Big 40

Turning 40. Average lifespan of a male Singaporean is 80.1 years. That means I've arrived at the half way point of my life. Surreal, fear, content, all boiled into a calm, unassuming thought of looking forward to the next 40.

Surreal - Life was always this endless boundary when you are in your teens or early 20s and 30s. There is so much opportunities and discovery in those ages. But now coming to 40 you start to see the end and all the finiteness and fraility of life. It's not a morbid thought but rather a realisation that I need to get things I want to do done soon.  

Fear - I believe everyone fears death. I don't say it in a bad way. I think those that say they don't fear death are not really living. It's death that gives living its worth. My fear is broken in two forms. One for myself ... can I really live up to the ripe age of 80? And live it in a healthy and rewarding way? The other fear is for my spouse, children and hopefully grandchildren. Have I spend enough quality time with them? Have I prepared them well for my eventual departure?

Content - Because I think I've lived my first 40 well. It's not like I had the chance to travel the world or make big bucks and party every night. But lived well as in life has been good to me generally. Much much more so in the last decade with Meimei and the arrival of OO and YY. I think I'm made for married life and the last ten years has been truly exciting. Content because I have a wonderful partner for the next 40 and also I see in YY and OO figments of Meimei and me.

So I'm looking forward to the next 40. The next 10-15 years is probably the golden years when everyone, including Nyaung and Nyama, would sit together during dinner and chat about our day. Also these are the best times to be travelling together as a family since the kids are going to be on holiday twice a year.

After that another 10-15 years will be the second honeymoon period for Meimei and me, with the kids in their teenage years and joining their friends for outings. Time to ditch the kids and travel the world or pick up hobbies together.

And after that, hopefully we can look forward to playing with grandchildren. Heheh. So much more life moments and events to enjoy. No doubt there will be ups and downs, surprises and disappointment. Things never really go exactly as planned. But, nevertheless nothing is going to stop me from dreaming about another awesome 40 years.

P.S. my big 40 birthday celebration was a get-together meal at home. Opened a bottle of red wine for the occasion and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Simple fun is always that much better when savoured with family.

Colouring Mat

Meimei bought a set of mats with colouring pens and OO has been happily working on it. She loves to colour and usually gets pen marks all over her arms and hands.

New Improved Disk Rack

A new disk rack to replace the SimpleHuman one which has rusted at the metal grills. Meimei got this online at a fraction of a SimpleHuman ($50+ vs $200+) rack.

I like the two tier setup. More space to dry cups and dishes.

Me And Hers Coffee Flask

For our morning coffee/tea takeaways :-) Meimei was worried that I might accidentally spill coffee on the plastic takeaway cups while I drive. So she got these for us. Very convenient while driving and definitely helps a ton to prevent spillage.

Giant Boogie

This has to be one of the biggest. Came out in one swift pull .... shiok ah ... hahaha. I can imagine the gross out looks on anyone reading this post.

Bed For Standing

Now that YY knows how to hold and stand, we moved the baby crib into the living room. He seems very excited to be able to have a spot where is just his height and he can stand and observe everyone.

The only problem with this was the mattress ... it is soft and YY keeps falling over and knocking himself on the sides of the crib. Ouch.

Sshhhhh, Quiet Please

OO found some stickers and decided it would be fun to paste them on her stuffed toys. It looks like the toys were being silenced though OO probably meant to give them a mouth and a 'voice'.

HIP Drilling Starts

HIP has started on one column of units, the one opposite ours. We are thankful we didn't have to do ours ... its extremely noisy and dusty. Many of our neighbours have moved out into temporary lodging. We can't move so the children, especially YY, have to bear with the constant drilling.

A couple of weeks later, Papa, Mama and Annie are going to move over to our place too when their flat starts the HIP. I think it'll be a lot of fun for the kids with grandparents staying together.

YY @ 8 months - Starting To Stand

YY has started to stand over the past fortnight. Still unsteady but he is trying hard. Hopefully he doesn't loose his baby cheeks anytime soon.

Arranging Mama’s New Wallet

Meimei just found the wallet she had bought a couple of days ago. And on opening it, she found it filled with 'coins' and 'cards.

It seems our little OO has gotten her hands on it and filled it up with things she would normally find in our wallets. Meimei was laughing and adoring the cuteness and innocence of OO when she found what she had done with her wallet. Hehehe.

Hillview Trip - Oct 2018 #1

Meimei brought shaving cream and colouring for OO and Gareth to play today. Meimei shared that my sister-in-law commented that Gareth doesn't like to touch things so they are trying to encourage him to explore new textures.

True enough, he was bored after awhile. I wonder if it is anything to be concerned ... but oh well that's for my bro to worry about.

McDonald's Mr Men Little Miss Story Books

Over the past month, I've been having 2 McDonald's Happy Meal every Thursday when they release the new toy of the week. And because they release 2 books at the time, my staple order has been a cheeseburger and a nuggets happy meals.

I thought it would be a great idea to get these books for OO since she is starting the reading phase. That and it was the perfect excuse to have junk once a week! Hehehehe.

Phew, Passed The HIP Test

Phew we passed. I cannot imagine having to hack up the common toilet, even if Norman is willing to bear all cost. The hassle, the inconvenience and mostly the dirt would be unbearable for everyone, especially so for the kids.

It seems the earlier diagnosis that it could have been the old potty pipe that was leaking turned out to be accurate. Now that the flat below us has changed the piping, it no longer leaks.

Hillview Trip - Sep 2018 #3

3rd time to Hillview this month. It's like a thing now for Gareth and OO for a fun afternoon on Saturdays. Well we need to be there more often before Gareth's brother arrives.

I love how OO is all excited and hyper when she comes to Hillview. I think it's a feel of space ... a feel of not being confined.

Our little YY seems just as excited, even when we are leaving for home. Ahhh both are super cuties.

Walkers For BoyBoy

We were at Marina Square for dinner and happen to see that a store was having a one for one promotion on shoes. We went in for a glance and to my delighted surprise ... the shoes were soft leather ones.

We bought a pair of shiny silver and a bright lime green walkers for YY. Meimei took out two pediped shoes she had already bought for him to take a picture.

We had YY try it on the next day ... don't they look super cute on him??!!!

Well ... he wasn't too impressed with the shoes ... hahah