Let the Games Begin!

:: 29 :: May 2008

2010-11-19T01:32:00.000-08:00

As I write this blog post, it's been more than 2 years since I actually drew this cartoon. I'm now reporting that the arguments over such trivial issues have not abated ... and I am told this will last for quite a number of years still... I'm now just trying to drill into the kids' minds that "Life is Not Fair, so get used to it!"

(Click image for a larger view.)

:: 28 :: April 2008

2010-11-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

Doesn't it drive you crazy when the kids ignore you when you are actually trying to talk to them, but pay attention when you are having an adult talk with your spouse at the dinner table (and even try to butt in to get more information)? All parents know this as selective hearing and kids are expert in going to auto switch-off mode at a certain "lecture frequency" of their parent's voice. In this cartoon, the kids practice selective word hearing, another one of the many parent-manipulating skills they learn along the way.

(Click image for a larger view.)

::27:: December 2007

2009-07-22T21:09:00.001-07:00

Christmas has become so commercialised that "Christmas" is sometimes shortened to "X'mas". Christ = X? If you take the "Christ" out of Christmas, then we won't have anything to celebrate in the first place.

(Click image for larger view)

::26:: November 2007

2009-07-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

This was drawn during the period when everything was soaring... prices of property, rice, poultry, public utilities, school fees, etc.

(Click image for a larger view)

::25:: September 2007

2009-07-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

"Ask, and it shall be given you;" Yeah don't we all wish our prayers work instantly, the way this kid expected it to, without working for it. God answers our prayers the way that's best for us, and not necessarily the way we want it to be.

(Click image for a larger view)

::24:: August 2007

2009-07-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Humans are such complicated creatures even when they're young. Somehow they learn to switch off to parents' nagging and only start paying attention when the voice becomes more aggressive and life-threatening! This can be frustrating for us parents sometimes.

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::23:: July 2007

2009-07-10T00:46:00.000-07:00

This was drawn during the time of Primary 1 registration in Singpapore where there'll typically be much anxiety and nail-biting excitement especially for parents trying to get their children into the more popular primary schools. Balloting is done if there are more applicants than places. St. Joseph must surely receives piles of petitions during this period, but I'm pretty sure this isn't how things in heaven works...

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::22:: May 2007

2009-07-10T00:28:00.000-07:00

Here I am again, trying to catch up on backlog again... I don't post for two years and here I am once more... I'm still contributing for the church newsletter, but on a less frequent basis. It's hard to keep it up with so much things going on at work and with the family.

Anyway, this is a gag about herd mentality that we're all guilty of one time or another! Especially more so during the Great Singapore Sale (GSS)!

(Click image for a larger view)

::21:: April 2007

2007-09-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

Notice anything different with this month's title head?
It's being adorned with stuff from the pre-school age group: yoyos and a girlie bracelet, instead of a pacifier, bib and rattle. Decided to give my comics the opportinity to cover a wider range of issues concerning growing up. My own kids are growing up too, hence I can draw inspiration from them too!

This the age where they enjoy doing grown-up things, and one of these is playing house or "masak-masak". Some guys may consider this gag a low blow to you hardworking fathers out there. I know some of you do work hard at being dads. But somehow the kids always seem to pick up the worst habits from their parents!

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::20:: February 2007

2007-09-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

Tip for guys thinking of doing proposing... don't do it at a kid-friendly restaurant, unless you're sure your girlfriend is pro-kids! Beware, drama at a table with kids is not for the faint-hearted! You might want to consider pushing your wedding date to a decade later.

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::19:: January 2007

2007-09-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

First day of school is always an anxious day for mothers. I rarely see fathers hover over their little ones like flustered mother hens. Personally I didn't shed any tears, but like many parents, I didn't really realise my kids were growing up so quickly until I first saw them put on their school uniforms.

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::18:: December 2006

2007-09-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Another piece inspired by my own kids who were playing with Lego, building houses and making up stories and scenes. I thought it was quite amusing to visualise the holy family in a setting with modern comforts.

(Click image for a larger view)

::17:: November 2006

2007-09-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

As parents we need to set good examples for the kids to follow, and this can sometimes be very hard! Parents are afterall humans with their own weaknesses.

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::16:: October 2006

2007-09-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Occasionally when the kids test your patience, I actually habour similar thoughts like this anti-kids colleague in this comic! I think children are one of those what I call "ironic" gifts from God. Man want these gifts even though they know challenges and sacrifices come with such gifts. Sometimes we don't appreciate God's gifts till they're taken away or when it's too late.

(Click image for a larger view)

::15:: September 2006

2007-09-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

Drew inspiration from the Genting trip we went during the September school holidays. I remember there was a lot of preparation beforehand to make sure we had everything covered. And then there was the challenge entertaining strapped up kids during the drive, carrying or pushing them around in the theme park when they're tired or napping, and getting them to eat their meals. Going on a trip with kids cannot be strictly called a "holiday" for the parents because I think we ended up more tired than revitalised! But...the important thing was that the kids had fun and thankfully they didn't fall sick during the trip.

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Apologies :: 1 year late!

