Tuesday, January 31, 2012
It's cold out here!
When Silver Bullet told me that it snowed the night before, I did not really believe him and thought that he was pulling my leg.
Admittedly, I thought he was delirious from the lack of sleep as Spud had been down with a fever the entire night and had single-handedly manage to keep the entire household awake! That being said, since we've been here, there has not been any news report of us having a snowy weather here.
Imagine my surprise when I looked out of the window. As it turned out, it did snow that night and we were just oblivious to the surrounding as we got too busy nursing Spud having a fever, turning the entire household upside-down!
I can't remember the last time I saw snow. And, as I watched speckles of tiny snow falling the next day as little sick Spud dosed off, I was a little disappointed that Spud was just too ill to enjoy the new experience. I'm just hoping that the snow will last a little longer for Spud to get a little better before we head out back to Bangkok.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
A day of surprises
[This is a bit of a very delayed post; a post which has been in a draft mode for 10 days and should have gone up more than a week ago. But here it is, anyway]
I woke up one Monday morning of mid-January feeling sluggish, dreading the week I was about to face, but was greeted by a cheerful Silver Bullet wishing me a Happy Birthday as I stumbled into the bathroom. Only to forget that it was my birthday a few minutes later.
When the Nanny came in, I was again greeted by a birthday wish and a little present....only to forget that it was my birthday again that day!
So, that repeated itself over and over again throughout the day, and. somehow, every time I was being reminded by the wishes, I forgot about it right after. My memory has been like a sieve.
In all honesty, though, I felt like it was just like any other ordinary day. A birthday for me is nothing special - it is just a day when I am officially a year older. That being said, it felt so very ordinary perhaps because, this was also probably the first time in years in which I did not take any birthday leave and be done with all work obligations for one day. This year, there just was not enough time for a birthday me-time.
I guess I am lucky that quite a few people made a big deal out of it by just showering me with wishes and gifts.
After lunch, a colleague bought me an ice-cream after he casually asked me of my favourite ice-cream flavour.
Sometime in the late afternoon, whilst I was furiously typing away on my keyboard, my team surprised me by singing a birthday song out loud and ambushed me at my desk with a birthday cake after they dimmed all the lights in the office.The gesture was so sweet, not because of the fact that they remembered, but the fact that in the Thai context, that small gesture given to a foreigner meant a hell lot more than just a birthday cake. In the Thai context, it meant genuine acknowledgment, appreciation and some form of adoration (if I may speculate it so) from subordinates to their boss that it brought a lump to my throat.I think I may have even slightly teared a little as it was nothing which I had expected at all.
When I got home, Silver Bullet not only had gone through all the trouble of cooking dinner for me but, just as I thought the day was over (and forgetting again that it was my birthday), he presented me with a huge-ass gift.
His gift in the form of Osim foot and back massage device made me a very happy person, indeed! (actually, come to think of it, it probably makes Silver Bullet the happier person as he now does not have to do any more manual foot rubs for me when I absolutely need it!)
It was, all in all a great day and certainly something to remember by!
P.S:
Photos will be posted up later as I am currently away and have no access to download the photos from my camera to my laptop!
I woke up one Monday morning of mid-January feeling sluggish, dreading the week I was about to face, but was greeted by a cheerful Silver Bullet wishing me a Happy Birthday as I stumbled into the bathroom. Only to forget that it was my birthday a few minutes later.
When the Nanny came in, I was again greeted by a birthday wish and a little present....only to forget that it was my birthday again that day!
So, that repeated itself over and over again throughout the day, and. somehow, every time I was being reminded by the wishes, I forgot about it right after. My memory has been like a sieve.
In all honesty, though, I felt like it was just like any other ordinary day. A birthday for me is nothing special - it is just a day when I am officially a year older. That being said, it felt so very ordinary perhaps because, this was also probably the first time in years in which I did not take any birthday leave and be done with all work obligations for one day. This year, there just was not enough time for a birthday me-time.
I guess I am lucky that quite a few people made a big deal out of it by just showering me with wishes and gifts.
After lunch, a colleague bought me an ice-cream after he casually asked me of my favourite ice-cream flavour.
When I got home, Silver Bullet not only had gone through all the trouble of cooking dinner for me but, just as I thought the day was over (and forgetting again that it was my birthday), he presented me with a huge-ass gift.
His gift in the form of Osim foot and back massage device made me a very happy person, indeed! (actually, come to think of it, it probably makes Silver Bullet the happier person as he now does not have to do any more manual foot rubs for me when I absolutely need it!)
It was, all in all a great day and certainly something to remember by!
P.S:
Photos will be posted up later as I am currently away and have no access to download the photos from my camera to my laptop!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Keropoks, Fishballs and Cheese
Keropok (Singapore/Malaysia), Krupuk (Indonesia) or Kroepoek (The Netherlands) - What is it?
Really tasty and addictive especially when dipped in sambal or chilli sauce. Can be really fishy, but still one of my favourite all-time snacks!
(Silver Bullet hates the fish version)
Fish balls - What is it?
Made from fish instead of meat, they are very common food in Southern China, and apparently in Scandinavia, too. Can be eaten as sides with noodle soup, in curry with rice or on its own.
Especially good when deep fried, and dipped in, of course, chilli sauce. My favourite comfort food since I was a child.
(Silver Bullet will not have any of these)
Cheese - What is it?
Definitely Silver Bullet's all-time favourite. For him, the smellier the better, even if they smell like rotten feet!
