Tip 149: Growing roots like the bamboo

As I read about the growth of the bamboo tree, after reading an Indonesian parable of the bamboo and the fern, I thought more about roots. If a gardener would know the bamboo tree well and know it needs time to develop its system of roots, do we as daddies provide ample time and opportunity for our children to grow roots through trial and error? Or do we intervene unnecessarily such that the child has not had enough time to learn for themselves? Though, daddy needs to know when to intervene when the child is in danger and is incapable of handling the situation by themselves. The more roots, the taller the bamboo grows. That could mean a lot of anxiety to the daddy though. Not unless daddy knows well. Same can be said of the omniscient God who cares for us. But, of course daddies are not God. The following some dry facts about bamboo growth.

The growth of Bamboos varies from species to species. The Bamboo tree devotes most of its energy to develop the rhizome system of roots in the initial years. As a bamboo grove develops, the new culm (canes) become larger in diameter and the height increases in each new cane until the grove reaches maturity.

The oldest culms are usually the smallest in size.The new culms, produced during the Spring of each successive year,will emerge larger than the previous year's growth, as a general rule.

This is due to the increase in the underground system of rhizome of roots. The larger the rhizome system, the faster it will begin to produce larger and numerous shoots. You can not short cut the amount of time it takes a species to establish it's rhizome system. It is very important to realize that the bamboo division you begin with is only going to grow underground. The culms (cane) attached to the rhizomes or roots has finished growing and will only support the rhizome system. So do not expect the culm to take off and get larger or taller.

Each Spring the culm emerges the diameter it will be and grows to the height it is going to be in a couple of months. It takes bamboo about three full years, in the ground, before the mother plants really take off and start producing multiple shoots.

The mother plant (no matter what size that you begin with) is finished growing in diameter and height, but the rhizome will grow outward underground. Bamboo is a (grass) colony plant and most of the bamboo grove will be underground.

Each Spring, the new culms will begin to emerge larger in height and diameter than the previous Spring's growth, until the mature size of that species is reached after several years.

Okay, enough of bamboos for the day. Do share any bamboo growth tips and more lessons into the mystery of the fastest growing woody plant on terra firma. (The fastest growing plant on earth is the seaweed). For those not bamboo experts, but daddy the expert, do share if you had a situation of anxiety when you were unsure whether to intervene or not?

(Photos show Musee D'Orsay, Paris reknowned for its collections of art, and a view from a window there that should probably not be openned, overlooking Sacre Coeur on top of a hill).

Tip 148: Seing the big picture of our days

The following is a beautiful Indonesian parable that has been going around in cyberspace through forwarded emails. I tried to find its source, but could not and realized it has yet to be translated. Maybe, this will be the first translated English version on the Internet. I happen to be on a reflective mode after watching August Rush, an inspiring movie and then found this Indonesian parable on Facebook. With a symphony of music playing inside me, it was a destined moment to be translating this beautiful parable. The power of this parable lies in its final words in Bahasa Indonesia as below:

"Jangan pernah menyesali hidup yang saat ini anda jalani sekalipun itu hanya untuk satu hari. Hari-hari yang baik memberikan kebahagiaan; hari-hari yang kurang baik memberi pengalaman; kedua-duanya memberi arti bagi kehidupan ini."

Do not ever regret this moment of your life that you are undergoing as it is but one day. The good days bring happiness. The less good days bring experience. Both brings meaning to this life.

My thoughts as a daddy here. If only we could step out of life like God to see each of the beautiful day of one's life played together as a rhapsody of music of high and low keys. If only we as daddies could step out of our busyness to see each day that has passed in our child's life - the growth, the learning, the joy, the meaning that has been created. That's life. It shouts with joy to its Creator for such a marvelous day created.

The parable of the bamboo and fern

One day, I decided to quit. To quit from my job, to quit from everyone, to quit from my spiritual journey. I went to the forest to speak with God for the final time.

"God", I spoke, "Give me one good reason not to quit."
His answer surprised me.
"Look around you", He said,"Do you see the ferns and the bamboos in this forest."

"Yes", I answered.

God said, "When I first planted them, I sowed the seeds evenly and cared for them with fairness. I gave them light and water. The ferns grew rapidly, and its green spread across the land. Nothing sprouted from the bamboo seed, but I did not stop caring for them."

"In the second year, the ferns grew even faster and in greater numbers. Yet, still nothing sprouted from the seed of the bamboo. But, I never gave up."

"In the third year, nothing sprouted still from the seed of the bamboo, yet I would not quit. Same goes for the fourth year."

