Grateful for miracles

Life has a tendency to remind you of things once in a while. This time around, it was an in-your-face reminder of how everything can be turned upside down in just a matter of seconds... I almost lost the lynch -pin of my life.

My wife is a very lucky woman. Not only did she survive a very bad frontal crash that resulted in my 1400kg SUV going airborne over the road divider, she survived landing on the bonnet of another car heading the opposite direction and got hit by one or perhaps even more cars on the side as they tried to avoid the wrecks. Aside from some cuts, bruises and a bad bump on the head, she's basically fine and was able to walk on the first day of her hospitalisation! Thank god it was a NCAP star-rated vehicle. Pity its now a total wreck. Thank you for keeping my wife safe.

It was another miracle that was that no one else was hurt. The wife had just dropped off my 2 1/2 year old daughter and maid at home. The damage to the passenger side where her child seat was was "catastrophic" (in the words of one of my colleagues). I don't think I can ever live through the loss of my only child. The driver of the car which my SUV landed on had a bruised chest caused by his airbag. The others suffered from nothing more than a scare-of-the-lives. If there were angels on duty that Tuesday, they were all looking out for us.

We owe many people. The good samaritan who somehow got my number and called me. The off-duty ambulance that just happened to be passing by and stopped for the wife (they refused to collect any fees as they were off-duty). The Police and DBKL folks that assisted in the rescue and clean-up operations. The hospital staff and crew, especially those at the ER. The consultants and specialists that looked at my wife. My colleagues, family and friends that quickly swung in to lend support and cover my work. My parents who rushed up from Singapore. And I'm sure there will be more to come.

The headaches are not over. The Police have charged my wife for careless driving. A comparatively light charge which I am grateful for. But there's still the insurance company, which hasn't been all that easy to deal with so far. They want to know why my wife lost control. The problem is that she doesn't remember a thing. The Neurologist already warned me that she may never will. If they insist, I don't know how long it will be before I can get my claim. And its clear I will not get the full value back so it will be a big hole in my wallet. One that is made more unpleasant in a year of pay cuts and low/no bonuses. My car was just six months old and the depreciation for new cars is hefty. Moreover, it took five-months for me to get the keys of the tax-exempt vehicle from the date I placed my order. A replacement will take just as long. I may be car-less in Malaysia for at least 6-months. Not a pleasant prospect. At least I have my wife to suffer this with me by my side. Thank god for that. :)

I know she still has nightmares about what happened last week. I hear them when she sleeps. The emotional scars will take time to heal. But nothing calms me more than feeling her warmth beside me and seeing her sleeping by my side even if it can be somewhat restless sleep. And I know it calms her to know that I'm by her side too. She complains of sudden vertigo and sharp pains. We were told that these are "normal", given her injuries. These will take time to heal.

Thank you to everyone for everything.

Farewell old girl

You've kept me company for six years. Rest in peace. (Picture: Paula when she was six months old)

"Cowards"

I am sad and angry. This time round, one of us has paid the price. I don't know Ms Lo Hwei Yen personally. But this time, its personal.

I fully agree with Singapore The New Paper's Ken Jalleh Jr. He had called the terrorists "cowards". What hit home the hardest was his point that in each terrorist attack it had always been numbers (deaths and injuries) that were the first to be tossed up and “So we wind up mourning quantity rather than people; we may sympathise, but we are largely detached. That was so of the Mumbai attacks, too – until yesterday. NOW suddenly, there is a face to the massacre – a face made familiar and personal by nationality. Suddenly Mumbai is not that far away. Now it has hit home.”


My deepest condolences to all the victims of the Mumbai attacks, and especially to the loved ones that Ms Lo left behind. She will always be remembered.

Selamat Hari Raya!

To all my Muslim friends all around the world, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

Roo @ Two

How time flies... I became a father two years ago and life has certainly changed much since! :) Its a challenge trying to juggle everything but I've been blessed with Roo and her wonderful mommy. We were just fooling around with our second camera body (a brand new D90) when she stepped out of the study, after apparently finding the Proton cap I got from its 3rd Millionth Car celebration and donning it. Its days like this that remind me that kids grow really fast and one should treasure every minute of it.

