rex.jpg)
The Lims shout out in unison, "Merry Christmas"!Sunday, December 23, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
YL - The mentor
YL was featured recently on his office's internet website.
------------------>
Making a Mark as a Mentor
For Dr Lim Yuan Liang, Senior Member of Technical Staff (SMTS) from the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Emerging Systems Division, mentoring is more than just imparting knowledge. It is about believing in our youth and impacting them in a positive way. He shares some of his experiences throughout the seven years of his mentorship journey.
Yuan Liang has been mentoring students for a long time – so long that one of his first students has now become a colleague. “My very first mentee, a DSTA scholar back in the days when he was just a first-year student in Cambridge, is now a SMTS in our laser group!” he muses.
The student-turned-colleague is none other than Tan Beng Sing, also from APL, who has this to share about the man who was once his mentor: “I have very fond memories of my time as an Industrial Attachment student under Yuan Liang’s tutelage. In fact, my decision to work in APL after I returned from my studies was in part due to the very positive experience I had under his guidance for 10 weeks. Despite my limited knowledge in physics and mathematics at the time, Yuan Liang had plenty of trust in the work that I carried out, and my opinions were also considered seriously. There was mutual respect, and our ‘teacher-student’ partnership actually felt more like one between working colleagues. I can hardly feel any difference working with him then, and now!”
Yuan Liang’s mentoring journey first began in 2000; an active mentor, his students were mostly undergraduates like Beng Sing. There are two others who are now pursuing their PhDs.His passion for imparting knowledge to youth led Yuan Liang to participate in the Young Defence Scientists Programme (YDSP) in 2006. As the YDSP focuses on students of Integrated Programme schools, Yuan Liang relished the opportunity to engage these younger minds at a more formative stage of their education. However, he wanted more: “The duration of these programmes seemed too short for my taste. I believe that ‘real’ research cannot be completed in a short duration, without the proper grounding and background.” He formed this viewpoint while he was pursuing his PhD under the DSO postgraduate scholarship, when he was intensely focused on one particular research area for three years.
His wish came true when he got the opportunity to unofficially link up with NUS High School’s Physics department, through a contact passed to him by his programme director, Dr Teo Kien Boon, PD of Physical Sciences.
“They were only too glad to recommend their students to us, because their principal (Dr Hang Kim Hoo) was very supportive of external mentorship,” he says. NUS High School currently runs a research programme called AXIS, which allows its students to conduct Independent Research in their third and fourth years, as well as Junior or Senior Research Projects in their fifth and sixth years. The programme pairs students with industry mentors from the universities and local research institutions.
Without waiting for the official launch of AXIS, Yuan Liang and APL colleague Dr Phua Poh Boon jumpstarted an impromptu mentorship programme with three students from the most advanced batch of Year Fives. “With Kien Boon’s support, as well as the cooperation of teachers in NUS High, we started immediately. The students would get to be with us for at least a year, which I think is more beneficial to them,” he says.
Yuan Liang says his desire to become a mentor was drawn from his own experience. As an inquisitive secondary school student, he attempted to read further into scientific topics and subjects beyond his syllabus. However, whenever he had difficulties understanding what he read, he wished that he knew a highly trained scientist at the time to explain it to him. He strongly believes in nurturing the intellectual curiosity of children from young.
“After being a professional scientist for so many years, I am convinced that kids have the potential to understand advanced stuff, if only someone would patiently teach them,” he elaborates.
This enthusiasm for mentorship has also led him to actively seek out personal opportunities, apart from programmes such as Research@YDSP and the Science Research Programme (SRP). An alumnus of Dunman High School, he decided to approach the school independently and offer to mentor their students.
Currently, Yuan Liang has a total of 20 students in his mentorship pool – one from Raffles Junior College, six from NUS High (one co-mentored individually, and five with Poh Boon and Dr Lai Kin Seng, Head of APL), seven from Dunman High School, four from Raffles Institution (co-mentored with Kin Seng) and two DSTA undergraduate scholars. He meets this supposedly daunting cohort of students once every two or three weeks. For the younger students of secondary school age, the meetings often take the form of a lecture or tutorial, whereas he usually holds open discussions with the older batch.
He says becoming a mentor has helped him to learn to communicate better. “If you can explain things to secondary school students, you can explain stuff to older folks. At the same time, by trying many different ways to relate to them, the teenagers that I mentor enable me to ‘rehearse’ in advance for when my son grows up,” he says with a laugh. Along the way, he has adopted some of his teenage charges’ tools of the trade, communicating with them through the networking website Facebook, and SMS.
Gregory Lau, a fifth-year NUS High student, says his interactions with Yuan Liang have been very enriching. “I’ve managed to learn a lot from Yuan Liang, as he finds fun ways to present very difficult topics. He also encourages us to conduct self-learning outside of our sessions,” he says.
The mentorship journey however, can occasionally be a bumpy road. Says Yuan Liang, “There are of course moments where it can be difficult, as some of the concepts they have to grasp are quite advanced for them. I could be drumming in concepts from the third-year of university to third-year high school students, and sometimes they can get rather discouraged. I always tell them that they will finally understand if they persevere.”
“I have had my fair share of diverse types of students. On the whole it has been good. It was particularly nice when I received a toy bear and card from two of my YDSP students. Another student also asked me to help recommend books for him to buy and read because he received a book prize. That really touched me,” he says.
Part of his joy is that he also finds himself sometimes learning and discovering new ideas, alongside his mentees. “Thanks to some of my students, part of the solution to a difficult problem for our DSO Big Idea competition submission this year, was inspired from a discussion with them,” he continues.
Yuan Liang says he is now toying with the idea of mentoring students from schools outside of what is considered the “top” academic rung. “Many of these students could have the same potential as students from the top schools. For example, my colleague and good friend Poh Boon was from what you would call a ‘neighbourhood school’,” he explains.
“I feel that if I can give young students a very positive experience, then it would impact their lives. They would look back to DSO and remember it as the cradle for their scientific growth and appreciation. They would be our future defence scientists and engineers. Why? Because there was that somebody from DSO who mentored them when they were very young.”
Dr Lim Yuan Liang
Senior Member of Technical Staff
Applied Physics Laboratory,
Emerging Systems Division
------------------------------------
------------------>
Making a Mark as a Mentor
For Dr Lim Yuan Liang, Senior Member of Technical Staff (SMTS) from the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Emerging Systems Division, mentoring is more than just imparting knowledge. It is about believing in our youth and impacting them in a positive way. He shares some of his experiences throughout the seven years of his mentorship journey.
Yuan Liang has been mentoring students for a long time – so long that one of his first students has now become a colleague. “My very first mentee, a DSTA scholar back in the days when he was just a first-year student in Cambridge, is now a SMTS in our laser group!” he muses.
The student-turned-colleague is none other than Tan Beng Sing, also from APL, who has this to share about the man who was once his mentor: “I have very fond memories of my time as an Industrial Attachment student under Yuan Liang’s tutelage. In fact, my decision to work in APL after I returned from my studies was in part due to the very positive experience I had under his guidance for 10 weeks. Despite my limited knowledge in physics and mathematics at the time, Yuan Liang had plenty of trust in the work that I carried out, and my opinions were also considered seriously. There was mutual respect, and our ‘teacher-student’ partnership actually felt more like one between working colleagues. I can hardly feel any difference working with him then, and now!”
Yuan Liang’s mentoring journey first began in 2000; an active mentor, his students were mostly undergraduates like Beng Sing. There are two others who are now pursuing their PhDs.His passion for imparting knowledge to youth led Yuan Liang to participate in the Young Defence Scientists Programme (YDSP) in 2006. As the YDSP focuses on students of Integrated Programme schools, Yuan Liang relished the opportunity to engage these younger minds at a more formative stage of their education. However, he wanted more: “The duration of these programmes seemed too short for my taste. I believe that ‘real’ research cannot be completed in a short duration, without the proper grounding and background.” He formed this viewpoint while he was pursuing his PhD under the DSO postgraduate scholarship, when he was intensely focused on one particular research area for three years.
His wish came true when he got the opportunity to unofficially link up with NUS High School’s Physics department, through a contact passed to him by his programme director, Dr Teo Kien Boon, PD of Physical Sciences.
“They were only too glad to recommend their students to us, because their principal (Dr Hang Kim Hoo) was very supportive of external mentorship,” he says. NUS High School currently runs a research programme called AXIS, which allows its students to conduct Independent Research in their third and fourth years, as well as Junior or Senior Research Projects in their fifth and sixth years. The programme pairs students with industry mentors from the universities and local research institutions.
Without waiting for the official launch of AXIS, Yuan Liang and APL colleague Dr Phua Poh Boon jumpstarted an impromptu mentorship programme with three students from the most advanced batch of Year Fives. “With Kien Boon’s support, as well as the cooperation of teachers in NUS High, we started immediately. The students would get to be with us for at least a year, which I think is more beneficial to them,” he says.
