Grace Period

StarTV has been showing re-runs of Friends which I do not mind watching because I do find the show funny. All of us remember the on-off relationship Ross has with Rachel. The other night they "kind of" broke up over the phone because Ross was upset with Rachel spending time with her colleague. On the same night, out of jealousy, anger and whatever other age old excuses, he responded to a girl hitting on him in a club and this of course led to him waking up the next morning with this girl in his apartment. Now hit the rewind button. The night before; after Rachel had the argument with Ross on the phone she regretted it and decided to go see Ross next morning to patch things up!

Last week, Callie from Grey's slept with McSteamy because she "kind of" broke up with George. Again, hit the rewind button and you'll find George regretting the argument and wanting to make up with Callie. But of course, the deed is already done (by Callie).

Last night in Lipstick Jungle, Victory broke up with Joe Bennett after she found out that he's bought over her company. And the preview to next week's Lipstick Jungle, Victory regretted the break up and called Joe, wanting to get back together with him. Joe picked up the phone and there was another woman right next to him in his bed!

If this pattern could be seen throughout completely unrelated TV series, just think how common it actually is in real life.

So when Rachel found out from Gunther that Ross slept with this other woman, she hit the roof. Who wouldn't? Throughout her rage, my hubby kept saying "but they broke up." Yes, from his technical viewpoint, they did kind of broke up.

So what's the moral of the story?

1. Mean what you say or don't say what you don't mean.

2. Never threaten to break up when you know that you don't really want to.

3. Litmus test: when you say you want to break-up, please run through your mind that he/she might be snogging/shagging another person in the next 12 hours, and will you be ok with that.

Fourthly, I think there should be a universal implied grace period when a couple breaks up. Perhaps the grace period should be about a month, then you could really think through if you really want to break up. And in the mean time, no sleeping around for the month.

TV Crossovers; Reality Muddled Up

I have not watched so much tv since primary/secondary school days when dubbed Japanese drama series (Maero Attak) were all the rage. Despite my dear hubby who complains about his cable tv provider for cheating him with all these reruns such as Friends, Desperate Housewives, Grey's etc, I find them perfect to help pass my time (not that I am that free). At the same time I get to do some catching up before new seasons are aired.

We all get crazy about certain drama series and get suckered by the characters, like how I always love McYummy instead of McDreamy, that we develop our own sense of reality within a show. Therefore when I see a patient of Burke lying on the operation table for heart problem, my little reality (S2 e22) gets a wake-up call because this particular patient was already shot dead in Desperate Housewives when she help up a department store!

I think I now understand why my husband refuses to watch CSI (the original) on the ground that Grissom killed Billy the Kid in Young Guns. The same reason also applies to his refusal to watch Private Practice because he maintained that those 2 (top left and centre) are not real doctors. One is a judge and the other a lawyer from 2 different drama series.

Tagged

I've been tagged by http://littlemisskechik.blogspot.com/

The rules:

Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

Tag 7 people at the end of your post by la eaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

1. I am sooooooooooooo in love with Eddie.

2. I still love the color black; my bedsheet and duvet cover are made of black egyptian cotton.

3. I hateeeeeee ants, can't stand them.

4. I love my steak medium rare.

5. I haven't been to a club for over 12 months now.

6. I don't really care who wins the next US Presidential election since either one has got to be better than the current one.

7. I wish I have 7 bloggers to tag.

a Squeeze they say....

I was reading the local paper today when I came across the celebrity gossip column. They were referring to Lewis Hamilton's current "squeeze", the Pussycatdoll chick. Ever since Lewis Hamilton became the star of Maclaren, the cynic in me knew that his highschool sweetheart Jodie Ma's days were numbered. And yes, perhaps due to very different schedules, geographical challenges and extremely different social circles have inevitably exposed Lewis to meeting new people, i.e. his post Jodie Ma girlfriends. He may have every right to date a different girl every different day of the week, but for the press to refer to a girlfriend as a "squeeze" is downright degrading. I do wonder what exactly was the writer thinking of when he picked the word "squeeze"? Do you see fit bottoms passing by and casually go, "Exqueeze me? May I have a squeeze? beep beep*road runner style*"

Hillarious!!!

