A Long Road Trip to Never Never Land

Baa Baa Black Sheep

2010-05-02T21:15:00.003+08:00

For some reason, that seems to be your favourite song nowadays. You can start singing ABC and seamlessly transform it into Baa Baa Black Sheep. Made us realise that the tunes were actually quite similar - guess what took you a couple of weeks took us 20 over years to come round to that fact.

It's been a busy year. And this past weekend has been particularly busy as well. Full of celebrations - but the most important one of all is yet to come. Your birthday!

Your second cousin Deian Wee was born one month ago on Apr 3. We just celebrated his full month this morning before we headed down to Kallang MacDonalds for another birthday bash with all your friends who were born in May. You had fun watching Barney, waving the pooh bear stick around, picking up balls and throwing them into the basket and of course, eating fries and milo. Your presents included a Thomas pull-along set, a Thomas lunch box and a personalised t-shirt and name tag. What more could you ask for?

That was today.

Your cousin Rachel Lee was born almost one month ago on Apr 5. And we just celebrated her full month yesterday morning as well! You had lots of fun playing with your cousins Ethan and Ian's Thomas train tracks.

And that was yesterday.

Tomorrow, we'll be celebrating your birthday in your school in the morning. Mummy and Daddy have prepared lots of party packs for all your friends and teachers. Mummy's baking your cake at this moment. And oh yes, you will have two Thomas and Percy balloons to pull along as well!

After that, we'll probably take you to Wild Wild Wet to have some water fun. Then it's bedtime for you again before we head to your paternal Grandma and Grandpa's house to celebrate with them and your cousins Ethan and Ian. And yes, Mummy's baking another cake for your second celebration as well. And you can personally give Thomas and Ben 10 sticker books to your cousins. But of course, you'll have plenty more sticker books for yourself. Your Mummy has made sure of that.

Well that's this weekend. It's a busy busy long weekend and by the time it's finally over tomorrow night, you'll have had plenty of fun indeed.

But in case you forget, you've already had loads of fun since Mummy last updated on your life!

In November last year, you went to Hort Park all decked up with a hat and backpack in tow.

Then you saw the wonderful Christmas Tree at Takashimaya.

You also played the Wii with your cousins for the first time, though of course your Wii controller was really the remote control for the fan...

During the December Xmas party with your May baby friends, you were kissed by a girl who loved your Garfield suit!

And then you finally took your first plane ride - to Tokyo no less!

Look at you all decked out in your winter wear. Reminds your Mummy and Daddy of Southpark!

It may not have been very comfortable to wear such thick clothings that impede your movement - But the temperature was near zero degrees and we had no choice!

It was a wonderful three weeks in Tokyo. Daddy was working for two weeks but the third week was all yours. You slept well on your inflatable cot, though you'll aways wake up in the middle of the night and climb up to our bed!

Daddy and Mummy had to carry you initially in the sarong as Daddy didn't want to let you walk along the road as it was too difficult to grip your hands underneath all those gloves.

There was a walk-in closet in the serviced apartment which you loved to enter and close the door. Mummy and Daddy are still amazed that you're not afraid of the dark at all.!

You also did numerous hilarious things around the apartment. The door handles were all lower than in Singapore and so you were able to open and close them by yourself. And once, you also decided to try on Daddy's shoes for size...

We went to Odaiba during the first weekend there and you had fun walking around the Venus shopping mall.

You sat in your Thomas train..

And you saw a big white Pooh bear!

Rang the bell of liberty... repeatedly...

The second weekend, you went to Mount Fuji and we went up to the fourth station where you saw snow for the first time.

And here's more proof in case you claim otherwise next time...

After Mount Fuji, we also went to Hakone and freezed in the blistering cold winds... But with a terrific view to boot!

By the end of each day, you were totally knocked out indeed. Luckily we managed to buy a stroller in Odaiba Toys'R'Us for you to sleep comfortably in.

Well the next Tuesday we went to Disneyland. It was raining that day but you still got to pose with Piglet. And you actually managed to sit on a fair number of rides as the queues were shorter than usual - probably due to the rain.

The next day we went to DisneySea and you met Donald Duck.

And because you had so much on both days, we decided to take you back the next day again to Disneyland. Thankfully the weather was better. Still cold...

But at least you got to drive a car!

Look at all the toys Mummy and Daddy bought for you then...

It was a marvellous trip and it was tough coming back to reality. But you remain the one thing that makes it all worth while. In February, you converted to full-day childcare. Mummy and Daddy were worried at first but our fears were allayed. You settled in quite quickly and without too much fuss. Mummy and Daddy are so proud of you!

In March, we went to Hong Kong with your maternal Grandma and Grandpa. The main purpose (for Daddy and you least) was to visit Disneyland Hong Kong.

You had so much fun there - no thick winter wear to keep you from running you around freely!

The weather was great and you could get wet without worries.

As we stayed in the Kingdom Club for three nights, you were able to join in on the bedtime stories at the lounge area.

It was so fun seeing you sit there with all the other older kids.

And you also met Mickey Mouse and said goodnight to him!

Well we all did!

April has just passed and it's been a quick one as Daddy and Mummy have been looking forward so much to your 2nd Birthday. You're going to be two. How amazing it is... When I look back, I still can't believe how blessed I am to be your Daddy. You've brought so much joy to our lives. We love you so much our darling Matthias!

Well, its time to feed you milk and see how your Mummy is doing with your cake. And Daddy's going to take a photo of you at 2.04am again. How will you look when you are exactly two years old?

You are 18 months old!

2009-11-03T11:10:00.005+08:00

Hello Matthias, it has been a long time, you have come a long way and have achieved many milestones in your life (much more to come..). You are our very cheeky, playful and smiley boy.

Milestones achieved as of 18-month-old:

Things that you can do now:

Running
Walking up and down the stairs with assistance
Walking backwards
Walking up and down a step by yourself
Walking without assistance
Climbing up the sofa and sitting on your own
Crawling
Walking with your hands on your knees
Trying to do frog hop
"Sayang" when others is hurt
Sing along with the music

Words that you can say now and understand what they mean:

Ball
Bear
Bus
Car
Shoes
Socks
"Zuo" 坐
"Kai" 开
Walk
Hold Hand
Wait
No more
Put back
Let's go
Excuse me (need to correct pronounciation still)
Head
Mouth
Ear
Eyes
Nose
Belly Button
Feet
Hand
Fingers
Toes
"Papa" - Daddy
"Mummy"
"Mama" - Grandmother
"Theodore" - Cousin Theodore
"Mum mum" - Food
Milk

These are what Mummy can remember so far.

Another exciting phase is coming up for you very soon. You'll be joining a playgroup starting 16 Nov. Daddy and Mummy hope you will enjoy and not fuss too much. *Keeping our fingers crossed*

Love you,
Mummy

Too Long

2009-09-20T23:07:00.003+08:00

Yes too long since Daddy or Mummy talked to you on this blog... But we've been talking to you everyday and enjoying every single moment with you. Watching your teeth come out. Watching you climb up and down the living room platform. Watching you brush your teeth every morning. Watching you watch your DVDs every so attentively. Hearing you make funny little noises when seating in your car seat. Reading bedtime stories to you but ending up struggling to prevent you from tearing the books apart. Hearing you call "tutu" for your pacifier. Hearing you call "papa".

Hearing you call "papa". That's the thing I miss the most now. Daddy is away in Mumbai for 3 weeks. It's now the 6th of 18 days. 18 long days because Daddy misses you so much. I can imagine you walking around in the morning. Mummy told me that one morning she left you alone while she was checking her office email. You went to take your DVDs from the TV console and passed one or two DVDs to her. And then you went to explore some of Mummy's boxes containing some packing materials and you put one into your mouth to chew. Luckily Mummy managed to dig it out of your mouth in time. Naughty little you.

Daddy can imagine you waking up in the morning, lying on your back and making small noises. You'll flip around onto your stomach and see if Mummy or Daddy is awake. If we make any move at all, you'll stand right up and demand to be carried up or else you'll start crying. Daddy will take you up and put you on my arms and try to pat you to sleep for just a little while more. But you'll just lie there with eyes open, peering at heaven-knows-what. And after you finally get bored, you'll struggle to flip over and you'll spot your favourite alarm clock and immediately rush over to touch it. And Daddy will pull you back. And you'll be making noises. You'll wake Mummy up and Mummy will smile at you. You'll smile that cheeky smile of yours and take out your pacifier and make a loud noise as if saying good morning.

So now you're awake and there's no use trying to put you back to sleep anymore. Daddy will give your vitamin and you'll take it from Daddy's hands and happily put it into your mouth, sucking your fingers for just a little longer than you need to. Daddy will ask you to take off your socks and you'll try but you won't suceed. Once Daddy takes off your socks, Daddy will open the room door and you'll be screaming happily as you climb down the bed and follow Daddy out the door. You'll follow Daddy all the way to the sofa, getting up the platform with ease. And when Daddy plays your favourite DVD for you to watch, you'll smile happily as you sit down in your bumbo seat.

You're such a big boy now... In just two months, you'll be going to join the playgroup at Aces Montessori. You'll be 18months... Can't believe how big you are now. During your vaccination jab earlier this month, you took two needles on both your thighs and you cried for just a few seconds! The nurse distracted you with a toy and you stopped crying almost immediately. Such a big boy you are now....

Daddy misses you so so much...

No More...

2009-07-15T19:22:00.002+08:00

No More.. That seems to be your favourite phrase. :)

When the credits comes on at the end for your DVD shows, you shake your hands and say no more.

When the plate is visibly empty and there's no more food left for you, you shake your hands and say no more.

It's still amazing how you seem to learn new things every other day. How you seem to understand more and more of what we are saying.

Your upper and lower front teeth are finally out. And two your upper front teeth are really huge - guess you must have gotten that from your Daddy. Hopefully your teeth won't end up like mine in future - crooked and requiring braces. Well, that's something we can't control.

You're turning out to be a greedy little boy, just like your cousin Ian. Once you see food, you'll walk right up and sit down while saying "zuo zuo". You'll look up eagerly for some food to be pinched and served into your mouth. And once that's served, you'll get up and wander around happily... Only to repeat the whole process again a few seconds later. Your stomach certainly has room for a lot of snacks... Now why can't you finish your milk? :)

Just the other evening, we took you out to Carrefour. Your second time there but what a naughty little boy you are now. As soon as we put you down on your feet, you would rush off to the shelves and grab whatever you could. Daddy had to say "No" umpteen times, turn you this way and that way... But somehow you always manage to wriggle your way out and grab something else...

And speaking of wriggling, you're starting to refuse to hold Mummy and Daddy's hands while walking. It's not that we're afraid you'll fall now - afterall, you're pretty steady. It's just that you're run off way too quickly and you're always bending down to pick up some fascinating piece of object on the floor...

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-05-05T20:32:00.013+08:00

2009 May 03 2:04AM

Ok so you weren't exactly cooperative at that moment in time...

So here's you just a few minutes before... slumbering peacefully...

And a few minutes after your daddy rudely woke you up...

Later in the day, you were surrounded by those who cared for you in a simple but wonderful birthday celebration. You were a bit glum sometimes...

But for most of the day, you were smiling and laughing happily as you always do...

Your mummy spent countless hours and stayed up till 2am to bake and decorate your wonderful birthday cake... That's how much your mummy loves you...

As for your daddy, he was careless enough to let you touch your birthday candle flame...

Strangely enough as well, you started walking much further and more steadily on your birthday. Just a day earlier, you were still wobbling considerably more. All the attention from people must have egged you on to put on a show...

Happy 1st Birthday our dearest Matthias!

12 Hours More

2009-05-02T14:57:00.004+08:00

And you'll be one year old...

What an amazing year it has been indeed...

In the beginning, you were nothing more than a sign...

And after that, we only got to see a bit of you once a month...

Yet, before we knew it, your eyes were staring back at us...

Amazing how much you can change within a month...

And here you are sleeping peacefully before your full month celebration...

Sleeping... Yawning... All throughout June...

Pouncing on your pacifier in July...

In August, you learnt to sit in your Jumbo...

In September, your hair still looked the same...

Bathing happily in October...

Wearing your Tux in November...

Outgrowing your bed soon in December...

Wearing your beanie quietly for once in January...

Standing in your cot in February...

Building your own empire in March...

Fooling around in the water in April...

12 hours more... And you'll be a year old... What will you look like then?

11 Months

2009-04-05T16:19:00.006+08:00

As usual, a whole month has gone by before your lazy daddy found the time to actually update you on what's happening with you...

You're almost 11 months old... my gosh, how big you look to us now.

You've been sick for most of last month. Started with a simple fever that went away after two days - we thought you were teething (yet again) but there was nothing to show for it... We thought we saw some whitening of your gums (is that your teeth lurking underneath?) but again it never went further than that... Anyway, a week later, you were sick again. Fever, running nose, cough. Refused to eat or drink as much as you usually do - poor you lost a bit of weight during that period. Right now, you're pretty chirpy, appetite's back and you're drooling more than ever. Let's hope you stay that way. And let's hope your teeth start bursting through soon as well!

You're talking non-stop nowadays. You've become our pseudo-alarm clock - waking your mummy and daddy up every morning with your funny little noises. You love strings - you keep sucking and gnawing at the string attached to your soft toys... You love to knock... Knock knock knocking on the side of your cot. On the table. On the walls of the lift. On the windows of the car.

You love to drive as well. Putting you in the front seat of the car together with daddy, you love to grab and turn the steering wheel. Fortunately there aren't any traffic policemen in carparks to witness your antics...

You've got your new tricycle as well and your grandma often takes you downstairs for long strolls. You've graduated from just grabbing the steering handles to almost standing on your seat now. Your basic motto is "Once you start, never stop", cause if we stop, you'll immediately take the chance to turn around and climb up and out of your seat...

You've started to stack your toys. Recognized basic words. You can shake your head and wave your arms wildly when we say no. In fact, you also shake and wave wildly when you refuse to drink any more milk...

You love to "walk" as well - Supported of course by daddy's arms... There are times you can stand unsupported but that's usually when you don't even realise it...

Your birthday's coming soon. Mummy's going to bake a lovely cake for you. She's busy practicing her baking skills. No matter what the end result, it'll still be a very special cake. A cake full of love. From your dearest mummy and daddy.

February

2009-02-14T13:57:00.003+08:00

Time flies. CNY has come and gone. Rather quietly this year. I don't know if it's due to the passing of my grandma or the economy, but it certainly felt a lot more peaceful this year.

It's almost a month since my grandma moved on. It still seems so recent but then again many major events in the past seem oh-so-recent and yet-so-long-ago... That's what happens as one gets older I suppose. Can't escape it. Gotta embrace it. Mortality. Time.

Time... GST credits just came in. Cheri's dad and my mum just qualified for the senior citizens category... How did my mum grow so old? And then I realised my Aunt's turning 70 this year as well...

Well, onto slightly happier things... Or rather not so happy... You just received your first hard knock on the floor... You were sleeping peacefully on your grandma's bed with your cousin Ian... We were all sitting around outside in the living room... Ian woke up and came out on his own... Before we knew it, we heard a thud... And your piercing cry - you had amazingly navigated past the pillows and bolsters surrounding you and successfully onto the floor... I guess it's not that amazing - we should have known better since you are so mobile nowadays. Always pulling yourself up and cruising around effortlessly. We should have known better. But well, it happens to every child and you aren't the worse for it. We'll try as hard as we can to make sure it never happens again. But then again, we suspect you'll somehow outsmart us again some day...

2009 Jan 19

2009-01-24T16:51:00.003+08:00

2009 started innocently enough. Didn't quite blink an eye when the new year was born. Just another year. Just another night.

