Walk to the bus stop…wait for the bus…board the bus..get down from the bus…walk to the MRT station…wait for the train…board the train…get off the train…walk to the office building…wait for the lift…get into the lift…step out of lift..get through 2 or 3 doors (depending on what time I come)…and finally arrive in the spot I will be for the next 8 hours or so.

 Hmm..all the waiting and getting off and on…zaps you sometimes. At the risk of sounding spoilt, I miss the days where I would get driven/cab to work. Now being in the heart of the CBD, trains/buses are the most economical way to go. Its a discipline in itself I reckon, to take the bus/train daily.

Posted: June 28th, 2007 under Observations.
Comments: 1

The little fella is almost 2 already and he is still as charming as ever. Sure, he has his moods and demands but I reckon that is what every kid is like. Can’t expect them to be perfect all the time. What can he do now? He is:

• Walking, Running, Climbing, Exploring all the nooks and crannies
• Stringing words together to form short sentences. Favourite phrase now is “No need.”
• Eating pretty much what we adults eat as well…dictates what he would like to eat..”rice”, “tzz-oop”, “fishball”, “cheese”, the list goes on.

In a nutshell, he is learning and growing up well…what more can I ask for? I thank God for little fellas and big ones too.

Posted: June 25th, 2007 under Family, Parenting.
Comments: none

I was supposed to go to Geneva for 4 days today but the trip has been postponed cos of some project changes. Sigh…got me excited for nothing. I am a bit disappointed as I was hoping to go to Geneva..on business class somemore. But on the other hand, I am not sure what it would have been like leaving Iz and the little fella. Am sure it would have been hard and I would have missed them like crazy. So am in two minds about the postponement. Perhaps it all has to do with timing, and the next time ( which won’t be too far away), I am sure…I would be more prepared. And plans would be nicely laid out for me and not so rushed. So, in the meantime, I am just going to enjoy spending time with Iz and the little fella.

 I am enjoying work so far…learning as I go along. And it helps that I have really nice colleagues who make getting used to things here so much easier. Lunch with them is always filled with chit chats of our little ones and their antics. It never fails to amaze me how we can spend the lunch hour chatting about nothing but the little ones. It is nice to trade stories and share parenting tips.

Posted: June 25th, 2007 under work.
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As a little treat for the weekend, we brought the little fella out on Sat night though it meant that his bedtime was going to get busted. So after dinner, we headed for Funan Centre cos I/we wanted a small digicam. Brought the little fella to Uncle Sam’s shop and it was good that it wasn’t as crowded as it normally it. Across the shop is a shop selling all the toy figurines and stuff. And whilst carrying him and looking at the glass display, he said ‘Change’. Then I realised what the meant….there was a shirtless figure of Neptune there and he associates being shirt-less with changing. I supposed he must have thought that Neptune was changing and that’s why he was shirtless. Hahaha..Then yesterday, he saw a picture of a girl’s back and she had a towel in covering her front. And he said ” Bathe”. See…so these all the associations he makes. Really funny at times but it is definitely reflective of how his little mind works. So we really gotta to be careful of what we say and/or do, never know when/what he picks up.

Posted: June 18th, 2007 under Family, Parenting, Shopping.
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We went to East Coast Park yesterday as Iz was involved in the launch of 10,000 Fathers Reading Campaign. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a local celebrity footballer who was supposed to be part of the launch too. But nope, he did not turn up..hearsay is that he was injured! Sigh…but we had a quite a nice time despite the really soggy ground. Saw a couple of ex-colleagues too.

During the launch, the little fella was quite good up on stage except for one point when he saw me. He looked like he was going to burst into tears so I quickly made myself scarce. Despite all the big cameras and mics, he was rather good. Just looked shell-shocked! When I later made my way to the front of the stage again to take more pics, he signed ’scared scared.” But still he sat quietly whilst Iz was being interviewed. So kwai.

 We did not stay much longer after the launch. I was more excited about going home to catch the news. And yes, the father-son duo did appear on the news! And for quite a while too. The little fella was so so excited seeing himself on telly…got a bit hyper after that and of course he slept late last nite cos he watched both the English and Mandarin news :) I am so proud of both father and son!Right after the news segment, my mobile rang and so did the house phone. It was of people telling us that they saw Daddy and son.

