Katong's beauty

花生

Over dinner today, Ye popped a question from out-of-the-blue :  

”Papa, 花生是不是从花来的？”

Yx's first composition

Loving December!

What an eventful December it has been :)

Started off with a staycation at Hotel Jen (ok technically that was 28-30 Nov but it was welcoming into December!), followed by 3d2n vacay at Legoland. 

- World Cup finals (exciting 3-3 game between Argentina and France)

- Two days later I'm meeting cousins for steamboat dinner

- Xmas eve gathering with in-laws

- Boxing day bball and brunch with sec sch friends

- Next week: Day trip into Msia with wifey and friends

- 30 Dec: belated bday treat from RMJ

- 31 Dec: staycay at Hazel Park, morning trekking planned.

And the weather has been so cooling and enjoyable!

I am thirty-eight wtf

To myself. You're 38 🥹🥹🥹 oh shit

December = Shopping spree????

How not to spend money in December, when it ties in with the festive season and  occasions like Black Friday Cyber Monday and 12.12 sales? 🫣😂

Asus laptop from Harvey Norman = $1199 + extended 3y warranty $280 = $1500

Legoland trip (paid in Oct) = $490 hotel + $140 tickets + insurance $60

Xmas gifts = $100+?

P2 books for Yx = $83

Ballet lessons for new term & extra lessons in prep for exam = $240

Also eyeing new pair of jeans from Uniqlo = $49.90 😆

My futsal boots dying soon need replacement = $120* 

~~~~~

(Update: Discovered prices are so much cheaper on Amazon! Just bought this:

还好 got timely civil servant bonus of 2.1 months...

MBL

I'm on day 4 of my Mandatory block leave, watching world cup qualifying game at 12.15am, while wifey and the girls are all asleep ...

It had been a fantastic 4 days, started with a relaxing staycation at Orchard Jen orchardgateway followed by a visit to Jurong bird park today.

Dreading the catching up on emails when I'm back from leave... 🥹

Silver for IPPT!

Aiseh!

Never knew I had it in me to achieve Silver leh! After so many years of only "Pass with incentive" and nowhere close so much that I gave up setting Silver as a goal in my annual goal setting LOL. Actually I did equal number of sit ups and push ups as last year, only difference this year was that I started the 2.4km run without pressure on myself. I came in at 14:++ two years ago so I knew I could jog leisurely this year and still qualify for pass w incentive. So today I just jogged slowly, enjoying the wind and the sunset, and remembering what wifey said to me before I left house "if ure tired just jog v slowly and recover ur strength", that pace led me to finish in 13:14min. Not bad if I can say so myself. 😂

Eyesight

Sigh. Something wrong with my eyesight again. Unable to focus v well, near or far. Been taking Lutein leh (though not faithfully as required haha). Time for an eye check.

Yx funny reply

Last night, as usual I read a book to the girls before bedtime. It is a book about the human body, and it described the heart is made up of muscles.

I turned to Yx and told her, "我喜欢吃chicken heart leh."

I was anticipating Yx to react with a shock reaction, but no. Instead she remarked as a matter of factly, 

"我喜欢吃 Pizza Hut."

I LOL!!!

Wye drawings

In red: Mama. In green: Papa. The tiny face: Ye in mama's tummy.

C+ Day 7

Went out liao. Didn't bother to test cos can go out already. But I masked up all the time and didn't dine out!

Wifey still suffering v badly, coughing and hacking. Get well soon!

C+ Day 5

Still the faintest of line...

Update on my sense of taste and smell - eating just tastes and smells like I have a massive blocked nose. U have a hint of flavour, but highly suppressed. But today I discovered I can sour comes out to me the most; so for my meals today I sprinkled Tabasco sauce and flavour came out more elevated than usual. But I can't smell any shit (pun intended). Last night I applied axe brand oil under my nose and whereas usually I would smell the distinguishable sharp and pungent smell after awhile, I couldn't smell shit! I also suspect COVID altered my sense of smell, Wifey did aijiu and surprisingly the incense smelled like 芝蔴糊 , LOL!!!

C+ Day 4

My Day 4 was wifey's Day 1 😱 

I tested myself after 72 hours. As per MOH regulation, I can exit if I test negative! And my body really felt much much better, almost at full strength! So to much apprehension...

Faint line. Bye bye. Stay home. Give up about doing a miraculous recovery and turning up for D&D. Fat hope. 死心吧。

Furthermore I realised food tastes all so bland. Ordered chicken rice for lunch, chicken, rice, cucumber and chilli tasted all quite the same. Same for the sense of smell. The good - Wiping meimei poopoo is easy peasy!