(I like the milder, younger cheeses. I don't do smelly - they are revolting!)
So. What do they all have in common?
Apart from the fact that they all can smell a bit funny, I bet you would not have guessed for a second that we found out over time that these junk (more for the keropoks and fish balls as opposed to the cheese!) have turned out to be one of Spud's favourite snacks!
Funny how that is and all i can say is that it is a testament to Spud's true mix of Silver Bullet European and my Asian heritage.
I hope it stays that way and it will be nice to share my love for fish with someone else in the family.
Woo hooo! :)
Friday, January 20, 2012
Ang Pows & Weddings
How many times have you wondered how much you should be giving to a Chinese Couple every time you were invited to attend a Chinese wedding reception?
If like me, you tend to ask around to get a feel of how much to give (not that I get invited very much these days), here is a useful guide I nicked off someone's post on FB recently:
There!
That should work, shouldn't it?
At least in the Singapore context, my gut-feel says that it is pretty much spot on. Whoever says that weddings are fun?
If like me, you tend to ask around to get a feel of how much to give (not that I get invited very much these days), here is a useful guide I nicked off someone's post on FB recently:
There!
That should work, shouldn't it?
At least in the Singapore context, my gut-feel says that it is pretty much spot on. Whoever says that weddings are fun?
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The introvert in me
Shortly after I wrote about me being an introvert in the extroverts' world in my last post for 2011, I came across an article on the top 10 myths of Introverts which I have shamelessly cut and paste here:
The original article can be found here. He's got quite a cool profile and I have enjoyed reading some of his posts so far. He apparently received >750,000 hits when his post on introverts went viral.
Introverts are normal people who happens to find most extroverts annoying (I said MOST). That being said, my best girl friend is an extrovert and I am even married to one - you should have seen my face when they talked my ears off when we first met (at separate occasions, years apart). If you could only see those bubble thoughts that went through my head at that time!
Funnily enough, I let them be. I did not brush them off, and there was no judgement - from both sides.
What made a big difference was that there were no airs about them, and genuinely sincere about getting to know you as a person that you are. They are honest and give it to you straight-up; no sugar-coating. They took the time, they reach out and there was no pretending. They respected my space and over time, I learn and understand the ways of being in the Extroverts' world; enabling me to view the social differences with an open mind.
They are also of course, in my books, not very normal people. They can be very "off' sometimes. And, that's very okay. We get along very well. And we get along very well with other "off" people.
Now, I cannot yak with them enough and they really are the few extroverts whom I cannot imagine not having in my life. Ever.
Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.
Sleeping Dragon: Or step on my tail and make me mad, and I will also not shut up for days on end, too. I also happen not to like to talk about myself.
Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.
Sleeping Dragon: I'm usually the listener in a conversation, and while I try, for most part, it really is not in me to be the one initiating small talk.I do it out of necessity more than anything else.
Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.
Sleeping Dragon: I find it very disturbing that most people thrive in shallow pretenses and meaningless over-friendliness so they can talk about themselves all the time as opposed to straight-in-your-face-honesty.Social pleasantries again, are just done out of necessity in dealing with the ways of the world - and I'd rather not do it if I don't have to.
Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.
Sleeping Dragon: I can count the number of really good friends that I have with my ten fingers and I still have a few fingers to spare. I did say I prefer hanging out with animals...
Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.
Sleeping Dragon: Thus, the tendency to internalise and over-analyse things!
Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.
Sleeping Dragon: I don't day-dream; I just space out especially when there is too much blabber going on and then I'm labelled as being someone very disengaged.But, seriously, if you see SOME of the clowns that surround me on a daily basis, you'd want to be alone too!
Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.
Sleeping Dragon: No beating about the bush here - yes, I am weird. I don't conform. And so be it.
Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.
Sleeping Dragon: I don't know how many times I have been unjustly accused of being an aloof bitch (nerd's a term for the intellectuals of the world and I'm not one), but I guess they usually come from people who just don't know me well enough. I let it be because it is more exhausting for me to make the effort to correct that perception.
I am a nice person, though. O:)
Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.
Sleeping Dragon: Ahhh...if only you knew! All those travels that I have done on my own when I was young and single are probably the best things I have ever done for myself.
Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.
Sleeping Dragon: I kind of like being an introvert, and don't see the dire need to be one of yous, Extroverts. The Extroverts drive me crazy as it is, why do I want to do that to myself by being one? Sheesh,
The original article can be found here. He's got quite a cool profile and I have enjoyed reading some of his posts so far. He apparently received >750,000 hits when his post on introverts went viral.
Introverts are normal people who happens to find most extroverts annoying (I said MOST). That being said, my best girl friend is an extrovert and I am even married to one - you should have seen my face when they talked my ears off when we first met (at separate occasions, years apart). If you could only see those bubble thoughts that went through my head at that time!
Funnily enough, I let them be. I did not brush them off, and there was no judgement - from both sides.
What made a big difference was that there were no airs about them, and genuinely sincere about getting to know you as a person that you are. They are honest and give it to you straight-up; no sugar-coating. They took the time, they reach out and there was no pretending. They respected my space and over time, I learn and understand the ways of being in the Extroverts' world; enabling me to view the social differences with an open mind.
They are also of course, in my books, not very normal people. They can be very "off' sometimes. And, that's very okay. We get along very well. And we get along very well with other "off" people.
