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。

金虎年！万事大吉!

听说今年是金虎年。希望新加坡的生育率不会跌得太惨。毕竟是金身的老虎，应该不比龙子龙女逊色吧。我们一小家子今年就在开罗过了年。今年没办法回国和家人团圆，心里不乐意可是也别无他法。不过我们还是可以通过电脑视讯和父母及家人拜年也还算不错了。除了到同事的家和其他新加坡同胞聚会，我们也没有什么庆祝，家里也没多加春节的摆设。

不过值得一提的是我们的家在上个月内添了不少的新摆设。所有的画，拼图和电影海报都挂上各处的墙壁。我们也物色了不少家庭装饰比如埃及的木制屏风（Mashrabiya），室内植物，花盆，灯具，蜡烛，等等。。。你可能在纳闷，怎么住进来将近两年后才来布置家内摆设呢？这是因为我们在上个月在寒舍宴请亚西安(ASEAN)各国同辈的外交官。攸关国体所以必须把家里布置一番。也因为如此，在经过一番努力后，我们的家也变得更加亮丽温馨。操劳了一天后，回到家中安坐在舒适的小厅，听着醉人的音乐，闭上双眼，一天的疲劳就减轻了不少了。

上个礼拜我们和使馆所有的同僚及家人们一同到了埃及红海的度假胜地埃因素纳(Ain Sokhna)渡过了美满愉快的家庭日。乐乐玩的很开心。海水虽然冷冰冰，他却一头扑了进去，还不感觉冷。我们耗费了不少功夫才把他从水里就出来。过了不久，他就鼻水直流了，真是伤脑筋！这第二次造访Stella Di Mare，因此我们没有拍下多照片。这有几张照片留作纪念。

有亲自远方来，不亦乐乎

上个月母亲和二姐一同来到开罗度假探亲。在短暂的十天内，我也没能为他们计划些什么节目。实在是太忙了。还好我们聘请了司机，而且乐乐刚好学校放假，所以奕云可以每天带他们到开罗近郊的名胜观光。因为是圣诞节旺季，我们无法安排到南部尼罗河旁的古迹游玩。不过，我们倒是回到了亚历山大城住了两天。虽然我们上个月才到哪儿游玩，因为我们才安排一天的时间，许多名胜没有参观。所以这次就住了两天。饭店Helnan Palestine Hotel地点相当不错，客房也干净舒服。这次短短的相聚十分难得。

多了两个人家里也热闹了多了。乐乐自从回来开罗，上了豆豆班和护理课程，有了显著的进步。他开朗了很多，也会一些简单的会话。他对陌生人也不会排斥。面熟的人他也会打招呼说拜拜。母亲亲耳听他叫声奶奶也高新的不得了。乐乐的发音还不准，“姑姑”他叫成“楚楚”。这次他的收获也不少。二姐从新加坡带来大姐和她的两件圣诞礼物。我们做父母的也预备了一份。圣诞前夕他在小圣诞树下拆开礼物，玩得很开心。

Short Trip to Alexandria

I almost decided to brave the long 8-hour drive to Dahab during the long Eid Al-Adha holidays.  After taking a good look at the map of Egypt, I thought it would not be such a good idea afterall.  I am not used to driving long distances and perhaps I should try somewhere nearer first.  So we went to Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city by the Mediterranean Sea.  It was an easy drive up and my boy had a good time.

My friend Boon Keng helped booked a room night at the newly opened Radisson Blu in Alex West and we also had a short tour of the garment factory Boon Keng was managing in the Alex free zone.  However, the hotel was quite a distance from the downtown and I had to drive for about 30 minutes to get there, including the time taken to trace back my route after missing an important turn.  So on the following day, I got a minibus with a driver to bring us on the half day tour of Alexandria.  We visited the tourist sites - Alexandria Museum, Roman Theatre, Pompey Pillar, Qaitbey Citadel and Bibiliotheca, which was closed during the holidays unfortunately.

But all in all, it was a short but relaxing trip and the drive back to Cairo was a breeze.  I think I will be able to take on the drive to Dahab next and perhaps break the long drive with a night in Sharm El-Sheikh.  I have uploaded the photos taken on the Alexandria trip in my MSN photo album.  Enjoy!

