My confinement

I recommend every new mum to get a pui yuet / confinement lady.

Innitially we decided against it because we wanted to save the money and felt that with all the family members' help, we could manage. But after speaking to new mums and their mums, everyone agreed it's best to hire one. So we did.

And she is god sent!

She takes care of the baby throughout the night so that I can sleep. And whenever Aydreanne cries or fusses, she is there to feed, change and bathe her.

So all I do is breast feed Aydreanne and play with her when she is in a good mood.

Oh and eat all the yummy and rich confinement food such as rice wine ginger chicken, vinegared pigs trotters (chi keok cho) and pork in tumeric. And lotsa soups. And essense of chicken, boiled from scratch.

I don't know how the westerners do it, without the help of a pui yuet and sometimes even no help from their mothers because they live apart. It must be tough.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my confinement.

Oh and I get to watch all the TV I want because I have so much time on my hands.

Luckily I stocked up on Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, Gray's Anatomy and Lie to Me. Which I watched one a week.

Confinement is almost like a holiday. And if u were working previously, it's a paid holiday called maternity leave! I could do this again!

Aydreanne & I Check Out of the Hospital

The doctor still recommends that Aydreanne continue phototherapy. Or alternatively, to rent the equipment and do it at home.

We said no to either, preferring to bring her home and heal the jaundice the traditional way - a bath in Guinness and some time in the sun.

And being home with family member and a comfortable environment.

Baby Aydreane has Jaundice

I'm totally fine and can check out .... I keep on saying 'check out' instead of discharge because the hospital room is so nice and service is great so it feels like a hotel.

But poor Aydreanne has jaundice. 3 out of 5 babies these days get jaundice. In fact, every one of my friends' babies had jaundice.

The paedetritian recommended that Aydreanne go for the photolight theraphy and that we stay on in the hospital as boarders since I was breast feeding. We agreed because which parent would willingly leave their newborn baby in the hospital?

We brought Aydreanne to the nursery. They stripped her down to her diaper and placed some wool over her eyes (this is really 'pulling wool over her eyes') and placed her tummy down in a basinette and under the blue light. She began to cry. Then I begand to cry. Then she screamed louder and I wailed louder.

Poor Lord Gaga didn't know what to do.

Finally we all calmed down and we left her there and tiny and red and under the blue light. I went back to my room to cry.

The Birth of Baby Aydreanne

2.15am
I woke up to pee, yet again. I'm totally getting used to waking up and peeing 3 to 4 times in the night.

2.30am
I feel a little strange. Like a mild tummy upset but not really so I decided to lie back down on the bed. The weirdness continued. Could this be contractions? No way .... not when my EDD is more than 2 weeks away. Nevertheless, I started timing them.

4.00am
The weird feelings were 5 to 4 minutes apart. But they don't feel like contractions.

4.30am
The weird feelings were becoming more unfomfortable. I woke Lord Gaga and told him what I felt and we decided to time them together.

5.00am
Still 4 to 5 minutes apart. But no pain. Hmmmm

5.30am
Told Lord Gaga that we should go to the hospital to get it checked out. But not to worry, it CAN'T be contractions. I'm not due and there's no pain.

6.00am
We arrive at the hospital. Told the nurses I'm feeling a little odd. They strap me into this monitor thing for half hour.

6.30am
The nurse comes back in.
Nurse: You're having contractions.
Me: Huh? What do you mean?
Nurse: You're in labour.
Me: Huh? What? Labour? Like real labour? As in, I'm going to have my baby today?
Nurse: (Nonchalantly) Yup, today. Please go to the labour ward.
Me: ????

6.40am
As I was convinced I was not in labour, we didn't bring all of our packed bags, just half of them so, still in shock, we got into the car and headed home.

7.10am
Got home, took a shower, grabbed my bags and told our new Cambodian maid who doesn't speak much English - "Maam. Baby come now. You stay here. Maggi Mee. U eat. Bye!" and we ran out the door

7.12am
Met the neighbour on the way out and chatted for a while. All the time, the contractions were becoming stronger.

