Papparazi!

A week on after her bouts of cold, and despite her still snotty nose, little Spud's all raring to go!

She is a ball of energy and constantly looking for play. She likes mucking about, rolling all over the place as she throws us her contagious, hearty laughter. Here are some candid shots of Spud as I tried to capture her goofing around with Papa. (She got distracted by me fishing out the camera, and immediately started to move her hands about while attempting to grab the camera from me)

I thought the pics turned out quite nicely "Papparazi". All I can say is that this little girl is quite the goofball!

Cloth Diapering: Starting Out

If like me, you are clueless about cloth diapering and how many to start with, this post might be able to give you an idea of the quantity you may need.

• For full-time diapering, and IF you are doing your laundry daily, then 12 would be sufficient.
• However, if you are washing every 2-3 days, then minimum 20-2 5 are needed.

I got the above tips in an email none other from the owner of Mommy Knows Best. Those words of wisdom certainly helped me loads in terms of budgeting as well as having some idea as to how many of those we would need.

The thing is, they do dry rather quickly, and if the sun is really strong, they usually are dry and ready for use within half a day!

I actually ended up buying 14 in total. As a part-time diaperer, the quantity is sufficient to tide me over 2-3 days if I wash them every other day (To be fair, our nanny does most of the washing and we do it only over the weekends. Well…sometimes. :p).

I’m thinking that even if I do cloth diapering only half the time, I am already saving some money as well as the environment (I hope!) in the long run.

For me, it helps to have a rough guideline when starting out, but as I found out along the way, like any other things associated with babies and parenting, it could simply be a matter of trial and error and what works best for you.

Chilly Bangkok

Two weeks on and the weather in Bangkok has remained rather chilly still!

These past few days, I have been coming home to a cool 23°C as registered by the temperature on our tower fan - and this is without having the air-conditioner or the fan on, too.

It definitely is much colder outside, and in the last few days there has been a little bit of rain as well. It has also been unnaturally windy, and as dusk hit, the horizon even appeared smoggy.

Chilly. Smoggy. Windy. Rainy. Hmmm...almost like the weather in Europe. Without the freezing temperatures and snow!

The only saving grace is that it is most definitely less dreary. Certainly not as cold, too.

My patooties are still freezing, but I really love the chilly Bangkok weather. It is the kind of weather just perfect for a delicious mug of hot chocolates and loads of snuggle ups, I'd say!

Sick Spud

Spud got a little under the weather recently when I was out of town for a short weekend trip back in Singapore just a couple of weeks ago. It came out of nowhere, really and I reckon, the recent change in weather must have had contributed to that as quite a few people we know somehow caught a nasty cold (including our nanny!).

I came home on a Sunday morning to Spud who had her first cold --- sneezing, coughing, blocked nose, runny nose, slight fever, projectile vomitting.Basically the works! She sounded raspy, lethargic and looked horridly miserable. She was, however, not at all too cranky and despite being a little under the weather, she was still pretty determined to continue playing! It was like she knew she was unwell, but as long as she was distracted enough, she just continued to charge on, giving her parents a weak smile along the way.

It was only towards the evening that she started to ger crankier as she raked up a slight fever when her cold worsened. Then, all she wanted to do was be held.

She gave us the saddest look she could muster that day; I'm sure she milked us up for what it was worth too!

With that, I guess we certainly has passed the first rite of passage in tending to a sick baby. My guess is, that was only one of the few firsts we have started to experience.

That weekend was certainly one of the rarest moments when Spud was docile, and Silver Bullet had candidly managed to capture a nice shot of the world's saddest looking baby ever!

Girly Stuff

This is about as girly as I can get…

All in, it took me no more than 2 hours to get my manicure, pedicure AND a foot massage done all at the same time. For me, that is about an acceptable amount of time to pamper myself on any given day. Any longer than that, and I get restless. I’ll be so lethargically bored out of my wits that I just want to bolt out of my seat pronto! Don’t ask me why, but I guess it is just how I’m wired when it comes to preening up and being preened. Even a 2 and a half hour full-body massage is pushing it by my standard as it usually is hard for me to last that long at one place, without constantly wanting to wriggle out of that state.[Sleep, on the other hand, is a different level altogether. Given a choice, I’ll probably just sleep my life away --- quote-unquote Silver Bullet’s words to me]

Hence, if I can find a place that saves me time by doing all 3 at the same time within a time frame I can tolerate without having to make any appointment a definite plus, (and getting a fairly decent results and service as well), I.am.sold.

