Was a little tired of the previous blog skin so got Iz to help get it changed.After much choosing and looking around for one I liked, I finally settled on this on. Think it is nice and sweet without being cloyingly so. And of course..it still has to be pink!

So…do you like the new blogskin?

Posted: April 9th, 2008 under Blogging.
Comments: 2

It was a really lazy weekend with lots of time spent at home. Guess it was a good time to rest since we were all sick the previous weekend. But I got a bit bored towards the end so brought the little fella to the park and explore playgrounds nearby. It was the first time I was bringing both the little fella and Jeremiah out. I made the little fella promise that he would walk and not make me carry him. So he was really good. In the midst of our walking around, we found this quite nice playground and it was meant for little kids. The equipments were all from Little Tikes so the playground was nice and safe. 

Posted: March 31st, 2008 under Family, Parenting, Pets.
Comments: none

Call me a sucker for looks but somehow I always find it hard to believe that someone who look is so good looking is capable of doing anything bad.Whether it is reel or real-life, I always find myself finding it hard to believe that all the good/decent looking guys would be capable of doing anything vicious.Call me naive or silly but somehow that is just how my wee little brain functions. I find it so odd sometimes but sometimes, towards certain people, I find it really hard to think badly of them..no matter what they might do.

I have been rather hooked on a Chinese drama serial and even though one of the male leads is so wicked, so vicious and so scheming..I find it hard to not sympathise with him and think that he would do something evil. All because he is so decent/good looking.Though I know this is just make-believe, I believe that I tend to think like that too in real life.I always want to believe in the good side of people and that there is a reason for the way they behave.But perhaps I am being overly-simplistic here.

Posted: March 26th, 2008 under Observations.
Comments: none

Since my work trip cum holiday was postponed, we decided to take a trip to Adelaide. It was partly a holiday and partly also to recce the place.And because it was such a last minute trip, we had problems getting a direct flight. So had to transit in Perth. The flights itself were an experience but more about that later.

This is the 3rd flight (1st was when he was 6 months and 2nd was when he was 1 year old) for the little fella and we were initially a little apprehensive as he is a lot more active now. So we were wondering how much we had to do to occupy him. So we armed ourselves with plenty of snacks and some of his books as well. I think it helped that he chose the books himself. He was then a little more keen to read it onboard the flight. Overall, he was quite a good kid on the plane, slept some, ate a little and watched quite a bit of the in flight entertainment stuff. It was good that there was Playhouse Disney And of course, it helped that there were 2 of us taking care of him.

All in all, we had a good trip and like always, we tried to balance it with activities that he liked and stuff that we like. So that no one gets shortchanged. It was a great thing that we brought the stroller along so many of his daytime naps were spent in the stroller. We discovered this nice Japanese place that sold udon soup so meals generally weren’t a problem. It was funny but I think the little fella missed eating fishballs as he kept asking for them.

We did lots in Adelaide. Shopped, attended 2 fringe festival events, took a day trip to the hills where the little fella thoroughly enjoyed picking strawberries at the farm,went to the beach, went to the zoo.Was a bit sian that I had to work some of the nights but guess I cannot complain since boss agreed so readily to my 2 weeks leave though it was a busy period here. But then again, when it is really not busy?

The trip gave me a better sense of the place and what to expect should we shift there anytime soon. Definitely want to move but there are tens of trillions of worries in my mind now. Must really learn to keep the faith and not let the worrywart in me take over.

Posted: March 14th, 2008 under Family, Shopping, Weather.
Comments: 3

I have decided that we/I should bring the little fella out more for outdoor play rather than to stay at home and watch telly all the time. He loves his Playhouse Disney but I reckon he should not be watching too much telly. So over the last weekend, I tried to engage him in as much outdoor / non-telly activities. As Daddy was working, I brought him to the playground on Sat morning and after that, trooped off all hot and sweaty to MM and GG’s house. At the playground, there was the usual slides and steps.But he has gotten more adventurous, now he wanted to walk across the concrete slabs by himself. It was a nice little walk because the concrete slabs were on water and laid across a little stream of sorts. It taught him focus and balance ‘cos there were gaps in between the slabs and if he was not careful, his lil feet could very well slip between the slabs. We did that till it threatened to rain and I whisked him away.

At MM and GG’s house, he could feed the fishes and prawns and there he probably had a little ecological lesson. He saw the fishes and prawns eating.Oh..he also saw a little prawn that had jumped out of the tank and was being attacked by the ants. That probably traumatised him a little. Hee..

Yesterday, we had a nice easy morning playing with his toys and watching a bit of telly. Had a nice pizza/lagsane lunch and played a little while more before it was nap time. He was good cos I told him he could play with bubbles after he woke up. So we did and after that, I brought him downstairs with his soccer ball. Had a rather nice ( and hot!) time chasing and kicking the ball all around. People who saw us probably thought of us as 2 weirdos who held hands and just ran all around with the ball. Whilst resting, he saw a man loading up boxes on a lorry and covering them with the canvas. So he asked questions like what is he doing, what is the cover for etc etc.

