The one about a fresh new start...

Yes, World Cup season is over. Imagine this. The next time we lose sleep over grown men chasing a ball all over a field in order to win a gold trophy, it'll be four years time. Ethan will almost be ready for school! That does seem like a long way off...

It was great that Italy won - since I predicted in a pool that they would win, I took the first prize in that pool. Not bad, since this is the first time I've actually won something like that. Glad.

So, as I was saying... World Cup season is over. There will be some who will feel the effects of post-World Cup syndrome. Apart from slowly easing back into our usual routines, some will feel a sense of emptiness - as if there's nothing to look forward to. Sad.

For the World Champions Italy, it was a reprive from the scandal that was looming in the back of their minds. Several officials from some of their biggest teams had been involved in match fixing. If found guilty, 13 members of the World Cup winning squad will find themselves playing in the Serie B. Sad.

Well, the announcement came last week. Juventus, Florentina & Lazio will be playing in Serie B while AC Milan get to remain in the Serie A but have lost their Champions League spot. What it all translates to is a huge loss in terms of earnings. Well known players may leave their respective teams sparking what many have called, "The Sale of the Century". I was chatting with Phee Boon Leng this afternoon and he made an interesting point. If any of these stars should decide to stay with their present teams, they would earn a place in Italian football folklore. Imagine being the selfless hero who stuck loyally with his team to help bring back the glory days. Stuff of legends. Wow.

So, final word on football. Liverpool will start the new Premier League with a trio of new faces in their midst. Bad boy Craig Bellamy, Brazilian Fabio Aurelio and Argentinian Youth Gabriel Paletta. Looks like Welsh angst will shake it with South American flair at Anfield. Should be interesting. Glad.

Still on the issue of fresh starts, we got ourselves a brand spanking new digital camera - the Canon Ixus 65. 6-megapixel of vibrant colours on a 3-inch LCD display. NICE.

Here's a pic from the new toy...


Last Monday, July 10th was our 7th wedding anniversary. We spend it in a decidedly low key way, keeping to routine and work except for a nice dinner at the new Asian restaurant at E-Gate called "Tao". The restaurant is one of those "eat-all-you-can" places which allows one to order from the menu unlimitedly for the one price of RM45. The food is predominantly Japanese and its quality is fairly good overall. It was great that we could get away, just the two of us for a quiet night out. Glad.

Strange enough, that very Thursday, we both took the folks to dinner to celebrate Jo's Dad's award. Guess where we had dinner? Yep, at "Tao" again. It was simply the best choice as our folks had never been there and it was also affordable! Glad.

Last weekend was a quiet one. Ethan had to catch up on his Tumbletots classes, so we brought him on Saturday and Sunday. As usual, the little fellow had a ball making a nuisance of himself and giving his parents much needed exercise. Pooped.

Tonight, Jo and I went for the Bar Dinner food tasting at the Equatorial Hotel. We tasted the food, we didn't like. Sad.

Looking forward to the rest of the week. Mum is now in hospital for her 11th cycle of chemotherapy. She seemed in good spirits today as Uncle Gilbert, Aunt Sooi See and Aunt Florence dropped by to see her there. As her chemo sessions come to and end, we look forward to a fresh start for her. Glad.

The one about the finals...

Yes, tonight will be the finals of the Fifa World Cup 2006. My prediction in a football pool that Italy will be the winner seems to be coming true. Might win some money!

Earlier tonight, I watched Roger Federrer beat Rafael Nadal in 4 sets to take the Wimbledon Men's Singles finals. The tournament which normally attracts a huge TV following seems to have be eclipsed by the single biggest sporting event in the world.

Amidst all that sporting excitement, Jo's dad was today conferred with a DSPN (Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri) which carries the title "Dato'". His tireless work towards the betterment of sport and fitness at long last rewarded in a small way.

So, its back to the match tonight - Italy vs. France. Both equally good, this match is poised to be an exciting encounter. I just hope they aren't too defensive. The match will be starting shortly.. I don't intend to do a simulblog, so I will be signing off soon. Meanwhile here are some pics of Jo & Ethan... guess who they'll be cheering on?

The one about joyous moments (Part 2)...

24th June, Saturday - Of course Sue Khoon & Yan's wedding continued with another dinner for their friends which incorporated the signing ceremony. Unfortunately, the persistent rain put paid to the couple's plans to have a garden wedding but the event was no less elegant and colourful. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Bride & Groom arriving early...

