the singapore horse pull the pine

i think it is quite an achievement to be able to finish a marathon, i have dreamt of finishing the half-marathon since last year, and still dreaming.

what are your experiences?

Just a Note

Staying up till 2am in the morning for work is something that I have not done for quite a long while. Sometimes, you debate whether one should put in so much effort for something that you're getting a monthly salary for, it might be better to put such sacrifice into your own business. Anyway, I'm probably someone who's not that entreprenuernial (is that how you spell it??) and very much for me, it's trying to balance what I enjoy doing (not the staying up late part) as well as time with my family. It may sound terrible, but I think I'll probably not be able to cope very well if I have to face my 2 highly energetic boys for the entire day (i.e. if I stop working)... going to work in a way is less tiring as there's time of your own to do something other than change diapers(well, I must admit I stop doing that already with "outsourcing"). Of course as they grow older, I do worry about the fact that they probably are under some non-structured supervision in the daytime and to free the caregivers of time to do their own things, the 2 boys are probably left to watch quite a fair bit of TV or "play n their own"... that's the trade off.

Actually I wanted to write because it's coming a Year to Weiqiang's passing on and I was wondering if any of you are intending to visit (not sure if this is the right word....) I was thinking of the weekend, let's see....

Choices

It took a timely sms from KC to remind me that i've somewhat neglected Kopitiam. Am i glad that there're actually new posts from the last time i checked.
It's all about the choices we make isn't it? I don't know about the future, but for now we're steering clear of FDWs. Time and time again, we see kids running to their "aunties" instead of parents in times of need. Will we feel anything if that happens to us? And if we have someone employed to specifically look after the needs of our son round the clock, how do we still teach him self-reliance and independence? I saw a couple went through the emotional and physical turmoil of dealing with the problems their first 4 FDWs brought. All that effort could have gone into doing the things they wanted the FDW to do in the first place. So it's about the choice we make. The reality is that there's no such thing as a free-size T-shirt (it is of a certain fixed size!).
And i applaud Yeek/PP and Suuwei/Serene for having the courage and vision to choose the paths less travelled, the paths that you believe in. I'm still choosing.
So for us, part-time cleaners is the way to go for now... perhaps until i completely run out of time even to read new blog entries and poke friends on facebook.
Last but not least a few current pictures of Kieran, as requested by KC. As with all of your kids too i'm sure, he's quite a hard nut to crack at times but a mega bunch of joy as well.

Hi everyone, thought of just pop in to say HI and update everyone too! :)

Sze Ern is now 3.5 years old and is getting really interactive and it is great to see ideas & creativity sprouting from her now. She made all the smiley faces using the toy foods and started talking to her frens! Ha ha..;)

How are you now Shuhui? Guess you've settled down long time ago. Yes, I do believe in taking bold steps towards life to fulfil your dreams. You've our full blessings of course and we'll definitely meet again somewhere around the world I'm sure!

It is great to see many of us (Yingjie, Qiwei, Guohao, KhingChong, Guochuan...) getting into parenthood these 1-2 years, going through the challenges and enjoying the transformation in our lifestyle and thinking. We learnt alot about life from the kids, u know. But I guess three (kids) is the max no. for all of us huh? Well done Peisoon!

I've just said BYE BYE to my job of 9 years in MINDEF during the eve of my promotion in July this year (after fulfiling 8 years of obligations of course) to focus time more on family. Being a full-time daddy is really something I treasure nowadays. I guess I've realised that I should spend my precious 8am-6pm daytime time (incl. weekdays!) with people that matters to me most in life. Doing what we're doing now leaves us the freedom to choose many aspects in life now. I've to give many thanks to Ping Ping who chosen the right platform and direction for us 4 years ago. And actually it is Guo Hao who gives us the opening to find out more initially (thank you from the bottom of our hearts really!). To think I was the one who stubbornly resisted it 4 years ago, hee hee.

Anyway, now we've moved beyond common pursue for 'financial freedom' or even so-called 'retirement' lah. There's no meaning in such things. 'Retirement' is not the word so long as you always have choices in life and always hold on to your dreams. Doing things you love to do and most importantly doing for others to fulfil their needs or dreams in life is what makes you go on meaningfully in life I guess.

