Infectious kisses and hugs

With a huggable and lovable child, you are never short of spontaneous kisses and hugs. While you will look forward to that every waking morning and sleeptime, it is hard to deny yourself those moments when the child is ill and especially when you are pregnant.

So as careful as I tried, I couldn't help visiting 3 doctors for different diagnosis over a couple of months. First it was uticaria / hives which I contracted solely on my own. Then it was the cough and flu season. Next was conjunctivitis. So imagine my boss' surprise that this is such an eventful pregnancy with so many MCs.

Our house is now a mini hospital but it is the only hospital in the world that we call home and is never short of giggles, laughter, kisses and hugs!

To Singapore we go!

Our long awaited exodus from Melaka is finally bearing fruit. I am looking forward to be a stay-at-home-mum (SAHM) and to Josh attending kindy for the first time. Jeff is also feeling the excitement as he starts a different direction in his work. Although it is for a 2 year period but this transfer is a good opportunity for new experiences, environment and who knows where it will take us from there?

With the gestation period of 22 weeks, I am blessed to be mobile and active as I start planning the move. It is getting highly stressful without knowing where we'll be staying before deciding which OB I will be seeing and which kindy Josh will be attending. Logistics planning has never been this stressful!! And the move is catching up fast on us as we plan to go after CNY.

On a different and depressing note, we were robbed last week! Yes, in broad daylight! I was the last to leave that morning and I failed to turn on the house alarm. It was really a fateful day when they entered via the kitchen window. Nothing extremely valuable was taken - we didnt have much things in the house. But I was saddest when my gorgeous Seiko watch was lost. The buggers also had the cheek to take with them Josh's new shirts. To think that they would also steal from a kid! He was sad... had tears to prove it. And he noted that he would "box" them if he sees them again.

But that episode is behind us as we begin our new adventure in the southern island.

We are back!

What a long hiatus! It's good to be back. After the last post, I went into the much dreaded bouts of morning sickness which took quite awhile to go completely away. It was madness really! This time I even ‘volunteered’ myself to be admitted for drips when the gastricitis took a turn for the worst. There were moments when I swore that this pregnancy would be my last. Now 3 months ahead, I can look back and wonder what I was thinking?! No doubt the vomiting and discomfort is not something I would like to experience again but having a life growing inside you is a feeling that is indescribable.

Dark clouds aside, now the appetite is growing and I’m putting on weight steadily. Baby has started to perform some kung fu kicks at the most unexpected times. Tummy is decidedly bigger than the first time, so there’s the excuse to buy gorgeous maternity clothes now.

Joshua has also kind of accepted the baby’s arrival. He would acknowledge sharing his seat at coin-operated toy cars with his sibling, but not without being in control of the wheel of course! He has turned to his dad if he still needs to be carried and will not look for me. He has also noticed that my body is changing and wonders why the panties are so big!

My check-ups with the OB have put my fears of a recurring ovarian cyst, to rest. The baby is healthy but still in breech position. He has advised me to go for another c-section as opposed to Virginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) as the previous cut might re-open during delivery, exposing the baby to severe risk. This is a long-awaited baby and we do not want to risk losing it. On the other hand, I am also keen on a VBAC – a nostalgic want of experiencing natural birth, touted by mothers as the pain of a lifetime!

Anyway… as exciting it is to wait for the coming of this baby, we are anticipating another exciting chapter of our lives. But more on that in the next post.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Sunny skies once more?

For the past 2 weeks, I used to have great difficulties getting to work. Once I awake, my body would tell me what to expect for the rest of the day. So I have been fighting a losing battle with gastric pain and wind. Funny, how I cannot quite recall the same symptoms when I was pregnant the first time. All I remembered was vomiting non-stop until I got admitted for drips.

So it is true (to some extent) when they say that when women are pregnant again, they won’t quite remember the details and would be willing to go through it again. Well, I say not if you journal it down! Lol…

Anyway, I have decided that I have to do something about this unpredictable predicament. I cannot be taking MCs and emergency leaves every week. So I negotiated with my boss to start the day later (he is not left with much choice either! haha) which means coming in at a reasonably later time but ensuring that my body is ready to go the distance of 11 km to work along bumpy roads with my trusty old Kancil. And to take a light breakfast (milo + milk + snack) before reporting in. My workplace is now a mini larder with all sorts of food to last me through the day. I need to eat every few hours and will try to do it discreetly out of respect for my muslim colleagues sitting behind me during the puasa month.