Saturday August 30, 2008
Welder’s love plans unscrewed
By MEERA VIJAYAN, The STAR

JOHOR BARU: A welder who tried to elongate his penis with a nut found himself in a pickle when the nut got stuck after he had an erection.
The victim, from Taman Sri Skudai, had apparently been trying to increase the length of his penis ahead of his engagement next week when disaster struck.
It is learnt that the incident occurred on Thursday and the 20-something-year-old victim went to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital here to seek treatment when he was unable to get the nut off himself.
Unfortunately, hospital authorities were at a loss and had to call the Fire and Rescue Department for assistance.
A department spokesman confirmed that they received a call from the hospital yesterday, and sent seven firemen to help out.
They, too, were unable to remove the nut.
At press time, the nut was still firmly attached to the base of the man’s genitals.
This is the second case in the past week involving objects stuck on penises. On Aug 25, firemen were summoned to the University Malaya Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur to cut a steel ring from a patient’s penis after numerous attempts by doctors failed to dislodge it. It is believed the patient, in his 20s, had slipped the ring onto his penis to increase his sexual prowess.

I don't think they needed 7 firemen to help remove the nut, but everyone at the fire station was probably fighting to go and kepo at hospital. I would have! hahahahah!!! poor guy.

Freedom of Speech

Shame shame on our very desperate government which have resorted to blocking the infamous Malaysia Today. If the RPK has indeed done anything wrong, it is to be decided based on Rule of Law which is supposedly a separate arm from the government. But no no, the government is taking law into their own hands and block the website. Again, our country is ridiculed in foreign press. I am not a supporter of Malaysia Today, but I do read it occasionally for the gossips which are really interesting, in fact more interesting than Britney's crotch expose.

Obviously the person who taught of the idea to block access to the website is not that internet savvy after all. http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com/

And what is the fuss about an upside down flag???

I have never considered myself to have any political leanings. However of late, I am very disappointed with what Malaysia has become. I am very saddened by the constant bickering about race, about all these race traitor nonsense (be it Malay, Chinese or Indian), ketuanan melayu (which is so apartheid sounding). The country is going backward, not forward. America is going to have a Black president, or a woman president had Hillary Clinton won the presidential candidacy.

Point is, we are all supposed to be more educated and advanced. Yet there are still people who let politicians manipulate them via the race card. I miss my childhood days when we mingled in school without any racial distinction. Even my parents who have never attended university probably show more respect towards our neighbours and friends of other races/religions, than some of these monkey politicians. My brothers and I were told to make sure that our dog never ran to our neighbour's home and if she did, we apologised and retrieved the dog. Our neighbour forgave us and life moves on, and when she bumped into me in the market after more than 10 years, we bersalam hormat. These days, it is probably newsworthy and some politicians may even then propose to ban dogs in communities with x% of Muslims, just to garner some popularity votes.

We are supposed to progress, not digress. I want to continue to be proud of this country I grew up in, and which I hope to raise my son in. I want him to experience the truly wonderful culture diversity, to celebrate Chinese New Year, attend open houses and eat Laksa Johor.

The Best Thing About Being Unpregnant

I love my heels, sexy gorgeous heels! And I have just bought myself a loverly pair yesterday. Most of my friends often wonder how on earth do I walk in them. I just do. It is all good balance I suppose, like how when I first learnt how to rollerblade, I have never fallen down. Ironic I know, considering the number of times I have slipped and fallen off on flat shoes.

Back to this pair of shoes, I couldn't resist them of course. I also plan on wearing them to a wedding next weekend. But problem is now I need to get a dress to go with my shoes. What a dilemma! hahahaha... those of you out there working your butts off must really want to slap me.

Have a good week!

