CNY gatherings 2018 : Mar-18

Although our annual CNY agenda seems to be pretty standard like a SOP, it is always heartening and fill with joy for us to come together and wish each other well for the new year.  Below are the snapshots of the gatherings we have this year.

Newly adopted dog : Mar-18

This was one of those moments where the family decided to do something crazy and out of the box 

Since it was the year of the dog, MG had put up some display dogs outside.  Dor as one of their staffs was able to secure a few of these dogs by donating a token to the clarity and I was presented with the dog number 01 as my birthday falls on the first day of the month.   After the 15th day, we was able to collect the dog and it was a BIG dog!  Luckily, the dog just barely managed to fit into the car and we also 'curdled' it back slowly to place it outside our house.

I gave mama a surprise by telling her that i had adopted a dog, and she wasn't too keen about having a new pet.  But upon seeing it, she broke into tears, laughing uncontrollably.

Transportation

Dog waiting for lift 

Where we place the dog

CNY'18 Lion Dancing : Feb-18

This year I joined the lion dancing fun for two days and Shin Yang joined me on one of them.  From our last trip, the members of the troupe had changed significantly after some left a couple of years ago.  Now, it was a good mixture of the young and old 'blood' like us, and also some from other troupes who came to help out.

A special highlight this year was my plucking green performance, it must be more than a decade since i last did it!  I had requested Shin Yang to take a video of me and pleasantly, I had performed fairly, not too bad for someone who had stopped for such a long time.  Although it was very tiring, the experience was filled with satisfaction to be able to do something i had enjoyed so much in the past.

Qi passed her driving test! : Jan-18

After her third attempt and spending more than S$3000, Qi finally got her driving license.  A few hours, she was already driving her mum's car!

En’en finally got her own study table : Jan-18

After bugging me for months to have her own study table, I finally able to squeeze out a space in the study room and got a similar table and lamp for En’en.  This is probably the best spot, looking out to the trees and sky.  Hopefully this will keep En’en movtivated for a while to study harder. 😊

Dental implant first episode : Jan-18

For the last 10 years, I had been losing tooth after tooth and finally now, all my molars were gone except 1.  This January, after serious consideration, I finally decided to bite the bullet and do implants for all my missing molars.  However, it will be an expensive, painful and long process of almost a year.

Nevertheless, I put this as one of my new year resolution and pray for my courage, good fortune for a great doctor and also, every implant successes.

20-Jan was my first implant surgery on my right side, procedure include 2 implants on my lower right, a sinus lift on my upper right and an extraction on my upper right.  It completed after slightly more than an hour, but left me with a very swollen face for the next few days.

Staycation at the new Andaz Hotel : Jan-18

In mid-January, I had completed my 5.5 months secondment back in Jurong and due to return to my old role in GSK Asia House.  It was another stressful assignment like Boronia but fortunately ended sweetly too.  :-)

Before returning back, I decided to take a short break and utilise my Hyatt points which I had accumulated from my multiple Australia trips.  Andaz Hotel which was also under Hyatt management and had just been opened and available.  Thus, I booked two nights stay at Andaz from 12-Jan to 14-Jan and the arrangement was that we would stay 1 night and then the kids would stay another.

Andaz Hotel was unlike a typical Hyatt hotel, it provided a cozy and friendly reception which welcomed us warmly.  It was also nice that the non-alcoholic drinks in the mini bar were free to consume.  Because the hotel was new, all features and furnitures in the room were modern and also up-to-date!  In short, we loved the hotel and it's location too!

Coincidentally, Xuan also received her "O" levels results that day and we took this opportunity to celebrate her success at Pizza Express too.

Celebrating Xuan O levels results

After the kids left for home, we treasured our time together and went to the gym, supper and then walked around like tourist the next morning.  It was simple and yet, good fun.

Late supper

Strolling at Haji Lane

32 Bali Lane, grandparent old place

When the kids came back the next day to claim their stay, we went shopping and also have dinner together.  It was also a very special week in Singapore history, the highest temperature was at 24 C! And we were having hotpot outside with our jackets on!

Xuan GCE 'O' level results : Jan-18

On 12-Jan-18, Xuan received her 'O' results with a remarkably 8 distinctions!  To be honest, it was pretty impressive so far for Qi and Xuan in terms of their academic grades, especially when we did nothing much but nag.  They had truly demonstrated superb self-disclipine, particularly for Xuan's case where she continued to strive for excellence despite obtaining a direct entry to NYJC Arts already.  Hats down and something for me to be proud about definitely.  Nevertheless, I hope this learning process will also be useful in their lives later.

Jay Chou Concert 2018 : Jan-18

I think this must be the fifth time we went to a Jay Chou's concert, however this time with an additional member... 3rd time we attended his concert at the Sports Hub and probably the best sound system this time.