"Then, in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth among the ferns. Compared to the fern, it looked seemingly small and insignificant. Yet, 6 months later, it grew and climbed to a height of more than 100 feet. In the initial 5 years, it was devoting its energy to establish its roots underground. The bamboo can only grow large and tall with a strong system of roots. I would not allow my creation any trials that it could not handle."

"Do you, my child, know that in all your trials, you were actually growing your roots. Just as I had never given up on the bamboo, so it is the same with you."
God continued,"Do not compare yourself with others. The bamboo's purpose is different from that of the fern, yet both contribute to making the forest look beautiful."

"Fear not, my child, your time will come.", God said to me,"You will grow with great height".

I asked,"God,how tall should I grow?".

God replied,"As tall as the bamboos could grow."

I asked,"As tall as they are capable to grow?".

"Yes.",He answered,"Glorify Me with your growth, as tall as you could rise."

I walked out of the forest renewed. I am reminded that God would never leave me. Neither would He give up on you.

Do not ever regret this moment of your life that you are undergoing as it is but one day. The good days bring happiness. The less good days bring experience. Both brings meaning to this life.

Read more about bamboo's growth here.

The original parable in Bahasa Indonesia is below. Remember, you are special. Reflect always and give thanks for everything.

Suatu Hari aku memutuskan untuk berhenti. Berhenti dari pekerjaanku, berhenti dari hubunganku dengan sesama dan berhenti dari spiritualitasku aku pergi ke hutan untuk bicara dengan Tuhan untuk yang terakhir kalinya. "Tuhan", kataku. "berikan aku satu alasan untuk tidak berhenti?"
Dia memberi jawaban yang mengejutkanku. "Lihat ke sekelilingmu", kataNya. "Apakah engkau memperhatikan tanaman pakis dan bambu yang ada dihutan ini?" "Ya", jawabku.
Lalu Tuhan berkata, "Ketika pertama kali Aku menanam mereka, Aku menanam dan merawat benih-benih mereka dengan seksama. Aku beri mereka cahaya, Aku beri mereka air, pakis-pakis itu tumbuh dengan sangat cepat warna hijaunya yang menawan menutupi tanah namun, tidak Ada yang terjadi dari benih bambu tapi Aku tidak berhenti merawatnya.
Dalam tahun kedua, pakis-pakis itu tumbuh lebih cepat Dan lebih banyak lagi. Namun, tetap tidak Ada yang terjadi dari benih bambu tetapi Aku tidak menyerah terhadapnya." "Dalam tahun ketiga tetap tidak Ada yang tumbuh dari benih bambu itu tapi Aku tetap tidak menyerah begitu juga dengan tahun ke empat. "
"Lalu pada tahun ke lima sebuah tunas yang kecil muncul dari dalam tanah bandingkan dengan pakis, itu kelihatan begitu kecil Dan sepertinya tidak berarti. Namun enam bulan kemudian, bambu ini tumbuh dengan mencapai ketinggian lebih dari 100 kaki. Dia membutuhkan waktu lima tahun untuk menumbuhkan akar-akarnya. Akar-akar itu membuat dia kuat dan memberikan apa yang dia butuhkan untuk bertahan. Aku tidak akan memberikan ciptaanku tantangan yang tidak bisa mereka tangani."
"Tahukan engkau anakKu, dari semua waktu pergumulanmu, sebenarnya engkau sedang menumbuhkan akar-akarmu? Aku tidak menyerah terhadap bambu itu Aku juga tidak akan pernah menyerah terhadapmu. "
Tuhan berkata "Jangan bandingkan dirimu dengan orang lain. Bambu-bambu itu memiliki tujuan yang berbeda dibandingkan dengan pakis tapi keduanya tetap membuat hutan ini menjadi lebih indah." "Saat mu akan tiba", Tuhan mengatakan itu kepadaku. "Engkau akan tumbuh sangat tinggi""Seberapa tinggi aku harus bertumbuh Tuhan?" tanyaku."Sampai seberapa tinggi bambu-bambu itu dapat tumbuh?" Tuhan balik bertanya."Setinggi yang mereka mampu?" Aku bertanya"Ya." jawabNya, "Muliakan Aku dengan pertumbuhan mu, setinggi yang engkau dapat capai."
Lalu aku pergi meninggalkan hutan itu, menyadari bahwa Allah tidak akan pernah menyerah terhadapku dan Dia juga tidak akan pernah menyerah terhadap Anda.
Jangan pernah menyesali hidup yang saat ini Anda jalani sekalipun itu hanya untuk satu hari. Hari-hari yang baik memberikan kebahagiaan; hari-hari yang kurang baik memberi pengalaman; kedua-duanya memberi arti bagi kehidupan ini.

