Spanner in the works

We are about 3-4 weeks away from Mojo’s delivery. Aside from all the planning and “project management” work that went into getting ourselves ready for her delivery, one of the first things, not to mention one of the most critical things, we tied down was our Confinement Lady.

A confinement lady (CL) is like a postpartum doula, who is meant to help with mother’s recovery after childbirth as well provide basic childcare so that mother can fully recover. We had ours booked I think almost in June or July because we knew that we would have not much help considering the wife is from out of town. 

So last Thursday, our confirmed CL, threw us a super curve ball and backed out on us. I was not really surprised because she had been stalling on a few things but to completely back out is downright irresponsible especially to do it so close to the time when delivery in impending. So now, there is an additional crease to iron out. The wife was peeved to say the least. Read her thoughts here.

After numerous phone calls to different people and countless numbers of friends helping out, I have to say that we are blessed to have found quite a few options even at such a late stage that we have the liberty to choose the one that is right for us. But it is hard as we have to decide based on a short phone conversation. We would have preferred direct recommendations of friends but they have already been booked, so we are relying on recommendations’ recommendations. As the dust settled, we have narrowed the field down and we need to speak to a few more before we tie details down with our decided CL.

I take comfort from the fact that, the wife and I are no strangers to last minute scrambles resulting in success. Our wedding for instance, we started planning a particular wedding for about 6 -8 months and then with around 3 months to the wedding day we decided to change all our previously plans to go in a different direction altogether. It could have been a disaster but it was a resounding success! So it shall be with our new CL. She shall be 10 times better than the one who has pulled out and if anything it is her loss that she will not be able to meet our Mojo!

M Expectant 

Picture from www.birthinglove.co.uk

Duh Moment

As most of you know I work in a software company and I have been doing software in the region of about 12 years. So I consider myself pretty tech and web savvy, or so I believed. Well read on.

I love comments, and I love to leave comments on thought provoking sites and blogs but, whenever I leave comments I never get any response from the blog owners. Well I do but its usually me having to go back to that particular blog post to check it out.

Then I discovered the “Notify me of follow-up comments via email.'’ checkbox at the bottom of the comment box. This signifies the first part of the Duh Moment. So now I intentionally click the checkbox hoping for email follow ups. But there was nothing. I even get a “Comment Subscription Confirmation” email to say that I will indeed get email notifications if there are follow up comments. But still nothing.

Now comes the second part of the Duh Moment. Whenever I get these “Comment Subscription Confirmation” emails, I just delete them without reading them. For the blog savvy folks you are already getting my “Duh-ness”.

Today I was in a long meeting so I got one of these emails and decided to read it. And there plain as day it said:

“To confirm all future notifications for this post, click this link:”

So now for all my blogger friends who have left follow up comments or questions and not received any response, a big big sorry. I will not be doing that any longer. Also some of you might have noticed responses to older posts. Well you’ll know why now.

M embarrassed

It has been confirmed

For those who are connected to me on Facebook, you’d probably seen my “It has been confirmed” status update. So some of my friends who knew that we were preggers started asking me if it was a girl or boy.

Well as most of you know that has been confirmed a while ago to be a little girl! So what has been confirmed?

Yeap we have decided on a name. We have been toying with a couple of names which have stuck since our initial brainstorm. But after yesterday in church, I quietly said to myself subconsciously that if the name is mentioned during the service that will be the confirmation. So guess what, the name was mentioned and we both looked at each other and we knew.

So as per my previous post have we met the criteria?

• Something exotic – Well, its not that common but exotic might be too far a stretch.
• No space age or new age – Nice big CHECK on that.
• Perhaps French – Yes its French
• Something that will not be made fun off – I doubt this name will be made fun off, oh well its a rite of passage anyways.
• Something biblical – Nice big CHECK on that one too, well not really a name in the Bible but the meaning has biblical significance
• Something strong yet gentle – I have to YES to this point. It’s feminine yet strong.

So what is it? It shall be revealed in due course. Now we just need to formulate the full name.

M pleased

One Month Out

As the date draws nearer, the activities get heightened. We have almost had all things delivered. Cot was delivered today and the wife just told me to complete the hospital bag packing and place them in the car. Might sound a little kiasu at this stage but who knows, better to be prepared.

So as all the logistics gets sorted and all the necessary equipment gets readied, how are we doing? Well for me personally, I can’t wait to meet the little fella at the same time there is a small apprehension as to whether I can measure up. Of course there is absolutely no way to prepare for what is coming but, all I know it is going to fun, tiring I am sure, but fun. I do not expect to be perfect but I eventually will be perfect for Mojo.

As for my Maju, she is just getting more and more tired and she’s having difficultly moving around. The spirit is high, that I can see but of course the body is trying to keep up. She gave me an early birthday surprise considering that she’ll be in the midst of confinement when it comes along. She is always so sweet and thoughtful, if it was me I will be completely oblivious and unprepared.

She gave me a homemade voucher to “redeem” a new iMac!! Its amazing!! She being a techno-blur went and did all the research and found out all the necessary details. But she was sadly a little disappointed when I said that it is something I do not need nor do I want at this point as I am pretty happy with my PC. It was a good thing she did go out not buy one. We made a few trips to the MacShop to have a looksy but never put an order down as I did not have the peace to get one. So now, I am on the lookout for something that I would like as a present. Any suggestions?

How blessed am I?

M super abundantly blessed

Off the beaten path

I am supremely surprised that since the days when I was last physically active things have changed so much. It has been really revelatory about all the new things that I can get up to. Recently a colleague of mine participated in a truly interesting event. It was The North Face 100. What it is, is a 100 KM race across Singapore running mainly through off road and trails.