2009 Jan 18. The usual Pre-CNY Reunion dinner at my mum's place as my brother's family would be leaving for KL next Saturday. Only difference this year is that my aunts and uncle joined in as well. It was a pleasant and enjoyable gathering indeed. My brother and I intended to pay a visit to my grandmother who was in hospital the next day.

2009 Jan 19. Received a phone call from my mother around noon. My grandmother had just passed away. Reached the hospital and saw her at rest. It's saddening to know that she's gone but I think there's also gladness in knowing that her suffering is finally over. She truly looked at peace...

2009 Jan 23. 11am. My grandmother's body was finally cremated. 2.30pm. Collected the ashes. 4.00pm. Her ashes were finally placed next to my grandfather - who has been waiting 19 long years for her.

Life has changed, just a little. Some things are just not the same anymore. But yet, life moves on as well. Her memory remains and through her, I've learned even more to cherish my own parents and family... Our time on earth is truly short - when will we learn to make every moment count?

2008

2008-12-31T18:33:00.003+08:00

The last day of the year. What a year it has been. The past few years have been pretty amazing but perhaps none as precious as this last one. Sure, the world is going topsy-turvy. The recession has begun. People are being retrenched. The earth is heating up badly. Earthquakes, landslides, polar icecaps melting, droughts and floods. Terrorist attack and innocent lives lost. Ceasefires ending and wars on the verge of breakout. Everything bad that could happen seems to have happened this year...

But then there's you. There's you to remind us that nothing in life is quite so important as the ones close to you. You have brought such joy into our lives. Your smiles and cries. Tantrums and shrieks of joy. Sitting and tumbling down. Crawling and flipping. You may not remember us watching you. But I'm glad I was there to see it all.

The past year has really flown by. Events that happened last year seem to have occurred only yesterday. My cousin has left us for more than a year and a half now - yet I can still remember receiving the shocking news. My grandma was still able to attend our wedding last July but she's a shadow of that now and was unable to attend my cousin's wedding. A close friend in secondary school whom I've sadly lost touched with has passed away...

My grandma. I can still remember my grandfather. Somehow, I can still remember holding his hand and walking to a video rental shop one evening. I don't know why but that memory has somehow always stuck to me. And I still remember the day when I learnt of his passing. My grandma. Sometimes, I really think it'll be a release for her when she finally moves on. Yet at the same time, I find it so hard to imgaine what life would be like when she's no longer around. The heart tightens.

My parents and my aunts. They aren't young anymore. They are healthy now but I always have this crippling fear of something happening one day. My grandma was fine one moment and then wheelchair bound the next. These things can happen so suddenly... I always tell myself I should do more and spend more time with my family. But somehow it never seems to be enough...

And there's you. Of all the things I fear, the one I can't ever imagine is losing you. Nowadays, whenever I read articles of parents losing their young ones, I can always feel their heartache. I never fail to wonder how I would react if something should ever happen to you. It's a feeling beyond describing. Before you came, I could never comprehend my parent's love. But now, it's all crystal clear to me...

So dearest Matthias, you'll be eight months old as 2009 begins. 2010 will seem very far away for you but to Daddy and Mummy, it'll come all too soon. Hopefully when I write about 2009, it'll be mostly good news.

To 2008, adieu and farewell.

December

2008-12-20T11:46:00.004+08:00

It's December baby... You're seven months and two weeks old now! How time flies indeed. Mummy and Daddy find it so hard to imagine how you were when you were born. How did you grow into this little noisy crawling crying machine?

So what're your achievements so far?

You've had apple, pear and banana mixed with your cereal. You're eating cereal twice a day and drinking lesser milk now.

Your first tooth has yet to erupt but you're always putting stuff into your mouth to rub against your itchy gums.

You can flip easily now and crawl pretty quickly to your object of desire. Too quickly in fact...

You've had your passport made as Mummy and Daddy were contemplating bringing you overseas for a short trip. Too bad that trip didn't materialize...

You've attended two weddings so far and you've one more to go before the year ends!

You've celebrated Daddy's birthday as well!

Every morning, when we look at you, we can't believe how big you are... How soon before you begin to walk and utter your first words?

Well, time flies indeed. Only one of my army friends has a girlfriend now. The other formerly attached ones all have wives only now.... My cousin is getting married as well - carrying on the somewhat unofficial tradition of us cousins all getting married at the ripe young age of 27. Hmm, I thought Singaporeans were supposed to be marrying later. Somehow, my circle of friends have seemed to buck that trend...

A day in your life...

2008-11-03T02:00:00.002+08:00

It's 11.30pm here.. that'll be 2am in Singapore.. At 2.04am, you'll be exactly six months old.. Six months have gone by in a flash.. I still remember seeing you for the first time coming out from your mummy's womb.. I still remember you lying in the warmer, eyes open and looking around.. making cooing noises.. I remember holding you in my arms for the first time.. Unsure of how to hold you.. so afraid of dropping you.. but yet I wanted so much to have you in my arms..

Daddy can't be there with you now.. But I can imagine you doing the things you do... Waking up in the early morning, you'll be making crying noises.. You're hungry but it's still early.. So I pat you a little while, put your pacifier in your mouth and you eventually go back to sleep.. An hour later, you'll wake up again.. Head lifted up and crying again.. This time, I'll get up and make your milk.. Your mummy's woken up by you too.. So she pats you and tries to comfort you while your milk is being warmed up.. When I come in, I on the bedside lamp and lift you up from your cozy spot between your mummy and daddy.. You cry loudly in protest from being removed from your very own space.. I lay your head on my arms and put your handkerchief beneath your chin.. That's the signal that your milk is ready and you'll open your eyes.. Once you see the bottle, your hands reach out wildly to try to pull it quickly towards your mouth.. You suck quickly.. with your eyes closed.. Hungry and sleepy little boy..

When you are finally finished, I try to burp you but you almost always refuse to.. I put you down and you open your eyes.. looking around.. exploring the world around you.. You're full and refreshed now.. You're smiling happily.. Making little noises..

We bring you up to your grandma's place.. You see us leave but you're more interested in the shiny gate handle than your mummy and daddy.. But at night, when we go home, the moment you see us, you break out into a big smile..

I can see that smile... How I miss it so... Your mummy has sent two video clips of you.. one of you sleeping and one of you in your walker.. Daddy can't help but cry whenever he watches it..

Someday you'll grow up and you'll find mummy and daddy to be naggy.. I found your grandma and grandpa naggy too when I was younger.. But now, with you in my life, I finally can understand why.. The love your mummy and daddy have for you is one that can never be described.. It started from the moment you were born and it'll never ever fade... You probably won't understand it till you have your own children one day.. All I know is that right now, so far away from you, I know that I want to spend every possible moment I can with you..

Goodnight my dear Matthias.. Happy six months.. daddy and mummy love you so...

Pune

2008-10-30T01:25:00.002+08:00

Baby, daddy is in Pune now... Wondering if you even know that he's gone... Do you know that only mummy is sleeping with you now? Do you know why daddy is not the one feeding you your milk in the morning? Do you know why daddy is not playing with you at night? Will you smile at daddy when he finally comes back to see you again?

I'll be here for two weeks and I missed you so badly the moment your mummy drove off... I'm looking at your photos and watching your videos and I wish so much that I could be there watching you sleep... I close my eyes and I can see you lying on my thighs while trying to grab pooh bear's nose to suck... I can see you so clearly but yet you're so far away...

I can't wait for these two weeks to fly back... I miss you and your mummy so much...

5 Months

2008-10-08T15:29:00.004+08:00

Baby, you're 5 months old already!

You've had your first taste of meat... and durian, honeydew, papaya, red bean...

You've had your first tooth poking out of your gums now... and you're drooling all too often now...

You've flipped over from your back... though only from your right side at the moment...

You've had rice cereal mixed in your milk... and you seem to love it...

You've been hankering after food... drooling and watching us whenever we eat... hands reaching out for any food that happens to come near you...

You've been very determined not to drink milk when you're not interested to... shutting your mouth tightly and struggling wildly if we should try to feed you...

You've also been very determined to get your milk when you want it... crying angrily if we remove the milk bottle from your sight...

You've been sleeping throughout the night from about 9.30pm to 6.30am daily... though you've been plotting recently to sleep on mummy and daddy's bed by crying in the middle of the night... and stopping once we lay you down on your very own spot on the bed between us...

You've been laughing and crying and shouting and making a lot of funny noises...

You've been bringing lots of joy and smiles to your mummy and daddy's lives...

You've been the one thing that makes it all worthwhile now...

I'm 15 weeks!!!

2008-08-16T02:04:00.000+08:00

Today, I'm 15 weeks old and I'm growing fast. I'm still trying to figure out this new world though. Not long ago, the things I saw were all blurred and plain but now I can see colours. Colours that made up my mummy and daddy, colours that made up this beautiful world. Everytime I see colourful things, I can't help but give it a big smile like that.

So far, my life have been pretty interesting and I can sense that I brought much joy to those people around me especially mummy and daddy, at the same time, I could also feel that they are tired and frustrated at times because I am so cranky. Nevertheless, I know they sure love me alot cos they have sacrificed so much for me such as mummy taking time to express milk for me (Yummy!), daddy always waking up in the middle of the night to warm the milk and feed me, daddy spending his time to plan our future and his money to buy toys for me. Thank you, daddy and mummy! Look at me on my new bumbo seat.

I remember I was down with a cold like almost a month ago after my vaccination and I was always cranky cos I couldn't breathe properly with my blocked nose and phelgm. I felt so sorry for daddy and mummy cos they have to put up with my incessant crying and the times when I refused to drink milk. It did get better for a while but the past week, I started again. It's not that I don't like mummy's milk but I just don't have the appetite and don't feel like drinking. I also realised I am always drooling, I love to bite on things, I'm having runny/blocked nose sometimes and few days back I had slight fever. Grandma called that teething and mummy tried to use her finger to feel for something in my mouth though I'm not sure what. But I really like to bite on her finger. *Grin*

Mummy has started working for almost 3 weeks now and we are more or less settle into our new routine except that I do miss seeing her in the afternoon. I always look forward to the evenings when they are back home to play with me and make me sleep (I love sleeping in between them). But sometimes they just like to put me in my hammock, though I would really prefer them to rock me alittle. Hee.. I also love spending my weekends with just them. Recently, they brought me to swim and it was good fun kicking in the water. I think I'm going to swim later cos I overheard them planning it and that daddy's parents and auntie might be there to see me too.

Anyway, I went for my 3rd hearing test last week and my left ear failed again. The 1st time was done when I was just borned and my left ear failed, the 2nd was done 2 weeks later and both passed. So chances are 66% my left ear is not working (well), probably just like mummy. I don't know if it will affect me alot but mummy and daddy assured me that it's alright. :)

Now, let's look at some of my pictures. Mummy and daddy took so many pictures of me and now I have a big album, even much more than what they have taken together before. Hehe..

Trying to reach my pacifier:

See I can hold my mitten!

Surprised....

My First Class seat.. So shiok

Oops, mummy caught me shitting!!

My lovely playmate, Cousin Theodore!

I'm going out for dinner!! Yeah..

11 Weeks

2008-07-19T16:05:00.005+08:00

Only 7 weeks since his full month... Yet it seems so long ago... So much and yet so little has happened...

I guess I haven't blogged about this yet but I've dropped out of my course at SMU. It took one night when little Matthias was crying badly to make up my mind. If I carried on with my studies, I wouldn't have much time to look after him and Cheri will probably be driven nuts by his incessant crying... At the end of it, I decided it was more important to spend what little time I had with him. I could always study next time - he'll only be so small once...

So far, no regrets.. It's a joy to come home and watch his big eyes stare back at me.. It's a joy to hear him make those funny noises which no one can decipher.. It's a joy to carry him and have him smile back at you for no apparent reason.. Indeed, some part of us wants him to grow up quickly - yet another small part of us also wishes for him to stay protected in our arms longer.

Well, he'll grow up in his own time and on his own terms.. For now, I'm glad I made the right decision to devote my time to him... He's growing up nicely... Nice round cheeks... Curious eyes and a craning head that's always looking around.. Legs that are always kicking and trying to stand up.. Small adorable noises that warms the heart..

Only thing wrong right now is that he caught the cold virus from his cousins.. It wasn't visible at first but then it all went downhill after he took his vaccination jab last Thursday... It's heartbreaking watching him battle the cold and not being able to do anything much about it.. But on the positive side, it might mean he'll grow up stronger with better resistance...

Full Month! Well almost...

2008-05-27T20:36:00.011+08:00

As usual, time flies. A thousand and one errands have come and gone. Come this Sunday, our little baby would have successfully disturbed our sleep for one month. It's been challenging and tiring... Waking up to feed his incessant hunger, fighting back his kungfu strokes, feeling the heartache when he cries... It's a mixed bag of emotions and it's certainly frustrating - very frustrating - at times... But ultimately - it's all worth it. When he calms down and stares back at you with those bright eyes of his, the whole world seems to shrink to just that...

I guess the number one lesson we've learnt from this is to make sure we get a confinement nanny the next time round. Cheri has had to take care of him in the daytime and she can't get enough rest as a result. When I get home from work, it's my turn to take care of him but it's pretty much preventing me from getting much schoolwork done, not to mention the fatigue. Basically, chicken essence and coffee are now my two best friends.

I'm not sure if it's good or bad luck that contributed to this situation. The original intention was for me to work from home during this month so that I could help out in the daytime as well. But then a lucrative job offer came along... So well, I couldn't very well carry on working from home after resigning... While it's probably a good move for us in the long run, the timing of the offer certainly could not be worse. Oh well, it'll probably be better after her confinement is over - Just a couple more days to grind it out now...

So tiny his hands
Yet hold our world in it he can
So bright his eyes
Showing us our future ever so clearly

So fragile his body
A little bundle of hopes and dreams
So serene his smile
Lifting our weary souls ever so gently

This little one's name is Matthias
But his name in our hearts is unspoken
He's snuck his way up into all our hidden corners
And made himself a big home in our hearts

Matthias Lee, you won't ever be alone.
Daddy and Mummy will always love you so!

13th May

16th May

20th May

27th May

Feeding Time!

2008-05-07T15:14:00.006+08:00

I think I finally understand why the Chinese used to measure time in two-hour intervals. They must have used a baby's instinctive feeding timetable as a guideline.

It's been 3 nights since we've returned home. It's been relatively ok so far since I'm still on leave but I'm not so sure about it when I finally get back to work. It's definitely not easy waking up every two hours and staying awake for an hour after that... It's certainly tiring... But when I look into his face, it's suddenly all bearable and worthwhile.

I'm having a hard time getting back into my routine of work and study. Somehow I just can't find the interest to do either - I much rather spend time holding and looking at Matthias. He's so small now but I know he's going to grow up fast...

Like they said, the first kid always gets the most pictures. Most true indeed!

About an hour after he was born... Curious eyes peering around...

One Day Later

Two Days Later

Day Three

May 3rd 2.04am

2008-05-03T10:22:00.006+08:00

Matthias - Welcome to the world!

It was a long wait indeed.

By 5pm, your mummy was still feeling perfectly fine. We both thought that she was probably going to need another dose of prostin at 10pm so I thought that I might as well go collect the maid from the agency first. Your mummy wanted to go too as she was bored but then the nurse strongly advised against it. Somehow, your mummy started feeling a little backache at the same time and so she decided to stay. I went off at 5.30pm thinking that it probably was going to be at least 12 hours before I get to see you...

So I picked up the maid, brought her upstairs to your grandma, bought dinner for them and then went home to bring potato chips and chocolates for your mummy. And that was when she called me to tell me that it was starting to hurt badly. Well, I think I really pushed our car pretty hard after that.

