Family | 40fied And Stronger

Guess what day is today?

Not really sure if this is a cause for a celebration, though... I turned 40 today.

The big Four-O! A year older, but yet to find out if I am a year wiser, than last year.

Wished there were something special today, but like any other day, the same routine. Hardly anybody at work remembered my birthday. I take it being 40 is not a cause for celebration there.

Anyway I received a sweet text message from Wify once I reached work and at my desk. That was nice to start the day with.

Then more text messages came in beeping my cell phone with well wishes. These were all from my insurance agents... from NTUC, from AIA and from Prudential.

After that, the day was pretty much mundane like any other working day. I kept my spirits up not so much because it is my birthday, but because it is a Friday, and a payday! Yey!

Funny right. this childish glee. That scares me sleepless sometimes. At 40 years old, I do not feel that I am any wiser. I feel just old!

So, with nothing interesting to write, I list down what it feels to be 40. No, no... just a year older:

1. My slowing metabolism seems to bulk me up, but some say I am fat.
2. My face starts to have defined "happy" lines, but some call them wrinkles.
3. My hair tends to get natural highlights, but some say I am greying.
4. Talk about sleepless nights, I would be in slumber-land right after meals.
5. My left knee starts to crackle, definitely complaining about me.
6. My back seems to freeze at one position right after bending down.
7. I would write more, but my memory seems to... what was I saying?

Now, what am I grateful for at 40? Many wonderful things:

1. I have a loving wife who neurishes my soul.
2. I have an intelligent son who always amazes me.
3. I have 2 loving parents who I just love so dearly.
4. I have a nice house where my heart feels at home, I always want to be home.
5. I have the opportunity to make my own decisions.
6. I have have the freedom to practise my faith and culture.
7. I have Blogspot to keep-safe my thoughts and speak out loud, in my own terms

I have my own sanctuary and I have my sanity. I got the gift of a good life.

I thank The Almighty for all these years and the opportunity to do the things I want to do... some are well... backlog agenda that I may decide to do and some just dreams to keep my spirits high and my hopes alive.

I love life. I am passionate about life. Happy birthday to me!

I am fortified and going stronger.

Life | Made In Singapore

Well the advertisements of a new Superman movies are every in the mass media.

Did I say... Superman movies?

Well, that is right. 2 Superman movies now showing.

One is Superman Return from Hollywood and another is "Superman Born" from Bollywood.

If you don not already know, Bollywood is an Indian equivalent to Hollywood, though they produce more films in a year than in the US combined.

Well, the latter "Superman" is special because the film was shot mostly in Singapore. After such a long, long time ago since a foreign film crew like Hawaii Five-O was shot in Singapore it seems.

There were others too, but none came to mine so vividly as Hawaii Five-O. All the more I wish to visit Hawaii this day and age.

Krissh is "Superman." Well... part alien since he got his gift from one.

Anyway, it is also special because while they were shooting it, Wify and I were watching it done arduously scene, by scene.

The entourage and all those equipment to shoot minute, by minute segments.

No we were not in any part involved in the making, we were just on-lookers... from our kiosk.

That was because the were shooting it in Shenton Way on 2nd October 2005 onwards at OUB Centre, to be exact.

That was where Wify's kiosk was located for a few months.

At that time, we only knew that it was Hrithik Roshan as it was published in the newspapers that the government allowed the Indian film crew to shoot the movie in Singapore, hosted by the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board.

The movie is out now, just as Superman Returns is.

No I am not a fan of Hindustani films and will not rush to get tickets to the theater. Wify is a fan of Indian movies, in fact she is a fan of any love story, be in western or even Korean.



Yes, even without subtitles, she can make herself understand... in her own terms, maybe... the story line and weep.

This is a good move by the government to make Singapore well known, not just for chewing gum ban and a financial hub in Southeast Asia, but for vibrancy in its culture and openness to all things wonderful to do in this island.

Back to the movie, below is a synopsis of what the movie is about, taken off Yahoo.com.sg :

"KRRISH is a sequel to the blockbuster KOI MIL GAYA.

Roshans? The father-son duo combine together yet again in another sci-fi movie where Hrithik Roshan plays as

KRRISH, son of Rohit (Played by Hrithik Roshan in the first version - Koi Mil Gaya).

Krishna (Hrithik Roshan) is born with magical powers - a legacy from his father, Rohit Mehra. Priya (Priyanka Chopra) comes into his life and becomes his world.

When she beckons him to Singapore, he follows.

In Singapore, Dr. Siddhant Arya (Naseeruddin Shah), the megalomaniac scientist is on the verge of changing the future forever.