Yan checking out the decor...

Sue starting on some early child care practice...

Jo, the Wedding Planner...

Yes, there's a cake underneath there!...

A great shot of the Bride & Groom...

Signed & sealed...

And out comes the bubbly...

Getting in a moment with the wife...

Sue & the girls...

Sue & the crazy guys...

Yan mixing it with the girls...

The dining area...

One for posterity...

Stacy belting out a number...

The two wedding coordinators...

The Happy Couple...

The Happy Couple-to-be?...

It all ends with a kiss...


We were all still reeling from the whirlwind events of the last two weeks when Sue & Yan invited the "helpers" to dinner last night at the E&O Hotel. We had a sumptious buffet and although the food was at its usual high standards, the crowd was strangely missing. Probably just a quiet night for them. After the meal, we all dashed across to Soho's and grabbed our reserved seats in front of the big screen TV to catch the live World Cup match between England & Portugal. The atmosphere was electric as the mostly partisan crowd wore the English colours proudly. Alas the happiness turned to gloom as England crashed again - losing on penalty kicks.

Today, we caught the new Superman movie with the gang. It wasn't half bad as the movie centred around his personal relationship with Lois Lane amidst fighting crime. I thought the direction was crisp and kept the film moving at a consistent yet gripping pace. If you are into comic book movie remakes, I don't know how accurate this adaptation is, but it made for an entertaining afternoon.

Tomorrow morning, mum will be going in for her 10th instalment of chemotherapy. Uncle Gilbert will also be going to KL for a check-up. Guess, health isn't one thing we can take for granted. Better get off my butt and go for my own check-up soon. Till next time...

The one about joyous moments...

The past week has been pretty hectic. Last weekend was Sue Khoon & Yan's chinese wedding dinner and the tea ceremony. Yesterday night, they celebrated their official marriage signing ceremony and dinner at 32 @ The Mansion. In the midst of all that, the World Cup continues on and for me anyway, life and work had to go on.

Saturday, 17th June - the main event was the dinner that night at Midlands Court Chinese Restaurant. Jo & I arrived early that night to get things sorted out and as the guests trickled in, I was busy snapping away, going about my allocated task of photo taking for the night. Dinner was sumptious and the food quality commendable. Everyone had a great time, although some teasing between friends ahead of next morning's tea ceremony events caused some ripples. All in all, we had fun and even the bride's father's "shortened" speech (which lasted a good 10 minutes anyway!) was well received.

As the last few guests finally left, some of us decided to gather at Coffee Bean Bellisa Row to discuss plans for the next morning's tea ceremony. When Yan comes a-calling for his bride, it is traditional for her friends to make up tasks for him and his entourage to perform - thus making him "work" for the right to get his bride's hand. We planned out four (4) tasks and Stacy had set out her script for the event. My job was to get home that night and prepare the final task on PowerPoint presentation. By the time I got to bed it was nearly 3.00 a.m. I was looking forward to the next morning's festivities.

The beaming bride arriving...

Listening intently to the father of the bride...

Pretty oriental ladies in a row...

Sunday, 18th June - it was an early start for us as we arrived at Sue Khoon's place around 8.30 a.m. The required attendees - i.e. family members and other tea drinkers - began arriving and the signal was sent to Yan to start on his journey to pick up his bride. As the groom's entourage arrived, the girls got ready to dish out the four (4) tasks but was faced with adversity as the well "experienced" entourage knew a few tricks of their own. However, the girls held steadfast until the groom by accident pushed the gate open and was thus presented with the opportunity to enter without enduring the required tasks. A bit of jostling and shoving later, the groom found himself in the hall but still couldn't get access to his bride. The entourage then decided that they would finally perform the tasks which the girls felt would be cut down to two (2) only.

So after a rendition of "I'm a Little Teapot" (in Hockkien, indeed!) while wearing shower caps, and a "Kee" test - where Yan had to pick out a photo of Sue Khoon's mole from a list of nine photos shown to him. To his credit, Yan picked the right mole first time - thus opening the way to finally see his bride.

The process of tea drinking then began proper after the "formalities" and it continued till later at Yan's place where we got to explore the bridal boudoir complete with attached bath (a fan in the toilet, great idea Yan!) and the converted walk-in closet.

During a nice lunch, we sat with Sue Khoon and the gang chatting about the events of the last few hours and laughing at ourselves mostly. It had been a tiring yet eventful morning. For Sue Khoon, it's to be a new beginning. One which is always looked at with apprehension and concern yet filled with hope and joy.