Dilemma of Choosing Another Maid Again....

My super maid cum house manager has to go back to the Philipinnes as her mother is ill. I am now faced with the most depressing task i.e. recruitment. I HATE RECRUITING. I hate it more when I am now faced with 2 choices. And I know that whichever one I hire, at one point I will wish that I had hire the other one!!! My hubby was right, he told me to just hire the first one I met (whom unfortunately has taken up another better offer while I was waiting to widen my choice scope by interviewing more maids). After all, how difficult is it to perform household chores and look after lil eddie?

The main reason why I am blogging this is because it helps to streamline my thoughts. And yes, the answer has come to me. I don't need a rocket scientist. Like what my mom said, it's the personality that matters. After all you have to face them 24 hours 6 days a week.

My 2 month old demonstrating his water prowess

Yes, having kids is an expensive affair. This super sunsuit which protects you from all sorts of ray harm cost me $ 70, and he'll probably wear it for 2 months. As for the float, I went to a shop in Singapore to get it. When the saleslady gave me an option with the mushroom shelter, I could not resist! So I lugged it all the way to Samui. When I tried to blow it up (pun unitended), only did I realise that this was not possible. My husband already chided me bout the unnecessary mushroom and yet I made him drive me to a nearby kedai motor. So I tried to explain to the para-para mechanics that I needed to borrow their squirty pump because I could not blow up the mushroom by myself. As they filled up the float, the people in the shop started laughing seeing this grown up woman with a giant float. Nevertheless, I was extremely pleased that I have bought the float in the first place.

A Tanned Mum is a Happy Mum

Shame on me! Yes, I have been slacking big time. But really, it is a tough balancing act when your day is sectioned off into 8 milking sessions.

So where have I been? I just got back from my 2 weeks bliss in Koh Samui. Weather was great, beach Chaweng is beautiful as always, yummy thai lunches-dinners, not too much booze, and one unfortunate trip to the dentist which involved an emergency flight to Bangkok.

My boy is now just over 3 months old. I am so glad that I don't have to go back to work yet. Spoken to my boss about extending my unpaid leave. I am even more cheesed off with the fact that they have recently announced a new maternity leave package which is 4 months of paid leave!!! Too bad I have missed out on that. And also, I am still waiting for the bridezilla's wedding invite so that I can plan my trip back to Sitiawan.

Jetsetting Eddie

Finally I am back in Singapore. The 6 hours trip was extremely stressful for me as we had to spend 3.5 hours in the car and another 2.5 hours in the airport / plane. I was so worried if Eddie were to have one of his episodes, the infamous inconsolable cry that makes me cry too. And he did have one in the car. Even my dad was freaked out and got very worried. Thank goodness after much coaxing, he calmed down and we continued our journey. However we were running late due to the unscheduled stop so my dad drove me straight to the departure gate. I left Eddie in the car with my dad as I got all the luggages (30 odd kg in total) to purchase Eddie's ticket and checked in first. Only after that I went to get him and he was blissfully asleep. I strapped him into my sarong sling and hand in hand we went through immigration. Thank goodness he had another feeding session just before we boarded the plane and that definitely helped him sleep through the flight. He didn't wake up or fuss until the plane touched down in Singapore! Woohoo... phew... i was sooooooooooo relieved.

The Benefits of Hiring a Confinement Aunty

As a tribute to the very nice Aunty, I would like to list down all the benefits of hiring a confinement aunty. Many may argue that the aunty is merely doing a paid job, but I can assure you that it is more than just the money that could entice one to take up this 24/7 super demanding job.


First of all, you must love babies and have tonnes of patience. This is especially the case when baby wakes up at 3.00am for his feed, and refuses to go back to sleep. Aunty will pick him up and sing to him while he falls back to sleep. Repeat all the above at 4.30am.


1. Each nutritious meal (up to 5 a day) is served to you at your convenience...
...where ever you are e.g. bedroom, living room, garden patio. You are not allowed to lift a finger, not even to clear the dishes.