Posted: June 18th, 2007 under Family.
Comments: 3

Maybe it is because I don’t take the train often enough or maybe it’s just me. I just find the some train commuters really weird. Like yesterday evening,whilst waiting for a train at Raffles Place, I overheard this group of 3 ladies, strategising on how to position themselves so that they would have a headstart when the train arrives. Then one said that even taking the train is a stressful thing as one needs to strategise, postition and then do the countdown to when the train door opens. And then..it is rush rush rush to the seat regardless of anyone around. I mean, how weird is that? Getting a seat is defintely good but then even if one dosen’t how long is the train ride anyway? The clamour for seats is definitely what is on people’s minds when they wait for the train. And yet another 2 ladies who were discussing whether to go left or right when the doors open. A seat is always nice and I like being able to find one to. But I certainly dun strategise on how to find a seat. That is so weird, I reckon.

Anyway…I did get a seat yesterday but had to give it up to and old aunty somewhere along the way. It felt good being nice and appreciated

Posted: June 14th, 2007 under Observations.
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We had a great Sunday yesterday with the little fella. We had planned to go to the Expo after his  nap/lunch as the Motherhood 2007  fair was on. Also, he was constantly bugging us with his ” Choo choo train.” He wanted to take the bus/train. He enjoys bus-rides/ train-rides a lot and though it meant a longer journey, we decided to take the bus/train. He was really good on the bus/train..just enjoyed staring at things around. We went to the fair with great plans on what to get…but disappointingly, those booths that we wanted weren’t there this year around. Lots more stuff like toys/books we could have gotten him but decided against it. Reckon at this age, the great outdoors is his best form of entertainment…anywhere he can run and play is great. Dosen’t need to be fancy toys though those are great to look at. Think now he would be much happier running around a playground than sitting down with a toy.

Since the fair wasn’t much to look at and we did not have great bags of shopping unlike previous years…we decided to take the ‘choo choo train’ once again to the airport. Had lots of fun there going to the viewing gallery, walking around..Best thing was that the little fella wanted to run around too so I did not have to carry him all the time. I think the viewing gallery is a nice place for kids as it is relatively big and importantly, safe. There are boundaries and it is also quite hazard free. So he had a good time there running here and there. Generally, he is quite a cautious boy, always making sure that we are round and never wandering too far. But of course, we must keep reminding him of that.

Took the sky train too and was a bit peeved by how inconsiderate people can get. There I was carrying the little fella and all but no one offered a seat. This family of 6/7 people took the seats the minute they went in. OK, granted that there was an old lady and a young kid amongst them but surely the teenager could have given up her seat. Evidently giving them dirty looks or asking the little fella ‘ to hold tight tight to the poles’ within earshot, did nothing to them at all. I wonder how oblivious people can be or rather how oblivious they choose to be.

Anyway…we ended up at Fish& Co for dinner…and was a nice dinner though had to entertain the little one as well. And for the first time ever, he actually asked to change his diaper. So had to carry him and his bag to go look for a diaper changing room. Found one and changed him and all. Lesson learnt, must pack Pull-Ups when we go out next time. Making him lie down on the diaper changing mat is no easy feat for one person. Then after dinner, he needed a diaper change again so down we went. And somehow just walking along the way, I sort of forgot about it so wasn’t really looking out for the room and neither was Daddy cos he did not know where it was. But our little fella actually walked and as he came to the room, he just made a turn and headed for the door. And then I realised oh..we reached the room already. Such a smart boy Shows that he remembers stuff quite well and is also very observant. Not like his blur blur mummy.

All in all, it was a great day out..tiring but good. We must do this sort of things more often. Rather than just hitting the malls…

Posted: June 11th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: 2

Simply thought the date sounded nice and decided to use it for my post title. And simply also cos I am too tired to think of a nice witty title. Almost the end of Week 2 Day 1 already. Lots of stuff to read and get my hands on but because it is just reading, it makes me go into a sleepy sleepy mode. So my counter-reaction to combat the droopy eyelids? A big pack of sour gummy ropes and another big pack of orange peel. I had a call at 2 but it was a rather short one. So that was like a burst of activity in a day of non activity. When the day is not so active, I think of all sorts of things..Matthew, the privacy screen I want to buy, what the avocado gula melaka downstairs will taste like..when I should try it. Am sure u can see the pattern there…my mind wanders amidst all the stuff I have to read and digest.  I wonder how long more it will be like that before real work starts. Am sure they would not want to pay me for sitting here and doing not much in particular. Learning,yes, but not working per se. Was a tad discouraged last week cos of some work-related stuff…can’t say I am well over it but well..am sure I will get over it somehow. But well…some cheering up will be nice.