Vacation in Hong Kong & Macau

In my earlier posting, I mentioned about the trip to Hong Kong and Macau during my recent relief break.  It was a very tiring break for me having to unpack and pack within a week after touching down in Singapore and unpack and pack again after a week in Hong Kong for my return to Cairo.  Nevertheless, it was a fruitful outing where I spend some good quality time with family.  Here is the photo album on my vacation to share:

新的开始

奕云和乐乐七月底回国后我全心投入工作。虽然无法事事尽善尽美，可我自问已经尽我所能把工作做好。三个月的努力换来了三个星期的假日让我可以享受短暂的天伦之乐。期间，我们还到了香港和澳门游玩。可是我没有想到这段期间的经历会让我打消原本的计划。

这次回国我们带乐乐去看了儿科心里专科医生。他的成长似乎有迟缓。我姐夫和同事也注意到他的某些特殊症状并建议我们求医。在初诊，医生也认为乐乐有自闭症的表现。不过他的症状轻微。医生建议我们让乐乐进行自闭症诊断测验 (ADOS) 或先行语言会话护理 (Speech Therapy)。

因为我们觉得乐乐患有自闭症的可能性不大，我们决定先让他进行护理，看看他的进展再思考下一步该怎么走。第一次护理乐乐表现不佳。护理师也认为他有自闭症的轻微症状。那时我的内心是十分难受，担忧乐乐的未来。护理师在了解我们的家庭环境后建议我们纠正一些不良的习惯。比如，我们得让乐了自己坐定进食，不可四处玩跑的喂他。我们也得迫使乐乐说出他的要求。乐乐也得按时早睡。在全家的配合下，乐乐在短短的两个星期内有了明显的进步。在回开罗的前一天，护理师认为乐乐不是患有自闭症，但他有些语言能力方面的障碍。他建议我们在开罗进行护理并推荐了一家护理中心。

因为乐乐需要一个稳定及健全的家庭环境，我们决定回来开罗从新开始。没有任何人可以取代我父亲的职责。如果按我们的原定计划，乐乐的状况可能会恶化。我独自在开罗也必定无法安心的工作。结果将会是两头不着岸。回来不久后我们就带乐乐到新加坡护理师介绍的护理中心。这里的医生在看了新加坡护理师的报告后建议我们让乐乐进行ADOS。这是为了彻底排除自闭症的隐忧方可对症下药。测试结果还没出炉，不过看乐乐近日来的表现，我相信他是正常的。他近日越来越活泼，语言能力方面也有不错的进步。他也不会像以前那么怕生了。

护理只是辅助，更重要的是让乐乐在开罗的生活过的充实，有优等的学习环境。我们现在正积极地寻找幼儿班还有其他的辅助课程比如唱歌，跳舞或音乐。为了让这一切可以落实，我们也聘请了一位司机，也正在张罗一位全职的家佣。这样一来奕云可以全新的照顾乐乐而我也可以更专心的工作。努力工作留下让后人赞许的基业固然重要，但家庭妻儿还是根本。优先次序我心底必须亮如明镜。

暂时的离别

奕云和乐乐今天乘搭飞机回到新加坡，留下我一个人孤零零的在开罗打拼。原本是安排他们在经济舱，可是前两天想了想，终于决定自己掏腰包让他们升等坐商务舱。这样一来，他们俩母子可以拥有比较独立的空间，奕云也可以舒服点。毕竟，这新航的班机已不再直飞新加坡而是会再度拜停留一个钟头。飞航时间也相对的拉长有两到三的钟头左右。

这次，他们会在新加坡逗留三个月。我预计十月会回国度假然后带他们一起回开罗。其间我们还计划要出国度假。可能会回台湾走走或可能会提前会开罗然后到欧洲某个城市游玩。目前还没有决定。不过，他们十月回来开罗后不久十二月尾又要回新加坡了。那将会是长期的分离了。我们不久前决定让乐乐从明年起在新加坡上幼儿班。奕云自然要陪同乐乐。而我呢，就得忍受长期孤独与寂寞的煎熬，直到我在2011年三月卸任为止。我们自然会有短时间团聚的机会。明年二月份我会回国过华人新年，六月份乐乐放长假使他们可以来开罗，九月我回国，十二月他们又过来。虽然聚少离多，我相信我们会更加珍惜在一起的时间。

