the lastsplash

As the year draws to an end next week, it is a good time to do the customary stocktake of the significant events in the past year, and set my aspirations for the next. 1. Record number of sick days. - The sicky bugs were sticky this year. It is either coincidental or a self-fulfilling prophecy, that the geomancer had predicted a sicky year for people with my zodiac sign. I expended all, and had to utilize the extended medical leaves. At thirty, I had my first case of chicken pox infection, and food poisoning. For the coming year: I would like to stay healthy! Hope that the "first" cases were also the "last". 2. Obtaining the VCP. - After attending the official course conducted by VMWare, I decided not to let it go to waste and took the certification exam. With that, I am on track with my personal development. So far, obtaining masters and SCJP were purely for self satisfaction - not really recognised in my current job. Hopefully, they will be put to good use soo...

My jaws almost dropped when I saw this month's statement: $480 charged for annual fee (before GST). Who the h***, in the right frame of mind, will pay that amount for a f****** common platinum card which every bank offers? Siao ah ? Especially when I only spend $9.50 on movie tickets with that card this month, it's fascinating to find my bill hit $523.10. Someone needs to enlighten those guys in *******d ********d bank. The service officer promptly offered to waive my annual fee when I first questioned if there was an error in that amount. To be fair, she was really polite and even mentioned that they have now lowered it to $100++. But why is my bill still reflecting $480? I don't think charging an obnoxious amount for the annual fee makes the card any more prestigious than changing it into a black card. Oh yeah... what's with banks issuing black credit cards these days? Mmm...

The annual Christmas Celebration cum Retreat was held at Tampines SAFRA again this year. The real fun began in the afternoon with the game of “ 食字路口 ”. As the name suggests, it involved food, words and moving around. I was the only old folk in the group of youths. Naturally, I was a little slower, had less stamina, and panted real often. :p But the "try our best, play to win" spirit of my team moved me along. There were ten dishes to be eaten, four places to go, and four challenges to be overcome. Th first dish was " 巧克力 " (chocolate) and the fifth was " 糖果 " (candy). While the rest were still enjoying their lunch, my enthusiastic team gathered to plan! This is our draft plan... Our first location, Tampines Mart. We quickly found our first two dishes. The first was " 荔枝水 " (lychee drink). The next dish was " 水果 " (fruit). Then came the challenge. We were supposed to find out which pages of the newspaper these sentences were extracted fr...

December, it is the month of weddings again. I attended three, in the span of two weeks. One of those was that of my friend from first-three-month class in JC. It is interesting how this bunch managed to keep in touch all these years and meeting only couple of times yearly. We have all led separate paths, and entrenched in our work and lives. The memories of our goofy times in school, and my most embarrassing moments in life (which never fail to tickle a few funny bones during our gatherings) are still fresh in my mind. But we have grown, old perhaps? Amongst us, I'm the most 'advanced', with the birth of my baby Bertrand dearest. While some of them are already married. So it is about time for our dear friend, Miki, to find her happiness as well. I attended her wedding ceremony at the Church of the Nativity of the B.V.M. in the morning. I had brought along my camera to snap a few shots (the pros had the big day all covered)... Here is one of the pros sharing with us the lis...

Completed the first project milestone as a PM today. No time to rest on my laurels yet. Let's march on!

It had been a while since I last blogged. It isn't that parenthood is boring. On the contrary, there are so many interesting developments everyday, and so many facets of parenthood that are new to me. I would love to write it all down, only to be afraid that I will be perceived as complaining most of the time. :p Luckily, Mummy diligently writes it all here (email me for the username and password). ;-) The truth is parenting is a tough but endearing experience. Our baby boy is so cute. It melts my heart to see him response to my "nags" (I talk to him a lot!), coaxing, and sleep comfortably on me. It is a joy even when he pees all over me because he would smile at me after I clean him up and rub his tummy. The nitty gritty details thrill me. For example, he grabbed my shirt tightly for his dear life, the first time I bathed him! The learning experiences enrich my life - the different aspects of looking after him, require me to be patient, meticulous and selfless (yes it...

Our baby boy is finally here... More photos here . Updated almost daily.

Earlier in the day...

Guess what was waiting for me when I came home today? Besides my beautiful wife with the bouquet which was delivered to her office earlier... There was a Zara package on the bed. A new shirt for me! Nice! I was looking forward to updating my wardrobe. :-) Today is the actual day of our Wedding Anniversary. Dinner prepared by dear wife was extra delicious. The "Father-and-Son" Dish. How appropriate. ;-p Another surprise after dinner - dessert from Marriott Hotel. A terrific homey way to celebrate our special day. Thank you dear.

The packages arrived! But without my gift note, so here it is: "Eternal Love since 7 September 2008. A little gadget to keep my dear wife company in the next four exciting months!" Dear wife showing the presents. She can't wait to open them. All eyes (erm... well, just mine) on the unveiling of the new gadget. Woooooah..... Tada! Our latest model to endorse the iPad. :-) Power-up. The first time it came to life! This is probably the geekiest present for my wife, ever!