The ladies...

Groom arriving...

Bargaining with the "gate keepers"...

In with a grin...

Taking a walk, the bride & groom...

Offering their prayers...

That famous fan in the toilet...

Giving angpows to the younger ones...

The one about defining moments...

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Oi! Oi! Oi!

One could make out the defining cheer from the land Down Under on Monday night as Australia, playing their first World Cup game in 32 years, found a reserve of strength and determination to beat Japan 3 - 1. The scoreline was flattering and unduly harsh to the Japanese but take nothing away from a well deserved victory by the Socceroos.

Apart from that game and the hard fought drawn match between Sweden and Trinidad & Tobago, most games have gone more or less as expected. The good thing is that most matches have seen open play and goals - which make for good viewing. I'm looking forward to the later games when the better teams meet each other.

Having said that, I'm now watching the mighty England slogging it out without much success against Trinidad & Tobago. That Frank Lampard can't hit an elephant from 5 yards; been spraying wild shots all over the park. Gooaaalll! Yes, right at this moment, Peter "Beanpole" Crouch just scored for the English! God, I hope he doesn't do that ridiculous "Crane Dance"!

Talk about simulblogs! That was exciting, blogging it as it happens. Anyway, will just quickly sum up activities for the week just prior to the big wedding weekend ahead.

Oh, and before I forget, I managed to get a photo from Jo of the hen's night last week for Sue Khoon. Guess the girls had a great time and I think, most importantly, it was a time to bond.

Goooaalll!! Yes, England scored again! This time Stevie G put a rocket of a shot into the top left corner. It's the Liverpool connection of Crouch and Gerrard that has saved England the blushes. Full time - England 2 Trinidad & Tobago 0.

Ok, back to the hen's night photo...


So, back to the events of the week. There's been ... er... football... and that's pretty much it! Oh yes, last night, we met at Haagen Daas to celebrate Carolyn's birthday. Jo & I were late as I had my final bowling league game for the season but we made it in time for presents.




There will be more football throughout the next few weeks and of course there will be the wedding. Busy time for us but I'm truly looking forward to it.

The one about the beautiful game...

Are you ready for some football!!!

9th June, Friday - it was to be a busy day. I had quite a bit of work to finish off before the weekend while its Jo's day off as she was spending time with the girls for Sue Khoon's bachelorette day. Tonight we had Nazriah's birthday dinner and then later at midnight - the biggest event of the year - the start of the FIFA World Cup 2006!

Yes, it'll be football, football and more football for the next month or so. Its so amazing the number of companies jumping on the World Cup bandwagon. There are World Cup burgers, World Cup movies and World Cup computer pendrives; brands using football in their adverts include: Continental Tyres, Mercedes Benz, FujiFilm and many more. This time around, more so than in previous World Cups, we see technology and the internet bringing the world closer. News of the matches and related items are now available instantaneously, Live match coverage is phenomenal with ALL 64 matches covered - and I mean COVERED - with choice of camera angles, statistics, analyses and God knows what else.

Although watching the World Cup has been made so easy for us, its still an event that should be shared with a whole bunch of opiniated, loud and inebriated friends. Which is why we ended up at Spice & Rice past midnight to catch the second half of the first match - Germany vs. Costa Rica. It was a surprisingly exciting match with Germany ending up victors.

Before that, we had attended Nazriah's dinner till around 10.30 p.m. when I dropped Jo off at Bagan to meet her girlfriends for the final chapter of Sue Khoon's hen's night. I dashed off to a friend's place to catch the match and later picked Jo up after she was done. We headed back to Spice & Rice where the football watching was in full swing and we got late night supper of Nasi Minyak to boot (pardon the pun).

Saturday morning was a "sleep-in" affair for me, catching up on the lost sleep the night before. We spent the day with Ethan and that evening, after mass, we had dinner with Jinny, KH and Raphael at a new place - Xuan Xin Teppanyaki Steamboat. The food was ok, good variety and atmosphere was comfortable. However, the England vs. Paraguay match was on at 9.00 p.m. and the TV at that place (yes, there's a TV there - in fact nowaday, there's TV everywhere!) had problems. We finished with our meal in double quick time and dashed to Jinny & KH's place to catch the rest of the match. We were joined later by Mel, Stacy & Sue Khoon - all non big football fans might I add - as Jinny served up her usual coffee, tit-bits & cakes.