这决定来之不易。一项果断的我竟然左思右想了一个多月才下定决心。我相信这是对我们一家人最好的安排。以我在开罗的工作需求与生活环境，乐乐不适合在开罗上幼儿班。开罗虽然不缺乏好品质的幼儿园，我实在无法兼顾好家庭与工作。让他们在新加坡我会感到安心，乐乐会有比较好的成长环境，而奕云也有我们父母和手足的照顾。我在开罗的任期已有半途了。我也希望可以全心投入把工作打理妥当，留下一些可以让后人赞许的基业。

离别是短暂的。

Short Weekend in Ain Sokhna

Summer has officially started and it's daylight saving time now in Egypt GMT +3! After visiting the Red Sea beach resort in Sharm El-Sheikh, I decided to spend a weekend in the opposite coast of the Red Sea, Ain Sokhna, which is only about one and a half hour away from Cairo by car. The Sokhna road connecting the capital to the Red Sea coast was excellent and the drive was a breeze.

But in the end, it still took me over four hours to get to our resort Stella Di Mare. Without a map of Ain Sokhna, I took the wrong turn when I reached the coast and I just keep driving on and on and on... 100 over km down in the direction of Hurghada. The Red Sea was beautiful and we even come across a huge wind farm along the way. All is fine as we have time and our boy is sleeping soundly in his car seat. But when the gas was getting low, I started to feel worried wondering what will happen if we did not have enough gas for the return leg and the next gas station is far away. Fortunately, a gas station was in sight and we stopped for a break, refilled the tank and asked for directions. When I uttered "Stelle Di Mare", the lady was taken aback, "Stella Di Mare is very far from here, at least 100km away"... her finger pointing to the direction I came from. Okay.... so we headed back into the car and started retracing the coastal road... all the way back to the point where the Sokhna Road meets the coast. We stopped a few times for directions to make sure we were not lost this time. Ha, we managed to reach Stella at about 4pm, almost 5 hours after we left Cairo!

We stayed at the 4-star Sea Club Hotel as the 5-star Grand Stella was fully booked. The carpark was full to the brim but I was lucky to find a tight spot with the help of the security. To make up for lost time, we headed straight for the beach. The Red Sea was a very nice view and the water is warm and crystal clear. We had a great time at the beach, had pizza, which was half eaten by scavenging crows. The only pain was from the jelly fish. Both LeLe and I were bitten. The kind waiter at the beach bar gave us some vinegar to apply on the bites, apparently the antidote. The reddish marks healed in a couple of hours later.

So the next day we decided to go for a dip in the pool just outside our villa instead of going to the beach and risk the jelly fish bites. Our boy had a very enjoyable time and I too had a chance to relax and take a break from work. It was a short holiday and we checked out after the swim and headed back to Cairo. Again, we were lost and I wasn't sure of the way to connect to the Ring Road at the end of the Sokhna Road. We spent a good hour circling the New Cairo before I managed to find myself near the Cairo Airport where I can finally find my way to the City Stars for our grocery shopping. Not too bad at all!

Check out the photos we have taken:

Long Weekend in Sharm El-Sheikh

Thanks to the Sham El-Nessim public holiday on Monday, I had a opportunity to bring my family to Sharm El-Sheikh for a relaxing long weekend.  As I have mentioned in my earlier posting on my recent car accident, I changed my mind about taking the 6-hour drive to Sharm.  But because of the peak Coptic Easter Sunday, most of the flights to Sharm on Friday and back to Cairo on Monday, were fully booked.  In the end, I had to settle for the early morning flights to avoid the long and tiring road trip.

We took the first Egypt Air flight to Sharm on Friday departing Cairo at 0510hrs.  The packing was done the night before to avoid last-minute rush but we still forgot to bring a number of things we intended like the stroller.  From hindsight, it was probably better for us not to bring it as it would be a hassle lugging it around Sharm.  We reached the airport at about 0345hrs and there was already a long queue.  Our tour agent, Mohamed El-Banna, from Jet Sky Travel was there to see us off.  I am grateful to Mohamed for helping us secured the flights and being there at the airport at such an unearthly hour to make sure we were checked in.

Our boy did not give us much trouble for the early morning rush and loss of sleep time.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Perhaps he was cooperative because he knew we were going on vacation.  Anyway, we arrived in Sharm at about 0630hrs after an hour's flight.  The guy who was supposed to ferry us to the resort did not turn up.  But we have no problem taking a taxi on our to Kiroseiz Three Corners Resort.

