I don't know why, but it seems like when you are with kids, you tend to attract more attention than usual, and with that attention comes unsolicited advice on how to manage the kid.
When I brought my 2-mth old out in a carrier with legs crossed inside (coz too short to dangle out) to the clinic, this auntie with her grandchild kept trying to tell me cannot, why put legs inside. I ignored her but she still kept on commenting until her daughter told her to keep quiet. Then there are some who ask me baby not hot inside meh? When baby cries, these busybodies will tell me baby hungry, and i will immed shoot them a reply "he just finished his milk" (which is usually true), then they try to offer other advice, oh he's cold, he's sleepy etc. In my mind, I will be asking "what does it have to do with you? kpo! " But of course I usually just smile and move away from them.
I was at a friend's place recently. One of her guests carried my baby without my permission. Ok, fine, I'm not that protective over who carries him. Then she tried to help feed him milk. Problem was, he's in a unfamiliar place, carried and fed by someone unfamiliar. So he wasn't too keen on his milk, drinking very slowly even though it's milk time. That's when this guest took the bottle out, stared hard at the bottle teat and asked me what size it is. Newborn size? I said no, it's the next size. She stared hard again, called her husband over and told him to see the teat size. He said, oh, it's too small, use pin to enlarge the hole. At that point, I gave a fake smile, controlling my tongue before it could lash out at them. "Did I ask you for your advice? You may be parents of 2, but that doesn't make you experts of childcaring! And for your info, my baby can finish his bottle of milk within 10mins without effort in suckling. Do you want my baby to choke on a faster flow of milk? He likes it slow, ok? Now please return my baby and his bottle back to me. And please mind your own business in future!"
I kept my mouth shut out of respect for my friend although I did tell the busybody that my baby doesn't take long to finish his milk. I avoided eye contact with her for rest of the visiting. Not long later, she asked me where to get the storybooks I brought along for my girl. Well, I know the source but I was too pissed off to share the information. So I acted blur. Yes, I'm selfish and petty. But I think being such a busybody, she will be able to dig out the source herself one day since she's such a Ms Know-it-All.
Then there's the incident with my sis-in-law. My toddler was throwing one of her usual tantrums and I chose to ignore her. So my sis-in-law quickly took out chocolates to try pacify my girl while my mother-in-law filled her in on what caused the tantrum. I told her no chocolates. I'm not sure if she didn't hear it or chose not to listen but still tried to give my girl chocolate. My crying girl quickly came to me without taking it. Then my sis-in-law came up and gave her a packet of cold drink. I told her no cold drinks and carried my girl away to the main door. My intention was for her to calm down and bring her out of the house for a walk. Once again this busybody came up and tried to carry my crying girl. I finally told her "please do not interfere when I'm discipling my child" then she backed off.
From what I heard from my hubby later, he did tell his parents and 2 sisters not to go over when I was staring at my crying girl coz our method is to let her cry it out. But well, this sister simply had to be the super caring auntie to try pacify my girl and ignored all of us. My father-in-law was supportive of what I did but my mum felt I was too harsh, said we are relatives after all. So, does that mean she's a relative, then she's entitled to reward my girl's tantrums with chocolates, cold drinks and carrying her around? Anyway the next day this sister was ok, no hard feelings. I did feel rather awkward coz while I do not see anything wrong with what I said to her, I admit I could have said it in a nicer tone. Oh well, hope she learns her lesson and be less of a busybody next time.
As a mum of 2 and caring for the kids myself personally 24/7 without help, I think I know a fair bit on how to take care of a toddler and a baby. But I'm no expert here. What I know and do applies to my own children. It may not necessarily apply to other kids. Everyday I'm learning new things on motherhood and parenting. When I see other mums doing things I don't exactly agree with, I usually keep my mouth shut unless they ask me what I'd do in a similar situation. Or I try to share my ideas in a diplomatic way. You can share information on caregiving and parenting, but don't impose your ideas on others. And don't act like you know it all because though you said it out of goodwill, it may come across as you being proud and busybody.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
One year update
My last post was in Oct 2012! In the 1 year since that last post, Miyoko has started on childcare and I had a 2nd child.
When Miyoko was around10 months old, we discussed the ideal age gap and gave ourselves 6 months to try for it. The pregnancy was quite tough. I had no cravings no appetite. Put on 8kg in total. Miyoko started her tantrums around 1 year old and her tantrums are out of this world! Roll on the floor, screaming, crying for at least 15-20mins regardless where she was. I didn't dare to carry her often because of the pregnancy. When she was down with stomach flu during my 1st trimester, we both just spent the day sleeping for few days because she was feeling very weak and I was feeling so tired from the hormonal changes and caring for her.
2013's Gd Friday was a Black Friday to us. We were involved in a traffic accident where our car spin to a stop. Miyoko was crying very loudly in shock, so was I, because I was 5 mths pregnant. Both of us ended up in KK Hospital where I had a really bad experience. Luckily hubby & I escaped with just some scratches and bruises caused by the saftey belt. Miyoko was protected by the carseat with no injuries.
I would have preferred to start Miyoko at childcare centre later but because of #2, we figured it's better for her to start at 18mths, take 2 months to adapt before arrival of her sibling. She adapted pretty well. No tears, no refusal to go to school but her social skills were clearly lacking at the start. She refused to mix with the kids and was aggressive towards those who tried to be near her. She will push them away or pull their hair and almost got into a fight in her initial months. I'm glad 6 months later she's playing well with her peers. She's rather shy when teachers talk to her but I guess it's alright. Maybe she has daddy & mummy's genes.
Our little prince Kazuki arrived in August 2013. My father-in-law must have been the happiest guy on earth that day since there's finally a male descendent to the Chee family line. His obsession with having a male heir is seriously pissing me off. So now we've given him what he wants, I hope he stops his irritating talk on having more kids (read: sons!). And no, we tried for a #2 because we wanted Miyoko to have a playmate, not because we want to please the elders. In fact, I told hubby if #2 is a girl, I am definitely stopping at 2 because I don't want to face any pressure from his father if I'm pregnant with a #3.
Miyoko assumed the role of jiejie quickly. She helps to pass me a clean diaper without asking when I'm changing didi. Tries to hold the bottle for didi while I'm feeding. Always eager to play with him on the playgym. But of course there are moments of jealously, especially in the beginning. She used to ask for milk when I'm feeding him when she's not due for milk feed, sometimes pulling his limbs to get me to play with her. It took a few weeks before she stopped these attention seeking behaviour. However till now she still refuse to share daddy with didi. Whenever he carries didi, she wants to be carried too. If he refuses, her tantrum starts. I'ts such a joy to see the 2 interact, especially when Miyoko softly touches didi's head and hugs him.
Kazuki just turned 5months. Miyoko is now 2yrs 1 mth. We are getting used to the noise with both around. We are also getting better at handling 2 kids outside. It's 1-to-1 practice, so when we are out for long periods, it's 2 strollers and 2 diaper bags. I've been a SAHM for 2 years and counting. Maybe when Kazuki is 2, I'll send him to a childcare and I return to the workforce. We shall see how things go :)
When Miyoko was around10 months old, we discussed the ideal age gap and gave ourselves 6 months to try for it. The pregnancy was quite tough. I had no cravings no appetite. Put on 8kg in total. Miyoko started her tantrums around 1 year old and her tantrums are out of this world! Roll on the floor, screaming, crying for at least 15-20mins regardless where she was. I didn't dare to carry her often because of the pregnancy. When she was down with stomach flu during my 1st trimester, we both just spent the day sleeping for few days because she was feeling very weak and I was feeling so tired from the hormonal changes and caring for her.
2013's Gd Friday was a Black Friday to us. We were involved in a traffic accident where our car spin to a stop. Miyoko was crying very loudly in shock, so was I, because I was 5 mths pregnant. Both of us ended up in KK Hospital where I had a really bad experience. Luckily hubby & I escaped with just some scratches and bruises caused by the saftey belt. Miyoko was protected by the carseat with no injuries.
I would have preferred to start Miyoko at childcare centre later but because of #2, we figured it's better for her to start at 18mths, take 2 months to adapt before arrival of her sibling. She adapted pretty well. No tears, no refusal to go to school but her social skills were clearly lacking at the start. She refused to mix with the kids and was aggressive towards those who tried to be near her. She will push them away or pull their hair and almost got into a fight in her initial months. I'm glad 6 months later she's playing well with her peers. She's rather shy when teachers talk to her but I guess it's alright. Maybe she has daddy & mummy's genes.
