Ikea Rocking Horse

I am a fan for Ikea things.

So when I saw someone advertised an Ikea rocking horse which is now discontinued, and something which my Baby Xin would love, I grabbed it.  Even though I had to drive very far to meet the seller.

Thankfully, Baby Xin enjoys it.

When she sits on it, she sings: "See-saw, up and down..."

Melaka Chess Festival - A Medal!

Wei came back at 9.30pm today, totally zonked out from having woken up at 5am to catch a bus to Melaka for the Chess Festival.  Thankfully he arrived safely and J and I were waiting outside the Olympic Hotel for him to arrive.  A very sleepy Wei emerged from the bus with all his belongings, including a medal hanging from his neck that he had not taken off even when asleep on the bus.  

He got number 4 in his category, having won 4 games, lost 1 and drawn 1, and we are very proud parents.

In the car, Wei mentioned that one of his opponents used the Sicilian Dragon move, and he countered using the Yugoslav Attack.  Sounds very Harry Potter to me.

Melaka Chess Festival

Wei is going to Melaka tomorrow, travelling outstation for the 1st time without family members.  There is a childrens' Chess Tournament at the Melaka Chess Festival tomorrow and his chess teacher asked him to join.  At first, we were reluctant to let him travel so far, he is not 11 years old yet.  But the teacher asked us again to help him out, he wanted to gather 35 kids to answer to the bus sponsor who is providing free transport.  So, Wei skips school tomorrow (yes, there is a Saturday replacement school day tomorrow).

Wei is excited, the bus is picking the kids up from Olympic council at 6am tomorrow, so we have put him in bed. I have also packed his bag for the day trip.  What's in his bag?

A sweater, in case it gets cold on the bus, a tupperware containing a snack which I will pack tomorrow morning, his pencil box with a huge angry bird key chain (to record moves), his Wolverine wallet containing RM20 for meals. And not forgetting a camera with its pouch, for the opportunity to take photo with the International Chess Grandmaster (I wonder who that is). And of course, I will add a water bottle.

I think we are as ready as can be.  Good Luck, Wei!

Marshall Goldsmith's Principles of Leadership

I was privileged to attend a leadership workshop conducted by Marshall Goldsmith in Kuala Lumpur.  He is a renowned behavioral coach and leadership thought leader, and author of the book, "What Got You Here, Won't Get You There."
Here I list down some of my key learnings from this session.

Annoying habits of leaders that we all make at some point or another, that can hold us back:
1. Winning too much (wanting to compete on everything)
2. Adding too much value (when your staff comes to us for a proposal, we always have to make changes to prove that we are superior)
3. Telling the whole world how wonderful we really are
4. Saying "I already knew that" - it dampens spirits
5. Passing judgment before the idea has a chance to even surface

We should always remember these as leaders in our daily work life and even in our life with our children.