Chicken pox in most cases is just an inconvenience and not harmful.
So when Taiga started having red bumps on Saturday night, my game plan was to observe it, confirm (on my own) that it is chicken pox when there are sufficient blisters, not put him in daycare till the scabs drop off and in the meantime, apply calamine lotion.
That apparently is not how any responsible Japanese mum would handle the situation. At the first red spot, she would whisk the little infected child off to the doctors, to get the doctor to confirm that it is chicken pox, and then to get a chicken pox reducer as well as chicken pox medicines from the doctor. And if the little one goes to a daycare, she would know that absence of scabs from the body is not proof enough, she needs to get a letter from the doc to have his confirmation that the body indeed does not have any scabs.
[Edited to add: No, no, no, what was I thinking? A responsible Japanese mum would have immunized her kid against chicken pox already. I had decided not to immunise my kids (although Taiga is still below the age limit for this immunisation), a decision which has been a thorn in my MIL's side. Actually SIL too! LOL! So the above should read as a "neglectful but still responsible Japanese mum". ]
So you can imagine the outcry when my MIL returned to Tokyo over the weekend and found out that I failed to bring Taiga to the doc when I saw his red bumps and esp when I failed to get the chicken pox reducer for him (it has to be taken almost immediately for it to be effective).
I don't know the Japanese name for this reducer but it is supposed to lessen the no. of red bumps and the itchiness. I first heard abt the reducer 2 weeks back when there was a false alarm for Kai (chicken pox is going around their daycare) but figured, rather unscientifically I admit, that if you are going to get chicken pox, may as well get the full-blown thing rather than have supressed viruses hiding in your body that may come back again later (as shingles or some people do have chicken pox twice although rare). Besides, I was not sure then the side effects of the reducer.
So MIL brings Taiga to the docs and the docs give him some fever reducer (just in case the fever spikes), calamine lotion and lots of powder which is to be taken internally/orally (i.e. drunk) to reduce the itchiness. He was not given the actual chicken pox reducer as it is too late.
I don't know exactly what that powder is although when I surfed the net last night, all the reputed medical sites for children said due to the significant side effects of the chicken pox reducer, they do not advise kids to take that unless the kid has a suppresed immunity such as having a chonic illness like leukemia or where the kid has been taking a high dosage of steriods for asthma type of cases. Besides, the sites say that its reduction effect is very limited. Interesting as it seems that this is routinely given in Japan although like all things pharmaceutical in Japan, they probably reduced the potency of it. Which begs the question, then why take it?
Just in case, I told my MIL this morning to give Taiga only the calamine lotion and not the powder unless he starts scratching very badly (which he has not since it started). I think she thinks I am seriously insane and should I persist in this manner, would probably give her a heart attack soon!
[Edited to add: Of course my MIL ignored me and routinely gave him the powder yesterday.]
Kai would probably get chicken pox too and she has already "warned" me that we are to whisk Kai off to the docs to get the chicken pox reducer once the red spots appear. I have no such intention. Stay tuned for the exciting outcome!
[Edited to add: After being made to feel by my MIL that I am the only insane mum to refuse chicken pox immunisation, I am heartened to hear that 15 kids in the daycare are out at this moment due to chicken pox. The no. could be higher if you take into account those who had it earlier but are recovered and back in daycare already. OK, maybe a few of them are below 1 year old and can't be immunised, but most are above that age. So what does it mean? That working mums think alike? That working mums are neglectful? Whatever, I am just pleased!]
Tuesday, January 30
Tuesday, January 16
Oooh, I am so devious!
I have been hard at work today and when I work hard, I munch loads. Not satisfied with the buttermints and chocos on my desk, I looked around my room. Ah, one of my roomies has peanuts covered in green coating (which turned out to be matcha - green tea - flavouring) on his desk.
*innocently* "What is that interesting green stuff on your table?"
"Oh, it is peanuts and was given to me. Would you like to try some?"
So easy. He even insisted on pouring a whole load into my hands. They tasted good!
*innocently* "What is that interesting green stuff on your table?"
"Oh, it is peanuts and was given to me. Would you like to try some?"
So easy. He even insisted on pouring a whole load into my hands. They tasted good!
Monday, January 15
Tsunami Warnings
There was a massive earthquake in Northern Japan (near Hokkaido) over the weekend. It was under the seabed and sparked tsunami warnings.
Just read this in the Mainichi Daily this morning : "The Meteorological Agency issues tsunami warnings even when only splashes are expected."
That is so true! They should stop doing that and as the article was reporting, the local residents who stay along the coast in Hokkaido don't even bother to move inland anymore.
What is even more amazing is that the last time this happened, about 2 months ago, the Agency predicted 2m waves. In the end, all we had were 20cm waves!! I wonder what accounted for this huge discrepancy. Also, the big question for me, how do they know that that 20cm wave is a tsunami wave and not an ordinary wave???
Just read this in the Mainichi Daily this morning : "The Meteorological Agency issues tsunami warnings even when only splashes are expected."
