善恩的到来

我美丽的女儿，陈善恩，诞生了。当她哥哥出世时，我叙述了我们为他命名为善樂的由来。 我们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。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。

女儿也同她哥哥一样，以"善"为名字重心。"恩"字的来由就有着更深一层的意思。善樂出生候，我们原本不打算再生育。因为奕云在第一次怀孕前候进出医院数次，饱受折磨。我不想她再承受那样的痛苦。可是，当母亲去年离世时，我忽然感觉应该给樂樂一个同胞。 我們虽然無法照顧他的一生，但是我们可以給他一个弟弟或妹妹。我也没有向奕云深入解释。只是在为母亲守灵的第三夜问她是否原意。她没多问便欣然答应了。母亲在天之灵保佑，这胎顺顺利利，没有我们憂虑的病痛。

"恩"字的来由也就是为了感念母亲数十年来的养育之恩。我希望女儿不但能以善为本，也能以感恩的心灿烂她的人生。

Curriculum Vitae of Tan Kee Chor

TAN Kee Chor was born in Singapore on 24 June 1977.

He was educated in Chong Boon Primary School, Anderson Secondary School and Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) where he graduated in 1997 with a Diploma in Business Studies. Kee Chor subsequently attained a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) at UniSIM through distance learning from 2000 - 2006.

An active student leader since his secondary school days, Kee Chor was selected as a student ambassador of Ngee Ann Polytechnic from 1995-1997. Besides organising campus events and leading visitors around the campus, Kee Chor also helped conduct a familiarisation tour of Singapore for foreign students.

In the third year of polytechnic education, Kee Chor co-led a project team to win the 3rd prize of the National Business Strategy Competition (student category) for the year 1996/1997 organised by the Marketing Institute of Singapore.

After completing his secondary school education in 1994, Kee Chor worked for Prime Auto Care (PAC) as a car-grooming technician. He was retained by PAC on part-time employment in July 1995 after he began polytechnic education. Kee Chor was subsequently promoted to assistant sales supervisor in October 1995. Kee Chor ended his employment with PAC after June 1997 to enlist for National Service (NS).

During NS, Kee Chor underwent basic military training before he was deployed to Defence Finance Organisation (DFO) as a finance clerk. In February 1998, He was posted overseas to Taipei to serve as a finance clerk at a military training HQ. Kee Chor's one-year posting was subsequently extended until he was released from full-time NS in December 1999 with certification for outstanding conduct and performance.

Kee Chor began his professional career at the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in February 2000 under the Management Support Officer Scheme. He was first appointed as the Assistant Corporate Affairs Officer championing the PS21 movement in MFA. He also led his team to win an Gold Award at the National Quality Circles' Convention in August 2001.

In September 2001, Kee Chor was posted to the Singapore Embassy in Phnom Penh understudying as the Attaché (Admin & Consular) for four months. The short-term posting was followed by four months of pre-posting training for administrative secretaries.

Kee Chor was posted to the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei in June 2002 as the Assistant Trade Representative (Admin & Consular). During his posting, Kee Chor was also elected to the supervisory committee of the Singapore Association in Taipei from 2003-2006 where he organised numerous events for the Singapore community in Taipei. He relinquished his post in Taipei in February 2006.

Kee Chor was posted to the Internal Audit Unit in MFA HQ as an Internal Audit Officer, a position he held until October 2007.   Thereafter, Kee Chor served at the Singapore Embassy in Cairo from March 2008 to July 2011 as the Second Secretary (Admin & Consular) where he experienced the 25th January 2011 uprising and assisted many Singaporeans depart Egypt during the crisis.

Kee Chor is currently serving as Assistant Director, Recruitment & Appointments, in MFA HQ.  Since joining MFA, Kee Chor was promoted four times in 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2012.  He is now a Grade 3 officer under the Foreign Service Administration Specialist Scheme.

