Alice in wonderland

Ok, you can say I am kind of 'cheapo'. I saw a similar piece in Wild Child that cost more than $150 bucks, so I thought it would be nicer and cheaper if I did it for the boys myself. It would at least truly be from me to them. So I went to Spotlight, picked up a board, some acrylic paint and sandpaper, downloaded some pictures of 'Alice in the wonderland' and piece them together to form a drawing.
< ----------- See the raw layout (decided to do away with Cheshire Cat) It was hard work. I am fine with drawing and painting, but I am not particularly good with crafts. But I am quite please with the final piece, notice I even signed off as Papa 2006 Dec - impressive hor. (Think it looks better tinted) Ha Ha.

Brotherhood

It's funny and endearing when you see your sons bond. This is the advantage of having your children close in terms of age. En and his bro is only 15 months apart, and En is too young to understand that this other being is here to share his parents love and toys. He is likely to grow up getting use to the shared attention with his bro (I hope) though the downside is they will probably fight through their growing years. The grandpa said they will likely form a brotherly alliance to terrorise other kids in the neighbourhood and school.

At the moment, he is curious about his bro, respond well to the term "di-di" (brother), but seems to stick to me like glue more than ever. Maybe he does sense something. He doesn't take well to me carrying his bro, and his beloved nanny tried once and he wailed.

Well, we tried taking a brotherly kind of photo and clip before I tear down the X-mas tree. As I mentioned earlier, this is probably the last time they are celebrating X-mas in 16 Cantonment Close. Next year, it will be at College with all their cousins.

Let's go to the zoo, there's lots of things to do...

Plans to go to the zoo was aborted since the wife is too tired. Pretty good weather today, but ended up browsing the zoo website instead. Found out a few things about the zoo, first - is damn bloody expensive now to go there. I thought "Friends of the Zoo" membership used to be cheap, now cost a bomb - family package from $170 - 280 bucks! Ok-lah, maybe if I go every weekend, maybe worth it. Second, the "adopt an animal" programme caught my eye, good to get for the kids as their birthday present one day - can teach them some lessons in wildlife preservation some more, not bad - can adopt hippopotamus (love the word) and "big-nose" probi-something (and too lazy to check) monkey. Wish got tiger or lion, En loves 'em and can "roar" fiercely too (must take a clip someday). I also clicked on the Career option, wonder whether I can be tram driver for a career change, like not bad. I know when I retire, I will become a tour guide, I love showing people around and helping tourist in distress ha ha.

Is there such a jingle, or is it my imagination. It keeps ringing in my head as I type this ... "Let's go to the zoo, there's lots of things to do.... blah blah."

Also recently, there's big publicity about Inuka the polar bear. Which reminds me, CL was the poster girl for the Zoo ad featuring Inuka mother (I think) many years ago. Ha Ha. She's all grown up and still as cute (maybe now should be pretty) as ever (though I haven't seen her for a while - how are you doing Cai-li) ha ha. Maybe they should like recall all these people in some Zoo Anniversary or something, quite interesting. Like the time when my cousins (all five of them) appeared in the MacDonald's Ad decked in white shirts and jeans when it was Mac's dunno how many years Anniversary. Ying told me she was one of the first in the queue when Mac's first outlet in Liat Towers opened. (They stayed in Anguilla Park then). Ha Ha.

Baby Xuan Video Clip

First video clip of baby Xuan.



Ok ok, I know this video is a bit boring. But it's not much different from the other boring video that new parents take of their children and force you to watch them a gadzillion times rite? At least I put it on the blog and you can CHOOSE to watch it if you like. But do watch it, it's boringly kind of cute. Anyway, of course it's boring, what else can a newborn baby do leh? If you want a funny one, see En En one below - now that's cute. I think a use the word boring a little bit too many times. Boring.

Baby En and Momo the dog

This is probably the best video we have taken so far of En and Momo, which also explains why it is in all our blogs. It shows how En interacts with Momo, with a rojak of intrigue, love and fear all at the same time. En is totally in love with the dog, either that or he's little mind is already scheming on how to ride that short and long moving mammal, once he gets over the fear factor. I fear for Momo once the two boys grow up and she's older... sigh.

