Chinese New Year and Edusave Award

 I would just like to record some pictures for our CNY 2024 for memories. We had spent 1st Day of CNY in Singapore and 2nd-4th Day in Malaysia. The atmosphere in Malaysia is much more vibrant than in Singapore. We enjoyed our time together.

I would also like to mention Joshua's Edusave Award on 18th Feb. If I say that I'm not proud of it, I'll be totally kidding myself. Even if it's a Good Progress Award, I'm really happy for him. It was a proud moment for Felin and me when we walked up the stage to take photographs with our MP Desmond Tan. It also lets us know that our boy is in the top 20% or 25% and had good conduct. I'm secretly hoping that both of them will get the Merit Award next year together, and we can go up to the stage with both of them as recipients.

Though we will surely not pressure them over this, we know there is a lot of hard work on the side of parents and children to achieve such awards. It takes two hands to clap. Most important, the kids must be willing and motivated to learn. Please do not give up, okay? Remember this proud little moment today and try again next year. I hope Josiah will not be discouraged too and he will do his best as well.

Thank God for today's moment. I'm grateful. 

What a blast in just first week of January 2024

We visited Yip Yew Chong's art exhibition on New Year's Eve and managed to take a picture with him. I was nearly touched to tears by his artwork because of so many familiar scenes, and seeing so many older folks sharing stories with their kids or grandkids brought so much warmth to the art hall. Hope my children will know him one day by looking back at this photograph. For this year's New Year, Josiah stayed up to see the Tampines Hub Fireworks with us.

On New Year's Day, Mummy went to celebrate Tracy's birthday in Orchard Road. I brought the boys to the Bugis area to eat ice cream at Tom Palette, Daddy's favourite Ice Cream joint, as well as brought them to play Kiap Kiap in Bugis Plus. Josiah is so happy to catch one big plushie, and he gives it a name right after. I can't recall the name now. Think only Daddy will do such a thing. Joshua was scared of catching and kept asking my opinion for every attempt. I told him that he needs to learn to take risks. If he gauges that it's a good chance, just go for it and learn from it. He was disappointed that he couldn't catch any after spending about $16, but at least he was not jealous that his brother had caught one. I'm proud of him for this. We had Yakiniku dinner that day and its Joshua's favourite.

On the 3rd of January, it's finally back to school for the boys. During the walk to school, Josiah told me that he didn't like exams and felt stressed over them. I told him that an Exam is only a check to see how much you have learned and how much you did not know so that we can re-learn what we are not so good at. It is not a test to determine how clever you are. Sometimes, I did share with them that Daddy didn't have good results and had a poor memory, but here I am, still surviving and happy in this world, right? Hope this will not be a motivation for them to be lazy in future. All the best for your new journey, and do remember that both of you are still holding Dad's and Mummy's hands during the walk to school.

Finally, it's 6th Jan. I booked the function room more than 2 months ago, and I have been planning a birthday party for them. Been planning what theme and decorations, what to put in the goodie bag, what games to play, what prizes to give, what to prepare as snacks and what for dinner, what cake to buy, messaging the parents, reminding them, etc... until the actual day. 

It's a lot of work, actually. But the kids had a blast. Despite all the planning, they enjoyed the Nerf guns best. I'd prepared 3 guns and ended up with 7 as 4 were given as presents to them. We played 3 out of the 5 games that I'd planned, and the timing was perfect while Felin and Ann prepared the food. It's impossible if I am to do it alone.

The actual birthday is 12th Jan, but I just like to wish both of you a very Happy 9th years old birthday. The thing I'll really ask from both of you is to love God and love each other. Both of you will face more challenges in life, and you need to have the perseverance to see your personal success. Trust God and pray to him regularly. Of course, remember to love your family and people around you too. Daddy and Mummy will do our best to bring the best out from both of you!!! Jia you!!!

A Memorable December of 2023

Just to record the two events that happened in December of 2023. 

The first thing to share is our Jiang Nan / Shanghai Holiday. It was an 8-day trip with my family, including my Parents, uncle and auntie. I was pretty worried initially about this trip, considering my Dad wasn't in the best of mental alertness and my uncle, who suffers from heart disease and problematic leg issues. I was also concerned about the weather and whether it would rain too often.

The trip turned out to be one of the best, with almost perfect weather, while the folks and kids enjoyed themselves. We visited many beautiful places and took plenty of photos worthy to be in our lifetime memories. The folks enjoyed the scenery and food, while the kids enjoyed the daily bathtub play and movie nights. The boys behaved well generally, except Josiah knocked down a lamp, and I was made to pay for it. I was crossed for that day as Josiah always can't seem to stop touching things while moving around carelessly.

One of the highlights is that I'm able to have a considerably good time with my Dad, who I suspect may not be able to visit places with us just like this in the next few years. His health isn't just as good as Mum's. Sometimes, I worry that I might be just like him in the future or even earlier. I always feel that my mental alertness isn't getting good.

