Our First Glimpse of Baby

It's been a long long while....

2009-05-28T23:19:00.002+08:00

It's been a very very long while since I've update this blog with a post... hah...I enjoy reading other people's blogs but a tad lazy to update mine! Well, 2009 has been a pretty busy year for us.. Celine's started school and adapting very well to it. Olivia's easing into her role as big sister in school with ease... and I'm loving it that my kids are growing up! though it could be a bit too fast. Before I know it, they'll be all grown up already !

Well, I've been rather busy as my sister, mom and I have started a little business of ours... something that we love to craft and design... do visit us here if you're a tad curious about what I've been up to.

Till my next post, which I hope that wouldn't be too long... Happy Belated Mother's Day and Happy Father's Day in advance.

updates updates updates

2008-11-01T17:27:00.002+08:00

ya ya I know... it's been a long time since my last update... that seems to be my trend anyway huh... Life's been quite busy these past couple of months... I've lost a maid... been maidless for a couple of months before Catherine came along...and she's definitely been a great help and God sent :) Both Olivia and Celine have also been keeping me busy.. Celine's been pestering us to send her school, having following mummy to school everyday to pick Olivia up... yes, she's due to go to school next year...but she's a tad reluctant to be toilet trained.
These last couple of months have also been a trying time in terms of work and my spiritual walk with God. This year itself has been a year of breakthroughs to a certain extent.. I've seen God's hand very clearly in my own life as well as my families... and am always reminded that God's great, merciful and full of love and grace.
ah..but I've also accomplished some long overdue projects such as the picture frames on the wall - yes.. I've put photos in them finally :) and I've also filled up another photo frame...
and we're going on another trip soon :) so...till the next update.. and I promise that it would not take that long... :)

Olivia's belated 4th birthday post

2008-07-26T08:52:00.002+08:00

Olivia turned 4 on the 29 June 2008. How fast time flies. She's now a talkative, independent, cheerful and cute but sometimes stubborn endearing little girl. She's rather responsible when it comes to doing her homework, but there are times when the 4-year old habits and behaviour overules that!
She had a few rounds of birthday celebrations ie blowing out the candles on various cakes... 3 I think to be exact :) Her final celebration was with her friends in Juara Cerdik and they had a blast!
As you can tell, we're celebrating like back to back birthdays starting from Elvin's in the mid-June, followed by Olivia and then Celine. It's all within 6 weeks and sometimes, I don't even have time to think of what exactly I want to be done for their birthday celebrations... looks like I have to start planning waaay ahead.. :)

I'll post some photos in my next post... in the mean time, Olivia has started with the phrase "Are we there yet" whilst on road trips.... urgh...

Happy Birthday Celine

2008-07-14T17:46:00.002+08:00

Happy Birthday Celine!! She turns 2 today... she has definitely brought our family lots of laughter, joy and love. She's really cute and together with Olivia, they definitely remind us of God's grace and love.

We celebrated her birthday earlier on.. and yesterday, we brought her for a haircut.. she looks rather different... and I shall post her pictures up later... but for the mean time, Happy Birthday Celine... May the Lord continue to bless you abundantly and continue to keep you close to Him...

Long overdue updates....

2008-07-08T16:05:00.002+08:00

It's been a long long time since I've updated my blog. I must admit.. I love reading other people's entries but dread to write mine as I always think that my entries are not exciting or interesting enough... but will always remind myself that af the end of the day, these entries serve as a reminder or rather like an online journal. :)

Much has happened since my last entry... Olivia is growing up quickly, easing into her big sister role effortlessly. Celine is fast catching up on the art of communication - she speaks rather well that I keep forgetting that she is not yet 2! Both of them are definitely a source of joy for the entire family.. including the extended families.

In March, we went for a family holiday with another family to Krabi, Thailand. It was very fun. We stayed at the Pakasai Resort, which was around the corner of Ao Nang beach. It was very nice and cozy... The kids had a ball of a time with Brendan & Bryan who came along with their family. It was a very laid back holiday for us. No stress to do this and that but merely enjoying time with the kids and spending time with friends. We spent time at the beach and the pool, explored Krabi town and ate Thai food.. :) We even had cheap and yummy Thai desserts! At the end of the trip, we all came back a bit sunburnt, except for Celine, who only turned a tad red... and Celine knew how to say "I want to go for holiday...with Brendan".. :)

In May, Elvin and I went for our first trip without the kids to exotic Turkey. It was stunning and beautiful. The country is just so deep with history and beautiful sites. What made it even better was that we had a really really good tour guide, he was just fantastic - his knowledge was really really awesome and he made history sound so so interesting. I would definitely recommend you make Turkey one of your holiday destinations, if you can stomach bland and unappetizing food for 10 days. :) We missed the kids terribly... and they us too. A big thanks to Mummy for helping to watch them for the 10 days that we were away.

We also had a family photo shoot on Mother’s day at Lake Gardens with Jenny Sun. The world is really small, whilst I was looking greedily at the photos that she features on her blogsite, little do I know that she actually knows Yen and Jon. We had a great time that day and the weather was very kind to us. Most of all, we had lots of fun! I’ll post the pictures once I’ve gotten them on me.

More stuff to post up next… coming up will be my posts on birthdays as the birthday season of our family has started J Stay tuned.

Nintendo Wii anyone?

2008-01-22T18:10:00.000+08:00

Elvin and I are not very much into playing video games... we'd much rather be spending time with the kids, friends or our extended family. So, as a Christmas present to ourselves, we bought a Nintendo Wii...and we've been having fund with it as a family every since. I played till my arms ached...definitely a sign that I'm old and so out of shape! But it wasn't just me, hahaha, everyone else except for Elvin and Olivia... :) One of my resolutions this year was to exercise, thus far, I've only been exercising with the Wii... playing tennis and golf. Anyone who has played the Wii will be able to attest to the fact that u can indeed break a sweat by playing...

Anyhow, my remark to Elvin was : "Buying the Wii is better than buying a new car!" The whole family can definitely enjoy it... young or old.

Bali and Ipoh Trip

2007-12-11T13:53:00.000+08:00

I went to Bali last month for my first overseas company trip. It was great and I had a lot of fun. I guess also the company helps - some of my colleagues are great people to travel with. We visited some temples, saw some obese monkeys, ate a lot, had cheap pedicures and manicures, shopped a lot and got a sunburn too! It was really fabulous shopping coz most of the things were cheap. I managed to buy a dress for RM14... so that's really cheap. :) On in all, I had a blast and it was a good break from work and an additional plus was having some "me" time to myself!

When I was in Bali enjoying myself, my kids, Olivia and Celine, were having a blast at their paternal grandparent's home in Ipoh. This marked the first time both girls went away without us, their parents. And I'm proud to say that they definitely did better than me when I was their age! The gals spent about 4 days in Ipoh and definitely gave their grandparents some additional strands of white hair! :) But I'm sure they all had a blast.

Here are some pics from my Bali trip as well as a slightly updated photo of the girls....

Tis the season to be sick

2007-08-21T13:59:00.000+08:00

Yup, my 2 gals have been sick. They've been ill for about 2 weeks already... Poor Celine got the worst of it. She's just been diagnosed with bronchitis!! Poor thing. Wheezing, coughing and lots of plehgm. Have been praying that she will get well soon. Thank God that Olivia's recovering quite nicely.

To make matters worse, Celine fell down yesterday and knocked the back of her head... there's a big "baluku" there. Am praying that the swelling will go down and that she's fine too.

Oh well, just a quick update.... on the gals... here's a recent picture of Celine.. with her hair pinned up.

Happy Belated Birthday Celine and Ee ee!

2007-07-24T12:54:00.000+08:00

Happy Belated Birthday to 2 of my favourite gals - Celine (my fei fei) and Yen (my sister). They both have something else in common besides celebrating their birthdays in the month of July - they're both chubby!! (for Yen - she was chubby when she was young.. sorry dear.. coudln't resist).

Celine turned 1 on 14 July. How fast time flies... and she is definitely a very steady toddler at the age of 1. Following fast in the footsteps of her sister, Olivia, who started walking at the age of 11 months and was also very steady when she celebrated her first birthday. We had a small celebration at home and Celine had an Elmo 3D cake to celebrate her turning 1. The cake was definitely a hit amongst the other kids at the party, as they all couldn't resist Elmo's charm.

Ee ee aka Yen celebrated her birthday 3 days later. We went for a sumptious Japanese dinner at Subang. The food was good and we were definitely stuffed! This time, instead of the usual birthday cake, I decided to get her cupcakes to make up a cake. (okay.. if I don't explain this well, I'll try to upload the pics later). It was a hit! Yen totally loved it.. and since then, it's kinda been like a trend, whereby we order cupcakes for everybody's birthdays.

ANyways, thought that I'd get a blog entry on this two joyous occasions. Maybe the Lord continue to bless both of you abundantly in everything that u do.

Happy 3rd Birthday Olivia!!!

2007-06-29T17:33:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to Olivia, Happy Birthday to you.

Yes, today my little Princess Olivia turns 3! How exicting. I took a good long look at her before I went to sleep last night and felt nostalgic. How much has my little girl grown! How different from the first time that I laid eyes on her.

She has definitely progressed into a bundle full of energy and joy. Everyone is entertained by her adult-like gestures and comments. (though I have to admit that handling her can be rather trying at times). But she definitely makes up for it by showing her tender loving side.

We've organised a big birthday bash for her tomorrow with her friends. Will fill you guys in on that. In the meantime, happy birthday my dear girl. May the Lord continue to keep you under His wing and bless you abundantly in your many years to come.

Parents Teachers Day

2007-05-28T17:55:00.000+08:00

I recently went for my first Parents Teachers Day last Saturday at Olivia's kindie. Itwas rather interesting - my dad teased me about it totally. (I think that secretly he's proud and couldn't contain it but he tried very hard to play it cool).

Olivia's progess report? - Well, all was alright except that I've got to work on her restlessness and short attention span. Well, what do u expect from a 3-year old but guess, if she doesn't sit down and listen, she doesn't get to learn so much. Anyone who has seen her would know that getting her to sit down for long periods of time would be rather challenging. But, mummy has to be persistent and patient. Guess, this is the part, where u realise that bringing up a child is totally challenging and scary. and I think at times, I just reflect and feel really guilty for being not so great at this "mom" role. Sigh....

Anyhow, will have to think of ways to catch her attention.... if anyone of you have any bright ideas, please give me a buzz or drop me a line!...

Bible Verses

2007-04-09T18:24:00.000+08:00

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" ~ John 14:6

That was the verse that Olivia blurted out when we were doing our weekly grocery shopping at Giant on Sunday. I didn't hear her very clearly the first time and asked her to repeat it a couple of times for me and she did just that with clear precision. Excited that she quoted her first bible verse, I quickly called Elvin and asked her to repeat it. And she did!

