What'd U Do When U Are Bored?

Sitting here, staring blankly into my laptop... dunno what to do. Work? (naaay... not 2day. Don't feel like it 2day. Don't ask me why) Feel so bored 2day... demotivated, in actual fact.

Why? May b i've been sitting (being a slave ) here 2 long. Gotto find something new to "fire up" my life. What do u do when u are bored (err... demotivated, watever u wanna call it)?

Would u just sit there doing nothing? Would u go fishing? Would u go sit alone in a café wondering why others are so 'happening'?

Or, would u search frantically for something that u could do to energized urself? Go disturb ur friends? Talk to urself in a middle of a crowded mall? Do something crazy?

What Is Most Valuable In Ur Life?

There's this saying that "What is most important is not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life."

Is that right..!!? But WHO have you got in your life!? Undoubtedly, the most precious ones are your family members. Parents, brothers, sisters,and friends.

We can't choose our parents, our brothers/sisters. Yea! We can't choose our children too. All these are handed to us by GOD, whether you like it or not. Trust me... these people are the best people in our life

Many may disagree with me on this... I didn't know this too when i was a teenager, thinking that my friends are the best people in my life. They understand me. Then listen to all my rants. They talked in my 'wave length'. They are 'in'. They know.

BUT... (here comes the big 'BUT') when "things" happened. What do your friends do!? What have your friends done!? What do your friends say!?

Kent calling his friend (over the phone) from the police station, "Hello, CJ. Hey... brader... wassup man." Then, "Hey, brader. Need ur help a bit lar. Im now in the police station cos i accidentally knock a motorist while driving. Can come n help save me ar, brader?"

A moment of pause went by...

Kent: Huh?? Where r u now? Sin-ka-por? Kenot come n help ar? Err...... ok lar, like that. Nevermind lar...

Then on another occasion when it was poor ol' Kent's wedding day. Yea...all his "brader" came that day to celebrate n in the Chinese culture, the groom's family will give Ang Pow (red packet filled with money as a sign of appreciation n thanks) to all the groom's friends who came to help.

But what do u know... after the wedding, gossip roams... "har!!! so little money only ar that Kent give ang pow. U know what... we drove our car n drove from %^&# here to there lor. How dare he give us only so little. %&*&@#" And on that wedding night, where poor ol' Kent had his dinner reception at his own house. But none of his so-called "brader" turned up! (scared to give Ang Pow lor... cos for Chinese, u have to give ang pow to attend wedding dinner wan mar)

Almost few years passed... This time poor Kent wanted to have a small party to celebrate his kid's birthday. So, who has he invited? All his "brader" of course. But what do u know... his "brader" say they r not attending. "Gotto attend friend's wedding dinner", "Cousin's birthday", "Got appointment" , and all sorts of excuses they gave...

And best of all, all his own siblings, cousins, brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles, relatives came, in good or bad, they came.

So, now. Think again.

"Who Have You Got In Your Life"

Well, Am I Exhausted

Ethan has been very handful for both me n yvonne for these past weeks... n so many aunties said "it's normal wan... newborn mar. Summore u r 1st time daddy n mummy" Maan...are we tired n exhausted...

So what am i doing now? Not sleeping, of coz. (gotto work mar... hehehe)

I m actually now searching thru the net to find ways n tips that can 'help' us to "survive" this early weeks (psst... psst... dun tell my boss im surfing in the office hur...) so that we can hv some sleep hahaha

So. What hv i got here? 10 tips! Not more. Not less. (i start to wonder whether they'll help I guess it's more for mummy... not for this 'poor ol' daddy )

Your baby's crying to communicate. The only way our baby is trying to communicate with daddy n mummy is thru his cry. Hunger, wet diapers, thirsty, tummy ache, etc. And in order to build a trustworthy and reliable place for your baby, there may be times when nothing seems to help and you may just need to stay close, relaxed and supportive until your baby is done crying.

Go slow. Babies move on a very different pace, as do we, parents. Give yourself permission to move on baby time.

Rejuvenate yourself. You are putting an enormous amount of energy while taking care of your newborn. It is important to recharge your batteries. A hot bath, a short read or walk. These could really help to rejuvenate you. Think about two or three things you could do in less than an hour to nurture yourself and make it happen.

Sleep whenever you can. This is what all my relatives have been saying, "When Ethan is sleeping, U go to sleep" Try to rest whenever baby is asleep or being cared for by someone else. Rest can sometimes feel like a waste of time when there is so much to do, but keeping yourself as refreshed as possible will make everything else easier.

