For my daddy dearest-Happy Father's Day

Fathers’ Day has always been the poor cousin of Mothers’ Day. We all love our mums for selflessly lugging us around for nine months. Despite the fact that we contributed to her scores of permanent stretch marks, saggy skin and varicose veins, she would continue to make countless sacrifices for our sake. Dad? Hm…he merely contributed his sperm and determined our gender. =) Ok, alright. Give the man more credit, ok? He’s the one who brings home the bacon, keeps Mum happy (so that she can transfer some of the happiness to us) and is the pillar of our modern nucleated families. In some families, he’s the disciplinarian and the sagacious teacher of his children too.

My dad? He is someone I regard with much ambivalence. And there are certain things we will never see eye to eye on (pun unintended). Yet, as I grow older and wiser, and kinder, I have learnt to overlook the bad and focus on the good. The good side of dear daddy: He’s tall, dark and handsome; he’s a responsible dad and loving husband; he’s a great family chef; he’s a reliable chauffeur, he’s a handy fix-it-all man; he’s a wonderful household help (aka maid). He doesn’t nag, dispenses cash and does my artwork for me in secondary school (my mum did her part in primary school and when things needed to look more professional in high school, it was dad’s turn to provide his kind assistance). Right now as I am penning down these words, he’s hard at work cleaning the blinds in my room. Am I lucky or what?

Very often, we may disagree with our parents. However, deep down, we know we truly love one another. So, certain days exist to remind us to take a step back and see them for who they are—the people who silently love us unconditionally and toil to let us have it good in life.

Love you lots Mom and Dad, and yea, you too, Aileen. (I know you will see this, so just in case your mildly autistic sister forgets to tell them and dies before her time, kindly let them see this, okie?) =)

Daily Trivia: The celebration of Father's Day was inspired by the success of Mother's Day (which was observed for the first time in 1914). Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, was listening to a Mother's Day sermon in church in 1909 and decided that fathers deserved a similar day of recognition. Her father, a Civil War veteran, raised Sonora and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. She circulated a petition suggesting the third Sunday in June (the month in which her father was born) and urging people to wear a rose on that day in honor of their fathers. The first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910. It was not until 1966, under President Lyndon B. Johnson, that it was proclaimed a national holiday and observance of this on the third Sunday in June was made a law in 1972.


Footnotes:
My dad likes Jap food, especially the sushi selection at Fiesta. After the dinner, we took some corny pictures. My sister and I had a whale of a time making funny faces and giggling ourselves silly.
Here are some pictures:

Funny Face Standing Hair


The Horror Twins


Smiling Sisters


Sugar and Spice