Can we have aircon please...?

One thing about living in Singapore, a place 4 degree above the equator, is that its always warm and cosy. Sometimes a bit warmer than the other, even at night. Although I'm not a believer of Global Warming , but still the nights can be sleepless due to the heat.

So on certain nights when its really so warm that even the fan can't cool us off, I'll allow the air-conditioner turned on while they sleep. But Ally has sensitive nose and dry sensitive skin, every night sleeping in the air con room she'll end up with running nose and itchy skin. On the other end, Isabel is the type that perspires a lot, she'll always complain its very warm.

But both of them likes the nice cool feeling in the room when its switched on. So, they will conspire together to get me to agree to let them have it even on those cooler nights.

They will:
1. Splash water on their faces and neck claiming it to be sweaty.
2. Bargain with me on the length of time to have it turned on (half night, 2 hours..etc)
3. Come to us with pathetic looks, get us to sympathise them.

Recently, I implemented the "Token" system. It goes like this:
Each month, the kids are given a total of 5 tokens, if at any one time I don't agree that its warm enough to switch on the air con, they can use their token to exchange for a night of air-conditioned cool air. Provided they must both agree to have it.

Its still in the experiment stage, it should train her to use her resources wisely. Hopefully she'll learning something out of this.

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Dividing Attention

Since the arrival of our latest member, as parents, our attention for the kids have to be further divided. Isabel requires constant pushing to get her homework done and learn her spellings and 听写.
Ally requires coaching and spend time with her to teach her new words and keep her interest in reading.
Jared needs to be changed and fed every 2-3 hourly.

Today, as I was coaching Isabel with her homework and my wife was nursing Jared, Ally was reading her book with my domestic helper. I'm not a bigot, but I do have concerns if my children are learning their first language from someone who has problem pronouncing most of the words.

But how do we make more time for them?

Its been almost 5 days since we've brought him home. Everyone is adjusting to him quite well. The 2 newly promoted sisters; Isabel is now大姐, while Ally wants to be known as 二姐, are specially excited and always crowding around him.

As for us the Daddy and Mommy, neither one of us has slept more than 6 hours straight since. Especially for my wife, although she is not new to the breastfeeding thing, but its been so many years and it takes time to adjust to its regular timing.

So far, Jared is quite easy to handle, Eat, sleep and poop... But he likes to be carried when he's awake, not just carried, must also walk and show him things. If I sit down with him, he'll give me a grouchy face.

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Baby Jared is born

Since Thursday night, my wife started to have regular cramps about an hour apart. By bed time, it was half hourly.

The next morning, 10 am onwards, the contractions were 5 minutes apart. We hurriedly went for grocery shopping making sure that the kitchen is well stocked so that our helper can cook for the kids.

When the pain was 4 minutes apart, she wanted to eat Char Siew and roast pork rice. So we settled our lunch at the Food court. All these while, she was still enduring the pain.


Mid-afternoon, I drove her to the hospital, arrived at the delivery suite and got registered. But this day must have been a good day to deliver babies because, their 30 over rooms were all fully occupied delivering babies at the same time.

Near evening, we got the suite. My wife was still contemplating to use Epidural or not, she wanted to brave the intense labor pain to deliver this baby. I told her at least use the gas, it should help make it easier for her.


She said the gas makes her very light headed... very high. So I had a few puffs of it. It felt like floating in clouds...

By 6.45pm, her contractions were very close, she started to twist and turn on the bed. I did my best to comfort her, ensuring her that it will be over soon, but she don't seem to hear me anymore.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and stared at me and said: "The Water-bag broke." I lunged forward and pressed the red panic by the bed side summoning professional help.

The first nurse came in and checked, U-turned back to the door and screamed at someone else who pushed in a trolley with surgical utensils. Everyone started putting on rubber gloves.

In the mist of the pain, my wife suddenly said: "I feel like pushing now!"

But the Mid-wife replied: "WAIT, wait... breath... breath... pant pant..."

My wife waited as long as she could, but when the baby head appeared, they changed the command to "GO! GO! GO!" "PUSH! PUSH!"

The other nurse by my side: "DADDY! HOLD THIS LEG! Don't let it fight with me!"

I held on to her leg and lifted her shoulder to help her push: "COME ON! ONE MORE PUSH!"
Jared had a cord around his neck, but the nurse was quick to spot it, grabbed and pulled it loose before it got tightened.

Soon, I watched the baby came shushing out, heard his first cry.


38 weeks of waiting... finally we met for the first time, face to face on 17 July 2009, 7.20pm

Our Gynae helped us take this picture.

After the ordeal, my wife felt hungry...

At 9pm, where 99% of the hospital stores were closed, I managed to grab the last 2 bowls of noodles before they started cleaning up the store.

My wife, exhausted from the pain of delivery, ate hungrily.

Happy Birthday Jared

By the way... I cut the cord this time.

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Labour may begin anytime from now

Went to see gynae for the routine check last evening.

Was told that Baby Jared is ready to see the world anytime from now.

