Tuesday 26 June 2012

Last babymoon plus update at 37w4d

Yes, we must have one last babymoon before baby arrives! :)

We started with lunch at Carnivore at MBS yesterday - ate a lot of meat! And there was a one-for-one promotion so it was only $40 for the both of us, yeah!



Tried to check in earlier than 3 pm but were told that if we waited a bit longer, we could get a room on a higher floor so we waited - we were given temp cards so that we could access the Skypark where we stayed for some 45 min. Then we got our room - 2317!

The room was nice!! It was half the size of our flat but bigger than our current temp apartment. And this is the day view from our balcony :)



After cleaning up cos I came straight from pilates, we went to the pool! Here's Sito up against the infinity pool - my husband!!! :)



There are similar shots of me but let me show you this instead - don't I look like Gloria from Madagascar?! Haha!



And then we decided to bring our new camera into the pool - after all, I only walked in the water :p



And my belly again, with my blue pedicure peeking out from below :p Oh, doc said I could wear any pedicure into the labour ward, yeah!



This patch of green was where Sito did his epic proposal in 2008 :)



Isn't Sito cute? Like a bear hanging off a tree :) Anyway, that's what's off the edge of the pool..



We went for the jacuzzi for a short while - him all in, me just the feet :) - before returning to our room to freshen up and watch Despicable Me on HBO!

Us, all freshened up and ready for dinner!



Our journey to Marina Sq was, um, interesting.. We took the MRT from Bayfront to Promenade to change to the other Circle Line train to Esplanade. But somehow we found ourselves back at Bayfront!! Turned out that two trains share the same stupid Platform B!!

Anyway, dinner was seafood hor fun for him and thunder tea beehoon for me at the Marina Sq foodcourt, followed by ice cold shaved ice dessert! And here's a trivial on this strange thing called sea coconut - it really is some kind of coconut! *sua gu*

Then we went searching for the Helix Bridge and of course we found it! :) So pretty!



We saw some letters on the ground and after a while, Sito realised that they were some chemistry base pairs! Of course he knew the exact terms but I don't :p



Oh, I neglected to mention that we packed some Long John Silver's and bubble tea from Marina Sq :p

Had some tourist help us take a photo :)



We went to the Skypark again but the pictures didn't turn out as nice as in the day so we went back to watch more HBO and have our snacks :)

But I managed to get some nice pictures from our balcony - night views. The gardens look very "alien"...



The next day, we nua-ed in bed and requested for an additional hour before check-out. We both had a headache from the pillows :( But otherwise, the bed was more comfy than the current one in Kembangan...

After lunch at Ding Tai Fung, we went walking around a little. This was taken right outside the ArtScience Museum, which was also shaped like a lotus. Lotus - 出污泥而不染 - so all around is mud la? :p



Our babymoon ended when it was time to go to Gleneagles. We were a bit early and got some Mr Bean! :d ("d" cos Mr Bean's tongue turns upwards haha!)

So everything is fine. Baby is growing big - 3283g now! - and his head remains way bigger! But doc said if his head circumference stays under 36 cm, natural birth should be ok, and the chance of his head circumference going beyond that should be slim...

My cervix is still going strong although it's slightly thinner than in May. Maybe that's why I keep feeling sharp pains. Last Thursday, I had so much pain while walking that I had to sit down..

We also discussed about pedicures :) and pain relief. Doc assured me that he worked with good anaesthetician so I should not worry about horror stories about epidural. Well, I think I will know whether I want need an epidural by the time I go into the labour ward!

But baby wasn't very cooperative today - we could see him move his mouth today but we could not see his face clearly on 3D cos he was very close to (the inside of) me! Poor papa! Nvm, we're going back next week again :) Weekly from now!

Saturday 23 June 2012

Happy bah zang day yet again!

Boy, I miss good rice dumplings! So we went to AMK for brunch and to collect bah zang on Thursday.

Sito had beehoon and kway teow with vege, fish fillet and tofu while I had glutinous rice (finally!!), vege, beans, fish fillet and luncheon meat. We were pretty full :)

Sito's mouth was stuffed full of food! :p



Mine - $3, slightly more ex than Sito's $2.70:



We had a cup of soy bean milk each - love the big mug! And only 70 cents! But I also remember that last time, 50 cents could buy a lot in a plastic bag.. Btw, my face is rounder now *.* (So are my boobs, hoho!)



