Feeding is a battle -- Petit Bowl

It's true, BB K doesn't like her food! Strange when her father is such a glutton and I'm quite a foodie too. Since 6months of age, after the first 5 spoons, it'd be a battle to feed bunnikins. A mommy at her playgroup once expressed her views on my incapability and said: don't you let her watch her favourite show while you feed her? My son does that else it's impossible to feed. HA! Good luck to you! The rule in my house is that no TV exposure till the age of 2. Ok , i tried at least. At home, it' s really been a while since i've switched on the black box. Perhaps it might be a good idea to sell of the 42inch LCD TV since it's now a white elephant. The only time K gets to watch is when i'll play 5mins of Wink & Learn DVD and that is only because i needed to pee! the hub hasn't been all too coorperative in this respect as the bro and him frequently hogs the googlebox after dinner on a wkend. Can't help that but thankfully, bb k isn't too interested and would rather play with her toys or rummage the drawers!

So what am i doing wrong in terms of food? I pride myself for my culinary skills and sincerely feel that the food I'm feeding her isn't all that bad. It's really upsetting that i spent effort preparing and elaborate dish like Fish Stew only to end up eating it up myself. Perhaps it's the exposure of sweet (think blueberry bread) and salty stuff (think Sakae Sushi's chawamushi) over at the granny's place. Once again, that's beyond my control. Yet, it's infuriating to hear from them each day that the lil one is eating so little. Who can I blame? Effort had been made to educate the old foggies but to no avail. Thankfully, bunnikins love her fruits. Particularly Blueberries. I honestly can't comprehend that as personally i think these berries have an acquired taste. On one occasion, the granny proudly announced that bunnikins finished an entire packet of blueberries! Imagine the shock that was written all over my face! How can a little toddler be allowed to take in so much at one time! there's something called Vitamin C poisoning/ overdose you know. Her reply to that: I can't help it. she kept asking for more. hmm. wonder who is the adult here. 

Lately, i began reassessing bb k's food and realise that it's time i expose her to more textures and taste. I mean seriously, no matter how tasty those cereals or porridge are, it's kindof mundane if you have to eat them everyday! And for me to whip up something interesting is not too economical as i've to buy a whole lot of ingredients only to make that wee bit. End of the day, we'd be freezing a whole lot of the same kind. Thus, i decided to try out Petit Bowl located at Siglap. It has garnered several good reviews and since it's just a stone's throw away, i thought why not! Mindblown! a click to their website revealed a galore of food! the variety is amazing and puts me to shame. Delivery is a little steep (at $10 per trip), thus fortunately it's located this close else i'd be suffering a hole in my pocket. The ingredients used are good quality and no salt or msg is added. All natural! Nice. They aim to provide a feeding alternative to children age 4months to 6years. It's really great for those:

1. Who are travelling
2. With busy schedules
3. Whose kids are picky eaters
4. Who wish to lighten grandparents’ care giving load
5. With domestic helpers who do not know how to cook the child’s meal well.
6. Who wish for alternative meals to complement home cook food for their little one

So yeah, I got a whole truckload of stuff from them and was grateful i did coz during CNY period it was busy busy busy! It's so convenient. All you need to do is to steam the frozen delights and serve after 15mins. the portion are friendly--4/6oz. and coz bb k eats so little, we could do 2 meals with a 6oz portion! Economical! However, not all stuff i've ordered are a hit with bb k. She particularly hates the guava and orange yoghurt for some strange reason and upon eating The Green Bowl for the second time she puked. The MIL says it's because these are veg and when blended and frozen, it has "wind" which makes the kid uncomfortable. 

A real time saver!

Some mummies have expressed their disgust that I'm feeding the baby frozen stuff, but i suppose in this modern age, it's really quite an alternative and life saver! For the record, those who have criticized my actions are mostly SAHMs or have a helper at hand. 

BB K is currently in the 3rd-10th percentile for height and weight. As much as i hope she'll grow a little taller, i suppose it's good for a girl to be petite and most importantly, to be healthy!

IT'S BEEN TOO LONG A HIATUS!

You cannot imagine the shock plastered across my face when i saw that blogger had a new facelift! what's more, my last blog entry was in MARCH!! n it's now JUNE? HOLY COW!!! where has all the time gone? Am terribly guilty for not penning down lil k's milestones. So much so, i remember only bits and pieces of what happened when. You can't blame me! the mama has got too much on her puny brain! Bearing in mind, it's quite a journey on her own these two months with the hub's insanely intense travelling schedule. really wishes that he starts thinking of the family more. Not that he doesn't, but sigh, that's for another time.

