Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Project Playhouse

These days, not many homeowners in Malaysia get to own and enjoy a garden. Especially more and more city folks in KL who are living in apartments. Even elsewhere, existing garden plots are cemented off to convert into more parking space ( one-household-two cars concept ). Morever, a garden is hard to keep when you don't have the time to maintain it. It needs work and love for it to grow.

I'm lucky enough to have a garden. An unkept one. And so I browsed for some garden landscape design and I decided I want this one.


But after some hardcore complex mathematics calculation, I figure the measurements doesn't tally because I only have this much of plot to work on.

Shucks.

So my search narrowed to "SMALL garden landscape design". And you know one thing led to another.



I want to build a playhouse now!

So my search has deviated to "how to build a playhouse". Lo and behold, I never thought a fancy one like this would cost almost USD20K, from Lilliput.

I think these are ready-made and assembled for you upon order or something. They also provide kits, and parts and plans for the more adventurous who wants to build it themselves.

Too fancy. I want a kampung hut style.



Tactfully, I brought this up to the busy husband. Expecting to be called crazy, he took a look at my pencil sketched plan, thought about it for a few seconds and said, "Can do". Woo hoo!!

It will take some time, and a LOT of work, but it will be so fun as a family project! Daniel can participate and see the building process and appreciate it even more. I don't know how we can pull this off, but at least it is a plan.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Daniel Doodles

I gave this little blank notebook to Daniel when he was 3.5 yrs old, just for fun ( actually I wanted to throw it away as useless trash). But what I got back was pure delight. He draws and doodles on it whenever he felt like it. And I'm always amazed at how kids put their imagination and impressions on paper.

Pig and pig-bunny hybrid going on a date (L). Super pig (R).


A girl with painted toenails.


Snails.


Someone with mascara holding a cellphone., probably breaking up with her boyfriend.


His recent impression of a tornado. I thought this was awesome.


Now this was the mother of all art, to me. After he drew this recently, I asked him, "Oooh, mummy love Daniel?". Without a blink, he said " No, this is Daniel love mummy"


I turned into a pile of mush. This is why we have kids.

Causeway Bridge Akan Datang


Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Lock Up Your Daughters

Funny T-shirt. I told him to put on "evil bad guy" look.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Parenting is not for the Selfish.

Someone I know recently proclaimed that she has decided not to have children of her own. As a parent, I tried to debunk her impressions, that it's not all that bad as it sounds, and of course, the immense joy, love and blablas. But somehow, amidst the soft debate, part of me supported her decision. A part of me was saying "Yeah, you go girl. Go travel, go see things we mothers of young children would never have time to see, go for food adventures that we mothers would not have the chance to go for because 'little James don't take spicy', go for that movie we mothers can't bring our kids to because it's PG13, I mean, just go man, go!"

But there are more than that. Children not only restrict your lifestyle (in fact they change it entirely), raising them is no longer as easy as what it used to be 30 years ago. Yes, the world has changed. Melamine was found in infant formula. What else? Plenty.

Parenting is, really, a matter of perception and expectations. It is a love-hate relationship. Sounds familiar? I love my kids to death but sometimes I just want them to vanish for awhile!
The difference is this. Happy positive parents focus on the love part, therefore, parenting is a joy and all heartwarming stuff. Stressed up unhappy parents sees the hate more than anything else, therefore parenting is shit and tiring. Nonetheless, it is a tiring job. And it. Never. Ends. It's FOR life.

So, for those of you who are childless and/or decided to be free, here's something that might reinforce your stand.
All Joy and No Fun : Why Parents Hate Parenting.

It's a loooong read. But a good read. For me, I'd choose this journey all over again.





Happy Weekend y'all!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Justified Expenses

I almost bought an iMac AND an iPad.

Just because.

But the Goddess of Reasoning whispered to my beautiful ears, "Honey, you don't need those. You Apple whore." So I decided not to.

And the most amazing thing happened after that. I found justification to buy other things! The Goddess says to me "Go ahead, buy this shirt, you saved $2500, so what is $19.90? That's right, take that debit card out." Suddenly, spending $19.90 on a stupid shirt isn't stupid anymore.

I also got my camera fixed. I miss my compact Ixus. I could carry it everywhere and could at least snap pictures of the recent active road developments in JB while stuck at jams, and share it here. But the lens are stuck in a jam too. $230 to replace lensa. But it's justified!

