#129 Water parks

I'm not a huge fan of water parks. The sun is too hot, the place is too crowded, the slides are too scary – the list of complaints goes on and on. However, everything changes when you have a child. It is no longer how much fun you have, but how much fun she has. What's priceless is the trust she shows in you when surrounded by water and lots of people, clinging on to you for dear life.

#128 Drizzles

Drizzles are by far the perfect time to play football. There's no sun, just a light breeze blowing, and the rain just washes the sweat off your face. As a result, you run more, and you only feel the effect of it the day after. Yes, your traction is reduced, but that just gives you another excuse when your move doesn't come off. All in all, your increased endurance makes it a more enjoyable and high-quality game. If only these drizzles could be predicted with better accuracy…

#127 Reporting officers

It is probably the most underrated aspect of leadership - that anyone would actually want to follow you. After all, how can you be a leader if no one wants to follow you? Putting aside the notion of coercive leadership, where people are forced to follow you, it becomes evident how difficult leadership is - not only do you have to get the job done, you've got to influence people to follow you.

Over the years, I've had a few Reporting Officers, or ROs. I've been blessed that many of them go to the extent of finding out who you are as a person, rather than focus on what you are doing. After all, when you win the heart, it's that much easier to work together.

So, to those who have made an effort to know me, and the health limitations I work with, and clarify if I behave differently than expected, thank you. I hope to do the same.

#126 Slumber parties

At 2.5 years old, Sarah has already had her first slumber party. Staying with her cousins Joash and Kayla at their Tampines Waterview condominium, Sarah enjoyed swimming all she wanted at the sprawling wading pool, complete with slides and sprays. As each Sarah-less night passed, we realized we missed the little porker. Soon, we were hankering for her return, and kept asking when she would be back. We realized we had a pretty boring life without her, and even Wheel of Fortune wasn't so fun anymore. So while slumber parties are fun and give us some respite from parenthood, we still prefer having Sarah around.

#125 Ice packs

Although this was suggested years ago by my late dermatologist, I've only recently been forced to consider cold compresses as part of measures to reduce inflammation and alleviate discomfort. This is mainly to reduce my reliance on oral steroids, considering the side effects that come with long-term use.

20-minute applications do the trick, with at least one-hour intervals in between. Since it takes two hours to freeze an ice pack, I need at least two packs that I can alternate.

In school, the office recently acquired some ice packs for injuries, but I've been using these with a flannel between lessons. My productivity has definitely been affected, but its been reasonable so far. Let's hope this is temporary.

#124 Nursing rooms

Nursing rooms offer a brief respite from the hustle and bustle of our antipodean stomp through homogeneous malls. Most are typically spartan, though some malls do go the extra mile in making their infantile clientele feel welcome too.

One of the best experiences was at Great World City; each room is a thematic paradise so sensorially pleasing you can literally see yourself lounging there instead.

Alas, Sarah is soon up and running again, and we await the next opportunity to be languorous at another such oasis.

#123 foursquare

This is the only incentive I need to explore new places. If I'm needed to run an errand to far-flung places, foursquare makes me feel less stupid. As a rule, I only check in somewhere when I have an interaction there. That's good enough, compared to people who do so just for the points.