Beanie’s tiny movements

So I think I finally felt it last night. Beanie’s first tiny kick/nudge.

Although from previous visits to the gynae, I could clearly see Beanie wriggling around all the time, but its movements were too weak and small to be felt then.

Then last night, as I was falling asleep and suddenly, I felt a distinctive “POP”. Like a bubble bursting in my tummy, then a very slight little squirm.

It felt kinda weird actually but it brought a smile to my face…

I’ll be seeing the gynae in another 2 weeks’ time and by then, I’ll be in my 20th week and hopefully I’ll get to know whether Beanie is a girl or a boy!

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to more nudges from Beanie. ;)

Impressed with Jetstar Asia

Budget airlines and I do not really get along well. Especially that particular one with stripes… horrible services where my flight got cancelled without pre-notification, took forever to speak to a customer service officer, thus I swear that I will NEVER take that airline ever again.

Then yesterday, I decided to fly to Hong Kong to visit Hub this weekend. Yeah, a last minute decision to go check on Hub. So, went to Jetstar.com to book my ticket.

I’m usually a merticulous person, but somehow I got my flight details all wrong and I didn’t realised my mistakes until I had PAID and confirmed my flight?! Instead of 3.45 pm flight to HK on 25 March, I somehow clicked on the 9 am flight, as for my return leg, instead of 28 March… I booked 28 MAY instead?!?!

DANG!!!! Mini heart attack…

So, I immediately called the service hotline and prayed that Jetstar would allow me to change my flight details (hopefully FOC). Super crossed my fingers…

I waited patiently for 10 mins, which was reasonable because I had previously waited almost 30 mins for that airline with “stripes”. The customer officer, his name was Mark, was very pleasant and even asked “how was your day, Mdm?” WOAH.

He noted my mistakes and changed both of my flights without any additional charges and kept assuring that I was not an idiot… (because I started the conversation wailing that I was such an idiot to make such silly mistakes while booking a ticket online).

And within 2 minutes, the new itinerary was sent to my mailbox.

Wah… I was super impressed.

Ok, Jetstair has given me faith in budget airlines once again!

So I will be heading to Hong Kong this weekend! Whoopee!

I thought I killed a bat AGAIN!

I have a part-time helper who will come over on every Saturday to help me with some housework. As she usually arrives at my place by 8 am, which is very early for a Saturday (to me), I will usually open the door for her and I’ll hop right back into bed for another hour of snooze.

Last week, as I was snoozing away, I heard a short but sharp shriek; I rushed to the kitchen and saw Auntie with a broom, trying to sweep something black and smelly out of the window.

“What’s that???”

“I don’t know!?!? It was wedged between the windows, dead, smelly and covered with ants when I tried to open the windows. Seemed that you have killed a small bat by accident…”

“Argh…. I’ve killed a bat?!?!?!” and the smell was so bad that I went hiding in my bedroom.

Thankfully Auntie was around to help me clear the mess.

Then last night, while I was closing the windows again, the super blur me didn’t realize that “something” once again was resting at the corner of the window, and I hastily slammed the window panes.

And I heard a soft “crash”… Then I saw “something” with wings was crushed between the window panes!

Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I gave a scream and ran away, thinking that I killed another small bat.

Why the hell were these bats doing at my windows anyway?

Cookie heard the scream, came over to check me out, seeing that I’m technically ok, she went back to sleep.

As for me, I was horrified that I was a bat murderer FOR THE SECOND TIME, and was too terrified to face with the potential blood and gore that I started bawling my eyes out.

I immediately texted my next door neighbours for help but atlas, both of them were away in Malaysia and I had to deal with a crushed, dead bat on my own.

I tried calling Hub in Hong Kong for some moral support but he wasn’t picking up the phone, and Cookie was just snoozing away on the sofa without offering any moral support either!

I was suddenly overwhelmed by the notion of clearing a bloodied bat carcass that I was holding the broom and crying in the kitchen for a good 5 mins or so, until I finally calmed down.