Also... don't tell Daniel I got him the UberMegaCool Electronic Buzz Lightyear with laser lights, voiceover and retractable wings.

I'm such bad influence on myself.

Friday, August 06, 2010

Causeway Bridge Bila Siap

Dear Contractors and the Board of Decision-Makers & Executioners of the JB-Singapore Causeway Bridge Project,

Don't be asswipes. Are your ears itching a lot lately? That's because hundreds of commuters are hurling insults at you guys every morning. If you are facing hiccups at the construction which is slowing it down, fine, we understand, hiccups happen. But please provide a better alternative road, one which is not riddled with potholes because this causes vehicles ie. the swarm of motorcycles, cars and buses altogether to tremendously crawl like babies who are just starting to learn how to crawl.

If you don't like to be stuck in a bottleneck jam, don't be the cause of it. You asswipes.

Sincerely,
Thank-God-for-iPhones

Monday, August 02, 2010

Deja Vu

I'm a photostat machine.

Daniel, 2005


Darren, 2010


Same cheeks, same chin, same double-chin. But somebody's wee-wee is smaller, I can't say whose. Ngiah ngiah ngiah. This evil mother can say "DO YOUR HOMEWORK OR I'LL TELL YOUR FRIENDS WHO'S GOT THE SMALLER L**J***!"

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Minus One

For the 10th time, I was staring at the blank box on my blog post. Why is it that when I had many interesting things to share, I could never do it here. It's always a blank space. Should I or shouldn't I. I directed my expressions on Facebook for a while, particularly after getting an iPhone. By the way, it's total awesomeness the iPhone.
But it's not enough. It's great for sharing photos and short concise expressions like "Gosh I'm so tired so busy!" or "Daaamn, I look good", but not interesting funny or sad stories that need more story-telling drama like I love to do.

On FB, you can never tell the whole story. And because of that, misinterpretations can lead to a hurtful and an emotional confrontation.

And the loss of an old friendship.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Lovin' It

It feels good when you make a decision that feels right. It's funny when you feel good, everything seems to look brighter!

I decided to to be a stay-home mom.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
... until mid June. I will lose 2 months worth of salary and my bonuses will be pro-rated. But it feels worth it, on many levels.

I have learnt and understood my baby's cues better nowadays and that gives me a lot more confidence now. I know he gets more hungry before his bedtime, so I increase his intake and feed him at a shorter interval so he can sleep longer at night. I know his cry is different when he's hungry or when he's sleepy. I know his favourite napping spot on the couch. Babies aren't that scary if you know their 'pattern'!

A couple of weeks ago, I felt different. I was unsettled, a bit down and jaded. Why did I have another baby? Why did I have to follow the social norm of having at least two children. My life was perfect before this. Daniel was an independent kid, I had a great helper who did all the housechores, I had ample time doing the things I love which was sewing and crafting, I had my etsy shop to run, everything was just so fantastic. It made me decide that I wasn't a baby person. I wanted to pass baby to someone else to look after until he's like 2, the fun age. Is this a normal feeling? It could be. Some say it is a natural initial feeling. Now, I think it was just some crazy phase. All I want now is to BE with baby and watch him grow.



My wide-eyed little charm.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Getting The Hang Of It

I was zombified for a few days post-confinement. Plus very stressed up. As my confinement was ending, everyone at home was getting sick including myself. We blamed it on the crazy weather. Hot during the first half of the day, rainy the rest of the day. I was feeling the 'heat' from all the heaty food I've been taking as well and it came in the form of a sore throat followed by a brief fever ON the full month dinner day, and now I'm blowing out thick green mucus.

I spent the few nights practically sleepless, observing baby's sleep patterns and most of the time sensitive to his little grunts and stretches when he sleeps. I became jaded, a little shaky from the all-night tense muscles, and I hated having blocked nose when I try to sleep. I didn't quite settle on a routine yet and that made me 'unsettled'. I need things to be in order to feel good and in control.

Now, I feel so much better. I managed to doze off last night, and sleep deeply for 2 hours at least, oblivious to his little grunts and movements. I'm getting back to a civilized routine and it feels good.

Yesterday, as I burped baby AND helped Daniel with a little jigsaw game simultaneously, I thought to myself, hey I can do this!