Do leave comments if you are using this as a discussion and share any discussion questions that you think of. There are plenty of questions as we bring heads together to apply this parable. Let the seed of my effort and yours benefit others. Let this seed grow roots as we reflect on its application.

(Photos show the compounds of Les Invalides, Paris as well as Haruka at Green Park, London).

Tip 147: Potty trained at 16 months

My mother who is a babysitter would train babies who are even younger than 1 year old to urine when coaxed. She would especially try in the morning, just after the babies wake up. She said that there is not too young an age to train them. Though, its still a far step to get them to independently potty train before the age of two.

Somehow, I did not remember to do this as a parent, probably due to the busy workload that occupy this daddy's mind. Whenever I am home with Haruka, I would instead take pleasure to play with Haruka, speak with her and try to bath her each day. Then, when she was close to 16 months, a thought suddenly came to mind to test Haruka's ability to potty train, as I spend money on 7 disposable diapers a day for hygiene purpose.

First, I tried to evaluate her understanding of the meaning of urine. Haruka understood! I said Shi (urine) and Haruka repeated after me. She must have heard mummy asked her if she has Shi on her diaper. Then, I asked her to Shi on the small pail, and she refused.

The next few days we went hunting for a potty and we bought a simple yet pleasant looking potty. It has a flower picture on it. Haruka already knew flower is hana in Japanese. Just before bath time, we evaluated the potty together and I told her to look at the hana. She was excited. Then, I said sit on the hana. She did. I said Shi on the hana. She knew I was up to my tricks again, so she stood up. I encouraged her to see the hana. She cried. But, that was progress! She understood the concept.

The next day before bath, exactly when she was 16 months old, somehow she was in a good mood. She followed my instruction to "Shi on the hana". She sat for 5 minutes and stood up and there was a few drops of urine on the potty. I clapped and praised her and asked mummy to join in the celebration of the discovery before we took our bath. She was happy. She knew she could do it.

The subsequent days however were not so hopeful. She does not Shi everytime we asked her. Sometimes, she listened because she loved her daddy bath time. Most of the time, she simply refused. But, there was success at least once every 2 days, and even when mummy asked her during the morning, she complied. We thought we had succeeded.

Somehow, we got busy in our travelling and in my work. We did not remind her everyday. She got comfortable in her diapers. That's the evil inherent in comfort and convenience. Haruka did not feel the need to urine on the potty because she did not feel the wetness. The third world countries that do not use diapers make children want to avoid wetting themselves compared to diaper wearing countries. I joke with Haruka that it's smelly, and she understands. But, she thinks it's just a joke adults make. There is yet a paradigm shift that it is preferable to urine on the potty or toilet than in her diapers. She has not adopted this new lifestyle.

Unfortunately, this tip requires a sequel. Haruka is smarter by the day to resist my instruction. She only does what she feels right and what she likes to do. Yet, daddy is going to coax mummy tomorrow to have Haruka wear pants without diapers on weekends when we are not busy. Haruka by now knows daddy and mummy Shi at the toilet when she is left alone to play. She understands that she is growing bigger. The question is whether she would take that step of inconvenience to urine at the potty or toilet. Also, the question of when I would be saving that journey to the shop to buy 2 packs of 52 diapers every 3 weeks.

So, when was the first time your child urined on a potty? Andmost importantly, when did you finally had a smile at your wallet that you are rid of diapers? Please leave a comment to console me.

(Photos show more of Palace of Versailles and the Gardens of Versailles. We did spend €13.50 per person to view the palace which is money well spent despite my initial hesitation, but because we went on the first Saturday of the month, we saved an extra €10 otherwise needed for the gardens and for Petit Trianon. Since we are on the subject of potty, do you know that these large gardens were potties for the elite. Actually not potties, but the very concept of diapers as mentioned above. In an age without toilets, the elite would find it a luxury to enjoy the scenery with good company, while politely and inconspicuously mind their business under their large garments. I kid you not.)

Check out another blog I write: http://lifenewcreation.blogspot.sg to find about building taking charge of your health and pursuing longer life span.

Tip 146: Caring for hermit crabs

Its a rare creature for a pet indeed. But watch how it chooses its shell and changes it to fit its personality, then you see a Transformer in the making. I am not an expert like some in USA keeping dozens, since a craze started there with huge imports from Ecuador. But in total, I have reared different hermit crabs for 2 years. My longest record is keeping one for more than a year. And these are crabs not bought from pet shops, but handpicked by me in the multitudes available at the beach in Malaysia and Japan. Yet, there are tips necessary to ensure they stay happy and healthy to keep you intrigued when you are bored. Hermit crabs are very low maintenance pets - just 1 hour care a week is needed. I don't adore them as pets and I do not think they make good companions. But, they can be as fascinating as the Transformers you place on your bedroom shelf. Yet, this one moves and chirps! This tip today is not a daddy tip, but I thought of just rambling on something unique. The Japanese call this otaku (オタク), when you are a fan of a hobby and become a subject matter expert on it to the extent that what you write or say sounds like foreign language. Here goes... so now you know hermit crabs chirp through a vibration from their body.