I am sure that there are many similar places, but the place I am familiar with and usually go to is called “Take Care”, located at Sukhumvit Soi 33. It was first introduced to me by my former Thai boss who happens to be quite the girly girl and, she gets her nail done like every other day at this place! It was also quite funny how she introduced the place to me, I remember. Appalled that I was not going to do anything about my nails nearing to my wedding day, she actually nagged at me to no end and insisted that she takes me to this place. She even made the appointment for me, and almost sternly told me to show up and meet her there over the weekend just a few days before my wedding took place in Singapore.

She only stopped her nagging when I finally relented that I’d go to get my nails done with her. She even insisted this nail spa thingie to be her wedding present for me. What a woman, I swear.

I guess it was a blessing in disguise, for if it was not for her, I would probably not know the existence of this neat place.

Take Care is a pretty decent place, and they usually do a good job on both manicure and pedicure. To top it all, a mani-pedi session usually comes with all the works, akin to that of a mani-pedi spa treatment. (Well, sort of; but you get my drift).

They probably have this feature for ages, but I have only recently realised that the cushy chairs (pictured here on the right) for their customers are also massage chairs! I guess I found my 4-in-1, less than two hour heaven on earth!

This is really what I’d call an efficient use of time.

Cloth Diapers in Review

I have to admit that I was lost the first time I started researching on cloth diapering when I was still preggars. There seem to be so many out there, but the problem at that time was that we could not find any in Bangkok. (They are springing up quite a bit of late in the stores, though)

So off to Google I went, stumbling upon a site selling the various types of cloth diapering. And get this: the site called Mummy Knows Best, is actually based out of Singapore! I could not have hit a better bulls-eye! There, right in front of my eyes, is this site based in a country I come from, and even better, she herself is a mother turned entrepreneur! I guess if there’s anyone who could understand my predicament at that time, that person would be her.

I was at best clueless on cloth diapering and, the different systems available about this crazy nappy thingie did nothing but confused me further. It was hard to gauge which one is the best, and it was even harder to make a decision based on just pictures without that physical contact with the product. I was certainly a complete idiot on this matter.

When I contacted the owner though, she was certainly kind enough to engage me and answer all my stoopid questions. She was friendly, she was helpful and most of all, patient enough to explain it all to me. All done via email! The correspondences were done over several weeks, probably even months before I made the final decision to purchase them from her. I like the fact that she was not pushy and actually took her time to explain each and every system of diapers I enquired. She was, above all, quite prompt in ALL her responses too! That to me scored big brownie points when communicating with an online business owner. She will also have your purchases delivered right to your doorstep. And by that, as long as I pay for the delivery charges, she’ll have all my purchases delivered to me in Bangkok. That is honestly what I will call service. A much welcome one, indeed. (I was half wishing that she’d offer me a free-trial, but considering that I had no baby then, a free trial was pretty much useless!)

This is an essentially a long overdue review of not only of cloth diapers, but a reliable online store as well. I was certainly very satisfied with the service she provided and guided me along on my very first attempt at understanding the various "systems" of cloth diapering.

Thereafter, I relied a lot on my gut instict and finally decided to purchase a 3-brand combo buy as I did not know which was a better diaper system that will work best for me.

Now that I have tried all of them , here is my honest, unbiased opinion as a part-time diaperer of what I thought of each of them:

Rumparooz

The design is the cutest of the lot. Actually, the only reason I bought Rumparooz is because of the designs alone. I also like the adjustable buttons that comes with it.

Rumparooz is essentially a Pocket Cloth diaper which comes with a cover (like an envelope) and inserts (to be put into the “envelope”). Each set of diapers comes with a cover and 2 inserts. However, while the system sounds good in theory, I realise I still don’t get why the cloth inserts have to be inserted in. Simply because, if Spud’s wet, then I still have to wash everything as it will seep through the first layer. If she crapped, I still have to replace the outer cover, even though I can still re-use the inserts if it is not dirty (but it usually is, because some of those crap seeped through). Hence, to me that just did not make much sense.

Thumbs up for designs though!

[Note: Joycelyn did explain to me via email how the system works, but I guess at that time, it was hard to visualise as I was an absolute diaper idiot!]

Happy Heinys

This has similar system to Rumparooz. I don’t quite remember why I chose this, but I think I was propelled by the designs as well. Especially when they come in a silly but cool cow prints.