2007-09-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

My sincere apologies to my faithful fans out there, who have been patiently waiting for over a year for updates!!! I finally decided to bite the bullet and scan all the comics for the past year and post them as soon as I can.

::14:: August 2006

2006-11-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

I remember this was the period where illnesses prevailed between my two kids. Nothing serious like chicken pox, but they were passing the germs generously to each other. Unfortunately the sharing stops there. They don't share anything else unless you force them to!

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::13:: July 2006

2006-11-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

Kids just have this amazing ability to waste time. I always live by a formula that if you need to bring your kids somewhere, you will need to factor in a buffer of 5 x (the normal time you require if you're going without them). Previously, without the kids, TT & I could leave the house and zip to anywhere at a moment's notice. Now, we have to contend with packing, and also putting up with their irritating demands: to record their favourite TV programs, want to change to another set of clothes, etc. Really bothersome!

(Click image for a larger view)

::12:: June 2006

2006-11-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

Yeah this was done during the World Cup Fever season in June. I remember my son also had fever during one of those days, but it wasn't serious. It was actually my neighbour's cable box that needed fixing, not ours, and he was desperate because the World Cup matches were starting that night. Thus the comic strip came about from all these incidents...

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::11:: May 2006

2006-11-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

Inspiration for this comic came from observing my two kids fight over the most trivial things like who was supposed to bathe first! It's amazing how they just like to antagonise each other by wanting the same things at the same time. And then they amaze you again when they make up a few minutes later and start playing with each other like best buddies.

(Click image for a larger view)

::10:: April 2006

2006-11-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

The mother in this comic is a reflection of myself, and perhaps many other mothers as well! Somehow I feel the need to be prepared and have everything I will ever need in the baby bag, just in case. Two essential idiotic items I always pack in is my son's tiny security bolster and pacifier. It's the women that worry about these things. Can you imagine if we start packing for a holiday trip with the kids?

So Dads, please spare a thought for your wives the next time you decide to suddenly decide to bring junior to the beach during the weekend. Be patient as your wife packs the all-important inventory. And appreciate the fact that when junior suddenly feels peckish in the car, it is not by some miraculous coincidence that there are some packed munchies in the baby bag. Someone put it in there you know!

(Click image for a larger view)

::09:: March 2006

2006-11-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

This comic was done during the Lenten Season. It is definitely not easy for stay-at-home mums. Some husbands don't even think it's a big deal... at least the Dad in my comic regards it as a nightmare! At least he knows it, well that's a step in the right direction.

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::08:: February 2006

2006-11-05T12:39:00.000-08:00

Children often forget how much their parents have done for them to bring them up and to give them a better life. Hopefully we don't have to resort to replaying videos to invoke guilty feelings in our kids if they grow up and start being ungrateful or disrespectful!

(Click the image for a larger view)

::07:: January 2006

2006-11-05T12:36:00.000-08:00

This strip touches on National Service (NS) that all guys in Singapore have to go through, and I'm sure many of Singaporean guys will agree their demanding army training has come in useful in their lives as parents in more ways than one!

(Click the image for a larger view)

::06:: December 2005

2006-11-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

This was drawn for Spotlight's Christmas issue and the words of the comic strip can be sung to the tune of "The 12 Days of Christmas".

(Click the image for a larger view)

::05:: November 2005

2006-11-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

Parents get all their life and time sapped out tending to the needs of their little ones and often there is little time and energy left for God...

(Click the image for a larger view)

::04:: October 2005

2006-11-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, isn't it amazing that we still love our kids so much even though they tire us out, give us so many anxious moments and make us angry with all their naughty antics and behaviour? It's a miracle indeed,and we thank God for the power and capacity He has given us to love our children unconditionally.

(Click the image for a larger view)

::03:: September 2005

2006-11-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

I drew this cartoon in conjunction with our church priests' (Fr. Renckens and Fr. Fabian) golden jubilee celebrations. Well, it has nothing to do with parenting ... the little boy in the striped shirt and untied laces is called Jeremy, and he's the main character in the cartoon strip I drew for the church bulletin since 1986 called "Jeremy & Co." Because he's been around for so long, he's sort of a "resident" of our church!

Most, if not all comic characters never grow up (like Charlie Brown), so imagine our two poor catholic parents in my current comic strip...They have to have to suffer forever...

(Click this image for a larger view)

::02:: August 2005

2006-11-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

It's difficult for me not to think about the kids even when I'm having time to myself or exercising our "couple time". I just love to shop for kids' clothes and toys!

(Click the image for a larger view)

::01:: July 2005

2006-10-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is my maiden strip for the series, which started in July 2005 issue. It's about how preoccupied parents of young children are when they are attending Mass. With kids around, it's virtually impossible to totally concentrate on what the priest is saying 90% of the time! I think it was around this time that Pope Benedict just became our new Pope.

(Click the image for a larger view)

Welcome!

2006-10-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

I drew these comic strips for my church's (Blessed Sacrament Church) monthly bulletin. I used to contribute another comic strip previously but stopped when the kids came. Now that things are more settled, I've decided to do a strip about a pair of catholic parents coping with 2 young kids and often reflect my own personal experiences with my own two kids. It's not unlike one of my favourite comics, Baby Blues.

So, Let the Games Begin!