A Changed Man

Yesterday, I chanced upon photos of newborn Daniel that was taken by my dear colleagues when they visited me during my pui-yek. Aahhh, flashes of memory start to come back. I remembered how it felt being a mother overnight. It was like I had this little penis IN me, then one minute it was out and peeing all over my shirt.

It is amazing. You carry a being in you for 9 months, well, 8 and 1/2 for me, you don't know what it looks like at all, but you feel it move everyday. It's funny because I have very vivid and out-of-this-world imagination at times, but I never once did imagine what my unborn baby looked like, which by the way, would look like any other newborns because they all look the same.

The moment he was born, I felt my entire world changed. Feelings that I never had, I felt them.

I was glad that the birth was over and it wasn't as dramatic as I expected.

I was relieved that I heard him wail his lungs out.

I was overwhelmed with tear-jerking joy when I saw him for the first time. Naked, confused but alert.

I was scared of the unknown. The whole motherhood thing. I played house, but I never played mom.

I was calm despite how things happened so fast.

Thinking back, I feel blessed. I had a great confinement nanny who became my source of answers and confidence. She was my walking baby dictionary. I had great friends who visited me, kept in touch with me, and showered generous gifts.
Above all, I have a husband who was there all the way. We were both ready to become parents, no one chickened out.

So, here are a few pics which I treasure so much now, because he will never be the same...

Nothing Much

I was having an emotional roller coaster ride last week or so. Sigh.. sometimes I don't know if being a woman is a blessing or a curse. I once read in the book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" that women's emotions often mimics a wave. There are times when we are at our normal state of sanity, like you know, independent and strong but loving and giving at the same time. Then there will be times when we become a total bitch, like, demand more than we get, or worse, don't know what we want but demand it anyway and get mad if we don't get it.

I was surfing at the lowest point of my 'wave'. I felt angry, bitter, melancholic, and negative all the time. Just plain negative. Just a plain bitch. And I just felt like 'stoning'. I guess I was getting sick of my negativity that my mind pulled an emergency brake. WAKE UP.

Woke up. Feeling normal again. The sea is calm. There are no waves to ride, but there are ripples of tranquility.

My zest is back. And I'm an organizing freak. I think my home needs some serious storage organization. So, I started with my collection of beads first.


And there's no better time for the IKEA Annual sales! I will attempt to be Debbie Travis or the Designer Guys, but the cheapo version. Gosh I love those series. I wish my home would transform into different themes each day. I imagine:
Monday: "Honey, I'm home! Wow, it's Jewel's of Arabia!"
Tuesday: "Honey, I'm home! Cool, it's the sleek comtemporary city-apartment style!"
Wednesday: "Honey, I'm... HOLY COW! Country style! Rattans and flowers!"

Will host my storage transformation... soon....

Just One of Those Days...

Yep.. one of those days where I just want to sit and do nothing all day.

Are bank officers dumb... or dumber?

I think the latter. My definition of dumb here also includes being inefficient, unorganized, poor in service and poor fashion sense in headscarves. The smart bankers get whisked off to secret chambers beneath the earth surface to design and conduct loan schemes and services that SUCKS money from the public like vacuum, and the dumb ones are put at the front desk to serve customers.

What a perfect system!! TO PISS THE BANK CUSTOMERS OFF!!

Why do some banks lack organization system? And score poorly on SERVICE.

I just scolded a bank officer on the phone, and now I feel a bit bad. But they really deserve some REAL bitch-slaps sometimes. I changed my mailing address, but my loan statements were still sent to the old address, so how am I to pay on time? And they are charging me interest!! THOSE INEFFICIENT BASTARDS OF SCUMS OF THE DIRT UNDER MY FEET SCUM!

Then hor, my credit card fee supposed to be waived, so what the hell is 'service charge' for? I pay on time! I use the card's minimum credit too. Although it's RM3.95, but RM3.95 from a million people can launch a rocket to space. I must threaten to write to the Star papers. Don't anyhow charge me RM3.95, pretend pretend assume I don't notice.

My mom is also pissed at the stupid inefficient bank officers. Same case, send statements to old address despite having changed mailing address many many times. Lost her credit card, REPORTED it to the bank, and replace with new one. But after a year, receive statement from bank. She is charged interest for the OLD card, accummulate until few thousand RM.

HUH?!!

They said "Oh, you didn't cancel your card ma'am"

HUH??!!

Reporting and cancelling is different procedure? Isn't it common sense and procedure that when you report a stolen card, it is cancelled straight away? If it is different, why didn't they INFORM her in the beginning?

Moral of the story is. DON'T apply for credit cards from..... *drumroll*.... M A Y B A N K
In fact don't apply for any credit cards. Bring CASH and risk getting robbed. Perhaps that is better than dealing with stupid @#$bank officers.

I am a Gu!