By the way, as an update, we're also attending the RCIA journey with Novena every Tuesday night till next year Easter, before we decide to confirm our faith. Thanks Mike!

Beyond our kids and families, I will also not forget we're (some of us) supposed to keep our dream of sailing out to the magnificent seas together one day in an awesome yacht, right?

Have Faith, stay healthy and keep your dreams alive. God Bless! ;)

Titleless Too

Yes yes yes...i have also succumbed to the need for domestic help, having tried to take care of dandan ourselves and realised that it's just too much a stretch. Being able to take care of the baby yourself is wonderful if you can afford the time and effort, but we realised that what can happen is also that by doing everything yourselves, the joy of parenthood may just be drowned out by the weariness.

So yes, we've joined the club - and become an employer of what they call the FDW (foreign domestic worker - sounds more professional than 'maid' right?). Catalyst is so right that a good FDW is just so hard to find, you are either very good at one thing and bad at another or vice versa. For us, we're actually finding it hard to get one that has genuine rapport with the baby. This is now our top priority, even over being perfect at keeping the house clean.

Anyway, we were hoping to have a baby get-together at globetrotters but in the end it was more of an adult get-together, which was good too, given that we've not hung out for a while. There was a suggestion to have a beach outing so the kids can run or crawl or sit or flip around, while the parents catch them...i mean catch up. Anybody on?

Titleless

It's been quite some time ago since I have last blogged. From the posts that I have seen, looks like it is the same for the rest as well. Just came back from MC for 2 days, although still not feeling well, but have to come to office to "show face" and also to "catch up" with the work.

Met up with Yeek and Ping ping recently. Apparently, they are enjoying their "retirement" days. Am glad that they have found a new life and enjoying it. I believe that not everyone has their passion and determination to make Amway for for them. Anyway, I have become their down line again, not for the financial freedom, but simply because Justin likes the chewy Vit C from Amway, so it is cheaper for us to buy as a Amway member.

Anyway, last 2 weeks were a little too much with 2 kids and myself being sick. Unfortunately, Xue'e is also travelling on biz trips. If not for our maid, i think our kids would have suffered the most. Somehow, I noticed that our maid has taken care of Justin and Darren quite well. I have to admit that I did not bother with the kids' medication at all for the past 3 days. She had handled it well, of course, under the instruction of Xue'e, I guess.

So, in short, I am a strong advocate for having domestic help. Sometimes, it is not easy to find a good help though. With two of us working, knowing that someone is there to look after the kids certainly helps to relieve some stress.

BTW, I have missed the one organised by YC at the globe trotters. Any updates on who turn up and pictures?

just to share these links:

http://www.mypaper.com.sg/inmyheartcontest_result.html

http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/ep250807_opf_files/pg14-15b.html

hey kopitiamers, just realised changfu had some comments posted anonymously and they were awaiting moderation since few weeks ago. have since approved them so dun be surprised to see some that are back-dated.

Hello from Philly

Many thanks for all of you for your well-wishes. We thoroughly enjoyed the prata and the various informative advice given to us, such as shopping tips from our shopping expert LML.

I arrived in Philly on Tues night (Wed morning SG time). The weather here is surprisingly warm and I am really looking forward to a cooler weather. Spent lots of time walking around to get a better feel of the city and some parts of Philly remind me of NY.

I must say that this move to the US has certainly not been an easy decision for me. Many people have told me that I am courageous to take this path. But I always see it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I guess it isn't so much of a right or wrong move. Things can seem so wrong initially may turn out to be right in the long term and vice-versa. It's a decision that we have made so we will just have to make the best of it.

Will blog more as I settle down in the new city. So be prepared for more news in future from your friendly correspondent from Philly.

Of Hopes and Dreams

The prata meet-up on Sunday to bid bon voyage to Suu Wei and Serene, with XM, CF, QW, JJ, PS and the partners and kiddos in tow was great! It was a nice pleasant morning, especially when i am not an early person on weekends. But having the morning out to have teh halia, prata and reminiscing over the old times was not too bad after all!