Only one man stands between Dr. Siddharth Arya and his destructive dreams.

To block his ruthless ambitions... Krishna must become KRRISH."

Something different from an Indian movie, but at its core, the same theme and concept... a love story, overcoming all odds to finally be together.

And oh... song and dance on the hill and mountains... lots of it I bet!

Family | Panic Room Not!

Continued from... Verdict Is Out.

Finally, after the 4th call, Dr. Ong Yew Hong was at his clinic ready to see my son.

We reached Neptune Healthcare clinic at 3:00pm, but there were already people queued there, before us from before lunch but had yet to see the doctor.

We had to wait for almost 40 minutes before Dr. Ong finally called my son's name.

The X-ray was already on the lighted box when we came in.

He confirmed that my son's toe was indeed fractured. A "clean" one fortunately and the healing should be less complicated.

He assessed my son's condition and tolerance for pain by asking him to perform some physical movements. Before that he asked how it happened.

My son finally told the doctor himself that he broke his toe while trying to break a fall from his bicycle on the way to the playground. His friends brought him back home on foot.

Great! Just great! His first broken bone at age 11, caused by his birthday gift from me! To not disappoint me for some reason, he told me that he fell while playing at the playground.

He looked at my son's toe and asked for him to walk around. Then to stand up on a stool and jump down onto the floor. My son did, but with caution, trying to avoid any pain.

Dr. Ong then asked my son to dash across the room, which he also did but still with caution,. His faced squinted, obviously trying to endure the pain.

He then explained how it should be handled... alright, brace myself as I listened...

He had seen many similar cases in the hospital, but because my son is young, this type of fracture should heal quickly. In 6 weeks time!

Not sure if that time frame IS quick, but I take his professional word for it.

Since there is little need for surgery to mend the fractured bone, no little "toe-cast" either, He instead proposed using a "buddy" aid to the tender toe.

Using a disposable sticky band-aid, he showed us how we should perform it daily after every bath or when the bandage became dirty.

The 2nd toe will have to be bandaged together with the big toe to assist as a splint, aligning it back straight.

The pain he would feel while he moves "will trigger his brain to send more calcium" to the broken area to mend it. The bone needed only to be aligned straight while the process of joining back and healing occur.

He was given a medical chit to be excused from PE lessons in school and just in case, from wearing shoes in school for 6 weeks.

He can wear slippers, though it was strongly encouraged to wear shoes to school to better protect that tender toe from being stepped on, or accidentally hit against something or by someone.

He was still prescribed pain killers just in case, only to be taken if he felt pain again.


Off we went to Century Square at Tampines Central for early dinner. My son suddenly had the urge for a Tom Yum Noodle which I, cannot also resist. Chicken Rice take-away for Wify.

To "relieve" his pain further, we bought Prestige Chocolates, white and dark Swiss chocolates. Consider this a little "bribe" to award him for being tough to endure the pain for the past days.

Phew!!! No hospital, no surgery, no annual leave off work left for me!

Wify was still in a daze with the medication at home while all this was happening. She was all the while in slumber land.

No complaints of pain or sore throats, but blissful slumber while the antibiotics take effect. That is a good thing.

As for my son, sticky "buddy-bandage" for the next 42 days.

No PE, no strenuous activities, just walk, walk and more walk to stimulate faster healing.

I thank The Almighty for protecting my family. No panicky situations here today! Just extra room for tender-loving care for these 2 angles of mine.

Family | Verdict Is Out!

Continued from... Two The Neptune.

Left home this morning to reach Medical Imaging X-ray & Diagnostic Centre by 9:00am.

It was not that difficult to find the place at Block 138 when it was directly in front of the rounded building of Tampines Town Council at Block 136.

We were the first to arrive and within 5 minutes, my son was ushered into the X-ray room and the imaging done, out in another 5 to 8 minutes.

We had to wait for another 5 minutes for the X-ray print to be ready to take to Dr. Lim for his assessment on my son's toe.

I saw the x-ray film and it did not look good at all.

The slanted toe is caused by the fractured bone diagonally across his second bone. Yikes!

What is next... but that is just me and what I saw.

I have to let Dr. Lim tell us what is next.

I see extended leave absence from school is in the works here... I see that we have to go to the hospital for treatment here...

I called Wify to inform her what I saw, and what I think may be next. She replied with a soft, sleepy voice to keep her posted.

Oh dear, two sick angles in one go. Terrific!