Miyoko's artpiece in school
Our little prince Kazuki arrived in August 2013. My father-in-law must have been the happiest guy on earth that day since there's finally a male descendent to the Chee family line. His obsession with having a male heir is seriously pissing me off. So now we've given him what he wants, I hope he stops his irritating talk on having more kids (read: sons!). And no, we tried for a #2 because we wanted Miyoko to have a playmate, not because we want to please the elders. In fact, I told hubby if #2 is a girl, I am definitely stopping at 2 because I don't want to face any pressure from his father if I'm pregnant with a #3.
Miyoko assumed the role of jiejie quickly. She helps to pass me a clean diaper without asking when I'm changing didi. Tries to hold the bottle for didi while I'm feeding. Always eager to play with him on the playgym. But of course there are moments of jealously, especially in the beginning. She used to ask for milk when I'm feeding him when she's not due for milk feed, sometimes pulling his limbs to get me to play with her. It took a few weeks before she stopped these attention seeking behaviour. However till now she still refuse to share daddy with didi. Whenever he carries didi, she wants to be carried too. If he refuses, her tantrum starts. I'ts such a joy to see the 2 interact, especially when Miyoko softly touches didi's head and hugs him.
The kids enjoying a staycation. Kazuki @3mths, Miyoko @23mths
Kazuki just turned 5months. Miyoko is now 2yrs 1 mth. We are getting used to the noise with both around. We are also getting better at handling 2 kids outside. It's 1-to-1 practice, so when we are out for long periods, it's 2 strollers and 2 diaper bags. I've been a SAHM for 2 years and counting. Maybe when Kazuki is 2, I'll send him to a childcare and I return to the workforce. We shall see how things go :)
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Tell me how to keep my cool?
Once again, I lost my cool at Miyoko today. Scolded her and slapped her thighs. I know I shouldn't do that but I completely lost it.
She was crying for milk but when milk was served, she played with the teat. Took it away, she cried. Give her she plays again. Worse during meal times. Eat 1 spoonful, spit out a bit, suck fingers, lick highchair, turn head away. Continue 2nd spoonful, same scene again. Then completely refuse to open her golden mouth, cry for milk. Give her milk, drink half bottle, reject milk, wants to play. 1hr later continue feeding, eat 1 spoonful, suck fingers, lick highchair, turn head away. I walk away to cool off my boiling blood. She cries. I come back after 5mins to feed her. She eats 2-3 spoonful then starts her nonsense again. So I walk away again. She cries again. I come back after 5mins to feed her again.
The above happens 1-2x daily. Tell me how to keep my cool?
I should attend a "Anger Management" course or dump Miyoko to a childcare centre before I go crazy.
She was crying for milk but when milk was served, she played with the teat. Took it away, she cried. Give her she plays again. Worse during meal times. Eat 1 spoonful, spit out a bit, suck fingers, lick highchair, turn head away. Continue 2nd spoonful, same scene again. Then completely refuse to open her golden mouth, cry for milk. Give her milk, drink half bottle, reject milk, wants to play. 1hr later continue feeding, eat 1 spoonful, suck fingers, lick highchair, turn head away. I walk away to cool off my boiling blood. She cries. I come back after 5mins to feed her. She eats 2-3 spoonful then starts her nonsense again. So I walk away again. She cries again. I come back after 5mins to feed her again.
The above happens 1-2x daily. Tell me how to keep my cool?
I should attend a "Anger Management" course or dump Miyoko to a childcare centre before I go crazy.
Cost of raising a baby
One day my sister asked me how much we spend on baby's necessities. So I listed down the items and realised it really costs quite a bit just to keep baby alive and clean.
Monthly Basic Needs
1. Milk powder: 2 tins of 1.8kg @$81 each = $162
2. Disposable diapers: 6 pc x 30 days @$0.30 each = $54
3. Baby cereal: 1 pkt @$7.30
4. Wet wipes: 2 pkt @$2 each = $4
Total = $227.30
Quarterly needs
1. Baby laundry detergent: 1 pkt @$5.90
2. Baby bottle cleanser: 1 pkt @$9.90
Total = $15.80
If I'm still breastfeeding, then I could have saved $162 monthly.
If I use cloth diapers in the day and disposables at night, maybe I can save at least $30.
If I can make baby accept porridge, then I can save on cereal.
If I make the effort to wash baby's butt at each diaper change, I can save 1 pkt of wet wipes.
If I use normal laundry detergent, I can save on expensive baby detergent.
If I use normal dish cleanser, I can save on expensive baby bottle cleanser.
Well, obviously the "Ifs" are not possible for me.
See my previous post and you know why I'd rather not save the $162.
I don't want to wash soiled cloth diapers daily. Waste water, waste detergent, waste my time. I don't want to get cheaper disposable diapers as I don't wish to risk baby getting nappy rash. Neither do I want to clean up the mess if diaper leaks.
Baby hates porridge no matter how I cook it. Sweet, savory, soft, hard, watery, drier version - All rejected. As long as it's porridge, it's rejected by our fussy girl.
I don't want to carry an increasing minimum load of 8.5kg to the wash basin 6 times a day and mess the toilet and myself.
I don't want to risk baby's eczema flare up due to harsh normal detergent.
I don't want baby's system to take in too much chemicals from normal cleanser now.
Guess I've to find other ways to cut down on baby expenses!
Monthly Basic Needs
1. Milk powder: 2 tins of 1.8kg @$81 each = $162
2. Disposable diapers: 6 pc x 30 days @$0.30 each = $54
3. Baby cereal: 1 pkt @$7.30
4. Wet wipes: 2 pkt @$2 each = $4
Total = $227.30
Quarterly needs
1. Baby laundry detergent: 1 pkt @$5.90
2. Baby bottle cleanser: 1 pkt @$9.90
Total = $15.80
If I'm still breastfeeding, then I could have saved $162 monthly.
If I use cloth diapers in the day and disposables at night, maybe I can save at least $30.
If I can make baby accept porridge, then I can save on cereal.
If I make the effort to wash baby's butt at each diaper change, I can save 1 pkt of wet wipes.
If I use normal laundry detergent, I can save on expensive baby detergent.
If I use normal dish cleanser, I can save on expensive baby bottle cleanser.
Well, obviously the "Ifs" are not possible for me.
See my previous post and you know why I'd rather not save the $162.
I don't want to wash soiled cloth diapers daily. Waste water, waste detergent, waste my time. I don't want to get cheaper disposable diapers as I don't wish to risk baby getting nappy rash. Neither do I want to clean up the mess if diaper leaks.
Baby hates porridge no matter how I cook it. Sweet, savory, soft, hard, watery, drier version - All rejected. As long as it's porridge, it's rejected by our fussy girl.
I don't want to carry an increasing minimum load of 8.5kg to the wash basin 6 times a day and mess the toilet and myself.
I don't want to risk baby's eczema flare up due to harsh normal detergent.
I don't want baby's system to take in too much chemicals from normal cleanser now.
Guess I've to find other ways to cut down on baby expenses!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Woes of a cow
Much has
been said about the benefits of breastfeeding but almost nothing about the
difficulties of it. Lactation consultants, books and websites all state there’s
no such thing as “No Milk”. As long as you nurse/pump regularly, milk will be
produced. “Demand equals supply” they always say. “The more you nurse/pump, the
more milk will be produced to meet that demand” they claimed. Even if one
hasn’t studied Economics, it’s common knowledge that supply doesn’t always meet
demand. Nor does demand always meet supply.
During
baby’s 1st week, she hardly peed or poo. The confinement lady was
worried and asked me to pump out my milk to see how much baby is drinking. I
only had 30ml. She said it’s probably isn’t enough and I should supplement each
nursing session with formula milk first while waiting for higher supply to kick
in. The first time baby had formula milk after I nursed her, she passed out
black poo (Meconium). By right she should have cleared the black poo by 3rd day
of birth, but that was on Day 6!
I belong to
the low supply group. No matter how often I nurse or what I eat, I could not
seem to meet her milk demands. It caused much unhappiness for us. I was often
frustrated and tired with the hourly nursing schedule while my baby wasn’t full
enough to take a nap after nursing. I was almost glued to the sofa as I nurse
for 30-40mins, rest 20-30mins and baby cries for milk again. When I couldn’t take
it anymore, I gave her formula milk after nursing. The first time I did it, my
baby gobbled down the whole bottle hungrily, gave a satisfied look and dozed
off for a long nap. It broke my heart. My insistence on total breastfeeding had
starved my baby instead. I thought maybe I should just go on full formula milk.
