Sunday, October 29, 2006

Crunch Time

I am taking a break from study to blog. As some of my friends may know, I have yet to complete my degree in Computer Science at SIM. I started the course in early 2000 and I was expected to complete it within four years. However, my posting to Taipei have stretched the course by another two years. I failed a project because I forgot to submit the final assignment in 2003. I was in Taipei then studying completely through correspondences. I made a bad decision to take up 'Artificial Intelligence' in 2004 and I flunked the exam. I skipped the resit in 2005 knowing very well I would failed again. Now I am taking 'Computer Communications' and the exam is once again looming in late November 2006.

This is crunch time for me. Fatherhood may be delightful but it is certainly time intensive. Besides taking care of Shanle and his mother, my wife, I have to plan Shanle's 1st Month celebration. I'll be resuming work tomorrow and there are loads of work to clear after the nearly two weeks break. This is really a test of my wit and perseverance. I hope I can pass the exam and complete the course but I have little confidence as I struggled with the first two questions of this third assignment. Two down and two more to go... back to the books now!

Friday, October 27, 2006

Growing Up - Shanle is Nine Days Old





















Shanle is nine days old now. We brought him to the paediatrican today and doc said that his jaundice is over. Shanle has fully recovered. Here are some fun photos of Shanle taken today for all friends to enjoy!



Mood swings
















Feeding time? You got the wrong target boy. Daddy has no milk for you!














Mummy, put aside the camera, Shanle wants to suckle...

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Insurance for Shanle

Today is my second day of paternity leave. I went to work in the morning anyway because I have to give a briefing for a colleague going on posting soon. The briefing did not materialised because my colleague thought I was on leave and did not turn up in the office. It's just another miscommunication. Anyway, I took the opportunity to clear some work and update my HR people of my new status. I also selected a gift for my newborn from my Ministry - a walker. The nicely wrapped package arrived later in the evening - amazing.

I left the office at about 12 noon and rush off to meet my friend and financial planner to finalise the insurance plans for Shanle. In the end, I bought a life plan, Child Accident Shield, Bundle of Joy, Pink of Health plus the standard Healthshield. As I have limited resources now, medical coverage will take priority over education plans. I spent quite a lot of time thinking about this well before Shanle arrived. It is not so much about protecting Shanle, but more about ensuring that I will be able to take care of his needs, if they ever arise, which I hope not. This is the same line of thought that led me to buy a life plan and the Women of Wisdom for Irene shortly after our marriage. In the face of rising medical costs, I think it is wise to insure my family as comprehensively as possible.

Of course, being a key breadwinner of the family, I have to cover myself well for the sake of my dependants. Given the tight cashflow, I will have to postpone my coverage review to probably late next year.

Night Feeder

Doc is right. Shanle is a night feeder. He woke up 12 midnight crying for milk and again at 3 am. The problem is he stayed mostly awake after three until now 7 am. He was also fed at 5 am after his shrieks woke up his tired parents. He has forgotten that his father needs to go to work early this morning. So much for baby-father talk last night. He is demanding more and more milk and Irene is trying very hard to keep up. As we are supplementing with formula milk (Similac), he seems to be unwilling to suckle directly from his mother's nipple, falling into sleep in less than 10 minutes. There he goes again... crying as I blog. (Pause: went to cuddle baby) Irene's 3rd Aunt, who is helping out with the confinement, told me it's okay to let him cry for a little while as Irene prepare for another direct feed. Crying will help him grow, expand his lungs and improve blood circulation. Indeed, his face was reddened. I think we better start training him to feed in the day. Otherwise, I will lose all sleep after the confinement. Any good ideas anyone?

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Shanle is back home

Good news! Shanle's jaundice index has fallen to 10.3 this morning. Doc discharged the little fellow and I went to collect him shortly after lunch. He definitely looked less yellowish than the day before. Just in case the jaundice returns, I dropped by the electrical shop to buy a pair of flourescent lights and extension cord. After I got home, I immediately installed the lightings on the baby cot.



Shanle apparently enjoyed his first 10 minutes of DIY phototherapy, stretching and punching the air throughout the therapy session. Doc advised that he be sun-bathed at least 10 miuntes on the front and another 10 minutes on the back everyday. If the jaundice remains under control this Friday, we can stop giving him light. He's doing great now... and sound asleep.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Shanle Hospitalised

Our poor baby is now at Thomson Medical Centre (TMC) undergoing phototherapy to treat his jaundice. I brought him to the paediatrican this morning and the blood test recorded 14.7. Doc said that the acceptable range is 12-14. To play safe, Shanle was hospitalised. His poor mother also paid a visit to TMC earlier this morning, at around 4am. She was experiencing acute pain and itchness from the small cut made to assist her delivery. Doc said that there may be a very slight infection and sent her home with antibiotics and painkillers. She's still feeling the pain but the itchness has eased.

