I held on to the blue squeezy thing with my right hand…not too tightly. My heart palpitating, my mind racing fast. “Should I squeeze it or should I not ?” this thought raced through my mind hundreds of time within those few seconds. 5 minutes ago, the nurse had just had me strapped in. ‘Alright, Mr. Sim, this will take 20 minutes. We will begin in 50 seconds’. These were the words of the nurse as she strapped me securely to the MRI machine, tugged me in a warm blanket, gave me ear plugs (It … [Read more...]
Love changes everything…or does it?
Love is the foundation of parenting. You may truly love your children, but unless they feel it, they will not feel loved. It’s 6:45am on a Public Holiday and the PSI (Pollutants’ Standard Index) is hovering at 200 (Unhealthy level). Singapore faces another hazy and unhealthy day of smog from man-made forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia. Looks like I have to shelf my much-anticipated cycling and swimming plan with the kids later but for now, I’m out buying breakfast for the … [Read more...]
A Tour of the Times Bookstores at Marina Square
“A bookstore is one of the many pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.” ― Jerry Seinfeld For a family of bookworms, we were ecstatic to receive the invitation to tour the newly launched Times Bookstores new concept store at Marina Square. Walking into this brightly-lit, spacious 2,800 square feet store, one is immediately welcomed by the cheerful trademark orange decor, complemented by warm brown hues of wood furnishings. The store exudes such an inviting … [Read more...]
Say you, Say me: Bringing out the worst…from the best in parents
It's not just sleepless nights that cause parents to argue - divided opinion on parenting can also cause us to snap at our spouses. One of the toughest challenges as a married couple is when we do not see eye to eye on issues pertaining to number one, finances and number two, raising our children. Sometimes, you can clearly state your rationale but your spouse (note the lack of endearing term here) disagree because he/she thinks her viewpoints ought to be validated too. In fact, it … [Read more...]
Supporting Bereaved Parents in Singapore
The morning air was still. I switched on my mobile to get updates of a baby girl whom we've been praying for the day before. Her Mommy is a mutual friend who had appealed to us to "PRAY! Z is not breathing, did CPR, managed to get light breathing back and are awaiting ambulance to arrive...". It broke my heart to learn that Baby Z passed on at 8:30pm last night, 21 July 2015. Baby Z was only two months old... The death of a child can happen in the best of families and to the most capable, … [Read more...]
Life after P1 Registration: Preparing Your Child for Primary 1
Ok, so the annual panic for Primary 1 registration is here again. One year ago, we went thru a nail-biting episode – complete with ‘Toto’ Balls and the monotonous announcer - Yes, we went through the dreaded school balloting! But truth be told, surviving the P1 registration is just the tip of the iceberg. Whether you get the school of your choice or otherwise, your child will be in a school and, from experience, beyond the registration process, there’s a whole host of things you need to do to … [Read more...]
The Road Less Travelled – The Joys and Challenges of Child Adoption in Singapore
23rd June, 2014, the day which I left for work being a father of one and returned home a father of two. This was my standard reply whenever I was asked how it feels like to adopt a child. That was one year ago and three days ago, on June 23, Alexander turned 1. I’m proud and overjoyed to call him my son in every sense of the word. While his birthday, like any child’s, is a time to celebrate the joy of welcoming the newest member to the family and to acknowledge the blessings, love and … [Read more...]
He Chose Us…Celebrating Alexander’s 1st Birthday
A year ago today…this tiny little baby chose us. It happened within a day. A phone call, a trip to the hospital and then we began this journey, all over again… It was a regular day, both David and I were at work and the daughter had just returned home from kindergarten. I was in a long-drawn meeting when I received a missed call from an adoption agent whom I had contacted months back. We had prayed for an open door to adopt a sibling for Dana since 4 years ago but it somehow … [Read more...]
The Learning Lab – Learning for Life, Learning to Thrive
Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself. ~ John Dewey (American Philosopher, 1859-1952) It was rather late in the evening when we finally had the chance to plonk ourselves down on the sofa. Our daughter came prancing from her bedroom, full of energy and enthusiasm, eagerly wanting to show us something. As much as we want to hold our ideals of being attentive parents, it has been a rather long day at work and honestly we were not too eager to listen to one of … [Read more...]
Books on Japan for Kids!
By the time you read this post, we're off to a short vacation to the land of the rising sun. It's our family's very first trip to Japan, we'll be doing it entirely Free & Easy and relying on the locals to help us on a daily basis. Naturally we want Dana to know more about this amazing country before we go. Here are some titles from the National Library which we've read in the past weeks leading up to the trip. Apart from books, we've also watched this DVD "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" … [Read more...]
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