Milano.. Mat and Minah.. and more..

Was in Milan for 3 days. Had proper Italian dinners both nites. Managed to catch up with Lorenzo, his daughter and the mother of his daughter. Yes, it is abit mouthful to say but that is how he intro her to us. They are not married but living together and has a daughter who's turning 6 years old. Not that this info is of any concern to whoever is reading this blog. Lorenzo is a Director, his partner a Producer and his daughter, a potential actress who attends creative school and circus school. Interesting eh. I know that if I have a kid, I want my child to attend those an institution where they learn to develop more of their mental, emotional and creative capabilities instead of just academics. I want them to be flair with languages. I think there is more to life achievements than just being good in Maths and Science.

Travelling the world and having mates globally is an eye-opener for me. I realised the education system in Singapore is to taxing on the kids. Too focussed on academics achievement. Too focussed on being the top. If a child is interested in the arts or anything different than what is offered in a mainstream school, there is no other outlet for them. Is there? I mean not piano, ballet, violin lessons. The circus school Carolina is attending, it teaches the kids to practice their physical flexibility. It can be as simple as trying to stand on one leg, rolling to your sides whilst lying flat or forward like a ball. Paola said it is surprising to see how many kids can't balance on one leg proper. The exercises are meant to stimulate the brain as well. At Carolina's kindergarten, the kids go to school without having to bring anything. Each day, they are given different thinhgs which are to be used to create a useful item. Example, with a piece of paper, crayons and rubber band, they have to make a mobile phone. Sometimes, the teacher will just tell them to create an item using anything that's available in the classroom. Carolina can speak Portuguese (her mum's native language) and Italian (dad's native language). Very friendly, inquisitive, expressive and actice child, the only barrier is language. She felt so frustrated about not being able to speak/understand English. She tried to teach me Italian and I tried to teach her English. With not much success. She told her mum that she should be able to say basic English on my next visit to Milan.

Not much sightseeing in Milan. Just window shopping and walking around the city. Milan is not as charming as Rome. Rome has its historical architectures whilst Milan is more of a fashion capital. People has interesting sense of dressing. I am not a label freak but to resist the Guccis and Pradas is such a sin. I resisted the temptation of stepping into the boutiques coz I know I will walk out a handful. The collection is so vast. However, I managed to grab a pair of matching MOMO Fighter helmets for about Euros 400. Y helmets? Coz Sharky is officially a Mat motor and me, his Minah motor as he liked to call it. He bought himself a vintage Royal Enfield for Dhs 3000. Since Dubai is not really a place that is safe for bikers, he's just gonna ride it round his garden and the backstreets of his area to get to the supermarket and the malls on his side of the road. The furthest he will ride to is to my place which is only about 5-10mins by the back road.

Now, I am acting as Sharky's consultant. Need to review the photo shots he had done for an international hotel chain. A woman's opinion differs from man's. Ciao!