Now, I cannot yak with them enough and they really are the few extroverts whom I cannot imagine not having in my life. Ever.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Gruffalo: The (Short) Movie
5 months on, and Spud is still hooked on The Gruffalo, and now, we have "upgraded" her addiction to the one with audio-visual aid.
Actually, not too long after The Gruffalo was first introduced to us, we started scouring the Internet (in search for the cute plush toy and to date, still observing a very high self-restraint of not buying it online!), and then stumbled on its official website. From the website on , being the geek that Silver Bullet is, he then started scouring for a video version of the book.
Not too long later, he actually managed to find a high-def version of the 26-minutes movie and was all so excited about his find - so excited that I started wondering who was more excited - Spud or Silver Bullet!
Needless to say, Spud loves it, and was hooked on it in no time at all. In fact, it was the only thing that gets her to sit still at one spot for a whole 10 minutes. And because of its "magical powers", it became The Thing we use to keep her quiet for about two weeks - be it meal times, or just so she'd stay at one spot. So for two weeks, day-in, day-out, we watched Gruffalo several times a day.
BIG MISTAKE.
Before long, Spud started to throw temper tantrums when she did not get to watch The Gruffalo at her whims and fancy at any time of the day. Realising the monster we had unwittingly unleashed, we decided to take steps to remedy it before it was too late. It then took us a few days to condition her that, no, she does not get to watch The Gruffalo whenever she demands for it. She watches it only when her parents allow her too.
Since then, The Gruffalo has been a part of Spud's bedtime routine - we only allow her to watch it at the end of the day, after her evening shower and before she brushes her teeth. Now, The Gruffalo is like a cue for her to go to bed, and as soon as it reaches towards the end of the movie, she starts saying bye and waves goodbye to the TV!
All it took was a lot of consistency (in distracting her into other things besides The Gruffalo), resilience and not giving in (to her tantrums). It was a little hard work from our part doing all those things with a lot of restraint, and telling her that yes, she can watch The Gruffalo, and only before bedtime, but in the end, it worked.
We could only let out a serious sigh of relief when she started to get it after.
I have to tell you though, the movie is brilliant! All the details that went into that animation is just amazing. Silver Bullet had tried to change to another movie (The Lion King) to give her a little bit more of variety during bedtime, but Spud just would not have any of it and cried bloody murder the moment she saw a different opening scene.
We have not missed a day without watching it so far, and I shamelessly admit that even I enjoy that little skit!
The whole Gruffalo thing is just super awesome. So awesome that I am afraid I may not be able to restrain myself any longer from getting that darn cute toy!
Actually, not too long after The Gruffalo was first introduced to us, we started scouring the Internet (in search for the cute plush toy and to date, still observing a very high self-restraint of not buying it online!), and then stumbled on its official website. From the website on , being the geek that Silver Bullet is, he then started scouring for a video version of the book.
Not too long later, he actually managed to find a high-def version of the 26-minutes movie and was all so excited about his find - so excited that I started wondering who was more excited - Spud or Silver Bullet!
Needless to say, Spud loves it, and was hooked on it in no time at all. In fact, it was the only thing that gets her to sit still at one spot for a whole 10 minutes. And because of its "magical powers", it became The Thing we use to keep her quiet for about two weeks - be it meal times, or just so she'd stay at one spot. So for two weeks, day-in, day-out, we watched Gruffalo several times a day.
BIG MISTAKE.
Before long, Spud started to throw temper tantrums when she did not get to watch The Gruffalo at her whims and fancy at any time of the day. Realising the monster we had unwittingly unleashed, we decided to take steps to remedy it before it was too late. It then took us a few days to condition her that, no, she does not get to watch The Gruffalo whenever she demands for it. She watches it only when her parents allow her too.
Since then, The Gruffalo has been a part of Spud's bedtime routine - we only allow her to watch it at the end of the day, after her evening shower and before she brushes her teeth. Now, The Gruffalo is like a cue for her to go to bed, and as soon as it reaches towards the end of the movie, she starts saying bye and waves goodbye to the TV!
All it took was a lot of consistency (in distracting her into other things besides The Gruffalo), resilience and not giving in (to her tantrums). It was a little hard work from our part doing all those things with a lot of restraint, and telling her that yes, she can watch The Gruffalo, and only before bedtime, but in the end, it worked.
We could only let out a serious sigh of relief when she started to get it after.
I have to tell you though, the movie is brilliant! All the details that went into that animation is just amazing. Silver Bullet had tried to change to another movie (The Lion King) to give her a little bit more of variety during bedtime, but Spud just would not have any of it and cried bloody murder the moment she saw a different opening scene.
We have not missed a day without watching it so far, and I shamelessly admit that even I enjoy that little skit!
The whole Gruffalo thing is just super awesome. So awesome that I am afraid I may not be able to restrain myself any longer from getting that darn cute toy!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Wonder Woman
Someone posted this up on FB, and I think it pretty much sums me up:
Yep. I am not only a clutz; I can also be a little bit of a ditzy head too.
Like Silver Bullet said, I would also be likely to be wondering where my head is if it is not screwed on tight.
Ahhh! The story of my life. Full of wonders.
Yep. I am not only a clutz; I can also be a little bit of a ditzy head too.
Like Silver Bullet said, I would also be likely to be wondering where my head is if it is not screwed on tight.
Ahhh! The story of my life. Full of wonders.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Not for the faint-hearted
I get the creeps and the heebie-jeebies when I saw these pictures here:
I am not a fan of great, big heights and these see-through paths perched up on some Chinese cliff 4,000 ft above a rocky ravine send a shiver down my spine!
