开始告诉儿子们选女朋友要有的条件：

“要会游泳，要会煮饭做家务。你们也要会煮饭做家务，因为这些事是要一起做的。外表没那么重要，要内心良好。”

大瓜又做状认真记小抄的样子。小瓜早已经神游四海了。

其实老婆仔是会游泳的，但我们还是需要给孩子们这些忠言，而且也已让他们学会了游泳，免得他们以后会被人问这废问题刁难。

孩子们，记得要先带去游泳池教会游泳啊！

生活点滴 |系列|

Belated birthday gift for myself

Last year, I bought the, to date, most expensive birthday present for myself.

This year, I didn't plan on getting myself anything. My birthday wish was to have a daughter, and it's not something I want to have through purchase. -_-

I honestly didn't plan on getting myself any present, until today.

Today, by chance, I bumped into the UNICEF counter when I was getting lunch. I waved no when the person first approached me, don't stand in my way of getting my lunch, silly!

After I got my lunch, I went back and the same person approached me again. I entertained him this time. It fits the two conditions I set for myself regarding supporting charity: (1) human beings before animals before environment, (2) children before adults.

So I am game. Initially I thought it's a one off donation, I was taking out my wallet when he told me it's a monthly thing. I am no stranger to that since I have been doing that for years with MAKNA.

It took me one brainwave to decide to still go with it, justifying it as my birthday present for myself, and that we can always cut down the weekend dinner out on months when this is stretching the salary.

If I stay on the monthly donation, which I intent to, it will eventually be the most expensive present I bought myself. Regardless though, this is definitely the most meaningful present I bought myself. ^_^ feel good +2

Perhaps it's fitting in a balancing sense. Since for a while now, I am slowing changing to a, for a lack of better word, selfish person.

It's my resolution to care less, give less, and to put myself first, only reserving my energy and time to those who really deserve it. I know the world needs more love, I just no longer want to be the person who gives it first, I will, of course, reciprocate. I just don't want to be the selfless initiator anymore, I want to be the guarded one who only gives when the others have proven themselves deserving.

Give, give, give. I am just tired of it. Now I will take first before I give.

Selfish, if that's what this is. So be it.

This UNICEF donation will keep that good person deep inside happy, so that I can keep my selfish and evil front.

Random behaviour for December 2015

Succeeded in my October's impromptu resolution. And I have learned my lesson, I shall not ask wifey regarding these monthly resolutions anymore. Succeeded the October's resolution, but felt no joy whatsoever. =(

November is slacker month so I didn't set myself any resolution. I continued the July's resolution throughout October and November though. I think it's now part of my daily routine. feel good +1

As for December 2015, starting after I post this, my impromptu resolution is: include abdominal muscles related exercise in my daily routine.

Because I can.

生活点滴：约会情人（们）

今天拿了假和情人约会看电影。

只是一早起来还是很命贱的开工作电脑检查和清除电邮。

命贱到… 对自己感到失望。

且抛开这悲哀不谈，说回和情人的约会。

难得情人会回应我问她要什么生日礼物，她说要拜三去看电影我当然马上请假啦！

情人就是要来疼的，不然要来干嘛？

只是齁，她不只是要和我约会而已，而是也要和她的前世情人们约会。

如果我也有前世情人一起带着去约会我也没什么的，就一位我也够了的。

可是我就是没有前世情人咯，唉… =(

而且她那两位前世情人总是很爱跟我抢情人的手牵，还有抢拥抱，尤其是那小的。

搞到我心理很不平衡。 -_-

就这样我和我的情人，和她的前世情人们约会了一整天。

看的电影是给她前世情人们的动画，晚餐也是他们爱的比萨。

看来今天最开心就是情人的这两位前世情人了啦。

我跟你说齁，如果我也有前世情人的话，我一定常常跟她去约会的！

我想妒嫉我会那样应该是情人不要再生了的其中一个理由… =P

生活点滴 |系列|

生活点滴：情人本钱

几天前老婆仔在面子书上转载了一篇有点长气，但总之是说「养情人很贵，要爱惜老婆」的文章。

（哎哟，我言简意赅，总结概要的功力还不错哦！呵呵。 =P ）

隔天老婆仔出门前来和还在家里做开会工程师的我说再见。

我见她穿得跟平时不一样，便问：

“今天穿到这样特别的？”

她笑笑转身离去，我想到那篇长气文章，便对着她的背影开玩笑的说到：

“哦！你要做情人！”

她笑了一声，边走边说：

“没有本钱。”

我为她不服，

“谁说你没有本钱?”

