Father’s Day passed with little fanfare as with most of the festivals in my family. We adjourn for dinner at simple restaurants and well, hardly exchange gifts. I do feel guilty about not showering mum and dad with gifts on Mother’s or Father’s Day, but I do try to make it up to them on their birthdays with extra special and expensive dinners at posh places.

Plus this year, with my brother in the army we had an early celebration last week.

I think it’s seems to harder for us to express our affection for our Dads. Especially with stay-home moms, it’s obvious the things she does for the house to keep the house in tip-top living conditions.

But have we ever thought about what our dads go through at work to bring home the bacon? Some people take for granted their dads are personal money banks. Wtf.

I never truly understood what it was like having a full time job until I got into the workforce myself. My dad’s the strong silent type and he never talked about work; I just thought he wasnt the chatty type. However, being the same horoscope as him, I can now fully understand where he comes from when all he wants to do is sit in front of the TV after dinner and veg out.

When it comes to the big decisions about things/choices in life, ideas or growing up, my dad always gives me advice about making the right choices. Not that I ever reaalllly listened when I was younger, but now I know better. Haha. Plus, with the deep knowledge he has about Singapore’s roads, I know that if I ever got lost anywhere in Singapore via public or private transport, I’d be able to call Dad.

I heard about the idea of a date with dad during the Kieng’s hen party from Jeannie, but I never thought I’d be able to carry one out. The idea seemed scary too. What would we talk about!? Jeannie mentioned that lotsa children never took the time to understand their dads and y’know what, my date with dad out turned out pretty nice.

Mum was out for dinner with her friends and my brother had an appointment, so it was just us two. I had initially planned for us to eat at Marina Square, but dad decided that since the Botanic Gardens has a foodcourt at the basement, we should thus go there. Check! My dad’s great at planning a nice dinner date, he just never shows it regularly.

The food wasnt spectacular at the foodcourt (I had some overpriced avocado milkshake and undercooked grilled chicken), but it was fun hiking/walking around the area with dad looking at the various plants as he retold the story of him and mum 25 years ago in that very same Gardens in their wedding gear.

I remember clearly the picture of them posing at the Swan Lake. The lake which, according to dad, used to have black swans currently only has two white swans.

After his story, I told dad about how I remember coming here to release my terrapins into the ponds. Coincidentally, one swam up to us at that moment.

We then roamed about the Gardens looking for the tree that mum and dad took their wedding pictures at; the famous one that all couples HAVE to have a picture at. But dad couldnt remember where it was and we ended up walking around exploring the different attractions with narration about how horrid the weather is by my personal tourguide. Haha.

My dad, my superhero.