Once I reached our ward, your mummy was already sitting in the wheelchair waiting for the nurse to bring her down to the delivery ward. I quickly left everything and picked up the videocam and went down with her. We were then admitted to suite 30 and your mummy was starting to hurt really badly. Anyway, it turns out that videocams aren't allowed so I hurried back upstairs to get the camera instead. :p

So anyway, your mummy was hurting and the senior staff nurse Thelva checked her cervix for dilation at around 8pm. It was still only 1cm but while examining, the waterbag burst as well and your mummy was hurting so badly that she teared. My heart was really aching badly to see her that way. With the waterbag burst, it was going to be much more painful from then on. And it really was - the contractions were coming 3 minutes apart and lasting almost 3 minutes each. It was bad and your mummy opted for epidural straightaway. However, Prof John Tee advised against it as he felt it was still too early. So she just took the Pethidine injection first. It helped to relieve the backache but the contractions were still proving too painful. After an hour or so, she could not take it anymore so the anaesthetist was paged. When he came, he informed us that your mummy would need to have a blood test first to rule out the presence of a certain chemical that could result in blood clots due to her high blood pressure. The test seemed to take forever and while waiting, it turned out that the dilation had opened to almost 7cm already! From 1cm to 7cm in the space of less than 3 hours... The nurse said your mummy was lucky which was probably true since she effectively got to skip a couple of hours of pain. Well she couldn't quite agree then in her state of pain....

Anyway, the blood test result finally came at around 11pm and your mummy was good to go. I wasn't allowed to stay during the procedure but when I came back, I saw your mummy in a much more relaxed mood. The epidural was definitely a god-send! However, her dilation was still only 8cm but the nurse said that her cervix wall was very thick and swollen, probably due to the numerous contractions. With the pain gone, your mummy managed to nap for an hour before she started to feel a small amount of pain again. It was then that Prof Tee came back around 1.30am and when she told him about the pain, he suspected that she might be ready. He checked and yes she was!

Prof Tee then asked your mummy to push hard but it was clear that it was going to be a long labour. He was concerned about your fluctuating heart rate heart rate which always dropped to 50-100BPM whenever she experienced a contraction. He said that it was possible that the cord was around your neck and so he wanted to speed up the delivery with forceps. We of course took his advice and before we knew it, the forceps was clamped against your head and he was pulling hard while your mummy pushed. The episiotomy was performed and then I saw your head and then your neck and more heartbreakingly, I saw the cord wound around your neck. The next moments were a blur as you seemed to smoothly slide out and your cord was cut, you were placed on the warmer, cord blood was drawn and the stitching began.

So on May 3rd, 2.04am, you were brought into this world! You opened your eyes in about 10 minutes after you were placed on the warmer. It was so amazing... The nurse weighed you in at 2.905kg, measured your length of 51cm and your head circumference at 33cm. Like your mummy said, the whole day felt like a dream. But when we finally held you in our arms, it was reality alright. We both know we are going to love you so much!

10:36AM

2008-05-02T10:36:00.004+08:00

Your mummy woke up early this morning at 7.20am and took what will be her last bath for a while. We looked at your cot and prepared it as best as we can for the last time before we headed upstairs to your grandma's place for breakfast.

Reached KKH at 9.30am and was admitted into Room 4 of the Delivery Suite. The nurse monitored your heartbeat (about 150 bpm)and your mum's contractions for about half an hour. I went back to the car to get her medicine for high blood pressure and while I was gone, the nurse came in and inserted the prostin into your mum's cervix. She's lying on the bed now dozing off while I'm sitting here typing away... Nothing to do now but wait... How many hours will we wait before we see your head popping out...

We'll be seeing you soon

2008-05-01T22:58:00.002+08:00

Yes. We are going to see Matthias soon!

Seen my gynae on Wed and actually had protein in my urine and high blood pressure which he said it's pre-eclampsia. Sounds serious.. He checked my cervix (it was darn painful) which is 1cm dilated. Then he told me that since I have dilated, he want to induce my labour in 2-3 days cos I'm having pre-eclampsia which can be dangerous in acute cases. He asked, "are you prepared for it?" This question got me a little dumbfounded since both Mal and I have been preparing for many months for Matthias's arrival but I actually wanted to say NO to my gynae. But before I did, I turned to see Mal's reaction and he nodded his head so I said ok to my gynae. And here I am blogging the last time before admitting to KKH tomorrow morning at 10am for induction.

I have heard many stories about being induced and I really hope I can have a natural birth. Please pray hard for me! In any case, I know it's not going to be easy tomorrow but I still have to go through that. Everyone seems excited about that but I can't help having mixed feelings. I guess I really do need support tomorrow and I know I'm going to be cranky tomorrow and probably the next 1-2 weeks. (So Mal, please be patient!) Now, the only thing I hope is that I can really relax tomorrow so that labour will be easier as advised by my mum.

Matthias, please be co-operative! We're seeing you soon.

(Look out for our update!)

A Dozen Days

2008-04-25T18:46:00.003+08:00

Almost nine months ago, I remember telling your mum that she's probably not pregnant, even though she was pretty sure she was. I was telling her that we couldn't be so lucky. But when I saw that blue line, I was glad we were. I still remember calling my parents to tell them the good news. I was pretty much at a loss for words then.

I was truly happy beyond words. But your mum was afraid. It was afterall going to be a much more trying experience for her than me. I think we were both full of questions on whether we were truly prepared for your arrival in our lives. It's been a tiring nine months for your mum but I think we're as prepared for you now as anyone possibly can be.

The first time we saw you - we were both amazed that you were so small. We seemed to measure our lives based on the next visit to the hospital to see you. Each month was a milestone - a major step towards holding you in our arms.

And so nine months later, here we are. Less than two weeks and you'll be out. Sometimes, I just can't seem to concentrate on much else but think of what you'll be like. You'll probably bring us more headaches than we ever thought possible. But in the end you'll also bring us more joy than we would ever know...

13 days

2008-04-24T21:50:00.002+08:00

to go...

Time just flies.. I'm finally on leave (been waiting for this day) and will only go back to work end July! It's the only thing that people is envious of me.. Haha.. Cos I get paid not working.. But at the same time, I am also worried cos I really don't know if I can handle a baby, I guess being a first-time mum is definitely not going to be easy and I hope I will make it through.

Now my only job is to pack up the stuff at home and wait patiently for Matthias to come.

Saw my gynae yesterday morning instead cos he was going to have a meeting in the evening. The morning clinic is much more crowded than the evening one, I guess cos it's much cheaper(like $20 difference). I was abit blur blur cos it's the first time I went to that clinic. Went for my usual routine test, take weight, BP and urine test. Was really surprised that my weight dropped 1kg and worried if Matthias is doing well inside. BP was abit high but think it's probably normal towards the end of pregnancy. Gynae said Matthias is now 3.1kg, growing well so I guess my 1kg lost doesn't matter. In the end, he didn't check my cervix and said will do it next week. But luckily he didn't cos if any dilation, afraid have to induce and Mal is having his last paper this Sat.

Then when I went to office, 1 of my colleague told me that losing weight means baby is going to be out soon and said give me 3 days. Wow.. I'm really not hoping for that cos I'm not mentally prepared for him to come out before May. In the evening, I told my mum about my weight lost, she also said the same. But seriously, I haven't really feel much contractions, there is no "show" or whatsoever so I really don't know what/when to expect. Just felt he's been really active recently, kept moving around and I read somewhere that their movement supposed to reduce alittle after engaging but it doesn't seem like that. But of cos, moving is good cos at least I know he's doing well.

In any case, dear Matthias, please stay in my tum for another 7 days. Let mummy have a good rest first and daddy to concentrate on his exams. :)

17

2008-04-20T14:15:00.003+08:00

Yesterday was a mixed bag.

Scratched the car in the morning against some shrubs - no thanks to a crappy driver who had to hog a major part of the driveway and forced me to keep far too left. Oh well, nothing that some polishing and paintwork can't fix.

Then the exams. I wrote or rather scribbled for almost three hours and at the end of it, I still don't know what I was writing. Oh well, at least I know I'm still capable of churning out rubbish at an impressive rate.

And then in the evening, went to my Grandma's place to celebrate her birthday. It was really fun to see all my uncles, aunties, cousins, my nephews and my niece all in one place. But it was really sad at the same time to see my Grandma in her current state. I can't help but wonder whether she's truly aware of her surroundings anymore.

Old age - that's something we all gotta face. But in some ways, it's harder for the people around you than for yourself to face it. When I sometimes think of your grandparents, I can't help but realise that they aren't young anymore. I sometimes wonder how I would feel if they were to be gone one day - and there's always a lump in my throat when I consider that possibility.

So dear Matthias, my advice to you today is a simple one. Cherish your family. Always. That's about as simple as that. I have to admit that I never really did that when I was younger. I guess I always took my family for granted. I guess I only really woke up when your cousin Ethan was born. Suddenly, it hit home that my brother was a father. I was suddenly an uncle. My parents were grandparents... And somehow, I came to accept that they weren't quite that young anymore. And it also seemed to me that your cousin Ethan was growing up so fast...

Somewhere around that time, I came to truly realise how important my family was to me. And that was when I decided to get my priorities in life set straight.

So dear Matthias and your siblings to come, I don't expect you'll understand this point all that well. I guess most of us never do when we are young. But one day I'm sure you will...

The Big Two O

2008-04-17T20:31:00.003+08:00

20 days to go. It's Thursday. Got an exam on Saturday... Gotta start studying.. Gotta stop working at night... Gotta wait for you to come out... Oh well, gonna blog first and shutdown my laptop and go study. That'll do it.

Ok, I'm just going to carry on a little from yesterday. Yesterday, I said not to argue unnecessarily. Today, it's not to lose your temper unnecessarily. Or better still, don't lose it at all. Every one has a different fuse - some shorter than others. You'll find your parents to be quite different in terms of how we handle our tempers. We both have our bad points so well, I hope you pick up only on the good.

Whenever you find something that really makes you angry, try to put yourself in the shoe of the other person. Try to understand why the person did the things he did. Maybe he was brought up differently - so maybe he's just doing what was natural to him. Through understanding, you may find things to be just that little bit easier to swallow and accept. And thereby, your temper may cool somewhat.

And when you find it really hard to control, just take a hike. Sometimes it's better to do and say nothing than to find yourself doing or saying something you will regret later. Anger is an ugly beast - always remember that and never let it get the better of you.

Day 21

2008-04-16T23:08:00.003+08:00

We just saw you again. Think you were sleeping as you didn't move much. Well anyway, the doctor said you were engaged. So I guess it's really anytime now...

Well your lesson for the day - Learn to back off from an argument when there's clearly no way out. Often in times, you'll find that your opinions differ from another person. And sometimes, you may get into arguments over your point of views. You may try your best to convince the other person of the soundness of your way and vice versa. And if things get out of hand, you may find yourself arguing more and more vigorously.

Well, in times like this, take a step back, think of something else and let it go. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and when you have already tried your best to prove otherwise, then there's really no point in getting upset that they don't see things the way you do. Afterall, if everyone saw things the same way, the world wouldn't be in such a mess now.

That said, it's important for you to keep an open mind as well and to always accept that you may be wrong. You can't always be right - but then that doesn't mean you should be indecisive. Be firm in knowing that you are right but at the same time, be open to the possibility that you may be wrong. It's a fine line to thread I know, but it can be done.

As you grow up, you'll find that there'll be a set of guiding principles in your life that will govern the way you do things. And as long as the principles are intact, you'll be able to differentiate what's right and what's wrong and learn to recognise when you may sometimes be on the wrong side of the fence.

22 days more...

2008-04-16T09:23:00.003+08:00

I think daddy forgot to blog or probably he's busy studying for his exams.

Mummy was working from home yesterday cos like your daddy said, we always have to be considerate. Mummy didn't want to spread my flu virus to my colleagues, hence the best choice is to "isolate" myself and work from home.

Nothing much happened yesterday other than your daddy slept for 2 hours after he came home from work. Hehe.. He must have been feeling really tired. I hope he's just tired and not because mummy passed the virus to him.

Mummy hopes the maid will arrive in Singapore soon cos mummy can feel Matthias is coming soon. Hopefully everything will go on smoothly..

See you in 22 days or probably lesser...

Day 23

2008-04-14T23:23:00.003+08:00

We went to Harbourfront today to visit the new Mothercare store and we passed by a shop that specialised in baby haircuts, baby massage and more interestingly baby swimming! It's basically putting a baby into a pre-heated bathtub sized just for one - I saw a baby swimming there and he looked pretty happy. Hmm I think we'll probably sign you up for weekly sessions there. Hope you will enjoy it too!

Well your mummy's still not feeling too well. Having sore throat and runny nose again. And I guess you're aren't helping much by kicking so often. Well, medication and rest will help cure her.

So I was saying this morning - Be patient. Be punctual. And now - be considerate. Always be considerate of others. When saying something, think of how the other person would feel. When doing something, think of how your actions will affect others. And yes, it's true that even if you're considerate of others, they may not reciporate your kindness. But still, that's no reason to stop being considerate. Always think of others and you'll generally find the world that you live in to be a pretty good one.

Day 24

2008-04-14T08:25:00.003+08:00

It's Monday morning. Typing a short one now as we were too tired after Theodore's birthday chalet yesterday. Well your mummy and I have a lot to say about the chalet... But nothing good, so I won't put them down here.

Well, your mummy wanted me to teach you one thing which I'm lacking somewhat - Patience. And it's true. It's important to be patient and to sometimes to allow things to run its course. Not everything will come to you at the time and place where you want it to. Maybe the timing isn't right but all you need is the patience to see it through and one day, it will surely come to you.

That said, another thing to remember is always to be punctual. Don't ever keep others waiting if you can. Respect the time and effort of others enough to turn up on time for them. That leads me to another point, which I'll save for tonight...

25 more days

2008-04-12T14:05:00.004+08:00

.. before holding you in our arms .. Every day seems like a long day ..

I'm feeling alot better today except for stuffy nose, occasional runny nose and uncomfortable throat. Oh well.. At least the fever has subsided.

These 2 days going to be eating alot for dinner (and mind you, they are all heaty!) cos it's Theodore's first birthday tomorrow. Can you imagine how time flies? My sister booked Downtown East chalet for him and it's on the second floor! How inconvenient for me! I'm going to be climbing up and down the stairs (Gosh!). Probably some good exercise for me though.. Just now there was a real heavy rain probably all around Singapore but seems like the rain stopped for quite a while already and hope it remains that way cos we are going to have BBQ tonight.. (Too bad I cannot eat sotong..) Tomorrow, my sister's friends and my relatives will be coming to celebrate his birthday, think he will get a shock since there is going to be alot of people. But he's friendly so I think he can let anyone carry him. My poor mummy and aunt have to help my sister prepare the food. Hopefully everything turns out well and I hope I don't get sick on Monday after the feast.

Alright, back to myself and Matthias. Recently, I kept feeling some pain at the vaginal area, as if something is there. It's been occurring more frequent and I realised I cannot walk too much especially after I have my meal cos I will feel that pain. I also feel the urge to go toilet very often even though there isn't much liquid. I am wondering if Matthias has already engaged himself cos some people said that is probably the baby's head engaged.

Also, I realised more and more stretchmarks are appearing although I have made it a point to apply the oil but seems like it's not helping. Sigh.. I guess it doesn't make a difference now. Why do woman have to go through this? Putting on weight is definitely not the scariest part, it's the "zebra crossing" that puts me off!

Anyway, I wonder if he has gained much weight since his mummy didn't eat alot the past 2 days cos of the fever. Well.. We'll find out soon.

Hi Matthias, daddy and mummy will be seeing you on the scan again this Wednesday! Hope you are doing fine and growing well. (And also hoping I haven't gained too much weight) :)

Day 26

2008-04-11T23:37:00.002+08:00

Ok your mummy's feeling better... Think she'll be alright soon enough...