7.20am
Told Paul to swing by Mc D as I was hungry. As there were no places to stop and we didn't want to park, he dropped me off while I went in.
Me: 1 big breakfast and 1 sausage McMuffin. To go.
Mc D server: Coffee or tea?
Me: (Deep breathe) 1 coffee and 1 tea (cluthes counter top tightly while bending over in pain)
Mc D server: Here u go.
Me: Thank you (Grabs food and half run, half hobble out the door to Lord Gaga's waiting truck)

7.45am
I go straight to the labour room while Lord Gaga goes to register me. Nurses were already expecting me and made em comfortable and gave me a realy ugly and thick green gown to change into.

8.00am
The doc comes in to check and asks a few questions. Predict's I'll deliver about 1pm or 2pm

8.15am
I go into meditation and practise my Hypnobirthing methods. They work. With every contraction, I breathe and relax and the pain subsided.

8.30am
I ask to try the ethonox gas. It's fun! Tastes funny and every breath gets me high. Giggling, I ask Lord Gaga to try.

8.45am
Lord Gaga puts on some photos of scenic beaches on his laptop for me to see and futher relax. And played my meditation CD.

9.00am
By now, the pain was so strong, I was on all fours on the bed with my ass in the air, rocking back and forth.

9.15am
The doc came in to check me again and asked if I wanted the epidural. I said no, I wanted to do this naturally. He said okay but in his experience, the epi helps mothers relax and therefore able to birth the baby more quickly. And it will be more comfortable too.

9.30am
No amount of breathing (natural or gas), visualisation, rocking, walking or moving is helping. I felt PAIN! I was at 5cm. I was thinking ... if this is the pain at 5cm, what is going to happen at 10cm when the baby is ready to be pushed? Bring on the epi NOW!

9.45am
They administer the epi. I didn't feel any pain apart from when they put the needlle in ... or when they pushed the epi liquid in ... can't tell which. Anyway, i felt an electric jolt then was asked to lay down. I was then shivering uncontrolably, an effect of the epi (some people puke).

10.30am
The epi took on its full effect and while I felt no pain, I could feel movement which was important cos I didn't want to be so numb that I could not push.

10.45am
The doctor came in again and said that I was ready.
Me: Huh? Ready for what?
Doc: Ready to push.
Me: Err ... okay

10.55am
More nurses and midwives came in to hold me hand, monitor me and encourage me. Lord Gaga was standing right next to the doctor.

11.00am
The pushing begins. The nurses tell me when a contraction was happening and told me when to push.

11.30am
The doctor says that I'm pushing very hard and doing a good job but the baby wasn't coming. Lord Gaga says he can see the baby's head. Doctor said he'll need to "help me out". I prayed he didn't say the dreaded "C" word. Whatever it was, I hope no C section was involved. Instead, he took out a vacuum and stuck it on my baby's head.

And before 12 noon
With just 2 more pushes, my baby was out.
And within 3 seconds of being birthed, my baby girl was placed on my tummy.
Eyes wide opened, she looked into my eyes.
It was totally sureal.

Welcome to the world, little baby Aydreanne Alexia Wong!

Mummy and Daddy loves u so much. Good job with the birthing!

Week 38

Believe it or not, I'm now at the 38th week of my pregnancy. While 'normal' gestation is 40 weeks, it is also not unusual for a baby the arrive 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after the 40th week. This means the baby could be here any time now!

I've been busy with work, packing, moving, house reno etc but as i go into my last few weeks, i feel a lack of energy and I do know that I should not strain myself. So I've been taking it easy and putting my feet up whenever possible.

I'm ready to meet my baby and it's all very exciting. With every little pain or ache I feel, I stop and wonder "Is this it"? I have not felt any Braxton Hicks contractions so I really don't know what a contraction feels like, practise or other wise.

