@ The Bum

A handful of people appeared skeptical and raised an eyebrow (or two) when I said I'll be giving birth in Bangkok instead of glorious Singapore. They had genuinely asked about the standards of medical services here in Thailand. Mostly, they were just being skeptical given Thailand is considered a third world country and wondered if it is a dodgy place to entrust birthing and health matters. I attest it certainly is not.

On the contrary to what most people believe of a third-world country, the medical facilities and services of private hospitals like Bumrungrad (aka 'The Bum' in my dictionary) or Samitivej just to mention a few, are actually of international standards. No doubt the prices are relatively higher than the government or public hospitals, but it is well worth the higher price for a peace of mind; especially when Thai is not your native language. One thing for sure, the costs of private hospitals in Bangkok are pretty competitive, and I do believe are relatively cheaper than what you might eventually pay for the private hospitals in Singapore.

For instance, specific to birthing, Bumrungrad has 3 different packages (Prices are estimated based on recent memory as I have forgotten the exact costs):

1. Natural Delivery without pain relievers (based on 3 days 2 nights stay): ~46K THB (~1.9 K SGD)
2. Natural Delivery with epidural (based on 3 days 2 nights stay): ~ 56K THB (2.3K SGD)
3. Ceasarian (based on 4 days, 3 nights stay): ~ 66K THB (~ 2.7K SGD)

For the above packages, you get a standard room. Of course, additional charges apply for services, medication and extension of stay. Nonetheless, you pretty much have the ward to yourself and the room is equipped like a hotel room. Each standard ward comes with a one person patient-bed, with a couch for a family member who is allowed to stay for the night. Silver Bullet said the couch is quite comfy, too! On top of that, there is a flat-screen TV, a free WIFI connection, a fridge, a microwave oven, a wardrobe, a safe, a computer keyboard and monitor and an array of room services!You gotta admit that for a 'standard', it is actually pretty decent!

The "Standard" Room @ The Bum

One thing that I thought is pretty cool is the birthing room itself for those opting a natural delivery. As far as I know, there is only one such room in Bumrungrad. I, of course, had the privilege of staying in this room for almost the whole day when I was in labour. The room was equipped with a different type of bed and unlike those in the normal wards, they put in a rocking chair, a radio, yoga mats and those big bouncy exercise balls which I believe are used to cope with labour pains. The bathroom itself has a bathtub that is meant to be used for water delivery should such means of delivery is desired.

Took some pictures of the birthing room while I was in between contractions...but had forgotten to take one of the bathroom! Those bouncy balls were damn useful distractions for when the contraction starts. Here is one with the very un-glam me on the bouncy balls fighting off hours of contractions.

Not too dodgy at all, I'd say!

The Recovery

[Warning: A lengthy blog post]

It has now been more than 20 days post my C-Sect and I still don’t feel a hundred percent.

My recovery since the delivery via Cesarean has been pretty slow. While my doctor assured that most women are up and about within a day or two from the C-Sect surgery, I struggled pretty darn hard. Some of my colleagues even testified they did not feel a thing after the surgery and could pretty much walk around as if nothing had happened within a day. It was disheartening to hear such stories when I can’t even get out of bed on the first day after. In fact, I had trouble getting back on my feet even after the 3rd day of the surgery. I still remember the sharp, intense pain the moment I put my foot down on the ground. The pain was paralyzing. It felt as if a serrated knife was continuously jabbing my abdomen. The pain was relentless. It was so intense that I could not even walk to the bathroom on my own which was less than 5 meters away from my bed. I was so pathetic that I had to call for help each time I need to go to the bathroom. Having a shower was a feat, and I could not do it without any assistance. I could hardly stand as every step was a cry for help. That was how bad it was. It was obvious that my usually high threshold of pain did not prepare me for this one.

I felt that whatever dignity I had before the C-Sect, it all was stripped off of me as nurses manhandled me, stripping me off my clothes as I lie paralysed in bed out of numbness from the anesthetic for a few days and then stripped me naked in the shower in their bid to assist me to clean-up after myself. The entire thing was such an ordeal physically and to a certain extent, mentally too.

