Ryanne's 1st anniversary

Yesterday, 14 Feb 07 was Ryanne's 1st anniversary.



Hakkagal and myself got off on the wrong foot early in the morning. Apparently, our "5 triple 1"'s battery went flat. She had forgotten to switched off the lights - not the headlamp, just the interior lights. She panicked and woke me up so that I can send her to work. I was grumpy (since I haven't got my cup of coffee) and probably said something stupid. We didn't speak a word throughout the journey to Pasir Ris.



Since it was Ryanne's 1st anniversary, I thought of visiting her at KMS - Hall of Gratitude. So, I dated Hakkagal to visit our daughter on Valentine's day... ok, jokes aside... I couldn't bear to listen to the radio yesterday. You know... all they're playing was love songs plus the CNY songs which weren't appropriate at all for me. Anyway, we visited Ryanne, stayed for awhile, talked to her a little before we left. Didn't do much after that. I watched my rented Prison Break VCD at night - (next season, it'll be DVD man... can't take the quality of VCD liao), Hakkagal, as usual, knocked off by 10pm (kudos to her... had to wake up at 5am every morning to tend to Rayden). It' not until after midnight, yah, 15 Feb 07... that I whisper "Happy Valentine's Day" to her. Dunno she heard it or not... doesn't matter lah.


(pictures put together by hakkagal)


Dear Ryanne,

I hope you are happy whereever you maybe. Things have changed alot since you were last here. You are a Big Sister now. Papa, together with Gong Gong and Po Po had started a shop in AMK. Things are looking good for us... Wished you were here. Just want to let you know that you are still in my mind and heart, and whenever Papa sing some of your favourite songs to your Di Di, there'll still be tears in my eyes. Hope to see you in my dreams... So long now, Ryanne.

Love you always,

Papa

Master Sky's SMS

Received this SMS from Master Sky:

"Everyone responsible for the way they live. Our current living style, may sacrifice our whole future toward enlightenment. So we must ready, wisely, accept death, change our future karmic, avoid again fall into painful cycle. This life, this time, is what we can do, thru pratice.

When you die tomorrow. You will be what you are now. What is your mind state, what you are now, if you never change and improve, you will die at what you are. This is why we must use this life and time, while we still can do it better, purify our mind stream, purify our basic gen and natural character.

You will only become what your state of mind are when die, whjen you still nonsense you will did and become nonsense. So we must try best to purify and let our nature buddha hood return before die."

For a moment, I was scared, to be honest. I thought he may be hinting that my time's up. I asked, and he said this is a general advise.

Well, let's continue to strive to be a better person, cherish what we have now and be ready to let all go when our time is up.

Greeting Card

Received this greeting card from Aik Eu, a friend from Penang. I must admit that I'm always the one who will try to return a greeting card when I received one. Meaning, I'm not someone who has been diligent enough to send cards to friends. Maybe, I should change for the better.

Hey, Eu! I received your card and thanks for visiting this blog. Next time, include your mailing address behind. You know I'm always losing things like contact numbers, addresses etc...

Thanks for the card and your kind words and warm wishes. I hope to visit you soon, together with my family. Wishing your family and you a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!

Hakkaboyz

Ray's 5.5mths old

Dear Rayden,

You are 5.5 months old and you weigh 9.5kg. Looking at the growth chart, you are, er... well, ard the 90 to 95 percentile. Phew... still within the curve. Boy, you are heavy! Auntie Renna is feeling the effect of carrying you, you know. She has been complaining of backaches!

You caught the flu bug recently, and we suspect (I think confirm) that you caught it from Gong Gong. He has been unwell lately too. I don't think you enjoy taking the medicine from the look of your expression. No choice lah! Please get well soon!

Love you,

Papa

Update on my auntie's condition

It's lung cancer.

So, we thought all along that smoking is the cause of lung cancer... nop. Not this time. This is bad luck. My auntie has been (to my best knowledge) very careful with the food she took in, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink alcohol, not in close contact with smokers (rule out 2nd hand smoke)... so, this is purely bad luck.

Checked with my master Sky. Never did enough good deeds - or never done any good deeds or charitable acts. She herself admitted it. You see... all her life she's been prudent of what she spends on, even though she's one of the better-offs relatives. So, is it due to karmic effects? Even though she never harm or cause distress to anyone?

Someone mentioned to me before, our 福气 or 福份 will be used up if we don't continue to accumulate it. Yes, even though we never do any 伤天害理 things. Our luck will run out.

So what are you waiting for? Go do something good today. I am reminding myself.