Of family portrait and 16 Cantonment Close

Every year, we will take a family photo by the X-mas tree. This was taken half-way through a mahjong session and before Xuan popped, courtesy of Binghong. As usual, we had a tough time getting a fatter momo to sit tight and En to look at the camera and smile (which he did not). This year's photo probably will carry more sentimental value given that this would likely be the last X-mas photo we take at 16 Cantonment Close before we move to College Green early next year. Sigh... an overwhelming gush of nostalgia just came all over me ...

We will miss this place. The small but cosy den we have called home for 5 years. We took great pain designing it and the good fengshui gave us two lovely boys (though I would love to find out how to re-position certain things so that I can still have my girl). The boys will probably not remember this place - hence the family photo! Can't find time to take with Xuan though... and Momo is currently having her little holiday at my parents place while we cope with Xuan, so we are one family member short!

Silent Night

Geez, another year-end holiday spent at the hospital. Ronald MacDonald Family Room at KK Hospital is actually quite cool and feels like a clean and quiet hostel with no drunk teenagers rampaging down the corridor. Facilities include a library, computer terminals (I am using one now), kitchen (with nice designer chairs, tables and ambience lights) and a kids room. We seem to be the luckier parent(s) as we believe other parents who stay in this place probably have a more serious and tramatising reality facing them. So far, I have seen a couple with a hollow glaze in their eyes (they have a baby who keeps crying) and a woman on wheelchair.

However, living away from home means we spend minimum time with baby En. While it is already common fact that I'm nos two in En's list of favourite person (his fav is his nanny), I have never really seen him so possessive as he did this evening. He seemed to know I'm going back to the hospital after fetching him home from nanny's place and kept his antenna on full alert once I attempted to slip off. The maid kept distracting him but it didn't seem to work. It finally worked after he was totally engrossed in his musical instruments. I felt bad. Think we should really spend more time with him - thinking of bringing him to the zoo to put a certain realism to the animal flash cards he had been taught. So far, he can recognise lion (he roars when he sees lion / tiger), giraffe, monkey and zebra. He also recognises dogs, cats and birds (which he will start to flap his 'wings') - which I suppose you cannot really find in zoos. But I realise that unless you are friend of zoo, the tickets bloody expensive hor.

Baby Xuan Part III

We survived the first night with baby Xuan at home with virtually no sleep and no confinement lady (who could not leave her village due to the "great m'sia flood"). Xuan poohed the whole night and could not seem to feed well. He was also turning redder and redder by the minute - which, from our fretful experience with baby En (see my earlier blog), we knew it was jaundice in the making. The first thing this morning, we sent him in to K.K Hospital (decided it was cheaper than Mt. E) where the Medical Officer confirmed our diagnosis, but deemed the jaundice level (at 230) not high enough for Xuan to be admitted - duh. Asked him how then would we know when to admit him, he said if the baby feeds well and passes out urine at least 5 times a day, he should be fine. He asked me to come back tomorrow morning to check on his jaundice level again and decide whether to admit him or not. Eh- not very convincing leh.

So both of us were well zonked for our first day. Luckily, Ling-jie (confinement) lady managed to hijack a bus which ploughed through the flood and came to Singapore at about 7.30 pm. We heaved a sigh of relief. And the moment she stepped in, everything fell into place. Even Xuan's seemingly oversized clothes seem to fit after she dabbled with them (when we dressed him, he looks scruffy and odd).

Am looking forward to my good night sleep tomorrow. And pray that Xuan's jaundice level dip.

The arrival of Xuan II

With babies, I reckon I am always like one-step behind. Can only upload photos today, but still haven't shot any photo of Xuan at home yet.

Today Xuan is officially named Yap Bao Xuan, Noel (which means Christmas and gift apparently). I am resisting Gillian's proposed Ye Bao Bei, and was extra careful not to write the wrong name due to some Freudian slip thing.