Ok before I go on, do not get me wrong in thinking that I have ideas or plan to try or attempt such a race. I am not going to neither will I try because I know what I can do. But what intrigued me the most was to know the route of this race. I was delighted to find so many interesting trails for me to discover just like my Kent Ridge discovery.

 

So instead of trying to do the whole 100KM, I thought of splitting it up into more manageable chunks. Here is one part (basically Part 4 of 6)that I might be trying in the near future. The last time I walked this part of Singapore was back in my scouting days in SJI, and I think I was Sec 1, which was in 1987. Yikes!!

Oh well, we all have to restart somewhere, even it is 22 years in the making. Just putting down these numbers is making my tummy cringe in places where cobwebs are.

So this is Part of 4 of 6, I have already completed Part 1 and 2 during the first part of my Epic Weekend.

I aim to complete it all before the year end.

M on a mission!

Trail Running

Today I did something I have not done in almost 17 years! Gosh has it been that long? It was 1992 when I last went trail running something I sort of fell into as I was leading people on hikes as part of our school’s Outdoor Activities Club. Whenever, I got lost I would ask the group to stay and I would run ahead to make sure we were on the right track. So basically it running in the jungle via a trail or path made by previous hikers.

It is a really good work out because you need to be very alert and aware of your surroundings and terrain to make sure you are putting your feet onto stable ground. Most of all, it is extremely empowering and exciting! Make you feel in so much control and in a way makes me feel one with my surroundings and the trail itself.

I found a really great trail last Friday. It is actually the Kent Ridge Mountain Bike Trail, which I attempted with my bike. I found the trail really tough going with a bike. I spent most of the time off the bike pushing it up steep inclines and down steep and slippery paths. I thought to myself whoever can ride this without getting off their bikes must be a crazed expert. Even pushing the bike, the workout was intense and I was drenched with sweat. Then it dawned, perhaps I should ignore, the “Mountain Bike only” signs and run it.

So today I did it, and that empowered feeling came back as the adrenaline took over. I surprised myself with the speed I was getting during some stretches considering my large “curvy” frame. So here’s the route and some pictures thanks to MotionX-GPS Sport. Its not a long route under 3 KM but the terrain is tough and makes for a good 40 minute workout!

 

M with the trees.

We Ride Again

Have I mentioned that I love my iPhone? I must have just can’t remember where, oh well (big grin). Found another brilliant App on the iPhone called MotionX-GPS Sport. Using GPS signals it gives data for hiking treks, bike rides, walks, run, etc. Its pretty cool and I have been using it for a while to log down information for my bike rides and occasional hikes.

After figuring out some not so mind blowing logistics, I have figured out a way to make more use of my bike. So today I went for a short but pretty grueling ride, filled with lots of up slopes, stairs and narrow roads with heavy vehicles. Here’s some data:

Date:	21-Oct-2009 7:50 am
Distance:	9.73 kilometers
Elapsed Time:	52:21.5
Avg Speed:	11.1 km/h
Max Speed:	38.9 km/h
Avg Pace:	05' 23" per km
Min Altitude:	31 m
Max Altitude:	131 m

Start Time:	2009-10-20T23:50:01Z
Start Location:
Latitude:	1.288312º N
Longitude:	103.790915º E

End Time:	2009-10-21T00:42:23Z
End Location:
Latitude:	1.288336º N
Longitude:	103.790796º E

Here’s the overall route:

 Far better cry from the getting lost ride in March, geez man that was almost 6 months ago. Honestly if you look closely you will realise that I did get lost here and there. Oh well. By the way, other than the data, the map was logged via MotionX-GPS as well. Pretty cool!

M Riding Again

Life’s Funny Moments

 

 

Among the myriad of pictures that I take, once in a while I have a silly image that makes me laugh.

Here’s one. A few weekends ago, the wife got herself water baptised, it was rather special as our church was conducting a mass baptism at the beach. It was a truly awesome event.

So I was along with my camera and among the many pictures I got, this one made me laugh.

 

M Tickled.

New Neighbours

I believe that good neighbours are a key to happy home. So when we moved in to our current home we were both really happy to have friendly and helpful neighbours. Of course, as time went by we realised that our area was full of foreign workers due to large dormitories nearby. Worse was the fact, we saw how some houses in our estate got rented out to foreign workers who would just make a complete mess and basically took the joy out of coming home for the people they were living next to. I have nothing against foreign workers to be honest and I normally make friends with them but the problem is that they squeeze too many of them into one house. A house which should normally house 6 people max. was home to around 20-25 workers. Not a pretty site.

So we prayed, not just for us but for the workers as well that they be moved to decent accommodation and eventually, all the foreign workers including the ones not so close to our house moved out. PTL! So when John our super helpful neighbour said he was moving out a little fear crept into us. He had said it before in the past but never moved out. So when a few days later we saw big trucks hauling his stuff out and property agents showing new tenants the house; more fear crept in and with Mojo on the way, we didn’t want “undesirable” neighbours moving in.

All the while I kept declaring that we will have some pretty awesome people moving in. After John had moved out completely, I met very briefly our new neighbours. A Eurasian couple who looked like decent folk. As they moved in and we got to know them better in I realised again how great our God is.

Our new neighbours are a friendly young couple who have 3 young kids. Get this; they run a event company which is mainly geared for doing children events and parties! The husband is a trained clown, magician, entertainer and emcee. What made me smile more, was the fact that his wife, told me that her daughter saw Maju preggers and got really excited about seeing a little baby soon!

