Jiaheng went to school ... alone

Today is Jiaheng's 3rd day in his new school.

Jiaheng transferred to his new school, Zion Kindergarten, this term. He was supposed to go only next year but we decided to bring it forward to this term.

Earlier, the principal offered to let me sit in his class for the first 3 days. I declined. Think I expect too much from him. Maybe because he did not cry or throw tantrums when we sent him to his first school, I decided to let him go to the new school alone.

We were waiting at the void deck for the school bus to come pick him up. I gave him a tight hug. I am thankful for that hug cos I think that charged his battery up all the way to last him till end of school. When the bus turned into our carpark, I held his hand and brought him to the bus. He was smiling.

He sat in the seat obediently and the bus auntie helped to buckle him in.... then I saw his face... his smile was gone... he seemed to want me to follow. It was at that very moment that I totally regretted my decision to let him go alone.

As I took the lift home, I was already feeling anxious. It's his first time on a school bus, it's his first day in a new school, it's his first day meeting new classmates.... how could I let him go alone? Bad mommy... bad mommy... I thought. :{

I resisted the temptation to go to school to spy him... but deep inside, I know that I will "fly" to school should I receive a phone call from school. I waited and waited... it's 2 pm! I made a call to school. How relieved and proud I was when the teacher told me that my boy is very independent. That he was able to interact with his classmates and enjoying himself in school. And that there is no need for me to accompany him to school the next day.

Jiaheng really did live up to my expectation and in fact far exceeded it. He is really brave. It's mommy who is lousy. *blush*

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Today is the 3rd day, I sent him to school as we went out before that. He did not take the school bus today.

I really felt that Jiaheng is very brave and strong when I saw the scene at school.

When the school bus arrived in school. The children alighted and stood waiting for the bus auntie to pass them their belongings. The children from the morning session was also there waiting to board the bus. And then, there were the parents hovering over their children (cos it's still within the first 3 days of school and some parents were there).

For a while, there was some commotion as there are so many groups of people standing around. Frankly speaking, even an adult may not know what to do, where to go, how to respond in that situation... not to mention a 4-year old. I really feel that my boy is very brave to have gone through his first day without his mommy.

I am very proud of you, Jiaheng.

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Posted by Mommy

Passport Photos

*Flash* Oppss... Head slanted
*Flash* Hmmm... Eyes not looking at the lens
*Flash* *Flash* Eyes closed!

At this rate, I really wonder when can we get the passports done for our 2 precious ones?

Jiaheng asked me when can he go take the aeroplane? Everytime I go to Malaysia, ( and I always travel on coach) Jiaheng will say that he will go to the airport to fetch me. Guess, he is really looking forward to taking a plane.

We finally decided to go for a trip to Macau-Hong Kong this coming December. Boy! was he thrilled. He will tell his baby sister to sleep and dream about going to Macau. Look who's talking, and who's dreaming?

Well this is the first overseas family trip for us and definitely many more will come. Ultimately, my dream is to bring Jiaheng and Yixuan to Disneyland in USA for one whole month. Over there, they can shake hands with all the characters. :)

P.S. By the time, I finished this post, only Yixuan's photo is ready.

The Crawling Track

Our princess has a crawling track that is designed so that it makes an excellent flooring for her to crawl on it. It boosts of the most suited material and design to enhance her crawling experience. (Excuse me... do I sound like I am doing some advertisement? Anyway, the crawling track is supposed to help her learn crawling.)

Crawling is excellent right-left brain exercise for a young baby. The faster the baby can crawl, the better the brain can develop.

Despite the goodness of crawling, our princess will whine and cry out for help after inching on it for a short while. I figured out it must be the posture of her crawl. She was pushing herself forward on her tummy. Perhaps, there was too much friction. Or perhaps, she just want mommy to comfort her. (Just like us adults, looking for an easy way out)

Mommy and Papa are persistent. We put our princess on the crawling track whenever we can. And today, our princess did not make a single objection and crawled the full length of the crawling track. Guess why? Because, she has progressed to crawling on her knees instead of dragging herself on her tummy. That is the result of many trial and error and improvements.

