life as a dadda

It's just one of those days.

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:06:00 +0000

One of the benefits of having children is to see the world again through their eyes. I could still remember the days as a youngster when I saw things differently . I could not understand the serious look adults would always carry with them. Why wouldn't anyone want to stay at a playground forever? Why would you eat a proper meal when better things such as candies and ice cream are around? The silly things that I saw were so funny that I could laugh all day and sometimes I did. Even at university, friends would sit around throwing around jokes and silliness and I could remember the feelings of euphoria at those moments. I wasn't aware at that time those moments were precious and would one day disappear. As I grew older, life has a funny way of sucking the life out of life. Responsibilities, money issues, relationship issues, job stress, health issues , children were amongst many that slowly eat away that freedom, joy that I once had. Sure there is joy and happiness now but it is different. That piece of uni just doesn't taste the same; there is nothing new about seeing something new; Happiness is more about maintaining the status quo, the feeling of luck that nothing disastrous has occurred and that one more bullet has been dodged, at least for that day. I see my kids and any normal kids for that matter and I envy their innocence and naivety. That ice cream is more precious than gold. The playground is essentially heaven and the sense of joy and excitement that they will experience when something new appears. Essentially, I see the world as a ugly place and kids(at least my kids at this moment) are shielded from it in a green house that I have created. Their world is seen through rose colored glasses that I once had. It is not a real world but it is still nice.

spoilt brats

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:59:00 +0000

Ryleigh is starting her piano lessons. The teacher, Mrs Cotton, decided that she is mature enough to start at this age of four. I was present at today's lessons to observe the progress. Anyhow, the lesson was simple enough, centering around recognition of keys, understanding beats and tones. Apart from playing simple songs (hot cross buns for the record), she was asked to point out all the D's on the keyboard. The process took around 10 minutes with her hitting and missing her notes. In the instances that she missed, I was thinking to myself how the teacher must have felt frustrated and I was a little bit embarrassed by her difficulty at a seemingly simple task. Of course I didn't say anything but Mrs. Cotton must have seen it written on my face. Her remarks to me were surprising but poignant. "You guys are spoilt" she said. Continuing with her explanation, she then went on to explain that What Ryleigh was doing at that moment was sometimes unachievable by some kids that are 2 years older than she. "You guys have two kids that are above average intelligence and musically gifted. Not every body have these qualities and you should not take it for granted. As a traditional Asian, I have always believed that anything average or heaven forbids, below average are unacceptable. I made it a note in my mind today that my thinking is wrong. While it is desirable to always strive for the best, achievement should also be based on efforts and not entirely on results.

movie oct2008

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:38:00 +0000

movie oct2008
Originally uploaded by ivanmo

Now this blogging gets easier and easier with technology. I can now post my blog directly from flickr. Unfortunately, only 10mb are allowed, so my video was cut short. You can see the complete video at youtube or facebook, not that anything spectacular happens at the ending. This video is really still a testing ground for me to see how things work.

Since I'm posting, I might as well record things that are happening around this time. Hmmmmm.. Ryleigh is slowly getting toilet trained. Today was parent interview at TMS and the teachers were saying that Aidan is a smart kid but is always goofing off when the teachers are not watcing. Your sixth goo pau is suffering from end stage lung cancer; our thoughts are with her through this difficult time. You guys are getting acquainted with your first live-in nanny. I will post a picture of Marilyn S. soon so you guys will remember her. Hope she stays long enough to warrant that. TTYL. I'm going e-blogger now to see if this thing works.