Get together with other new parents and Ask for help. It is hard being a new parent. Especially when you feel that you are all alone out there without anyone for you to fall back on. You may be confused, overwhelmed and even exhausted. Worry no more! There are many new mummy n daddy out there. Look for new parent support group and it can be very supportive to spend time with other new parents. If you do now know where to start looking, you can start by asking your hospital, care giver, or even your friends. Many people around you might be interested in helping, but may not know how or what to offer. You can gently inquire if they would be interested.

Expect to feel vulnerable. Bringing a new baby into your life changes you forever. Your feelings are simultaneously deepened and closer to the surface. You might find yourself wet with tears or spontaneously elated at a moment’s notice. If you know that this rich emotional life is a natural part of being a new parent, you may be able to relax, tolerate and even relish these new feelings.

Keep your expectations to a minimum. Many parents who work outside the home before they have a baby expect that being home with baby will afford them many opportunities to get things done around the house. If you can keep your expectations to a minimum, you may feel less overwhelmed and unsuccessful. Figure out which projects can wait.

Glad I Found This Out!

I've been putting on weight so much that im considering going on a diet Then i found this!!





Well... what can i say. Can't believe i've been doing it the wrong way

How To Comfort My Crying Baby?

It is a very common thing that daddy and mommy will find their little baby crying most of the time. Hunger, wet diapers, thirsty, tummy ache, and lots more that can cause discomfort to our little baby causing him/her to cry.

Many of us face this when we are dealing with, especially, newborn baby. And we (i mean daddy n mommy) will be running like "a headless chicken" trying to figure out what causes and how to soothe our crying baby. But, have we done something wrong here! Instead of trying to understand why your baby is crying, most of us jumped straight to the "mission" trying to soothe him/her.

It is distressing to see our little baby crying and not knowing what to do to comfort him/her, especially when we are first-time-parents. And when the crying doesn't stop, it will be like we are in the verge of breaking into insanity trying all "101 ways" to soothe our baby.

So the first thing that we need to do now (before we embark on the "mission") is to understand Why Do Babies Cry?

We should understand that our baby cries because he/she is trying to communicate with us. There are so many reasons why our baby cries. Our baby could be crying because of anxiety or there is an emotional need for affection. Remember! It is impossible to spoil a newborn with attention, so don't worry by picking him/her up immediately or you are cuddling him/her too much.

So first thing you do is to try offering your baby a feed. Check whether his/her nappy needs a change. Next you might want to rock, pat or talk to your baby to see whether he/she is comfortable. And if these seem to be useless, then you might want to check if your baby is too cold or hot (checking the room temperature for the room to be around 20-23*C(68-73*F) and baby's body to be 37*C(98.6*F)

There are many other ways in which you can make your baby comfortable and soothe him/her. Amongst others are these that I plucked from my search (u know lar, i also got a crying baby at home hehehe)

• Feeding your baby
  
• Burp him/her
  
• Wrap him/her snuggly(leaving her face uncovered)
  
• Talk soothingly to him/her
  
• Play music for him/her
  
• Change him/her position
  
• Change him/her diaper
  
• Check to see if he/she is too warm or cool
  
• Hold & cuddle him/her
  
• Put him/her down
  
• Put him/her to bed/sleep
  
• Offer him/her a toy (for babies three months and over)
  
• Take him/her outside
  
• Take him/her away from an overstimulating environment (for some babies, this can be lots of people or noise)
  
• Get comfortable holding him/her (some people like to hold a baby laying on her back along their thighs with her head at their knees, so they can make good eye contact)
  
• Put him/her down where you can stay close and still touch her
  
• Calm yourself and relax your breathing (remember, she can't cry forever)
  
• Think about how you might want people to respond when you are crying (do you like being jiggled, bounced or plugged up when you are crying?)
  
• Stay close
  
• Make eye contact
  
• Use your voice to let him/her know you are present and that you will stay with him/her while he/she cries

Most importantly stay calm and pay a lot of attention to your baby. When we focus on listening, rather than on simply stopping the crying, our babies have the experience of someone's full and responsive attention. Rather than having someone who is running through a list of "tricks" aimed at making him/her quiet, he/she has the experience of someone who wants to truly help him/her feel better.

But when these don't help and your baby's crying continues despite you doing your best to comfort him/her. Then start worrying!! ( Nyaah... just kidding yea... )

I Shoud Get One Of These

I guess that i shud get one of this tee for myself huh... hahahaha

Who Says Alcohol Is No Good!!?

Mom: Daniel, u so 'jiu kooi' lar. Everytime come to ur house also see u drinking wan... beer lar... whisky lar...
Me: Errr... got meh har???
Mom: Ya lor. I tell u har... liquor n alcohol no good for u lar.
Me: Maa, who say alcohol no good wan har!!?

