Meimei's Drawings - Fishes

Added a nice touch of colour to her drawings. Makes the drawing pop.

Aircon Mayhem 2

Our Aircon installation is giving us problems yet again. It's no longer cool, and has been so for the past month. What's compounding the misery is the record hot weather, the hottest in the last decade.

Like the last time, it was a major breakdown. We had to put the entire system through a pressure test which set us back $450. The fan coils had to be taken down for the test and meant we didn't have aircon for the whole weekend. We had to move our king size bed into the study to get some cool reprieve from the scorching weather.

As it turned out, 2 of the fan coil were leaking ... or so the technician said. I didn't actually believe it to be true since the two that 'leaked' were the ones in baby and middle room, both of which we seldom use.

And to replace them cost a crazy $500 each. Arrgghhh seriously? This aircon has practically cost us as much to repair as it did to install it new. I really wish we have better luck in our new place.

The Jujube Stash

Mama, what are all these? (Mama: these are my Jujube bags! someday they will all be yours!)

You bought SO MANY???!!

13 Months - The Walking Milestone

She has learned to walk on her own the past month and suddenly everything changes. It's a whole new experience for her and us as well. She gets bolder by the day, attempting to run around even when she is still not sure footed.

Helping her on the walker

Loving playtime with Mama

Her first walk outside ... without shoes!

Making friends with strangers

Practising her 猫步

Fun at the playground

Pure glee when she managed to drink from a cup on her own

Disabling Meimei's Phone

Meimei let's Emily play with her phone occasionally. Emily knows how to disable it.

Emily's Milk Milk Buddies

Emily doesn't like to drink milk. But when she does, she has taken a habit of having her Mr Lion and Miss Pumpkin by her side. She'll usually hugs and play with them with one hand while holding the milk bottle in her other. So these two now have a special spot in the bedtime crib.

I love cuddling them too. But mostly because they have Emily's baby smell. Notice the pants that Mr Lion is wearing and the one piece on Miss Pumpkin? My mother in law had dressed them up for Emily :-) 

Every time I smell them I'm reminded of a younger Emily. Oh ... it's true ... kids grow up too fast. How I wish time will slow down so I can enjoy the many moments more.

Remembering 303 - Study Room

This is a luxury that is rare amongst new homes. We have a 4th bedroom which we converted into a study room, fully decked with all the essentials for working from home. Most new 5 rooms have a tiny area labeled as "suggested study" on floor plans. Ours is a full flight bedroom which can fit a king size bed and more.

We are not going to get this sort of space in our new home. We are dropping from 126 sqm to 119 sqm and loosing the study. Look at the end to end cupboards on both sides. Amazing storage space, space which we need to find for all the stuff to go to in the new home ... oops.

The room also holds many goodies which is not readily visible. And sadly we may not be able to replicate them in the new place.

Notice the overhead lighting shining on the monitor? It takes away the shadow being casted when I turn on the room lights. And best thing is its hidden behind cupboard. We are not building any overhead cupboards in the study so we're gonna have to get standing reading lights which may or may not do as good as these.

And behind my IMac and work laptop is the hidden trunking for the power and network cables, similar to those you find at the office.

Then there is the cabling setup in the tall cupboard. We have 2 Cat5e cables to the living room TV console and 2 in each bedroom. We also ran 2 ports to the left side of the study where we sat the network printer. We had this place wired up so well. I hope we can do the same in the new place but I'm realistic that we may not have a customised cupboard to hid all these wires.

Her First Few Independent Steps

I was lucky enough to be working from home today. I dare say very few dads get to witness their kid's first steps. We were kinda expecting it, she learns new tricks every time after a fever bout. Even though Meimei was at work today, she was greeted by Emily walking gingerly towards her and giving her a welcome hug. You can see the proud look on her face, coupled with 'melt-melt' eyes. I'm hitting myself for missing the chance to capture that moment on video.

It's been an exciting day. She is still unsure of herself and tries to hold my fingers. And once she grabs hold of them, she will dash across the hallway, knowing I'm there to hold her if she falls. I don't mind that she falls, it's all part and parcel of growing up. We just need to be careful that she doesn't fall face first and hit her jaw or teeth.

The saying is true ... kids grow up so fast. I'm already missing her baby smell and coo-ing sounds. *miss!

Exploring The World Outside The Playpen

We know the playpen will not hold her for too long. Every kid wants to explore the world, its a good thing since they learn through discovery. Now that Emily can stand on her own she is constantly crying for us to let her out. And you can see the utter delight on her face when she speed crawls around the house.

In the few brief times we let her out, she has already establish a few 'play spots'. The moment you let her down on her fours, she make a beeline for one of three places.

The Toys Storage

Its a good thing she hasn't figured out this is where we keep all her cookies and treats. She only knows to dig for her favourite toys on the right side.

The Coffee Table with Snacks

Somehow she has taken a liking to playing with the snacks at the coffee table. I suppose the coffee table is at a comfortable height for her to cruise about. She likes to pull the leaves on the artificial plants so we need to keep a constant watch.

The BookShelf

This is a small spot in her room. She'll pull out all the books and make a mess. Hopefully she can cultivate a healthy reading habit. 