so many thoughts, so little time

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:02:00 +0000

Sometimes when I am in the middle of work, thoughts would gather in my mind that I would want to put in my blog immediately. Thoughts that i believe to be relevant and important for my kids to know. However, because of the nature of my work, i don't have the flexibility to do just that and what usually happens is that i am too tired after work (or too lazy) and the thoughts are gone forever. In order to avoid that, I vow to keep my blog short and simple so that updates can be more frequent. My thinking is that an ill written blog is better than no blog at all. Right??
Anyways, So many things have happened since the last blog that I can't even remember some of them. However, things that are important should be chronicled for our recollection.
Aidan's grandmother, my mother suffered from stage III ovarian cancer that probably began in spring 2007 but was diagnosed more or less in the summer time. At that time, things were looking dismal from all perspective. My mom was suffering from all sorts of symptoms that we wished we had paid more attention to before. We had to rush to get appointment with an gynecologic oncologist and get all the relevant testings done asap because time was of the essence. Surgical intervention was postponed and chemotherapy was prescribed because the cancer had spread. and the specialist in charge really wasn't too optimistic himself at that time. To make a long story short, all the chemos had already been done and the surgery to remove all affected organs was performed last month. As far as we can tell, this is the best scenario that can happen because my mom responded well to the chemo and the surgery was deemed a success. Having said that however, there are still cancer cells in her body that are like a time bomb in her body. And the only thing we can do is hope and pray. (and I don't even pray). Aidan and Ryleigh, it is important for you to know that your grandmother was as brave and positive as anyone can be under those circumstances. And her love for you guys gave her strength and reason to fight this disease. She will pass away one day as all of us will. Hopefully, it won't be for many years so that more memories will build. this photo that I put up will hopefully bring back memory in your mind about your mah mah during this arduous period. I am really proud of you in this photo. for some reason, your compassion really shone through without really much coercing from me at all.

What a wonderful world!

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 21:19:00 +0000

Happy New Year to all! It's been a hectic few months riddled with episodes of flus and colds. Although terrible every time we go through caring for the sick infants and toddlers, I believe it's a passage of rites that humans go through to prepare them for the harsh reality that life really is about. Or the build up of immunity if you want to be medical about it. I am reminded of a story whereby a man saw a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. Wary of it's difficulty in the transformation, the man tried to help out by loosening the cocoon, hoping to ease the process of metamorphosis. However the good the intent, it resulted in the opposite and the butterfly never emerged properly and resulted in an early death. I, much like most parents, wish to provide the best for my kids. The best that money can buy, the best education, the best nutrition, the best life experience, etc, etc... It is always good to remind myself that one of life's most valuable lesson is not how to handle with the best, but how to manage with mediocrity. Characteristics such as patience, tolerance, persistence, flexibility are often learnt and earned when one is not provided with the best. I wish I could "buy" characters for my kids instead of having them build them for themselves, but life is never that simple, is it??.

P.S. Congratulations to Jing and Joachim. Their baby girl, Sophie, was born in November last year.

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 04:53:00 +0000

Nothing much to add! The video speaks for itself. My only regret is that I was not able to capture the crying and yelling during the adjustment period. There were plenty but it didn't seem appropriate to take videos during that time. In addition, the sound track for the video was the most time consuming for this video compilation. It was difficult to pick lyrics that were relevant to the occassion as well as something meaningful from my perspective for this video, especially with my limited choice of cds. At the end, this song from Lee Ann Womack spoke my mind . I hope , above all things, that Aidan will learn to dance the dance of life with no regrets and remorse.

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:06:00 +0000

Check out this video that I made of Ryleigh at Niagara Falls. Just playing around with editing techniques. Brings a smile to my face every time i look at this.