Didn’t we all grow up on formula milk anyway? I told my friend about my
difficulties and intention to stop, but encouraged by her words, I decided to carry on for 3 months.
Everyday I
looked forward to the end of 3 months. When 3rd month was close, I
thought maybe I can extend for another month. And maybe another month. Before I
realized it, I had breastfed for 6 months. I was probably used to the nursing
routine and enjoyed the special bonding between baby and me, that’s why I could
carry on. However at 6th month, I decided it’s time to stop. No more
extension. I was feeling very tired and falling sick often. That made me easily
irritable and I had no mood to interact with baby. All day I just think of
making her take naps so that I too, can take a nap.
It has been
3 months since I stopped. I do miss that special bonding but I’m still bonding
with my girl over toys, songs and lots of hugs. Although she suffers
constipation more often now (due to formula milk & semi-solids), she’s
otherwise very strong and healthy. I do not regret my decision nor feel too bad
about stopping whereas other mums can do so up to 1 year old or older. They are
efficient cows, I’m not. So why compare and make myself miserable?
Friday, November 25, 2011
Life with a little one inside
I used to think being pregnant simply meant having crazy food cravings, a super good appetite, licence to put on weight, morning sickness, difficulties walking around with a little basketball and enjoy privileged status.
I was so wrong!
While I did have food cravings, I could live without it for a few days as long as I get to eat it in the end. Sometimes after a few days my cravings go off even without satisfying it. I didn't crave for a single item for long. I think my longest record was probably Kovan Hawker Centre's ketchup wantan mee which I craved and ate for 3-4 consecutive weekends. Other than that, it was something new every other day. I never craved for sour plum but I did like sour stuff. During my 1st trimester, I was craving for a lot of junk food like potato chips, prawn crackers, french fries etc. Hubby likes to eat these junk too so we would stock up on these at home. Needless to say, I put on weight "too much too soon" as quoted by my gynae.
There were many cravings I couldn't satisfy due to dietary restrictions, some old wives' tales, some scientifc. I never knew being pregnant meant not being to eat a lot of "harmless looking" food such as half-boiled egg, stingray, crab etc. I even avoided fresh sugar cane juice as it's high in sugar content plus there's a risk of "rat poisoning" due to the storage of sugar cane at hawker centres. When I gave in to my craving for durians, I had to watch the number of seeds of durian I ate due to its high sugar and calorie content. I became a little paranoid over what I ate. Everything has to be thoroughly cooked. No salad allowed. Food has to be piping hot.
The 1 craving which I'm supposed to avoid but didn't follow was drinking tea. Having tea with milk for breakfast is a must for me. Without it I'm restless for the morning, plus I can't do my toilet business. Sounds strange, but tea with milk has a laxative effect on me. On hot days, I drink iced lemon tea during lunch or dinner. But people tell me tea is very "cooling" and should be avoided. It contains caffaine which isn't good for baby as well. However I simply couldn't resist it. I still have my daily cup of tea throughout pregnancy. If I exceed the 1 cup quota in a day, I try not to drink any the next day.
I plan to attack a list of food once baby's out! First on the list is salmon sashimi. Going to Japanese restaurants and seeing others eat sashimi and sushi while I can only see was pure misery. Next is crabs!! Chili crab, black pepper crab, butter crab. I did eat a little 2 weeks ago but it's not enough. I didn't dare to eat much as it's believed that if the mum eats crabs during pregnancy, the child will grow up to have "many hands", meaning everything wants to touch. Third on my list is BBQ Sambal Stingray, washed down with a mug of ice cold beer. Stingray has high mercury content and it's believed to cause bad complexion for babies, so I had to avoid it.
My appetite wasn't very good. My stomach filled up very easily and I would feel bloated for hours after that. Buffets were out. During the 1st trimester I was always hungry, especially at night, yet I couldn't eat much as it meant bloatedness which led to sleeplessness. Sometimes when we are out, I want to eat a variety of items and ordered a lot but in the end it's my hubby who had to clear all the leftovers. Luckily he has a huge appetite with high metabolism so he maintained his weight despite eating my share.
Putting on weight is expected during pregnancy but I didn't know there is a limit to how much I am supposed to put on. For normal BMI, weight gain should be between 11-16kg, the bulk of which should be gained during the 2nd & 3rd trimester. I put on 5kg within the first 3 months which gynae disapproved so I started to control my diet after that. I've put on 8kg to date and hope not to exceed 10kg by the time baby's out.
Morning sickness was mild for my case. I got it during weeks 6 - 12 of pregnancy. Usually I would feel nauseaous in the morning but would be fine by noon. No puking although appetite was affected. It didn't help that my workplace then didn't have a wider variety of delicious food so I often snacked on biscuits instead.
Gynae warned my hubby that my pregnancy hormones will cause me to be a monster at times with mood swings. Luckily for him, it hardly happened for the past 8 months. I believe because I wasn't working and had lots of rest at home, I was relatively stress-free and happy most of the time. Still that didn't mean he escaped the angry monster on that few occasions ;p
My little basketball popped up from 6th month onwards. However I could still walk a lot and at a relatively fast pace. I do not feel heavier with the big tummy. Discomfort sets in only when the tummy hardens like a rock at times. Although people tell me to rest more, I find it rather uncomfortable to sit down or lie down for long periods. I feel better when standing or walking around.
Sleeping is a challenge with the front load. Cannot lie on my back as it'll cause breathlessness and might affect baby. Lying on tummy is impossible. Best position is lie on the sides, preferably on the left. But when I lie on my side, my heavy tummy drops to the side as well and I'll feel the strain on the tummy. So now I've to sleep with pillows tucked under the tummy for support. Sleeping on the left for long is uncomfortable and I will end up with an aching shoulder. Oh, and just when I thought I've settled in a comfy position to sleep, I need to get up the bed to pee and this happens every 2-3 hrs at night!
I thought being visibly pregnant means getting reserved seats on buses & trains. No such thing here! People are usually very sleepy on public transport or living in their own mobile phone world, oblivious to their surroundings. It's hard to get a seat unless one dares to demand for it. I've been rather lucky to be offered a seat on most occasions although there are times when I've stand in a train of sleeping or busy passengers. I thought with my bump, people will be more careful around me. I didn't realise that most people are blind to bumps and I've to walk around with my arms protectively around my bump to fend off any blind rats who might knock into me.
The only privileged status I get is from my family & friends who take extra care of me. My mum brews good quality birds nest and very delicious chicken soup for me every week without fail. My brother, sis-in-law & sister helped me find out more about pregnancy stuff (coz I don't have many friends with kids). My friends always accomodate my preferred location for meet-ups and make sure I've boarded the taxi or hubby has arrived before they go off. All these little gestures by my family & friends really touched me. Soon the little one will enjoy the special treatment from them. In fact, the little princess already has a stroller given by my siblings & their spouses, rompers & pillows from my sister, rompers from my friend. My dad & sister now greets the little one inside first when they see me. Even hubby asks about the little one first when he's home. I've become #2 even before she's out!!
Despite all the discomforts & restrictions, it's nice to have a little one inside. I look forward to every gynae visit where I can see her on the grainy black & white ultrascan screen. On a recent visit, she was having hiccups while touching her head. Very cute! Everyday I get to feel her movements in the tummy and wonder what she's doing inside. Looking forward to see her in 3 weeks' time :)
I was so wrong!
While I did have food cravings, I could live without it for a few days as long as I get to eat it in the end. Sometimes after a few days my cravings go off even without satisfying it. I didn't crave for a single item for long. I think my longest record was probably Kovan Hawker Centre's ketchup wantan mee which I craved and ate for 3-4 consecutive weekends. Other than that, it was something new every other day. I never craved for sour plum but I did like sour stuff. During my 1st trimester, I was craving for a lot of junk food like potato chips, prawn crackers, french fries etc. Hubby likes to eat these junk too so we would stock up on these at home. Needless to say, I put on weight "too much too soon" as quoted by my gynae.
There were many cravings I couldn't satisfy due to dietary restrictions, some old wives' tales, some scientifc. I never knew being pregnant meant not being to eat a lot of "harmless looking" food such as half-boiled egg, stingray, crab etc. I even avoided fresh sugar cane juice as it's high in sugar content plus there's a risk of "rat poisoning" due to the storage of sugar cane at hawker centres. When I gave in to my craving for durians, I had to watch the number of seeds of durian I ate due to its high sugar and calorie content. I became a little paranoid over what I ate. Everything has to be thoroughly cooked. No salad allowed. Food has to be piping hot.