Then we went shopping - in the market! Bought two more pairs of nua nua shorts for him to sleep in cos the first two pairs I bought the last time were comfortable. Found running shorts for him too - same ulu brand as his old ones! All four for $18, the equivalent of two pairs of less nua but less comfy shorts I saw at Junction 8 one day.

Next, we got three small towels as burp cloths for baby, $0.80 each. We figured there was no need for expensive burp cloths - after all, baby is just going to drool all over them! And we have soft baby cloth for wiping already so we're set.

And on the way to the local supermarket, we passed by a durian stall - durians!!!! They had three types of durians going at $6, $12 and $18 per pack, all freshly opened in front of us. Here's how the buying went:

Young man: 来来,买榴莲,买给 baby 吃!
mf: 什么榴莲啊?
YM: D24, sultan, 猫山王
mf: 给我一盒 D24 啦 *cheapest*
YM: 买猫山王啦,比较好!
mf: 也比较贵!
YM: 那买 sultan 啦⋯⋯
mf: 有什么不一样?
YM: 不一样!你闻就知道 *bring to my nose* 算你 $10!
mf: Ok la,给我一盒⋯⋯
YM: 买两盒啦,买给baby!算你两盒 $18!
mf: 不要啦,吃不完!
YM: 哪里吃不完!给 baby 吃,给妈妈吃!
mf: Huh? 真的吃不完啦!一盒够了!Thank you, thank you!

Maybe it doesn't sound so but it was pretty hilarious! We had a good laugh as we left the stall :)

Got some snacks from 宏茂 supermarket before we went to Mother's place. We just missed Ah Yee who left after wrapping the bah zang. We stayed for some two hours waiting for the bah zang to cook and cool. Sito took a nap :p I finished reading a magazine, and had two of the five seeds of durians in the box - very satisfied!!! Photos of bah zang here.

Ok, this has been a 描写文 so far but what I started out wanting to say that I really like that neighbourhood. The food may be nothing spectacular but it's good and cheap. I can do shopping at a steal and bargain with the stall owners. There are so many familiar faces and places, like the old auntie who used to sell soy bean milk. There are still old-school shops like a hole in the wall selling and repairing watches, a shop selling hell money etc, a medical halls with herb cabinets and a general store selling baby clothes at $3 each.

The neighbourhood has been bustling for the past 30 years and counting. Next time must bring our kids there, show them where I grew up :) Too bad Sito's childhood neighbourhood is no longer around...

Friday 22 June 2012

When you're married and pregnant...

On Wednesday, Sito said my belly looked like the round coffee bun I had in the morning :(

On Thursday, Sito 歧视 my right hand cos I didn't wash it with soap after using it to eat durian :( He also 歧视 my mouth cos the smell lingered :(

And today, I made a face and Sito said I looked like a monkey! :(

Are these signs of my declining appeal???!

But well, my belly is round; he doesn't like durians; and maybe that particular face of mine just wasn't very flattering?

Just now we were talking about taking video of the delivery. I told him the hospital doesn't allow videos. In any case, I don't want to be video-ed down there!! Which led me to think that maybe I should also stop asking him to help me do perineal massage! *.*

Update one hour later

The husband just read this and told me "I still find you appealing" with a big smile! The wife is happy :)

Wednesday 20 June 2012

我们是饮食男女!

Really, we've been eating crazily in the past week since Sito's return! Let's see...

Thursday

Breakfast = BK breakfast platter at Terminal 1 - not very good but oh well...
Lunch = bakso mee for him and mixed vege rice for me at Centrepoint food court
Dinner = zi char at Seng Kee at Kembangan - not as good as we hoped..

Friday

Lunch = Ajisen at IMM - finally ramen!
Snack = OCK at HV - yummy yam cake :)
Dinner = Tampines food court - don't remember what we had :p
Snack = chicken chop at the pasar malam at Tampines - very good, better than the usual ones in shopping malls!

Saturday

Lunch = Katong laksa for Mum and me, and chicken rice for Sito - love it :)
Snack = fried carrot cake, black, spicy, at Albert Centre hawker centre near Sim Lim Square - finally! Just what have I been eating in the month before Sito came back??!
Dinner = crab etc at No Signboard - good of course!