Happy 1st Birthday Our Little One !!

The past year has been nothing but joy and excitement. Emily, you have brought such delight to the whole family, Papi, Mami, Ah Gong, Ah Ma, Nya-ong, Nya-ma, Yee Yee Ah Yi and more. Its amazing how time flies ... it was like only yesterday that Papi Mami were cradling you in our arms for the first time.

When you were born

March - A Pint Size Wonder

April - Blurping Required

May - Electrifying Look ... Zap Zap *Love

June - Tummy Times

July - Sitting Up

August - Bad Hair Days

September - Restlessness

October - The Naughtiness Begins

November - Oversized on Some Clothes

December - Showing some Teeth

January - Playtime Always

February - Venturing Out of Playpen

Over the past month, she has really come into her own. She has her distinct likes and dislikes ... and she makes sure you know about it too. I fight hard to keep her in-check but its going to be a long drawn out process. She has her Papi's stubbornness :-P

我爱吹吹风！

Can we buy this?

Striking my Super Model pose~

I Love Bath Time!!

Hey! Who Are You Staring At !??

Messy Eating is Fun !!

Happy Birthday Our Little One, may we have many many more years of fun and laughter together.

I Think We Found The Right One

Last Sunday was like any other day. I did my daily ritual of checking the property board webpage. I wasn't expecting to find anything, it's become more of a habit than a serious hunt. There are only 3 blocks we are interested in, which summed up to a meager 300 units. I'm realistic on the chance to find anything new.

"Hey, hmmm what's this ... it looks like a new listing. But wait its on page 5 ... new ones are typically in the first few pages. Oh looks like an unknown agency, must not have put in extra fees to get his advertisement in the front pages like the others. Never mind, pretty sure I've not seen these photos before." "It's listed at 650k negotiable. Ok, a little over budget but no harm taking a look." 

I immediately rang up our agent and ask her to organise a viewing. Although I was excited to see a new listing I was reserved as we had already missed a few units on sale. A little while later our agent asked if we were free in the evening for the viewing and we immediately said yes. Its a new listing so we were keen to get a first look at it. What attracted us even more was that it is of a South-West orientation which is exactly 2 floors above the 8th floor unit we were prepared to offer to buy just awhile earlier.

When we met our agent in the evening we found that we are actually the very first viewer and the seller has not even signed the agent agreement letter. At the back of my mind I was lamenting that this is going to be another drawn out process.  

The place wasn't too bad, but it still needed an overhaul. We were hoping they had kept the original compressed marble flooring but sadly its now ceramic tiles on the common areas and laminates in the bedroom. We are gonna have to change the tiles which adds a big sum to the renovation. As for the rest of the place, its pretty much needing work like another of the other units in the area. These are 36 year old flats so not much can be expected in terms of their condition.

Once we were done and at the void deck, our agent ask if we would like to offer. I had been giving it some thought earlier in the day once we found the orientation of this unit. I made an educated guess that the 8th floor had sold for about 620k and the 12th floor for 640k. That would make 630k a reasonable price to offer and thats what I did. I had been ready to offer 630k anyways for the 8th floor unit just a few weeks ago and offering the same for a unit 2 floors up felt like a quick bargain. Plus its the top of my price range for any unit, if we don't get this I was prepared to call it quits. So with the non-negotiable offer made, we went off for dinner.

Now what happen next was an amazing chain of events.

We were at Changi for dinner an hour after the viewing when our agent suddenly gave us a call. She wanted to collect a 1k cheque for the OTP "to show that we are making a genuine offer". But since we were not home she cut a cheque instead on our behalf. I found it odd that she was in such a hurry but I supposed it didn't hurt to get the offer through officially.

It was close to midnight when I received another message from our agent with good news. Gosh ... did we really get the unit?? We agreed to meet up the next day to run through the paperwork. I could barely sleep that night thinking that we had clinched what is likely one of the fastest sale in the area.

The next day when I checked the property board webpage again, the listing for the unit was already taken down.  Many kudos to the seller agent for having the upmost integrity to stop any other buyer enquiries since they have accepted our offer. It's rare to see such decency in our era.

When our agent came on Monday night to go through the documents she shared that there was another buyer who came after us and they had wanted a 2nd viewing on Monday. So she had stayed with the buyer agent till close to midnight the day before to seal the deal and prevent that 2nd viewing from happening. I have to give her props for getting it done, its truly money well spent on her commission for this to happen. I had feared that the buyer may be peddling our offer to other potential buyers to obtain a higher price. I'm sure our agent had a big part in making sure that didn't happen.

Because there is a 7 days cooling off period, the OTP isn't effective till 6th of March. It was a nervous 7 days wait as I was afraid some rich buyer would come in with a better offer and cut us from the deal. Thankfully it didn't happen and today we officially start the purchasing process. As the buyer wants a 2 month extension and adding another 2 months for renovation, it'll be December before we can move in. But thats ok, what's important is that we've gotten our hands on a home in our dream location. Here's the start to our next amazing life journey.

The Flu Bug Scare

We are at Thomson again today as Emily has been having a fever since last evening. It was rather weird she is sick since we didn't bring her out of the house since last weekend.