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Confinement

Tough luck if you just delivered a baby and you are a Chinese living in Asia, well, at least in Malaysia for me. Just when you thought the worst pain is over, you'll have to observe a month of traditional ritual which involves eating specialty food mostly cooked with lots of ginger and wine, drinking only red date longan water, staying away from cool breeze, lots of sweating, bathing in specially boiled herbal bath water, not washing your hair for as long as you can tahan and basically just staying at home to rot. It is a month of inconveniences.

Most mothers will hire a confinement lady to help out during this month. Her job is to prepare the speciality food, look after the new mother and the baby, therefore finding an experienced one is very important. I remember my first confinement lady. She totally rocks. She seems to have magic fingers that worked so efficiently yet she always appear so calm and free. And for the fact that maybe Daniel was an easy newborn, she managed him perfectly. She was a genuine confinement lady.

Unfortunately, she has retired and I have lost her contact number anyway. SO... I wasn't that lucky this time. Thanks to my grandmother's recommendation, I have this nutcase in my house. (LOL) Well, she ain't SO bad but there are times I want to laugh at the things she do. And many things that seem to irritate the bones out of me. So long story short, here are the Top Ten Things She Did To Humiliate Herself and Her Profession:

1. This one is classic. Get ready. She cooked the traditional pig stomach's soup. ...... WITH ITALIAN HERBS!! WHY? Because she forgot PEPPER in the shopping list for the Paul's trip to the market. She just grabs the McCormick's bottle and add a few dash of herbs. How come? Go to next point.

2. She can't smell. She has lost her sense of smell. Maybe genetic, maybe by accident, I don't care. Maybe when she was like... 16, she went out to buy some Italian Herbs for the pig stomach soup she was cooking, and on the way, she like... fell into a pile of cowdung and some dung like, osmosis-ed into her airways and completely destroyed her smelling nerves. Whatever. Because cooking GOOD nutritious appetizing specialty food is a major requisition for this profession, I wonder how do you do it with a bad nose.

3. She hardly checked baby's diaper for poop. Sometimes, when baby fussed a bit, she would just pat him back to sleep. Most of the time I was the one who discovered or suspected the dirty outpoooot. Bad nose maybe? I don't smell anything poopy, but it is the matter of JUST checking.

4. There's something about the way she holds the bottle while feeding. Macam senget. That causes air to go in between baby's mouth and the teat. He chokes. Bad move for gassy stomach. And when baby doesn't quite finish his feed, she forces him to finish by moving the bottle in an in-out maneuver in his tiny little mouth. She just doesn't have this feeding instinct.

5. She doesn't burp him enough. She just do it for the sake of doing it, for about 1 minute and she puts him down. Her excuse? "Oh, he doesn't burp, he farts!" Sure he farts a lot, but at least try burping him for 5 minutes. No wonder he has gassy cramps often. Biatch.

6. She's not very organized. Baby wears cloth diapers (only for the first month), which gets wet and poopy many times during the day and needs to be changed. She doesn't fold them into diapers in advance. She just folds them as how you would just fold your towel or hankie. So, when it's time to change the diapers, she has to unnecessarily get her hands full. When I realized this, I made a gentle remark. "Hey auntie, why don't you pre-fold the diapers so it's ready to be used when you need it fast". She said "Oh ya hor". Real smart.

7. There are two classification of herbs in Chinese medicine. Similar to yin and yang, there are herbs that are 'cooling' and 'heaty'. During confinement, you are supposed to take only 'heaty' herbs. She took a pack of ginseng-lookalike thingy and said she will brew them for me. My mom, thank goodness she was there, brought those to the TCM shop to have them ground or sliced very thinly. Those ginseng-lookalike thingamajik turn out to be the 'cooling' kind of herbs and is a big NO NO for confinement mommies. Anyhow hantam. REAL smart.

8. She's got mood. She's petty-sensitive. Due to a miniscule misunderstanding, she threw a tantrum. She glared at my helper with dagger-eyes and didn't talk to her the whole day. My helper cried. Due to another trivial issue with Paul, she wanted to leave half-way. I had to be the mediator. It was a rather stressful event. She stressed us up. BIATCH.

