Precious Baby

Can you imagine that in 4 days time, 2019 will be upon us! Time truly waits for no man and it also amplifies how important it is for us to make the best of the time given to us. Imagine if one day, you were gifted with RM86,400, how would you spend it? Some would give it away to charity, while some would choose to invest, while some would spend it all on their heart's desires. Whatever one chooses, it is ultimately their decision and the ramifications that come after could be positive or negative. Now let me tell you that this "gift" has been given to us every day. All of us, no matter our status, creed, or colour are given 86,400 seconds a day to use how we want. Do you want to use this gift to sleep the day away? Or do you want to use this gift by changing someone's life? There is no right or wrong answer but be prepared to face the consequences of your actions. I'm not saying that sleeping is akin to "wasting" time as sleep is very important but ...

5 years, 4 months, 7 days... That's how old my precious daughter is now! Can you imagine, one day I was cradling her in my arms, and the next she wants to do everything on her own... That brings me to her studies. Me and my wife went to see her teachers today for a Meet The Teachers Day to talk about her progress... And to our delight, the teachers said unanimously that Stephanie Tia was a very polite, well liked, and smart student. The only thing was that she is playful and tends to drift out during her lessons.  Me and my wife don't want to pressure our lil one to be the next Einstein but to enjoy her childhood and experience an all rounded education. What we do not compromise in any way however is that teachers must always be respected and to beloved. Teachers to me are a special breed and it reminds me of the educators in shows like Mind Your Language, Dangerous Minds, and the classic To Sir With Love. May God bless all these wonderful people who take it upon themse...

Fear - just the mention of it makes you think of your fears am I right? It can take the face of anything or anyone, from a rat, to a cockroach, to clowns, even water; fear is limitless and in extreme cases, can disrupt daily lives. It is documented that most fears stems from childhood experiences, for me, the fear of dogs came about when I was chased by mongrels when I was walking back from primary school. Thankfully I was not bitten but the psychological fear still remains. When I see a dog now, my heart beats a little faster and I can literally feel sweat running down my forehead. Will it go away? I really don't know as I really love dogs but at the back of my mind, the what ifs jump up...

Toddlers - I'm sure as parents, many of us have horror stories to tell right? I'm not saying my little Stephanie Tia is an angel, but thank God her terrible twos and now her threes are going kinda well. She has her moods now and then, but it's been pretty mild (plus me and my wife just need to give one glance, and she stops in her tracks). Another thing that I know we all notice, is that they want to do things themselves. From changing her clothes, to showering, to putting her own shoes, to eating; mummy's and daddy's help are not required. In a way, I am proud that she is doing things by herself but another part of me still wants to be the daddy  who helps her in everything. Watching her grow up, I sometimes long for the times when I was able to wrap her in my arms and rock her to sleep; but I have a front row seat at seeing my little baby grow up into a little lady and that is awesome too.

Education is the most important tool for anyone. With education comes power and the ability to choose somewhat your own path in life. Lessons however do not end at the end of our formal education as we learn everyday in life. As Albert Einstien stated, "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school". That is why we decided a few months back to bring Stephanie Tia to a playschool. It is not so much on the learning but the chance for her to mingle around with kids her own age. Mind you, we had no problem at all with the previous babysitter who is excellent by the way, but we felt baby needed this.

Cheese, silver & glass...what do these have in common? It seems that it doesn't have anything to do with each other however, these were the characteristics associated with the moon. Yes the moon that revolves around the earth. It was at the start of the 17th Century that man had a more scientific view of the moon. It would take another 350 years before we had the technology to first send a rover and then man on the moon. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon and something that seemed so far suddenly became a reality.

The King and I ,  the 1951 musical masterpiece from Rodgers & Hammerstein told the story of King Mongkut of Siam (present day Thailand) who sought to modernize his country and he sought the expertise of Englishwoman Anna Leonowens to be the governess of his children. Of course, the most famous adaptation we all love and remember is the 1956 film of the same name starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. Throughout the film, the relationship between the King and Anna is complicated but always tinged with respect and love.