My son and I went straight from Street 11 to Street 33 where Neptune Healthcare Medical & Surgery is, to pass the X-ray to Dr. Lim.

The clinic was packed with sick people. Really packed that when I registered my son, my son will be seen only after lunch at about 2:00pm.

It was only 9:40am in the morning! Wow!

Dr. Lim is not on duty, but Dr. Ong Yew Hong is for the day.

I was asked to call the clinic first before coming, because Dr. Ong will have house-calls first before coming back to the clinic. The X-ray was left at the clinic for the doctor to review it.

It may be later than 2:00pm, so I just have to keep on calling to avoid waiting for him there.


Guess it is going to be a busy day today.

To be continued...

Family | Two The Neptune

Wify finally decided to heed my advice to see the doctor late afternoon, hours after she "purposely" endured the pain by sleeping it off.

Just as I told her, it would not just go away by sleeping it off!

Since it was Sunday, our family doctor had already closed. They are open up to noon on weekends.

So we decided to go to Neptune Healthcare Medical & Surgery at Tampines Street 33. It opens daily till 11:00pm.

My son had to have his second toe on his right leg examined too, since the swollen has not subsided and the toe still felt tender.

He requires a medical chit to excuse him from wearing shoes in school for a while.

There were 3 other people at the clinic waiting to see the doctor before our turn.

There was a teenager who apparently had flu. He was short of $3,00 to pay for the consultation and medication fees.

With several people and families there, he approached me to borrow some for some reason.

Wander why? Do I look approachable with apathy... or can I be passed-off as a sucker?...

He offered his cell phone number to contact him. He intended to return the money when he got it from his parents when the came back home in the evening.

I just gave him the money instead.

Not worth the hassle. I just took it as a "minute savior" for the day for him, a good deed done for the day for me.

All 3 of us went into the consultation room when my son's name was called by the doctor.

Dr. Lim Hsiu Wang was the attending doctor for the day.

He did not like what he saw of our son's toe. It sort of like slanted to the right. He suspected a fracture, but not compound. He believed the swelling may have made it slanted, but he needed to be sure.

Our son has to go for an x-ray today to be totally sure, but for now Dr. Lim prescribed him anti-inflammatory for the swelling, and pain-killer pills for now.

Our son was given 2 days medical leave for now off from school. He may need an extended medical leave if it is really broken.


His x-ray is scheduled to be before noon today, at Medical Imaging X-ray & Diagnostic Centre at Block 138 Tampines Street 11.

I did not know there is such a centre within the housing estate. That is a plus point, even though the Changi General Hospital is just 10 minutes away from our home in Simei.

Next was Wfiy...

Surprisingly, she had a temperature of 38.7 degrees Celsius. She had high fever, but she did not complain that much, just her sore throat. She slept most of the day instead.

And yes, her throat has pus too! I could not believe it, but that was what the doctor said. It was the first time I heard of such a thing with sore throats.

Where have I been living all this while...?

Had dinner at Tampines Mart Kopi Tiam. The Malay Food Junction shop Tom Yum Seafood Noodle Wify and I had was quite good and worth the money at $4.00 each, while our son eat Seafood Fried Rice which tasted great!


Wify, an avid fan of Tom Yam like me, could not even finish half a bowl. Her appetite was just not good. I could only imagine the throbbing pain in her head. My poor angle.

And yes, I am on urgent leave today again! I am fortunate that my Boss is an understanding family man himself too.

To be continued...

Family | Under The Weather

Spent all of Saturday to prep some of the display stuff for Wify's shop with the intention to revamp it today.

It is Sunday today. A very wet weekend it has become.

Wify unfortunately came back last night with a sore throat and aching joints. She was coming down with the flu, it seemed.

Oh no! I have reserved all the energy and prepared all the items, packed and ready to go to her shop early this morning with her today. Guess we have to cancel...

And canceled, we did.

I worked up till pass 1:00am last night finishing what was needed to bring over, but woke up at 8:30am this morning instead.

Wify woke up sick!

We were suppose to leave the house at 7:30am, be at the shop at about 8:am to start tearing down the present display and do our much anticipated and not to mention... anxious revamp, but not today.

Funny thing too though, when my son came back from the playground yesterday afternoon with a sprained right toe.

It was still swollen this morning, but not as bad as yesterday.

Fortunately nothing was broken. Unfortunately, tomorrow is his first day of school of after a month-long June school holiday.

So... this weekend, I am tending to 2 "incapacitated" angels.

Wify managed to clean the house a bit. Hung-up the clothes to dry in the service balcony even though I told her to just rest.