I was pretty much bed-bound for a few days, but I tried very hard to walk around in the hope that I’ll recover faster. It felt like a bad experience…a bad dream, but I was determined to be able to get back on my feet as soon as possible. My! How I tried. And I tried, and I tried. I had only managed to slowly hobbled, and that was with some human support or the wheelchair on my 4th day. Even so, I cannot stand on my feet for too long. Every movement was not without effort. I never thought this would be so hard on me. It was as if my body was just rebelling. I did not feel like everything was normal.

It was only on the 5th day that the pain subsided a little. I was able to hobble a little faster and by the end of the day, I could walk myself to the bathroom…but only very, very slowly. Things got better later in the evening and I became fit to be discharged on the 6th day. It was not without any pain.

It was not easy coming home with a helpless newborn and at the same time, trying to adhere to doctor’s advice of getting a good rest, eat proper meals, not to strain or not carrying heavy things myself. Not having enough sleep from then on did not help very much either. I was barely operating at 50% which continued on for another week…on top of being deprived further of sleep.

I am only glad that I have also heard stories from other women whose recovery were just as slow. Our neighbour is a good example when she had her baby 3 months ago. I am glad I was not alone experiencing such difficulty. I was bummed for not being able to go for natural delivery, but I did not rule out having to go for C-Sect given the circumstances. Perhaps, I just was not prepared for the outcome. Thailand is a country with 80% Cesarean rate as most Thai women would prefer to be cut up than having to go through the pain of natural delivery. It makes me wonder how their brains really work, given the aftermath of the surgery can be a difficult one. It goes to show that no two women are the same, and that our bodies react in different way as they go under stress. It just seemed that mine was not cooperating too well.

I am, however, glad that at this very moment, I am feeling much much better than I did 2 weeks ago. I am still not a hundred percent, but there has been some stark improvement. Given my personal experience on this, again, it makes me realise the challenges of a single mom if they were to go through what I went through. I am thankful for all the help and support I have gotten so far from my husband, our nanny as well as my family. Recovery should be getting a lot easier from here.

The Last Stretch

That last stretch of the pregnancy was a rather trying time for me. Not only was Spud almost 3  one and half weeks overdue from the estimated delivery date (EDD), there were also no signs whatsoever indicating that the baby would be out any time soon. [3 1/2 weeks overdue if calculated from 38 weeks i.e. @ 38 weeks, the baby is considered fully baked and can be delivered]. After my 38th week, there were still no contractions, no baby’s engagement (she was not low enough), no cervical mucus and virtually zero dilation of the cervix. I basically had NOTHING. Spud seemed rather chilled out being in my womb for an extended amount of time. That three and half weeks of extended time felt like eternity and it took a toll on me and my mood. I was on the verge of depression; even seeking help with alternative therapy to induce with foot reflexology, acupuncture and hypnotherapy.

This is me 3 days prior to delivery (41 weeks + 1 day), looking all poofy and swollen...with still no signs of Spud coming out anytime soon.

When labour finally came, I had a hard time going into labour-proper in my quest for a natural birth. My contractions had started on a Thursday night and continued on into the whole of Friday. By early Saturday morning at 3 am, the contractions became 5 minutes apart and while my water has yet to break, we decided to just head out to the hospital as it felt like delivery was imminent. They basically put me in a delivery room and monitored my contractions for the whole of that Saturday. Even with intense contraction at 98%, I still have only dilated by 1 cm. It remained at 1 cm even after I was induced with oxytocin in the evening. All in all, my contractions lasted for almost 3 days and never actually resulted in what they called "active” labour. God knows how much longer it will take for my cervix to dilate to 10 cm for me to go for natural labour, given that I haven’t had any sleep since Thursday! And even if we had persevered and waited for me to go into active labour, we wondered if I actually would have any strength left to push, since I haven’t slept for more than 48 hours. I was lucky to have a supportive and obliging doctor, who pretty much stood by us most of the entire time. While he did give his professional advice, he never once imposed his opinion on us.