Well I just came back from lessons. Last lesson of this module. Two more weeks and this term is over. Just four more terms to go... It just doesn't seem to get any easier - but I think when I hold you in my arms, I'm gonna find the motivation all over again.

It's getting kinda tough to think of what to say. So maybe just this: Listen.

Yup, listen more.

Scores of people and books will tell you this: People like to talk more than listen. People like to talk about themselves. People will hear everything but listen to nothing. Lotsa similar quotes. So how come so many of us still fall into the same trap?

I guess it helps that I don't like to talk much naturally. It helps me listen better.

You don't always need to point out the mistakes of others - it's alright to let them carry on talking.

You don't always need to be right. Sometimes it's alright to let others think they are right.

You don't always need to be loud. Often times it's more important to say the right things than to say useless things out loud.

In the end, it just boils down to this. Talk less. Listen more. Understand more. That's about it I geuss.

27 days to go...

2008-04-10T21:24:00.003+08:00

Alright, today mummy shall blog!

Just want to let my dear Matthias and even his siblings know that it's not easy going through pregnancy. It's physically and emotionally strenuous! So next time, you must appreciate your mother and your wife. Of cos, it's tough on your daddy too!

Today, Mummy fell ill, having throat infection and running a fever. So this is a short blog. I hope Matthias, you are fine inside my tummy, perhaps a little warm.

Mummy and Daddy loves you and shall wait another 27 days.. :)

*Mummy going to rest so that I can recover soon*

28 Days Later

2008-04-09T23:02:00.010+08:00

... and you'll be born!

Well your mum and dad finally got off their lazy butts and went swimming. We think you enjoyed as much as we did. At least you weren't kicking as much...

So what to say today? Well I heard this song on radio today and it recently became one of my favourites because of its meaningful lyrics.

I'm a little old and jaded. The moon is just the moon. The stars are just little sparks in the sky. The ocean is vast but it doesn't quite awe me as it once might have. And that's my problem. I just can't quite seem to be truly amazed anymore. And that's why I think this song is great. And that's why I hope you do as the song sings:

Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

Day 29

2008-04-08T23:32:00.005+08:00

Hello Matthias. Or your sister. Or your brother. Whoever it may be.

It's 29 more days before we expect you in our arms.

So what do I have for you today? Can't think of much. Perhaps just this: never worry about being number one. I think my biggest worry for you even before you are born is how are you going to be educated. Looking at today's educational system, it's a pressure cooker indeed. Both your mum and dad went through it fine. But what happens if you don't quite make it, I wonder?

But a recent video I watched helped me realise that it doesn't quite matter. You don't have to be good in everything. You just have to find that one thing in which you are great and that's good enough to start. You just have to find that one thing in which you have a passion and make that your forte. And in life, when you work hard enough, you'll invariably be rewarded with the fruits of your labour.

The video spoke of a story about how a young girl was constantly fidgeting about in class and couldn't quite keep still. The school counsellor called up her mother to talk to her about the girl's behaviour. While in the room, the girl had to sit on her hands to keep from moving about too much. Eventually, the counsellor and her mother left the room, but not before the counsellor turned on the radio to play some music. When they were about to return to the room, they stood outside and saw her dancing to the music. And then and there, the counsellor turned to the little girl's mother and said "Your girl doesn't belong here. She's a dancer. Send her to dance school." And so her mother did. And that little girl eventually grew up to become a famous dancer and choreographer.

So you may not be a dancer. You may not be a maths whiz or a science genius. You may not top your class or do fantastically well in all your subjects. But at the end of the day, none of that really matters. In the end, I'm sure you'll eventually find something in which you are great at. And when you do, you can be sure we'll support you fully in it...

30 days

2008-04-07T22:54:00.005+08:00

Yup, it's been a while indeed. Time has once again swooshed right past me and now there's just 30 days left before our precious pops up from his mother's womb. I just came back from a late night jog - peaceful and quiet - a perfect time to gather one's thoughts.

And invariably, my thoughts always led to him.

What will he be like?

And more importantly, what will I be like?

I'm just 28 years old, barely so in fact. What kind of lessons could I possibly impart to this little one? Somehow, I think he'll be teaching me more. Teaching me to be more curious. Teaching me to be more patient. Teaching me that in the child's mind, nothing is impossible or improbable.

And so, 30 days before he comes, perhaps I should try to put together some thoughts for him and his siblings to come - once a day, one at a time. Useful or not, I don't know. But perhaps when he's 28 years old, he can look back and see how his father once viewed the world.

And so begins my little nugget for day 30...

What better way than to start with my favourite phrase of all: "If you're falling down a cliff, you may as well try to fly." When all else fails, you might as well try to reach for the impossible. Well, I've never really had to put this into practise - but that's probably because I've never really taken any major risks in life. Like most of my peers, I've usually chosen the safer path. Never tried too hard to do anything impossible. At least not yet. But it looks unlikely that I ever will.

So my dear Matthias, I don't know if you'll lead your life any different from mine. But if you do, I hope you bear this phrase in mind. If you do take risks, you're almost certain to fail at times. But in failure, you might have the chance to create something better. And you know what else, you can be sure that your daddy and mummy will be behind you every step of the way.

Well that's the beginning and end of pep talk 101... I hope when you finally look at this, you might see some of your father in you. If so, then I would know that I have brought you up well indeed...

At 33 weeks

2008-03-23T22:27:00.003+08:00

Hi, been really tired these few days. Shopping around for baby stuff including big ticket items like stroller, steriliser, car seat! It's hard to choose and decide since hubby is so open with the budget but I kept telling him we can do with this and that. Haha.. Finally, most of the stuff we have gotten and our pockets have holes now. Then washed every single stuff to prepare for his arrival. (I'm so thankful we have a dryer!)

Anyway, saw the gynae on Wed when baby is 33 weeks old. Waited for very long, our appt was at 5.50pm and was hoping to join our antenatal class at 6.30pm after the appt. But gynae was not around and he only started seeing mummies at 6.30pm so we decided to leave for our class and come back later. We skipped the 2nd part of the class and went to see the gynae at about 7.40pm, so we checked with the nurse to see if we have missed our turn since we were thinking we might have but we didn't! Gosh.. That was how long the wait was.. The nurse told us he was out for caeserean before all his appts then shortly after the operation, he had to go out for another delivery and hence it took such a long wait. But well, I guess it's a norm for gynae.

As usual, everything is good and he's growing well and about 1.9kg. Funny thing is we saw him yawned this time. So cute and gynae said he must be very tired. He must have waited too long too. Haha.. Well.. No scan this time since he looks much the same as the last just that he's bigger! Will see him again in less than 2 weeks' time, appt is getting closer.

Hopefully we will get our maid in before end of April. Then need to bring the maid to probably shop for a little of her stuff.

That's my update for now. Nothing really interesting though. Haha..

I'm going to bed. And he's still kicking right now! *My hubby is too busy recently and he hasn't been giving any updates!*

CNY and 3rd Trimester

2008-02-25T10:06:00.016+08:00

Haven't post for a long time. Both hubby and I have been busy and lazy. Hehe..

CNY is different this year cos it is the first time we had to give red packets. But in the end, there is still his relatives who gave us red packets cos they said it's the first year and we should still get them. Haha.. Next year no more but then my baby will have. It's the second year we celebrate CNY in our house meaning we've stayed here for 1 year already (so fast).

Also this year, my oven has been utilised alot cos I was busy making pineapple tarts and kueh bangkit for our family and ourselves. It is very tiring cos I am carrying baby. Luckily didn't end up with super swollen feet.

As for the Kueh Bangkit, forgot to take photos before putting them into the bottles. Haha.. So only have this.

This is my first time making these goodies. Hopefully next year, they will taste better. Now CNY is over.

Anyway, went a month ago on 30th Jan to see our gynae and baby has grown very big. His estimated weight was about 1.1kg and I have gained 8kg then. Now waiting for this coming Thursday for our next appointment. Really hope I haven't gain too much weight from CNY.

Joined pre-natal aquafitness class in KKH, it's only 4 sessions, so far attended 2 and it's quite fun to workout in water cos really feel very light and the water in the pool is warm. But after getting out of water, felt so much heavier. Should go swimming more often.

Into my last trimester of pregnancy, 10 weeks left, feeling the fear more and more. Hard to get to sleep at night cos of the weight of baby. His movements and kicks are much more now. Aches here and there. I hope I can get over these.

Now just hope that gynae will say he is doing well... :)

Last Day of 2007

2007-12-31T15:51:00.000+08:00

It's the last day of 2007, can you believe it? Time just passed by so fast..

Anyway, we went to see our gynae on the 19th. Had detailed scan of our baby and we're expecting a baby boy (Not too much a surprise). But well, it is great to know that he's doing well and he's really active. The doctor was scanning his head from behind at this moment and the next moment, he is facing us. Now that he's almost 22 weeks, I feel him almost every now and then (even now when I'm blogging) and when it's time for me to sleep, he will either be turning, flipping or kicking inside! Even his daddy can feel him at 20 weeks.. It's amazing! We'll see him again on the 30th Jan!

Look at him! He's grown so much..

Just 18 weeks to go before Daddy and Mummy can hold you in our hands!

This year has really been an exciting and wonderful year for us! And 2008 is going to be another busy and thrilling year for both of us (New parents-to-be)..

Boy Oh Boy

2007-12-02T21:17:00.000+08:00

Once again it's been a while...

The first term of school is finally over for me. It's now the one month break in December. Just five more terms to go - one year eight months. Seems like an eternity but I guess I just gotta take it one step at a time.

Another one of my Air Force School mates got married last Saturday 24th Nov. Congrats Patrick and Huiping! Welcome to the club!

And one of my Air Force School pals just became a father yesterday. Congratulations Chin and Huili! Your adorable daughter is most lucky to have you as parents!

And yet another of my AFS buddy is going to get married this Saturday. Congratulations in advance Weihao and Singyin!

Such an eventful year indeed. Well, let's hope it gets better. :)

As for us, we just learnt there's a 95% chance that our little baby is a boy. We've seen the inevitable. Unless it was a scanner malfunction, it's likely to be a boy. Well, boy or girl, it doesn't matter. It's our flesh and blood - that's all that really matters.

The expected due date is now 7th May... Just a little over 5 months to go!

12 weeks and 2 days old

2007-10-28T09:49:00.000+08:00

Haven't been posting for a long while...

This has got to be the most amazing year in my life. Now that I'm experiencing pregnancy, I realised it's not going to be easy. The first trimester is already so difficult with the morning sickness (MS), whole day of nauseousness and also always feeling lethargic. I had really bad appetite just a week ago. I'm glad that the MS is going away. However, I'm always feeling bloated and my tummy just seems big whether I eat or not. But luckily I haven't put on much weight. Hehe.. But I think I need new clothes and underwear soon....

Anyway, I seen my gynae on 24 Oct and am really glad that my baby is growing well. I could see the limbs, the legs were kicking and hands moving then the baby turned her back to us. I never knew it can be so touching to see her moved on the scope. Haha.. She is 5.1 cm then, I'm pretty sure she has grown much bigger now. Don't know the gender yet but really hope it's a girl so that I can doll her up. Boys are chaotic and a handful. Hehe..

Somehow, the estimated date of delivery (EDD) is now 9th May 2008. Our next gynae trip will be 28 Nov and am really looking forward to that day. She will be 16+ weeks old. For now, just need to satisfy my cravings. Hee..

10 May 2008

2007-09-27T21:50:00.000+08:00

Hmm, it's been a while and lotsa things have happened.

I've been in my job for more than two months now. Pretty settled. So far so good.

Cheri's about to hit the two month mark as well. And she just came back this morning from a 12-day business trip to Zurich. Hopefully that'll be the last time she ever has to travel on business.

School's started for me. It's been interesting. Not exactly tough - but very time consuming. The projects are the killer... I've got two due end of next month and I've yet to get started. Gotta go full steam next week onwards.

And the most important piece of news... Well, pictures say a thousand words:

12-Sep-2007 - Just a sac...

27-Sep-2007 - More than a sac now...

10-May-2008 - Expected due date... Wondering if it's a boy or a girl... we both feel that it's probably a girl...

This has been an incredible year indeed!

New Job New Nephew

2007-07-26T21:32:00.001+08:00

Just started with my new job at Symantec last Monday. Coming to two weeks now. It's a pretty nice place to work in. Nice people there. Not too much pressure. Only problem is that I'm the only guy in my department in Singapore. So, it's definitely been busy. Been diving straight into ongoing projects since my second day. Well, no room for complains of boredom from now on...

We've gotten our wedding photos. It was definitely the right choice to engage Bryan. The photos were simply fantastic.

My nephew Ian was born on 21st July 2007 at 12:27AM. Full of twos and sevens. He looks just like his mum!

Cheri's going to start in her job next Monday. This marks the beginning of another phase. For now, I guess both our aims are simple. Do fabulously well in our jobs and get converted to a permanent position...

Ethan. Theodore. Ian. When shall we add to the list?

Time Flies...

2007-07-12T13:09:00.000+08:00

Today is the 12th July... Half of 2007 has passed... Time really zoomed and everything seemed to happen in a flash.

In this particular year,
1) We moved into our new house in Feb just in time for CNY.
- It is just different when we have our own home.

2) I have signed the Marriage Cert with Mal in March.
- It was our pleasure to have Mrs Chia as our Solemniser

3) Baby Theodore was born in April, Friday the 13th.
- He is now cute and chubby but still dark as ever.

4) My last exam paper in NUS happened in May.
- Glad that I do not need to go MPSH for that again.

5) Busy preparing for the wedding in June.
- It's all worth it. Esp. the 2 weeks spent on the wedding favours.
- Hubby got a job offer in another company. Something he will like to do.

6) 1st July 2007, Our Wedding Day
- Everything went on smoothly from the day to night.
- Thanks to all our family, relatives and friends who have contributed to this joyous occasion.

7) 4th July 2007, Taipei Trip
- Nice food and scenery, enough said!

8) 10th July 2007, Commencement
- An important day to all my NUS coursemates and myself. Like XX said, all for that 30s of fame on the stage shaking a stranger's hand and taking from him an empty cert holder.
- Enjoyed the never-ending perspirating, tiring walking and phototaking in Engineering school.
- I received a call that I have got a job that I was hoping to get. What a great day!
- Ended it off with dinner at Rice Table.

It's indeed a busy and tiring year so far. Next, I will be looking forward to my first graduate job and hubby going to his new company next Monday. Hopefully things will go on well for us.

Taiwan

2007-07-12T11:44:00.000+08:00

It's been a tiring and wonderful trip. Much good has been said about Taiwan by our numerous friends who have been there within the last year. Turns out they were all right.

Just a brief record of our trip for our future reminiscence:

4th July Wednesday
================
Took Jetstar and arrived in Taipei at 5.45pm. Took the airport van transfer service to Seasons Hotel. Took a leisurely walk to Zhongshan MRT station. Stopped at Jiantan station and sampled our first taste of Shilin. Tried the Taiwan sausage hot dog, BBQ pork stick, oyster omelette, peanut popiah and fried chicken. Took the shuttle bus to Miramar to ride the Ferris Wheel. Back to the hotel for a good soak in the jacuzzi.

5th July Thursday
================
Took the shuttle bus to Taipei Main MRT Station. Stopped at Daan station and walked to Din Tai Fung. Waited only 30mins to get in. Ordered noodles and xiao long bao. Took a bus to Tapiei 101. Started raining. Walked the Xinyi sky bridge to the various shopping malls. Nothing much to do. Took a taxi back to the hotel as it was still raining. The rain finally subsided in the early evening and we walked to Zhongshan station and took the MRT to Shaoguang temple. Visited the Huaxi Night Market. Bought a curling potato chips and cheesy hotdog. Horrible. Ate Kuo Ruo Fan (Pork Fat Rice?). Incredible. Took the train back to Zhongshan and went to the nearby Ningxia Night Market. Small market with lots of food. Back to the hotel for a good rest.