Almost had an apocalyptic meltdown the last couple of weeks! the hub came back, the hub left. We made our maiden family trip to HK (m gonna do that on a separate post), came back, hub left within 2 days. Back for 1.5days and left again for close to 2 wks. I could possibly cave in and hire a helper to make life easier but the masochistic part of me wants to handle everything myself! So i have to simply find a way to soldier on and be a supermum! I did and guess what? I failed miserably last Wednesday. I caved in. For a long time, this had not happened. I was getting into the rhythm of things, deciphering the code to what the cry is all about and fighting all those night feeds alone. it has taken me a long time to be able to identify cues from my baby because i'd be fighting with my expectations, but yeah, reevaluation recalibrated me. Everything seems to be under control when Mastitis hit me!! It's been rough. I thought i could carry on working but I was wrong. Fever shot up to 39.8 degrees Celsius and i was this close to dying! migraine was back and i puked non stop. I had to force to recover within the day and by the power of God, i DID! fever subsided by midnight! THANK YOU LORD! i guess it's also due to sleep deprivation that this time things were this bad and it had been a rough couple of weeks without the hub. Not that with him around, things would make a 360 degree turn but at least, he helps with the diaper changing. I was whining the whole time, on FB, on watsapp and to the hub. I realise that he might be in the midst of training but i was truly feeling miserable and thought to myself how am i to take care of bb k that night? Then, the MIL sprung a surprise at my doorstep! Brought bb k back hm at 7pm. But she was only here to take the EBM in preparation for bb k to camp over at her place! I gave a puzzled look but later figured that the hub must have called her to say i'm ill n that k should b at her place. A first. n something which i will never allow. HALLO? does anyone respect me? ala mother of bb k? I know it's with all good intentions but the lil bub needs to latch in order to ease my blocked ducts! she's the most powerful pump! Yet, the educated hub doesn't realise that. MIL needless to say, does not know. I felt unacknowledged.

i snapped out of things almost instantly and explained the situation to the MIL who kindly offered to bring k back again on the next feed (which was supposedly 9pm). I may not have the bandwidth to stay calm but i had to. Particularly coz this person is my MIL and she had been a good help as compared to my own Empress Dowager. If i'm not calm or strong, this whole lack of support system, would definitely place me in the depression zone once again. 

So yeah, fast fwd, I'm very much better now albeit a stiff neck which wouldn't go away, a twisted wrist due to carrying the lil one and a nagging migraine. Sheez, think all these stem from having to juggle too many demands. Coping with the rigorous demands of motherhood isn't easy and living up to the supermom image is even a steeper ladder to climb!

To sum up, bb k is just 7 days shy from being 7 months!! Oh wow! my lil baby is all grown up! sigh. Milestone check:

• Can crawl backwards (think that happened when she was 5mths?) she can't crawl forward yet but has been desperately trying to lift her bum up and zip off, only to fall flat on her face! haha.hilarious at times when you witness, but it's frustration for the lil one.
• can sit steadily on her own. That prolly happened more than a mth ago?
• has her first two pearlies (on her lower jaw). Her teething pains starts and so does mine! She has been exceptionally clingy and needy at night and been drooling a little. Sticking her finger to bite constantly doesn't seem to help soothe things. Neither does the teething toy. Only thing -- the boobies!
• been mouthing mama constantly. started way long but these days, it's clearer and frequent. *lovez*
• Been blowing bubbles very often 
• Learnt to shake her head (but doesn't quite know that it could mean no. the MIL always says she's shaking her head each time milk is given -_-)
• started on solids. So far, has taken brown rice, carrots, sweet potato (she loves it when given by me) and avocado (from her expression, it tastes weird, but since it's something new, she takes it with a frown)

 Look what mummy made for lil bub! her new sensory toys!

