My usual posting before long distance travelling

I'll be flying to Santiago and Cusco in the days ahead, and I always have that fear of "What if" I never come back home, and I'll miss writing this today. Sounds Paranoid, but that's how I see life. I always have many things that I want to say about them, but forget once I do not pen them down on the day itself.

Josiah is 1.42m, and Joshua is 1.26m as of today. Both of them still have plenty of childishness in them, and many things they said sometimes just don't make sense. I can still hold their hands when they walk and remember some of the days they were so grateful to me for letting them play their Roblox freely. Their mind is simple. I'm forced to study now because I need to play later. They haven't really found the reason why they need to study hard.

As the examination approached, Felin and I were doing our best to teach what we could. I have to thank Felin because she is doing the heavy work while I only occasionally assist. I either stayed later in the office to finish that last bit of work or met clients till late at night. I was lost if I am to teach their Mandarin, English, Orals and Composition. I struggled even with Science.

When I struggled with these, I noticed that Josiah is struggling just like I do. I was hoping that he could be much better than I. I get a bit disappointed that he is just like me, who struggled to string our thoughts well and express them. This worries me because I know I struggled with tasks that require more memory, such as giving a long presentation or working on detailed academic assignments. 

However, one thing that I don't do is to hide under the blanket when I don't know something. I think I'll put in more effort first. I must teach him to learn to face challenges and not pretend they are not there. When their attitude of learning is not there, I'll be more agitated compared to when they don't understand my teachings.

As for Joshua, he is an intelligent boy, but he lacks motivation and drive at this stage of life. I always joked that he would be a Dentist because I had a vision of him doing dental work when I was having my wisdom tooth removed many years ago. He seems to take the joke seriously and told me he will never want to be a Dentist because I said he might be. It's not easy to push him to do things beyond his minimum requirement.

It's not easy for me and Felin, as we were both busy professionals. I've moved beyond my honeymoon period in Infinity FA, and I need to brainstorm to achieve my next career breakthrough. I need to step up my recruitment work or up my skillset to service a higher market segment, or I risk losing my Manager position again in my new company. New consultants will also likely mean less time with the boys. There is also a possibility that my domestic helper may leave us soon. 

The boys' schoolwork, the helper's departure, finding sales, recruitment, declining parents' health, and the need to strengthen my relationship with Felin are all giving me stress. It's seriously a challenge to be a parent, and only God knows their future. I can only trust God to lead our family in the days ahead. Bless our health as well. Thank God. Bless my journey to South America this Sunday as well.

Completion of Church Camp (12-15 Jun25)

 It's been six months since I wrote in this space. It's amazing how time flies. I was always so busy that I deferred my writing. I remembered clearly what I wrote about my fears on November 3rd last year. I would like to declare that it's all God's blessing that I've adapted well to my new company, and I am happy here. I enjoyed being with the people and am satisfied with the systems and productivity that I can achieve in this new company.

During this Church Camp, I was given a prophetic message from Paster Steven Teo. I was inspired by him as he is 73 and working hard to serve God and the marketplace. I always thought my runway was too short to start learning about leadership. He had assured me that I would be put in a position to lead and acquire. I had watched how God blessed me over the years with all the fruits through the gifting from God. I need to honour God by leading and to bless others by sowing the seeds. Daddy had always pondered whether I was suited to lead, and I was never confident in my abilities. However, I'm willing to do my best and take this opportunity to honour God.

Boys, if you are reading this, let me tell you a little secret. I graduated from Secondary School as the shortest boy, and I'm always standing in the front row except in Primary 2, when I was in the 5th row. I always thought I would never find a girlfriend back then because my logic was that 50% of girls are taller than me. Out of the balance, 30% will be attached, 10% will not like me, and 5%, I will not like them. I am left with only 5% of the world, yet Mummy found and loves me! That was the greatest thing that happened to me. This is due to God's blessing!

The same question now comes: who will join me in my company? I don't see any light at all. I don't see many interested in joining me, and yet I won't take anyone in because the Chemistry is important. My intent is to help others find success and not to earn extra income. In contrast, to be a leader, I will likely work harder and yet get paid less. It's a sacrifice to be a leader and even most likely spending lesser time with both of you. I'm inspired to work towards it because of the 2 of you. I want to show you that Daddy is not giving up so easily, and I'll rely on God again this time!

Though my boys weren't the easiest boys, I know I only have a few more years to influence them. They will soon have their own friends and their own world with independent thoughts. When I went through Psalm 143:14 with them today, I emphasised that they were wonderfully and fearfully made. They were created for a purpose, and they are special. They should not compare themselves with others but focus on improving themselves to be better. God had given us the talents and finances. We must learn to steward them properly for his purpose. It's not we who get the success, it's God who gave us the talent to achieve it.

We had wonderful family time and fellowship within our Church family. We put our work aside for four days to spend time with God and Family. I'm just full of gratitude and blessed, not only over the past few days but throughout the past six months. 

How the boys celebrated New Year and their 10th yrs old Birthday

We had a memorable New Year's Eve this year. It's a very simple occasion but we had so much fun. 

We went to Kallang Wave Mall for dinner and a countdown party in the evening. We were ecstatic to catch 5-star Mew and Zygarde Pokémon Gaole and a 4-star chip in a single game using the leftover chips that others had discarded on the machine. Our joy was through the roof!

Finally, we went to the riverside to wait for the fireworks. I told the boys about the Orion Belt, Canis Major, and Canopus in the night sky, and they were intrigued by what I taught them. When the fireworks started, we enjoyed every moment of the 15-minute display. It was a wonderful New Year’s Eve for us.

On the first day of 2025, our whole family 自然醒 at nearly 11 a.m. after seeing our countdown fireworks last night. We relaxed at home, and I decided to go for art appreciation, just like we did on the last day of 2023 a year ago. This time, I brought my family to the exhibition "Monet Inside: An Immersive Art Experience" at Parkview Square. Over 200 masterpieces from Claude Monet come alive through immersive, large-scale projections and an enchanting musical soundtrack. We all enjoyed it.

The boys celebrated their birthdays this year by having a Yakiniku dinner with my parents on Friday. Yakiniku has always been one of their favourite dishes. On Saturday, they went to Tampines to watch Sonic 3, followed by a dumpling dinner at Tracy's house as a pre-birthday celebration. The adults seemed more enthusiastic than the kids while singing the birthday song!

For their actual birthday today, we invited a few of their friends to join them at Cow Play Cow Moo and play Pokémon Gaole at Downtown East. This was the first time these friends had visited an arcade, and none had ever played Gaole. Their parents have done a great job guiding them, as these games can be time-consuming and costly. We felt a bit guilty for introducing them to such distractions, but we decided to let them enjoy themselves today.

After their game, we went to Swensens for dinner, where they enjoyed pizza, fish and chips, and ice cream. After dinner, the boys requested one last game of Gaole, and they all went crazy with excitement. Eventually, we returned home and unboxed their presents. It was a simple birthday, but I had been thinking for weeks about how to celebrate this year.

New Year's Eve

After New Year, I cracked my head over how to celebrate their 10th Birthday.

The birthday celebration was chaotic, but eventually, all still went well.