Well, so far so good. Really hope this lasts.

Joshua

Our current baby of the family Joshua has been displaying some peculiar acts of defiance, terrible two tantrums and emotional outbursts of late. We wonder if this could be due to the fact that another baby is on the way? He started being very whiny and tearful after waking every morning and from afternoon naps. He would beg me not to leave his side and demands to be carried most of the time. He also gets unduly emotional when he sees me losing my mobility and frequenting the bathroom. He has even started being violent by kicking and punching hard. Private moments with him would have him revealing that he doesn’t want me to be unwell and he wishes to be pregnant and vomit too. Many people tell me it is his way of conveying his fears and insecurities of losing his privileged position. Needless to say, we have had our share of stress-filled days and sleepless nights in just a mere couple of weeks. We have made it a point to communicate with him and shower him with attention, and sometimes wonder when this phase would end. As we anticipate the arrival of the stork, we would have to strategise and re-strategise our plans to accommodate Josh.

Eating for Two Again

FINALLY.

The long-awaited baby has arrived. The test kit provided me with relief. A trip to the gynae confirmed it. The nauseating feeling and constant bloating are testament to that.

Luckily, the ultrasound could not detect any cyst.

And this is definitely a different pregnancy than the first. For starters, the morning sickness was milder in comparison and this baby has a distinct taste for sour and salty food. I was crazy about apples in the first, and now they are secondary. Fish and seafood are acceptable – especially assam pedas. Who would have thought that the thought of maggi mee would have me salivating? Just the other day, I enjoyed teochew porridge two days in a row. Appetite is getting better as opposed to the previous 1st trimester when I could eat nothing without puking.

My back hurts more too when I stand too long or busy myself with simple housework like washing the dishes. The short walk from the car park to my office is quite exhausting and I would end up panting up the stairs.

Now my trips to the shopping mall would be complete with actually having the reason to enter maternity clothing stores then just gazing from outside! Must be more trendy this time. Oh yes, time to start washing the old clothes.

I am now hoping that the 1st trimester (the crucial stage) go smoothly and quickly. And Chinese New Year will be the best time with food in abundance. See how foresighted this baby is?!

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and to God for this wish come true. This blog has finally kicked off.

Moment of truth unveiled

My menstruation cycle is delayed and it has been more than 3 years ago that it has delayed this long. I have been debating with myself whether to test it or wait longer for fear that the anticipation will backfire. But lately this week, I haven’t been feeling myself. The queasy and bloated feeling has gotten the better of me since Tuesday. My intuition says that junior’s on the way but I’m not sure anymore. I sort of “gave up” hoping and thought if it’s meant to be, then it’s meant to be. I even stopped taking my folic acids.

So after some persuasion from Louie and Jeff, I decided to purchase the pregnancy test kit – Clearblue One Minute Test. It came with good reviews – more than 99% accuracy. And the single test cost me a whopping RM19.88 after discount. I had better not drop the thing into the toilet bowl! Gosh, this is the first time I bought something like this as the first pregnancy was realized at the doc’s. I was also contemplating whether to go back to my previous gynae but he is close to 70 years old and I’m worried about his eyesight. Then again I’ve been so comfortable with him… see how undecided I am. Anyway, the countdown begins until after work today to see the results – am I pregnant or not?

Keeping our fingers and toes crossed!

The Cook in Me

When I was growing up, I never thought much about cooking or have the curiosity of learning how to whip up a dish or two. Aside from the compulsory acquired skill in cooking rice, frying eggs and cooking maggi mee, all I did was dutifully peel and chop onions, garlic and vegetables and whatever else my mom thought I was capable of. Like my mother and many young moms out there, we learnt to cook only after marriage. Gosh, I made that sound like it was an obligation!

Luckily for me, this obligation to ensure my family is fed well has turned out for the better. I realized I love baking and cooking – western style as opposed to the Chinese style of deep-frying and stir-fry. I suppose I’m too lazy to clean up the oil and splatter – what a mess!

Of the many recipes I’ve tried, this particular one had Jeff telling me off, “No time to talk” during my regular eating-time-must-chat sessions over lunch. And Josh made me happy by gulping down the food fast and exclaiming “hmmm” enthusiastically with the goody thumb sticking out. No, I’m not making this up!