And one thing is obvious... it's that joyous and proud look on her when she lunged forward to grab the toy we put in front of her.

Somehow, I just link all these I observed back to the business. When I first started the business, it was slow and often there is the urge to "cry out" to stop. Then after much persistance and learning, I just got better and better. So much so, that I am proud of myself for being a better person in personal development and in business building....

Sometimes, I wonder if we are our children's teachers or is it the other way round?

My Run for Silver

It was the most exhausting yet most satisfying run I have ever had.

Woah ... don't get me wrong... I am not refering to those type of run like jogging. It was a run for rank advancement for my business. It was a run that was planned for two weeks. I am very fortunate to have a whole group of team mates behind me in my run.

I am coming to three years in my business. The initial two years was pretty lull. I was working on it bit by bit daily however, there was still the draining job to take away my attention. It was only after I became full time that gave me the freedom to fully pursue my business.

During my run, I focused on the result.... I did not just focus on the process. That makes the journey easier. And everything is worth it when I got attained the rank advancement of Silver Director.

It was really an adrenaline pumping week... right to the last minute before I confirmed the Silver. But hey... you know what... it was FUN.

I am excited and pumped ... and I am ready for more.

Can't wait ...

Jiaheng told me that he wants to get married at age 20, after his NS. He even got someone in mind already. The lucky girl is my future sis-in-law's niece. She is one year younger than Jiaheng.

It's amusing at times what goes on in the minds of the little ones. Seems like he CAN'T WAIT to grow up. Guess completing NS and getting married is his definition of growing up.

But, Jiaheng, do you know that mommy and papa wish that you will stay young and little a while more? We can't get enough of your funny stories, your amusing actions and your "annonying tempers".

Papa CAN'T WAIT to join you in your growing up. CAN'T WAIT to join mommy and spend time with you and Yixuan.

Joining you soon...

She's Everything We Hoped For

You're everything we hoped for
You're everything we need
You are so beautiful
To us
... adapted from song "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker

When our darling princess (that time we still did not know her gender) was in Mommy's tummy, Mommy visualised how our baby will turn out to be. Mommy visualised a baby with big, bright eyes. She saw a baby with a cheerful smile.

Mommy's positive thoughts and strong emotions moulded our darling princess when the tiny one was growing in Mommy's tummy.

The law of attraction is at work again.

At 6 months old, our princess has big, round eyes. Her eyes sparkled when she gazed innocently at you. Her eyes brightens up your day when she smiles at you. Yes... her smile is so infectious. Like it or not, when she smiles, you are drawn into her happy mood and smiles along with her.

To Yixuan... You are so beautiful... to us.

We love you, princess. Continue to live up to your name... Be happy and worry-free. That is Papa and Mommy's wish for you.

What's 5 + 5 + 5 + 6 ?

That's a simple addition question for someone like you and me. But that definitely is an amazing feat for someone as little as 4 years old.

My son, Jiaheng just turned 4 years old last month. My wife, Tse Wern took 14 months of unpaid leave to stay home and look after him when he was just born. After that, Tse Wern went on part-time teaching. Finally, she left the teaching service when Jiaheng turned 3 years old.

One thing we noticed since Jiaheng was young was his ability to pick up a skill quickly. Be it language, numbers or a game.

Jiaheng can converse very well in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. He is able to read by himself as well. He is exceptionally good with numbers. To date, he can easily recite the 1 multiplication table to 10 multiplication table. He can read the time using an analog watch before he turned 4 years old.

Tse Wern and I firmly believed that Jiaheng can do what he can mainly due to the fact that Tse Wern is able to stay home and teach him.

That day, Jiaheng surprised us once again. We were on the road and Tse Wern saw a car plate number, 5556 in front of our car. So she casually asked "Jiaheng, what is 5 + 5 + 5 + 6?" We were pleasantly surprised and thrilled when Jiaheng said "It's 21."

My wife pushed her luck a little bit more by asking "That's very good. How did you get 21?". "5, 10, 15, 20. Because 6 is one more than 5. So it's 21" Jiaheng answered matter-of-factly.

