Richard Parker

Colin gets more interesting toys for Christmas than Kiki. 

I have not had the chance to go buy the "Construction Man" that he wants for Christmas. He also wants.... an excavator with tracks, and one more Container to stack onto his new toy Container Trailer. Perhaps the next few days I might have the time to bring them out then I would get the Construction Man for him.

Colin really study the instructions and pictures on the toy's packaging. The instructions showed a few parts that could be extended or folded, and also showed that you can get another container to stack above the main one. Colin pointed to me the four holes at the corners is where you could stack another container. I explained to him that Mr. McLean is the person who invented the universal shipping containers that eventually revolutionized the entire cargo shipping practice and industry. That four holes were specified designs from his containers that could be transported on trailers, cargo ships and air freight. By lifting his containers and transferring the entire container from trailers to trailers, he eliminated the need to stuff/ unstuff (removing and transferring contents from one container to another), plus he doubled and tripled the volume of containers his trailers could take by making his containers universally stackable. (before that containers vary in sizes and fastening methods vary from company to company). Sometimes I wonder if Colin's interest in machinery has anything to do with my line of work. Or perhaps it's just a boy thing.

 now, we all take for granted that all shipping containers are intermodal, universal, and stackable. 

As for Kiki, I asked if I get her an 88-key keyboard would she consider that as her Christmas present. LOL. No, she didn't buy it. She looked at me like I had just tricked her. Haha. 

I guess a present should really be something fun.

I sent Maricar to the airport last night. She is on leave for two weeks, gone home to spend Christmas with her family. This year, I didn't bring Kiki along to the airport because the last time I brought her to see Maricar off, we were faced with stoney coolness, like an iceberg thrown onto our faces. It was a  distasteful "Richard Parker" treatment. Do you know what a "Richard Parker" treatment is? If you've read or watched "The Life of Pi", you might understand what I mean by a Richard Parker treatment.  In the movie, Richard Parker is the name of the Tiger that was stranded on the lifeboat along with Pi, a teenager Indian boy. Throughout the 227 days spent on the lifeboat, floating across Pacific Ocean till they were washed ashore Mexico, Pi and Richard Parker formed a co-dependent relationship. They both needed the other to keep each other alive but Pi gained an upper hand as he learned to control Richard Parker with rewards (food) and punishment (sea sickness).

Perhaps Pi was a tad more........ hopeful? or have a tad more faith in..... humanity?  No, no. I said it wrongly. Pi had more faith in Animal Psychology. He thinks that after spending countless life-and-death moments with a tiger in a confined space like a lifeboat; the tiger would by osmosis become a slight more humane. Or at the very least, return a parting glance. You know, reciprocate.

But all Pi got was a butt in his face. No thank-you glance, no good-bye glance. Well, at least there wasn't a fuck-off glance so he should find comfort in that.

So ya. That was two years ago lah. No hard feelings. I let it go after two weeks. Because I must always reflect upon myself also. Furthermore, perhaps she was just eager to go home. No. I don't think I had mistaken. We were definitely baring more heart but it was our own folly.

Ever since that Richard Parker treatment, I have wised-up.   Some people just want to keep things professional  or commercial and I will respect that. I have learnt not to wear our hearts on the sleeves.

I guess things have improved a little, since this time, there was a thank-you glance with a see-you-in-2016 wave. Still, I will no longer wear my heart on the sleeves.