In the end, we decided to go with the dreaded Cesarean after having been advised that my amniotic fluid is getting lower that it should. In a matter of minutes, I was wheeled into the surgery room, and was promptly attended by several nurses and an Anesthecian. I felt manhandled and violated like a shrimp on a stick about to be barbecued as they administered epidural. Despite being on a high and light-headed the entire time, I didn’t like the experience one bit as I felt (and still do!) traumatised by it. I think I may have told the Anesthecian to EF Off  at one point in time when she fussed about me and my spine as I felt the pain. I tried my best to stay still, but it was almost impossible since I could FEEL the pain in my spine despite being numbed and all; and how dare she complained to the doctor telling him I was not co-operating!  (I figured she told on me as soon after, my doctor showed up and told me gently that I need to co-operate! WTF! Damn Biotch!)

The next thing I knew, Silver Bullet was by my side and I heard wailing in the background. Out of nowhere, I was presented with a lump of red flesh wrapped in a blue cloth. I remembered feeling rushed and fussed as strangers around us started clicking their cameras at us and telling me stuff I could not absorb at that point in time, given my not-so-sober state. Everything was a little blur, but I recall going in and out of consciousness while they whisked Silver Bullet away as my doctor was sewing me up. They then put me in a recovery room for 2 hours right after that. I remembered feeling a little miffed at the entire thing as I felt isolated without my husband (who was not allowed in the Recovery Room with me) and my newborn child. At some point though, whilst still in the Recovery Room, they brought Spud to me for my very first breastfeeding. The sight left me more amused and bewildered than anything else.

It felt like eternity before I saw Silver Bullet again in a ward where I was to recover for several more days. After texting a few close friends telling them about the safe delivery, I was then lulled into sleep by a very powerful painkiller that was administered intravenously. That sent me a-flying immediately. I was in happy land for the night! (And not so happy in the next few days to come!)

The crucial must-have picture that everyone has right after delivery!

Mimosas?

We recently noticed a new specimen of plant in our used-to-be empty pot at our balcony. Don't exactly know where they come from, but I'm pretty certain none of us had planted what looked like a mimosa plant to add on to our green collection!  Strange that.

The road to "freedom"

Looking back, I did have a relatively easy pregnancy. There were small inconveniences; but unlike most stories I have heard, I did not have terrible morning sickness or having to do any bed rest or have to frequently miss work. In fact, I did not feel pregnant until I was in my 36th week  For most part of the time, I even forget that I was actually pregnant, and was only duly reminded of my condition when my tummy got bigger in the last trimester. I was also very active throughout my entire pregnancy, working right till the very end of it.

I was, however, a little on the ''sensitive" side - a bit of a softie, easily irritable and a little fussy with things and want things MY way. But! my bouts of irritability were in fact, pretty minimal. All things considered, I did not have any violent mood swings or was even remotely temperamental. In fact, I was relatively happy and easy-going for most, if not all of the time.

Up until the last stretch, that is.

I don’t know how other women can rave so much about how much they have enjoyed being pregnant. I can only say I tolerated it. As said, despite having it relatively easy, there were many, many small inconveniences which I had to deal with. They royally annoyed the crap out of me. So annoying that I now have an entire list of rant on what they did not tell me about pregnancy!

Contrary to what most women feel, I do not miss being pregnant. Far from it. At this point, boy! Oh boy! Am I glad to be un-pregnant. I'm probably missing all the good bits about pregnancy, but really! what was so enjoyable about being pregnant again?

Am I just A.B.normal?

Doting Grams

Spud getting a lot of attention from Nya-yi (Grandma) and Yai-yi (Grandpa) when they came by for a visit last week.

I think Spud have taken really well to Nya-yi since she is almost always immediately quiet when my mom held her whenever she has that wailing bouts. One thing I know for sure, like cats, babies and kids seem to just take to my mom like magnets. She does have a way with people and animals, this grandmother! :)

Bureaucracy

This is just annoying. Do you know that despite the fact that one of the parents is already a Singaporean and in order to apply for a Singapore passport for newborns who are born outside of Singapore, the (parents of)child  has to first apply for a Singapore Citizenship which may take 3-6 months to process BEFORE one can apply for the passport proper?

What happen to granting an automatic citizenship by descent because the  mother is already a Singaporean? Talk about inconvenience by bureaucracy!

Why I kept my mouth shut

[Warning: A lengthy blog post]

Many a time, I have been asked why there had not been any mention of my pregnancy in my blog while I was carrying Spud. This very question came from close friends who happened to know about my pregnancy then. They were pretty puzzled why I kept such “thrilling” news hush-hush. I guess it is now time to “come clean”, following the announcement of Spud’s arrival 18 days ago.