I am pretty sure that my legs will just buckle and I remember that I could barely walk on the glass platform of one of the highest tower in Macau at one point in time....
I'm sure it will quite a thrill, and I might just be tempted to attempt it, but those sticks just do look too fragile, don't they?
Would you have the guts to brave this?
The original article can be found here.
I am pretty sure that my legs will just buckle and I remember that I could barely walk on the glass platform of one of the highest tower in Macau at one point in time....
I'm sure it will quite a thrill, and I might just be tempted to attempt it, but those sticks just do look too fragile, don't they?
Would you have the guts to brave this?
The original article can be found here.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Quote of the day
"The truth about cussing: It is best delivered in Hokkien." © TM
- The Sleeping Dragon.
Yes, I came up with that . Or maybe someone else has already came out with it and I just didn't know. But, really - I DID come up with that quote. It came to me like a a divine revelation. Seriously. No kidding.
And I figured, it sounds pretty cool to have it on my blog after posting it up as my status update.
What sparked it was an incident that happened at work which got me all worked up. While I tried to contain my emotions and tried to remain stoically professional during the meeting, I let it rip out loud when I got to the toilet the moment I walked out of the conference room. No one else was in the toilet at that time, and even if there were, they will not have a clue as to what I was saying.
Which makes it even sweeter.
[The details of what sparked is not for public knowledge, and that is not the main subject I want unleash in this post]
Now. I hardly lash out profanities in Hokkien. It has been ages since I did that, and if I DO do it, it really does mean that I am absolutely livid. And boy! I was beyond livid.
Somehow that incident at work brought out the inner "lian" in me - the Ah-Lian which has been pretty dormant for a very long time. I actually surprised myself with what I let rip; so surprised that I forgot how fluent I can be in Hokkien.
The words, when strung together, can be so very potent and I actually surprised myself at the impact it had to my own ears right after those flowery words came out of my mouth! The "delivery" was impeccable. So "shiong" that I believe The Ah-Bengs (i.e male version of the lians) will be so proud of me.
It felt good to let it rip though. And if you know Hokkien, that quote really does sum it all out. I am just shamelessly TM-ing the quote :)
 |
| The not so vulgar Hokkien. Image courtesy of Google Images |
Press Freedom Index
For what seemed like a very modern, civilized and a renowned first world country, I am saddened by the fact that Singapore ranked #137 in Press Freedom – only 40 notches below North Korea.
Not that Press Freedom (or the lack of it) is not new news to fellow Singaporeans, but to be ranked way below Ghana, Togo and even Liberia is such an embarrassment!
In spite of all the tangible progression we see of a country spruced up with concrete walls consisting of vibrant shopping malls and the latest technological advancement, there certainly is no indication of human progression given the lack no respect for human rights.
This poses a question of "Would you then believe what the news have to say?"
Thailand for some reason is not listed here…I wonder why that is!
Article can be found here.
Not that Press Freedom (or the lack of it) is not new news to fellow Singaporeans, but to be ranked way below Ghana, Togo and even Liberia is such an embarrassment!In spite of all the tangible progression we see of a country spruced up with concrete walls consisting of vibrant shopping malls and the latest technological advancement, there certainly is no indication of human progression given the lack no respect for human rights.
This poses a question of "Would you then believe what the news have to say?"
Article can be found here.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Self-feeding
Recently, I began to wonder as to what age do average toddlers usually are able to feed themselves. As I scour the internet, I am enlightened to discover that most moms were raving about their ____ months old (fill in the blanks between 6 to 14), already started using spoons to self-feed themselves at meal-times.
Wow. I mean, seriously. What? At 6 months already? And by 14 months they usually are a pro in feeding themselves?
As I read on, I can't help but became a little annoyed with comments such as " my daughter/son (now aged ____ months - usually below 18 months) has been self feeding her/himself for more than 6 months . So no worries there!"
As far as I remember, at 6 months, we were still trying to get Spud on solids, people. And no, at 17 months, my precious little tot still cannot feed herself decently.
Alright super-mommies. Perhaps I'm a little jealous at how fast your little tots are progressing in that department, but don't have to brag and rub it in. Now you are making me feel very incompetent!
Actually, when it comes to letting Spud feed herself at meal-times, I admit that we have been slacking quite a bit on that department as we (and the Nanny) will usually do the feeding for her. Mainly because we are not prepared to clean up her mess and largely because, as working parents, we don't have the time (or the patience) in the world to watch her eat for hours on end, just so that she'll put a spoonful of food into her mouth on her own. (or not!)
Besides, if you don't already know, feeding Spud at meal-times can be a nightmare as it is. And, while there has been some improvement on the feeding front (requiring A LOT of distractions just so that she would open her mouth readily),with Spud, we never know as there are still some bad days.
All I can say is that, we can only heave a sigh of relief (and trust me! what a sigh it usually is) each time she opens up her mouth to take a spoonful of food from us - especially if it is the very first spoonful of the meal.
We do let her play with plastic forks and spoons of course, depending on her mood and the type of food. She still feeds herself fruits and other finger food on the odd occasions, but never actually during her regular meal-times because I don't have the patience to stare at her eating and watch her make a mess...
I know, I know...perhaps, I should just let loose and try to lose my control over the spoon, suck it up and let her make a mess!
