Year of Goat at Changi T3

CNY decor very tastefully done at Changi T3.

Gynae Visit - 24th February 2015

Again I wasn't able to drive Meimei to the Gynae. But all is well, she has Mama to accompany her. We were apprehensive since the last appointment as Emily seemed to continue to be in a oblique position. We had tried to coax her to keep her head towards the bottom every night. Thankfully the ultra-sound looks ok and Dr Loh mentioned that she has her head down in the right position.

As we are now 2 weeks away from the EDD, Doc has now given Meimei the go-ahead to start walking and having papaya, bananas and coconut. She texted me the good news the moment she was out of his office. She was all glee that her controlled food regime is finally over and she can enjoy anything she likes now.

Emily also had a stunning photo shoot. Look at the picture, she's already smiling at us. How can you resist such a cutie? Oh and look at those puffy cheeks ... I so want to pinch them! You can tell she takes after Meimei, which is definitely a good thing.

I'm glad Emily's coming nicely. At 2.8kg she is still a little lighter than we hope. Maybe another week and she'll get to a nice 3-3.2kg. We are at the last lap, fingers crossed, we will welcoming our sweet little one in the next week or so.

Rocka-by Baby

I never thought they would keep it for all these years. They had my baby crib stashed deep in the old cupboard and finally whipped it out 30 odd years later for our baby. The paint job needs a little retouch but other than that it's working perfectly. You can even release a catch at the side so the bed can sway like a swing.

This is a relic you might now only find in retro furniture stores. No one makes it this way anymore. I'm sure it will fetch a good price in the 2nd hand antique market. But well there's no way I'm selling it ... imagine keeping this another 30 years for our children's babies. Now that would be something to behold.

Dad fondly recalls Mama sitting beside the crib and rocking me to sleep when I was a baby. Emily will get to use it when she comes over to Hillview to see Grandpa and Grandma. Now we just need to find a bed that fits the frame.

Gynae Visit - 17th February 2015

We have finally reached week 37 and into the full term zone. Since I just started a new job I couldn't take leave to accompany Meimei to the gynaecologist. This is the first appointment I've missed. But that's ok, there are many people who fuss over her. Meimei's Dad and Mami went with her, everyone's worried about baby not gaining any weight.

Thankfully there is some weight gain, baby looks to have gained about 300-400g in the past week. I suppose the durian helped :-) Her head is still not at the right position though there has been some improvement as it's no longer facing up at the lungs. Let's hope she will continue to shift downwards.

Meimei kinda deduced that the lack of weight gain might be due to the slice of lemon she has been adding to her water bottle. The lemon helped to keep her slight cold in check but since she stopped baby looks to have grown. Well nothing is conclusive, just guesswork really. At 2.8kg she is still a little light, let's hope she grows a little more 肉肉 in the coming week.

Gynae Visit - 9th February 2015

This was a stressful visit. We were eagerly waiting to see Emily again. But we didn't get a picture this time. Dr Loh was concerned with baby's progress that he ordered a CTG scan, which showed nothing out of the ordinary, thankfully.

Meimei hasn't gain any weight since the last visit and baby didn't either. She is still estimated to be 2.3kg like a fortnight ago. That doesn't seem right. Meimei has been eating regularly and nothing special has changed in her diet except a craving for hot milk tea. What could be causing this? We may need to start Meimei on durians soon.

Besides baby's weight Dr Loh was concerned about her positioning. She is at Meimei's 2 o'clock so her head is on the wrong side. Doc joked that baby must have been leaning to the side since my voice is there whenever I chat with her. True, I sleep on Meimei's right ... Ok so going forward I'm gonna face Meimei's crotch when we have our nightly chitchat before bedtime.

We have about a month to go before EDD. I'm hoping Emily turns to the right position soon. If not Doc is gonna insist on a Cesarean which we are hoping against hope it doesn't happen. The operation would take a lot out of Meimei. So we are coaxing Emily constantly to get her into the right position.

We are almost there, baby just needs to be a more patient. I think she'll meet one of her KPIs to come after CNY. But whatever the case may be, the primary concern is that she is healthy. Everything else is secondary. So baby, please put on more weight and get into the correct position and we will meet in another few weeks yah? I know you are excited to meet us just as we are to see you *muach!

Butter Fingers

We had bought new iPhones recently. Meimei is now using the iPhone 6. I traded in my Wifi-incapable iPhone 5 for a iPhone 6 Plus. We were glad to be rid of it. Now to see if we can trade off our iPhone 4. Apple is no longer providing support for the 4 and it can only be updated to iOS 7. Soon it won't be able to update or install any new apps. We'll see how that goes.

So anyways I've been using the 6plus for less than a month when it decided to make a suicidal dive this morning. I was putting down the backpack on the backseat of the car while juggling the water bottle and phone. Out of the blue the phone took a zero pointer olympic dive off my butter fingers. While diving,  it brushed off its flip cover and hit the stepping bar on the car before landing face down on the ground.