I don’t know where to start, really. I guess I made a conscious decision not to blog about it simply because I was not ready to share with the whole wide world. I felt people in general tend to get over-zealous over the word pregnancy. More often than not, I think there was really no reason to make it such a big deal at all; simply because I didn’t think I was any more special since millions of women get pregnant and have babies. I am only one of the statistics. Those are, however, only one part to the story.

The other reason was mainly because of too many uncertainties. When we decided to try for a Spud, it was also a conscious decision on our part to “screw the contraception, just give it a go and see what happens”. Our train of thoughts about having a baby was along the lines of: let’s just try and if for some reason we are not able to, we still can seek help if we really need/want to. If somehow it did not work out, at least we know we tried. Given my skepticism with having kids, we know we can live with the fact if we can’t have kids and so, we can move on with our lives and spend our money on us in our old age. At least, there will be no regrets of having to look back one day and do a should have, would have, could have but didn’t. If we are destined not to have kids, we know in our hearts that at least we have tried. We do not have to go back to ‘what ifs” once we hit 50, and then realising that we should have tried having kids, but didn’t. Those were our very sentiments.

Uncertainties were real. Sometime mid last year, I actually had a miscarriage. Truth be told, I did not even know I was pregnant then. To say we were even ready for it was an understatement. When the doctor finally confirmed it, I was kind of shell-shocked to know that I was in my 8th week of pregnancy. I remembered Silver Bullet’s face flushing bright red when we walked out of the doctor’s office, both of us in apprehensive silent with the sudden news. It could not have happened so fast, we thought. We were not ready and the timing was not right! We, however, had barely digested the news when about 10 hours later, I started bleeding heavily accompanied by intense cramping which lasted till the next day. Our visit to the doctor’s on the following day confirmed of a “spontaneous abortion”. We speculated that whatever it was, the fetus may have detected our uneasiness and decided to flush itself out! Honestly, I was not emotionally affected by the miscarriage at all. It was literally a case of here today, gone tomorrow…barely enough time for us to absorb the full-extend of it all. It did, however, took a few months for my body to resume to some form of normalcy post the miscarriage. And at about 5-6 months later, Spud was conceived.

My pregnancy, for the most part was a well-kept secret. Those who knew only knew because they saw me in person. I did not really want to announce it to the whole world, not even after the 13th week as it was something I wanted to keep private, just in case something untoward was to happen. I was a worry-wart, speculating a lot of “what ifs” in my head. I worry if our baby will, God forbid! be deformed, or handicapped or mentally challenged or diagnosed with a down syndrome or some strange diseases or having to deal with a stillborn. Things which are not normal and beyond our control, and having to make the right or wrong decision for an unborn child was something which I was not looking forward to. I worry if I will ever be a qualified candidate for a good mother. I worry if it is selfish of us to put another life in this world when the world is just a screwed-up place to live along with millions of other screwed up society with screwed-up values and screwed-up environmentally damaged environment. For most part, I was unsure how I would cope with my pregnancy and the reality of having my own flesh and blood on the way. It was all a pretty bizarre concept for a “I-never-want-kids-ever” me. I cringed at the thought of people annoyingly fussing over me and my pregnancy.

I am glad that despite all my crazy and inane thoughts, we have a physically-perfect, healthy baby. If anything, she might just be a little loopy, given her direct lineage from her parents. My only hope for Spud is to grow up healthy and happy.  Everything else , especially material stuff, is secondary.

Es Alpokat aka Avocado Milkshake

Silver Bullet managed to squeeze in a little time over the weekend to make a yummy Avocado Milkshake. Otherwise known as Es Alpokat or Jus Alpokat , it is a well-known, refreshing beverage found in Indonesia or most Indonesian Restaurants. This has always been my favourite authentic Indonesian beverage since I first discovered it in my youth when travelling to Indonesia with my parents. I have pretty much forgotten about this beverage for a damn long while, but the passion has been rekindled since our trip to Indonesia in April this year.

I have no idea where Silver Bullet got the recipe from, but I love this milkshake to bits! Can't wait for the next batch to come!

