Nald+Tin

Ma has passed away for a yr now...

2011-12-09T15:43:00.003+08:00

Time really flies... it has been a yr since ma left us.. so many things had happened during this 1 yr.. tho is she is not with us but it feel that she is still with us. i missed her so much...

it seems only ytd that we just knew she was admitted to hospital.. all the image are still so fresh!

i hope she is now happily moving around the world, going everywhere she wanted to go.

Missed u so much, Ma!

By Tin

Roderix is 8 weeks le!

2011-12-07T18:42:00.002+08:00

8 weeks seems short but its also quite long to us. His crying, laughter, peacefully sleeping etc.. the difficulty of taking care of a new born till now seems only ytd. Still rem that when he was just born, we are still figuring how to carry him! Now, either hand is not a problem, we can even switch hands but of course he is always showing us surprises and we need to figure out what he is trying to tell us.

I cannot say we already know how to take care of him cuz we are still learning along the way.

Looking forward to many more weeks & months to come!

By Tin

Roderix is 1 mth old!

2011-11-11T10:07:00.003+08:00

This 1 mth seems very long... we celebrated his 1st mth few days b4 his actual day as his actual day is on a Thursday. 2 days of tiring receiving relatives & friends but a joy to celebrate his 1st mth with them too. Really thanks to all the ang baos & gifts.

We are counting to many mths & yrs ahead! Cant wait to see him grow up!

By Tin

Roderix's jaundice is under control!

2011-10-25T16:25:00.005+08:00

Roderix was retained 2 days in hospital due to his jaundice and upon discharge, his reading is 7.5. We went back to the hospital for his review 1 week later and was inform his jaundice was 10.5! We were very sad that our boy is suffering... after another week of sun tanning and white light tanning, today we went back for his review again and was glad that his jaundice is now 8.9, tho still higher than when he was discharge but doc said he can don have to sun tanning any more as his jaundice will be stable down! But we still need to take note as he is G6PD deficiency so no moth ball, menthols and some other food stuff.

By Tin

The arrival of our precious Roderix!

2011-10-14T22:19:00.004+08:00

Roderix was born on 10 Oct 2011 in Thomson Medical via C-Sec. My gynae & anesthesiologist did a very good job during my labour. I did not feel any pain and i was relax throughout the whole labour and my gynae did a nice sewing job in stitching me back together with no visible scar.

Just that baby was born with G6PD and caused him to have slight jaundice. G6PD is quite common and as long Roderix avoid certain food & medication, he still can lead a normal life.

During my stay in Thomson Medical, it is a wonderful experience like im staying in a hotel instead. The nurses are very caring and will answer any questions that i had, they helped in anything you need, really making me feel at home. The tiring part is when i couldnt sleep and still need to breast feed Roderix in the middle of the night but it all pays well cuz of the constant breastfeeding, i have my 1st colostrum on the 3rd day!

We are all waiting for Roderix to be home and hopefully he can come back home tmw.

Missed him so much~

By Tin.

Ronald's Granny passed away on 2 Oct 2011

2011-10-03T18:11:00.003+08:00

Ytd morning, my mil actually planned to visit her mother in the hospital in the afternoon but she received a called from her sis that her mom is in crucial condition so all of us went to hospital to see her (except for me cuz im preg...). As usual, Nald will drop me at East Point.

Nald said her granny is now suffering from water retention that her whole body swollen up... and fluid in her lungs, making her difficult to breadth and need to relay on machine.

Around 1+, Nald came to pick me up and we went to my dad's place. He stayed there around 1hrs and received a call saying that her granny's heart beat is slowing down...

Around 5+, they came to pick me and we went tabao for dinner. Nald bring Amber for his daily walk but as he was cleaning up Amber, my mil received called saying granny passed away...

She was very panicked that she kept walking around, rushing everybody to go hospital that instance...

Nald & me are actually relieve that granny pass away, as she is not suffering anymore... im sad that i didnt get to her 1 last time and i cant even pay my respect to her cuz im preg...

RIP granny... We will missed u...

By Tin

Loon's ROM 25 Sep 2011

2011-09-26T20:44:00.007+08:00

Ytd was Loon's ROM. So happy for him that he is married.

Its was a small lunch reception a Furama Hotel. The hotel look so run down from outside but the inside is quite grand! Reminds us of Holiday Inn b4 it renovation.

His JP is none other than Mr Tan Hock Hua!!! Hahah... We have been introducing Tan Hock Hua to almost to anybody we knew that nee a JP. He is a humble man, me & Nald likes him. Actually when we are talking to him ytd, not really sure if he can still remember us cuz our ROM was 2 yrs ago.

Ytd the couple is just like a celebrities! Lots of flash light on them! Even more than us. hahah...

I wish them Happily Ever After!

To view pic, pls click link:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150304462486268.337009.580436267&l=06963eba32&type=1

By Tin

Ma's case in court 30 Sep 11

2011-09-24T11:24:00.004+08:00

Ytd i was reading Wan Bao about the woman who commit suicide with her son but missed reading this case about ma's, its my MIL told me wan...

It seems only ytd that Ma was admitted into hospital and we are hopping that she can wake up...

After close to a yr, then her case is bought up again...

The article is saying the fault is on the China Driver but none was on City Harvest! Shouldn't City Harvest be taking half of the responsibility? They organised this event of bring old folks to their churches with volunteer on board to look after old folks, the volunteer gave instruction to the driver to move off and yet the driver have to take all the fault for my ma's death! I am not asking for any compensation cuz no amount of $$ can bring back ma anymore! I just wan justice! I wan those ppl to be involved in this case to be taking the responsibility of what they have done!

By Tin

Week 35th

2011-09-22T20:59:00.004+08:00

Went check up on Monday, this time gynae said everything is ok & fine even tho baby is 3kg! WTH! We are sure not to go back to this gynae again. We opt for c-sec as we do not want any complication to arise if i go natural in the end may go c-sec also..

I will be starting my maternity leave on 3 Oct but we still cannot find a part time to replace me when im away so Chee Leong ask Hang to take over me my work and he said others will take over his job but today as i was teaching him, he got distracted and have to do his other jobs... he only came to learn from me around 2+pm, in the end, got distracted and only free again almost 5pm!

I find a bit difficult to teach him and not sure how much he can absorb... i also scare he is over loaded by his own jobs and also mine as my billing are not that easy to do lor... just hope that they will not call me when im attending to our baby... cuz even if they call me, i also don know how to teach thru the phone!

By Tin

Week 32 (8 mths)

2011-08-29T20:26:00.007+08:00

This morning went hospital to do another detail scan for my placenta, still low but baby is growing very well, now weight 2.1 kg.

Gynae said still got chance for natural birth but i scare if i opt for natural birth, in the end got complication, still have to go c-sec so Nald also agreed that i will go c-sec.

Gynae still command that the water in my water bag is too much but the radiologist said the fluid is the right amount... gynae kept insisting that my parents have diabetes but i asked my dad, none of them have! So i told doc, my parents don have and even my sis also don have, only then he keep quiet... really so stress under this gynae, kept asking me to control my diet (he kept saying my baby too big la, fluid too much la but today he said my baby weight ok! WTH!), mind u, i only gain 8 kg so far! Is it alot? Now im in 8mths so its like 1kg per mth only le!!! We have decided! Next pregnancy, we will change gynae!

By Tin

Bleeding in my left ear

2011-08-21T12:17:00.003+08:00

Ytd i was cleaning my ear and realised that my left ear is bleeding! I have been having running nose for quite sometime liao, Nald said i could have blown my nose too hard that course my ear to bleed. His mom say i may be heaty. Well.. could be both cuz i have been blowing nose everyday and several times during the day too... now Nald bar me from blowing my nose... all the mucus still inside my nose... so uncomfortable... now whenever i burp, i can feel pressure in my left ear... hope nothing too serious...

By Tin

Guess it's time to move on~~~~

2011-08-15T15:58:00.005+08:00

Okok….its been a long time since I last update the blog. Nothing special to write actually, as usual I’m quite busy recently due to Alisa’s routine checkups and the annual Xmas/CNY projects!.....hopefully it’s gonna be my last festive project. Workload still the same here at Graphictech and guess what?....no increment for this year!. Very disappointed as its way way way below my expectations of last year! Well… what to do when your bosses are buying condominiums and driving new Beemers but yet you were told the company is not making any profit so only a few selected lucky ones got to have increment!....I truly believe both of them are part of the lucky ones! ....PUI!!!

My best work buddy Joe was the fortunate one among us I guess, He tendered last month and got to a better company with damn good benefits. Thou he only got a slight increase from his current pay BUT no more pathetic 7 Pro-rated leaves, $50 dental allowance, 1 day wedding leaves, working on Saturday and 1 damn Compassionate leaves! (Yes I just said 1 day….think the bosses/HR thought I’m a Muslim. Cos if I remember correctly, a standard Chinese funeral last around 3-5 days!....so you gonna take unpaid leaves while you grieve for your love ones....Nice one!)