Yuan Liang says his desire to become a mentor was drawn from his own experience. As an inquisitive secondary school student, he attempted to read further into scientific topics and subjects beyond his syllabus. However, whenever he had difficulties understanding what he read, he wished that he knew a highly trained scientist at the time to explain it to him. He strongly believes in nurturing the intellectual curiosity of children from young.
“After being a professional scientist for so many years, I am convinced that kids have the potential to understand advanced stuff, if only someone would patiently teach them,” he elaborates.
This enthusiasm for mentorship has also led him to actively seek out personal opportunities, apart from programmes such as Research@YDSP and the Science Research Programme (SRP). An alumnus of Dunman High School, he decided to approach the school independently and offer to mentor their students.
Currently, Yuan Liang has a total of 20 students in his mentorship pool – one from Raffles Junior College, six from NUS High (one co-mentored individually, and five with Poh Boon and Dr Lai Kin Seng, Head of APL), seven from Dunman High School, four from Raffles Institution (co-mentored with Kin Seng) and two DSTA undergraduate scholars. He meets this supposedly daunting cohort of students once every two or three weeks. For the younger students of secondary school age, the meetings often take the form of a lecture or tutorial, whereas he usually holds open discussions with the older batch.
He says becoming a mentor has helped him to learn to communicate better. “If you can explain things to secondary school students, you can explain stuff to older folks. At the same time, by trying many different ways to relate to them, the teenagers that I mentor enable me to ‘rehearse’ in advance for when my son grows up,” he says with a laugh. Along the way, he has adopted some of his teenage charges’ tools of the trade, communicating with them through the networking website Facebook, and SMS.
Gregory Lau, a fifth-year NUS High student, says his interactions with Yuan Liang have been very enriching. “I’ve managed to learn a lot from Yuan Liang, as he finds fun ways to present very difficult topics. He also encourages us to conduct self-learning outside of our sessions,” he says.
The mentorship journey however, can occasionally be a bumpy road. Says Yuan Liang, “There are of course moments where it can be difficult, as some of the concepts they have to grasp are quite advanced for them. I could be drumming in concepts from the third-year of university to third-year high school students, and sometimes they can get rather discouraged. I always tell them that they will finally understand if they persevere.”
“I have had my fair share of diverse types of students. On the whole it has been good. It was particularly nice when I received a toy bear and card from two of my YDSP students. Another student also asked me to help recommend books for him to buy and read because he received a book prize. That really touched me,” he says.
Part of his joy is that he also finds himself sometimes learning and discovering new ideas, alongside his mentees. “Thanks to some of my students, part of the solution to a difficult problem for our DSO Big Idea competition submission this year, was inspired from a discussion with them,” he continues.
Yuan Liang says he is now toying with the idea of mentoring students from schools outside of what is considered the “top” academic rung. “Many of these students could have the same potential as students from the top schools. For example, my colleague and good friend Poh Boon was from what you would call a ‘neighbourhood school’,” he explains.
“I feel that if I can give young students a very positive experience, then it would impact their lives. They would look back to DSO and remember it as the cradle for their scientific growth and appreciation. They would be our future defence scientists and engineers. Why? Because there was that somebody from DSO who mentored them when they were very young.”
Dr Lim Yuan Liang
Senior Member of Technical Staff
Applied Physics Laboratory,
Emerging Systems Division
------------------------------------
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Barney and Isaac
We were at Marina Square when we caught the performance of "Barney and Friends".... there was a mega long queue of parents with tods and strollers at 12.45pm when the show was to start at 2pm!!!
We brought Isaac to catch a glimpse of Barney and his singing mates after lunch. He adores this purple dino....problem is that he keeps referring to it as "Elmo"!!! sigh!
Grandpa got him a singing Barney as his birthday present after the performance.... the Barney Song "I Love You" is ringing non-stop in our ears, as Isaac keeps pressing Barney's tummy to make him sing the song out loud!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Happy 2nd Birthday to Isaac!
Great company from cousins!
Yummy Swensons icecream cake with Pooh Bear characters that intrigued all the kids!!
Plus after-cake entertainment with misty dry ice, courtesy of Swensons!! : )
"Happy Birthday, Isaac!! Its such a privilege and joy seeing you grow up...."
Love,
Daddy & Mummy
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Ferrari dream
Top 2 rows : Trying out a "Ferrari" at a friend's bike shop.
Bottom row : Back to reality....he's actually pretty happy with his humble car that he already had at granny's place...even though he bawled all the way home from the bike shop after we cruelly 'yanked' him away from the "Ferrari".
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Not a love relationship with kangaroos
Encounter with kangeroos...the one at the top is a friendlier and younger roo, whereas the one at the bottom is a huge unfriendly roo that scared Isaac to tears!...its about YL's size when it stands up full height! Because of this incident, Isaac now dislikes Kangaroos!! :(
Back from Melbourne (for sometime already!)
And it was a fab trip!
Kudos to YL who was a great driver and planner, plus being a wonderful father, hubby, son and nephew all rolled into one, as we went on the trip with my mum-in-law and YL's aunt!
Kudos to Isaac for being a jolly good travel (he only threw up once at Yarra Valley, due to some zigzag and steep route that YL took.
Kudos to my mum-in-law and aunt-in-law for being such cheerful and great travelling partner, taking care of Isaac at the back of the car and preparing wonderful breakfast for us every morning!
And kudos to myself who was able to read the map correctly 95% of the time...haha!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Wine Tasting
Went to Kath's new place for housewarming and as usual we enjoyed some nice wine. Isaac was curious (i think he was more curious about the big wine cups than the wine itself). Anyway, being the 'liberal mum', i allowed him to have a few sips of it. Look at his look! I think the last photo summarised his conclusion : 'I would prefer my little bottle of H2O anytime!'
;)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
chopsticks kid
He's pretty good with his chopsticks yah?
This was shot last week (before the pox), but he was already able to handle chopsticks pretty well more than a month ago!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Bday...
Thanks to my mummy...for labouring for me 34 yrs ago! ;)
Took leave today and spend the day with isaac...distracting him from the pox. As you can see...the poxes are drying up...his skin is finally more visible!!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Pox at its worst
This was taken in the morning...
By the evening....
"Mameeeeee.....sob sob!"
I could hardly bear to put my hands on the body that was covered with full blown sores/poxes...for fear of bursting them...Our poor darling...
I could hardly bear to put my hands on the body that was covered with full blown sores/poxes...for fear of bursting them...Our poor darling...
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
天冷就回来 Lyrics
陈洁仪 - 天冷就回来
从前对着收音机 学唱旧的歌
我问妈妈为什么 伤心像快乐
妈妈笑着 说她也不懂得
我想出去走一走 妈妈点点头
天冷你就回来 别在风中徘徊
妈妈眼里有明白 还有一丝无奈
天冷我想回家 童年已经不再
昨天的雨点洒下来 那滋味叫做爱
呜~别在风中徘徊
呜~天冷就回来
渐渐对着收音机 学唱新的歌
我问朋友为什么 做梦也快乐
朋友笑说 他从不相信梦
我想出去走一走 朋友点点头
天冷你就回来 别在风中徘徊
朋友的眼里有明白 还有一份期待
天冷我想回家 年少已经不再
今天的雨点洒下来 那滋味就是爱
现在对着收音机 听自己唱的歌
我的他问为什么 幸福不快乐
我微笑着 说我也不懂得
他想出去走一走 我对他点点头
天冷你就回来 别在风中徘徊
我猜我眼里有明白 还有一丝无奈
天冷他没回家 我仍然在等待
明天的雨点撒下来 那滋味就是爱
呜~别在风中徘徊
呜~天冷就回来
从前对着收音机 学唱旧的歌
我问妈妈为什么 伤心像快乐
妈妈笑着 说她也不懂得
我想出去走一走 妈妈点点头
天冷你就回来 别在风中徘徊
妈妈眼里有明白 还有一丝无奈
天冷我想回家 童年已经不再
昨天的雨点洒下来 那滋味叫做爱
呜~别在风中徘徊
呜~天冷就回来
渐渐对着收音机 学唱新的歌
我问朋友为什么 做梦也快乐
朋友笑说 他从不相信梦
我想出去走一走 朋友点点头
天冷你就回来 别在风中徘徊
朋友的眼里有明白 还有一份期待
天冷我想回家 年少已经不再
今天的雨点洒下来 那滋味就是爱
现在对着收音机 听自己唱的歌
我的他问为什么 幸福不快乐
我微笑着 说我也不懂得
他想出去走一走 我对他点点头
天冷你就回来 别在风中徘徊
我猜我眼里有明白 还有一丝无奈
天冷他没回家 我仍然在等待
明天的雨点撒下来 那滋味就是爱
呜~别在风中徘徊
呜~天冷就回来
天冷就回来 (Tian1 Leng3 Jiu4 Huei2 Lai2)
Watched the show 天冷就回来 'If There're Seasons' by The Theatre Practice this evening. Loved it...was a fab musical with a storyline that showcases loads of Liang Wern Fook's songs! Apart from the whole musical experience, Liang Wern Fook and his production team were sitting right behind us. Being opportunistic, we got him to autograph on our programme booklets. I also purchased a set of his 5+1 cds containing songs from his early xinyao days (had the 1980s cassette tapes of those songs somewhere at my mum's place but i am sure they have already turned mouldy by now) to the more contemporary songs that he wrote for people like Kit Chan, etc. Of course, the limited edition CD box came with his signature too. :)
Back to the show. The actors and actresses are generally quite good. We're all very impressed by George Chan...remember, the judge from DanceFloor? He is one talented man who can actually sing very well in mandarin (powerful vocals, i must say!!)...i think me and my lady colleagues have all become his new fans! You can watch this publicity video of him and the other lead actors/actresses sing the musical's theme song.
