Despite not really approving of children's birthday parties that are not traditional children's birthday parties we put together a non-traditional party for Rupert this weekend. Rupert invited ten chums, including his forced chums of Edwin and Trixie, to Get Crafty on Sunday morning. As the name suggests it was an arts and crafts place, not a place for training pick-pocketing urchins and ne'er-do-wells as had been suggested. Get Crafty was very well organised in that the shop had around fifty different cardboard models that children could make from the collections of pre-cut shapes and then paint the chosen object with whatever collections of colours they wished. Ever the enthusiast for gender-stereotyping Rupert chose a bi-plane for the boys to make and a rocking horse for the girls.
So at 10.00am sharp we were there, family in tow, ready to begin getting crafty. All the equipment was ready. The only thing missing were the guests who eventually started arriving from 10.15am, which translates as 10.00am sharp, Malaysian Standard Time. (The final guest arrived at 10.45am). Anyway the painting, sticking and assembling fest went very well. All crafts-people set to their tasks with gusto, nothing got broken and no-one cried. Included in the RM 50 per head was a group photo for all those at the party, a party bag of snacks and the hand-crafted object, plus the two hours making time. We rounded off the event with a meal for all the guests plus Lexi and I at Chili's.
The bi-planes and rocking horses were clearly a hit with children. One guest described hers as "awesomely cool." How ever has an 8 year old child educated in Malaysia, from Australian, Jordanian and Dutch lineage managed to come up with a phrases such as "awesomely cool?" The spread of Americanisms has truly gone global. Is it about time I did the math or should I simply wake up and smell the coffee?
But this great event was only the third party of the weekend. On Friday evening Trixie went to a fellow six year old's gathering that involved lots of swimming and the party's hosts insisting on me drinking beer and eating great Lebanese food. My kind of party really. I felt a little over-dressed in that I had come straight from school and was therefore the only guest sporting work shirt and trousers. I did take my tie off though. I know how to relax.
On Saturday Lexi went in to school for a training sort-of day and so I was on taking kids to dance duty. Then it was off to yet another party. This time it was Rupert. Lexi and I delivered him to a friend's house for fun and merriment. Edwin had gone to the cinema with friends and so that left Lexi and I with just one child. We drove onto to KLCC and at long last found the fountains there that children can play in rather than the huge great ones that people wow at. Trixie was impressed.
Back to work for an easy day today.
I am growing more and more frustrated with the average Malaysian driver's inability to use their indicators. I feel a rant coming on.