Another vaccination since January this year. This time I thought he'd 'know' pain. But I was wrong. Ah Gu was more interested in the toys at the doctor's office that he didn't realize he was poked with needle. (DIDN'T REALIZE ?!!) I didn't have my revenge, damn. That boy ought to know what pain is! Muahahahahaa!



He knows no fear, he knows no pain, he knows no sufferings... alas, my future looks bleak with the cane.

By the way, the blogspot traffic is so bloody smooth this morning because veryone still sleeping, after the World Cup finale. And almost 50% of my group is on leave today. I am a lonely beautiful young woman... maybe I should go to Italy, bound to get plenty of attention there now, since they are ever more PASSIONATE! Parlare! Parlare italiano?! Si! Si!

South Park II

This time it's a gathering and some sort of a farewell party for Aiwah who will be going back to home-sweet-home Penang TODAY! And lots of catching up, gossiping, and chatting and laughing abt the good ol' days!



We had a sumptious dinner at NYDC cafe, Holland Village where our hair,entire body, clothes, bag, shoes, not to mention fingernails, smelt like food after we left. It's like being in a mushroom madness disco club, instead of smelling like cigarette smoke and liquor and puke, we smelt like baked mushroom and cheese. It was kinda loud in there TOO, so we had to literally scream.



Other than that, it was fabulous to meet up again, like back to the uni days. It always feels good in the company of comfortably familiar faces. I think we all have not changed much. Waihar still likes to wear Disney Mickey Mouse tees, Seok Shin slimmed down to her normal size since popping out a baby (GYM is her new religion), Aiwah still the sweet Aiwah, Aikkia and LayHoon still NOT holding hands in front of us.



Our conversations mostly covered what women (AUNTIES) usually talk about. Who getting married, who having babies, who having second babies, and of course without fail, our babies. We also proposed that we have a REUNION of our biotech grad2000 in year 2010. Our tenth year anniversary!

We will be real AUNTIES and UNCLES!

Well, hmm, actually not really. Thirties is the new twenties. Some even say life begins at 40. And I am starting to believe it. The way the world is and the way we have to live now, I'd say we are like working donkeys, and up till we pay our debts to the bank/tai-yi-long, we will be slaves to our children and our assets. LIFE will begin when we start to retire...

SO, folks, hope we meet again!

Anybody want to join MCA?

YOUNG CHINESE!! Putchuo hands up, putchuo hearts togeTHAR! Wooo, semangat siah...

Young Chinese, especially university grads and working professionals, are urged to join MCA and pair up with old members to serve the community. It is a good encouragement, really, to serve the nation. But ain't that a tad of a discrimination? The young samsengs should also be encouraged to join isn't it, let them be a part of our community service agents instead of them roaming the streets distributing ah long cards.

Coming back to uni grads and working pros, there could be issues within the organization even before they start serving the community. Old and new generation's culture may not be like chocolate buttons topped ice cream. It could be like chocolate buttons topped baby kai lan. What if the old members hope and wish that the new ones to adopt and practise THEIR ways of government, like you know, grandchildren to carry on the tradition. But what if the new ones have THEIR own ways of government? Datuk Seri Ting Ting also said that input and creativity from the younger generation are needed. I'm sure there are a hell lot of input and creativity, BUT not necessarily accepted by the lao peks and lao niangs. So where do we end up? Yes, it COULD work successfully, I'm just saying, it just need a lot of acceptance and open-mindedness.

Then further down the road in say 10 years time, the younger generations will join and start a fight club or 'Beat Your Schoolmate Campaign'. What in the world...

So, anybody onz?

Cycling is a good form of exercise and relaxation

No prize for guessing who exercises and who relaxes.

Is he dozing off already?!!

On Saturday, Paul got us a bicycle, and kiddie seat for the little barb. SOOOOOO CUUUUTTIIEEE! I've seen such baby seats on bicycles a couple of times in Singapore, rode by the ang-mohs and I think it's so fun. How come never see it in my housing estate? In fact, NOBODY ever rides a bicyle WITH their baby in JB, let alone ride one. How sad is that, everyone drives now, even if it's a 1km distance to the sundry shop... hmmm, that would be many of us actually, I plead guilty! Why? HOT SUN! But evenings are the perfect time for cycling, so when Paul told me he wanted to get a bicycle, I thought why not, I've always wanted one too, and I thought he was getting those with a basket to carry things or moving objects like Daniel The Monkey, which we'll need to strap him with tali rafia or cello-tape or master the art of one-hand cycling. Then the bicycle was delivered that same day, and boy was I pleasantly surprised! A cool bucket seat for baby!

So, come evening, we strap Daniel in his SOOOO CUUUTTIIEEE bucket seat... Shoulder strap and leg straps too.



Ready to go?



GO!!


YIPPEEEE!


Do I HAVE to get down now?


That's all folks!