Or perhaps, I should just tell the Nanny to let Spud feed herself while we are at work and let the Nanny clean up the mess for breakfast, lunch and dinner...
On the hind-sight though, my take at this stage is that, until she develops the dexterity she needs to feed herself, I am just not game enough to have to clean-up after her just yet.
I am solely to blame for being lazy like that.
But perhaps, one of these day..one of these days...
Wow. I mean, seriously. What? At 6 months already? And by 14 months they usually are a pro in feeding themselves?
As I read on, I can't help but became a little annoyed with comments such as " my daughter/son (now aged ____ months - usually below 18 months) has been self feeding her/himself for more than 6 months . So no worries there!"
As far as I remember, at 6 months, we were still trying to get Spud on solids, people. And no, at 17 months, my precious little tot still cannot feed herself decently.
Alright super-mommies. Perhaps I'm a little jealous at how fast your little tots are progressing in that department, but don't have to brag and rub it in. Now you are making me feel very incompetent!
Actually, when it comes to letting Spud feed herself at meal-times, I admit that we have been slacking quite a bit on that department as we (and the Nanny) will usually do the feeding for her. Mainly because we are not prepared to clean up her mess and largely because, as working parents, we don't have the time (or the patience) in the world to watch her eat for hours on end, just so that she'll put a spoonful of food into her mouth on her own. (or not!)
Besides, if you don't already know, feeding Spud at meal-times can be a nightmare as it is. And, while there has been some improvement on the feeding front (requiring A LOT of distractions just so that she would open her mouth readily),with Spud, we never know as there are still some bad days.
All I can say is that, we can only heave a sigh of relief (and trust me! what a sigh it usually is) each time she opens up her mouth to take a spoonful of food from us - especially if it is the very first spoonful of the meal.
We do let her play with plastic forks and spoons of course, depending on her mood and the type of food. She still feeds herself fruits and other finger food on the odd occasions, but never actually during her regular meal-times because I don't have the patience to stare at her eating and watch her make a mess...
I know, I know...perhaps, I should just let loose and try to lose my control over the spoon, suck it up and let her make a mess!
Or perhaps, I should just tell the Nanny to let Spud feed herself while we are at work and let the Nanny clean up the mess for breakfast, lunch and dinner...
On the hind-sight though, my take at this stage is that, until she develops the dexterity she needs to feed herself, I am just not game enough to have to clean-up after her just yet.
I am solely to blame for being lazy like that.
But perhaps, one of these day..one of these days...
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Bruised
The clutz in me did it again.
Ask a clutz what they have done to "accidentally" hurt themselves, and chances are, you won't be getting a coherent answer.
Ask me, I know.
Okay - I actually know how it happened. I hit my knee on the edge of thewooden shoe cabinet we have near the main door. I was squatting on my knee after taking Spud's shoe off her feet (or was it my own sandals?!) , and as I pulled myself up, I banged up my knee pretty bad against the sharp edges of that heavy wooden chest.
It hurt so bad that it took the wind right out of me, paralysing me for a good few minutes before I was able to get myself up again.It swelled up within the hour. I can tell you that much.
But, how I managed that, I don't have a clue and I can just blame myself for being the clutz that I am.
After 3 days, my knee still bulges out a bit, and the colour of the bruise has become much, much more prominent. Still pretty painful. Another battle scar...oh well! :)
(I can see my mom shaking her head and rolling her eyeballs at me if she sees this..hee..heh!)
Ask me, I know.
Okay - I actually know how it happened. I hit my knee on the edge of thewooden shoe cabinet we have near the main door. I was squatting on my knee after taking Spud's shoe off her feet (or was it my own sandals?!) , and as I pulled myself up, I banged up my knee pretty bad against the sharp edges of that heavy wooden chest.
It hurt so bad that it took the wind right out of me, paralysing me for a good few minutes before I was able to get myself up again.It swelled up within the hour. I can tell you that much.
But, how I managed that, I don't have a clue and I can just blame myself for being the clutz that I am.
After 3 days, my knee still bulges out a bit, and the colour of the bruise has become much, much more prominent. Still pretty painful. Another battle scar...oh well! :)
(I can see my mom shaking her head and rolling her eyeballs at me if she sees this..hee..heh!)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Quote of the day
Here's one for the week to take you through the hours, days, weeks, months and perhaps for the rest of your life...
Saturday, January 7, 2012
17 months update
Right.
So Spud's 17 months old.
So, every once in a while, I still feel jealous when I see other child sitting quietly next to their parents in a zen-like manner as they calmly watch and observe their surroundings in a state of supreme buddha-hood.
And then there is me or Silver Bullet running after Spud relentlessly because she is growing a bunch of ant farms in her pants. Forget about baby classes that involve sitting around in a circle, listen to the music and follow instructions to dance around; the last time we took her for a trial session at The Little Gym (some sort of a gymnastic class for babies > 4 months) , Spud went everywhere but sit down where she was supposed to.
All she really wanted to do was clamber about and jump around like a restless monkey. The only thing that got her attention for a bit was when the gym instructors started to blow bubbles. THAT got her really excited and she just barreled her way through to other kids that I almost felt a little embarrassed. It got me thinking of how she would behave in a classroom environment a few years from now...
Looking at how it went, I think we'll be better off letting her loose at some other play area for now.
Spud hardly ever walk these days. She just runs. For such a small tot, she goes pretty fast and we'll have to be alert enough to run after her just as quickly or she'll just stray away and then crash!
