Drawing Inspiration

Jesse made me this drawing a couple of days back. "Take this to work with you, Daddy," he said, "and show it to your friends". The kid's a narcissist, I tell you.

The drawing made me laugh. It's his cute little attempt at spelling and his record of events and observations that entertains me no end. I think I'll teach him to blog next. That oughtta be hilarious.

As for the drawing, the boy managed to sucker Uncle Jeff into getting him the new Iron Man toy as a present when they were out at Tropicana City. He's also awed by the fact that Iron Man has a triangle arc reactor this time around.

I dunno, but I thought that deserved a blog post in itself. :)

Maddie 365

Maddie turned one 2 Sundays ago. As tradition, we had a little bash for the family. It was like a scene from Goodfellas.

There was Jeffrey and Stevie and Me. There was Gino from the family up north. There was Slicky Ricky and his brothers, Eric the Booze and Two-Tone Tony. There was Tall Joey, who was Lari's brother from the wife's family. Two Jasons. And you had Ashley The Eyes and his gal, Cotton Candy. And Jeremy 2K, who gets the nickname because he owes me 2K.

It was all in the family, but you get the idea. Now enjoy the photos. :)


It's Maddie's first birthday and we're a little liberal with her eating for the day. She gets a first taste of Vitagen and she loves the stuff. Check out the killer pose.


The spread. We catered this from D'Fortune and it was good. An order for 45 feeds 60, with some leftovers. Shhh...


Maddie complaining to Auntie Sue, "There's just too many people here, and they're eating my food!"


The Grisly Sisters (mine), watching Maddie sleep. There's something discomfiting about this picture, because you should never sleep in the presence of these two. Especially when they have marker pens nearby. Trust me on this. Poor Maddie.


The whole village. 60 of us, Grandfathers, grandmothers, grand uncles and aunties, uncles & aunties, cousins, etc. And this is not even the whole family! They came, they ate, they left. Just like locusts, except that we like them and they brought gifts. Heheh.


One for the album. Everyone singing the song, but Maddie just wants cake.


Kids ravaging the cake. This one comes from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and it's got all kinds of goodies on top. The little horrors were just picking off the colourful treats, led by their leader, my son. :)


A little flower power for my little girl. Maddie's totally into the cake decoration. She's also into her very first taste of cake.


No it wasn't the kids. This was all Mae. Apparently it's extremely difficult to cut a cake that's got all kinds of candies on it.


Cuppacakes from Wondermilk. Mae bought a whole box of the stuff and ate it for a week. Yeah. Eww. Too much of a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.


Maddie gets her first birthday present. She loves it, if only to jump up and down on it.

It was tiring just looking at all those people. And in the end, it was more a party for everyone else than it was for poor little Maddie. Sorry sweetheart. Daddy will make it up to you every birthday from here on, okay?

Reprise, Repeat, Repulsor

I haven't blogged in ages and I figured I should. Aside from being a nice reminder of things that happened in our lives, it's also pretty therapeutic. And Lord knows I need therapy from time to time. Comes with the whole territory of being Hainanese. Heh.

Anyway, it's been over six years of blogging now. Or semi-blogging, as the case may be. Jesse's going to Primary 1 next year. Maddie turns 1 this Sunday. I'm pushing 40. And Mae is 25. (It's statements like this last one that ensures I get to turn 40.)

At this stage, if you've read this far, you'd realise I'm just rambling. Sort of a freestyle riffing. There is probably a point to this post, but it might take awhile getting there. It probably has to do with growing old and getting verbose. A few more years, I'll be recounting war stories and their many reruns from a rocking chair.

So yeah, this one's about growing old, and growing up.

I look back at the last six years of blogging and I don't recognise the blogger. I've grown awfully cynical and perhaps even somewhat bitter. I don't marvel at too many things these days. And people don't surprise me any more. I've grown to hate more things than I love. Because with age and experience, comes the ability to see through all kinds of bullshit. You know, the kind that suspends your disbelief in anything, allowing you to be happy and well-adjusted.

Growing old sucks. Cos you can't find the time to watch a movie at the cinemas. No wonder I'm bitter.

I need to watch Iron Man 2 before I self-destruct.