M Blessed

The Proposal

Three years ago on this day, the wife and I were on holiday in Perth, Australia. After a nice dinner at The Other Side of the Moon, we decided to take a drive to the nearby Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. It was a chilly, windy night as we drove up Cape Naturaliste Road in Dunsborough in our Nissan Pulsar licensed as TSR 901.

We spent around 5 minutes outside mainly because it was so windy, chilly and not to mention pitch black dark. As she was about to get into the car to head back, I told her to wait and rather nervously got down on one knee and popped the question. Lit by only the interior light of our rented Pulsar and revolving beam of light from the lighthouse, I produced the ring and after calling me “crazy” a few times, she said Yes!! It was 10pm.

As fiancé and fiancée, we drove back to Bunker Bay Resort, and adjourned to the lobby bar. I had a Bombay Gin and Tonic while she had a white wine, as we sat looking at the ring. Eventually we headed back to Room 613, and polished off a Flying Fish Cove 2005 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. As we slept that night, we knew our lives changed that day!

Picture of The Proposal (1872)by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)

M Reminiscing

 

 

Another Great Weekend!

This weekend in Singapore was F1 weekend! In case you are not of this planet, F1 is Formula One. So as a long time fan of the sport my tickets were ready and I was ready for this event that I have been waiting for all year!

So here are some random images I took of this great weekend as well as some random thoughts.

 

MRT was my main mode of transportation to the track. It was so easy to get there for the station just 5 mins from my house. Upon reaching the track and getting myself on the stands, I was greeted to view of our city beautifully lit.

Its funny that although I drive past this place almost everyday, I get to appreciate my beautiful country more when she is inundated with foreigners and tourists marveling at what we have on offer. Like a child who has lost interest in a toy, to have that interest renewed when another finds it new!

But doesn’t she look great! If that was not enough enter these awesome 200 mile a hour machines that literally light up and resonate across the whole city!

I was tickled by the number of amateur photographer wannabes. With amazing camera setups and awesomely expensive lenses to capture the cars in all their glory. All I had was my iPhone and this was what I managed. It was pretty good considering the rest, with their fabulous setups, were left with just an empty road as the cars were too fast. The cars did look great under those lights.

One thing though, although we are here to see these mean machines in action, what I love is the atmosphere and the variety of people. All ages, sizes and color it was just great to see people enjoying themselves so much, well the 3rd guy in this series I must say had great ear plugs.

Typical diet for the weekend, not great I admit as I am having some tummy problems now. Oh well, the best part of the Singapore GP is the fact that it is a night race! Which makes it supremely unique. So rather than the entire weekend being a waste I was extremely productive during the day time. I visited 2 Infant Care centers for Mojo, got my Dad’s car fixed, attended a birthday party at Botanical Gardens with an awesome cake and I even got to go to Church and get super blessed!!! It was at the Indoor Stadium this weekend because of the F1! Here’s a picture of just one of the things we did in church!! Yeah those are giant inflated basketballs you see.

So as the dust settles and this awesome weekend comes to an end. As the winner’s champagne is popped and our great city is restored back to normalcy. My thoughts turned me to what Pastor said on Sunday about Restoration; He asked us to ask God to have the things taken away from us restored. Where it is promised in His word that He will restore not just what we lost but many fold of what was lost.

I found myself counting the many blessings, instead, that He has granted on my life and only remembering a few things that have been taken away which were not of great significance. Only to leave me with a great sense of appreciation of this greatly blessed in this life that I have!

M GBHFDL

Epic Weekend

My weekend was relatively interesting. It was not filled with the usual hunt for baby gear, we took a break from that this weekend. Not that we agreed beforehand but it just sort of happened. Over a game of pool in the office (yes there is a pool table in my office), I chance heard a bunch of guys who were planning to go on a hike/trek/walk and they asked me if I was interested in joining them. I agreed enthusiastically, because it was a route that I have not been in over 10 years.

After a not so leisurely pace we covered a distance of 11.6 KM in under 3 hours, with a relative elevation span of 0 –109 M. I had a great time and spending that time outdoor was something I have not done in such a long time and I was completely happy after that albeit, a little tired.

 

 

Eager to “keep the pace” up, since it was a long weekend, I decided to put my bike which has been sitting there for a while to good use. A bike ride was in order, so bright and early on Monday morning, I set out at 7.20am to cover 16 KMs. Managed this in under an hour, yes I know it is a long time but hey we all got to start somewhere.

If there is one thing I love above cycling and trekking, it’s the ability to go to place that no one has been before and I doubt that many people have ever been to these parts of Singapore or know that these islands, Pulau Punggol Barat and Pulau Punggol Timor that is, are accessible or even exist.

 

All in all it was an EPIC weekend!! All pictures and geodata was captured via the iPhone. I wonder what is my next adventure will be.

 

M Looking for Ideas

New Moon

I usually read my favourite blogs through Google Reader and it allows me to keep track of new posts without actually having to go to the actual sites. So today I found a post called “New Moon Goodness” from Outside the Lines, a blog that I RSS. So without looking at the source of the post I opened a new tab to be read later.

Of course reading the post title I started to think it was from another blog that I follow called “Tua Lobang - Singapore” which is an excellent blog to follow if you are in Singapore as it posts about all the great deals, sales, free giveaways, etc in Singapore. So I envisioned this to be the subject of the post:

 

Yes New Moon Abalone and their range of canned Chinese products. But it was actually the latest New Moon Theatrical Trailer from the Twilight series, if you are interested in watching the trailer please follow the link above to.

Dunno why but it made me laugh quite hysterically when the realization of what it actually was set in.

M Tickled

Mojo Month

To take a quote from a good friend who left a comment from a recent post of mine; “December is the BESTEST month!”  as well as an old post of mine called “December Flows”; December simply rocks!!!