I really enjoyed all the songs...we had to stop ourselves from humming along out loud so as not to spoil the show... ! In particular, the theme song 'Tian Leng Jiu Huei Lai" was especially meaningful to me as it brought me to the days when I was in UK. I browsed my old blog and extracted one of the blog entry back in Nov 2002....
"Return Home When It Turns Cold"
I really miss my favorite Singapore radio station - YES 933! Thankfully, armed with a laptop as well as unlimited broadband access in our flat, we can access the radio station via the internet YES 93.3. Praise God for technology! Apart from allowing me to keep up to date with the latest chinese pop songs, listening to it also makes me feel a lot closer to home. =)
On the day when i had created a link on my laptop to the radio station, and began listening to the familiar chinese songs, something happened that touched my heart so much. I was doing some research on the internet about courses to consider in London...it was a rather frustrating process, especially when I felt somewhat uncertain about what I was going to do for the next few years - whether it should be studies or work, etc... My heart felt like the changing seasons, where autumn slowly but surely transited into winter. However, for me, that certainty was still not quite in sight. It was already getting dark and rather chilly at 4pm. I stared out of our huge window, and my eyes fell on the trees that were by then rather naked....they looked so vulnerable, cold and alone without their families of leaves...
At that moment, my ears picked up the melody of an unfamiliar mandarin song from the internet radio. Although i did not know what the song title was, my heart immediately took to the lyrics and melody... It spoke of the singer telling her mother that she would like to leave home and lead her own life. Her mother nodded her head, but gently told her, "Do return home if it turns cold (may otherwise be interpreted as 'lonely') out there...Don't wonder in the wind alone". I thought the song reflected reality, where we often have to let our love ones move on with their own lives, which may mean them leaving us. What we can only do, is to assure them that they will never have to walk alone, and no matter what happens, we will be there for them, waiting in anticipation for their return one day.
I later realised that the title of the song was "Tian1 Leng2 Jiu4 Hui2 Lai2" in Mandarin, otherwise crudely translated as "Return Home When It Turns Cold". It was sung by Singaporean artist Kit Chan and penned by my favorite Singaporean song-writer Liang Wern Fook. What a touching song! It made me feel somewhat homesick, as i know that the emotions described must be what our parents and perhaps some close friends back home feel...that they will be there for us when things get too hard...and they are just a phonecall away!
There was another thing that amazed me in this episode. The next day, I realised through an email conversation with my friend Jennifer that she was listening to the same song over the same radio station at the same time as me, and she is back in Singapore!! The song too moved her heart deeply, and when we realised this "coincidence", it was such an awesome feeling! Technology had broken the barrier of distance. 12,000km apart, two friends were similarly touched by the same song from the same source! I wonder, at this moment, are you listening to the same radio station too, and are our hearts beating in unison to the same song?
Back to the show. The actors and actresses are generally quite good. We're all very impressed by George Chan...remember, the judge from DanceFloor? He is one talented man who can actually sing very well in mandarin (powerful vocals, i must say!!)...i think me and my lady colleagues have all become his new fans! You can watch this publicity video of him and the other lead actors/actresses sing the musical's theme song.
I really enjoyed all the songs...we had to stop ourselves from humming along out loud so as not to spoil the show... ! In particular, the theme song 'Tian Leng Jiu Huei Lai" was especially meaningful to me as it brought me to the days when I was in UK. I browsed my old blog and extracted one of the blog entry back in Nov 2002....
"Return Home When It Turns Cold"
I really miss my favorite Singapore radio station - YES 933! Thankfully, armed with a laptop as well as unlimited broadband access in our flat, we can access the radio station via the internet YES 93.3. Praise God for technology! Apart from allowing me to keep up to date with the latest chinese pop songs, listening to it also makes me feel a lot closer to home. =)
On the day when i had created a link on my laptop to the radio station, and began listening to the familiar chinese songs, something happened that touched my heart so much. I was doing some research on the internet about courses to consider in London...it was a rather frustrating process, especially when I felt somewhat uncertain about what I was going to do for the next few years - whether it should be studies or work, etc... My heart felt like the changing seasons, where autumn slowly but surely transited into winter. However, for me, that certainty was still not quite in sight. It was already getting dark and rather chilly at 4pm. I stared out of our huge window, and my eyes fell on the trees that were by then rather naked....they looked so vulnerable, cold and alone without their families of leaves...
At that moment, my ears picked up the melody of an unfamiliar mandarin song from the internet radio. Although i did not know what the song title was, my heart immediately took to the lyrics and melody... It spoke of the singer telling her mother that she would like to leave home and lead her own life. Her mother nodded her head, but gently told her, "Do return home if it turns cold (may otherwise be interpreted as 'lonely') out there...Don't wonder in the wind alone". I thought the song reflected reality, where we often have to let our love ones move on with their own lives, which may mean them leaving us. What we can only do, is to assure them that they will never have to walk alone, and no matter what happens, we will be there for them, waiting in anticipation for their return one day.
I later realised that the title of the song was "Tian1 Leng2 Jiu4 Hui2 Lai2" in Mandarin, otherwise crudely translated as "Return Home When It Turns Cold". It was sung by Singaporean artist Kit Chan and penned by my favorite Singaporean song-writer Liang Wern Fook. What a touching song! It made me feel somewhat homesick, as i know that the emotions described must be what our parents and perhaps some close friends back home feel...that they will be there for us when things get too hard...and they are just a phonecall away!
There was another thing that amazed me in this episode. The next day, I realised through an email conversation with my friend Jennifer that she was listening to the same song over the same radio station at the same time as me, and she is back in Singapore!! The song too moved her heart deeply, and when we realised this "coincidence", it was such an awesome feeling! Technology had broken the barrier of distance. 12,000km apart, two friends were similarly touched by the same song from the same source! I wonder, at this moment, are you listening to the same radio station too, and are our hearts beating in unison to the same song?
Curious George...
... is Isaac's fav cartoon character at the moment! This little curious cheeky and innocent monkey has captured Isaac's attention and imagination! Isaac can sit BY HIMSELF in front of the tv and watch the 90 min dvd (that sze bought from Shanghai last year) non-stop...chuckling to himself throughout the show... : )
And we discover this wonderful Curious George Website where there are loads of Curious George related stuff where we can download as well as entertain Isaac with (particularly useful at this moment to distract him from his pox!)...
For us, we like the theme song 'Upside Down' (click here for the MTV on YouTube) from the soundtrack by Jack Johnson. We particularly like the lyrics of the song which goes something like this:
Who's to say
What's impossible
Well they forgot
This world keeps spinning
And with each new day
I can feel a change in everything
And as the surface breaks reflections fade
But in some ways they remain the same
And as my mind begins to spread its wings
There's no stoppin' curiosity
I wanna turn the whole thing upside down
I'll find the things they say just can't be found
I'll share this love I find with everyone
We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs
I don't want this feeling to go away
Who's to say
I can't do everything
Well I can try
And as I roll along I begin to find
Things aren't always just what they seem
I wanna turn the whole thing upside down
I'll find the things they say just can't be found
I'll share this love I find with everyone
We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs
This world keeps spinning and there's no time to waste
Will it all keep spinning and spinning round and round and
Upside down
Who's to say whats impossible and can't be found
I don't want this feeling to go away
Please Don't go away
is this how it's suposed to be...
Think we'll go buy the soundtrack for ourselves!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Poxed!
Isaac is down with chicken pox! Looks like our trip to Bintan has to be called off/postponed. Thankfully, we had not booked our tix for fear of such things happening....
The little kid is still as engergetic as ever, playing around and jumping up and down... He's beginning to feel a little itchy though..his fingers tending to scratch himself....most of the pox are concentrated on his chest and the back of his body...we're monitoring him closely, and trying to distract him from the itches so as to minimise the scratching and scaring...
This brings me to recall one of my fav cartoon, Calvin and Hobbes, where Calvin contracted Chicken pox too....I can just imagine Isaac arriving at Calvin's same conclusion after all that scratching! *chuckle*... :
The little kid is still as engergetic as ever, playing around and jumping up and down... He's beginning to feel a little itchy though..his fingers tending to scratch himself....most of the pox are concentrated on his chest and the back of his body...we're monitoring him closely, and trying to distract him from the itches so as to minimise the scratching and scaring...
