My exploration in life… (diary for baby!)

I was speaking to ROZALI yesterday while waiting for the next lesson, and he told me that he and ADRIAN are taking up a part-time degree with SINGAPORE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT straight after the last examinations with NIE next year.  This four-year part-time degree of choice would be "recognised" by MOE and will move them onto a degree-holder grade.  That will make a difference of about $1000 in monthly salary every month!  I had thought of working my way to the top after graduating with a diploma, but I was told that I will not hold a salary comparable to one of a degree-holder’s even then.  And if you manage to get a degree after many years, you will start off like a fresh-grad in terms of grade (not pay, though).  So, it is only logical to do it as soon as I can.  Drats, I thought I will be able to take a rest from being tested…  =(

YEN, our little princess and I did appear on TV last Saturday.  How has it changed us?  Not the least!  Apart from our friends who we told about our cameo, a few other of our friends did happen to see us in the programme.  No "superstar-dom", nobody recognising us on the streets (we should go to the streets more!); the only good thing is we have a memory for RACHEL - in terms of the DVD (containing the show) we were sent.

I think I improved my game a little in netball, after being able to consciously remind myself of the footwork needed in the game.  But I find it demanding on the knees - old man’s bones giving way…

It has been almost confirmed that our next microteaching of five lessons (one per week) will be at NAN HUA PRIMARY!  Unfortunately, 5C’s PE lesson is on Thursdays, and my class is teaching only on Fridays.  Still, at least the environment is a familiar one this time round, and I hope to do better.

YEN shared with me earlier that she is afraid that RACHEL will not recognise / bond with us as well, since she is spending a lot of time at home with mum and EDDIE (when he is on off-days).  I am afraid too, but I cannot see a better way out!

Quite a few assignments and tests are due / fall on 11 Sep.  That sounds like trouble for us (especially me!).  I had better started preparing for them before it is too late!  Which means I will have less time for RACHEL!  =(

Just left NIE after a short Thursday’s lessons.  Went to PIONEER MALL, a small, four-storey shopping mall opened this year, near my place to get a large Coca-Cola from McDonald’s.  I don’t like to take soft drinks as they are too gassy for my liking, but McDonalds’ is just different - it’s just not as gassy.

Anyway, I went at the wrong time - when it was the time when the afternoon session was going home.  So this McDonald’s outlet was like most, I guess, packed with people at the time schools released their students.  After some time, I was in the second queue behind this JURONG WEST PRIMARY SCHOOL student who ordered a "foldover" meal.  The cashier took some time in preparing his food as I waited for my turn patiently.  Meanwhile, there was this group of students who were standing by the side of the queue.  Apparently, they know the boy ahead of me in the queue.

It was after the cashier left the counter to prepare the food when one of the boys (let’s call him boy A) from the group approached the boy in front of me.  Boy A asked his friend to order something, a 50-cent ice-cream - I think, for him as he did not want to queue.  I will not be able to comment on this if his friend had not already placed his order, and the cashier had left the counter.  Though it was just a 50-cent cone, I am still a person of principles, and believe that boy A should join the queue.  To my delight, the boy rejected boy A’s request when he said, "I’ve already placed my order.  Why don’t you queue up?"  The boy walked dejectedly back to his friends instead of joining the queue.

However, it irked me later when the cashier was halfway through putting the boy’s order together and was near the counter when boy A returned to his friend’s side (and ahead of me) and blurted out his order.  It irritated me further when the cashier went to get him the ice-cream.  By this time, I couldn’t control myself any longer and grabbed boy A’s bag while he stood ahead of me, waiting for his cone.  I asked, "Why are you not queuing up?  Are we (those who were in the queue) invisible?"  He replied saying that his friend gave him the permission to place his order.  Still, not wanting to make a scene over and make a mountain out of a molehill, I released my grip on him.

I placed my order and after getting the drink, walked to the group and said to the boy that he should have joined the queue, hoping that this incident will scare him a little to "do the right thing" the next time.  Sigh, I hate people who cut in at queues.  This was the same when I drive, but that’s another story I’ll leave for another time.