But she is moving a lot. Hiccuping or stretching maybe. I can feel her every movement. Sometimes Paul and I lay in bed and watch my belly as it bounces and wobbles around. We talk to her and she responds with a movement. It's totally amazing. And she makes ur laugh out loud with her in-belly antics. I think this is going to be an active baby. Paul say, just like her mother. If that's true, we're in real trouble!

Hope the baby comes on time and not sooner because the new house is still being renovated! Painting is happening today and apparently there's thinner smell all over.

But contractors (they are all liars) promised that the place will be ready today (after postponing the date about 3 times). If so, we can get the place cleaned up and we can move in by this weekend.

Hope the baby doesn't come too late either because I'm beginning to feel like I can't carry this weight around anymore. I've put on 21kgs since I got pregnant! And now that the baby is growing too, try as I might, I cannot walk in a straight line. My belly sways from side to side and if i could look at myself from the back, I'm sure my ass is too!

New house, new baby. Exciting times ahead!

Burger King Sri Hartamas Closes Down And Now I Want A Burger

Drove past the Shell in Hartamas and saw that the Burger King had shut down. I do like their burgers even tho I only go there about once in 6 months. But now that they are closed, I find myself asking Lord Gaga where's the next nearest Burger King. I do feel like a Mushroom Swiss Double now. Why is it that humans want what they can't have or when it's no longer there?

Hmmm could be linked to the fact that I love having a pool, BBQ area, playground, sauna, gym, tennis courts, chill out area and the usual amnities within a condo even tho I hardly use them and despite paying for their maintainance every month. It's a nice-to-have and I know I'd feel deprived if they weren't there even if I had no use for them and no longer paying for them.

Us humans are a funny lot.

Baby Cost Costs

How is it that my queen sized bed frame costs RM799 and a baby's cot costs RM1,299. And the baby's latex mattress which comes highly recommnded costs RM699 while my 4 times larger quuen sized mattress costs under RM1,000?

So far we have purchased a Peg Perago Switch stroller and Recaro Infant to Toddler car seat which costs just uhnder RM5,000. I forsee we'd have spent double that amount by the time the baby get's here .... excluding hospitalisation etc.

And that's just 2 1/2 months away. How quick is that! How exciting!

Voracious Appetite

I woke up at 6am this morning, could not get back to bed and feeling as ravenous as a ....... what animal is usually ravenous?

Okay never mind. So I got up and ate chocolate Quaker oats while watching TV.

I went back to bed at 7am, and slept till 8 plus when I had to get up for work.

I made a cheese sandwhich and ate it while driving to work.

When I got to work, I stopped by at San Francisco Coffee and picked up a latte and crioissant.

So 3 meals in 3 hours.

No wonder I've put on 15kgs since i got pregnant. But I can't help it! I'm so hungry all the time....

5 months / 22 Weeks

Believe it or not, I'm 5 months pregnant now! .... Or 22 weeks if u follow how the medical profession counts it.

It was been amazing so far and I can't stop thanking God for giving me a relatively stress free pregnancy. No morning sickness or nausea at all. In fact, my hair is more lustrous and is growing fast and falls in beautiful layers. My face is glowing and is not too oily. And my boobs are as big and lovely as ever. Despite being pregnant, I have a bounce in my step and I've not slowed down at all.

Apart from giving up smoking entirely, cutting down alcohol and coffee by 95%, there's not much other changes in lifestyle.

The only angst I have is extremely itchy and flaky and dry skin on my body and extremities. This results in investing in mild shower creams (yes, and adding on to my collection of a few hundred bottles of different toiletries), taking more showers and constantly lotioning every inch of my body. I do this about 3 times a day. So it's a bit of a hassle but it does provide relief. And I'd take this any day compared to having morning sickness.

Life has also been pretty busy with work, my event planning, educating ourselves with all things to do with baby, going baby window shopping, doing actual baby stuff shopping soon, packing, planning the renovation on our new place (yes we are moving and I can't want to work on the baby room!), moving to the new place, going for pre natal yoga ...