The after an hour plus downstairs, it was shower time. He wanted the tub and he also wanted to bathe the ball. So together with his ball (rinsed already), he went into the tub. Played with the bubbles and bathed his ball. Oh..before he showered, he helped me cook his dinner by scooping the brown rice porridge into the cup and then into the top. So told him that he was such a big boy already and could help cook his own dinner. Think that made him rather pleased.

He was really really good…after he was changed and all, i placed him on the couch ( with the telly) and told him to stay there whilst I took my shower. And when i came out some 20 mins later, he shouted from the couch ” Mummy, I am playing with your coins.” He had found my coin pouch on the table by the couch, unzipped it and was playing with all the coins. A good thing he has learnt not to put things into his mouth.

After that, had his salmon and mixed veg miso brown rice porridge..Finished all and asked for more soup! No..not the end of the day yet ..still had about 3 hours before bedtime. So I decided to bring him shopping since he wanted a new water bottle. So we went to Causeway Point and shopped. He was being really good..walked with me all the way so brought him to Kiddy Palace to choose his water bottle.As usual, he took ten thousand minutes choosing one he liked. Finally found one he liked cos he said that his classmate had it too. It was some unidentifiable bear character. Then wanted to buy him a pencil case so that he can use it when we go out. But after looking at the pencil cases there( there was Thomas the tank engine, Bob the builder, Strawberry Shortcake etc etc), he said..”I don’t like any of these.” So I told him we will go elsewhere to look and he agreed without a fuss.

After that it was off to Mothercare..I wanted to get him jeans for our NYC trip. And they were having a 30% discount for their winter wear collection so it was perfect. Tried some on for him and let him choose which one he liked. So he did after much deliberation.

After shopping and a bubble tea treat..it was off to the Library. He was really happy especially when he saw Daddy! He told Daddy who was on the 3rd floor, ” Wait..I am going to look for my books..Wait..Patience.” So off we trooped to the J section in the Library.

The day ended about 10 or so and think with all the activities, he was tired out. So slept rather quickly. All these activities in a span of 2 days…I need to find more things to do. I have been toying with the idea of creating a little garden for him in our corridor..then he can learn about plants and maybe insects. Wonder if he will like that….

Posted: January 28th, 2008 under Family, Parenting.
Comments: 2

I believe if the trip is meant as a family trip…it will happen.Just got to believe that all things will fall in place…

Posted: January 12th, 2008 under Family, work.
Comments: none

I have been wondering if perhaps we both need parenting classes. On how to be a better parent and how to communicate better. Through the past year especially,I realised that both Iz and I have very diffirent parenting styles. Of course, they are things we agree on but there are also others that we simply can’t seem to find middle ground. And of course, when that happens, we both end up being unhappy. And it bothers me a whole lot cos one of my pet peeves is being faced with someone who is really grouchy.

Who is right?Admittedly, I am the less fierce one at home and tend to give in to the little fella more. But I feel that I am firm enough when I need to be. Obviously, Iz dosen’t think so and he believes in ‘discipline’ when the need arises. Of course, I do agree but I also feel that talking to the little fella helps too in bringing the point across..instead of mere punishment and scoldings that will only result in more tantrums.

I used the ‘distraction’ tactic quite a lot and I like it because it seems to work but Iz feel that that is giving in. Just like earlier on, the little fella was throwing a tantrum because he saw Iz playing on his PSP too. So he wanted it too. This is where you can clearly see our diffrent parenting styles.

 Me: I tried coaxing him and distracting him with other things..tickling him..asking him to read etc etc. But he still continued crying so I just persisted in talking and pacifying till he quietened down. Only after he quietened down, then did i ask if he could take someone else’s toy and whether it was right. So I asked…can u take Teacher XYZ’s toy? Can u take Teacher ABC’’s toy? He shook his head and said no. So asked if he was still going to take Daddy’s toy and he said No. So, it worked for today and I am hoping that he will remember it and I will reinforce with all these ‘pep talks’ whenever i can.

 Iz:When the little fella started crying, he very firmly told him ‘No’ and just stood his ground. That, to him, is not giving in and just persisting in being firm and consistent about not giving in to demands.

So obviously, there is a difference in our styles and sometimes they clash. Is there one that is more effective/ That is where we then become unhappy with each other and the problem escalates from one of the little fella to us. Of course, it passes but then I do think it is very unhealthy..that it will have its detrimental effect in the long run.

 But how do we reach middle ground without stepping on each other’s toes?Do we need to be reminded that we are first husband and wife before we are parents?

