Gelatofan

A new beginning

2009-11-11T00:15:00.000+08:00

For those of you who have been following my blog, I appreciate your support, well wishes, and comments.

I have migrated my blog and would notify you accordingly. Please look out for my email, and if you don't, let me know.

Thank you for your support!

Birthday Celebration for Grandma

2009-10-24T01:42:00.002+08:00

The kids celebrated grandma's birthday recently. They enjoyed the dinner, and blowing the candles out.

Thaddeus Baptism

2009-09-29T01:02:00.003+08:00

Found a few pictures of Thaddeus's baptism in Xmas 2008.

Thad and Ruby

2009-09-24T01:05:00.002+08:00

Thaddeus recognises Ruby from the calendar that we have at my place and Grandma's place. If you ask him, "Where is Ruby?", he would point to the calendar.

I hope they recognise each other when they meet.

What happens when you feed grapes to a baby?

2009-09-01T13:05:00.004+08:00

Grape juice. Freshly squeezed, straight from the mouth, onto my shirt (and his) !!!

Don't blame me for it, he says......

The New Mega-Shopping Mall - ION Orchard

2009-08-30T20:18:00.003+08:00

This is what it looks like. Haven't roamed in it yet. It's right opposite Tangs Orchard/Marriott Hotel, and above Orchard MRT Station.

Thaddeus 1st Birthday Party

2009-08-16T23:20:00.002+08:00

Celebrated on 15 Aug 2009 with family and some colleagues.

What Have We Been Up To?

2009-08-14T16:24:00.004+08:00

Not in chronological order or frequency.

1. Going on aquarium escapades - our favourite!

- we have visited (repeatedly) for past 2 months - Qianhu Aquarium, Nanyang Sea View Aquarium, 328 (located at Clementi Ave 2)

2. Toured around Kranji area

- Bollywood Veggies - ate at Poison Ivy Bistro with Mum & Dad.

- Hausmann Marketing Aquarium - fed koi, saw the biggest Pacu fish, exotic fish like Arapaima I cannot remember which one was longer - the Pacu or the Arapaima, because it was certainly longer than me! Couldn't take photo cos the pond was too dark!

3. Visited nurseries

I have visited nurseries in the Thomson Road area, Far East Flora at Queenstown and Hort Park.

4. Hung around furniture places

- bought an Ikea 4-drawer cabinet at the "As-Is" bargain section for S$203!

- bought 3 full-back leather dining chairs (Effezeta) for S$69 each at a carpark sale at Castilla!

So many things going on, you can understand why I haven't blogged for a while.

Update on my Fish Inventory

2009-08-13T11:34:00.000+08:00

I now have 15 tanks (or sort of "tanks").

2 betta tanks - 4 male betta

1 temp tank - 1 female betta

1 breeder tank - 1 pregnant guppy and 10 fry (not related)

1 hospital tank - 1 sucker fish and 1 guppy

1 tank - 8 guppies

2 temporary tanks - 2 blue lobsters, 2 red lobsters

1 temporary container - 1 shrimp that just moulted

1 small tank - 1 honey gourami, 3 sucker fishes (plecos)

1 small tank - 7 common goldfishes

1 small tank - 6 red-eye tetras

1 mature tank - 1 honey gourami, 1 dwarf red gourami, 2 blue colbalt gourami, 2 pearl gourami, about 18 developing guppies in a breeder unit

1 square tank - 5 glowlight tetras, 6 buenos aires tetra, 6 harlequin rasbora, 2 sucker fish (leaf type), 3 rock shrimps, countless glass shrimps

1 Dymax tank - 2 angelfish, 1 dwarf cichlid, 3 algae-eaters

I feel like I own a fish shop. My kids think it's never enough.

Sophie and her 2 favourite men!

2009-08-03T20:43:00.000+08:00

Daddy and Grandpa!

Lunching at Bollywood Veggies' Poison Ivy Bistro on 2 August 2009

Garden is Done!

2009-07-29T19:08:00.000+08:00

The garden has been DONE! On the back near the wall, you have a mix of Gardenia and Jasmin sambac plants. Both are flowering plants with white petals that are fragrant if you can get a whiff of it. In the pots you have another plant, which also gives off a lovely fragrance, but I've forgotten the name! They were re-potted and have been in our garden for some time!

Against the other side of my wall, we put red Ixora plants, and Tibouchina which has purple flowers.

Thad and his Favourite Gadget

2009-07-19T18:59:00.000+08:00

Yup, Thaddeus has a favourite gadget and it is a TV remote control.

He finds it fascinating that by pointing the control at the TV, the screen can change. So, whenever he gets a hold of it, besides attempting to nimble it around to pacify his teething gums (which I react by freaking out everytime), he would point and aim it at the TV. Sometimes he succeeds in changing the channels. Sometimes, he just wants to hold it.

My Fish Inventory

2009-07-11T16:02:00.017+08:00

This is what we now have in our fish tanks. Today's latest editions we had to put in the acrylic round tank (it's not really a fish tank, it was meant to be kitchenware!).

Big Tank = 22 fishes.

- 2 Silver Sharks, 1 Tin Foil, 2 Angel fish, 4 Sucker fish, 4 Longkang fish, 7 orange platy fish, 2 goldfish-like fish

Medium Tank = 27 fishes, 2 snails.

- 2 Pearl Gourami, 2 Thai Gourami, 5 Tetra (black and white), 18 Baby fry (16 guppies, 2 longkang), 2 Orange snails

Dymax Tank = 11 fishes.

- 6 Cherry Barbs, 5 Golden Algae-eaters

Acrylic Round Tank = 6 fishes, 8 snails.

- 4 Baby Angel Fish, 2 Sucker fish, 8 Bumble bee snails

Overhauling the Garden

2009-07-10T19:13:00.009+08:00

We recently went to the Plant Nursery in Thomson Rd area and bought a selection of Ixora (S$4 per pot), Gardenia, Tibouchina, and Jasmin Sambac plants so that our front garden does not look so disorganised. Hopefully, they all survive. Apparently, the Jasmin plant needs pesticide every week and within a day of coming back, its leaves were already being chewed by some insect.

Let's see how it goes......

Thaddeus is Scribbling

2009-06-26T01:28:00.002+08:00

A first attempt to hold a 'pen' and scribble with the Magna Doodle board.

Thaddeus can now walk around the house with hand support, and even managed to climb up our sofa and our bed all by himself! It's getting dangerous to leave him alone to wander.

He also learnt to shake his head (when we say 'No'), and nod his head (when we say 'Yes'), though it takes a lot of coaxing and the right mood for him to do these on your command!

What is 19-1-2+2?

2009-06-21T00:48:00.002+08:00

I think I now have 18 baby fishes.

It was 19, then -1 (because I miscounted), and minus 2 (because I found that 2 had died when I cleaned the tank), and plus 2 (when I suddenly realised that our longkang fish gave birth).

It happened yesterday, when I was staring at the longkang fishes (they are in a separate container from the rest), and then I saw 2 small baby fishes! It was so sad that I found only 2, as I was certain that they should have given birth to quite a number. I thought my baby guppy fishes did a wonderful jump from their 'tank' to the longkang fish 'tank', but realised that these 2 baby fishes are really bigger in size than the baby guppy fishes, and they are a little orange in colour!