The 1 craving which I'm supposed to avoid but didn't follow was drinking tea. Having tea with milk for breakfast is a must for me. Without it I'm restless for the morning, plus I can't do my toilet business. Sounds strange, but tea with milk has a laxative effect on me. On hot days, I drink iced lemon tea during lunch or dinner. But people tell me tea is very "cooling" and should be avoided. It contains caffaine which isn't good for baby as well. However I simply couldn't resist it. I still have my daily cup of tea throughout pregnancy. If I exceed the 1 cup quota in a day, I try not to drink any the next day.
I plan to attack a list of food once baby's out! First on the list is salmon sashimi. Going to Japanese restaurants and seeing others eat sashimi and sushi while I can only see was pure misery. Next is crabs!! Chili crab, black pepper crab, butter crab. I did eat a little 2 weeks ago but it's not enough. I didn't dare to eat much as it's believed that if the mum eats crabs during pregnancy, the child will grow up to have "many hands", meaning everything wants to touch. Third on my list is BBQ Sambal Stingray, washed down with a mug of ice cold beer. Stingray has high mercury content and it's believed to cause bad complexion for babies, so I had to avoid it.
My appetite wasn't very good. My stomach filled up very easily and I would feel bloated for hours after that. Buffets were out. During the 1st trimester I was always hungry, especially at night, yet I couldn't eat much as it meant bloatedness which led to sleeplessness. Sometimes when we are out, I want to eat a variety of items and ordered a lot but in the end it's my hubby who had to clear all the leftovers. Luckily he has a huge appetite with high metabolism so he maintained his weight despite eating my share.
Putting on weight is expected during pregnancy but I didn't know there is a limit to how much I am supposed to put on. For normal BMI, weight gain should be between 11-16kg, the bulk of which should be gained during the 2nd & 3rd trimester. I put on 5kg within the first 3 months which gynae disapproved so I started to control my diet after that. I've put on 8kg to date and hope not to exceed 10kg by the time baby's out.
Morning sickness was mild for my case. I got it during weeks 6 - 12 of pregnancy. Usually I would feel nauseaous in the morning but would be fine by noon. No puking although appetite was affected. It didn't help that my workplace then didn't have a wider variety of delicious food so I often snacked on biscuits instead.
Gynae warned my hubby that my pregnancy hormones will cause me to be a monster at times with mood swings. Luckily for him, it hardly happened for the past 8 months. I believe because I wasn't working and had lots of rest at home, I was relatively stress-free and happy most of the time. Still that didn't mean he escaped the angry monster on that few occasions ;p
My little basketball popped up from 6th month onwards. However I could still walk a lot and at a relatively fast pace. I do not feel heavier with the big tummy. Discomfort sets in only when the tummy hardens like a rock at times. Although people tell me to rest more, I find it rather uncomfortable to sit down or lie down for long periods. I feel better when standing or walking around.
Sleeping is a challenge with the front load. Cannot lie on my back as it'll cause breathlessness and might affect baby. Lying on tummy is impossible. Best position is lie on the sides, preferably on the left. But when I lie on my side, my heavy tummy drops to the side as well and I'll feel the strain on the tummy. So now I've to sleep with pillows tucked under the tummy for support. Sleeping on the left for long is uncomfortable and I will end up with an aching shoulder. Oh, and just when I thought I've settled in a comfy position to sleep, I need to get up the bed to pee and this happens every 2-3 hrs at night!
I thought being visibly pregnant means getting reserved seats on buses & trains. No such thing here! People are usually very sleepy on public transport or living in their own mobile phone world, oblivious to their surroundings. It's hard to get a seat unless one dares to demand for it. I've been rather lucky to be offered a seat on most occasions although there are times when I've stand in a train of sleeping or busy passengers. I thought with my bump, people will be more careful around me. I didn't realise that most people are blind to bumps and I've to walk around with my arms protectively around my bump to fend off any blind rats who might knock into me.
The only privileged status I get is from my family & friends who take extra care of me. My mum brews good quality birds nest and very delicious chicken soup for me every week without fail. My brother, sis-in-law & sister helped me find out more about pregnancy stuff (coz I don't have many friends with kids). My friends always accomodate my preferred location for meet-ups and make sure I've boarded the taxi or hubby has arrived before they go off. All these little gestures by my family & friends really touched me. Soon the little one will enjoy the special treatment from them. In fact, the little princess already has a stroller given by my siblings & their spouses, rompers & pillows from my sister, rompers from my friend. My dad & sister now greets the little one inside first when they see me. Even hubby asks about the little one first when he's home. I've become #2 even before she's out!!
Despite all the discomforts & restrictions, it's nice to have a little one inside. I look forward to every gynae visit where I can see her on the grainy black & white ultrascan screen. On a recent visit, she was having hiccups while touching her head. Very cute! Everyday I get to feel her movements in the tummy and wonder what she's doing inside. Looking forward to see her in 3 weeks' time :)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
4 mths & counting..
4 months of tai-tai life has passed... I wonder why it feels so fast when I've nothing much to do at home! Yes, i do get very bored at home but somehow the week ends before I know it, and it's a new week again. It's as if I'm at work. Hmm, nope, I think time passes slower at work ;p
I start my day at 9am with breakfast & newspapers. 10am I'm at facebook/surfing net till noon. Go out tabao lunch then more FB or I'll go shopping till late afternoon. Prepare dinner & watch tv. When I was still doing the PT course, twice a week my afternoons were used for homework.
I don't have Monday Blues but like those who're working, I have the "TGIF" feeling on Fridays too. Coz hubby can go out with me to further places since he drives.
Left 2 more mths to end of tai-tai life and start of "huang lian po" life.... will it be good too?
I start my day at 9am with breakfast & newspapers. 10am I'm at facebook/surfing net till noon. Go out tabao lunch then more FB or I'll go shopping till late afternoon. Prepare dinner & watch tv. When I was still doing the PT course, twice a week my afternoons were used for homework.
I don't have Monday Blues but like those who're working, I have the "TGIF" feeling on Fridays too. Coz hubby can go out with me to further places since he drives.
Left 2 more mths to end of tai-tai life and start of "huang lian po" life.... will it be good too?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tai-tai life again
Once again I'm jobless! The last job lasted exactly 3 mths including notice period. Not actively looking out now coz I'm considering a career switch and taking up a part-time course related to it. After a couple of years in HR, I'm getting quite sick of it. It's a thankless job where we are like the personal assistant to every single employee in the company. In the past when I was in a GSS environment my phone hardly rang coz my job was specialized in HRIS. I wished then I could do a generalist role, interacting with employees. Guess the saying of "be careful what you wish for" is true coz my recent job granted my wish, in fact it was "over-granted" and I had to hang up my phone most of the time and tried to avoid interaction with employees!
It's been almost 2 wks since I started my tai-tai life and it's been great, though a little boring at times. My day starts at 9am, simple bkfast & newspaper till 10+, then go online surf net or watch drama online. Noon time go out buy lunch and grocery shopping for dinner. Early afternoon prepare dinner, do some housework or do part-time course's homework or watch more drama online. Early evening cook dinner then relax, watch tv, wait for hubby come home. After dinner, more tv time then bedtime at 11. Mondays & Weds got lessons from 7 - 10pm so I'll go back mum's place in afternoon to nuah, enjoy mum's cooking then go class with sister. I guess by attending part-time course, my days pass faster. And now with a new hobby of cooking for hubby, tai-tai life at home is quite enjoyable :)
It's been almost 2 wks since I started my tai-tai life and it's been great, though a little boring at times. My day starts at 9am, simple bkfast & newspaper till 10+, then go online surf net or watch drama online. Noon time go out buy lunch and grocery shopping for dinner. Early afternoon prepare dinner, do some housework or do part-time course's homework or watch more drama online. Early evening cook dinner then relax, watch tv, wait for hubby come home. After dinner, more tv time then bedtime at 11. Mondays & Weds got lessons from 7 - 10pm so I'll go back mum's place in afternoon to nuah, enjoy mum's cooking then go class with sister. I guess by attending part-time course, my days pass faster. And now with a new hobby of cooking for hubby, tai-tai life at home is quite enjoyable :)
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Worst job choice ever?