His birth cert is currently the hottest 4-D digit in the family with various permutation. As per baby En, I wrote the Chinese character of his name 叶保轩 , but did it better for the carbon copy. The original birth cert got one ugly handwriting. The officer asked whether anyone told me I could type using computer and save it as softcopy. Er.. no leh, nobody told me that. (My thoughts - why can't your bloody computer just incorporate a Chinese software leh. But the officer quite a nice lady so couldn't bear to scold her.)











Mummy and baby were discharged today. Bill was obscene. And cos' it's Saturday, I didn't get to go home in a limo...darn. And I though I could so didn't drive. It was raining when we got home.

Anyway Welcome Home chap.

The arrival of Xuan

At 1340hours this afternoon, the wife gave birth to our number two - baby Xuan.

It was a chop-chop affair lasting only a grand total of 7 hours (people who have gone through labor will understand that this is not too bad at all). The wife was admitted at 7.30a.m on a rainy morning. (We had to drop Baby En at nanny's place at 6.45a.m). She was on the bed, put on epidural and all set for induction by 10.00 a.m.

Our midwife Sister Cheung (from Hong Kong) was the same nurse that delivered En. We knew we were in good hands. She was also damn nice- staying past her shift to help us deliver Xuan.

I am always amazed at how hospital knew how to catered to local populace need to buy 4-Ds for such auspicious occasions. Most of the records have four numerals. Baby Xuan was brought to this world at 1340hrs (first 4-D), He weighed 2.925kg (to 3 decimal points?! Nvm 2nd 4-D) and is 48cm (cannot buy cos' only got two numbers). It's also quite amazing how I can remember these numbers even though my mathematics and stats suck big time. I can even remember my first boy En's weight was 3.040. Maybe cos' it's also related to the 4-D lottery thingy or some mysterious father thing.

Anyway, several pictures were taken (As usual) but I left the #$%^ camera in the hospital so cannot upload today.

Bits and pieces of memorable moments (as all fathers will concur, in the delivery suite - one can either remember the long arduous wait or the frenzy and panic during the actual delivery - for the latter - everything flashes by) Other things I could remember include:

a) Unlike the first time, the anesthetician (is that how you spell?) who did the epidural did not ask me to leave. Actually, she demanded that I stayed and watch. Yeeks. Not a nice sight - the needles damn long, so was my wife's fingernails that clawed deep into my skin. The amused anesthetician asked why I was pale. Duh.

b) I lingered around the delivery suite and hospital like a lost soul. Drank countless cups of tea from the vending machines which, I believed, were purposely not built on the same floor. Also read Baby Blues on the super comfy Lorenzo couch to get inspiration of being a father of more than one kiddo. Quite nice - I mean the couch. The thought of being a father of two sons was daunting.

c) Wife must be bored. Out of the blue, she suddenly decided that we should name our Xuan something 'christmas-sy' - like Santa. I cannot register that though. He would be the joke of the townand anyway, his older brother seemed to detest the bearded man in red suit - he would cry everytime he saw Santa. Alternatively, we could name him Nicholas or Noel - I suggested instead. I would prefer the latter - though I was duly informed by Jou Hwei that it meant shout of joy, praise, christmas carol and the name of a local hamper store. I don't even know how to pronounce the name - No-erl or No-ell? Duh. I will just stick to Xuan-Xuan (as girly as it may sound).

d) About 5 hours later, the midwife said that my wife was fully dilated. She called Dr Yeoh in and in three pushes, baby was out. Very efficient.

Xuan is smaller but comes built with dimples. Welcome to the world son, hope your brother likes you... ha ha.