Kiroseiz is located a few kilometres away from the Naa'ma Bay and is a family-themed resort.  That was why Mohamed recommended the resort to us.  It's quite a good resort but there are certainly room for improvement.  As all the rooms were occupied, we had to wait till after lunch to check-in.  The wait was tiring though we took the opportunity to explore the resort ground.  The room was okay.  The sound-proofing was

 not very good and the beds shifted easily on the tiled floor.  But the room was clean and tidy.

It was a free and easy vacation for us and we did not do much planning beforehand.  We were late in joining the city tour organised by the resort on day one but we managed to find our own way to Naa'ma Bay dining/shopping belt for dinner.  We did some shopping and bought a camel fur rug, two pairs of shades and Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts.  The sun was very strong and we really need the shades... nevermind the price.  Over the next two days, we went on the United Submarine's Aquascope to tour the coral reef, spent some time at the two private beaches of Kiroseiz and joined the Bedouin Night dinner in the desert mountain area where we had tasty grilled chicken and watch belly dancing by the top belly dancer in Sharm El-Sheikh - a man named Mr Vijay.  He is really good!

Good times passed in a blink of eye!  Once again, we had to wake up very early in the morning to catch the first flight back to Cairo.

  I must say our boy enjoyed the short vacation very much.  I too find the trip very relaxing.  Sharm is really very different from Cairo.  It's clean, well-planned and the roads are wide.  Even during the peak season, it was not too crowded.  It's a pity Sharm is rather far or we will be able to visit more often.  We also did not have the time to tour the other tourist spots in Sinai like St. Catherine, Mount Sinai, Dahab, Nuweiba, Ras Mohamed National Park etc. etc.  I guess we will have to plan other trips to those places.

Go to my photo album for more photos taken during the trip.  I have also uploaded a video clip in my YouTube channel.

Letting Nature Takes Its Course

Soon after our son Le Le turned 18 months old, we were wondering when we should start giving him "toilet training".  However, we find the training quite impossible to start because our boy has not started talking yet.  We do not know when he needs to relieve himself.  So we just let him stay on with the diapers and let nature takes it course.

A few days ago, Le Le started to change his behaviour in a rather weird manner.  We frequently found him pulling down his diaper and pee in his shorts.  He also touched his little penis every now and then and even pulled down his shorts altogether, running around half naked.  Irene and I were wondering what was happening to our boy.  It suddenly struck us that he was becoming uncomfortable peeing into the diaper.  Our boy is ready for toilet training!  So we took him to his little potty in the toilet and told him to "shhi shhi" into the potty.  Walla he did just that!  I was so relieved and it looks like we can save a bit on the diapers from now on.  Of course he still needs to wear diapers during his afternoon naps, in the night and when we were going out.

However, Le Le still don't call us when he needs to relieve himself.  He shows it by touching his penis or by pulling us towards the toilet.  Well, I guess it will take some time before our shy little boy learn to voice his desires.  We will also have to learn along the way with our bundle of joy!  Here's a new video and photo for all our friends to enjoy!

回家的路

以下是我今年在Ｆａｃｅｂｏｏｋ写的唯一笔记。一月２１日

======================================

明天就要返乡过节了！ 

虽然业务压力依然沉重，向往与妻儿和家人及朋友团聚的我还是带着轻松喜悦的心情度过临行前的最后一天。今天忙于同事交接日常业务以及吩咐下属跟进一些事项。匆匆忙忙的一天就过了。因为行政与领事事务相当复杂和琐碎，我还是有点放心不下。希望我度假时不会有什么突发状况发生才好。给同事们的最后一封邮件还是把我在新加坡所有的联络号码列下，以防万一。

这次回国的节目也是相当多。抵达国门的第一天就要到埃及驻新加坡大使馆为母亲申请签证。隔天已经和二姐约好了一早就到[林志源]买肉干。接下来要播出时间买新衣，寻美食，看眼科医生，访牙医，办年货等等。春节那几天可就要到处奔走和亲朋戚友们拜年。和在台湾相识的故友们也相约了聚餐叙旧。我那三位二十多年的老朋友就更不用说了，必定要好好的聚聚。此外，我得抽空会总部一趟，和旧同事打个招呼，找些许同事谈谈公事，还有和我为来得老板吃饭嘞！唉, 不管多忙，我还是必须带着妻儿出游享受享受两个多月以来苦缺的天伦之乐！

