A Shot of Tequila

Tequila is a popular drink at pubs, either on its own (straight) or mixed (Tequila Sunrise, anyone?). It is made of agava, a cactus-like plant that looks like aloe vera, and is produced mainly in a region in Mexico called Tequila.

No, no, I'm not going to write about appreciation of tequila. I'm going to tell you about Tila Tequila, an MTV celebrity.

I've heard of the name in some US magazines but the first time I learnt more about her was on an MTV reality series called "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila". 

I was trying to figure out what the show was about. Imagine with me "The Bachelorette" aka Miss TT and in this episode, five contestants remained. Four men and one woman are vying for her love. Wait, it's actually three men and two women. I've mistaken - one of the "men" is actually a firefighter and she has such a good physique, she'll put some of my guy friends to shame.

So Miss TT  had to choose a mate among these contestants. This time, the challenge was to jump into a pool of chocolate and see who could transfer the most chocolate into their respective pails. The winner would secure a single date with Miss TT while the others had to share a "double" date.

Mr Bobby won a sweet date where they shared canapes beside a fireplace. Inevitably, they made out. 

Time's up. Miss TT changed an outfit and moved on to the next date. With one of the other guys guy and one of the girls. After some small talk, she kissed one of them while the other one watched. Then switched over.

After another outfit change, Ms TT went to her next date with the last remaining guy and a girl. In the jacuzzi, they chatted and made out again in similar fashion. That lucky girrrrl.

Only when I came to Finland do I realise what MTV really is. It's no longer just music videos like they had when I was a teenager. I've read parents complain their little girls gyrate like Fergie and it is only lately do I understand what the fuss was about. What do you think if your daughter dance with an umbrella like Rihanna?

My kids love Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers. Their music videos are wholesome so far. What will they be like when they turn 18 or 19? Britney Spears made a turning point around that age.

Like much of Europe, Finland is a liberal country that believes that adults are mature enough to decide what they want or don't want to watch, read or listen. Gone are the barriers nanny states like Singapore and China put up to "protect" its people. In Finland, programmes with adult content are usually screened after 10 pm, assuming that kids should be in bed by then. 

Channel surfing one evening, I thought I was watching a home improvement programme. A pretty girl was moving furniture into a new home and had to decide where to place each item. The next thing I know, the girl was frolicking naked in bed. Oops, I had unsuspectingly stumbled onto Playboy of the Month.

I choose which TV programmes Estelle and Jules can watch. For example,Little I Spy is ok but not Wizards of Waverly Place. My kids will grow up and choose what kind of TV they like, ask for their own computers and have full access to the Net. Are parent-filters effective? They will somehow find out about The Hills or Tila Tequila, won't they?

I wish these years spent with them will build up a strong relationship to weather storms in the future. I pray they will turn out to be grounded kids with all the best qualities in the world. Many of us go through a phase in our lives where we snuck peeks at Playboy or some "blue film". When that time comes, I pray I'll react calmly, even if I'm actually freaking out. Hopefully, the phase comes and goes. 

We can't always shelter our kids under a sanitised biosphere. Some of these are rites of passage we go through growing up. I think I'll be more worried if my kids are kept squeaky clean all their lives. They may not survive bigger challenges or temptations later on in their lives.

We turned out OK, didn't we? We become tougher and stronger because of what we went through. 

PS Tila Tequila's parents are Vietnamese and lived in Singapore before moving to the US. She is Singapore-born. Woah... Singapore can claim another famous personality.