Our Newborn Grandson Isaac

The long awaited meeting took place three days ago. After leaving the airport, a taxi whisked us to where our newborn grandson is staying. His mum is in confinement and staying with her parents so Isaac is well-looked after by his maternal grandmother.

He is a dragon baby, like his father who was born in the year of the Dragon. In fact my grandnephew, Brandon, who was born a week after Isaac, is also a dragon baby whose father is a dragon too. The other dragon baby born to my nephew and his wife, a week ago, is a girl, Caitlyn. So this year, in the last month of the Year of the Dragon, we have three dragon babies in the family.

We had only seen Isaac from the photographs and videos his dad sent us via the smartphone.

Seeing him in person was much better and carrying him was even better.

As with babies at this age, he tends to be asleep most of the time. However when he’s hungry, he lets you know it very loudly and clearly!!

Isaac with his parents and grandparents.

Here is his second aunt ("jee kor")carrying him.

His Tua Kor ( big aunt ) will see him during the Chinese New Year.

He looks much better in person than in his photographs. His two teenaged cousins came by to visit him this morning, bringing soft toys.

Isaac’s new moon ( “moonyit” ) will be in a few days’ time but we will not be present as we would have left for home by then. A coming out party has already been planned for him by his maternal grandparents.

First Dragon Grandson

2013 began with a very important milestone in my son’s life and in our lives.

He welcomed his first- born Isaac on the second day of 2013. For us he is the first grandson carrying on the family name. To the Chinese, the carrying on of the family name from generation to generation is of utmost importance. In the past, it was common for a man to divorce his wife or to take secondary wives if she could not give him a male heir.

Fortunately technology is so advanced these days that one can have designer babies, i.e. you can choose to have a baby boy or a baby girl, depending upon your preferences. This is a boon for the Chinese woman as she need not fear being cast aside for not being able to give her spouse a male child. In the past too, mothers-in-law favor the daughters-in-law who produce male children.

My mum, may her soul rest in peace, had two daughters before she had the coveted baby boy, my brother who was very much cossetted during his infancy. Then there was a string of five girls before she had another two boys. So we are a very large family of ten siblings, seven girls and three boys.

I have one son and now my son has his own son. We are looking forward to visiting them later this month. When the baby is one month old he will be formally introduced to friends and relatives by way of a lunch or dinner. My son told me that they will be hosting a lunch to introduce Isaac.

On my part I will be presenting to my relatives cakes and red eggs, a simplified version of the traditional practice where yellow glutinous rice, roast pork, red eggs and traditional cakes were given. This was done at the full moon of my eldest daughter. Full moon means when the baby is one month old and the new mother has ended her confinement period during which she just stays home to recuperate and to bond with her baby.

This is an auspicious beginning to the new year. In fact I have two nephews who are also expecting their first-borns this month. So there will be a total of three Dragon babies in our extended family this year. Three cycles ago we had five dragon babies, 3 girls and 2 boys. By the end of this month all these dragon children will have become parents. Now our family photograph which will be taken, come the Chinese New Year, will show a much larger number of family members, an event which is much looked forward to.

Goodbye 2012

Today is the last day of 2012. It is unbelievable that a whole year has gone by and is ending at the stroke of midnight tonight.

I had my usual morning golf with my buddy and her spouse. It was a good exercise, pulling our trolleys and hitting the little white ball down the green fairways and across the ponds.

Getting in and out of the bunkers is par for the course. It only takes a shot that shanks and you find yourself in a deep bunker, deeper than you are tall. At 06:34a.m. the moon could still be seen in the sky!

It was a very hot morning despite it only being 06:50 hrs. when we teed off at the ninth hole, our last for the morning.

Returned home to do the laundry and trim some of my plants. This was followed by a simple lunch of stir-fried noodles at a downtown hotel restaurant.

Tonight our church is having potluck and the combined congregation of both the English and Mandarin services will bring our dishes to share with everyone.

As for the countdown, I doubt I will be able to stay up late enough to welcome in the New Year but I do hope that it will bring better fortune to everyone, considering how badly many people have suffered, their homes inundated by floods or destroyed in landslips, razed by fires or simply having fallen prey to burglars. I also hope that criminals will be brought to book, whether it is rape-murders, baby killing or snatch thefts. Justice has not only to be done but also seen to be done.

Happy 2013!

Women Helping Women

SWEPA is an NGO which firmly believes in women helping women. This organisation comprises women entrepreneurs and professionals who are successful career women, many of whom own several businesses. They meet regularly to network and to help one another progress.

This afternoon saw the launching of the video series of women who came forward to share their knowledge with their counterparts and other women.

Three ladies, including the president, vice-president were sponsored by the US embassy to go on study tours of different parts of the country where they joined selected ladies from other countries to learn more about the strategies of entrepreneurship. They also shared knowledge with one another. Our ladies brought home many tips on how women can improve their entrepreneurial skills.

Some of these tips were condensed into videos which can be accessed on SWEPA's website and also on Youtube. Clips of these videos were shown at the launching this afternoon as well as sharing of their experiences by these three ladies.

The afternoon ended with a photo session and high tea.