明天就要踏上回家的路！我的心今晚已经提前起程，飞奔十万八千里，回到我日思夜想的妻儿身边了！

在这儿和各位好友百个早年。祝大家牛年行大运，身心安康，万事顺心！也祝我国牛市运旺，逢凶化吉，风调雨顺，天下太平！

泪在眼眶里打转

泪在眼眶里打转。我以忘记曾经何时感受过同样的没落。今天我目送着妻子和儿子进入登机门内，千万的不舍涌入心头，泪水几乎夺眶而出。这次是奕云第一次独自带着我们两岁大的儿子乘坐长途航班。希望她能应付得来。他们现在正在飞往新加坡的途中。一个钟头内就要落地了。要不是迫不得已，我真的不希望一个家人分居两地。可是乐乐的近来状况真的不是太好。三个月来他不断的生病，令我好难受。看他瘦弱的身躯和暗淡的脸颊，最明智的决定就是提早让他回国，在他祖父祖母们的呵护下好好的休养生息。唉！这几个月好不容易建立的一丁点父子之情又要受到岁月无情的啄食。希望明年我回国度假一家团聚时，乐乐他还会记得我这个父亲。

A Painful Decision

The past three months have been very difficult for me and my family. Times were so bad that I have to make a painful decision... to send my wife and son back to Singapore. Actually, they were supposed to fly home today but I had to postpone the flight to Sunday because Irene fell sick two days ago. I had to stay home for the two days to look after her and Le Le. I had to keep the two apart as much as possible to avoid Irene passing on the flu bug to the boy.

Le Le has just recovered from a serious bout of gastroenteritis. Just last month, he was sick for a week from acute bronchitis. And in August, he was down for almost two weeks from flu. I think it is time to pack them home. I believe they will be better off in Singapore to recuperate where the air is cleaner and public hygiene is better.

I really do not want to risk them staying on and be hospitalised should more serious ailments hit them. More importantly, they will be well looked after by our parents back home. I think I have made a right decision. I will miss them dearly, especially my son who has just started to bond with me. I don't know if he will still remember my hug and scent when we next meet in Jan 09, three months from now.

I was away from them too for about the same period last year when I was in Cairo for language training. Looks like we will going to have this separation annually until I complete my posting in 2011. It's going to be a cold and lonely winter again for me in Cairo. I guess I will seek refuge by working doubly hard.

New Videos and Photos

Our little family has been taking turns to fall sick over the past few weeks. While I have fully recovered, Irene is still nursing a cough. Le Le, who recovered first about a week ago, appears to be falling ill again with block nose, sneezing and occasional cough. It must be due to the seasonal change. The mornings and nights are becoming cooler as the days go by. It's great that the summer is finally ending and the most comfortable season of Cairo is arriving soon - cool and no rain. I just hope the air clears up a bit. The pollution is getting worse I think. That is probably due to the burning of agricultural plots after harvest. Anyway, we are doing fine and here are some of the recent videos to share. I have also updated my photo album with the latest snapshots of our boy Le Le. Enjoy.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xQmCpKhzDg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opzmMQ3b7Bg

夏去秋来流感肆虐

夏季即将过去而秋意以渐渐涌入这拥挤的开罗城。早晨和晚间的秋风也稍感寒意而下午的日头却酷热无比。这是季节交替的普遍现象也是大人小孩容易生病的时候。乐乐两个礼拜前就生了一场病。起初是伤风的症状，鼻塞，喉咙不适。接下来就发烧，咳嗽，喉咙发炎。看了家庭医生可是药到病却不除，一度发烧至39.8度。我们夫妻俩彻夜难眠，不停的为他以冷毛巾降温，注视体温。我们也找了儿科医生来诊治，换了一次药乐乐的病才逐渐好转。他现在已近乎痊愈了。只是还是稍微有一点咳嗽。医生说这是正常的症状，需要一点时间才会完全康复。喂这小坏蛋吃药可真是痛苦。一个人要喂他可真的很不容易，他头左右摇晃，小嘴紧闭。通常我们得二人总动员，一人抓住他另一个人用无针针筒把药水慢慢灌入。可爱的乐乐每次看到爸爸妈妈拿着药走向他就会意识到吃药的时候到了而无助的找寻可藏之处"避难"。逗得我们哭笑不得。乐乐也因为生病而有好一阵子没去上兜兜班了。上个礼拜天带他回学校，从老师口中得知这段日子有好多小同学也病了。小孩子似乎对换季所引发的流感比大人较为敏感。说迟不迟，我们夫妻俩这两天也开始感到身体不适，喉咙疼痛。看来我们也快病了。等会儿医生就会来诊治，开药方。希望我们两不会一起病倒。