So I thought of sharing the customized recipe with you. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as we did! Let me know how it turned out. Sorry no pictures to show as they were deleted by the little one by accident!

Mel’s Roasted Chicken (Inspired by Jamie Oliver)
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 pieces of chicken leg with skin peeled (if don’t mind extra fat, leave skin intact)
Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (I added 4 sprigs for extra kick!)
4 - 6 peeled medium-sized potatoes, quartered for faster cooking
8 – 10 cherry tomatoes
Dash of olive oil
Black pepper and salt to taste

Marinade mix:
2 cloves of peeled garlic
140ml of olive oil
Grated skin and juice of 1 lemon / Juice of 2 lime (if no lemon)

Blend the marinade and rub into the chicken legs, covering all nooks and cranny. Pour remaining marinade over chicken and refrigerate overnight.

The following day, mix the tomatoes and potatoes in olive oil, black pepper and salt. Place them in a low baking dish. Put the marinated chicken on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the rosemary leaves on top.

Put the dish into preheated oven at 200º and bake for 30 - 45 minutes. Remember to monitor the oven from time to time to check on chicken and vegetables, overturning them if necessary. Serve with pasta / spaghetti / fried rice.

Doing Business at the Pearl of the Orient

These are recent pictures of attending my company's Sales Conference in Penang.

We stayed at the new G Hotel - quite funky with modern boxy designs. Didn't manage to tour the island, no kaki!

My group Ferrari (based on the theme F1 team) before the treasure hunt cum explorace. Quite fun looking at how we had to make fools of ourselves in public and to convince mat salehs to trade their shirt with ours (see our ang moh who sportingly did)!

Colleagues from Melaka HQ. Check out our T-shirts. Definitely not love at first sight, but after days, boleh lar!

Not an all play but no work trip!

Gosh! How long are they going to take? We are bored!

Waiting to go home at the hotel lobby.

Bracing ourselves for the loooonnnng bus ride home.

We are not alone

Check out this webpage that I have read on tips of getting pregnant. The writer and her husband are more diligent than us! You know what they say about success being all about hard work! Haha...

http://motheringtimes.blogspot.com/2006/06/getting-pregnant-is-hard-work.html

A Haggling We Will Go!

On our final day in Saigon, we decided to bring all our cash and visit the much reviewed Ben Tanh Market. This is the place to buy souvenirs and local produce with a price - HAGGLING. As much as we both hate to haggle, I have read as much as I possibly can on the haggling tips.

Looking back, there were a lot of ways I would have improved and impulses I would have delayed... but we did the best we could with some best buys and few cheats we encountered.

The place is easy to locate but is hard to maneuver around as it was terribly humid and quite a maze. We learnt not to judge a book by its cover especially when there are some fake branded sportswear at the main tenant's shop (like a dept store with salespersons wearing the light blue ben tanh logo on their shirts) which are lower than independent shops. Well, so much for impulses.

But the highlight of my shopping trip was actually buying the premium jasmine flower tea for USD4 / 100gm. All shops refused to sell me for that price until I met this lady who was getting confused with the maths and switching of currencies that she gave in. After 3 hours of shopping, we managed to purchase 4 lacquer pictures, 2 handmade bags, 2 hand-embroidered pictures, 3 souvenir t-shirts, premium blue mountain coffee (we were too chicken to buy the weasel coffee - google it), Vinamit fruit crackers and sportswear.

We noticed that the prices sold even after haggling are higher than in the reviews. Maybe it is our haggling skills or has the cost of living gone up? My ao dai tailor (yes, had one tailor-made with hand embroidered motifs for only USD23 - check it out at Minh Khanh Shop, De Tham St. where they make them for 2 days) thinks so. Overall, things are still quite reasonable. We learnt not to cut a deal at the first stop but to walk further to shops in smaller lanes where they are more willing to lower prices, especially when you are friendly and attempt some vietnamese words. Look around for the item you are interested in, ask the price. If they offer lower than other shops (and also look easier to haggle with), next offer 50% cut from their offer price. Haggle from there and close the deal. But the rule of thumb is to remember that they make a living too and to get really good deals, you may need to buy more of the same product.

When in Saigon, do check out Vietnamese silk too. I think they are underrated compared to chinese silk as they are softer. We bought silk ties for USD2 each and scarves for USD3 each, from the Minh Khanh Shop.