她转回身说：

“我是说你没有本钱，银行里没有本钱。”

唉，中肯。 -_-

虽然我是没有钱让老婆仔做像那长气文章里的情人，但那天起我们开始称呼对方情人，叫了一阵子，呵呵！ =P

生活点滴 |系列|

The making of part nine

Copyright:

LEGO is trademark or registered trademark of The LEGO Group in Denmark and/or other countries.

All original work on this site is copyright C.K. Goh and may not be copied or reprinted without my express written approval.

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In this series: |part 1| |part 2| |part 3| |part 4| |part 5| |part 6| |part 7| |part 8| |part 9|

Workshop: |1| |2| |3| |4| |5| |6|

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Back in September I posted my LEGO creation part nine, a fighter jet that can transform into a half-jet-half-robot, and also a full robot.

Like most, if not all, creations, it's a refining process with multiple iterations, progressing through changes, trials and errors, ideas, until we get it right. Until we are satisfied.

It's no different for my LEGO creations.

Here's the record of how this particular creation came to.

Similar to how I deal with most things, I like to start my creation from the foundation. For this creation, it's the legs.

I was a bit obsessed with that particular feature, how the Macross afterburners changed into the robot's feet, so I tried a few designs.

First version of the legs

After the legs came the skeleton of the fighter jet body, getting an outline so I could transform the legs to afterburners in a seamless transition.

no head =P

realistic walking posture possible with this design

Then some "flesh" for the body was put on and the first version of the arms was created.

It's worth mentioning that this version of arms folded under the body in between the legs. This is actually the version I wanted to achieve but this design made the body very thick as well as I do not have LEGO parts to make some of the joints sturdy.

It's after all, a toy for the little monsters to play with. Flimsy and easily broken off parts are just not going to cut it.

second version arms

still no head =P

Then I came out with the second version of arms, and legs too actually. No longer has exposed joints and gaps in between upper and lower arms and legs.

This version of arms made the wings portion thinker than I like though.

first completed version

yes, with head. It's a completed version after all =P

Eventually, I created the first completed version. The legs, arms and head are exactly the same in the final version posted in September. However I did not like the wings and the body so I remade those.

Wings were not cool enough and body too squarish. My creation has to be aesthetically pleasing to me, hehe.

If...

Midlife crisis. Probably.

Time is ticking, I am aging, body is weakening and failing.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what I have accomplished and what I have failed to accomplish.

Positive way to put that is what I have yet to accomplish, but my depressive state of mind dwells on the negative. For good reason too, because many of what I have failed to accomplish are not something I can do by myself.

That sense of helplessness. Very depressing.

Provide for the family, so wifey can take care of the children full time. That I did, but on a frugal lifestyle.

It's a sad fact that my salary increment is just not catching up with the cost of living. There are months when we could save some, and months when we used up the whole paycheque and more, so on average we save none to very little from what I earned every month.

The real saving is from bonus. Too bad it doesn't happen frequently.

We didn't change our frugal lifestyle much, we couldn't afford to. We seldom eat out, it's only after the promotion a few years back that we finally allowed ourselves a meal out every weekend as an off day for wifey.

We are comfortable with the sparing lifestyle, at least I am, and we are not wanting. But naturally I would like my family to have a better lifestyle, a bit more freedom in getting things they want instead of the prudent, stringent expenditures now.

So in this I failed.

I was wondering, if I didn't sign on the PhD research, and just got out of academia and threw myself straight into industry and started working right after I got my master degree, how would my life be now?

After all, I got my job based on my master degree, though the skills acquired during the research had been instrumental in doing my job in those few beginning years. I supposed the few years I gained if I started work right after I got my master degree would have strengthened my financial position significantly now.

And I would have been a much different person if I didn't go through those postgraduate years. I would have been more like my undergraduate self: nicer, less evil, less cynical, less sarcastic, less bitter, more sociable, and without depression.

Some experiences change us forever, we are never the same after.

If I didn't go through those postgraduate years and started working earlier, perhaps I would be living in my own house by now, a dream that I failed to accomplish.

And perhaps, just perhaps, I would have a daughter. Something that I will probably die regretting.