Why you may ask:

1. Obvious reason but, in case you are new here…Mojo will be born!!!
2. If that is not enough, it is also when I was born!!!
3. And since good thing comes in threes…it was when Jesus was born too!!!

But wait there is more…..

Thanks to our low birth rate and the government’s push for more babes, the Leave Schemes are pretty cool not just for mothers but for dads as well. It breaks down like this:

• 3 days Paternity Leave (not much but when I get to the end you will see my satisfaction)
• 6 days Paid Childcare Leave per year (entitlement must be used by that calendar year)
• 6 days Unpaid Infant Care Leave (I shall leave this alone)

So if my Grand Leave Plan works out, I will not need to work most of the month of December. Coupled with the Annual Leave I have been saving up, I can stop work by the 4th Dec and only need to head back to work on the 4th of Jan 2010!!!

So finally continuing on with point 4. December 2009 is no work month for me and I therefore declare it:

Mojo Month

 

M Looking Forward (Subject to discussion with Maju)

Baby Update

We are now 78 days away from EDD. We are on track with most things but there is still quite a bit to do mainly in terms of logistics and house rearrangement to accommodate the Mojo and the rest of the good folks who have been lined up, hired, or roped into help out in her post arrival.

The wife is getting big and she is having some difficulty adjusting herself to the additional load. Imagine carrying a 10KG backpack everywhere you go and I mean everywhere! Its tough! Not to mention the other changes going on. Its amazing what mothers to be go through, a true labour of love!

Aside from this we are just trying to enjoy these 78 days, in the same spirit of laughing and utter nonsense that we love. Tomorrow is another visit to the gynae so more sonogram pictures will follow.

M can’t wait!

MMM in da House

I am sure you guys are tired of my constant complaining about the lack of good food in Science Park. If it is one thing I hate, it’s to pay for and eat unhealthy and yucky food. If it is unhealthy, it should be good, but that is certainly not the case here. I could always drive or bus out for something scrumptious but, the time and the work mountain prevents me from it.

So my prudent, smart and lovely wife, came up with an idea. She suggested I try MMM or Magic Meal Mobile. It is a meal catering service that delivers cooked meals that are based on popular diets. Since I was also supposed to lose weight but since the arrival of Mojo, I have been doing the reverse, so the timing was right and I said yes to give it a try instantly when she asked. She did suggest it before but I was not too keen but I think she got her timing perfect for me to say yes.

We decided to just go with the full day South Beach diet but without Dinner. So today is the first and after a pretty hearty breakfast, I am feeling pretty good and have this feeling that this might work. My main goal here is not to lose weight to be honest, but more of eat a better variety of healthy and delicious food. If I do lose weight as a side effect which it does say will happen then Praise the Lord!

M Full

Musical Renaissance

I have been having a bit of a musical reawakening this past week. It all started with the UK talent show, X Factor.

First was Danyl Johnson, English teacher with a passion for music who went up and gave a performance like a professional! Have watch with the linked name.

Then this week was James "Afro" Archer, a struggling musician on his last legs who came out to give a performance that got the whole audience, even Simon Cowell and me singing along to a song I never  heard before. After he sang this I listened to the original version and found Mr Afro's version better. Things sound better live when done properly!

Ever since Susan Boyle and Paul Potts, these talent show surprises give us some "Chicken Soup for the Musical Soul". So now inspired, after I drop the wife in the morning my drive to work has been a 
musical one.

I imagine myself introducing Mojo to music and I believe she will have that love for music like her Dad. Considering she's going to be in infant care near my office the drive to my office from the wife's will be both of us head banging to  Zeppelin! Imagine that!

M on Fire

There She Is!

At week 25:

• She is a healthy 740 grams
• She is around 23 cm tall (estimated because we forgot when the doc told us)
• She is sharp chinned (visible in sonogram) just like her Dad!
• She is sharp nosed (visible from another angle) just like her Dad too!
• I could not be happier

M waiting

Anonymity Failed

I have all but given up on trying to be anonymous. When I first 
started out blogging it was meant to be for myself and myself alone. 
Of course a growing fan base would not hurt and basically it has been 
a medium to meet some really awesome people, which  I have.

What I did not want was people who already knew me to find me here. Of 
course a select group would be invited but there is one group which I 
wanted to avoid but now the realisation has hit.

My previous attempts at anonymity have failed. So now I am at the 
point where I could not be bothered any longer . Why the fear considering that my blogs do not hurt anyone? I blog about happy things, funny things, 
stupid things and occasional profound things but mostly about happy 
things. Mainly because I am a super blessed man and should I really be 
shy or embarrassed about that?

Nope!

M open now

Local Movies

I am not a fan of local television. It's usually full of cheesy sitcoms and some really horrendous local game shows. But as the TV lover that I am; I get my fix from downloaded shows usually from the US, so it's through the computer, to be tongue and cheek but it's the same lah.

Only time I watch TV is when I watch Formula One and the occasional soccer or rugby match.

So after the Grand Prix I decided to channel surf. I did have Dexter waiting on the computer but I got stuck at a local movie which I ended up watching.

Invisible Children, an art film which how quite a lot of local movies get labelled as, is a movie that presents a series of troubled lives in 'boxed-up', clean and slightly-stylised kind of setting of Singapore. To the foreigner, Singapore looks like a sanitised, inhumane, almost surreal kind of place but it's is home and just like any other place it has it's darkness and the constant theme of this movie was to run away, to escape and get lost in our own created worlds.

I guess that is why this show stuck with me and struck a quiet chord in me. I remember my focus to leave this place. I never wanted to stay and set up life here. Of course this was a good 10 years ago when I felt directionless and heading for a meaningless life of work and sleep.