There's just so much to do so I'm sorry if I disappoint some of you with less updates on this blog.

I will do my best to share all the exciting news with you. :)

Welcoming 2010 with a Bun in the Oven

Happy 2010 everyone!

Hope that 2009 was good to you and that the new year will bring even more love, joy, peace, happiness and every success to you.

My blog has been quiet for such a long time. And that's because so much has happened in the last 6 months.

I started a new job in yet another big ad agency.

I turned my event planning hobby into something real and have since planned one wedding with 2 more to come in 2010. We are in the midst of a product research and will be working on a PR launch. Together with Fruitcake, we have set up Bubbles & Fruitcake Event Planning, specialising in wedding planning but we do all aspects related to events. More info here: www.bubblesandfruitcake.blogspot.com

And this is the biggest news of all. ..... I'm going to be a mommy come July 2010! And it's going to be a Tiger baby.

And so is Fruitcake. Yes we planned to get pregnant together so this is very exciting.

I've been lying low not just on the blog but in my everyday life too. But now that the initial shock is over and I've settled into a routine, I'm feeling much more myself.

So I shall post up some of the most eventful moments in the past few months. Enjoy reading the come back of this blog and the back dated posts from the last few months.

From psychotic trice-a-week clubber to married woman to mum-to-be. All within just a span of 2 years. Life is a constant change and it just gets more and more exciting.

1st Check Up

When we were planning for a kid, I spoke to friends who were already parents about their OBGYNs, the hospitals they were attached to, their overall experience in the hospital and my friends' personal opinion of the doctors.

My birth plan is natural with epi. So it is a little worrying when 75% of the mothers I know had to go through an emergency C Section. Not only were they not prepared mentally and emotionally but the price can jump from RM2k to RM12kin an instant.

From what I understand, many OBGYNs prefer C-Sec to natural because it's more manageable, it can be scheduled in, there's less risk (but longer recovery time) and they can charge more.

So I shortlisted the docs and selected those which try and push for natural where possible. I went for a consultation with them to meet them face-ta-face, check out their bedside manners and to see if the rapport was right.

So now that I am pregnant, it was easy to pick up the phone and make an appointment with my chosen doc.

I also decided on Damansara Specialist Hospital because of it's proximity to home. Monthly check ups which increase in frequency in the last few months can be a chore.

Not to mention the time you spend in the waiting room after making an appointment weeks in advanced if your OBGYN is one which comes highly recommended and is thus more popular.

My first appointment was at 12.30pm but I on;t got called in after 2pm.

I went in and said "Hi doc. When I first saw you, I wasn't pregnant but I am now".

To check he replied "Well done!".

I thought that was a rather odd response. Then I realized that in this day and age, it really isn't that easy to get pregnant. More and more couples are turning to fertility clinics. Damansara Women's Specialist is now Tropicana Medical Centre. So that says a lot. So I guess 'Well done" makes sense.

We spoke a bit then did a scan. That little being in me is 4.8cm and we could see it was almost fully form. Tiny, but the head, spine, limbs & fingers could all be sen clearly. It was jumping up and down and waving it's hands up. How strange. The scan showed that all is well and normal.

So I headed off to do my blood test. And I don't know if it was because of the needle puncture or sheer shock but when the cashier said the cost was RM580, I could not bring myself to bring out the credit card.

I knew having a kid was expensive but perhaps I'm not quite prepared. I'm gonna call my financial advisor soon to talk about setting up a trust fund.

Boobs. Big Ones.

Its weird being newly pregnant and being at work. I'm sitting at my desk and working. But I keep on thinking of this clump of cells which makes up the blastocyst within me. I'm distracted from work and I keep on reminding myself to stay stress free. I've not announced to anyone at work but I have quit smoking. So I'm guessing people will be catching on very soon.

Also, my boobs are a lot bigger. They look great and I often stare at myself in the mirror. Nice!