I have been watching the Korean drama serials on cable on Sun nites. I just wish they weren’t so late. These days I would like to sleep earlier cos I know I would have to get up by 6 plus when the little one does. So the later I sleep, the more sleep I am missing out on. Anyway…the shows are great mind blockers…can simply space out there and watch without having to think of anything else. Iz was really nice….bot me the DVDs of the previous series cos I missed the first bit of it. I did like that show,”Foxy Lady” , cos it was both romantic and witty. Can’t wait to catch the first half that I missed. I remember the first episode I watched was when there was ‘ovaries trouble’. It was her first trip to the gynae  and it was hilarious. Then to grieve over her loss, she went out to buy a model of a womb and carried it all around in a box. U really got to watch it for yourself!

Almost the end of the day already…I can’t wait to hear the little one calling me “MaaaaaaMeeeeee….”.

Posted: June 4th, 2007 under Family, work.
Comments: none

Time to take stock of Week 1 at the new place. All in all, it has been a good week. Got my laptop, blackberry and all connected already. That is especially crucial since people I work with all all scattered around the globe. This week alone, I have done more conference call than I have in the last 10 years!!! Now that I have spoken to more people, i feel a little more assured that I will be able to deliver up to expectations.Of course, there will be tonnes for me to learn but then I believe I will be able to contribute positively as well. Hmm….maybe that positive-ness wouldn’t always stay within me..but I got to! Got to believe that I will be able to handle this job well. Much I get alot of support from the boss and team in the States, London and HK. Much weighs on me cos I am the Asia Pacific rep and it is me and me alone.

People in the workplace here are nice. Where I am sitting it is generally female-dominated and though from different divisions, we are in the same age group so it is quite fun. And what is doubly reassuring is that I have met quite a few mothers of young kids here. So if they can balance both the demands of their job and motherhood, I believe I can too. For some of them, their kids are even younger than our little fella. So one of the questions I keep asking them is ..”How do you handle both travelling on the job and ur kids?”. That is something that I am really apprehensive about because M is so sticky to me now. It is always Mummy this and Mummy that. Talking about the little one, he sure is growing up so quickly. Last night, he was running around with his cousins and all in the club. He is the youngest amongst them( 3 boys and 1 girl) but he was running around with them all the same. He had a head on collision with his cousin and whilst that boy had a red patch on his forehead, our little coconut head seemed unaffected. Must have been tired though..fell asleep in the car on the way back. Yesterday was a treat cos he also stayed up past his usual bedtime of half past eight.

Well…lunchtime over and back to work now.Oh..lunch was good today, had nice company and nice food. Iz was/is on leave so he came down to lunch with me before gng to his playground ( the PC show). Hope he buys a laptop bag for me We went to the Jap restaurant and I had some collagen ramen. Was tasty and maybe if I drink it enough, I wun need Botox in future.Hahaha

Posted: June 1st, 2007 under Family, work.
Comments: none

It’s Day 2 today. Couldn’t not really sleep the night before Day 1 and when I finally did, found myself waking up again 3 hours later to the sounds of “Ma-meeee, come..” So took the little fella and placed him on the bed. He was chatting away non-stop but I left him until he finally fell asleep. Oh..I digress..Day 1…was basically lots of reading up and also had two conference calls. People here are different but nice enough I suppose.Think it will take me a while though to get used to this open office concept…with people talking across cubicles and all. I have been so used to structured sort of set-ups with people all around to train on this and that. Here, it is different cos everyone is scattered around the globe…some in the Staes, some in the UK , some in Australia n some in HK. Can be a tad disconcerting if you are a newbie trying to learn the ropes.  But well guess I really got to get used to self-management here….

Posted: June 1st, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none