Anyway….enough complaints….After my baby is out, I will start to plan for my future. Most probably I will tender early next year, staying here will have no prospect since the bosses dun appreciate your loyalty here...keep you as long as you still got "use" for the company.(take Janet and Joe as case study and you will know) Right now just hope they can quickly hire a new designer to replace Joe….I think its gonna take some time and I doubt it will be any local taking up the position since the benefits is soooo damn sucky here….who still work 5.5 days!!!

As for the time being…..good luck GT, I had served you a good 7 years and I don’t think I owe the company anything... and also starting the countdown to welcome my incoming newborn boy this October!!

Pissed off and Peace out!

By Nald

Our baby is now in his 7th mth!

2011-08-02T15:39:00.002+08:00

Another figure 7th. Our baby is 7th mth old since Monday and i went for my mthly check up and also to find out my glucose tolerant test result.

My test kind of fail, pass on the 1st 2 hours' but fail on the last hour... so doc say i have mild diabetes, need to watch my diet again..

When scanning my baby, he said baby is 1.4kg, which is the ideal weight for 29th week but this week is only my 28th week so baby is also big and the fluid in my water bag is still alot so doc say either of my parents got history of diabeties thats why i have excess fluid.

To have Gestational diabetes during pregnancy is very common but still need to take note. Usually this problem will be solved after baby come out but if i never control my sugar intake, i will have diabetes even after baby come out.

By Tin

Amber and 7th mth

2011-08-02T14:44:00.002+08:00

Since last sat, Amber seems to be in pain on his lower back or leg that he cannot stand on his hind as usual, as we are still giving him his glucosamine so we thought it will healed by the next day or so but no.

On Sat night, after we went back home around 11pm, Nald's mom decided to pray for 7th mth instead of Sun and we have not bring Amber for his walk so we bring him along. Nald walked Amber while Nald's mom & me set up for prayer. After i prayed, i passed the balance joss stick to Nald for his praying. I was holding to Amber's leash and he was sitting on the floor, he suddenly barked in front of him but nobody was there! Then i told him to stop barking, he did and continue to sit on the floor. Suddenly, he get up and turned around (180 degree) very fast and kept looking behind him! Again, i didnt see anything. All this happen before 12midnight.

We finished burning the joss paper and went back home. Nothing happen that night.

On Sun morning, Amber's back/leg is hurting more that he will scream even when he is walking or sitting down. He didnt even eat his breakfast, we see him so poor thing so decided to bring him to my father's place. An accident happened to Amber in our car when i alight to buy wet tissue, we put Amber at the arm rest between Nald & me, when i alight, i wanted to put him in my seat cuz i scare he will fall from the arm rest. Nald told me not to carry him, he will do it but he 4gotten... so... as predicted, Amber fell (in his bag) onto the seat, upside down... when Nald turned into the carpark. At 1st Nald didn't notice cuz Amber was not screaming, then after a while, Amber started to scream, then Nald realised that Amber was upside down in the bag. Poor Amber... When i met up with Nald below my father's blk then he told me this... so Nald carried Amber in his arm all the way to my father's hse after that.

We got a movie to catch so we left my father's place early, bring Amber for his daily walked and bath him.

That night, we left Amber in the living room, in his cage as usual. Around 1am, he started to barked! Nald went out to quiet him down but when Nald walking back to our room, he started to barked again. So Nald let Amber sleep in our room that night. Amber have been sleeping with me all the while till i'm preg and never was he left alone during 7th mth. When he was younger, during 1 of the 7th mth, he did barked when we are alone in my room, give me a shock! But he quiet down after i told him to so i was thinking maybe he was afraid as Amber is very sensitive to "that" kind of thing wan.

Ytd night, Amber's pain is getter worst... kept screaming when he moved around or even sitting down... at 1st Nald's mom bring Amber to her room but as he was still screaming, Nald bring Amber to our room instead... wrong move.. both of us cannot sleep the whole night as Amber kept screaming lor... hopefully tonight Amber will not scream anymore...

By Tin

At week 27

2011-07-28T15:00:00.003+08:00

This week is my week 27th into my pregnancy. Baby is moving lot now nowadays. Sometimes he is practising his Yong Chun with powerful short punch & kicks, sometimes practising his Tai Chi, just pushing around inside. Few days ago, he was like practising drumming! Even when im writing now, he is moving non-stop in my tummy. He is such a active boy~

Had my glucose tolerant test last sat, waiting to hear my result next mon, hopefully everything is ok.

By Tin

what a day...

2011-07-03T20:49:00.003+08:00

Maybe i shouldnt leave the hse when im ordered to bed rest... but as today is my cousin's baby's 1st mth, since my dad say i can go, why not?

Everything was fine till after lunch... i was watching Nald playing games on his iphone then suddenly i realised im am seeing stars and the black out feeling is getting stronger. I was still talking to my uncle half way and i see the stars are covering my whole vision liao... i told Nald im see stars and i closed my eyes. I can still hear voices in echo and very loud but i don have the strength to reply even when my dad ask me questions...

then i realised that i was perspiring... like after a 2.4km run, the sweat are dripping down like nobody business... i couldnt remember whether i was feeling hot or not cuz i lost sense of my surrounding... then i can hear Nald and my relatives saying like let me drink warm water, she perspire liao so its ok that kind. then i know my sis is fanning me as they see me really like a wet pig. I also know da sao fanning me. I was feeling very cold when da sao fanning me but i slowly regain my conscious and then vomit out my lunch... what a waste... Nald said when i start to vomit, everybody run away. hahah... i don blame them cuz if i see somebody vomit, i will also run away cuz i will also vomit wan.

Then Nald drive the car to downstairs, i also wanted to go home cuz im really feeling very uncomfortable from the black out feeling... while walking to the car, i feel myself going to black out again... on the way home, i still vomit a bit. When we reach home, there is not parking lot so Nald ask me to alight 1st, wait for him down stairs. While waiting, i can slowly see stars again... so when he came, i told him, he was holding me all the way in the lift but the black out feeling came... i cannot even stand straight... when out of the lift, Nald called his sis on his hp, asking her to bring down a chair. I sat down till i regain my conscious again and hurry back home in case i black out again...

Sorry to make u worry dear... actually i still don know why i will pass out... see what gynae say tmw lor.

Thanks to my family members & relatives for helping me.

By Tin

Bed rest at home for 1 week

2011-06-27T22:29:00.003+08:00

This morning, i found 1 drop of blood and only then i realised i did have mild cramps at my lower tummy. i wasnt really scare at 1st cuz i thought its only 1 drop of blood and around 0.5cm only mah but Nald did ask me to call clinic to check but i feel there is no need but after thinking, i decided to call clinic. In the end, the missy told me to go clinic immediately as she said its not okay to bleed & have cramps at coming to 6mths.

So Nald took half day to send me there. Gynae examine and said my placenta still low tho no bleeding le but he still wan me to either bed rest at home or in hospital. Of course i choose at home la, if go hospital, don know how much i will need to pay for 1 week lor!!!!

Hopefully after this 1 week rest, my placenta can move higher lor...

Nald's cousin's wife just give birth to a healthy boy ytd and its also at Thomson Medical so we went up to look at the baby. He is so cute~

By Tin

My baby at Week 21

2011-06-21T12:06:00.002+08:00

Now i can feel my boby movement more frequently like he is playing boxing in my tummy and playing football!

Below is what he may look like in 3D scan.
By Tin.

We are having a Boy!

2011-06-17T22:58:00.003+08:00

Did our detail scanned last week and found out that we are having a boy! But not to make us happy too early as i heard from my friend, detail scanned may be wrong too! So we are planning to buy white, yellow or green infant clothing for our baby, just in case la. Cuz my friend told me, her friend did the scan, doc say its a gal, they happily buy all clothing & stuffs in pink but end up giving birth to a boy!!! My colleague said, detail scanned cannot be wrong but who knows? Maybe its the doc that read the pic see wrongly le??

Now my tummy is getting bigger le, i got a hard time standing up if i squat down... my legs cannot carry me liao... and we realised my butt is getting smaller! Nald always said i got a big butt but few weeks ago, he suddenly said my butt shrink! Hahaha... hopefully my fats are with my baby la. Doc said my baby is very big and maybe bcuz my urine result shows my sugar level is high so which is why my baby is big. That day b4 check up, we had a can of green tea so it could be the cause lor. Doc also said my placenta is low laying... i search in net and realised most ladies will also have low laying placenta when they went for their detail scanned at 20 week. Unless im bleeding then it will be something serious, as long i don walk too much, rest well, my placenta may move up. Lets see what my scan result next mth le. We even went to buy maternity belt, to support my tummy, hoping it will helps too..