Thousand apologies

Its been nearly a year since this blog was updated. My apologies for that. As some of you may be aware, I've been reassigned from Singapore to Malaysia. This is my second foreign assignment... and it somehow doesn't feel as exciting as my first (Manila). But then again, KL is familar ground although I must say that it has been far more exciting (and busy) that I had expected. I arrived just before the March GE and the rest is a long story. :)

Changes are in store for Malaysia. The pre-GE status quo can no longer exist. Where I come from, change is a constant force we deal with... but since we acknowledge that its constant, we take it in smaller doses (like a 2% hike in sale tax?! :p) However, all changes entail pain and adjustment. I just wish all my Malaysian friends that this will be as painless as possible. I wish all of you luck!

Before I part, let me share one pic I took during my recent visit to Permatang Pauh... Classic example of how some people just don't consult with others over the significance of their actions or if they did, thier people have stopped thinking through their actions more thoroughly. Perhaps this is a sign of things to come.

Diving in Anilao, Philippines

Had a few more days after the trip to Japan. Decided to use the time for a short visit to the Philippines to check in on Steph's family. :) All's well on that front. Pretty impressed by Mom Luz's embrace of IT! Manila's pretty much the same way as I'd left it. The crowds at Ayala Center/Greenbelt have thinned... probably due to newer joints and hangout places emerging in the competing Fort area. And the renovations to Greenbelt One haven't helped. I hope they keep the chapel in the middle of old GB1 though.

Didn't really have much time to visit all my old shopping haunts... but I did pass by the Luk Yuen and the link between Ayala Center and Park Square One... the same place that an explosive device went off a week later, killing 11 and wounding dozens :(. The Rajah Solaiman Group has claimed responsibility and the police have downplayed them again, preferring to implicate the ASG and MILF. Ostrich-in-sand reaction again? Like I said, despite the economy being in better shape since I've left, nothing much has changed in the Philippines beneath the veneer of new buildings and new names in the Senate/Congress. :(

Anyway, this post is not about politics and my personal views. Managed to squeeze in a short dive trip to Anilao... glad to say that its still in pretty good condition, unlike the much overdived Dayang/Aur sites. Took the chance to try out a new camera/strobe combination after a friend flooded my old stobe. This is Steph's second dive trip and I must say she's gotten a lot better. Looking forward to more dive trips! Here are the pics taken from a panasonic fx30 (with u/w case of course!) and Sea & Sea YS110 strobe:

Dive Trip - Anilao 12102007

Japan

Sorry for the disappearance from the blogging scene. Been busy with life... the usual. As some of you may already know, I'm headed for some major changes - particularly a new overseas assignment. But thanks to these new assignment, I had the opportunity to clear some leave and get some much needed R&R. :)

Anyway, the Stephie and I decided to use the leave for a vacation in Japan. It was a really good trip :) Loved the place. Contrary to expectations, Japan wasn't that expensive. In fact, I discovered that digital cameras and made-in-Japan hifi electronics were significantly cheaper than in Singapore. The mark-up from local distributors (whom I shall not name) for a popular brand of hifi tweaks was apparently nearly 60% - and this is based on Japanese retail (albeit Akihibara prices)!

Visit Kyoto as well. Lovely shrines. Stayed in a family-run Ryokan in a town off Kyoto called Inari. Its was good to get away from the hustle and bustle of big cities... Inari was a perfect getaway. Here's a pic of the family we stayed with... a Mother-Daughter team.

Many more pics can be found at my picasa album at

Trip to Japan - Oct 07

Happy 1st Birthday Ginger!

Ginger turned One on 8 Sep 2007. Daddy was going to be overseas in Sydney, Australia then so we decided to celebrate her birthday twice - an early celebration with family and after I got back with friends. Lucky girl!

Weekend Retreat with Colleagues

Its funny how we spend so much time in the office and then end up spending an evening together on a weekend. Anyway, this was quasi-office and it turned out much better than I had expected. The Cruise was relaxing... (Steph and I went on one not too long ago so there was little novelty for me) but the food was great. We ended up catching "Just Follow Law" after.

It was a so-so movie. Started off really funny but when the souls changed body, that was where things went downhill for me.

(Shot on right was taken at the Tapas Tree at Clarke Quay - I'd recommend it. Good tapas generally but try the quid ink paella. Smile!)

Little Ginger and her daddy.

Ginger with her Moo-my in Tagaytay. Gotta love those sunflowers!

Night Safari

I hadn't been to the Night Safari for at least two years now so when some discounted tickets came my way, Steph and I decided to drop by the Night Safari. Arrived just in time for the fire eating act... here's a sampling of a few shots.

(As usual, more pics can be found on my Picasa Web Album.)