On other news, I caught up with old pal F and am so happy to learn that he's getting married! hope this time it works out for him. Had dinner at Megumi and hmm i must say the food is not bad. service wise, they can't quite handle crowds coz they screwed up my rsvn. The day before, i caught up with childhood fren N who is also getting married! stress was written all over his face! haha a similarity between the two guys! what's up guys? Apparently N isn't quite ready for the new challenge but has been in the game for 8 years so yeah, it's kindof a natural progression. It's unbelievable that we've known each other since 7yrs old! GOSH! and what's more amazing is despite not keeping in touch somewhere in the middle of things, we still could remember intimate stuff like each other's birthdays! he further shocked me by remembering my wedding date and year! OMG LA! True pal! Dinner was at Pepperoni @ Frankel n i discovered that I could have a pizza with two flavours! how cool is that! Photo's in my phone and i'm just too tired to do a transfer. Speaking of which, I NEED A NEW PHONE! my iphone 3G is so laggy!

Wearing many hats

It's tough enough being a mother...now i'm a mother, a cow, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a maid and a wife. Rather than becoming overwhelmed and letting chaos reign, it's the cummulative effect of several small steps int he right direction and I think I'm adjusting slowly. It's really quite a struggle to balance the ever-growing to-do-list. No matter how small the item may be eg giving the grandma a call, I have to try to squeeze time for it. The difficulties I face as a new mother caught me off guard. I had looked forward to motherhood and assumed that caring for the baby would happen naturally. Instead, I found that I had no clue. It doesn't help that the hub is constantly travelling...being away for two weeks prior to the Lunar New Year was certainly no joke. Spring cleaning thankfully started early for me, else the dust bunnies on my blog would be passed on to my home. I tend to be an all-or-nothing type of cleaner/ organiser, thus when it comes to spring cleaning, I give myself the added stress. When the hub finally came home for a day in between trips, he had to fall ill! There went my hopes of him helping to take care of lil pumpkin while i catch up on forty winks.

I know that I should not entertain lil pumpkin's every waking moment as that would be really taxing. But trust me, you wouldn't want a wailing child as an accompaniment whilst doing those chores. Thus, I resorted to doing the laundry at 5am and cooking my lunch at 10am. Whenever there's pockets of free time (usually only for 15mins), I would try to do something productive. After spending my last ounce of energy attending to my baby, she would then sometimes cry for no discernible reason, and it puts me over the edge.

However, after 2+months of training, I would say that we have established quite a bit of understanding. I try talking to her quite a bit and she seems to understand that mommy has to bathe, eat and shit. It works sometimes. Her bedtime routine is also more or less fixed, with the fussiness setting in at around 8 - 10pm and dozing off to sleep by 11+pm. That to me is a bonus. Thereafter, she'll wake up at 4am but there were occasions where she woke up at 6am! WOOHOO! At times, I would be the one waking up before her, wondering what's happening? I guess my clock has now been adjusted. These days, mostly, I yearn for more sleep, but would often wake up at dawn with rock hard boobies. Then, Dilemma would strike -- To pump or not to pump, that is the question. You see, very often, shortly after pumping, lil pumpkin seems to sense it and would wake up for her feed! Despite knowing that there's always a constant supply, how can the supply be great right after pumping?

To boost supply, apart from the "holy" fenugreek which everyone swears by it (But i've yet to try), I turn to the kitchen and treating myself well with home cook food. If you recall, I really enjoy cooking, but with the lil one on board, fixing up a simple meal sometimes seems very elaborate and arduous. Below are some of the food I've been pampering myself with:

To minimise the guilt of eating instant noodles, I added fish (生鱼）and egg. Hey, give the woman a break ya, I haven't had instant noodles for eons.

Somehow, I feel that I hadn't had much soup during my confinement and the Chinese believe that confinement should actually be 40days instead of the usual 30 days. My rationale is, just nourish oneself once in a while! the body isn't only gonna absorb during those 40 or 30 days! The hub also benefitted. TCM physician said his body is "cooling" thus would need to take more "confinement" food to "heat" up the body. Thus whatever i drink, I'd give him a bowl.

A rare sight-- 3 dishes and a soup!

Mostly, in the afternoons, I'll just have a fish/ meat and rice. It can get a little bland and boring, thus I try to tweak the recipe at times. The above is pan seared salmon with crispy ginger bits.

Another simple fare

They say you'll have to constantly latch and religiously pump in order to up your supply, so even if it means sacrificing my sleep at 5am, I'll do it. Typically I do it once at that hour when my supply is peak. To date, I'm consistently getting approximately 180-200ml from the better boobie and 90ml from the not so good boobie. A vast difference!

Mom has been pretty helpful, getting me groceries every monday. However, each time she does that, she'd complain that food is expensive. This, despite the fact that I give her additional $ for the food she buys. To top it off, she gets $ from my dad as well. talk about being shrewd. That's Empress Dowager for you.

