My exploration in life… (diary for baby!)

YEN and I went to HDB Hub this morning to collect the new keys to our new 5-room executive flat, which happens to be near our current place.  It is YEN’s first piece of property, and our first joint-ownership of one, so you can imagine how excited she is.  Collection of the keys took a little while, and we came back home, all ready to visit our new flat in the afternoon.

We went together with mum, EDDIE and our little princess to our new place.  We were wary of sticking to old wives’ tales YEN’s mum told us to abide by: the first person who enters the place the first time have lots of garlic ("suan") in his / her pockets so that there will be lots of money for them to count later in life, sprinkling little amounts of uncooked rice and salt into all corners of the flat while mouthing good wishes we have for the family that moves into the flat, rolling a pineapple in the living room so that riches will "come" into the house and to its owners, etc.  Better follow the folks’ wishes than to go against them, we say.  It doesn’t take a lot of us and doesn’t go against our beliefs, anyway.

These weeks will see us frantically trying to secure a renovation contractor and trying to decide what will be best for our new place.  YEN and I really had some very different ideas of our new place, but I think I will give in for most things she’d want.  I want her happy too, you know.  I’ll try not to be mule-headed, but it’s hard to, especially when she asks for my opinions…  ("_)

Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya to all our Indian and Malay friends!

I just returned from a night’s bonding / cohesion with my pals.  We even followed up with a breakfast together and talked about a diverse range of topics – from updating each other on our current lives, talking about current affairs and such… Found out too that one of my pals’ mother is ill.  Wish her well and think YEN and I will bring RACHEL to visit and cheer her up soon…

RACHEL is recovering from her diarrhoea, probably a result from her putting things in her mouth or putting her fingers in her mouth after touching anything else.  In fact, she has found time to learn how to flip from laying on her back to almost to the ‘prone position’, where she is supported by her front on the ground.  Her arms do not seem strong enough, still, but I’m sure crawling will come with time…  =)

Really want to thank at lot of people in making my life as a parent and father much easier than it is – first of all and most importantly, my darling YEN in having conceived, given birth and taking such good care of our adorable princess.  She has taken such good care of everyone around her that I sometimes feel jealous I don’t get all the attention I want!  =P

Then there is my mum, mother-in-law, EDDIE, HUIJUN and JASON.  Their care for the three of us really helps us so much in our daily life activities / concerns.  SHIRLEY had provided us with such wonderful advice for RACHEL whenever she seems to run into some health-related issue.  I know my pals of twenty years, ZHENSHUN, JINGFANG, JIANWEI, JIANHONG, WENQIANG, SHIYONG, CEYU, etc. are just a phone call away and are almost always ready to lend me a hand or a ear if I need them.  My best mates at NIE – ROZALI, YONGSHENG, SHAWN, KAIXIN, FAIZAL, just to mention a few, understands my difficulties as a parent / father who is also working / studying, providing me with whatever advice / assistance they can, taking my nonsense and so much blabbering…

And to so many friends whom I have not mentioned, but have been helping me out in so many ways, thank you!  I may have already broken down without all of you!

We had to send RACHEL to visit the doctors last night due to her running a temperature for a couple of days and her diarrhoea.  Though her temperature was probably developed over the Hep-B injection she had on 10 Oct, and it was going on and off for over a few days, she soiled her diapers (the *yucky* watery type) on the average five times a day.  Sometimes, she would let out some wind from below and it would include a little "present" for us.  YEN and I didn’t feel her condition was too normal, and we decided to send her to KK Hospital despite my returning after my netball lesson after 8pm.

The doctor at KK Hospital said our princess was alright and gave her some medicine.  Her fever has since subsided, but her diarrhoea is still ongoing.  =(

And she actually developed some kind of rashes at the rear and side of her head on 13 Oct.  I was on sick leave almost the whole of the past week and was on hand to drive her to the polyclinic.  But it was good that by the time we reached JURONG EAST POLYCLINIC, her "rashes" disappeared.  Still, we visited the doctor for it, as well as her flu; think she got the flu bug from me =(…

Our princess received her third Hepatitis-B injection on 10 October, and like most babies would, developed a fever because of that.  We’re still monitoring her fever, though it has gone down a little.  As it is the second day since her injection already, I am quite worried that the fever has lasted a tad long and it is especially dangerous for babies to have fever (can cause brain damage if I’m not wrong).  YEN told me not to worry as it is a "side-effect" from the injection.