Son is stuck in his room for a couple of days it seems... immobilized from playing outside. His play mate today is NeoPets PC game and Xbox to fill his last remaining holiday hours.

And I... well, read blogs, write blogs and go out to buy breakfast, lunch and dinner at one go today.

To remember what I lack to describe, I took photos along the way to while I was out buying food.

I decided to go to Tampines Street 81 market place and grab some groceries too.

The bus driver greeted everyone as each of us boarded. That was indeed a welcomed gesture.

A nice feeling to an otherwise dull, wet and dreary-looking day.

It sure was wet today.

The sky was dark grey, promising to rain the whole day while it was pouring out... cleansing mother earth, "healing it self" a friend puts it.

But everything moved and everyone went about their routine just like any normal Sunday.

People still went out to the market in droves, and had breakfast at coffee shops.

The market was alive and buzzing with shoppers. Even more "packed," when people were cramped and confined to the dry sheltered corridors and walkways, away from the rain... but live goes on.


I was so gung-ho to do the revamp, anxious too, because I am hoping that what I have planned to place to be an look like once it is finish really works.

I had all the ideas and concept written down (even in my blog) and all the work is done. Now only the execution part.

All the measurements made, the little display boards that I conjured-up from corrugated plastic boards, the floor to ceiling posts that should hold the whole earring display rack-up... every little detail that I could imagine and every little faults that may go wrong been thought through.

Guess it is much easier if you were to give it to a professional decor to do our shop, but it is a little start-up shop, with very little budget if you can call it that. So for now, everything is a Do-it-yourself.

It is with much satisfaction if I can pull this off. It has to work, because everyday is money spent on the rent when the shop closes for any of my revamp mistakes.


Well, that will be next weekend. For now, 2 sick angels to the rescue before I go to work tomorrow. Wonder if I can go to the gym today?...

Man! Start of another workweek. Sigh...

Life | Spring In Me

?? Which Season Are You ??

You're Most Like The Season Spring... Fresh faced, with a young outlook on life - you smile at the world and expect it to smile back at you.You're mostly a bubbly, fun - innocent person. Described as cute possibly. However, you're a little naive about things and tend to be a little too trustworthy.As the first season, it makes you the youngest - and so most immature - but people are inclined to look out for and protect you.Well done... You're the most fun of the seasons!
Take this quiz!

Quizilla Join Make A Quiz More Quizzes Grab Code

Family | Heroes Always Triumph

Just last Saturday, I accompanied my Mom to TTSH for her physiotherapy.

Today was Dad's turn to get his colons checked-out through colonoscopy, done by the same Dr. Ooi Boon Swee who is handling Dad's case, just 4 days ago when he did a follow-up check on Dad at Clinic D on Thursday, 15 June 2006.

The Endoscopy Centre is temporarily relocated at Block 7 Ward 77. Dad had to go through this routine again, a year after the removal of his cancerous tumor in his lower intestine.

Today was a critical moment to actually find out if there was any new growth further inside his intestines. Since the removed tumor was very near his anus, it blocked the scope from being able to be inserted further in to be investigated.

The day unfortunately started kind of badly though. It started to rain, I mean a down-pour in the morning.

Since the journey to the hospital from my parents home was less than 30 minutes, we gave ourselves ample time to beat the morning traffic. We set off an hour earlier.

The cab that I took from my home to my parents' had another booking done, so the driver could not continue with the journey to the hospital after fetching my parents. We had to flag for another cab there.

It was incredibly hard to get one!

Knowingly so, because it was a Monday, in the peak hour of the morning and heavy rain. The combination made getting a cab so frustrating.

I could not even get through the cab booking hot-line the whole time we were waiting for one!

There, we waited at the covered walkway for about half hour before we finally got a cab. That was only because someone alighted a distance away from us.

The journey was bad all the same!

We took the BKE to avoid CTE busy traffic, but once we entered the highway, the EMAS electronic signboard pre-warned a notice of "Massive Jam. Accident on KJE after Mandai Road."

The cab driver made an "escape" to CTE instead via SLE.

To our surprise, SLE had a traffic jam too right at the entrance. Totally strange as SLE near the Singapore Sports School had never jam before.

The cab "crawled" on the highway for 20 minutes. All because of a broken-down car, that was later pushed to the road shoulder. Sigh.

There was however a bumper-to-bumper accident on the opposite direction that caused another massive jam, there. That was totally unfortunate for the drivers on the opposite direction.

Once we entered CTE, as expected our cab just inched slowly for another 40 minutes. It was a total test of our patience.