This was one of the more "elaborate" meals I've whipped up. Preparing and frying the pork chops took a while thus it was really quite an achievement when I manage to savour the fruits of my labour!

530am: Attended to baby's feed
6am: Pat baby to sleep again and got ready to head to the wet market
640am: arrived at the wet market
7am: done with marketing and spent almost $100
720am: bought breakfast for the hub and I at another venue
8am: Arrived home to the above scene (sooo sweet)
830am: was done with washing and packing up the raw produce
840am: decided to pump my rocks since lil bub was sleeping soundly
9am: Thought I could finally take a breather and rest
915am: lil pumpkin decided to wake up for her feed. *YAWN*

Parenthood is a big thing. Make that a big and often lonely thing. Most days, I could sure do with a big dollop of encouragement and inspiration to keep going.

I'm such a hoarder

Yes... Apart from being a shopping whore, a perfectionist wannabe and a neat freak, there's something else to add to the list --I'm a hoarder!

Was clearing our my kitchen cabinet n look at the amt of things I have to throw:

Apart from clearing the cabinet, had another gynae check up this morning. Second time this wk. the total wk's damage-- $540! Ouch! Dr Ho did another cervix dilation check. This time I'm mentally prepared n Dr Ho, probably sensing my anxiety, guided me to breathe n that certainly helped. However, I still felt violated! Anyhow, the verdict-- I'm not ripe yet! 2 more days to EDD n I'm thankful it's a long wkend thus the hub is here for me. For the past 39 weeks i've been waiting for this moment. The birth plan is written, bag is packed, and im sure that any minute now i will feel the first contraction. Gulp! And then... nothing. Not even a twinge. Everyone is anxiously anticipating lil watermelon's arrival. Even daddy dearest called me!! A rare gesture as daddy dearest is a man of few words. Maybe I need to gv lil watermelon a nudge though mil says the longer the smarter! The following methods are how one can stimulate labour:

Nipple stimulation
It is when you gently rub or roll your nipples to encourage the start of contractions. The idea is to stimulate the suckling of your baby. This releases oxytocin, a hormone which causes contractions to start. Nipple stimulation could well work if you're ready for labour. The hormone oxytocin is released in your body when your breasts are stimulated.

Oxytocin helps your labour progress. It controls the contractions of your uterus (womb) during labour. Midwives sometimes use a synthetic type of oxytocin to induce labour. Oxytocin also stimulates the flow of breastmilk. So nipple stimulation can help labour start, but only if your cervix has already started to soften, thin and open ready for labour. In a study, 37 per cent women who had tried nipple stimulation went into labour within 72 hours compared to just six per cent of those who had not.

Nipple stimulation tricks your body into thinking you are suckling your baby. This means you'll need to gently massage the dark area around your nipple (areola), not just the tip of your nipple.
Place your palm over the areola and move in a circular motion, firmly and gently. You may need to continue doing this for some time. Stimulate your breasts for an hour, three times a day. Spend 15 minutes continually stimulating one breast, and then alternate to the other breast for 15 minutes until the hour is up.

If you're having a healthy pregnancy and you haven't had any complications then it's fine to try nipple stimulation. It won't over-stimulate your uterus, which could be dangerous for your baby.
Please don't try if u hv a high risk pregnancy.

Raspberry leaf
Raspberry leaf can be taken as a tea or in tablet form. It is thought it may stimulate your uterus and encourage labour. Raspberry leaf won't help to bring on your labour, but it may help it to progress well once it's started. It will work best if you start taking it when you're about 32 weeks pregnant, not before. That's because raspberry leaf can have a stimulating effect on your uterus (womb). If you start taking raspberry leaf at 32 weeks, it'll have plenty of time to build up in your system. I'm probably a little late but better late than never.

You can take raspberry leaf as a tea, or in tablet form. To help prepare the muscles of your uterus for labour, you could start with one cup of tea a day, gradually increasing to three cups.

One study has shown that raspberry leaf could speed up the second stage of labour and reduce the need for assisted birth.

Sex
Having sex can be tricky when you have a big bump. But it could trigger the release of oxytocin, a hormone which causes contractions. Having an orgasm could also stimulate your uterus to get labour going. Id like to do this but the bump isn't exactly putting me in the mood.