That is so true! They should stop doing that and as the article was reporting, the local residents who stay along the coast in Hokkaido don't even bother to move inland anymore.
What is even more amazing is that the last time this happened, about 2 months ago, the Agency predicted 2m waves. In the end, all we had were 20cm waves!! I wonder what accounted for this huge discrepancy. Also, the big question for me, how do they know that that 20cm wave is a tsunami wave and not an ordinary wave???
Sunday, January 14
Obento
The daycare just moved Kai up by a class. They did this when we got back from Singapore. It is unusual to do this in Jan as the schoolyear starts in April. I think they did it cos his previous class (the Rabbit group) was overcrowded and the next class up (his present class, the Bear group) was quite empty, and as he was one of the older guys in his group ......
The problem with this is that they did not ask us or give us prior warning about it. They just bumped him up. And on the night of Jan 9, my MIL, who picks the kids up from daycare, told me that every month, Jan 10 is obento day for the Bear group (previous groups never had this!). Obento day means parents have to pack an obento (lunchbox) and send it along with the kid!!
As we had just got back from Singapore, there was nothing in our fridge and the shops were already closed. I told Tomo to tell the daycare that I will not be providing any obento as it was such last-minute notice and that they should provide Kai with a meal that day (which I did not think was a problem with the daycare as they have a kitchen and cook meals from scratch every morning). It seems that that is not a very Japanese thing to do as the next I heard, my MIL would be making Kai's obento! (And of course despite the fact that she knows I hate Kai eating pickles fermented in alcohol - Kai is only 2.5 yrs old - she put them into the obento!!!). I can already imagine all the fights I would be having with my own family and the J education system as Kai grows older! :-)
Anyway, it seems that in J kindergartens (at least most of them) and primary schools, the kids are sent to school with an obento packed by the mums. EVERY DAY! So the daycare is actually preparing the kids, and mums like me, for the shock of that!
I don't even know where to start to express how much I dislike the thought of this. It would not be so bad if I could do a 1-dish thing, like chicken curry and rice 1 day, beef stew and rice the next. But nooooo, that is not what an obento is supposed to be like. It has to contain something from every nutritional group for a balanced meal. So for e.g., in the mornings when I pack the obento, I would have to boil 2 tiny quails eggs, slice up 1/8th of a cucumber, spoon in 2 tablesoons of beef stew etc. Horrors!
Even if I were not a working mum but a stay-at-home mum, I think that would be a nightmare to prepare every morning! I can imagine myself buying an obento from 7-11 and then re-arranging/re-packing that to pass off as my own in some Disney character obento box!! ;-)
And it is not just the obento. Mums also have to sew some kind of school bag and other stuff for the kids. And these stuff can't be purchased cos every school requires a different dimension/material etc. Jeez!
I will just have to search for that school out there that does not require all these. If there is one. :-(
The problem with this is that they did not ask us or give us prior warning about it. They just bumped him up. And on the night of Jan 9, my MIL, who picks the kids up from daycare, told me that every month, Jan 10 is obento day for the Bear group (previous groups never had this!). Obento day means parents have to pack an obento (lunchbox) and send it along with the kid!!
As we had just got back from Singapore, there was nothing in our fridge and the shops were already closed. I told Tomo to tell the daycare that I will not be providing any obento as it was such last-minute notice and that they should provide Kai with a meal that day (which I did not think was a problem with the daycare as they have a kitchen and cook meals from scratch every morning). It seems that that is not a very Japanese thing to do as the next I heard, my MIL would be making Kai's obento! (And of course despite the fact that she knows I hate Kai eating pickles fermented in alcohol - Kai is only 2.5 yrs old - she put them into the obento!!!). I can already imagine all the fights I would be having with my own family and the J education system as Kai grows older! :-)
Anyway, it seems that in J kindergartens (at least most of them) and primary schools, the kids are sent to school with an obento packed by the mums. EVERY DAY! So the daycare is actually preparing the kids, and mums like me, for the shock of that!
I don't even know where to start to express how much I dislike the thought of this. It would not be so bad if I could do a 1-dish thing, like chicken curry and rice 1 day, beef stew and rice the next. But nooooo, that is not what an obento is supposed to be like. It has to contain something from every nutritional group for a balanced meal. So for e.g., in the mornings when I pack the obento, I would have to boil 2 tiny quails eggs, slice up 1/8th of a cucumber, spoon in 2 tablesoons of beef stew etc. Horrors!
Even if I were not a working mum but a stay-at-home mum, I think that would be a nightmare to prepare every morning! I can imagine myself buying an obento from 7-11 and then re-arranging/re-packing that to pass off as my own in some Disney character obento box!! ;-)
And it is not just the obento. Mums also have to sew some kind of school bag and other stuff for the kids. And these stuff can't be purchased cos every school requires a different dimension/material etc. Jeez!