Kudos to Suu Wei and Serene for being so brave to give up all they had to strike it out in the US. There are times when I feel the desire to change my job, move overseas but this only takes place in a 'Sliding Door' scenario or when i'm dreaming. I remembered that when i was in New York, i walked past a reputable PR Agency and i really stood outside its doors for a good 5 minutes and thought what it would feel to work inside. But these are only secret desires. Both CM and myself decided that there was too much at stake for us to let go of everything and just create a future out of the unknown.

Bravo, Suu Wei and Serene! Wishing you both the very very best. As with the title of our blog, CARPE DIEM!

Take care and keep in touch always!!

Just a post

In the midst of meetings, readings, labwork, visiting the animal house and back home the diaper changes, feeds and baby-talks, I sometimes get reminded that there's still this little space of ours to retreat to for a few moments of quiet thoughts and nostalgia. I just had to conjure up some story to post today. Speaking of nostalgia, i have been running into our juniors from HC from time to time.. pple who are like a decade our junior. And it's just amusingly interesting to hear them talk about similar kind of stories/experiences that happened to them, and that are still happening today.. like PROM nights at Shangri-la, speedie-gonzalez, silly "mountain-song" cheers.. Most recently, there was this girl who was like from class 02S78 and whose brother was the mass dance IC in something like the 28thSC. Brrr...

In case it hasn't hit you, Suuwei is leaving soon! On the 24th! Catch him while you can!

Our 3 Week-old Hooligan

Introducing the new hooligan on the block - Daniel Leong Eu Shay. We call him dan-dan in an attempt to cosy up with him, so he will terrorise us a little less. Didn't really work; he still behaves like an out-of-order alarm clock, waking us up for an odd-hour feed every so often. Funny how being parents is like - it is like there's this bully in school that keeps beating you up and stealing your milk, and yet you keep finding him adorable.

On Fathers Day...

Can't help realising the difference in treatment between Father's Day and Mother's Day and feeling a slight injustice for all fathers out there... First of all, you don't get mega signages at shopping malls telling you when exactly Father's Day is (which made it difficult to make plans to celebrate it!). Secondly, you don't get bakeries designing special Father's Day cakes unlike Mother's Day where there are specially flavoured love-shaped cakes. Thirdly, you are not bombarded by advertisements luring you to pamper your Father. So, does it mean that our society value Mothers more than Fathers? Or is it that Mother's Day is a more 'fleece-able' day?

I sometimes feel that Fathers are the neglected lot when it comes to emotional pampering, although sometimes it is the own doing of fathers that resulted in the current state of neglect for their day. My dad is a fine example. He will say 'aiyah, no need to celebrate lah' or 'don't waste money lah' whenever we propose ways to celebrate Father's Day. But when it comes to Mother's Day, he will be the one making a reservation at the restaurant! Perhaps he feels that he too want to take the occasion to thank my mum for all that she has done for the family, or just a common perception that 'women always like these kinds of things'?

Hmmm... baffling...

happy daddy's day

circle of life - part II

this afternoon, myself and colleagues in my department had attended a wake of a fellow colleague who just passed away. he was in his early 40s and is survived by his wife and 2 very young sons. earlier this week on wednesday, he had encountered difficulty in the SRC swimming pool at my workplace and could not be revived after being rushed to NUH. the spooky thing is that i was in the same pool 24 hours before the accident happened.

this has to be the 4th funeral in the last 1 year or so that i am attending where the passing away is related to natural causes. my mind was struck with the miracle of life again and again especially with many new-borns in the last 1 year or so too.

Recipe - Pumpkin Bacon Croquette:)

Saw this recipe featured on tv this morning and it looks really easy. Hence i thought i'll post it on Kopitiam!

Ingredients: pumpkin (half), bacon (4 strips), 1 onion, 1 can of mushrooms, salt, pepper, flour, 1 egg, breadcrumbs.

Step 1: Wash pumpkin, cut into slices and steam until soft.(you can retain the skin but wash it clean).

Step 2: Cut bacon, mushrooms and onions. Put bacon into frying pan and fry till fragrant. Add onion and fry till fragrant and add mushrooms in the end. Once done, off fire and leave aside to cool.