But man do they hurt!

Guess everything comes with a price.

I love my new cleavage!

Yes yes sure they will deflate later on but while it's here, why not enjoy it to the full? My low cut dresses are coming out!

Finding Out

My period is late. By 4 days. And I've been feeling .... different. I know we have been 'trying' but could it really be true? I rolled around in bed and looked at Paul who was still sleeping. Not being one to worry or think too much when there is an easy solution, I got up and went to the bathroom.

I looked at the few brands of home pregnancy test kits on the shelf and picked up the cheapest one - Dip & Tell. I figured if it was a negative, i would not have wasted RM30. The cheap brands come with a cup which you pee into then dip a stick in it. I did just that and stared at the stick for a few seconds. One pink line appeared. Then another. I freaked a little. Then stopped myself and picked up the instruction leaflet instead. Okay so I did it right. And 2 lines means pregnant. Hmmm but it's a cheap test. Maybe there's an error.

So I waited a while.

Then opened the package of the very expensive Clear Blue home pregnancy test kit. It comes in a plastic wand with a cap on one end which you open and pee onto the fabric-like tip. I did just that. I recapped it and placed it on the counter. One line appeared. Right. That means the test is working properly.

Then a vertical line appeared. A few seconds later, a horizontal line intersected the first line. So a '+' wasnow staring at me. It was as clear as day. Both lines were prominent and it was no disputing the sign staring at me. Without freaking this time, I picked up the instruction leaflet just to check what '+' means. And I picked up the wand to have an even closer look.

It said: '+' indicates that you are pregnant.

Okay so I'm pregnant. We've been trying. It's a planned pregnancy. And now I'm pregnant. Okay ....

I"M PREGNANT??!!!

I nearly threw the wand as I backed into the wall and caught my breath. After a few minutes, I went to the bed and woke Paul up. He grunted. I said "Wake up, I've something to tell you". He mumbled, "What? You're pregnant?". I replied, "Yes". He grunted again and went back to sleep.

5 seconds later, his eyes flew open and he stared at me. I merely nodded.

He was immediately awake after that.

We're having a baby!

Bubbles & Lord Gaga's 1st Wedding Anniversary Party

In the blink of an eye, Lord Gaga and I have been married one full year. We celebrated with family and friends by having our first wedding anniversary in Bijou, Mont Kiara.

Our wedding anniversary falls on 18th October but the party was on 17th October. Since it was also Deepavali, we had the theme of 'Scents of a Fragrant Garden". Guests came in Indian costumes and it was a very colourful party indeed.

And who better to plan the party but Bubbles & Fruitcake Events?

Read more about it at http://bubblesandfruitcake.blogspot.com/2010/01/bubbles-lord-gagas-1st-wedding.html

Tuck the Hammie Died 0223hrs Today

Paul & I bought 2 hamsters in February.

Nip aka Skinny. And Tuck aka Fatty.

We were unsure if we should get a pair of same sex hamsters but in the end, decided on a male & female pair. Tuck was pregnant some time ago and gave birth to 6 baby hamsters. But due to reasons unknown to us, none of the babies survived.

It's hard to tell when a hamster is pregnant but watching Tuck's bahaviour last night, it did look like she was in pain and was going into labour.

As we learnt from the first time round, the best thing to do is not to do anything and leave her alone. We're not even supposed to peer into their home as it stresses the mother out.

So off we went to bed at midnight. At about 2am, Paul got up from bed to check on them and found that Tuck was in the middle of giving birth but there seems to be complications. He held her while she took her last breath.

I woke up this morning and saw Nip in their home. I thought it was rather strange that there were some peeled kuachi in a corner. Usually the hamsters would peel it and eat it right away. I thought Tuck was sleeping inside the house.

Then Paul told me this morning that Tuck died. Poor Nip is in mourning!

I'm feeling sad too and am reminded that this is the feeling one gets when your pet dies. This is one reason why getting a pet is not always a good idea. They bring you a lot of joy. But the more joy the bring when they are alive, the sadder you are when they die.