Walking
The pressure of your baby's head pressing down on your cervix from the inside could stimulate the release of oxytocin, a hormone which causes contractions. Being upright also encourages your baby to move down onto your cervix. According to obstetrician baby is down n engaged, perhaps I'm too tense?

In anycase, I'm a believer of letting nature take its course so m trying to chill m enjoy the remaining days of couple hood though the hub is showing his excitement too by always telling me that the lil watermelon is knocking on the door. Ironically, last night after arriving Hm at 830pm, he wanted to join the boys for soccer at 9pm! That will lead to supper which in other words, he won't be back till midnight! Talk about enjoying couple hood! Grr. To redemn himself, he rushed Hm to whip up a top shell cream sauce spaghetti for us tonight. :) this was probably to reciprocate my efforts last night:

The poor thing did not have a proper dinner. Due to the lack of ingredients, I could only make do with a breakfast menu.

To keep my hands busy n mind off things, here's my other project of the day:

Ohhh n lastly, I got my fix of rum ball cake ($1 per tiny pc) and coconut tarts(70cents per tart) from my favorite stall: Donna Manis @ Katong Shopping Centre. A Quaint small confectionary. Fresh out of the oven! Heavenly:

Inducing Labour

3 days more to countdown. Wonder what's Lil watermelon thinking right now. Went for the weekly checkup on Tuesday and the Dr Ho threw out the option of induction. It caught me by surprise as I've not reached full term. more importantly, he wanted to do it the NEXT DAY! i'm sooooo not ready for the pain! Then, realising that according to the Chinese Almanac, 3 Nov is supposedly a good day, I requested for that day if an induction were to be done. Silence. Apparently I've made a very silly and unscientific statement which dumbfounded Dr Ho. As with most doctors, Dr Ho does not quite believe in "lucky days"...but on the contrary, as like most mothers, I would like everything to be perfect. Upon explanation however, I realise that it doesn't mean that if you were induced today, it means you are gonna pop today! In Singapore, the typical practice is to have a pill popped into your V area to help dilate the cervix. The cervix has to be dilated to 10cm before the baby can be naturally delivered (Dear God please let mine dilate naturally!-- muttering a prayer)

What does it mean to induce labor?

(Credits: http://www.babycenter.com)

If your labor doesn't start on its own, your practitioner can use medication and other techniques to bring on (or induce) contractions. She can use some of the same methods to augment, or speed up, your labor if it stops progressing for some reason. In 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 5 births in the United States was induced. This rate more than doubled from 1990.

Why would my labor be induced?

Your practitioner will recommend induction when the risks of waiting for labor to start on its own are higher than the risks of the procedures used to get your labor going. This may be the case when:

• You're still pregnant one to two weeks past your due date. Experts advise waiting no longer than that to give birth because it puts you and your baby at greater risk for a host of problems. For example, the placenta may become less effective at delivering nutrients to your baby, increasing the risk of a stillbirth or serious problems for your newborn.
  
  
  
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  Live birth: Induction

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  In addition, if your baby gets too big, your labor is more likely to be prolonged or stalled, your chances of needing a c-section are higher, and both you and your baby have an increased risk of injury during a vaginal delivery.
• Your water breaks and your labor doesn't start on its own. In this case, you'll be induced to decrease the risk of infection to your uterus and your baby, which is more of a concern once your membranes have ruptured. (However, if your baby is still very premature, your practitioner may hold off on inducing labor.)
• Tests show that your placenta is no longer functioning properly, you have too little amniotic fluid, or your baby isn't thriving or growing as he should.
• You develop preeclampsia, a serious condition that can endanger your health and restrict the flow of blood to your baby.
• You have a chronic or acute illness – such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or kidney disease – that threatens your health or the health of your baby.

• Are there any techniques I can try at home to get my labor going?

  No do-it-yourself methods have been proven consistently to be both safe and effective. Here's the scoop on some of the techniques you may have heard about:

• Sexual intercourse: Semen contains some prostaglandins and having an orgasm may stimulate some contractions. A few studies have shown that having sex at term may decrease the need for labor induction, but others have found no effect on promoting labor.
• Nipple stimulation: Stimulating your nipples releases oxytocin and may help start labor. While it's a time-honored approach, more research is needed to determine how effective it is. And because there's a possibility of overstimulating your uterus (and stressing your baby), it's not something you'd want to try without being monitored. Sometimes – more often when the end of labor is in sight – a practitioner will suggest nipple stimulation to provide a little extra help with contractions.
• Castor oil: Castor oil is a strong laxative. Although stimulating your bowels may cause some contractions, there's no definitive proof that it helps induce labor – and you're likely to find the effect on your gut very unpleasant.
• Herbal remedies. A variety of herbs are touted as useful for labor induction, but there isn't enough evidence to prove that any of them are both safe and effective. Some are risky because they can overstimulate your uterus and may be unsafe for your baby for other reasons as well.