By Tin

Four Ways to Make Your iPhone Last Longer!!

2011-05-28T10:16:00.002+08:00

A good friend of mine had been complaining that her iPhone 3GS battery was holding less and less of a charge. When we got together at 5 p.m. one recent day, it was at 5 percent full - and it had been fully charged that morning. She had barely used it all day. The phone was apparently running itself dry simply by being turned on.

The single biggest battery consumer is the screen brightness. But it wasn't especially bright on this phone.

So I suggested that she take the phone to an Apple store to get the $60 battery replacement service. In fact, there was an Apple store only two blocks away, so I accompanied her - and found out, upon arrival, that there is no $60 battery replacement service! There's one for iPods, but apparently not for the iPhone.

There are plenty of do-it-yourself and third-party battery-replacement services that advertise online, but the Apple store Genius, named Nicole, said none of that would be necessary. She tested the battery and found that it was perfectly fine!

Instead, Nicole pointed out a few things that were contributing to my friend's rapid battery depletion. I took notes and thought I'd pass them along.

* Push e-mail. This, I believe, was the big one. My friend has seven e-mail accounts, and her phone was checking each of them every 15 minutes. If you turn off the "Push" feature, and set it to Manually instead (in Settings->Mail, Contacts, Calendars->Fetch New Data), then your iPhone checks for e-mail only when you actually open the e-mail app. Your battery goes a lot farther.

(If you have a corporate Exchange account, your calendar and address-book data will similarly be updated only when you open those apps.)

* GPS checks. In Settings ->General->Location Services, you'll see a list of all the apps on your phone that are using your phone's location feature to know where you are. (It's a combination of GPS, cell-tower triangulation and, on some phones, Wi-Fi hotspot triangulation.) All of that checking uses battery power, too. My friend had dozens of apps with Location Services turned on, many of which didn't really need to be on. She turned most of them off.

* Notifications. Similarly, in Settings -> Notifications, you see a list of apps that are allowed to display pop-up notifications (those blue text bubbles that look like text messages). To do that, they have to monitor what's going on with your phone - and that takes juice. Turn off the ones you don't really need.

* Background apps. Nicole the Genius discovered that my friend had a huge number of apps open - maybe 40 of them. She maintained that they were using battery power, too, in the background.

Now, I kept my mouth shut. But I'd been led to believe that background apps are generally frozen into suspended animation precisely so that they don't use battery power. In fact, Apple was criticized when it introduced "multitasking" in the latest iPhone software, precisely because apps don't actually keep operating in the background. Only a few sanctioned features keep running in the background (Internet radio playback and GPS tracking, for example).

Even so, Nicole quit all 40 of the apps that were still open. (To do that, double-press the Home button to open the multitasking app switcher. Hold your finger down on any icon until they all start wiggling. Tap the little X close boxes to manually quit open apps.)

Did the Nicole treatment work? Very well indeed. The next day, my friend's battery, by the same time of day (5 p.m.), was still at 80 percent!

So there you go: How to make your iPhone battery last a lot longer. For free. You're welcome!!

Im Pregnant!!!

2011-04-16T11:19:00.007+08:00

Finally its my 3rd mth of pregnancy and i can finally say it out!!!

We are both very happy that i was pregnant cuz we actually plan since 2010 but luck is not upon us.. only after we decided to try TCM and after around 3-4 mths of taking med, we decided we have to try, tho the TCM doc said she will wan us to try in May 2011! (we felt that she just wan to earn more $$ from us 1st) so we never listen to her.

As im low in blood pressure and will always feel fainting, we decided that after 3rd mth, we go back to TCM but our gyne said NO, as he do not wan any complication to arise if i took TCM and he will not be able to answer lor.. we decide also to leave TCM till i give birth, so time being only relied on western med le.

I took 1 mth leave as my morning sickness is bad, tho now is my 3rd mth, im still having morning sickness + fainting... but i will need to get back to work tmw le... so sian~ hopefully my morning sickness & fainting will get better...

By Tin

3 months have passed....time really flies!

2011-03-31T11:16:00.003+08:00

Time really flies, it’s been more than 3 months since I last posted and already we just passed the 100^th days without mother on Tuesday. Can see that everyone had accepted the passing on of mother and trying to get back to our normal lives. Thou occasionally Tin still misses and weeps every time she think of mother, but I guess time will slowly heal the wound in her. Especially now when we are both preparing to welcome a new member to the family and step into a new phrase of our lives. I think mother will be very happy and glad that we have not disappointed her.

Now my focus will be entirely on Tin and I can’t wait for April 14^th to come soon!! For the time being, I must work harder and spend lesser on my hobby liao. Hope mother in Heaven will bless us so everything will go smoothly from now. Finger-crossed!

By Nald

Something simple we did for mother for the 100^th days….hope she likes it.

What a birthday~

2011-03-12T12:10:00.002+08:00

Ytd was my bday, i purposely too a day leave to enjoy myself. Nothing much in the morning, just a bit of shopping for hse things then go home le. We took nap in the afternoon then when i woke up, Nald told me China & Japan got earthquake and Japan even got Tsunami warning!

We look at internet news and already they are showing video of Tsunami destroying the village...

I remember 1 yr, there is a bombing in India and killed lots of ppl, now more ppl die due to earthquake & Tsunami... Is my bday really bad luck?

Another things is, we went shopping at Orchard for my present and when on the way back home, Nald's car cannot start... got to wait for his dad to save us...

Not a very Happy Birthday to me...

By Tin

An old sickening man show me his Penis on bus

2011-01-01T15:27:00.003+08:00

That day i was on the bus going home as company is having Year End Party, i do not wan to join.

I was doing knitting then and i realise a ah pek changed his seat to in front of me and from the side eye, i realised he will playing with his clothes, i then look up and saw his penis!

At first i didnt think much, just realised that 'it' looks familar (hahah...) then i suddenly realise its Penis that i saw. I look at the uncle, he still touching his brother and smile at me! I stared at him and said loudly, 你变态呀？The old man got shocked and quickly keep his brother. i still stared at him angrily and i took out my hp to facebook. Maybe he thought i was trying to call the police or what, he alight on the next stop.

Really spoiled my mood after that...

In remembrance of my Dearest Mother-in-law, Mdm Tang Ah Yang 20/12/2010

2010-12-20T20:53:00.011+08:00

Today 1243pm is a day i will remember for the rest of my life. My mother-in-law, Mdm Tang Ah Yang passed on peacefully after being in a coma for less than 24 hours. Reality finally slaps my face as i couldn't imagine this scenarios that happened often in HK drama will happen in real life...but this is life and the truth hurts....and I must accept the truth that my beloved mother has finally passed on and go to a better place where there will be no more suffering from illnesses and pains. I can only consoled myself that mother will not have to complain about the constant pains on her legs and also no more tedious hospital visits for blood transfusion....she is now finally free of all this sufferings.

Thou I only got introduce to the family only 3 and a half years ago....I learnt from Alisa that mother is a very quiet, kind and timid lady that was always being bullied often. She can't cook well but that's fine.....but mother knows how to sew well. She spent more than 30 years helping Father tends the provision shops 7 days a week...look after the Ching siblings and all without much complains or demands from any of them. She is after all.......a very traditional, quiet and timid lady who will stand-by for the family 24/7. A wonderful wife, mother and grandmother to all of us.

I remember her as a warm lady that welcome me to the family with open arms. NEVER had i seen her lost her temper and NEVER had i seen her sad.....When she was caught eating ti-bits and being reprimanded by her children...she will always get herself out of trouble with her ever lovely cheeky smile...I will never forget that smile. But there's also a stubborn side of her....just like yesterday morning when the family objected her from going out, but her love for sight-seeing is just too much for them to stop her....i don't blame Mother, she had worked so hard all these years, it's ok for her to enjoy her remaining years ahead. Enjoyed she did as we was told by the volunteers before her fatal fall. It's an unfortunate accident and I don't blame anyone, at least we know that Mother enjoy herself before she left us.

Although Mother you are not in this world to care for us anymore, but you will always be in our heart. I love you so much and I will miss you for a long time. I promise you I will love "Ah Zhen" and also take good care of Father. May you rest in peace Mother.......We love you.

Fm Tin: I love u mummy! im already missing you already.... pls come to my dream!

My eye swollen today

2010-11-25T19:12:00.005+08:00

Today i woke up with my left eye swollen, only the white part is swollen! And Nald & his mom was freak out! I actually had this kind of sore eye during my primary school time and it will last about a day the go off but Nald & his mom never seen this kind of sore eye before so they suggest me to go back to my Lasik Clinic to check, they scare its something very serious lor. but after thinking thru, i went polyclinic instead cuz i don know how much the Lasik Clinic will charge me for this lor.

Luckily we went polyclinic instead cuz the doc said he seen several of this kind of sore eye, its usually allergy due to food intake but i never take anything new except for my "jap lunch" which was super oily that i never finish lor.