Yx - no symptoms still, but can't go to sch cos no caregiver to escort her 🙃 To err on the cautious side, we still enforce her to mask up. 

Ye - almost full recovery! Although her fever went up to 39.5 once in mid day but to no huge impact on her. Ate better than yesterday.

Wifey - Had it the worst out of the lot. Listless, hacking cough, fever 38! 

Still dam depressed I missed the company event I had extremely looked forward to. But I'm in good company of my family and my kids are in good health... I am consoled. As wifey commented, it's better that we kena now than to catch it close to / during our staycay or Legoland trip! 

Weekend starts tomorrow... The isolation feels like circuit breaker part 2 but at least I can look forward to becoming non- infectious in a day or two ...!

C+ Day 3

Day 3:

+ Body seems to be recovering, by night time I feel almost well

+ Don't feel feverish and body chills anymore 

+ Recovering my appetite. Didn't eat much/well the last 2 days, think I lost almost 1 kg

+ Third day without coffee/tea! Didnt feel like I needed caffeine.

- Very slight cough, slight phelgm. Took the Ivy extract med which worked wonders

- Realised at lunch time that food tastes bland :( can taste and differentiate flavours but maybe at only 50% 😢

The BIG QUESTION IS: Will I be negative in time for D&D tomorrow???????????

Ye also seems to be on the positive recovery, 90% back to her active self, albeit she can't nap v well and appetite is not norm. Day 1 night was her worst, in addition to being feverish she puked out her dinner, laosai a few times (once at 2.40am in the middle of the night! Surprisingly she was alert to it and promptly woke me 🥱), was extremely lethargic and almost fell asleep on the sofa at 9.30pm... It was so heartpain to see her so lifeless and quiet, yx also remarked “I'll rather play with meimei rather than she being sick" aww 🥰. We arranged teleconsult with RMG next morning and meds were delivered within 4 hours. Total bill $52 is worthwhile considering the convenience! 

Yx: Still negative and no symptoms, which came as very surprising! She went to sch today.

Lao po started feeling chills and developed sore throat and fever since the morning... ART negative though. But I think it's a matter of time.

Speedy recovery all! 

C+ Day 1 - In disbelief

I don't believe!!?

Smoking at work

When my smoking is so smooth:

A colleague who was in a meeting with me the first time, "Are you a mechanical QP?"

Smooth, man, smooth 🤣😎

Cute innocence of my kids

Me when I return home after a day at work:

I go to the bathroom to wash my feet and hands. Kids follow behind me and tell me how they "killed a bug without an adult's help for the first time", they were in the shower when they spotted a bug, Yx sprayed water on it until it fell onto the floor. The bug "didn't know where the floor trap was" and it swam towards and down it went.

Hahaha honestly I'm not very entertained by this kind of trivia event but I take one step back and tell myself how cute they are, how significant an event they must have felt it was that their parents needed to know.

Blessed to be in their company, witnessing their innocence, laughter and naivety.

Ye also at this age of asking the weirdest questions:

"Why do people get married?"

"Why do people grow tall?"

"Why do we need to eat?"

"Why do we need to sleep at night?"

🤣

Sunday night reflection - Baking with Nainai

Wifey needed to rest her hands so I brought the girls out for lunch at White Sands. Ye did a Slidey Dumptey at Saizeriya (she slid down the cushioned seat and sat on the floor underneath the table lol it was super hilarious cos she was halfway in her sentence "姐，你记得。。。 *plonk!*“ ） lol, then we spent about 40mins at the library followed by 20mins at Pets Corner where the girls just erm, watched the animals 😂

Both girls were v cooperative throughout and I enjoyed their company. They've recently grown closer together and are each other's closest chit chat and singing buddies. I need to commend Yx the most as she is the most thoughtful and helpful sis: offering to take ye's mask; lending a hand when I commented I had too many bags to take by myself; holding ye's hand while guiding her through the carpark. Love them both so much!

Mom was available that afternoon and so we headed over for baking session! Magicmom bathed and changed them, involved the girls in the baking (whilst dad took pics and a vid), prepared tea break for them, and also cooked dinner for all of us. 

Amazing energy mom still possesses. We're all so blessed with her showering love and may my parents be blessed with good health for many, many more decades. ❤️