2. Better Control of Diet
Aunty cuts me fresh fruits everyday at tea time which prevents me from eating junk.

3. 24 hours Baby-Caring
Baby is looked after 24 hours a day by aunty, which allows your body to recuperate during the 1 month period.

4. Prevents post-natal depression.
Everything is managed by the aunty, so the only thing you will feel is probably boredom or constant bickering with your mom on the shower issue. Caution: The post-natal depression may strike after the 1 month confinement when aunty leaves and you feel totally hopeless!

5. Forget about Pre-Natal Class (chapter on how to look after newborn)
Hands on training from a true expert on how to look after your baby. After all, aunty looks after newborn all year round! I truly salute her stamina.

Of course if you have a non-working mom who's willing to do the job, it is even better! However the down-side is it's harder to negotiate with your mom when you want to break some rules.

Bye-bye Confinement Aunty

Sadly, I had to drive my dear confinement aunty home today. Having spent 1 month with her, I have inadvertently grown dependent on her. So has Eddie. After she left, I came home to find a hysteric Eddie and I could not calm him down despite all the rocking and dancing moves. Despite his very tender age, he has already grown attached to aunty's soothing voice. I came to the conclusion that Aunty's very good at what she does because she has never let Eddie's cry manifests into hysteria! Poor Eddie, it broke my heart to see him cry so pitifully. Finally brought him to my room, turned on Diana Krall, gave him a gentle rub and pat his bottom.

Yum.... George is single again!!!

George is single again! Ooh.. he is so yummylicious. I was actually devastated when I found out last year that he was dating. I even googled his girlfriend to do a background check on her. Yes, she was hot. Of course not that it mattered since that I was already married by then. But in true fashion of a typical terratorial b^*%$ (shame shame), I actually delighted at the news that he has split up!

I don't know how to set up a poll, but would you ever consider cheating on your spouse with George? Hmmnn... tough one, but I guess I am a one man woman.

One Month Old

Yippie!!! My confinement is officially over today! I'm no longer under house arrest (not that I haven't been roaming around town). This morning, I got up early, apart to pump milk, to dress up my son in his Sunday best and he wore his blings from his grandparents. He looked rather smart. After that, I went to pick up cakes which were to be delivered to all relatives and friends who have given us pressies. Bridezilla, since you are away, please have a look at the picture which is dedicated to you. There's a Swiss Log, ang ku kueh and red eggs.

Eddie's Latest Trick

Oh dear, I am definitely one of those parents who incessantly dote on their newborns. Look! My baby's new trick.

Leaving on a Jetplane

Can't believe how quickly time flies. I have been back in my hometown for over 7 weeks and I'll be going back to Singapore next Wednesday to join my hubby. I haven't stayed at my home-home for such a long period of time. The last time was probably during my uni summer holidays. Of course, this feat can be repeated with my next baby. My poor mom is trying to get me to stay longer, her excuse being that I will not be able to handle the baby by myself. Of course, what she really means is that she will miss me and my baby but she just won't say it. Poor mom, will come back to see her soon.

Baby Eddie with his num-num

My baby is 26 days old today. This is a picture of him, when he isn't crying.

An Early Moon

Tonight, we will be holding a party for Eddie. His actual full moon party is supposed to be next weekend but since that my brothers will not be around, we have decided to have it tonight instead! I do not love parties but I love cooking. This is an excellent break from my doing-nothing-everyday. Last night I have made agar-agar cendol (cendol pudding) and tonight I will be preparing sandwiches. My father, the resident chef will be making all his signature dishes. Unfortunately since I am still observing the confinement ritual, I won't be eating any of the yummy food.

Of course, there will be some stuff that I can eat but someone told me before that if you listen to what everyone says (nags), there is nothing you can eat! So in order to avoid being nagged by a well meaning aunty each time I put something into my mouth, I shall take my pre-emptive ginger meal before the party.