Finally with a little bit of courage, I opened the window again, and the intention was to sweep the “something” out of the window ASAP.

Then I realized that the “something” wasn’t a bat, but a moth.

Phew… …. Nonetheless, it was a big-ass moth!!! As big as my palm!

I was soooooooooo relieved that I felt so silly for being such a scaredy cat. I am usually very gung-ho ok! Must be the pregnancy hormones…

Anyway, I swept the dead moth out of the window, drank a cup of warm water to calm my nerves and headed for bed.

What a night!

Cookie's first accident...

A mini-saga happened early this morning.

Cookie all along has been a relatively well behaved cat. She doesn't scratch my furniture, and have so far only vomited hairballs ONCE on my carpet. She eats all her catfood (although she is very fussy about the brand of catfood), and so far, has never peed or pooed in my apartment ever.

Until 2 am this morning.

She usually sleeps at the corner of my bed and will usually wakes me at by 7 am to have her breakfast. But last night, she became restless in the middle of the night, and tried to wake me up by coming to me and whimpered ever so softly by my ear.

I didn't know what she was after, so I ignored her and concentrated on getting back to sleep. Then I heard her jumping off the bed, and a few seconds later, I heard FARTING sounds...

What the hell?! I immediately jumped out of the bed, switched on the lights and saw the sheepish Cookie trying to cover her shame. She had diarrhea on my bathroom mat (the one that she is lying on, in the picture above)!

Being 2 am in the morning and hadn't really woken from my slumber yet, I went ballistic and really overreacted. I screamed at her and carried her outside towards the door. Maybe she was really sick or I had really frightened her, she struggled free, dropped to the ground, and vomited out her dinner from earlier this evening. She was still in my bedroom.

ARGH.... you naughty cat! First you pooed, then you puked in my room!

I went a bit crazy and carried her out of the house, and left her outside. She vomited again just outside my door, looked a bit hurt but walked away shortly.

I was too overwhelmed by the smell and the mess to think coherently. After cleaning up the all the mess inside my room and outside the door, I realised that I had been a HORRIBLE cat mummy...

Cookie had already tried to warn me that she really needed to go but I didn't recognise her signals. She must have tried her best to hold it in but diarrhea, being diarrhea, she couldn't control it anymore but to relieve herself in the bedroom. At least she was smart enough to pooed on the bathroom mat instead of my bed.

I felt sooooo bad and guilty, at the same time worried about her since she was most probably not feeling too well. But it was already almost 3 am in the morning and I had no idea where did she run to.

Haiz, so I couldn't really fall back to sleep after that. Woke up in the morning with a headache and light sorethroat instead... most probably due to the lack of sleep.

Hopefully Cookie, being the smart and hardy semi-stray, will self-medicate herself with grass or herbs to sort out her digestive system. Meanwhile, I will be keeping a lookout for her, and bring her to the vet if she is still unwell.

To bring her to the vet, will most probably be another major saga, coming from the previous experience! I really hope that she will get well soon!

The big S-T-R-E-T-C-H

When I first broke the news about Beanie to my girlfriends, almost all of them asked the same question: “Hrm…Have you bought your stretch mark cream?”

“Eh…. No? Do I need to apply now? I’m still in my 1st trimester and my tummy is still flat wat…”

“OF COURSE!!” All answered unanimously. Prevention is way better than cure!

Okay…. …. ….

But deep down inside, I just thought that my fellow girlfriends are just being kiasu and forgot all about creams and lotions while I was battling fatigue, nausea and dizziness.

One particular girlfriend couldn’t believe how nonchalant I am about the “horrible” stretch marks and my impending doom that she bought me a tube of Clarin’s Stretch Mark Control Cream as a gift. Supposedly the best and one of the most expensive in the market.