Doc gave me eye drop for my eyes and this eye drop is super miracle! Just 1 drop and my swell is gone! but still have reddish la.

From the pic, my left eye is shown as right eye.

No more swelling after the eye drop

The miracle eye drop

TCM

2010-11-10T22:19:00.005+08:00

Due to my weak body, we both agreed to go TCM to “tiao” my body and get it prepared for pregnancy. We read in forum for options and realised many TCMs are mentioned. Many recommend the Jurong TCM that needed to start queuing at 3-4am!!! For pregnancy wise, many people also said that the Jurong TCM will always diagnose the common illness when you said you have been trying for baby and she will always recommend going to her gyne 'friend'… If you don’t heed her advice, she will be unhappy. So after thinking thru, we decided to go Serangoon North TCM instead, which was recommended to me by someone whom I can’t remember liao....

We actually bought my mom to this TCM before but she felt that her med is to slow to show any effect so she give up... anyway, we felt that the doctor is still ok but after 3rd time there, our meds are always getting more expensive than the previous visit! She is changing our prescriptions every week due to our progress. So far I feel good after taking her meds so we will continue to go la but I really felt like telling her, why her meds are always more ex than the previous???

To see any progress will need about 2-3 months so we will see la. hee...

1st Anniversary present!

2010-10-28T16:09:00.007+08:00

I finally got my long awaited RXW Plasmir Milgraph!!......it’s the 1st wedding anniversary present from my dearest wife and I'm pretty excited about it, it took me more than 6 months to source for a good condition set cos it’s SOLD out wordwide and no more in production!! …..Think it’s gonna be my holy grail for the time being. *Finger crossed.....anyway thanks baby!

There are 2 versions of the Plasmir Milgraph, a 2 Register chrono and a 3 Register chrono. The 2 Register is the hand wound 20 jewel cal VS 1962 chronograph movement that IMO is a beautiful movement, it also beats at 21,600 rather than the standard 28,800 while the 3Register is a Valjoux 7750, a true workhorse. I have photos of both but I'm receiving the 2 counters instead. It's a pretty complete package. Watch comes with double boxes, complete accessories, warranty paper and instruction papers all by Ken Trading. Accessories includes 2 Connolly leather straps brown and black, a Stainless Steal bracelet, 1 solid screw in caseback, 1 antimagnetic case and 1 sapphire crystal caseback.

These are some photos but IMO they don’t do the watch justice…you just gonna get hold and have a closer look yourself.

ROCKX SOLID Plasmir Mil-graph Specifications:

● Movement: Swiss designed mechanical original chronograph movement (2 counter hand winding, 20 stone, 216,000 vph/3 counter self-winding, 34 stone, 28,800 vph)
● Case: SUS316 (1000 gauss antimagnetic performance for soft iron made inner case equipment)
● Crown & pusher: Quatro-lock system screw down type
● Windscreen: dome-shaped mineral crystal ● Dials & hands: Composite equipment of Plasmir (N-luminous)＋3H tritium gas light (within safety standard value)
● Size: φ39.9mm, 15.5mm thick (2 counter), 16.5mm thick (3 counter)
● Waterproof performance: 100m
● Belt: the purveyor to the Royal Household; hand stitched Connolly leather belt
● BOX: Special Zebra wood Box

Price range between $1600 to $2400 depends on its condition and the seller’s profit of cos.

Here’s a brief history of the watch and its creator Ken Sato taken from Chuck’s review:

RXW Plasmir Milgraph Chronographs

The name "ROCKX SOLID" means that the model is "solider than rock", and it is an original watch brand which Ken Sato, a well-known collector and buyer of sporty models such as Rolex, develops worldly and wide.

Because Sato loves the golden ages of good-old mechanical sporty models so much, he has been reviving former good models with the latest technologies. There have been many inquiries on the ROCKX SOLID series, which made its simultaneous debut in Europe and America on 2002, even after last year's sold out. Now the ROCKX SOLID has become a premium model, as it was knocked down with about $2000. While many Japanese people tend to select things only by its brand name, enthusiastic fans understand high-spec quality.

This new work has installed an original mechanical movement; modifying two legendary models designed in Swiss during 1960s ~ 1970s, the golden ages. Additionally, world's first (manufactured in 2002) dual structure (N-luminous) Plasmir dial, and mil-spec 3H gas light capsule (keeps on emitting over 20 years even after the sun disappears), which American military and their special forces formally adopts, are also installed in this model. The former lever type model had evolved into Quatro-lock screw down type crown & pusher, along with 1000 gauss super antimagnetic structure. The belt is dressed with luxurious Connolly Leather (hand stitched), the purveyor to the Royal Household, which is also known for the leather for Rolls Royce and Ferrari.

This newest military chronograph fascinates us even more than the former model. It is destined to attract great deal of attention not only from collectors in overseas, but also from the whole world over.

The sold-out previous model is at a premium!! The latest model is on a rise to USD2000 in overseas.

The 3-Register version uses a Valjoux 7750 variant that's in the well known and regarded Tri-Compax layout...I will attest that the build quality is excellent. Is it the par of a $4,000+ Panerai? I couldn't say, but it's an amazing piece at under $2,000. If you've ever had the hankering for a Panerai, but haven't wanted to lay out the cash, this is your chance to immunize yourself from a far more substancial financial layout in the future!

----Chuck

Our home to be, in 2014 time!

2010-10-10T20:58:00.006+08:00

Went Toa Payoh as my hubby wanted to repair his watch so we also go HDB hub to take some pic on our home to be.

The front view

With garden view

Inner garden view

The tiles in living room & bedroom

Tiles in bathroom

Change of reporting boss, Finally!!!

2010-09-30T17:39:00.004+08:00

My side had a meeting with the management (without us CS of course) and our GM decided that we are better off to be under a new boss, rather than V. BUT, what we are doing will still be what we will be doing, nothing will change. Mrs Poh said, 换汤不换药！ hee... which is very true but very relieve for me, i do not have to see V all the time, i don't have to do house keeping for his room (filing and throwing of useless papers and newspaper). Of course, there is the BUT again, BUT, i will still need to do his monthly report...

Overall, i see a brighter future for us CS to be merge with OP. Our new boss will fight for our rights, he make sure that nobody bully his staffs. So if spider bully me again, i just need to let my new boss know and he will handle it. Not like V, tell him like machiam telling a pig! No solution, in the end, still push the problem back to us and wan us to solve by ourselves!

Mini Vintage Ref.6154

2010-09-18T11:34:00.012+08:00

Recently a friend of mine asked me this question: “What’s the difference between a homage and a replica?” Well……my reply is simple: “ I think a homage watch is sort of like a tribute to a certain iconic watch, to celebrate it's success and innovation in the Horology world.”

Why?.....bcos many watches have seen homages eg. Omega SM300, the "pilot" watches, Panerai's, Rolex's Subs and many many more. To me a true homage creation, comes with heavy research on the watch's history, a study on the design attributes and also an investigation on how the watch has evolved through the times or through its 'life' since its inception. a homage should be completely researched with a brand new re-design and conceptualize ideas. Many 'independent' or hobbyist watchmakers (like RXW’s Ken Sato etc) have done such homages with great success... providing an avenue for fans of the actual watch, a chance to own a watch that looks similar and has similar characteristics but is not a replica or copy.

The homage watch cases / crystals, are usually manufactured by small companies in Germany or other places, and assembled by the creator with ETA movements. The watches are either unbranded / sterile dials or branded by the small companies that makes them... some homages that I think are quite nice, and not copied and have nice stories linking the homage and the actual watch…which actually make the hobby interesting.

So here’s the lastest watch I wanna pay homage to….The dis-continued Panerai vintage ref.6154….Built between 1938 until the 1950s, at the request of the Italian Navy, progress through the following years resulted in the wired lugs being changed by creating a completely new case made of one massive block of steel to avoid damage and to make the watch more stable. In addition, a movement with a larger power reserve (8-day Angelus cal. 240) was used in these watches. These are listed as reference “6152”, “6152/1”, and “6154”. 47mm cases were still made by Rolex. Hands are filled with Radioactive Radium to enable the frogman to see the watch in the dark. Finding and owning these vintage watches in recent days are almost near to impossible due to it’s rarity and of cos the price….last check on the surviving vintage will cost around USD100k…..insane I know….but for a watch with such a rich and long history….some collectors will still buy it.

The dis-continued Panerai vintage ref.6154

The 8-day Angelus cal. 240 movement with a clear caseback

The objective of this project is to build a smaller vintage in reference to the 6154… It should not be an exact copy but, should incorporate certain elements that show its relation or inspiration. With some contacts from the forum, I managed to get hold of some parts for this project. A 44mm 6154 look-alike case from Silix and a vintage 8mm Brevent crown from Mag. The small case is totally off from the genuine but I prefer it as its more squarish and brushed steel instead, save me a lot of time from sanding down and polishing it. The crown doesn’t really fit to the case so a little bit drilling and modification is done on it thou….result were abit disappointing as I damaged the case a little, but hey it’s a vintage watch right…so a little scratches and dinks are just nice I guess…haha.

