My Routine

Hi,

This is Joey. Right now, I'm already in bed, so I got my Secretary (read Daddy) to input this for me. My Assistant (read: Mummy) put me to bed some time ago.

I'm getting better and longer sleep at night now, and I'm quite happy in the morning when I wake up - probably due to that. I guess my system was a little disrupted following that looong flight from Singapore a while ago.

I'm have also covered much distance in the house, exploring things, crawling all over the place, putting things in my mouth and making sure that my Secretary (see above) and Assistant (see above) know that I want their attention. Once I crawled into my Secretary's office, but he didn't seem to be there. Harumph - workers nowadays should know that they should be around when their Bosses (read: ME) need them! Harumph again.

I'm also learning to interact (read: play) with other Associates (read: kids of similar age) at a place where there is this Big Person around. For the inital few sessions I was quite reticient (read: shy), but thereafter, I sorta played some toys on my own without the need for my Assistant to be around. One week, two Female Associates - in what I thought was an excessive outburst of camaraderie - decided to give me bear hugs and kiss me. I wasn't too happy about that! (Daddy: Joey cried....). Moreover I suspect they passed me the flu bug!

Well, I'm better now, so is my Secretary, who caught the bug from me. I'm enjoying myself. One day I'm gonna get my Secretary and Assistant to bring me to a park somewhere. Busy corporate people like me cannot be cooped up in the office all the time you know...

Joey

Mature Joey

Mature Joey,
originally uploaded by ZeeRedBaron.

This is Joey during one of his more introspective moments during mealtime ... he looks amazing mature for an eight-month old!

Will

States, Nukes and the End of the World?

I've been studying hard in the past week or so, ratcheting up my research in the 'future of nuclear deterrence' - essentially, how after the Cold War, states/societies/individuals could find new ways of deterrence i.e. new ways of threatening each other not to annihilate each other. [for the uninitiated, if you watch enuff Hongkong cop movies, it's all about the good guy and bad guy pointing their pistols at the other's head, threatening the other not to shoot :)]

I've been asked the question many times 'what's your research topic?', and my answer has drawn stares from blank, bewildered to 'this chap is obviously nuts.'

But it's a riveting topic (it's gotta be riveting else one would not spend THREE years trying to find an answer to it). It's all about the many ways in which mankind has devised to kill each other, yet tried to - paradoxically - not to do so in a warped balance of terror. The root of all this, which Christians would identify: the core of man is sinful, all have fallen short of the glory of God.

I could go and on ...

William

Food's Good man

Food's Good man,
originally uploaded by ZeeRedBaron.

Joey and his favourite time of the workday - lunch!

Cycling in Canberra

This week, I've been trying to do a Lance Armstrong thingy by cycling to school and back. Initially I thought it was a great idea: (1) cycling saves petrol; (2) saves carparking charges; (3) gives you a great workout and (4) saves the environment, etc.

But when I got home after my first ride, I looked like a ghost. The route - about 10kms - wasn't too formidable, but there were coupla difficult uphills. And it never occurred to me that 'cycling muscles' are quite different from 'running muscles'. Ouch.

AND, a big and, my seat wasn't screwed on properly! So it was going forward, back, left and right as I cycled, and I had no wrench to tighten the screws. I almost gave up. So if you were looking at me from behind (and I believe at least a few people saw), you would have thought there's this Chinese comedy of errors on a bike!!!

Another and -- the bike cost me $199, 95% assembled, but in the end I had to pay another $30 for delivery (car too small to fit bike) and $20 to get a mechanic to help me fix the brakes and handlebar (which I bungled in doing...)

So don't ever ask me to help anyone do DIY stuff ... I totally inept.

Will

Joey and Grandparents

IMG_0230,
originally uploaded by ZeeRedBaron.

The Charmer with his grandparents at a Chinese New Year BBQ at Aunty Woei Ming and Uncle Cheng San's place.

He was fairly cheerful, given that his parents had forgotten to give him his dinner!

Joey and Grandma

Joey and Grand,a,
originally uploaded by ZeeRedBaron.

This was Joey at Changi Airport on Feb 21, as we left Singapore for Canberra. Well, he didn't know he wasn't gonna see the one who had taken care of him every day since he was born :(