Another event to mention is the Christmas Season. We had our cell group celebration and then with Felin's family the following week. I was quite stressed during this period when I was uncertain about the direction of my future career and the way I run my practice. I felt unhappy that I was not giving my good clients a better level of care, yet my time was constantly being spent on clients I felt undeserving and didn't really like to serve. While at home, I was not spending enough time with the kids, and their schoolwork was not going well. Worst, I felt that my relationship with Felin wasn't at a level that I was happy with. I am feeling low, being a husband and father, yet my career is messy. My health is getting worse with low energy, headaches and joint pains lately. I can't stop feeling that my career has stagnated.

Anyway, this Christmas does tell me that it's all about God eventually, and this season is for me to re-focus my attention on him and pray more to him again. I just have to keep telling myself that I just do the best for the kids. Success will depend on God alone. Just give me the wisdom, good health and enough love to see it through.

Proud of the boys

I will always remind myself that I should not put too high an expectation of the boys as God has his best interest in their life and future, not what I hope to see. I just want to journey with them, pushing and encouraging them while seeing what God had planned for them.

The recent Elias Park Primary School's Honours Day Award surprised me, as Josiah was chosen for the Best Sportsman in his class, the same award that Joshua received last year. Both boys did something that their Daddy had not achieved in the past, which was to get a trophy during the school's awards day. I just want to say that I'm proud of both of you, but the days ahead will not be as easy because you will see more competition, and you will realise many people are willing to work harder than you and many who are smarter than you all completing in your field. I hope that as both of you enter volleyball in P3, you will learn about grit and determination. 

Josiah was nervous the Award's day. He seemed anxious before walking up the stage, and when I tried to pose a picture with him, his mind was all over. Even after the event, it was still tough for me to take a picture with him. He was such a compliant boy, wanting to ensure he did things correctly in according to procedures.

The boys followed me to the monthly food distribution event as I went up 2 floors of Blk 492F to remind everyone to come down and collect their food and, at the same time, try to befriend them. The boys will always help me distribute door goodies when they see children. 

We also went out as usual on weekends and recently to Orchard Road with Zi Qing. The two were just followers when they met a personality like Zi Qing, who loves to lead. Boys, I hope you both will learn to lead and teach Zi Qing how to behave at times too, telling her what is right and what is not, instead of being led by her to do mischievous or defiant acts.

I always hope you will look deeper into the things we do in our daily lives. Your current daily prayers are like for the past at least 1-2 years: "God, thank you for bringing us out, thank you for buying ice cream to us, etc..." and it is all about you. I look forward to the day you will learn to pray for others and not all about yourselves.

All of us have an equal 24 hours a day. How we are going to make use of our day can determine our life ahead. Choose our activities carefully and do not spend the entire time watching YouTube and absorbing ourselves into programmes that don't need to use our brains. Such a program is okay once a while, but too much of it will bring down our IQ.

Daddy was hospitalised due to the removal of Gallbladder recently. You did not even ask if I was okay or what happened. You were fixated on Ye Ye and Nai Nai's phone when you walked into the ward to visit me. I'm not sure if it's just like that to have boys. When I was pushed to the Operating Theatre, I was warned that I may have a small risk of not waking up or died during the operation, and that was the moment I realised I did not update this blog and hope I live through to write about your awards day.

Till here for the day. It's school holiday now and a bit messy now with kids around in the house all day long. I'd registered them for Archery, Table Tennies and Magic Class. Joshua is particularly excited about Magic. 

The next blog post should be an update on our Shanghai Trip, which I hope will be enjoyable and smooth with so many old and young with me while I'm still recovering from my surgery. A bit nervous but I look forward to the next update. 

Clocking New Memories - Our First Staycation - Resort World Sentosa

 We went for a staycation during the PSLE Marking Days holiday on 17-18 Oct 23. We got some RWS vouchers during the NATAS fair when we booked our December Shanghai Holiday recently. Its considered a free staycay or we usually will not spend few hundred dollars just to stay overnight in a hotel.

We started with a simple breakfast at Old Airport Road Hawker Centre before proceeding to Sentosa Adventure Cove for a day of waterpark fun. Joshua was a bit short on some of the rides that require 1.22m but I went with Josiah still. Both of them are considerably adventurous but not really excited to take some of the scarier rides a 2nd time. They are just contented playing at the wave beach and seeing the sting-rays at the lazy river. Anyway, we spent a good 5 hours there and really got sun-tanned.

We checked in Hotel Michael at 4pm and the boys are so comfortable in the room that Josiah just watched Youtube on TV while Joshua watching Naruto Anime. We were happily eating the fruits and chips that Felin purchased the day before.

We then took the tram to the beach and walked along the beach while watching sun set. Interesting the boys love watching the waves and playing with water. Thereafter, we had dinner at Marry Brown.

The boys had a good night playing their light sticks in the room and the 4 of us managed to snuggle together on the king sized bed. Surprising, we had a good sleep, despite the 4 of us on the bed.

The next morning, we went back to Sentosa for Palawan Beach and for Cable Car before going back hotel and rested for a further 1.5 hours before checking out at 1pm.

We then went Vivocity for Hai Di Lao before coming back for our car and drove back home. Its a really enjoyable trip and its another new memory and experience recorded with the boys.