“Nah… don’t say don’t have. You are going to thank me for this! Use it RELIGIOUSLY EVERY NIGHT from now until the end of your confinement period. Do you understand??” she barked.

Woah. So fierce.

Well, since it was a gift, so I started applying it religiously after my showers day after day. Although currently my tummy is barely a small bump, but at times, I can really feel the skin across my tummy stretching, similar to the feeling of my face tightening when I do not put moisturizer immediately after cleansing.

Then 2 days ago, I met up with another girlfriend who is now a proud mummy of a 8 months old boy and we were just chatting about pregnancies and babies. Of course, the topic drifted to stretch marks and she lamented she wasn’t “hardworking” enough in applying her creams and now, she has to bear the consequences of her “laziness”.

And she showed me her hips and OMG……………………………………… grayish, spidery lines were clearly visible on her hips and they really didn’t look very pleasant at all!

“The stretch marks were previously red and angry, and by the time I started on the anti-stretch mark cream, it was already too late”

Woah. Ok, that’s a wake-up call.

So I immediately went down to Robinsons today during my lunch break, and bought another tube of the cream, together with a bottle of Body Treatment Oil. 20% discount on all Clarin’s products +7% of GST absorbed by Robinsons! Yay!!!

Now I’m all ready to combat against stretch marks!

Random: My beautiful dinning chairs...

The above color combination: sunny yellow with barley white, is my favourite.

A few weeks ago, my interior designer requested for some pictures of the dinning chairs that she has custom-made for us. "For records purposes" she said. Then she added sheepishly that she had forgotten to take note of the color schemes and fabric used, and needed some pictures to refresh her memory.

Haha, no problem.

So, I happily took some pictures and it just hit me that.... my dinning chairs are, indeed gorgeous!

Each color comes in pairs, and so I have 10 of them in total. These beautiful chairs have added some vibrance to my dinning area, which is mainly in steel, bricks and wood.

Seeing these chairs make me happy again... ;)

Top 5 Baby Items to buy!

Heard that there will be a few Baby Fairs in the month of March, so gotta start shopping around for the items that I absolutely must have!

*Ok, friends who are reading my blogs, I’m not trying to hint what Baby Shower pressies to buy, in fact, most of these items cost a few hundred dollars a pop, so… I’m just sharing with fellow friends and bloggers about the stuff that I need. *no pressure* ;P

1) Miracle Blanket

One particular friend SWEARS by this product. This piece of blanket has bought her precious hours of uninterrupted sleep. Anything that can buy me extra hours of sleep when screaming Beanie arrives, I’ll buy it. PERIOD. In fact, I'll most probably buy 3, in case Beanie pukes or poops in the blanket, which I can so see it coming...

2) Medela pump Free-style

This is a duo pump that according to my friends, is one of the best in the market. This piece of gadget does not come cheap but my rationale is: if I had already spent a bomb on a breast pump, I jolly well stick to breast-feeding to make my money worthwhile. Die die must breastfeed!

3) Ergo Baby Carrier

Remember the Koala mummy mantra? From my research, Ergo Baby Carrier is one of the few carriers that will allow me to wear my baby in the front or on my hip or on my back, ala “Ninga Turtle” style. And most importantly, Ergo carriers support a natural sitting position for babies, so allowing babies to be comfortable. Moreover, the design also balances the weight of the baby on the parent’s shoulders AND hips, saving the parent’s back muscles. For very young babies, I just need to buy a “baby insert” that can provide the required support to a newborn’s head. Viola, instead of carrying the baby around, I can have BOTH of my hands to run my errands and do my chores.

4) Cloth Diapers

Did I mention that I’m a tree hugger and I wana be a Koala mummy? So, I must live to my mantra right? Using cloth diapers save the environment AND money… so, I’m definitely going to give these modern cloth diapers a try. There will be mountains of poop to wash, so wish me luck!