I will just have to search for that school out there that does not require all these. If there is one. :-(
Saturday, January 13
Kai's 2nd Febrile Seizure
We experienced kind and understanding waiters tonight! (Or maybe, I gave them no choice?!)
We were in a restaurant and had already placed our orders . The OJ for Kai had already arrived and I think Kai had already drunk some of it. Then without warning, Kai had a febrile seizure. This kind of thing scares Tomo a lot more than me and before you could even blink, Tomo had grabbed Kai, was running out of the restaurant and telling the waiters along the way that we were in a rush to go to the hospital.
He moved so fast that I was left behind, trying to put Taiga back into the stroller, and picking up Kai's jacket, socks and shoes (I think it is a Japanese thing, but Tomo is forever removing Kai's socks and shoes whenever we are in a restaurant!). It did not help that our table was in the split-level section and it took me time to get the stroller down to the normal level, by which time Tomo was already way ahead and on the escalator on the way down. I was debating whether or not to pay for the meal (the OJ, and they may have already started baking the pizzas ...). It was not the money, but that it would take time for them to ring the register, give me change etc.
The wait-staff were really nice about it. They did not mention the bill, or pull me back whatever. They helped me along and told us to take care!
We will definitely be going back to this place again!
[Note: Febrile seizures are harmless although scary to watch. Usually, there is nothing much a doctor can do anyway except to confirm that it is a febrile seizure and nothing more sinister than that.]
PS - Just wondering how this would play out if it were in Singapore? Would the restaurant demand payment first??
We were in a restaurant and had already placed our orders . The OJ for Kai had already arrived and I think Kai had already drunk some of it. Then without warning, Kai had a febrile seizure. This kind of thing scares Tomo a lot more than me and before you could even blink, Tomo had grabbed Kai, was running out of the restaurant and telling the waiters along the way that we were in a rush to go to the hospital.
He moved so fast that I was left behind, trying to put Taiga back into the stroller, and picking up Kai's jacket, socks and shoes (I think it is a Japanese thing, but Tomo is forever removing Kai's socks and shoes whenever we are in a restaurant!). It did not help that our table was in the split-level section and it took me time to get the stroller down to the normal level, by which time Tomo was already way ahead and on the escalator on the way down. I was debating whether or not to pay for the meal (the OJ, and they may have already started baking the pizzas ...). It was not the money, but that it would take time for them to ring the register, give me change etc.
The wait-staff were really nice about it. They did not mention the bill, or pull me back whatever. They helped me along and told us to take care!
We will definitely be going back to this place again!
[Note: Febrile seizures are harmless although scary to watch. Usually, there is nothing much a doctor can do anyway except to confirm that it is a febrile seizure and nothing more sinister than that.]
PS - Just wondering how this would play out if it were in Singapore? Would the restaurant demand payment first??
Wednesday, January 10
I'm Back!
Happy new year to you all! May 2007 be filled with happiness and blessings!
I have disappeared from this blog for a bit as it got crazily busy at the office, right up to the moment I left for a 2 week vacation back to Singapore. It got so busy that I actually envisioned not having time to pack for me and the kids for the vacation. It got so busy that I could not even leave my house 1 morning. A matter was being worked on intensely between me and the Japanese lawyer overnight and in the morning, so going in to the office in the morning would mean wasting precious time showering, getting ready for the office and commuting. So I was glued to my home computer as the documents bounced between us. The internet surely has changed the way we work. It has liberated us from the confines of the office but it ties us to our work!
And then the night before my very last day of work, a partner who knew of my impending vacation, said he would really like me to help him on my last day with a new matter which required reviewing 60 pages!!! I was really panicking as to how I was going to get the packing done.
Anyway, managed to throw things together (telling myself it's OK if items are missed - they can always be purchased in Singapore), went to Spore, came back, and it has been hectic since! Should end by tomorrow I hope!
Am taking time out to write this but will get back to work now as I just got a call that client failed to tell us he wants something by noon tomorrow and he still wants it by noon tomorrow!
I have disappeared from this blog for a bit as it got crazily busy at the office, right up to the moment I left for a 2 week vacation back to Singapore. It got so busy that I actually envisioned not having time to pack for me and the kids for the vacation. It got so busy that I could not even leave my house 1 morning. A matter was being worked on intensely between me and the Japanese lawyer overnight and in the morning, so going in to the office in the morning would mean wasting precious time showering, getting ready for the office and commuting. So I was glued to my home computer as the documents bounced between us. The internet surely has changed the way we work. It has liberated us from the confines of the office but it ties us to our work!
And then the night before my very last day of work, a partner who knew of my impending vacation, said he would really like me to help him on my last day with a new matter which required reviewing 60 pages!!! I was really panicking as to how I was going to get the packing done.
Anyway, managed to throw things together (telling myself it's OK if items are missed - they can always be purchased in Singapore), went to Spore, came back, and it has been hectic since! Should end by tomorrow I hope!
Am taking time out to write this but will get back to work now as I just got a call that client failed to tell us he wants something by noon tomorrow and he still wants it by noon tomorrow!
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