Sunday, we went back to routine but in between I managed to catch the repeat of the early morning match between Argentina & Ivory Coast. It was a good match too - seems the matches this time around has taken a step up in standard. There's a certain attacking flair in the teams which has increased viewing pleasure. Looks like its going to be a long, tiring month!

One last thing - watching the Argentina vs. Ivory Coast match, we were treated to a glimpse of Maradona in the crowd. Certainly a legend in his time, but now very much down to earth and just enjoying himself immensely.

Speaking of old legends - our country's former PM, Tun Mahathir has decided to speak out against his chosen successor, the present PM. That just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Some legends retire gracefully and become down-to-earth characters... and some legends...well...

The one about prophesies...

Well, I survived the ominous 06.06.06. In fact this very morning at 6 seconds past 6.06 am, I was awake and duly getting milk for Ethan. Seems Nostradamus had predicted that on the 6th day of the 6th month of the 6th year in the new millennium, will witness the birth of the anti-Christ. At least that's what the trailer to the re-make of the hit movie "The Omen" says. Horror movies ain't my stuff. Never liked them, couldn't be bothered. As for Nostradamus, the guy was usually more wrong than he was right. So there.

Last week was a pretty lame week. Nothing much happened and we ended the week with seafood dinner with Jinny & KH on Saturday night then a peaceful restful time at their place after.

On Sunday, after Tumbletots, we brought Ethan to Gurney Plaza for the pet show. Ethan gets very excited at barking dogs and so we thought he would get a real kick out of all the canines on display. What I saw were poor puppies being put thru ridicule and embarrassment by being dressed up in tiny "dogsuits" and other silly accessories. We even saw a multi-coloured poodle. Go figure.

Ethan lost interest pretty quickly as most of the dogs there were pretty well behaved and didn't bark at all!

Ethan & his mum at the pet show

Ethan & his granny at home

This week started with a sudden surge of activity as I had to clear the piling work at the office. Jo wasn't feeling well on Monday. Mum went in for her 8th cycle of chemotherapy. I brought her to the hospital as usual and made sure she was settled in before leaving for court. Funny thing is, these sessions at the hospital are becoming so routine to me that I no longer have any worries about them. A few months back, if anyone had asked me to imagine what it would be like today, I would never have been able to "prophesy" this very situation. It's a bag of mixed feelings really. Relief and comfort that mum's condition is now normal but still fearful and wary that it may re-occur sometime in the future. I guess its always best to leave the future in God's safe hands. Prophesies have proven to be an area not of any human capability. We face the moments and accept the inevitable. The comfort we have is that He walks with us every step of the way.

Just now we celebrated Sue Khoon's birthday. Yes, the bride-to-be turned 34 this very day and we all decided to try out this new place "Tao Asian Restaurant" at E-Gate near Tesco's. They had an "eat-all-you-can" menu which comprises mainly Japanese fare. Food wasn't too bad but the kitchen certainly couldn't cope with the large numbers patronising the place on a Tuesday night! We all had a good time and ate ourselves silly.






This coming Friday will be the girls' day out - when Sue Khoon gets pampered by the other girls leading to the hen's night later on. Details are fuzzy as the girls are sworn to secrecy. Jo and I will be attending Nazriah's birthday do at the Spice & Rice Restaurant that evening. Needless to say, it'll be an eventful night. After that, its only a week away to Sue Khoon & Yan's wedding. Can't believe how quickly time flies.

The one about the week that got away...

Last week really went by like a bolt of lightning. Mum got admitted on Monday 22nd for her 7th cycle of chemotherapy. We brought Ethan to the office and the little guy made himself at home running about everywhere. Gotta admit, while its pretty fun having him around, it wasn't conducive to getting much work done!

We had planned another trip to the cinema on Friday since mum was discharged Wednesday. This time we watched "X-Men: The Last Stand". Less controversial but no less action-packed. Mel, Stacy, Jo & I caught the midnight screening which ended at around 2 a.m. There was actually a short scene right at the end of the movie - AFTER THE CREDITS - which many (no, in fact ALL the other moviegoers) missed. No spoilers here, go buy the DVD and watch it again...

Saturday was interesting. We spent the morning playing with Ethan then the afternoon we headed for the E&O for a pre-wedding organisation meeting called by Sue Khoon - the bride-to-be. Most of the main people were there - Jo, Carolyn, Stacy, Mel, Wei Wei (Sue Khoon's cousin) and me (the photographer)!