I'm so excited that my daughter is going through this phase of her life where she just soaks up everything like a sponge (though it might work against me). It's just amazing to see her come back and say things that she learnt in school, or even imitate her teachers in school. Yes, we started sending her to Juara Cerdik since January this year and it's been delightful for her I think. She's just learning so much.

On top of that, mommy is also learning bible verses and children songs from her too. Now that I've heard her say that verse so many times, it's kinda stuck in my head too! Great stuff.

Exciting times for us too.....will update more in due course.

8 Months ole...

2007-03-14T18:38:00.000+08:00

Celine, aka fat fat... is 8 months old today. Time sure flies. She's teething now. Her 2 bottom teeth have sprouted out and now it's time for the top 2! she's been biting me more than Olivia used too... and whenever I shout out in pain, she'll let go and look at me with this "mummy, what r u yelling about?" look and then proceed to give me a grin. Talk about being cheeky! Wonder who she gets that from.

Meanwhile, I've switched jobs and am much happier now, although office is like in town... but it's alright. Olivia, meanwhile, has started school and is adjusting very well to it. I think she secretly loves it although she refuses to admit it out loud.

Okay.. this is just a short post... just to update everyone... will be back with more.. (yah yah.. I know that's what I always say).

Celine...

2006-11-07T18:35:00.000+08:00

Celine will be turning 4 months next week... how time flies.. That little girl of mine is really growing up. Okay, maybe some will argue that she's not really that little.. my dear darling younger daughter weighs about 7.3kgs! Talk about gaining weight. Even her paeditrician was suprised to see her healthy weight gain.

She's becoming even more adorable by the day and it really warms my heart to see her give me a toothless grin or smile. She can even laugh out loud! That happens when Elvin plays with her.

Even more heartwarming is the fact that her sister, Olivia, dotes on her. A funny incident happened on Sunday whilst we were at Mid Valley having lunch at a Japanese restaurant. Sitting at a booth, there was space on the seat to put Celine down, so Elvin did just that after carrying her for a while. Olivia, being the big che-che that she is, got a little frantic looking for her sister who was no where in sight. She went " Where's may may?", "Where's may may", "Where's may may" with each following question being said in a higher pitch than the other. We decided to allay her fears by telling her that Celine was actually lying down on the seat. But no after seeing her squirm for a few seconds!

Yah.. I'l try to update u guys soon with pics of Celine.. I know lots of ppl haven't been able to catch a glimpse of her yet... soon guys and gals.. soon..

It's been a long long time

2006-10-11T07:50:00.000+08:00

Yes yes I know... it's been a long long time since I last blogged... Daddy has been saying to me "how come there are no new posts on your blog?" I must admit that I've been really busy and having two kids have really kept me on my toes... work has also been rather hectic... okay okay.. no excuses. But hey I'm back!

The past 3 months have been absolutely amazing, trying, hectic, tiring all into one. Baby Celine was born on 14th July 2006 at 7:46 pm..weighing 2.93kg. Time has quickly flew by and now she's almost turning 3 months.. she's a chubby one that girl. I'll be putting up pictures of her soon. Just need to get some stuff installed on my computer.

Olivia's been adjusting well to having a sister around and growing into the role of "che che" or big sister rather nicely. SHe's rather protective over her sister. Loves to hug and kiss her. And is very adamant that someone picks Celine up whenver she cries! I didn't think that she would adjust so well.. but she did. Kudos Olivia!

Breastfeeding has been a challenge as I've been travelling ever since I got back to work. Sadly, Celine has now got to take a mixture of formula and breast milk as my milk bank is gone.. Yup.. that huge supply of stored milk (to those who saw it) is all gone... :( Nonetheless, I'm still persevering and continuing to breastfeed her as long as I can.

Other than that, live's been rather interesting with so many adjustments to make.. new maid, new routine but I guess we're settling in quite nicely..

Alrighty then.. will be back with more updates later...

Happy Belated Birthday Olivia

2006-07-06T14:01:00.000+08:00

Olivia turned 2 last week. Had wanted to blog about it but time just got ahead of me. She had a terrific day... went to 1 Utama twice in a day! She definitely enjoyed herself to bits. Time sure flies and she's so different from the time I first laid eyes on her 2 years ago.

She has definitely brought about joy, happiness and laughter to everyone around her.

Happy birthday sweetie. May God continue to bless you abundantly in your years ahead.

Hey there

2006-06-23T14:13:00.000+08:00

It's really been a while since I updated my blog.... and I think that the next time would be quite sometime away too... I'm already into my 36th week of pregnancy - after this week, it could be anytime that I pop. Pregnancy this time is different from the last - I haven't really gotten much water retention except for my nose - but it's really less this time. Baby is also kicking harder this time around and perhaps due to age.. I'm feeling more aches and pains everywhere!

Olivia is turning 2 next week... how time flies... she's not so much of an Elmo monster now but a TV monster! One of her greater achievements was to sit through the movie "Over the Hedge" in a cinema... chomping down other ppl's popcorn! I was totally impressed... and so was Elvin.. She's such a cutie... Little Miss Chatterbox... She has definitely grown... so quickly! And soon she will be an elder sister! So much responsibility for a 2 year old....

I definitely am looking forward to Baby's arrival but with that also comes some apprehension wondering whether I would be able to cope... anyhow.. by hook or by crook I have to. Praying very hard for good help as my new maid is coming soon....

Have to sign off now... got to finish up as much stuff as I can before I go off..... till my next update..

Elmo Monster

2006-04-06T17:41:00.000+08:00

Olivia was never really interested in television and I didn't want to give her such an early headstart. Recently, I thought to myself, why not buy her a Sesame Street DVD and see whether she would like it or not. Lo and behold, she not only liked it, she totally LOVED it!!! And her fav character of all times is ELMO.

Since then, she has become obsessed with Elmo and would want to watch it over and over again. And lately, when the session has ended and the credits are rolling, she would burst into tears, choked with emotion that ELmo session has ended. Arghs... what have we created? an Elmo monster.

She now has a repetoire of Sesame street DVDs and that is her prized collection. She has a couple of favourites and would insist on watching them over and over again. She has however, learnt quite a fair bit of words and dance moves from the DVDs. She knows that C is for Cookie.

When she watches Elmo, nothing else matters. This obsession has also led to her finally liking soft toys, which in the past she has shown no interest in whatsoever. Her favourite soft toys are ELmo (of course!) and a ladybug (whom she has aptly named bug bug).

So, anyone who is interested in rekindling their childhood memories can always drop by my place to have a session with Olivia and Elmo. Just give me a buzz first!

Updates....

2006-04-03T13:55:00.000+08:00

I've been really busy for the past few months as u can tell from the lack of blogging. I've noticed that I haven't written about my pregnancy this time around. Let me just give some udpates. I'm feeling okay. In fact, i'm starting to feel abit big now and starting to worry whether water retention will set in or whether my nose will grow really big like it did the last time around! :O

I'm now in my 25 week, which translates into about 6 months and a week. Feeling okay. Getting more tired at times especially when I've got to run after Olivia! Sometimes, just doing something simple like bathing her can be an uphill battle for me. Bathed her on Saturday night and Elvin asked me why do I seem like I just came out of battle after her bath!

Went for my check-up last Saturday and it was not an APril Fool's joke - I managed to see the doctor within the hour!! Isn't that commendable? Some ppl might think what's the big deal, but to me, it was a big deal as I used to get upset and had to wait for a very long time during my past gynae visits! Baby is growing well and weighs about 665gms now. Might not be much but baby manages to pack very strong kicks and punches! Doctor has scanned but is still hesistant to make a 100% commitment on whether it is a girl. Yes, it looks like baby is a she! I've got no problems with that although a lot of ppl have asked me whether I'm disappointed. My answer to them is that I'm just happy and grateful that baby is healthy and normal. Does not matter whether it is a boy or a girl. In this case, baby can inherit all of Olivia's pink stuff! and believe me when I say Olivia has loads of clothes!

We still haven't manage to decide on a name yet, English name that is. We already have a Chinese name in mind. Somehow it's tough this time around. Unlike when we already had a name for Olivia when I was 3 months pregnant! Wish us luck.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to have baby in my arms. Though I'm not too sure how I'll cope with two kids then. Praying very hard indeed. Will update more on baby as the pregnancy progresses.

Heartwarming.....

2006-03-10T18:02:00.000+08:00

Hah.. I had lunch today with my ex-colleagues whom I miss quite a bit since our friendship has transcended beyond the boundaries of just being colleagues. Met them at KLCC to have lunch, thus I had to take the LRT there. It was lunch time and the LRT was kinda packed... so I had to stand..sob sob..with my big belly and all... when we came to the first stop, some ppl who were sitting got off and I tried to get to a seat but alas those seats were snapped up by some young guys!!!! Can u imagine it? They didn't have the decency to give me their seat and the irony of it all was that they were just sitting opposite the sticker that encouraged you to give up your seat to an old person, a pregnant woman, someone with a baby... and I do believe that I fall under that category! Not that I needed to sit down or anything but it would have been good for them to have offered me their seat! Bah... Chivalry is definitely dead for some ppl.

Now u must be wondering why am I complaining when the title of my entry is "Heartwarming". Well, on my way back to the office, I took the LRT again. As soon as I got on, this lady immediately got up and offered me her seat. I was really very touched and thanked her profusely. It is definitely better to sit down after lunch as I felt heavier. ANyhow, kudos to the lady. May God bless her for her kind gesture. This was definitely the heartwarming bit and just to show that sometimes guys can just be either really dense or unfeeling! Hmpph!!!

ANyhow, TGIF.... have a good weekend everyone... We're having a doctor's visit tomorrow afternoon... how exciting!

I'm still alive....

2006-03-06T16:59:00.000+08:00

Okay okay.. I know that I haven’t been blogging… and my excuse is that I’ve just started work and before that I didn’t have much access to a computer.. although my husband and my mom would not agree to this statement but that’s what my excuse is going to be.

My first couple of days at work went well. I’m slowly trying to get use to the work environment at my new office. Also trying to get use to the different perspective that I have to take at work. Learning all this new terminology and focusing all efforts on one industry that is so vast is just not funny. That coupled with the various assignments that my boss has handed out to me. But I’m not complaining, I get to learn new skills, new knowledge, new information and hopefully get opportunities to improve myself further.

One thing that I enjoy most is the traffic. Yes, you might think that that is lame but for a person who has been braving the KL traffic for 6 years or so.. one will definitely appreciate it. My first day driving back home from work was absolutely bliss – I was so happy with traffic conditions, despite it raining before I left the office. It took me barely about 20-30 minutes to get back home as compared to a whopping 1 hour or more last time. Ah… the simple pleasures in life. A friend laughed at my happiness at not having to brave the KL traffic anymore. Hah, at least I don’t get stressed up anymore when they decide to close the rounds around the KLCC area whenever a major event takes place in our country.

