Traditional Chinese Massage - Not for Faint-hearted

Edmund's down with a very bad back and stiff neck.

It started with a stiff neck over last weekend. He was convinced it was his pillow (which we have not changed since we got married). So I accompanied him to get a state-of-the-art pillow. Sorry, no Tempur--too pricey. We got a Dentons Contour Low Profile pillow, Health-Fresh treated to provide you with a long-lasting fresh & healthy sleep surface. As it was the Great Singapore Sale, we got it at $95, a good 25% discount.

Well, so much for long lasting ... by the time Camp Phenomena ended, his whole back was aching. And today, he woke up with his back as stiff as a board. Couldn't turn, couldn't bend!

So he called his brother, who goes for regular treatment massage for help. That brought us to Rick - a freelance masseuse who's trained in Chinese tui-na, acupuncture and foot reflexology.

We asked for the first available slot and reached his place at 11 a.m.

At first look, Rick said Edmund's problem was due to long hours at the computer, bad sitting posture and accumulated strain. (Ed has been experiencing a strain on his back for the last 3-4 years) It was nothing to do with the pillow! sigh... so much for that expensive investment!

Then he asked, "Can you take pain?"

"NO!!"

"Ok, I'll use moderate strength."

Alas, moderate strength still proved too much for Ed. His back was so badly strained that a slight pressure would cause great pain. Nonetheless, he endured the pain, went through "sucking out water and wind" treatment and moderate massage.

The end result? He could turn his back and neck after the massage. And he has to be back for follow-up treatment on Monday. I'm so proud of him for going through this in Male Silent Strength!

It's really painful ... check out the marks on his back!

Camp Phenomena - Aftermath

We had a great camp!

I want to thank all the leaders and helpers who made this camp a success! Thank you for putting in hours to plan. Thank you for sacrificing your sleep and meals. Thank you for being so available. And a special thank you to those who are working-thank you for taking precious leave to help out.

Check out the video:

P.S - Do leave your comments by clicking on the comments link, as tag box comments disappear after a while. That way, we can remember all the moments :)

Toilet Training a 16-month old toddler

Nathan is one step closer to getting toilet trained! Yeah!

Today, he was playing with his toys in the room. Suddenly, he kicked up a big fuss. I looked up and saw Weng carrying him and dashing into the bathroom.

It was quite a sight! A 12kg struggling toddler in the arms of a petite woman sprinting.

Well, it seems while Nathan was playing, he suddenly showed signs of wanting to poo--contorted face turning red. So Weng carried him and ran to the toilet. She put him on the toilet seat, so he could poo directly into the toilet bowl.

Shortly after, we heard a few plops and splashes.

Well, my boy succeeded! Next step is to get him to indicate in advance when he wants to poo. Then we don't have to sprint across the hallway!

3 Year Old Birthday Celebrations (Part 1)

Nicole's turning 3 this year! And since May 1 (after attending one of her friend's party), she's been hyped up about it, declaring that the following, in no particular order:

"My birthday is June 19"

"I'm going to have a party, right?"

"Is tomorrow my birthday?"

So you can imagine the entire household is in a birthday mode due to her constant reminders!

Well, she had her FIRST birthday celebration last Saturday. It was a combined party for all the June 2005 birthday toddlers. She became friends with them through one of the forums that mummy was participating in.

Check out the Piñata! The kids loved it!!

And of course there was the Happy Birthday segment, which most of the kids didn't understand. Why?

1. There were so many birthday kids. Not just one!

2. There was not ONE large birthday cake. Rather, many little cupcakes!

3. There were no candles to blow, cos it would be way too dangerous with so many toddlers around.

Their confusion didn't last long, as they began to enjoy the really sweet and deliciously decorated cupcakes!

But at the end, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It was a great time of fun, fellowship, play and food!

For our family, we brought Nathan along. And he was very happy waddling along, climbing, running and of course eating!

 

Well, after the party, we had to convince our little birthday girl, this is just part one, there'll be more birthday celebrations coming up. And of course, the familiar refrain started:

"My birthday is June 19"

"I'm going to have a party, right?"