Wifey's eczema

The last week or so, wifey's eczema on her hands got quite bad. It's very itchy and while it was mostly contained to her pinkie, it seemed to be spreading to the other fingers. Stopped using dish cleaner altogether (only Tollyjoy) but to no avail. 

Finally went Niks yesterday (surprisingly no queue!?). Pray the med will help 🙏

EPL table standings - after 10 games

 Are we dreaming?

Sitting on top, after 10 games and 4 points clear! Despite ManCity's 1-0 loss to Liverpool last night, ManCity is still the favourites to win the league. 

The way Arsenal has been playing this season and the physical and mental resilience displayed are giving gooner fans newfound belief in the team. But we are also a realistic lot, given our squad depth we know an injury to one or two key personnel will derail our season immediately. As Arteta stresses to the team, we don't look too far ahead whereas we take one game at a time. 

One thing for sure is that I am certainly enjoying watching every game!

Sunday nights are for reflection

I love the peaceful and quiet of Sunday nights. Sunday late nights. How late, late like, after the last Sunday match of EPL kinda-late. 

It's an ideal time to do some reflection of how the weekend went past. Weekends pass by so quickly for us, activity after activity, meal after meal. A swift passing weekend, actually, is a fortunate event. It only passed by so quickly is because one is not burdened by worries, not dragged down by chores, not bogged down by obligations. 

Just thought I'll pen down the things I'm grateful for for the weekend that just zoomed by:

- That no one is sick, obviously

- Happy and cute girls who are beginning to be able to play together more and more

- 30 mins of Busy Books play with #wyx7. 

- Started Sunday early, met Ct Christy and their boys at ECP and caught up abit

- Girls were entertained by my silly idea of drawing a face on their plates with vege

- My girls are so cute and chuckle and funny

- And last but not least!

TOP OF THE LEAGUE!

Frozen Broadway musical

GOING!!!

Kids jumped in exhilaration when they heard they could watch the musical live. I know they will enjoy it!!!

wyx drawings

Bananas!!!!!!!

Overheard:

Incident 1:

Stallholder to Chinese teen: "要吃意大利面吗?" X 2 times. He switched to, "Pasta?" And finally the teen acknowledged.

Incident 2:

Chinese Sec sch girl to chicken rice uncle, "我要打包 roasted chicken wing rice," using a very ang moh slang. 

真丢华人的脸, pui!

Happy birthday wyx7!

Our darling first-born celebrated her birthday once more, she turned 7. Actually requested to go on the Ferris wheel but being locals we know how just not value-for-money it is (plus we've been on it once already) so we went for the next best alternative which was also a ride high up in the sky - cable car! 

Bought the klook package that includes a set lunch at Arbora restaurant and a cable car round trip ($35 for adult, $25 for child). It happened to be a Monday so the lack of crowd made the day more enjoyable and leisurely.

Happy birthday, darling Yx! You're really such a joy in our lives. You adapted great to p1, though I know u detest the waking up and sleeping early, you don't throw tantrums about the routine and I really want to thank you for being understanding and supportive. We constantly nag (homework, sharpen pencils, pack bag, keep your files etc) and that is because we want you to cultivate a habit and hopefully good habits help u be more prepared for school which will help u excel, and enjoy school more. Every morning, I walk with u to school and I appreciate and cherish the quiet moments we share during that short few mins, holding your hand, crossing the road, bidding u a good day at school. Watching you walk into sch looking quite cute carrying that huge pink bag, makes me proud; proud of how tall u have grown, how mature in thinking you are, how defiant you are when u claim u are fine carrying the bag on your own as you are "used to the weight". Along the way to sch sometimes u share with me the issues u face (xxx teacher is fierce, don't like Chinese etc), I try my best to emphatise and offer u advice, but what I hope u learn for yourself is how to deal with them emotionally, grow stronger and be more resilient, figure out how to cope in different situations/people- all these u have to learn by yourself, I kid u not it won't be easy, you will suffer disappointment, rejection, unhappiness; and u shall learn because these will help u as u grow up, and papa promises u that as u grow through the phases of life, papa will always be your listening ear and to be someone u can trust, your confidant, your best friend and tea break buddy. 