Jiaheng was actually using his 5 multiplication table to derive 20. Since 6 is 5+1, he got 21 for the answer. :) Well Done, Son!

Tse Wern and I are both very proud of our son. Thank you Jiaheng for bringing so much joy and fun into our lives. We love you ... Jiaheng.

The most dreaded thing that human ever invented

To me, the ALARM CLOCK must be the most dreaded thing that man ever invented.

Riiinngggggg... Riiinngggggg... that is the frightening sound that shatters the silence in the early hours of the day. That is the sound that jolts me out of my sweet dream. This is the sound that forces me to leave the comfort of my bed. Riiinngggggg...

Arrgghhh! Why do we need an alarm clock?

Really... Isn't it better for human to just wake up when we are ready? When we are fully rested and recharged, we will naturally wake up! And when we wake up naturally, our moods will be better and the day will start off more joyfully.

I will throw away my alarm clock the day I achieve my financial and time freedom. Hey! I can see that day happening.

If you want to have a preview of what I am doing now to achieve that day... click here.

Question : Do you know when you are supposed to wake up?
Answer : When you finish sleeping!

I quit my job... I am free

After graduating with my Master's Degree, I started working as a research associate in a local university.

Before I knew it, I have been working in the same position for seven years. If you have been working for quite a while, you may find yourself in a same predicament as myself.

Every morning, I have to drag myself out of my bed to go to work. When I reach work, I can easier spend one to two hours clearing emails, or doing some unproductive things before starting work. Yes, yes, there are jobs to be done and deadlines to be met... but I hardly have the enthusiasm that I used to have to do them. I will usually perk up when its time to knock off...

I start to appreciate the Chinese saying..."Like a worm at work. Like a dragon off work."

I ask myself why can't I spend more time with my wife and children instead of at work? Why can't I spend more time building a residual income rather than just depend on the source of income that stops when I stop working? Why can't I have the freedom to CHOOSE TO work rather than HAVE TO work?

In January 2007, I finally decided to quit my job. It was not an easy decision... Trust me... if you are the sole breadwinner in the household... it definitely is not an easy decision. My wife and I took a long time to finally pluck up enough courage for me to tender my resignation.

However, it is a decision that frees me. :)

It frees me and allows me the time to work on my source of residual income. A steady income that continues to pay me for my initial effort put in. Just like how an author is paid after writing a best-seller. Just like how a singer is paid after recording an evergreen song.

My resignation also frees me to spend time with my family members. I was able to be with my wife when she was admitted to the hospital for dehydration after throwing up non-stop when carrying our second child. I was able to be with her and not worry about exhausting my leave when she was doing confinement. I was able to help out at home when my little girl was having bronchitis and needs to be neubilised.

These are the things that make me happy. These are the things that make me free.

To know more about how to build your residual income, click here.

The arrival of our little princess

I woke up in the wee hours of 06/11/06 with a temperature.

Strange! I was still feeling okay when I went to bed a few hours ago. Immediately, I went to the kitchen and popped in two vitamin-C tablets and two grapeseed extract tablets and went back to bed. I told my body to fight off the temperature and regain its optimal state as I need to wake up in another 3 hours time to a very important event.

It seemed like just a few minutes later when the alarm clock went off at 5 am on a cool, quiet morning of 06/11/06. It's time for me and my wife to make our way to the hospital as we have opted for elective caserean for our 2nd baby. Thankfully, my temperature was down, else I would have to miss the birth of our child again. It still puzzled me why I had the temperature that night. Perhaps, I was too anxious to see our child. :)

We arrived at the hospital near 6 am. It was so quiet and there were only 2 ladies on duty at the counter. Somehow, I felt very upbeat and it really formed such a big contrast to the environment that we were in. I was counting down to the time when we could meet our baby. Till now, we still did not know the gender of the baby. Is it going to be a little princess or another prince? I am happy with either but most importantly, I pray for a safe delivery for both mother and child.

The operation was scheduled at 8 am. I was brought away to change to a gown so that I could be with my wife in the operating theatre. I was led into the operating theatre at 8:10 am and at 8:21 am, our child was born! The doctor commented... "What chubby cheeks... It's a GIRL!" I distinctly saw the wide smile on my wife's face when she heard that despite her drowsiness from the drugs.