Look at my last post 2 months ago ~ I was so happy! Unfortunately soon after that I nosedived into hell. Beyond the 18th level of hell, as my colleagues say it. When I started complaining to my jie-meis, they jokingly asked when I plan to quit. Seems like it has become a cycle which I can't get out of.
So what went wrong this round?
Jobscope deviated greatly from what was mentioned during the interview. Or rather, the jobscope mentioned during interview was only 1/3 of the jobscope of 1 staff I'm replacing. In reality, my jobscope was for 4 replacements and I didn't like any of their scope.
After the senior who handed over to me left, I was bombed everyday with all kinds of shit work. I was so stressed I woke up in the middle of the night. Sometimes I dreamt of work or colleagues. I spoke to my useless boss on the workload and he said will get a replacement, but it was all NATO on his part.
My health started to suffer. Headaches were almost a daily affair. I felt physically & mentally exhausted everyday. I began to dread going to work.
During interview the boss told me the staff seldom work beyond 6pm. Saturdays are off. I guess that was the culture BEFORE he joined. Coz apparently he doesn't like it when staff leave on time and enjoy long lunches. So he reshuffled their jobscope to overload them into doing overtime. Soon my 6pm extended to 6.45pm everyday. Saturdays became 6 hr work day.
When I realised he wasn't actively recruiting someone to share my load, I decided that I've had enough and verbally told my new manager my intention to go. Nevermind the penalty I've to pay the recruitment agency. Forget about my bad work history. Finances will suffer but I can cut down on shopping and restaurants.
The new manager tried to keep me. She promised to push the useless boss to hire someone in. But I didn't see results after 2 weeks. No interviews arranged. He just conveniently hired someone w/o relevant experience just because she was referred by a current staff. And yet he always complain to me about other dept who bring in their friends or relatives. He's no different from them! So I tendered officially but the manager promised me things will change, she'll take away the portfolio which I hated. But nothing happened coz there was no replacement to take on the job.
So I tendered the third time in a month, and this round it's for real. I'm relieved it'll be over soon but I'm still busy. I still bring work home to clear on weekends. I'm not sure if they can get someone in on time but I'm definitely not going to stay beyond my notice period.
On reflection, I should have trusted my gut feelings and not taken up this job in the first place. Firstly, it's not an MNC. I told myself I'll never join a local company after my unpleasant previous jobs in 2 local firms but I took this up because of its attractive renumeration package. Secondly, when 9 out of 13 staff mass resign, it signals something is seriously wrong with either the company, dept or the boss. I thot they weren't comfortable with the way the new boss runs the dept. Now I know why ~ the boss SUCKS big time. Indecisive, calculative, petty, ultra instant memory, fickle-minded, stirs up politics, no sense of direction, blur, stubborn, and the list goes on. In short, the worse Head of Dept I've ever worked for.
The only consolation is the great colleagues I have. They are always there for me, always ever so helpful and caring. I'm going to miss them a lot. They are the reason why I can survive till now.
I'm not sure where I'm heading after this. Maybe HR isn't for me after all. Or I'm not suited for the corporate world. Maybe I should take a break and seriously think about what I want to do next instead of jumping into another job.
So what went wrong this round?
Jobscope deviated greatly from what was mentioned during the interview. Or rather, the jobscope mentioned during interview was only 1/3 of the jobscope of 1 staff I'm replacing. In reality, my jobscope was for 4 replacements and I didn't like any of their scope.
After the senior who handed over to me left, I was bombed everyday with all kinds of shit work. I was so stressed I woke up in the middle of the night. Sometimes I dreamt of work or colleagues. I spoke to my useless boss on the workload and he said will get a replacement, but it was all NATO on his part.
My health started to suffer. Headaches were almost a daily affair. I felt physically & mentally exhausted everyday. I began to dread going to work.
During interview the boss told me the staff seldom work beyond 6pm. Saturdays are off. I guess that was the culture BEFORE he joined. Coz apparently he doesn't like it when staff leave on time and enjoy long lunches. So he reshuffled their jobscope to overload them into doing overtime. Soon my 6pm extended to 6.45pm everyday. Saturdays became 6 hr work day.
When I realised he wasn't actively recruiting someone to share my load, I decided that I've had enough and verbally told my new manager my intention to go. Nevermind the penalty I've to pay the recruitment agency. Forget about my bad work history. Finances will suffer but I can cut down on shopping and restaurants.
The new manager tried to keep me. She promised to push the useless boss to hire someone in. But I didn't see results after 2 weeks. No interviews arranged. He just conveniently hired someone w/o relevant experience just because she was referred by a current staff. And yet he always complain to me about other dept who bring in their friends or relatives. He's no different from them! So I tendered officially but the manager promised me things will change, she'll take away the portfolio which I hated. But nothing happened coz there was no replacement to take on the job.
So I tendered the third time in a month, and this round it's for real. I'm relieved it'll be over soon but I'm still busy. I still bring work home to clear on weekends. I'm not sure if they can get someone in on time but I'm definitely not going to stay beyond my notice period.
On reflection, I should have trusted my gut feelings and not taken up this job in the first place. Firstly, it's not an MNC. I told myself I'll never join a local company after my unpleasant previous jobs in 2 local firms but I took this up because of its attractive renumeration package. Secondly, when 9 out of 13 staff mass resign, it signals something is seriously wrong with either the company, dept or the boss. I thot they weren't comfortable with the way the new boss runs the dept. Now I know why ~ the boss SUCKS big time. Indecisive, calculative, petty, ultra instant memory, fickle-minded, stirs up politics, no sense of direction, blur, stubborn, and the list goes on. In short, the worse Head of Dept I've ever worked for.
The only consolation is the great colleagues I have. They are always there for me, always ever so helpful and caring. I'm going to miss them a lot. They are the reason why I can survive till now.
I'm not sure where I'm heading after this. Maybe HR isn't for me after all. Or I'm not suited for the corporate world. Maybe I should take a break and seriously think about what I want to do next instead of jumping into another job.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
1st day of work
Finally... I get a decent spacious workstation with proper storage space and a laptop. And a more exciting role after 7 mths of data-entry :)
This place is very run-down like an old primary school, takes me an hour to reach and has 2.5hrs more official working hours per week. The salary's higher although the longer journey and working hours offset it. Wider jobscope means more responsibility but better career progression. My colleagues are very friendly, it was so easy to break the ice but I'm not sure how long they will be around coz the attrition rate is rather high here.
I'm happy on my 1st day of work. Hope the happiness lasts :p
This place is very run-down like an old primary school, takes me an hour to reach and has 2.5hrs more official working hours per week. The salary's higher although the longer journey and working hours offset it. Wider jobscope means more responsibility but better career progression. My colleagues are very friendly, it was so easy to break the ice but I'm not sure how long they will be around coz the attrition rate is rather high here.
I'm happy on my 1st day of work. Hope the happiness lasts :p
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Job hopper
I've quit my job. Again.
Since graduation in 2001, I've changed 12 jobs in 8 years (coz 2 years was spent in Japan).
Of the 12 jobs, 5 were perm, 7 were contract.
Of the 5 perm jobs, i quit within 2 weeks for 3 of them.
The longest I ever stayed in a job was as a private school teacher for 2 years, minus the 3 months vacation per year, that's like 1.5 years of work. And minus the short teaching hours, maybe I've only worked for a year as a teacher? haha!
Classic job hopper. Best of all, I'm in HR yet I'm still hopping from 1 job to another.
I've had a few good job opportunities in the past but I chose to forgo them for the wrong man. Bad choice indeed. But well, that's life with its expensive lessons! I'm behind my peers in the rat race now and probably won't ever catch up. Haiz...I've to learn to be contented with what I have instead of comparing to others coz as the saying goes "人比人气死人!"
My current job sucks. Then again, which of my other 11 jobs didn't? Ok, maybe not all of them were bad. My post in Oct last year reflected how miserable I was in this job but i managed to hold on till now. However I didn't want to go through another round of learning to do another brainless job so I chose to go even though I've not found another job. Another bad choice i guess coz it means I've to feed on grass till I get a job. Luckily hubby has a decent income to feed me rice. But I want abalone!! ;p
Mum's ok with my job hopping, often saying if you're not happy just move on, there're better ones out there. However Dad nags that all jobs are the same and is probably disappointed with me. I do agree after some time all jobs are the same. The frustrations. The politics. The gd & bad benefits/pay. I'm still in search of the ideal job which would probably never materialize.