We were suppose to be at SGH by 8:15am, half an hour to prep for the colonoscopy procedure at 8:45am, but reached the hospital and registered at 9:05am instead!

Wow, the journey was extremely trying, but the cab fare takes the cake. It cost us S$26.50 when it should only have cost $13.00 to $15.00 at most in a normal situation!

I even received a call on my mobile from SGH Service Desk while we were registering Dad, asking me why Dad had not turn-up for the procedure. We were 45 minutes late!

Thought we had to reschedule the procedure and I had wasted my precious annual leave for today, but instead Dad was prepped less than 10 minutes after registering.

He was then escorted to the theater for his procedure which took less than 10 minutes. Dad was out, all changed back into his own clothes as he came out to meet us at the waiting area.

We were then ushered to the Appointment Counter where the results were explained by a Staff Nurse and appointment made for a follow-up 1 YEAR LATER!!!!

Yes, 1 YEAR LATER!

Dad's blood test result came out normal. His colons... with all the glory of coloured photographs shown to us, turned out normal too! His next appointment is on 21 June 2007!

Dad is healthy again!

Praise to The Almighty for the blessings He has given to Dad and his children, for this wonderful news!


Mom just smiled wide when I told her the news. She praised him for sticking to his diet religiously and taking great effort to stay healthy and taking care of her at the same time. He is Mom's hero.

A wonderful belated Father's Day gift from the heavens above! Nothing can top this!

I wasted no time to SMS all my brothers and sisters about the outcome. My cell phone started chiming repeatedly as one after another responded with great joy!

It was my perfect Father's Day gift to me, too.

All that good news made us forget to take our breakfast. We eat at SGH cafeteria while chatting and joking away for a while.

Dad was on such a cheery mood that when Mom saw and commented on a cute little Bambi stuffed toy in the Pharmacy display window, that he surprised her by buying it for her.

Just like my courting days! How great was that!

I sent them home after that to do my next task. To buy some display items for revamping Wify's shop.

Come to think about it, the rain did not bother us anymore.

Everything seemed brighter and full of wonderful hope again. I was gleaming like I was in a daze.

I decided to take my time to be alone. I took the bus ride home from Woodlands on Service 168, a double-decker, routed via SLE and TPE.

All quite, except the humming of the engine... lost in my happy thoughts with a smile on my face that I could not hide. Why hide?!

Till this day, Dad and Mum do not know that the tumor that Dad had was cancerous, at stage 3. It was kept a secret from them.

Today, he is as healthy as an 80 year old can ever be.

The feeling of great satisfaction and closure for me personally. The utmost gratefulness to The Almighty to bestow such a blessing unto Dad, unto us.

Again... Happy Father's Day, Dad!

My all-time hero and we love you.

Family | Happy Father's Day!

My Dad does not celebrate Father's Day.

Born in 1926 with no day or month for his birth date, I do not think he is even aware that there is such a day set aside to honour fathers around the world. Nevertheless, I wish him Happy Father's Day all the same.


Precision and Pride

I love my Dad dearly, but until today, I never really know my Dad.

Being the 2nd last child in the family, I was always perceived as too young to understand adult conversation. Never had a "man-to-man" conversation with him before.

I remember Dad worked for Singapore Telecoms all his life until he retired.

He was meticulous in his work. From his phone wire-fittings to writing his service reports. He did them with such precision and pride it showed without effort.

His handy work around our village home was exemplary to this children, the boys especially. From painting the walls to building a cement staircase, he took pride in everything he did.

He still does. His present Woodlands home is clean and orderly, his garden outside always blooming with multi-coloured flowers. He is like a silent perfectionist. A man of few words.


Strong Man, Strong Will...

Till today, I still think that it was awesome man.

Almost mind boggling to think how he managed to feed, clothed and educate all 8 of his children, with just a salary of an Artisan.

Working overtime most days, he was away most of my waking childhood hours and only get to see him on weekends.

We either did chores, fixing stuff around the house and compound, or we had our family outing... to Changi Beach for picnics on weekends.

Of course, apart from raising us, Mom helped out with getting extra cash from cooking and selling breakfast and traditional Malay cakes from home.

All that sacrifices and family fun for their 8 children. 11 in all, if 3 of my siblings survived.


Trade-in Sports For Family

Dad was into sports when he was single. He left all that when he had us.

He was into soccer, boxing and weight-lifting. He was an avid bodybuilder. An awesome one too.

I only knew this when I saw a photo of him posing during a bodybuilding competition, I think. He had an awesome build.

