New Year 2021

My 2020 resolution was to spend more time with family. And Covid-19 kinda made sure of that as we have had to work from home since March.

This year's resolution is the same, spending time with family. 萱萱 is in K2 this year and so this year is last of where we can schedule trips or holidays outside of school terms. Unfortunately due to Covid we could not go overseas for holidays but hopefully we can plan some activities occasionally.

A New Year: 2020

Hmm so what should I make as a resolution this year?

Simple.

Spend more time with children and Meimei. They grow up too fast. And I don't want Meimei to feel neglected because of the kids.

We only live one life time.

New Year's Resolution 2017

Simple resolution this year. Be a Better Husband and Dad. My life resolves firmly around my two girls now. And I'm loving every minute of it.

New Year's Resolution 2016

Can I just repeat 2015's resolution? I think I did well and met them ... to a certain extent. And they continue to be relevant this year ... or in fact every year so yeah I think it's fair to use them again.

But I will add one more to the list - Try to cut down on using the phone in front of baby.

Already she is attracted to the phone even though she doesn't know what it can do. She just tries to grab it because the adults are staring and poking at it constantly. I think she thinks its a toy. Ok ... it is a toy. But not age appropriate for her.

So to reduce this attraction I will try to use less of the phone when I'm with her.

Reviewing The Year 2015

As 2015 comes to a close, its good to review the year, especially when its a good one. Its been awesome from many fronts.

Family - Wow what can I say thats not already obvious ... Emily has lightened up our lives. Not just Meimei and me but our parents and siblings as well. All the sleepless nights and tiredness worns away immediately when I recall the days before our little one arrive. Yes we don't get to laze on the sofa and watch TV anymore. We can't go anywhere on a whim or chance a meal at a hawker centre etc. But all these sacrifices are peanuts to the fulfilment and wholesomeness we have in return. Family life just feels more complete now :-)

Work - I count myself very lucky to have stumbled on this role. Though its on a one year contract basis, its purely project work and I don't have to deal with any operational scope. That's a big plus, I don't have to stay late for closing and the hours are pretty good with only occasional calls at night. Also its just a 10-15 minutes drive from home so I go home for lunch and see my baby everyday. Most importantly, the people I work with closely are very nice and accomodating. My boss has kids so she can relate to the challenges I'm having with a newborn. My colleagues are also helpful folks who will try their best to meet whatever needs you have of them. And by the looks of it my contract might be renewed so all is good!

Could this year have got any better? Nah, I'm contended with the blessings we have had and wouldn't ask for more. I can only hope that next year is just as good if not better ;-)

Happy To Forget

I missed an anniversary. And this is one I'm happy to report that I've forgotten. Remembrance would mean I'm still holding on, maybe not on a conscious  level but subconsciously. So forgetting represents a significant milestone ... It no longer lingers at the back of my mind, a sign that it is truly purged from my system.

Last month represents the 3rd full year I've stop smoking. And I've stopped thinking about it. Even though I recall it now, it is a casual thought rather than  an emotional reminiscence filled with strong feelings of accomplishment.

I'm gonna stop the count. There are more important things to remember now, more worthy things to note on my calendars.

New Year's Resolution 2015

It's that time of the year again. New year, new goals, new aspirations. 2014 has been an awesome year. We are finally having a baby and we are eagerly awaiting her arrival. I've completed my MBA so that's off the table. Things can improve on the work front but I'm taking it as it comes. Hopefully 2015 will provide me more opportunities and stability I'm sure I'll need with a new baby in the family.

My 2015 resolutions revolves around family:

1) Help out as much as possible around the house and baby

2) No temper tantrums when I wake up in the middle of the night to help Meimei with baby feeding

3) Give Meimei the most attention even when baby is here so she won't feel jealous

I'm expecting an exciting 2015. Surely there'll be more blog posts to share our baby's everyday. We have to keep our hand phones and cameras close so we can capture all the precious moments.

Ding Ding - Smoke Free Year 2 Complete!

Ding ding, Level completed! (ala a computer game) I've reached the 2 year milestone. The past year was pretty good in terms of my ex-addiction. No more dreams of smoking, no more urges to smoke. Even when things are sour or truly bad, there were no thoughts of escaping to the world of nicotine.

I'm pleased with myself for kicking the habit. But also mindful to watch that I never return to it. So I will continue to commemorate the anniversary to remind myself that I will hold up against the temptation to smoke.

New Year's Resolution 2014

It's been awhile since I have to change my New Year's resolution. It was easy the last couple of years as I renewed the 'quit smoking' resolution yearly. But since I've kicked the habit I am now left with slots for new resolution. I think having 3 resolutions is fair enough. It's more likely you would achieve all 3 rather than having to fulfil 20 and not 1 dimensional that you delay getting other worthy causes completed in the year.

Also the resolutions should be something achievable. What's worst than simple tasks are tasks that you couldn't possibly complete, either due to financial, physical, time constraints etc. Why? Because when you give yourself an unachievable task, you have this mountain in front and you are unlikely to be motivated to complete it. So the key is challenging yet achievable tasks. Something which takes some effort and doesn't have a brick wall between you and the goal.

So comes the brainstorming of what pursuits I would have this year ...