After Dr Ho has laid out all the pros and cons, we decided against it though everyone in the family is anxiously anticipating the day. Apparently, the older generation thinks that it's an easy and risk-less procedure, thus I had to educate the MIL as she wanted lil watermelon to be induced on 1.11.11. In anycase, Dr Ho did a cervix check for me and too bad, I'm not ripe yet! Being un-mentally prepared, I was totally caught off-guard with that procedure and felt terribly pain and violated as he stuck his two fingers into me!! I'm still very traumatized and it seems like this is the standard Singapore hospital procedure to check for cervix dilation. OH NO!

On other matters, whilst trying to keep my mind off this wait game, my nesting instincts have once again bitten me. In preparation for the mountain of food that the MIL needs to store in my fridge and perhaps bottles of breastmilk, I decided to give my fridge a good scrub!

Look at all the expired stuff and this is just 80% of the things I threw!

EEwwwww....Think it must have been a year since I've cleaned it! OPS!

Yeah! Space!

And more space!!:)

In preparation for confinement, the MIL has brought over most of the herbs and "goodies" over to my place. Am very thankful that she has offered to help me with confinement thus saving us a bit of moolah. Hopefully no conflict will arise as in the case of many. I think everything happen for a reason. Empress Dowager is in a totally oblivious mode (apart from blessing me), whilst the MIL is constantly in and out of Msia and markets, sourcing for the best ingredients. Am truly appreciative.

Inspired by R's blog, I decided to try my hands at scrambled eggs. Realised that I have never scramble an egg before and yum yum, it tasted pretty good!


Leaving you with an adorable looking phone found in the MIL's house! hahhaha
*BLEAH*

Blogging on the go

With the advent of technology, iPads iPods iPhones etc I should not take a backseat, not when I've already inherited the iphone3 fm the hubs. So I made it a pt to download blogger app so I'm able to blog on the go.. Haha no excuse for the lack of post now hopefully. Come to think of it, perhaps I can even blog whilst going through labour? A high tech form of epidural?

Moving along, a quick first update using the blogger app. Took sips of coconut water today as many swears tt the bb will come out 'cleaner' however there's another sch of thought which says that it will cause yr legs to weaken n this no strength to push. So what shld I do? Strike a balance

Tender coconut water (elaneer / nariyal pani) is one of the richest sources of electrolytes. It is high in chlorides, potassium, and magnesium and has a moderate amount of sugar, sodium and protein. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and heart function. Coconut water is also a good source of dietary fibre, manganese, calcium, riboflavin and Vitamin C. Coconut water is a natural diuretic and so increases the flow of urine; this helps prevent urinary tract infections (UTI) as well as reduces the incidence of kidney stones. Coconut water also helps relieve constipation, improves intestinal function and promotes digestive health -– it is often recommended to people suffering from acidity and ulcers. These are the scientific benefits of drinking coconut water. However, there is a myth saying that the baby will come out "cleaner" if the preggie mum drinks coconut water in her last tri. In actual fact, the fetus is cleaner because fernik fat (fat that covers the body of the fetus) decreases. If he was born over 36 weeks of age will be born clean. If less months fernik then there is still fat in the skin, it’s not dirty but fat protecting the fetus in the mother’s stomach.

In addition to fresh coconut, I had my 2wks crave for Bo Bo Cha Cha finally satisfied! YUMZ! it's been a while since i had it!

Check out the cool shoes this dude has!! the people at the next table all don with fashionable clothings and vogue hairstyle. Even the little boy had a lopsided haircut just like his mama. The Japanese sure know how to make a statement!