Housewarming!

After 4 months of hard work, dirt, dust grime and nearly bankrupting ourselves, our little home is ready! Invitations to our housewarming party have already been sent out. Thanks to all of you who have responded.

As some of you have suggested (good idea, thanks) a gift registry, we've posted one up here. Gifts are purely voluntary for our housewarming though. Just bring your empty stomachs (and your good spirits!). For those of you who intend to get something from the list, just leave you comments below. Lets see how this works. :)

But seriously, gifts are optional. Besides, Steph really should be drinking too much Alcohol! :p

Note: Someone has already volunteered to get the Jamie Oliver cookbooks. The rice cooker's also already taken.

Megan Meets Ginger

Went out for dinner with Megan's mommy and daddy at Vil'age @ Heeren. Megan had a new doll to play with and The Little One obviously didn't mind. ;) 

The Little One @ Three

Shot of The Little One, taken just a week shy of her third month. Its amazing how babies can still look so cute even in those deer-in-the headlights shots. :p

My Tarot Card

Friend of mine had posted this on her blog. Thought I'd try it out to see what sort of Tarot Card would represent me.

Its says I'm "The Sun". Interesting eh? Although I have absolutely no idea where the "feelings of youthful energy" went to... I'm certainly not feeling them in me now. :) I'm so looking forward to my 2-week break.

You are The Sun

Happiness, Content, Joy.

The meanings for the Sun are fairly simple and consistent.

Young, healthy, new, fresh. The brain is working, things that were muddled come clear, everything falls into place, and everything seems to go your way.

The Sun is ruled by the Sun, of course. This is the light that comes after the long dark night, Apollo to the Moon's Diana. A positive card, it promises you your day in the sun. Glory, gain, triumph, pleasure, truth, success. As the moon symbolized inspiration from the unconscious, from dreams, this card symbolizes discoveries made fully consciousness and wide awake. You have an understanding and enjoyment of science and math, beautifully constructed music, carefully reasoned philosophy. It is a card of intellect, clarity of mind, and feelings of youthful energy.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Ten days in Hanoi

At some point in time of your life, you will do something that becomes a tale or story that you tell you children when they grow older... My ten days in Hanoi was one. The team worked hard for this one.
The stakes were high and we had set ambitious targets. At the end of 10 long days, we got them all. Sure it was hard fought, with some competitors playing high politics and driving hard bargains... and within the team, as sleep deprivation and the strains of illnesses take their toll, tempers flared and friendships strained... but this is what we live for.
The Story? I got to see first hand how some of the most powerful men and women in the world thought, what drove them and saw how they functioned under strain. It was a humbling experience being in the presence of these great minds. At the same time, you become more aware that these are people too.
And for Vietnam? They did a darn good job of showing all of us that they are on the way forward. We all know about China. But watch her little southern neighbour. It won't be long before this new tiger joins the ranks of the others. These are hardworking people with drive and energy that we see less and less in Singapore. Hungry people with a shared vision. I know of many other countries who have "hungry" people. Few of these have a common sense of direction. That's the difference.

To view the rest of the photos from this trip (I wasn't there to take photos to please excuse the quality of the shots), click on this link (or the link on the right): http://picasaweb.google.com/wallysmusings/HanoiNov2006 

Ginger's 1 month old!

All seems well with Ginger... except for her habit of being wide awake and irritable around 11pm - 2am.

Despite this, its so far so good... it isn't exactly a piece of cake looking after an infant... but thank goodness its not like what some people have made it out to be. :)

This pic was taken 2 weeks ago. Trust us, she almost always sleeps like this! :p 

Temptation

Was in Danang, Vietnam for business shortly after Ginger was born. It was a really hectic time for me and I have to admit that I could have been better prepared for the trip. The resort had jacked up the prices because we were a captive crowd. Thank goodness my employer's paying for this one.

No complaints about the choice of venue for the conference though. EXCEPT for the fact that, our schedule was so packed that none of the 200+ delegates had time to enjoy the wonderful facilities! Check out the empty pools and deck chairs.

Duty, honour and country. I shall not complain.

(Pls check out the pics from the trip on my public photo album. You can find the link on the right) 

Little Ginger's out!

After nine long months, little Ginger has decided to come into this world at 1311hrs on 8 September 2006! Thank heavens the delivery went well. No complications. In fact, things went smooter than expected.