I mean, imagine having a cow print diaper on your baby’s bum! That has got to be damn happening, I tell you!

I like the fact that they come in both snap buttons and velcro, but I did think that the inserts feel a little sloppy as compared to the Rumparooz.

Just like Rumparooz, I found the insert system to be quite a royal pain in the ass.

Gro

This is by far, my personal favourite. While the designs are not as funky as that of Rumparooz and/or Happy Heiny, it wins hands down in terms of practicality.

I like the fact that I can detach the cloth liner with the snap buttons and just replace the insides without changing the outer cover to many a time. It is idiot-proof and easy to use for an idiot like me. To top it all, the inserts are made of organic cotton while the above two are not.

Gro is a hybrid as they come with a biodegradable disposable inserts which can be compost – good for when you are travelling or even overnight. It certainly is better for the environment too!

I am, by now a convert to the Gro system. In fact, I’m thinking of purchasing more of these Gros to add on to our collection. I'm hoping they would have more designs by now.

All the reusable cloth diapers come in a one size fits all. It might cost quite a bit at the start, but I think they certainly are worth investing in. Here is the link of the online shop where I purchased the diapers: http://mummyknowsbestshop.com/for-baby/cloth-diapers

And that, my friends, are my 2-baht worth of opinion in the world of cloth diapering.

Happy cloth diapering!

Coffee from the loo

When I was asked what I wanted to drink while I was doing my medi-pedi, I requested for iced-coffee.  Give or take 5 minutes later, my eyes darted to a lady walking right out of the bathroom and in her hand, a tray with what looked like a glass of iced coffee in it.

Right at at that point, I was hoping that she was not actually going to sashay to my way with THAT iced coffee! But she did, and with a wide smile, placed the glass right next to me. You should have seen the look on my face. Bizarre as it may sound, I'd like to believe that there was an opening to the kitchen from the bathroom area. Somehow.

So then, this iced coffee really did come from the toilet...

I braved the doubt I had in my head (there's got to be an opening to a kitchen or a pantry next to the toilet!!!) and took a sip. Naturally, it sucked because it was Nescafe. And, Nescafe is not real coffee.

And this glass of instant iced Nescafe coffee did literally came from the toilet. I definitely saw a person walking out from it carrying this very glass of drink. For me. It looked much yukkier after I left it standing for an hour. They made me yukky coffee from the toilet.

Thailand, Thailand...only in Thailand.

Bubble Tea

Do you remember the Bubble tea craze in Singapore from about 10 years ago? If I recall correctly, it must have been circa Year 2000 when overnight, there suddenly were hundreds and hundreds of Bubble Tea shops springing all around the island. It was so popular that you see queues forming at almost every single shop there was.

I was addicted to those Bubble Tea, alright! I had them almost every day for a long while, and I distinctly remember the Lychee Milk Tea flavour; a flavour I was so hooked on. I hate queuing (still do!) and I got my bubble fix by going to the less popular and obscure shops. Honestly, after a while, they all really do taste the same. The difference really was in the “bubble” – essentially black tapioca pearls. I like “bubbles” which are firm, chewy and separated well as I reckon it was the texture that made it all addictive.

Its popularity somehow tapered off after a few years, and I believed that most of the smaller shops went bust. I do think it must have been a nice business set-up to cash in at that time though. It really was a craze as everyone was drinking Bubble Tea. And I do mean everyone. Well, almost.

Recently, a new Bubble Tea shop just sprung up at the basement of my office building. These days, I don’t care much for it really; but I thought I’d just give it a go anyhow, as I wondered if I still liked it. Turned out I STILL DO and I enjoyed the taste of those chewy pearls. I don't think I have outgrown them. Nowhere near actually! And I thought my addiction was truly over.

Ahh…Bubble Teas! I swear there were so many memories surrounding Bubble Teas, and as I take a sip of the tea with the big straw, I’m being reminded again of some of the fond memories I left behind.

It's flooded!

It certainly is looking like Bangkok has been struck by crazy weather as heavy rain and mega-ass thunderstorm hit the streets early this morning.

This is the kind of weather where you do not want to be out and about. Apart from massive flooding, news has it that signboards have collapsed and a 5-car crash accident was reported at Suthisan tunnel. It is not a good day to be on the road.