Step 3: Once steamed, mash pumpkin in a bowl while hot. Then mix the fried bacon/onion/mushroom to the mashed pumpkin. Add some salt and pepper for taste. Once mixed, transfer the mixture into a container to cool. (you may want to divide the mixture into 6 portions while still hot so that you can take it out later more easily)

Step 4: Once cooled, prepare to fry the croquette. Beat an egg and get ready flour and breadcrumbs. Transfer each portion of the mixture from the container into your hands. Coat it with flour and then shape it into a circle. Then dip in egg mixture, followed by dipping it in breadcrumbs.

Step 5: Prepare oil for deepfrying. When oil is medium hot, put the croquette into the oil and fry. Once the shape of the croquette is fixed, flip to the other side. Ready to serve when it’s fried till golden brown!

Pour some of those Jap BBQ sauce before serving and viola! Enjoy!

Hong Kong Hong Kong...

Hmmm... Kopitiam has been quiet for a while, so let me post something!
In view of the school hols, if you are contemplating a short trip and if the destination happens to be Hong Kong, then i have a few places to recommend for shopping and food! Die die must go, die die must eat!

Hong Kong is an annual pilgrimage for CM and myself...and over the years, i've built up a list of the must-go places for shopping and food. During my recent visit in mid-May, the greatest treasure i found was Citigate Outlets, a factory outlet mall for clothing, shoes and other stuff. The greatest buy was Esprit where you can get tops and bottoms below S$10! Makes you never want to step into Esprit back here! There's also Geox shoes on sale at the Mirabell outlet, Nike, Adidas etc. Visit their website for a listing of the shops available! http://www.citygateoutlets.com.hk/index.html

For jeans lovers, there's this great shop (with signage of 'Sparta 135') i found along Temple Street (Kowloon) where jeans are usually on offer, at only HK$80 (S$16?!). The best thing about this shop is they do alterations (length and waistline) on the spot and they open till 12 mn daily!

The next best thing about HK is the food! There's a nice steamboat shop, 稻香88 located at the third flr of SilverCord Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. The best thing about it is that it's half-price after 9pm daily! Everything! Last year, when we were there, we had crayfish, plates of beef, etc etc and it only came up to HK$40 per person! This is a must-go place if you are in HK and don't be surprised to find many locals joining the queue! Another die-die must try place is an eatery called "Australian Milk Company" along Parkes Street, Jordan, Kowloon. Their toast, steamed milk and almond egg custard is the best we've tried! It's really heavenly! Then, next to Australian Milk Company is a wanton noodle shop called Mak Mun Kee 麦文记. Their wanton and pig trotters noodles is really shiok! And after dinner, you'll need dessert! Must try Honeymoon Dessert 满记's mango sago and chin chow. Much better than anything offered here!
I have a more comprehensive list of places to shop/makan so email me if you need the list!

Enjoy!

More than words

It's been 6 months since WQ left. I don't think i need to say more about how he must still be dearly missed. Remember when he emotionally prompted us all to give a minute of silence to reflect on the bukit batok campus/council room before we moved out? It turned out to be quite a comical moment for some of us, amidst the sadness that bound us all. Perhaps it's an apt moment now to take a minute off your schedule to think of him... in the spirit of Kopitiam.

Another new beginning

Hi Kopitiam!

Phew.. my life has finally returned to some form of organisation for me to be able to pop by here again. Yes, for the record, our son has arrived! Let me introduce you to little Kieran. Thank you, those who found time to drop by at the hospital, and those who witnessed our moment of low and offered comforting words. It has been quite a rollercoaster ride for PS and me, over these first weeks. More to come later on, for now i just want to share with you the moments that gave us that "it's all worth it" feeling...

