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What a year it has been. Where did all the time go?

At the end of last year, I announced the exciting news that we would be having our third baby.

Now Caleb is here, and it feels like it was years ago when I read my old blog post.

I guess now is the right time to review what I’ve done this year.

First of all, my new year resolutions for 2011 were hit-and-miss.

At the start of this year I was going through a minimalism phase, which prompted me to stop giving (and accepting) Christmas presents. That didn’t work, and it’s not something I want to try again.

Another resolution was establishing some form of routine and order. We managed to do that quite well after baby Caleb was born.

Our life has settled into a predictable routine. Stress levels are lower. We’re actually finding we can enjoy ‘family time’.

We made the decision that Caleb would be our last baby, and that decision really helped me to settle down.

No more keeping things around the house “just in case” another baby arrives. No more uncertainty. I can finally firm up on some financial plans.

Talking about finances, this year hasn’t been a good year. The expenses have just gone beyond what I am comfortable with.

We spent a lot of money on baby Caleb, and we started the two older kids at daycare. Things around the condo are starting to break down.

Honestly I am really stressed about this. It makes me go into moods of depression, self doubt and even desperation.

I don’t really want to cover the things that went on in our country, or the disasters that happened around the world. I’m sure you’ll get full coverage in the newspapers.

I would sum up this year with one word: “Caleb”. He is such a joy. As parents you always worry how a new baby would change your family dynamics, but it seems like he’s a perfect fit.

I end the year with a feeling of contentment and thanksgiving for all the blessings we enjoy.

Have a happy new year everyone.

Photo by: markovje

My family and I would like to wish you all a very wonderful Christmas.

In these times of celebration and year-end festivities, I hope you all are blessed with happiness and health.

On the night before Christmas, Poey Chin and the kids spent some time making some party hats.

Here’s a close up on Daryl. He didn’t really know what was going on.

The kids got a lot of presents. Here are some of them.

We want to take this time to thank all my family and friends for thinking about our children. They really had a magical time opening all the presents.

The kids really loved all the toys you bought for them. Daryl holding an Angry Bird plush toy.

We parents really loved all the cute clothes you bought for them. It is very timely since Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Thank you!

Some of Rachel’s clothes:

For Daryl:

Clothes for Caleb (and some toys for the boys):

We got Daryl this Barney bag, and he was so happy and excited that he almost burst into tears.

There are a lot of other cool presents, and I didn’t have the energy to take so many photos (since the kids were running around).

Thanks again everyone for your gifts.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

A melancholic post for this Christmas season.

How exciting to be a child once again. I would have all the time in the world, and anything was possible.

I felt like I could have done anything if I had worked harder on it. It was just a matter of time.

But time slipped by and the hands of the clock didn’t stop their relentless march.

Here I am at the mid-point of my life looking back at missed opportunities.

I also realize with dismay that I’m running out of options as I grow older.

As I grew up I realized that I wasn’t the smartest. I wasn’t tall enough, strong enough or fast enough.

I could not be as creative or intelligent as I wanted.

I struggled to grasp the basics of things that seem to come naturally for others.

I am not a gifted, talented or natural at anything.

I am not good looking, charming or witty.

In recent years I realized that I did not have the resources, nor did I know how to gain more.

As time went on, I resigned myself to the fact that there were things I would never be able to do.

It hurts when dreams die.

Yes I look around and I learn to be thankful for the things I have and the people I’ve met. I’m so blessed with my wife and three kids, and for my family who’s always there.

I know I am more fortunate than a lot of people. I’m thankful for so many things.

But still, the dissatisfaction remains. A nagging thought and a stab to the heart at unexpected moments. The silent questions of why and what if.

I can make the feeling go away, but they always come back.

I can’t fully express what I feel. I’m not very good with words.

Opportunities missed are gone forever, and dreams have to be let go.

Younger people will surpass me in success and accomplishments. There will be others who are fortunate enough to receive piles of money while I have to struggle to save a few ringgit.

Maybe you tell me my priorities are not in the right place. What happened to following God’s plan? What happened to thinking about your children?

You’re right.

Maybe it’s time to give up all those selfish things. But I wonder what would be left?

I feel sad and a little scared because I don’t know where I am headed. I don’t dare to dream any more.