Surprise, surprise

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:29:00 +0000

The transition period is officially over for Aidan at T.M.S. During that last week, Aidan had to learn to interact with other kids as well as new teachers; feed himself and signal when he needs to go to washroom while adjusting to a new environment and handling separation anxiety. It didn't go too well last Tuesday as he started crying after I left the room for only 15 minutes. However, they did not believe in tough love. Instead of letting him cry it out, the teachers were more anxious for me to get back in the room than Aidan. I was thinking that this would be a long and ardous process the way things were going. But surprise, surprise!!! Come friday when Aidan was expected to survive without any parents around, he actually did very well. Apart from crying for 10 minutes after we left, he was behaving quite civil the whole day, he actually learnt to feed himself and told the teacher when he needed to go. In addition, he slept in his sleeping bag for almost an hour without much coercing from us. My mom and I were outside like peeping Tom behind a one way mirror with other parents who were in the same predicament. Needless to say, the sense of pride that overcame me when the teacher said Aidan adjusted very well was overwhelming. Unfortunately, the gravity of the situation was intense to the point whereby I had forgotton to take much pics and videos. As for Ryleigh, we decided to feed her some solids today. This is the first day she is trying out Rice Cereal (yum yum). She wasn't as enthusiastic as Aidan was, but it went relatively ok. Hopefully, she won't get any allergies or diarrhea from this. The maternal grandparents will be leaving come Thursday; they will be going to China to obtain a visa after which they can go to Germany to look after Jing and Joachim's baby in November. Best of luck to them, and good luck to us to make everything smooth sailing after their departure. Quote for today's blog: As adults we search for happinness; as kids we create happinness. How true!!!

first day at school

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 18:48:00 +0000

I still remember the feeling of insecurity and horror of going to a new school. Aidan did well today but he didn't know this was going to be the place he will spend the rest of the school year and mom and dad will not be around next week. he was just happy to be around so many toys and snacks. I, on the other hand, feel more nervous for him because I see this as the first of many steps to be educated and to integrate with society.(Sounds more like a prison to me) I am also nervous for myself because I now realize that raising a kid,(two in my case) really is a life long endevour that requires much patience and tolerance, both of much I was born pretty much without. I am the type that flushes the toilet before I am done. I will keep my fingers crossed for next week when the dry run is over and school actually starts. P.S. their record at T.M.S. was 6 weeks before the kid stops screaming and crying when parents leave. That's one record I hope Aidan won't break

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:17:00 +0000

I got a new computer with Windows Vista. I am in the midst of learning the various features that will improve my blogging techniques. Will post later

it's a bright day afterall!!!

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:40:00 +0000

I haven't posted for a long time. However, due to popular demand and the hoards of people requesting my doing so, including but not limited to Yang, i will jolt down a few words during this sunny afternoon. Since i am still suffering from blogger's block, I shall put up a list instead of writing in my usual elegant style. This is a list to remind myself things that I should be thankful for, in order to change my image of a perpetual whiner.

Aidan attended a wedding the other day with me. I received many good remarks as to how well behaved he was that day. I tried to downplay the praises in modesty, but deep inside, I was elated that Aidan was at least presentable in a public setting.

Ryleigh has a very sweet smile. I may be exhibiting daddy's bias, but I cannot imagine anyone not drawn by her smiles.

I really hate my job, but then who doesn't. I can't imagine that I have done this shit for 18 years but at least it has given me some form of financial freedom so that I can spend more time with my kids. You always hear about some poor dude working 3 jobs to sustain the family and how his absence turn his kid into a delinquent or drug addict. If my kids turn bad, let this be a testament that I am not to blame. Hey, I put them in Montessori, OK.

I can have a conversation with Aidan now. Of course he has limited vocabularies, but I can speak to him like an adult and he can actually respond surprisingly well. They do say that kids are much brighter than we give them credit for, but I am constantly amazed by the things that Aidan understands and remembers. Of course, his mastery of three languages can be impressive too.

Ryleigh is quite pretty, if I do say so myself. I thought Aidan was a good looking baby when he was that age. But now that I compare his old pics with Ryleigh's , I have to say he was kinda ugly. the small eye, single eyelid bit and the weird hair. Anyway, he is a man, he doesn't need good looks to impress girls. Speaking of which, Aidan is already a chick magnet like his old man. girls are constantly enamoured by his hearty laughs, his sense of humour and his bulging muscles which some may confuse as baby fat.