And of all times, I chose this best time to fall sick!  I cannot carry, much less take care of our girl as I do not wish to pass the flu and cough viruses to her.  So I’ve been reminding myself to keep a distance from her, even when I here her wails when my mum is attending to other chores and not by her side.  =(  Hmmph!

I did not wish to visit the doctor and stay away from classes as a result, but I remembered that we were still going to NAN HUA for microteaching on Fridays.  With the sensitivity of the situation on the school children being unwell from the STAMFORD PRIMARY and ANG MO KIO SECONDARY incidents, I do not wish to give NAN HUA a chance to point fingers at PESS for bringing viruses in.  I mean, they are kind enough to agree to allow us conduct PE with classes they assign us even though they cancelled all PE lessons for the rest of the school.  And there was the ongoing PSLE exams to think of then…

We went for a customary wedding dinner as a family, a first for us (and RACHEL!).  EDDIE and HUIJUN were joint-emcees for the first time in their lives too, and it was for HUIJUN’s elder brother’s wedding dinner.  But our poor little girl was crying non-stop from about the second dish!  YEN and I took turns in trying to eat while we pacify her, and in the end, I gave up with the dinner and took her around, outside of the function room.  RACHEL’s cries were a little start-stop at first when we walked her about, but it later progressed to being non-stop until I was driving us back home!  Think she was a little hungry from all the crying, and stopped soon after we had the milk bottle in her mouth…

Am reading with horror The New Paper on Friday, 6 October, that features a 3-year-old boy from Johor Bahru dying of shocking injuries.  The article reported that he suffered a cracked skull, bruises on his eyes, cigarette burn marks on his wrists and tears, at the "hole-that-doesn’t-see-light".  His 22-year-old mother and 23-year-old boyfriend have alleged to abuse the toddler to death.  The boy was adorable - his picture was published on the papers.  If the allegations are true, which they seem to be, then the pair had better die a slow, torturing death!  Hell, how could someone be as inhuman to do something like what is alleged of them??

We returned from our second microteaching session from NAN HUA this morning.  I thought I conducted a terrible lesson, from the viewpoint that I had little class management skills (still) and that I took a little while to remember that I had to demonstrate the skill I was trying to teach them for the sport - football.  Am still quite displeased at myself for my inability to conduct a better PE lesson!  =(

I spoke to YEN regarding our new place and its renovations to follow, furniture to buy, etc.  Perhaps our view of how our new place will be is different - we have different ideas of how much to touch up our place and to renovate it.  Looking at her plans, I think we cannot run away from spending a small fortune at our new home.  At that time, I realised that I probably have to put my plans of getting a part-time degree on hold, so as to lessen our financial burden.  It might be good too, that I can concentrate teaching first to see if it is a job I like to have beyond our 3-years’ bond, and if I can handle the job before I take on a part-time degree…

YEN and I went for our first foot massage session together two weekends ago.  It was actually my first taste at it too.  I’ll have to say that it was something new, and I may not want to try it often in future – why pay and put myself through all the pain?!

My good friend / sister SHIRLEY suggested that RACHEL could be ‘teething’ after reading from this blog about RACHEL’s discomforts and cries.  I thought it was a little too early for babies to be growing teeth, but she told me her baby girl, JANELLE, started growing hers from the fourth month.  I checked by sticking my finger in her mouth to feel, and there seems no sign of any growing, yet.  I really appreciate SHIRLEY’s many timely advises…  =)

I have been running into or being updated of information about friends / acquaintances lately.  Let’s see – I met AARON (knew him from Army) in NIE and got to know that he is taking a diploma in teaching here as well; an ex-secondary school senior (think his name is ‘HALIM’) who is taking a PGDE course in PE now; met CHUI CHIN (an ex-cadet mate; she’s now rejoined SAF as a DXO!), SIMON LEE (another ex-cadet mate) and another former ex-colleague (sadly, I cannot recall his name) as they are having a short course here in NIE.  Met QIRONG, SIMIN and WENPEI (last met them at the customary wedding dinner I had in 2004) at SHUREN’s church wedding.  And four other polytechnic classmates in a gathering I mentioned about earlier…  ‘Heard’ (through SMS) from my Secondary School classmate ESTHER too, that she is currently working in CHINA!  Glad that everyone is coping fine in life!

On the flip side, I found that there had been a huge gap appearing between the “old men” and myself in NIE.  Not that I was getting any much younger!  I’m not sure what exactly happened, but it has come to such a bad situation that I hardly talk to any of them anymore.  I find myself having less and less people I can talk to freely, other than YONGSHENG.  Sigh, was it something I said / did?  I must learn to by less vocal and mind only my business…  =(