Other than that, I’m coping fine. One other thing to cope with is the fact that I start work at 8 am! Arghs… that’s really early. Try to have breakfast at that time.. it’s just not happening… guess it’s just a matter of getting used to… but I officially get off work at 5pm… which is good to a certain extent, and because of better traffic conditions, I probably be able to work longer hours in the office (not too sure whether it is a good thing or bad – not yet able to decide).

Other than that, more updates on Olivia coming up soon! So stay tuned!

Happy Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T17:06:00.000+08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! It's a day when most of the single gals (and most married gals, though they would not admit to it) look forward to receiving a bouquet of flowers from their significant other or in some cases - from a secret admirer! It's also a day when some of the guys go all out to impress the girl whom they are trying to woo.

What am I going to be doing this Valentine's day? Well, I'm most certainly not going to be rushing out with all the other lovestruck couples (not that hubby and I are not in looove with each other - but more so because everything is ridiculously priced!) as Olivia is sick. Poor girl, she's down with a fever. But she has been an absolute darling despite being unwell. Am thinking of going out for dessert with hubby....ice cream maybe but it all depends lah....

Just wondering whether we're turning into boring old fuddy-daddies... sigh.... perhaps we enjoy different things in life at different stages of our lives..... and I have a beautiful daughter to go home too! and a Great Hubby! That's good enough for me.

Happy Valentine's Day. Hope that your day went well with lots of lovely presents, flowers and surprises.

New phase of life....

2006-02-09T12:09:00.000+08:00

Every human being go through many phases in their lives right from the day that they are born till the day that they pass on. I've been through a couple of phases in my own life and is now embarking on yet another new phase in my life. Lately, I find that the phases in my life are becoming shorter and shorter. I got married about 3 years ago.... or 2 years and 7 months ago to be exact. Became a mother 19 months plus ago and now I'm enroute to becoming a mummy again! I'm a bit apprehensive on whether I would be able to juggle being mother to two kids below the age of 3. Olivia will turn 2 when baby no. 2 is due. Many ppl tell me that this is an ideal age gap but I'm not too sure myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited at the prospect of becoming a mummy again it's just that I hope that I would be able to provide my children with enough attention. Attention that they so deserve from me.

Guess not making things any easier is that fact that I will be changing jobs. Yes, I'm finally moving on from my current job, going on to do something else related yet different in a whole sense. I'm actually excited at the thought of starting my new job but yet I have this sense of trepidation in me , worried at the unknowns on the job.

Hah...when there is nothing exciting happening, nothing really happens... and then everything starts to happen at the same time. I'm trying to put on a brave front when facing these new challenges in my life. Taking everything in stride and trying to savour and every single moment. Wish me luck...

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

2006-02-08T13:46:00.000+08:00

Yup, CNY is here already and the week long break that everyone was looking forward to has come and gone. Sigh...how quickly time flies when you're not at work but just enjoying lounging around and doing nothing. I had a good break although I fell sick on the first day of CNY with Olivia following suit a couple of days later but i totally enjoyed just not going to work and not having to battle the mad traffic of KL!

We went to Genting as well as Elvin thought that it would be a nice change... The weather was great but there was just people everywhere...it just felt like the whole world was there. We took some nice pics of Olivia enjoying herself just running in the cool air... will post them up later. That trip reminded the both of us why we don't go to Genting that often and that we should never ever go during CNY again!

We spent the first part of the break in Ipoh, enjoying the local hawker cuisine and spent the first day of CNY in Sitiawan at Elvin's second auntie's place. It was a normal gathering of relatives and their respective families every year. The highlight for the kids came when it was time for them to line up to get their ang pows. The order of the dishing out of the ang pows was according to age and generation. WE, were the last ones to give out the angpows as Elvin was the youngest of his generation. WHen if came to our turn, Elvin, being the joker that he is, told the kids that they need to earn their angpow by answering a question correctly. They had to tell us the name of Malaysia's second prime minister...for a while there was silence, the kids scratching their head trying to figure out the name (or maybe they were trying to figure out whether this uncle was for real). No one was able to give us the answer and an attempt came from his second auntie who proudly said that he's the father of the current deputy prime minister.... guess, the question was just too tough... Looks like we have to think of easier tasks for them next year.

We spent the rest of the CNY break back in KL. The person who enjoyed herself most would be my darling Olivia... As with her fascination with dogs, every house that we visited, there was at least 1 dog there..maybe also inline with ushering in the Year of the Dog. hah...

Anyhow, I missed the gathering in Kemaman where my dad's side of the family normally congregates and wakes up the entire Kampung Tempurung with their boisterous laughter and noise. No, I don't think they need firecrackers! My sister had a blast as you can see from her blog entry here. Maybe I'll be able to enjoy it next year.

It's a new year of the Chinese calendar and I hope that it marks good beginnings for everyone. I've got a few new beginnings this year too, of which I will be blogging about in due time. In the mean time, Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone and enjoy the rest of the CNY celebrations.

Fascination with Cats and Dogs

2006-01-12T14:12:00.000+08:00

Olivia's vocabulary has increased by leaps and bounds over the past few months. Now she not only says the words but also associates it with either the object or animal or person. Lately, she's been really fascinated by cats and dogs. And I think between the two, she prefers cats. Much to my chagrin as I definitely prefer dogs over cats anytime.

She can be kept occupied for quite sometime just watching the cat or dog lying on the ground, stretching or sleeping. (That's quite an achievement by Olivia's standards as she's a bundle of energy). Watching is the only thing that she does, as although she appears to be brave, she is not. She's easily terrified by the dog or the cat as it tries to approach her or even seen to be taking a step towards her. Straight into the nearest person's arms she will go for some comfort and safety embrace!

I just find it really cute when she's that fascinated with animals and her affinity for them although she's actually scared. Scared yet fascinated.

Guess, that's just what makes them so adorable! Hopefully the next time I would be armed with a camera to catch her in action.

Goodbye 2005 and welcome 2006

2005-12-30T17:38:00.000+08:00

It's the 2nd last day of 2005. In a couple of hours, we will be crossing over to 2006. A brand new year. Hopefully a better year than this that is going to end soon.

So many things happened this year. I would not go into the nitty gritty of things but I'm hopeful that next year will be better for everyone.

Enjoy yourselves. Make some resolutions!

Happy New Year ppl!

10 things that I am thankful about....

2005-12-15T17:44:00.000+08:00

I was replying a friend's e-mail the other day and it suddenly struck me that this is something that I can blog about.....

10 things I am thankful about.......
1) I am thankful to God for my family and the many blessings that He has lavished upon us
2) I am thankful for my husband who has really been there supporting me all the way
3) I am thankful for my good friends who are there for me when I need them
4) I am thankful for my new CG, where I think that I can learn and grow and hopefully give something back in return
5) I am thankful for the doors that God has opened for me and the opportunities that He has created for me
6) I am thankful for the gift of Life
7) I am thankful that I can enjoy and cherish each day with my daughter, husband and beloved family members
8) I am thankful for the help that I get from my parents and parent-in-law and my maid too
9) I am thankful for God being the shelter from the storm when things get tough, especially the way this year has gone
10) I am thankful that I am able to continue to know the Lord better with each passing day

There you go... 10 things that am thankful about.....

A friend's grief

2005-12-09T17:33:00.000+08:00

Just found out that one of my best friend's dad passed away suddenly. Still rather vague on the details but we're all very shocked. My friend is still holding up but I think that she's more in shock than anything else.

My other best friend is coming in from Singapore tomorrow morning to pay respects. Will probably go to the wake tomorrow afternoon or something like that.

Just goes to show how fragile life can be. And how things can change in a split second.

My heartfelt condolences goes out to my friend's family. I hope and pray that God will comfort them in these times of grief and be a big shield and a shelter for them.

I think the wake is tomorrow. We will have to see how it goes.

Bits and pieces

2005-12-07T17:46:00.000+08:00

I haven't been blogging for a while. So many things have happened during the past few weeks that I don't even know where to start. Anyways, some part of updating would be that we've joined a new CG (yay!) , which is really great for us. It's a family CG with a mixture of couples, kids and singletons. Christmas is round the corner and there are just so many plans during that weekend break! We have something on every single day! I bet that by the time I get back to work, I'll be dead tired and needing another break. I'm just glad that New Year's break would be rather long too. Hope that we would not be so busy then.

Other than that, I've been rather tired and yucky (that is a whole blog entry on its own some time down the road).

I'm just so tired. Woke up this morning feeling tired and that has continued throughout the day. Sigh....

Sleeping thru the nite...

2005-11-23T13:52:00.000+08:00

Yoohoo! Yes, as the title puts it - Olivia slept through the night last night in her bed! That was really a great feeling and I'm really proud of her. I came back late from work last night feeling really lousy after a long day and my daughter decides to reward me with her sleeping thru the night! Praise the Lord! I'm really happy with her and hope that this is the start of her "sleeping thru the night" routine. She has had a few false starts but I'm keeping my fingers, toes and ears crossed that this continues.

ha Ha.... Will keep you guys updated on her progress....

Sleeping Habits

2005-11-15T18:29:00.000+08:00

I’ve been reading this book called “The No-Cry sleep solution for toddlers and pre-schoolers” by Elizabeth Pantley. Yup, you guessed it, am having some sleeping problems with Olivia. All in all, Olivia’s a rather easy kid to take care off but the only issue that I face with her is her sleeping habits. It’s actually not her fault as babies need to be trained to sleep on their own and their sleeping habits need to be moulded. It is my fault that she sleeps the way she sleeps now. Or rather how she needs to be put to sleep.

Since the day she was born, some of my ideals on how we were going to train her were thrown out of the window. Some for being not practical but some mainly because I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Hubby suggested the cry-to-sleep solution which I protested vehemently to and sometimes even with tears as I didn’t have the heart to let my poor baby cry herself to sleep. It just sounds so cruel! Imagine crying yourself to sleep. However, then I didn’t discover Elizabeth’s book on her “no-cry method”!. Life would have been so much easier if I did! Hubby, being the kind of guy he is, just gave in at the end of the day and let me have my say and my way.

Having been a colicky baby, we used to cuddle and carry her a lot to soothe her especially during the bouts of colic. That carried on till now and it’s a tough habit to break!. Especially at this age, (she’s about 16 months going onto 17 months) when she’s all out for playing, putting her down to sleep for her day-time naps can be quite a battle. Just imagine carrying a kid weighing about 11-12 kgs for about 1 hour and trying to put her to sleep. Now u get what I mean. During the nights, it’s a tad better as she rolls around after drinking her milk and finally settles in a comfortable position to sleep. The downside is that this can take up to about 30 minutes with some form of scolding involved.