"Is tomorrow my birthday?"

Youth Camp 2008

Can you believe it?

It's four days to Camp Phenomena!

The buzz is in the air, and everyone is getting pumped up for the camp.

 

Are you going????

 

Check out the latest promo video below and find out more here

Family Portraits

The photos from Mother's Day family booth is out!

On Mother's day this year, City Harvest Church gave out free family portraits to family and friends.

It was really a great bargain, as the booth is equipped with studio lights and studio backgrounds. Our family loved the previous experience, and so this time, the extended family was called down for the free shots!

Here are the shots!

This is my family

The Tay family

The Lu Family

The extended family

 

The best part of the whole day was that my dad responded to the altar call and got saved! PTL!

He even came back last weekend!

Guess I am going to see more of him in church!

Btw, it is 5 more days before Camp Phenomena, so start asking your friends today!

Technorati Tags: Family potrait,camp

Our New Tent & Camping

Grandpa just bought Nicole & Nathan a tent from Carrefour!

The famous mega-mart at Carrefour had a sale, and its tents were just going at only $5!

The children were excited as one of my guys-David, brought the tent into the house.

Immediately, we dismantled the packaging and we started setting up the tent. Nicole was really excited!

Many thanks to Lucas, Joe Peck, Garvin and the guys for helping me set up the tent. It was really much bigger than I expected and it took up nearly the whole living room!

Look at little Nathan!

He is really so adorable especially when he walks around the tent with his teddy bear!

I will definitely spend a night in the tent with the kids, when they are older.

It is one of those things, that the kids will like doing with their Daddy!

Wedding Bouquet Toss

Was just reading Shing's blog & i realized that I forgot to post one of the videos' from Jerblinn's wedding.

The Wedding bouquet toss is one of the wedding traditions that Singaporeans started practicing in recent times. You must remember that as Chinese, so we are used to things like a traditional tea ceremony.

Was trying to find a picture of myself giving the tea...but could not find them!

But here's a picture of myself in 2001.

  hmm...Looks like I was very much skinnier!

Anyway...Here's the wedding bouquet toss!

Camp Phenomena

Technorati Tags: Youth Camp,summer camp

Guys....Get ready for an exciting time in June...as we have got something phenomena lined up for YOU!

That's right....In 2 weeks time, on June 9-11, we will be at Paya Lebar MGS primary, for our Youth Camp!

If you enjoyed Camp Breakaway last year, you will definitely enjoy this camp, as it is going to be BIGGER and BETTER!

Expect Games, FUN, Friends, and encounters with GOD!

So, what are you waiting for...Camp Fees of $25/members and $15/friends, includes a FREE CAMP T-SHIRT...Get your registration forms from your CGLs TODAY!

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

This is my 2nd movie review, with the 1st one done on 'The Bucket List", a movie by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.

This is one movie that I just couldn't wait to see, and it is the latest Indiana Jones!

Out of 5 marks, I will give it a 3.5...

While it was entertaining, it was not as good as "National Treasure" with Nicolas Cage.

I feel that 'National Treasure' had a more stimulating storyline, with more puzzles, riddles and action that was more absorbing.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones has definitely aged a lot. Coming back with his whip and typical 'Indie' hat, the show is still packed with intrigue and adventure.

One could not help noticing the significantly fewer action scenes for Ford per se. I suspect that he can't really handle the action anymore. as he is in his mid-60s by now.

However, how can one hate 'INDIE"?

Hey! I practically grew up with this guy and his movies, and he will always have that special "Super-hero" status in my heart. Coupled with that winning score by John Williams, it is a definite winning combination. Hearing and seeing the action does definitely bring back a nostalgia about the "good old days"

If you haven't watched the movie, I believe that it is worth watching, and a must for all 'INDIE' fans!

Just to let u know, there seems to be lots of 'die-hard INDIE' fans out there...Just check out this parody that one of these fans posted on Youtube.