I've gone for some interviews and am finding it more and more difficult to convince the interviewer that " 这是最后一次". I do wish it's one that I can last longer than 3 years coz it's so tiring to learn new things new processes again. Hubby's quite positive about it though. He even told me "You can make new friends again!"
With a housing loan to pay off and plans to start a family, I hope I can finally settle down in a perm job for a long time and enjoy the maternity benefits. I want to stop the life of a job hopper soon....
Since graduation in 2001, I've changed 12 jobs in 8 years (coz 2 years was spent in Japan).
Of the 12 jobs, 5 were perm, 7 were contract.
Of the 5 perm jobs, i quit within 2 weeks for 3 of them.
The longest I ever stayed in a job was as a private school teacher for 2 years, minus the 3 months vacation per year, that's like 1.5 years of work. And minus the short teaching hours, maybe I've only worked for a year as a teacher? haha!
Classic job hopper. Best of all, I'm in HR yet I'm still hopping from 1 job to another.
I've had a few good job opportunities in the past but I chose to forgo them for the wrong man. Bad choice indeed. But well, that's life with its expensive lessons! I'm behind my peers in the rat race now and probably won't ever catch up. Haiz...I've to learn to be contented with what I have instead of comparing to others coz as the saying goes "人比人气死人!"
My current job sucks. Then again, which of my other 11 jobs didn't? Ok, maybe not all of them were bad. My post in Oct last year reflected how miserable I was in this job but i managed to hold on till now. However I didn't want to go through another round of learning to do another brainless job so I chose to go even though I've not found another job. Another bad choice i guess coz it means I've to feed on grass till I get a job. Luckily hubby has a decent income to feed me rice. But I want abalone!! ;p
Mum's ok with my job hopping, often saying if you're not happy just move on, there're better ones out there. However Dad nags that all jobs are the same and is probably disappointed with me. I do agree after some time all jobs are the same. The frustrations. The politics. The gd & bad benefits/pay. I'm still in search of the ideal job which would probably never materialize.
I've gone for some interviews and am finding it more and more difficult to convince the interviewer that " 这是最后一次". I do wish it's one that I can last longer than 3 years coz it's so tiring to learn new things new processes again. Hubby's quite positive about it though. He even told me "You can make new friends again!"
With a housing loan to pay off and plans to start a family, I hope I can finally settle down in a perm job for a long time and enjoy the maternity benefits. I want to stop the life of a job hopper soon....
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Treasure box from the past
Last Sunday I was on another of my many spring cleaning mission and found a "treasure box" placed at the top of my cabinet, long forgotten.... Hard to reach, I think the last time I opened it was 1-2 years ago? I can't remember what's placed inside so I brought it down.
My memories from more than 10 yrs ago!
1 loving couple, 2 boxes of stamps, 3 stamp albums, 1 box of badges & coins, 1 sketchbook with drawings of our happy days (given by my ex-bf), 2 autograph books, 2 love letters from my ex-bf, 1 watch, 1 St. John Ambulance medical book & chess set (given by SIA) belonging to my dad, 1 trumpet music book & 1 song book belonging to my uncle.
I grew up playing with Barbie dolls. At one point I even had a big 3-storey Barbie doll mansion, swimming pool and car for them. I think there were 4-5 Barbies sharing one Ken. Hehe ;p I've kept this couple because of the Barbie doll as it was given to me by Aunty Nelly before she returned to the Philippines. Ken is just there to keep Barbie company :)
Getting friends and teachers to sign autograph book was the norm in Pri 6 & Sec 4. I still have the books and these are some of the autograph sheets by my secondary school teachers.
This is my 1st pager, subscribed thru SunPage. I remember those days of sending love messages on pagers using digits. Eg, 5121314 / 104 / 1 177155 4. Are you able to figure out the messages? ;p
I dumped all the items given by my ex-bf, re-packed the rest of the the items neatly into the treasure box and placed it back to its original spot. Probably 1-2 yrs later will open up to see its contents again :)Tuesday, October 05, 2010
いい仕事が欲しい
最近職場でやる気がないんだ。三ヶ月にデータエントリーしかしなかったから。
最初は楽な仕事と思って、嬉しくて、やっといい仕事が見つけたと思った。でも、この嬉しさだんだんなくなってしまった。社員と会ったり、相談したり、いろいろなことをするのが好きです。ここではできない。やり方とみんなの仕事もう決まってるから、上司と相談するでも無駄だと思う。早くいい仕事見つけたいなぁ！
最初は楽な仕事と思って、嬉しくて、やっといい仕事が見つけたと思った。でも、この嬉しさだんだんなくなってしまった。社員と会ったり、相談したり、いろいろなことをするのが好きです。ここではできない。やり方とみんなの仕事もう決まってるから、上司と相談するでも無駄だと思う。早くいい仕事見つけたいなぁ！
Thursday, September 09, 2010
My 2010 Q4 projects
Project 1 - The flat
I finally own my own home! Although we've yet to collect the keys, we've started planning the renovation and shopping for furniture & fittings. A very time-consuming but exciting that gives us a good excuse to go shopping every weekend :)
Project 2 - New job
It's been 2 months and I'm still learning new things every other day in terms of culture and processes. Hope things get better each day....
Project 3 - ROM
We've booked the place, found a JP and e-filed at ROM. Tentative list of guests drawn up too. Now we've to work on the wedding favors. Since it's a small gathering for 30pax, I decided to DIY. Guess I'll get the materials tomorrow and start working on it soon :)
Project 4 - Honeymoon
Japan or Taiwan? We love Japan!! Unfortunately we've limited budget left for honeymoon after allocating funds for the flat, reno & ROM. We had also gone on a 2 weeks "pre-honeymoon" trip to Japan last year, so we set on Taiwan which also offers beautiful scenery and hot springs!! And it's so much cheaper. Can't wait to eat & shop in Taiwan soon (^-^)v
Project 5 - Planning for our future
By the time the above 4 projects are completed, we'll be stepping into a new year. That's the time I set goals for myself, but this time it'll be with my hubby :) Looking forward to it!!
I finally own my own home! Although we've yet to collect the keys, we've started planning the renovation and shopping for furniture & fittings. A very time-consuming but exciting that gives us a good excuse to go shopping every weekend :)
Project 2 - New job
It's been 2 months and I'm still learning new things every other day in terms of culture and processes. Hope things get better each day....
Project 3 - ROM
We've booked the place, found a JP and e-filed at ROM. Tentative list of guests drawn up too. Now we've to work on the wedding favors. Since it's a small gathering for 30pax, I decided to DIY. Guess I'll get the materials tomorrow and start working on it soon :)
Project 4 - Honeymoon
Japan or Taiwan? We love Japan!! Unfortunately we've limited budget left for honeymoon after allocating funds for the flat, reno & ROM. We had also gone on a 2 weeks "pre-honeymoon" trip to Japan last year, so we set on Taiwan which also offers beautiful scenery and hot springs!! And it's so much cheaper. Can't wait to eat & shop in Taiwan soon (^-^)v
Project 5 - Planning for our future
By the time the above 4 projects are completed, we'll be stepping into a new year. That's the time I set goals for myself, but this time it'll be with my hubby :) Looking forward to it!!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
New look for my blog
Bored with my little rabbit photo, I decided to change it to a snow scenery taken in Hokkaido. The one day the sky snowed for us. I finally have a playlist at my blog too! うれしい！
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Challenging or relaxing job?
Can I have both?
I need job variety to keep my interest at work. I want to go to work with a list of tasks for the day. I want hectic, busy days at times to keep my energy going. I want challenges to achieve, to feel good about my abilities. I want greater responsibilities & authority. However all these often come with a price -- stress & overtime.
I want to go home on time. To be free of work worries once home. I want to have the time to cook a simple dinner and spend time with my hubby. I want to complete my daily tasks at work without rush, without deadlines. I get irritated easily when stressed and that will affect my mood at home.
I'm not sure what I want. Is is possible to have a challenging yet relaxing job?
I'm beginning to lose focus on what I want for a job or career.....
I need job variety to keep my interest at work. I want to go to work with a list of tasks for the day. I want hectic, busy days at times to keep my energy going. I want challenges to achieve, to feel good about my abilities. I want greater responsibilities & authority. However all these often come with a price -- stress & overtime.
I want to go home on time. To be free of work worries once home. I want to have the time to cook a simple dinner and spend time with my hubby. I want to complete my daily tasks at work without rush, without deadlines. I get irritated easily when stressed and that will affect my mood at home.