She still does wake up in the middle of the night screaming like she’s been having a really terrible nightmare and thus, this week the experiment is to totally cut out the telly for her. No more watching television for this week to see whether this has any effect on her sleeping. Hoping with my fingers crossed and with God’s grace that some good outcome will come out of this. Am also endeavouring to train her to sleep in her bed rather than co-sleeping with us. That would probably mean about a week of interrupted sleep. Sigh… guess I just have to grit my teeth and pull through.

Wish me luck. Will be back with some more updates, hopefully positive ones!

Speaking skills

2005-11-08T18:09:00.000+08:00

Our lives have certainly change tremendously with the arrival of Olivia. We no longer enjoy the quietness and privacy in our house... we used to have the house all to ourselves and we couldn't entice our family members to come over... but now... we can't get rid of them! heh... just joking..

She has certainly brought lots of joy and laughter into our lives and definitely a test to my relationship with Elvin as husband and wife. ALso testing our capabilities as better parents.. like Elvin said previously... God gave us 9 months of pregnancy to be less shitty parents.

Now at 16 months plus, Olivia is delighting us everyday with her antics and newfound skills and vocabulary. She surprises us by learning quickly words such as "please", "night night" and such. But she really refuses to call her 2 grandfathers! she can call almost everyone in the family but totally refuses to call the 2 grandads. Both have definitely be waiting patiently, though I think that it's now bordering on impatiently, for her to call them. And when she does, I'm sure it will be such heavenly sounds to their ears!

Her favourite word is "Papa" and she loves to harrass our maid, Janiah, by calling her incessantly without any reason. SHe doesn't call me as much.. but she does when she needs to. She also has some other favourite words, but for certain reasons, I will not publish them here! :P
She does speak gibberish but her baby gibberish is only a few words unlike some of her peers who can rattle off a whole long sentence! What is definite is that she is learning quickly each day.

Thus, we have to be careful of what we say around her because you never know what will pop out of her mouth!

Blog competition?

2005-11-08T08:33:00.000+08:00

I was feeling rather pleased with myself having updated my blog in a rather long time. Thus, when I went to check out my sister's blog, I was a bit crestfallen to see that she hadn't updated her blog even though she had a really long break last week! So, when I got home, I asked her why she hadn't updated her blog, to which, Elvin gave me a dirty look (sort of like saying that who are u to say anything since u haven't updated your blog!) but haha... I was prepared as I had already updated my blog yesterday evening. Thus, round one to HM... but that wasn't my point actually... I actuall like reading my sister's blog as she can be quite witty and funny at times.. something I think I lack... but Yen took it the wrong way definitely and declared a blog competition between the 2 of us.... haha...

Anyways, since i'm compelled to write..I'll just blog about the restful break that I had last week. It was really good although I still had to go back to work on Wednesday when most ppl were off. It was a time to catch up on sleep, meeting up with old friends and cooking. Yes, Hwee Mei can cook. I decided to cook some pasta.. was just a tad bored about eating out and eating my mom-in-law's cooking... so I offered to cook. It was quite okay as it turned out. Too bad I don't have any pics to show for it. And 2 days later, Elvin whipped out some home-made pizza... it was really delicious that my dad-in-law commented that he can open a pizza place... to that my hubby replied that we would be out of business real quick as the indgredients itself cost a whopping RM120!! Take-out is definitely cheaper.

We also went Hari Raya visiting to a friend's place in Kota Kemuning. We met this couple when we were attending our ante-natal class in SJMC in 2004 right before Olivia was born. Haven't seen them since till Elvin bumped into the wife at a buka puasa function. It was really good to catch up and to see our two little girls playing with one another. There interactions are really good for the children and it gives us adults a chance to see how our kids react whilst socialising. I just learnt that my little girl can be a real "cili padi".

All in all it was a good break. We finished SEason 1 of Desperate Housewives and is desperate for season 2 already.... Olivia also had the chance to meet some of her friends whom she hasn't seen in a long time.

Well... I have to go... market will be opening anytime soon... and I've run out of things to blog. till later then...

When is No 2 coming?

2005-11-07T17:52:00.000+08:00

I've been asked this question so many times... I've lost count already..but I can tell you that if I could have 20 cents for everytime this question was asked, I would be RICH! Maybe I'll just clear the air once and for all... that is if anyone reads my blog and my ramblings.

Well, Elvin's always been enthusiatic about having our 2nd kid and it's been me who's been pushing it back. Why you might ask? WEll, I wasn't sure whether I could cope and I wanted to enjoy Olivia more and spend more time with her before baby No. 2 came along and she had to share our attention (although I do think that there is enough attention to go around since at the moment we're the only source of grandchildren for both sides!).

Anyhow, Elvin wants 4 kids and to be honest, I'm kinda scared of having 4... am trying to bargain for 3 but my dear ol hubby believes in the "middle child syndrome" and vehemently disagrees with me to have 3 children... and it doesn't help when some of my friends (can you believe it - my own friends, who are supposed to be on my side) agree with him on the "middle child syndrome" thingy!! :O

Nonetheless, I do believe that it's about time that we give Olivia another sibling to play with and an addition to the family to delight our parents and extended family. It's amazing that I know so many couples whom have a child Olivia's age and are expecting their second kid or next kid next year and I'm about possibly the odd one out (actually no, there's another friend who is in the same boat as me) who is not preggo! To tell the truth, I do feel a bit pressured to have another one.. but it's all in God's timing I believe. On top of that, I also know quite a few people who are due to be parents soon! It must be a very fertile year...either that or I'm more observant about pregnant women and children in strollers whilst at shopping centres.

Actually, I'm quite looking forward to being a mom again... it really warms my heart to see that my little child has grown - in the case of Olivia, boy, she has really grown by leaps and bounds.. always entertaining us with her cheeky looks and antics.

Maybe that should be my Christmas project.... but as I said.. it's all in God's timing.

Musings....

2005-10-20T18:52:00.000+08:00

What a sad day for the nation.... and for the First family. Our first lady lost her battle with cancer. Just goes to show how fragile and precious life is. The weather has just been as reflective of the sombre mood that the whole nation has been since early this morning when the news broke.
As we were catching glimpses of the whole funeral telecast, someone posted this questions - "Do u think that our PM was prepared for this?"... I remember answering a question along those lines a few weeks ago.... This is what I think... No one can ever be prepared no matter how prepared they think they are for the passing of a loved one. I don't think that it's possible.... Although you would have seen it coming, yet the myriad of emotions that you feel at the passing of a loved one will just envelope you when the time comes. At least that is what I think....

It's been a really tough year for the world... look at the myriad of natural catastrophes that have taken place, the many lives lost... even amongst some of the people that I know, it has been a rather tough year. Let's pray that God will grant us the strength and sustain us for the rest of the year and the years to come....

Celebration of Life

2005-10-14T18:28:00.000+08:00

I went for a wake on Tuesday and it got me thinking..... The wake was for Jeremy, my sister's boyfriend, Jon's brother. You can read all about it here http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=hweeyen. It was a beautiful service although me and my mom missed the eulogy bit as we got a bit lost in USJ. I heard that the eulogy was most moving ... coupled with a song written just specially for the occassion. Anyways, you can read all about it at the link above.

Anyway, the wake got me thinking as a line that the Pastor said during her sermon stuck me " WHere are you in this race?". That went straight to my heart and I broke down.... it was already a bad day for me to begin with... but that's another story all together. So just where am I in this race of life? What legacy do I want to leave behind when I go and meet my maker?

When I went for Jeremy's wake - I also wondered how would my wake be? As I was making my way to the wake, I already knew somehow that there would be many people at this special boy's wake. God's presence was really there and I felt Him after a very long time. It felt great and the floodgates of tears just broke open.

Weddings are a celebration of a union of two people becoming one in front of God. Funerals are a celebration of a person's life - the legacy he or she has left behind as he/she goes to meet the Maker. Makes sense?

I'm still thinking and wondering where am I in this race? I want to pace myself to run a marathon and not a 100-meter dash. I want to leave a legacy behind that I can be proud of, that would bring a smile to His face when I go and see him.

So where are you in your race? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

Have a think about it.......

A day older...a day wiser?

2005-09-20T13:51:00.000+08:00

I'll be turning 29 tomorrow... yup... I'll be a whole year older.. and no this is not a ploy to get more birthday wishes and presents..though the latter seems like a good idea... hah.. but for me at this point in my life.. it gives me the opportunity to reflect back on the past year and to imagine the year ahead.

At this juncture in my life, I'm very grateful that I've been blessed with a wonderful husband, absolutely cute daughter, great and supportive parents, a fantastic sister and not forgetting my wonderful in-laws..which include my 2 sisters-in-law. I must admit that at times I do act as if I don't treasure all these blessings but I really do! It's been an eventful year... one full of roller coaster rides... filled with laughter, joy, tears and a whole host of emotions. I think that I've also grown... though at times I seem to regress...but I'm slowly settling into being a mom, wife, daughter, friend and colleague. It's no easy task juggling all those roles..and it has made me appreciate my own mom even more!

So what is my resolution for this year before I hit the big 30? well, I want to be a more patient person, a person with a bigger heart and I want to be able to do more.. in terms of reaching out to people. For a start, I'm trying to be a more constant friend with my good friends.. and family too... also might include into that list..a try to be a mom again? that is with God's blessings..

Let's fill up the list as the year goes on.

But for now, I just really want to shout out to my friends..a BIG thanks for being great friends.. and to my family BIG hugs and kisses for being such a great support network.

Love you all!

My two favourite people

2005-09-02T13:53:00.000+08:00

Just wanted to share a photo of my two favourite people with you guys. Of course it's my hubby Elvin and my favourite little princess, Olivia aka baby grubs... why grubs you might ask? that's because she used to be a tad grumpy when she was younger and her Ee-ee (who is my younger sister, Hwee Yen) together with my mom gave her that nickname. It's stuck eversince as nicknames do.

This is just showing Olivia's fashionable side. Her paternal grandad bought her that pair of glasses which has since succumb to losing one of its legs...no thanks to Olivia's gentleness. :)

You can see from the photo, how matching is their attire.. that's because daddy picked out the outfit for her! Anyway, I love both of them heaps... and they really can brighten my day.... just like sunshine!

Back after a long hiatus.....

2005-08-29T17:35:00.000+08:00

This blog is back in business.... and as you can see, we took about a year off... yup..right after Olivia was born..and now she's what?? exactly 14 months old today!!!.. She has definitely brought lots of joy, laughter, entertainment and lack of sleep (which only applies to the me, her mummy!) to everyone in the immediate Yong and Chew clan...

Anyway, this is just a short posting...to revive this blog site... I guess I will be taking over from my dear husband...who started this blog..or maybe we will be sharing this blog to express our thoughts.....

I'll be back..with more stories on Olivia... and hopefully some photos too....