Eight Months

Wow. It's been awhile since I was last here. Yeah, I really should blog more, but somehow, life got in the way. And poor Maddie went through 8 months of her life without so much as a squeak. :(

Sorry, Sweetheart, Daddy'll make it up to you. I promise. With any luck, that could well be a nice convertible for your 21st birthday. But for now, it'll have to be a bunch of catch-up posts. Heh.


Fresh from the farm, Little Maddie meets her big brother for the very first time. Although she appears nonchalant despite Ko-Ko Jesse's gawks, we suspect she's just holding back. In time she would develop the very same goofy stare (complete with mouth agape) for Ko-Ko as well.


In the morning of her Full Moon party, Maddie gets her first haircut, courtesy of Grandma & Guys unisex salon. Despite my little girl's lack of hair, my mother takes another swipe at her barren locks at the very moment I had my back turned. Apparently, out of superstition. By the time I realised it, it was already too late. So, instead of stopping her, I stopped time. Via my Lumix LX-3.


In her second month, Maddie sleeps. A lot. Didn't help that she woke only during the hours I was at work. Sometimes when no one was looking, I'd wake her up just so I could enjoy her waking moments. Shhh...


Three months on, and Maddie's still not doing terribly well in the hair department. We resorted to hats, hairbands, bonnets to help "girlify" her a little bit. In the end, I decided to lob off my hair too, just to keep my little girl company. Just so she can look back one day and say, "Hey, Daddy had a silly haircut too!" Mae hated the way I look. Silly woman.


After four months, Maddie starts practicing her bite. On anything, including her very accommodating big brother. She would eventually develop a couple of cute little gnashers.


At five months old, our little princess develops a winning smile. She's also gained a lot of strength in her legs, kicking about every time you carried her, all the while grinning from ear to ear. Mae is all smiles too at this point, since she started to be able to squeeze back into her old jeans.


Right on schedule, at the age of six months old, Maddie learnt to sit unaided. Here, we're prepping for one of those shots that was all the rage in the 70s. You know the put-you-kid-on-a-car shot? Helped that we had Mom's vintage VW at hand. This was also Maddie's first long-distance trip. We went back to my family home in Taiping. She cried most of the way cos she didn't want to be confined in a car seat. *sigh*


For the Christmas holidays, we decided to take another trip. This time a short one to Bukit Tinggi, since Maddie wasn't terribly big on long car rides. The cool weather and the funky threads went down well with our little girl, hence the happy demeanour. BTW, those Vincent shoes she wears, we bought from FOS Kids & Teens. Cheap shoes for under 20 bucks. She can outgrow them without us feeling too much of a pinch. :D


And finally, this just in. At a ripe old age of 8 months a couple of weeks back, our little girl is learning how to stand on her own two feet. Assisted by her own two arms of course. And as usually, Daddy is proud as hell. :)

So there. A pretty long post, after a long break. And with plenty of pictures too. A good restart, hopefully. :)

Maddie's 16-Day Milestone Report

Day 1: Subject Madeleine is soft and squishy. Limbs and extremities look frail and fragile. Will probably snap under little effort. Must handle with care. Umbilical cord withering away, but still attached. Subject appears to need no constant nutrition, finding adequate sustenance from a short stint at subject's maternal mammary gland.

Day 2: Subject is excreting a dark, sticky matter from its posterior. This product is assumed to be Meconium. An assumption will be adequate at present time for the purpose of this report, due to this researcher's refusal to perform a taste and smell test.

Day 3: Subject has begun consuming and requiring a larger intake of subsistence. Its current diet of Colostrum, a concentrated nutritional lactative product, will soon be replaced by a higher volume dairy product. The Meconium production appears to be ceasing, much to the olfactory delight of the research team. Subject, however, has taken a slight yellow appearance on the epidermis. Subject will undergo a daily exposure of natural ultraviolet rays.

Day 6: Natural UV Therapy had paid off. Tests at the Damansara Specialist Hospital measures subject Madeleine's bilirubin level at 9.8mg/dl, a safe level. Subject has begun to respond to visual and auditory stimulus.

Day 9: Limbs and extremities have gotten firmer. Subject has also demonstrated increased strength, as well as increased suction power, as evident during feedings. However, it must be noted that subject's suction prowess is estimated on the basis of facial convolutions expressed by subject Madeleine's maternal lactation unit (also referred to as Mae).