Still cannot believe it!

I have 19 babies......

2009-06-15T23:12:00.003+08:00

Baby guppies, I mean.

I recently adopted a fishtank of 7 guppies (3 females, 4 males) from my colleague. He already 'delivered' and gave away 1 batch of baby guppies from the 1st pregnant female guppy, and seeing that there was probably another one coming, I segregated the 2nd pregnant guppy on Saturday, and praise God I chose the correct one! Because I came back to work on Monday, not knowing that the guppy had already given birth, and promptly fed the tank as usual...and went about doing my work, as usual.

Then my same colleague walked in to my room, and said that the guppy had already delivered! I was flabbergasted as I didn't see them and suppose it happened during the weekend.

Stay tuned for the guppies' development. I brought them home today. They are so small you can't probably see them if I take a picture.

And Zack said...

2009-06-14T23:08:00.000+08:00

"I love you Mummy".

It happened when I tucked him in to sleep and whispered an "I love you" to his ears on Friday. He then replied the above spontaneously to me. I was so happy!

Motherhood is made of such moments!

Trip to Pasir Ris Kids' Kampong

2009-06-13T14:28:00.007+08:00

Recently, Ethan had a chance to go to Pasir Ris Kids' Kampong again with his friends, Faith, Li-Yer and En-Yer and her friend. It was hard work for them to try and catch the fishes, and everyone was sweating it out, but Ethan enjoyed the company and the activity very much.

He especially enjoyed touching the carps and letting them 'kiss' his hand.

What's around The Old School

2009-06-09T20:58:00.006+08:00

Last month, I had some time to kill, and I had the chance to walk around "The Old School", where MGS used to be.

It is now home to a number of design houses. They also had 2 restaurants/bar, one called 'Timbre' and another called 'Chalk'. I also visited the 2902 Gallery where they were hosting a "The Dimension of the Plane - Communication Design in Germany". There were lots of information on the boards, but I learnt a few new things - there is such a thing as a font book, and the cover design of design books are really fantabulous.

I liked the fact that I was wandering around in a tranquil environment, at leisure and feeling refreshed along the way. This should be the way and I know why the companies decided to put up at this new location. It's very a calming and lovely place to be in. I felt inspired to do creative things.

My Art Pod - Day 4

2009-06-06T01:04:00.002+08:00

The 4th lesson for Ethan's holiday Art program at "My Art Pod" features a study about Andy Goldsworthy, and his Land Art.

This is Ethan's version and intepretation of it. Quite cool right?

I especially enjoyed the choice of colour and the art work produced. Ethan said he had a lot of help from Teacher Noc.

The school also has an Art Gallery of Ethan's work. It's something which I haven't seen in other Art schools. They also do Art appreciation as part of the program, so besides completing the art work, Ethan has learnt about the artists as well.

My Art Pod - Day 3

2009-06-04T08:24:00.005+08:00

When you are painting on canvas with acrylic paint, and it want it to dry really fast, and Mummy is trying to get out of the carpark within the 10mins grace period, a hairdryer comes in handy.

This is my art piece on the 3rd day at My Art Pod based on what I learnt about Georgia O'Keeffe. She was an American artist who specialises in flowers.

Nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small. We haven't time - and to see takes time like to have a friend takes time. If I could paint the flower exactly as I see it no one would see what I see because I would paint it small like the flower is small. So I said to myself - I'll paint what I see - what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it - I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers. ...Well, I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flower you hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see of the flower - and I don't.

- Georgia O'Keeffe

My Art Pod - Day 2

2009-06-02T20:10:00.004+08:00

Today, Ethan learnt about Alberto Giacometti, who is a 20th Century Artist, who is remembered for his sculptures.

Here is what Ethan did as part of his Day 2 at The Art Pod. It is small, and about the height of a 30cm ruler.

My Art Pod - Day 1

2009-06-01T21:11:00.001+08:00

It's the June holidays for Ethan, and for his 1st long vacation, I took a week off work, to spend time with him.

I enrolled him for an Art holiday program called "I am a Great Artist" at My Art Pod where children will be introduced to 4 artists: Frida Kahlo, Alberto Giacometti, Georgia O Keefee and Robert Laduke. This is a diverse program as children will experience using wires to make sculptures and paint their portraits on canvases using acrylic paints. They will also learn the techniques of perspective drawing as they work together on a group masterpiece replicating Robert Laduke’s ‘Big City’.

On his first day, he learnt about Frida Kahlo, and what I like about this program is that they incorporate art appreciation into the session before actually working on their art piece. You can see that he really enjoyed himself, even though he is the ONLY student enrolled in this program. Well, as long as he enjoys himself!

We spent the second part of Monday afternoon going for a Creative Thinking program which I enrolled him at Cairnhill Community Centre for 3 hours at S$20. He learnt the concepts related to "I M BAD" - I for Imgination, M - Mindmapping, B - Brainstorming, A - Asking questions, D - Dooling. All these are techniques for creative thinking, and the teachers said that he was participative in class and came up with good ideas. Good value for money, I must say.

Aquarama 2009 and a new tank

2009-05-31T23:20:00.011+08:00

Aquarama was in Singapore, and we brought the 3 kids to the 11th International Ornamental Fish and Accessories exhibition at Suntec Singapore. Adults need only to pay $8 each, and children below 12 years are FOC.

Ethan, Zack and Sophie were thrilled with the many types of fishes that they had never seen before in the usual neighbourhood aquarium shops. There were shrimps that cost from S$30 each, and pokka-dotted octopus which looked like they were taken straight out of a cartoon strip. You cannot imagine the variety of fishes that we saw all in one place. There were also rows and rows of fishes which had been submitted for competition the day before (trading days only), and who were the winners for each category of fish.

We came out from the exhibition with a new classy looking tank (5litres) from the brand called Mydymax, that had an LED lamp attached to it (really cool looking), which cost us S$65!! We also bought other stuff like fish food, and fish-safe liquid and filter. Didn't buy any fish - it is not exactly the place for you to buy fish....

A few new things I learnt today: I saw what Arowanas look like in their 1st 1-2 weeks from hatching, and 5-6 weeks later. Can you see that they are still attached to the egg pouch?

I realise that tanks can cost S$550+ or more like the one that the boys are looking at here!!! This one has LED lighting, so it apparently costs more due to this reason.

There were fishes large and small, there were tanks light and heavy...

But at the end of the day...it is not the size that matter.

Sophie's 3rd Birthday

2009-05-28T21:06:00.003+08:00

We celebrated Sophie's 3rd Birthday in school recently, and her cake was a Winx Club one, with fairies on it. She insisted on eating a cake that is with the 'fairy face', so we had to cut out many portions for other kids and teachers first, before we could get to hers.

Well, she gets the privilege since she is the birthday girl.

DuckTours

2009-05-26T23:31:00.007+08:00

We went on a DuckTour last Saturday, and the 3 kids had a good time blowing the 'duck whistle' supplied as part of the tour. We went as close as we could near the Merlion and had a duck eyes's view of the Singapore waterfront and financial district, as well as the upcoming Marina Bay Sands resort. It was an experience to be on land and on sea in the same vehicle.