She's been strong. Taking her medicine and going for her Chemo. I have introduced her one more thing. Chanting Amitabah. I wished her best of luck and I'll try to remember to 回响 the merit to her whenever I chant. Amitabah!

Busy busy busy

Qiqi mentioned that I did not update my blog often enough.... I'm so sorry.

The fact is that I have been really busy. Went over to China for business trip, came back, sort out paper work, and the best part is that the business had been alright... ok, slightly more than alright for us this month.

Now, I'm worried that I'll face the backlashed in Feb. Especially so, when there's a CNY holiday period in the middle of it. So, my excuse for not updating my blog in Feb is.... I need to find more business.

Sports-boy-ship

Just finished watching the 1st leg of the Asean Football Championship Final between Singapore and Thailand - on tv. Couldn't believed my eyes when the Thai players walked out of the pitch when the ref award a controversial penalty to Singapore. Talk about sportsmanship... that looks like school boys playing in a park and once they couldn't agree with each other, they walk out...

Alamek. How to improve the sports in this region to compete with the rest of the world when men behaves like boys.

The story behind my new HP iPAD

Well, I sort of gotten myself a new phone - high tech one somemore, a HP iPAD.

This friend of mine, passed me some money... in fact, quite alot of money to buy a phone in China. Initially she said she wanted something like what I'm carrying... err.. was carrying. After that she stuffed me with more money and say something like PDA phone. Ok loh... if you want PDA phone, I buy PDA phone loh.

When I passed the HP iPAD to this friend of mine... she asked how come never buy the phone that that I was carrying... why I bought this one?! I was stunned. Well, lesson learnt.

No more next time, brothers and sisters.

A trip to Gleneagles

Visited Ah San Auntie at the Gleneagles Hospital today. She was amitted after a scheduled regular treadmill ECG - well, she didn't have to go thru the treadmill as the nurse noticed that she's not looking too well. After some checks and scans, they found that the lung was flooded. Results are not out yet but the doctor mentioned that it's either TB or lung cancer. Hope that everything will turn out fine for her...

The thing is... the trip to Gleneagles brought back memories of Ryanne. I remember her regular trips to the Singapore Baby and Child Clinic to visit Dr. William Yip. I remember the day that we nearly lost her and rush her to Gleneagles A&E only for the doctors on duty to refer us back to KK. I remember the tough nights we had with her, since she took so little milk that she has to feed every 1.5 to 2 hrs - just to keep her alive. Much of the memories came rushing into my head. It'll be Ryanne's 1st anniversary soon...

Ryanne, Papa remembers you, and will always love you... always.

I'm a D-List Blogger

With 2 links in the last 180 days, Technorati places hakkaboyz.blogspot.com in the low authority group.

That makes you a D-List Blogger!



The Low Authority Group [D-List Bloggers]
(3-9 blogs linking in the last 6 months)
The average blog age (the number of days that the blog has been in existence) is about 228 days, which shows a real commitment to blogging. However, bloggers of this type average only 12 posts per month, meaning that their posting habits are generally dedicated but infrequent.

Are you a A-List Bloglebrity?

Happy Anniversary!

Dearest WenX

We have been thru alot for the past year and the episode has make us and our love stronger.
You asked whether I remember our wedding vows... To be honest, no. To me, they are mere words that we were made to say out loud at the Singapore Marriage Registry infront of our parents and of cos, Mrs Tan-Lee Tai Sum, Asst Registrar of Marriages. I know that I love you for the way you are. For being there for me when I am lost and down. For being a wonderful friend who shares my vision for the future. For being an excellent advisor who seems to always have an answer or explantion to everything. For being a wonderful mother of my children. For being a caring, understanding and loving wife. For being you. Thank you for everything.


Happy Anniversary!

Lots of Love,
hakkaboyz

Goodbye 2006! Welcome 2007!

As the year 2006 is coming to an end, I think it is meaningful to recap the key events of this roller coaster year for me and for those who are close to me.


Jan/Feb' 06
- realised that my lady was pregnant again (with Rayden)
- celebrated Ryanne's 1st birthday

- happiness was shortlived as, Ryanne past away few days later



Mar'06
- went over to China for a trade fair with my Dad

May'06
- went over to China again, this time with Alex and stayed over at his apartment (hee... free)

- shop hunting, and found one

June'06
- wrote my virgin blog
- world cup fever

July'06
- grand opening of shop

Aug'06
- Rayden was born! .. so was Rachel (shon's bb) in fact, a day apart only

Sept'06
- Reservist - siong siong ATEC included
- Sherilyn (jw's bb) was born

Oct/Nov'06
- China trip again, this time met up with an army friend who runs a logistic firm
- gahmen announced GST to be increased to 7%... tew!
- 子敬 (ang's bb) was born

Dec'06
- planning for my next business trip in Jan'07
- recapping 2006...

anyway... cheers to all (ok lah... don't think there's alot of "fans" but at least got a handful lah!)who read this blog.