Since the last entry which was a few months ago, we have had some level of success with Aidan's diaper training. To the credit of my nanny who did the bulk of the training, Aidan can pee pee and poo poo in the toilet or around the toilet now instead of the diaper. Normally very few accidents except when he is distracted by too much fun. Surprisingly, he can hold his pee pretty long and he actually wakes Ming up at night to go. I give myself credit for passing to him fine genetics to control bodily functions. Unknown to most, one of my hidden talent is the ability to hold liquid. I don't have to pee even after four beers, impressive, eh. fine genetics, indeed.

Last but not least, both of them are healthy and developing normally. Really, what more in life can one ask for. Ming remarked the other day that I have used up a lot of my luck in explanation as to why I have not won in gambling even once the last two years. And I wholeheartedly agreed. Amen.

Thoughts for a rainy day

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 16 May 2007 23:33:00 +0000

A gloomy day altogether but a good day to update my blog nonetheless since I can't really do anything outdoor. Ironically, I did pick today to do some yard work and I actually accomplished quite a bit in the rain just before this entry. I was able to pick all the weeds from my front yard flowerbed and covered it with tarp and cedar mulch. This was to prevent any complaints from tight ass neighbours as they did last year regarding a tiny weed problem. Those thistles were only 3 feet tall after all, who would even notice??? Anyway, before I digress too much, a lot has happened since the last entry which seemed like an eternity ago. I had many thoughts but I never had time or patience to put them down on paper. Aidan had a birthday party on his second birthday and also on that weekend. He seemed to understand the concept of birthday now; at least, he seemed to appreciate the presents and especially the cake. He was very focused on finishing his large piece of cake and impressed everybody with his huge appetite. I was just happy that even with my parenting skills, or lack thereof, that a tiny person can survive so long. Probably has more to do with my wife than me. I was surprised that he received quite a bit of presents even though I was so rude to have forgotten to thank all that have given him presents before. A belated thanks to all that have been so generous with the presents and Bah Humbug to all those that didn't (if only I can remember who belongs to which group)
Ryleigh is growing up to be a beautiful girl; she has a gentle and feminine demeanour that just captures my heart. Overall, she is much easier to care for than Aidan ever was. Except for the occasional whimper when she is hungry, she spends most of her time sleeping peacefully or playing by herself. Some nights, she is able to give Ming 6 hours of continuous sleep, which is more than Aidan has ever done. However, it was quite unnerving a few weeks ago that she came down with a cold at such a young age. Not only could it be life threatening with a disease at such a young age, we were limited by the kind of medicine that was available. The only thing that we could do was to offer breast milk and prayed. She could not blow her nose or coughed out phlegm; frequently, she couldn't hold the milk because of her stuffy nose. It was hard to witness such discomfort for such a tiny person, especially your own. Fortunately, nothing serious developed and she recovered well for her full moon party which was just held informally for family.
Things to think about and plan includes: learning parenting skills (Ming will be attending some parenting classes from "expert" which hopefully will help us raise the two to be well rounded, confident, content adults who will take care of their father when he is old and useless, i mean older than more useless than he is now);
prepping Aidan for daycare (feeding himself, pee pee, pooh pooh, sleep by himself, interact with many other kids, none of which Aidan has learnt) ;
developing a structure in December when the maternal grandparents leave us to care for the kids ourselves (ie, Montessori for Aidan, baby sit for Ryleigh , nanny and maid for afterschool???) Who knows, the ship will become straight when it arrives at the port.
A happy secret which I am not sure if I am at liberty to divulge: Let's just say Aidan and Ryleigh should be expecting cousins next year. Not any cousin, but european cousins. How quaint. Before I say too much, I will just end this blog with a heart felt congratulation to the two that really deserve to be parents. Bye for now!!!