The kids kept themselves pretty glued to the surroundings and waved at every other form of object floating on the water (with people that could waved back), be it a dragonboat, another Ducktour group or people on other crafts or on land.

And now we have many...

2009-05-03T14:10:00.005+08:00

Not chicken pox. Fishes.

This is our new aquarium. Soon Guan bought the fish tank on 1 May afternoon, and surprised us with the purchase of 3 sucker fishes on the same day. He had previously bought a batch of fishes which were just orange and white ones (apparently, they are meant to be fish food for the larger fishes like arowanas) a few days ago, and left them in our 'round' tank. Now, they all have a new home.

We are now left with 1 sucker fish. Why? Well, it is a tricky feat to balance the water composition whenever we are changing water for the tank. The 2 sucker fishes died possibly due to insufficient de-chlorination when we changed the tank water.

Today, he bought 5 tiger barbs (Zack's request) and 5 angel fishes (Ethan's request), plus 2 plants. Now, our tank is so full, I had to put aside the 2nd plant that we bought, cos there is not enough space in the tank! Now, they are doing OK, and even though the water looks murky, we don't dare to change it just yet!

P/S. We saw the doc today, and he has certified that Ethan can go back to school tomorrow! Hooray! He didn't have any new chicken pox 'sprouting out' since Wednesday, so they are all dried up by now. All in all, his pox started since Tuesday, and Monday would be his 7th day. The teacher would be surprised to see him back.

2 more cases of Chicken Pox

2009-04-30T00:00:00.003+08:00

Ethan and Thaddeus got the chicken pox - exactly 2 weeks after Sophie got hers. The doc says it's about 2 weeks incubation and it was just about right.

Interesting thing is, Ethan actually had his vaccination, so we were surprised he got it. He has no fever, and has fewer spots (though not little, but fewer compared to Sophie). I was told that those who had the vac are not guaranteed 100% immunity, so if they did get it, it is not so bad.

Sigh.

And then there were none...

2009-04-28T23:40:00.002+08:00

All the fishes died on Tuesday. None remained.

What I Did on My Birthday

2009-04-26T14:49:00.009+08:00

For those of you who don't know, yes, I look like I am 3o years' old, and I feel younger than that actually. This is the cake that SG bought to celebrate my birthday - a Strawberry ice-cream cake from Swensen's.

After breakfast at Chinatown, we headed straight for Pasir Ris Kid's Kampong, which Ethan & Sophie had gone before as a field trip when they were both in Eager Beaver. We found our way there, and here are some pics to go. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and we brought back at least 30 fishes (Ethan had 16, Sophie had 10, and Zack had >10).

The good thing about this place is that after you catch the fish in a 'longkang'-type stream and it is designed in such a way that young kids can simply move around the stream. It is a tedious task catching the smart fish! Once you are done, you can bag them and bring your catch home! So, we had 3 bags - 1 for each child! Next, you get to feed the fishes with the fish food provided (in a separate feeding area), and if daring enough, you can let the fishes kiss you. Zack even touched a number of them.....they were so excitable fish! There were also some geese and rabbits in some enclosures in the area for kids to see. It was like a mini-farm.

The fishes are now temporarily housed in a transparent plastic container we found at home. Daddy bought a pump so that they can survive at least a few more days. It hasn't been 2 hours, and I can already smell the water! Eeeks...have to think of a solution - the kids love it so much. We couldn't change the water, because we didn't buy the de-cholrinating drops, so we can't possibly put them in freshwater!

Anyway, I must say for $10 each kid, and $4 for the pail and net set, it was a worthwhile investment to see the kids enjoy themselves so much. Check out the pictures.

Sophie has the Chicken Pox!

2009-04-18T00:21:00.003+08:00

I can't bear to take a picture of Sophie. She went to school on Monday with a pimple just above her lips, and teacher Margaret saw it (in her routine check), and asked me about it. I told her it was a pimple and that it was healing, and nothing to it. There was only 1.

On Tuesday, I was about to send Sophie to school, and when I got out of the car outside her school and removed her seat-belt, I saw that she had a few more spots on her neck, and on a hunch, I checked her body and found out that she had more spots! It was chicken pox!

I brought her to the doctor, and by the time we saw the doctor (no. 16 on the queue), she had more spots popping out which I had not seen earlier the same morning. It was terrible. Today is day 5, and she seems to be at maximum 'pop'. It was only today that I realised that she didn't have any chickenpox vaccination taken (I thought all along that I had given her the vaccine!!!). Well, I checked her health booklet and she hadn't. I felt so bad for her. The doc said that if she had taken the vaccine, it wouldn't be that bad, and that she would only get some spots. She has it everywhere - literally.....even her tongue and lips! The anti-itch medicine doesn't seem to be working much......

My only consolation is that she is getting it now than later. I hear that kids have less chance of scaring if they get it very young...not sure how true that is......

Crossing my fingers now, and wondering if the boys will get the pox - doc says it takes 1 week to incubate. Infectious period is 5 days before pox appears and 5 days from onset (until pox dries up). Thaddeus is most susceptible since he has no vaccine...the big boys had theirs.

Zachary's 5th Birthday

2009-04-05T14:31:00.003+08:00

I bought him a cake to celebrate Zack's birthday in his school. It was a 2kg "Lightning McQueen" vanilla sponge with fresh cream cake. Yummy!

Ethan is Assistant Monitor

2009-04-01T14:20:00.003+08:00

It is Term 2 in ACS (P), and Ethan has been appointed to be the Asst Monitor in his Pri 1B class. Last term, he was Locker Monitor - so cute. He is the person that ensures that all the kids get help when they are at the lockers - either opening the lock, or putting things in or taking things out, etc etc.

His form teacher mentioned to the parents during our orientation, that all the children in class will have a turn to be a leader in some way.

So, it is a privilege to be an Asst Monitor, because only 4 students will get this chance (1 per term).

Thaddeus has Roseola

2009-03-26T00:56:00.000+08:00

We had a scare recently when Thaddeus had 3 days of high fever, then followed by very big patches of red rashes. The doctor who saw him when he had the fever said that we should expect rashes to appear, and true enough, it did! It was Roseola, and the other siblings have had it before. But Thaddeus had the biggest patches of rashes, which kind-a scared me too.

The version of rashes you see here on his face is already in its 2nd day, so it was toned down already. You can imagine what it looked like when it first appeared on his face and body - really big ones!

Oh well, we were glad that the fever went away, and the rashes subsided after about 3 days. It was a relief!

Thaddeus Sprouts Teeth!

2009-03-12T00:10:00.004+08:00

No picture. I don't have a camera with me. Daddy has gone off with it.

I want to take Thaddeus 2 new teeth on his lower front gums. It sprouted a few days ago...you can hardly see the whites of the teeth, but if you open his mouth big enough, you can just barely see the edges.

The last week of February was a bad week for 3 of us. Thaddeus fell ill for the first time on 24 Feb - he had fever, followed by the flu and sore throat. I've been sick that same week as well with a bad sore throat, and to add on to that, Ethan had food poisoning (or salmonella, not proven, but suspected) on that same week! Ethan had eaten soft-boiled egg on Monday and Tuesday during recess in school, and had diarrhoea on Tuesday, followed by fever and vomiting on Thursday. He ate antibiotics and was much better the next day. I'm pretty sure he won't be eating soft-boiled eggs for quite a while!