This brings me to recall one of my fav cartoon, Calvin and Hobbes, where Calvin contracted Chicken pox too....I can just imagine Isaac arriving at Calvin's same conclusion after all that scratching! *chuckle*... :
The image above is copyrighted by Bill Waterson, of course!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
upcoming trip(s)
(a) Weekend trip to Nirwana Beach Resorts at Bintan - hopefully in the last week of Aug...if Isaac doesn't get infected with chicken pox (his aunt has got it and Isaac might have contracted it too...)
(b) Week long trip Melbourne - 24th Sep to 2 Oct...just booked the air tix!
Dear God, pleaze watch over us and ensure that these trips do come true!
; )
(b) Week long trip Melbourne - 24th Sep to 2 Oct...just booked the air tix!
Dear God, pleaze watch over us and ensure that these trips do come true!
; )
Thursday, August 09, 2007
National Day!
Went to the Botanic Gardens with our church friends this morning. The ladies in church catered a sumptuous breakfast of nasi lemak from Adam Road Hawker Centre... it was indeed yumelicious!!
Thereafter, we had a good time of fun and games, and we also took some time to enjoy the flora and fauna in the gardens....
As u can see, we turned up in the national day reds...beeming with patriotism at the birthday of our nation! Isaac didn't have a suitable red shirt (the only red shirt that was in his wardrobe at home was one that had the word 'Japan' in chinese imprinted on it....obviously, that is a 'no no' shirt on national day, given the past history Singapore had with Japan!!). As such, we had given him a sticker tatoo of the Singapore flag on his left cheek... : )
That evening, we 'ta bao' the famous Upper Boon Keng Road Kambing (malay word for 'mutton') Soup home for dinner so that we can watch the National Day parade on tv.. We slurpped the soup and wiped it all out with lovely white bread...another yum!!
The parade was nice. The Apaches and Chinook (army helicopter) flew past our flat to and fro to Marina for their performance....! We made Isaac stand up during the national anthem....must teach him to be patriotic from young mah!! : )
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Celebrating 'birthday' with Minister Teo
It was national day observance ceremony in office today! Apart from the general celebratory singing of national day songs, our ministry also had a big birthday cake for all the august babies! Minister Teo was here with us and sang birthday song along with all of us.... hee hee hee, look at how giggly and 'silly' kath and myself looked standing next to Minister...
; )
Friday, July 20, 2007
oral hygiene 101
'Now this is how you brush those cute little teeth!'
'Daddy, I can brush my teeth and do gymnastics at the same time!!'
'Daddy, u look as if you are taking your temperature with the toothbrush! hahaha' Wednesday, July 11, 2007
"My Life Flows on"
.... one of my fav hymns.
My Life Flows on
My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation,
I hear the real though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging
It sounds an echo in my soul,
How can I keep from singing?
What though the tempest round me roars,
I know the truth, it liveth,
What though the darkness round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?
I lift my eyes, the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smooths,
Since first I learnt to love it.
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing;
All things are mine since I am his,
How can I keep from singing?
Our Iceland Trip 2003
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Isaac's Guitarlele!
We got Isaac his first REAL guitar today!! It was a "Yamaha Guitarlele"... its approx two-third the size of an actual guitar... We were amazed when we saw the name imprinted within the guitar, as Isaac's last chinese name reads "Le" and we've been calling him "Lele" for short...so, we took it as a sign that we've got to get that guitar for him! : )
Let us first do an intro on the Guitarlele...This is the smallest guitar that Yamaha makes. Its manufactured after the Ukelele, which itself is a stringed instrument resembling a miniature guitar, usually strung with 4 nylon strings tuned GCEA (left to right). The ukulele is a uniquely Hawaiian instrument, although its popularity has spread worldwide. Its name consists of two words in Hawaiian, most commonly translated thusly; Uku- "flea" and lele- "jumping". The Guitarlele on the other hand has six strings just like a normal guitar and the one that we've got is a classical guitar (no metal strings...which would not have been suitable for Isaac!).
This guitar, is probably the most expensive non-necessity thing that we've got for Isaac thus far...Yamaha was selling for $128 but thankfully, it has a 10% discount for Yamaha members, plus an additional 5% discount due to the ongoing Great Singapore Sale! : )
Honestly, we've been considering hard on whether to invest in a proper guitar that has a body sized right for him. He's definitely got some kind of music talent in him, as he can easily sway and clap to the beats of music. Apart from having also been playing with this stringless toy guitar that we've found abandoned for him, he has been of late also taking out Yuan Liang's full-size guitar and trying to play it...Given the relatively huge full-size guitar in proportion to Isaac's little body, the kid's hand could only touch the first two string of a full size guitar, and he has been plucking them as if he is playing a base guitar! : )
So here are some images to show the joy and excitement that a 19.5 months Isaac had when he played his guitarlele tonight... In some of the images, you can also even have a glimps of how seriously he takes playing his first real guitar!
Interesting observations about Isaac and his guitar-playing style:
a) Instead of strumming down, he tends to strum up with the base tips of his fingers;
b) He is able to press on the fret, but given his small hand, only manages the first two frets;
c) He holds the guitar like a pro - at least he's got the look and style!!
d) Given that he is left-handed, at times, he tries to hold the fret on his right hand and use his left hand to strum the guitar. YL is trying to coax him not to do so...we don't want to have to invest in a left-hand guitar for him in future, when he can get to inherit all of YLs's right hand guitars (the last we counted, there is at least 4 guitars and two violins at home...)!
Future Rocker... !
Isaac...boxer
Our friends from UK Rab and Mel gave YL a pair of gloves before we left the country... at that time, we were still expecting Isaac and Rab had already given Isaac a nick name called "Gym Genghis"... : )
SO now that Isaac is a little bigger, we tried the gloves on him....
...what do you think? Warrior? : )
Isaac gets knocked out! ...actually Daddy's stolen his gloves and using them to tickle him!
: )
Thursday, June 28, 2007
YEH!
One thing we realised after we became parents is that we are so much more aware of God's love to us...afterall, we are fashioned after God and if we feel a way towards our child, wouldn't God feel the same to us?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
'Isaac, do you love Daddy?' Sze asked looking into Isaac's eyes.
'YEH!', Isaac responded enthusiastically aloud! (Isaac can't pronounce 's' very well at the moment, so his 'yes' often turns out to be 'yeh'!)
'Isaac, do you love Mummy?' Sze asked, her eyes still gazing into Isaac's.
'YEH!' Isaac responded once again, this time noddng his head too!!
We know that Isaac is sincere when he responds to things like that, 'cos if we follow up by asking him 'Isaac, do u want to have your hair cut?' Isaac will immediately respond by shaking his head violently! He can differentiate between a 'yes' and a 'no'.
I thought to myself:
Sometimes, when we sense God asking us whether we love Him, we might hesitate and be a little 'cautious', knowing that after we say 'yes' to Him, we might still be tempted and fall into sin. So we hesistate to respond to Him...
But the fact of the matter is that what He desires is our true worship....if at that moment we really love Him with all our Heart and Mind and Soul, and continue to work towards holiness for Him, we shouldn't hesitate and should instead just respond to Him with a resounding 'yeh'...just like little Isaac!
We are well aware that whilst little Isaac may say 'yeh' to us at the moment, we know that he would inevitably be his mischievous self again a few moments later and do all the little forbidden things. However, does that make us less appreciative of that resounding 'YEH' from him when we ask if he loves us? NO!! Our hearts continue to beat with Joy when we hear that....
God too continues to delight in us when we worship Him with all we have, even though He knows that we are not perfect...
So go on, and give God our 'YEH' today!!
I love you God, YEH! :)
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
'Isaac, do you love Daddy?' Sze asked looking into Isaac's eyes.
'YEH!', Isaac responded enthusiastically aloud! (Isaac can't pronounce 's' very well at the moment, so his 'yes' often turns out to be 'yeh'!)
'Isaac, do you love Mummy?' Sze asked, her eyes still gazing into Isaac's.
'YEH!' Isaac responded once again, this time noddng his head too!!
We know that Isaac is sincere when he responds to things like that, 'cos if we follow up by asking him 'Isaac, do u want to have your hair cut?' Isaac will immediately respond by shaking his head violently! He can differentiate between a 'yes' and a 'no'.
I thought to myself:
Sometimes, when we sense God asking us whether we love Him, we might hesitate and be a little 'cautious', knowing that after we say 'yes' to Him, we might still be tempted and fall into sin. So we hesistate to respond to Him...
But the fact of the matter is that what He desires is our true worship....if at that moment we really love Him with all our Heart and Mind and Soul, and continue to work towards holiness for Him, we shouldn't hesitate and should instead just respond to Him with a resounding 'yeh'...just like little Isaac!
We are well aware that whilst little Isaac may say 'yeh' to us at the moment, we know that he would inevitably be his mischievous self again a few moments later and do all the little forbidden things. However, does that make us less appreciative of that resounding 'YEH' from him when we ask if he loves us? NO!! Our hearts continue to beat with Joy when we hear that....