6th July Friday
================
Took the shuttle bus to Zhongshan station and stopped at Taipei Zoo. Rode the newly opened Maokong Gondola. Nice view from the top. Bought Muah Chee and Yogurt Ice-cream. Took the MRT back to Shuanglian and had Daodong Beef Noodles. Simply fantastic. Took the MRT to Taipei City Hall with the intention of going up the Taipei 101 Observatory. Bad luck. It started raining when we alighted at Taipei City Hall. Change of plans. Took the MRT to Beitou. Went to the Spring Resorts for a hot spring soak in a private room. Two nice relaxing hours. After that, took the MRT back towards Taipei City Hall again to go to WuFenPu. Dear bought a few pieces of clothing before she decided that she had better stop before it gets out of control! Took MRT back to the nearby Ningxia Night Market. Took Mee Sua, played Ping Pong game and bought sweet peanut biscuits back to the room for snacking.

7th July Saturday
================
Took the shuttle bus to Zhongshan station and stopped at Taipei City Hall. Finally rode the famous escalator up to the Taipei 101 Observatory. Impressive indeed. Went back to Zhongshan MRT. Took a cab to DaDaoCheng Wharf. Bought three packs of oolong tea at a nearby shop. Took the ferry to Guandu and then onto Danshui and then onto Fisherman Wharf. Watched the sunset at Fisherman Wharf. Took the ferry back to Danshui. Couldn't find much food there other than grilled squid. Took the MRT back to Shilin. Had teppanyaki, fried chicken, pineapple ice-cream. Walked around. Played a shooting game. Played the ping pong game. Bought muah chee. Back to the room to pack up.

8th July Sunday
================
Went back to Din Tai Fung. Waited almost an hour to get in. Ordered fried rice and two sets of xiao long bao. Good way to end a trip... Went back to the hotel. Took the transfer to the airport. Bought Pineapple Cake.

Home Sweet Home.

Dreamy Reflections

2007-07-04T10:11:00.000+08:00

It's been barely 3 days since our wedding dinner. Yet it feels like so long ago, much like a beautiful dream come true.

Reflecting back on the day itself, I realise how truly blessed I am. Blessed to have truly great parents, relatives and friends who go out of their way to make things work.

Our friends were of immense help. Aaron, Daniel, Ivan, Weihao. My XiongDis were ever present and ready to help in any way possible. Catherine, Cathy, Karen, Pearl. Cheri's Jiemeis were also dedicated in their all tasks. I still haven't had the chance to thank them for their help in cleaning up the wax stain on my pants that morning. Catherine and Wenkai. They were fantastic emcees. Frankly, I only needed them to be just ok. Afterall, I've been to dinners with pretty bland hosts. But the two of them truly surpassed all expectations and really helped to make it a memorable experience.

And of course, our wedding planner Serene. What would we have done without her? I can only imagine all the running around that I would have to do. I would be lost most of the time. She was truly fantastic. Cheri and I both agree that one of the best decisions we made was to engage her help. The cost of hiring a planner against the cost of things screwing up. That's a pretty easy decision to make. She has been truly outstanding for us.

Our photographer Bryan and videographer Bernard. They made it clear why it's important to hire the right people for the right job. Their expertise and professionalism that day was never in doubt. I've certainly never been impressed more by another photographer. Now we just can't wait to see the results.

Our parents. What would we be without them? I'm really lost for words when it comes to how grateful I am to our parents. I just know that if I can be half the parents to my children that my parents were to me, I would have done a darn good job already.

We're finally embarking on the next stage in our journey. But we would never have gone this far without the help of so many loved ones.

Perfect

2007-07-03T23:35:00.000+08:00

That's the one word to describe our wedding.

Sure, there were a couple of hitches here and there. But all in all, it couldn't gone on much more smoothly.

The Fullerton bridal suite was perfect too.

We're definitely going back there next year! But first, to Taipei...

3 Days to Go

2007-06-28T15:19:00.000+08:00

It's been moderately busy. Cheri had a great idea to create our own wedding favours as our personal gift to our guests. It took a hell lot of time and effort but it was certainly worth it in the end. At least it's all completed now. We've got most of the details tied down. Three more days to go - I'm sure there'll be a couple more surprises popping up along the way. Gotta take them as they come...

On a side note, we're going to Taiwan next week for our honeymoon. Five days four nights. It'll be a great getaway and a good start to our marriage life. :)

And yeah, we've booked our Honda Civic Hybrid. Initially opted for the off-peak scheme but decided not to in the end. We've got the COE - now we just have to wait for it to be delivered sometime at the end of August. Oh well, good things are worth waiting for!

Escape

2007-06-13T16:39:00.000+08:00

Lots of things have been happening the past two weeks. We've almost settled our guest list. The An Chuan ceremony was performed on 2nd June. The Guo Da Li ceremony was carried out on 10th June. We decided against having an edible wedding cake. We're starting to tie down a lot of loose ends for our wedding. I went to the SMU Matriculation on Monday. Our car battery went flat on Monday. And I finally found myself a new job.

Well one thing at a time.

Our guest list is almost finalised now. We managed to pare it down by about 20%. We should have about 400 odd guests now. Final figures will be decided this weekend.

The An Chuan and Guo Da Li ceremony went a lot easier than I expected. Mostly cos of my helpful relatives who really went out of their way to get the necessary items for me. And it also helped greatly that both our parents were not particular about the customs. That being said, I'm definitely glad it's over.

We went down to a bakery about two weeks ago to enquire about the wedding cake. In the end, the cost turned out to be much higher than expected. At $70/kg, we needed about 20kg to provide a small 1.5cm chunk for everyone. We decided that it probably made a lot more sense to go for the traditional wedding favours. Cheri's sourcing around for some unique ones now.

We were distributing the Guo Da Li cakes on Monday when our car battery went dead. Managed to jump start it with the aid of Cheri's brother and cousin as well as the kind assistance of a passerby car. We once agreed to help someone jump start his car. Now it's our turn to receive assistance. Indeed, what goes around comes around. Anyway, we're looking to change our car soon. Given my new job location as well as Cheri's likely new job location, it'll be likely that we'll be going for an off-peak cark. Honda Civic Hybrid. What a dream come true...

The SMU Masters of IT course that I'm taking has just 25 students. 2 genius students from the undergraduate course who'll be completing their degree and masters at the same time. 2 ladies out of 25. About 6 Indians - that's a good ratio compared to the NUS MBA course. Three older guys probably in their late 30s or early 40s. A Temasek Poly lecturer. A software developer from SCS. The IT manager of California Fitness. A project manager from Citibank. All in all, it was an interesting mesh of people. Can't quite see myself fitting in though. Well, I'm just going to while my two years away somehow...

And I just signed on the dotted line today. It's an internal network engineer role at Symantec. A contract job but the job scope is exactly what I want. Certainly much more challenging than what I have now. It's a bloody dilemna. I just went for an interview with Barclays Capital yesterday - that would have been my dream job. But Symantec made its offer yesterday as well. I couldn't delay it any further so in the end I decided to take it up. Afterall, the chances for landing the Barcap job was pretty slim. Haiz... Guess I'll have to wait for another two years.

So July is gonna be an hectic month. Ideally, we'll have our dream wedding. Cheri will start in her new job. I'll start in my new job. We'll get our new car. Oh.. and Ethan's brother will be born too!!!

Food Tasting

2007-05-28T15:54:00.000+08:00

First off.... it's great to be home!

Anyway, we had our food tasting yesterday evening at the Jade Restaurant in Fullerton Hotel. It was a fantastic meal. Totally filling. I just hope that the portions we were given will stay the same during the actual dinner.

1. The cold dish was very appetising - there was a crispy seafood roll which tasted like nothing I had before
2. The shark's fins broth was a pretty big bowl - it made me feel pretty full even though it was only the second dish.
3. The steamed fish was good, though my sister-in-law felt it could have been better - I'm glad she was there, I could never differentiate between good and excellent.
4. The fried crispy prawns which was glazed with wasabi mayo had a very unique taste - too bad there was only two for each of us. I would certainly help myself to more, much more, if I could.
5. The crispy boneless chicken with almond & mandarin orange tasted very unique as well - it suited my taste buds very well.
6. Mushrooms with dried scallops - no comments since I don't take this. But everyone else felt it was great.
7. The wok-fried fragrant rice with seafood was damm good. A good way to end the main course.
8. And the best of all, the cream of mango sago with sea coconut and topped with vanilla sauce... Dammit, I should have asked for a second and a third helping of that....

Well, at least we have no complains about the food. Many more things to settle for our wedding. We're having our An Chuan ceremony this Saturday and the Guo Da Li ceremony the next Sunday. And that leaves us with barely three weeks before the wedding. Invitation cards, guest list, photo montage, emcees, wedding cake... And the list goes on and on and on... fortunately not like the duracell bunny....

On another note, it's a small world afterall. At least it's a small Singapore afterall.

Firstly, our wedding planner Serene is actually my friend Daniel's sister-in-law. It's kinda funny now that we look back at it. When I told Daniel that we had engaged Sophia Wedding as our bridal studio, he did mention that his brother had also used them. And we wanted to invite Serene for our ROM as well. If we did, they would have met there and then since Daniel was helping out as my ROM photographer as well. There aren't that many wedding planners in Singapore. But I guess 5 million people ain't a lot afterall.

And then today, I went for an interview with a Japanese MNC. Turns out that the interviewer was an ex-acquaintance from my previous company. I had only met him briefly once for maybe a day or two. And the funny thing is that he actually stays in my block. We've bumped into each other a couple of times but he couldn't recognise me. Well, after today, we'll definitely be saying hi when we see each other again.

I guess that's why they say you must choose your friends and enemies wisely. You never know who you're gonna bump into some day. :)

30 more hours

2007-05-19T05:31:00.000+08:00

It's Friday, 3pm in California.

30 more hours and I'll be touching down... Can't wait to be home!

Still no concrete job offers coming in. *sigh* Well, like I've always said, knock on enough doors, and one will eventually open... :)

Leaving on a Jetplane

2007-05-15T01:20:00.000+08:00

It's Monday. It's 10:20AM in California.

It's Tuesday. It's 1:20Am in Singapore.

It was a pretty smooth 16 hour flight and now I'm stuck here in Calabasas, California, my company HQ. I just can't wait for Friday night to come. I'm literally counting down the hours. I'll be back home on Sunday morning, just in time for Cheri's birthday. This is my second trip here. And quite strangely, I've never missed my dear as much as I do now. The first time she went away for a month with her parents, I missed her but I was never too worried since she was staying with relatives. The second time I came here for two weeks, I missed her too but again I was never too worried since she was staying with my parents. This time round I'm only here for a week but I'm missing her so much and I feel really bad because she's all alone at home. It's our home and I should be there with her. *sigh* I gotta get me a new job soon enough if I'm to avoid this situation again in future...

Anyway, it was a pretty packed weekend. On Saturday, Theodore turned one month old and there was full day celebration for him. On Sunday, just before my flight in the afternoon, our families, both Cheri's and mine, had lunch together to celebrate Mother's Day. There were four mothers at the table - our Mums, Cheri's sister Eleven, and my sister-in-law Michelle. A pretty meaningful weekend indeed. It's one of those days that makes you glad you're surrounded by family.

Ending of a Chapter and Beginning of Others

2007-05-11T09:29:00.000+08:00

Sorry for not posting. Have been rather busy with school stuff! Having said so, I did not feel a single tinge of stress though, it is the only semester that I felt so relaxed. Haha.. Anyway, I'm glad that I'm graduating (hopefully).. 3 years in NUS doesn't seem that long afterall and perhaps, it's due to the gang that I've met and my supportive hubby! Thanks to all of you that have made my days! I hope we will meet up frequently and not lost touch after we all start working. Can't wait to throw all my notes away.

Now, I'm closing this chapter and opening up another.

In the following months, many things are going to happen. Two of which are BIG things in my LIFE! I'm getting a job that will support my famliy and I'm getting married. I am not sure how it will turn out to be. I really hope to find a job that I will like and to have a perfect wedding. I'm not exactly a perfectionist and I don't believe that there is any in this world either cos there are many things in life that just doesn't meet your expectation. So by perfect wedding, I just hope to see my friends and family there and that everything will go on smoothly. I am having an interview next week, let's hope I will do well.

Recently, I'm also busy with a little one that have joined my family. Theodore is the name that I found for my nephew. He sure is mischievous. Tomorrow, he will be a month old! Just can't wait for him to grow up a little.

Now that I'm graduating, Mal is going to start studying. Really ironic. But it's for good sakes. So study hard, honey!

Books and more books

2007-05-08T16:00:00.000+08:00

Good and bad news. The good - I managed to get into the Masters in IT course at SMU. The bad - I'm going to enrol in the Masters in IT course at SMU. Good cos it can only be good for my career long term wise. Bad cos it means I'll have less leisure time for the next two years.

Well I guess I'll have to try my best to balance everything and hopefully somehow scrap through without too much effort involved. Family is still more important afterall. We still want our four (or maybe five...) kids!

It's sure ironic - Cheri has just completed her studies and I'm about to embark on mine. It'll be worse if supposing I complete mine two years later and then she decides to study for a Masters as well. If that happens, that'll mean that there's always one of us studying over a seven year period... But then again, it's all good for our future...

Theodore is going to celebrate his full month this Saturday 12th May. He's certainly filling up his clothes quickly. He'll be running around and making crazy noises like Ethan soon enough!

Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention in my last post...... Spiderman 3 was absolutely totally smashing! The first two in the series were just teasers compared to this latest installment! Damnit, while I hope there's a part four, I also can't see how they can possibly top this!

Theodore

2007-05-05T22:28:00.000+08:00

Time flies... We've been pretty busy in the past month - mostly for one very good reason. Cheri's sister nephew finally joined the family on April 13th at 1:20pm. Theodore is a cute and hyperactive baby - so small and yet he's already practising all kinds of yoga and martial arts stance! He's gonna grow up real fast. Let's hope we can give him a cousin soon. :p

Other reason we've been busy, or rather Cheri has been busy is due to her exams. She's just completed her last paper on Thursday 3rd May. That's it! It's all over. In the blink of an eye, she's been in NUS for three years. More importantly, we've been together for three years as well. The older you get, the faster time passes you by indeed.

Bridal Photos

2007-04-03T10:38:00.000+08:00

Well it's time to write about happy stuff! Happy but damaging to the pockets stuff .

We finally got to see our photos last Saturday. We were both rather stunned when our coordinator Ann brought out a huge stack of photos and told us that the stack only contained the outdoor shots. It looked like it was gonna be a long long day...

But well, we managed to eliminate more than half of the photos pretty quickly. After the first cut, we were left with 169 photos. At $80 a pop, that was far too damaging to our health - both financially and physically!

So we looked harder and filtered it down to 111. After some haggling and reluctant discarding of more photos, we managed to get a pretty reasonable price, so much so that we decided to keep all the 111 photos in the end. Funny thing is that after a final count, it was actually 113, so we kinda got 2 photos free. It's not much, but it's one of those small irrational things that makes one feel better...

The photos were really fantastic - they turned out to be more beautiful than we thought possible. The photos simply left us really impressed with the photographer Bryan. At least there won't be as much photoshopping required. :p

One more item down. A thousand little items to go. Thank god we hired a wedding planner!

The ripple and the wave

2007-04-02T11:31:00.000+08:00

A ripple in the ocean can gradually build up into a giant wave. One man's actions can change the world.

I was a Christian once. Then I decided that the Christian God wasn't the kind whom I could put my blind faith in. However, I still held onto the idea of a higher power. There was a plan in motion so vast that I will never be able to remotely comprehend. We are afterall, just men.