School's out next week...wondering what to do with Ethan at home...

More Studio Pics of the Family

2009-02-27T07:45:00.007+08:00

It was a rare occasion that the 'Ho' family is in the same place at the same time. So, we went about to get professional pictures taken of the 'HO' family on 21 Feb, and it turned out really well.

The family and kids pictures are the mostly challenging, needless to say. How do you 'control' the movements of 6 children under the age of 7, plus 8 adults?

The pictures were taken in the span of 2 hours, and I must say the photographer did a good job capturing the moments too.

The Siblings (& Cousins) are in Town

2009-02-22T15:44:00.004+08:00

When the siblings (and cousins) are in town at the same time in a year, and you have 6 kids below the age of 7, you do intensive and mind-boggling activities in short bursts of time. Here's a list (so far)......(not in order 'cos I'm still reeling from the effects)...

1) You eat in expensive restaurants and have peking duck 2 days in a row,

2) The kids are usually crying or screaming at the same time,

3) You try to take professional family photographs in a nice studio, and the children end up snacking a lot on each other's food, and/or running around in the studio chasing each other,

4) You learn that it is best to reserve your dinner (or lunch) reservation in a private room, equipped with a TV that must have the Okto channel,

5) You realise that kids enjoy jumping on the bed, no matter what the age and whose bed it is

6) You realise that kids like novelty - give them a new toy, someone else's food.....

7) You try to limit the number of prams and baby seats travelling in the cars 'cos you need room for adults

8) You want to keep your outings (and conversations) short and sharp 'cos you never know when you have to stop them

....and this is only the 1st week we were together.....and we are none the wiser...

Thaddeus Can Stand!

2009-02-21T15:33:00.001+08:00

Pictures speak louder than words. He could lift himself up from sitting position to standing position in his baby crib, about 1.5 weeks before he reached 6 months. It is marvelous!

Thaddeus in Singapore Flyer

2009-02-13T00:22:00.005+08:00

Thaddeus had a chance to go on the Singapore Flyer for the first time on Saturday. Sophie didn't join as we planned her to go with grandpa and grandma on Sunday - more pics to follow once grandpa downloads them.

The boys totally enjoyed themselves, and as it was early, we had the capsule all to ourselves. I didn't take many pictures of the view, as I was too busy snapping shots of the kids and baby.

The Finished Product

2009-02-07T20:11:00.005+08:00

This is the framed picture of the having baby Thad's hands and feet scupltured sometime in November. It seems simple, but it holds a precious memory of what Thaddeus's hands and feet looked like when he was about 3 months' old at that time.

Studio Pics of the Family

2009-02-05T20:17:00.001+08:00

We went to a professional photographer to have our family pics taken in Jan 2008 (last year).

Our photographer is the same photographer who took our wedding photos, and he is a really talented guy. We love the way the photos turned out!

Thaddeus Can Sit!

2009-01-31T00:32:00.003+08:00

Some milestones for the record.

Today, SG and I witnessed Thaddeus pulling himself up from the lying face-down position, to a sitting up position. It was so wonderful to see it for ourselves.

Thaddeus has been able to lift his body up on all fours since a month ago, and move his body to and fro as if he is preparing to crawl. We believe he will crawl soon.

It is really difficult to catch him on camera smiling, so we are happy to have caught this shot. Such a joy to see him smile after a tired day at work.

10 things that happen when you are left Internet-less at home

2009-01-23T01:15:00.005+08:00

This is what happens when you do not have Internet access at home.

1. You cannot finish your work at home, and rush like crazy when you are at the office.
2. You get stressed and read the blackberry like drinking water. (I think I read more than I drink).
3. Your home PC collects dust.
4. You decide that you don't need the printer anymore.
5. You have many days of 'backlog' in reading emails sent to your 'personal' email accounts.
6. You are slow in responding to 'friend' requests in Facebook.
7. You decide that you really need a new internet service provider so that you can get the Cable TV that comes along with it. (Pssst.....actually, the internet subscription comes free when you subscribe to Cable TV).
8. You suddenly 'work' on the PC till 1.30am after 1 month of internet deprivation.
9. You finally have a chance to search for friends in Facebook.
10. You blog about things in the past.

Good night.

Face/Hand Painting

2009-01-23T01:07:00.005+08:00

We had a Xmas Party for my ex-colleagues and invited a magician and a face/handpainter over to keep the children busy. The kids enjoyed themselves very much, as they were treated to balloon scupltures and face/hand paintings.

The painter could paint pictures on demand - dragons, flowers, rainbows, etc etc! It was fantastic how quickly she could paint them with her fine brushes.

I would recommend this activity for children below the age of 10 if you are hosting a party.

Ethan is in Pri 1

2009-01-02T16:52:00.003+08:00

Ethan doesn't seem to know it, but it is a big milestone to crossover from childcare to Primary One. Soon after we left him in his classroom, we went off.

Apparently, after he came back from his schoolbus, the first thing he told me was that he had lost some of his coins into the Eco-pond. He said he was trying to feed the fishes with Pocky, but dropped the coins instead while trying to handle too many things in his hands. Fifteen cents he said he had lost, to the fishes.

Well, well...wonder what other stories I will hear next time.

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-01T20:15:00.005+08:00

We attended parties and gatherings with old friends. It was a time of reminiscing and a time of reflection. Picture attached is SG's 26th MIDS batch's Sweet 18 reunion.

We spent New Year's day at McDonald's for breakfast and went for some playground time nearby.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Having your hands and feet sculptured

2008-11-30T14:13:00.005+08:00

Well, it's a tradition for us to have the baby's hands and feet sculptured and mounted in a frame. So, here is a pic of Thaddeus having a mould put over his hand, and the output is a nice sculpture of his hands and feet, which I will post later in the blog when I get the frame.

Thaddeus was co-operative and seemed oblivious to what was happending, as he was woken up from his afternoon nap to have the work done. The pink 'clay' used smells very much like the kind that they use at the dentist's to have your teeth mould taken. It's harmless and feels cool when I touched it. It was really easy to do. The uncle who did it just mixed powder to water, and spread the stuff over each hand and foot, and then, made sure that they are firm enough to hold the 'impressions' of the hand and foot prints.

Great fun for mummy and daddy to watch. Don't know what Thaddeus was thinking, though.....

Thaddeus is 'Crawling'!

2008-11-12T10:01:00.006+08:00

Thaddeus is nearly 3 months' old now, and he is able to use his feet to pivot himself around the bed. It is no longer safe to leave him lying on the bed without bedside protection, since he is fairly mobile. He is now able to move 360 degrees in one location, as well as move from one side of the bed to the other.

Thaddeus is 'crawling'!

Our First Halloween Celebration

2008-11-01T22:27:00.003+08:00

This is the first time we saw the inside of a Pumpkin. It didn't look like what I imagined it to be. It was quite hollow with lots of seeds. Ethan and Zack had some fun cleaning out the seeds from the inside, while I had a 'kick' from carving out the face and making the Jack-o-Lantern out of it.

Otherwise, it was quite an uneventful Halloween.

What do you do with 4 kids?