Day 11: Subject's umbilical cord has dislodge from the main unit. Upon visual inspection, said umbilical matter is dried and withered, displaying a dark brownish-red transluscency similar to the processed combusted porcine aliment usually available during the Lunar new year festival. However, inhalation tests offer no such similarity, producing a pungent and putrid result. The research team has concluded that the unbilical matter is best disposed as biohazard and not safe for consumption, nor as accessorial ornaments.

Day 13: Registered at the National Registrar. Subject Madeleine will now fall under the purview of the Federal Government. However, subject will still be required to report to her parental units for all matters pertaining to cultivation and nurturing.

Day 16: Subject has begun to respond kinesthetically to stimulus. Her oral emissions in times of hunger are registering higher decibel levels oftentimes shattering the concentration of the maternal lactation unit. Otherwise, subject displays a calm, quiet demeanour, befitting of assumption regarding the female of her species. It must be noted that this assumption has oft been faulty with the researcher's own experiences with the female of the species.

This concludes the 16-Day Milestone Report on Subject Madeleine. In the final summary, the subject has shown remarkable growth and positive development. It's parental units, however, though positive in outlook, are showing signs of fatigue and weariness, but that is typical is studies like this.

Born to Twitter

I love Twitter. If that isn't already apparent enough, here's one more reason.

On 16th May 2009, Baby Madeleine came out into the world. While she was always due on that very day, Doc had told us the day before that Maddie was most likely late. So we went about our Saturday like every other. But our Little Girl had other plans. I was just about done with my haircut when Mae called to say she was bleeding. No pain. No contractions. Just blood. We panicked. I called up our family members and told them. Told them also that I'd update on Twitter, which in turn updated my Facebook:

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ThatJames rushing to hospital now. Slight bleeding. Baby due today, but could be false alarm.
12:21 PM May 16th from mobile web

mahyuni: @thatjames Hope it all goes well :) All the best to you and your family.
May 16, 2009 12:43 from TwitterFox

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ThatJames Doc drew the curtains to inspect Mae. Jesse disappointed cos he wanna see. Kid doesnt realise he could be scarred for life.
12:46 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames 4cm dilated. It's today. Mae getting prepped. I'm registering. Stress! Jesse doesn't understand why he can't go in. MIL coming to rescue.
12:55 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames Registration taking forever. I need a shave. Stubble not good on baby girl's skin.
1:02 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames Waiting now. Nothing's happening. Strangely, Mae is in no pain.
1:21 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames http://twitpic.com/59qor - Doc giving epidural. Painful injection!
1:34 PM May 16th from TwitPic

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ThatJames Stepmom called. Reminded me to call confinement lady. Lucky! My brain stopped functioning an hour ago.
1:44 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames Didn't realise baby was arriving cos Mae didn't feel any painful contractions. Just the urge to take a dump. Weird.
1:52 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames http://twitpic.com/59rrh - That spike was contraction. Mae felt it.
1:57 PM May 16th from TwitPic

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ThatJames Water just broke on its own. Dad said when they told him my mom's water broke. He said, "That's ok, we'll get her another." Haha!
2:01 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames should be updating until baby born. Facebook limits Twitter updates. If u see nothing, try http://www.twitter.com/thatjames
2:09 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames From the charts, Doc says Baby very active. I think she can't wait to get out. Probably chanting, "Are we there yet?"
2:13 PM May 16th from mobile web

lord_ashe: @thatjames whoa. You've got my best wishes there. All the best! My wife is following your feed too!
May 16, 2009 14:20 from mobile web

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ThatJames Thanks for the wishes. Will reply later. Not easy doing it from my cheap-ass Nokia. I need an iPhone but spent all my money on baby. Ha.
2:35 PM May 16th from mobile web

ShaolinTiger: @thatjames congrats mister, we want twitpics after birth. Time for a Nokia E71 or a Crackberry.
May 16, 2009 14:02 from web

lord_ashe: @thatjames haha thats what an iphone is for! i was watching the in room tv DuRInG delivery. Memoirs of geisha.
May 16, 2009 14:41 from twibble

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ThatJames Abandoning Mae. Going for lunch. Hungry. Gotta choke down my food before baby arrives!
2:43 PM May 16th from mobile web

kimberlycun: @thatjames have a safe labour to you and mae!!!! more twitpics!
May 16, 2009 16:08 from TweetDeck