5) ) Arm’s Reach co-sleeper

I’ve been searching high and low for this co-sleeper. But it seems that many shops no longer carry this product. I guess I just have to find a cot that can be adjusted to my bed’s height, and place the cot right next to my bed instead. I have the intention the let Beanie co-sleep in the bedroom for the first few months, I figure that night feeds will be easier for the both of us where I can just scoop Beanie from the cot (next to my bed) and breastfeed Beanie instead of running to the nursery every 2-3 hours.

There are still so many other items to buy, eg: stroller, bathing basin, bips, towels, baby's clothes, Baby's carseat, ear plugs, massage chair (for me, of course), slimming wraps... ...

Ok, buy the top 5 first!

15 hrs a day, how long can you last?

I’ve always wondered how do some people work 15 hrs a day, EVERYDAY?

We are talking about a competitive and intense environment where you eat at your desk during lunches AND dinners, with non-existence breaks. The only break is to dash to the toilet for 30 seconds and you are back slogging away at your desk.

We are talking about fellow colleagues being mean to each other and yelling at each other because everyone is just so overworked. The vicious cycle goes on and on… … …

How do these people do it?

I can maybe do something like that for say, 2 weeks max, and yes, I have had pulled such hours in my younger days, but not EVERYDAY. Only when I need to meet a deadline… …

But now, Hub is working 15 hrs everyday, Monday to Friday. The only consolation is that his weekends, so far, have been free. *touch wood*

Every time when I facetime Hub using the Iphone 4, I can tell that he is looking more haggard day by day and he is getting grumpier by the day.

I would also pull a black face if I have to work from 8.30 am to 11.30 pm EVERYDAY, with lunches at 3 pm at my desk and dinner at 10.30 pm at my bloody desk again.

I want to tell my husband that we don’t need a lot of money to be happy.

I’ll rather that we spend time with each other, stay in a HDB flat, and don’t drive a car (not that we have one anyway). We’ll just take occasional holidays to M’sia but we’ll be happy. I don’t need expensive handbags or shoes or any stupid diamonds.

Beanie doesn’t have to go to those branded childcare or expensive enrichment lessons.

I just want my husband to be his jovial self again. Less stress, less angst, more love and awareness towards himself and his loved ones.

I can’t wait for his posting in HK to be over. Haiz… 10 more months to go.

Preggy or simply a Telly Tubby?

Now that I have just a very tiny bump, I’ve encountered a few rather funny incidents while taking the MRT.

Firstly, I must applaud that most Singaporeans and fellow passengers are really quite considerate and gracious to give up their seats when they notice a Preggy is on board. So far, many had given up their seats for me, although some were unsure whether I’m pregnant or simply… a Telly Tubby.

Incident 1

I was on the train and stood in front of this gentleman. He took a look at me and immediately had this constipated look. I could literally see a bubble above his head, “Preggy or not? Hmm, I do not want to offend this lady by giving her the seat but only to have her snapped back at me because she isn’t pregnant!”

So to end his dilemma, I decided to help him out a bit by pushing out whatever tummy that I had and did a REALLY exaggerated rub on my tummy. Very theatrical, I know… but I really do need the seat ok!

He got my cue immediately and sprang up from his seat to offer it to me. So, we had a happy ending, he was feeling pleased about himself, being a considerate gentleman, and I was so glad to grab a seat.

Incident 2

So, once again I was on the train, standing just right in front of the priority seat. The train was really full and passengers who had seats were busy playing with their Iphones. I was feeling rather good until a man got into the train with a bad case of BO. On any other normal days, I doubt I could smell anything. But now, I have become Wolfverine and can smell a fart from 2 km away.

The BO was so bad (at least to me, everyone else didn’t seem to smell anything or simply too polite to make any faces), I couldn’t help myself but to gag… hrm, rather loudly. But it was totally unintentional lah.

Sorry dude, but… you were making me puke.