I'm not sure what I want. Is is possible to have a challenging yet relaxing job?
I'm beginning to lose focus on what I want for a job or career.....
Thursday, May 06, 2010
6 months left?!
With house-hunting off the list, what's next on the list? ROM & Renovate! How I wish it's Rest & Relax instead....
Yesterday I listed out the rest of the plans and realised I only have 6 months to settle them all. There are so many things to consider that I think my hair-loss control shampoo is losing its effectiveness. Venue, JP, guest list, wedding photography, contractors, furniture, home appliances, $$$.
I wish I could just pop by ROM, sign the papers and go home. It's just a piece of paper for official purposes, isn't it? To create a beautiful memory of this day and also please his parents, we decided to hold a simple wedding. However no matter how simple it will be, we still can't escape from the tasks listed above :(
As for the house, if only it came in the condition we want it, no renovation required. That's of coz impossible ;p Luckily we don't have to do up a lot and had already met up with some ID for the previous flat. Now we just need to consider carefully how to create the Japanese/Zen feel we want without bursting our tight budget.
Although I'm already feeling the stress just by looking at the timeline, I believe the whole process will bond us closer as we work together on it. Looking forward to start a new chapter together! (^-^)(^o^)
Yesterday I listed out the rest of the plans and realised I only have 6 months to settle them all. There are so many things to consider that I think my hair-loss control shampoo is losing its effectiveness. Venue, JP, guest list, wedding photography, contractors, furniture, home appliances, $$$.
I wish I could just pop by ROM, sign the papers and go home. It's just a piece of paper for official purposes, isn't it? To create a beautiful memory of this day and also please his parents, we decided to hold a simple wedding. However no matter how simple it will be, we still can't escape from the tasks listed above :(
As for the house, if only it came in the condition we want it, no renovation required. That's of coz impossible ;p Luckily we don't have to do up a lot and had already met up with some ID for the previous flat. Now we just need to consider carefully how to create the Japanese/Zen feel we want without bursting our tight budget.
Although I'm already feeling the stress just by looking at the timeline, I believe the whole process will bond us closer as we work together on it. Looking forward to start a new chapter together! (^-^)(^o^)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Birthday celebration
I realise that as I grow older, my birthday celebrations become simpler. In the past it used to be celebrated with colleagues in the office, close friends at restaurants, family at home. This year as I'm unemployed, there were no colleagues. But ex-colleagues and friends still remembered and sent me sms. I'm happy that I've not been forgotten and appreciate their gesture. Don't underestimate the joy a simple sms or msg on FB can bring!
As for family, the main person-in-charge, my sister, was overseas, so the celebration was almost forgotten till my mum asked about it during dinner on the actual day. So my brother went to get a cake after dinner for a last minute celebration. As it was late and the nearest Awfully Choco outlet has closed, he went all the way to Vivocity to buy. Very sweet of him & his gf to make the effort.
Yummy choco cake from Awfully Chocolate
My sister sent me a global sms and later returned with lovely gifts - an apron (when i have my own kitchen in future) and a small longchamp bag. I'm amused that although I'm not a branded person, I tend to receive branded stuff, thanks to family & friends who like it. Haha! My b'day longchamp bag, x'mas CheChe bag & Coach purse from friend's US trip are still unused. Maybe it's time for me to clear my cheap & old kawaii bags to make way for the new bags. I also have to clear out my old cosmetics as my friends had given me a new set of blush & eye-shadows from my favorite brand - Maquillage (Shiseido). Happy!! New "year" new start new stuff!
The highlight of my birthday is celebrating with my other half. He brought me to Batam for a short getaway on the weekend of my birthday. Last year we had celebrated it in Batam at Harris Resort. This year we went to Turi Beach Resort at Nongsa, Batam. Harris is a very fun resort that feels rather budget whereas Turi Beach is a more quiet and classy resort with a great view of the sea. We joked it's a cheaper version of Sentosa Resorts. For $200/pax that includes ferry tickets, taxes, accomodation, lunch, breakfast and 3-hr spa (massage + body scrub + milk bath), it's quite value-for-$$.
After the spa treatment, we strolled along the beach then lazed in the room till evening. With a candle-light dinner by the poolside and live music, it's a very romantic way to end the day. We could have made the trip even more romantic by watching the sunrise together the next day but he was deep in dreamland and I was just too lazy to walk to the beach, so I just made do with 1 - 2 shots taken from our balcony which didn't turn out well. Turi Beach is a nice place, perfect for a quiet getaway and for those who like sea-sports.
That's my 31st birthday celebration. Simple but meaningful with family & friends.
As for family, the main person-in-charge, my sister, was overseas, so the celebration was almost forgotten till my mum asked about it during dinner on the actual day. So my brother went to get a cake after dinner for a last minute celebration. As it was late and the nearest Awfully Choco outlet has closed, he went all the way to Vivocity to buy. Very sweet of him & his gf to make the effort.
Yummy choco cake from Awfully Chocolate My sister sent me a global sms and later returned with lovely gifts - an apron (when i have my own kitchen in future) and a small longchamp bag. I'm amused that although I'm not a branded person, I tend to receive branded stuff, thanks to family & friends who like it. Haha! My b'day longchamp bag, x'mas CheChe bag & Coach purse from friend's US trip are still unused. Maybe it's time for me to clear my cheap & old kawaii bags to make way for the new bags. I also have to clear out my old cosmetics as my friends had given me a new set of blush & eye-shadows from my favorite brand - Maquillage (Shiseido). Happy!! New "year" new start new stuff!
The highlight of my birthday is celebrating with my other half. He brought me to Batam for a short getaway on the weekend of my birthday. Last year we had celebrated it in Batam at Harris Resort. This year we went to Turi Beach Resort at Nongsa, Batam. Harris is a very fun resort that feels rather budget whereas Turi Beach is a more quiet and classy resort with a great view of the sea. We joked it's a cheaper version of Sentosa Resorts. For $200/pax that includes ferry tickets, taxes, accomodation, lunch, breakfast and 3-hr spa (massage + body scrub + milk bath), it's quite value-for-$$.
Each chalet housed 1 - 2 rooms with balcony overlooking the sea
there were 2 swimming pools
view of the resort from the bridge
After the spa treatment, we strolled along the beach then lazed in the room till evening. With a candle-light dinner by the poolside and live music, it's a very romantic way to end the day. We could have made the trip even more romantic by watching the sunrise together the next day but he was deep in dreamland and I was just too lazy to walk to the beach, so I just made do with 1 - 2 shots taken from our balcony which didn't turn out well. Turi Beach is a nice place, perfect for a quiet getaway and for those who like sea-sports.
That's my 31st birthday celebration. Simple but meaningful with family & friends.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
J-dorama marathon
I've been a tai-tai for 2 weeks. Besides going for interviews, gym and helping my dad with some ad-hoc assignments, my time was spent watching japanese dramas at home. Since the dramas are usually 9 - 11 episodes only, I could finish up 7 titles within 2 weeks. I usually multi-task at my PC while waiting for the episodes to load online - msn chat, surf net for job, copy songs from CD into my PC, do ad-hoc assignment. Quite sianz to watch it on small screen in poor quality but can save $$ on dvd :)
I just started on the 8th title but it can't keep my interest beyond episode 1. Maybe I'm beginning to get a little tired of japanese dramas. Now searching for a new korean/HK/taiwanese drama to watch. Any title to recommend?
For those who're wondering, here's the list of titles I've watched (in order of preference):
Title 1: オルトロスの犬 (Orthros no Inu)
Genre: Suspense, human drama
Episodes: 9
Broadcast period: Jul – Sept 2009
Cast: Takizawa Hideaki, Nishikido Ryo, Mizukawa Asami
Synopsis:
Ryuzaki Shinji who possesses a “God Hand”, the power to heal wounds and illnesses just by touching the patient, is in fact a dark introvert who does not reveal his true self to others. Aoi Ryosuke who possesses the “Demon’s Hand”, the power to kill a person just by touching him, is as kind and pure as an angel. When the demon meets the God, a fatal battle begins…
Comment: Interesting plot, good pacing & twists and a nice theme song. Go watch it!
Title 2: JIN-仁- (Jin)
Genre: Sci-fi, medical, period drama
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: Oct – Dec 2009
Cast: Osawa Takao, Ayase Haruka, Nakatani Miki
Synopsis:
The story follows a brain surgeon named, Minakata Jin, who finds himself transported back in time to the Edo period. He manages to save lives there despite a lack of proper medical equipment. Meanwhile, he also tries to find a way back to the present.