"Desexify" thy Breasts

Just 5 weeks ago on my last day of work, a very kind colleague was running me through various types of breast pumps and their benefits. I have never thought myself as a prude but I have to admit that I was rather shocked when she brought me to the mummy's room and the way all other women in the room were casually whipping out their breasts and pumping them while chatting to me struck me as rather akward.


Now that I am a 3-week old mother, I have to say that my breasts status has somehow been converted. Mainly, this could be attributed to the shift of priorities. I can assure you that if your baby is temperamental when it comes to his feeds, the moment the siren goes off, all you want to do is feed your baby and shut him up. So it matters very little whether you're sitting in the living room (only in the presence of other females) or the privacy of your own room. I no longer care if other female relatives find it odd to see me breastfeesing. In fact I now understand why some women can casually breastfeed in public, as if a crying baby can wait till you find yourself a baby's room in a busy shopping mall.


Signs of Desexified Breasts

1. You define your right/left boob as the top producing boob.


2. One hand guiding baby's head towards nipple, while the other hand holding boob to aim nipple into his mouth.


3. Erotic Ann Summers' lingerie is seen as suitable breast feeding outfit.

Come and Gone

Now I can totally understand exactly how yummymummy and misskechik feel whenever their cavemen go off for their hunts for months at end. My hubby is leaving for Singapore today and I won't be seeing him for at least another 4 weeks. *sob sob*
I suppose time will fly past especially when I have my little grumpy siren to keep me company.

Sunday Visits

Thank you to those who share my misery and frustration. I have barely survived Round 1 visit from well meaning relatives today. Comments received (list is non-exhaustive):-

"You are wearing sleeveless top. The wind will cause rheumatism in your shoulders."
"The air-con is too cold for you and your baby." n.b. air-con is exclusively for feeding sessions
"You are still very fat!"
"You musn't read books. It will strain your eyesight."
"You should wear socks when you walk around the house."
"You must wear pants which cover your knees."
"You must not walk around. Your womb might 'drop'."
"Who says you can have shower 7 days after your deliver? It's 12 days." n.b. It's ok, don't argue. Remember rule #1 from the earlier blog. http://indispensablepoe.blogspot.com/2008/05/well-meaning-aunties-and-101-donts.html

Popular Demand

Thank you everyone for your well wishes: Yummymummy, David, Miss Kechik, Tabea, Shen & Jon, Ade & Bob, Sean & Dave, Emma, May Leen, Jean & many many more.

Attached is the photo of my 4 days old baby, Edward Rhys Kirby.

Well Meaning Aunties and the 101 Don'ts

2 male colleagues of mine have recently gone through the post natal confinement ritual with their respective spouses. Each day, they recounted their stressful tales of conflicting advises from both their own parents and in-laws. It is made worse when each parent has his/her own opinion on simple matter such as whether you should feed the baby while watching telly. We are talking about the opinions from at least 7 different people; MIL, FIL, own mother, own father, spouse, yourself and confinement lady.

I consider myself a practical person, and stubborn to a certain degree. When I was first pregnant, I refused to attend pre-natal classes despite my doctor's insistence. So I decided to lie to my doctor about it by getting a cheat sheet (basics about birth) from a friend of mine who was attending the class. Of course my hubby wasn't smart about it by asking doctor basic question such as what's Braxton Hicks (these are the usual tell-tale signs that you haven't been to the class!).

Instead of reading and listening to lots of different advises, I stuck to only one book "What to Expect" and Babycenter.com.

It annoyed me greatly when people judged me based on what I ate and drank. I consumed coffee every morning, occasional sashimi at reputable Jap of course, glass of Christmas champagne and oysters. At the same time, I also eat 3 servings of fruits every morning before lunch time, and a glass of warm milk before bed every night. My point is everything should be in moderation. If you listen to what everyone tells you, there is nothing you can eat!

Yes, I hate to be told what to do especially when one cannot justify or provide any concrete reasonings (I am not even talking about scientific proofs)!