Sunday

Lunch = Chor Huat Pu Tien food at Kembangan - better than Seng Kee!
Snack = spring roll from OCK - this was rather flattened...
Dinner = claypot rice for me and Koo Kee YTF for him at the Bugis food court - yummy!
Snack = sausage from Bugis Village - not very yummy...

Monday

Lunch = Crystal Jade dim sum at Taka - very very good!
Snack = azuki freeze and green tea cake at TCC outside Centrepoint - the drink was way better...
Dinner = take-away mixed vege rice from Food Republic - not the best, unfortunately...

Tuesday

Lunch = Kwan Im Vegetarian Restaurant next to the temple - yummy!
Snack = char kway teow and a Michael Jackson at HV hawker centre - we like :)
Dinner 1 = YTF for me and some Indon fried chicken at the Cineleisure food court - satisfied!
Dinner 2* :) = 车仔面 for him and 猪扒包 for me at Causeway Bay HK Cafe at Centrepoint - think mine was better :)

* The difference between a snack and dinner 2 is that a snack is taken about an hour or more away from a main meal while dinner 2 is taken right after dinner 1 =D

Today

Lunch = mixed vege rice from downstairs - the soup ($1.50) was very good!
Dinner 1 = Geylang Lor 9 beef hor fun with vege and tofu - yummy tofu
Dinner 2 = spring onion pancake, you tiao and soy milk at Yong He - very shiok and cold soy milk
Dinner 3 (!!) = wantan mee and dim sum at Ho Kee Pau - must be our fave Ho Kee Pau stall :)
Dinner 4 (!!!) = 芝麻白糖烧饼! It was a take-away item from a stall near dinner 1, almost as big as my hand with the fingers spread out! Very yummy...

And those were only the stuff I could still remember.. I'm not even counting our oatmeal/bread breakfast, fruits, yogurt, bedtime snacks of cheese slices, bubble tea here and there...

Today's dinner was the most sinful, nvm that we walked quite a bit from Lor 9 to Lor 27 before we took the bus back.. And we also risked our lives for this dinner - imagine a bai-kah and a pregnant women jay-walking across the busy Geylang Road!!

Now, why are there no photo?? Cos we devoured everything so quickly! :p

Tuesday 19 June 2012

While the dryer runs...

Did not go back to bed after popping my morning antibiotic. Instead, I ran the washer and read this article "Why elites fail" by Christopher Hayes. The following is an assemble of quotes from the article, which are together pretty disturbing.

The Principle of Difference: holds that there is vast differentiation among people in their ability and that we should embrace this natural hierarchy and set ourselves the challenge of matching the hardest-working and most talented to the most difficult, important and remunerative tasks.

The Principle of Mobility: Over time, society will have mechanisms that act as a sort of pump, constantly ensuring that the talented and hard-working are propelled upward, while the mediocre trickle downward.

The Iron Law of Meritocracy: states that eventually the inequality produced by a meritocratic system will grow large enough to subvert the mechanisms of mobility. The Principle of Difference will come to overwhelm the Principle of Mobility. Those who are able to climb up the ladder will find ways to pull it up after them, or to selectively lower it down to allow their friends, allies and kin to scramble up. In other words: “Who says meritocracy says oligarchy.”


I believe in meritocracy because without it, I won't be here. So it is depressing to think that kids today who come from a similar background as me and who have the ability may not have the opportunity to climb up. At the same time, as a parent-to-be, I also want to make sure that I can help my children succeed if they do not turn out like their parents! Something to mull over...

Thursday 14 June 2012

First day home :)

Sito is snoring away now - at 8.56 pm :)

The poor guy didn't sleep much on his flight home. He took a little nap after we got back this morning before we headed out to town.

Went to collect a rain cover that was supposed to have arrived with our pram, and had lunch at the Centrepoint food court. Had the most expensive mixed rice in my rice cos I ordered fish and I didn't realise one of my three vegetables had scallops *.* Found ourselves in Kino next, to renew his membership card and to get some parenting magazines. Rested a little in Lucky Plaza before going to HV where he got an ice-blended Mr Bean and an OCK ngoh hiang from the MRT station shops.