My heart sank the moment it dropped. Like when you see a diving champ dismount from a platform but accidentally hitting his head on the edge of the platform and then landing flat into the water ... You let out a grimace as you watch it happen. So thats pretty much what happened with my phone. We had plastered a tempered glass on the phone but there is a 3mm curve edge which the glass couldn't cover. And freakishly that part hit the car.

So instead of the tempered glass cracking on the impact the phone glass did instead. Argghhhh! My heart was filled with anguish and despair at the sight of the cracked screen. It quickly turned into anger and self resentment as I cursed my own clumsiness. This is a new phone!! How can I be so careless??!! Damn it! And why did the flip turn out?! ...

Thankfully Meimei was cool and calm about it while I complained incessantly over the phone about my own stupidity. She pointed that we had bought the phone replacement insurance just for such an unfortunate incident. It's cold comfort though as it still cost $160 to replace ... and more than likely it's a refurbished set rather than a newly minted one.

Well lesson learned. No more flip covers for Mr Jelly Hands. Meimei suggest I get a Ottoman but the 6plus is already big ... I rather it doesn't become a iPad Mini wanna-be. Sigh ... Stupid stupid stupid (bangs head on wall).

Bursting Through The Dark Clouds

Taking things as they come. Do what you can and leave the rest to fate. Pleasantly surprised and glad that things turn out great for the last 6-9 months. 船到桥头自然直. True be told, it wasn't like there were many options. I was stuck in a rut and couldn't break free of the slump. So reflecting back on it all, I'm grateful all that has happened, the many lessons I've learned and the people that contributed to make it what it was. 

I had stopped working since November '13. The year and half before that was plain crappy. Almost everyone I met at the workplace, except a rare few, were the nastiest beings in the world ... Pure Scum. I have nothing but contempt and utter disgust for those degenerates. The time there was one of the lowest point in my life.

The next months after November was spent searching for a job. It was a fruitless search as I was called for only a handful for interviews. There was one with a local telco which was promising, they were ready to make an offer, but it was derailed when they did a reference check with my last manager. The bitch gave them a bad assessment of my performance which was a plain lie and totally unjustified. I was totally depressed when told of what had transpired.

Thankfully in that time I had my MBA project to keep me occupied. We were also going for regular checkups in hope of getting a baby. I think my sanity was saved with my focus redirected on other important targets. My only regret was that I wasn't more prudent with my savings. I was spending as if I still had a job. Well it wasn't all bad, I am more than happy to spend on the doctor bills and will do so again without hesitation. It was the best money spent. But I could have cut down on other expenses. Well, it is a good lesson to takeaway from the whole situation. 

July brought good news with our baby. But at the same time Meimei was retrenched so finances were further strained. I think the point where the direness of situation really hit me was when Meimei told me that she might go into post natal depression if I was still jobless when the baby comes. That really hit me hard ... But in a good way. For the first time in my life I felt helpless with my predicament. I will always remember this as a sounding board.

So with an impending commitment  I adjusted my expectations. It was now a 'Lets take anything that comes my way' situation. So with that came a 6 months fixed term contract with a logistic company just a short drive from home. I took a large 40% pay cut but beggars can't be choosers. It did however came with better hours, less commitments and great flexibility at official work hours of 25 hours a week.

So the months from August became a breeze. I was able to pack lunch for Meimei everyday as she rested at home for the first trimester. After that she found a job with an incredible company which took her on even though she was going on maternity. I was able to drive her everyday to-and-fro work due to my flexible hours. I also had the luxury to take leave days to attend every gynae appointment since work was slow paced and sporadic.

The folks I met at the place were nice too. I guess it was due in part to the fact that I was there only as a backup plan for one of the analyst. It was strictly a 6 month stint with no extensions. I didn't have to manage anyone and wasn't there to run any projects or take anyone's job. So everyone was nice to me since I'm simply just another guy there to help out and not vying for their jobs. Oh and it didn't hurt that I was driving out to the hawkers for lunch everyday. They were happy to hitch a ride.

So the last 6 months went by smoothly. Work was boring but gave me zero stress. My last day was on Friday. They had treated me to a farewell lunch, I can't remember the last time anyone treated me to a proper one. I think I might miss this sorta life style. You don't get paid as much but you gain other luxuries like time and lesser stress. But well I don't have the time to continue reminiscing because something is right around the corner.

A fortnight ago a recruiter contacted me for a SAP project role. I had applied for it before I started my recent role but didn't get it. They have come back to me again as the incumbent who took the role last October has been swarmed by the the mountain of deliverables. She has been working till 10-11pm everyday and so they were looking for another lead to lessen her burden.

Ok so long story short, I got the role and it starts tomorrow. It's a one year contract and pure project work which is what I have been hunting for since November '13. The only downside is the hours ... It looks like its gonna be a tough role to fulfil. And they are not paying any more than the one I left in November. But hey, this might be a good stepping stone to further my opportunities in finance transformation roles and the money definitely doesn't hurt with a baby coming soon.

The last couple of months have been a breeze and I hope it continues to blow my way. It looks like the dark clouds are dissipating but I am still cautious. There are rays of sunshine now and I know I'll have to work hard to keep it going. So here's to the next year of better days .... Huat Ah!!