Shanle is doing fine except for the jaundice. His current weight is nearly back to his birth weight. The nurses said that it is normal for newborn to lose some weight in the first week. I'll be paying him a visit shortly after I finish blogging. Watch this space for updates.

哄寶寶入眠的感動

寶寶正在媽媽的懷中大聲哭鬧著。媽媽緊緊地摟抱著寶寶﹐不厭其煩地哄著寶寶慢慢的入眠。在許多電影和電視劇﹐時不時會出現相似的情節。從前﹐這樣的畫面對我而言並沒有什麼奇特之處。今天早晨﹐這劇情在我家中上演了。我就是劇情的主角。小善樂喝完奶後依然不肯入眠﹐喧鬧不息。我輕輕地抱起他那細嫩柔軟的身軀﹐擁摟他入懷。我的擁抱給了他急需的安全感﹐他頓時停止了哭鬧﹐雙眼默默地望著我。他可愛極了﹗我口中不知不覺地哼著小曲﹐手掌拍著寶寶的背。他的雙眼緩緩地閉上又突然迅速地睜開。這有趣的‘眼體操’反復了無數次。過了許久﹐他終於沉浸在香睡之中。我繼續哼著我那音律失衡的小曲﹐緩緩地放他入床。我為他從新包好被子﹐安好睡姿。小曲止息了﹐無限的感動隨即涌入我的內心深處﹐遍布我的全身。

Sunday, October 22, 2006

我的新志願

<我的志願>是每位小學語言老師必備的作文題目。我已經忘記我小時候的雄心壯志。不過﹐我現在有了新的志願。我要當個稱職顧家的好父親。小善樂出生有四天了。他可愛的模樣﹐明亮的哭聲﹐還有在我懷裡那強勁的掙扎﹐都深深的牽動我的心﹐讓我感到無限的激動。我創造了一個小生命。他是我和奕雲愛情的結晶。是我們的無價之寶﹐也是我們的千斤重擔。我們務必將他扶養成才﹐培育他善良的心地﹐樂于助人的精神。我們不盼望他飛黃騰或達名利雙收﹐只希望他有個快樂美麗的人生﹐做個有用的人。這就是我的新志願。

Saturday, October 21, 2006

An Invitation to Shanle's Full Month Party

Dear aunties, uncles, elder brothers and sisters,

Little Shanle says hi!

Please mark your calendar. My full month party is scheduled on 18 November 2006 (Saturday). As hordes of relatives and friends will be coming down to meet me, we will need to arrange different Meet-the-People-Sessions (MPS) for different groups of relatives & friends.

My parents, Kee Chor & Irene, will be contacting you soon either by phone, email or SMS. This is their first big assignment for Shanle. The tentative plan is to have two MPS. Lunch (11 am - 2 pm) will be mainly for our relatives and family friends. Afternoon Tea (2 - 6 pm) for friends and colleagues. The reason for doing so is to avoid overcrowding so that I can get to say hi to everyone. The segmentation is flexible. It is perfectly okay if you wish to come at a different timing that suits your schedule. The important thing is that you let my parents know well before hand so that we can cater sufficient amount of food for everyone.

I don't think my parents will be inviting the whole world to my big day. They are shy people and they may not want inconvenience you unnecessarily. If you are free to join us on 18 Nov, do drop my Daddy an email to let us know in advance. Alternatively, you can indicate your interest by writing a comment for this posting.

I understand from my parents that choosing gifts for newborn can be quite a hassle. To make things simple for everyone, I will love to receive gift vouchers from any store that sells baby products (e.g. Kiddy Palace or Mothercare). It has come to my attention that there are already a couple gift sets of newborn clothing for me before I was born. If there are more coming, I will be very disappointed if I outgrew the clothing before I get a chance to wear them. My parents are really great people and they will use your vouchers to get things that I need as I grow up ;-) If I am not wrong, Ang Pows will also serve the same purpose. I got a couple of them just hours after I was born. They got me useful stuff like Similac, pampers, toys and even painful vaccinations.