Was given MC to rest today but somehow there seems to be a lot of things for me to do before the arrival of the baby....stocking up the house with grocery, dropping by my office to clear my work/mails.....picking up baby stuff from friends...

The iPhone Experience

And so the faithful day arrives... our reserved time slot was between 6pm and midnight, we know that there is a launch party from 6pm to 8pm, after which then they will start selling the first phone. Excitedly we were there and started queuing at 10:40pm thinking that by then, the crowd should be thinner and that I could just walk in and pick up my reserved phone.

But when I reached tail of queue, I saw the other side has a big crowd and some loud music going on. Curiously, I asked the volunteer walking by what queue is that? His answer sent shiver down my spine... "That is the head of the queue, is snakes around the Comcentre and the expected waiting time is around 5-6 hours long.

I told my wife to go home and rest while I embark onto this adventure myself. I will show how much I love her by allowing myself to go through the back-breaking process and get the phone of her desire... Even if I have to crawl to the sale counter, I will do it... (Like real...)


It wasn't that bad when the queue is in a single file...


It went around and disappeared in the corner... I thought to myself that its not as bad as he said.


But when I made it to the corner, I then realized that queue zig-zagged up and down the same area several times before heading to the next corner.


Almost 2 hours later, I finally got my wrist band confirming that I am purchasing an iPhone.

Along the way, there were people bringing us junk food and mineral water. I took the water but regulated the intake, I can't risk having "high-tide" while I'm alone in the queue for the next 5 hours.


At 2:40am, I reached the part of the building where the sales are going on. But there are 7 lines of zig-zag, each line is about 30 meters long before reaching the building.

By then, my back was aching and stiff, my feet were sore and tired...

In fact, everyone looked tired. Some are cussing at Singtel management that they have not exercised any control in restricting those Saturday and Sunday time slot people into the queue but allow only those who were rightful Friday time slot to have priority to purchase the phone. The fact that they let anyone who had an email printout of an reservation go into the queue has caused the long hours wait and unhappiness among the customers.


By 4am, I reached the queue number collection point.

My number was K1879...


There are 60 over counters serving at the same time, workers have been selling iPhone for the last 10 hours, the lady serving us was so tired that she mistaken my price plan and wanted to charge me $985 for the 16Gb phone. But good thing she woke up in time to realise that it should be 1/3 of that price.

Now, my lovely wife is the proud owner of the latest iPhone 3Gs

The New 3GS iPhone

I am so excited today not because baby is due soon but ......my dear husband had make reservation from Singtel to buy the new 3Gs iPhone.

The news of iPhone had just been announced today. And Singtel will be having a 3 day event to launch their latest mobile phone on coming Friday - Sunday.
We managed to book the reservation slot on Friday from 6pm onwards to collect the phone. But as of now (the latest from singtel website), the reservation slots for Friday are already fully booked.

This is the phone that I have been eyeing for the past many months :)
I have requested for a White color 16G model.

The new iPhone is faster and more powerful than the old... meaning... its more powerful than any phone I've ever held.

It has Digital Compass that works like a real compass... how cool.

See the specs here :http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3gs/

At present, I'm using Samsung Omnia (which will be handed over to Ric when I receive my NEW iPhone). Really nothing to complaint about this iPhone cos the features are much superior than those pocket mobile that i owned previously.

Telling Jokes

We were driving home and the kids were exchanging jokes when Isabel told one that caught us off-guard and all agreed that its quite good.

Isabel: Which is more painful when it hits your head? Papaya or Durain?

Everyone was thinking: "Ah... kiddy joke... so easy..." So everyone voiced out "Durain la!!!"

Isabel: "No la...hahaha... Its your head that'll be painful...hahaha"

That got us laughing.

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Guitar Practice

I'm now at the lesson 4 of the 10 guitar lessons. Due to the fact that I can't bring the guitar to office to practice, (my wife won't let me... Ha, just kidding) I had to improvise to get my practice.



So... I found this big Ricola box that has about the width of the guitar neck and drew lines on it... Whoa-la... Portable-Guitar-Chord-Practice gig.

I should patent it and start selling it to those music schools.

Begining of School Term

First week of the 3rd term of school, although some children are still quarantined for travelling outside Singapore, but it doesn't mean that the traffic will be any easier.

We take the train to work, now that I'm working very near my wife's work place, I'll accompany her to and fro from her work place... which is good as she is very near due date for delivering baby. But despite looking very pregnant, she doesn't get a seat every time. At the beginning of the day, everyone will grab a seat and pretend to sleep... Ok, benefit of doubts... maybe they are genuinely sleeping. But by the end of the day, they are also sleeping while sitting on the train.

Isabel was happy that violin class on Monday was postponed because she didn't practiced enough during the holiday, and also, she misplaced her homework and is afraid to face the violin teacher. Even now till she hasn't found the person who has mistakenly took it.

Ally is different, she has no outstanding homework, no stress... just looking forward to another hours of fun, songs and dance, games and laughter.

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