Sue Khoon had a voucher for free 2-hour use of the E&O Hotel meeting room - comes with free-flow coffee & tea, mints, water and the works! It gave the fun-filled meeting a bit of focus - as the tasks were handed out and the itinerary of the various events planned. Again, no spoilers here - so those of you going for the wedding, wait for it; while those of you who are not... watch this space!

That night, we met up with Sue Khoon again for dinner. The three of us tried out the new Crab Village which is located exactly where the old Hollywood Restaurant used to be. Food was pretty good and not too costly as well. After that, it was off to Gurney Plaza for coffee with the rest of the gang.

Anyway, a bit of commentary here - at church on Saturday evening, we signed a petition calling on the Government to honour the constitutional right of people to their respective religions. Recently, we have seen many incidences of people of different religions having their rights compromised in many different situations. The need to ensure freedom of religion is constitutionally entrenched. There can be no politicking or side-stepping in this matter. We have heard prominent people speak loosely on this subject, people who should know better.

Jo & I have been playing with the idea of getting together Catholic lawyers in a support group of sorts. There is an association in KL but we've never had one here in Penang. It would be a good opportunity to get together, share experiences and work towards supporting the Church in any situation which may require our help. We'll have to see how this goes...

The one about faith...

After the last post, I got a precious few hours of sleep before I got up to take mum to hospital. It was her appointment at the Oncology clinic after her CEA cancer marker blood test last week. Kinda important visit, this one.

As I walked towards the clinic making small talk with mum, I remember thinking of all the things to say should mum's blood test show that she was getting no better. I know that the CEA cancer marker test was not conclusive, yet I knew I had to be reassuring if things didn't look too good.

The wait was not a long one this morning and as if things could not get any better - the doctor announced that mum's blood test was normal!! This was amazingly good news to us; however, the doc recommended that in cases such as mum's the normal treatment is for twelve cycles of chemotherapy treatment. As mum had only done six cycles, she was advised to continue on. Since mum seems to have responded well and hardly suffers from any side effects, we agreed with the doc and mum was immediately scheduled for her next treatment on Monday.

I just want to thank everyone who has helped us through the hardest times and for all the prayers, wishes and thoughts. Doesn't this prove the power of prayer...

The rest of the day was pretty much a blur, as I was in pretty high spirits after a good morning indeed. After sorting out some work in the afternoon, Jo and I headed for the Spice & Rice Restaurant, Rama's place, where the Bar Committee was having a wine tasting party. Asia Cellars were promoting a range of new Aussie boutique wines and we were given the opportunity to have a sip. There were cheese platters, samosas, prathas and other Indian goodies for all to accompany our drink. All that for a mere RM20 which was quite value for money.

Saturday morning was spent playing with Ethan and in the afternoon, Jo & I went out grocery shopping at Cold Storage Island Plaza. We got home to make sure Ethan was all set for the night before heading off to sunset mass at the Assumption Church. Dinner that night was going to be a simple affair - we went for the Korean BBQ at Seoul Garden in Gurney Plaza. It was simple food, nothing spectacular but easy for us as we had tickets for the 9.30 p.m. screening of "The Da Vinci Code" at the GS Cinemas upstairs.

Since all that can be written about that movie has been written, I'll keep my critique short - the movie is interesting if you haven't read the book; although if you haven't read the book, then you wouldn't know what's all the fuss about. Why would there be so many people who want to prove that a work of fiction is not true... surely that begs the question, right?

Simply, Dan Brown had claimed his book was based on facts which are true and correct - architecturally, geographically and historically. This claim is the cause of the ruckus. Many have sought out to prove him wrong and there have been more publications claiming to detract, de-bunk and de-code Dan Brown's work of fiction than any other fiction book in history.

Since I'm such a sucker for puzzles - the book appeals to me intrinsically. However, I just have one fact to state which to me is the clearest evidence that Dan's story is just that - a story.

Dan states as a fact that - the "Priory of Sion" the so-called custodians of the purported "Church's secret cover-up" was a European secret society founded in 1099. Not true - in fact the society was established in 1956 by Jean Delaval, Armand Defago, Andre Bonhomme and Pierre Plantard. Plantard was jailed for fraud in 1953. In 1996 Bonhomme made this statement to the BBC: "Priory of Sion does not exist anymore and we were never involved in activities of a political nature. We were just four friends who came together for fun and called ourselves Priory of Sion after a mountain near us with the same name!" [Sources: The Sun & Wikipedia]

Its the perrenial battle between fact and faith, between reason and belief. I'll leave the issue at that. On the movie itself, Tom Hanks was a miscast. He just didn't suit the role. Not convincing and somehow rather 2-dimensional. If you've read the book, the movie gets a bit draggy and slow in parts. Otherwise, go watch it, if you want to add to the USD224 million opening debut box office takings.