He told us once that he was good at it that the guys in his gym asked him to coach them instead of competing with him. That was the only photo of him in his 20s that I got to see. Another was on his wedding day.

Both photos had since gone missing after we moved to Tampines New Town.

Today, he only watches sports on TV. I am the only son who picked-up bodybuilding. My 3 brothers are avid soccer fans.

I am humbled that he sacrificed many of the things he loved for his family.


Don't Mess With Dad!

Like any young, hot-blooded Dad with lots of children, his patience was very thin.

A strict and fearsome father, I heard "terrifying" stories about Dad from my sisters and brothers. No nonsense authority figure. Almost merciless!

My eldest brother usually got the brunt of Dad's wrath.

Being the oldest, he had to be exemplary to the rest of his siblings. So when they misbehaved, he got it together with them, but his being the most severe.

Like all children, being curious and mischievous are part of testing our parents' patience and boundaries.

I had my fair share too. I remember getting a "taste" of his belt on several occasions. One being 10 years of age and stubborn.

It was a monsoon season and rained heavily that day in the village. From our veranda, I could see the water level rising, flooding the lower half of our village. All that mustard-coloured water was just too tempting for me.

I sneaked out even after being warned not to and joined the other village boys to play in the rain and diving into the chest-deep muddy water. Awesome!

I had the best time of my childhood life.

When the fun ended and dripping wet, dirty and I guess... smelly, I got a piece of Dad's wrath after taken my bath and got cleaned up.

I retreated to my safe place and stayed there until I fell asleep most times... under the bed where Dad had difficulty getting to me. By the time I came out, Dad's anger had already subsided like the flood outside.

Not proper discipline by western standards, but I grew-up good, no qualms about his methods, no scars to show, no grudges at all. I guess I asked for it.

Anyway, I still think that, that particular day was darn worth it!


The Gift Of Gifts

I never had a birthday party of my own in my life before, so no presents for me, like my other siblings.

So when I actually got the first one from Dad, a Casio digital watch for being top 3 in my class final exams in secondary 1. It stuck with me till today.

I kept the watch long after it stopped working in my drawer. I lost it when we moved.


Dad Yesterday, Today and Forever

Dad is the typical old-fashion macho man, of few words.

His last surgery had transformed him tremendously. He is open to all things new.

By that I mean affection was not easily shown as far back as I can remember, but he has mellowed so much and not afraid to show it openly anymore.

Chattier and willing to share good and bad experiences with us all.

In my eyes, my Dad was...

• A Mentor, whom I learnt right from wrong as a child.
• A Superman, when I realized the world was a tough place to be when I became a working adult.
• An Hero of all times, when I get to know him better these few years... the silent victor of life's tough lessons thrown at him.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

My all-time Hero.

Techno | What A Rush!

... continued from My Life Today, Part 2


My Life Today, Part 3

Now that Mom and Dad were safely home, I had to rush back home to be there when the e-NET delivery man arrived with my new Konica Minolta Magicolor 2450 Laser Printer.

Since payment is COD, I had to stop over at Woodlands Civic Centre to withdraw money at from Standard Chartered Bank ATM there.

True enough, the printer came just after 2:00pm with my arms open wide to receive it.

Installing it on my PC first was surprisingly a breeze. Next, on Wify's PC and then my son's.

We all share the printer in a network environment wirelessly via my Linksys Broadband Router WRT54GS.

In no time, we were back in business! I printed a few pages of Wify's business cards for her shop.

Finally... it was time for me to do my own stuff!

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday to receive a birthday gift from my good friend from work. He gave me a Sony Memory Stick Duo 128M.

It was priceless to me as I was looking for it for the past few months, even at the recently ended PC Show 2006.

This particular memory card is considered obsolete here, but that is the only maximum capacity the phone can handle.

Mental Note: Want to buy his son something special in return.

The next capacity is MS Duo Pro 256M to a 1GB card which are abundant and getting cheaper by the day, but the faster speed is not compatible with my cell phone, unfortunately.

My old, but wonderful companion Sony Ericsson S700i cell phone had a 32M MS Duo that came with it when I bought it.

Limited in storage capacity to store both my MP3 songs and photos I took, it had served me great nevertheless.

Now, with a 128M in capacity, I can take 607 photos at 1280 pixel or a whopping 1500+ with a web-sized 640 pixel resolution. More than I really need ona day to day basis.

Transferred all my data from the old to the new MSD card and the phone is now ready for me.

Man, with this "power" in my hand, I will load this blog with lots of photos, Bloogers.com will be busy adding more server space just to accommodate me alone!