Events last week led me to ponder if there really was such a higher power. And in the end, I decided that there probably is.

What if one man's death can rally a thousand to action? What if one man's death can change the lives of those around him forever? A man's death might serve as a constant silent reminder to cherish all around us, to never take family and friends for granted, to live life as if each day might be the last.

That perhaps is the lesson. And that is a lesson I intend to hold dear and try my best to act upon.

Reflections

2007-03-28T10:15:00.000+08:00

There's a dark chapter in my past which very few know about. A minor issue perhaps, but it was one of the few turning points in my life. I've never been comfortable discussing it... But now that it's been more than ten years, I guess it is time to truly face the demons.

Well, this blog is meant for our children afterall. Maybe one day they'll face similar issues. Maybe it will help them see things in different light. Hopefully it will...

I was an angst-filled teenager. I was often thinking long and hard about the meaning of life. About the monotony of waking up each morning. Doing the same old things. Walking the same old path. And at the end of each day, sleeping in the same old bed.

Studying hard. I often wondered why I should study hard. Yeah, the usual retort. Study hard. Get a good education. Get a good job. Get married. Have kids. Grow old. Watch your kids grow up. Watch your kids have kids. Watch your kids' kids grow up. Tell stories of your life. Lie in a bed. Eventually die, hopefully surrounded by those that you love.

The circle of life. Thinking about it. Watching it play out in my mind with a detached and critical eye, it was hard for me to figure out the purpose behind it all. Our lives will be but a blimp in the history of this earth. What significance does it hold? Why struggle so hard only to have all traces of our lives eventually washed away by the tides of time?

A happy life. At the end of the day, you die.

A sad life. At the end of the day, you die.

The destination was the same. The journey might be different, but to my youthful eyes, I did not recognise the value of the journey. Impatient youth that I was, I saw only the fateful destination that we are all bound to reach.

At the end of it, I failed to derive any meaning from the journey. I saw only the destination in my mind...

I was in secondary two. The final year exams were just around the corner. Next monday in fact. I had been studying hard for it.

Studying hard. One day, I just snapped.

I thought. I could study hard today. I could study hard tomorrow. I could work hard and succeed for the rest of my life.

But to what end? To what purpose?

I saw no purpose.

Hence, I decided to cut short the journey. I decided that perhaps it was best, perhaps it was easier, to hasten my journey towards my final destination in life. I decided that it was time to die.

I planned a devious plot. It didn't take too long at all. I ran away to Malaysia in the dead of the morning. I planned to end my life somewhere far far away. Why far away? Because to do it near my home just seemed too cruel to those around me. Well , there's no rational reason for this. It was just an irrational thought then.

Once away, I was planning to carry out my final act. I made a phone call. A phone call to my parents. I didn't know why. I wanted to say goodbye I guess. And it was then I heard my parent's voice. I didn't speak. I couldn't. I could only hear the sadness in their voice. And it was then that everything fell apart for me. I wasn't so sure anymore. I wasn't so firm anymore.

I came back home lost and defeated. No, not immediately home. I went to the top of my building. I looked down. It was a long drop down.

Some people say it takes a lot of courage to take the step down. But I still remember. When I looked down, I knew it didn't take a lot of courage. Well, I guess it did. But I knew then that it would take more courage to live. More courage to live for those around me. More courage to struggle through life and to experience all that life has to give.

Perhaps my courage failed me and that's why I didn't take the plunge. Perhaps it was because I found the greater courage to live.

To this day, I don't know which it was. But I know that it was love that kept me going.

Love for my mother. Love for my father. Love for my brother. Love for my aunts. Love for my family.

To leave them behind to mourn for me. That was a pain far greater than any I could imagine. The worst thing for a parent is to outlive their child. I just couldn't find it in me to visit that fate upon my parents.

And so I lived. And as I lived, as I grew older and hopefully a little wiser, I've come to discern more on the meaning of life. At least, the meaning of life to me.

I live not for myself, but for those around me. Because if one lives for himself alone, then it truly is an empty and meaningless life.

I live to contribute to the joys of those around me. And in so doing, I may find joy in my own life too.

I live to bear witness to the lives of my loved ones. And in so doing, they bear witness to mine.

I live to love. I live for others to love in return.

I live for others even as others live for me, and even as I find meaning through others, they might find meaning through me.

I think I've more or less stumbled upon the meaning of life. To live for others. That is why mothers sacrifice themselves for their children. That is why doctors work tirelessly to save others they barely know. Because in the end, we are all linked to each other via invisible threads. Someone is painting a masterpiece and we are each a single thread in that picture. That perhaps is our place on this earth...

And so, that is my take on life. To my child who might be reading this in future, cherish your life and more importantly cherish those around you. No matter how dark times may seem, there will always be those who love you. There will always be those who are living their lives for you, who are defining their meaning in life through you. You owe it to them to live. You owe it to them to try to live a good life.

We may not be close. We may have spoken barely a few words to each other over all these years. But blood ties run deep. You shall be remembered and dearly missed...

Life...

2007-03-27T17:04:00.000+08:00

This blog is supposed to be a happy blog about our lives. So far it has been...

But then there are moments in life when certain events overshadow almost everything else...

A moment today proved to be just that.

This was a good year so far. Was a good year so far. It might still be a generally good one. But now there'll always be this one sad chapter....

I guess life has a way of dropping bombshells on you every now and then. Perhaps it's to remind us of how fragile life can be. Perhaps it's to teach us the importance of cherishing each and every moment we have. The importance of loving your family and making the most of your time on this earth. Because we never know when it might all end. For you. Or for someone you love.

Life goes on...

Smile!

2007-03-20T13:57:00.000+08:00

Indeed, it was a very long and tiring day. We never had to smile so much in our lives before!

We first spent about 7 hours in the studio. Cheri went through the actual wedding gown as well as the two evening gowns. After that, she changed into the outdoor wedding gown and we went to Marina South, then Tanah Merah (near the SAF Yacht Club) and finally Changi Broadwalk... The outdoor shoots were pretty fast, taking about an hour each. Marina South was pretty, but bloody hot! Tanah Merah was fantastic - the sea breeze gave us a much-needed respite. Changi Broadwalk smelt bad but then we managed to catch the brilliantly red setting sun. :)

All in all, it was a great trip out! I must say we were pretty lucky - it had looked to be a rainy day as it started with a drizzle in the morning. Fortunately, the sun came out in full force by the time we headed out. Better hot than wet.

The photographer Bryan and his assistant Ah Wei were simply fabulous. They really kept us going. Our jaws are aching after having to smile so much but I trust the results will look good. If not, well, there's always photoshop. :p

So now all we can do is wait. One more item off the checklist. And yet so many more things to do... Guest list, Invitation Cards, Photo Montage....

Oh and I just heard more good news. This year is a good year indeed! :)

My thoughts about our Wedding Photoshoot

2007-03-19T22:28:00.000+08:00

Just a sentence:

It was super duper tiring for us....

Hehe...

Having said so, I still enjoyed it and hope the photos will turn out well. ;)

Phase One

2007-03-10T19:42:00.000+08:00

4th March 2007 @ 1.15pm - We finally said our "I Dos"

What an amazing journey... If you told me a year back that we'll be married at this time, I would have laughed pretty hard.

Life is indeed unpredictable - thank goodness it turned out to be unpredictably great for us!

New Home - Checked
ROM - Checked
Bridal Photoshoot - Pending
Wedding Dinner - Pending.
Baby?

3 months into 2007 and it looks great thus far. I'm pretty sure the next few months are gonna fly by again. I'm sure as hell gonna keep my eyes wide open and enjoy the moments!

Lastly, thank you. YOU may be a friend or a relative - but you have made our lives better for being in it. Thank you for your well-wishes. Thank you for being part of our lives and for sharing in our joy. Thank you once again! :)

4th March 2007

2007-03-07T21:43:00.000+08:00

Wedding Vows - Her to Him

2007-03-04T23:18:00.000+08:00

On this day, I invite you to share my life as I hope to share yours. I promise to be by your side to protect, support and encourage you, be it the good or bad times. I will try to be understanding and to trust in you completely. I will remain faithful to you through all the uncertainties and trials of life.

From this day on, our lives will be intertwined forever, filled with care, understanding and love. May this ring serve as a reminder to tell you how much I love you, not only on this special day, but also the many days, months and years ahead. Like the ring that is endless, so is my love for you. And with this (ring), I shall take you, Malcolm, to be my husband.

Wedding Vows - Him to Her

2007-03-04T23:17:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I wonder,
what if I never met you.
What if you never existed,
What would the world be like?

I think the world will still keep on turning.
I think the sun will still keep on shining.
But I wouldn't know any of it.
Because I know I wouldn't be here.

Because without you, there would not be me.
Because without you, living wouldn't mean a thing.

Because I know we were made for each other.
Because we were meant to be together.

And so I pledge today will just be the beginning
The beginning of an eternity together.

I pledge that in life I will cherish you always.
And even in death shall our spirits linger together.

My love, my bride, my partner in life,
With this ring on you, I pledge myself to you.

Officially Married

2007-03-04T23:16:00.000+08:00

I can't believe that I'm now married! Time just flew so fast... Now I'm only left with a few months before our customary and wedding dinner. Oh man, so tired and sleepy! And I still have so much to catch up in school especially my FYP. Hee.. (Heck care.. *Hubby more important!* Hehe..)

Luckily for us, it rained very heavily when we reached home. Had a wonderful weather and perfect solemniser for our ROM lunch. And not to mention that Jumbo had did a very good job coordinating and organising our event for us, I was a little surprised that their food turned out to be so good (really much beyond my expectations *Have always prefer Long Beach*). Really enjoyed myself, now waiting for my pictures to be out. Hope I didn't look too fat! Time to lose weight before my photoshoot on the 18th. Hee..

Two Days

2007-03-02T17:50:00.000+08:00

Two more days and we'll be legally married.

Spring Cleaning

2007-02-17T22:10:00.000+08:00

Spent the afternoon spring cleaning our new home. Not quite the usual spring cleaning since there certainly wasn't anything old to get rid of, but it finally feels like our home... our clean home that is...

Anyway, I finally got round to taking some pics of our humble abode. I didn't really bother to remove some unsightly stuff since I'm definitely going to take another round of pics when the fridge and the wall art clock arrive next week. For now, this is the unfinished masterpiece:

The Foyer

The Living Area

The Dining Area

The Kitchen

The Common Bathroom

The Master Bedroom

The Master Bedroom Bathroom

The Study Room

The Guest Room

The Sofa

2007-02-15T09:39:00.000+08:00

The Sofa.... is finally here... Cheri waited at home from 3pm... Tick Tock... 6pm... they were still not here.. Rung them up three times before they finally apologised and rescheduled the delivery to after 8.30pm.... Tick Tock... 8.30pm... they were still not here... 9.30pm... The driver finally called to let me know that he'll be reaching around 10.30pm.. Tick Tock.. 10.30pm.. they were still not here... 11.15pm... The door bell rings...

Gotta pity those fellas... Delivering stuff in the dead of the night... Hope they are compensated well with OT...

Anyway, it was a sofa worth waiting for. Finally, our home looks complete... Baring the delivery of the fridge, we're all comfy and settled down now.

We rented some DVDs and we're gonna watch it over the CNY holidays... Outta go shopping for popcorn and chips to complete the experience! :p

Hmm.. Lotsa of washing, mopping, drying these two weeks... I wonder what the utilities bill will be like..

Moving in

2007-02-12T15:04:00.000+08:00

We've finally moved in!

We spent the last four days moving all our stuff into our new place. Tiring four days... A few minor hiccups along the way but we're settled in for the most part.

Our wooden blinds have been installed. Expensive but definitely worth it.

Our dining table was delivered together with our coffee table. The sofa is going to be delivered this Wednesday due to a holdup at the customs. I guess sofas need to be checked more thoroughly - I wouldn't want some cop to come bashing down our door and slashing the sofa seats to reveal a million bucks worth of grass... :p

Our platform bed and king-size mattress is in... Damm, it looks so good but yet we can only sleep on it four months later. It's going to be a long four months... Our master bedroom is pretty full, I wonder where are we gonna put our baby cot next time.... hmm...

Our study table and bookshelf were delivered - the study table turned out to take up considerably more space than we envisioned. On the other hand, I don't think we can ever complain that we don't have enough space to do our work on. Oh well, as long as it fits....

Our sofa bed is in and we've spent the last two nights sleeping on it. It's pretty comfy - if there wasn't the other mattress in the master bedroom to compare with.... Argh.. Patience, patience...

Our washer and dryer are in, but the dryer was mounted pretty high above the washer. We're gonna need to get a stool to access the dryer properly. At least the wife will need it.... Oh, the washer is quiet. We've used it and I find myself periodically checking to see if it is still working as it barely makes a whimper. The dryer is a different story of course. You can't miss its roar.

The fridge. The fridge. *sigh* Daniel from DAV Electronics called me on Thursday afternoon to let me know that the agent had no more stock! There was some screwup at the agent's side and Daniel was kind enough to loan a replacement fridge to tide me over till the fridge is delivered after the Chinese New Year. Initially, we wanted to cancel the order and buy from Best Denki instead. However, we found out later from the Best Denki staff that they had no stock either and more importantly, they cost almost $400 more... Oh well, we went back to DAV and took their loan fridge of course. In any case, I'm really impressed by their service, it wasn't their fault afterall. I don't think many dealers would go to such an extent. Their margins are already pretty low and yet they were still thoughtful enough to provide a loaner. This is definitely a place to recommend to others in future.

Our poor laminate flooring has quite a few scratches already. I think that's partly due to the fact that it's textured. Gotta go Homefix to find some stuff that can help to cover up the scratches. Hopefully it'll be as good as new or at least invisible to the passing glance.

We've been so busy these few days that we haven't even managed to take any pictures. Guess we'll do it after the sofa comes in.

It's been really fun. Really tiring. Really expensive.... But all worth it.

And now, to live the rest of our lives together, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, regardless of race language or religion.. wait, that didn't come out right....

80%

2007-01-27T22:53:00.000+08:00

Two weeks is a long time in the home construction business - our home is almost done up! I would say it's about 80% done. All that's left is just some minor carpentry, fixing up of bathroom accessories and a fresh coat of paint and walla, we're ready to move in!

It's beautiful (of course every home owner would say his own home is beautiful) and I must say it's been worth the wait. I'm gonna spend more time at home and less time outside in future. More DVD rentals and home popcorn & nacho chips. Less Golden Village. :p

It's certainly ironic, but we ended up spending the most time shopping for the littlest things. We decided on the big ticket items easily enough. Took only a day to decide on our bed, sofa and dining table. Took maybe a week or two in all to survey the market and get our kitchen cooker hood, hobs, fridge, washer and dryer. But we ended up spending all of a week just looking for a console table! And we travelled far and wide just to find a suitable one!

We had tried IMM and a couple of other places initially but we couldn't find any that could fit our budget. Then last Saturday, we saw in the papers that there were a couple of warehouse sales going on. So on Sunday, we took a mini-tour of north-western Singapore.

We hit the Barang-Barang warehouse in Senoko Loop first. Saw a table going for $200, down from it's usual retail price of $650. What a steal! But then we found out why. It was the last piece and was probably a display set. Closer inspection yielded a couple of scratches and stains. Oh well.. we still had three other places to explore.

So we went down to Picket & Rail at Sungei Kadut. They had nice stuff - just not what we wanted. So we went to Zen Tradition. That was a waste of time as they had only sales on a couple of items. The other items, i.e. console table, were all going for the usual retail price - which basically priced us out. Last stop was Scanteak. We saw a table that was good. Good price. We were tempted.