(pics top-bottom : Yu char kueh seller, coffee ala-Vietnam, Vietnam should also be known as cable land)

While waiting for our airport transfer, we had coffee and banana & pineapple pancakes at a nearby cafe. Unfortunately, we were within earshot of a 52 year-old French man chatting up a Vietnamese Filipino girl.

All in all, we enjoyed our trip tremendously and the duration of visit was just nice. I sense an avalanche of trips coming up!

Familiarity Breeds Contempt?

Being Malaysian and Asian, I guess the Mekong Delta tour was not as interesting as for say, someone living in the cosmopolitan / Western countries. All the flora and fauna is the same in the tropics and way of life is quite similar to our local nelayan. Having said that, it is still an experience if you can tolerate high degree of heat and mosquitoes.

After booking the 1-day tour with Delta Tours (off De Tham street) for USD17 the previous night, we departed by bus to the port at 7.15am where we were taken for a speed boat ride which took us 3 hours to My Tho. The guide, Viet was knowledgeable with good English (american accent) and instilled humour along the way. During the journey, we saw many wooden houses on stilts amidst 3-storey bungalows (the new saigon for the rich, we were told). Mainly fishermen, they spend most of their time on boats, one even performed bowel movements on board in full view!

After arriving in My Tho, we were transferred to a bigger boat and viewed the 4 islands (unicorn, dragon, phoenix and monkey) which was nothing to shout about, before reaching a bee farm (wasn't even close as there were only 2 hives on display).

There we were briefed on honey-making and tasted their honey-lime drink and some dried tid-bits (ie. sweetened ginger, lotus seeds and banana crackers) . We visited the coconut making factory in Ben Tre and saw the womenfolk wrapping freshly made candy. These people move really fast like clockwork! The candies are individually wrapped in rice paper so these can be eaten when you remove the outer layer.

We headed for a feast of local fruits which consisted of the usual fare -bananas, pomelos, jackfruit (an acquired taste for ang mohs) and papayas while being entertained by some local music and singing (which according to our guide was better than the professional singers! we believe him considering the fact that they sing the same song over and over again). We then proceeded to being rowed on the sampan while adorning the cone hats through canals. Important way to stay afloat is to balance the boat and not stand up too suddenly! This was the highlight of our trip really.

Lunch was simple with rice, veggies and stir-fried pork. However, appetite diminished when I discovered that my veggies came with a worm! Extra flavouring, not! Rain came but that didn't prevent us from bicycling around the village. We ventured into a small town with a stretch of shophouses. I noticed peddlars selling duck eggs which I later found out, contain embryos. Apparently, it's a local delicacy consumed immediately upon cracking the egg open! Further down we saw a brick house with 4 watchdog statues placed strategically around the house. We were sure they were placed there to 'guard' the house. Raised in Malaysia, I have yet to see a sight like this.

The bus ride back was uneventful, passing by paddy fields and the Ben Tre town. Arriving in Pham Ngu Lao at 6.30 pm we were absolutely exhausted from the heat and decided to retire for the day.

Exploring the City Centre on Foot

We had an early headstart and were probably the earliest to have breakfast which was a simple fare of bananas, bread and jam, coffee, juice and eggs. It's ironic that Chanh the head staff wasn’t familiar with half-boiled eggs. Our instructions were not well complied when the staff merely immersed the egg in hot water in less than a minute before serving. Jeff had to request for it to be scrambled.

With map in hand, suntan lotion and shades, we confidently started out on foot towards the City Centre. All along the pavements we saw street peddlers with makeshift tables and chairs selling everything from drinks, food, cigarettes, sunglasses to pirated bestselling books! You see all walks of life sitting on low plastic chairs enjoying their coffee cuppa or Pho Bo and lepaking. Now we know why Vietnamese love to squat to wait for buses back home!

Crossing the roads took some courage and major estimations. Thankfully my days as a pedestrian in Penang roads helped tremendously. But I had to keep reminding myself that they drove on the right-side. So look left first before crossing. The trick is to cross when there’s a gap between the motorists. They do not speed and will just go around you but not before honking. It is a futile battle with cars and buses so it’s best to let them go first. The upside about the Vietnamese drivers is that they do not swear and are very patient people.

Although we could blend in with the locals easily but our dressing and demeanour gave us away. Cyclo riders and motorbikers eyed us like a hawk with the former tailing us and discouraging us to walk. Once we revealed our country of origin, they automatically pulled out a testimonial book with handwritten praises from global customers. They instinctively flipped to the Malaysian pages and reviews from Kuantan, KL, etc counterparts are there for us to scrutinize.

