The First 3 Weeks of 2017

By now, Lincoln had finished 3 weeks of Primary 1.  It has been a trying period for him, I & my wife.  There's no change in the time he has to wake up every morning, but his new routine (which is not well controlled) is causing quite a bit of problem.  Fortunately Lindsay has been adapting well in her new child care, Mandarin and reading class, I just regret that I have been neglecting her studies as I'm too preoccupied with Lincoln.

Lincoln's problems:

1. he doesn't want to take naps after school and since both I and my wife are working, nobody can force him to - this means that by the time I get home and guide him to do his homework he'll be too sleepy to pay attention.  I end up having to blow my top every weeknights just to guide him with schoolwork.

2. he doesn't jot down his homework details so I don't know whether he's doing enough or less or more... But after the 1st parent teacher meeting yesterday, I can safely say he's not doing enough..

3. his Mandarin is..... hopeless I guess.... he just can't remember the letters and he can't get his 笔画right. With weekly 听写on every Tuesday, that's also giving me a lot of pressure..

4. Due to 1 to 3 above, Lincoln has been showing his rebellious side more prominently as of late, partly because I limit his TV time to weekends only now.  No tablets and phones either.

The teachers will list down the homework there, but Lincoln just won't write them down in his communication book - took that photo during parent teacher meeting yesterday

So It's 2017 Now

New year was uneventful.  We just stayed home and slept.  Not that I'm complaining, I'm not into those countdown parties and such.

Usually this is a time to reflect on what had happened so far, be grateful for the blessings we received and the good things that happened while trying to learn from the bad experiences we had.  

Just a day before new year I also learnt of a sad news about a boy from Batam who had been fighting cancer and eventually lost the battle.  I first knew of his plight just slightly more than 3 years back when I was still in Batam; gave a small donation for his chemotherapy treatment in Singapore after reading his mother's heartfelt plea for help through Facebook.  After several sessions of chemotherapy in Singapore he seemed to have recovered and I thought things were going well.  So it was quite a shock when I learnt of his passing from a common friend in Batam.  Hopefully his family will find strength to overcome this difficult period.  

As for me, my company is expected to release further update of the merger after Chinese New Year.  While I look forward to it in order to get some understanding of my fate I also worry about the kind of card that will be dealt to me.  In a nutshell, shipping does not look good, especially with the TPP unraveling.  China on the other hand is making her presence felt in the region with some major projects that may impact Singapore's shipping industry as well.  Overall, 2017 does not look very promising for shipping although I strongly hope that I will be proven wrong.

It's at times like this when I really wish I had a Nanyang MBA...

And oh yeah... I have some things to fix too which will cost quite a bit.  That really turn me off....

With China Town New Year light up coming this Saturday, I might have something to distract me a bit.

On a brighter note...  today is the first day Lincoln started primary 1 while Lindsay also moved to a new child care.  Lincoln adapted very well to the new environment, he seemed to enjoy school; came back with all smiles today trying to describe what he did.  Lindsay was predictably difficult with eating.  The teachers advised that she ate very little for lunch, otherwise she was mingling very well with the other kids and had no problem adapting too.

When I watched Lincoln walk back to his class after recess, it suddenly dawned upon me that I need my children more than they need me.  Despite them giving me a hard time (yelling at them, going through lessons with them, getting frustrated at them, etc.), they also give me a lot of happy moments and a sense of achievement when I see them reach a certain stage in their life.  They really are a blessing in this otherwise bland and perhaps self-centred life.  

Here's a closing shot for this rambling entry - I have a lot to get off my chest!

The Dark Knight - Fairy Style

~ Photo taken with Nikon D750 + Sigma 24mm F/1.4 DG HSM (A) ~

Intercontinental Staycation

Last weekend I & my wife had a staycation in Intercontinental Hotel Bugis.  It was some sort of a replacement for a holiday for me.  Had it not been for the rain I would have explored further to Kampong Glam area.  But seeing how much time we spent in Bugis alone I guess it makes sense to explore Kampong Glam another time.

Check-in was speedy and convenient, everything was as expected.  The room was marvelous, to say the least.

Deluxe Room in Intercontinental Singapore - Bugis

Gardens by The Bay Christmas Wonderland

My wife and the kids are away for holiday at my wife's hometown since last week.  I'm stuck for some work related issues, although not a lot and mostly are already settled by now.  That also means that I have lots and lots of free time on weekends...  And for me that means going to Gardens by The Bay to see the Christmas Wonderland exhibits and take some great photos.  For this trip, I brought along both my X-T2 + XF 16mm F1.4R WR and D750 + AT-X 16-28 F2.8 PRO FX.  But for this entry, I'm using the shots from my X-T2 only.

I arrived quite early at before 4:15 pm.  My first destination was the Flower Dome where the Christmas Wonderland exhibit is on.  I wanted to scout around for good spots, taking sample shots, adjusting the lighting and shadow/highlight setting in my camera.  These are two of my daylight sample shots which turned out well.      

A foliage tunnel going to the South American Garden

Pompompurin Cafe

[UPDATE: Pompompurin cafe has since been closed]

Last Sunday we dropped by Pompompurin Cafe in Orchard Central after Lindsay's ballet class.  Just for the heck of it.  I mean, when it was first launched in April this year people were queuing for about two hours or so to dine there.  Now that the hype has cooled down, it's a good time to drop by for a visit.

For this visit I brought along my X-T2 + XF 16mm F1.4R WR combo.  Unfortunately the indoor shots weren't so good.  I had been taking photos outdoor earlier and reduced the highlight setting to get better dynamic range under the harsh sunlight and forgot to reset that setting after I moved indoors.  As a result the photos mostly lack contrast and sharpness.  Gotta remember to change the setting next time when I move indoors!!

We arrived 10 minutes early and before us there were already two ladies in the queue.  Not so bad.

The entrance to the Cafe

Lincoln's Graduation Party

Last Friday was Lincoln's graduation party at his school - he's already on full holiday now, getting ready for his trip to Purwokerto next Monday.  The party was a private event for the graduating class of 2016.  It was an intimate gathering for the kids as they were about to say their goodbyes to each other soon.  For Lincoln it was just 3 days away from his last day there.

Lining up to get their graduation presents