2008-10-25T22:35:00.007+08:00

Many people are surprised that I have 4 kids, but I tell you, it's really fun to have them if you think you can 'handle' them. It's not easy though.

Take for example, my attempt to take a photo of all 4 of them together. This is only one that I liked out of the 17 that I snapped, almost consecutively. I felt like a papparazi at that moment. Most of the time, I'm trying to entertain 3 of them with some toys and hope they don't snatch from each other, or to give them their favourite snack (eg. mini Oreos) and they will be chomping it down happily and quietly.

Baby Thaddeus is already getting curious and observing the things around him. He is smiling and responding to our voices nowadays when we speak to him. As SG says, looking at him smile takes away all the frustrations for that day.

Footnote to Santa: Ethan has lost his 2 front teeth. If you could get it back by Christmas, it'd be much appreciated.

Closeups of Thaddeus

2008-10-09T11:08:00.004+08:00

These days, Thaddeus is getting restless and wants to play. He wants people to talk to him, and he would occassionally 'coo' back, to the delight of whoever is carrying him at that time. He also likes me to read to him, which worked very well when he was crying really hard yesterday.

He seems to have a lot of 'gas' and needs lots of burping. To some extent, we think he has a bit of reflux issue. Other than this, he is getting doing OK, and getting very curious about the people and things around him.

Nesting Instinct?

2008-10-06T13:46:00.012+08:00

People say that pregnant women tend to have the 'nesting' instinct when they are about to give birth. I must have got my instincts wrongly wired somewhere. These few days, I'm having the motivation to housekeep my house and my mum's house.

Last week, I (and maid) managed to clean and re-organise the shelves in my room, and when Zack was back home, and he noticed the change (his DVDs were all neatly standing in 1 shelf instead of the usual disorganised stacking), he said, "Wow"! For Zack of few words, that surprising and exclamatory 'Wow' can still be remembered today.

From my room, I moved on to mum's house. Today, we cleaned all the tables and shelves in the room where Thaddeus would be sleeping most of the days when I'm working. The room is quite dusty, and we gave it a good mopping. I cannot imagine Thaddeus 'living' in a room full of dust and old stuff....so we did it.

Besides this, I would also be clearing quite a bit of the old shelves at home in the other rooms, so that they can be mopped clean for other purposes. I think that after so many years of keeping stuff in the shelves, if they have not been touched in the past 1 year, you don't need them anymore, and so, they should be discarded. That, is my philosophy, and that, would be my objective in the next few days.

I guess I owe the new 'nesting instinct' to the fact that I would be starting work next Thursday. I don't say I am looking forward to it. I seem to have so many other errands and stuff I want to do before that...

In Moments Like These...

2008-09-27T00:31:00.005+08:00

It's in moments like these, that you wish time could just stop.

Thaddeus's 1st Mth

2008-09-24T00:02:00.001+08:00

Thaddeus celebrated his 1st month last week. We went to visit some relatives and office colleagues and delivered 1st mth packages to them as part of the tradition.

On Sunday, we also celebrated at church, and he had a 1st month cake as well!

Going out with a baby and 3 children below 7 years old is a challenge even with 5 grown adults. This, I mean, we had us 2 parents, a helper, and grandparents in tow. We took breakfast at our usual Amoy Street market, at the usual stalls. The difference now is that Thaddeus is in 1 pram, the other pram is vacant cos Zack and Sophie don't want to sit in them anymore (they used to sit in them while eating breakfast). So, the challenge is to ensure that Zack and Sophie finish eating their breakfast without fuss, and that is surely a challenge in an 'uncontrolled' environment.

After church, going shopping with 4 kids makes me feel like climbing Mt Everest is probably easier. Again, it was a challenge to decide who gets to sit in the 2nd pram. Zack tires easily, while Sophie can get quite naughty these days in her wonderful rendition of 'no' to nearly every answer to your request. Yup, she is at the stage where kids tend to say more 'no's than 'yes'.

I don't know how we could have managed the Sunday window-shopping without grandparents lending a helping hand. I probably cannot even go to the toilet in peace! Hah hah.

It was an experience, but something you reflect back with a smile as it was the first day out with Thaddeus and the whole family.

Thaddeus at 3 weeks

2008-09-15T13:13:00.001+08:00

This is what Thaddeus looks like after 3 weeks of mummy's milk.

He has put on weight, but we don't know how much yet, since he would be going for his 1st month check-up next week. That would also be his next vaccination schedule. Ouch!

Mooncake Festival

2008-09-06T11:24:00.001+08:00

Recently, I received a box of mooncakes from Tung Lok group. This is what it looks like - 16 bite-size pieces in different flavours, all packed in one. Looks really sumptuous. Haven't had the heart to open it yet. Maybe next week. Cannot resist. Not that I love mooncakes, but when it looks as small and harmless as this, I think it's OK to take a few.

Imagine - strawberry mooncakes - cannot fathom what it would taste like. I much prefer the snow skin mooncakes.

Confinement Food

2008-09-02T11:09:00.005+08:00

Grandma has been busy cooking home-cooked confinement food for mummy.

This is what the food looks like - simple and yummy! I don't eat the pork knuckles and stuff with vinegar or ginger...tastes too extreme for me. I'd much prefer anything Canotonese style with lots of sesame oil. No fried food, or fast food for now. So, it also helps with losing the pounds - I have lost 7kg so far, and about 7kg to go....that's not bad considering it's only been 2 weeks. Heh heh.

More Art by Ethan

2008-08-27T09:44:00.005+08:00

My previous post, showcased some of the children's art work. Here is a recent collection done by Ethan.

It is really good to have a certified Art Teacher in school to co-ordinate the art work. When you walk around the school, you see wonderful pieces of art adorning the classroom walls. I don't remember being able to do such wonderful pieces of art when I was six. Heh heh.

Baby Thaddeus has arrived!

2008-08-25T15:47:00.005+08:00

Baby Thaddeus' due date is 19 Aug 2008, and he really arrived on the exact date!

The name, Thaddeus, is of Greek origin, and means "Gift of God". It is also a Biblical name, and the name of one of the 12 disciples. Short forms to it could be "Tad", "Thad", "Tadeo"...

He has a bit of jaundice, but is otherwise feeding well.

The siblings are really excited to have him around, and are always eager to interact and play with him. They were all clamouring to carry him the first time they saw him.

Kids...they are a joy to the family.

Cycling around the Neighbourhood

2008-08-13T14:32:00.005+08:00

It's sad but true. My kids have very little outdoor time due to my tendency to prefer the indoors and the coolness at home. Weather is too hot these days.

So on a rare Sunday morning, while the sun was still shaded by the nearby condo, I got my kids out to cycle around the neighbourhood. They promptly brought their gear out, and took turns cycling on the different bicycles we had - from junior (toddler type) to the big boy type (with trainer wheels).

Looks like they enjoyed themselves, while I watched and took photos. Couldn't possibly run around with them with my additional 14kg weight.

A Reunion after 20 Years

2008-07-21T22:27:00.010+08:00

Last Saturday, Alex, Vivien and I organised a Sec 4A Class reunion, after 20 years of graduation from school. The task of calling people was not so difficult, but I think making 16 people (out of 39) turn up at 1 place at the same time was more challenging, and I'm proud to say we did it!