Role model

Darren was down with diarrhea for the last 2 weeks. It started with high fever and watery stools. Bacterial infection was suspected and with that hospitalisation was recommended to hydrate him and also put him on iv antibiotics (oral antibiotics will not be effective as it worsens diarrhea). Not another stay at TMC!!! I thought, but yes, it is, again

The most horrifying experience was to put Darren on a drip. The first one done on the leg didn't go well, and instead of the liquid/medication going to the vein, it went to the tissues around the leg.... He was crying a lot and I thought it was from his diarrhea cramps, so I carried him upright with his head rested on my shoulder.... it comforted him for a while, but then occasionally he looked at me with this very pathetic expression n started crying again. I still remember his expression now and felt that he must be telling me "Mummy, I'm trying my best not to cry but it's really painful!!" Babies can't talk but their cries do communicate, and it pains me to have failed him that I've not noticed all this while, liquid was filling up his feet and calf. In fact by the time we discovered, his calf was so tight that I could hardly press it down (it's twice the size of his other leg and the ankle is not visible) and his toes looked purplish.

I was hysterical... the minute they removed the drip from Darren, he had this confused look on his face and stopped crying instantly,...it's like "hey, it not painful now, what was that?!" Of course, looking at the state of his feet I started crying and the minute he saw that, he started crying again, he must be thinking "Oh something horrible must have happened to make mummy react like that". Instantly I realised my effect on him and had to hide my panic and comfort him smiling....
Thankfully the swelling subsided after a day.

Children draw strength/learnings from parents, so parents always have to appear strong and positive (anyone watched The Persuit of Happyness - i thought that was a nice movie). I also remember an incident with Justin when he wanted to do something and I casually made a negative remark (not in front of him but to Guohao) about that intended action. Immediately, Justin told Guohao, "Daddy, I cannot do that because mommy said bla bla" Gosh, I wasn;t even talking to him... immediately I had to explain to him that I don;t mean what I said earlier and that he can of course proceed with his activity....

As our children grow older, it's largely our thinking/actions (subsequenty friends and teachers) that is going to shape their thoughts and behaviour as they really look to us as their model...a big responsibility.

testing testing 123

thanks everyone who came to my place .. it was a nice gathering.. pardon me i really a computer idiot and my ang moh no good .. but me willing to learn e art of blogging.. this shall be my first ever blog.. thanks yilin for helping me with my pc and also helping me create an account.. very excited indeed.. yilin for your info my hp pc died once again.. so sad..

i tried loading the pics .. a few questions : why the pics have to appear at the top? can i arrange it my way? how to do it? can add wordings on the pic itself? how? thanks in advance....

happy birthday mummy

no prize for guessing whose house this is, the birthday gal's age, and what have guochuan's legs gotten into.

Confinement

OK while the baby talk is getting hot, can we also talk about the mothers instead. Actually this is a little bit about the fathers too, and their stomachs....Has anyone ordered confinement food catering before? We've considered cooking it ourselves (which actually means mothers and maids) but were not completely sure about our own expertise to concoct quality food. Plus, with all the caution about the mothers getting 'feng' and their difficulty to recuperate after giving birth, we started giving a more serious thought to the claims of traditional chinese confinement meals.

There seems to be 2 main suppliers in the market now - natal essentials and new baby. Has anyone tried them or heard of some others?

Good morning HC! Announcements for today...

Sorry, don't mean to steal our secretaries' lime light, just can't resist using the punchline we were once so used to.

It's Fenfei's Good Friday hosting! Yes it's all happening on Good Friday, beginning 12:30pm. Dear ol' Fenfei, the once swashbuckling pirate of the yellow city, has invited all of us to her nostalgic Tiong Bahru lovenest for an afternoon of fun and laughter. So bring along your better halves, kids and maids too, and make it a really good friday... don't forget the balloons and party poppers!

For fear of attracting the loads of FF's ardent serial opera fans, i'll only reveal her address to you if you give me a buzz...

PS: If we're lucky, we may get to rub shoulders with Fann, Zoe and... mmm who are the stars these days anyway?

 

 

and oh, of course. i have to publish a few of my daughter's pictures too.
can anybody update on qiwei's baby? out already? what's the latest news?