First tip, pick the survivors. Do not pick those at the sea water, but pick active ones near the edge of the beach, near to rocks and trees. Those near sea water may be species that need a lot of sea water and you need to have an eye to differentiate the species. Next, pick another 4-5 crabs of compatible sizes. In fact, pick its friends. Hermit crabs unlike its name, does not live alone like a hermit. They play in groups as a safety net that if there are no new shells in the area, then they can switch each others' shells. Also, accumulate some of the local sand the hermit crab you picked is used to, and ensure there is sufficient coral sand as that forms part of its calcium intake. Do not forget a few nice empty shells almost similar to the one your crab has or slightly larger. The survivors if you pick them correctly, would survive 8 hour car rides or even 5 hour plane rides. After that, unpack them into an acquarium and put a shell of mineral/distilled water that is free of chlorine for them to play or sip a drink from. The crab only eats once a week and anything works. Their favorites are popcorns, coconut, banana, papaya, sweet potato, cereal, seeds and the list grows. Watching them eat is next best to watching them change shells. You can even hold food on your finger near them, be still and see closeup how they sniff and eat of you. The other way, a crab locates food is by seeing other crabs eat. Once a week, clean the acquarium of remaining food and put them on a nice platter of water at their shell level, so they can play in a new area and bath themselves and try to climb out and run away. This exercise makes them active and happy. Oh yea, and I don't give them names. They hardly get my attention unless I am real bored and that's quite rare. So not such an otaku after all.

Anyone else have wild crabs as pets? Do share your tips as well. Notice how Transformers eyes the vehicle they are fond of based on the size of its body before it transforms. Same goes for the hermy, though it transforms for a newer shell more frequently.

(Photos show 4 hermit crabs I picked from a beach at Ishigaki island and 2 of them wrestling to switch shells. After 4 long days, one determined crab succeeded and the other realized the other shell was to its liking anyway. That's a crab's life - they have goals, you know. Also, showing them feeding on corn and having their weekly bath. Others show the Palace of Versailles in France).

Tip 145: Forming an impression on art

Haruka is still too young to appreciate art. She can already hold the colour pencil or pen and draw many lines on a piece of paper. However, she does not know that the drawing can be a beautiful artwork, or does not have a mental picture of an art she wants to draw, or whether the paintings in the art museum are any different from the DVD cover of Barney & Friends (Haruka's favorite). But, that does not mean she cannot be exposed to understand art.

If Haruka could learn to talk through observation, and not show it immediately, but later surprise us of what she has learnt (2 different languages!), I believe my visits to the museums are not in vain. Besides, daddy and mummy also want to visit these museums. And fortunately, they allow babies to the museums/galleries. We unfortunately could not attend any musical performances or concerts, as babies/little children are not allowed and we could not find any babysitter abroad. Such is the sacrifice of parents. Yet, we did enjoy the places we could go and hope Haruka would gain from this early exposure to art.

My visits to the art museum taught me much since I read little previously about art history over different periods. The Malaysian education system taught nothing about impressionism, post-impressionism or neo-impressionism. Its amazing how art demonstrates new expressions of thought and creativity over time. Its even more amazing how a baby can interprete pictures of animals and identify the real animals when they see them. I now wonder if Haruka developed any impression of art at the museum. She did enjoy roaming around the galleries to catch glimpses of animals on paintings. Probably the next helpful art education is have Haruka watch a painter draw a portrait of a person or scenery. She has seen me draw many times with a pen, but not seen someone draw with paint. Probably I can do that myself - if mummy permits a messy affair with the paint brush.

When do toddlers learn to draw/paint/develop art based on their impression of art?

(Photos show Whistler's Mother, Thomas Couture's Romans during the Decadence and Georges Seurat's The Circus, a Neo-Impressionist art at the Musee D'Orsay, Paris. Mona Lisa at the Louvre, Paris.

A large painting at

the Victoria and Albert Museum, London an

d Vincent Van Gogh's Vase with 15 Sunflowers at the National Gallery, London. By the way, all museums above are free as I entered them on

the free admission day and

while museums in Paris allow cameras, the museums in London do not).