Mommydom

Given my 2 weeks tenure of mommyhood hardly make me a qualified parent at this stage. However, if there is one thing I realise, one can only be as prepared as one can be. I'd be lying if I say that it has all been easy-peasy since we pretty much are playing the guessing game  of what each cries means most of the time.

Knowing what  little wisdom I now know, parenthood is no easy feat. Truth be told, I am ever so grateful for having an extremely supportive husband by my side who is not afraid to get his hands dirty, and took over some "mommy-duties" while I was still recuperating from my surgery. That being said,I am also on a heightened realisation of how trying and challenging parenthood can be to any single parent out there. I must say, I  have a new-found admiration and respect for a working single mom out there; as raising a child  single-handedly is no easy task.

I count my blessings for having such a supportive partner and even with 2 people, raising a kid is already hard enough. I cannot imagine how much harder it will be to have to do it all alone. I have the utmost respect for single moms out there who have been able to pull off such a great job in raising a decent kid single-handedly.

2 weeks on

It has been a hectic and trying 2 weeks since, I’d say!

For days I’ve been trying to write a post, but with little success. I ended up with 3-4 unfinished posts, having to stop at every 3rd sentence or so, on every attempt at blogging. Each time I turn on my laptop and started writing, Spud starts to wail. Somehow, I’m convinced that Spud has adamantly refused to let me have a little laptop time. For every hour that she naps, I’d have to make a decision to either grab some winks, trying to blog, check my emails, pump up some breast milk, make time to shower or just making sure that I have a little bit of time to eat and hydrate myself before she goes on another wailing spree. Time flew by so fast, and every little time I had was spent tending to Spud and her needs when Silver Bullet’s off for work. Sleep deprivation has become a norm as we try to make sense of it all, if any at all.

It has been an uphill task for both Silver Bullet and I who hardly have had any rest since I went into labour. Hence, we were really glad for a little help when my parents decided to come by last week so we can get a breather. My mom basically spent her entire days cooking for me and tending to me; taking over the caring of Spud during the night for several days so we can get some rest. Being able to savour mom’s home-cooked food was of course a plus! It was by no means a welcome break.

They have now gone home after spending almost a week here with their grand-daughter. It is now just the 3 of us spending time together on a Sunday afternoon at home. I have no doubt that despite the distance; grandparents somehow will have a special bond with their grand-child; especially if it is their first grandchild (which also happens to be the case for Silver Bullet’s parents).

From here and on, our lives will be changed forever. My blogging will be less frequent, and given that I will be on maternity leave for the next 3 months, I reckon reporting of happenings outside of home will be minimal due to lack of external stimulus. It doesn’t mean I will stop completely; rather, I guess I am at this phase in life where things take a different turn and the content of my blog will be skewing expanding to Spud, baby stuff and parenting (or the lack of parenting skills).

The reality is such that there will be no more sleep-ins on weekends, no more of our own me-time as we try to figure out our lives…at least for a little while. It will be our learning curves for a while, as we have a very demanding "boss" who currently rules our lives.

Super Power

Cheesy, I know... but this struck a chord with me since I've got a real booby monster on hand:

Blame severe sleep deprivation for my being lame!

The cold shouler

The cats have all conspired to unceremoniously ignore me since I got back from the hospital last week. It has now been 5 days and none of the cats has made any effort to come say hi to me. They have only so far regarded me very warily, sniffing me out and appeared rather unsure of the "new" scent they seemed to have detected on me. Given the fact also that they have all been banished from our rooms when it comes to bedtime, it has to be said that the cats are  none too happy with the new, but temporary sleeping arrangements.At least, till when Spud's old enough to start annoying the crap out of them.

Fudge, especially has decided to stay away from me and has not, even once, come up to me to snuggle up as she always did before Spud's arrival. She really did keep herself well-away from me; refusing to come up to me even when I called her name while beckoning her to come. I think she really did merajuk big time.

As one of my friends put it, 'the kitties must be just all "panties in a bunch" with the new princess in the house'. She literally pulled the words right out of my mouth and described their behaviour so well.

For now, they all seemed to have lost interest in Spud. They pretty much left her alone, and when Spud starts wailing, there will be no cats in sight! Funny that.