He finally saw our huge-ass TV! Nice to be back at our little flat with my husband :) We rested a little more at the flat before going to a sinseh in Bt Batok to check his still swollen and still painful right foot. The sinseh started with his back - don't know why! - before going for the foot. But he was good! He actually knew which part would hurt when he asked Sito to test his ankle! After some rubbing and pulling etc, he put some nice-smelling paste (really, cos I love those Chinese ointment smells :p) on Sito's foot and wrapped it up nicely. He did some cracking work on Sito's neck as well for headaches before sending us on our way. All for $40. And he said we shouldn't need to return anymore - confident!

Got some fruits from the supermarket there before returning to Kembangan. We watched a bit of the drama Love You before going to Seng Kee downstairs for some zi char dinner. Shared some coconut juice! Now that he's back, I'm going to start on all those pre-labour things like coconut juice and raspberry leaf tea!! 要生就生吧!:p

Oh, and a funny thing today - the bai kah husband-in-pain and the clumsy pregnant wife kept telling each other to be careful with steps!! Yes, we have only two good feet between us, so let us be careful!!

Going to bed to read magazines and prop up my feet now...

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Six more hours!

And Sito will be home! :)))

Skyping with him right now. Actually his big grin is frozen on my screen as he's reading stuff on his iPad. I'm no better; I'm watching a drama :p But we can hear each other :)



Earlier on, he gave me a short tour of the Hong Kong airport as he went about looking for dinner :) Now he's just waiting for his 1.30 am flight to Singapore.

I should get to bed soon so that I can wake up in time to go fetch him with a big hug!! :)))

Monday 11 June 2012

Update 35w3d

Saw baby again this afternoon! He's fatter now compared to the last 3D scan at 21 weeks :) He didn't move much during the checkup but on the bus back, he was having fun punching massaging me...

And doc said baby has a big head - three weeks bigger! But the rest of him is not as big, although he's still above average going by his thigh bone. He's estimated to be 2.9kg plus. And I was again shown his balls hoho! Yes, 300% boy, I know! Oh, and he already has short hair!

That's the happy bit :)

The unhappy bit is that I have gained 3kg since my last checkup almost three weeks ago!!! Doc said it could be water retention. He also said that baby could be pressing on the left, leading to a more swollen left foot.

But I think I gained most of the 3kg cos I couldn't stop eating in the past week :( Doc told me to control! He wants me to stop gaining weight from now. Um, a bit hard if I don't cook my meals myself :( But I will try!

Now the worrying bit - Group B Streptococcus. I knew this two weeks ago and took antibiotics for it. Doc now wants me to take a lighter dose from 36 weeks all the way to delivery. If my culture test today turns out positive again, he'll put me on a stronger dose.

Another worrying but funny bit - pain relief. That was my first thought when I heard about baby's dua tow. I asked doc if I could still go without epidural. He said sure - screams are free! Haha! But he said he would take epidural if he were a woman.. And he told me that a patient refused all kinds of pain relief and took to biting her husband on the arm *.* Well, I can still decide on the day itself if I want epidural.. Let's see..

Oh, met a family of four-going-to-five at the clinic. The two girls were so cute! They were obviously curious and after a while, they started talking to me. Is your baby a boy or a girl? Mummy is also having a boy! And the parents sounded like nice people too and we chatted a bit about EDD while I waited to pay.

Other than baby stuff today, I did prenatal pilates in the morning - oops, still related to baby :) - followed by lunch and shopping at 313. Also signed up for home broadband from M1 - first step towards moving back to HV! I stopped by Isetan on the way to the clinic to get a cardholder for my ezLink card. My old cardholder was from my trip to Taiwan in 2005, and the surface was disintegrating and dotting the interior of Prada! I ended up with a nice leather cardholder with a lanyard that I can use for my ID card when I go back to work :)

Now, I'm just waiting for dinner time so that I can eat my broccoli pasta - which is more broccoli than pasta! - and feel better about my weight. Mum told me I can only watch Sito eat when he's back, sighs!

Sunday 10 June 2012

Random observation

Caught a glimpse of my ass in my super short shorts as I passed by the mirror just now and I thought it looked pretty small and cute.

Then I turned and saw my belly in its full rounded glory.