Thank God for Maju and soon Mojo, who makes everything meaningful and purposeful. The chord is nothing but memory now.

What started out as movie review has turned into an appreciation of the life I decided to change and since then I have been blessed and surrounded by so much favour, grace and love.

M now a local indie movie fan

He Always Makes A Way

These past few weeks have been of quiet contemplation and reflection thus, the silence on the blog front. Mainly because my mind was clouded with many things that were work related. All this roots from my job adjustment. Yes this saga has been ongoing and I believe that it has finally close to a resting point.

So after all the political battles and the lack of clear direction, things have as usual come out in my favour! Yes really it has, they always do! Sometimes I wonder why I was worried to start with but I guess it is human nature to worry about things that are not there or things that are not certain.

I was so worried about how the new workload was going to affect me, and the last thing I wanted was the job to steal time away from the wife and Mojo, especially when she comes out. I would like to be there for every moment, if possible, I know I can’t but I wish I can spent all my time with her. But at the end of the day my workload rather than being added on to was halved. Yes really, halved! Best of all, it was not me who wanted to have it halved, it was taken from me happily. This has to be God, making His way in my life to see things coming for good.

Over the past few days, I heard of some new developments through unofficial channels. It got me not so much worried but just a little concerned. First thing on my mind was Maju and Mojo, and how it will affect my time with them. On one hand it was good for my career but on the down side it also meant myself being neck deep in managerial politics, corporate subterfuge and backstabbing, which honestly does NOT appeal to me. I’d rather be neck deep in dirty Mojo diapers!

Being concerned over this, I just heard today from the same unofficial channel that this was not going to happen for me. This could be viewed as a setback career wise but, I believe it can wait for another day because my job and position will always be there but the time with my Maju and Mojo will never be replaced. I understand this concept and so I do not want to miss a thing at all. I leave this divine intervention again to my Jesus, who always makes a way for me to have what I truly and sincerely desire.

M super blessed!

My Fruity Muse

The wife has a colleague who sit next to her, who is a fruit aficionado. In case you are wondering he ain’t gay but lets not go there. She has been raving to me about these great fruits from Japan which cost an arm and a leg which are simply out of this world as well as some other exotic fruits, that this guy eats.

First there were the Japanese strawberries which did not impress me that much. The cost was pretty ok, it was not “arm and leg” sort but she insisted the more expensive ones are divine. I was not convinced. Then there was the Donut Peach. I first saw this in my office fridge, and I was utterly disgusted because it looked like a near rotten peach which had been left there to it’s own devices for a long time, which was the fate of quite a few items in this fridge. I even took a picture and looking at it could you blame me?

Eventually I learned they are meant to look that way and are indeed a proper fruit in its own right. So one day the wife brought some home (courtesy of the fruit aficionado) and so I tried them. The taste was “psycho”! Simply out of this world; juicy, sweet, fleshy and just wow! I was left with a rather ugly looking wrinkly nut at the end which was an expected end to a truly unexpected taste.

Then there was our date night when we went to Inagiku, which is a pretty fine Japanese restaurant in Singapore. The food was ok, and the wife told me the desserts are amazing so I ordered the Musk Melon, which the menu listed it at $30 (we have a 50% discount and hey its date night!). Thinking it was going to be something amazing! I was greeted with this, a measly single slice of melon with some fancy knife work . Sorry for the already eaten picture, it was after eating it, feeling super disappointed that I decided to capture it. Utter disappointment and overpriced. 

Continuing on our unintentional Japanese obsession and our Ramen dinner last night we decided to take a walk into the Japanese market. The wife grabbed this:

Looks like a simple bunch of grapes. Seeing the “Air Flown” sticker and a larger than normal grape globes I was expecting an unusual price. When the cashier rang it up it was $19.90, my eyes bulged at the wife.

She answered me, hey you always tell me how I don’t let you try these exotic fruits so there. I was skeptical to say the least. Reaching home I grabbed the camera to capture this momentous occasion of eating these 20 buck Kyoho grapes which is what they are to be exact.

Ever tried Bubble Yum Grape? Well that is exactly how these tasted but only better because it was an actual grape and not some chemical compound. The sweetness and the richness of the taste was surprising, to the point I suspected they were genetically modified. They aren’t. I could not eat them all because they were so sweet I felt my throat was getting scratchy and thought it best to save them bar risking a cough.

Now the wife says she wants to try the $80 bunch of grapes once Mojo is delivered. How about these babe!

Japanese Grapes: Only $900 a Bunch

M still skeptical

What’s in a Name

In case, you have noticed or you are new to Majimo Blogs, I am going to have a baby girl due sometime in early December, which incidentally is the best month! So among all the logistics, planning and execution that goes into an undertaking such as the introduction of a new human life. Another thing to consider is a name.

Do not be so shocked, the fella is currently known as Mojo but, we are not so cruel to leave her name as that. Well to be frank the thought did cross my mind. But imagine if I lost her in a supermarket and the announcement came, “Will the parents of Mojo, please come and collect your Mojo at the information counter!” The guy at the counter will be expecting Austin Powers & Felicity Shagwell for sure! So the Mojo name got dropped. Moreover the countless number of taunts would just be ridiculous.

So what’s in a name:

• Something exotic – something unique so no Jane or Mary (nothing against these names).
• No space age or new age – Tallulah Belle, Moon Unit or Peaches Honeyblossom Michelle Charlotte Angel Vanessa Geldof.
• Perhaps French – to maintain some ties to French heritage like my name.
• Something that will not be made fun off – as the resident nick name giver at school, I do not want my girl to suffer the same fate I inflicted on many.
• Something biblical – not a hard rule but a preference but no Ruth or Sarah too common.
• Something strong yet gentle (ok I just thought of this one and I am putting it out there)

Some reader participation is required. So folks, please chime in on possible names.