9. She doesn't seem to have a temperature sense, especially if it concerns the comfort of the baby. For the first few nights at home, baby was fussing a lot the whole day. Why? Because it was hot and humid, the room was stuffy and she still swaddled him into a bundle of hotness. Is she a lizard in disguise?

10. I detest her eyebrows. OK, not relevant. But hey, it might scare babies right right right? Even if they see a blurry face, a pair of thick unkept eyebrows would scare them shitless. Or as Chinese old folks say, baby's poop will be green. LOL

You'll know a fraud when you meet one.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

My ChildBirth Story

I love surprises. Including the moment my water broke at 1am on the 27th February, while chit-chatting with the husband in bed. Just an hour past my birthday. Who could’ve thought. I wasn’t due until 18th March.
This was my first water-break experience. It’s like an uncontrolled pee. All of a sudden, without any warning or sign, I wet myself. So I rushed to the toilet and sat there for 10 minutes. The water came on and off. Hmm.. maybe I’ve lost control of my bladder. The water came again. I called the hospital and was asked to pop in to check. I told the husband, “I think this is it”. Thank goodness I have already packed my hospital bag.
I hate the way Labour Rooms make you feel. It has that scary the-moment-awaits-you vibes. The bed (of suffering), the weird instruments, the sterilized metallic tools you wish the doctors won’t use IN you, the fetal and contraction monitors, the sounds, everything in there.
First, I stripped ALL the way, and had to wear the KPJ pink robe. I lied on the bed, and the nurses started taking my blood pressure and my temperature, which is a routine throughout my stay. The nurse asked basic medical history too. Then, as I anticipate with displeasure, a nurse did an internal examination to check my cervix dilation. I hate this. I really really do, and unfortunately is a routine throughout the labour. I was only ‘fingertip’ dilated. LOOOOONNNNG way to go sister. More water came out after the probing. Then, I was strapped to the fetal heartbeat and contraction monitor. I heard the familiar sound of the echoed heartbeat, going woov woov woov woov woov woov woov woov woov. 130 beats per minute on average. I was asked to rest, and sleep. The husband went home to sleep for a couple of hours and to prepare everything at home.
I didn’t sleep a wink. I was tightly strapped for goodness sake. And hospital beds are as hard as rock. So I just lied there and close my eyes whenever I could, anticipating with every breath.
At 9am, my gynae came to do his rounds at the Labour Ward. Again, the dreaded internal examination. I tell you, male doctors don’t do it as gently as the female nurses/midwives/doctors. I was waiting to hear good progress, but to my despair, I was only 3cm dilated!! It was already 7 hours since my water broke! So, more waiting. I was given Pitocin to speed up labour. Lowest dose, according to the nurse. My contractions still didn’t hurt. Then I decided to do the smartest thing I remember reading about on Labour Positions. I sat, instead of semi-lying on the bed. Maybe gravity helped the baby move lower into the birth canal. A few hours after sitting, my contraction chart looked promising, strong contractions every 4-5 minutes. Mine came in duplets. Two contractions, one after the other, every 4-5 minutes. It started to feel like a bad tummyache or diarrhea ache.
Now, contrary to what many of you believed, I did not opt for Epidural-Free birth. I DID asked for it, because I didn’t know how the pain would increase from here. Tummyache? Sure I can deal with it, but what if it gets worse and I lose control and freak out and … faint midway? That would be disastrous… and undoubtedly embarrassing.
So I did asked. I was 6cm dilated, and I knew this would be the time to ask for it, before it’s too late and I want to kill everybody in the room. The nurse checked the charts and was concerned that with every contractions I had, the fetal heartrate dropped a little. Gosh, is history repeating itself? That was the case with Daniel too. I was told that my chances of a natural birth would be quite slim. All my memories of the C-section came back. The nurse told me that epidural wasn’t advisable because we don’t know what is causing the fetal heartrate to drop. It could, instead endanger him. So I waited again, with no hope of epidural or maybe a chance of experiencing natural birth. Fortunately, I could still bear with the tummyache.
I can’t exactly remember the time when my contractions started to hurt more and more. I felt the pelvic pressure bearing down more and more. And all this happened probably within half an hour. Then all of a sudden, I felt the urge to push. Much like pooing. A LOT like pooing. I told the nurses in desperation because I had no control over the pushing urge. A nurse examined me again. But I think she was doing more than checking my cervix dilation. I groaned and squirmed as she did her thing down there. At this point, several nurses were scurrying up and down the room, preparing the table of instruments and the baby’s ‘arrival cot’ etc, and I realized, this is it. It’s going to happen soon! OUCH!
The urge to push came again and again. Closer to each other, within less than minute. The nurse asked me, “ You rasa macam nak berak ya”. As I cling onto the bedsheet, I muttered “YA”. I was breaking out in sweat. I just held on to whatever I could. The bed rail, the sheets. I was at the verge of tears. The husband, all these while beside me, was witnessing the sudden change in pace. One of the nurses handed him a gas mask, I think it was nitrus oxide gas, best known as happy gas or laughing gas. I inhaled it a couple of times, and instantly went woozy. I felt like I was blackening out. I just wanted to doze off. It was a good brief moment when I forgot about the pain and panic I was in.
Everything was set up. My feet on stirrups. The doctor walked in, put on this pair of long black rubber boots and PVC apron, and sat in front of me. “OK, push” he said. There were 7 nurses in the room, all focusing on my vijayjay and yelling PUSH! The amazing fact about a woman’s body in labour is that you WILL know when to push because the body is actually doing the work. With every contraction accompanied by the urge to push, I just rode along. When there were no contraction, I rested, but then the resting period didn’t last because my contractions were coming on in less than a minute apart. How efficient! One of the nurses taught me how to do it the right. I never knew there was a correct way of pushing, I thought there was only one. So I did as told. I held onto the bed railings, on both sides, and pulled towards me, instead of pushing it. And grunting was not the way either, like in many movies where the woman grimaces and screams. I pushed, SILENTLY. No vocals allowed. Only my background singers going PUUUUUUSH!
Unbelievably, after 5 minutes of pushing, my baby was out, and was immediately placed on my chest. It was a magical moment. An experience of a lifetime. It’s like falling in love all over again.