Chance encounter

 

 

so coincidental, met xue'e and darren at the botanical gardens last sunday.
didn't see guohao and justin because they were busy feeding the swans at the lake.
darren is such a gentle and sweet kid. he comes across to me as very mild-mannered.
the age gap shows too, wen my 14-month-old daughter made some sounds and gave him a disapproving look, and the fact that I raised my voice and corrected my daughter, darren burst out crying. but (tears) easy come, easy go, as you can see from the pictures.

well, it's a nice place to bring family to, especially on a sunday when the setting sun emits a very warm golden hue.
it's my 1st time there with my family, and there will be many more.

Another blog when I am away from home

Well well well.....been some time since i last written something here but nevertheless, I am actually secretly reading and monitoring all your blogs. I must admit though that i did not catch up with most of the comments on the side as i find it to troublesome and can't be bothered, really, to read them.

Today i happened to read the comments by the side and found out that my joke in an earlier post about the doctor in blue shirt was read by ermmm....his wife or maybe himself!

Wansin and Chong Kiat, take no offence on a personal level! I am not sure if an apology is really warranted because it was indeed really weird to see a doctor wearing a doctor's ID at another doctor's funeral. I can't help but to notice it, and apparently, most of us feel the same way too. More strange is that the ID is just hanging on the neck that looks to me like it can be removed easily within a split of a second. And those letters "KK", they simply stick out so prominently that one can read it at almost 200 metres away....

However, in due respect, I am aware that every tear shed on that incident was real and filled with emotions. All of us feltthe same way that both of you did and I am very sure you are more attached to WQ than most of us are, including myself. So I applaud what you and your hubby has done for WQ.

If you really have noticed, the name tag joke is really a prelude to my underlying puzzling question. If you are still reading our posts, can you shed some light on why medical students like to carry the stethoscope around their neck so much? I really want to find out the reason(s)!!!!Are they too busy to remove it from their necks while on their way to canteen? If so, then why does dental students have the time to remove their masks when they visit the canteen while medical students do not remove the stethoscope on their neck? The most obvious or "trying to be funny" reason is probably the former need to use their mouth to eat but the latter can always make use of utensils instead of the instrument hanging on their neck. It is really frustrating when one cannot attached a credible rationale and explanation behind the actions of the erm...medical students and as such, I had no choice but to temporarily label them as show-offs.

In any case, I started out with the intention to blog on other things but I guess it's getting late now and i will need to get some sleep. Hope to catch up again on Good Friday.

Those Good Ol'Days...

I was at a student council investiture ceremony for Sec Sch kids this morning and it sure brought back memories of our own SC investiture 16 years ago!!! I still remembered the "gong" effect before our entrance, the 'Top Gun' soundtrack that we used for our entrance, our pledge and of course, our council song... was it something like "在黄城，我们亲如一体,
为了共同的目票,一起前进。。。" does anyone have power memory and can remember the lyrics of our council song?

Well, those group of elite students on stage were beaming with confidence and pride ...made me wonder if we looked as smart and as confident as them then. Their slideshow also almost made me tear... some of the photos they took were similar to those we posed for during those good ol'days! Group photos shot in the backdrop of the beach, under the void deck, in the rain, having fun. But one thing they can't beat us - posing for a picture along ECP! Sometimes i shudder thinking how lucky i am to be able to pass my A levels, coz I really spent quite a lot of time indulging in the SC activities!

Sorry, pardon me for being nostalgic today but my mind is filled with images of those crazy days! Like our speedy gonzales dance, Yiqiang's 莲花掌, our volleyball matches, our 艺术照s almost everywhere (remember the ones we took in the room stacked with tables/chairs?), climbing over the gates at the Bt Batok campus after our 'tao pok, chye bueh' meals, the hawker who goes round touting 'you want to chicken rice', our climbing of the cliff/'mountain' behind Bt Gombak MRT and leaving behind all those cheesy "到此一游" messages and so much more!

I wonder if the kids these days do all these funny things that their 前辈 did...

Happy Birthday!

A very happy birthday to both our Alma Mater (for many of us) and Eik Lin!

It has been quite a while since there was a new posting on Kopitiam and I'm beginning to wonder how many of us still read it. It's easy to encourage everyone to keep the blog alive and overflowing with postings, but most times I myself don't have a clue what to write about. I do still check it out on and off, hoping lazily that someone else has made the effort to post something.

Will continue hoping....

