Digazee Chua

If you are a family member of mine, you would know that Ace is a super slow coach when it comes to food... maybe he likes to savour all the flavours or maybe my cooking aint really that great.. (I prefer to CHOOSE to BELIEVE it is the FORMER), he is just W.O.L.S when it comes to food....

Usually, it will take him a good hour to eat by himself... Sometimes, it takes two..especially if the TV is on.... as a result, Gong Gong and Zeng Popo always either threaten to switch off the tv, really switch off the tv or just feed him (because they want to watch tv)...

But of course, this doesnt apply to all foods. Things like chocolates and sushi gets SWALLOWED in one gulp and faster than superman can change into his red underwear and blue super hero suit, all the food ends up in his tummy...

Unfortunately, this trait hor is not really inherited from me or Max... based on our family histories, our conclusion is that he inherited this trait from Ah Yee (just ask my mum and she can prove how Ah Yee can take hours to finish ONE meal..)

And unfortunately, Ah Yee, who is crown tootster (because she very gau toooo) amongst her YTR friends also passed on the dilly dally bug to Ace and so, he just does everything really slowly... and when you are in a hurry, that is just not a good trait to have....

Anyway, the other day while Ace was having his meal really slowly, Max suddenly had a brilliant flash of idea... and he made a really good suggestion to Ace...

"What about we change your name to "快点" (faster) instead of "Ace"? It would save us so much time! Instead of saying: Eat faster, Ace! We will just need to say: Faster, Eat! Anyway, since we have to repeat like 1000 times before you can really finish a meal, it will really save us alot of time..." Max said..

Ace thought the idea was hilarious and started giggling and protesting half heartedly.... however, after Max called him 快点 for a few times, he really started eating faster! Hahahaha.. maybe positive affirmation at work.. or maybe he just doesnt want a name like this...

So after that, no matter what he does, in order to remind him to do it quickly, we will call him, "快点"...

When Max went to Sychelles for work, he said he learnt how to say the same thing in Creole.. which is the language they speak there... To ask someone to do something quickly or to ask them to speed up, you say, "Digazee, digazee!" So we teased Ace and told him we were going to change his name from Ace to 'Digazee Chua".. wahahahahhaah

I must say he seems to have picked up a little speed since the "successful change of the name" ;P

Anyway, due to his dilly dally bug.. I find that I always am shouting at him and scolding him early in the morning... because I am so afraid that he will miss the school bus and yet, he is just bz with unimportant things like wearing and pulling his socks 1000 times before he is satisfied... or if not, just sticking the velcro sticker on his shoe takes at least 3 minutes because he will stick, take out and restick... and take out and restick till he gets it right.. BUT we haven't got all morning! So I took to reading the time to him every minute or so so that he realizes that we are going to miss the bus soon if he does to hurry up but to no avail... he just doesnt seem to understand that the numbers mean that time is running short... and the more I read the time, the more I pek chek..

Until one day, I so pek chek I purposely read the time faster to him by 3 minutes and told him that he is late already and that I think the school bus has already left... he started sniffling and crying but was still sticking and unsticking the velcro 1000 times! You say pek chek or not? So I gave him a good one in the lift and lucky for me, the bus was already there so he also gan cheong when he saw the bus waiting for him....

But did tat lesson make Ace faster? NO.. he was still slow...

But I did eventually what was the best way to work this one out though... and it sort of happened by chance... One morning, when I was waking him up and when i saw him motionless on bed, I shook him one more time and asked him to wake again.. he got upset and snapped at me, "I already wake up lah... dun have to repeat.." and then I told him I will never repeat again.. In fact, I will stop reminding him about how he is going to miss the bus and reminding him to speed up...

And so I did...

I woke up, I just needed to make his breakfast and I spend the rest of the time sitting at the sofa, reading my FB updates, checking my watsapp for new messages, checking email and all the while he goes into auto mode since he knows what he has to do.. and finally when he is wearing his shoes, I just help him fold his socks properly and pick up my phone and my keys and I go!

I found out that when I dun keep time, I not so kan cheong.. and not so pek chek... he still takes his own sweet time but that is ok too because most of the time, he will still be on time since we wake him like 35 minutes before the bus arrives instead of 15 min before the bus arrives should he be one who does things fast... he still stick his velcro like 10,000 times but I am not bothered since we still "have" time...

And we havent missed the school bus since. So the trick is to always wake him first.... cos sometimes i let him zz a little more.. and since he cannot speed up, gotto wake up earlier lah.. so always the first ring of the alarm is at 5.55am and I sometimes let that slide but by 6am, I will kiss, shake, hug, tickle him awake and after he wakes, I can even zzz a little bit more before I really wake to make breakfast since it is usually just banana or cereal with milk..

This discovery has since made my life really alot more pleasant.. I guess it made his alot more pleasant too... I guess this will do for now...

Meanwhile, I shall look forward to the time when he can wake himself, make his own breakfast and go to school ALL BY HIMSELF.. hahahaha:)

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