First MRT Ride

Do Posts Look The Same When Editing From Ipad?

It's very hard work blogging on Ipad's safari. I can't even change font type without having the help bar come up and block my fingers from the Font tool button. I had to start typing first on the default Times New Roman and getting to the 3rd line or so before I can 'Select All' and switch to Verdana. It also wouldn't let me switch to my desired font upfront before I start. I suspect it may be easier on html but I've never learned the language.

So here I am trying to string together a post using the ios touch keyboard. What comes easy on an iphone with 2 thumbs turns into a challenge when i try to type using all ten. Just note that I've given up just in the last sentence and am now doing baby typing with my 2 index fingers. I need to 'feel' the keys if I was to type like normal.

Why am I torturing myself? Well, I guess I'm just working around my circumstances. You see, Emily usually sleeps in our room in her own crib because she hasn't been able to sleep through the night yet even at 8 months. We don't have a baby camera install in our master so we have to take turns to watch over her when she goes to sleep at about 8pm. And Meimei has been busy in recent months so I take watch duty most of the time. I actually look forward to it as its quite relaxing since I could laze in bed and play with the ipad or iphone.

And herein lies the problem too. I've been falling behind on my blogging since I can't be at the imac on most nights. I'm very used to uploading my photos into the imac and blogging on it. A real keyboard and mouse makes a world of difference when it comes to publishing. Also my entire store of pictures are on it.

So to get around this issue I'm trying out blogging on the ipad. Of course its not that simple, I have to do some prep work first by syncing pictures I want on the blog into a temp album first. And I haven't really tested this at this time of writing so I'm crossing my fingers that the formatting isn't going to run all over the place. 

Anyways we'll know in the next few post. Cos this looks like the only way I'm gonna get up to speed on the posting. Its important to keep the momentum since absence tends to lead to a withering blog ... *gasp! Hmmm maybe I should invest in a ipad keyboard ...

HK Trip 2015 - 25 to 30 Nov - Part 2

28 Nov - The 2 Hour Slumber

Very rarely does Emily sleep any longer than 30 minutes during the day. So it kinda excite us when she kept going after an hour. We constantly checked on her though to make sure she wasn't in distress. But with this we lost the whole afternoon and could only get out for lunch at 3pm. I managed to get a run at HMV to grab some DVDs.

Papa and Mama was kind to babysit after returning from dinner so we had a chance for a quick date night. We didn't have many choices though since it was already 9pm when we set out so we went to the same diner Papa and Mama was at earlier. Decent food, it had all the hallmarks of The Ship restaurant.

29 Nov - A Day To Ourselves

For the most part. I was on my own for breakfast. After that Papa and Mama took over Emily and Meimei and I had a couple of ours to ourselves. We took the MTR to Causeway Bay and then transferred to the Ting~Ting to get to Sai Wan Ho district. We were back to Asahikawa Japanese Restaurant again. I still had the vivid memory of this obnoxious platter of Salmon Sashimi served on a huge bowl of ice. Although we didn't get to order one ourselves (the menu looks to have changed since we were last here in 2013) we still managed to savour a few delicate dishes. I'm coming back here for sure!

I think a big part of the satisfaction also stamps from the fact that the meal cost a fraction of what it would cost if we had ordered the same in Singapore. Move over Sushi Teh, this is how you do it. The sashimi was fresher than any you could get in Singapore.

30 Nov - Back to Singapore

The day was uneventful. We had an afternoon flight so we didn't get to venture out. I might reconsider the notion of a midnight flight considering that Emily made a bigger fuss on the trip back.

All in all, this was a wonderful trip. It's Emily's first airplane ride and it was a joy to have her see all her distance relatives on Meimei's side. And everyone was singing the same tune, she has grown up so much due to the trip. She just seemed to blossom overnight.

HK Trip 2015 - 25 to 30 Nov - Part 1

This year is different, very different. Gone were the carefree days where we roam the busy streets of Mong Kok to shop. Now every activity is planned to coincide with the feeding patterns of one little rascal ...

25 Nov - Midnight Flight to HK

They only offered the midnight flight for the discounted tickets. Even for the odd hour, it was fully packed flight. Pity the folks sitting around us as we try to pacify Emily as best as we could. I might opt out of midnight flights again until kids are older.

Thankfully Papa had already arrive earlier with Nyama so we had a room to crash for a couple of hours before checking into ours. Emily held her bottle for the first time. She seems to have grown up for this trip.