Secret Garden? (From 叶深人静)

今天与孩子的干妈喝下午茶, 就在观音庙附近的 Secret Garden。 还真的很秘密， 人不多，甜品别致好吃，但价钱稍微贵了点。最喜欢他们的 outdoor seating， 还有沙发咧。 恩最喜欢外面的秋千。我吃很不起眼的 hamburger， 老婆吃 crayfish and scallop spagetti （这个好吃！但价钱不便宜，$20）但最令我们陶醉的是那里的的甜品 - triple choc and hot dates！ 不知道他们的户外桌椅哪里买的－不错。最近在物色户外家具 hee hee。








开 cafe 一直是我们俩人的梦想。曾经就跟好友一起开过，他晚上开ｐｕｂ，　我们早上开ｃａｆｅ。　由家人打点 - 最终失败收场，还亏了钱。还好朋友还有的做成- 他们夫妻挡现在专攻 whiskey - THE WHISKEY　ＳＨＯＰ， 还不错。现在才知道做生意不容易。很佩服朋友的坚持。我呢，还是打工好啦，要做生意需要一股热忱，坚持和蛮力。生病还的开店，又没有 annual leave。
^---- the whiskey shop at cairnhill
－　叶子言

Christmas Lights

The photo is not clear. Somehow, i really dun know how to use digital cam... funni. Apparently, this time my setting was on "document" - no wonder there is this paper like thing with words on the screen. I was wondering what it was.

Anyway, it's baby en second Christmas and we decided to bring him out to see Christmas lightings. The last time he went, he was only about 2 months old and slept when we walked down Orchard Road, and only woke up when we are in the car going back home. Well, he seemed to enjoy looking at the street lights.

This year, he seemed to identify with Christmas trees. He can just stare and stare at the twinkling lights and shiny ornaments. Either that or he's bored, we can't really tell.

Anyway, he perked up when we went to the Takashimaya toy fair. Well his grandma seems eager to carry him, I dun really mind. The last time I brought him to Robinson Toy shop, he kicked up such a big fuss and started to struggle out of my arms. His eyes were focused on the toys. I had to haul a screaming boy in the opposite direction, with pass-by staring in amusement. I know what they are thinking - I used to think the same when I see other parents with hysterical kid - spoilt kid, parents' fault. Hey, I don't spoil my kid o.k., at least I totally ignored his piercing wails and did not give in, I showed him nice girls clothes instead - quite proud of myself after that. At least now in Taka, he didn't pull the same stunt.

Toys Galore

Verdict: kindermusic does wonder. After the first lesson two weeks ago, he decided that he should start walking after all since all the other girls in the class can do so. Lesson two - he picked up the concept of "finders keepers" and "ownership", refusing to give up toys to teacher or other kids. Lesson three- papa had a bad back, so maid went with him. Heard he enjoyed himself thoroughly and followed the teacher wherever she went - either he's a bootlicker or a realist - she's the one with the toys. Well, lesson two stuck with him and he decided that he would now hang on to other people's toys he liked regardless of who's at the other end. He did it to ah Yu, his 4 year old cousin, and I demanded that he lay off. He actually understood but followed up with wails and tears. His cousins pacified him, I totally bo-chap. Reckoned he better start to learn the concept of sharing - considering how many toys he has to himself now, and a baby brother is coming soon to share them. He had a bad dream that night - probably I was the monster.

Car-toon

Our hope for a child prodigy was dashed when baby en's first word was "k-ah". I knew it was coming when I noticed that his attention was often drawn by moving vehicles. So much for taking on mother nature to curb the masculine streak in him. His grandparents were quick to jump on the bandwagon, and bought him a green Little Tikes car we labeled Mercedes. It didn't help that they recoup their capital and even made a quick profit when the serial number on the receipt struck 4-D. In double quick time, en was the proud owner of the Mercs, two ride-ons (one was a farm buddy courtesy of his god-ma) and snazzy one walker parked in his garage. His green Mercs is still the envy of older kids in the neighbourhood. Grandma related an instance when one kid actually stepped out of his ride-on and came over to ogle at en's ride.

Well, we are not giving up. We signed him up for Kindermusik and he seemed to be enjoying it. Little girls are coming up to him while little boys are throwing balls at him. Not that he mind. Cross fingers. instruments and hog them.