New Videos and Photos

Here are some new videos and photos of our boy Shanle. He is now going to the Irish School nearby in the mornings. So far he is settling down well and he no longer cries whenever we drop him off at school. But the teacher said that he is not mixing with the other toddlers and he usually be on his own. Perhaps it is because he has been alone with his Mum for the first few months in Cairo and is not used to interacting with others. Or maybe it is due to his own personality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2AlckPGSSo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcMCk1ZlaoM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL0JIZdpAOg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBnA9czfxdQ

Updated photo album...

Recent Videos and Photos Taken in Egypt

I have not uploaded new video clips and photos for quite sometime now. Here are the three recent videos I have uploaded on my Youtube channel and a new photo album on MSN Space. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_UKodBWJDs

Watch two other videos through the links below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d90dLM6XHo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0VjuyO26Ss

Below are a couple photos for your preview. Click here for the album.

Settling Down In Cairo

It has been more than a month since I arrived in Cairo with my family. Swarmed with work and faced with the challenge of adapting to the new environment with a family, I was unable to find the mood to blog. To recap, we stayed at the Cairo Marriott Hotel for about 3 weeks before moving into our rented apartment near my office. We had to extend our hotel stay because of an unexpected delay in the arrival of my shipment. Our mover explained that the delay was due to bad weather and port congestion. There is nothing much we can do about that. The hotel stay was nice but we really yearned for our own home to settle in. Living in a hotel for such a long time can be quite unsettling and costly as well.

We were overjoyed when our shipment was delivered but we have hard work cut out for us at the same time. Given the short notice of delivery, I was unable to clean up the apartment beforehand. All our things were unpacked and placed in the dirty cabinets, shelves and floor. The whole apartment was in a mess. I had to toil through the day till late night cleaning the kitchen, dining area, master bedroom and the living area so that Irene and Le Le can move in. The amount of dirt was unimaginable and I had to keep changing the mop water which turned black so quickly. After much hard work, I managed to keep the mess to the study and guest rooms. We moved in a couple of days after the delivery of our shipment.

The cleaning work did not stop after moving in and we had to take turns mopping up the place and tidy up the mess. It has been two weeks now and we are left with only the two guest rooms to shape up. Fortunately, I managed to get back the cleaner I engaged to clean my apartment during my language studies and she will be reporting to work tomorrow. Besides the cleaning, we did tremendous amount of shopping for household items. Every trip to the hypermart left us drained and tired. Le Le was usually asleep by the time we reached home. After a few rounds of shopping, I think we have almost fully equipped our home in Cairo.

The only problem we faced was looking for the child-safety doors to our staircase. After searching through all the places we can think of, we were unable to find a suitable door off-the-shelf. In the end, we had to call in a carpenter to custom make two doors, one for the upper floor and one on the lower floor. Yes, we are living in a duplex. Given a choice, we would have opt for a one floor apartment for child-safety and comfort. We are really not used to climbing up and down the stairs so frequently. Irene is now complaining of aches in her feet.

That's all for now folks. I will upload some photos and videos when I can find time.

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

回家

开罗就快开春了。不在感觉到那寒风刺骨也没再下那冷酷细雨。我要回家了！和家人离别已有四个月了。不知道我那年幼的孩儿是否依然记得我这个爸爸。为了这次驻外的机会，我的牺牲不小，错过了我儿子初学逐步的宝贵光阴。现在他走路已稳健了不少，不再摇摇晃晃招人欢笑了。可惜呀可惜。他最近生病了。病得不轻以至在医院住了三天。到现在他还没完全康复，叫人牵肠挂肚。初尝为人父的酸甜苦辣的我心里五味杂陈好不难受。真希望能在他身边用心呵护。这几天来也苦了孩子的妈了。我于心不忍却也无可奈何。回家团聚后我必须好好的补偿补偿她的辛劳。我要回家了。下个月，家就会暂时迁移到开罗了。到时候，我就能天天回家了！