And the Oscar goes to ...

For the first time in almost 12 years, I'm going to miss the Oscars happening tomorrow 9am Singapore time.

I just love the Oscars. I love the way it's done. I love the somewhat rehearsed "unrehearsed" thank you speeches that normally ends with thanking God for their Oscar winning role that is almost ungodly given the flowery languages that modern films contains.

But I'm going to miss it tomorrow. Why? Because I've got a class scheduled. A breaking of tradition to impact the leaders of tomorrow. I take the latter anytime.

Coming back to why I love Oscars, it's really a love affair with great films. Because great films are worth the time to sit in a cinema over and over again, in awe of the magic of the movies.

Every film has a compelling story plot, lovable protaganist, hated antagonist and the magic of pivotal moment where the whole film almost make or break.

Watching Maegan grow up is almost to me like my love affair with great films and Oscars. It used to be that I would make sure I catch every film nominated for Best Film category before the Oscars, like I would make sure I catch every of Maegan's growing moments.


Watching the role reversal between Daphne and I being sometimes the antagonist and Maegan forever being the protaganist.

And like most great films, it lingers on the minds and conversations of people with almost every conversation starting with "did you see Pulp Fiction?" and exchange that opening line with "Maegan's so cuuuutttee. Who does she looks like?" (duh .. cute ... me .. catch the drift ..hee)

Every so often, a pivotal moment arise where Maegan will either stand on her own without support for almost 20 seconds and her parent's jaws wide open in amazement. Or the recent time where she would utter almost comprehensible words that we would take pains to dicipher as if we were Tom Hanks in Da Vinci Code.

It will make a great film I think simply watching Maegan grow. It's a film that I'll never grow tired of. It's a film that makes you laugh mostly, angry at times at the protaganist, and cry when sad moments gets written.

It will be a film that has everything an epic will hail and more importantly, like all Oscar winning films, great looking actors and actresses.

As Shakespeare would say it "All the world's a stage, and every person plays a part, and mine ...

The happy good looking dad one."

:o) Enjoy your Oscars.

Little Miss Maegan growing up

Something spectacular happened on this third day of Chinese New Year. So much so that I'm going to put aside a number of other happenings to talk about this one thing.

It happened just a few hours ago when little miss Maegan was due for bed. Normally, it would take our helper Nina tens of minutes to carry her, coax her and pat her to bed.

Often, she would fuss and cry until either Daphne or I enters the room to rescue her from the evil clutches of Nina who at that very time means bedtime, something she prefers not to at that moment.

But tonight, it was different. She fussed as usual but also, longer than usual.


Daphne and I were in our room when the same cries emits through our baby monitor and to a point, Daphne asked me to check on her. Perhaps to rescue her again and normally to the sanctuary of our bedroom where she will play until she's ready for bed.

As I prepared myself for the inevitable, the cries suddenly stops and peace decended on earth.

I peeped into Maegan's room to find out what's happening and there was little miss Maegan, lying on her bed rolling with her eyes nicely shut, going to sleep all on her own.

She didn't want Nina to carry her. No patting tonight thank you very much. I'm going to sleep on my own tonight she seems to say.

And sleep she did, on her own without assistance at all.

Wow. Like every good thing, I'm praying, fasting and petitioning God that it will not be a fluke.

I've just checked the moon. Thankfully it's not blue.

So, little miss Maegan is really growing up. It's one night that absolutely made my day.

:o)

p.s. New Album's out by the way. >>

Blogging Memories

When you first start a blog, you often stop and wonder if anyone really takes precious time to read your blog at all. You place counters to see how many people actually viewed it and from what countries. After a while, it starts becoming a routine and whenever you blog, you see your blog's traffic.

As time progresses, the counters start taking a back seat and you find yourself blogging without really worrying about the fact if anyone is actually reading because your blog is more for you. It's your way of keeping memories.

Then comes a time when you know you are in deep trouble when your wife scolds you for not blogging because she spends time reading other people's blogs and you haven't blog for the last few weeks.

It tells you two things. One, at least your wife reads your blog. Two, your subtle hints of getting a XBox 360 is reaching the right ears ... well ... more like the right pair of eyes.

That's me for the last few weeks.

It has been a great start to the year which also means that I'm getting busier. Maegan's growing older which also means that she is getting to be more of a handful. A crying non-crawling baby is a whole lot easier to take care of then a screaming speed crawler. (I'll come to that in another post)

The one thing no one told me about being dad and running a not-for-profit enterprise at the same time is that time becomes the most sought after commodity, displacing many other things, even, money. Apparently, it gets worse as you grow older.

So this Chinese New Year, I'm sneaking time at my brother's place blogging. Maegan's sleeping and everyone else is watching Happy Feat.

I've got so much I want to blog but I just need to find time that I can blog meaningfully. Because this blog is my way of capturing memories that often skips me by each day. So many things that happens between work and family passes me by because I don't take time to sit, remember and reflect all that has happened. The happy moments and sometimes, painful moments. Both very much a part of my memory.

If you are like Daphne, often returning to this blog to see how Maegan is doing, I apologise for the lack of updates. This Chinese New Year on, it should get better.

Because if I don't start blogging, I may miss the many moments that Maegan has in this wonderful phase that she's at. The speedy crawler phase where a blink of the eye often determines if the vase on the living room side table drops or not.

Do pop in once in a while because wherever you are, however often you read this blog, you are very much a part of this memory lane as we see Maegan grow up together.

Hmmm... did I mention anything about Daphne reading about the XBox?

Oh well, nevermind. :o)

By the way, Happy Chinese New Year to you. Our first lunar new year with Maegan. It has been a blast!