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 03:07:00 +0000

To be a new father again is very exciting an unnerving. You never know what could happen when you have a baby. A lot of things could potentially go wrong, especially with our age. Ming was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and there was one red flag with one of the many tests prenatally. Anyway, all suspense aside, Ming and Ryleigh are doing well. Because of the length of labor with Aidan, we took our time with going to the hospital for Ryleigh's birth. Because the water wasn't broken this time, Ming didn't realize that contractions were already starting that Monday night. She came down and remarked to me how she felt the baby was moving too much and giving her pain. Anyway, she came down again at 5 am and told me that contractions seemed to be starting. We left at 5:10 and was at North York Hospital at 5:20. Things got a little bit tense as the nurse told us to skip the assessment room and go straight to the birthing area. Ming was going to go without epidural again but the first word she uttered once she got there was "epidural, epidural, now". Then and only then did the nurse tell us that she was already fully dilated and the baby would come out before any anaesthesia would take. We immediately went to the "pushing" mode and Ming was pushing with so much force that she looked like a ripe tomato. With Aidan, that pushing was all for nothing because he needed the forceps to help him out because his head was too big or at the wrong position. Fortunately with Ryleigh, the baby came out with 15 minutes of pushing and everything was fine. I even got to cut the umbilical cord. This was especially comforting because we didn't go with Dr. Shuen , our original obstetrician, and we weren't sure that the doctor on duty would be good with the forceps as Dr. Shuen. We didn't want C-section delivery. In addition, Ming was supposed to have Antibiotics 4 hours before delivery to prevent infection of the baby. As it turned out, everything was ok when we left for home this morning. Both baby and mother are cleared of diabetes, Ryleigh didn't get infected during birth, and she came out a healthy 6 lbs 5 oz and 50 cm. No jaundice, no premmie. I felt like I won the lottery. Will give updates later.

What's happening?

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:38:00 +0000

Updating this blog since I have some free time on my hand, it is after all the Easter's long weekend and I haven't been to the church for the longest time. I might as well use this free time to mention a few going on's before the birth of my second baby, after which I don't know when I will have free time again (hopefully in 18 years :-) ). Speaking of which, my second baby is coming soon, due date is April 14th but you never know; the second child is notorious for being early. It should be a girl. I have been accused of favouritism towards male offspring (a typical traditional Chinese thinking) to which I unhypocritially(is there such a word?) admit. However, I will say that I am genuinely looking forward to a baby girl this time. They say father will tend to favour baby girls after a while ; time will tell. I hope not to show favouritism with both my children; and if I do, at least not blatantly. I came back from Yang's Wii Party last night, it was truly exciting to see more and more people showing up at that basement. Kids were everywhere, having fun and breaking things in his basement. The makeshift slide that used to be the sofa suffered permanent damage after the fat kids (not mine) rode on it. Serve him right not to buy any toys to entertain the toddler crowd. We are also training Aidan to sleep with me at night in preparation for the second baby so that Ming can attend to her when the time comes. Unfortunately, I find the training to be tougher on me than on Aidan. He is actually quite comfortable sleeping with me, however, I am really missing uninterrupted sleep. Hopefully, I will have him trained to sleep by himself soon, otherwise, this lack of sleep will be quite detrimental to my overall health. Sleeping with a child (not that this is an advisable practice) is truly an exercise in patience; those 3-4 a.m. wake up calls can be truly times of self reflections(for lack of a better term).
I am also a member of the Facebook, being invited by our friend Pandora. I know this is more of a teenage past time, but hey, if she can join, so can I.
Aidan has also been accepted into the prestigious TMS (Toronto Montessori School). The acceptance process for this school and the fees thereof, you would think he was accepted into Harvard Law School. I don't know if I am doing this for him or for me so that he cannot blame me for not giving him the best education that I can afford (another traditional Chinese thinking)
Bye for now, I will keep you updated as to the birth of Ryleigh (name not official yet) Any suggestion on Chinese name?

