Kids @ArtScienceMusuem

I did not join Meimei and the kids for the trip to Art Science Museum. They took lots of pictures though and it looked pretty fun!

Reading At The Bookstore

I've always had a picture of the ideal life where my kids are diligent and good natured. They would be resourceful and love to read books at the bookstore. Looks pretty close to what I had dreamed of. 

AirPods Pro Max!

I've been deliberating on getting a pair of AirPods Pro Max for a long time now. With an upcoming trip to McAllen I finally decided to get one. It was definitely a whole lot more expensive than the Sony MX but it rests better on the head. For a long 30+hrs journey it would make a difference on comfort.

The sound isn't really terrific nor outstanding. But I like that headband and how it rests on my head. It does not have a weighted feeling like the Sony. But anyways the real test would be on the trip to McAllen. We'll see if I still hold the same view after the tiring journey.

Roundup Oct25

There aren't many photos this month. I've been away for 2 weeks so there was only the other 2 weeks to get any photos. Minus the week I've been jet lagged and it's really only the week before I went to McAllen. Maybe as they grow older the monthly post is more of a round-up of our month than specifically for the kids.

There had been bad drama between the maids so much so that our maid refuses to have the other maid come over our place. This puts my desire for everyone to eat together in jeopardy. I don't like this development. Our maid has gone home too the day after I came back from McAllen to recuperate from her illness so Meimei has been labouring on the chores. Haiz ... hopefully she comes back in a few weeks as I have to travel again in November.

Only picture to share on this month end roundup. 47 already with many more fun times to come.

** This is a post publish edit in Jan26. There were many photos shared over WhatsApp ... but Advanced Privacy protection was switched on and it will not auto download pictures shared to the Photos Album. I forgot about this and thought there were no photos. So now I have to manually download them 5 at a time from WhatsApp. And to add the frustration ... they are time dated to the date of download instead of the original photo dates. So I have to manually change the date on the photos .... Phhhffff. And I most probably missed a lot of the photos and they are all stucked in a single app. WhatsApp calls it better data security ... I call it conning users to be forever stuck on its platform.

Desperate Woman

I found out today that while I was away in McAllen, the kids would slip paper messages under the master bedroom door to ask for TV or music. Thankfully Meimei kept them so I could keep a record of these lovely interesting pieces.

I was pretty tickled by the messages that the two left. Especially the one self-professing to be a desperate woman hahahah

Sushiro Is Now A Desserts Spot

Found this gem at Sushiro today. Went to refill the green tea and saw a couple having this. Went and ordered one for Meimei and I since it looked pretty tasty. Glad we tried ... it was pretty refreshing after the sushi meal. I might bring the kids here next time instead for a ice cream treat. 

Deal Of The Century

This morning's breakfast consisted of a tuna bun that has corn in it. Naturally I rejected it, I just don't fancy spitting out each piece of corn in every bite. However the kids were egging me on to eat the bun. In an instance of brilliance I gave them a barter trade. If I eat the bun without spitting out any corn, they have to have more vegetables each dinner.

Now ... normally anyone that hears this can tell immediately that this is a bad bad deal. But their obsession to make fun of me and see me squirm with utter disgust obscured their judgement. So both kids agreed to the deal without second thought.

Well ... I knew that they would not keep to their promise. But I have to give it a try hahah so I ate the bun with much agony and discomfort I can display just so the kids get their 'kick'. I'll get mine too at every dinner meal later muhahahhaha 

I think this is a good learning lesson for them that they don't fall into such 'traps'. There are many people out there that prey on people's wants to their victim's disadvantage ... even those that may call themselves friends. Why? Because we are humans. But for now ... I can laugh at them whenever they realise how bad a deal it was when we give them more vegetables hahaha.

Hitting Marriott Titanium

It's both a welcomed travel status and a loathed one at the same time. To get this means having to be away from home for at least 75 nights. Not something I look forward to at any time. But this does give me perks at non-US hotels with lounge access. I hope we travel less next year.

Raid: Another Game Changer

There was a progressive for Wixwell. I've tried several times to get him and wasn't about to give up. Especially not when I'm in mercy on the Sacred Shards. Glad it only took another 3 shard to get him. He is a game changer with Titus on all the clan bosses. It's been getting stale for the past month and half without any real progress. Couldn't pull anything that can advance my game till today.

Work Travels: McAllen Food Oct25

I have my staple happy food at Mambo Seafood. Most of the time I prefer simple food rather than the expensive and yet bland restaurant flare. Obviously I cannot avoid the fancy places altogether when eating with the rest of the team. We typically have burgers and sandwiches for lunch and then classier food for dinner ... well occasionally. Anyways I still stick to Mambo for dinners and the foodcourt for salad lunches. Perfectly happy with this.

 

Work Travels: Attacked By A Bug?

Surely something had bitten and given me these sores. They are itchy and painful. They don't look like bedbug bites but it could be anything really. Thankfully I brought a Tigerbalm ointment that helped soothe the itches.

Elixir Haul #30 - Booze For McAllen Oct25

 

Work Travels: Making It To McAllen

A torturous journey to McAllen for a fortnight of meetings on test cases and following up on a project I'm leading. First off, we were on the plane for 2 hours at Changi because there was a mechanical issue and they had to replace parts. The doors were locked so we couldn't go anywhere. I had for the first time opt for a window seat and was regretting it while we waited.

The 2 hours delay on take-off turned into a further delay at San Francisco since I missed the last flight of the night. I had to wait another 6 hours for a 5am flight to Houston and then onward to McAllen. I was originally going to arrive at 10am but landed at 4pm instead.

Got a Buick Envista for this trip. It handles well on the very short drive to the hotel but really there isn't any problems driving here. The traffic is so much slower here compared with Cincinnati.

SuperPark Suntec With Old Friends

Mateo invited 阳阳 and 萱萱 to Superpark for his Birthday. It was a nice gesture given that everyone has gone their separate ways to different primary schools. You can tell there is a certain feeling of "distance" between old classmates.

I'm glad to discover a new playground for the kids. One that is more suited for their age too. And 萱萱 and 阳阳 finally get to play on a zip line!

Kiddos Sep 2025

Still too thin

“I was 25.5kg few weeks ago. Now i’m 25.8kg, hurray i gain 0.3kg” 萱萱 said with utter glee

Self Censorship

Meimei: 萱萱 self censorship so cute lol 😂

Makings of a Hacker

萱萱: do you know I wanted to record the songs and music video on my ipad so even when time limit is up, I can play it from my PHOTOS app??

Me: *无语…..

萱萱: and do you know I have another way!! GUESS!

Meimei: 深呼吸…. What app?

萱萱: You know ALARMS, I can set my alarm to play my favorite song!

萱萱: AND because it is not sure what songs you like, it will let me play any song and play a long time

#matteroffactly

Yeeyee: Making of a hacker

Meimei: I REALLY did not think of it leh