Walking through the Four Seasons

February must be the cruellest month of the year. First it was the infamous hallmark festival, thanks to T.S Eliot -- Valentine's Day. A day where every teen and adult is in a state of ecstasy. You must have noticed that this year, I chose the low key approach and did not even have a post dedicated to the wretched date. Next up in February is a day when I gracefully age. Lest you think I'm cynic, I'm happily married and am graciously accepting the fact that age is catching up (though mostly I still try to live in denial!) This year, the excitement seems mellow. Probably because we can't afford to be financially extravagant. Have to seriously manage my expectations for I believe this year he'll be an ultimate cheapskate. Cards, flowers and possibly cakes are not quite his thing, thus I shan't expect any form of declaration from him. He doesn't believe in being pretentious and insubstantial. Thanks to his unsentimental bent, I've learnt to breeze the day away as if it's an ordinary day ever since my 21st birthday. erm, well at least I try not to whine about it. it would be nice though, if in the years to come, there'd be a bag of my choice glitter or some girly gadget presented to me on the special day. Ok, materialism has set in, but from time immemorial, which woman wouldn't yearn for such simple pleasures in life? Grappling with the rigours and expectations of a relationship is certainly not easy. Friends J & W however have brought their love to the next level and decided to cement it last Sunday:


Singapore's ang baos are plain boring. Specially bought ang bao envelopes from HongKong. Nice :)

The lovebirds -- A matchmade in heaven. They have the same radiant smile! I was just commenting to sweetie that we smile differently. I can't smile with my lips closed while he on the other hand, often gives a purse-lip smile.

Are they not like two volumes of one book?

Food was pretty good. On a scale of 10, it would garner an 8 from me. In particular the soup which many of the boys thought was a tad sourish. The herbal chicken was however a slight disappointment. Couldn't taste any herbal ingredients. I would like to think that my version of herbal chicken's far better. In the midst of the banquet, friend J ordered his infamous bowl of rice. Lousy according to him as it was microwaved. Dessert was a generous portion. Pity I had to restrain myself and share it with the hub coz all were "cooling" stuff. sigh.

Unlike most other weddings attended, what was different here was that the bride had prepared a surprise. A song with exceptionally meaningful lyrics. I could have swore I had a tear rolling in my eye. It certainly takes courage to finally decide your man is the right one for you and to share the rest of your life with him.

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."

~ Germaine Greer~

W won TOTO! HUAT AH!

Was not quite in the mood to blog honestly, but something inspiring just struck me thus here i am.


So what's the big news? SGD $1,280,233! That's what? Small sum to some, but it's an obscene amount to me! Friend W is one of the lucky 9 winners of tonight's TOTO! (not sure if it's true though) A depressed sweetie had been pinning his hopes on this but as usual, lady luck's not quite smiling at him.

ME: OMG u are one of the 9 lucky winners? SGD $1,280,233?? OMG OMG OMG (totally ecstatic)
W: ya (flaccid response)

It sounds like it's a norm for him! GOSH. With a 7-figure winning, I sure can fulfill most of my dreams! For now, they can only be dreams.

Sigh, wonder when are things gonna start changing? Some divine intervention would really be nice. In Sick and in Health, for poorer or for wealth. How true. Am really trying to cope but it seems so impossible. I'm becoming a nasty piece of wok with a mangled soul despite the "chio" superficial exterior. Last year was the year of the ferocious Tiger. A year which signifies placid pace of growth than in previous years. Prolly that's why things were moving ever so slowly. Dreams seems far and beyond. On the other hand, rabbits move at an unhurried pace and are tranquil and serene, so will that mean a slow year again? Come on! My birthday is nearing, but somewhat I'm having a surreal mix of emotions. A celebration of any kind at this juncture would be good, but this year, I don't foresee Sky on 57 or FiftyThree @ Armenian, or the Triple Three Restaurant. Not that it ever happened, but it doesnt hurt to dream right? Even on Vday, there was nothing but campbell soup cooked with loads of love after much whining and nagging. u can't fault me...the hub kept my hopes high by saying that he'll do some grocery shopping and whip up a steak @ 10pm. But at 915pm when i texted, his reply was: I had dinner. too hungry, go pack your own dinner. Thanks. so much for romance. Not that I'm that into this hallmark occasion, but the bubble of expectation was blown and deflated by him.

When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place

Gosh, didn't I say I wasn't in the mood to blog? What started off as unbelievable news is tapering into the usual ramblings. Ok, I'd better stop and spice this post with photos:

The annual mahjongkahki reunion luncheon this year was held at the Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant. Can't their name be a little shorter?? It's so cliche too! It's depressing to see creativity lacking.