God too continues to delight in us when we worship Him with all we have, even though He knows that we are not perfect...
So go on, and give God our 'YEH' today!!
I love you God, YEH! :)
...
"ONE THING I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple." Psalm 27:4
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Being a Teacher
Thought this is quite a funny picture...it was shot during the church camp and YL was supposed to guess "who he was" based on the clues that his team mates gave him...
He's always had the nurturing heart so it was interesting that he's actually supposed to guess that he was a 'teacher'.
Currently, apart from his work as a research scientist, he has also volunteered to impart some of his physics knowledge to his old secondary school via giving talks and inviting the students to come and take on short internship at the defence science organisation that he is working in... he's also currently mentoring some NUS High School bright sparks....
so the 'Teacher' koyok is very apt hor?? : )
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Church Camp at Malacca (15-18 Jun 07)
We had a wonderful time in Malacca for our church camp. It was Isaac's first trip overseas and we drove there, ferrying amongst many things his little 'potty'.... u can imagine the details we went to in planning the trip at our family level for him!
Isaac obviously enjoyed himself, having many of the church kids to entertain and play with him...in fact, he had so much fun that he was overly stimulated and at night we had a rather hard time trying to get him to fall asleep!
It was a good time of bonding for us with the fellow church members and we were ever so touched and appreciative of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who were ever willing to help us watch out for the little one! Apart from chewing on God's words together, we had a fun time makaning together, jalaning around in the Malaccan town, drinking teh terek and devouring the wonderful Malaccan chendol, as well as feasting in the wonderful buffet spread that Mahkotah Hotel had provided us! Apart from the gourmet feasting, we had a hilarious time playing the various games that we had planned for and both adults and kids had several memorable moments laughing with and at one another!
On a spiritual level, it was a really good time for us too. The title of the Camp was 'Intimacy with God' and we had a really good speaker, Pastor Kay Chong from the One Thing Ministry, who used to be our NUS pastor. Given that there was quite a huge group of NUS sheeps whom he had pastored in the past, we were both pleasantly surprised that Pastor could still remember the two of us to be amongst his sheeps (that was about 10 years ago!). The messages and sharing were inspiring and I was particularly touched by his sharing of how Jesus was ministering to Peter when Jesus asked Peter whether he loved Him. It causes us to really appreciate God's love to us and spurs us to want to move into a deeper level of intimacy with Him, to know His thoughts and to walk in accordance to His plans for us.
Separately, Pastor also released some words relating to YL and how God can use him in worship...something for YL to ponder and pray to God about.... : )
Incidentally, it was Father's day that weekend. Apart from remembering the love of our earthly father, it was a good time for us to corporately give thanks to our Abba Father for his awesome love for us too! : )
Praise God for a wonderful retreat at Malacca!
Saturday, June 09, 2007
.jpg)
Labrador Park on May Day
Late post - Some photos to remember of our visit to the Tunnels at the Labrador Park on Labour Day (1 May 07)....
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Tribute to my Gong Gong
My Gong Gong (Grandpa) passed away on Sunday afternoon. He had been struggling with Parkinsons' Disease, kidney problems and heart conditions over the past 4 years, so i think it is a relief for him that he has gone home with the Lord so that he no longer needs to suffer. I recalled that when I first saw him upon my return from UK in 2005, it pained me to see my previously burley jolly granpa who had loved to eat, to be reduced to a bed-ridden grandpa who had to be tube-fed.
I remember my Gong Gong with much fondness, and i think my brother would agree with me that he is a wonderful Gong Gong:
He loved to eat and could often eat more than two bowls of rice during his prime days. His favourite food included turtle soup, which he never failed to buy two packets for us kids (because we love it too) whenever he patronised his favourite stall at Macpherson market. He loved pepper crab too as well as Yong Tao Fu.
I remember that my Gong Gong also loved his beer. However, he drank beer differently from others. He would ask for lots of ice cubes and pour the beer over the cubes. There's probably more ice cubes than beer in terms of density ratio...i supposed he liked his beer diluted...
I remember him bringing me and my bro to sit the SBS double decker bus when it was first launched! It was such an enjoyable excursion where we could for the very first time travel on a moving object and have such a broad view of the Singapore roads...those days, there were no aircon buses, and i remembered the wind blowing through our hair and us chattering with glee, as we excitedly moved from one front row seat to the next at the 2nd deck of the double-decker bus.
I remember that my Gong Gong loved to play chinese chess and i remembered him playing with my bro.
I remember him using the abacus to calculate his monthly expenditure as he used to be in charge of the operating budget in the huge household of my extended family
I remember that he used to smoke quite a bit before his heart condition came up and there was once when the burning cigarette butt accidentally fell on my arm and i screamed in pain. He looked frantically sorry and immediately snuffed out the cigarette.
I remember that whilst my Gong Gong loved his grandchildren, he sometimes seemed rather harsh at his sons (its another story with his only daughter, the youngest of his seven children, whom he obviously doted upon). He would have low level of patience with them and would often chide them "Cao4 Huai3" ("smelly little fellow" in Teochew), when they made him angry over little things, like making him wait for more than 10 minutes before picking him up for dinner outside! But his anger quickly subsided at the sight of good food on the dining table! He personified the term "a hungry man is an angry man"!
I remember that my Gong Gong was also short in temper to my Ma Ma (granny). However, whilst they would often bicker, i remember their deep love for one another. When one was ill in the hospital, the other would stay up with him/her. We celebrated their 50th anniversary of Golden Wedding about 16 years back, and i remember the satisfied look of joy on their faces when we took the family photo at a studio...together with all 7 of their children, 7 of their children's spouses and 15 grandchildren. To date, most of his grandkids are married, and he has 3 great-grandchildren (one of whom is Isaac).
I love my Gong Gong. I had actually already started missing him 4 years ago when he was sick. But thank God for the hope of seeing him again in Heaven one day. Rest in peace, Gong Gong.
I remember my Gong Gong with much fondness, and i think my brother would agree with me that he is a wonderful Gong Gong:
He loved to eat and could often eat more than two bowls of rice during his prime days. His favourite food included turtle soup, which he never failed to buy two packets for us kids (because we love it too) whenever he patronised his favourite stall at Macpherson market. He loved pepper crab too as well as Yong Tao Fu.
I remember that my Gong Gong also loved his beer. However, he drank beer differently from others. He would ask for lots of ice cubes and pour the beer over the cubes. There's probably more ice cubes than beer in terms of density ratio...i supposed he liked his beer diluted...
I remember him bringing me and my bro to sit the SBS double decker bus when it was first launched! It was such an enjoyable excursion where we could for the very first time travel on a moving object and have such a broad view of the Singapore roads...those days, there were no aircon buses, and i remembered the wind blowing through our hair and us chattering with glee, as we excitedly moved from one front row seat to the next at the 2nd deck of the double-decker bus.
I remember that my Gong Gong loved to play chinese chess and i remembered him playing with my bro.
I remember him using the abacus to calculate his monthly expenditure as he used to be in charge of the operating budget in the huge household of my extended family
I remember that he used to smoke quite a bit before his heart condition came up and there was once when the burning cigarette butt accidentally fell on my arm and i screamed in pain. He looked frantically sorry and immediately snuffed out the cigarette.
I remember that whilst my Gong Gong loved his grandchildren, he sometimes seemed rather harsh at his sons (its another story with his only daughter, the youngest of his seven children, whom he obviously doted upon). He would have low level of patience with them and would often chide them "Cao4 Huai3" ("smelly little fellow" in Teochew), when they made him angry over little things, like making him wait for more than 10 minutes before picking him up for dinner outside! But his anger quickly subsided at the sight of good food on the dining table! He personified the term "a hungry man is an angry man"!
I remember that my Gong Gong was also short in temper to my Ma Ma (granny). However, whilst they would often bicker, i remember their deep love for one another. When one was ill in the hospital, the other would stay up with him/her. We celebrated their 50th anniversary of Golden Wedding about 16 years back, and i remember the satisfied look of joy on their faces when we took the family photo at a studio...together with all 7 of their children, 7 of their children's spouses and 15 grandchildren. To date, most of his grandkids are married, and he has 3 great-grandchildren (one of whom is Isaac).
I love my Gong Gong. I had actually already started missing him 4 years ago when he was sick. But thank God for the hope of seeing him again in Heaven one day. Rest in peace, Gong Gong.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Global Day of Prayer 2007
We participated in the Global Day of Prayer this evening with some of our church friends...Had a glorious time of worship and prayer. We brought Isaac along to the National Stadium for the very first time, and I guess, it would also probably be his last, since the Stadium is due to be pulled down to make way for a much newer one real soon!