Best wishes for the new year!
hakkaboyz

Rayden - 4 month old baby

Dear Rayden,

Your routine is getting pretty stable now and we more or less know what you want when you fuss and make noises. Clever right?

0800-0830: wakes up, pee&/poo, bathe
0830-0930: drink milk milk, play and gets ready to go to the shop
1000-1800: In the shop - sleep, wakes up, *pee&/poo, *drink milk milk, play... this routine repeats itself
1900-2100: Back home - cleaned up, * pee&/poo, * drink milk milk, play, wind down for the day and sleep

0000-0100: sometimes, wakes up for anther feed

whatever happens later than that, is a mystery. Ask your mummy. But I'm always very curious how you end up next to me when I woke up in the morning...

Love you,
Papa

* note - this can be interchangable and it may happens at the same time.


flapping your arms and kicking wildly - means:
you are very excited and want to play some more; also means, it'll be more fun if you can pick me up









prone position looking into the camera - thinking: hey! why am I in this position again?! and why you keep aiming that thing at me?

子敬's full month celebration on 17th Dec

Look! Little 子敬 has grown quite abit, hasn't he? Sorry for the late post on this... better late than never.

It was a busy busy day for Ang and Qiqi for there's lots of guests on that day.... but can see that they were very very happy!

Welcome on board to this long, eventful and exciting journey of parenthood, guys!

Lancerlord is back!

I suspect Lancerlord read my last posting... He's found or rather .... back. Welcome back, Lancerlord.

Finding Lancerlord

I noticed that lancerlord's last entry was back in 25 Sept 06. Wondering what had happened to him? I was inspired by him to blog in the first place... Did he changed his car? Since his name was inspired by his car, a Mitsubishi Lancer. So went to google and checked for... hondahunk... toyotaking...etc... but was unsuccessful.

Remembered that he has a flickr site where he kept his photos. Went there and found out that his last update was very recent, in December. Felt alittle relieved that this old friend is still alive. Maybe just busy... or very very busy?

Update your blog leh, lancerlord!

Concert ABC

Went for a free concert few days ago... complimentry ticket given to me by the hairdresser next door to our shop. I believed her sister works for Singtel or something.
陈升, 品冠 and 五月天 were the performing artistes.




把悲伤留给自己 and 风筝 sound familiar? Yah... those were just a couple of the great songs belted out by 陈升. He is a solid performer and he entertained the mass audiences even though he knew most of them were here for the latter performers.
The songs from 陈升 were the only ones I can sing along and relate to.... Seriously, I'm getting old. Those little girls behind me thought so also.

Ang and QiQi's lovely baby

Welcome to this world, baby 郑子敬! I think the meaning of the name is that - son must be filial to the parents... something like that.

This picture taken a few days after birth and he should be bigger now, i think. We'll see ... coming 17 Dec, the full month celebration.

See you soon, Baby Tee!

Botak Ray

Dear Rayden,

We gave you a new hair cut on Sunday. It's a combine effort from 婆婆, mummy and papa. That's why I use "we".

Not bad huh for non-professional people like us, but ... no... no... don't look behind.... not our fault, Rayden. Who ask you keep moving...

Love you always... no matter what hairstyle you have,
Papa

Good news for civil servants!

Saw a piece of good news on Saturday newspaper 25 November 2006 "Civil service salaries likely to go up. Pay must be kept competitive to get and keep talent, say Teo Chee Hean"

How nice...

What a coincidence... Just when they have announced that they are increasing GST to 7% next year to help the poor. Hmm... makes me wonder who are we helping actually? What is the definition of poor? Is our civil servants, which include ministers, lowly paid?

Well, civil service pay has to go up because of private sector competition mah... And yes, Mr Teo also mentioned that ministers's salaries, which are also pegged to the private sector would be adjusted. He said:" The formula is a well-established one, we will have to look at the benchmark to see where they are, see what kind of adjustment we need to make... "

Aiya... Like that they lugi... if they benchmark with their peers in other countries, must take pay cut you know... what?! No?! you mean they do different benchmarking? Oh I see... Tsk Tsk... I smell some fishy smell...