Despite the heavy downfall of rain, it was actually quite humid. So humid that I was literally perspiring while prepping up to get to work. Peering out of our balcony early this morning, we noticed that our soi was flooded. I reckon, the height of the water was probably about at least ankle to calf high.

Below are some shots of our surrounding area this morning. Just water, water everywhere...

I did not really enjoy my walk to work today to say the least. Not only am I this "crazy-bag woman" and having to carry 3 frickin' bags...today, I got to carry a brolly, as well as having to walk in an ankle-deep water while trying to navigate around people selling their stuff on the dry parts of the streets with open fire, and a really, really hot wok filled with oil.

All that while trying to stay as dry as I can, without stumbling over anyone or anything (aka hot wok, open fire) lest I get myself deep-fried as well.

The morning to get to the office already managed to stress me out. Another one of those days where I wish I could just stay home and do jack-all!

How to wear thy jeans

Another awesome video for your viewing pleasure.



Ok, in truth, this was actually a Levi's ad which took the world of You Tube by storm with 7 million views and still counting! I love it!

Cloth Diapering

I have always been an advocate of cloth diapering ever since Spud was born in my bid to a) be more environmentally friendly and b) save money. While we attempted to cloth diaper Spud in her early days into this world, our well-intent plan went down the drain for a little while. We did try for a few days when she got home but eventually gave up because the reusable diaper were all too big for her tiny bum-bum then; making her legs spread too wide apart because of the thickness of the cloth in between her crotch. (She looked quite pathetic…a chunk of cloth protruded out and sandwiched between her crotch!) Besides, as we found out, breastfed newborns’ poo are usually extremely liquidy and mustardy, and when she did her poo, they all went splat and all over the place! Those harmless looking, but toxic smelling poo would stain the cloth liners of the diapers pretty bad. So bad that we could not get the yellowy-mustardy colour out even after several washes! (talk about being environmentally friendly in having to wash so many times!)

So we went on the disposable diaper route mainly to wait it out till she gets big enough for the reusable ones I bought off an online shop, I have to say though, when it comes to having to be out and about, travelling, emergencies and just being plain lazy, nothing beats the convenience of using those disposables.

Okay. So I know those disposables are terrible for the environment and not to mention hideously expensive. That, for me is enough a convince, to push through with cloth diapering, given my strong advocacy for being environmentally friendly. However, I’d be lying if I say I can manage cloth diapering 100% of the time despite being a very strong advocate for the greater good of planet earth. For reasons given in the previous paragraph, I think it would be unreasonable to totally write-off disposable diapers.

Enter then me, the part-time cloth diaperer in action. I have heard and researched that when it comes to the technological advances of cloth diapers, their paper counterpart fails in comparison. Apparently, when it comes to potty training, cloth diapers win hands-down. But I guess we can’t really have it all and I have got to be practical about things as it is just not realistic to push through 100% cloth diapering all the time (washing use a lot of water too, you know! So one could also argue how that can’t be as environmentally friendly). My take is, even if we manage cloth diapering only half the time, we still make that little bit of difference.

Besides, those reusable diapers are pretty funky looking. They certainly are not as boring as the disposable ones, and they come in all sorts of colours and designs. I think that alone is enough a reason to go cloth.

And trust me, since Spud turned about 6 months old, she has got quite a pretty cool looking bum to boot! (okay, at least I think so.) Just check out those funky looking bums.

Watch this space for a review of the different types and systems of cloth diapers I have tried and tested.

Busy baby

I am beginning to understand the significance of when people say that babies grow up so fast.

My! My! Indeed they do and my god! It does seem like Spud is just growing right before my very eyes.

Just a few months ago she was this little red lump who would not stop crying, and wanting to be held all the time. Now she is this tiny little busy person who’d try to wriggle her way out of your arms in trying to get herself on the floor. She keeps herself real busy crawling her wobbly crawls just about anywhere clamouring over stuff and grabbing on to anything which allows her to pull herself up in to a standing position. She is also now very able to sit upright without any support when she’s had enough crawling, and has been able to keep herself occupied for a good 5 minutes at least being busy with stacking cups or just watching Animal Planet.

Spud’s a very busy little imp these days, and I feel so exhausted just watching her go! While it is indeed a little too early for a 7 month old to be walking, this little imp seems to be quite hell-bent in beating the odds. She tries all the time, and every single time she pulls herself up to a standing position, she immediately moves one of her feet forward. Sometimes I swear I think she thinks she can already walk, as right after she gets herself into a standing position, she forgets that there’s nothing for her to hold on to as she moves her other foot. Guess what happens?