As my parents work on with this big assignment, I will do my part to eat well, stay healthy and prime myself for the big day. There will be a lot of photo opp for everyone, and trust me, I will look gorgeous! See you all soon!

Friday, October 20, 2006

為我們的寶寶取個好名字

我們的第一個寶寶出生了. 身為父母,我們得為他取個好名字. 這關係到孩子的一生, 所以我們須要慎重的選擇. 孩子的名字不只是讓他人辨認的詞彙, 它更包涵著父母對他的祈望與祝福.

我的名字 '基礎' 是我婆婆為我取的. 我大姐取名 '美愛', 二姐取名 '也好'. 就是要讓我有個 '愛好的基礎'. 婆婆希望我會腳踏實地的做人. 婆雖然在我很小的時候就以不在人世, 但是她對我的影響可是至深至親. 一路走來, 我都謹記婆婆的意願, 做個踏實的有用人.

我希望我也能為我的寶寶奠定良好的基礎, 首先為他取個好名字. 我和奕雲想了好久, 終於擬定以 '善' 為 我們孩子的名字重心. 這男娃兒就取名為 '陳善樂'. 希望他這一生萬事都 '以善為本, 為善最樂'. 我們終究無法照顧他的一生. 我們可以做到的就是灌輸他正確的價值觀, 讓他一生受用不盡. 我們深切相信, 只要他能以善待人, 他會感覺他的人生是快樂的.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

The Real Thing - Birth of Little Kee Chor

I am officially promoted to the rank of father with effect from 18 October 2006, 1:56pm, with the birth of our baby boy today. Both Irene and Baby are well. Epidural worked wonders and Irene delivered the baby almost without any pain. Three long pushes and our baby emerged shrieking with life! Here are some pics of our baby 'Shan Le' or 陳善樂 in Chinese. I will explain the choice of the name in another posting.

Irene is currently resting at Thomson Medical Centre and I quickly came back home to find the receipts for claiming against the Medisave and to bring our original marriage certificate for the birth registration. Time is short so let me just briefly describe the whole experience.

Before we went to sleep last night at around 11:30pm, Irene felt some discomfort at her cervics area. The pain was so slight and we decided to wait and see. At around 2:30pm, she woke me up again complaining of more pain. Is it another false alarm? I loaded the lessons learnt from the ante-natal classes and asked Irene to describe her pain - is it regular? is the pain coming on stronger increasingly? is the pain similar to cramps just before her period? Irene couldn't really describe her discomfort and so we waited. She went to the toilet shortly after. She has bled again, but the stains were not bright red or brownish, but pinkish. This is one of the three signs of labour that we learnt. I quickly gave my father-in-law a call and started to pack in all the toiletries in the maternity bag. We were off to the hospital in no time.

Irene was warded in the delivery ward immediately and dilation has started. It was 4:09am. By 9:00am, the dilation was only 1 cm and we thought it could be another false alarm. Our gynae came and we found out that Irene's waterbag has ruptured and the baby has to be delivered today. As the contraction was slow, labour was induced and epidural administered.

By 1:00pm, the dilation came to about 8-9cm and we were told that our gynae would be here anytime soon to deliver the baby. Irene was oblivious to the pain becasue of the epidural. Our gyane arrived at around 1:30pm and the pushing began. It was a painless process and with the help of the vacuum cup, our baby was delivered at 1:56pm. The epidural has greatly distorted our excitement. It was only when I held our baby in my arms then I realised I am now a father. The feeling was strange... The more I looked at our baby boy, I more I grown on him. I am going to spoil him I think. Let's hope not.

I will have time to share my feelings and thoughts in my future postings. Now, I better go back to Irene. She's now in pain after the epidural withered off.

More pics and video clips coming your way. Watch this space!

Monday, October 16, 2006

False Alarm

Irene woke me up from bed at 5am in the morning. 'I bled a little,' she said. She is in her 39th week of pregnancy now and the baby can be due anytime. I was fully awake with the news and quickly gave our gynae a call. I was truly sorry for waking him up this early but we need some advice quickly. Since Irene did not experience any contraction pain and her water bag was still intact, my gynae told us to stay at home first and monitor her condition. I had to take urgent leave today. I made some breakfast and scrambled to tidy up the baby room. Irene's still bleeding a little and we decided to visit our gynae. I booked a car and we quickly set off to my gynae's clinic at Thomson Plaza. It was a false alarm but the baby's head was fully engaged. Irene's cervics was closed and we were told to return home. It was exciting time. Our gynae said that Irene could be in labour anytime soon. Fatherhood is imminent!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Birthday at Covo Bistro & Lounge


Yesterday was Irene's birthday and her first day of leave, which will last until the end of her maternity leave. She has taken extra leave to nurse at home, preparing for the delivery of our baby boy.