The Final Frontier

2004-06-22T14:06:00.000+08:00

The last 2 days we have been in and out of the hospital. The false alarm yesterday was in fact beneficial; there is now a real sence of urgency and Mei no longer procrastinated about packing her bags. When the next round of contractions comes along, I am sure this time we would have the necessary gear to rock and roll.

In the morning as I was about to leave for office, Mei said she was bleeding but strangely, again there was no contractions nor any sign of water gushing out of her. From what we learned from antenatal, any sign of bleeding is critical enough to have it checked so off we went to the hospital. The nurse who attended to us was nice enough to let us jump queue despite the busy morning.

Doctor Siti said that mild bleeding is normal especially with the opening of the cervix as a result of the contractions, so mother is fine. To be sure baby is fine too; Mei was put on a CTG scan where Olivia’s heart beat and movements are monitored for 1 hour. The results were normal.

Regarding when we expect to return, Dr. Siti’s response was “Either tonight or tomorrow or even in our scheduled appointment next week”. Even with her vast years of experience, she wasn’t able to tell us for sure when we are going to be parents. I guess it is all in God's timing.

Mei’s colleagues fearing the worst...what comes to mind are Gloves, Hot Water, Scalpel etc - basically scaring the bejeepers out of them...well not wanting to take the risk, Mei was advised to stay home. With 3 days MC and 1 day replacement leave to cover her till the end of the week what better opportunity than to catch up on my entire DVD collection. And if all goes well, we should be seeing Olivia hopefully before the end of the week. If not, you would be stuck with reading more of my nonsence on this site.

Drama Queen

2004-06-21T13:30:00.000+08:00

Did I mention that my wife was a drama queen. I probably did but I have to agree that it is better to be safe that to be sorry, especially for both mother and child’s safety.

Returning from lunch, as I sat down at my desk to read the 37th week update from babycenter.com, the phone rang. Mei’s words were “I am experiencing some pain and I am leaving office now, will you meet me at home?” She was generally calm but the quivering in her voice tells me that she was anxious.

I probe further asking her to describe the pain to me and when I was convinced that she was capable of driving home on her own, I said a short prayer over the phone and told her that I will be at home to take her to the hospital.

As I was packing up, deep down inside I kind of hoped that Mei would have said “Hey, my water bag has broke” for I know that it is a sure sign that baby was on her way to the launch pad. As the signs were unclear I more or less knew that I shouldn’t expect too much out of the situation. As the pains were not regular and far in between, we learned from our antenatal classes that time was on your side. At home, I had time to take a shower while Mei packed her bags.

Sure enough when we got to the hospital, as expected even the nurses was indifferent and we had to wait in line just like every other normal check up. Mei was a little furious cause although the contractions were very mild and irregular in between, she was sure that she should at least receive more attention than the other pregnant mothers.

Being first timers, it is always an anxious experience – not knowing what to expect, besides, it doesn’t help with the added dramas from sitcoms such as ER and Chicago Hope – all the commotion and fuss over extreme delivery cases. In reality of course especially for your first child, the labour process could stretch anything between 2 – 18 hours with an average of 8 hours for most first timers.

Anyway, after an hour Mei saw the doctor and the results did show that Mei had mild contractions, nevertheless it was too irregular to be concerned with. There was also no reason to rush things so we were sent home to let nature take its place.

I think Mei was more disappointed rather than relieved as she was set on seeing Olivia that night itself besides her husband never fails to remind her in situations like this that she is such a “Drama Queen”.

Happy Father's Day!

2004-06-20T14:10:00.000+08:00

I have always thought of Father’s Day as a commercial excuse to gain that extra buck from the public rather than a day truly dedicated for appreciating our father. Whoever started Father’s Day was quite the genius and definitely reaping the rewards today. This celebration must have been quite recent because according to our parents, fathers and mothers day simply did not exist when they were growing up. Apparently society has gotten a lot more sophisticated and with an increase in the standard of living, people are more willing to spend given the right occasions to splurge on.

I am old enough to remember that once upon a time there was only mother’s day, soon followed by father’s day as society started acknowledging the importance of a fatherly figure. Just the other day I read an article in the papers where the author challenged society in general and the local government to start making changes to give equality and respect to fathers who plays important roles in the joint upbringing of a child. Examples given are diaper changing facilities in male toilets and classes for dads at nurseries etc. Who ever though that us men would be fighting for equality?

Well this year certainly felt different celebrating Father’s Day, not only was it our first joint celebration since we got married but it was close enough to imagine myself sitting on the opposite site of the fence where your family pays tribute to you. Glamorous but at the end of the day it is graduating from not having to pay for dinner is what really counts.

God Bless Father’s Days.

Breastfeeding

2004-06-19T11:18:00.000+08:00

Did I mention that Mother's milk is the best for baby? It's nourishing. It's safe. And it's probably delicious. Of course, I'm not exactly speaking with any authority as a Mother's Milk connoisseur. I'm just regurgitating what I learnt from the antenatal class and from books. I assure you I haven't had any for a while now!

Breastfed Babies form a closer bond with Mommies, according to our midwives who gave us the talk. It's a mother-baby privilege. But Daddies can bond with Baby in other ways. Daddies can change Baby's diapers. Daddies can do the laundry. Daddy can play fetch. Fetch, Daddy, fetch.

Yah right! Mommy gets to bond with Baby while Daddy gets to bond with Baby's shit. Is this a female propaganda or what?! Hahhahahha!! Yes, yes, yes, I know. Mommy has to give birth.

Anyway, Mei has decided on breastfeeding and we will try it out for as long as possible. As for me, it looks like I'll be wallowing in shit for some time. *sigh*

Baby better not be giving me shit when she grows up.

Life is Beautiful...

2004-06-18T10:46:00.000+08:00

When I was turning twelve, my parents said that I could throw a party and have some of my friends over. At an early age, I pretty much kept to myself and was known to be a loner so I didn’t have many close friends I could call my own. And I certainly wasn’t all that popular with the girls at that age – Surprise! Surprise! short and stumpy I was to say the least.

Anyway, my Birthday bash was no contender for the City Day Parade, the only day in the year where the Ipohites could catch a glimpse of beautiful floats taken to the streets. Well as you have guessed, most of my so called “friends” whom I have invited could not make it for my auspicious day. From that day onwards I hated Birthdays, especially my own. One birthday to the next and what do you know, I celebrated my 28th Birthday yesterday...

What has changed? Well yesterday, I had dozens of calls from a friend in the States, to Australia, a couple of e-mails and SMSes and of course a nice quite evening dinner with my wife and her family. Slowly the stigma has left me and although till this day I would never forget my 12th Birthday celebration, I now embrace that day knowing that today, 28 happy years later I have more people who love and care for me than I ever thought possible - something to be thankful of. I have friends who looks out for me, the best parents in the world, great in laws, a wonderful wife and soon, an intolerable little snot to call my own. What more could a man ask for?

Well looking back, popularity is not all that is cracked out to be, I am contented to remain popular amongst 2 girls, my wife and my little snot who is on her way.

Isn't life beautiful?

For Posterity

2004-06-17T13:42:00.000+08:00

I have always wanted to keep an online journal and what better time than to write down the things that happen during the course of our pregnancy. For posterity, for friends and even family to keep up with our antics. And more importantly for Olivia to discover when she grows up one day.

Who knows, someday Olivia might grow up to be an angry young chic who feels that the world is all against her or that nobody loves her. And then she finds this blog and discovers that once upon a time, even before she came upon the world, her parents' lives revolved around her. And she learns that her parents have loved her even before they met her. And perhaps then, she would realise that her parents would always love. Unconditionally. Until the end of their lives.

That would be a nice thing to stumble upon.

I am coming to the conclusion of this book and looking forward to starting one more with Mei after Olivia is born – hopefully she will forgive me for not including her in this one and for keeping it a secret from her all this time.

30 Days to Go

2004-06-16T17:17:00.000+08:00

I look at my table calendar in search for today’s date - 16 June 2004… it suddenly hit me that we have 30 more days to go. Time surely flies when you are having fun. I turn 28 tomorrow and in exactly 1 month, I will be a father. Wow!

Recalling my conversation with Mei last night, as Olivia is growing rapidly in the last stages of the pregnancy, there is very little room for her to move around. These days Mei’s belly reminds me of the movie Alien. Each time when Olivia stretches and squirms about, the movements from her elbow, foot or head protrudes from the mother’s belly. It doesn’t help since Olivia also has taken a fondness to her mother’s bladder which has made our bathroom a second home for Mei.

Now Mei can’t blame me for hogging the throne all the time.

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

2004-06-15T16:05:00.000+08:00

I have been told time and again that “children are a mirror image of their parent’s characteristics”, “they learn faster from imitation than from listening”, “monkey see, monkey do”, so on and so forth. Mei always knew that I got my impatience from my dad and my romantic nature *ahem* from my mum but where did the compulsive excessive behavior come from.

Last night this came up again when we were watching Friends. There was this scene where Monica Geller was helping Chandler to look for a job, she went on to color code, cross reference, tagged and arrange every appointment notice in alphabetical order. Another example is “Monk” the obsessive-compulsive ace detective who has gone more than a bit batty after the death of his wife. He has a closet full of identical windowpane-patterned shirts and keeps his socks sealed in plastic bags. My wife couldn’t resist but to tease me each time we watch the two sitcoms. I assure you that I am not like that but I can strongly relate to Monica’s need to get organised.

Recently I took the day off just to do that. I cleared out all my clothes, iron each and everyone of them and sorted them by color coding. I also ensured that the hangers all matched in color and size if they were hung on the same rod. Mei now feels the pressure to do the same and her biggest nightmare may someday come true if Olivia would turn out to be just like her daddy.

That’s my girl. Hahaha!!

In Sickness & In Health...

2004-06-14T14:24:00.000+08:00

Mei was down with nasty food poisoning. This was the first time she became very ill since we got pregnant. In the past when either one of us fell ill, Mei mum would always see to it that we make it to the clinic, get plenty of rest and the right nutrients to recover fast – God Bless her soul.

This time was different; Mei’s parents left for Kemaman the night before and I had just came back from a week long trip to Singapore. I was immediately in charge of taking care of the steps to see her immediate recovery, cooking and cleaning for her and making sure that she is comfortable. As the situation unfolds, I realize the true meaning behind the words “for better or worst, in sickness and in health” - the covenant I made nearly a year ago and it serves as a reminder on what it is to be responsible for another person apart from yourself.

Quirky it may sound but in a small way, it felt as if it was a blessing and a reminder that as the head of the family, part of the responsibilities that comes with it is being commissioned to take charge for another ones life, in my case two lives very soon. You may already know this but unless you experience it at heart it is truly hard to explain the depth of its true meaning.

The Lord teaches us new lessons in mysterious ways.