A total of 12 guys (out of 20), and 4 gals (out of 19) came to the gathering held at Alex's place. Of the 19 gals, we had about 3 who were overseas, and 4 who were uncontactable, so it wasn't really easy to get the gals actually.

Some look exactly as we remembered them to be, 20 years ago. Some were thinner, some were 'chubbier', but mostly, we all retained the characters and the personality that we remembered each other to be.

It was heartwarming to see everyone together, and chatting. Spouse and kids also came along for the gathering. Thank you for making it a success!

I'm thinking of organising another one in 5 or 10 years' time! Well, at least, with an updated class list, we can have smaller group gatherings in between, and not wait 20 years for one! Heh heh.

The Ice-Cream Man

2008-07-05T21:50:00.002+08:00

Nowadays, the kids recognise the sound of the Ice-Cream Man's tinkling bell, as he rings it around our estate.

It was just before dinner around 5.30pm on Saturday, when he pushed his cart hoping to get eager children to buy the ice-cream. With a mummy (me!) who loves ice-cream, who could resist?

They waited patiently as the uncle chopped up the ice-cream in slices and put it into a bag for the kids. You know, we buy them in slices which can be put between wafers, or between pieces of bread. He doesn't sell the "Potong" type, which means, the type that you scoop and put in a cup. He only sells the 'sliced' type.

We purchased about $8 worth of ice-cream from him, and the kids ate their share before dinner. Needless to say, they took less food for dinner.

Well, as long as they love it, and enjoyed the whole experience, it is something I want them to take away as part of their childhood memories.

Pretty in Pink

2008-07-03T21:59:00.004+08:00

Sophie in my

favourite dress.

It was a dress given

by a friend...and she

is going to grow out

of it real soon!

A Family Dinner at Yunnan

2008-06-25T21:24:00.005+08:00

Dot and the family had a dinner at Yunnan Restaurant at NTU Alumni Club.

It was difficult to get everyone together, but the candid shots were really good.

Ethan at the Beach in East Coast

2008-06-18T23:03:00.006+08:00

Last Friday, Ethan and I went to East Coast beach to play sandcastles with ex-teacher Angela, her daughters (Enya and Liya), and 2 other classmates (Faith and Jia Shuin). It was a hot and humid day, but nonetheless, they kids enjoyed themselves. Ethan and I spent nearly 2 hours at the beach, and that in itself, is an achievement!

My Children's Art Work

2008-06-16T22:38:00.000+08:00

Recently, while packing the house, I found a lot of art work done by the kids. Click my Flickr album to see more.

Ruby is in Town

2008-06-12T22:02:00.000+08:00

Dot arrived in town last week with Ruby, and the kids had a wild time with her. This photo was taken when Ethan and Sophie's school was closed and they were home with Ruby for a whole day.

You can tell they really enjoyed Ruby's company. For more pictures of Ruby, go to Dot's Flickr album.

Sophie's 2nd Birthday

2008-06-06T11:46:00.005+08:00

Sophie celebrated her 2nd birthday in Eager Beaver recently. Did I mention that the teachers love her so much, that she is called "Ms Eager Beaver" in school? I suppose its because she is a very engaging kid, and loves to interact with her teachers and her friends. She knows most of the teachers and children's names, and will call them. Sometimes, when I bring her home, there is always an elder kid (usually a girl) who helps her to put on her shoes....they all love her.

Her classmates enjoyed the cake, and especially the fresh cream. It must be a child's thing....all kids love fresh cream!

Sophie in School

2008-05-31T23:19:00.006+08:00

The teachers in school took a lot of photos of Sophie, and this is one of the cutest one I liked, which was taken in Dec 2007.

Go to my Flickr album to see more pics of Sophie and Ethan.

Amelia & Eugene's wedding at Conrad

2008-05-24T23:14:00.004+08:00

Celebrated Amelia & Eugene's wedding with them at a dinner at Conrad Hotel on 23 May 2008. Zack and Sophie were having fun at the Yum Seng ceremony on stage.....heh heh...

My Dream Job

2008-05-14T21:03:00.004+08:00

This is my Dream Job...to own and work at a gelato counter.

Wow, everyday I'd be tasting a bit of this and that, and it would be 'shiok, seah!' That's the remark I heard a teenage boy remark as I was taking a photo of this.

Long Service Awards

2008-05-07T22:51:00.000+08:00

Recently, my office celebrated with staff who were receiving their long-service awards. There were 3 recipients - one was celebrating his 35 years' service in the company (imagine that!), another was 10 years, and another was 20 years. I understand that the one with 35 years was doing the same job for the past 3 decades! Cannot imagine myself doing that. We believe he is the longest service staff in our company globally! BTW, notice how I looked like the youngest one? Heh heh.

I liked the buffet lunch at Carousel restaurant at Royal Plaza on Scotts Hotel, not because the food was good (I actually ate quite little, cos it was mostly local and spicy), but because they had the chocolate fondue and lovely desserts, and ICE-CREAM! My MD (standing 3rd from left with a tie), remarked that I ate my ice-cream with sprinkles, and I sparkled and smiled.....of course! How can you eat ice-cream without rainbow sprinkles?

Desserts and Food in Manila

2008-05-06T08:20:00.003+08:00

I went for my 2nd business trip to Manila, and most of the food I enjoyed in Manila were the desserts.

Well, you can't go wrong with desserts and a pregnant lady...but you can go crazy with food that doesn't taste good! Check out my desserts in Manila!

Our New Car

2008-04-28T07:56:00.000+08:00

Soon Guan gave up his Mazda RX8 for a new Mazda 5 car, as it was getting too cramped for 3 kids plus one coming.

The kids simply love the sun-roof and it is more spacious than the old one.

How I Spent my Birthday

2008-04-27T22:55:00.005+08:00

I had my birthday recently. I spent the morning eating my favourite Soyabean curd for breakfast, roamed around the library, went to Vivocity, and ate at Thai Express for lunch with Soon Guan. It was good that the kids were at the school so we had a more relaxing time.

Had a good afternoon nap, and took the family and parents out for dinner at NTU Alumni Clubhouse's Chinese restaurant there. Kids were surprisingly well-behaved and that made things a bit more manageable. It helped that there was a small arcade room to keep them busy after they had their fill.

How to find a Domestic Helper

2008-04-24T22:42:00.004+08:00

Recently, I had the ardous task of looking for a domestic helper. It seemed simple at first - find an agency, get hold of a few resumes, ask about the candidate, etc. The only catch is, you can't see the candidate in real life, and you can't talk to them (well, it's not easy to reach them on the phone since they live in villages and most have no home telephones).

So, last Saturday, I found an agency, and went to pick a helper from a bunch of about 8 resumes. The good thing is, the owner of the agency actually interviewed them herself, and if you trust her interviewing skills, you would ask the right questions, and get the answers you want to hear. The helper I chose is from Iloilo in Philippines, which is 1 hour's flight from Manila. I hope she can cope with my 3 kids, my place, and baby no. 4 coming. It's a good thing her name is not difficult to pronouce (will tell later when confirmed).

Also, to qualify to get in a foregin domestic helper, you need to do an online test ("Foreign Domestic Worker's Orientation Programme", required by the government) and with the certificate of completion, you are eligible to apply for the foreign worker's work permit. Wow - I have to take a test!