I took leave too and spent the morning doing the laundry and cleaning the floor. We were out after two in the afternoon to see our gynae. Our baby was doing great, 3kg (500gm up since a week before), still kicking quite hard.

It was Irene's birthday but I had no present for her. I promised her to buy an OSIM U-Zap to help her slim down after the baby is out. To make up the day, I prepared three surprises for her.

We went to this nice little restaurant called 'Covo Bistro & Lounge' for dinner and I got my usual online Orchard Florist to send a table bouquet of roses and bears to Covo (Surprise 1). So when we got there, the flowers were sitting nicely on our table. Covo was very nice indeed to put us in their special outdoor area next to a small pond with a few koi in it. Here are some pics taken to share.



The setting was great with a small little candlelight with an open top. The only problem was the noise from the TV on the upper floor. But it was okay... quite interesting. You can choose to be indoors or sit at the bar counter. There's a small room for about seven for private gathering. The room even has its own music player for those who want to listen to different music. There are also a couple of outdoor sofa areas for people to retire for a nice drink after the main course at the table.
Covo serves a range of western-styled (I think it's Italian) dishes a-la-carte and also tapa food for those who just want to talk and have something light. We went for the 'Rack of Lamb', a Covo signature dish. The three pieces of lamb were marinated in honey and the dish taste quite unique. The salad with grilled chicken starter was wonderful too. We ordered a pan-fried salmon sandwich later as we were quite hungry still. The food was quite good. It is really worth a try. Covo is located at 16 Greenwood Avenue S(289209) Tel: 64668103.
Irene enjoyed the dinner very much. The table bouquet was a nice surpise for her. But there are two more in store. She was harping for a birthday cake all day long. We did not have one at Covo because we were too full. After we are back home, I quickly prepared the second surprise. I got a mini heart-shaped cake for her during the day while she was back in the office to retrieve her keys. It was hidden in the car all day. After we are ready to sleep, I light up the candle and sang her a birthday song (Surprise 2). She was overjoyed. The third surprise came not too long later when her name popped up over the radio YES 933. DJ Jiahui read my message for her '祝你生日快樂﹐邂逅了你﹐燦爛了我的一生'.
It was a great birthday for her. Her last before she becomes a mother and a memorable one!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

For Food Lovers

I received an email from Irene earlier this morning and it reads:

"For all you food lover out there. Tired of having the same food day after day? Now, you can plan where to have your makan outing with this comprehensive and informative web site, The Internet "Best Food Guide". This is a site that gathers all the best, delicious and tasty food which
are all favoured by Singaporeans. It will help you to navigate your makan trips via 5 different regions.

So, here is your chance to search and try out all various food to fulfill your appetite. Visit http://www.sbestfood.com"

I paid the site a visit and I was truly amazed! I heard my stomach groan as I browse through the links. I am never going to succeed in losing weight I thought. I weight about 75 kg nowadays. That is a decent weight for my height of 173 cm. The problem is the extra fat is gathering around my waist instead of my chest and butt! I am feeling tight in my 35-inch pants. I used to be 29-inch before I left for Taipei in 2002. I thought maybe I can cut down after returning to Singapore. But the signs are not encouraging. The blame is mine alone. I was just too lazy to work out regularly. Well, after our baby is born, I will definitely join Irene in her weight-losing regime. Wish me success!

Monday, October 09, 2006

Wedding of Karyn and Lawrence

I attended Karyn and Lawrence's wedding yesterday evening at the Beaufort Sentosa. The solemnisation was played out in a backdrop of the setting sun. The sky was bluish red. Thank goodness the haze lifted and the PSI was down to around 40 from the 150 mark the day before. Otherwise, all of us may have to be issued masks as a wedding gift!

I knew the two of them during my posting in Taipei. But I only knew about their long long courtship of nine years at their wedding yesterday. Nine Years! I have to take my hats off to them for sticking together these long years, peppered with frequent trips, relocations and time apart. My message to them, which I wrote in their wedding book for well wishers, is "Have kids, the more the merrier!" I am looking forward for a kids gathering with our ex-SAROC gang... the second generation...