After the drama, I found out why the nurses had a brief look of concern on them and why they were all cheering on so urgingly when I was at the pushing stage. The cord was around his neck as his head emerged. It was quickly cut, and that was why the husband didn't get to cut the cord. Ah well, happy ending.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Waiting...

Most of the time, I'm doing my things, thinking about usual routine stuff, you know, just living my everyday life.

THEN, I remember that I'm going to have a new baby soon! The reality kicks in. The childbirth, the life-changing MOMENT. The everything I've experienced before. There's a mixture of joy, excitement, worry and anticipation. I panic for a second, but I'm also eager to hold a baby soon, smell a baby, bath a bay, change a baby, feed a baby, craddle a baby!

Just waiting now, little Tiger, just waiting...

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Husbands in Bed

What I'm about to say, has probably happened to many married ladies out there at some point of their married life. Some keep to themselves and carry on with their daily lives, some joke about it.

Last night, the husband and I were chatting a bit in bed before sleep. I had this uneasy feeling I didn't know why. We talked about some usual bla bla stuff and then came to the topic of Tiger Woods and cheating. There was a pause for a while. Then out of the blue, he said in a low guilty tone,

"I'm sorry"

Silence. My heart skipped a beat.

Then it hit me. HARD.

THE STINKIEST MOST CONCENTRATED PUNGENT MIND-DIZZYING FART.

Oh, the uneasy feeling I had was probably from the chilli fries, chocolate ice cream, bread, prunes and keropok I had simultaneously.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

I Forgot...

... I have a blog. Thank you placenta brain.

Like they say, second trimester is the best time of a pregnancy. I was up and about, crafting a lot, made wedding invites, cooked a bit, decorated my home a bit, ate a lot, gained some good weight, man, I wanted to do everything!

My favourite part is the eating bit. I have never had ravenous appetite before. The unpregnant me wished to eat a lot, but somehow I just can't. Now, I see cheesecake, I wallop. I can really eat and I love it!! In fact, during my 5th month, I gained 5 kg within a month or less. I was like "WOO HOO! COWABUNGA!" but the doctor was concerned about the rapid gain. Damn! Spoiler.

I'm entering the third dimension... I mean trimester. It feels heavier and heavier. Getting up from sitting position now requires 2 million calories and 50 billions ATPs ( energy compounds for those who forgotten their Biologi ), bullshit by the way, but it DOES feel like that. The human body is amazing don't you think.