Lume the hands and baked it a little to create the old rusty look….and not forgetting soaking it in coffee for a week! During which I had to wait for the vintage dial from Southy and of cos the Automatic movement from Jackson….yes you hear me right… an automatic Unitas movement!.....a workable 8-day Angelus cal. 240 will put me to a few thousands in dollars…I’m not gonna pay that much for this budget project, another alternative will be a 1950s Molnija but too much works/mods has to be done on it…instead I put my money (and trust) on this simple yet cheaper Chinese workhorse…and that’s an improvement from the usual self-wound mechanic movements I had…woot!

Finally received the vintage dial from Southy last week and quickly assemble the watch in no time….decided to make it a destro this time as the huge crown will definitely cause some discomfort to my wrist…and here it is….my own mini version of the 6152 vintage Pam….decided to put a radium burned dial on and like it a lot…again can’t compare to the hard-core hobbyists’ 6152 or 6154 but for this budget built….I’m very satisfy with it, think its gonna be my daily beater for the next few months. Photos below:

The radium burned effect on the dial due to prolong exposure of the radioactive substance.

The vintage 8mm Brevent crown

The automatic mechanical 6497 Unitas movement

Wrist shots

And lastly the lume shot

My rookie homage K-141

2010-08-12T23:00:00.001+08:00

Recently I received the 45mm Radiomir parts I ordered from the net… so decided to do some hands-on to build my first homage…something that’s different from my current homage collection. Been looking around for a 2533 dial but just can’t find one that fits the 45mm case, so no choice but to custom it myself using photoshop and my company laser cutter…I decided to forgo all historical accuracy there since I needs to add some modifications on the dial design for this project, since it's a homage, so we don't have to get all crazy specific like that here.

I decided to make my first custom watch in tribute to a nuclear submarine and its 118 crews that perished on a fateful training exactly 10 years ago……The Russian Navy K-141 Kursk, lost with all hands when it sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000.

Instead of doing it the historical vintage style, I preferred it to be abit more contemporary in design after being inspired by Jason’s Ring Of Fire concept. For the 2533 dial design, I made the dots bigger, the lines thicker, smaller dial face with an attempt to emulate the Radium burn rings effects and also engraved the Kursk callsign in place of 9 o’clock. And not forgetting, a tribute of the time (11:28 local time) Kursk exploded and sank to its watery grave with all her brave crews. The colour of the dial is abit of Dark Tobacco, to mimic the prolong colour of the submarine exterior due to corrosion. As for the movement, it will be perfect if I know how to customise and get a Molnija that can replace the current 6497 I’m using now in the 45mm case….any help will be great here. So for the time being, a simple die-cut of a “memorial plate” to cover the glass back of the watch.

Can’t really compare to the homages done up by some of the guys in the forum as I didn’t take much skills and time to assemble it since I got all the parts I needs from Jackson and also the assemble tutorials from Jason. And here I have it; my first customise watch. I just put it on the Pig buckle on the spare Getat strap for the final touch. Pics below. what say you of my first custom Rad?. :D

Here's the 2533 inspiration

Some rookie shots of the rookie watch

Wrist shots

Lastly the lume shots~ was told the dial resemble the radar system of ships

Here's the second k-141 series with a mini-fiddy for my wifey....built it over the long weekend during National Day. She had her eyes on it for a long time i know...haha

Public Housing Lauched In Punggol Since Jun 05

2010-08-11T10:27:00.002+08:00

Here's the simple breakdown of the price of Punggol flats since June 2005....seems like it's climbing up up up and up.....so for those wanna get your dream home in Punggol soon....better hurry up liao wor!

And the latest update from us: Yes we got our "Dream" home at Punggol Emerald!....thou it's at 6th storey but we still can accept it cos of the nearby amenities and great living room view of the garden. Cost of the 4roomer....$300k exact!...we opt for the HDB tiles and doors...hopefully its not as bad. *Finger-crossed!

1. Coralinus phase 1 (369 units) Jun 05
- $169,000 - $206,000 (90-92 m²)

2. Coralinus phase 2 (365 units) Feb 06
- $182,000 - $220,000 (90-92 m²)

3. Treelodge @ punggol (712 units) Mar 07
- $139,000 - $165,000 (65 m²)
- $208,000 - $254,000 (90-93 m²)
- $370,000 - $383,000 (111 m²)

4. Punggol Vista (628 units) Aug 07
- $75,000 - $91,000 (45 m²)
- $121,000 - $145,000 (65 m²)
- $184,000 - $227,000 (90 m²)

5. Punggol Lodge(516 units) Oct 07
- $122,000-$150,000 (65 m²)
- $190,000 - $234,000 (90 m²)

6. Damai Groove (738 units) Dec 07
- $123,000 - $152,000 (65 m²)
- $195,000 - $240,000 (90 m²)

7. Punggol Spring(494 units) Feb 08
- $204,000 – $259,000 (90 m²)
- $204,000 – $259,000 (94 m²)

8. Punggol Sapphire (1065 units) May 08
- $234,000 - $305,000 (90-94 m²)
- $329,000 - $396,000 (110-113 m²)
- $442,000 - $477,000 (120 m²)

9. Punggol Breeze (964 units) Jun 08
- $223,000 - $278,000 (90 m²)
- $315,000 - $382,000 (110-115 m²)

10. Punggol Arcadia (750 units) Nov 08
- $181,000 - $211,000 (68-69 m²)
- $268,000 - $327,000 (94-95 m²)
- $356,000 - $416,000 (110-111 m²)

11. Punggol Regalia (729 units) Dec 08
- $252,000 - $316,000 (90-93 m²)
- $342,000 - $428,000 (110-114 m²)

12. The Nautilus @ Punggol (519 units) Mar 09
- $228,000 - $274,000 (90 m²)
- $305,000 - $357,000 (110 m²)

13. Punggol Residences (769 units) July 09
- $264,000 - $322,000 (91 - 96 m²)
- $344,000 to $409,000 (114 m²)

14. Punggol Spectra (1142 units) Aug 09
- $89,000 - $109,000 (45 m²)
- $151,000 - $179,000 (67 m²)
- $234,000 - $293,000 (92 -94 m²)

15. Punggol Sails (606 units) Nov 09
- $158,000 - $185,000 (65m²)
- $249,000 - $305,000 (90 - 93m²)
- $332,000 - $377,000 (110 m²)

16. Punggol Ripples (472 units) Nov 09
- $65,000 - $73,000 (35 m²)
- $84,000 - $92,000 (45 m²)
- $158,000 - $185,000 (65 m²)
- $249,000 - $305,000 (90 - 93m²)

17. Punggol Crest (750 units) Feb 10
- $90,000 - $114,000 (45 m²)
- $153,000 - $189,000 (65 m²)
- $247,000 - $301,000 (90 m²)

18. Punggol Emerald (856 units) April 10
- $73,000 - $102,000 (35 m²)
- $93,000 - $102,000 (45 m²)
- $166,000 - $200,000 (65 m²)
- $262,000 to $323,000 (90 m²)
- $333,000 to $403,000 (110 m²)

19. Punggol Waves (573 units) April 10
- $150,000 - $186,000 (65 m²)
- $243,000 - $301,000 (90 m²)
- $330,000 to $385,000 (110 m²)

20. Waterway Terraces (1,072 units) Jun 10
- $186,000 - $237,000 (65 m²)
- $300,000 - $376,000 (90 m²)
- $374,000 - $458,000 (110 m²)

Amber vomited blood!

2010-08-10T16:01:00.005+08:00

Last Wed night, Amber start to vomit out his dinner and also more vomit of his stomach juice... till nothing else to vomit, he vomited blood. In all, about 10 times he vomited.

That night, Nald's parents added a new fav in his meal, broccoli, but we don know is it that he is cause by the veg cuz some of my doggie friends also feel their fur kids broccoli... We bought him to vet the next day cuz i don wan to be like his back problem, only know of the cause which is too late... Well the vet said as long he stop vomiting, his body is healing itself, as for the blood, its the lining in this stomach that was worn off. She gave med for Amber and told us to feed him porridge for 3 days, no Cesar cuz its too salty, so we bought Science Diet can food. To be mixed with his old food for at least a week then he can be fully on the new food.

So far so good, we will have to feed him 2 meals a day, instead of 1.

His vomiting of blood really scares the hell out of us! But its lucky that it not ulcer in his stomach.