It was a fun wedding... I was glad that Irene and I did not have to go through the same 'tests': smelling out the right hubby, passing bananas through the pants or lap dancing. I was lucky! Fortunately or unfortunately, Irene was not there. She may have missed the fun, but I would worried if she could take it, late in her pregnancy, the non-stop laughing during the games.

Thanks to Karyn and Lawrence for the great time. Sorry that I had to leave early as I got a pregnant wife waiting for me to coax her to sleep. For that, I had to miss the Patissier wedding cake once again (I missed it at John & Jenny's wedding last year). Who's next?

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Baby Arriving Soon... Fatherhood Imminent

In the past two months of pregnancy, Irene often said that her colleagues were wondering why her tummy was still so small. Well, I have the same question at the back of my mind. I wondered if our gynae made a mistake in his calculation and our baby was propably due much later than the original 28 Oct 2006.

Being an anxious husband and a soon-to-be father, I posed this question to our gynae last Saturday. After doing all the ultrasound scan and checks, he said that the baby was doing great, weighing 2.5kg. He estimated the baby's weight at birth to be slightly over 3kg. As for the small tummy, he explained that the 'compactness' was due to the relatively small amount of liquid in the womb. He added that this was a good thing because the baby would not 'float' around too much. Thank goodness, the baby's head is down, ready for birth.

Irene is now in her 37 weeks of pregnancy and our baby boy is mature enough for birth anytime soon. I am going to be a father! Besides learning the tricks of coaxing our baby, feeding, cleaning etc., I got to spend some time thinking about how I am going to bring up my boy. Friends, if you have some advice for me (other than 'getting enough sleep') on fatherhood, I will be grateful to read them here.

This Space is for my friends 為朋友們而設的'基礎空間'

This Space is for my friends.

Living a nomadic lifestyle, I have more friendships than the time I have to nurture them. I hope to keep my friends abreast of my life, share my photo albums, videos and the little things happening along the way before we next meet.

這空間是為朋友而設的. 過著飄泊不定的生活,所累積的友誼比我能夠交心的時間還多. 希望可以通過這空間和朋友們保持聯系.

I was known by different names at the different stages of my life. I was known as "Jichu" (基礎) since I was kid till I graduated from secondary school. I was known as "Jeffrey" in my polytechnic days and "KC" in my army days. Since I ORD from the National Service, I have been using my first name "Kee Chor", until today.

我在人生中的不同階段有不同的名字. 在中學之前,大家都叫我基礎(JICHU). 理工學院期間,我是JEFFREY. 當兵服役時我就叫做KC. 自從退役后,我就開始用 KEE CHOR, 我身份證上的名字.

For the information of long-lost friends who bumped into this space, I am happily married. My wife, Irene, is carrying our first baby boy while I am blogging away. Our baby should be due on 28 October 2006. If you want to know more, I have some included links to my wedding homepage and videos in this Space for your leisure surfing. I am currently working for the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). I have been posted to Phnom Penh and Taiwan since I joined the Ministry in Feb 2000. Take your time to browse through the photo albums here. I will upload more photos along the way.

如果你是我失散多年的朋友,我想法讓你知道一些我的近況. 我結婚了. 我妻子,奕雲, 現今正懷著我們的第一個男寶寶,預計今年十月二十八日出生. 如果你想知道更多,你可以遊覽我的婚姻網址還有這空間所連接的影片. 我現今就任於新加坡外交部總部. 自從在2000年二月加入后,我曾經外派到金邊和台北. 這裡也有電子相片供大家觀賞. 未來的日子里,我會上載更多相片.

As I slowly learn to become a father, I will have lesser time for my friends. I am a typical Cancer, home-loving creature, who spend more time with my family. As I move where my job takes me, I will make more and more friends from around the world. At the same time, my list of long-lost friends will also grow longer . It is my hope, with the help of this Space, to find all my long-lost friends and stay in touch with all my friends.

就當我慢慢的學習如何當個父親,我能騰出來的時間會相對的減少. 我是個標準的巨蟹座. 顧家的我會自然的花多點時間在家人上. 在我四海為家的打拚時,朋友會不斷增加,失散的朋友也會更多. 我希望通過這空間找尋我失散的朋友,並且與所有的朋友保持聯系.

If you are a friend of mine, I welcome you to leave your words here. Thanks!

如果你是我的朋友之一,我歡迎你在此留言. 謝謝!

Music Nournishes The Soul & Mind (Chinese Songs)......