Thanks to Dr Dolly Wee and the staff at Our Lady Ward, Mt Alvernia hospital for Ginger's smotth entry into this world and for putting Stephie on the quick road to recovery. And it was such a coincidence that the paediatrician assigned to Ginger was the same one assigned to my nephew, Troven. Think of the odds. :)

Of course, this means less time for daddy to play WOW, scuba dive and take photos (of course, Daddy may end up flooding his portfolio with Ginger pics). :)

Dopod 838 Pro

My apologies for not blogging in a while. Work's been heavy and I've also been spending more time with my wife. Ginger's due anytime now (official date 9 Sep) but Steph's gynae says that its ok if the baby comes out a week or two before or after that date. Well, the "before" part is almost over! Another possiblity is that Ginger may have been conceived in San Francisco instead of New York (and hence, two weeks later) :p

Anyway, this blog is about another baby of mine - the Dopod 838 Pro. I've been a loyal Palm fan for ages... but 3rd party software support has been dwindling and my Treo 650, while a great PDA/Phone, has become very unstable. The spontaneous resets and dropped calls were becomming more frequent, even after two trips to M1 to get the firmware reset.

Comex came last week... and I took the chance to pick up the 838Pro (with Steph's blessing of course!). Disappointed that there were no special offers but I managed to work out a deal that included a 1gb micro SD card, the really cool and useful namecard scanning software, two screen protectors and a silicon case for the retail price of S$1398. Here are my thoughts on my new baby one week later (which I had emailed to SK recently):-

The 838 pro is surprisingly stable. Not sure where all the net reports of instablity are coming from but I've never had it hang in the week or so that I've been using it. This is on top of installing one GUI shell (Pocketbreeze) and replacing the WM5 task/calendar with something more robust from a 3rd party (Pocket Informant). Speed is also good (faster than my Treo) and more stable (no more spontaneous resets)!

Sound is much more clear and crisp, but lacks bass (hey, its a phone!), than the Treo. It supports AD2P bluetooth stereo tho I've not tried it out yet. Regular Bluetooth connections are much faster and less buggy than my Treo. More importantly, call volume and quality is probably one of the best I've ever heard. Possibly as good as the Nokia 8250 of days gone by. :)

Having said that, I still think the Palm interface is more evolved. Simple tasks like calling up a number and dialling it is one-hand friendly for the Treo. You can also sms with one hand for the Treo. This is something u can't do for WM5 devices without downloading a 3rd party software (Tengo). This, imo, is an OS issue - akin to the Win vs Mac debate. Windows is always crude and raw. Needs 3rd party support and time to become a polished protect (lets hope Vista changes all of that but I'm not optimistic. Vista is also going to be far too expensive to be worth the upgrade from XP). But that's the beauty of it. The 3rd party refinements add individuality.

One negative comment though - The sliding keyboard mechanism and stylus holder has gotten noticeably looser now. Its still far from slipping out but to me, a change in the tactile feel of the keyboard sliding mechanism and stylus holder should not happen at all. Understandably this is a wear and tear issue... but one week? (this is an issue that is reported elsewhere on the net too so its not just me.) Also, the Y key on the keyboard is stiffer than the rest. Perhaps I'm too exacting but I see this as a another build quality issue.

Having said all that, the third party software support is great and I am happy with the phone hardware. Wondering why I hadn't moved to WM5 earlier. The 838 pro is more of a platform shift to me (the Treo 700w/wx is not available here) and so far, the Dopod 838pro has been the perfect vehicle to make this platform transition.

(PS - Crappy pic above was taken with a Motorola v3x.)

Babies

Took the chance to review my photo albums yesterday when a friend of mine asked for the link. Had to clear out some pictures to make more space (Picasa Albums is still in beta and the allocated space is limited - I'm still sticking to it for its speed and ease of use).

Just realised that since I started becoming more "serious" in photography, I've ended up taking more baby shots that I intended. I just love kids. ;) They are so spontaneous... so cute -> good photographic materials. Of course, I do have event-shoots... like the one I did for Helios Models and lots of other events I did for work (which due to disclosure agreements, I can't publicise)... but I enjoy shooting kids most.

Here's one spontaneous shot I took a friend's place. Some of the guys and their families who worked with me in New York gathered at Alex's place one Sunday for lunch... We were eating when someone pointed out what the kids were doing...

Don't you love kids? :)

(More pics at my photo albums - pls click on link on the right side)

Ok. I give up :)

Ok. I give up. I can't figure out why the pictures from the last two posts show up on some computers and not others. They don't show up on mine, despite having the photos on my local harddrive.