As usual the first stop is a trip 七喜 to see grandma. Somehow Emily couldn't warm up to great grandma and cried every time she was brought close to her. Today was also the first time she's having her own bread.

We ended the day takeaways from a nearby restaurant. There was no way we could eat out with Emily. And everyone was beat from the flight.

26 Nov - Meet and Greet Continues

Breakfast at the usual coffee place. This is the only place in HK that I would finish a 菠蘿油 all on my own. Even Honolulu Cafe's cannot compete with it. OO knows it's good too hehe.

Meimei made sure we squeeze in a trip to Diaso in Mong Kok. It's her latest craze, lucky it's only $2 an item. After that we had Yum Cha with PoPo at Wan Chai. It's planned by Papa and Mama so we couldn't say no. I suppose its important to keep in touch with friends and family, even if we only meet once a year.

27 Nov - The Fake Michelin
We braved the temptation to stay near the hotel today and went all the way to Wan Chai for our favourite Honolulu Cafe. We've been here every time we are in HK for their egg tart. We only had time to tabao some for dinner at 七喜. But still I'm proud to report that it's still as good as ever.

I can't say the same for Yung Kee's legacy though. Kam's Roast Goose at Wan Chai was supposed to be the 'successor' having obtain a 2015 Michelin Star while the original Yung Kee lost it. I must say it is an extremely bad pretender. I cannot see how it can be a Michelin, the roast goose was horrible. It was tough and tasteless. Gone were the days of Yung Kee when the roast goose was rich and succulent. Emily's not impressed either haha .. Yuck~!

The Simple Things - Crawling

She's hit another important milestone today. They seem to be coming frequently these days.

She crawled towards me today. Not the confident stride but still slow and unsure of herself. But it's amazing to see her grow so fast.

Although I love seeing her grow and learn new tricks everyday, a little part of me wishes time will slow down to give me more time to watch her. That tiny step, that glee in her eye when you play with her ... ahhh love love.

You Didn't See Me

Umm numb numb ummm You do not see me Umm numb numb ummm ...

A Week Of Sleepless Nights

We brought Emily to the paediatrician for her scheduled vaccination last Friday. And for some unknown reason, they conveniently gave Emily a 2nd jab for flu together with the scheduled one before we paid for it. And only at the payment counter were we given the package deal for the 2nd set of vaccinations.

To be fair, I do not know better what is required for a baby. I'm not the type to read profusely to figure out every detail to child upbringing. I find that there are many different perspectives and what you read may not always be inline with your beliefs. So I put my trust in the doctors who are the professionals and know it better. So it alarms me that they just went ahead to give Emily a 2nd jab which is not on the 'must' list by MOH.

This excess dose of vaccination gave Emily fever for the first time. We tried to ride it through but she was going up into the dangerous 39+ during the weekend and so we went back on Monday to have her look on again by the paediatrician. What ticked me off was the audacity by the paediatrician and nurses to claim that the fever did not originated from the vaccination but rather from a viral bug she caught ... it just happen to be a coincidence. Coincidence my foot!

Sigh ... but there was little we can do other than doing a blood test and getting more potent medication for the high fever. Thankfully the blood test results came back good and indicated that Emily's immune system was still putting up a good fight.

So armed with a comforting knowledge that our little baby was in no immediate danger and with added medication, we went home and saw through the rest of the week with sleepless nights as we try as much as possible to get up every 2-3 hours to check on her. It's no wonder why everyone says it's better to have kids earlier .... a couple of nights like that is taking a huge toll on both of us. But ... anything for our precious little princess!

8 Months of Joy

It's picture time again! She's learned a lot of new tricks over the past month. We like that she is very observant. It's healthy for a growing baby.

来呀！我们一起玩！

Afternoon biscuit snack time

Gotcha~!

我没偷吃饼干呀～

Can I have one of that
yummy looking cake?

The Simple Things - Sitting

Emily sat up on her own today. And Meimei and I were right there to witness it. We have been giving her ample tummy time with hopes she will learn to crawl and its paid off.

Sitting up on her own is the first step to crawling. Soon enough we would need to step up a playpen and cushion all the furniture. But that's ok, she is worth every effort, every late night.

She's oblivious to this important milestone though as she looks at us in bewilderment. "Why is Mami and Papi clapping and cheering?" She must be thinking ... 