Our home sweet home to be~

2010-08-03T12:59:00.004+08:00

We had finally got a decent queue no. for our BTO after about 3-4 tries... Selection of flats will be on 19 Aug but already have lots of flats being taken up (The area we wanted is Emerald. This project is tie together with another area, Waves, which is next to TPE)

Emerald is nearer to Punggol Mrt and the area is nicer than Waves. Waves is just like normal estate lor, so boring.

The door facing are either North-West or South-East, of course we will choose South-East la. Other peoples all got do their homework wan cuz what we thought would be a better choice are taken up le, hopefully by 19 Aug, we still can have a good location lor... Pray hard.

Antique Luminor Homage

2010-07-14T17:18:00.009+08:00

I've been playing with this one every time I have a spare hour or so kickin around. I really had no idea where I was going, just did whatever felt right at the time.

PVD movement, nice antique looking dial with aged black accents, brushed the PVD case to give it an old worn gun metal look, rustic spotty light grey lume (on purpose) that doesn't glow too bright to keep the older feel.

Can't remember where this case came from, I tend to grab them on the boards when I see a good one. I find most PVD cases from the Getat's or MT's are ok as long as they are treated nicely.

That dial was first soaked in paint remover, and then I took a fine dremel tip and sanded it. The final step was to take extremely coarse sandpaper in order to get those textured ridges in the metal. When it hits certain light the ridges reflect a black colour, but straight on it has that gold look.

Kinda matching for the gunmetal casing especially when I match it with BlueRadish's uniquely soft black cinnamon strap....hmm....now to source for a nice buckle.

Long time no see!

2010-06-27T17:40:00.003+08:00

Nald kept asking me to blog cuz i really very long never blog liao but i really got no topic le...

Just to pin down what happen recently in my office lor. My colleague is leaving our office le. She worked there about 8 yrs liao but really cannot tahan the work load and also nobody is helping her out and some more our direct boss is always giving her stress which make her quit without a job.

Well, she got a point in quitting without a job too, cuz recently i was also on the search for jobs and mostly i see the companies required ppl to start work immediately, who will wait for u for 1 mth? Probably i will also quit without a job lor, cuz our company got a stupid rule, after we tender, we cannot take annual leave, company will pay us back the balance leave in $$. Good in a way but like this means we are not able to look for jobs during that 1 mth lor.

I'm staying put mainly bcuz we are trying for baby 1st. Only after my 1st child then i will see if i can still tahan and stay or not lor.

Today just went to my friend's 2nd baby's 1st mth~ very envy... why some ppl wan to give birth so easy but for myself like so difficult lor... now we have been trying for about 3 mths liao but still not good news... we will continue to try hard lor... hopefully the baby golden dust will fall on us soon!

The Big Bad Ass looking Godzilla!

2010-06-04T12:57:00.008+08:00

Recently I had sinned again, yes as what my dear wife said….I’m evil and bad. Why? cos I had just killed a young innocent baby alligator for my own materialistic needs….haha! Yes yes I got to admit it’s kinda bad to end an innocent life but I’m not the one that killed it…thou indirectly yes I am lah. :P

For the past weeks, I had been busy customising another homage watch. Well actually it was a project watch which was to pay tribute to my favourite monster.....Godzilla! ..The idea is to create a BIG BAD ASS looking watch which will catch the attention of people around me…..yes a BIG BAD ASS watch!

Something that with a first glace... immediately know that it’s a monster!.... literally.

And here I have it, my second customise watch. Nothing special about it actually except for the special handmade alligator strap I ordered from HK... Its from a special breed of Hornback baby alligators and each reptile can only produce 1 such Monster strap! (see pics below).... I just put it on the BIG ASS looking Skull buckle from 8Artisan for the BIG BAD ASS touch. Evilllll…..wahahaha!

Review of the strap… unique material, very soft and high quality strap… worth the high price I paid for it and of cos for the baby hornback alligator too. After just a couple of days of usage and the strap start to break in and shape nicely according to my wrist. No irritating on skin, Soft yet thick and comfy for the wrist. The strap fits the watch exactly what I hope to achieve…. BIG BAD ASS Godzilla!

MARINA MILITARE - CUSTOM MADE HOMAGE

2010-05-11T13:33:00.013+08:00

Some weeks ago I mentioned here that I had been busy buying stuff horology related. Well actually it was a project watch which had arrived a couple of weeks ago. Custom-made with shipping from Hong Kong to Singapore took more than a month!!!

This “Homage” project watch was a response to the dissatisfaction over the bad experiences I read from collectors with those online Marina Militares, which should be considered expensive for the low quality they offered. They looked good on pictures, but buyer was actually spending money buying pain.

So the solution was to get a custom made one of much higher quality. I got it from a custom watch maker known as GeTat, based in Hong Kong. With Tat I can order the watch to my specifications, which are as follows:

CASE
44mm stainless steel case

24mm lug width
Polished steel finishing, polished bezel
Sterile lever guard
Glass display back
30meters water resistance tested

DIAL
Sandwich with Super Luminova
Sub second dial at 9 o' clock
Sterile dial

HANDS
Gold with Super Luminova

CRYSTAL
Sapphire front glass
Anti Reflective Coating

MOVEMENT
Asian Unitas 6497 hand-wound mechanical, 17 jewels, Power reserve 48 hours.

STRAP
Dark brown custom-made calf leather with beige stitching.

And here I have it; my first customise Marina Militare watch. I just put it on the Big Daddy buckle from Kainheritage for the final touch. Pics below.

The lume is great, it is something those online Marina Militares cannot match, it is also one of the reasons enthusiasts turn to custom makers like Davidsen, Tat and JOA.

Night lume shot.

The display glass back.

Side profile.

Custom Kainheritage Big Daddy buckle. There is a submarine on the buckle, I like the combination since 'Marina Militare' would mean the Navy in Italian. A submarine on a navy watch….not bad.

For the damages, It really depends on what you want. Tat's prices would varies from specs to specs, shipping location and availability of parts, etc, since this is after all a custom watch.

To summarise it…. the Getat Marina Militare Homage is a great watch at the price and for a bit of extra effort could equal the Pam for quality. But, as it stands the Pam is in another league….as you'd expect for nearly 40 times the money!. I love the Marina Militare but let's face it - it's always going to be a Panerai copy, gloss it how you like but that's what it is. 'Homage' is a bit of a copy out as from 3 feet away you'd identify it as a genuine Panerai - sterile dial not withstanding.

The Tat's Marina Militare does a good job of delivering the style, feeling and time-keeping at a very attractive price. If you prefer to educate your kids and keep the wife happy then the Marina Militare is a definite winner, so long as you can live with the 'homageness' of it. They are similar but in no way substitutes… The Panerai is as overpriced as any luxury watch, no more, no less. You're paying for original design….that if you can really afford it.

To me the homage Marina Militare is a bit like buying an art student's interpretation of a Van Gogh. The Panerai is probably more like owning a limited edition painting signed by the artist himself. So whichever is your choice, it really doesn’t matter as long as you know your budget and you feel comfy wearing it…juz my 2 cents worth!

Honeymoon - Turkey

2010-04-05T11:42:00.005+08:00

We went Turkey for our Honeymoon, the place is very nice, with nice culture and of course nice weather.

To see more pic, pls go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168507&id=580436267&l=ff8f43cbfc

Man invented Time, Seiko perfected It!

2010-03-22T17:16:00.006+08:00

Yes I have sinned again…after picking up my new hobby in horology, I had indulge myself with military watches and pilot watches and my latest procession was this very nice Sport Diver....with my dear wife's blessing of cos...ha!

I purchased this Seiko 5 Sport diver after being so very pleased with the review of Orange Monster (abit over my “affordable” budget for now). I wanted another watch with similar styling but was hesitant of just getting the Orange Monster because I wanted a little diversity. I will refer to this watch as the Mini Monster in this review as I have seen it called that. I have also seen it called the Neo Monster, but that does not seem appropriate as the watches are really not related and Neo would suggest it is a replacement for the original which it clearly is not. Mini refers to its lesser features and not to the size by the way.

As I am somewhat new to Seiko I thought it will be easy to compare it directly to the Monster as almost every Seiko fan either owns or has owned a Monster once.

Here’s how they compare –

Crystal- Both Hardlex mineral glass. Monster is domed, mini is not.
Size - Mini is actually 1mm or 2 larger. Thickness is about the same.
Crown - Mini is not screw down, the Monster is
Depth rating - 100M for Mini and 200M for Monster
Back - Both screw down. Monster has the nice wave design and the mini has a crystal display back.
Bezel - Both wide stainless 120 click bezels with a slight concave design. Both very smooth operations.
Bracelet - The Monster has an absolute wonderful bracelet and the mini bracelet is styled nearly the same and every bit as nice. The monster uses the pin and collar system while the mini uses split pin. Overall the bracelets are identical in weight and quality. The mini does not have a dive extension while the monster does.
Lume - The Monster is well known for its lume. Happily the mini lume is just as good. Both watches come with strong Luminous Hands and Markers, only different however Mini is white rather then greenish. As a result the lume is not as noticeable on the mini in moderate light conditions. In pure dark the lumes are equal with the monster as more of a mint green color to it. The very white color of the markers is more appropriate for the black dial and a good choice in my opinion. One thing they blew on the mini is no lume pip on the rotating bezel. What the heck?
Timekeeping- Both are reviewed to be about +/-15 sec which is consider good enough for me.