In 2010, Kee Chor received the Excellence in Service Award from MFA and the Certificate of Recognition as an Outstanding Activist from the PS21 ExCEL Committee.

In 2011, Kee Chor received the PS21 Star Service Award and the Efficiency Medal - a National Day Award.

Besides his primary appointments in MFA, Kee Chor also undertook secondary appointments such as assistant editor for the in-house newsletter, member of the S2006 CSO sub-committee and assistant honorary treasurer for the MFA Club.

Kee Chor is married to Mdm Chong Yik Yin and they have a son.

He enjoys bowling, swimming, golf, cycling, travelling, blogging and reading.

Blogging on Blogger Again 重新启动部落格

从今天开始，我将重新启动这部落格。是什么原因使我在短短三个月后回心转意？今天收到一位故人的电邮。她说她无法加入Facebook，看不到我近来的笔记，无法了解我和我家人的近况。因此她感到困扰也有点无奈。最后，她就写了封电邮给我，希望了解我近来如何。她亲切的关怀让我十分感动也怀有些歉疚之意。我当初决定使用Blogger的原因不就是为了能和各地的朋友保持无障碍的交流吗？为何现在又躲入了Facebook内，而迫使想要了解我近况的朋友们加入呢？所以我决定回到这开放的部落格。这几个月来我也没有在Facebook内写了些什么。我只是上栽了一些乐乐近来所拍的一些照片。其实，Facebook中就不太适合我写部落格的方式。那是因为它没有储存的功能而我又不习惯一次过就把文章上载。所以还是这儿比较适合我。再说了，我自始至终还是无法将我在网上的媒介全部集中在Facebook内。YouTube 的影音上载以及线上观赏的素质毕竟还是略胜一筹。

I am restarting my Blogspot from today.  What changed my mind after a short three-month period?  I received an email from an old friend today.  She was unable to sign up Facebook to find out about my latest condition.  Hence, she felt sad and rather helpless.  In the end, she wrote me hoping to find out if I am alright.  I was very touched by her concern and I felt sorry.  The reason why I chose Blogger originally was because it is accessible for all my friends.  I wonder why I wanted to hide in Facebook and kept my friends out as a result.  That was not my intention.  Anyway, I am back.  I did not blog much in Facebook during the past months.  There is no function to save the notes as draft and I am not used to blogging realtime.  Many times, I have to stop my blog and come back at a later time to finish it.  Blogspot fits my style better.  Moreover, I did not manage to consolidate all my web presence in Facebook.  YouTube is still far better in video uploading and online streaming. 

The Day for Consolidation has Arrived

Today is the Islamic New Year and a public holiday in Egypt. So here I am taking the little recious time I have to relook at my online presence. After logging into all my sites, Facebook, Blogspot and MSN Space, I asked myself why not keep everything at the same place. Well, the reasons for this decentralisation was mainly because the different sites serve my different needs The MSN Space is good for photos but not for blogging. Blogspot is good for blogging but not really engineered for photo albums. I joined Facebook much later and I thought moving everything over will be too much work.

Thinking again, I do not really have to "move" everything over. I just have to set a cut off date and start blogging and loading albums on Facebook from then. My old blogs and photo albums can remain where they are in Blogspot and MSN. There are already links to them from Facebook so my friends will still be able to dig up my past quite easily.'

So, the day for consolidation has arrived. All eggs in one basket. My slavery to Facebook is now complete. It's quite scary coming to think of it. If Facebook unplugs, I am gone as well. I hope that there are ways to backup my stuff on Facebook. This is what I have to find out next.

Anyway, this is the last blog I am posting on Blogspot. Go to my Facebook for the next posting.

Goodbye My Friends

Dear Friends,

I will be leaving Singapore today and relocating to Cairo for the next three years. The run-up to my departure has been a very busy time for I and my family. This is the first time I am going on a posting with my wife and son in tow. Preparation has never been more tedious and time-consuming. Hence, I was unable to catch up with many of you before I depart.