Fine, it's all relative after all *.*

I can't stop eating...

In the past week or so, I have this compulsive urge to eat. It's not that I'm hungry. I just don't feel satisfied!

Will I gain too much weight in these last five weeks? Sighs..

Anyway, I've also been taking pictures of my very simple meals.

This was my first meal in Singapore - wantan mee with teh-o kosong beng! The noodles were unfortunately quite forgettable but I was impressed with the generous amount of vegetables. From somewhere behind my current apartment..



Less simple, with Na at Ootoya. It was ok yummy but I liked it for the real vegetables at the top right - usually, Japanese sets give salad at best, and I think those salads are fake vegetables :p



Had this with CY after dinner one day - green tea ice with azuki beans! Very yummy and hardly sinful :)



My fave! Lots of real vegetables from the cai fan stall at HD40 near home.



And a very average bah chor mee. But I do like bah chor mee so...



And when I woke up early on Wednesday, I had to go downstairs for some prata - kosong and egg - and teh tarik siu dai :) Unfortunately the prata was rather tasteless *.*



And this morning, I had two rice kuehs and a soon kueh for breakfast at my fave hawker centre in AMK! They would also fry the kuehs if I bought three so I bought three :p I used to eat a lot of rice kueh when I was a kid! With plenty of sweet sauce :) Today, I also added some chili.



The hawker centre has been renovated. Even the market area is now very clean and neat. I took some time to look for the stall - I could still recognise the sisters who have been running the stall for more than 20 years :)

Took a walk around the market area after breakfast and bought two sets of cute bear-bear PJs for myself and two pairs of plain shorts for Sito to wear at home. Shopping at the market is very affordable - I like :)

Also popped into two medical halls to ask about herbal shampoo for confinement. They only had dry shampoo so no deal...

Took a little walk to Mother's place. The neighbourhood hasn't changed very much since I moved away. Somehow, I really like this neighbourhood. I just don't like living with some people there :p

Headed to AMK Hub after lunch, and finally had durian! Albeit in the form of a pancake from four seasons durians. The pregnant lady in front of me would be due five days before me and she told me she was now craving for durian :p Anyway, I finished the little pancake on the escalator ride from the basement to the bus interchange *.*

And now back at the apartment, I just finished munching on the peanut butter sandwich cookies I bought this morning at the hawker centre.. And I still feel like having more! :( Going to the doctor tomorrow. Maybe his weighing machine could check my eating.....?

Friday 8 June 2012

Happy Friday! :)

Registered baby for infant care today! :)

Too early? NO! By the time I started looking around, which was last week, I was already given some five "no vacancy" replies! We're lucky that the one near our place will have a vacancy in December when one of their current babies graduates to childcare! I went there yesterday and was happy with what I saw and heard from the administrator. So I went back today to register after discussing with Sito in the morning.

Baby will start with half-day care from mid December so that I can be there to help him settle in. From January, when I should be resuming work, he'll go full-time. Mum has kindly agreed to fetch him home if I can't make it back in time.

I was originally thinking of placing him near the office so that I could spend more time with him, even keeping him in the office with me if I need to stay back. But the centres there have no vacancy until February at the earliest and my office will be moving at the end of next year. Oh well, good to be near home, I suppose. I just have to make sure I get home before he falls sleep..

Also bought some children's books at Expo today. Got some 10 books (or more?) for $45. I think they should suffice for a while. I'm definitely getting more, and getting Chinese books as well. Want to build a little library for baby! :)

Oh, and, this time next week, Sito will be by my our side :)

And, I had a chicken wing from Old Chang Kee, heh :p

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Some random things

Mum showed me an album - a physical album! - with pictures of Sito as a kid. He was then quite a poser :)

I love this particular shot very much! He was nine :)



Time for more random pictures...

This is me, obviously, with a rose from Flat Top Grill where we had lunch on Mothers' Day. We didn't even realise it was Mothers' Day! I suppose I looked sufficiently pregnant for them to give me a rose too :p



My old cover for Pinky II! Took this picture the morning I left Evanston...



Waited a long while for the rubbish truck to finish collecting rubbish from the area behind Kembangan Lodge. Yes, I stood quite a distance behind...