Today was a little different from normal where the paediatrician would only ask for a blood test. Emily had to go through an extra urine and an mucus test. What came out of them was a little shocking. She has contracted a lesser subtype of H1N1. The moment we heard it we suspected that it came from my in-laws. They had just flown in from Hong Kong on Tuesday and may have been silent carriers.

As we were coming to terms with the severity of her illness, our paediatrician immediately prescribed Tamiflu and warned us that Emily will be having nightmares as we go through the course of the medication. It says on the box "may cause transient restlessness / delusion". "Goodness ... the medicine must be potent to have such side effects." Typically you wouldn't give a baby any strong medicine. So to be on Tamiflu means this is no common flu. That thought further push the seriousness of Emily's condition.

I messaged my colleague to let her know I'll be working from home the moment we got home. If it is as the doc described, we are going to have tough nights over the next 5 days of medication. 

招财猫

Emily has an odd fascination with them and will wave her hands like them. She is our 招财猫.

Its Hard To Find A New Place

I've been watching the property boards like a hawk over the past year.  It's become a regular ritual to check every morning. We are trying to move close to my in-laws so there are only a paltry 3 blocks we are eyeing. These are point block units in an old town so they are either over-priced or the reasonably priced ones are pretty scarce and snapped up very quickly. So I set my search criteria and bookmarked the page in hopes I'll chance on a good unit.

Before last week, we had viewed 3 units in the vicinity. The first one was what prompted us to put up our current home for sale. Its on a high 20th floor with unblocked North-East orientation. Meimei liked it very much but its priced at a steep 680k while in a condition which needed a 60-70k overhaul to move in. We were unsure if we could afford it and the unit has been on the market for more than 6 months due to the pricing. So I took a risk and decided on a wait and see approach.

We were ready to take up a 100k delta so we put up ours for sale at 580k. However it was evident early on that we would not be able to get such an offer unless a miracle happens. A few months into our sale, our agent updated us that a 32 year old single mainland Chinese had bought the unit. It seems his rich parents are buying it for him, else he wouldn't be able to qualify to buy given he is single and yet to reach 35. Meimei was extremely disappointed on hearing the news.

We had a viewing for the 2nd unit just as we were told about the first. Its on the 8th floor with South-West orientation. Since the 20th floor unit is sold we took a hard look at the unit. It's first owner condition ... and given that the flats are 35 years old, you can imagine the state they are in. Meimei wasn't really keen on it at the asking price of 615k but we didn't really have a choice. We made an offer of 590k to test the owner's base price but it was a no-go. It seems the owners are staying at a condo and they had been renting out the unit previously. Now that the prices are good they are putting it up for sale and in no hurry to sell.

A fortnight after the 8th floor unit, another unit came on the market. It's on the 12th floor with North-West orientation. Although the owners were calling a ridiculous 680k asking price, we went down to have a look anyways. The condition is just as bad as the previous 2 ... and it's bathrooms are still the traditional squat toilets! At this price, we might as well have bought the 20th floor one. Prices are getting crazier and crazier by the day.

On the same day as we were going to see the 12th floor unit I noticed that the advertisement for the same 8th floor unit now had a 625k starting price. It looks like someone has met the asking price of 615k and yet the owner is attempting to fish for a higher price. Meimei and I were highly irritated on seeing this blatant price gouging. But ... there wasn't a thing we could do. The units here are in very high demand, if we can't come up with the cash someone else would surely do. Meimei was adamant that she would not offer anything higher than 600k. I, on the other hand, was prepared to offer 630k as coincidently we had received a firm offer of 520k for our place. And given the rapidly escalating prices of our target units, the sooner we secure one the better.

I called up our agent and ask her to check with the seller agent on the pricing, with the intention to see if we can make a 620k offer. Oddly enough the seller agent refused to reply and our agent advised us to look for another unit. She has a gut feel that the place is already sold and offered her opinion. "At this price it really makes no sense. I would not advise you to offer anything above 600k. Anyways my colleague tells me that the owners for the unit directly above this 8th floor one is looking to sell too."

I was disappointed to hear that we missed the 8th floor unit. But at the same time we were excited that the 9th floor one may be available. Imagine buying over the 8th floor unit, renovated it and then have to suffer through a bout of renovation on the floor above. That thought gave us a little relief about losing the 8th floor one. The caveat to this is that the 9th floor sale is uncertain. The owner has a tenant staying till May but am thinking of selling due to tenant issues. Hence the earliest we might start the offer is in early June.

So we are now patiently waiting for the 9th floor unit to come onto the market. Hopefully prices have not sky rocket till levels we can no longer afford in the coming months.

The Simple Things - Standing Without Support

It happened so fast that we couldn't whip out our phones in time to capture the moment. She did it again couple of times at random, getting braver each time. We tried to coax her into showcasing her new found skill but she wasn't to be persuaded.

It always exciting to see a development moment, especially when you know you are catching the very first attempt. Very soon she will be walking unassisted, whilst we follow her closely in case she falls. I can imagine how tiring that is gonna be, yet am eagerly waiting for it to happen.