Comment: Interesting plot but pace is rather slow. Not too satisfied with the ending. Too many questions left unanswered.
Title 3: クロサギ (Kurosagi)
Genre: Action, Crime investigation, Romance
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: Apr – Jun 2006
Cast: Yamashita Tomohisa, Horikita Maki
Synopsis:
Kurosaki is a young man whose family was destroyed by swindlers and grows up to become a con artist known as Kurosagi. As Kurosagi, he swindles other con artists and returns the money to the original victim.
Comment: My friends & ex-students used to tell me how great this drama is, urging me to watch it too. Plus there’s their favourite Yamapi in it. Conclusion? Quite interesting but the ending and the movie that followed is quite disappointing.
Title 4: アタシんちの男子 (Atashinchi no Danshi)
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: Apr – Jun 2009
Cast: Horikita Maki, Kaname Jun, Okada Yoshinori, Mukai Osamu, Yamamoto Yusuke, Seto Koji, Okayama Tomoki
Synopsis:
A 20-year-old homeless girl spent her youth trying to escape from the huge debt her father left her. However, her life changed after meeting one man who promises to free her from her debt if she marries him and becomes the mother of his adopted sons.
Comment: Although it’s considered a comedy, I don’t find myself laughing a lot watching it. It’s more of a human drama about family ties. Quite touching at times.
Title 5: 野ブタ。をプロデュース(Nobuta wo Produce)
Genre: School drama
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: Oct – Dec 2005
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa, Horikita Maki
Synopsis:
2 guys team up to help a female classmate (who’s an outcast and target of bullies) become popular.
Comment: A simple story that shows the friendship of 3 students. I kind of enjoyed it coz the acting or scenes aren’t too exaggerated which is common in school drama settings (eg HanaKimi or Gokusen).
Title 6: ヤマトナデシコ七変化 (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge)
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: Jan – Mar 2010
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Tegoshi Yuya, Oomasa Aya, Uchi Hiroki, Miyao Shuntaro
Synopsis:
4 guys living together in the same boarding house have to turn a spooky girl into a nice lady in order to enjoy free board & lodging.
Comment: Lacks a strong storyline and quite exaggerated but I enjoyed it anyway. The anime version of it is quite nice too.
Title 7: メイちゃんの執事 (Mei-chan no Shitsuji)
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: Jan – Mar 2009
Cast: Eikura Nana, Mizushima Hiro
Synopsis:
The story revolves around a young woman named Mei, who discovers after her parents' accidental death that she's actually the heiress to a fortune, and is forced to transfer to St. Lucia Girls' Academy, where all the students have butlers.
Comment: Typical bullying, heroine saving the day and winning everyone’s support. More for fans of Mizushima Hiro.
I just started on the 8th title but it can't keep my interest beyond episode 1. Maybe I'm beginning to get a little tired of japanese dramas. Now searching for a new korean/HK/taiwanese drama to watch. Any title to recommend?
For those who're wondering, here's the list of titles I've watched (in order of preference):
Title 1: オルトロスの犬 (Orthros no Inu)
Genre: Suspense, human drama
Episodes: 9
Broadcast period: Jul – Sept 2009
Cast: Takizawa Hideaki, Nishikido Ryo, Mizukawa Asami
Synopsis:
Ryuzaki Shinji who possesses a “God Hand”, the power to heal wounds and illnesses just by touching the patient, is in fact a dark introvert who does not reveal his true self to others. Aoi Ryosuke who possesses the “Demon’s Hand”, the power to kill a person just by touching him, is as kind and pure as an angel. When the demon meets the God, a fatal battle begins…
Comment: Interesting plot, good pacing & twists and a nice theme song. Go watch it!
Title 2: JIN-仁- (Jin)
Genre: Sci-fi, medical, period drama
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: Oct – Dec 2009
Cast: Osawa Takao, Ayase Haruka, Nakatani Miki
Synopsis:
The story follows a brain surgeon named, Minakata Jin, who finds himself transported back in time to the Edo period. He manages to save lives there despite a lack of proper medical equipment. Meanwhile, he also tries to find a way back to the present.
Comment: Interesting plot but pace is rather slow. Not too satisfied with the ending. Too many questions left unanswered.
Title 3: クロサギ (Kurosagi)
Genre: Action, Crime investigation, Romance
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: Apr – Jun 2006
Cast: Yamashita Tomohisa, Horikita Maki
Synopsis:
Kurosaki is a young man whose family was destroyed by swindlers and grows up to become a con artist known as Kurosagi. As Kurosagi, he swindles other con artists and returns the money to the original victim.
Comment: My friends & ex-students used to tell me how great this drama is, urging me to watch it too. Plus there’s their favourite Yamapi in it. Conclusion? Quite interesting but the ending and the movie that followed is quite disappointing.
Title 4: アタシんちの男子 (Atashinchi no Danshi)
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: Apr – Jun 2009
Cast: Horikita Maki, Kaname Jun, Okada Yoshinori, Mukai Osamu, Yamamoto Yusuke, Seto Koji, Okayama Tomoki
Synopsis:
A 20-year-old homeless girl spent her youth trying to escape from the huge debt her father left her. However, her life changed after meeting one man who promises to free her from her debt if she marries him and becomes the mother of his adopted sons.
Comment: Although it’s considered a comedy, I don’t find myself laughing a lot watching it. It’s more of a human drama about family ties. Quite touching at times.
Title 5: 野ブタ。をプロデュース(Nobuta wo Produce)
Genre: School drama
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: Oct – Dec 2005
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa, Horikita Maki
Synopsis:
2 guys team up to help a female classmate (who’s an outcast and target of bullies) become popular.
Comment: A simple story that shows the friendship of 3 students. I kind of enjoyed it coz the acting or scenes aren’t too exaggerated which is common in school drama settings (eg HanaKimi or Gokusen).
Title 6: ヤマトナデシコ七変化 (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge)
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: Jan – Mar 2010
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Tegoshi Yuya, Oomasa Aya, Uchi Hiroki, Miyao Shuntaro
Synopsis:
4 guys living together in the same boarding house have to turn a spooky girl into a nice lady in order to enjoy free board & lodging.
Comment: Lacks a strong storyline and quite exaggerated but I enjoyed it anyway. The anime version of it is quite nice too.
Title 7: メイちゃんの執事 (Mei-chan no Shitsuji)
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: Jan – Mar 2009
Cast: Eikura Nana, Mizushima Hiro
Synopsis:
The story revolves around a young woman named Mei, who discovers after her parents' accidental death that she's actually the heiress to a fortune, and is forced to transfer to St. Lucia Girls' Academy, where all the students have butlers.
Comment: Typical bullying, heroine saving the day and winning everyone’s support. More for fans of Mizushima Hiro.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Released from bond!
I've finally finished up my 1 year bond with the company and left on 5 March. I've been counting down to this day for almost 9 months. So glad it's over though I somehow miss the routine life there and some ex-colleagues. But I'll never miss the crappy HR policies they have. Worst company ever.
I jumped into another job immediately only to realise that it wasn't what I was looking for, so I left soon after. Sometimes I wonder if it's because I was in comfort zone when I left, that's why I couldn't find my direction in the new job. Or I didn't rest enough. Or I'm not ready for a completely different jobscope.
I've been lazing at home for the past 2 weeks after I left the new job. Although I had a very attractive offer last week, I rejected it due to the job scope. I think I'm crazy to have rejected it. Kind of regret it now. Haiz, now that I know my market value, I'm not willing to go lower, thus I think my job hunt will take even longer to complete.
Sigh... sick & tired of going for interviews... hope tomorrow's interview will go well.. feel so stressed out now...
I jumped into another job immediately only to realise that it wasn't what I was looking for, so I left soon after. Sometimes I wonder if it's because I was in comfort zone when I left, that's why I couldn't find my direction in the new job. Or I didn't rest enough. Or I'm not ready for a completely different jobscope.
I've been lazing at home for the past 2 weeks after I left the new job. Although I had a very attractive offer last week, I rejected it due to the job scope. I think I'm crazy to have rejected it. Kind of regret it now. Haiz, now that I know my market value, I'm not willing to go lower, thus I think my job hunt will take even longer to complete.
Sigh... sick & tired of going for interviews... hope tomorrow's interview will go well.. feel so stressed out now...
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