Hey! It's a girl... our little princess.

We have named her Quek Yi Xuan,

Yi means to be happy and Xuan means worry-free. We want her to have happiness always. I have uploaded a few photos here to share with you. Enjoy them.

My Wife Gave Up Her Teaching Job

My wife was a teacher for eight years. However, she gave up her job after the birth of our son. Why did she do that? Here's my wife's story, read on to find out...


I love children and went into teaching. It seems to me as the perfect job or so I thought. After a while, I became disillusioned by the behaviour of the pupils. Their value systems, their attitudes towards study and life shocked me. I kept asking why are they like this? We were not like that when we were schooling. Could it be due to lack of supervision and participation from both their parents as they are too busy working? I definitely do not wish my children to be like that.


It took me four years after marriage before I decided I am ready to have my first child. I commit to my son and myself a one-year no-pay leave so that I can spend time with him. I never regretted doing that. I enjoyed waking up with him by my side and seeing his smiling face. I was there when his first tooth cut through his gums, uttered his first word and took his first step. I told myself then that I made the right choice. The time with my son was something money cannot buy. My husband has always been very supportive and wanted very much to be an active role in our son’s growing up. He just can’t because he holds a job that binds him hand and foot.


Taking the one-year no-pay leave was the bravest decision we made so far. We have always been a dual income family. By taking the leave, it would mean that our income will be halved but bills keep coming. I had no choice but to be sucked back into the corporate world after that one year. As much as I wanted to spend time with my son, I simply can’t. My son often sees a mummy who is too tired to play with him.


I kept asking myself why I can’t have the best of both worlds. I am not happy seeing myself 5 years from now. I wanted family time but continuing what I am doing, I don't see myself having more family time 5 years down the road. We needed something else to give us the income and also the time that we wanted. I do not wish to trade my time for money. The true financial freedom that we are looking for is that money will still flow to us even when we are not working. Yes, we want residual income. That was why we started a home-based business for ourselves.

Sanoviv - A Place I Long to Visit

Sanoviv is a breathtakingly beautiful and serene health retreat located on the Baha Coast, 1 hour south from San Diego Airport, Mexico.

Sanoviv is not only a place for treatment of dieases but also a haven for Detoxification and Regeneration. The Detoxification and Regeneration program is designed to Jump Start you to health and wellness. It is the perfect anti-aging program. The program begins with an exclusive series of diagnostic tests after which you will begin an intensive, cleansing, detoxification and regeneration regimen.

It is my dream to visit Sanoviv and to undergo the Detoxification and Regeneration program as I am fully aware that I can truly enjoy life with a healthy body and mind. I am even more determined to visit Sanoviv for myself and my loved ones after reading an article by one of the USANA associates.

"Dear USANA Family,

We adopted two children from Romania in the spring of 1991. As it turned out, our daughter had a significant health problem. One of our friends, (who happened to be a USANA Associate at the time), suggested we look into a diagnostic and treatment center located in Mexico by the name of Sanoviv. When my wife Sigrid first approached me about the idea, I was skeptical to say the least. But after she explained that the center was world class, I was interested in learning more. My main concern however, was that we would not be able to afford the cost of sending our daughter there to get treatment.


My resourceful wife assured me that she and her friends had this covered and that they planned to hold a garage sale to raise money. They also planned on bringing out a representative from the center to speak at a fundraiser. I was doubtful that this was an effective way of raising money, but agreed that they could use my truck to transport the garage sale items.

When the day of the garage sale approached, I was gently reminded of my commitment and drove down to one of the USANA Associate’s homes to load up the items. It ended up taking several trips to transport all of the sale items to a store that had been donated for the purpose of the garage sale.

When we arrived at the store, I almost choked up by the tears welling in my eyes. There were people all over the store placing out items, setting up tables, polishing up the sale items, and placing prices on them. I was dumbstruck and asked Sigrid who all of these people were and why on earth were they doing all of this work for our daughter? She replied to me that they were USANA Associates and that they wanted to help out once they had heard about our situation. They wanted to help us send our daughter to Sanoviv.

