Suzette's Parenting and Breastfeeding Blog

I’ve finished reading Dan Brown’s 3 books — Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Digital Fortress. One more to go - the Deception Point. (BTW, Paupau, I’ve just found out Angels & Demons has an Illustrated Edition.)

No doubt, his books are all very good. Plots after plots, no breathing space, no boring scenes, catching your every attention. I just couldn’t put down the books once I started reading.

Anyway, there is one major issue I have with all Dan Brown’s novels. One very major issue.

In all the 3 books I’ve read, the MAIN characters do not carry any cell phone. Only a limited number of people carry a cell phone: Strathmore in Crypto, CERN Director (can’t remember his name, I have very short term memory), the policeman Fache, etc (who else??!!).

Robert Langdon, David Becker, Sophie Neveu, Vittoria Vetra, Susan Fletcher –> all do not carry a cell phone. I haven’t read Deception Point, but I guess they won’t carry any either?

In this century, it is hard to believe they don’t carry a hand phone. Come on! What’s cell phone’s penetration? In Malaysia, nearly everyone, including teenagers, have a mobile phone. I believe it must be higher in the States. Further, people like Vittoria and Susan are in high technological environment, it makes it even harder to believe they don’t use one.

I know, I know, I know… if David Becker has a cell phone, he would have been able to call Susan. If they all have a phone, they won’t have to risk looking for a pay phone, and they won’t have to worry about not having coins for the pay phones.

If they all have cell phones, the story would be completely different, and I believe the challenge in planting those plots would be more difficult for Dan Brown!

But then, it is just so unreal. We know even a granny or a teenage girl carries a cell phone nowadays. Cell phone’s penetration is even higher than fixed phone lines.

Yesterday, I’ve just finished reading Dean Koontz’s audio book - The Husband (hehe, I read a few books at the same time). The main character is a gardener, and he has a cell phone!!

So, to Dan Brown, maybe you want to make it more real to let your next book’s characters carry a cell phone? You can make him drop his phone and damage it, so the story can go on. But not carrying a cell phone nowadays is really unreal…

I don’t mind talking to strangers sitting next to me in a plane. I am happy to chat about general affairs, countries, airline, etc. We can exchange travel stories. We can even talk about my kids, my job etc.

But please, please don’t make the conversation private. I really hate it when strangers start asking the following questions:

Where are you going to stay? (This is a high security question. Why you want to know? Are you going to come visit me? Are you planning to stalk on me?)

Which company do you work in? (Usually I’d answer the nature of the business, but these people would not be satisfied. I hate to tell, for security purpose. Please be sensitive!)

What is your husband doing?
How much do you earn? How much does your husband earn?
What car do you drive? How much is that car?
Where do you live in Malaysia?
(Again, these are none of your business. It is getting too personal!)

When I got agitated, I’d response back by asking them the same questions, to make them feel similarly uneasy. The problem is, these people normally won’t mind telling. Further, I’m not interested in this info.

Normally at this point, I’d take out my book, hinting that I’d like to stop the conversation. Some people get the hint, but some not. I have to be rude to the latter.

I’m sorry, if you are one of those described above, I don’t intentionally be rude to you, but please respect my privacy.

Just thought of sharing with all travelers about caution when traveling in taxis.

A few years ago, my colleague lost her computer and her Ferrari luggage in a taxi in Bangkok. It nearly happened to me again in my last trip to the same city.

I don’t think it was intentional. Let me explain in detail…

Upon arrival, my colleague went straight to the office with her luggage. On her way back from office to hotel, she shared taxi with 2 other colleagues. Naturally, with or without other passengers, she put her luggage and computer bag in the taxi’s trunk.

When they arrived at the hotel, after they paid and got down the cab, before my colleague realized it, the taxi drove away with the bags in the trunk. She chased after him, but failed to capture his attention before he disappeared.

The hotel concierge tried to radio him, without avail.

She had to make a police report. It was just a formal process, and it rendered no help because she was unable to provide taxi’s registration — they are written in Thai, unrecognized characters to many of us.

In my last trip, I did the same, went straight to the office with my luggage. From office to hotel, my luggage was inside the taxi’s trunk.

After I paid, just as I was stepping out of the car, instinct told me that the driver forgot about my bag. With one leg outside the car, I asked the driver to open the trunk. He slapped his forehead and admitted he has totally forgotten.

See, he could have driven away with my luggage while I stood there screaming for his attention to stop his car!

Thanks to my colleague’s experience, or I don’t think I would have that instinct.

Compared to Ian, Isabel is more willing to follow instructions when comes to speech. I always say, Ian only follows 20% of what we ask him to repeat saying. Isabel, on the other hand, follows 60-70%.

However, she is still stuck with single syllabus, and have some difficulties in double or triple syllabus. And she also cannot pronounce some words clearly.

‘Five!’ is always pronounced as ‘Pie!’
‘Koko’ (Brother) and ‘Kakak’ (sister) are always pronounced the same - at least we have difficulties to differentiate.

She can only say ‘Pen’ for ‘Open’, ‘ter’ for ‘water’, etc.

3 syllabus is the worst. When I asked her to say ‘I love you’, she won’t respond. When teched her one by one: “I” — followed “I”. “Love” — read as “Feh”. “You” — usually at this stage, she’d turn her head away, not willing to learn any more.

She likes to greet people. You can always hear her says “Hi”, usually after the person she greets leave the scene, maybe too shy? Or, occasionally you can hear her says “Hi” to strangers, at the time that you least expect her to do so. She particularly like to say ‘Hi’ to the guards of our apartment, though never been taught - maybe followed the brother.

Her favorite phase is “Bye Bye”. She says it to everyone, whenever I tell her it is time to go to bed or to have her ‘nen-nen’ (milk). In the morning, when I ask her whether she wants to go out, instead of saying ‘ah’ or ‘yes’, she turns and says ‘Bye Bye’ to the daddy. Whoever that she refuses to greet, she’d be willing to say “Bye Bye”.

She also likes to say “Ah” for “Yes”, always accompanied with a nod. She knows that is the meaning for ‘yes’, but sometimes she can be very confusing. For instance, when asked whether she has finished peeing, she says “Ah”. Then asked the question differently again, “do you still want to pee”, and she also says “Ah”.

Oh, whenever she says ‘Yes’ correctly, the tone of the ‘yes’ can really kill you - so feminine that can melt anyone’s heart. ‘Please’ is also heart melting. I think if she understands the meaning of ‘please’ and knows how to use it correctly, no body can resist her requests.

Yesterday afternoon, Ian called me from MIL’s house and we chatted for a while. When I was back to MIL’s house, I asked him, “Who helped you to make the phone call to me just now?”

He answered, “Popo” (Grandma)

I continued my question, “Do you know how to call me then?”
Ian said, “Yes!”

So, I said, “Show me how you call me, please…” (just want to ensure that he knows how to use the phone)

Ian happily said, “Okay… MAMA!!!” Very loudly.

Ya, that is ‘call me‘. He was right.

———-

At night, when I put him to bed, I gave him a big hug and kissed his cheek.

He asked me, in a very cheerfull tone, “Mama, I am good today, izzit?” (He likes to use ‘izzit’ in all his questions)

I replied, “No, you are not good today, you kicked Isabel until her mouth bleed, you didn’t eat vegetables, …”

Before I could go on to count his ’sentences’, he asked again in a confused look, “But mama, if I am not good, why did you kiss me just now?”

I got to laugh out loud, and said “Ian, Ian… Mama’s love for you is not conditional. If yo are good, I love you. If you are not good, I still love you. But I would be very happy if you are good and not hurt Isabel any more…”