That's when i showed my mom this email i got from a friend.

A professor of chemistry wanted to teach his 5th grade class a lesson about The evils of liquor,

So he produced an experiment that involved a glass of water,

A glass of whiskey, and two worms.

"Now, class. Observe closely the worms," said the professor putting a worm first into the water. The worm in the water writhed about, happy as a worm in water could be.

The second worm, he put into the whiskey. It writhed painfully, and quickly sank to the bottom, dead as a doornail.

"Now, what lesson can we derive from this experiment?" the professor asked. Johnny, who naturally sits in back, raised his hand and wisely, responded, "Drink whiskey and you won't get worms."

Me: U see lar, maa. Alcohol kills worms, u know

((( my mom gonna kill me for this )))

When My Boy Asks Me This...

These days, little kids are so inquisitive, they ask so many questions. "Mommy/daddy, why 'this'...?" n "Mommy/daddy, why 'that'...?"

And since I'm gonna hv 2 prepare myself 2 answer all sorts of questions from my kid, so i gotto prepare myself a bit... hehehe , and i reckon the 1st thing he's gonna ask me is how he was born. U know lar, most kids like 2 know how they come about n from where...

With that in mind, i remember receiving an email with a good answer with the title "Daddy, how was I born?" (here goes)

A little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy, how was I born?'???

The father answers, 'Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway!

Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo.

Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe.

We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive.

As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall,

And since it was too late to hit the delete button,

Nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:

'You got Male!!'

Sleepless Nites In Wangsa Baiduri

Since the day Ethan was born last week, many of my friends have asked me "hey brader, how's it feel 2 become a daddy?" The only answer that i gave so far is "It's good. But... not enough sleep lor."
Ethan has been wide awake especially in the middle of the nite, between 12am - 2am. U say lar... where got enough sleep when Ethan is still wide awake every midnite... He will normally cry to get our attention so that mommy will come n cuddle him, then he's quiet

Many of them say that Ethan will need some time to adapt to the day vs. nite thingy. One of the aunties even say that he'll need about 1 - 2 months to be accustomed to the day vs. nite thingy wor... cry, cry....

On That Faithful Day

3rd March 2008: On this very faithful day a week ago, b4 we went to bed, when Yvonne said, "lao gong, come see what ur baby is doing in my tummy... He keeps pushing n pushing up my tummy. It's painful ler."

Then I jokingly said "Yea... he must b very excited bcos he's coming out soon", and then going near my Yvonne's tummy, I said "halor... halor... baby. When r u coming out? If very soon, then 'kick mommy two leg' ." With that we laughed and settled down to sleep at about 10:30pm.
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At about 1:50am, 4th March 2008, I was waken up by Yvonne saying "lao gong... I think I'm about to deliver... ur son's kicking n pushing is getting stronger n stronger." Not wanting to rush things, we decided to call the hospital Labor Ward for advise, and we were advised that if the contraction is getting more frequent (that is about 5 minutes apart) then it's time for Yvonne to be admitted.

At that time, we did something very funny (err... may b I find it funny lar.. hehehe) I was sitting by the side of our bed 'counting' Yvonne's contraction (may b some people out there will think this daddy has lost it liow hahahaha) And once we confirmed that the contraction is about 5 minutes apart, I said "I think it's best u go get ur bath now b4 I send u 2 hospital" (I know some people will sure ask why gotto take bath. It's bcos for a Chinese, the mommy is not able to bathe during the confinement month. So it means 1 month without clean water bath... hmmm... how would that smell har... hehehe)

About 3:00am, I sent Yvonne to the hospital and she was put under observation.
This machine is used to measure the frequency of the contraction, and from here we can hear baby's heart beat. Then a report will be printed out showing the frequency within an interval.

I was looking at this report n confirmed that Yvonne is suffering a contraction every 5 minutes. (~sigh~ really pity her when the contraction came) Like I've said no man will know the pain of labor and when u r standing there right beside ur lovely wife and seeing her suffer in labor n u can't do anything to help... that feeling is hard, my fren... real hard... heartbroken...

I remember a moment when, in her weak, trembling voice, she said "lao gong...... hern thong...." (meaning "hubby..... it's very painful") tears just filled up my eyes and my heart just 'died' there and at that particular moment I 'can feel her pain' in my heart. Yup! I cried. I can't stand to see my wife in such pain that I can't do anything to console her or lessen her pain. That broke my heart.