Sunday was a true day of rest for us. Much needed rest too. The coming week will see mum in hospital for her chemo. Otherwise, it'll be work, work and more work. Joy.

The one about the first year...

Hey! You know what I just realised? My blog - this electronically created corner of cyberspace - has turned ONE! Yes, on a fateful day - May 5th 2005, I decided to start writing... no, ranting and raving, by utilising the magic of the then fairly new phenomena called a weblog.

Fast forward to today, I'm sitting and surfing when I decided to check up on my blog and - lo and behold - I realise this personal adventure of mine is one year and fourteen days old. I've had few active visitors and have not made much of an impact nor created waves in the internet world. I haven't touched the lives of many people nor caused much scandal amongst netizens. What I have done is documented part of my life and the lives of those close to me. It has provided me an opportunity to re-collect, to re-enact and to reflect. With that, I gain the chance to juxtapose what I have been thru with what I look forward to. All that without fear, favour, censorship or cost. What else could anyone ask for?

Blogging has put me back in touch with old friends, meet new ones and link up with family all over the world (ok, maybe just in Australia). I've enjoyed the year, and I hope for many years to come. Look out vast cyberworld... Limitations & Latitudes will be getting wiser, bigger and better!

Another fascinated reader...

The one about blessings and more birthdays...

After a fairly quiet Wesak day on Friday, Saturday rolled along ominously promising to be a full, fun and fruitful day.

We decided to celebrate Mothers' Day on Saturday - simply because Jo's mum was leaving for Beijing on Sunday morning. So we brought my mum, Ethan and met up with Jo's mum, dad and a visiting aunt at the Sheraton Hotel. We treated the mums to a sumptious buffet which they both enjoyed.


Full to the brim, we went home where Jo & I got some rest before our dinner that night. We headed off to church for the 6.30pm sunset mass at the Assumption Church before making our way round the corner to Kashmir Restaurant. It was our celebration of Yan & Jinny's birthdays (1st May and 15th May respectively). The dinner was good, with all of us agreeing that the roast leg of lamb curry was spectacular. Yan brought along a bottle of Macallan single malt whisky which set us up for the night!

After dinner, we decided to check out a nightspot Coco's but found the drink prices there to be a little steep. Stacy went home with Naomi & Mel disappeared, presumably with them. So it was back to our "usual" hangout - Soho's. Drinks there are reasonable, the atmosphere - though a little noisy - was good too! Especially since there was a large screen TV showing the English FA Cup finals between Liverpool and West Ham. I was glued to the screen for most of the night watching my beloved Liverpool crawl its way back from being 2-nil down to finally clinching it on penalty kicks. God, how many times are they going to put us fans thru that?!

Raphael stayed on with us for a few rounds before leaving as he had to be at a forum the next morning. Stacy made a surprise re-appearance bringing along her friend from Singapore Jude. We met Mureli and some people and also met Khoo May Lin who was with a former Penang lawyer Janice who's now based in KL.

The night took its toll on Yan who seemed out of it after a while and the rest just fizzled out as well soon after. As the rest left, Jo & I stayed on to chat with the others. I sat with May Lin & Janice while Jo chatted with Mureli and friends. All in all, a good night for us.

At Kashmir, with the whisky flowing already...

Pretty good photo this, if I may say so...

After dinner, it's presents...

The birthday boy/girl cutting their cake...

The girls all in a row at Soho's

This morning, Jo woke up with a bit of a hangover but it was compounded with the Indian food playing tricks with her tummy. We still managed to bring Ethan to Tumbletots where he had fun running about and basically making a nuisance of himself.

When we got home in the evening, Jo & I decided to try out a baby pool we bought for Ethan sometime back. Needless to say, the little fellow went nuts!


The weekend was, as expected, busy but it really didn't live up to the high expectations I had. Perhaps its just the stresses of work from the last few weeks had demanded more from the social side. Well, its a huge drop back to the toils of the office tomorrow morning and I certainly am NOT looking forward to that...