I thought that being at home with a confinement aunty should be less stressful considering that my mom is at work and my dad is cool bout most things. The other plus points are my hubby being Caucasian and my parents in law are in Wales.

Just as my blog title suggests, everyone means well. However there is a breaking point when you have different people telling you different things. The Chinese has got a thing about "wind" being linked to rheumatism. My mom tells me not to use the air-con and use the fan instead. My aunt from next door turned up and told me off for sitting under the ceiling fan. Do you know that average daytime temperature is about 33degrees C!!!

Next thing is about my diet. Traditional Chinese confinement food consists lots of ginger, sesame seed oil and meat. I don't mind the food at all, but the only problem is you are not allowed many varieties of vegetables and fruits. Common vegetables would be kailan and french beans which I like until this aunt said that too much kailan will cause wind too. I was like bleah!!!!!!!!!

Then there is this debate about fruits. My confinement aunty could understand the importance of fruits and we both agreed that I should not be eating oranges as it agitates my throat. As for all other fruits (save for mango and durian), I should be eating at least 2 servings per day. My mom called me this morning and asked me if I have eaten papaya (as someone told her that it causes wind too). Instead of getting into a debate with her, I just said no. It turned out that our house maid has ratted on me, unintentionally of course.

Each time when I try to reason with my mother, she asked me if I have heard about this family doctor friend who is apparently suffering from some severe joint pain. My mother attributed it to her not abiding to the Chinese post-natal confinement rules. Of course it has nothing to do with any other reasons.

I am not being a total rebel, there are other things that I am abiding by. For instance, I am not drinking plain water. Surprise surprise, there is wind in water too. Also it did not bother me as much as I thought it would be as I like the special tea the confinement aunty brews for me everyday.

Secondly, I am not showering. Wait wait, I am sponging 3 times a day! The only reason why I haven't broken this #1 golden rule is because of my c-section incision. But I have discovered a sponging method which leaves me feeling as good as a bath! As for hairwashing, that goes without saying. Even if I have stitches in my head, I would still immerse my head in water!

So what do I do?

• Rule #1 Do not get into debates about things you could get away with.
• Rule #2 Do things that you can tolerate with e.g. not drinking plain water which I never thought was possible.
• Rule #3 Remind yourself that everyone means well and have the best of intentions, eventhough at the back of your mind you constantly wonder if they are trying to make you suffer the same way they were made to.

The truth and nothing but the truth about breastfeeding

Whatever horror stories you have read about breastfeeding are true!

It is a nipple-wrecking experience
Inexperience coupled with a hungry impatient baby does your nipple indescribable agony. Ouch!

Leakage
Yes they do... on your clothes, bed sheet, baby clothes etc

14th May 2008- Baby Eddie is Here!!!

After much waiting, my water broke on the morning of May 14th, which is also the birthday of a good friend of mine.

8.50am - I called the nurse to check how long I could hang around my parents' house before making my way to the clinic. I was told to report in asap. So I took my shower, washed my hair and drove myself to my doctor's. Called my mom to update her while I was driving.

9.30am - After some internal examination, it seemed that my best option was to have a c-section.

9.45am - Called my hubby to tell him that I was going to have the baby

10.00am- My mom sent a whole troop of my relatives to come see me to make sure that I was ok.

10.30am - Wheeled into O.T. and anesthetist injected epidural. Thank goodness it didn't hurt!

10.40am - Proceeded to cut me open.

10.50am - Baby Eddie made an appearance and he commemorated the occassion by having his first pee!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MY DEAR HUBBY!

Today is our first year wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, I am alone here in my kampung still waiting for my baby while my hubby is flying to Beijing for work this afternoon. He has been very sweet, wanting to cancel his trip so that he could be here with me. But I have already assured him that I can cut the umbilical cord by myself. :)

Did you know that the traditional first wedding anniversary gift is paper? I suppose it does make sense. If you are given diamond / jewelry in the first year, what do you expect by your 50th wedding anniversary? A diamond mine in South Africa?