I have to sleep early too. By the time I say '...and the dragon lived sadly alone, forever and ever. The end ", I konk out before Daniel has the time to ask me why this bedtime story sucks. Speaking of bedtime, my bedtime ritual is rubbing cocoa butter all over my belly. Nice. From previous experience, it helps with the itching and dryness.

Lately, the fetus has been hiccuping. So cute. If you're curious, here's why:

"...only more mature fetuses hiccup in the womb because their central nervous system is adequately developed in order to allow this to happen. It is believed that the fetus breathes in amniotic fluid or drinks it. When this happens and the amniotic fluid enters and exits the fetus lungs then the diaphragm contracts and hiccups results. Fetal hiccups appear to be extremely normal ..."

What else... ah, contractions. Do not panic! They're just Braxton-Hicks, they come and go now and then, few times a day. It feels like a tightening of the belly, like a 'practice contraction' or toning of the uteral muscles in preparation of labour. This also means, I should drink more water and sit down for a while...

..and the use 50 billions ATPs to get up.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Orgasmic Childbirth

NOT kidding.

During my last check-up, last weekend, I asked my gynae if I have to deliver by Caesarean again this time. My impression on private practices are that they go for shortcuts and we pay for them big-time. I was surprised he said that I could try for a natural birth. I was a candidate for VBAC! (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) The thought of walking right after delivery was appealing to me!

Then I started to get nervous, like any new mother-to-be would, because this would feel like my first childbirth. Though my body went through labour (painless) and I was half-way dilated, I never get to deliver a baby like what Nature intended us to. I think I can handle pain quite well, but I also tend to panic easily and then 'freeze'. What if I can't handle the pain at the most crucial moment?!! WORST, what if my scar tears open during the process?? (Uterine rupture, can cause maternal and or fetal death, are you scared are you scared). This is the risk of VBAC, though reportedly at a low percentage. But still there's a percentage. Aren't we all part of statistics? I hate statistics.

So, I started scouting around for VBAC information, leading to natural childbirth experiences, leading to.... jeng jeng jeng... this weird trend of birth perception. ORGASMIC childbirth.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I can't really describe it much because as the name implies, it is a painless but pleasurable mind-blowing ecstatic childbirth.
Here are some testimonials and excerpts from a site:

"Many mothers experience a burning or splitting sensation as the largest diameter of the baby's head passes through the birth outlet. Some actually experience orgasm."
-From Mind Over Labor, by Carl Jones, C.C.E.

".....The sensation of my daughter's body sliding out of my vagina was orgasmic. I still shudder when I think of how pleasurable that was."
-Caroline S.

"A woman in California was giving birth at home in a portable birth tub and feeling very sexy and loving with her partner. Each time she had a contraction she would cry out, 'Oh, baby, I love it. More...more!' Her windows were open because it was July, and soon a crowd gathered outside her home. When the baby was born amidst shouts of 'Yes!!! Yes!!! Oh, my God, yes!!!' her neighbors gave her a great round of applause. They only realized that it was a birth after they heard the cries of a baby."
-From Gentle Birth Choices, by Barbara Harper, R.N.

Sounds crazy. Is this really the best-kept secret? Is it... POSSIBLE??? Those ang mohs really full of ideas. They do homebirths where they sit in a bathtub during labour and birth. Do Malaysians do that I wonder? I know in some rural kampungs, they have midwives to assist the birth at home, but we city folks just go into the hospital, get epidural, or not, and get hooked onto tubes and monitors on fancy birthing beds or go straight to the operating room. Modern times.

No, no, don't get me wrong, I don't want a homebirth. But I'm attracted to the idea of having a labour coach, and midwives, and of course a doctor in case something happens, in a hospital setting. Support is what a labouring woman needs. And maybe... an orgasm. LOL.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Time Flies

With the end of the year approaching, I always think of you, all my dear friends. From my Convent schoolmates, to my UPM buddies. Wherever you are, I hope you are all happy, and doing alright, well-fed, well-clothed, and comfortable.

This year, I have so much to thank for. Everything is good that it worries me that it's too good to be true. And I'm sometimes convinced that good things, or even bad, never lasts. So I should never take things for granted. And always be ready for your worst nightmare because you never know when or if it will happen.