Long time no see

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 02:30:00 +0000

I was in bahamas recently and I was enjoying the beach at sunrise. I was there a while back but the settings for the two visits were so vastly different that I felt as though I was visiting different places. I was lavishing in the sights and sounds and aroma of the place as some thoughts entered my mind. I just want to share them with people who read my blog. The movement of the tides reminded me of the movement of time and moments in my life. Things are in perpetual motion and yet seem to always follow a pattern. People, places and events are sometimes there for a short period of time and the moment is sometimes gone before we even know it. This is about lost moments - could be about lost friends, lost family, lost love, lost youth. Whatever! Hope we remember to relish the moment when it arrives, not after it has left.

As the breeze blows, the tide turns

the water sneaks up uninvited

It's coolness tickles my feet with mischief

For a moment, I am dancing with the sea

It arrived, stayed and left all in one step

Gone before I even knew it was leaving

What was shall never be

Calling out loud, my voice was drowned

By the waves of the sea, or waves of sorrow?

Can you hear me calling you?

A cry, a yell, a whisper

A sound so faint that none can hear

Can you feel me calling you?

Can't a moment stay forever?

A touch, an embrace, a kiss

The dance stayed in my heart after the moment left

but only as a bittersweet memory

My next moment shall come sometimes in April, wish me luck ;-o

Great wolf lodge

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 03:08:00 +0000

We, as parents, often complain about the trials and tribulations of being parents. Endless stories of sleepless nights, non stop crying, financial quicksand and lifetime of worries, and an occassional blood vessel burst. Our rewards for this inhumane experience: a glimpse of a smile in between feedings; a goo-goo here, a ga-ga there; mumbling that resembles daddy or mommy. Yes, all parents know what I am talking about. And for that moment, everything makes sense and all is worthwhile. For me, that moment came a few weeks back. After a long, hard day at work as usual, I came home and was looking for him for a quick hug. I got the usual response which was a 180 degrees turn as if he saw the boogie man himself. However,instead of running after him and forcing a squeeze as I usually do, I stayed behind and pretended to cry. It was more of a joke on my part, but long and behold, his response was unexpected. I could actually see anguish on his part as he ran towards me and held me tight. Without any cajoling on my part, he was whispering to me that he loves me(in chinese) and hugging me at the same time. At 20 months, this was the first time I witnessed empathy from my child; the icing on the cake was the fact that I was the object of this emotion. Well, that did it for me. I am going to spoil him rotten from now on :-))
Anyway, that set the reasoning behing the mid-week getaway that you see on the video above. It was -25 degrees with wind chill these two days, and we were at Niagara Falls swimming in this indoor water park. Aidan had lots of fun with the wave pool but he was still a wimp at the water slide. This two day extravaganza cost me two hundred bucks plus additional costs such as food and gambling loss, amount which I won't divulge at this site (but if Ming is asking, just tell her it is one hundred bucks,O.K. ). This may not be much to you, but for me , a guy who would save 5 bucks parking by driving around and around for half and hour and end up parking 3 miles away, this was quite a lot. But hey, what the hell, that demonstration of affection was worth it. BTW, we are going to the Bahamas in 2 weeks. Don't even ask me how much that costs and what the reasons are behind that excursion. !!!