CNY Gathering

Hi guys,

I'll like to thank Qiwei for inviting me to the 1st CNY gathering with you guys in years!
Although the amount of time spent there was short (in part because some of us were late from other "bai nian" activities, and in part because of children's committments), it was nontheless heartwarming to see so many familiar faces under the same roof.

I have been so distant from you guys that at times I feel like an intruder into someone else's gathering, but familiarity and good hospitality soon took over and my wife, daughter and myself soon warmed up to all of you. It's like a rebuilding exercise for me, but I am trying.

It's so fun to see the children of my friends (well, I don't have that many chances because my own close circle of friends are still childless by intention). I was pleasantly surprised by Peishun's 2 children who came up to me like they saw an old friend and wished me "xin nian kuai le". They also eagerly shook my hand like an election candidate on his walkabout.

Justin was a bit shy with me at first, but being the big kid I am, it's not difficult to break the ice with him. I met Guohao and family at Serangoon Garden's Pao Xing chicken rice once and that's where I first met Justin. So I guess raking up the past helped a little, when I mentioned I also like chicken rice. Seeing we have a common denominator, I think he more or less has less negative vibes about this silly "uncle". Not much chance with Darren because he was tired and cranky and hungry. He did make himself heard most of the time.

And lastly, Yiqiang and family came and Si En (pardon the spelling) made many of us laugh with her mature posing in front of the camera. She even used my daughter as part of the furniture to pose for her daddy. It was really funny. I have attached a picture to share. It's a good way to round up my CNY activity. Cheers to you guys, and for good health and prosperity.




The girl on the right looks like a Singapore Idol in the making while the one on the left might be a Glutton Champion in future.

Happy Valentines'!

Happy Valentines' everyone! Wishing everyone a day of friendship, love and lust!

I still remember the youthful days in Hwa Chong where the guys would try to impress the girls by giving them flowers... and the girls would be so flattered that they have flowers that they flaunt it all around. I guess it is still the same now, just that we are too mature (not old) and wise to be bluffed into buying all those little pressies to impress someone... although, we always wouldn't mind receiving gifts! (women are always like that lah... nag nag nag to our hubbies that they should not spend unneccesary money blah blah blah, but deep inside, we are quite happy to receive pressies!)

Happy Valentines!!!

CNY

It didn't feel as if CNY is just less than 2 weeks away! I've not started spring cleaning, yet to change those new crisp notes for the Ang Pow and there's no love letters, pineapple tarts, bar kua at my house, yet to buy new clothes for Justin Darren and myself?! and also had not found time to even go for a haircut. Guohao's gone for a week of reservist since 29 Jan and with one more week to go, I'm left to cope with 2 kids (thankfully with the help of my maid, Weng) till he's freed from national duty this Sat. By then, we'll be left with just 7 days to prepare for CNY.

We were supposed to start our "preparation"/shopping/spring cleaning 2 weeks ago but unexpectedly, Justin ended up in hospital. This is his second hospitalisation in his 2 years 4 months of life. When I was working on a paediatric study a few years back I always wondered why some of the kids on my study end up at hospital with bronchiolitis/febril fits etc.... Now that I'm a mother myself, I understand what it's all about. Jusin was still well when he retired for the day on Sat night, but at 2am in the morning, we were suddenly awaken by a shrieking cough (on the internet, they described it as "seal barking" noise). We thought it was Darren but it turned out to be Justin. He seems to have difficulty breathing as the skin under his rib cage sinks in with each breath. Guohao quickly sent him to Thomson Medical, and the doctor admitted him, though he was much better after being put on the nebulizer. His peadiatrician said he had an episode of croup. Thankfully, Justin recovered very quickly and basically was enjoying his time in the ward watching DVD and playing with his Ye Ye and Nai Nai and Daddy. He was discharged after one day.

Being a child is really the luckiest thing. only when I become a parent do I truly appreciate this. For the child, there's always the parent to solve their problems. As a parent, you'll always worry and think of how to solve your children's problems or give them the best. So when you start to grumble about how naggy your mom/dad is, remind yourself how lucky you are.