Despite him being very tired once we entered into the stadium (prob contributed by the humidity) and took a short nap in between, we all had a jolly good time. Isaac loved the music and he loves to clap....He has also learnt how to say "Hallelujah" (though it sounds more like "ali-lu-ahh") and "Amen" (literally sounding like "a-men"), so he blended quite well into the crowds of praying Christians. : )
Despite him being very tired once we entered into the stadium (prob contributed by the humidity) and took a short nap in between, we all had a jolly good time. Isaac loved the music and he loves to clap....He has also learnt how to say "Hallelujah" (though it sounds more like "ali-lu-ahh") and "Amen" (literally sounding like "a-men"), so he blended quite well into the crowds of praying Christians. : )
As you can see from the pics, we took our time to get out of the Stadium after the whole event ended... Brought Isaac down to the track and allowed him to run around for a while, under the watchful eyes of the security guards...Then its a few photos here and there as a momento to this stadium that YL and me grew up in....think National Day Parade (as participants...i was a pong pong girl...TWICE!!), National Track and Field Event (as spectators), Singapore Youth Festival, quite a few Christian Rallies, etc...
Bye bye Stadium...see you soon when you've been given a new life!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
High Tea at Tiffin Room, Raffles Hotel (Apr 07)
We attended a friend's daughter's first month party at Tiffin Room, Raffles Hotel sometime in Apr...Had took a few photos but had forgotten to post it.... Thought Isaac looked pretty cool in his blue outfit... : ) We liked the food but Isaac preferred the Harpist! He kept staring at her playing and was the only one who faithfully clapped after every song that she played! : )
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Back at work
Decided to return to office after a week's rest.
Found difficulties kickstarting my momentum at work though. Having been away from office for a week (though I still logged from home to clear some work), being in office just seems so overwhelming suddenly! This is especially so in my current operational HR post where there are daily cases and "fires" to deal with and personnel issues to be concerned about.
Was sharing with a friend that I suddenly found it really difficult to keep my spirits and positiveness up. Yet at the same time, I was subconciously trying to keep up with a positive front. Don't wanna get the people around me worried nor affect them!
After spending a week at home with Isaac and seeing how he gets all excited seeing that mummy is at home and keeps coming to me for me to play with him or just to ask for some hugs and kisses, work somehow seems so much less meaningful! But of course that is what the heart says...in my mind, i was reminded how the current Ops stint is a meaningful one when i think of the people that come to speak to me about their concerns and how we try to help them in terms of achieving their career aspirations whilst balancing organisational needs.
Sigh. Hopefully I get my momentum back next week!
Found difficulties kickstarting my momentum at work though. Having been away from office for a week (though I still logged from home to clear some work), being in office just seems so overwhelming suddenly! This is especially so in my current operational HR post where there are daily cases and "fires" to deal with and personnel issues to be concerned about.
Was sharing with a friend that I suddenly found it really difficult to keep my spirits and positiveness up. Yet at the same time, I was subconciously trying to keep up with a positive front. Don't wanna get the people around me worried nor affect them!
After spending a week at home with Isaac and seeing how he gets all excited seeing that mummy is at home and keeps coming to me for me to play with him or just to ask for some hugs and kisses, work somehow seems so much less meaningful! But of course that is what the heart says...in my mind, i was reminded how the current Ops stint is a meaningful one when i think of the people that come to speak to me about their concerns and how we try to help them in terms of achieving their career aspirations whilst balancing organisational needs.
Sigh. Hopefully I get my momentum back next week!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Got passport can travel!
Brought Isaac to collect his passport from SIR today. Our queue no. was 2985 and the counters were only calling 2845.
Whilst waiting, Isaac was munching away on pre-packed grapes (its always useful to arm yourself with lots of [healthy] snacks when you bring your kid out to public places and you expect to spend sometime there!) making a lot of friendly but loud noise, chattering away to himself.
I think I'll make this suggestion to SIR : Perhaps you could consider setting a child-friendly play area in the waiting area. That will go a long way to help parents to occupy their children whilst waiting at the queue and prevent the kids from irritating your other customers!
But kudos to SIR, they manged to clear the queue after 35 minutes, as promised on their electronic counter!
BTW, Isaac look like a little cute rascal on his passport photo! Yay, now he can officially travel overseas (beyond Pulau Ubin and Sentosa) with us... ! :)
Whilst waiting, Isaac was munching away on pre-packed grapes (its always useful to arm yourself with lots of [healthy] snacks when you bring your kid out to public places and you expect to spend sometime there!) making a lot of friendly but loud noise, chattering away to himself.
I think I'll make this suggestion to SIR : Perhaps you could consider setting a child-friendly play area in the waiting area. That will go a long way to help parents to occupy their children whilst waiting at the queue and prevent the kids from irritating your other customers!
But kudos to SIR, they manged to clear the queue after 35 minutes, as promised on their electronic counter!
BTW, Isaac look like a little cute rascal on his passport photo! Yay, now he can officially travel overseas (beyond Pulau Ubin and Sentosa) with us... ! :)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
"Hope is a Thing With Feathers"
Just received this poem from our friends Emily and Sen:
"Hope is a Thing With Feathers" by Emily Dickinson
Hope is a thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings a tune without words
And never stops at all.
And sweetest, in the gale, is heard
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That keeps so many warm.
I've heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea
Yet, never, in extremity
It ask a crumb of me.
Thanks friends! *Hugs from Singapore* : )
"Hope is a Thing With Feathers" by Emily Dickinson
Hope is a thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings a tune without words
And never stops at all.
And sweetest, in the gale, is heard
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That keeps so many warm.
I've heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea
Yet, never, in extremity
It ask a crumb of me.
Thanks friends! *Hugs from Singapore* : )
Its been a week since we were confronted with the bad news and just a couple of days since the surgery. Am actually feeling quite healthy physically (except for a little fatique now and then), and I thought that emotionally, I've also overcomed it all.
But I guess its harder than just 'not thinking about it', which is what I've been doing most of the time subconsciously - occupying myself with Isaac, catching up on reading (a colleague, SF, came by and dropped me a copy of "A Heart Ablaze" by John Bevere), catching up with work from home via email. As I worshipped in church today, I can't help but pondered about the events of the past week, and suddenly a tidal wave of emotions just swept over me.
I've always prided myself for having a very logical mind when it comes to dealing with adversities...Its really a Mind over Heart "survival tactic" that I've adopted over the years. And these are my personal rules:
It is with this mindset that i had initially set out to face the whole miscarriage issue (BTW, I've tried to avoid using the word "miscarriage" for a long time. Why is a "miscarriage" called "mis-carriage"...is it like "mis-take"? Is it my "mistake" for mis-carrying the baby? Did i do something that cause the heart-beat to stop??)
So, I read as much as i could find on the internet regarding the "M" issue and as usual found the whole array of scientific explanation to say that its usually not the fault of the parents, and chances are that it wasn't properly formed in the first place....that it happens one in five cases of pregnancy....All these were reaffirmed by Dr Ben....
But whilst I could still calmly go through surgery, etc, i realised that deep in my heart there is still the pain that pricks...there's still the many questions in my mind that Man cannot answer and only God can. Everytime over the past few days, when someone who knew asked me "Are you ok? How're you coping?" or when they just come over to give me a comforting hug, tears still rolled in my eyes. And as I stifled those tears and replied that "I'm ok, we're moving on", it still hurts inside.
Sigh...I guess its still going to take some time for us to go past the grieving phase...
But I guess its harder than just 'not thinking about it', which is what I've been doing most of the time subconsciously - occupying myself with Isaac, catching up on reading (a colleague, SF, came by and dropped me a copy of "A Heart Ablaze" by John Bevere), catching up with work from home via email. As I worshipped in church today, I can't help but pondered about the events of the past week, and suddenly a tidal wave of emotions just swept over me.
I've always prided myself for having a very logical mind when it comes to dealing with adversities...Its really a Mind over Heart "survival tactic" that I've adopted over the years. And these are my personal rules:
- Rule #1: If I can't do anything about it, no sense to fret about it.
- Rule #2: Always read up on the subject matter. Knowledge gives understanding and overcomes fear and anxiety.
It is with this mindset that i had initially set out to face the whole miscarriage issue (BTW, I've tried to avoid using the word "miscarriage" for a long time. Why is a "miscarriage" called "mis-carriage"...is it like "mis-take"? Is it my "mistake" for mis-carrying the baby? Did i do something that cause the heart-beat to stop??)
So, I read as much as i could find on the internet regarding the "M" issue and as usual found the whole array of scientific explanation to say that its usually not the fault of the parents, and chances are that it wasn't properly formed in the first place....that it happens one in five cases of pregnancy....All these were reaffirmed by Dr Ben....
But whilst I could still calmly go through surgery, etc, i realised that deep in my heart there is still the pain that pricks...there's still the many questions in my mind that Man cannot answer and only God can. Everytime over the past few days, when someone who knew asked me "Are you ok? How're you coping?" or when they just come over to give me a comforting hug, tears still rolled in my eyes. And as I stifled those tears and replied that "I'm ok, we're moving on", it still hurts inside.
Sigh...I guess its still going to take some time for us to go past the grieving phase...
Thursday, May 17, 2007
It is well with my soul
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Refrain
But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel!
Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!
Refrain
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, It is Well with My Soul.
Refrain
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Refrain
But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel!
Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!
Refrain
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, It is Well with My Soul.
Refrain
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
The diagnosis was confirmed and the procedure done. Were surprisingly non-heavy hearted as we went through the day, with the confirmation scan and then sze going through day surgery etc. When it was all over, we felt surprisingly liberated. The baby will always be part of our memory, but we will and we feel that we are able to move on! And we know its all thanks to God as we rest in His peace.
Sze's given two weeks hospitalisation leave...one week to recover physically and another emotionally. But given her state of health, she thinks she'll only use one week of the leave. She'll take this opportunity to just spend some quality time with Isaac at home! : )
Sze's given two weeks hospitalisation leave...one week to recover physically and another emotionally. But given her state of health, she thinks she'll only use one week of the leave. She'll take this opportunity to just spend some quality time with Isaac at home! : )
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Psalm 63
A fellow colleague shared this Psalm with me which I found to be a great comfort in times like this...
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
We've got some personal bad news to share.
Some of our friends might have known that sze was expecting. Had went for normal check up at the gynea over the weekend and the doc could not locate the fetal heartbeat. Apparantly, the fetus has probably stopped growing a couple of days ago (it should have been a 10th week size but the scan showed that its only at the 9th week size). As such, Dr Ben has scheduled for sze to go for a scan on wed (i.e. tomorrow) to confirm the prognosis which would then be followed up by a procedure to clear the womb. This would be followed by a 2 weeks mc...
We're in shock as it was unexpected given that there was a heartbeat at the last check up at 7th week. We received the news on Sat and it didn't make it easier that Sun was Mother's day. YL was obviously hard hit, being the more emotional one. For Sze, things finally sunk in on Sunday when she woke up in the morning and realised that it was not a bad dream. She couldn't hold on to her emotions further in church and had a good cry as brothers and sisters in Christ rallied around us to pray and encourage us.
We understand that these things happen. We're praying for a miracle, but in our hearts we have more or less accepted the news. God is Sovereign and we will accept whatever He wills. As Christians, we believe that our baby has been called up to Heaven and one day we will see him/her again when we too pass on. That is a wonderful consolation! Nevertheless, we're still sad that we've lost the privilege of bringing him/her up.
We spent Sunday night just staring at Isaac sleeping...being so thankful and appreciative that we've got him with us, but at the same time unable to suppress a tinge of regret over our unborn child.
Sze still went to office over the past few days as there was lots of work to clear and she wanted to properly hand over work to her colleagues. There is never a good time for such matters to happen, but its a particularly bad time with so many things going on in the office at the moment. The other reason was to also to get her mind off thinking too much about the sad news.
We're thankful for all the support, prayers and encouragement from family, friends and colleagues. Do we regret letting some of our friends known that we were expecting so early on when we know that things might be unstable? No. Because we believe that friends are there for the good times as well as for the bad times. We are glad that we have not only our loving God to run to, but the shoulders of our caring friends to lean on in times like these.
Don't worry for us. We'll continue to keep our spirits up.
Come what may tomorrow. We may not be totally ready for it, but we're sure that God will give us the grace and mercy to go through it.
Some of our friends might have known that sze was expecting. Had went for normal check up at the gynea over the weekend and the doc could not locate the fetal heartbeat. Apparantly, the fetus has probably stopped growing a couple of days ago (it should have been a 10th week size but the scan showed that its only at the 9th week size). As such, Dr Ben has scheduled for sze to go for a scan on wed (i.e. tomorrow) to confirm the prognosis which would then be followed up by a procedure to clear the womb. This would be followed by a 2 weeks mc...
We're in shock as it was unexpected given that there was a heartbeat at the last check up at 7th week. We received the news on Sat and it didn't make it easier that Sun was Mother's day. YL was obviously hard hit, being the more emotional one. For Sze, things finally sunk in on Sunday when she woke up in the morning and realised that it was not a bad dream. She couldn't hold on to her emotions further in church and had a good cry as brothers and sisters in Christ rallied around us to pray and encourage us.
We understand that these things happen. We're praying for a miracle, but in our hearts we have more or less accepted the news. God is Sovereign and we will accept whatever He wills. As Christians, we believe that our baby has been called up to Heaven and one day we will see him/her again when we too pass on. That is a wonderful consolation! Nevertheless, we're still sad that we've lost the privilege of bringing him/her up.
We spent Sunday night just staring at Isaac sleeping...being so thankful and appreciative that we've got him with us, but at the same time unable to suppress a tinge of regret over our unborn child.
Sze still went to office over the past few days as there was lots of work to clear and she wanted to properly hand over work to her colleagues. There is never a good time for such matters to happen, but its a particularly bad time with so many things going on in the office at the moment. The other reason was to also to get her mind off thinking too much about the sad news.
We're thankful for all the support, prayers and encouragement from family, friends and colleagues. Do we regret letting some of our friends known that we were expecting so early on when we know that things might be unstable? No. Because we believe that friends are there for the good times as well as for the bad times. We are glad that we have not only our loving God to run to, but the shoulders of our caring friends to lean on in times like these.
Don't worry for us. We'll continue to keep our spirits up.
Come what may tomorrow. We may not be totally ready for it, but we're sure that God will give us the grace and mercy to go through it.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Went for check up at gynea today with yl, isaac and stroller...
We were looking at all the little kids that filled the waiting area together with their daddies and mostly pregnant mummies, and then we looked at our little isaac again. Personally, i can't help thinking that isaac seems to be the cutest kid amongst them all, and the one whose smile seems to exude the greatest charm!! When i whispered that to YL, he told me that he was thinking of the exact same thought! Well, i suppose thats how biased we are as parents...but i bet all other parents think that same way of their kids, hahaha!
When it was finally our turn and we entered into the consultation room, Isaac was introduced to Dr Benjamine Tham, the person who had first held him when he was borned! Isaac was all happy with Dr Ben and kept smiling at him, until he saw Dr Ben put some gel on mummy's tummy and was told to watch the tv monitor.... Bet he thought Dr Ben was up to no good to mummy (afterall, to Isaac, only he and Daddy are allowed to see mummy's belly button!), and he became all protective and screamed at Dr Ben! : ) Dr Ben then had to take some time off, and blew Isaac a "ballon" made from his disposable medical rubber glove in order to calm the little one!
What did we see in the monitor? one heartbeat. yay!
See u little little one, sometime in Dec...
We were looking at all the little kids that filled the waiting area together with their daddies and mostly pregnant mummies, and then we looked at our little isaac again. Personally, i can't help thinking that isaac seems to be the cutest kid amongst them all, and the one whose smile seems to exude the greatest charm!! When i whispered that to YL, he told me that he was thinking of the exact same thought! Well, i suppose thats how biased we are as parents...but i bet all other parents think that same way of their kids, hahaha!
When it was finally our turn and we entered into the consultation room, Isaac was introduced to Dr Benjamine Tham, the person who had first held him when he was borned! Isaac was all happy with Dr Ben and kept smiling at him, until he saw Dr Ben put some gel on mummy's tummy and was told to watch the tv monitor.... Bet he thought Dr Ben was up to no good to mummy (afterall, to Isaac, only he and Daddy are allowed to see mummy's belly button!), and he became all protective and screamed at Dr Ben! : ) Dr Ben then had to take some time off, and blew Isaac a "ballon" made from his disposable medical rubber glove in order to calm the little one!
What did we see in the monitor? one heartbeat. yay!
See u little little one, sometime in Dec...
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Beethovan vs. Mozart
Isaac has become hooked onto Beethovan's Symphony No. 5, and specially the first movement because of its loud and upbeat and dramatic tempo ! He'll shake his head as well as point his finger up and down to the music, as if he is a conductor!
Now, I've heard of some fathers complaining that their children do not support the same football team as they do...e.g. "I can't understand why my children insist on supporting Manchester United, when they should have supported Chelsea like me, lah!!"
Today, I hear Yuan Liang saying something similar, "I am so disappointed that Isaac is more of a Beethovan fan than a Mozart fan (like me)!" : )
Now, I've heard of some fathers complaining that their children do not support the same football team as they do...e.g. "I can't understand why my children insist on supporting Manchester United, when they should have supported Chelsea like me, lah!!"