M Pondering

Baby Cometh

4 months to go and there is much to do. Things to buy, things to prepare, things to ensure are in place, people to meet, and of course the mental preparation needed to wrap our heads around parenthood. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the enormous amount of literature to read to get prepared and informed.

One of my many great strengths in the workplace is project management. So I think it is time to take control and ensure all things are in place. 5 key drivers:

1) Facilities Management

• Out with the old – a major cleaning needs to take place. This involves the clearing of one the “study room” which has morphed into a store room which actually is more of junk room. (Immediate Action)
• Putting in place some semblance of a “moving” nursery which will welcome Mojo. (Needs future action)
• Logistical plan of housing a possible total of 5-6 adults + Mojo in a house with 2 actual rooms, one study and an attic. (Needs future action)

2) Vendor Management

A particular strength of mine when dealing with outsource partners in India or China but in this case, it’s 3 possible sets of vendors;

• Confinement Lady – from Malaysia who speaks no English. (Already sorted)
• Domestic Helper – Needs to be sourced through maid agencies and by God’s grace we will have someone exceptional. (Needs future action)
• Infant Care – this has been on the cards for a while but has gone dormant and needs to be restarted. Time is running out here. (Immediate Action)

3) Acquisitions

This one is tough and expensive there is an excel sheet created by the wife which lists all the essentials that needs to be purchased for Mojo and her comfort, as well as our comfort.

• 10 things related to infrastructure
• 19 things for baby
• 8 things for us, mainly Mum

I shall delegate this to the wife to track. Wife take note! (In progress)

4) Training and Development

For this I have been delinquent, relying on my now meager but then promising efforts, it is time to step up my game. Wife has been doing the necessary and I need to get with the program.

• There is lots to read to get oneself ready – Parenting, Baby Development, Brain Development, Flash Cards, Music Enrichment and Early Nutrition all of which I have little or no formal idea. (Immediate Action)
• Pre-Natal classes will supplement majority of the curriculum but self study would go a long way – Thank God. (Needs future action)

5) Recreation

My favorite portion of the plan because with every well executed plan and successful delivery there must be some fun and celebration. Does not need to be expensive but just some couple time. Its just as important as all other points and should never be overlooked!

• Mandatory Date Night (minimum of one per month) – splash out! (Immediate Action)
• Possible weekender trip – BKK, PEN, DPS? (Needs future action)
• TV nights – something we both love and can do together (In progress)
• Always live well, laugh often, love much! (On track)

M on a mission

As I was saying

It has been a while since I have blogged and that is due to many many different reasons. I have tried several times to blog over the past few weeks but I was always left with incomplete posts that are now saved in my drafts folder. Perhaps I may complete some of them and post ‘em or leave them to oblivion.

But just to get everyone up to date on the happenings and essentially get this stuff out of my system:

1. Mojo is officially a girl, it is now 100% certain. I bought her first outfit the other day and I am so happy.
2. I finally got the new iPhone 3GS, no queuing just a longer wait. Finally a new toy.
3. Work has sort of settled down to a steady pace, ahhhh.
4. A major scare on the family front but in the end all is well. Could have been much worse but thank God it was not.
5. I just got myself a CPAP machine, so now the wife and me are getting sound sleep. Truly life changing!
6. Felt Mojo for the first time kicking on the inside of the wife’s belly. Truly an amazing feeling.

Overall, life is good as it has always been. Much to be thankful for and much to look forward to. I thank God for such a rich life as only He can provide.

M Content.

Bullies

This morning as part of my blog readings, I came across a blog post by one of my subscribed bloggers who was having an issue with name calling. It sort of brought me back to my younger days when I was in school. It might be surprising for some people to know that I was very much bullied at a very young age. If you look at me now, it is hard to imagine me being bullied but you’d probably think that I am a person who was in fact the bully. Well….read on.

I used to be teased and bullied during my early school years because of my small size. Yes, yes I used to be quite small sized when I was in Primary school. I was skinny and short and for that reason I was bullied quite a bit. What made matters worse was my rather unique and uncommon name which resembled a popular local food item. So that became the name that I was associated to for a very, very long time.

I was pushed around, swatted at the back of the head by taller boys when we were in a assembly line (arranged by height of course), and of course pushed. I hate being pushed because I was small and as the Singapore education system would have it, we were required to carry all our textbooks plus workbooks to and from school everyday, resulting in an inhumanely large and heavy back pack. So imagine small boy + heavy bag = high centre of gravity. When an object with a high centre of gravity is pushed hard from behind, it topples. So I did fall down quite dramatically, much to the anger of people behind, who did not see what happened.

So why did I not tell the teacher? Are you crazy? If the teacher escorted me everywhere I would but that was certainly not the case so, I kept quiet. Being from a Christian Brother School, when you progress to Secondary school you’d most likely move to the affiliated “big brother” school, meaning all other kids would move to the same school and that would include the bullies as well.  And so it continued and got worse of course. It got to a point that I could not take it anymore after nearly 8 years of it.

I remember there was this huge guy in my class who kept picking on me. He was almost twice my size and he was evil. From, twisted staples on my chair, to paper bullets being shot to the back of my neck, to the occasional man handling and to the daily naming calling my patience was wearing thin and a monster was brewing inside of me. Then one day, I was so angry and irritated with his antics that I lashed out at him in desperation in front of everyone in class, as luck would have it, there was a bag behind him and when he stepped back to avoid me he tripped and fell hard on his bottom much to everyone's amazement and amusement. The laughs from everyone embarrassed him so much he started to cry!! The loudest laughs came from the other kids who were bullied like me. I did not want to make him cry but, it drove the point home.