Rotterdam Trip

2008-04-07T23:38:00.009+08:00

While I was on my business trip, the most eventful was a trip to the Keukenhof Gardens on Tuesday, 1 Apr 2008. I took 88 photos while I was there, and this, was with much effort not to 'overdo' the photo-taking. The last time I was there in 1994, we did not have digital cameras, and I dunno how many pictures I took then.

I had interesting food at the Bazar restaurant, where I ordered "El Couscous". It comprises grilled kebab of chicken, lamb, merguez and turkey, couscous with tutti frutti, roasted vegetables, grilled tomatoes and saffron sauce. The plate was bigger than my face! Naturally, I could not finish the food, as I already had starters before this main dish!

Another place I ate at was the Fugu resturant where the Japanese food is simply delicious!

So much for a business trip in Rotterdam!

Zack's Birthday

2008-04-05T22:42:00.001+08:00

Zack celebrated his birthday at school recently, and he is now officially a 4-year old!

First Trip to Manila

2008-03-27T23:56:00.005+08:00

Manila is about 3 hrs flight from S'pore, and the weather there is similar to ours - warm and humid. I took a short 3-day, 2 night business trip to settle some work matters, and it was a hectic one.

My first impression of the country is that there are secruity guards everywhere. There were 2 dogs from the K-9 unit dedicated to the hotel's driveway and main lobby entrance to do checks on the cars, bags, and people. I had to go through so many 'gantries' that I wondered about the amount of radiation that I went through just to go in and out of buildings. I didn't dare take pictures of the security in case they thought that I was some kind of 'spy'. Hahah...

This is a picture of what I enjoyed the most from the trip - a lovely lunch at a French restaurant called Bizu Patisserie and Cafe located at Greenbelt 3, which is just opposite the hotel (less then 2 mins walk). Look at the dessert selection and colourful macaroons! I had the strawberry shortcake. Well, taste and quality is reasonable, but it still falls short compared to the strawberry shortcake from Baker's Inn (back home) which is absolutely heavenly!

A Big Spider

2008-03-23T00:16:00.002+08:00

This is a pic of Zack and the spider which Soon Guan caught on Friday. We had to release it as it is quite rare to catch, and Soon Guan only remembered seeing it once in Fort Canning. At that time, the web that the spider had spun, was so hard, that if you were to tug at it, it was not easy to break.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T20:12:00.004+08:00

This Easter Egg was made by Ethan in preschool. I made the hard-boiled egg as instructed several days ago, and he came back with a painted one.

Looks cute, except that it cracked when I tried to keep it in my handbag......yes, don't ask why I kept it there. I figured it would be safer....

Accidents Happen...to Mum

2008-03-21T09:54:00.004+08:00

It happened yesterday morning at Bukit Merah. Mum & Dad went for grocery shopping at the NTUC supermarket there, and Mum was supposed to meet Dad but she did not turn up where she was supposed to meet. So, he called her, and she had already fallen down.

She tripped over a grass edge, and landed her whole body weight on her right foot. As a result, the foot is swollen but fortunately, nothing else. Just a bad swell and lots of pain. Doc says to rest well and put cold compress for 3 days and warm compress after that. Sigh.

Paint Work and TV

2008-03-18T09:46:00.002+08:00

When you let the kids do art work, and I mean, painting, remember to turn off the TV. This is what happens when you let them have both TV and paint and the same time. They paint off the 'canvas' and well, basically, still have a good time.

These paint pots that I bought are really good - they come with a cover that has a small opening for the brush. So if you place the paint in the pot, the brush does not fall off, and if it is topples, the paint does not run out of the pot. Bought it when I was overseas last time in US. Paint is also washable, and no worries about soiled clothes!

My First Niece, Ruby

2008-03-16T22:30:00.004+08:00

Ruby is the cutest little darling that just arrived last month, to Dot and Jay. Congratulations! She is so cute, and I look at her photos nearly everyday, as Sophie has been asking about baby photos, and she chuckles whenever she sees Ruby. I think they know that they are cousins!

She looks very much like Dot at the moment, but I can tell her hair seems brown for now. Not too sure about the colour of the eyes, but she is growing bigger and chubbier everyday! Great job, Dot!

I Cooked Today!

2008-03-14T00:35:00.000+08:00

Yup - you can never believe it: I cooked a meal today. I cooked it for myself. It's a big achievement as I've seldom cooked since I was married.

Well, Soon Guan would be envious - I don't think I ever cooked for him. Heh heh. The opportunity came since I was cooped up at home for 4 days on 'hospitalisation leave' for taking the Amnio test on Monday. It went smoothly and I will be back to work on Friday. Loved the freedom, hated the boredom - I was working every morning, and made it a point NOT to work in the afternoon, since I was supposed to rest. Weather was fantastic since it rained everyday, and temperature at home was really really cooling! Loved it and couldn't ask for more.

Today's dish took a bit more effort, since I had to get and cut up french beans, carrots, tomatoes, season the chicken, etc etc.....more than I would do for myself usually. But for the sake of baby and in the name of nutrition, I did it.

Regret to say that I spent the rest of today's evening in a teleconference (work) and sending emails (again) as I just realised that my boss is on leave next week, and I need key decisions to be made by tomorrow....so I'd better go to sleep now.....zzzzz.....

Kevin and Linda's Wedding

2008-03-12T09:12:00.004+08:00

Kevin and Linda just had their wedding dinner at Amara Hotel on Saturday and there were guests who came from both families, filling up 35 tables!

Food was not too sweet or too salty, so everyone enjoyed the dinner! Strange names for the dishes, because Kevin chose to rename the cold dish combination to "Pu Pu Platter" and called the Teochew Oh-Nee "Fortune Cookies" - so everyone was expecting Fortune cookies, but a hot Chinese dessert made of yam and coconut arrived instead...

Kids enjoyed themselves playing hide and seek outside the ballroom during the 2nd half of the dinner as they were getting restless and had enough of the food. Cousin Grace, and niece Jaime, kept the kids entertained during this fun and crazy time with the young ones, while I was trying my best to keep up with them.

More photos in my Flickr album...

Milestones for Zack & Sophie

2008-02-27T21:11:00.002+08:00

Diapers OFF for Zack, and Sophie said "Teacher, teacher......I want milk".

It's a great achievement for both Zack and Sophie and I'm so proud of them. Sophie can say lots of words now, and her "Thank you" is really cute - it sounds like "Tank cuuk", and I will try to record it soon, so that we can all see it on video!

Sophie at the Beach

2008-02-24T21:16:00.003+08:00

The whole family went to Sentosa with grandpa for the day, and we spent the morning at the beach for a short while. Sophie was really wobbly and to the extent of 'quivering' as she tried to balance herself while walking barefeet in the sand. It was a whole new experience for her, as I heard that she seldom likes to stay in the sand pit when in school.

We also went up to the Carlsberg Tower, as well as Butterfly Park and 4D Movie Magix....something new for all the kids. They enjoyed it tremendously. Check out our photos in my Flickr album.