That is if they do not barr me from Blogspot first!


This whole Saturday has been busy and rushing for me, going places and rushing for time, but what a wonderful "rush" I felt to have these new toys finally set-up and ready for us.

Alright, I am done for today. Technically, I am very happy.

Tomorrow is Sunday! Life is sure beautiful.

Life | Babe, Baby, Babies!

... continued from My Life Today, Part 1


My Life Today, Part 2

"Hey! Look... Babies!" Chin Chye yelled.

That was what my son's neighbourhood friend said, when he first saw the hamster cage. In his hand, he had his own pet Saphirre hamster that he carried around.

"Ayah! Come quick. Puffy is having babies!" My son yelled as I was working on the newly arrived laser printer this afternoon, installing on Wify's PC.

Wow! This is indeed astonishingly great news!

Our son's pet hamster, Puffy just gave birth to 2 litters... if you can call them that, at about 4:10pm. She gave birth to more litters... all 6 of them within the span of 2 hours.

A bewildering one in fact. We did not know that Puffy was even pregnant to begin with.

Sure, we noticed that she had been putting on more weight and appeared larger than her "hubby" Buddy. That was because she has been eating more than Buddy does all this while.


Yes we did noticed that she started to eat even more, demanding more of her cheese treats than before and aggressively snatching the treats off Buddy.

Today, Puffy becomes a mother.

Her reaction towards us is very different now. Guess she is protecting her litters from everyone. She is going to be a wonderful mother.

Guess my Son is now an "uncle," Wify a "grandmommy" and me, a"granddaddy..." of all things wonderful!

With his new attained title, my son quickly surfed the internet for quick tips on what to do.

What he read and we followed were:

• To separate the father from the litters immediately to prevent it from hurting the babies.
• To not touch the babies and leave confusing scent to the mother.
• To not clean the cage for at about 9 days for the same purpose as above.

Now we have to prepare a cage for Buddy until after 2 weeks when the babies mature and have to be separated from the mother, and Buddy can be with Puffy together again.

It has been a very unexpected, but exciting afternoon. Very happy we have new additions to the family. Hope they will survive and grow healthy.

Already my Mom offered to take one in to her care when these babies are mature enough.

Life is beautiful!

Oh no... I am not done yet. To be continued.

Family | Mom's 4th Physio

My Life Today, Part 1

It has been 2 weeks since Mom had her 3rd physiotherapy session. Now she is into her 4th at Tan Tock Seng Hospital or TTSH.

Today was not that taxing as the appointment was later in the morning, at 10:45am.

I am so fortunate to have the time later as I could get more sleep after coming back home late yesterday in the wee hours of the morning with Wify.

The Bugis Village management is having a "Midnight Sale" extravaganza for 2 days starting yesterday and tonight as well.

So all shops were asked to close later for the Great Singapore Sale. We closed 30 minutes after midnight. Business was brisk towards the late hours interestingly enough.

Coming back to Mom's physio...

We came in 10 minutes early, so before we could actually sit to wait after taking our queue number 0033, it was Mom's turn.

Since she did not progress as fast as expected or hoped for, the Therapist had to coach Mom a different form of stretching and exercises targeted for her right leg.

Though not as bad as in the past, she still felt numbness and mild cramping on her right thigh. Fortunately only when she lay supine on the bed.

This is considered a great improvement from the past when she used to get cramping attacks any time while walking or even just sitting down too long, in one position.

This time around, the traction is done in supine position, without the aid of her knees being propped-up like before.

This time a traction of 26 Kg for 20 seconds and released to rest at 10 Kg for 10 seconds alternately for up to 15 minutes.

The Therapist then gave her a warm compression on her back and pelvic region for 10 minutes.


Like routine, while she was having the hot compression, I payed the bill for S$14.00 and made the next appointment, 2 weeks from today on Saturday, 1 July 2006 at 8:15am.

And like routine, off we went to Kopi Tiam cafeteria for an early lunch.

All 3 of us eat Yong Tau Foo Noodle Soup.

Noticed Mom was big on broccoli, while Dad could not have enough of ladies fingers stuffed with fish paste. I have 3 types of greens. Lunch was great.

We stopped by a jewellery shop in front of the cafeteria, where Mom bought a blue man-made or rather Japanese-made diamond studded ring, before we took a cab their home.

Like always, I just love to chat with them, but was pressed for time to be home to receive my new Konica Minolta Magicolor 2450 Laser Printer.

All was good this morning. Had all that needed to be done, went smoothly.

Everyone is good.

Oh... I am not done yet. To be continued.