Posted: January 9th, 2008 under Family, Marriage, Parenting.
Comments: none

Little fellas can be so trying at times and so cute at others. He had us in stiches yesterday with little conversation.This took place when we were out shopping after we picked him up from school.

Little fella:Wait, Daddy Wait!

Daddy.. Stood still in his tracks and asked: Wait?

Little fella: Wait.. wait… Patience…Be a good boy…later Matthew buy ice cream for you.

Daddy:Do you have money to buy ice cream?

Little fella:Have..money is in Matthew’s bag.

That had us all in stiches because he said it so earnestly and all in good timing because we were approaching the ice cream shop. Minutes ago, he had asked for an ice cream and he probably reckoned that if he bought one for Daddy, he could eat it too.

And this was coming from someone who is all but 2 years and 4 months.

Later at the supermarket, he decided that he wanted some colour pencils and paper.So we let him browse through the racks and choose the ones he wanted. And boy is he a fussy little one!! He tooks some tens of minutes just to choose his colour pencils and sketch pads.Looked at thin pencils, fat pencils,short ones, long ones…exercise books with squares in them, lined ones, plain ones and finally he made his choice. Think even at his wee little age, you can see how he uses his decision making skills.It is interesting just that it took a long long time.

And perhaps this is the character formation stage where the little fella is no longer just one who relies on us for his basic needs but also has the capacity to think/demand his rights. Am sure it will be an interesting journey/lesson for us as we see him grow more and us, learn more so that we can teach him the correct things.

Posted: January 8th, 2008 under Parenting, Shopping.
Comments: none

It has been a really busy month with work as usual and stuff on the homefront. Work has been busy as usual and it has twarted my body clock as well. Cos I stay up for late night calls, I am now such a nocturnal creature. And on the home front, the little fella just  recovered from gastric flu. And like any other parent would say, it is the most tiring when little kids fall sick. And really most of the time, you are wishing that you are the one sick instead. He had it quite bad this time around and it took him a full week before he was finally OK. Anyway…all is well now and I can only pray that all will stay well especially since Christmas is round the corner. I do want to celebrate it this year since we gave last year’s a miss cos of the Pox.So fingers crossed…all will be well.

 Last evening, we went to this Korean restaurant in West Coast. Can’t remember what it is called…food was all right but what I liked was the play room for kids. It was a ‘ball room’, pretty much like the one at Ikea,just that it is shallow-er and more suitable for younger kids.And the little fella was so happy in there, throwing the balls, swimming in it etc etc. I was just thinking how nice it would be if we had a play room like that too. Am sure the little fella would love it to bits. Well…maybe when we shift to the bigger place, he could have a play/activity room. He enjoyed himself so much that he did not want to come out for dinner or to rest. Just wanted to play ‘a little while more’.

He is now learning to bargain with us. “A little while more”..”Last one”…” 5 mins more”.. Cute but also got to teach him his boundaries already!

Posted: December 10th, 2007 under Christmas, Family, Parenting, work.
Comments: none

Its now official and I work from home on alternate days. Works out well for me cos I dun get any distractions and can focus on my task at hand. I reckon that for what I do, I just need blocks of time that I can sit and just work away without the phone ring, chattering etc etc. I get mixed reactions when I tell people that I work from home certain days. Some say it is great for its flexibility and all but most think that it is the perfect excuse to laze at home. And I tell you…I really hate that. I hate the quizzical looks that people give me when I say I work from home.Say things like even if you sleep/watch telly/dun work ..no one will know. Well..theoretically yes..but won’t it mean I will miss all my deadlines?!?! I have given up justifying my work and well..as long as I know I am doing my stuff, it is OK. Just a couple of days ago, told my BIL that I was working from home and as usual the quizzical looked popped up. He exchanged this funny and knowing look with my mum. So they said the usual things..I defended by saying that people do know when I am at work cos I log in. BIL then said..well..you could always set your PC to automatically login at a specific time. Also said that with wireless, I could be on a holiday and no one would know. Hmmphh…So decided after that. I was not going to say anymore.

Suppose it is the working culture but why are people so hung up on where you work from? Isn’t it more important that you finish your tasks and deliver what you are supposed to? I could very well be physically in office but yet not work. Anyway..I have decided that people can pretty much say what they want and I will try not to be bothered. But it would be nice if people were more supportive.

I love working from home cos it pretty much means that my time is mine to manage. I can work more after the little fella sleeps and take a bit more time in the am to send him to school etc. With my 11pm/12 midnite conference calls, it is good that I have the flexibilty of managing my own work day. Much as I have all the time to laze, watch telly etc etc etc…I am bounded my work ethics. I always think..since I am given such a privilege and flexibility, I better not abuse it.So there..that is my stand on working from home.

Posted: November 7th, 2007 under work.
Comments: 3