Yep, this is usually the point where she loses her balance and if we are not there to catch her fall, plop! she’ll go on her side, crash to the floor and then a little pause before she wails her loudest drama-mama wail.

Sometimes it is quite hilarious to just watch her (and I mean it in a very endearing way). And each time she tries, I have to remind her that, No Spud, it is nice that you are trying but no darling, you can’t quite walk yet and neither is your body physically ready to allow you to walk at the moment. But, you can keep trying though!

Spud is certainly developing personality of her own. And, being extremely determined and strong-willed seems to be one of the few distinctive traits she has shown.

One thing we noticed though, Spud does not seem to care very much for toys. I mean she does acknowledge them and play with them for a little bit, but that’s about it and so far, she has not shown any sort of attachment to them. She loses interest in them quite quickly. She does get all intrigued with the L.A.B.E.L.S she found on her toys, though. Those labels is able to keep her occupied for quite a while. How weird is that!

Here are just some random shots of Spud doing her thing:

Share the happiness

This was a really awesome campaign. I thought it was brilliantly executed as it expounded on the idea of sharing the happiness all around to truly engage their consumers. I'm not advocating consuming sweet, sugary beverage, but this is definitely one of the campaigns that makes me feel all warm and tingly inside!

Freezing patooties!

The humid, hot weather took a turn a few days ago. It was rainy and stormy in the last few days…and then last night, the temperature dropped down to a cool, possibly less than 22°C.

When I entered the bathroom this morning, half asleep, I was rudely awaken by the slap of the cold air from the bathroom right smacked on my face. We could feel the cold air swishing by into our apartment, and consequently able to freeze our sad, tropical-weathered patooties off !

It was probably quite cold last night that we had the cats snuggling with us for a good dose of the night. Fudge was quite the heart-tugger --- she actually crawled into our duvet cover and wedged herself in between Silver Bullet and me for some human warmth and comfort. She was there ( I think!) almost throughout the night, and constantly adjusting herself against me to get herself comfortable,

I found out that it is now apparently a cool 18°C out there as I got to the office. Quite strange weather conditions here in Bangkok, considering that the hottest season of the year should have already started.

When it stays cool like this for a few days, it is still, however, one of the loveliest weather in Bangkok. And I am definitely not complaining!

Siam Paragon: The Basement

An impromptu suggestion made by Silver Bullet to visit Siam Ocean World saw the three of us adventuring down the basement of Siam Paragon Shopping Mall in no time at all over the weekend. Yep. You read that right. Siam Ocean World in Siam Paragon.

In fact, it is apparently purported as the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia - 10,000 square metre aquarium filled with marine life, right-smacked in the heart of downtown Bangkok and occupying 2 levels of an upscale shopping destination. Sounds weird, I know...but it's true. And you know what, extremely convenient too!

Last we brought Spud to Siam Ocean World was when she was only about 3 months old when we had played host to Silver Bullet's subordinate who was here on training. She was still so young then, but we remembered her being intrigued by all the colours she saw. She seemed particularly hyper and got all excited by the jelly-fish. I think she also got overtly stimulated by  the end of the trip that she had a (more than a) tad of an issue sleeping well at night; waking up several times and crying hard. I wonder if she was having nightmares about the jelly-fish then!

This time though, a little bit older, she seemed to be really intrigued by the penguins and the big fish. She missed the jelly fish as she fell asleep towards the end.

What made this trip memorable for us though was that we realised something completely coincidental and un-orchestrated as we sat down and made a pit-stop at a rest area to feed her. We had unceremoniously introduced Spud to fish for the very first time that day while in an area full of fishies! Funny that.

Siam Ocean World is open daily from 9 am to 10 pm. The admission fee however, can be quite exorbitant at 900 per adult if you are a tourist. It is, like any other attractions in Thailand, a two-tiered pricing place where Thai nationals pay much lesser. However, the first time we went with Spud in tow, we were actually offered a discounted rate (without us asking for it!) since Silver Bullet were able to produce a Thai driving license as prove that we reside here. (I only do not need to open my mouth and I pass of as a Thai!)

For that, we pay a not-so-hefty amount of less than 600 baht for the two and a half of us. (infant is, of course free). For that amount, it makes a casual visit to the Siam Ocean World almost all worth it.

Spud and the curious penguins

The Ragged-Tooth Shark!