But the image of the table at Barang Barang was stuck in my head. For the same price, I could live with a few scratches. Anyway, wood is supposed to be imperfect ain't it?

So we plowed back to Barang Barang and bought our table and it's been delivered to Cheri's home. Looking at it, we are certain we made the right decision. It fits perfectly with our resort theme. :)

So anyway, in addition to the console table, we also ended up spending a fair amount of time looking for a bathroom shelf unit and soap dispensers. Such small items - one would imagine it should be easy to find a good one. But no.... we walked the whole of Jalan Besar and we had to grudgingly settle on a dispenser that was a little expensive.

Lucky for us, the store had no stock and had to deliver the items from their warehouse. So they said they'll call us the next day when it's ready.

Well the next day, we headed down to Mustafa. It was a kind of last resort thing but wow... we were pleasantly surprised at the immense range of items that they had. I always knew they were big but I had always been reluctant to visit the place since I didn't have a good impression from my last visit there. This time round, it was much cleaner and very well organised, certainly a far cry from the crowded, dirty place which I remembered. In the end, we found the dispenser that we wanted. Great price for the design and we also managed to get a couple of other small items from there. Hmm, guess we'll be heading there in future more often.

One more week and our home should be in move-in condition. We'll going to be moving in all the furniture and appliances the following week. It's gonna be fun!

As a footnote, we found our videographer for our wedding. It's Academy Video. Their studio was amazing! And the owner was a friendly gentle old man whom we both liked. In addition to the fact that they were a professional outfit, the clincher was that it wasn't a solo outfit. He had a team of workers - so that meant that a camera man could be shooting our customary vows while the video editor would be able to collect the earlier tapes and begin working on it. This was important to us as our customary ceremony was starting pretty late so we wanted to be sure that our morning highlights could be prepared in time for the wedding dinner. Oh well, one less thing to worry about now.

Bathroom Windows

2007-01-13T10:50:00.001+08:00

If I'm entitled to only one gripe with our new home, then it must be the size and location of our bathroom windows. They're right smack in the middle of the bathroom, making it really hard to place all the bathroom accessories in ideal spots. Add to that those drainage and waste pipes... Oh well, things can't always be perfect.

Anyway, we saw some wooden bathroom accessories in Ikea and we felt that they'll blend in perfectly with our bathroom tiles. They're cheap too... So I guess even if they should somehow rot in a couple of years, they'll still be cheap to replace. That's gonna be one of the very few things that's cheap in our home. Even our dustbin which we just bought from Tangs isn't cheap. Ah well, but at least the dustbin comes with a ten-year warranty. :p

Carpenters of the non-singing type

2007-01-09T16:06:00.000+08:00

Just had a marathon discussion session with our ID Darren yesterday. Let's see, we met him in his office at around 7.30pm and we left at 1.45am. About 6 hours, discounting the break for dinner at 10pm. Ah, an ID's life is a tough life. And to think I was complaining about my job in the past. I had it easy indeed. :p

We've managed to settle all the designs for the carpentry and also selected the colours for our walls and laminate. I can almost picture the place in my mind now. hmm, it's certainly going to be worth the wait.

With a fair amount of luck, we should be able to move all our furniture in on the 10th Feb. That gives us a week or two to tidy up and get ready for our house-warming on the 4th Mar. Gonna be a hectic February.

Then again, March isn't going to be much better. We've got our ROM & house-warming on the 4th Mar. Then we've got our bridal outdoor photoshoot on the 18th Mar. And in between, there's probably going to be tons of other things to do! Things are really starting to roll now...

On Saturday, we headed down to Tangs to get our Corelle tableware. In the end, we bought a vacuum cleaner, an iron and rice cooker as well. The vacuum cleaner is a hefty investment - it's a Dyson. Gonna have to use it often to make the most of it!

2008

2007-01-03T12:58:00.000+08:00

Nope, the title's not a typo. It's 3 days into the new year and I just thought that instead of typical resolutions and looking forward to the year 2007, I could instead picture myself looking back on this year instead. That'll pretty much sum up what I hope to get done this year.

So on 1st January 2008, this is what I hope I'll be writing:

It's been a fantastic 2007. Too many things happening to roundup. Thankfully, it's almost all good!

February. Our new home was finally done up. It truly feels like the resort home which we both dreamed of.

March. We held our ROM this year at Jumbo Seafood. The weather was perfect, the ceremony was beautiful and more importantly, the bride was stunningly beautiful. After that, we held our house-warming with friends and family at our new home.

April. Cheri's nephew finally arrived!

May. Cheri completed her FYP presentation. That's the end of NUS for her!

June. Cheri found a great job that she'll love. Best of all, she needed to start work only after our wedding in July.

July. Our fairy tale wedding at Fullerton was a dream come true! We celebrated our union in the company of all that was important in our lives - our family and friends. What more can we ask for?

July Part 2. Ethan's younger sibling finally joined him in wrecking havoc!

September. Cheri's expecting! :p

December. We've finally paid off all our debts and we've both quit our jobs to concentrate on our new business!

2008. I can't wait for it to unfold!

2007

2007-01-02T23:18:00.000+08:00

It's new year, folks! Happy New Year to all!

New year with new resolutions? (Some of them are old..) Haha.. I shan't list out cos there's probably too many. But this is a year that I've been looking forward to since July 2006. It's going to be a year filled with much excitement and anticipation.(At least for me!)

First, got to be the renovations of our home. Just wondering how everything will look like when they are put together. Still can't really get that image in my head! Looking forward to staying there with my love.

Second, it's going to be CNY. It's been the same every year but it's going to be last year that I collect angbaos and will be on my own way next year (really have no idea what it will be like). CNY will also disrupt FYP workings. Anyway...

Third, definitely my ROM which is the 15th of CNY. I hope it doesn't rain that day though. Can't wait to put on my wedding band and sign on my certificate. Haha.. It's at Jumbo and I guess I can't eat crabs cos I have to look nice that day. Dar* it... Keke..

Fourth, my nephew is estimated to be delivered on the 18th April 2007. Just wonder who he will look like. Hard to put together my sister's and bro-in-law's faces.

Fifth, hopefully to complete my FYP and pass all my exams and get my second lower class degree and get out of NUS. With that, I'm going to enter the working society which is still full of rubbish, politics, gossips and backstabbers. Well, pros and cons about studying and working but I do prefer the latter cos I will have more spending power. Keke..

Sixth, of cos my wedding. It's once in a lifetime and it'll stay memorable after decades. It's going to be a fairytale for me. (Heaven is so sweet to me for giving me such a good hubby)

Seventh, after wedding, it's definitely my job. Hopefully I'll get a good job which pays me high enough and doesn't have to do much work. (DREAM ON!)

Eighth, Ethan's is going to have a sibling soon. Be it brother or sister, it's another joy to the family and another baby for me to play with. Keke.. Oh yes, my cousin will have a baby in that month too. So many baby piggies(I'm a piggy too) on the way.

Lastly, I hope I can look forward to have my own baby soon... *Hopefully*

For now, that's all for 2007. I'm sure other great things will come our way.

Happy New Year again..

2006

2006-12-31T01:25:00.000+08:00

2006. Quite a brilliant and eventful year I must say. A new job role at the beginning of the year. New job in the middle of the year. New flat at the end of the year. Lotsa friends getting married in between. This year will certainly be one to remember.

We just went for a gown fitting on Tuesday. Cheri picked out her wedding gown, two evening gowns and her ROM dress as well. Wasn't quite that easy as all the gowns she tried on were nice. In the end, it was a matter of choosing between good, better and great. hmm, that's a nice dilemma to face.

We've also finally placed a deposit for our electrical items from DAV today. We've got our Hitachi 6-door fridge, Brandt 7kg washer, Brandt induction domino hob, Brandt wok burner domino hob, Brandt double burner domin hob, Brandt cooker hood and a Brandt oven. We've already got our JVC LCD TV and Rinnai dryer. That pretty much settles all our major electrical purchases.

We've spent the last week shopping around for stuff for our home. Bedsheets, bed quilts, crockery, sofa bed, fans... Setting up a new home is an expensive journey but it's certainly a fun one.

2007. I've never been one to look forward to new years. In the past, a new year pretty much looked the same as the past one to me. But 2007... It's probably the first time I'm looking forward to a new year.

2007. We're going to move in to our new home. Cheri's going to graduate. We're going to get married. Can't wait for it to get started! :)

Back from Bangkok

2006-12-21T16:47:00.000+08:00

It's good to be home! We just came back yesterday from a week-long business-cum-leisure trip to Thailand. Had a great time there - did minimal work and maximum relaxation and shopping. Not that I fancied shopping but we did manage to get some nice stuff for our new home. Let's see, we got some table placemats, coasters, chopsticks, decorative bowl, a small decorative table lamp and even a shoehorn. Not much but we're probably going to head back next year after our home is done up - by then, we'll know exactly what we're missing and what other items would perfectly complement our resort look.

Just learnt that a good friend of mine is finally back from Australia. Back for at least two years - I hope it's back for good though. Weihao, welcome home! :)

Got me thinking - I always thought that I would fancy an overseas work stint, maybe for two or three years to gain invaluable experience. I worked hard in the past and actively sought such a posting, believing that it would be a good boost for my career. Then this new job came along... And it seems my perspective has changed drastically since.

Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm finally settling down and preparing for marriage, but I just realised that family is truly one of the most important things in my life. Watching my newphew do his silly things every Sunday and watching him grow so much in such a short span of time - that just made me determined that when Cheri and I eventually have kids, I'll want to be there every single moment watching them grow up. Each and every moment is truly precious - Life is far too short and too many people have come and gone from my life. It's time for me to fully cherish the present. It's a gift afterall!

So I guess as big as the world out there is, home for me is still a small tiny dot in the big picture of things. And I'm happy with that. :)

Taps and Lights?

2006-12-13T13:08:00.000+08:00

(When I first saw you, I saw love. And the
first time you touched me, I felt love. And
after all this time, you're still the one I love.)

After hearing this song, just thought of blogging.

Finally my FYP CA2 is over, Mal and I will be leaving for Thailand today, away to Pattaya till Sat and BKK till next Wednesday. Hopefully, can buy lots of stuff there. Exchange rate really bad cos Thai Baht has been appreciating. Let's hope the weather won't be so hot.

Oh yes.. Last evening, Mal and I went to Tapz Gallery at Balestier(recommended by Darren) and the Designer Lightings just beside. We spent 5k in these 2 shops. Bought all our lights, sinks, taps and shower heads that we need. Haven't decide on bathroom accessories cos have to see how the bathroom is like first(In case of pipings). We saw a very nice mirror light for our bathroom, wonder how it will look like. We bought an ultimate tap for our sink. One that comes with those power jet that restaurants use. Haha... We are going to have a long sink. Keke.. I think my kitchen cost alot. Thanks dear dear!

Will get to see nice floorings when we come back, I guess.

Wedding Bands

2006-12-06T16:10:00.000+08:00

Oh well.. Haven't been posting much. Pardon me cos I have been having my exams and now busy with my FYP. While taking a break from FYP, let me blog.

Look at Ethan, he really does make all my stress go away. Hehe..

Yesterday was our 31st month anniversary. Seems quite short huh! Anyway.. after dinner, we went to Lee Hwa to look for our wedding bands. Don't ask me why Lee Hwa! Of all, I always feel they stand out most (Probably because of their marketing?... I don't know...) We didn't take very long to decide cos I was not fussy as I think the diamond ring will always look nicer. (I want a bigger one next year! Haha...)

First, we looked at the Jorn Rainer series of wedding bands. I was told by the trainee salesperson that it was mostly Platinum but we are not sure either. Most of the rings in that series are either too plain or the nicer ones are too heavy for Mal. After which, we looked at the Affiniti series where we found a pair which both of us like. I cannot find the picture from their website so I would assume that the bands are newly designed. Glad that we have settled our wedding bands.

Coming up next will be our renovations and also my wedding gown fitting.

Ethan's 1st Birthday

2006-12-06T15:46:00.000+08:00

Since I was in the process of uploading pics, I thought I might as well upload some pics of my nephew taken during his 1st birthday party. As Cheri would say, looking at his adorable face makes all troubles melt away...

Surgery

2006-12-06T14:41:00.000+08:00

As of yesterday, our new home finally underwent the surgeon's knife. Just for the record, we decided to take some pics before the hammers start knocking - mainly so that we'll remember how bad it looked. No matter what happens in future, it can't be worse!

The Foyer & Future Dining Area

Living Room(View from Foyer)

Living Room(View from Dining Area)

Kitchen

Service Balcony

Master Bedroom

Guest Room

Study Room

Master Toilet

Common Toilet

The Key

2006-12-02T08:53:00.000+08:00

We finally have the keys to our home! Well, actually we could have gotten the keys earlier - but we were too nice to the sellers. Turns out that the sellers (at least the wife) were really a**holes and made me totally regret being considerate to them.

Just some background, when we initially agreed to the purchase of the flat, the sellers had agreed to reduce the selling price by 2K in return for allowing them to stay for one month after the transaction date. This was because they needed to purchase a new flat and renovate, carry out the shifting etc. We had plenty of time so we certainly agreed to that.

After our HDB first appointment, the sellers then requested to stay for an additional month, claiming that the renovation at their new place was likely to take longer than expected. After some exchanges back and forth, we finally agreed to let them stay for an additional two weeks, i.e. till the end of November and not a day more. In the end, the HDB transaction was completed almost two weeks earlier than expected. So in effect, the sellers had the luxury of staying almost one month for free! Ah well, it still wasn't a big issue to me then - I wasn't losing an arm and a leg and I was helping someone else out afterall. No harm done.

But their true colours were revealed later when I eventually wanted to bring our ID, Darren, to view the flat. I arranged the appointment a week earlier with the husband and it was all good. On the day itself, the seller's wife had the gall to call me up and request for me to delay further viewing of their flat till after they moved out - giving excuses like their dogs couldn't tolerate strangers, they had a dinner to attend that evening etc. That totally pissed me off - we had agreed right from the start that I could bring IDs to view the flat anytime. I called up my agent to request him to sort out the issue and it was then that I learnt from him that the wife was also making some unreasonable requests towards the sellers of the flat which they were purchasing. Fortunately, our ID Darren was good and he didn't need to view it a second time.

As the end of the November approached, our agent called us up on the 28th to let us know that the sellers would be shifting out the next day and they could hand the agent the keys after 11pm. So the next day, I rang up my agent after 10pm to check if the sellers were done moving. The agent then checked with the sellers and it turns out that they were still moving and they didn't expect to finish before midnight! Our agent was more than a little upset (so was I, of course) and so he went down to the house to watch them move. In the end, the fella had to stay till 2am and in the midst of it, ended up arguing with the wife again.

Oh well, at least that's the end of it. We never have to hear from them again. :) We now have the keys and we're scheduled to start the renovation next week! However, our ID had some personal issues to attend to this week and so we're still wondering if we can proceed as planned. We'll find out soon I guess.

Anyway, the Sitex show is on right now and my friend Daniel had gone down on the first day to hunt around for a LCD TV. He was looking for a Sharp model but I had mentioned to him about the JVC model (LTZ37EX6) which I was eyeing, so he kept an eye out for JVC models as well. In the end, he found a better JVC model which was selling at a fantastic discount. This model (LT-Z37DX5) was slightly older but the specifications were solid and better than the one I wanted - hence the original listed price was also much higher than the one I wanted. At the show, they were selling both models at the same price - it was a no-brainer on which model to choose. In the end, we both purchased the same model - but I'll just have to wait two more months before I can enjoy the wide view. :)

Oh, we're also getting a good deal for our ROM venue. At first, Cheri's mother had already referred us to one of the owners of the Jumbo restaurant chain - she had met them while on holiday in Vietnam. Cheri contacted him and he instructed the restaurant owner to give us a good deal. Then two weeks back, my mum told me that my uncle had also spoken to another owner of the chain - I've no idea if this might be the same person - but in any case, he secured a discount as well as some complimentary items for us. I guess Cheri and I should really count ourselves lucky :)

Babies!