So CNY will be a funfilled time for Justin to collect his Ang Pows and eating his favourite goodies (Darren probably still dun know what's happening). And for me, it'll be a busy time to get ready!

spring cleaning

this year yancy and i engaged a cleaning company to do the spring cleaning of our place. initially we discussed the possibility of doing things ourselves, but looking at the stain on the shower glass door, the choppy layers of dust accumulated on the ceiling/electric fans and the many many other little corners, we decided we could take a chance on the task and see how it goes to outsource this to save time and possibly ineffective way of doing things. we also thought we could learn a trick or two from the professionals :)

the head cleaner clarified on their work scope and they jumped into work as soon as they arrived. there were 3 other cleaners as well as a supervisor who came later in the day to do PR. their job took about 4 hours and it included the usual stuff such as cleaning air-con filters, all windows and doors, stove and cabinets in the kitchen, all mirrors, as well as sweeping and mopping etc etc. they also helped to steam all curtains (after yancy insisted that it should come free, hee!) and scrubbed all bathroom floors which i thought were value-added service as a novice customer.

overall their job were quite satisfactory except for certain aspects related to work quality; for most of these i would attribute them to the meticulousness/attentiveness of the staff to small details, rather than any specific work that is not done. for these they needed some reminders from the head cleaner after we "complained".

i think what we will do for the next time, if ever, is to amend the job scope to be more specifc to what our needs are (they did not touch the furniture and was reluctant to dust/wipe shelves and table-tops with movable objects), and we could also take away unnecessary stuff (eg. cleaning of air-con filters since we seldom switch them on) in this way we thought we could ask for a better price next time.

what are your experiences?

Three more weeks to CNY!

Hmmmm, it's less than 3 weeks to go before the angpow season kicks in! Spring cleaning, reunion dinners... it's quite a chore for just 15 days huh?

Well, every spring cleaning exercise always turns out bags of old clothings. At least for me! My philosophy towards clothings kept in the closet is that if you had not worn them in the past year, you probably would not wear them in the next year. One good way of "Passing It On" is to donate the old clothings to the welfare homes. One very meaningful place to donate to is the Metta Welfare Association, which caters to the young and the elderly. They run a school for the intellectually disabled called the Metta School. I dropped off a few bags of clothes at one of their homes in Woodlands which they re-distributed it to the residents/needy under their help. It's a good cause, it goes directly to the needy and it simply makes them happy. Check out http://www.metta.org.sg/mettasch.htm especially the section on "How You Can Help".

Talking about reunion dinners, Carlton Hotel's Wah Lok restaurant is highly recommended. Their "Poon Choi" (a less expensive version of "Buddha Jumps Over The Wall") is good, so are their set meals which is quite reasonably priced. The only problem is that you have to make a reservation in advance. Their "Loh-Hei" is also very yummy! Highly recommended!

Hmmm... should we organise our own reunion dinner/gathering? I think it is especially important for those with kids coz it's angpow collection time!

greymatterphotography

just to share another great site that i have been visiting as well, in case you haven't noticed -> greymatterphotography

hey KC, any chance of apprenticeship on weekends? :)

Happy New Year

Hi everyone, just want to send our warmest regards and best wishes to everyone for good health good luck and every success in 2007. Have not been writing for sometime. Just when i am feeling that Kopitiam was quite empty these days, QW already mentioned it in his last blog. Guys, keep the posts coming in....

Yesterday was the last day in 2006. We went to the zoo with Justin and Darren to see Inuka, the polar bear. Darren wasn't quite looking but Justin sure did enjoy himself! The weather couldn't be better as there was sunlight but the temperature remained in the comfort level. Spent the entire morning there. The last time we went Justin barely speaks a word but this time, he already knows that Lion Roars! How amazing......time really flies.

When we are watching the countdown just now, I was telling Xue'e, "who's so free to go and squeeze with all these pple for countin down, why bother? better to stay at home and watch tv!" Huh, guess i was one of them 10 years ago......but not now..getting old....

Anyway, time to sleep...just trying to catch up on kopitiam...tomorrow will be another long day.....beach day.

For those who have not seen justin, here's a picture taken at the zoo yesterday.