Once upon a time, when hubby was a small boy, he and his other seven family member lived in a very tiny house in a compact district in one corner of Pakistan, near a heliport of an oil company. Copter up and down is everyday view. It was the time when a neighbor blabbed that he rode the copter once that envy everyone in the neighborhood. How he rode, nobody knows. Mother in law many times mentioned if she will ever got a chance to ride on a copter one day in her life.
This thing printed so deep bold in my hubby’s heart. One day, I will make mother fly on a copter. Her dream to come true.

It has been almost a month since parents in law landed in Tokyo. Unluckily, raining become the daily menu for the last 26 days. Yesterday was that rare sunny day. So we decided that this is that day to take a Tokyo Helicopter Tour. After a quick call, we made a booking for two sits on a Sunset Flight.
After the bell rang in the office proclaiming that working hour is out, I ran to pick the kids in the day care, met hubby and all the way home to take parents.
We reached the heliport on time.

Mother was not so happy with the idea of riding only with father. She wanted everybody to come along. I was not so happy if everybody come along, beside the price will be huge (it is like chartering a whole helicopter for the six of us), riding on a copter is nice but not a priority, nor a dream for me. Some other time will do.
Luckily (or unluckily) there are only two remaining seats avail, while me, hubby, Raisa and baby Ken are consider three. After some talk, Raisa agreed to come along with Grandparents to fly fifteen minutes above Tokyo. Ticket bought, boarding time. Then, Raisa suddenly jammed. Perhaps the idea of flying without me, perhaps the loud sound and the wind, but for sure she was moody as she was hungry (my fault, but we got no time for dinner and those juice and cookies are not good enough to build up her spirit!).

" I want to only go if Mommy come along….."cried her.

The officer allowed us to walk our parents and Raisa until the copter’s door.

No matter what I said, she said no….she cried " I want Mommy…..I want Mommy…." louder than the helicopter.

Well, I heard people said kid is expensive…. but I still bite my fingers when the officer said that the ticket is not refundable.

Parents flew. Parents landed.

Dream came true.

From a week ago, Raisa’s front left lower teeth has started loosen and wiggle. It is the time. She is 5 years and 8 month old and begin shedding her first teeth.
Considering that she is a very sensitive to even a slight pain and ‘happening’, I thought this gonna be a tough one to handle. A mosquito bite on her will cost our night sleepless as she keep on coming back to my room complaining the itch and not able to sleep. This teeth thing is much major happening.

Last night, in a restaurant, she complained she felt awkward with the loosen teeth and set her face to ready to cry. Hubby and I kept on cheering  and encouraged her and promised a present in return to the teeth and told her how proud we are that the girl is big now. The real forever teeth is coming.
She not allowed our hand to come approach the teeth to check. In fact, when we ask, she used her own finger to check and point the teeth and….woila..it off!
One teeth down. Surprisingly, she handle it nicely, no cry rather a proud big smile (it looks so cute without the front teeth!). When hubby ask her to go to the wash room and gargle, I was the one who was not able to hold my tears.

Call me a freakin’ sensitive but Raisa my baby was just a tiny little angel baby yesterday and ’suddenly’ now a major change, she is leaving the toddler years and ready to have the permanent teeth….

When she came back from wash room, she spot me having red eyes and asked why. I told her I was happy that she is a big girl now. I am so proud of her. Hearing that, she set a tear….

This afternoon when I was in the midst of the never-ending-yucky-complex-customer-situation-brainstorming, hubby called to the office.

"The SECOM people called"he said.
SECOM is the famous security company who protect our apartment complex.

"What’s up?"
I was curious and anxious as staying at home currently  are my parents-in-law with limited to none English ability, left alone Japanese language. I was worry if something serious happened, and worry that parents must be damned nervous being in the situation with communication disability.

"The alarm was ringing and the reception came to our home. She can’t find the cause and SECOM came to check and try to find out what was wrong"

"Parents are ok?"

"Yes they are fine. It found out that the alarm button was mistakenly pushed."
We got this orange button that trigger the alarm and connect to the SECOM HQ in case there is emergency situation like fire, break-out, or the alike.

"Good that nothing is serious… sorry that parents got to face this situation, it must be unpleasant for them"

"They are ok now"

Japan is not at the top list for crime rate, but if there is any statistic listed the country with the most scared/worry nation, I think Japan will be at the top in the list. People here are so scared that they put many layer of security. In my apartment building, just like in any secured office building you got to use special key/card to enter even the lobby/reception (good that no salesman can approach but careless person like me often trapped outside my own home). Camera is in every corner. At my home, all window is laminated with special film which un-cutable. If we are out, just press a button and home will be monitored 24/7 by security company.  Children in the elementary is equipped with this little electronic device that allow parents to monitor the whereabouts of the kids as it connect by GPS to the company provider. A news of burglary in one neighborhood spread so fast make the snowball effect and even sometimes sent by the security department of my office. Some days ago I just receive this official mail saying be careful not to put your bag in the front basket of your bicycle when you are riding.
When TV show the story of riots or instability in a country, Japanese will definitely avoid to travel to that country (like Indonesia, Philippines, etc) and that planted deeply in their brain for years and labeled the country as ‘abunai’ (dangerous).
Brought up in Indonesia with its "dynamic" security surroundings, it is a never ending promotion to make my Japanese friends worry-less and believe that when things to be happen, it happens anywhere.

" Guess how old I am" said the taxi driver on the way from hotel to Changi airport last Sunday while turning on the cabin light so I can see him clearly that evening. Taxi driver in Singapore is always friendly, only several that I recall not talking to passenger…at least they ask where I am flying to, how was the flight, etc.

"Hm….you look young" answered me using my favorite reply for this kind of question that always work to win the heart of people.
"Maybe between 35 to 40" even in my heart actually he is somewhere in his 40s.

" Madam….I’m not young lah…I’m 49 and next month I will be 50. I got three girls the eldest is 15 years old, the youngest is 8, you know."

" Wow, you are the most handsome man in the house then…tough to handle three girls?"

" Well, Madam it is a challenging joy…I tell you the key. Every night wipe the forehead all the way to the back, three times, with love. Treat them all equal. When your girl is 14, you call her and have a private interview. Tell her that from now, the world will tell you are pretty, sweet, sexy and all. The boys will ask you to be his girlfriend. But tell her, not to waste the time. Don’t care with that fake things, just concentrate in study. No boyfriend until you finished the study. If you worry not to get any boy by then, Daddy is here to get you the nice man."

" But kids nowadays, who believe in arrange marriage" said I, not to change my sight from the window view.

" I always told my daughters that even the statistic proves that less that 1% in the world where marriage succeed when the couple is from highschool lovers. While, more than 70% marriage succeed, mean no divorce when the marriage is an arranged one. Proven. You know kids need proof lah…"

" Hm, very detail number you have…. from where you get?"

" No need to tell the source lah. As long as you sound logic, give the data and numbers, kids will eat it, Madam. And that’s for their good"

"Indeed."

And then his cell phone rang. It was his daughter asking him which team he favor: France or Germany. Germany, he said. Against the girls. They joke. So romantic. So sweet. The girls ask him when he will be home. He said around 10:30. They can’t wait. Hurry up, Papa.
Apparently he has a good relationship with them.

I should consider what he said.