Wishing you lots of smiles and laughter always, like ur kind heartedness deserves. ❤️

Kok 到头

Suffered a minor superficial cut above my nose during soccer. 

Ying En saw it and asked, "你撞到头啊？"

I replied, no.

She followed up, "你 kok 到头啊 ?"

Laugh die me! 

Combat Archery

Finally, after 2 years which seemed like arduous covid years yet so easy to forget sometimes, we were able to gather for a physical team bonding session!

Combat archery was competitive but fun! and a great opportunity to put a face to the names and/or the voices seen and heard over Teams VC. 😂

After the workout we adjourned to a hearty buffet lunch and shared some jokes. Then brought around Suntec WeWork office where we got a glimpse of the environment where tech ppl worked and an open breakout area conducive for idea generation and discussion.

Fun day!

Work sucks!

Project fatigue. Doing ALOT but effort and time spent are not translating to actual work being done. Work I deem non-productive such as contractual issues, variation claims, reviewing legal documents etc.

Looking forward to my off day tomorrow, giving myself a treat at g.spa with Jx!

ROAR!!!

Reason for Arsenal fans to be buzzing again

5 preseason wins including a 4-0 over Chelsea and 6-0 over Sevilla, some notable additions to the team (G. Jesus, Fabio Viera, Zinchenko, and star defender W. Saliba rejoining after 2.5 years on loan) and a strong finish last season, Arsenal fans have finally a legitimate grounds to have belief and feel confident in the team!

Me included.

Passed by a bet shop on Friday and placed bets on:

- Arsenal win (1: 1.70) @ $30 

- Arsenal -1.5 (1: 2.60) @ $20

It was against Crystal Palace away and in the end the result went in Arsenal's way. I won $53 overall, hurray!

Money aside, was more pleased of the way the game was won- solid team play, reliable and strong at the back, dangerous movement of the front four, a clean sheet including 2 game defining saves by Ramsdale; and mind you CP was a physical team and we lost 2-0 to them just a few months ago; there is real belief and structure in the team right now. Only 1 game down, 37 to go. The season is a marathon, but the preparatory work and the first game have got gooners all buzzing.

COYG!

Bye Huawei P20 Pro

Sold to neighborhood phone shop - $100. New battery replaced a week ago $48. 

One of the best phones I ever owned! Superb battery life (no pressure to last 1 day under normal usage), decent camera (as at Y2018), never once hung on me throughout its 4 years, speedy processor, drop hardy, instant fingerprint recognition, 128GB more than sufficed for all my 4 years of photos... It was an underrated smartphone of its generation, a fantastic servant! Thanks to Lion for rec it and I recall that casual convo along the office corridor outside the toilet haha...

Pokemon blue

 

So much feels, this game.

Hula hoop show!

 

Wye is turning 3!

Our dear En is turning 3 in a few days, gosh! Asked what cake she'd like, and she consistently and patiently answered "strawberry cake". Probed what present she'd like, but she has difficulty naming an iterm/gift. Well, guess it's a good thing then, that she doesnt' have any material want! (though she has recently persuaded us in getting a pair of Frozen jelly shoes with lights from Bata)

Capturing Ye's likes/dislikes and milestones for future reference!

- 87cm, 11kg

- Able to recite a poem by herself during Genius League class;

- Likes mushrooms. Doesn't mind bell peppers and actually most veggies;

- Just this couple of week or so, learnt (from her sis) how to put on a t-shirt on her own! Similarly capable of putting on/removing shorts/skirt. Well done!

- Likes little animals and not afraid of getting up close to them. Fed them bravely at the EcoTrail

- Started liking wearing pretty dresses, likes that the skirt can reach the floor when she kneels down

- Still uncomfortable when her hair is washed. Also afraid of swimming even if it's just sitting at the edge of the wading pool

- Likes to press lift buttons, the electronic door lock, wants to be the first to open the house door, enter the kitchen etc. Whines when she doesn't *roll eyes*

- Likes gummies and asks for it every morning. She's kind to always remember taking one for her sis at the same time.

- Has 2 bottles of milk a day 180ml each. Still likes her Nan 4 and will ask for it when she's hungry.

- Doesn't really like having clips on her hair. Tends to pull them out after some time. But is fine with ponytail. 