Don’t be alarmed or worried for me. I just needed to get these thoughts out of my head. I always feel better after writing about it.

I just hope it doesn’t blow up into some sort of crisis.

Photo By: Benjamin Earwicke

Last month we brought Rachel to watch Barney Space Adventures at KL Convention Centre.

We were not planning to go, but at the last minute Rachel was blessed with two free tickets.

We decided that Rachel would go with Poey Chin, and I would be the driver.

We decided against bringing Daryl because he could get scared of the dimmed lights and the loud music.

So I took the day off and we made our way to KL city centre.

We arrived after a an hour’s drive and took some photos before the show started.

They had some Barney merchandise for sale.

Rachel was really excited though she didn’t show it in this photo.

Poey Chin went over to the box office to collect the complimentary tickets, and we were so surprised to find out they were the RM300 seats!

Here’s a photo of the show.

You can see some parents recording the entire show on their phones and iPads.

Rachel was quiet through the show, and she didn’t really participate in the dancing. After the show it was a different story.

Since we only had two tickets, I went off to KLCC during the show.

I wanted to find a place to sit down and read my book, but the place was so packed, even on a weekday!

The entire mall has changed so much, I was amazed as I hadn’t been there for over 5 years!

Some of you from outstation have probably been to Suria KLCC more times than me.

I couldn’t find a place to sit, even the restaurants were packed at 3pm. Well, the Japanese restaurant looked kind of vacant but I couldn’t afford to eat there. So I made my way back to the convention centre to have a snack at the food court.

Later Poey Chin told me that some parents were allowed to enter with only two tickets, with the idea that their child had to share seats with them. But in the end the hall was not filled and there were plenty of free seats to go around.

Some of them even moved up to the “expensive” seats.

The show was over in less than 2 hours, so we quickly rushed back to the car to make our exit from the city.

Unfortunately we were caught in the evening rush hour (and it rained!), so it took us another hour to make our way home.

I was tired from all the driving and walking, but Rachel really enjoyed herself and I think she will remember the special day.

A couple of weeks back, my wife and I went to get a thermal cooker for our home.

It’s from the La Gourmet brand. It has 7 litre capacity and comes with a 3-year warranty.

The retail price was RM315 I think, but we didn’t pay for it because I used my Maybank card points to redeem this item for 70,000 points.

I feel pretty good getting something so useful from my credit card points. Last year I got a small toaster oven.

You may get the impression that I spent RM70,000 to get those points but I haven’t! My card offers 2X and 5X points for certain retailers.

Plus I used the card for major expenses such as the hospital bills for my two sons and all my insurance premiums.

Anyway, back on topic. Poey Chin has always wanted to get one of these cookers because she saw her friends using it.

We were thinking of getting them from Cosway at first, but kept putting it off until I saw this on the credit card rewards catalogue.

Here’s how the pot looks like.

There’s a small pan you can put on top of the main pot, so you can cook two things at once!

Everything looks so stainless-steely and makes you feel like cooking.

I assume most of you know how thermal cookers work. You heat up the contents of your pot over the stove for a while, then move the pot to an insulated cover which contains the heat so your food can continue cooking.

Poey Chin has been using it to cook soups, porridge and even red bean dessert.

In the past, we had to boil soups for over an hour, but with the thermal cooker she just has to heat up for 15 minutes so we’re saving about 75% of our energy.

We get to save on our gas bill, and it’s safer!

It’s really convenient and safe because we don’t have to leave an open flame. Definitely a good thing when we have kids at home distracting her all the time.

Don’t wait any longer. Call 1-800-1-800 now and place your order. Wait, there’s more! If you order today I’ll throw in a copy of:

• The DBP (Durian, Banana, Petai) Diet with Adino for only $9.95, and
• A free eBook Teach Your Baby Piano with Rachel

Okay jokes aside, Poey Chin mentioned that the food cooked with the thermal cooker tastes better. I’m not so sure because I don’t have the super-power taste for food that Ipoh people have. I mean, most of the time I can’t tell the difference between good and bad, and I’m not particularly picky.

My only complain about the pot is the metal handle can get quite hot, so it could be hard to pour out the contents of the pot. The 7 litre pot seems to be a little too big but that’s not a big deal.

Now Poey Chin is looking around for thermal cooker recipes. Do you have any suggestions?