List of Traditional Wedding Gifts:-

1st Paper
2nd Cotton
3rd Leather
4th Fruit, flowers
5th Wood
6th Sugar
7th Copper, wool
8th Bronze, pottery
9th Pottery, willow
10th Tin
11th Steel
12th Silk, linen
13th Lace
14th Ivory
15th Crystal
20th China
25th Silver
30th Pearl
35th Coral
40th Ruby
45th Sapphire
50th Gold
55th Emerald
60th Diamond

Wikipedia - Childbirth

hahaha... and I thought I was quite well read about childbirth until I came across this on wiki.

Orgasm during childbirth
Some women experience orgasm during childbirth.[4][5] There are similarities between the process of orgasm and childbirth; both involve involuntary contractions of some of the same muscles. Orgasm releases endorphins which can mediate the pain of labour, as well as the hormone oxytocin, which is known to play an important role in labour as well as mother-child attachment. Some people have speculated that sexual repression, in particular, the repression of women's sexuality, may be holding more women back both from having an orgasmic experience with childbirth, and from accepting and sharing the experience when they do have it.[6]

My Visit to Doctor Yeak

I have gone for my checkup (again) this morning. All is well, I have finally dilated a little bit but baby's head hasn't quite lodged in my birth canal. After more checks i.e. heartbeats and all, doctor has given me the green light to wait it out. I am very glad because I do not want to be induced, and neither do I want to be cut open. But the maximum number of days he will let me wait is 10 days past the due date which is this Saturday! The countdown begins...

Happy Birthday Dave!

Our dear family doggy is 2 years old today. Although he is not really handsome or cute, but he is very endearing.

Biodata

Name : Dave Dunmore Kirby

DOB : 12th May 2006

Breed : Boxer

The most surprising thing about Dave:

Most people presume from his looks that he's fierce, but he is the most cowardly dog I have ever had. Think Scooby Doo.

What Dave likes:

Run in the park.

What I dislike about Dave:

Suck up to my hubby and completely ignore me whenever I ask him (not) to do something.

My Rendezvous in Paris (Jan 08)

This was possibly a scandalous trip, gallavanting in Paris while being 5 months pregnant . I am glad that I did it! It is definitely easier to travel with baby in your womb rather than in a pram. Since that we were there for only 3 days, David's friend has written a special guide specially tailor made for us. It has got recommendation of good restaurants and museums which are not your typical tourist guide standards.

Highlights of the trip:-

• Hours and hours of walk around Paris


• Re-visit Shakespeare and Co, this little bookstore that I have chanced upon 8 years ago in Latin Quarter! I didn't know that it has been made famous by the movie starring Ethan Hawke called Before Sunset. My mate David is mad bout the film!
  



• Food, lots and lots of French fare. Ate foie gras at every other meal. Found an excellent French restaurant which serves good duck breast and gigantic creme brulee. Yummy!


• Went up Montmartre on foot, after all it's 130m high and quite a challenge for a preggie woman. And nothing has changed, still as touristy as ever.

Morning wet market which sells many types of cheeses, crepe, seafood, bread, hams etc.

I Dream of Samui....

Summer time will be here soon, and I cannot help but to dream of our usual summer vacation in Thailand. These photos have been taken since 2 years ago, but have never left my camera until now.

My dad asked me recently how do I spend a whole 2 weeks on a beach. I am sure most of you would agree with me that it's anything but difficult!

Waking up to the sound of waves, have breakfast, read on the beach, sunbathe, nap, drive out for yummy roadside noodle soup, go back to the beach, read, foot massage, nap, get ready go out for drinks / dinner. Next day, repeat all the above.

Desperate Mother (to be)

2 weeks ago, I thought that I was suffering from pre-natal blues. Symptoms consist mainly various types of worries:-
...not being a good mother
...not ready to be a mother
...if it changes my loving relationship with my darling hubby
and the list goes on.