America in the 1960's was a time of change. Gone were the conservatism of the previous decades; the people wanted change from what they wore to the arts renaissance and onto more serious matters of civil liberty and human rights. The space race was gaining momentum and new technology was making the world closer and faster.

And now the end is near and so we face the final curtain...my wife is into her 9th month already and we are on standby mode as baby could come at any time...it could even come now whilst I'm typing this sentence. Looking back, it has been a long and eventful journey. There has been up's and down's and the road has not always been smooth and straight (as in the pot-hole filled PJ roads) but in the end, we know the rewards are great and our bundle of joy will brighten our lives in ways we can't even imagine.

Firstly, I wanted to announce that my wife is 8 months pregnant! Yes, the end of the line is so close that we could almost touch it. Time seems to fly by and what seemed like a dream, is now close to a reality...Just a tip to all those who feel that time goes by slowly until the due date of delivery, try counting down according to weeks instead of months. Believe me, though it seems trivial, it is a world of a difference to your mind.

They say, behind every successful man is a woman and I'm a fruit of that success as I was raised by a great woman. Me and my wife believe that a good upbringing encompassed with God's guidance only brings about a person with good character and values. Our little princess is coming in seven weeks or so therefore we are looking for the perfect babysitter and also the right confinement lady. Some things are taught in school and books but we plan to raise baby up with the perfect guidance book which is of course written by the One above. Having said that, God also placed parents and babysitters to be His instrument of guidance.

The Bard was an exquisite playwright and poet and the famous line of his from his play, Romeo & Juliet states, "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet" came when Romeo was trying to woo Juliet even though knowing that their families would never agree to their union as they were sworn enemies. In this case, what's in a name? A name can signify kingship as in David, an explorer as in Marco or even a nurse as in Florence. I believe a name is a very important part of anyone. Me and my wife have gone through the vast expanse of baby names to come up with a perfect name for our little madam. Out of the thousands of names possible, what was the one name we decided was perfect for baby. Of course, we prayed and asked God first for His guidance before doing anything and after much thought and discussion, we finally decided... But wait, we will not make it too easy for you readers...sometimes things end perfectly happy and never in endings, that insults anyone.....

X always represent nothing or a representation of the unknown (as in a mathematical equation). But imagine what a double X can do to two eagerly awaiting parents...ok for those who don't know, a double X chromosome in a baby signifies a princess in the making (my wife is already telling me how much I'm going to spoil her...) Yes! we are having a baby girl!!! And as much as they (the girls) will steal attention when they are born, she seems to have taken all the attention even while my wife is carrying her. A close friend said that a baby is like a parasite, "sucking" away the life of the host which in this case is my poor wife.

They say money makes the world go around. This may be true in some sense as everything that we need to do on this planet involves money. If you need to eat, drink, pee and breathe (hello oxygen bars anyone) out comes the "ka-ching" and you're a few ringgit short. The Sultans of Swing talked about "chicks" for free but in our case, it is the baby for free...you wish. My wife's elder brother is genius when it comes to finance and in particular, investment. It's very interesting to hear him talk and give advice. He always says that investment in property is good and investment in vehicles is quite the opposite (I guess I have to think twice before getting my Ferrari hehe).

No I'm not referring to the soon to be 30 year-old pop star Britney Spears, but I'm talking about when baby tries his or her best Bruce Lee impression and kicks my wife! This is not a bad thing though as it shows that the baby is healthy and active. I wanted to share a special moment when my wife was having a nap and I decided to have a father-child talk. As I was telling baby about my day and how mummy and I are so happy that we will see him or her very soon, I actually see my wife's tummy move. No it wasn't because she was hungry but I very much feel that it was baby responding to my voice! I put my hands to my wife's tummy to remove any doubt and sure enough, I felt a distinctive "kick". It was as if baby was saying "Yes daddy, its me". It was a great feeling and further cemented how awesome our God is.