Thankfully the lady in front of me saw me gagging and immediately gave up her seat. I took it gratefully. With a seat, I could fish out a tissue paper to cover my nose and breathe through my mouth, and concentrate very hard NOT to vomit on the train. So, another happy ending, although a bit smelly.

All in all, I am very grateful to all those who had given up their seats to me. Thanks fellow passengers!

The weirdest way to lose weight

For the longest time, I've been trying very hard to keep my weight under 50 kg. At my fittest and leanest, I was 48 kg and that was when I got married. After all, I gotta be a pretty and svelte bride right?

Unfortunately, since then on, my weight had always been slightly above 50 kg, usually just a few kilos more, but enough to cause some anguish and motivation to hit the gym on a regular basis.

But ever since I got pregnant, I’ve been losing weight. I went down to a low of 48.5 kg, and as of this morning, my weight was merely 49.4 kg. The nurse, who took my weight, frowned at me and asked whether I was a heavy smoker.

“I do not smoke?!?!”

“You gotta eat more, young lady” as she stared at me with her disapproving eyes.

Trust me, I used to be SUCH A PIG before I have Beanie. I live to eat and I love my food. So much so that, it’s always Hub who has to remind me NOT to eat like there’s no tomorrow.

But now… I can barely look at food without gagging.

I miss my old, piggy self who can eat a big bowl of Bah Chor Mee, plus 1 bowl of Ching Teng and can still wolf down a medium scoop of Yummi Yogurt.

I’m really trying VERY hard to eat healthy and nutritious meals but unless I cook these meals myself, I just have to depend on take-aways and even with the take-aways, I can barely eat half of the portions.

Whenever I am slightly hungry, I can only eat a few mouthfuls and I simply do not feel like eating anymore. If I force myself to eat more, I will throw up the entire meal and that’s really counter-intuitive.

I know I should eat small meals, and that’s what I try to do. I’ll eat a banana here, a yogurt there, or some cornflakes with milk.

I just want to gain my appetite back! ;(

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

Haha... after watching this commercial, I do want a boy! A mini Darth Vader is so cute!

Who’s going to look after Beanie?

Singapore’s workfare scheme is becoming too successful. So much so that, both my in-laws and my mother are all working either full or part-time in their so-called “retirement years”.

Both my mother and mother-in-law are in their late 50s and my father-in-law is in his mid-sixties. Both ladies are still actively contributing to our Singapore’s economy and even my father-in-law is working on a part-time basis.

Previously when my mom was bugging me for a grandchild, she volunteered to be the main care-giver and would babysit my kid(s) to encourage me to start a family.

Now, she is having cold feet.

“Hmm, actually my current company is treating me rather well…”

“My company recently sent me for many training sessions, y’know. And I learnt many new things…”

“Eh, nowadays got Infantcare centres and govt got subsidize rite…?”

“Hrm, I’ve not taken care of babies for a long time and I think I’m out of touch…”

Argh!!! Seems that my mother is having second thoughts about being a Babysitter to Beanie. She is still currently considering her options…

I’ve always thought that my mom’s current job is rather hectic and stressful. Now that my youngest brother has already started working, I’ve suggested to my mom to take things easy, either convert to a part-time basis or simply retire.

But with the highly successful campaign of “work-till-you-die-because-your-CPF-isn’t-enough-for-your-retirement-even-if-you-have-children-who-are-willing-to-support-you” scheme, my mom proudly declared that she is going to work till she’s 68 yrs old or until she dropped dead?!

I’m sure her job gives her a great sense of fulfillment and her interaction with fellow colleagues keep her busy and entertained. In addition to the fact that she can be financial independent as long as she keeps her job.

Not to short-change my mother financially, I’ve mentioned that I would pay her according to “market rate” for being a care-giver to Beanie. However, the notion of being a SAHG, stay-at-home-Grandparent comes across more as a sacrifice than a blessing.

Grandparents, no longer want to look after their grandchildren anymore. Yet, at the same time, they bug us for grandchildren for them to play during their “off-days”.

