Multiparenting Cayen & Cayson

As he increases in his vocabulary, I am sensing an increased in his ability to carry a conversation and that includes making excuses . Here's some examples of what transpired in the last week.  Usually he wants to have his way and walk on his own without us holding hands. Today, he wanted to be carried but we were all quite tired. So we asked him if he could walk. He said "no, cars!" I looked up and indeed there were some cars in sight on the north bridge road but we were walking along the walkways of boat quay and those cars were so far away! Then it struck me that we always say there's cars, ah pa carry cayen. Hence, he probably feels that it's quite legitimate to quote cars as the reason to be carried!  Next, recently we try to teach him spelling. So it's N O , NO. And Y E S YES for a start. So nowadays, when he don't want something, he will retort forcefully with a N O NO. And if we still insist, he will say "I don't want". And when he wa...

YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I am a hoarder ... Not just because I am sentimental but also because I don't like to throw away things in good condition. It's quite a waste in my opinion. That's why in the past I have even resorted to renting flea market booths to try sell away second hand stuff.  Why don't I simply donate to Salvation Army? Well, I have the perception that it might just be lost in that whole load of stuff and be forgotten forever. So I prefer to do something proactive to maximise the chances that it's going to another person who can make better use of it than me. However , from my experience, that's time consuming and one might not sell much even after standing for 8 hours straight. So now I have discovered this new app Carousell that can help me sell things. Best part is that it is free for buyers and sellers, you can state your preferred dealing location and I have had good experience with buyers this far. Within a week, I have sold three items! I highly recom...

Cayen's repertoire has increased a lot over the last few months .. Here's his newly acquired Hokkien  Bo2 Lang2: nobody  This is used when you asked if grandpa has any friends, he will reply Bo2 Lang2. Bo2 Liao4: no more This is used when something is finished.  Buay4 You2: apply oil  This is used when he is having wind or Pain in stomach and requests for us to apply ruyi oil.  Wu3: have (有） If we tell him no more orange juice or biscuits, he will say Wu3. Giap4: pincer grasp (夾） He will use his leg to Giap4 his bolster or his Ah Pa. Ai3: want (要）  That's if you ask him if he wants something or not .. (Ai3 Mai3?)  Suo1 Suo1: hot hot (烧）  This is said when his food is hot.  Ba4 ba4: meat  He wants this every meal. And I think he has influenced his friends in school. At the last mid autumn celebration involving parents, some kid was saying he wants ba4 ba4 to his parents who looked completely puzzled by the request. They don't know what Is...

Mid autumn used to be a fun event when we were kids. I used to remember putting candles on trees , throwing sparklers into trees and prancing around with lanterns. As we grow up, it becomes more associated with moon cakes eating and nothing more. I don't remember going to playgrounds or chinese gardens to view lights anymore as a teenager or young working adult .. Once you have a kid, suddenly you will find some energy to suggest a walk through the Gardens by the Bay even if mid autumn falls on a Monday and you still have to work the next day. All to let the little one have a taste of the wonderful childhood that you have had .. YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cayen's favourite toy is still the mop and the broom .. It has remained his obsession for the last one year and is perhaps the toy with the highest return on investment. Well, this is perhaps the best toy to introduce to your household. After all , you get to train the motor skills and you end up with a cleaner house. Anyway, apart from diligence, this boy has always nurtured a sense of diplomacy.. We liked to tease him .. " who do you like more? Ah Pa or Ah Ma ?" "Who is your favourite? Ah Ma or ah Pa?" He would always say "ah pa , ah Ma", "ah Ma, ah pa" or sometimes "ah pa, ah ma, cayen" He appears to know that we are a family unit and that we are all equal to him. Or perhaps he's just very politically correct ! Also, recently he likes to play pretend. Pretending to eat as though something is real delicious (imagine the slurps and all , pretending to fall asleep and pretending to make coffee .. YouTube Video - Posted using B...

I am not very artistic but I like to dabble with new stuff, especially digital stuff. As such, I do enjoy helping Stellez with occasional mailers and website maintenance. It does seem like a lot of work but when one is interested, I guess it's just like a hobby to meddle around and see how to create something professional looking, fast and cost effective. These are my recent attempts .. 1. Creating an event and the online RSVP form and updating our webby  2. Creating EDM (electronic mailer) with online RSVP form 3. The menu

This is Cayen's review of 姨姨's handmade brownie .. Well, they say kids don't lie. YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Time flies and Julian dearie is now 1 month old. He celebrates it with a blast over a two-day party ! Love you baby .. 快高长大！ YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cayen likes raisins and his first experience with nasi Briyani was good as that was peppered with raisins all over. That day, we decided to have Muthu's curry for dinner and for Cayen, we ordered some scrambled eggs and rice. Before the mains came, I was pleasantly surprised that he took to papadum so readily. (Actually he loves the crackers that come with Indonesian food too!)  Anyway, here's what we had : a very hearty meal and the scrambled eggs were done with onions and it was awesome. The cauliflower (the name escape me) , the tandoori chicken, fish head curry were delicious too. Oh, did I mention the service is friendly and efficient too. Kudos to the folks who attended to us.  We should really do Indian food more often.  YouTube Video YouTube Video

Usually I don't chat much on a plane , especially not when travelling for work as I would be trying to do some reading or chill.  This time, it's not very different, at least initially.  My neighbour next to me started chatting with me and I soon learned that she is from Henan and her daughter is working in Singapore. She shared with me that her daughter got married to someone from Holland and wedding took place in Bali. She also shared with me her impressions of Singapore from her various trips here and concluded that our 素质不错 : - once she left her purchases in a restaurant ... And they were quite some distance away before they realised it and returned to get it. Even before reaching, her daughter was fairly confident that it would still be there and it was.  - another time, she left her purchases (again( on the bench after watching fireworks). This time round they walked very far before realising and they were not so hopeful this time round as it was a...

While mama is not at home ... Kiddo goes partying ... 

Before meeting E, I decided to go to TST to try look for some shoes for Cayen. Walked the street and decided to have some tea before that as I haven't had lunch yet as I was polishing up the slides for tomorrow. After a small bowl of 雲南米線, I continued to look for shoes. After walking down the street, I finally found a shop that seems to offer it. Just as I was about to step into the shop, suddenly I feel something flowing through my nose. I scrambled for my tissue as it felt very sudden and I certainly didn't have any flu to start with. When I wiped with my tissue, I was shocked to find that my tissue was soaked with blood. I tried to wipe a few more times and each time, more blood came out. I tried to flag a taxi off the street but there just wasn't any. And I tried to see if I could look for help but it was a bit hard to speak through my tissue. I knew quite clearly that if I left go, my nose and chin would be soaked with blood. So I decided to walk quickly to the nearest...