The BrandLaureate Awards Gala Dinner

Recently, several colleagues and I were invited to a "black tie" event at the Shangri-La Hotel Grand Ballroom. It was The BrandLaureate - SMEs Chapter Awards 2008 Gala Dinner whereby ICOM was presented an award for Corporate Branding, Best Brand in Education - Music.

My invitation card from The Asia Pacific Brands Foundation

Me posing next to The BrandLaureate SMEs Best Brands logo

Me and Vinay in front of The BrandLaureate SMEs Best Brands backdrop

Has anyone ever seen Vinay smiling this widely before? :)

Me flanked by Irene and Frank

The ICOM team at our dinner table

Dubbed as "The Grammy Awards for Branding", the BrandLaureate awards and gala dinner was also graced by Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop and other famous personalities.

The ICOM team had fun as everyone had a turn in holding and posing with our BrandLaureate trophy.

Me posing with The BrandLaureate trophy

The ICOM team posing with The BrandLaureate trophy and certificate

More poses with our BrandLaureate trophy and certificate

The ICOM team with me and Freddie holding The BrandLaureate trophy and certificate respectively

The ICOM "Men In Black"

In the meantime, Eunice and I would like to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous Year of the Ox over the next 12 months!

* Photos courtesy of Frank, Melisa, Freddie and myself.

A Memoir of Baby Ethan

Expecting a baby is an amazing feeling. The excitement of knowing that a baby is growing in the womb, and ready to come out to the world after 9 months is known only to the parents-to-be. Preparing for the birth of the new family member is an enjoyable experience. In my opinion, every parent-to-be should feel blessed.

My period had not been regular for a while and thus missing my period was not an obvious sign of being pregnant. However, after missing that for a few months and starting to burp non-stop, I decided to do a pregnancy test as the burping was unusual. To our surprise, the test result was positive.

The 2 lines on the pregnancy test kit indicating a positive result.

Our excitement over my pregnancy increased gradually and when I started feeling the baby move in my tummy, we were thrilled. I tried to observe some taboos for expecting women by avoiding certain types of physical activities. I also refrained from taking a few types of food but I could not avoid coffee 100%. However, I did reduce my coffee intake tremendously as a compromise.

Walking was the only exercise I did during my pregnancy. Many people reported experiencing easier delivery with exercises during pregnancy. As such, I walked from my office to lunch and back daily. Sometimes, I would also walk around the shopping mall looking at infant stuff.

Our baby mittens and booties (hidden underneath).

Our baby bodysuits.

Since my tummy wasn’t too big, I had no difficulty in moving about. I was quite fortunate in that I did not experience much morning sickness during this period of time.

We went for monthly checkups at a gynecology specialist clinic to check on the health of both baby and myself. We also did ultrasound scans and everything was normal and looking good.

Baby Ethan's ultrasound scan in July 2008.

However, on the evening of 21 Nov 2008 while I was still in the office, I had bleeding and was rushed to the hospital. When the doctor scanned the baby, she announced that the baby had no more fetal heartbeat. I was induced and delivered baby Ethan naturally in the early hours of 22 Nov 2008.

I was not prepared for this at all and everything happened so fast. We then had to arrange for baby Ethan’s funeral on the same day.

We got to see baby Ethan for a few seconds after he was delivered and he looked like a normal, adorable baby. He had left us due to placental abruption (medically defined as the separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus) and we were deeply saddened.

But we have to move on from this and therefore, wish to make this post to remember our little prince. He will forever be in our hearts.

A Flowerfly, Earwax and A Broken Bone

My 2 months of maternity leave is not too long but not too short either. I have ample time to finish my confinement, rest and recuperate.

I also got to try out the DSLR camera that Dad bought. I was actually quite pleased with my very first photo - a fly on a pretty flower (much like Beauty and the Beast).

The "Flowerfly".

Meanwhile, Sze got to try the Indian Ear Candle therapy which removes earwax build-up.

3 different scents of the Indian Ear Candle.

I have done it before but it was Sze’s first time. He described hearing soft rustling sounds while the ear candle was burning.

Ear Candling in progress... this is not a good time to start singing Happy Birthday!

Sze has undergone Indian Ear Candling 3 times already as his right ear was occasionally blocked. Although it has cleared up now, he still wants to do it at least one more time. You would wonder how he taught his Ear Training classes and checked on his students' mixing projects and music arrangements before this. :-P

Anyway, Sze recommends this Indian Ear Candle therapy to all his students especially if they have difficulty hearing their music clearly... lol. It is cheap (RM2/pair) and can be done at home. Simply cut away the burning candle just before it reaches the marked line. Then cut open the base and you will normally see lots of yucky earwax right above the filter.

And last week, Sze slipped on a wet floor. When the swelling in his left foot got worse the night before, he had an x-ray yesterday and found out that he had a hairline fracture on his second toe. When you see someone in ICOM next week wearing a long-sleeve shirt, tie and slippers, you'll know that's him. ;-P

Happy new year and best wishes to everyone in 2009!