Today, I hear Yuan Liang saying something similar, "I am so disappointed that Isaac is more of a Beethovan fan than a Mozart fan (like me)!" : )
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Update on Isaac's Vocab (16 months)
Relations
pa4 pa4 = his dad (YL)
ma1 ma1 = his mum (Sze)
ye2 ye2 = his paternal grandpa (evolved from 'pa4 pa4 ye2'!)
nai1 nai1 = his paternal grandma
ma4 ma4 = his maternal grandma
jie3 jie1 = he affectionately calls his cousin Glory "sister"
mei4 mei4 = he affectionately calls his little cousin Josie "sister"
p/s: Sze's dad is obviously gutted that his beloved grandson has yet to learn to call him "Gong Gong", though he probably knows that little Isaac loves him no less than others, judging from the way the little tod jumps on him whenever he sees him! : )
Objects:
Nan1 Nan2 = milk
Wou4 Wou4 = doggie
Mum Mum = food
Car = car
Car park =carpark
Expressions:
Mwah (!) = kiss
Bye = Bye
Obviously, you would note that he has not quite gotten the pronounciation right for some of the words (particularly relations), and his vocab for most of the objects are via association (e.g. sounds, etc). : )
pa4 pa4 = his dad (YL)
ma1 ma1 = his mum (Sze)
ye2 ye2 = his paternal grandpa (evolved from 'pa4 pa4 ye2'!)
nai1 nai1 = his paternal grandma
ma4 ma4 = his maternal grandma
jie3 jie1 = he affectionately calls his cousin Glory "sister"
mei4 mei4 = he affectionately calls his little cousin Josie "sister"
p/s: Sze's dad is obviously gutted that his beloved grandson has yet to learn to call him "Gong Gong", though he probably knows that little Isaac loves him no less than others, judging from the way the little tod jumps on him whenever he sees him! : )
Objects:
Nan1 Nan2 = milk
Wou4 Wou4 = doggie
Mum Mum = food
Car = car
Car park =carpark
Expressions:
Mwah (!) = kiss
Bye = Bye
Obviously, you would note that he has not quite gotten the pronounciation right for some of the words (particularly relations), and his vocab for most of the objects are via association (e.g. sounds, etc). : )
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Chek Jawa
Can u believe it ? We went to Chek Jawa with a 16 month old tod waddling through the mangrove swamps! Its his first overseas trip (across the straits of malacca??) to Pulau Ubin.
We took a guided tour of this beautiful natural habitat of thousands of sea creatures...it was an eye opening. We were dressed for the tour, which required us to trod too lots of mud... dressed isaac in wellington boots, YL wore his army Gortex boots whilst i wore my pair of $7 female fishmonger boots...all looking very glam! : )
Isaac was very good...though it was around his afternoon nap time, he gamely trod with us through most of the trip, only to succumb to the ZZZZZzzzzzzzz monster towards the last 15 minutes of the one hour trip. : )
Anyway, here's a quick collage of some of the things that we saw at CJ!
Monday, February 12, 2007
isaac's vocab
he can now say:
"papa" = dad
"mama" = mum
"mum mum" = food
"bye bye" = bye
"wou wou" = dog (i.e. mimicking the dogs barking)
"papa" = dad
"mama" = mum
"mum mum" = food
"bye bye" = bye
"wou wou" = dog (i.e. mimicking the dogs barking)
Sunday, January 07, 2007
High Tea @ Equinox
View was superb but the food was only average.
Thankfully, the company was lovely... : )
Thankfully, the company was lovely... : )
...
...Full Photo Set of the afternoon on Flickr.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Aunt MH's reminder on raising kids
Brief SMS conversation with my lovely Auntie MH:
AMH: "Thanks for a wonderful afternoon. U have a very lovable boy and D (her daughter) loves him to bits."
Sze: "Thanks 4 coming by! Its a lovely way 2 spend new year catching up with family! D's grown so much fr the little girl she once was...seems more mature now! =) "
AMH: "Yes she is now more sensible and understands me better."
Sze: "Yes. It is evident. We can only wait patiently 4 the day that Isaac becomes like that! ; ) "
AMH: "Soon the day will come. Enjoy him in the meantime. This is a journey that is itself an adventure."
AMH: "Thanks for a wonderful afternoon. U have a very lovable boy and D (her daughter) loves him to bits."
Sze: "Thanks 4 coming by! Its a lovely way 2 spend new year catching up with family! D's grown so much fr the little girl she once was...seems more mature now! =) "
AMH: "Yes she is now more sensible and understands me better."
Sze: "Yes. It is evident. We can only wait patiently 4 the day that Isaac becomes like that! ; ) "
AMH: "Soon the day will come. Enjoy him in the meantime. This is a journey that is itself an adventure."
Last day of 2006
What better way to spend the last day of 2006 than starting out at church for service in the morning? It was a wonderful service. Some of the friends who had accepted Christ the previous week came to church, and we also had a couple of visitors, including tourists! The worship was fab and there was a time where Pastor Adrian gave an open invitation to come up to the podium to give thanks to God for his blessings over the year. There were several testimonies shared, and as a family, we also took the opportunity to go up to the podium to give Thanks to God for the simple things in life:
a) Our strong family support from both of our parents, siblings and extended family, etc.
b) For Isaac - That he could develop healthily thus far from a mere helpless infant to a cheery baby to now, a toddler with an attitude! : )
c) For one another
d) For God being God! Especially, how we saw God as the firm foundation of keeping families together... "We love, because God first loved us" (1 John 4:19)
Its really a rather emotional and uplifting time, as we were able to share and be encouraged by one another's exciting testimonies and felt that we are all growing closer and closer as a church.
After service, we went to Aerin's at Raffle's City Shopping Centre for lunch. It wasn't quite planned, but we were all captivated by the superb fountain displays, which got Isaac most excited, so we thought we will give him a treat and dine there. We got a table next to the fountain pool itself (click this link to see the exact spot that we took!) and requested that the babychair be placed at the angle with the most optimal view of the display. You should see Isaac's hands flinging wildly in excitement and how his already-very-big-eyes popped even bigger as he enjoyed the fountain sequences. : )
Evening was spent as usual at YL's parents' place for dinner and the weekly catch-ups. When we got home, we allowed Isaac to play as much as he wanted, given that it was new year's eve. However, the little babe soon got very tired perhaps, exhausted by the day's excitement (he was already actually nodding off at his Grandparents place even whilst watching his favourite "banana-in-pajamas sing-along" vcd!) and went to bed pretty early. We settled into the sofa and enjoyed the dvd series of "Mind Your Language" (yes, the very old british tv sitcom, but we loved it!)...
At 12 midnight, Isaac roused for his usual-midnight-last-feed. Perhaps inspired by the earlier fountain display that he had so enjoyed, he greeted 2007 with his own fountain display (aka urinal leek) when YL forgot to take the usual precautions, and Isaac's bodily liquid got splashed around his little bed...so we had the change the bedsheet and his pyjamas!
"Disgusting!", u may say, especially if u do not yet have kids (especially boys) of your own. Well, we learn to laugh at episodes like these, rather than be upset. May the year ahead be filled with splashes of unexpected adventures such as these (for you wouldn't want life to be the same day in and day out!), and may we all have the strength, wisdom and grace to live it out and overcome the challenges. Above all, may we find joy in all that we do or have to go through...
a) Our strong family support from both of our parents, siblings and extended family, etc.
b) For Isaac - That he could develop healthily thus far from a mere helpless infant to a cheery baby to now, a toddler with an attitude! : )
c) For one another
d) For God being God! Especially, how we saw God as the firm foundation of keeping families together... "We love, because God first loved us" (1 John 4:19)
Its really a rather emotional and uplifting time, as we were able to share and be encouraged by one another's exciting testimonies and felt that we are all growing closer and closer as a church.
After service, we went to Aerin's at Raffle's City Shopping Centre for lunch. It wasn't quite planned, but we were all captivated by the superb fountain displays, which got Isaac most excited, so we thought we will give him a treat and dine there. We got a table next to the fountain pool itself (click this link to see the exact spot that we took!) and requested that the babychair be placed at the angle with the most optimal view of the display. You should see Isaac's hands flinging wildly in excitement and how his already-very-big-eyes popped even bigger as he enjoyed the fountain sequences. : )
Evening was spent as usual at YL's parents' place for dinner and the weekly catch-ups. When we got home, we allowed Isaac to play as much as he wanted, given that it was new year's eve. However, the little babe soon got very tired perhaps, exhausted by the day's excitement (he was already actually nodding off at his Grandparents place even whilst watching his favourite "banana-in-pajamas sing-along" vcd!) and went to bed pretty early. We settled into the sofa and enjoyed the dvd series of "Mind Your Language" (yes, the very old british tv sitcom, but we loved it!)...
At 12 midnight, Isaac roused for his usual-midnight-last-feed. Perhaps inspired by the earlier fountain display that he had so enjoyed, he greeted 2007 with his own fountain display (aka urinal leek) when YL forgot to take the usual precautions, and Isaac's bodily liquid got splashed around his little bed...so we had the change the bedsheet and his pyjamas!
"Disgusting!", u may say, especially if u do not yet have kids (especially boys) of your own. Well, we learn to laugh at episodes like these, rather than be upset. May the year ahead be filled with splashes of unexpected adventures such as these (for you wouldn't want life to be the same day in and day out!), and may we all have the strength, wisdom and grace to live it out and overcome the challenges. Above all, may we find joy in all that we do or have to go through...
Happy 2007 !!
.....
The most ultimate 'fountain display' that i've ever seen in my life... Strokkur Geyser at Iceland. (Photos taken in 2002 trip to Southern Iceland)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