Some of the roads that we took looked a lot like in Penang or KL in terms of landscaping. The Notre Dame Cathedral has lovely architecture and a nice front lawn. A lady selling postcards was unsuccessfully trying to get me to part with my money. Once inside the church, it reminded me somewhat of St Francis Xavier in Melaka. The uniqueness is surely the adoration sections they have on the left and right side of the church. Countless name plaques of the departed locals and foreigners adorn the walls.

Opposite the road is the Post Office (top pics). A lovely air-conditioned place with a dome-like ceiling. I wouldn’t mind queuing up often to buy stamps or pay my bills, unlike back home where it can be a hassle with the scorching heat and unsightly interior.

We viewed the Reunification Palace (top) where Ho Chi Minh resided, only from the gates as there were admission fees and it was boring to view rooms.

We were starting to get tired from the walking and it was not 10am yet! Next stop was the War Remnants Museum which was nothing much like a museum but more of an info cum small exhibition centre. For less than RM4 per pax, there were former US war planes, tanks, chopters and bombs on display at the courtyard.

Inside there were posters and photos of the victims and massacre. You cannot help but feel uneasy looking at the deformed foetus in bottles affected by Agent Orange, a gas chemical used by the US to counter the Vietcong attacks. Once inhaled, the men will pass down the mutated DNA to their offsprings who largely bore the brunt of the effects. Cerebral palsy, harelips, physical deformation of the hands, legs and abdomens were some of the inherent effects. The My Lai massacre pictures were troubling with press photographers capturing pictures of the victims before their cruel fate. Many were either shot or slain at the throats or bellies. There were US medals awarded to GIs for bravery on display. Many gave up these awards in shame of their deeds – “I was wrong. I am sorry.”

Towards the end of the exhibition, there were posters and children’s drawings on a better and new Saigon, showing a glimpse of hope and forgiveness for the war. There were local students on tour and we could see the indifferent expressions on their faces as they could not have understood the atrocities of the war.

Tucked in a different corner of the premises were the tiger cages where prisoners of war and local political defiants were imprisoned. There they tell of the cruel tortures the Vietcong inflicted. Prisoners were beaten and chained until they gave up on life. The water torture meant that a prisoner was tied to a chair with his head shaved bald. Water was dripped slowly on his head for days. Survivors related the experience like painful blows to the head. Prisoners were given a cup of water to last them for the whole day. Aside from drinking and answering nature’s call, I feel that women suffered the most during their menstruation days.

We stopped at a nice looking eatery with air-con (life-saver) before going back towards the city centre. The intersection of Le Loi St / Dong Khoi St was certainly posh. Think Bukit Bintang or Orchard Road. Here there were more cars and traffic lights where motorists actually stopped to let you cross! Nothing much interesting here except for the Continental Hotel (bottom left) and Saigon Opera House (right) with its nice French architecture. There were plenty of lacquerware, arts n craft shops but all too pricey for my liking and can’t haggle much!

We then boarded the bus at Ben Tanh Market to Cholon (Chinatown) for 3,000 dong. A young boy of 8/9 enthusiastically informed me of the correct bus and shouted directions to board the bus! Cholon was a disappointment. Based on the reviews, Binh Tay Market (bottom) should be another Ben Tanh Market only cheaper but there were no handicrafts for sale. It was more like a wholesale market with daily sundries. Of course there were the mandarin characters on signboards and the coffee was significantly cheaper which we found out only later. But all was not lost when we tasted our first roadside meal – Goi Cun (Spring Rolls) wrapped in rice paper + shrimp + veggies dipped in fish sauce. Not bad but the rice paper was a little stiff. Cost us a bloody RM5 for 3 pieces! Believe the lady ripped us off!

We decided to have a proper Vietnamese Dinner and were delighted with a quaint restaurant near the Reunification Palace which was recommended by Chanh. We decided to take a cab this time costing us USD2 to the city centre. On our way back to the hotel, I succumbed to pampering myself with pedicure costing 60,000 dong (RM15). My pedicurist who was mute did a great job.

At the hotel, there was blackout and it was really pitch black everywhere. We walked along the alley and bought sotong bakar for RM2-3 which tasted great like the ones back home.