Summary is that this "mini" is worth every penny. I paid about USD183 for this baby thru my contact in US and I think this is a great watch for $400 or less (Retail selling around $300++ locally). There have been some awesome deals on Orange and Black Monsters lately too, so keep that in mind. But in my opinion the mini should sell for about $50 less then a true Monster due to the screw down crown and depth rating. And did I mention that Mini runs on Automatic movement!

Otherwise the fit, finish and quality is every bit the same on both watches. No one that likes Seiko divers of this style would be disappointed with this watch. Tremendous value! As the old saying goes… Man invented Time, Seiko perfected It.!

Here are some photos. I am working on my photography so they are not the best, but here you go!

DIY - Japanese curry with fried pop corn Chicken

2010-03-20T20:57:00.006+08:00

Today is Japanese Curry + Fried Pop Corn Chicken!!! Yummy~

Another of our DIY Meal

2010-03-19T22:33:00.010+08:00

Ronald's parents went Taiwan for their holiday so the kids (Ronald, Elica & me) are left home alone and so dinner have to be either eat out again or we cook lor.

We did Linguine this time.

Tonight will be the Japanese curry.

Bush Fire opp our block

2010-03-08T22:02:00.004+08:00

1st time i every say a real life bush fire and its right opp us!

My first LEFTY Invicta!

2010-03-05T15:18:00.006+08:00

I obtained this chronograph, brand new Invicta, with the help of Keyis, a buddy from the army days now located in the States. Thou its sponsor by my dear wife as an early birthday present….its still consider quite a steal when compared to the other military brand like Swiss Army or Wenger! It is the largest watch I own (for the time being….haha). The width of the case (excluding crown) is 45mm! The case is 11mm thick. The white dial is very clean, crisp, and detailed. The second hand is stepping, not sweeping like I've seen described on some websites. The stock brown buffalo leather strap is quite hefty and supple but still feels nice and comfy for my small wrist. The generous proportions of the watch plus the inverted crown and chronograph push-buttons ("lefty") certainly make this timepiece an item of conversation. The luminous markers and hands are crisp but are of average brightness with other watches. I definitely recommend this watch. Invicta has yet again produced a high-quality watch at an unbeatable value. It’s a great watch, one of the more original designs from them so far….well done!

PS: Thou its specially designed for the left-handers….I think it also well-suit the majority of us right-handers as the crown will not obstruct our wrist during daily tasking at all! ;)

Dial window material type: mineral crystal
Clasp: stainless steel buckle
Case material: stainless steel
Case diameter: 45 millimeters
Case thickness: 12 millimeters
Band material: brown genuine leather
Band length: men's
Band width: 21 millimeters
Dial color: white with luminous hands and hour markers
Bezel material: stainless steel
Bezel function: stationary
Calendar: date display at 4:00
Movement: Japan quartz chronograph
Water resistant depth: 330 Feet

With Invicta's specially designed Terra Military chronograph watch for men, left-handers can easily access all the timing controls, which are placed on the left side of the watch case. This classically designed military-style watch features a round, silver stainless steel watch case with thin bezel that frames a white dial background with a tachymeter inner dial and easily readable Arabic numerals. The three chronograph subdials can measure time within intervals of 1/60 of a second and up to 30 minutes of elapsed time, and it features start, stop, and reset functions. It's completed by a supple, genuine leather strap in brown with white contrast stitching. Other features include an oversized crown, luminous Tritnite hands (with red seconds hand), and water resistance to 100 meters.

I have clear vision le!!!

2010-02-20T19:48:00.003+08:00

I did LASIK ytd and i know can see clearly, consider clear la cuz just after opt so my vision will slowly recover to 100%, now only 75% but is clear enough le. How have to kept dripping eye drop & antibiotic to my eyes every few hours.

I'm the bee lady! Have to wear the eye guard to prevent me from rubbing my eyes.

The red "blood" is the the bruise created by the suction machine to hold and cut the flap. It will go off by 1 or 2 weeks. Lucky only on 1 eye, a lady got it on both her eyes.

As my black part is very small so i cannot do the manual cutting, i have to use machine to cut instead so mine is ex (to me la)

The usual wan is $1999 (w/o GST) but mine is $2688 (w/o GST)

The above price is for Feb promotion. I even went the Pre-LASIK evaluation FREE!

And need to purchase eye drop (need to drip every few hrs or when eyes are dry. The clinic is selling 1 box for $16 but if i buy 10 boxes, will be $15.40 each. ( I check, Guardian selling $23 per box!!!) So my total bill is $3091.20.

Annual Lunar New Year Dinner with my family

2010-02-16T21:31:00.003+08:00

We had our Annual Lunar New Year Dinner on every yr 初三. This yr we went to Manhattan Fish Market at Plaza Sin.

We ordered only 1 fish platter and a seasonal fish platter but we got 2 free fish platter, 1 eat in and 1 take away le. We thought the bill will reflect 3 fish platter but only 1 fish platter that we had ordered is reflected in the bill! Huat Ah!!!!!!

Our AD Pic

2010-02-03T12:56:00.022+08:00

Its took me a long time just to load the pic... anyway, below are some of the pic. To see more pic, pls click http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052850&id=1209751288&l=06a55a5824

Poljot Aviator Chronograph by Viomax

2010-02-01T16:01:00.012+08:00

My Bonus gift finally arrived last week, so I thought I'd share!!...Second Poljot watches in as many weeks…BUT sad to say....paid thru my own pocket lah.....haiz.

Wanna get a good looking mechanical pilot chronograph watch for only SGD800 and new? Yes, its possible if you forget the Swiss and German brands with those crazy four figure price tags and go Russian instead….. Poljot is known to make lookalikes of many famous Swiss and German watches and this is one of the best Chronographs they produced.

Of course, I’m not comparing the SGD800 Poljot to the Fortis (retail SGD2500 onwards), but we just take a look at an example of what a Poljot's Aviator watch got to offer.

The watch came with a rather nice leather box. This actually varies from seller to seller and you don't always get the box, but who needs the box anyway? The dial is very military style look. The indexes are marked with arabic numbers in both hours and five minutes/seconds increments. The chronograph hands are in white which I felt Red will look nicer of cos, and the normal hands are in white too. The size of the hands are very well balanced and suits the dial very well. In addition to being very functional, it is also very attractive especially with its flight design and dual tone black dial….Haha

The watch itself is, IMHO, a fantastic piece, much better than I expected on quality, fit, and finish levels. Poljot 25-jewel 31681 chrono manual wind movement (21600 vph), aforementioned 42mm brushed PVD SS case (very simple and clean), with newer style (smaller) pushers and crown than the 6773778 model. The crown is big enough for a manual winding watch and its signed with the 'Aviator' winged logo. The chronograph buttons felt tactile enough even with gloved hands.

The watch came with both glass display back and steel back options. Mine came with the black steel back, raw, unrefined, undecorated, but reliable and tough like a soldier. With the steel case back, the water resistant is 100 meters instead of 50 meters. Oh yeah, Poljot often made 999 pieces of each model. But this particular model only comes in 100 pieces and mine is number 18/100..... 一定发!.... nice nice!

Lume is not something the Russian watches are good in ba. The application not really good or consistent and the glow are weak as compare with those Ultra Strong lumination. It also does not last long too. I never had high expectations for Russian lume in the first place after reading so much abt it so I'm not really disappointed. This watch comes with white lume paint that glows in green however.

This watch was supposed to come with the SS bracelet (cost much more of cos..haha), but the black leather strap with white stitching is pretty decent. A bit thick and stiff for my tastes but it will undoubtedly fit-in. The original Poljot strap doesn't look very suitable. So I switched it to a more subtle black crocodile leather strap instead. I feel that the new strap enhances the look of many pilot watches and chronographs IMO. The tang-style buckle has the word "AVIATOR" etched across the end. The case size is 42mm without crown, juz nice for someone like me with very small wrist…. =)

Can't yet speak of its accuracy or lack….but I know from my reading that the 31681 movement is pretty trusted so we shall see. At the moment, I am getting over 48 hours, which is pretty common. Overall I'm more than pleased with this little guy. Looks are very striking, and as I said, quality is better than expected, even in comparison to my more pricey Swiss-made Fortis.