So, who’s going to look after the children during normal working hours?

A maid? I am very uncomfortable with that idea. Especially an unsupervised maid alone at home with a wailing baby.

Myself? I cannot afford it. Being a SAHM, stay-at-home-mom is out of question. Unless I can somehow run a small business that can at least pay for the mortgage, and yet allows me rock the cradle at home.

A Nanny? A super rare commodity in this time and age, especially a good nanny who is willing to take care, love and discipline your child as her own, is really, really, really difficult to come by.

I guess Infantcare will be the last resort. Times like this, I really wonder why the hell do I bother to have any children at all.

I need MORE Baby Bonus

I'm just into my 11 weeks and I've already spent S$2500 on Beanie. Those weekly visits to the Gynae, medication of progesterone pills, in addition to the twice-weekly-injections and the blood tests and scans... ALL ADD UP!

And you wonder why Singapore's fertility rate is only 1.16?

As long as Beanie is healthy and growing well, as a parent-to-be, I don't really have a choice but to pay up and pray that Beanie will ultimately be a healthy baby. That's all I ask for.

But I am now fully aware of the cost of bringing up children in Singapore and Beanie is not even born yet?! Think I really gotta start saving like mad and forsake all types of luxery in life because I seriously do not think that I can afford raising a kid in my homeland.

So, I am really looking forward to the Budget on 18 Feb this year, as well as the National Rally. Hoping that more financial incentives can be given to young parents-to-be, ie: me.

For a start, how about upping the Baby Bonus to at least $5000 instead of the current $4000 for the 1st and 2nd child? And maybe throw in FULL deduction from medisave for gynae, delivery and hospitalisation charges, instead of the current partial.

Seriously, as new parents-to-be, we really need FULL FINANCIAL support from our beloved govt. Or else, at this rate, I think I can only afford to have just ONE Beanie.

The Tiger Daddy vs The Koala Mommy

So, many fellow bloggers, journalists and friends have made many comments about Amy Chua, the Tiger Mother and her parenting style.

I personally will not make any comments on her style since she is the mother of her children and she can do whatever she wants with them. Her methods might deem as extreme but I believe that it stems from the fact that she loves her children very much and wants the best for them.

I, myself is not a Tiger mommy. In fact, if there’s any animal to describe my parenting style, it will most probably be a Koala Bear. Yup, a tree hugger, take-it-easy, extremely laid-back to the point of almost lazy, Koala Bear.

I’ll most probably focus on teaching my kid(s) how to look as cute as possible like a koala, so that everyone else will be at their beck and call. This is an extremely important life skill that many parents have neglected. I’ll also bring them to parks and beaches to appreciate plants and open spaces, will also teach them how to climb trees since I, myself was a tree climbing expert in Primary School. We’ll just spend a lot of time hugging and cuddling each other, making each other laugh. We’ll learn music, dance, poetry, art & crafts because it will be fun. We’ll also do sports like tennis, golf, cycling, karting, wrestling or sailing because they are fun, fun fun.

I’ll urge and encourage them to put in their best effort in everything that they do, and hopefully they will want to excel because they take pride in themselves instead of using threats and canes. But of course, Koala Mommy will need to discipline the little koalas if they are naughty or misbehaved. Have u seen how a real Koala Mommy discipline her cubs? She will grunt and bellow like a cow. Imagine, a cute koala suddenly yelling at you like a cow… scary rite?

As for Hub, he is the classic Tiger Daddy. He’s very competitive, has super high and unrealistic expectations, and expects his cubs to ace every single academic subject and represent Singapore in some International Mathematics and Science competition. He and Amy Chua can be best friends.

End of the day, I just hope that the kids will eventually turn out to be a koala on the outside but a tiger in the inside! Best of both worlds!

1st attempt ever to make pineapple tarts. Luckily this project is initiated by my neighbours, and I'm there to help and learn.