Which reminds me of an incident which occurred at a shopping mall recently where, according to Silver Bullet (I was sitting down at a cafe downing my coffee as Silver Bullet ran after her), Spud had ran and then walked into a glass door of a furniture store at Paragon.
Apparently, she did not realise that there was this glass door and went barreling through. When she hit her forehead, however, surprisingly, there was not a peep from her. Instead she gave this irate expression as if questioning as to why the door was there in the first place, and then got quite angry at the door.
When she walked towards me, I noticed this red streak of a bump on her forehead, and when Silver Bullet told me what happened, I could not help but let out a hearty laugh as I gave her forehead a kiss; perhaps, much to the dismay of Spud. But at least she came back to me grinning from ear to ear.
She's also picking up so many new words these days that I am amazed at how fast her vocabulary is expanding; reminding us yet again that we should be watching what comes out from of our mouths...
Spud's a tot full of energy and I sometimes wonder where she gets her energy from -- especially so when she does not nap very well in the day. I get exhausted just by watching her go for 15 minutes non-stop; having to run after her meanwhile , will seriously deplete whatever energy I have left of me.
Spud.just.really.cannot.sit.still.
I wonder where she got those traits from considering both her parents are extremely laid-back and super-chill. There must have been a dormant stray DNA somewhere...
I know we have a healthy baby, and trust me, I am very grateful for this. However, sometimes, just sometimes, I just wish she'd chill out a bit...just a tad bit so us parents can re-charge a little bit more to have that much more energy to chase after her. If anything, all I ask for is for her to sit down quietly for 10 minutes at ONE spot. Clearly, that has proven very difficult for her to do.
I also hope that those people who insist that energetic, super-charged, active babies will grow up to be one of the most dynamic, and intelligent creatures are not just sugar-coating the truth to make me feel better. (but if you are lying however, I can understand why).
The upside of Spud being super-busy in the last few weeks since the last update though, is that she has been a little less cranky. Which,in a way, is a welcome break for me from having to want to scream my head off.
So truly, one can't have everything...I guess I'll just have to wait if super-busy Spud becoming a one helluva intelligent kid when she is much older will hold true.
At this stage, behind that cheeky smile, I'm waiting with bated breath as to what else she has up her sleeves to keep her parents occupied for hours on end.
So Spud's 17 months old.
So, every once in a while, I still feel jealous when I see other child sitting quietly next to their parents in a zen-like manner as they calmly watch and observe their surroundings in a state of supreme buddha-hood.
And then there is me or Silver Bullet running after Spud relentlessly because she is growing a bunch of ant farms in her pants. Forget about baby classes that involve sitting around in a circle, listen to the music and follow instructions to dance around; the last time we took her for a trial session at The Little Gym (some sort of a gymnastic class for babies > 4 months) , Spud went everywhere but sit down where she was supposed to.
Looking at how it went, I think we'll be better off letting her loose at some other play area for now.
Spud hardly ever walk these days. She just runs. For such a small tot, she goes pretty fast and we'll have to be alert enough to run after her just as quickly or she'll just stray away and then crash!
Which reminds me of an incident which occurred at a shopping mall recently where, according to Silver Bullet (I was sitting down at a cafe downing my coffee as Silver Bullet ran after her), Spud had ran and then walked into a glass door of a furniture store at Paragon.
Apparently, she did not realise that there was this glass door and went barreling through. When she hit her forehead, however, surprisingly, there was not a peep from her. Instead she gave this irate expression as if questioning as to why the door was there in the first place, and then got quite angry at the door.
When she walked towards me, I noticed this red streak of a bump on her forehead, and when Silver Bullet told me what happened, I could not help but let out a hearty laugh as I gave her forehead a kiss; perhaps, much to the dismay of Spud. But at least she came back to me grinning from ear to ear.
She's also picking up so many new words these days that I am amazed at how fast her vocabulary is expanding; reminding us yet again that we should be watching what comes out from of our mouths...
Spud's a tot full of energy and I sometimes wonder where she gets her energy from -- especially so when she does not nap very well in the day. I get exhausted just by watching her go for 15 minutes non-stop; having to run after her meanwhile , will seriously deplete whatever energy I have left of me.
Spud.just.really.cannot.sit.still.
I wonder where she got those traits from considering both her parents are extremely laid-back and super-chill. There must have been a dormant stray DNA somewhere...
I know we have a healthy baby, and trust me, I am very grateful for this. However, sometimes, just sometimes, I just wish she'd chill out a bit...just a tad bit so us parents can re-charge a little bit more to have that much more energy to chase after her. If anything, all I ask for is for her to sit down quietly for 10 minutes at ONE spot. Clearly, that has proven very difficult for her to do.
I also hope that those people who insist that energetic, super-charged, active babies will grow up to be one of the most dynamic, and intelligent creatures are not just sugar-coating the truth to make me feel better. (but if you are lying however, I can understand why).
The upside of Spud being super-busy in the last few weeks since the last update though, is that she has been a little less cranky. Which,in a way, is a welcome break for me from having to want to scream my head off.
So truly, one can't have everything...I guess I'll just have to wait if super-busy Spud becoming a one helluva intelligent kid when she is much older will hold true.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Another cool gift
Someone from the office who works in another department sure made me smile.