The Ultimate

This must be one of the ultimate compilations of funny cat videos ever! Only watch it if you have 7 minutes and 49 seconds to spare. I like the bit @3:02.

Blardy fahnee, can!

First memory of food

At one of the talks I attended on the topic of Baby & Toddler Nutrition, we (the mothers who attended the talk) were asked to share the earliest memory of food when we were a child as we introduced ourselves to one another.

I thought it was a nice way to start a workshop on baby’s food. I did not even have to think very hard and immediately, my thoughts went to my mom’s home-cooked food. Even though it was so long ago, it felt like as though I was digging in to the last bit of cookie that was left in a very deep cookie jar. It was nice, it was rewarding and the memory still makes me feel warm and tingly inside. It was special. It was, actually, more than just special.

Image from Google

Still etched in my mind were my childhood memories where, I distinctly remember my mom whipping out food she prepared from home whenever we had a family day out over the weekends. It did not matter where we went; it could be the zoo, the bird park, the beach, the botanical gardens, the waterpark…and when it was time to eat, there was my mom’s home-made Nasi Goreng, Nasi Lemak or Ayam Goreng! I distinctly remember the Nasi Lemak being wrapped up in banana leaves in the old fashioned way, and the Nasi Goreng carefully packed in a tub of Tupperware.

As a kid, I did not understand why we never get to eat at McDonald’s or KFC or Burger Kings like the other kids. At such an impressionable age (I think roughly at 5- 8 years old), I remember feeling envious of other kids for having such privileges. I think I even felt rather mad at my parents for shoving only home-cooked food to us at that time!

I guess I was too young to understand anything then. But, looking back, of course I realised the reasons for my mom not encouraging us to eat “outside food” was not only because of economic reasons (they were not very well-off and it was extremely expensive to eat out) but for health reasons as well.

Up till now, I clearly remember us taking a break at whatever it was we were doing by finding a nice and cool shady spot to tuck in the food which my mom magically whipped out from one of the tote bags she totted along. I think I can still remember what the food smelt like! Little did I know that those habits nurtured at such a young age had actually made a very big impact to my life; especially now that I am a mother.

As time goes by, I realise that I’m being more like my mother. Thinking back, before Spud came along, I used to prepare simple food from home when we take a long drive out of Bangkok to get through the journey. It could be simple sandwiches, fried rice or Mee Siam and I would be more than happy to make the time to prepare it the night before we leave.

I guess I am a foodie by device and the appreciation of home cooked, healthy meal can be nurtured from a very young age.

It is my hope that Spud too will appreciate home prepared meal in her later years and that her memories of food is going to be as special as my memories of my mom’s home-made food that were all prepared with nothing but healthy ingredients and loads of love!

A cat-owner's doing

This one absolutely cracks me up. The person behind this has got to be a cat owner for only cat owners can relate to somthing like this!

7 Months

It has only been about 5 months since the Battle of the Bottle, yet it feels like ages and eons and eons of time ago since that happened. The only reason I'm bringing this up is because recently Spud decided that she no longer wants to have anything to do with the boobs anymore. Na.Da.

I'm afraid she has officially gone on a boob strike...and I think for good.

Once a very close and guarded ally, she now treats my boobs like a natural enemy. In the last two weeks, she no longer wants me to nurse her like I usually do when I come home from work before putting her to bed. She has definitely shown a stronger preference for The Bottle and she screams her head out, crying bloody murder every time I shove her The Boobs. She will tug, she will gum, she will twist and pull really hard; and she does not even have any teeth yet! She literally does not want to go anywhere near my boobs, and we both ended up distressed after every try. She only calms down when she gets The Bottle. Talk about coming from a humble beginning!

To be honest, I don't really mind that much. It kind of makes weaning off the breasts a little bit more easier than I could ever hope for. However, I can't help being two minds about it as well. I mean, being able to just "whip-it-out" as and when she needs it can be really convenient than having to pump all the time just to make sure she has sufficient supply for the day.

That being said, while I don't mind Spud going off the breast sooner than later, I sometimes miss that closeness breastfeeding brings. (Ok. I admit I cannot believe I just said that! *blush*)

I suppose it is her little way of telling me that she is now truly done with my boobs; albeit in a somewhat violent way. 

Oh well! I guess it is just one of the littlest sign that our little imp is growing up...

On fours

This picture gave me the chuckles...