On my right, weighing 3000 gms we have....

2004-06-10T14:25:00.000+08:00

Our doctor acknowledges our concerns and with that there was no ultrasound in our last checkup. Although ultrasounds are not proven to be harmful to the fetus, many have claimed that the number of times used should be limited to a bare minimum for the benefit of the baby inside. Dr. Siti with over 30 years of experience under her belt has no reservations on its use nevertheless; to make us feel at ease she will use it during alternate visits.

Knowing we can catch a glimpse of Olivia this week has our hearts racing. “Good progress” said the cheerful doctor. She is now 2.7 kg, nearly doubling her weight from just 6 weeks back. Wow, what has Mei been eating? At this rate Olivia will be slightly more than 3 kg when she comes to full term, a healthy weight for newborns. I was glad; after all Mei stomach still looks so small going into the last month of her pregnancy. With her small build, anything less than 3.5 kg is optimum and ideal so that Olivia can fit and crawl through the tunnel. With that every night for the next 5 weeks I will be coaching her to crawl towards the light!

Go Girl! Go Girl! Towards the Light!

Maternity Benefits

2004-06-09T14:28:00.000+08:00

This is our 7th visit to our Gyne, I have not really been keeping count but my company is definitely keeping tabs on our visits – God Bless Intentia for maternity benefits. I can understand the logic behind most companies not providing for maternity claims. Being pregnant is an expensive affair. To top it off, the company is left to hold the fort down whilst their staff goes on 60 days maternity leave – what more do you want, for us to cover your expenses, dream on…

I was taken aback to find out that Allianz, the 12th largest organization in the world making a cool USD102 billion in turnover would stinge on my wife’s maternity bills. Furthermore they are an insurance company – where is the logic. On the other hand, Intentia with a turnover of only 1% that of Allianz, really goes through great lengths to takes care of their staff. In Sweden, women get 6 months maternity leave and the fathers 3 weeks off. Although I get 3 days, I really can’t complain cause paternal leave is virtually non-existent in Malaysia. Maybe that is the difference between the Swedes and the Germans, compassion and understanding.

On the other hand I know why my company just like others are now starting to clamp down on such perks, as in all liberal arrangements; there is always someone who will try to abuse the system. One of my colleagues in Sweden was back for 4 months only to be on maternity leave again. Yeah she got pregnant again during the time when both husband and wife were on leave – probably because they had too much time on her hands. I am not saying that it was wrong and there were malicious intentions to abuse the system but with the rise of medical expenses and the demands of child care on employees; no wonder companies are cutting out such benefits after all they are profit driven and besides, pregnancy is self inflicted.

Why then should organizations pay the price for your la la time? That is the reality in life.

Singapore - the place I discovered Nuby

2004-06-06T14:29:00.000+08:00

This is our first weekend apart since we got married; I’ll have to stay in Singapore over the weekend due to a corporate function on Saturday followed by a string of meeting on Monday. Well at least there is the Great Singapore Sale to help keep my time occupied over the weekend.

On the other hand my wonderful, beautiful and intelligent wife is stuck with cleaning the house the entire weekend as our cleaner is off for the week. When I return, we shall play hide and seek with my credit card bills from her, but my future looks bleak especially for someone as resourceful as she is. And wise. Did I mention beautiful? Hehehe.

Anyway, I have a mission, apart from the PC Fair, I am suppose to visit the Motherhood Expo looking out for great bargains for both Mother and Baby. You see I was commissioned to purchase 3 sets of breast pumps in my trip to the island. However, my quest in search for those apparatus became misty when I came across “The Nuby”.

Being the gadgets and gizmos freak that I am, I simply couldn’t resist to have a look at one of those state of the art milk bottles. No, they do not warm the milk nor are they self cleaning or handsfree (believe me there are a few of those going around) but they are scientifically proven to have the lowest colic guard due to its sophisticated design, it is leak proof, has a temperature indicator and above all the bottle tits are supposed to be the closest to that of the mother. Not that I have any authority to say that it is true, trust me, I don't go around trying the bottles out for myself I just look at the research that this guy showed me.

Since Mei became pregnant, from my research I have come across several brands such as Dr. Brown, Pigeon, Gerber, Evenflo and of course the famous Avent bottles. Well Nuby is so confident of their product that they were doing a 1 for 1 swap at the fair for Avent bottles. Well it must be something great, so I bought a few to try out, besides we currently have a few Avent bottles and the Nuby ones I got are generally compatible to all Avent products.

So much for my wife’s warnings – “Don’t go overboard” she said, “Somebody needs to stop me!!”, I just bought SGD200 worth of baby products. Arghh!! And I haven’t found those darn pumps yet.

Breath In, Breath Out

2004-06-02T10:55:00.000+08:00

The role of the father-to-be during the 9 months has not been very significant, yeah there is the occasional heroism from nailing down the cravings and ensuring that the wife has a strong husband to carry all those heavy groceries but apparently the place for us husbands to shine is in the labor room.

With only 6 weeks to full term, I would need to start brushing up some of the breathing skills and work on those labor strategies. Furthermore, husbands are their wife’s strongest supporters (better be cause they are also the cause of it all) and I plan to be just that. Wish me luck.

Apparently one of our friends didn’t know what to do or how to coach his wife. We can agree that it wasn’t the best time to be flipping through a book on “What to Expect When You're Expecting”, and in the woman’s state of mind in the labor room, he was asked to “Shut Up” and stay clear. Well shit happens, just make sure that it doesn’t happen to you and if it does, just don’t keep it to heart.

Well, after discussing with Mei, we have decided that as long as Mei can bare the pain, we will not take “epidural” (Pain Killers). Laughing gas is definitely our preferred choice and frankly, I am excited to also have the chance to try the gas myself. After all, the world could never be short of laughter and I will try anything once just for kicks.

Cravings

2004-06-01T12:54:00.000+08:00

Today I decided to make known this Blog to a few close friends, mainly my CG Members, Mei’s sister and some of our close couple friends (People I can trust to not tell Mei about this). I figured since our pregnancy has been progressing so well hopefully I can encourage some of my friends that having babies isn’t all that bad. We are enjoying a big part of it.

The issues to look out for are morning sickness, cramps, mood swings and of course those infamous cravings. Admittedly, I was a little skeptical about cravings at first; to me it was merely a female propaganda to get back at their husbands for whatever reasons. The notion here was, for us husbands, our duty is just to provide, by hook or crook, through rain or shine the many desires of our wives appetite. According to old folk tales, an expectant mother's craving must be satisfied. No reason given.

In the last 8 months, Mei is not one who has many craving. I remembered this one time about 3 weeks ago, Mei SMS me in the late afternoon saying that she loved the “Tong Yun” from Magic Wok we had the night before. “Tong Yun” are black sesame seeds which are crushed and sweetened, wrapped in rice flour dough and boiled in either soy milk or ginger soup, a popular dessert dish in Malaysia. Since she seldom ever mentions food, I took this on as a craving so I rushed off after work to “Ta Pow” 9 of those balls from the restaurant. It took me an hour after that to get home but it was certainly worth the effort as I managed to score that night – brownie points of course.

Since that day, I think the cravings started, I have been out there during one of those stormy nights to get Mei her Sundae from McDonalds and something tells me we are having durians for dinner tonight.

Thank God, it only started recently and will end real soon.

Olivia’s Favorite Aunt

2004-05-31T17:48:00.000+08:00

There seems to be a competition emerging even before Olivia makes her grand entrance. As I am the only son amongst 3 siblings and Mei with a younger sister, they all aspire to be Olivia’s favorite aunt. Hwee Yen has said she would do ANYTHING to ensure that she is Olivia’s favorite and Charlotte having had past successes with her friend’s children is definitely the contender to watch out for.

This certainly worries me as Olivia being the only grandchild from both sets of grandparents is destined to be spoiled but now with her aunty all contending to be the Chosen One – just like Monica is to Emma in Friends (Then again technically she is Emma’s only aunt). I guess this would be another challenge for both Mei and I.

However, being the brother in law that I am – always trying to get on Yen’s nerves, I have made it my sole mission to spoil her plans by plotting to tell Horror Yen stories to Olivia before she goes to sleep every night. Hehehehe!

Our Last Anti-Natal Class

2004-05-29T12:05:00.000+08:00

I received a v-mail from my best friend in the States who sd he has been kept up to date with Mei’s pregnancy from my past blogs, what little entries I had, nonetheless, it inspired me to provide him with further updates.

We concluded our last of a series of 4 anti-natal classes during the weekend and the last one really freaked Mei out, especially Ai Ling’s version of a “hole-in-one”. As this is a family website - rated PG, I would need to keep this kind of stuff offline – see me in private.

Anyway, there is so much to think about from the type of pain killers to the post natal cares. What comes to mind are the challenges of breast feeding and the complications of jaundice to name a few. This pregnancy really gave me a whole new perspective of parenthood and what my own parents had gone through to conceive and raise me. Today I feel a greater appreciation for my mum and dad.

I love the nights when Mei and I are not too drained from the day and we would share about how we would like to raise Olivia and to picture what our family would be like with Olivia on board. I keep telling myself that I just can’t wait to be a father and then in Church yesterday we witnessed a little girl that was going on and on and on with her tantrums. At that very moment, I pray for God’s mercy upon us that Olivia would not be anything like that brat. Also it kept us thinking regarding remedies in situations like that.

Children need to be discipline but given the situation we may react differently as the saying goes “You should never judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes”.

Only time will tell. Sigh.... now I can’t wait for her to be 5 years old to see the outcome.

All Fishes Goes to Heaven

2004-05-21T17:12:00.000+08:00

My fishes died today and it was a sad, sad day for my wife and I. We certainly loved those darn Kois even if they were a little “dong, dong” from time to time. I discovered their carcass this morning but had to rush off to work. At work all I could think about was that Olivia will grow up not knowing them.

I love fishes and they are my choice pets because they are soothing to look at, they don’t make any noise and they are don’t pooh so…….I take that back, they do pooh a lot, more that I imagined at first. They practically stink by the end of the week after I have their water changed and I hate to admit it but a part of me am glad that I don’t have to spend my weekend’s cleaning after them. On top of that, we need to give them a little credit, they are not as dumb as we think they are - they can certainly differentiate expensive from mediocre food. I am sure we all have that natural instict to do so.

Anyway, after this round – yes, yes it is the second incident that this had happened, I think I will wait till Olivia is a little bigger and when she is ready to take care of her own fishes, then I can enjoy the fishes and make her clean the pooh and change the water – my grand plan.

That is what your kids are for, hopefully she will only discover this blog when she is about 60.