Reservations was for 1:30pm but I think it was about 2pm that we had our three tables! Probably having vision problem due to hunger, most of us thought the above was a piece of chocolate! Turned out to be a mat for the tea pot! haha


The Family. Seems like it's growing with several new, young additions.

Service was horrendous. Given that it's CNY, I do understand they may be understaff but that's not excuse for forgetting my cup of hot water after 3 reminders! We were particularly exasperated when after the first or second dish was served, we were told that it was gonna be last order for the tim sum menu and that we had to hurry! Imagine our disappointment and frustration. To add fuel to that, when we queried the quantity of each portion, we were told that there'd be 4 pcs on each plate, thus after some arithmetic, we ordered, only to find out that some items came in 3s. The number of people @ our table was in mutiple of 4. Obviously the sum did not quite equate. We feedbacked to the captain, but she said it's not entirely their fault and that it's actually quite enough as we've ordered a large variety. That's not the point! We wanted everyone to have a pc of everything! It was clear to me the lady wanted the easy way out instead of changing the orders for us. To make matters worse, before everything else, friend X informed me that the cutlery was dirty! No matter how good the food is, if the service sux, customers are unlikely to return.

Playing with the new kid on the block.

Presenting: the old kids on the block!

"If you're going through hell, keep going. "

~Sir Winston Churchill

Hop for the best

Woo, in the blink of an eye, it's Day 5 of Chinese New Year! Good times seem to fly by more quickly, in particular when there is a long wkend. Seems like 2011 doesn't have too many long wkends thus I was really appreciative. Technically, it's Day 1 of work but I'm totally not in the mood. Prolly due to the spill over effects of visitings and overdose of goodies. I'm glad I made it through the festival albeit being bombarded (as usual) by middle-aged aunts with annoying questions like when will I be having children. Typical conversation:

Aunt: So any news?
Me: yeah..there is news on Channel 5 or 8..or do u want China news on Cable?

Aunt: So when am I getting the egg?
Recently married cousin: Go to the supermarket and buy it!

Hahaha..i think my witty cousin is simply hilarious. Seriously, i think such queries are merely to fill up those awkward conversation lulls. Visiting is sometimes a drag, especially when you meet the same ppl at different location. Sweetie's family is more efficient. Meet up @ Granny's on the eve, have the reunion dinner, hang around till midnight and distribute ang baos. No individual visitations. Sweet. On the other hand, my family's visitations are spread over 2 days. But even if the new year rituals are a drag, i guess in some sense we derive a sense of satisfaction from having suffered through the motions. One minor ritual I dislike however, is the the giving of ang bao. I rather be on the receiving end but of coz, I have obligationis to meet as a married person. This isn't an uncharted territory, for I have about 4 yrs of experience now. But somehow, I still have a bit of a dilemma when it comes to HOW MUCH? Ang bao is a gesture of good wishes thus should not be a material yardstick, however, many may think otherwise. I recall this particular student who received a small packet of $4 from me (she had 2 other siblings!!) 2 yrs ago, and when I told her to write a composition on Chinese New Year, she wittily wrote that she was disgusted to receive a pathetic amount ($4) from a certain someone! The audacity! Clearly, her upbringing isn't all that good -- one reason for giving her that SMALL packet! 2 yrs down the road, she has not receive a cent from me! This definitely helps in the capital outflow that I have to contend with.

Now for a peek to what I did for the last few days:

Outfit of the day...nice fitting Cheongsam

One of the places we visited. Gardens @ Bishan. The structure is a reminisce of the condo we stayed at whilst in Guangzhou several years ago. Such architecture is rare in tiny Singapore.

Day 4's shoes. CUTENESS right?

Whipping up a storm for friends. Supervising my Sous Chef :)

Nice to make new friends

Yusheng is a raw fish salad which was popularised in Singapore in 1960s. The ingredients usually include shredded carrot and radish, ginger, orange peel, pomelo bits, golden crackers, slices of raw fisha and a plum sauce dressing.

Dish 1: Spinach with clams

Dish 2: Braised Mushroom with mock abalone

Dish 4: Golden Garlic Prawns
Dish 5: Emperor's Herbal Chicken (I forgot to take a picture of that!)

Soup of the day: Lotus Root & Peanut Soup

To top it off, a good bottle of white & red wine

My satisfied customers
The night ended really well and relatively early with mahjong and chit-chats. Wish everyday can be like this! Now I must really psych myself up for work amidst the festivities and hop for the best in all my endeavors!