Family | One Year Ago

Has it been a year already?

Wow... that was what Dr. Ooi Swee Boon said to Dad today.

I took leave off work today to accompany my Dad to Singapore General Hospital Clinic D for his colorectal surgery follow-up.

This time around, my 2nd Sister and her husband offered to fetch Mom and Dad from theri home to SGH Clinic D. My son and I went straight from home to meet them there.

The appointment was at 10:00am, but because we arrived late due to the morning traffic, Dad got to see him at 10:15am instead. Queue number 1000.

All seems good. Colorectal Surgent Dr. Ooi who operated on Dad, was pleased with what he saw. Dad really has improved significantly since his last follow-up 6 months ago.

The blood test was not done. It was suppose to be done at Tampines Polyclinic a week before this follow-up, but we totally forgotten about it. So it had to be done today, right after the check-up.

As a precautionary measure, Dad has to go for colonoscopy slated to be this coming Monday, 19 June 2006 at 8:45am. We are to go to Block 7 Room 77 for the 10 minutes procedure.

It will cost S$400.00, but all are deductable using Dad's Medisave fortunately.

Went to Room 11 for a queue number 008. Did have to wait long, just about 3 minutes and Dad was given an appointment and briefing to prepare a night before for the colonoscopy.

Like the first time, he has to clear his bowels using the medication to induce bowel movement. So he will start taking the medication at 8:00pm the night before with 2 litres of water.

No meat, fruits or vegetables meals for lunch and dinner. Just fish porage, lots of water and a cup of either coffee or tea, but without milk.

We then proceed to Room K21 for his blood withdrawal. Another queue number 0067. Within 10 minutes his blood was drawn and we were ready to have our early lunch.

Had our lunch at the Kopi Tiam cafeteria in the hospital.

Dad, Mom, Sis and her husband had other plans at 3:00pm today. We were suppose to part from there, but Mom and Dad wanted to tag along, shopping.

All 6 of us squeezed into his car to Carrefour at Suntec City Tower 4 with a very happy mood for some shopping!

I have promised my son to get him a bicycle for his 11th birthday. Carrefour has the best selection of bikes, if I ever saw one.

My son received a gift from his grandparents. He was estatic.

The day went very well. I would go on gloating with happiness, but rather stop here.

We will meet again, sooner than you think. In fact, the date is set 2 days from now, on Saturday, 17 June 2006.

Mom has her physiotherapy session at TTSH in the morning. I have to take her there and Dad requested for me to be with him on Monday, 19 June 2006 for his colonoscopy.

Busy, busy schedule I have, but all worth it when I get their smiles for me in return... priceless.

Family | Happy Birthday Son!

Today is a very special day for our son.

Being 11 today, he has grown tremendously both physically and character-wise.

It was quite unfortunate that I had no choice but to work today, as I have taken leave off work tomorrow to accompany my Dad for his critical medical check-up since this colorectal surgery about a year ago.

Wify felt just the same. She had to tend the shop to compensate for the slow sale this month has been, strangely while it is The Singapore Great Sale month.

Guess, there are so many shops and department stores offering great deals to compete aggressively for the Customers' dollar.

I personally felt very guilty for not being around on this special day.

Beautiful as he is, he willingly understood why and be so considerate enough not to be totally upset with us.

Well, willingly at a small price with a condition, that is.

I promised him a bicycle for his birthday, while Wify intends to surprise him with a NeoPets online subscription after he "negotiated" his gifts with her.

I wish for him to spend the day outside more, rather than cooped-up in his room with the only exercise he gets is with his fingers and brain.

He also received a gift from his untie and another from his tuition teacher. His grandparents cash gift is waiting for him when he meets them this weekend.

Knocked-off work promptly at 5:30pm and rushed to get the birthday cake from Sweet Secrets Confectionery at Century Square basement. Got some fruits and his favourite snack... chocolates.

Had to hide the cake from him when he opened the door but was unsuccessful. He was aware and fully alert that something was "brewing-up" behind his back.

Once Wify got home, we quickly surprised him with the cake and a birthday song.

So sad for him though, that he does not get a proper birthday party like his cousins and friends do, but it was not a big deal with him.

I am not sure how to take this. I still am guilty not throwing him a birthday party...

He sure has grown from a child to an emotionally strong "pre-teen" as he puts it.

A very intelligent, very understanding pre-teen. Most importantly we have a very strong bond, the 3 of us. We appreciate each other.

We Wish You Great Things,

We Wish You Success In Your Life,

We Love You, Danish.

Happy Birthday!