New shoes! And I could barely see them beyond my pink and round belly - had to bend a little :p



And my super swollen left foot. So swollen I had no ankle. So swollen it went numb sometimes. And when I press it, a depression remains for a while *.*



I've been sorting out more photos - will post more later...

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Last few events in Evanston

I'm staying in today. Just looking through some photos and found some nice ones from the last few events in Evanston.

I finally had the chance to take part in the Kellogg lip-dub in April! I was in DC last year this time. However, it took too long for the actual filming to happen and I had to go so I wasn't in the final cut! But it was still a lot of fun hanging out with the girls during the wait.


Source: C

And us, in traditional Korean wedding costumes at the Korean TG - I really like it :)



F organised a farewell for me at Olive Mountain - so sweet! In attendance were all the Singaporeans and "friends and fans of Singapore" in Kellogg.


Source: F

That same day, J held his son's first month celebration. Don't think we'll have a first month celebration. At least not in a big way since baby won't know a thing yet! I'll save my energy for the inevitable birthday parties in a few years' time...


Source: J

Sito took part in a chicken wings contest recently! I wasn't there to support him :( But T took some nice photos :) Sito came in third with 26 wings in 15 min! Come, let's go for a buffet one day - I also want to compete!! :p


Source: T

Monday 4 June 2012

My temp accommodation

It's been some two weeks but guess it's never too late to take a peek into where I'm staying now!

It's a medium apartment in Kembangan Lodge. It's quite unlike the studio apartment at River Valley we rented back in 2010.

So this is the entrance. I have two more pairs of shoes not shown here :p The mirror is where I do my makeup...



And this was taken from the door - the kitchen area. Took me a while to figure out how to use the induction cooker - it is easy but the first time I tried it, I used a wrong pot *.* The table serves as bag storage and food counter.



This is across from the table above - a washing machine! Very useful. The dryer is just outside at the staircase.



And this little doorway leads to the desk, TV and bed. I can't watch the TV from the desk due to the angle... I figure that I can get used to watching TV in bed... (I can imagine Sito telling me - again - that we should have a TV in our bedroom...)



The bed, obviously. After sleeping in a king bed for almost two years in Evanston, this feels rather small... Well, we'll have to get used to it.. Our bedroom cannot take a king bed for sure!



And the pathetic wardrobe. Oh well, I don't have a lot of clothes anyway. I'm just wearing whatever I've brought back from Evanston. The rest of my barang are still in storage.. Can't wait for end June/early July!



I met SP and AO for lunch after pilates today. So good to catch up after so long! :) Also went to visit Kinderland next to the office. No vacancy for infant care, sighs.. Will see how...

Sunday 3 June 2012

Turning three

Because it's 3 June here and 2 June in Evanston.

Because while there are two of us chattering away on Skype, a third is sleeping inside me.

Because in about six weeks, there will really be three of us in our little nest!

:)

Friday 1 June 2012

Take my seat :)

Every time I take public transport is a social experiment - who will spot a pregnant woman and give up his/her seat?

Of course I don't expect people to give me their seats. But it's interesting to see who cares and who chao keng :p

So far, I have been very fortunate. Kind people offer me seats almost all the time. I only remember three times when no one moved an inch - once on a Saturday and twice at about 8 pm on weekdays. It kind of reinforces my idea that the working crowd is generally - and understandably - less kind at the end of a tiring day.

Then, who are these kind people?

1) 70% foreigners or people who look and/or sound like foreigners. On the other hand, just now a middle-aged uncle rushed to get into the train before me to get the seat someone just vacated.

2) 100% people who are older than me.

But maybe the demographics are due to my travelling times...

Besides on public transport, I have met very kind people in the malls as well. Like at the Isetan sale, the lady behind me in the delivery queue kept helping me move my stuff despite having a lot of stuff of her own. And today, the promoter at Robinsons saw my belly, asked the obvious (you're pregnant right?) and proceeded to take my stuff to the counter for me.

Anyway, so today, Mum and I went to the Robinsons sale, and bought a red Graco Ultima Plus Travel System - we like it very much!! It's, um, a very auntie thing... And we bought a whole lot of baby toiletries as well as a panini press. Very happy :)

Update 3 Jun 2012

They ran out of the red stroller :( So I chose bright green! Let's see how it turns out...