Poor Nip. Poor Tuck.

RIP Tuck. Hope you are in Hammie Heaven with all the kuachi you can eat.

Bombing in Jakarta Again - Marriot & Ritz

The Ritz in Jakarta just got bombed! Just happened and just heard about it so no details yet. Heard that the Marriot was also bombed. CNN didn't mentioned Marriot but if it is true, that's horrible, especially since they were bombed a few years back.

Just 2 days ago, there was a fire in MK Bayu. Not that there's any connection, but the recent space of celebrity deaths, fires, bombs .... it's pretty depressing. What's going on?

Ogilvy

I started work at Ogilvy about 2 weeks back. While it's not been too stressful yet, time has absolutely flown by. I'm starting to get immersed into the work and I'm already a part of the Ogilvy Cheerleading team for the Corbis Futsal Tournament that's coming up. I've also been roped in to organize the opening ceremony and party for the newly renovated bar and chill out area for the agency. I'm already begining to feel tired and not being able to wake up in the mornings.

Well, at least my mother-in-law commented at dinner last night that my skin looks good. This means I'm really not as stressed as I think I am. Hehe.

Starting Work Soon And Will Have To Hit The Ground Running

On second thoughts, maybe it's not so great I'm starting work so soon.

Yes I'm now well rested, I have my energy back and my spirit have been lifted.

I've completed about 80% of my To Do List which consisted of about 80 over items.

I am beginning to be slightly bored at times.

And I've been spending way too much money for a person who's not working.

But ... the guy I'm going to replace at my new job just told me to enjoy the rest of my holiday because as soon as I get into work, I'll have to hit the ground running.

I'm grateful for the heads up but I'm already starting to feel stressed!

Losing Track Of Time

I saw John the Chef on MSN and proceeded to send him the following message:

"Hello! What r u doin online? It's Friday. Aren't workin?"

To which he replied:

"Hallo. I've finished work. And it's Sunday"

Whoops! Indeed it is a Sunday night. In fact, it's technically Monday morning now.

Not working and not having a set routine is wrecking havoc on my sense of time.

My time keeping is also often off. Not having deadlines to chase not that many appointments to keep, means I don't apportion sufficient time to get up, get ready, get out of the house and drive to a destination.

Good thing I'm starting work soon!

Lower Back Pains Already?

I know that I'm only 32 and I'm still young but my body is certainly beginning to feel old. Forget the grunting when i sit down in a low seat or getting up after being sated for a long time. That started about 2 years back.

But these days, after seated for a period of time, I actually feel a sharp pain on my lower back when I get up! It lasts about 5 seconds, then slowly goes away.

I was complaining to Fruitcake and she merely said "Oh that's normal" then proceeded to show me how she bends her body with her shoulders hunched and her back pushed forward in order to ease the pain.

We're in our 30s and we're getting all these ailments already? We're growing old right before our eyes.

We now understand why our grandmothers used to stoop forward, and beat their lower backs with a fist after they get up from a sitting position.

RIP MJ

Rest in Peace Michael Jackson!

You were a child star, then rose to be the king of pop. Then you got a pretty weird towards the end.

But still, you once rocked the world! And The world mourns your death.

Rest in peace.

Not Working Is Expensive

I've been back for 2 days and I've spent RM1000!

I can back on Wednesday morning.

A the airport, I spent RM186 at duty free on alcohol, cigarettes and chocolates.

I got back home, showered, and met Michelle Who Stays On The Seashore for lunch. And after that I sent RM218 on DVDs!

Got home, changed, picked Fruitcake up and went to Angle Caster for our meditation class. We went earlier and found that there was going to be a change in manangement and there was a moving out sale. We spent an hour looking at crystals, crystal holders, sun catchers, dream catchers, candles, pendants and more. And i end up spending RM234 on several items!