Tadah! I must say that these tarts are as good as those being sold outside. ;)

Packing them into the traditional CNY containers.

We also made some almond cookies but I forgot to take pictures.. ;(

My attempt to create some CNY spirit in the house. Bought some cute little fake birds and a stalk of fake Plum blossoms to decorate my place.

Also bought some freshly cut Heliconias and chrysanthemums to decorate the house. Hope the flowers can last!

Chinese New Year preparations!

Last weekend was a busy one. Saturday was Pastry Day, the neighbours and I basically spent the whole of saturday making pineapple tarts and almond cookies. It was a very enjoyable process where I learnt how to make these CNY goodies from my neighbours and had a good time bonding with them.

I am really thankful that I have such friendly and nice neighbours, where I can just hop over to their place to chitchat or even have meals together, and vice-versa. Very community-living... I like!

On Sunday, I went to some nurseries along Thomson road to buy some CNY decorations and flowers to create some festive spirits. Bought a few stalks of Heliconias, 2 huge bunches of chrysanthemums, fake birds, 1 big red ribbon and a stalk of fake plum blossom. And I carried all these by myself back home.

Geez, nearly fainted with fatigue by the time I made it back home!

The Saga of bringing Cookie to the Vet

One of my mom's cats, 小小 had an open wound near his anus. And so, on last Sunday, My mom and I decided to bring him to a vet.

Since I would be going to the vet anyway, I might as well bring Cookie along for a check-up right?

The plan seemed easy enough, Cookie would have her usual morning snack at 10 am (yup, her usual breakfast is a 6.30 am), and after that I would just coax her into the carrier and off we go to the Vet.

It didn't happen like that. Ok, it did until the part when I was supposed to coax her into the carrier.

I borrowed the carrier from my neighbour, and placed it on the floor. Cookie was curious at first and was sniffing it, wondering what the hell it was. I used her fav toy and almost got her into the carrier when she suddenly became suspicious and turned 180 degrees!

Damn, I lost my patience and grabbed her, wanted to push her into the carrier in "one swift action". Cookie turned into this demonic creature full of claws, fangs and hisses, and she was smart enough to use her front paws to push herself against the entrance of the carrier, twisted out of my hands and swiftly jumped away!

Then came the part when I chased her around the flat and she ended up being stressed and pissed. Everytime I approached her, she would just hiss and run away. I even asked my neighbours for help, all 4 adults still couldnt handle her and one of my neighbours ended up being scratched by her. As for me, I was wearing rubber gloves, so no scratches for me. Heh Heh.

After 20 mins of huffing and puffing, we gave up. I was late for 小小's appointment with the vet already, and simply did not have the time to chase this stupid cat around.

In defeat, I let her out of the house. Before she left, she turned around and looked at me in distaste, turned her nose up in the air and calmly walked away.

Argh. This cat is freaking killing me!

Weird Eating habits

People say that pregnant women are supposed to have cravings right? Todate, I have NONE. None at all, in fact, on the contary, I have lost interest in food.

Before the pregnancy, I am known to be the greedy pig. I eat EVERYTHING and I live to eat. Meal times are usually happy times. I enjoy cooking at home, trying new recipes or go around Singapore, hunting for good food.

That has changed.

I eat for the sake of eating, to provide some form of nourishment for myself and Beanie. I barely eat 40% of the portion that I used to. I cannot stand strong smelling food that I used to LOVE, like: garlic, corriander, black vinegar... etc. I cannot stand the smell and taste of fish and even chicken, pork and beef taste yucky.

I can only stomach bland food like brown rice, green vegatables and lightly flavoured items.

Whenever I see dishes in rich, brown sauces, I wana puke.
When I walk past food courts, I wana puke.
When I see or smell raw pieces of meat, I wana puke.
When I drink water early in the morning, I puke like crazy.

I have no interest in cooking anymore, and every smell seems offensive to me. Even my very own perfume and shower form seem overwhelmingly strong.