Decaf no more

Got my first taste of real coffee this afternoon in between feeds since I switched to decaf when I got pregnant last year. It really has been too long since I had real coffee, and boy! I miss it so.  While decaf may have played a part in tricking my mind that I am having coffee, it (decaf) is still not a real coffee to a hardcore coffee lover like me.

After such a long hiatus off real coffee, I swear coffee never tasted so darn good! One of the perks of being un-pregnant.

We are home!

It feels nice to be home at last, for I have really missed the company of the cats! It does seem that the cats were not too bothered that we have not been around. They are however, rather apprehensive with the arrival of Spud and each has yet to start snuggling with me as they seem wary of the scent they found on me.

Today is also the first day we get to spend the entire with Spud 24/7. Already, we both have suffered from massive sleep deprivation. It will be interesting to see what her personality will be like.

Despite all that, I am just glad that we are back in the comfort of our own home.

Small Spud in her Big Bed

Fudge checking out the new intruder

New daddy with new baby

Discharged alas!

I was finally discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon after spending 6 days and 6 nights at The Bum, following Spud's delivery last week. It now seemed like ages ago since I experienced The Contractions.

It feels great to finally breakaway from the hospital. Whoever said that hospital is a conducive place to recuperate is probably deluded; since there was always some kind of interruptions while you are trying to rest. From cleaning ladies, to the nurses who checks on the hourly blood pressures, the customer service staff asking for feedback, the staff who delivers your food, the doctor's visit, the paediatrician's visit, a call from the nursery etc. You get my drift.  Add those to a very unpleasant, slow and painful recovery from a c-section and you get a grumpy ole me who was at her hormonal peak! 

I felt a sense of strangeness as the hospital staff wheeled me off to the lobby, as another staff from the nursery carried Spud in her arms for me. Out of nowhere, I had a huge lump in my throat as I saw Silver Bullet pulled out at the lobby to receive us. It all felt so surreal as I played out the events from previous days in my head while trying to control the tears from rolling out of my eyes.

We drove home with Creed incidentally playing in the car. As soon as "With Arms Wide Open" came on air, both Silver Bullet and I looked at each other with this really strange-looking expression on our faces, our hearts filled with relief and adoration for each other; while being consciously aware of the new addition who I was carefully cradling in my arms. That moment in time had me bursting in tears  immediately. Hormones, I tell you! At the same moment, I thought I saw Silver Bullet swallowed his throat hard. He was nicely shielded by his dark sunglasses and seconds later, I heard him sniffled as he took out his sunglasses for a bit.  Beneath that were a pair of red eyes, accompanied by a grinning, smiley face!

And I thought I was the hormonal one.

The Next Phase

As far as I can remember, I never wanted to have kids. In fact, bring it all back a little further…I never did want to get married to start with. Even when I did get married, having a child was the furthest thing from my mind because, firstly, unlike most women, I don't like kids and cannot imagine myself cooing unnecessarily over them. Secondly, I was not so into a  "lifetime responsibility" and was all about having my own life and career. And, if you had asked me again a couple of years ago if I’m gonna end up having kids, my answer would still be a firm no.

Alas! How things have changed. Here am I, stepping into the realms of motherhood and now at this very moment, lying very uncomfortably on the hospital bed in constant pain while trying to recuperate from a difficult delivery. Right next to me, a 3-day old baby I now call my daughter with the uncanny resemblance of her Dad, snoozes away in bliss. With it, a realization that a new chapter of my life has just begun. Another life journey reflecting an improvised beginning of the same old me; but, with just the different shades and undertones of life.

We are new parents, Silver Bullet and I. We don’t pretend to know everything and when it comes to parenting and taking care of a child, we both are completely clueless and honestly stupid. We most definitely will not be dispensing advice here, but will share what we encounter and learn along the way, and hope to have fun while at it.

From my perspective, it will be interesting to see how our lives unfold itself with the challenges of having a new baby on board in the presence of 3 cats!

Ahhh! Come what may... la vita è bella.

Made in Thailand

World, meet Spud. 

Spud, meet the rest of the world!

How's that for a secret love child who has been a-brewing on the back-burner in the last 10 months or so,eh? Yes, she truly is ours! Spud was brought into this world on Saturday, 7th August 2010 at slightly before 10pm,  after her 2 weeks of mega chill-out session in my womb and long, arduous journey out of it.