Mighty Mouse

2004-05-18T11:47:00.000+08:00

The first time I set eyes upon Barney was at SJMC’s gift shop over the weekend, my instant reaction was, “Why would anyone buy a purple bear as a present?” My wife instantly corrected me that Barney was actually a hot ticket item amongst toddlers today and in actual fact it was a dinosaur. Well I wanted to believe that this was just a one off isolated case and the owners of the gift shop just have bad taste for children.

And yesterday, I received the much awaited Standard Chartered’s Rewards Catalogue for 04/05 and there it was again “Barney – Soft and Silly” for 45 points. Arghhhh… whatever happened to Big Bird and gang? Elmo and Kermit the Frog? And my favorites “Mighty Mouse”. Are they suddenly passed now, after years of shaping and molding the youths of yesteryear? These were the epitome of children programmes. They were wholesome entertainment and educational to boot. Instead, today kids want B A R N E Y. Barney is such a whuss!! An annoying piece of lump!! The result of a cartoonist bad week!!

When Olivia grows up, there will be No Barney in our home or any of those scary looking Tellytubbies. Those Tubbies will just gives you nightmares and every time I see them it just makes me want to scream.

What role model will Olivia have when she grows up? I guess it is up to my 20 year old "Mighty Mouse" to save the day whilst we look for a true blue 21st century hero for her to connect with.

Simply Amazing

2004-05-15T10:40:00.000+08:00

During one of our Anti Natal classes, we watched a video of a water delivery, amazing. The mother was placed in an oval bathtub with warm water. Apparently the water helps balance off the pain and baby gets to come out to an environment that is similar to the mother’s womb. For Olivia’s benefit, “No you were not brought by the stork although we may have told this to you at the early stages of your childhood” – This site will eventually be introduced to our girl, when she is old enough to read.

I am digressing again, where was I… Water Births… yeah and research has shown that babies have a natural ability to hold their breath whilst under water and are natural born swimmers. It is just that they forget after abstaining from water for a long time. It may not be breaststrokes or butterfly but to them it is definitely their own freestyle from what we saw.

I just want to say that our God is simply amazing; He is the master planner, the great architect and the best contractor. Just trying to understand the whole area of conceiving and giving birth to a child is really mind blowing. Did you know that all babies would need to crawl out from a tunnel and it is the process of doing so that helps equip the baby to breath in our world. At the same time, the tunnel is curved so that the process is steady, this would ensure that baby’s brain is not damaged due to the speed of the delivery. Also as the opening is oval in shape, the curved tunnel helps stop baby from sliding out. Once the baby’s head protrudes out of the opening, all babies have a natural instinct to turn to make way for the shoulders to come out through the opening. Babies skull and backbone is also soft to ensure that it does not act as a resistant during labour. Babies also have a layer of wax that acts as a lubricant and a protective seal from the diseases of this world… now can you understand why God is just so amazing. He thought about everything.

Only in the 20th century are we spoiled for choices and the producers of formulas would have you think that formulas are the best dietary supplements for babies but research proved otherwise where the mother’s breast milk will evolve to include special nutritional needs for the child from the time the child is born till she is weaned at 2 to 3 years of age.

The first feed is a clear substance called “Colostrums” and it is the most nutritious milk for the baby, it has all the antibodies that baby would need. The woman’s body will also be conditioned such that every time baby gets hungry, the milk will flow.

Do you ever wonder why 9 months – it certainly feels like a long time to wait.

According to Parents.com, at 6-month (24-week) old, the fetus is able to live outside the womb. That means that if Olivia is born now, he will be able to manage with a little help from the doctors. He'll be able to develop quite normally with the help of medication. So technically, 6 months is enough time for babies to stay in a womb.

Doesn't that make you wonder why babies are born only after 9 months? Why not 6?

I think that's just the way God planned it. For Mei and me, 9 months gives us some time to get our acts together. 6 months ago, we would have made shitty parents. Now, we've gotten considerable less shitty. In another 3 months, we can almost be certain that in the future, Olivia can grow into adulthood without ever needing therapy someday!

And having to go through an emotional rollercoaster for 9 months also helps us to appreciate Baby better. If babies can be made in a day or two, I don't think anyone will care too much for babies.

Thank God for 9 months.

Wonder Mum

2004-05-05T18:01:00.000+08:00

Mei has been great, not only has she started growing into her role as a mother (and by that I do not mean putting on weight because she is pregnant) but she constantly talks and prays for our unborn child. When we talk about our future as a family, I am constantly reminded that she is the Bestest Wife in the whole wide world (even if it is in my small world) and I am the luckiest man alive. There is not a single day that passes me by that I don’t thank my Creator for helping to match make us and for bringing us together as one.

She often tells me that it is quite scary taking on this new role but I know she has all the right ingredients that will make her a role model mom even if it is just for Olivia. At the end of the day what is important to us is that our daughter is raised right with strong values and strong principles, everything else is secondary and that is our mission for Olivia’s life. Knowing my wife she may not be the most organized person, she may not be the best cook but I am convinced that she was brought into this world to take on this role as the mother, a friend and as a protector to our child.

Visits to our Gynecologist

2004-04-24T18:38:00.000+08:00

The last two visits to Dr. Siti has been great, we didn’t have to wait too long to see her, most of the time just barely completing our read of the morning papers. Olivia is progressing very well although her mother would need to come back for the works to check her blood sugar level but that is another story.

Anyway, Olivia has grown so much that it was hard for us to have a full view of her from just one scan. Today was especially great because we could see her facial image through the ultrasound and I could tell that she has my looks – what a cute and adorable baby she will turn out to be. 

I am excited, can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait… as I look at her I imagine her growing up, taking slow walks with me in the park, playing kite on a Sunday evening before we have dinner and coming up with relentless answers to feed her never ending curiosity of Why questions. (Just like me when I was young).

Mei and I have agreed that she'll be the "bad cop" parent and I will be the good one (although she may insist or tell you otherwise but I clearly remember it to be the case and she has no basis to argue for the fact that Pregnant Women are proven to be more forgetful). Anyway, I am sure we will both be great parents be it good or bad cop.

The Elephant Song

2004-04-22T17:15:00.000+08:00

About the 26 weeks onwards, Olivia could hear and respond to voices and since both mother and daughter are always together for now, Olivia hears every conversation that Mei speaks. It is actually quite fascinating that when Olivia first arrives, she will be able to pick out from a crowd, her own mother’s voice and smell, the father although he has made 50% of the contribution, maybe more in terms of support and financial aid will not be remembered unless he puts in his equal share of TLC. By TLC, it means spending time with Olivia whilst she is still in the mother’s womb.

I don't know about you but I personally find it strange to be speaking to the wife’s belly button every night. "What do you say to the BB?"... By nature I am also not one who is extremely fond of the belly button especially my wife’s who navel sticks out like Pinocchio’s nose (Trust me that is exactly how it looks like when women are pregnant). Furthermore, I would run out of words describing Mei’s tummy to Olivia – there are only so many ways you can describe the tummy to your unborn child.

I have therefore resorted to singing a song that I learned whilst I was about 5 years of age. It is called the Elephant Song – strange words to the song but it is kind of cute. If you had watched the Elephant Show in the 80s you would know what I mean.

Now that Olivia’s reflexes are mature, she would abuse her mother inside out, kicking and punching just before Mei goes to sleep. To calm her down I would sing her the Elephant Song and low and behold she would remain really quiet. I wonder if she is soothed or absolutely terrified.

Anyway, I believe that when Olivia is physically in this world, apart from recognizing her mother’s voice, she would be familiar with her father’s elephant song. That is how she will know that I am her daddy. (Proud Grin)

The Godfather - Part 1

2004-04-17T19:05:00.000+08:00

Let me tell you about the relationship I have with my 2 best friends - Parthiban and Wee Yee Tat, you can say we are like Joey, Chandler and Ross in Friends. (I love that series – watches every episode). They have such a history together and will always remain as great friends and that is basically the essence of what we have. I would however like to think of Parthiban as Ross because he is after all the one pursuing his PHD and although I would like Yee Tat to be Joey because we all know Joey is a little “duh” but I guess since I have the good looks and the charm with the women (Ahem), I will have to be Joey and Chandler of course is Yee Tat lah.

Discovering that I will be the first to have a child, both have expressed interest to be my child’s godfather. Of course secretly Yee Tat wants to take the lead on this one and have expressed interest to sponsor Olivia’s nutritional diet of endless supply of milk till she is 50 (I added the 50 bit). The reason I know this is because Yee Tat told Mei... wait till Parthi discovered what Yee Tat is working on behind his back whilst he is away.

No matter who the godfather is or are, I know that my best friends will equally be great dad’s themselves be it to my child or their own. If they suck at that, at least I know that for Olivia’s college fund, I will have 2 very willing sponsors.

Messy Child

2004-04-06T17:17:00.000+08:00

Since we got married and shifted into our place in BU, we have not been the most organized couple. Sure it may look neat and tidy but it is only skin deep, there are lots of rubbish still hidden in one of those cupboards or in one of those boxes that are safely hidden away from our visitors’ eyes. So for the next few weekends I aspire to clean up our place to make room for baby stuff.

This week I managed to remove everything from our kitchen cabinets to reorganize them according to function and frequency of use. The less frequent we use them, the higher it should go. Also for Olivia’s benefit, all breakable and harmful objects should be out of her reach. I can see it coming; very soon we would need to start proofing our home.

I also discovered what my mother-in-law was rambling about, Mei being untidy and disorganized – I tell you it is all TRUE. Never saw it till it was too late. “Sigh”

Next stop, Mei's wardrobe, any volunteers?

Baby Names

2004-03-25T12:06:00.000+08:00

Was discussing with a friend of mine if he and his wife has selected a name for their baby boy due approximately a month after Olivia. This was his reply to me, it was simply hilarious that I just had to include it in my blog:

“Lately Mae and I have been racking our brains for a nice name for Baby. And believe me, the burden of naming a child is incredibly daunting. What if we choose a sucky name and our poor kid gets teased all his life? As Chinese, our troubles are doubled since we want a nice Chinese name to go with a nice English name. And as far as Chinese names go, while they mean beautiful things in the language, a lot of times they sound like something really horrendous in English or Malay.

Kids named Chee Wai always get teased. Similarly, so do Yee Ting and Wai Ping, because after Yee Ting, you should always be Wai Ping... your mouth. If you subscribe to the notion that, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me!" try telling that to little Kah Yew. And if you think Ai Ting is bad, wait till you meet Ai Pee! Some Chinese surnames add more misery to the lives of these kids like Wan Kok Keat and Pee Onn Joo. And surely you've heard of the two shops in Johor, Ooi Kian Fatt and it's competitor, Soh Kean Wee! I guess the older generation parents just never thought things through, seeing as to how many tragic names came from those times.