That's what an idle mind does to you. Ideally, I would have continued working until I pop but unfortunately no airline would fly me so close to my due date.

Now that I have been nesting for 2 weeks, restlessness has finally set in. Even my good rakan sekampung, the bridezilla, is still thinking of new ideas for me to pass time but looks like she's still thinking (since yesterday!).

I never thought that I would reach this stage, but yes, I am desperate. I am desperate to have my baby. I am desperate to start my 1 month confinement so that the sooner it will end. It is more despairing to know that my neighbor who is supposed to be due 2 weeks after me has already popped last night!

One of the theories on why my baby hasn't made an appearance is because I am not well. Apparently when your body goes into labor, all your body energy will be channeled towards laboring (haha.. how apt). But now that I am ill, my body is busy fighting the virus so perhaps that's why the labor has been put on hold.

I have been coughing like mad. Last night, it woke me up at 1am, 4am and 7am. Just when you think that it is not possible, the cough has caused whatever remaining muscles on the sides of my belly aching. All I could do was slab on generous amount of minyak cap kapak as Vicks' not working. So my dear friends, if you have any ideas / suggestions on home remedy to get rid of my cough / phlegm / cold, please drop me a line!

How Do I Pass My Days? Let Me Count the Ways....

1. Wait for the arrival of my baby

Looking for signs e.g. contractions, water bag break, bloody show etc.



2. Cook for my family

Today I'm cooking watercress soup, 'mui choi' with stewed meat, french beans with tofu, and szechuan salted vege with meat



3. Watch Taiwanese Hokkien gangster drama series

Every single male character wears suits, including the parang wielding gangster



4. Finding natural remedies for my sore throat, cough, phlegm and cold

I have tried warm milk with turmeric powder (gasp!) and honey. Surprisingly it wasn't as bad. After all, turmeric is from same family as ginger. In my slow cooker, I've got 2 oranges stewed whole with honey and rock sugar.



5. Read (stocks will soon be depleted)

Currently reading some sleazy Victorian romance. Thought of buying books in a newly open book store but turned out that bookstore is already closed (after just 2 months!)

Overdue and Still Waiting

I've promised myself to enter the realm of blogging when I begin my 5 months sabbatical. I may be 2 weeks late but nevertheless. here we are!

For the envious ones, let me set this straight:-

3 months - Maternity Leave
1 month - Annual Leave
1 month - Unpaid Leave

Question, where's the baby? He's late. In fact he's 2 days overdue. I have been taking in bets on his new arrival dates with bets ranging from hard cold cash to bottles of whisky. I've won at least 3 bets so far! I love my baby.

Doctor told me to wait for another 3 days when a decision will have to be made to coax him out. Question is how? Depending on the condition of my womb, I may be induced or I may be cut up. Don't have preference really, but would still like him to arrive at his own will.

However, if i have to be induced or cut up, I get to choose the date. And this is the interesting part when you have various parties lobbying for different dates.

Me:
The first date which came to my mind is May 13th! This would be our 1st wedding anniversary. Most would see the inauspiciousness of the date but heck, we're not superstitious.

Shen:
She's so for 14th May, which is purely personal interest as it is her birthday!

My mom:
She would've picked 1st May (my mom has got a thing for public holidays) but since it's over, she thought that this Saturday i.e. tomorrow would be good. Reason being all the relatives could come visit me on Sunday. This is quite the norm when all your family members and relatives run their own businesses. FYI, ALL my relatives get married only on Sundays, not even Saturdays as businesses operate Monday to Saturday.

My brother:
Anytime before 14th May, so that he won't miss the baby's full moon party. A good friend of his is getting hitched on the 14th June you see.

And of course there are advocates of the nature's way. My MIL told me that she was late with both her kids, and my aunt was 2 weeks late with her firstborn.

I suppose he will come when he's ready and thank goodness with such advance medical age, you can always monitor the baby's wellbeing in the womb. As long as he's still thriving, I wouldn't worry too much.