It's very strong for every woman to go through the labor, the pain, the suffering, for the man she loves... Words are not enough to describe what a woman can do, what a woman has done, and what a woman will do, for the man she loves. Man! Husband! Daddy! Father! LOVE UR WIFE! BCOS SHE LOVES U

This contraction continued until exactly 2:22pm when our son, Ethan, is born. We are very thankful to GOD for giving us this little precious life to brighten up Daniel's and Yvonne's life

Becoming A Daddy

"Jou yan low tao lor..." (meaning Becoming A Daddy already) This is the most frequent phrase that greets me whenever i meet a friend or relative. Then comes the "got a lot of things u gotto learn now, cleaning, washing, feeding.... blah ... blah ... blah ..." and jokingly they'll say "now u gotto learn to wash after ur baby poo-poo liow" I dun mind washing, cleaning, n doing all those stuff wan... bcoz im good at it mar... (psst... dun let my wife know har. If not then she sure ask me do all those stuff wan ) But one thing that really fascinates me is how to give my little baby a massage (hmm... it sounds pretty okay when talking about massaging baby hor... but if i start talking about massaging some cute lady, then sure got lotsa people say im a pervert, hamsap fella, sex maniac, etc hahahaha)
So many people giving so many variant of ways n methods n ideas. "First, u must do... n then ..." "Make sure ur baby ... n u do ..." How har now??? I m blur oledi... how to give my little baby a massage har?? The little bit of idea that i had at first is all gone with all those aunty's n uncle's 'philosophy' about massaging baby. Really 'thao heen' (a hokkien saying for Faint or Headache) Rather than making myself 'thao heen' i went doing some surfing n found some information on massaging my baby. I hope they r good hehehe Firstly, timing is very important. Choose a time when you and your baby r relaxed n calm (don't do this when u r in a haste and when our baby is hungry or full stomach) Then select a room that is quiet n warm (comfy)

After u hv chosen the right timing n a comfortable room, u gotto find a position that is comfortable for both u n ur baby (taking particular attention to ur back) sitting on the floor, on the bed or putting ur baby on ur lap. Make sure u put a pillow, towel or blanket so that ur baby feels comfortable. It's recommended for u to play some soothing music in the background on top of all the comfy comfy u r getting in to...

It's a good idea to put some cream or natural oil (e.g. scented lemon, almond, vanilla or lavender) Give it a gentle rub with ur hands so that the cream or oil may be soft n warm It is important that u take off all ur jewelry that may scratch ur baby's soft skin... u wouldn't want to injure him/her while giving a massage, would u?
U may want to undress ur baby, or either leave him/her to only a diaper... but beware of the room's temperature. U may ask ur baby whether he/she is ready for a short two to five minutes massage though he/she may not be able to give any verbal consent yet. If everything is okay, then let's start with the massage!

Basically the massage starts from the baby's head to toe with soft n gentle touches. Some experts may suggest that the massage should start with the leg n feet. Anyway, mine gonna start from the head Work ur way from the head n face, then shoulder n arm, chest, stomach n finally his/her legs

Begin with making tiny circles on ur baby's head. Then smooth his/her forehead with both ur hands at the center by gently pressing outward. Making small circles around ur baby's jaw n massaging around his/her mouth is good as this may provide comfort during teething.

Make small strokes and massage the posterior part of the neck with slow movements down to the shoulders. Softly put both hands on his/her shoulders. Caress the baby from the neck to the shoulders in the direction of his chest.

Form a ring with ur fingers and thumb around ur child's arm. Begin to caress around the armpit and then go down along the arm. Be very careful when u arrive at the elbow, it is a very sensitive region. In the wrist u can gently practice turning motions using. Remember to take great care with all these motions.

Massage the stomach in a circular way (the genitalia area is excluded from the massage). Caress the abdomen moving ur hands clockwise beginning below the ribs.

Caress each leg with ur whole hand, press gently on the thighs. Slightly flex the legs and knees pressing the thighs gently against the body. A foot massage is very relaxing. Begin by putting a soft pressure on each toe, then the foot and return to the toes again. Sometimes a foot massage can help reduce stomach pain. Caress gently all the toes. Apply circular movements at the heels.

A back massage. Turn your baby around. Begin with large and slow movements that include head, neck, back and legs always in one direction. Give your baby soft strokes on the shoulders and back and massaging with your fingertips with circular movements. Do not massage the spinal cord, only put your hands over it and let the baby feel the warm sensation. U can even make small circular movements on your baby's back. Put ur hands at the top of the legs and begin gently caressing while working ur way down towards the foot. When u arrive to the feet start again from the top. With soft and slow movements finish the massage starting once again at the head and back to the toes.

Remember: While u r doing this, feel free to speak to ur baby and look tenderly at him/her. And if ur baby wishes to change position, do not force him/her to keep to a position