There are probably some rules we should remember when it comes to Chinese surnames. Here are a few that comes to mind. If your surname is Loo, the next name should never be Bang or King. If it's Chew, then no Weng. Phang must never go with Sai or Pui. And Tham should never be followed by Bee or you'll sound more Indian than Chinese. The next dilemma comes if you decide on an English name before your surname. My auntie knows a Harry Kok, though I'm sure she's seen more than one. Heh! And then, there was this family friend who named his daughter Diana Saw - which is surely a classic, if not Jurassic!

So you see our worry? What if we overlook something and give Baby a name that results in a lifetime of teasing? Anyway, we're open to suggestions. We like a little English name for our kid - maybe Aidan, Brandon, Dylan, Julian or something nice. My surname is Tan, so names like Rambo and Sy are definitely out!”

I laughed myself silly and my only advice to him was, to stay clear of Michael in light of his surname and if he likes the middle name Phang, Jiou is also out of the question. Good Luck James.

Night Fever, Night Fever

2004-03-15T11:15:00.000+08:00

For sometime now, we have been expecting some serious Zhang ZiYi action to come from Olivia and night after night we would sit in bed having my palm on Mei's tummy feeling for some "Crouching Tiger or Hidden Dragon" to emerge.

According to the Pregnancy Bible by the 18th week, Olivia would start kicking however, it all depends on how sensitive the mother is to the baby's movement. For the first child, it may be as late as the 22nd week before we can feel anything. When I ask Mei, she did say that she felt something but wasn't sure if it was her stomach growling or it was actually Olivia.

Then it came all of the sudden, saturday night fever, where Olivia started dancing to the beat of her mother's heartbeat. It was exciting and Mei loves the feel of her movements. An active baby is a healthy baby.

Nowadays she sometimes practices her moves wee into the night even after mother has fallen asleep. How do I know? When you observe the mother's stomach long enough, you can see movement on her abdoment. It is fascinating... how I wish us men could get the chance to feel something growing and I don't mean the excess kg which our wives call "love handles".

I read somewhere that very soon we would start seeing ripples on the abdoment area and when the baby grows stronger, you advance to seeing bulges on the mother's stomach from her pushing and kicking.

Can't wait for that to happen.

Enjoy the Experience while it Last - SHOPPING!!

2004-03-03T09:49:00.000+08:00

They say that having a baby is the joy of life. I would like to extend that beyond just having the baby. It is also the shopping that is quite intriguing, hunting down the best bargains and selecting the cutest outfits. My friends who have children of their own said "To enjoy the experience, cause it is the most fun part of having a baby"

Mei is in her most energetic and radiant chapter since she got pregnant and Praise the Lord, it coincides with the Malaysian Mega Sale. The MAD Mega Sale takes place only 3 times a year - March, August and December. Based on our calculation, it is now or never because in August, Baby Olivia would have arrived and by then Mei would be in confinement. It would definitely be too taxing on the two of us being first time parents and all to run around getting stuff for Olivia then.

Anyway, our shopping escapade started off at First Few Years - Centerpoint BU. Mrs. Teh the principle came highly recommended by our relatives and friends who have had numerous purchases made from her. She was pleasant and knowledgeable and she certainly helped to expand our knowledge of what features and functions all the new baby gadgetry has. Service was good and best of all she has the product knowledge. Before the end of our time with her, we departed with the first installment for a lifelong investment - a baby cot.

There was also a small shop in SS2 called Bambino... although they have limited selections but all that Mr. Tham had to offer fitted our profile and at bargain prices as well. We met Mrs. Tham as well in her full glory; she is expecting her 3rd child and her first baby girl; Mei and I clicked instantly with them. We couldn't be happier getting our Travel System, Play Pen and Bath Tub from Bambino. They were honest and would rather build the referral than to loose the sale... my kind of sales guy. I am doing my part now - "Buy from Bambino", as the saying goes "there is no such thing as a free lunch".

Originally we planned to obtain as many hand me downs as possible however as this is a baby boom period, they are becoming more and more scarce, furthermore my cousins are either light years ahead of me or still in their diapers. Look on the bright side, now Yen have something to inherit from us (Mei's younger sister). Originally it was just the soiled diapers and that ugly crockery we got for Christmas from Mei's broker but now we have something to hand down.

The shopping list was long - Diapers, Bottles, Sterilizer, Organic Bottle Wash, Nappy Rash and the list goes on and on. Our friends warned us that this could happen and we didn't believe them. It has been 2 weeks since we started and we are broke but happy with all of the many bargains we got.

When Baby Olivia goes to sleep, mum and dad can then play with her new toys. (Yeah!!)

Olivia or Ashton

2004-02-23T10:52:00.000+08:00

It has been awhile since I last blogged. I was a tad busy at the start of the year, travelling, kick-offs etc and am glad to be back to my normal pace of life. In our last appointment on the 21st of Feb, for some strange reasons I was sweating bullets, not out of fear but out of excitement to know if our baby's name will be Olivia or Ashton.

In every one of our visits, it was like striking lottery. Dr. Siti is undergoing delivery or an emergency... "sigh"..... I can't wait for the day when other patient would need to wait for our baby to be born and I sure hope that it is a good 5 hours.

Anyway, this visit we were no. 6, slackers compared to our no 2 and 1 rating in the first two checkups. When Mei's name was called we were filled with excitement – a chance to see baby’s development once a month. After undergoing the ultrasound the Dr’s response was "The daddy will grow older a lot faster"....it was a sign that Fathers will be even more anxious of the years ahead now that he has a daughter. In that split moment, baby was no longer just "baby" but she now has a gender and a new name - Olivia Yong Kay Li. The question was how did the Dr. determine it so quickly, a slit rather than a bulge. Based on her experience, she is 95% sure that we are going to have a girl. We have no preferences as long as our child is healthy and growing well.

Olivia and Ashton were chosen based on names from Trees, the Olive and Ash Tree, both strong and tall with roots that are well grounded. The origin of Kay Li is actually English, however, since we liked it so much, we decided to use it as a Chinese name and its meaning according to my Chinese Lecturer (Mr. Lei) - Victorious and Beautiful. I guess we will just have to reserve Ashton Yong Kay Jin/Wei Ren for another day - haven't decided on the Chinese name yet. The meaning of Wei Ren has a very strong characteristic to it, Confucius dedicated a whole chapter to its meaning, but that will be another story to tell someday.

Our First Glimpse of Baby

2003-12-12T14:08:00.000+08:00

11th December 03 - Mei and Myself when for our first doctor's appointment today. Being the Kiasu people that we are, we arrived at SJMC by 7:15 a.m. even though the doors to the outpatient clinic would not open for another half an hour. Nevertheless, we assured ourselves that we weren’t the most Kiasu people in KL, there was already 2 ladies in front of us looking towards us with pride in their faces and heavy bags under their eyes.

After collecting our number we had time for a quick breakfast before the registration counter opens at 8:30 a.m. so we headed towards a local mamak shop for some local nasi lemak and mouth watering tosai. It was a good thing that Mamak food agrees with Mei cause you know how pregnant women can be like with food... besides that was the only thing available at 8 a.m.

By 8:15 a.m. we were all ready and excited that we could leave the place as our numbers were being called. Little do we know that after registering to see our Gynecologist at 8:30 a.m. we would need to wait for a good hour before the doctor actually shows up. And so we waited and waited and waited till just before 9:30 a.m. the nurse placed a signage that reads "The doctor is away on an emergency/delivery and will attend to you as soon as possible!!" *Argh*

What!! Before I proceed, for the benefit of those who do not know me, let me just clarify that I am obsessed with Time, I am extremely impatient, even when I am asleep and if you need to benchmark some form of ISO on being "impatient", you can use me as a standard.

OK, will continue now. I was so impatient that I really felt like going off to work first and coming back later to collect Mei when she was done. Although she assured me that it was ok for me to go, I knew deep down inside that I would be branded as a useless husband if I did – “here is the pride speaking”... And so we waited and waited and waited.... I nearly went bananas...

Finally, 5 hours into the waiting, we saw this grey haired lady limping towards the doctor’s room only to be stopped by a couple of patient. We knew instantly that she was the doctor we have so patiently waited to see.

Our consultation was merely 10 min and new fathers out there who are going for your first visit; believe me when I say that the 5 hour long wait was totally worth it.

I expected to see a small globe or a dot or something whitish but the picture was amazing. Our baby has grown 2 cm and even then you could see the Baby's head, the body, 2 arms and 2 legs. Gosh you could even see the baby's belly button!!!! (At least that is what I have imagined it to be)

Anyway Mei is 2 mths pregnant and the expected due date is 16 July 2004.

False Alarm!!

2003-11-17T17:08:00.000+08:00

I was in Puchong having dinner with Mum & Dad, (my Parents) since Mei had to work late that night. As I was leaving Puchong, I called her whilst she was having dinner with Mummy & Daddy (Mei's parents). As I was planning to drop by Centerpoint, I asked if she needed anything from Guardian (a local pharmacy chain). I knew that she wanted me to purchase a home pregnancy kit (HPK), just wanted to put her on the spot while she was with her parents.

Anyway I think it was MYR25 for a pack of 2 kits (not cheap), I got home and started read the instructions to fulfill my curiosity. After all it was the first time I have seen a HPK up-close. Simple enough to use but deep down inside I of course thought that Mei was just being paranoid about being pregnant.

I was so not convinced that she was pregnant I recalled saying to her.... "if it is positive, wake me in the morning, if not I will call you later in the day" - that was how certain that Mei was being paranoid which is pretty much her normal self. If you truly know my wife, she is quite the drama queen.

Well, true enough I woke up at my usual time and called her just before lunch. I could tell that a small part of her was sad but at the same time a little relieved....

Prophetic Words!!

2003-11-16T16:41:00.000+08:00

It was a slow and relaxed weekend so Mei and I decided that we will visit our favorite kids - The "Lau" Musketeers. We watched as Lu Jen was engulfing All the Dragon Fruits on the table while Tjia Yee climbing all over Mei.

They are sweet and adorable kids especially Lu Jen. Lu Jen is the youngest of 4 and the kind of baby that if you don't have a child, he will inspire you to want to have some right away.

As I was glued to Lu Jen, Mei was relaxing on the couch with Tjia Yee by her side listening to Jean’s stories. Jean was telling us a story about how anointed Tjia Yee is especially when she is looking out for a parking space. When Tjia Yee prays it is almost guaranteed that Jean will get a space. Just as she was completing her story, Tjia Yee laid her hands on Mei's abdomen and said "Got Baby". You could imagine the look on Mei’s face. She was blue, shocked beyond words could describe because she was after all a week late. When asked that Tjia Yee repeat herself, in her own words she said "Got Baby Inside" and then walked swiftly away.

We later found out that she was blessed with prophetic wisdom. Two weeks later we decided to visit Tjia Yee again to seek after the baby gender....and while we are at it, let’s go for next week's 4D as well.... but since she is still not too good with numbers, we may take a rain cheque on that till she turns 5.