Two of my friends just delivered in the past few months as well - WEILING and SHIRLEY.  That, and the fact that I had recently been in touch with MUILI, made my life more joyous seeing so many little hopes in our lives.  And us young parents have been exchanging baby tips, talking about our experiences about our little ones.  Ha; moving on to the next stage in my life of being a parent sure is fun…  =P

I saw the trailer for the programme that we are going to be on this Saturday night.  My little princess is featured with YEN on it.  RACHEL looks so different now than on the trailer - how different a month’s makes for a growing baby!  I look forward to seeing it on TV and having a recorded memory of it for our baby…  =)

YEN received a text message on her mobile phone last night to ask her if she was going to appear on a new programme.  Excited, we asked her friend where she saw the "advertisement" so we could see it too.  Her friend replied that it was on Channel 8, and it was on that same channel that we should see the programme on 26 August.  We were told that the programme ("Hey! Baby") would be on Channel U instead; nevermind, it doesn’t really make a difference to us!  =)  I’ll keep being on the lookout for advertisements on Channel 8 these days…

It was because of this that I saw a "SILKPRO" advertisement today, and saw that my friend that I’ve not being in touch with for some time, YANLING, is on that advertisement too.  Ha, I will ask her about it later…

YEN has fitted in fine back at work.  Like me, she has been proudly showing-off the photographs we took of our little princess on our mobile phones to almost everyone we know.  Heck, I think we are doing that even to mere acquaintances!  We are just so proud of our little girl!  =)

YEN was working on Saturday morning and mum-in-law was working the three o’clock shift.  So we thought of going to visit her straight after I fetched YEN from the hospital.  The only problem was that I was to bring RACHEL from home to hospital alone.  This marked the first time RACHEL would sit on the baby carseat we bought her much earlier.  I remember DARREN LIM (the actor/host) telling us that we have to let children get used to sitting in a carseat when we travel since they are young.  I expected quite a bit of resistance from RACHEL as I thought it would take a little getting used to.  But the only time she cried was at the start of the journey - I think it was to tell daddy that he had not attached the shade to the seat to shield her from the sun’s rays.  After that? - She fell asleep peacefully very soon after I moved off, all the way until we reached mummy.  =)

Was out marketing with YEN this morning and while she was getting meat, I stepped into this shop selling pet-fishes.  I admired the fishes from their tanks and noticed these nice goldfishes (they were not named).  They are generally white and gold in colour and were innocent looking from their frontal view, reminded me so much of how our girl looked like!  Ha!

Little RACHEL has been licking her little hands and fingers from the past few weeks.  She is tugging at her clothes - the first things she really touches by herself now.  She is just so adorable when she is at peace with things; so painful is my heart when she cries and is not easily pacified…

Not only did I say something wrong last night that pissed EDDIE off; I did something wrong in NIE too that showed inadequate respect to the part-time lecturer in NIE yesterday.  When will I learn to be more sensitive?  Sigh…

It was like this - yesterday was the first time we had lessons for netball (yes, I chose netball instead of football because I still cannot balance myself).  The part-time lecturer, MS CHANG TSAI, introduced herself as a netball teacher at JC and secondary schools.  She admitted this was the first time she was teaching adults our diverse ages and backgrounds, so she was still finding a way to teach us.

In the short one-hour lesson, she proceeded to conduct warm-up and games for us, like she would for children.  I’ll have to admit I was not serious during her time with us and I could see she was quite exasperated at the end of the lesson (I was not the only person who monkeyed around to her games).  She made a half-hearted appeal for us to be serious when teaching proper starts.  I went to her after the lesson to admit that I was playing afool during the past hour, apologised and told her to rest assure I’ll be serious when teaching proper of the game starts.

So I was in an apologetic and solemn mood.  That set up my next wrongdoing…  We were home for dinner in one of the rare times EDDIE and HUIJUN joined us at the table.  I was at my usual verbal exchanges with mom when I unknowingly added something like I was the servant working since I was seventeen to take care of the family and EDDIE.  I knew I shouldn’t have said that the moment I said it.  I told EDDIE after dinner that I had not meant to target him in anyway earlier, and he acknowledged, somewhat half-heartedly…  I can only hope for his forgiveness for my insensitivity…  =(

On a lighter note, my best friends came over on my invitation for dinner last Sunday.  We caught up with each other a little.  Most importantly, I wanted to keep them in the loop with our little princess’ growth.  =)  Gosh, YEN and I have found ourselves wanting to show RACHEL off to everyone else we know, almost every chance we have…

RACHEL is now measures at 59cm and 6.2kg.  She was running a fever last night, a side-effect of the second Hep-B jab she took yesterday.  Hope she will be well soonest!