When I got to my desk this morning, the first thing I saw was an unassuming white envelope with my name emblazoned on it. I opened the package and found this inside:
We work very well together and in the last few years, have somewhat established some sort of a close work relationship and a level of friendship within the corporate Thai environment. She's got a cool sense of humour, and one of the more straight-forward, no-nonsense Thais I know.
It has got all sorts of my favourite Cadbury's chocolates and candies inside. She sure made my day!
So far, the gifts I got for New Year's have all been pretty awesome.Especially nice when I was not expecting anything.
Thank you, Deer!
The package is still intact - I haven't had any emergencies so far. :)
When I got to my desk this morning, the first thing I saw was an unassuming white envelope with my name emblazoned on it. I opened the package and found this inside:
It has got all sorts of my favourite Cadbury's chocolates and candies inside. She sure made my day!
So far, the gifts I got for New Year's have all been pretty awesome.Especially nice when I was not expecting anything.
Thank you, Deer!
The package is still intact - I haven't had any emergencies so far. :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
My 1st Swarowski
My Thai colleagues are simply fabulous!
6 years of working in Thailand, and this is the first time ever my own team members presented me with a special New Year's gift on top of the exotic boxes of chocolates they have been shoving me since they went to Japan for the company trip recently.
It was a nice surprise alright to be acknowledged and given a gift by my team; but what made it much more surprising was what was wrapped in it.
How kick-ass is that?! Such a "hi-so" brand of pen and looks so precious that I hesitate to bring it along with me to use it - else I'll lose it as I am not the kind to be able to hold on to the same pen every time I need a pen!
I feel so appreciated by my subordinates...what a way to start my working week with my team in the new year. They must have spent a fortune on it! Amazing.
Thank you, HC Team!
6 years of working in Thailand, and this is the first time ever my own team members presented me with a special New Year's gift on top of the exotic boxes of chocolates they have been shoving me since they went to Japan for the company trip recently.
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I feel so appreciated by my subordinates...what a way to start my working week with my team in the new year. They must have spent a fortune on it! Amazing.
Thank you, HC Team!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
One really expensive veg
While the cashier was ringing up our grocery items over the weekend, we noticed that the screen was registering a cost that did not seemed right.
I almost fell over when I saw the figures and wanted to immediately alert the cashier. However, Silver Bullet stopped me from reacting as he was more curious as to what the cashier would do after she finished scanning everything.
When all were tallied up and put into the grocery bag, she nonchalantly presented us with a total figure of more than 24,000 THB (est. 1000 SGD). It was like the most normal grocery figures she had come across, and rung it all up without batting an eyelid. It somehow did not occur to her that the total bill was completely off and that no grocery bill would have amounted to that much if most of what we bought were vegetables and daily necessities.
More disturbing was when we pointed to her that that the amount was wrong, she was pretty adamant that she was right. She immediately had this questioning look on her face as if to say, "well, what do you think - you buy, you pay!"
We had to pinpoint the exact item that was reflected on the screen to her, and firmly told her that a vegetable could not have cost us so much. Only then did she pull out the items one by one from the bags to find out - perhaps, more to appease us that the price was indeed right!
It turned out to be a pumpkin. It was organic alright, but I don't think it was in any way made out of gold! As we suspected, it had been incorrectly priced-tagged, and upon discovering that, she then agreed to check for the correct price again.
I have to say though that we have been very guilty of not being conscientiously conscious of the price of the items that we buy whenever we do grocery, and this certainly taught us to be more careful in checking for what we bought!
It really pays to be vigilant while the cashier is ringing up the groceries, and while I am pretty sure that we may have over-paid for a couple of items here and there out of our own carelessness, there was no way we were going to miss a massive bill of >20K THB for groceries!
Spud, come eat your heart out - Mama & Papa ain't never gonna feed you such expensive pumpkin. Ever. :)
I almost fell over when I saw the figures and wanted to immediately alert the cashier. However, Silver Bullet stopped me from reacting as he was more curious as to what the cashier would do after she finished scanning everything.
When all were tallied up and put into the grocery bag, she nonchalantly presented us with a total figure of more than 24,000 THB (est. 1000 SGD). It was like the most normal grocery figures she had come across, and rung it all up without batting an eyelid. It somehow did not occur to her that the total bill was completely off and that no grocery bill would have amounted to that much if most of what we bought were vegetables and daily necessities.
More disturbing was when we pointed to her that that the amount was wrong, she was pretty adamant that she was right. She immediately had this questioning look on her face as if to say, "well, what do you think - you buy, you pay!"
We had to pinpoint the exact item that was reflected on the screen to her, and firmly told her that a vegetable could not have cost us so much. Only then did she pull out the items one by one from the bags to find out - perhaps, more to appease us that the price was indeed right!
It turned out to be a pumpkin. It was organic alright, but I don't think it was in any way made out of gold! As we suspected, it had been incorrectly priced-tagged, and upon discovering that, she then agreed to check for the correct price again.
It really pays to be vigilant while the cashier is ringing up the groceries, and while I am pretty sure that we may have over-paid for a couple of items here and there out of our own carelessness, there was no way we were going to miss a massive bill of >20K THB for groceries!
Spud, come eat your heart out - Mama & Papa ain't never gonna feed you such expensive pumpkin. Ever. :)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Back in the grind
The 3rd day of 2012 was already a working day for me, and I very reluctantly hauled back my sorry ass back into the office. For most, 3rd Jan is usually a public holiday, but for some reason, our office re-opened on this very day. For once, Silver Bullet got the day off instead of me.