LANGUAGE OF LOVE

This is a strange world. Well, at least for babies - these adult Singaporeans must be wierd. Picture this - two Chinese parents speaking to each other in Mandarin, and mum turned to his son and blurted in broken English "Keep quiet, guai guai eat food, don't pray with your food. Drink Orleng Jooce." What the *%$#. Why can't they just use Mandarin? Can't they speak to the child in a language they are comfortable in? My guess - they want to give their child a headstart in the working language in Singapore, an edge over others in school or at least make sure they don't fall behind. I believe children are like a sponges, they learn, adapt and assimilate quickly. Put them in London and they will speak with an English accent, in US "Wassup", in Aussie Land "G'day". Put them in kindergarten, they will pick up English from their friends and teachers. Teaching them broken English is not helping them. It will saturate these sponges and spoil them. Changing is more difficult than learning something new. Example, my parents in law, they cannot speak English well, but when they turn to speak to the little one, they use whatever limited English they know "En, come, sit", "Don't naughty" - hey that's what they teach at dog obedience school. We had to tell them sternly to use Mandarin - and they give us THE LOOK - it's as if we are asking them to speak French. Duh?! If you ask me, if the common language of the house is Mandarin - use it, if it's Cantonese - use it - why devise a second language for your child? Anyway, isn't it better for him or her anyway to pick up a mother tongue from young and be proficient in it? It actually gives them an edge later in life. I come from a family who uses a mixture of Mandarin and Hainanese (I cannot speak Hainanese well, but comprehend it quite ok), my parents speak good Mandarin, picked up Cantonese when I hang out with my cousins who spoke the language among themselves, Hokkien came naturally in army, I picked up English from school and friends. I'm effectively multi-lingual ha ha. Isn't that better? I definitely don't want my child to be banana, worse a banana who speaks rotten English.

IT'S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW!

I visited a colleague who has just given birth to a baby boy. He's so cute, name's cool too - my favourite basketball star (and shoes) - Jordan. Side-track a bit, ever notice people always start debating on who the baby looks like. As if one can tell. I always try not to make that comparison. It offends the other party, and hell, I even have trouble identifying my son when he was in the hospital's nursery. I was goo goo -gaa gaa-ing with a bundle wrapped in blue, when it suddenly struck me that that bundle wasn't my son. Anyway, he or she better look like both mum an dad if its the end product of *ahem* biological synthesis. So likewise, Jordan is smart and clingy like all cute baby boy when he just popped out. Anyway, coming back to the subject, while I was watching the baby, I have this odd feeling of deja vu. It struck me that all the routine of rocking, graveyard shifts, the perculiar sounds made by the infant every 15 to 20 mins that stir you out of bed to check just so he/she is all right. You can debate all you want that it's just normal 'noise', but when the kid's yours, you will wake up anyway. HELP! This is a premonition of what's to come in a few months time, when I will be second time dad. Another colleague remarked that he knows someone who is having number eight - two doctors -well if they can afford it. But aren't doctors on call? How do they cope? They probably sling the baby while they do their rounds or operate - aka Grey Anatomy. Check back in 3 months time to see whether I'm still sane.

RAISING TWO BOYS - SOS!