Anyway, I've decided to make all the albums public. I've also changed my gallery's name after realising that my links reveal my real name :) Small matter really. I have nothing to hide. In fact, I'd be flattered by the interest in knowing me. :p

Pls go to http://picasaweb.google.com/wallysmusings if you want to view the full albums from now on. One stop address. Easier for everyone. :)

Dinner with the UNGA Family

Mr E was in town (after taking a break from his job in New Delhi) and it was a good opportunity for the 60th UNGA gang to get together... complete with their families :). Dinner was good. Seafood at Jumbo Restaurant in Riverwalk Galleria. Loved the chilli crab.

Things have certainly moved on since we parted ways in Dec 2005. Since then, I got married and a daughter is on her way. KY is expecting his second child. By Dec 2006, we would have six kids in our number. I think we deserve a big pat on the back for not only serving our country on an 8:30am-to-6pm basis (plus many more hours of OT!) but also doing our part in alleviating the nation's population problem. (Caption: Not only are our nation's leaders perplexed, the kids don't know what to do as well :) ).

Time certainly does fly... and in barely three months, the next batch will leave for New York for the 61st UNGA. I wish them all the best and hope that they can leave with not just the experience of a lifetime working with the very best in the UN, but also with the kinship that I enjoyed. Good luck!



(PS: The shot above wasn't taken by me for obvious reasons :). Those of you at the dinner can download the pics from by photo albums. Pls click on the link on the right side of this blog.)

Troven goes to Ikea

It was the start of Ikea's annual sale today so we brought mom and Troven to Ikea. Didn't really buy anything but it was a good chance to look at some design ideas for the new home that's coming up.

Anyway, we left Troven at the kids play area while we went around. It looks like he had lots of fun while we where gone. :)
(Troven's mummy can view the pics from the outing at Picasa Albums from the link on the right)

Lunch with Megan

This week's theme is definitely "Kids". With two more months before Steph gives birth, its time for us new parents to get as much information from all those who have "been there", "done that" or "are still doing it". :)

Its been a while since I've seen Megan so when we learnt that Megan was going to the libary (clever gal!), we tagged along. Met up in the children's section (where else?!) and saw her happily running around among the books. Megan's a smart kid. Speaks excellent english (for a one-plus year old) although she speaks only in the royal third person... and always in affirmative, commanding sentences like "Megan sit", "Megan go there" or "Megan hungry, go eat". Such is life. We work for bosses who kick us around in order to raise kids who boss us about. Oh well... its sure worth it when one's boss has a smile like this one. :)

See you around Megan! You'll have a new playmate in a couple of months... lets hope the two princessess can get along!

(PS Megan's mommy can get all the pics for that afternoon from Picasa Albums from the link on the right)

Photosharing

I've been receiving emails asking when the shots from my first ever photoshoot were ready. My apologies Helios! I'm a real newbie when it comes to photography... I'm really just feeling my way around... and post-processing the shots were such a pain. Anyway, I decided to go for DxO for the basic image correction work and Picasa for the croping, resizing and posting aspect. I recommend both for ease of use and speed (esp if you have dual core PC!). However, I feel that the real pros will still prefer Photoshop. I can see why.

Picasa invited me a few weeks back to try out its new photo sharing service - Picasa Web. So why not? My first impressions - Its much faster than the others I've tried... including Flicker and Multiply (which I think is horribly clumsy for photo sharing). I also love the way it integrates into Picasa. Makes life so much easier for me. In short, I LIKE IT! I'll still post "event" photos to this blog site... but the art shots will go to Picasa Web.

I've uploaded two albums to the site, one of stray cats around my block (see earlier blog entry) and another on the Helios shoot on 1 Jul. Once again, my thanks to Lydia for helping put the shoot together and making space for a newbie like me and to all the models who bore with me while I learnt the basics. Thanks esp to Amber and Valerie who at some points, were even teaching me what to shoot! :p Special thanks to "old bird" John (pictured), who helped guide me with the basics.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Walter.Chia

Would love to work with Helios again... but I don't think my wife will be too happy about more bikini shoots! :p

(From left to right: Mel, Lydia, Asleigh, Lydia, Christina, Amber, Val and Valerie)

Enjoy the pics!

(PS. While I have full rights to the images, please respect Helios and the models themselves by not passing the shots around. Thanks!)