The day was as eventful as going to the loo and flushing the toilet bowl - not particularly a very motivating time to be in the office as the holiday mood still lingers...
Surprisingly though, I had a very productive morning; so productive that I rewarded myself by going back home a couple of hours earlier, play with Spud and put my feet up!
It was a nice start to a working week - I can only wish for everyday to be like this for every single working day of the year.
Somehow I think that is just wishful thinking...
The day was as eventful as going to the loo and flushing the toilet bowl - not particularly a very motivating time to be in the office as the holiday mood still lingers...
Surprisingly though, I had a very productive morning; so productive that I rewarded myself by going back home a couple of hours earlier, play with Spud and put my feet up!
It was a nice start to a working week - I can only wish for everyday to be like this for every single working day of the year.
Somehow I think that is just wishful thinking...
What we've been up to
The last few days have gone by so quickly that I struggle to keep up with the things we have been up to leading to New Year.
The last 48 hours of 2011 has not been all that eventful, but somehow, everything had seemed like a mad rush. Usually, by the last week of the year, I would be clearing my annual leave, which means I would have ample time to amble my way through the week in slow motion. Unfortunately, I have none of that in Dec 2011 as I had to barrel through the never-ending pile of "urgent" work that needed to get done.
While there were a couple of public holidays accorded to us, I was quite bummed to have to waste it on my being out of commission for 2 unexpected solid days of not being able to do anything as I was a little under the weather. That had also meant me delaying my plans to cook a feast on New Year's Eve like what I usually did in the last few years.
This time round, I only had time to make a pathetic one-dish meal of Mee Siam for dinner on New Year's Eve. The turkey only made it into the oven at 7pm - which meant that it was only ready after 10 pm! In fact, if it weren't for Silver Bullet, I don't think I would be able to get the turkey done in time for us to host lunch on New Year's Day when we had plans to invite some friends over!
While making the turkey can be considered a joint-effort, the credit should really go to Silver Bullet this time as he tended to most of it as I was mostly out of commission to do just about anything. It was a struggle for me to keep myself awake till midnight to even welcome 2012 - how sad is that!
Although the Spiced Roast Turkey was not served in time for our usual New Year's Eve meal, it turned out just as lovely to be served to the guests the next day.
It was a simple New Year's Day lunch for Mommies and Tots Play-date session (we missed one other Mom this year), but it sure was fun to catch up with these Moms whom I have been friends with since our kids are still in our stomach almost 2 years ago!
We have had several play-dates before, and for some reason, I have yet to put up their pictures! The other 2 girls are exactly 5 days apart from Spud (Spud is the youngest), and it is really amazing to see how much they have changed and see the difference in how they interacted when compared to months and months ago.
Given the excitement, apparently none of the girls cared for any naps in the afternoon. We had to try several times before Spud finally went down for a 20 minutes nap, and I was glad that Spud behaved pretty well and was not at all too cranky. I think she enjoyed herself and it was such a joy to see these babies eating their hearts out! (Spud however, was the only one not too thrilled with the turkey - could be a texture thing)
One thing for sure though, it really has been hard trying to get the 3 girls together in 1 picture. I really should dig up those shots from the past one of these days to see how much they all have grown!
The last 48 hours of 2011 has not been all that eventful, but somehow, everything had seemed like a mad rush. Usually, by the last week of the year, I would be clearing my annual leave, which means I would have ample time to amble my way through the week in slow motion. Unfortunately, I have none of that in Dec 2011 as I had to barrel through the never-ending pile of "urgent" work that needed to get done.
While there were a couple of public holidays accorded to us, I was quite bummed to have to waste it on my being out of commission for 2 unexpected solid days of not being able to do anything as I was a little under the weather. That had also meant me delaying my plans to cook a feast on New Year's Eve like what I usually did in the last few years.
This time round, I only had time to make a pathetic one-dish meal of Mee Siam for dinner on New Year's Eve. The turkey only made it into the oven at 7pm - which meant that it was only ready after 10 pm! In fact, if it weren't for Silver Bullet, I don't think I would be able to get the turkey done in time for us to host lunch on New Year's Day when we had plans to invite some friends over!
While making the turkey can be considered a joint-effort, the credit should really go to Silver Bullet this time as he tended to most of it as I was mostly out of commission to do just about anything. It was a struggle for me to keep myself awake till midnight to even welcome 2012 - how sad is that!
Although the Spiced Roast Turkey was not served in time for our usual New Year's Eve meal, it turned out just as lovely to be served to the guests the next day.
It was a simple New Year's Day lunch for Mommies and Tots Play-date session (we missed one other Mom this year), but it sure was fun to catch up with these Moms whom I have been friends with since our kids are still in our stomach almost 2 years ago!
We have had several play-dates before, and for some reason, I have yet to put up their pictures! The other 2 girls are exactly 5 days apart from Spud (Spud is the youngest), and it is really amazing to see how much they have changed and see the difference in how they interacted when compared to months and months ago.
Given the excitement, apparently none of the girls cared for any naps in the afternoon. We had to try several times before Spud finally went down for a 20 minutes nap, and I was glad that Spud behaved pretty well and was not at all too cranky. I think she enjoyed herself and it was such a joy to see these babies eating their hearts out! (Spud however, was the only one not too thrilled with the turkey - could be a texture thing)
One thing for sure though, it really has been hard trying to get the 3 girls together in 1 picture. I really should dig up those shots from the past one of these days to see how much they all have grown!
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