Family Expansion

It's no secret that I've been quite busy lately. So busy was I, in fact, that only now do I have some time to allocate for posting online again (ironically, due to the forced vacation as per corporate short work week directive)....

Besides my dwindling pool of engineers at work, on the other hand, we've welcomed a new member to my family.

Christopher was born last month, same hospital and almost the same time as Charmaine. So now, I have a pair - one son, one daughter. As Charmaine's just 1.5 years old, she still required lots of attention, for the safety of those around her and that of her own. Even before reaching the "terrible twos" stage, she's already using her new-found walking skills (and also climbing skills) to explore her surroundings. Climbing up is easy, but climbing down has yet to be perfected, hence with this added mobility comes the need for someone to shadow her at all times. Well, I've lost 3 kgs already, possibly this is a major contributing factor.

My son, Christopher, is still lying down in the baby cot, spending most of the time drinking milk, sleeping and dreaming of things to come. Unlike Charmaine, most of the sleeping is done when the sun is up, and as night falls, Christopher shows his nocturnal character. I don't blame him, as when you have a stomach the size of a tennis ball, you'll have to eat (or in this case, drink) in small portions very, very frequently. And frequently does he cry out for milk indeed (~2 hours if not less).

Currently, due to a sensitive digestive system, we've put him on some lactose-free formula until things subside. We started out with a locally available brand, Similac, and then later switched to Alfar� (pronounced Al-Fa-Ray), which was "imported" from Singapore courtesy of my brother-in-law, Boon Hock. The pediatrician prescribed some medication for Christopher, which came with a warning on the box - "Keep out of reach and sight of children".

Well, with more components to juggle around in life, planning and resource allocation become more critical. That's what happens when you have a family expansion. Still, both my kids will get equal attention, so there will be more of Christopher and Charmaine to come....

Terence and Ai Lee's Wedding

Phew! It was a really busy Hari Raya for us this year, as it was so a coincidence that my cousin, Terence, planned his wedding ceremony to long time GF, Ai Lee.



As the bride and groom lived just 15 minutes apart (subject to traffic conditions), it was one of the shortest wedding convoys I've ever joined! :)



Wedding dinner was at Tiara Golf Resort, which allowed for plenty of parking and, being on the outskirts of town, meant that we didn't have to get caught in a bad traffic jam on the way there.

I'll be uploading my photos onto my Multiply site soon, but this time around, I was the designated Videographer. My cousin had entrusted me with his new Sony HDR-CX100E camcorder. It was so new, in fact, that he didn't really know how to use all its functions. So, I had slightly shorter than a week to figure it out in time for the big day....

Luckily, I had my "standard" S5 Pro by my side (and handy FX520 in my pocket), so I managed to fire off some shots between video clips. Maybe I'll post one or two video clips, once I figure out how.

Link to the photo album on Multiply is here : Terence and Ai Lee's Wedding - Sept 2009

Anyway, to the newly weds - may you live happily ever after!

Posting from Multiply directly to Facebook

Hmm, after being away from Multiply for so long, I noticed many changes. Apart from the new menu and Inbox, I also found this "Copy to: [ ] Facebook" option at the bottom of the "Compose Blog Entry" screen.

Now, getting it to work wasn't as straightforward as it seemed. On my default browser, Firefox, clicking on the check box opened up a window, prompting to install something. Alas it got stuck halfway through the installation procedure. Tried a couple of times, closing down the browser and starting again, still no progress.

Next, tried Opera. Again, unsuccessful.

Last resort, tried IE (which I only use at work and Microsoft Updates). Well, well, what do you know. It worked flawlessly on the first attempt. Hmm, aren't websites supposed to work right on all browsers? I wonder if there is some connection between Multiply and Microsoft....

Well, with that done, now it's time to make this test post.

If you see this on Facebook, then my successful installation is verified (BTW, I'm posting this on Firefox).

For now, I've not yet disabled the Facebook Notes Import function, so there may be a double post.

Sayonara, Kek-san!

Gosh - how time flies when you're busy! It's been nearly a full quarter of a year since my last post. There's going to be some out-of-chronological-order posting coming up....

Well, let's start with the present. September 11 was not a great date for America, and this year, it was a memorable date for me. Today was the last working day for my colleague and friend, Kek (the moniker "Kek-san" comes now to mind, as this was how our Japanese suppliers used when referring to us by name). I suppose that leaving for better prospects is always a good thing (for all except maybe the company being left behind), so we're all happy for him.

In this modern age of handphones and internet, you never really feel that you're losing touch with someone when they leave the company.

Kek, if you're reading this, it's been an honor working together with you. Hope to see you around sometime. And don't forget to invite me to your "big day" when it comes (soon, I hope)!

Sayonara, my friend!

L-R : Low Chung Lee, Tan Hwee Chuan, Kek Siang Ming, Chong Sew Chu, Lee Wan Inn, Lim Guat Choo, Phua Ling Choo

L-R : Same as above, except swapping Low with me