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ThatJames Got me a Gillette at the shop downstairs. Now clean shaven enough to greet my baby girl when she arrives.
3:09 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames Turns out water didn't break. Doc came and burst it by hand. Would have taken a shot if wasn't momentarily dumbfounded. Nasty!
3:36 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames It's slow. Doc expects it to happen only by 5 or 6pm. Mae's sleeping. I wanna sleep too. Wish I had a portable DVD player.
3:43 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames CellSafe guy calls me to see how we're getting along. They're the new guys we're banking Baby's stemcells with. Good service so far.
3:49 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames http://twitpic.com/59wkp - Contractns make Mae pukish. Hence tray.
4:09 PM May 16th from TwitPic

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ThatJames turns puke-catcher! Mae blew chunks of Roti Canai & Dhal into a tray that's way too small. Thank God nurses got here b4 it overflowed.
4:26 PM May 16th from mobile web

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ThatJames 10cm dilated. It's time!
4:43 PM May 16th from mobile web

jasonmumbles: @thatjames Prayers for both mum and baby. Keep us updated, James!
May 16, 2009 16:45 from TwitterFox

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ThatJames http://twitpic.com/59y1i - Push. Rest. Repeat.
4:59 PM May 16th from TwitPic

jasonmumbles: @thatjames Mae looks like she's going to kill you for taking her picture at such time. Heh! Push Mae, push!
May 16, 2009 17:01 from TwitterFox

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ThatJames http://twitpic.com/59yh5 - She's out!
5:13 PM May 16th from TwitPic

jasonmumbles: @thatjames Congratulations! Woohooo!
May 16, 2009 17:22 from TwitterFox


akiraceo: @thatjames Gratz ^^ !!!!!!
May 16, 2009 17:25 from TwitterFox

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ThatJames http://twitpic.com/59ywb - Madeleine Tan. 2.9kg Born 16.5.09 17:05
5:28 PM May 16th from TwitPic

yvonneslyeoh: @thatjames - ah! lots of luv & kisses going her way....Congratulations to ya both!!!
May 16, 2009 17:34 from web


eyerizzz: @thatjames Congratulations! The live minute-by-minute updates were... er... interesting. LOL
May 16, 2009 17:37 from TweetDeck

lord_ashe: @thatjames well congratulations! Welcome to the world. My first twitter birth feed lol.
May 16, 2009 17:43 from twibble


kimberlycun: @thatjames hi madelein! Welcome to the world :)
May 16, 2009 17:46 from twibble


nileshbabu: @thatjames congrats!
May 16, 2009 17:51 from TweetDeck



mottgirl: @thatjames http://twitpic.com/59ywb - Oh man.... she's gorgeous!
May 16, 2009 19:47 from TwitPic

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ThatJames http://twitpic.com/5a1d8 - Thanks for the love! Mommy, baby, fine!
6:51 PM May 16th from TwitPic

melodysong: @thatjames Congratulations to you all! They both look lovely:)
May 16, 2009 18:54 from TwitterBerry


sivinkit: @thatjames A Big congrats!! God's blessings be with your family and esp. mommy and new arrival.
May 16, 2009 19:49 from TweetDeck

ben_israel: @thatjames hey congrats!
May 16, 2009 19:53 from TweetDeck

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ThatJames http://twitpic.com/5a38j - Jesse very thrilled to meet baby sis.
7:52 PM May 16th from TwitPic

meeshly: @thatjames Congrats mate!
May 16, 2009 19:55 from web

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ThatJames is home for a quick shower, a Maggi Mee dinner and to pack some stuff. Staying at the hospital tonite!
8:52 PM May 16th from Twitterrific

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ThatJames is so tired that even the hospital-issue 'hubby bed' looks inviting. Goodnight folks. Thanks for the well wishes!
11:15 PM May 16th from mobile web

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So yeah, our little girl Madeleine was born to a small Twitter audience last Saturday. Her arrival was also duly announced in a blow-by-blow account over at Facebook for our friends and family to follow.

It was quite a ride, and for all you fellas who happened to be on Twitter and Facebook that Saturday, thanks for your support and comments. It was pretty amazing to be able to share the moment with you. Thanks to Twitter, Twitpic and Facebook. Does this make me some kind of New Media Whore?

Oh yeah. Come follow me on Twitter. :)