- Cringes when someone touches /almost touches her ear. *rolls eye again*

- Learnt how to do a ✌️ and poses with it!

- Somewhat potty trained for urine, yay! Poop not so yet cos for strange reasons she can only poop standing up! Haha.

- If she has a PM nap, she sleeps about midnight to 10ish. If she skips a nap, her wake up is about 12-13 hours and thankfully she's not the kind who'll melt down 

- Greets me "Good morning papa" when she sees me in my wfh office 😊

- Came up with the phrase from out of nowhere “很暗的名字叫wu min hui的安呢“ 

A challenging time

Extremely challenging.

Difficult and prickly users.

Tardy contractor.

Contractual issues.

Tedious gateway processes.

Cham ah!!!

The end of the world...?

Nightmare.

Had a nightmare so vivid so frightening I woke up from my slumber. This rarely happens to me.

So I dreamt that me, wifey and the girls were holed up in what looked like an underground cave. The context was that the world was ending soon. Our shelter didn't look like much, just a table and a light or two, just bright enough to illuminate the place. But it looked cosy for our own family. 

The girls just had a shower and sat next to each other in a corner, quietly engrossed in their reading (Yes, even YE was indulged in her own book 😂). They looked so innocent and pure, so angelic and undeserving. I broke down immediately, feeling injusticed and terribly helpless. Wifey came over and consoled me.

This juncture was when I jolted up from my slumber. Seeing that I was in my own room and Yx was sleeping soundly just beside, I felt instant relief...

I suspected the nightmare was because I watched Battle: Los Angeles just before turning in 😐

But it hit hard to me how precious my kids are to me.

Lovely long weekend

What a memorable weekend. 

Not rushing to fulfill commitments, no deadlines to meet; just going to places where we desire to, leisurely strolling and makan. Maybe meet a group of friends or two. Some outdoors and adrenaline. Seeing the thrill, delight and excitement on my girls' faces. 

Cherishing the lovely memories. Thankful for being healthy and alive.

Oppo X5 pro

Man, the photos taken by Oppo X5 pro are really impressive!

Troubled

Feeling troubled lately.

Everyday I find myself looking forward to the night cos that's when I can watch TV and maybe down a beer. I ask myself what could be the reason(s) behind me feeling troubled and downcast. Me and my family, we're great; covid restrictions have relaxed to near normalcy; weekly Sat futsal sessions have resumed - so, what???

Work. Phase 1 is delay after delay and the ship is sinking with every week. Phase 2 gateways are not cleared, we have somewhat initiated the process but it will be MIGHTY challenging to clear the dpc gateway, not to mention the ongoing redesign and consultant's claim issues to resolve. The above are no problems if the project has more time; but binded by 2026 we are and that's what worries me. Me and my project mate know the delay is inevitable and whatever we have to do now we do our best, but the situation feels like water is rushing into our boat whereas we're scooping water out using only our hands. So everyday at work I keep asking myself whether I am doing what I need to do and also, whether I can do more. Furthermore, I don't really have a great working r/s with my co worker, she is a highly efficient and responsible worker but we don't really click well plus she is very direct in her comments, I find myself choosing the words /tone I use when communicating to her and also having to justify some decisions I make. 

At home, I'm really thankful and grateful for my supportive family especially wifey who loves our kids and cares for them wholeheartedly full time so I can focus on my work! On the other hand, I feel nagging stress to turn up at my parents' for dinner on time becos mom recently commented and I'm trying to fulfill that out of respect and politeness. Despite my mom's outpouring love for her grandkids she can have an unpredictable temperament at times so I have to admit I feel stressed balancing her request with wifey's preference for a leisurely stroll. 

I love my kids and it's such a privilege to watch them interact and learn and play. I apologize in advance if I allow work emotions to get the better of me after work hours. 

For now I really enjoy futsal because it's an activity I can free my mind with the above issues. 

Parents are on holiday

My parents on holiday in P. Malaysia for the first time since pre COVID. They needed this. Glad they're fit enough to be mobile and in good company. God bless them.