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 03:35:00 +0000

It's already the middle of January and I'm just just recovering from a hangover; a hangover not from alcohol but from a vicious flu. I got this flu almost two months ago and it stayed with me for almost the whole two months. An embarrassing cough developed everything I talked ; people were beginning to look at me strangely during conversations . Anyway, I am not one to make new year's resolutions but this year, I decide to take a better look at myself ; my character, my achievements and failures so I can have a better understanding in order to improve myself. I believe Aidan has and will inherit many of my characteristics for better or for worse. Hopefully, my wife's character profile will complement mine in Aidan, enabling him to have a easier time in life. In my assessment, I feel blessed that I have many good traits that has help me in life; unfortunately, I am really my own worst enemy when I am not able to utilize my talents to the fullest. I have intelligence but I don't have wisdom. I have good ideas but I don't have the perseverance to see them through. I am quick thinking but I don't have patience. I am well spoken but I am a really bad communicator. Don't get me wrong, I have done pretty well with my life but sometimes, it's not how well you have done but how much you have done with what you are given. In that respect, I believe I have failed. I hope to instill in Aidan values that I have not possessed. I want him to learn to be a positive thinker, one who lives life to the fullest , each and everyday filled with hope and challenges. I hope he is not deterred by failures and learn to thrive when times are tough. These are difficult to teach and especially difficult to learn. I hope to give him a head start by sharing this :

Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt
Live like there's no tomorrow
Dance like no one is watching
Aidan, you started today by conquering the course at the library, remember this when you are faced with difficulties. Every journey start with a single step

globetrotting

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:21:00 +0000

So many places I want to see. I wasn't that into it until I watched this video but it has always be Ming's dream to see the world. She has certainly been to more places than I; maybe Aidan will follow after her and inherit this desire to travel. It would be nice if one day, the Mo's family can travel together and see the world and learn its culture. In the meantime, I just want to share this video with all of you. Enjoy"

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:09:00 +0000

I found out that Britney Spears spent her new years eve celebrating at Las Vegas; getting drunk and acting silly to the degree that she supposedly checked herself into rehab the next day. On the other hand, I spent my new year's eve partying until the wee hour of 9 pm, after which the only countdown were the numbers that I was trying to teach Aidan (btw, he can count to 10 in cantonese and mandarin). No, not that my other new years eves were spectacular; I have never been at a count down in New York. I have never rekindled a lost love at the Washington's monument new year's eve. In fact I spent the last few years getting drunk and acting silly at Yang's basement. But this was the only year which I did not know or care when the previous year ended and the new year began. I had no quip with the end of partying; i guess 40 of fireworks and countdowns is enough; I just wish I had made better use of my youth than I had. You really are young only once. And nothing defines age more than sounding the way I am now. I am beginning to sound like my father. Oh well, Aidan, you better learn from your old man and not spent your youth playing video games at Yang's apartment. Happy New Year, everyone

He is learning alphabets

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 04:37:00 +0000

Old School Asian Parents that we are. It's never too early to start teaching your kid. Today, alphabets. Tomorrow, quantum physics. ;-[

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 02:29:00 +0000

This is at Rinx where Sunlife Financial held this year's christmas's party for the kids. Unfortunately, it was catered to the older crowd and Aidan and Madison are not old enough to enjoy such activities as roller blades and bumper cars. As you can see, they didn't really like the white bearded guy either. Did you see how we knocked down the christmas tree!!!!

>aram name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kg4LNAFOsaY">

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 02:25:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 05:05:00 +0000

Bear with me. I am learning a new trick of the trade--a video blog. Tell me if you can see the meaningless video.

I am getting a daughter

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:14:00 +0000

Aidan, you saw a picture of your sister for the first time today. I was carrying you as we watched the monitor for the image of her in your mother's womb. Like yourself, she was quite active and moved around quite frequently. It brought back memory of seeing you on the monitor 2 years back when you were that small. How time flies!!! Your reaction, for the record, was crying as you finally realized that you will have to share your most precious "possession" with somebody else :-). As for myself, I was feeling excited and nervous at the same time as the realization sank in that I would have to be responsible for the well being of two entirely helpless beings. Scary!!! Anyway, you better be a good brother and take care of her when we are not around. Love, Dad
P.S. Any parenting advice or volunteer babysitter would be welcome here.

Mini me

noreply@blogger.com (daddamo) — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 00:39:00 +0000

I have created a poll to see what the consensus is. Does Aidan look more like me or Ming? Please give your honest opinion.
P.S. I'll personally give each of you one free filling if you vote answer #1.