My David and Goliath episode became legendary and from that point onwards, no one messed with me, and I was left alone pretty much from a bullying perspective. Life became much better from that point onwards and I was able to start enjoying school finally.

Shamefully, when I left Secondary school and my eventual growth spurt kicked in, I became a bully myself. Yes, I did and now I am sad to admit it, and I do regret it. In my defense I was not the worse bully but I was part of that group. It did not last long as age was catching up and the bully concept was not accepted any longer the older we got. Oh well, I became the person I detested.

Its all part of growing up to be frank. The events leading up to my "uprising" has somewhat defined a part of me and a principle of mine which I still hold on to and that is, "never let anyone take advantage or take me from granted". Of course the regretful bully that I became taught me compassion and control which I have eventually come to master. Looking back, I doubt I will be the tenacious person I am if it had not been for that huge guy who bullied me non-stop.

M 

Peranakan Food and Little Ones

It was truly a fruitful Saturday. Saturdays are normally laundry days followed by French class which is followed by not much else. So last Sat was one to remember.

Cooking Class

Other than having a dream kitchen full with Miele fittings, Chef Rosaline Soon from Grandmothers’ Recipes guided us through 3 classic Peranakan dishes with some useful cooking and appliance tips to boot. It was a morning well spent. Do check out her site and if cooking or food is your thing do try out her classes, I highly recommended them for a fun and relaxing time. Do check out the wife and SY blogs for more pictures. I have a feeling we might be back for more.

Pram Shopping

Yes it is pram buying time. Some might say too early but we are spacing out our big purchases. We more or less settled on a Aprica after shopping around mainly because it is super light and easy to use, as per wife. So finally we made our way to the showroom and got us a pram.  Being an engineer, I am a sucker for technology and the tech behind this pram got me sold.

 

Dinner with Sonia

Finally to top of a great day it was more Peranakan Food from Kim Choo’s in Katong with Selvam and Sonia. In case, you guys were wondering, Selvam is my best bud and Sonia is his daughter and my Goddaughter. I kick myself for not taking any pictures but it was a night of laughs, puzzled looks as Sonia reminisced, she’s 7 and she was talking about her “old days”, and hearty ice cream at Ice Cream Chefs. BTW, we skip French class.

M Thankful

Go ahead have a Guinness!

This blog was started with the idea of capturing the positivity in my life. But if you search into it's annals it did not start that way in 2006. It was a complain site capturing my frustrations. I am glad  made the shift and have tried to keep my frustrations out and the blessings in. So today I am going to bend not break this practice as the blessing is hidden.

To say I am disappointed would be an understatement. However I knew it was coming as mental preparation was required and I was. But the drama that  ensued was really unexpected. The reactions were unexpected. It was a corporate cat fight and if I took a few steps back it was  laughable.

This change at work has been done in a way where maximum "damage" was to be inflicted as such, my cautious approach and mixed emotions. So when the news went out the folks left reeling were up in arms throwing sissy fits and I was in the middle. I hate being in the middle of silly corporate power struggles. I somehow managed to exit out relatively unscathed and with my dignity. I thank God for His divine wisdom to allow me to make the right choices and make the right actions. Of course to the outside world I may have given in too easily but it was my wish all along to let go. So in a sense I got less for more.

Lesson Learned: Trust God in all things, although the first taste might be bitter the sweetness will last a longer time. That’s why God created Guinness!

M in need of a Pint!

Dream of the Open Road

Ok I know I just got back from an amazing holiday with the wife but, for some reason the I feel that I still could do with another trip. Yes, yes I know all of you are saying, yes we all love to be on holiday all the time but with life in the way its not possible. I guess I am in a dreamy mood, just like the time I started a series on Runaway! with trips to five trips to Karakoram Highway, Seattle, Mont Saint Michel, Ireland and Emmaus Road.

But this time, I am dreaming of a road trip. I have detested road trips since my last mega road trip. It was a 4 weeks long trip with 2 good friends in a very small Toyota Sprinter across the Nullarbor Plain. If you clicked on the links, you’d appreciate the mega-ness of this trip and also understand the reason why the detestation of road trips. But now, I am dreaming of endless roads which meet the sky like what’s pictured below, which is an actual picture of the Eyre Highway on the Nullarbor Plain.

Perhaps I dream of a taste or maybe the love tank of driving needs to be filled. Yeah I think it is that. I used to love going on drives. I remember when I was working in Ang Mo Kio and for some stress relief, I used to take a drive to Tuas and back during lunch time. Perhaps I need to do that. Its nothing compared to my Nullarbor Plain trip but I do not think I will do something near that for quite a while.

I think I will find a day when the roads are not so empty and go for a long drive. 

M Dreaming Again…

ME Shall Overcome

As previously blogged, I got promoted, rather surprisingly by God’s grace and currently I am in the thick of things. I also mentioned the spin portion which basically is the fact that I am replacing someone who is leaving, so my new team was not expecting me but rather was expecting something else so that was something that had to be managed and it’s never easy to manage people’s dashed expectations. Then there was my current team who I was expecting to be happy or sad but they were indifferent, almost to the point of “who cares”.

I normally get a little ruffled and move on quickly when such situations occur but this time I found myself, being severely bothered. I found myself starting to feel extremely sensitive and every small thing led to an inward reaction and questions. “Did I say something wrong?”, “Did I do something wrong?”, “What happened?”, “Arrgggh, what’s going on???”