2006-11-23T11:48:00.000+08:00

My nephew Ethan is gonna have a new sibling soon! Emm well, it's gonna take another 8 months, so I guess it's not That soon... But I can imagine just how adorable Ethan and his new sister or brother would be together. I just heard that my brother was trying for another child not too long ago - and just yesterday he rang up my parents to tell them that my sister-in-law has been growing a new life inside her for five weeks already! Talk about productivity... hehe

Hmm, so if it's a girl, does that make me an auntie?

Anyway, looks like next year is a bumper year for the government. Cheri's sister is giving birth to a boy next April or so. Her cousin is also due next year. And of course, there's my sister-in-law as well. Falling birth rates? Well, at least my brother is doing his part. Hopefully Cheri and I can also do our part for the country soon. 2008 would be a good year!

I guess the question we're both pondering is how many should we stop at. If our finances permit, we would definitely go for more than two. Four or five would be nice. I guess our motto shall be, as long as we can afford it, we'll take them as they come... hehe... When that happens, I'm gonna have to psycho my parents to move near me. Gonna need two sets of grandparents to take care of so many kids... :p

16th Nov

2006-11-16T20:47:00.000+08:00

Decided to keep the title of my postings as simple as possible - saves me the headache of having to come up with anything interesting. Just putting the date seems like a good idea to me...

Haven't been blogging these past few weeks cos there's really not much to write about. I've been busy setting up my new office while Cheri has been busy studying for her exams. Late nights and early mornings - nothing else really exciting happening.

First off, we didn't win our plasma TV! oh well, too bad.

Then, we received a call from our JP-to-be, Mr Chan, that he would not be able to make it for our ROM. But we quickly managed to find another JP, Mrs Chia, to agree to solemnise our wedding instead.

Anyway, we went to see Darren yesterday. He showed us the black-and-white perspective drawings. They looked so good that now we can't wait for it to be completed! Next appointment, he'll show us the drawings in colour... damm, that'll just make them look all the more impressive...

As we had to decide on our fridge and washing machine soon, we went down to Best Denki after our meeting. Cheri had originally wanted a Mitsubishi fridge but after browsing around other brands, we set our hearts on a Hitachi fridge instead. Looks just as good, with just as many functions but way cheaper than the Mitsubishi fridge.

As for the washer, we pretty much decided long ago to get a Brandt washer, so it was just a simple task of deciding what load and what RPM we required. We settled for a 7KG 800RPM model. Hope it lasts us for years and years and years and years, just like the energiser bunny...

We also hunted around for a TV. At first, we wanted to settle for a Samsung model as it looked really good - I mean the design looked really good, not the picture. Fortunately, a salesman was persistent enough to ask us if we needed help. Cheri asked him some questions and before we knew it, he had volunteered many valuable insights. Turns out the Korean models really need a wee bit of catching up to beat the Japanese models - my research online later also confirmed this. We decided to settle for either a JVC or Sharp 37" model. Gotta go down to Best or Harvey Norman again to compare the different models before deciding.

Went down to Citygas this afternoon during my lunchtime. Saw the Gas Dryer and Gas Water Heater by Rinnai. The sales guy was really a gas evangelist but then again, he was preaching to the choir. We were just glad that the Dryer looked good enough to blend in with our washer. No more hanging and ironing of clothes for me :p

ID Confirmed

2006-10-27T21:18:00.000+08:00

These few weeks have been amazing. Lotsa stuff happening and lotsa things to do. The options seminar we went to was simply awesome. It just made our future seem so much brighter now!

We finally signed up with Darren from Aranus. The package is kind of pricey, but it's value for money. And we both believe that the end product will be worth it. Furthermore, we're paying for peace of mind as well - with Darren, we know we're in good hands.

We also ordered a bedframe, mattress, sofa, coffee table, dining table and dining chairs all at one shop - Furniture Club - exhibiting at the Gracious Living exhibition. Darren's friend was running the exhibition booth and so we both think we got a pretty good discount. Again, it wasn't cheap - but the quality was well worth the price. The sofa we ordered was huge too - it can probably comfortably hold about eight persons - it's almost as good as a sofa bed!

After all the money spent, let's hope we win the lucky draw at Gracious Living and get a Plasma TV :)

Wedding Dinner@Lion City

2006-10-19T22:50:00.000+08:00

The past week simply flew by... Went to Vietnam for a business trip last Thursday and came back on Saturday. Attended Cheri's sister's wedding dinner on Sunday at Lion City. Then flew to Bangkok for a customer site vist on Monday night and came back on Tuesday morning. Went to survey our new home with Darren on Tuesday evening. Watched The Departed on Wednesday evening. That about sums it all up.

In between, we also managed to squeeze in some time to visit some stores to figure out which home appliances to get for our new home. We're mainly looking at the big-ticket items for now, i.e. fridge, cooker hob & hood, oven, washing machine & dryer and aircon. We're having a hard time as there are simply too many choices! Right now, we've managed to wither down our choices to a couple of brands. Gonna have to research online a little more and visit a couple more showrooms to narrow down our list further. This is even more difficult than finding an ID!

Cheri's sister wedding event was definitely unique in many ways. But I guess the most important thing is that she and her husband are officially married now and we both wish them all the best!

Also have to say a Big thanks to a good friend of mine, Daniel Chew, for helping to take tons of fantastic photographs during the dinner. I'm glad I've already booked him for my ROM before he contemplates turning pro.. hehe

Well, everyone already knows that The Departed is the Hollywood remake of Infernal Affairs - And I think it's a darn good remake indeed. Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg were simply fantastic!

This weekend, Cheri and I are going to attend a four day seminar on options trading. I truly can't wait for it. It's about time we took charge of our financial lives. :)

Aranus Delight!

2006-10-11T08:12:00.000+08:00

Been a busy few days indeed. First, Cheri's sister completed her wedding customary vows on Saturday. Then on Sunday, we went over to my ex-colleague's house-warming. His home looked great! And he didn't have to spend too much to get it fixed up either. He definitely got a good deal on his renovation.

And yesterday, we finally met up with Darren from Aranus. He totally blew our mind. First off, the floor plan that he showed us was in full colour with material references and the design was fabulous too. He remembered that we wanted a resort theme and he stuck to the concept fully. We could almost visualise it! He also showed us the lighting plan, the ceiling plan and even the tentative project schedule. That's a lot of details to go into for just a first meetup. He was thorough and detailed in his explanations of the design concepts and the materials to be used - again, his 15 years of experience in this field was evident. By the time we walked out the door, we had both made up our minds. No more hunting for any other IDs!

While his overall quotation wasn't cheaper than Gerard's, item for item, it was still a little cheaper. In addition, his past references were all glowing - we have utter confidence in the quality of his workmanship. Furthermore, we believed that, due to his seniority, he would be in a much better position to give us a good pricing on the final quotation. Of course, we did like Gerard's design and his attitude and service and we felt that in 10 years, Gerard may well turn out to be as experienced and popular as Darren. But for the present, we would do best to go with Darren.

We also went to the newly opened Vivocity yesterday. It was bigger than big. I think they should have more seats there - folks will probably get tired just walking from one end to the other! We watched World Trade Center at GV Gold Class. It was my first time splurging on a Gold Class ticket. Quite an experience I must say. Of course, the movie was great - the theme resonated well: Sometimes, we focus too much on the evil things happening around us. But truly, we ought to focus more on the good things that man are capable.

For now, we're both delighted and we're eagerly looking forward to the whole process of fixing up our dream home.

Fused

2006-10-07T00:29:00.000+08:00

Just attended my ex-colleague's wedding on Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt. The decor was fantastic but there were two pillars in the middle of the ballroom that more or less ruined the event for those who were blocked by the pillars. But on the bright side, the food was good. :) In any case, I learnt that another one of my ex-colleague will also be getting married next year. That brings the tally of known weddings occurring next year to four - once again proof that I'm getting old...

Met up with Gerard from Fuse Concept earlier this evening. Once again, he has managed to impress. Still, the quotation remains on the high side. When we asked for a discount, the "discount" he worked out was less than 2% - not exactly very enticing. I guess the upside will be that we will not need to cater for too much additional costs along the way.

Right now, it's really down to him and Darren from Aranus. We'll be meeting Darren for the first time on Monday and I can't wait to see how it'll turn out. We're suppose to meet Vera from ReztNRelax tomorrow morning as well, but we're less than enthused about it. In fact, we're hoping to get it over and done with! I seriously doubt she can produce anything convincing. We'll see...

Tomorrow is Cheri's sister will be performing her wedding customary vows. Good preview for me. :)

All about Weddings

2006-09-30T18:47:00.000+08:00

As a kid in the past, attending wedding is only for kids to play among themselves, run around and eat food that you like. But recent years, attending wedding helped me to understand what I want for myself and also envy those who were getting married. It will not be too long before it's my turn.

Attending a wedding yesterday made me think of all these... The ballroom is very small to start with, it was rather cramped to walk from the entrance to the table, the food is really bad and service is not prompt especially so for drinks. On the back of my mind, I was hoping that Fullerton will be much better than that especially the food and service wise.

Talking about wedding.. My sister is getting married next month.

Finally we have settled our Bridal Studio last week. So glad that we got a very good package. Now the only thing left is Interior Designer for our home. Gosh.. Think this will take quite a while. As Mal has mentioned, we're very interested in Darren from Aranus but he still haven't called us up. *waiting*

Wedding Dinners

2006-09-30T01:09:00.001+08:00

Just came back from a relative's wedding dinner at M Hotel. Wasn't too good an experience. The food wasn't great - you could probably get an equal or better standard at your local coffeeshop. The ballrom decor wasn't too bad but the overall ambience wasn't fantastic, probably due to the fact that there were too many tables packed. It required a bit of maneuvering to get around the tables.

Looking back, I just realised that I've reached the age where I'm gonna have to start attending a lot more wedding dinners. Before this year, I had attended only four wedding dinners in the past four years - one in each of the years before this year. But just this year alone, I've attended four so far. With two more to go! Must be a good year to get married...

And of course, to top it all off, next year, there's mine. :)

Designing a Home Part Deux

2006-09-27T01:02:00.000+08:00

Just spent the better part of the afternoon touching up this blog. It's not pretty but I judge it passable enough. Beats the previous look...

Anyway, we just met Gerard from Fuse Concepts today. He was pretty impressive. He was thoroughly prepared and he was able to present his vision and concept in details and backed them up with pictures from magazines and brochures. We were both very pleased with his presentation. We of course had some issues with some of his proposals but he was very open to coming up with alternative solutions. The only downside was the pretty high quotation. On the bright side, he probably starts from the highest possible cost so that he will have room to slash later when we negotiate - at least this is what we are hoping... Anyway, we look forward to hearing more from him. Of course, we are also fervently waiting to hear back from Darren from Aranus as well... It's pretty much down to these two excellent IDs...

Our parents met for the first time yesterday evening. We had a simple dinner at Kartini Indonesian Restaurant at Parkway. The session turned out pretty well and both our parents were able to chit chat about small things. This certainly bodes well for us. One hurdle down...

Bridal Shopping Part Deux

2006-09-23T21:50:00.000+08:00

Went to three bridal studios today: Allure Charix, The Wedding Present and Sophia Wedding Collections. We finally settled on Sophia Wedding Collections as they had a pretty good range of off-the-rack gowns and we were pretty happy with the photography and were very comfortable with the service rendered. We even had the option of Made-to-Measure gowns. More importantly, they worked out for us a fantastic package, no doubt due to the fact that our wedding planner Serene had engaged them previously for her wedding. On top of that, my brother had also engaged them two years back. All in all, it was a great package that definitely helped to differentiate it from the other studios. I must say it made up our mind for us as our a good sum of our budget was effectively freed up to allow us to improve other areas of our wedding. And our experience today made us doubly glad that we engaged our wedding planner. Of course, we were already happy with her services before today. But today just kinda reaffirmed our faith in her.

With this out of the way, we now gotta focus on our house. That'll take a while...

Designing the Interior of a Home?

2006-09-22T20:14:00.000+08:00

Two weeks back, we went to the Elegance Home Exhibition at Expo. Spent almost 5 hours talking to 5 Interior Designers... We're pretty much spent after that. Just a quick rundown:

1. ReztNRelax - ID: Vera - She appeared to know what she's doing and what we want. We were pretty happy with her preliminary ideas and concepts.

2. Extract Living - ID: David - Didn't impress us as he didn't offer any opinions of his own

3. Fuse Concept - ID: Gerard - Was the one of two designers who made our trip to Expo worth it. He spoke with confidence and his experience was obvious in the way he immediately understood what we wanted.

4. Cissern - Sales manager: Norman - Pretty much wasted our time doing his sales pitch - He was even late for our second appointment. We've all but dropped him.

5. The Interior Place - ID: Jordan - Was our last stop and totally wasted our time as well. He turned us off so much that we didn't bother to offer much opinions. He could actually tell us that he didn't know what to do with all the space we had!

So anyway, Cheri scouted around in the forums after that and came across recommendations for Darren from Aranus. We met up with him yesterday and we must say we were both blown away. He impressed us tremendously with his experience, professionalism and expertise. At this point in time, we're both hoping that he will be able to give us a good design as we would definitely be glad to sign up with him.

Back to the point as to why I'm posting this today - we met Vera from ReztNRelax this evening. It was rather disappointing to say the least. She seemed to have forgotten most of the idea and concepts that we first discussed during the exhibition. The final design seemed a tad ordinary and boring. Well, I guess we'll have to wait for the second appointment and a 2D sketch to be able to make a proper evaluation. For now though, the chances of signing up with her is fast approaching zero...

Tomorrow is Bridal Gown Studio visiting day part deux.... More to come...

Bridal Shopping

2006-09-19T18:50:00.001+08:00

Our venue is settled and now this has got to be the fun, exciting and best part in the preparation of our Wedding. Perhaps only I am feeling it this way. In anyway, trying out the gowns are really cool. Like he has mentioned, I've tried a variety of gowns and he thinks that I am suitable for those princessy look one. I thought I looked good in all gowns. Hee... I have never imagined myself in a gown, not even after the proposal. I have never thought of getting married at 24 until I met him, he just made me want to settle down.I'm enjoying every bits and pieces of the process.

This Sat is going to be another fun day cos I'm going to try out more gowns.

Gowns Gowns Gowns... of the Bridal Kind

2006-09-17T22:37:00.000+08:00

We've seen many bridal magazines together, but yesterday was the first time I saw my wife-to-be in a bridal gown... and I realised that I wasted all those money buying those magazines - cos she looked far more magical than anything I could imagine. Seeing it on paper on someone else's body versus seeing it on the bride herself - there's simply no comparison.

We visited two studios - Magaret Brides and Julia Wedding News - and she tried a small variety of gowns, from the simple to the elegant, from the princess look to the sexy look. And none looked wrong... So far we've crossed out Magaret Brides as the overall package wasn't attractive enough. We're going to visit three more studios next week - Hopefully one will really stand out from the crowd - or else it's gonna be a tough choice indeed.

Full Circle

2006-09-14T14:22:00.000+08:00

It's kinda strange to come back to writing in cyberspace after so many years. It's much easier now though. In any case, I decided that it'll probably be a brilliant way to record down my journey henceforth. Years from now, when my hair is all grey and we have tons of free time, my wife and I can look back and reminiscence on our younger years. This is it. The beginning of a long road trip together with my dearest. To a place beyond our wildest dreams. A record of our journey towards a new home to call our own. A grand wedding with memories to last a lifetime. A family with many kids running around. A long journey together till the end of our time here above ground