O geez, I'm going crazy.

Some lame pregnancy jokes...

Can a mother get pregnant while nursing?
~Yes, but it’s much easier if she removes the baby from her breast and puts him to sleep first.

The more pregnant I get, the more often strangers smile at me. Why?
~‘Cause you’re fatter than they are.

Ever since I’ve been pregnant, I haven’t been able to go to bed at night without onion rings. Is this a normal craving?
~Depends on what you’re doing with them.

I’m modest. Once I’m in the hospital to deliver, who will see me in that delicate position?~Authorized personnel only - doctors, nurses, orderlies, photographers, florists, cleaning crews, journalists, etc.

Where is the best place to store breast milk?
~In your breasts.

What is colic?
~A reminder for new parents to use birth control.

Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
~When the kids are in college.

Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
~Yes, pregnancy.

*grin*

Let me introduce... Beanie.

Ok... took me a while to decide whether I should share this early piece of good news since most mothers will only want to declare their "status" after the 1st trimester. But after some serious thoughts, I've decided to come clean and pen down my thoughts anyway.

Yup, this is Beanie and it's about 8 weeks old.

The past few weeks had been rather difficult. I had continuous bleeding and cramps consecutively for a few days and was in the hospital for half a day. Beanie was deem as unstable and I had to bed-rest, receive progesterone injections every 3 days, and currently taking progesterone pills.

Luckily, as of this morning, Beanie's heartbeat is still strong and no more bleeding and cramps. I'm seeing my gynae every week now, and to be frank, I have great fear whenever the doctor checks for the heartbeat... ... ...

Beanie's timing is a bit weird.... hrm, Hubby is now based in Hong Kong and I still have the CFA exam to tackle in June. It's presence came as a surprise, nonetheless, a very treasured one.

I hope Beanie will continue to grow strong and healthy, and I'm looking forward to this wondrous journey of motherhood.

But geez, the morning sickness and the nausea is really bad! My head feels dizzy most of the time and I've lost my appetite to eat. Meals have become a chore and especially so, when I'm eating alone.

Due to the previous bleeding, I'm advised to take things easy and haven't been going to the gym. My energy level is low, and it doesn't help that I'm also down with flu for the past 2 days.

Argh. ;(

In any case, I hope Little Beanie will be strong and healthy, and continue to cling on to me till he or she is ready to face the world!

This is exactly what I do NOT want for my CNY decors!



Xmas is over and Chinese New Year is coming!

So I’ve kept my Xmas tree and all the Xmas decorations, and can’t help thinking that my flat looks kind of lifeless and boring right now.

Doing up my place for Xmas was easy, I mean, how wrong can Xmas decorations be right?

But Chinese New Year is a totally different story. I can’t help to notice that most Chinese New Year decoration looks tacky and really awful.

The thought of RED hongpaos and RED lanterns or anything RED is already giving me a headache. So, how can I do up my place tastefully with Chinese New Year Décor?

This will be a hard nut to crack… …

The easiest option is to buy pots of auspicious flowers like “lucky” Bamboo, Mandarin Orange/Lime plants, CocksComb, Phoenix Tails, Chilli Padi, Chrysanthemum and, of course, Pussy Williows.

But I know that these pots of plants cannot last and will most probably die within a month or so. The thought of buying plants and LET THEM DIE is a flawed concept. I simply cannot do it. The browning of the leaves and the dropping of the flowers will definitely upset me. I cannot witness a plant dying in front of my eyes and yet don’t do anything about it.

So, that brings me to the other option of buying FAKE plants and flowers. I don’t know about you, but I’ve NEVER seen a fake plant that looks remotely real. Most fake flowers are simply TOO over-the-top, with their overly reds, pinks and yellows. Such vibrant and unnatural colors also give me a headache.

So, how am I going to do it? How to create the spirit for the up-and-coming Chinese New Year without looking cheesy, “ching-chong” and tacky?

Any suggestions???