And on Thursday, I went for lunch with Kit at Ikea Cafe. And after lunch, I was in Curve running errands when I saw that Nichhi City was on sale. There were a few items I liked there which I held off because I was going for the Singapore Sale. Now that Nichhi was on sale too, i went in to pick up the pieces I wanted. Another RM189 there.

For dinner, Paul and I went to Ayam Penyet in The Curve. We wanted to go to Ikea to pick up a floor uplighter but along the way, we passd by Aussino which was on sale. The 600 thread count duvet covers and bedsheets were going at 70% off. And it's 600 thread count too! Apart from luxury hotels, I've never slept on 600 thread countbedding before. So there's another RM212 there.

So I've spent RM1,000 in 36 hours! This is apart from the throusands I spent at the Great Singapore Sale.

What happened? I've never been a shopper. And I loathe shopping. And I always think twice about spending money.

Not working is getting to be really expensive for me!

I'm guessing not being focused on work and career gives me more time and excuse to walk around a mall and be lured by sales, to want to organize the house, to decorate the house, and generally have more time to be ou and spend money.

Back from Singapore

Singapore was great!

The Great Singapore Sale wasn't great, compared to the ones in the years before. Most stores were on 30% discount. But then again, with the minimal discounts, the stuff were still cheaper than what we can usually get in KL.

So in the end I did shop. In Ralph Lauren, Massimo Dutti, Banana Republic, Esprit, URS and more. It's a good thing I brought an almost empty luggage bag.

I don't usually shop and frankly I find it a hassle to look through clothes, get pushed and shoved, look for the right sizes, line up at the changing rooms, change into the clothes, look at it at all angles, bend over and move around to ensure it's a right fit, decide which ones I like, mentally calculate the price after the dicount, decide if the price was worth the item and after all that, move on to the next store and start all over again.

It's so tiring.

But after shoppng and hunting, I did end up with many peices of clothing I really liked.

It comes at a great time too cos many of my old clothes no longer fit or was out of style.

And, I'm starting work soon! This new company seems to be a little dressier than my last few companies. So I'm looking wearing a brand new wardrobe to a brand new job.

It was also great to catch up with my old friends in Singapore. I was great seeing u Gary, Lance, Rina & Yenny!

Off to Singapore!

I'm off to Singapore tomorrow for the Great Singapore Sale and to meet up with friends too.

And I have such a packed holiday ahead!

Better go on holiday before I need to start work again.

I'm leaving in the morning and arriving at lunch time. Banana Gary will pick me up for lunch and a spot of shopping before I head to an aunt's house for dinner.

Maybe will go out for drinks after that if Dawn came come out to meet me.

The full daytime Friday will be dedicated to shopping then it's dinner and drinks with Lance and gang.

On Saturday, I'll meet Yenny and Divemaster Gan to shop for dive gear.

And if weather permits, I'll hang out at Cafe Del Mar in Sentosa.

On Sunday, it's lunch with Jasmine as soon as she touches down in Singapore and that's the end of my Singapore trip!

It feels like it ended even before it began!

No Walk In The Park Tomorrow

I take it back. I'm not going to walk in the park tomorrow.

My calves and thigh muscles really hurt!

I didn't think it'll be this bad till I realized that I walked 8km this morning. Including uphill terrain. And after zero vigorous exercise in more than 6 months.

I'm gonna stay in tomorrow. Possibly in front of the TV with my legs up.

I'll resume the walk in the park next week. And maybe walk 5km only.

So I guess I'll sleep in tomorrow.

One of the many luxuries one doesn't often get.

A Walk in the (Taman Tun) Park

I've tried walking the Taman Tun Hill and each time I trudge up that hill, I'm cursing and out of breath. But once I've completed it, I feel really good!

So when Hosanna told me that she walks in the Taman Tun Park (it's next to the hill and much less challenging) every weekday mornings, I told he I'd join her.