Just finish this book. On the premise that I have utter disdain for books teaching me how to be a parent , I must say Biddulph did a pretty good job. At least I am convinced that boys need good role model in other men. As the only child, I was pretty weird as a boy. I talked to myself and amused myself by playing the hat, the dog, the car and shoe in Monopoly all at once. My two male cousins, much older than me, kinda broke me out of my shell once my parents moved one floor down from their apartment. I remember so wanting to be whatever they were - dressed like them, listened to the same music, read the same books, talked the same talk. Lucky they were good role models, and think I turn out better than without them in the picture at all. They are still role models to me. Now how to find that someone for my boys. I know I have to play a part, but my father tried to make time with me (at least I know he tries), but I'm still not that close to him (although in many ways, I am still like him). This is partly due to the fact that both my parents worked and I was like a nomad moving from house to house when I was a kid. Work is work, but I try hard to spend as much time with the boy as possible. Leaving him overnight with the nanny is out of the question for us. Still, to be safe, we decide to move to a place where good role models (male ones) are in abundance. Well, I hope we raise our boys well.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Bao-what? That's the question we have pondered over dinner, in the car, on the bed, watching TV over the last few months. What's in a name? A parent's hope for the child, their aspiration, their wish of what their child should be (or should not be) are all embedded in this identity that will follow the child for life. It doesn't help that our family follows a tight list of middle character to be used for sons closely, and we are left with only one character to play with out of three (minus surname too). And it so happen that my sons' middle is not so glam- 'Bao' (to protect).. it makes choosing the character that follows all the more challenging. Wife wants something manly and connotes success and vigour. I just want my child to be happy and have a good character. Well we can go with "Bao-bao" (baby), "Bao-bei" (my precious), but he will probably be a joke in school. Likewise, calling him "Bao-xi" (sure die), "Bao-le" (full), "Bao-tong" (sure to get stab), "Bao-jia" (sure to get eaten/ cheated ... and durian sellers slogan) is not very helpful either. Others like "Bao-yu", "Bao-ling" sounds girly. We had difficulties naming our first born "Bao-en" (en means grateful) which sounds not too bad, and now the second one - another boy - will have very limited choice. We have shortlisted "Bao-kai" (which connotes happiness/ victory - depending which character we use) but the shortcoming will be him being teased as "spend money" or "broke" in Hokkien. Others will be "Bao-xuan" (tall, with character and poise), "Bao-jing" (quell uprising - aka Guo Jing in Condor Heroes ha ha), "Bao-xun" (fragrance). I'm stuck. Think we will go to the fortune-teller to pick the most auspicious one. After that, we will debate over his English name. Any suggestions?

GROWING UP

The little one is growing up really fast, he's now edgy, want to do many things at one time, babbling non-stop, and wants to stand up once his little hands can find something to support. Curiousity directs his every movement, and he seems particularly interested in the most dangerous items in the house which includes metal knobs, wires, electric fan churning at full speed, etc. He watches the dog walk past with a cheeky grin, but Momo watches over him and adoringly licks his feet when she trot past. Once she licks his face, and he belch... probably over Momo's bad breath, that was really cute. But one thing I cannot stand is his "separation anxiety" - he wails whenever he enters a room full of stangers. He can't stand stares, and seems to prefer the female species over males. It's difficult bringing him to a party or gathering. Damn weird.

Dark Sunday

Just when you thought the lil' one is getting the routine right after months of deprived sleep, and you are feeling proud of yourself as you slip into the comfort zone, the whole family went back to the drawing board as we figure out how to cope with a sick baby. It all started one Sunday night, when the fever shot up and we realised that the stinking ear thermometer we have sucks. I went to buy another snazzy one that is easy to use, not knowing that regular (every 15 -30 mins to be exact) temperature-taking become the only thing on our mind for the next one week, coupled with wetting of forehead, bouts of bad tempers, coping with a baby that don't want to drink or eat, and scream till he lost his voice (and can only croak), and a general sense of guilt, helplessness and exasperation. We visited two docters, got the same diagnosis (viral) and instructed to wait out. Got more desperate when baby's temperature is as stable a seismograph plotting an earthquake, and our emotions racing across the spectrum of euphoria to depression and back. During this period, his favourite toy was the cheapest one we bought, a plasticky rattle of sort with a smiley face imprint that makes an irritating eee-ooor sound as you shake it. It's his only source of comfort during this period. And being responsible parent, my wife and me decide to go ahead with our holiday plans on the seventh day. Cool. Well we did call back, and in Bangkok, gave 100Baht to a half-blind lady cradling a visibly sick child wrapped in blankets and a wet towel on his forehead on a chilly wet evening. We could emphatise for one, and she was grateful and shocked. I pray for her and the child, and hope both boys (hers and mine) can get well soon.