And now, we are three six! (of course the cats!)

I cannot believe that I am now a mother. That motherly feeling has yet to sink in...

Foot on boobs

There will always be something to gripe about when you get foot massages from one of those run-of-mills shops along the streets of Bangkok. As always, I will always almost go back to the same place if I have had a good foot massage experience before. A good foot massage is pretty much dependent on the masseuse that you get, rather than the establishment itself; like a luck of draw if you will. And as always, I would secretly hope that the same person who did my foot before will still be there for a repeat performance.

Given the distance of Dr. Feet and the insane traffic I would have to negotiate through to get there, I decided to go to one nearer to home.

The foot massage was , at best mediocre. But, what turned me off more was the fact that she kept resting each of my foot on her boobies every time she gave me a rub. And every time she did that, I had to inch my foot ever so slightly AWAY from the dreaded boobs. It's like a mental tug of war...both of us pulling in opposite directions. I'm somewhat certain that it was probably an unconscious act on her part, but still! It doesn't mean I enjoy it. Hell! It literally was yukky-yuk-yuk for me.

I really DO.NOT.LIKE. that soft booby feeling underneath my feet and neither do I get any pleasure from it.  I really just wish they would keep my feet AWAY from their boobies, thank you very much.

The dreaded thing about it is the fact that I was acutely conscious of it that I can't even relax and take a nap! Goddammit, just keep your boobies away from my feet, will you? Disgusting, know?!

Missing Home

Discovery Travel & Living Channel has been featuring Anthony Bourdain, Bobby Chin and Andrew Zimmerns in the last few days, covering the entire episode of the food culture in Singapore. They were all repeats from previous series from a few seasons ago. I reckon and they have all been repeated to death since I have seen some of those before and blogged about it..

Still, I stayed glued to the TV...drooling away and thinking of all the good, glorious food back home.

What made it worse is that it made me realise how much I miss home. Not only the food, but I actually feel the ache for home. I miss the chats I used to have with my Mom and I miss her company. Most importantly, I miss being around my immediate family, just as much as I miss the joyful company of my close friends. I really am starting to miss my Singapore home. If only I could get a quick fix for it...

Octopus Paul to expire

Give or take 6 months from now, and the famous psychic octopus Paul will soon vanish from the face of the earth, following a genetic programming of his kind. 

Now, this is something I did not know before and I find it to be very interesting. How enlightening!

I also heard that calamaries are best eaten when they are fresh. On that note...

Just peachy

I just love watching the rain from the balcony while working in the comfort of my own home these days.The sight, sound and smell of rain are all very soothing for the mind and soul.

Seeing the cats comfortably sprawled by the screen-door and trying to catch the soothing breeze from the balcony brought a smile to my face. One can't deny how at peace they are with their surroundings, with an impeccable ability to just sleep just about anywhere and everywhere they fancy.

Reminds me of a quote from one of the Cats book we have:

"Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a lot of ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia"

- James Wood Krutch

So much truth in there, considering that I have yet to meet an insomniac feline.

Heartburn

Wikipedia's definition of heartburn:

Also known as pyrosis or acid indigestion ,  is a burning sensation in the chest, just behind the breastbone or in the epigastrium.The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck, throat, or angle of the jaw.

I am hating heartburns with a passion.

Movie night

It has been a while since we bought new movies to top up our DVD movie collection. We did just that over the weekend, shopping at our favourite haunt at MBK for a dose of good quality DVDs.  After an uneventful week-long ordeal, we ended up with more than 20 movies to boot, and turned our weekend into a pig-out session for a movie night at home.

Let me introduce the castings that made our weekend more eventful.

Clockwise from top: Home-popped cheese popcorn, our 1st movie of the night - "Doubt", Home-made chicken nibblets with hot sauce from Tanzania and Cheesy Nachos with Hot Salsa sauce.

All guaranteed to give you instant heart-burn! Makes an instant yet sensational food porn remedy for an otherwise trite, ultra-ho-hum weekend.

When "double" shouldn't be 2

Silver Bullet was presented with these when he ordered a "Double Espresso" after our lunch today:

If only you can see the smirk he had on his face. Bwwaaaahahahhahahahaaaaa!

You really gotta laugh. Only in Thailand.