I returned home yesterday after some games with my course mates at PESS (Physical Education Sports Science) and knowing Assoc Prof MICHAEL KOH is leaving NIE for greener pastures.  He was headhunted by REPUBLIC POLYTECHNIC to take up the post as Director in Sports or something like that.  We are all glad for him that he will is getting a job of such great prestige.  Not mentioning the huge increase in pay he will receive!

The guys are making full use of the start of the term (like always) to get involved in sports and games.  I joined them for soccer in the sports hall and volleyball thereafter during our wait for lessons.  Yesterday, it was soccer for quite a while, and a game of "handball", according to our understanding / agreement of its rules.  The session of sports again emphasised how unfit I am, not that I had not realised much earlier!  But I’m glad that my mates did not mind that and my inability to play well, and included me in play as always.  I thank the guys!

I went to celebrate YEN’s birthday last night in a rare (nowadays!) night’s out.  The nation celebrates her birthday with her every year, and there is no excuse for forgetting her big-day (thankfully!).  I had intended to give her a surprise candle-light dinner at some nice fine-dining restaurant, but having not gone for one, I did not know where we could go for something like that (I need some recommendations if you have visited any nice ones, please!).  I searched the Internet for one, but this one seemed to need reservations made, provided us with a telephone number, but never did pick up its telephone for reservations (or anything).  I didn’t want to go down to find out that the restaurant no longer existed or we could not eat there because we did not make reservations…

In the end, YEN and I took an MRT to Raffles City @ City Hall to see if we could find something  nice.  Ha; we finally ate at this restaurant on the second storey, one with a conveyor belt for food with a peculiar name "AIWO", or loosely translated as Love Me.  The food wasn’t exactly great and took some time in being served.  But standard of service was better than most restaurants that we would normally find, and that made up for the wait for food.

YEN must have thought the dinner was the end of my celebration of her birthday for her.  Little did she know that I got my mother to get her an ice-cream birthday cake from SWENSENS’ that I brought out on the stroke of twelve a.m.  with my mum.  Boy, was she surprised!  We all had a piece of cake after singing her a birthday song before we went to bed.  I sure hope to do more for her in the coming years, on any other day with or without a special occasion…

YEN was bathing Princess RACHEL this morning when she heard our baby let out wind in the water.  That would be quite normal as she has done that before.  But to our surprise, there was more to wind that was let out this morning!  You’ve guessed it right - it was "black GOLD"!  We were in distress as YEN had almost finished bathing her…

So the "props guy" was called into action to extract the "gold" from her little bathtub!  Sigh!  This is my first "reward", first thing in the morning after waking up…  We ended up bathing her once more as she did not keep her arms still while "gold" was still in the tub, and she ended playing in the murky (yuck!) water.  This is a first, a "milestone" in her young life so far; Ha…

RACHEL has started her "social smiling" at us, and joy has been brought into our lives just seeing her smile.  She has starting making sounds as if she is trying to talk to us too.  But she has yet to be able to grab toys, yet to really respond to us calling out to her, and her focus on things around her still needs to be developed.  Not bad for a two -and-a-half-month old!

The week has whizzed fast.  I am reverting back to my role of being a student soon.  And YEN cannot believe that she will be returning back to work after her birthday and National Day, which are just around the corner!  For me, I do not really know what to expect for the next semester, though now we take on new roles of being year-two students (and me "promoted" to be a father of a child!).  I just know I have to be more hard working this time round with the added responsibility!

YEN and I brought our princess to "visit" my late father at MANDAI CREMATORIUM this morning.  My mum wanted us to "inform" my dad that he is a grandfather now.  It just rekindled my feelings of being sad and apologetic towards my father - that as his eldest son, I couldn’t fulfill the yearnings of someone at the stage of life he was in, which was for him to carry his own grandchild.  I failed to somewhat "complete" his life before he left us…  =(

I told the class that I was "closer to" in my five weeks in NAN HUA PRIMARY, 5C, that I was thinking of bringing RACHEL to see them this week.  Since we were going to be out this morning, I had got YEN’s agreement that we go back to NAN HUA today.  I visited the general office and staff room first, and she was, as always, popular and well received.  We went up to 5C after that…

And boy, was she as well received!  When the kids saw me, they went "MR LEE!  MR LEE!"  That was heart-warming!  I can already feel the joy of teaching, though I have yet to graduate and become a fully-fledged teacher!  It definitely felt good when I received a farewell-card signed by the students, and another couple of them gave me their handiwork too…  I look forward to my next attachment to the school (I hope!) next year!  =)