Everyone's on fours here, but Silver Bullet's like The Giant in a little minion's world! Makes for a funny, yet endearing shot.

Signage

Seeing this sign just once while coming up the escalator and going into the baby's section in one of the departmental store here was enough for me to do a double-take.

If I had not known any better, I swear I'd be royally disgusted thinking that this was done in a bad taste; especially since I know how infamously known Thailand is for pornography.

The thing is, I do think this is an honest mistake (a bad one, no doubt!) made from sheer ignorance.

This actually  happened to be a sign designed to tell customers of the mall that if you go to the right, you will find:

a) a section where you'll find stuff for babies and infants

b) a separate section for women's undergarments

Now, why the above 2 sections are housed on the same floor next to each other is simply beyond me. It is not only nursing or maternity wear, but the whole works of LINGERIE!

That's another only in Thailand moment for you!

“That Phase” feeling

Like it or not, this country can tire you out.

Every once in a while, that “I-need- to-absolutely –get-the-&%#$-out-of –Thailand- pronto” feeling creeps up to me unannounced. I realised it usually happens when I have been “cooped up” in this country for more than 3 months at a stretch. I remember I almost went crazy last year after not being able to travel anywhere out of Thailand when I got to my 3rd trimester. I call it the “That Phase Feeling”.

It is also during this time when I would bitch and moan about everything and anything about Thailand and the sundry that comes with it. It is also my one dark phase when I’ll feel constantly antagonized, ranting just about anything and everything Thai and Thailand (poor Silver Bullet’s ears!)

It is, but a phase I go through every now and then. When it gets like that, I know it is time for us (or mostly for me) to get out of here for a while for a change of scenery.

I can attest though, while “That Phase Feeling” has been lingering about me for a few days now, it still is not as bad as how I felt a couple of years ago.

I guess, it helps that besides Spud being the constant distraction, the blow is softened from the fact that I can start doing a 4-day work week for the whole of this month! It turned out that I still have some leftover vacation leave from last year, and so, I need to use them before end of March or risk losing them altogether! Sweet.

On top of that, Songran is coming up in a month’s time. That usually means, like the previous years, it will be one big vacation for us over a long public holiday period in Thailand. It really is a great time to go vacationing without taking too much off days. Get this:  we only need to take 5 days of vacation leave to get a 2 weeks fully-paid vacation day! It will be a shame not to plan anything at all, and if anything, it is a crime to BE in Thailand during that time.

For that, we already have something planned for there is definitely somewhere else we have to be.

While I’m a little anxious of having to travel long haul with an infant, I am certainly so looking forward for the fact that we will actually be getting OUT of Thailand for a little bit. Can’t wait.

Lazy days

Here's a glimpse into the art of laziness...

Now, there's something to blame for me not completing my work. Andy just refuses to leave my laptop alone! :D

Times like this, I really wish I'm a cat. Imagine getting so much done by doing absolutely jack-all.

"Inspirer"

This is no ordinary card.

This is a name card I received while exchanging pleasantries in a corporate environment.

The company's name as well as the name of the person printed on the card are blurred out to protect the innocent.

And that word there below the name is actually the person's designation. Seriously. I'm not kidding.


And, to my knowledge this particular person ain't no therapist. I question if I should take him seriously.

It is a very interesting job description nonetheless and I cannot get over it.

Only in Thailand.

Seat-Belts

I still remember my sentiments from years ago when Singapore made it mandatory for passengers sitting at the backseat of a car to put on their seatbelts. At that time, I hated it.

But then, like it or not, I quickly got used to it. We all did, given how unyielding the law can be. And now more than a decade later, not wearing any seat-belts while travelling in a car and sitting at the back seat, feels so wrong and so unsafe.

Yet, very unfortunately, that is how we usually travel in any taxis here in Bangkok. While they do have the seat-belts in place, there usually isn’t anything for anyone to latch the darn thing in. Hardly safe... considering most, if not all of the taxi drivers here drive like a maniac thinking that they will be the next legend like Michael Schumacher. In fact, I can safely say that I will be hanging on to my dear life in 8 out of 10 taxi rides here, each time fearing for my life with no seat belts on.

That being said, imagine my surprise when I actually got into a cab equipped with not only a seat-belt but a latch visible in the backseat as well! That thing you call a working seat-belt did wonders to my anxiety each time I get in a cab here and I reckon, it must have been the only very few cabs I have been in so far with a properly functioning seat-belt.

It almost felt like I struck lottery!