I thought to myself, what kind of company is this? How could a company inspire its Associates to be so caring and compassionate? I had never heard of such a company. Surely, they must expect to get something back. It was only much later that I learned that this simply wasn't true. Sigrid and I are now USANA Associates and we have no hesitation in helping others. We know now that this company can help people achieve healthy and happy lives.

I know that many people have come into USANA for either the products or the business opportunity and sometimes they join USANA for both. But for us, it was neither. It was for the people that make up the company and continually work to carry the dream of true health forward.

Our special thanks to Shirley Husband, Therese Swettenham, Roger Ball, Judy Richardson, and a host of others who helped get our daughter to Sanoviv and showed us that there is a company that still inspires compassion.

USANA ROCKS!!

Sincerely,

Archie & Sigrid McNab, Directors
British Columbia, Canada "

Check out http://www.sanoviv.com for more information on Sanoviv.

To School : My Son & I

My son, Jiaheng was born on 12 April, 2003. He is now a happy, bubbly and chatty 3-year old. He now attends a 3-hour pre-nursery school and enjoys it tremendously.

I was born on 5 June, 1973. I am now a focused, determined 33-year old dream-seeker.

So what’s my dream? There are many … but one that stood out among the rest is to bring my son to school and back everyday. Har!?? Are you sure this is your dream?... you may ask. Absolutely! … comes my reply.

It’s a simple thing to do… to bring your child to school daily and spend time with him along the way… and then be there to bring your child back after school. But, realistically speaking, how many of us can really afford to do this? Why? Because, most of us are stuck in a JOB at that time.

To me, it’s a real magical moment to be awaken by Jiaheng’s sweet calls instead of a cold, mechanical alarm clock. And the process of getting ready for school and the journey to school can be equally rewarding. We can enjoy breakfast together without having to rush. There can be so much to chat about… and much more exclusive father & son time.

But that most awaited moment will be to see that big smile on Jiaheng’s face when he raises both his hands to wave good-bye to me just before he goes into his school. That warm smile tells me that the time spent with Jiaheng has been fruitful for both of us.

Similarly, I look forward to seeing him march out of the class after school. While waiting, I look around me… I see mommies, grandparents, maids… but no daddies. Hey! I was the only daddy there! It makes me proud. Then the class door opens... seeing Jiaheng’s eagerly walk towards me and feeling his hug makes me happy. It also further strengthens my belief that I have to pursue this dream of mine.

You can never have enough of your precious child. We have to learn to enjoy them while they are still close to us. They can grow up very fast, too fast for us in fact... Before we know it, they have already passed those precious childhood days.

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Take the Apple Test To See For Yourself What Happens To Our Body Cells Under Stress

Many times, we hear our parents say “Don’t take too much fried stuff, if not you will get a sore throat!” or “Don’t stay under the hot sun for such a long time, if not you will fall sick!”

When we consume unhealthy food, or put our bodies under extreme conditions such as harsh environment and stress, do you have any idea what happens to our bodies? REALLY what goes on in our bodies? What’s happening to our organs? What are the changes in our cells?

Unfortunately, we cannot dig out our organs or cells to examine… I am sure none of us would want to do that even if we can really dig out our organs! That was why I was so keen to try the apple test when I stumble upon this test.

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A little background on the apple test…

As you are aware, when we cut up the apple and leave it on the table for just a few minutes, the flesh will turn brown. This process is called oxidation. Oxidation also happens to our body cells all the time. The exposure to stress and pollution to our bodies is like leaving the cut apple in the open.

To prevent the cut apple from turning brown, sometimes, we will squeeze some lemon juice on the cut apple. Lemon juice acts as a protective layer on the cut apple and prevents it from oxidation due to its high vitamin C content. Similarly, our body cells need something which can act like the lemon juice to protect our cells. This protection for our bodies is called anti-oxidant.

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Alright, let’s get started with the apple test!