• Make a home-cooked meal once a week - It's healthy, it's fun. It doesn't have to be complicated. A simple afternoon snack would count ... well a snack that involves certain amounts of cooking and not just slapping cheese and butter on a loaf of bread.

• Learn to bake - Getting to apprentice level would be good enough. It takes real dedication and lots of time to really make fancy cakes, tarts, muffins etc. Taking it slow should be fine.

• Maintain Non-smoker status - Ok this is kind of a cop-out. An easy way to fulfil 3 tasks. But then again this is a very important thing to keep going, so yeah I'm leaving it on the brainstorm list for now.

• Stop procrastinating, work the problem or assignment - I like to procrastinate. Not sure why. Logic is clear that working on something is better than simply thinking about it and not doing it at all. But I can't help it, maybe I'm a pessimist (oh now that could be my next resolution) so I worry about the what-ifs rather than getting it done.

• Be more optimistic - This is a rather difficult one, especially on how to gauge that you have improve. I suppose this is an on-going initiative. I mean you don't want to be so optimistic to border on being unrealistic and be an airhead.

• Improve my social skills - I think of this as improving the way I communicate with Meimei when we are discussing stuff. I get hyped-out and opinionated quickly, raises my voice and go head-on with my line of thought. Maybe I'm doing this at work as well so I have to learn to reel it in. 

• XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXXXXX - Not for public viewing hehe. Definitely a forerunner for the top resolution of the year.

Ok so 7 to choose from. Good enough, you don't want too many to confuse yourself. So the winners are .... (drum roll)

1) XXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXXXXX - A sure fire item for the resolution list. Jia You!!

2) Stop procrastinating, work the problem or assignment - If I succeed in curbing this, I would go a long way in helping me being optimistic as well.

3) Improve my social skills - Many unfortunate events have happen over the past few years and on reflection I may have been able to overcome them if I had better social skills. So yeah, I need to work on this. Meimei is already helping by pointing them out to me. I just need to keep them in mind constantly.

So what about the rest? Well, I'm staying a non-smoker so I don't see why I should let myself a free pass on one of the resolutions. The cooking and baking are fun times with Meimei and I'll actively pursue them still, I don't see the need to put them on the resolution list. Hmmm, did I just include all 7 into my resolution list? 3 official and 4 unofficial ones? 

Smoke Free, One Year On

It's been a year since I stopped. In the initial months, I constantly had scenes in my dreams where I was sneaking few puffs. I vividly remember one where I was behind a wall in the void deck below our block, hiding from Meimei while I puffed. The funny thing was that I had the 'feeling' of guilt in the dream. I knew what I was doing was wrong, yet I wasn't in control and was just smoking away. And when she came over I quickly threw my cigs away. That's when I would mostly awake and then mull over the dream and feel another bout of guilt. How can I be doing this in dreams?! Over the course of the 3-6 months after I stopped, the dreams come off and on. I guess my body just reacts naturally to having a stick between my fingers and the feel of nicotine in the blood. After all I've been smoking close to 16 years. 

That said, it's been a lot better since the turn of the year. Again I have to thank Meimei for her patience and support. I still joked that she must have taken a cue from the Mentalist and hypnotised me. We'll never know now will we, hehe  no biggie I'm still going to thank her even it were true. It is one of the best things I've did. She is making me a better man *muach!

I Quit!! . . . 4th Time Lucky?

Yes I quit. For the 4th time. Since I'm gonna zombie for the next month while I serve out my notice, why don't I put this time to good use? 

Meimei has been away to Spain for holiday with Sis and Mama since last week. So I might as well start now, maybe this would be the Anniversary gift for Meimei. She has longed for me to stop smoking. Though I must say she is being very very patient with me. And I truly thank her for that. Most wives would nag and nag at their husbands, but not Meimei. She would tell me to smoke less in her good natured way and frown when I grin and sneak off to smoke. She would never have that menace or resentment, just a quick show of disappointment and then with a simple smile move on. *kiss thank you ... You don't know how much that means to me.

So yeah I'm trying for the 4th time now. Hopefully I won't have stuffy dripping nose, headaches, cold sweats, etc like the previous times.

New Year New Look

New Year again. And I just noticed that Blogspot has the Verdana font. So I'm gonna start using it to give this place a new look feel. Maybe revamp the place too if I can find time.

Oh and Happy New Year 2010!!! Cheers!!!


P.S. And if anyone is asking, I didn't come up with a New Year's resolution list this year . . . cos I haven't even finish any of my last year's ones !!! >.< I'll just recycle and use the 2009 one . . .

2008 : A New Year, a New Set of Resolutions

Only 3 more days to the New Year. And here I go again making a list of stuff I need to accomplish in the coming year, and most probably not completing them all. Hahaha, I think it's pretty much the same for everyone else. So let us go ahead now and make a list.

1) Quit Smoking

This has to be the most important and urgent one of all, bar none. 2008 would already be the best year even if this is the only one I accomplish. There are just so much good that would come about if I complete this.

2) Exercise more

I really need to tone up my body. No one likes a lumpy "old" man with a big tummy. Just need to start doing more push ups and crunches.

3) Wake up earlier for work

I am making a stand against Pillow and Blankey! The every morning cuddle-fest has to stop!

Short list, but then it's easier to get something done. I can't understand people who have a hundred items on their list . . . then grumble that they didn't complete any of them. I prefer to keep it short and simple.