Singapore Flyer's Inaugural Flight

2008-02-12T07:29:00.000+08:00

I had the privilege to be invited as a guest on Singapore Flyer's inaugural flight yesterday and it was a fantastic experience. The Singapore Flyer is the world's biggest observation wheel and at 165 metres (42 storeys high), it is 30 metres taller than Britain's London Eye. It cost S$240million to build and about 1,000 attended this inaugural event in the 28 capsules. Each capsule can hold about 28 people. Each ride takes about an hour, and we were allowed to go 2 rotations. Catch the vodcast here.

A ride yesterday in 1 capsule, cost the company S$8,888 and only about 20 people rode in my capsule! It was a private event where companies like Ascendas, SG Private Banking, UOB, UBS, ABN Amro, Singtel and other corporates, invited their guests to join in the inaugural flight as well as a Lo-Hei reception.

From March 2008, the public can go on board, at S$29.50 per head, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a great view of Singapore skyline in the night.

More pictures in my flickr album.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2008-02-10T07:27:00.000+08:00

Hello and Happy New Year to all!

Managed to visit 5 places in the 1st day of Chinese New Year, and reached home by 2pm...quite a feat I must say and very tiring for everyone involved. Kids were dressed in traditional costume, but Sophie's pretty cheong sam broke at the seams by afternoon, due to our rough handling, I think. Well, fortunately we had extra clothes to change her into.

Ate tasty and yummy vegetarian beehoon at 2 aunties' houses, and it was great to mingle and catch up with cousins, nephews and nieces. Spent a slower-paced day on 2nd day of CNY, and had dinner at a cousin's place with fantastic dinner cooked by the hosts.

Mmmm....I will miss all the good food and tidbits.

Ethan's 6th Birthday

2008-02-04T22:26:00.000+08:00

It was Ethan's 6th birthday recently, and as usual, we celebrated it in school. He chose the cake, which had 2 toy cars, and shared one with Zack. He also shared the 2 precious strawberries, with 2 of his classmates - 1 for a girl (his favourite gal, Celestine), and 1 for a boy (Ruijie, his good friend).

SG brought Zack from his school to join in the celebration, and Sophie had her hand with the candles and the cream and ate some cake. Zack also spent some time at the big playground at the Safra premises after the party, since it was too early to go home.

Overall, I would say, an enjoyable day for the kids with SG.

Eng Kian and Samantha's Wedding

2008-01-28T22:45:00.000+08:00

It was Eng Kian (SG's Navy friend) and Samantha's wedding at One degree 15 Marina Club at Sentosa, and it was my first time attending a wedding there.

The solemnisation was held at the terrace overlooking the boats at the berths and the pool, while the dinner was held at the Constellation ballroom, which was new, warm and nicely decorated. Eng Kian works there and his guests were mostly club members that he knew or worked with.

The dinner was simple and usual, with the wedding march-ins, cutting of cake, pouring of champagne and photo-taking. The friends at the table we had were an entertaining and fun bunch, and we enjoyed chatting together.

Meeting up with old friends in Shanghai

2008-01-23T22:27:00.000+08:00

The world is never too big, and too small.

Met an old friend on board the plane enroute to Shanghai, and took the opportunity to meet up with 2 friends (Koh BL and Freddie) who had been expats in Shanghai for more than 5 years already (haven't seen them since then). Also met another (Bryan) who was posted there 2 years ago. Well, I kept myself busy indeed during the recent trip.

I think the last time I met Simon was probably in a classmate's wedding that we attended, and that was probably at least 8 years ago, and it was a pleasant surprise to see him on the same plane to Shanghai. It's funny how people don't actually change a lot after secondary school. They still look the same!

As for Koh BL, Freddie and Bryan - they all looked really the same as before - though they all say that they have put on weight since they left Singapore, and of course, the kids have grown up.

It was a heart-warming meeting up with old friends and catching up on common friends/happenings. Here are some pics from our dinners together.

Endearing moments with Ethan & Sophie

2008-01-20T22:44:00.000+08:00

Sophie is very attached to Ethan in school. She looks for him sometimes, and here are some endearing moments of them together, caught on camera by Teacher Angela.

My First Trip to Shanghai

2008-01-13T22:52:00.000+08:00

Went on board SQ826, and took my first business trip to Shanghai. Met 2 familiar faces on board the plane - one was my colleague, and another was my long-lost secondary school friend. It was a pleasant surprise to catch up with both of them.

I writing all this in the past, so that I get the dates right. I travelled on the 13th Jan (Sun), in a 7.30am flight on seat 43D. Surprisingly it was quite a full flight even though it was a Sunday morning.

Reached Eton Hotel in Pudong New Area, and checked into a fantastic room. Insisted on non-smoking rooms, and so, I had twin beds instead of king-sized bed, but I'm not complaining 'cos the room is so big! Cost was RMB980 +15%tax. Cool yah?

Met up with my ex-boss (Koh BL) and his family, went sightseeing around Yu Garden, as well as Super Grand Mall (Pudong), and saw The Bund from the Pudong side. It was a terribly cold day, and I was not dressed for the occassion. Literally shivered and chattered my way through the evening. Spent a nice warm dinner at Din Tai Fung restaurant, and thereafter, adjourned to Koh's place to chat. The children entertained us with their beautiful piano music, and Koh also made a guest appearance on the piano! The younger boys also did a self-composed rap, which was really fun and creative. I enjoyed the time spent with all of them.

More pictures of my trip in my Flickr album.

Professional haircut for Sophie

2008-01-10T11:00:00.000+08:00

We often heard 'complaints' that Sophie looks like a boy, and so, I finally decided that Sophie should have a professional haircut.

We went to Junior League at Vivocity's Toys'rus, and as you can see, she didn't fuss a bit. She was really serious about it, and kept a straight face throughout. It was really funny to see her stay so still and so 'fierce' looking through the 15mins or so. She was really adorable!

Sophie at the Pool

2008-01-05T22:44:00.000+08:00

Here's what Sophie did at the pool. She stood for a long time, happy to walk around and bend over to play with the water. She enjoyed splashing water all over.

On Board a Chemical Parcel Tanker

2008-01-04T22:40:00.000+08:00

This is one of our biggest ships in the fleet for a chemical parcel tanker. It is called the "Stolt Invention" (name of ship), and it was at the dry-dock at Jurong Shipyard for its usual maintenance and yard repairs. The yard is really a crazy place, with all sorts of equipment and stuff lying around, and people wearing hard helmets, in long overalls (except me, the crazy one in a short sleeve t-shirt).

I took the opportunity to go take a look, as the superintendent was making a trip there, and he could show me around. It is a 37,000 ton ship, and is about 10-12 years old. It travels around the world, and is in Singapore for about 20 days for the whole works. I understand that when a ship is at the yard, they can spend from a range of about S$400k to S$1 mil for ship repairs and maintenance! Imagine how much the shipyard earns! Wow!

A Rainbow for Year 2008

2007-12-30T23:37:00.000+08:00

Some weeks back, my colleague who sits in the room beside mine, discovered a rainbow during the late afternoon, and I had the great opportunity to capture it on camera as well. It was a warm feeling to be able to watch a rainbow from your own office window! It was great that she made it a point to tell everyone nearby about it, so that we all had a chance to enjoy the wonderful and beautiful rainbow.

Here's wishing everyone a beautiful year ahead, with lots of wishes fulfilled and pots of gold at the end of your rainbows!