I'm a bit pensive recently, something like in a reflection mood, that's why I'm writing this. Perhaps I've been reading the newspaper everyday and there are kids and people dying, freak accidents, illnesses and terrible things that happen to good normal folks like you and me. As much as I believe in fate and destiny, I can't help by ask why did these tragedies happen, and why fucktards are the ones alive and terrorizing others and this supposedly peaceful world.

OK, someone please slap me.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Tera Thai @ JB

Looking for fine Thai-dining in Johor Bahru? We got it.
Tera Thai at Jalan Abdul Samad. The old colonial government bungalow converted into a BEAUTIFUL cozy restaurant with authentic delicious Thai cuisine. Seriously good.






Starters for the set lunch. I didn't take any pictures after that because I was dizzy with spiciness.


My aunt got a treat right after lunch. A free promotional 10 min Thai massage.

The Spa.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

A Tease Boy

The 20-plus-th week scan which is also called an anatomy scan was exciting. My 'replacement' gynae is a thorough one.

Sometimes, I'm really amazed at the doctors who could really read an ultrasound scan of a fetus. The doctor could see the nose and the lips of the baby's face and I'm like... HUH, what did I miss? What is that shadow? What is that thingy moving?

I'm also amazed at how he could zoom in to view the beating heart, and all its chambers and walls. The spine was easy to see of course. Then we looked at the diaphragm the tissue muscle separating the thorax and the abdomen. All is well.

Then, jeng jeng jeng. I wasn't really hard up to know about it, but E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E has been asking me to the point that it made me curious too. The thighs were close together at first.

"Oh, ooo, could be a girl" Doctor made a guess.

And then, this baby is such a teaser, the legs actually slowly opened at that moment to reveal his you-know-what. It was a funny moment. Definitely a boy. Unless that's the umbilical cord. Or maybe an obscene finger gesture.

What a thrill. Everyone hoped I'd have a girl. Isn't this natural? Well, I think it's a still blessing. A child is a gift indeed.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

One week At Home

SO.

My wonderful helper tita is in Philippines this whole week for a short vacation, so am I. At home. But I'm still sorta working. I have 50 wedding invites to finish, and other than that, I must say I have obsessively done some items for my etsy shop and for Nature Recipes.
Some of my favourite things for now.





Packaging packaging packaging.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Just a weekend

Baby2 has been moving quite furiously. Maybe it's because I'm a kanchiong spider today. So many things I want to do! From labwork to my craft projects.

I've been given a corner space to display and sell my handmade knick-knacks! This natural product-themed shop is in Permas, and I've yet to visit it. Now my ideas keep pouring in and all I need is time. Pouches, bags, noteboooks, notecards, gift tags, calendars, all need to be rushed for the Christmas season. More hand-printing, gocco-ing (I HAVE to blog about this), stamping and sewing. I need my clones!



Weekend was gorgeous.
Lontong. Sedap.


My backyard. Josie planted ladies finger... they're sweet and have big seeds. The chillies get eaten by rats.


Wash crabs, steam crabs, eat crabs. Not me though. That's not Josie ya, that's my aunt from To-kee-yo.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Mine is Longer

The other night, at bedtime, D brushed his little fingers across my eyelashes left to right, right to left, left to right, right to left.

Then he felt his own eyelashes and said , "Mine is longer".

Shit, it's true. I hate him.

***



Another design coming up soon, slightly different. I have stuff to make, guests visiting and D's graduation 'concert' coming up this weekend. Crazy!

Monday, November 02, 2009

Love Making...

...stuff.



How to Make Ally's Potato Salad
1. You boil some potatoes. With or without skin, up to you. Without the skin, you might risk making potato soup if you forgot to switch off the fire after 3 hours.
2. Let the boiled potatoes cool down. Then peel the skin off.
3. MASH the potatoes.
4. Add mayonnaise. Preferably a good brand like Kraft or Japanese ones. This makes the difference. Not too much, not too little. You gotta judge for yourself here.
5. Add some salt and pepper. More pepper for me please.
6. MIX.
7. Add Japanese cucumber, they are sweeter and have less seeds. Chopped or small quarter slices.
8. Add chopped small red onions.
9. OPTIONAL: You may add chopped hams if you like.
10. Mix again. Store in fridge and serve cold ala Samantha Jones for Valentine's surprise in Sex and the City Movie .

Have fun.