I woke up at 7.30am this morning, donned on my sports gear which hardly sees the light of day, and went to the park. We started walking and chatting and before long, we actually completed one round around the pond, one round uphill round the pond and one more round around the pond. We did so well that we even decided to walk down the road to check out the Hutan Rimba and walked one round there.

We walked a total of 1 1/2 hours non-stop. And it wasn't as hard as I thought it'll be.

I may just walk in the park more mornings of my weekdays. And eventually, maybe tackle The Hill again.

Ikea - No More Plastic Shopping Bags

As of yesterday, 5th June 2009, Ikea will no longer be giving out plastic shopping bags to shoppers. They are doing their bit to reduce the amount of plastic bags which are harmful to our environment. Animal and sea creatures are hurt by them. And it just contributes to more waste.

If shoppers still want a plastic bag, they can have the usual Ikea bags for 10 sen and 20 sen per bag, depending on the size.

Sales from the plastic bags will be donated to the Malaysian Nature Society for the Climate Change Programme which includes planting of mangrove trees at Kuala Selangor Nature Park.

I love that they used actual Ikea products as part of the campaign!

This is great! Ikea bags are durable and biogedradable and with this move, they are taking an even strong stance in protecting our environment. It's geat to see big companies, well loved companies, doing this to encourage individuals to do the same. Small changes in our habits and lifestyles bring about huge positive changes in the world we live in.

And the big blue Ikea carrier bag which usually retails at EM3.90, is now available at RM1.90.

I currently have shopping bags in the car for when I go grocery shopping. I'll now remember to bring a bigger bag for when I'm shopping in kea.

Another reason why Ikea is a brand I love.

More Baby Girls Than Boys

Now that I'm at that age where most of my peers are married and are having babies, I noticed that there seems to be a lot more baby girls.

Fruitcake and Ed has Isabelle.

Twister Gwen & Dason just had Chloe.

Sue Ann has Kay Lee.

Helene & Alex has Gabrielle.

Desmond & Diana has Faith.

Aileen has Kaitlyn.

Kuen has Hannah.

Tamilzchelvi has Apsara.

Wendy and Ee are going to have a girl in September.

The only couple with a boy is Chris A & Eilene. They have Aidan.

Wonder why that's so. Is it a coincidence that most of my friends have girls? Or is it that there really are more girls born into this world than boys these days.

Welcome Chloe Abigail Vela!

Fruitcakes' lil sister, Twister Gwen just delivered a healthy baby girl this morning in Melbourne, Australia.

Welcome to the world, Chloe Abigail Vela!

And congrats Gwen & Dason!

Hugs, love & kisses to the Chua & Vela family.

Vegetarian Wednesday & Meditation Class

Vegetarian Wednesdays are back again!

Not that they ever left but I found it difficult to be vegetarian every Wednesday because its hard sometimes during a business lunch or when I'm eating with a group in a place which does have vegetarian dishes or have crappy ones. In which case, I'll be vegetarian on another occasion or on another day.

But now that I'm not working, I'm going to be vegetarian on Wednesdays as well as any other meal or day I can.

And as an added reason, Fruitcake and I have started meditation classes. It lasts for an hour on Wednesday evenings. It's Meditation for Stress Management. They guy who leads the class, Chi Choong, is not only a psychologist but also a clairvoyant. I never thought that that combination would work. Science is science. And the new age spiritual world is ... well, a completely different work, isn't it?

But now that we got to know him and tried out a few classes, it makes perfect sense. We start the class with an aura reading, go through the theories of the meditation we're about to do, do the meditation, and discuss about it afterwards while looking up and around to see if our spirit guides made an appearance.

So Fruitcake and I now go to class together but with slightly different agendas. She goes to meditate to try and understand and deal with her depression. While I go to develop my psychic abilities. I always felt that i could 'feel' things and I'm not finally ready to take it to the next level. It's been a little scary so far, but it's also been interesting. There are many branches of psychicism but the ones I'm most interested in is clairvoyance and aura reading. I'll update again once I've had some success in 'seeing' things. :)