The Simple Things - Waving

She waved at me, she waved at me~!! *Gushes~! This is the first time she has waved at anyone. I was grinning from ear to ear when she waved. Meimei, Mama and maid were all surprised to see it too and cheered her on.

This is what we live for :-) a little smile, a little wave, a soft touch ... Love~

In The Tradition of Papi?

My first BFF was Pokpok. And I think Emily may have found hers too in a little green tortoise named BianBian. Its a provisional name I gave the little toy before Emily can name her own.

Meimei bought this years ago in Taiwan if I'm not mistaken and its been in the study since we first moved in. Somehow our baby gets very excited every time she sees BianBian and will kick and lunge towards it.

I hope she finds as much fun, joy and companionship as I have with PokPok in my younger days. Of course we are going to try to give her brothers or sisters. But that really depends on fate ... we can only hope. So in the meantime, she has BianBian to play with.

I Can't Hear Her

I don't know why. 

I hear the sound of her voice, but can't make out the words. Was I distracted? Nope. Maybe I'm loosing my hearing on one side? Don't think so. 

Its frustrating. She keeps having to repeat herself and I keep having to second guess if I was hearing her right or wrong. Sometimes I resort to repeating her words. And when it's different, the look of disappointment and irritation shows on her face.

Could it be the lack of sleep? I mean we wake up several times at night these days. I don't know. All I know is that it is putting an unhealthy strain on us.

I hope this is temporary.

Our Little KayPoh Queen

Emily is one curious kid and that's good. I rather she is acutely aware of her surroundings than have the blur blur look like other babies of her age. She is also smart ... in manipulating Papi to carry her around.

Whenever I carry her, she will confidently stretch out her legs to kick, followed by a quick twist. And anyone carrying her will have a reflex action to hold her by the chest and thigh ... So wala~! she is now facing frontwards.

I really don't know when or how she figured out this manoeuvre but it strikes me as an example of a keen sense of her environment and a quick mind to link things together. We need to expose her to more things to expand her talents.

But that said she is still too young to really go into anything. So days are spent just kaypoh-ing where she can. Like today while in the bedroom she hears the sound of running water and proceeded to kick and pull me towards the white sliding door ....

What have we here ... ??   

Wow that's a big mirror

Oh Hi Mami! Found You!

Starting To Thin At 7 Months

She's starting to thin at 7 months. But then it could be the recent bout of diarrhoea. 

Kisses for Great Grandma!

Wah ... Papi, what are you doing?

Are we going on holiday?!

This feels so uncomfortable ...

Good Morning Papi Mami~!

Serving Your Nation, The Easier Way

After a long hiatus, I'm back in an Army camp for reservist. It's a new place this time since my battalion already stand down six years ago. I'm now assigned to a Brigade and it sure is different.

First and foremost, there isn't any stay-in. I thought it was gonna be the same drill and had packed enough clothes, toiletries and other essentials for the one and half weeks stint. I was actually shocked when I found out that we didn't have to sleep over. Its a long way from home to camp ... about an hour's drive each way. And we had to report to camp at 8am every morning.

So I did the unthinkable (at least in my colleagues' view) and went to make a special request for a bunk bed to sleep over. Sadly I was given a flat no to my request ... and this was not before the officers gave me a weird "why in the world, is he out of his mind" look. They had not catered for any beds and basically I will just have to suck it up and make the daily trip.

So what this also means is that there is no dinner catered, hence we were able to leave for the day from 4-5pm. Wow ... this is a far cry from the days we spend at the specialist mess drinking beers to laze through the nights.

The next biggest difference was the number of people they had for each function. I am in the RP section and in brigade we were augmenting the MP platoon. Read - Platoon. They had a good 30-40 doing the same task we used to do in Battalion with a section of 7-8 people.

And the best part of all of this is that they were complaining that the in-camp training this year is tougher ... what the ... these people have been so pampered that they can mouth out about being allowed to leave earlier so they can go back home earlier. "There has to be balance with our private lives too" is a common theme with these folks. Gosh ... the army should consider throwing these ingrates to the Battalion for a couple of years and let them taste the real training. They will then learn how to appreciate the luxury they are having now.

Phhhfff seriously there never is fair in this world. How is it that these people can go through their reservist in relative easy in-camps and others have to slog it out. What's so special about these people? I'll never find out and don't intend to. I have one more high key and that's it I'm done. And if I can pass through it in such an easy way I'm gonna go with it.