 

The wife, thinks I am pregnant too or her hormones have spread to me. Don’t get me wrong I am chuffed with the opportunity and the challenge and all the fantastic things in my life. But, I am not in a great place at the moment mentally and emotionally. Just feeling a little down…….. but I know ME! And ME shall overcome! My strength is not in me but it is in the one who is greater than me.

M Overcome

Revelation at Gelenggang

There is a new establishment that I noticed at Jalan Gelenggang, which is close to Jalan Leban off Upper Thomson Road. This is a small nest of eateries that often gets missed but its quite familiar to the folks who live around the area. There are a few stars here like Springleaf Taiwan Porridge, Romano’s and a few other popular eateries which are normal chock full of people but personally I will not mention them because they suck or I have not tried them, mostly the former being the case.

Back to the new discovery, its call Al Divo and yesterday we had a first taste of this place. Verdict: We were blown away! At least I was. I did not have much promise for this place as there have been a few eateries opening at this block, which did not survive as this part is quite hidden compared to Jalan Leban. Its right next to Cherie Hearts which incidentally is on the short list for Mojo’s infant care.

The overall ambience of Al Divo is dimly lit, ideal for a romantic dinner, and is very Italian as the tasteful tricolor theme coupled with dark maroon heavy curtains; quite exclusive and expensive looking. Since, we were not expecting much, we did not bring a camera which I now regret.

The chefs are Italians, and that held promise for me because nothing like Italian food cooked by a Chinese or Indian for authenticity. We had some issues with ordering as the waiting staff was not familiar and the Italian chef who spoke little English did not help either. Forgivable for a new place but, the wife was on the clock as she needed to finish a report so speed was essential for us to get in and out.

She ordered her usual marinara, which was not on the menu, but it was an adaptation from Frutti di Mare which was on the menu and we requested for no cream just tomato sauce. I went for Linguine with prawns and pesto. I was hoping that they got the order correct due to the adaptation as personally, I wanted this place to shine, because so far it was so good, although they did not serve any bread but I found out later than they have a cover charge of $5 a diner for dinner, which gives you an amuse bouche, water, soft drinks and aqua della casa (their own flavoured sparkling water).

Food came after a short wait, and presentation wise, it was delectable. We quickly dug in and a were amazed by the authenticity of the cuisine and the richness of the sauces. We walloped what we had fairly quickly as the food was really good. The wife, said it was better than Valentino’s and I agree as to me it was the best Italian food I have tried ever! Rich flavor, bits of chunky garlic, think sauce reductions, pump seafood and al dente pasta! I finished first so I glanced at the dessert menu.

Now I did tell the wife I will not have any desserts after Maldives as I was having desserts for every lunch and dinner there. But there was a signature specialty from the desserts chef, that I had to taste to believe. Its called Melanzine alla Valentina, Valentina being the chef’s name. It’s Eggplant with Chocolate; yup you heard me right, brinjal and chocolate! Normally veges and chocolate do not mix so I had to try it. And folks to be honest it was amazing. Even the wife, who normally shuns desserts had 3 mouthfuls and as a measure that is pretty awesome. Must try, if the trip is made.

Overall, I guess the low expectation levels were super exceeded so even if you have high expectation I think Al Divo can live up to it. They are new so teething issues will be there but, do make the trip down to this corner of Singapore to try this place. I do not normally write food reviews but I think the outstanding food here bears this longish post. Oh price wise, it is a little on the high side, but this place borders on fine dining. We spent $65 in total but it was worth it and I am sure we will be back for more.

M pleasantly surprised.

Back to Work

The first few days have been a rollercoaster of sorts. When I sent out my “out of office” notice last week I received a call from my CEO who was expecting to speak to me the following week when he was in Singapore regarding a job change; “a promotion” he called it. First off, I was surprised he called me as it was the first time he did that, on my direct line, and next was this promotion. I knew it was a spin off something else but I was happy to be singled out for it. Praise God for His favor.

But honestly who does that!??? Dropping a bomb like that just when you are about to go on a much needed holiday. Its seems almost sadistic. You guys might be thinking, eh promotion, what is there to be worried about? Well I did say it was “a spin” so it was not that straightforward, sometimes it never is.

So I tried as much as possible to block this “promotion” out of my mind when I was in the Maldives but it kept creeping in till my wife said “"Ok, lets talk it out”. Smart woman that one. The thoughts did plague me a few times after our discussion but the draw of the island was too great.

So now that I am back to work, the usual stuffs hitting the fan and there is so much to do and as expected “the spin” is on maximum load. For me the maintenance of sanity is key in these trying times. Thank God, for my support structure of my wife, friend and God. But what has kept me sane other than this are the fading memories of Maldives which have been immortalized in the pictures I have captured. Here is one of my favorites in HDR:

 

 

Imagine this vision in front of you as you lie on a four poster bed, with a good book in your hands. An endless soundtrack of crashing waves is playing in the background with some Mozart or Norah Jones on top playing on CD just for an additional mood.

The gentle warm sea breeze is wafting in your open villa door but its cool inside thanks to air conditioning. The love of your life is next to you and this vision of a lifetime in front of you…….

Ahhhhhh…….I am relaxed now…are you? How can you not be!

M still sane.

A good one

This has been a glorious vacation. Much more than all the rest that I have had over the years. Well it's different.

Imagine a small island which in less than 3 minute walk you are on the other side, completely surrounded by the bluest water you have ever seen and with the constant sounds of waves crashing. Ideal relaxation? Yes!

We are at our 4th day and I am still insatiable. My idea of a perfect vacation is staying or travelling until one is raring to go back to work! Let's hope by Saturday night I am that way. Wishful for sure I could stay here a month if I had my way. Hmm I wonder if they are looking for an IT Manager?

M in Heaven