Here are the specs:

Brand Name: Aviator (Volmax)
Model number: 31681/6774778
Dial window material type: scratch-resistant-sapphire
Case material: PVD stainless-steel
Case diameter: 42mm
Strap material: Leather
Dial color: black
Calendar: Date
Movement: Manual Wind Poljot 31681
Features: Chronograph, Military 24hr subdial
Water resistant depth: 100m
Retail Price: S$1324

IMHO, this is an ideal watch for those in budget. How many working-class people like me can wear expensive SGD2500 Swiss watches out there everyday? Haha!....Even my Zobos buddies Junlong and Zhihong both own a Poljot International and Soyuz Premium...good choice!

Russian watch prices had been raising crazily in recent years, so I find these are really good buys before prices soar further…..maybe can start to buy those exclusive designs as collection….who knows in the near-future Russian watches will be the next IN thing…finger-crossed!

Poljot Aviator Alarm Sport Watch by Volmax

2010-01-19T16:23:00.027+08:00

Finally got hold of the Poljot Aviator watch i ordered!.....at last i got a much decent watch for me to wear out for events...haha.

Found this particular model from online....decided to get it from Red Army Watches but they didn't bring in the alarm version for Aviator series....made some enquries online and was told local price was around SGD700+ for it!!! Siaoz boh!

No choice decided to get it online from USA....Price USD350 plus freight and GST....end up paid SGD500+ only.....nice nice....haha!

Here are the specs:

Poljot Aviator Alarm Sport 2612/3041257. Sapphire glass.
Alarm. 18 ruby jewels. Water resistant 50 M or 5 ATM. Shock protection.

The first wrist watch that was developed for the masses hit the market around 1920. They of course were mechanical wind up watches. Then in 1947 the first alarm watch was made (the Vulcan Cricket) which finally produced an alarm sound loud enough to wake most sleepers. In 1959 the 1st Moscow Watch Factory created the Signal and hence came the birth of the 2612 movement.

Manual watches with wind up (or automatic) alarms became very popular right up until the early 70’s when digital watches began to hit the shelves.

Today there are very few choices for a manual wind up all mechanical alarm watch. The 2612.1 remains as one of the worlds few remaining movements still in production for a reasonable price. I’d recommend folks that are into collecting to pick one up before they all fade into history.. hehe.

The watches are available as Aviator, Classic, Shturmanskie, Buran, etc. There are many different styles of watches but all share the 2612.1 dual crown movement. The watch is simple to operate and an absolute joy to use. The alarm is by the way one of the loudest available in the watch industry (digital and mechanical combined) and it will wake you up even when off the wrist, and even when it’s laying in the other room.. haha.

It’s a loud buzzing sound thats created by a tiny hammer striking a rod off the back case. On metal backed watches it’s not visible, but on a clear back case you can see the little rod and hammer action as the alarm goes off. Great for showing it off to people.

How does it work ? Well the lower crown you use to wind the watch and pull set the time. The upper crown you use to wind the alarm and pull to set the alarm hand. You then set the (in this case) red arrow to where you want the alarm to trip. The alarm is tripped by the hour hand, so you can only be accurate to say within 3 minutes, but the alarm is sooo easy to use and set, it’s something you end up using all the time. The alarm hand can only be turned counter clockwise.

I have this watch on a Poljot Aviator Leather strap. It originally comes with a sport cloth strap.

Poljot Mechanical lever movement Cal 2612

Manual winding of watch and alarm mainsprings
Case diameter: 38 mm
18 jewels
Functions: hours, minutes and seconds, alarm signal
Shock protection
Frequency: 18000 vph
Water resistant 50 M or 5 ATM

LOST & FOUND: 1 month old Samsung ST550 camera

2010-01-13T15:54:00.007+08:00

Guess wat? I think from the title you already know liao.....KNS first month of 2010 is already soooooo F**kup to the extreme....nothing seems to go the right way....had a heated arguement with Tin last Sat....she really pushed me to the limit!.....and now....she noticed we mis-placed the camera....and its more than a week later!!! WTH?!......great.....11 more months of installment to go and now we are left with NOTHING!!!!.........damn it!.............now dear at home searching for it.....hope she find it soon!....

Update: Luckily we found it in my sister's room......if not i will V-TEC Roar her!!!!.....lucky you!

Toppan Year End Party '09

2009-12-30T23:01:00.004+08:00

This is my 2nd yr party in Toppan, its quite fun and everybody enjoy themselves! There's KTV, games, food and also lucky draw! But too bad its not my luck. hee...

Pls click below to see pic, too many to load here liao.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=147261&id=580436267&l=0503a8de40

Hmm.....Amber fake his sickness???

2009-12-29T09:32:00.007+08:00

Haiz....this dog is really something i tell you.....think maybe learn from it's owner (you know who) loh.... Since Boxing day, he had been sicked...vomiting on the floor and looking lethagic. thinking that he might be having gastric due to hunger(Chihuahua is damn picky on food loh)....i rushed down and bought his 2 canned food....wah u can't believe ur eye when you see the way he finishes his food loh....dun look sick or in pain at all!!!!......after food....but to sick mode again liao.....kaoz!!!! Told Tin and she brush off saying he acting to attract attention only....hmm ok.

Then come Sunday....things started to get worse and worrying. He started to whine and yelp when we touched him....he kept walking and wander around the room....looks uneasy staying still....even when sleeping...he sat there instead of lying down....this dun look good loh. BUT when we bring him down....he back to his normal self again leh.....can run around liao...kaoz!!!! After walk walk....back to pain mode liao.... Worse still.....in the middle of the night...he started to whine and howl!, put him on the bed with us also no use..Tin nearly gonna kill him...haha!

No choice....decided to bring him to the vet yesterday. When we carry him out from the bag....he gave a loud yelp...upon seeing it and listening to our decription of his behavoir....the vet advise us to bring Ber to Mount Pleasant Hospital for X-ray instead....sound so jialat. So we quickly rush down to the hospital....Then here come the twist, upon reaching there....Ber totally recovered!!! (he hates the smell of hospital and vet)....growling at other dogs and very active....hmm.....nvm....give him the benefit of doubts. When inside the room, Amber seems totally ok....no whine and yelping....no matter how the vet touch and move it's body....even the vet also no idea wat happen to Ber...gave us 5 days of painkiller for Ber and if after med still no recovery...something is wrong liao....maybe gonna blood test....diaoz!

Feeling abit guilty about his condition... we went to the nearby pet shop and bought Amber a carton of his favorite canned foods....hopefully after some good food and med. He will recover soon le...But after 2 days of painkiller....Amber still whine and appear to be more lethagic than ever leh...dunno isit due to the painkiller that help relax his muscles....haiz....see him like that really break my heart....really hope this little fella will recover soon and be as active as ever, he is juz 4 years and 11 months old nia.....still got another 5 years to go leh....i promise never to scold him again liao.....promise promise.....pls recover my best friend ;(

Our Amber darling~

2009-12-25T15:19:00.003+08:00

Our poor baby isn't feeling well... he kept screaming even when nobody is touching him... below are how he sleep on my bean bag ytd night... Poor thing...

Xmas gift from colleagues

2009-12-25T15:12:00.002+08:00

Below are the gift i got from my colleagues:

fm Sharon

Fm Mrs Poh

Fm Lorraine

Fm Fennie
Thank u all, i love them!

Cute La Pi Xiao Xin Figuring

2009-12-25T15:06:00.005+08:00

There is a story for the bigger figuring, its was passes to Lorraine when she was trying to get a baby boy and she got 1, then was passed to Jade and she also got a baby boy, but when passed to Sharon... she got 2 gals.. well still good cuz her babies are healthy. That is what all parents wanted, to have healthy babies. And now, this figuring is being passed to me cuz i also wanted to have baby but yet to la. Then i was playing with this figuring, to make it pee, 1 of my colleague came and taught me how to. The next day, he brought 1 from his hse and give it to me! Hee... so now i have 2 La Pi Xiao Xin figuring at my desk. Cute right.

I'm sick~

2009-12-17T13:22:00.002+08:00

I haven been feeling well these few weeks... last week, felt chest tightening & also nauseous... doc gave me med for gastric and ytd suddenly lower abdomen very pain. I endure till off work and see stars before Nald came to fetch me... i quickly squat down in case i might black out. Then on the way to makan, see stars again... We already bought movie tickets to Avatar but bcuz i'm weak and Nald is having some giddiness (he caught the flu virus from his colleague) so he thought we don go lor. But nobody is free to take over our tickets.. so end up we went for the movie.

Lucky i bought some sweets (after dinner) so i add the sweets to make my sugar level high so i will not see stars. Nald took Paracetamol for his giddiness.

Tell u! the movie is very nice!!!!

Ok anyway, this morning my tummy still pain so i went polyclinic. Wa! Waited 1 hr 20mins for my turn le... so doc say she will give me stronger dose of medication but she did preg test 1st just to make sure i'm not preg. And she said if after 2 weeks, i still feel the pain, i will have to go A&E for a scan... scare scare....