As I have written in the introduction of this blog, "living a nomadic lifestyle, I have more friendships than the time I have to nurture them. I hope you will understand. Do stay in touch and continue to keep me posted on the major happenings in your lives.

In the past one month after I returned from Cairo from my language studies, I managed to make a trip to Taiwan to catch up with some old friends there. Sorry I was unable to announce my visit earlier or contact many many good friends I have in Taiwan. The trip was a short one and I had to set aside a few days to visit Tainan and 溪头. I will post the photographs taken on the trip on my MSN Space after I settled down in Cairo.

The taxi will be coming in about an hour time. It's going to be another emotional time of separation. This time it's not just about me, but also my wife and our son. His grandparents naturally cannot bear to see him go but I have to bring them along. I think it is important for us to stay together as a family. I believe we will survive this posting well and enjoy our stay in Cairo, leaving behind beautiful memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

Wish us well my friends. If you plan to visit, do drop us an email and we will gladly play host.


Kee Chor, Irene and Shanle

Shanle's 1st Birthday

Time flies and our boy Shanle turns one today. One of the two reasons why I did not make any blog entry yet this month is because much time was spent preparing Shanle's birthday party which was held on 13 Oct 07. Here is a video clip with the highlights.



One year ago on 18 October 2006, we welcomed the arrival of our first baby boy. Shanle has been the main force behind this blog of mine and his growth provided rich fodder for sharing. Today, we brought him to the Singapore Science Centre before going on a shopping spree at IMM pampering our birthday boy with new clothes and toys. Here are some photos to share.

Welcome 2007

After bidding farewell to an eventful 2006, isn't it time to welcome the year of 2007 with a list of New Year Resolutions? Well, I don't really have a habit of making New Year Resolutions. I think I will probably end up with motherhood statements that don't really mean anything. But I will try anyway.

2007 will be an important year for our young family. I just hope everyone around us stays healthy and out of hospital throughout the year. I had enough of hospital visits in 2006. Besides eating well, I got to seriously do some exercise to keep fit. I have not been exercising regularly for quite some years. My stamina is at its all time low. I will start with a twice weekly swim of 10 laps slowly increasing to 30 laps by the end of 2007. I hate jogging.

2007 is the year I am wearing the 'square hat' at the SIM convocation ceremony after attaining my degree in computer science. SIM told me the ceremony is going to be in the late part of the year. My Mum will be relieved to see me graduate. But my pursue for knowledge will not end here. In my free time, I will strive to keep up to speed with all the ICT developments and find ways to acquire skills in CRM and ERP software technology, as well as learning the .NET and Java platforms.

Attainment of my degree qualification calls for a review of my career options as well. Should I stay in MFA for job security and overseas postings or should I venture into the ICT industry where my passion lies? I will be 30 on June 24, 2007. With a family to support, a simple decision to pursue a career of my passion becomes complex. Anyway, 2007 will be a deciding year of my career.

Okay. Three resolutions will be just right. Not too many, not too few. By the end of 2007, I will look back and see if my resolutions worked.

To all friends: Happy New Year!

Goodbye 2006

2006 is a milestone year of my life. In Feb 06, I returned from my nearly four years posting in Taipei. Irene, my wife, and I returned with the good news of the arrival of our first child. Our baby boy, Shanle, was borned on 18 Oct 06. Today, I received the result of my examination for the last module of my degree programme in computer science at UniSIM. I passed! I am finally graduating after six long ardous years of part-time, long distance study.

2006 is also the year I started this blog of mine. Living a nomadic lifestyle, I have more friendships than the time I have to nurture them. I hope to keep in touch with my friends here. So far I am enjoying myself blogging, creating videos and sharing bits of my life with friends afar. As Shanle grows and my workload mounts higher, I may have less time to blog in 2007. But I will certainly try to blog whenever there are significant changes in my life.

Goodbye 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.

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!

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!