To conduct the apple test, we will use the apple slices to simulate our body cells or organs. We can place an apple slice into a glass of tap water without any anti-oxidant protection. Then we place another apple slice into another glass of water with anti-oxidant protection (that I am using*). The next thing to do is just to wait. We will leave the two apple slices in their respective glasses of water for another three days. In the meantime, we just observe the apple slices.

You wouldn’t really want to see the state of the apple slice placed into the glass without anti-oxidant protection. It’s all black and moldy. And the smell! Arrghh… that stench! I doubt anyone can keep the apple test for more than three days! On the other hand, the slice of apple with the anti-oxidant is in a much more palatable state (although I doubt anyone will want to eat an apple cut after three days!).

The apple test really left me with much food for thought. Imagine the state of our organs and our cells without any anti-oxidant protection. I wouldn’t want to elaborate more on this point… frightening isn’t it?

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Take The Apple Test

You can try out the apple test on your own too. It’s an easy test with minimal preparation; however, the impact is great. It can even change your diet and lifestyle from today onwards for the better.

Alternatively, you can view the photos taken by me throughout the whole process of the apple test. SEEING IS BELIEVING! Check out the apple test photos under the album “Apple Test”.

* You are welcome to email me at kaihock@gmail.com to find out what is the anti-oxidant that I am using.

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Could This Be Your Dilemma Too?

In March 2003, my father had a major stomach operation. Half of his stomach was cut off. I would visit him at 7am in the morning before rushing off to work at 8 o'clock, thus leaving him alone in the hospital.

There was always a look of reluctance when I told him I have to leave, this deeply saddens me.

He had done so much to bring me up but I can’t even be with him when he needed me most. There is just that much I can do.

Since then, I kept asking myself, “In the event that something were to happen to my son or my wife and they need my time, can I give them my time? Yes, I can.

I can quit my JOB.

But, who’s going to pay the BILLS?”

It was around the same time that my son was born.

I have always hoped to be there to witness my son’s major milestones, his first word and his first step. But again, I couldn’t. I had to be at the office from 8am to 6pm.

By the time I reached home, I was already exhausted after a hard day’s work. As much as I wanted to play with him, I just don’t have the energy.

My first taste of bonding with him was when I had to clear ten days of annual leave in a row. Despite the short period, our relationship improved.

At least I can proudly say that I can take mommy’s place for half a day. (For daddies out there, I am sure you know what an incredible feat it is to do that without the baby screaming his lungs out to get to mommy)

However, it only lasted 10 days and I am back into the RAT RACE.

I had to resign myself to the fact that

I have to bring in the money every month

and there is nothing that I can do.

And I was not happy.

Why did I end up in this dilemma?

Since young, I have been told to study hard during my school days so that I can get a good paying job later. I obtained my First-Class Honours and my Masters degree. I became a researcher in the University.

I did just what I was told

but I end up having no freedom.

I am bounded hand and foot by my company because I have sold my time to them. It was then that I told my wife that ...

Something has to CHANGE.

We don't know HOW
but we know something has to CHANGE.

The FORMULA of going to work everyday to earn a paycheck every month simply does not make sense to me. I wanted family time but continuing with what I am doing, I don't see myself having more family time 5 years down the road. In fact, I see myself having less family time with more work responsibility ahead.

It was by chance that I came across a book called "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki at the bookshop. The first book was kind of interesting but it was the second book, "The Cashflow Quadrant" that enlightened me.

The ideas in the book made total sense to me. In it, the book explained the secrets behind "why rich people are rich while average people remain poor". I start to understand that employers would pay employees only enough to stay on the job. They would not pay more as these will be viewed as expenses.

However, the real winner at the end of the day is the employer who leverage on our time to do work for them. They are the ones who can afford a luxurious vacation and a big house. In a nutshell, I understand that...

we have to first own a business that

earns a leveraged and residual income.

We do not know HOW but we are one step closer to our freedom.

The search for our freedom continues. After one year of searching, trying and evaluating,

I finally found a good way to earn our residual income.

We started a business partnering Mr Robert Allen, a multi-million dollars financial guru. (http://www.robertgallen.com).

Now, I am aiming towards ...

"choosing to work (in a JOB), rather than having to work"

Want to learn more about how to do that?

email me at kaihock@gmail.com