Wistful

I miss Paris.

I miss the subway stations, La Seine, Le Pont Neuf…
I miss the nutella crepes, the baguette sandwiches, the pain au chocolates…
I miss the fashionable ladies, the suave men and the cute pooches so many Parisians walk around with…
I miss the sidewalk cafés, Le Louvre and how La Tour Eiffel looks at night...
I miss the “bonjour” people say to each other, stranger or not…
I miss the “merci, bonne journee” cashiers say to you after you’ve paid for your purchase…
I miss the “pardon” the French say when you’re in their way…

And I miss Nice.

I miss the apartment K was staying in and where I bunked for a whole month...
I miss the big supermarket we did our marketing at...
I miss cooking our own meals while we were there...
I miss the Promenade des Anglais, Vieux Nice, Cours Saleya...
I miss my favourite restaurant there Pasta Basta...
I miss taking the local buses and trams there...


*wistful* ......

The Peace of a Slower Pace

I’ve consciously slowed down my pace over the last few months. My walking pace that is.
And it’s amazing what doing such a simple thing has shown me.
You see more. You observe more. You stop and smell the roses. You notice new shoots growing from the pretty plants that line our roads. You notice how the sun’s rays get filtered through the leaves of trees and how the leaves themselves cast dancing shadows on the pavements.

You no longer feel the need to walk at an ever-quickening pace. You don’t feel the need to rush for the green man at the traffic junction. You don’t feel the need to run for the bus. You take your time even though other people are all swooshing past you.

You feel more calm and relaxed and less inclined to rush.

#takingthingseasy

Kitty Craze

I'm really curious why so many people are going ga-ga over the Hello Kitty toy that MacDonalds is selling with its meals. Week after week, you hear of people rushing to buy the toys. Over the last 2-3 weeks, people hstarted queue-ing late at night just to make sure they get their hands on a new version of the toy (a new version is launched everyday Thursday).

Aside from the profiteers who resell the toys online at exorbitant prices, I cannot fathom why someone would queue up before midnight to fight for a chance to buy the toy.

There are so many Hello Kitty fanatics in Singapore meh? But she doesn't even have a mouth....

0_0

Just discovered a new effect (or inconvenience) of being pregnant - itching.

An expanding body coupled with an expanding big belly is stretching my skin quite abit. The skin over my belly feels so taut at times.

It started yesterday at an area just below the right chest. I tried slathering on extra stretch marks cream and it helped a little. Now it's mid-afternoon in office, the itch has travelled to other parts of the belly and since I forgot to bring extra body lotion, I resorted to applying some handcream instead.

Trying my best not to scratch!

Pop Goes The.......

Belly button.
Mine’s popped out quite early I think, since a month ago probably. I’m feeling a little odd and awkward about it though because people can see it protruding slightly from underneath my clothes, unless I wear black. Colleagues are starting to point it out to me too haha.

Wah - Duhl

It's official. I am a waddling duck.

If I am already waddling a little now when the tummy is not as big as what it's supposed to be in the last trimester, I wonder how I will be walking in the upcoming few months.

Morning thoughts

The current haze situation has shown that there are too many keyboard warriors around, with many of them giving their complaints and views online, especially on Facebook. 90% of the time they are slamming the government, lamenting about the "incompetence" of the government, on the perceived "slow" response on the government's part, about why the government isn't doing anything to alleviate the situation, on why the government is or is not doing this and that......

Come on, cut the government some slack. You're not sitting in their position, you don't know what they are going through, you don't what difficulties they are facing on their end and you don't know what they are actually already doing. You're just holed up in your room or office jabbing away at your keyboard typing out these complaints.

It's always easier to complain and whine I guess. Instead of jumping the gun and being quick to point fingers, whatever it is, let's have more objectivity in our lives.

The dreaded haze

The haze doesn't seem to be abating one bit. The PSI hit a new high of 400 this morning at 11am.
It is still terribly hazy outside when I look out of the window. Everrything seems shrouded in smoke and dust.

I'm on MC yesterday and today though I am still clearing some work at home. Throat's a little scratchy and nose feels stuffy and blocked from time to time.

The heat's terrible as well and I have a headache right now. A dull ache that extends to my neck muscles.

I hope this doesn't affect the little one in me. And I seriously hope the air clears up a little by the time I get back to work next Monday.

My Special K

It was a long and busy weekend even though I was on leave on Monday. Everyday was somehow filled with activities and/or running errands. I was tired, grumpy at times even. 

Through it all, K was with me. Whether literally by my side or simply fetching me here and there. 

Thank you baby for taking care of me. Muacks! 

Happy lunch

Finally met up with TH for lunch today. It’s been almost 6 months since we last had lunch, even though we work quite near each other. Partly due to my work commitments earlier this year and then after that I couldn’t really stomach eating outside for the last two to three months.


Am happy for him. I think his relationship is going the right way.

And we all like this particular girl very much. She’s mature, very kind and thoughtful, independent enough, secure and definitely more stable/steady than his previous girlfriends.

Wonder if we’ll hear wedding bells ringing soon? Sure hope so!


p/s: the salted fish and minced meat rice at Crystal Jade was lovely!

Classic Conversation

I called out to our helper this morning. I knew she was on the 2nd floor while I was on the 3rd.


Me: Minah…?
She: Yes?
Me: Can you come up here for awhile please?
She: Ok.
Me: You come up now ok…..
She: Ok…
Me: *waits for 10seconds*
She: Mam, where are you? I don’t know where you are....
Me: *Sigh* I asked you to come up right? Where else could I be but upstairs? 3rd floor?
She: Oh ya…

Piling On

It’s been 13 years since I last crossed the 52kg mark. I’ve been sub-50kg since 2000.
On 1 June, I was 52kg.
On 8 June, I was 52.8kg

And this morning on 12 June, I am 53.4kg!!

Wah…1.5kg within 2 weeks. Am I supposed to be putting on weight at such a fast rate now??

Wow

I woke on Sunday morning and got on Facebook. I had been added to a long FB chain of messages, the first of which had been posted in mid-April. 

I spent the next half an hour trawling through everything and realized that this was a bunch of my old primary school classmates from my primary 6 class. 

I couldn't even recognize half of them and forgot that they existed till this message came up. Apparently they, about 17 of them, had met up on Saturday evening for a gathering but by the time someone found and added me, it was already Sunday. 

Huge blast from the past. 

I've not seen 99% of them for 21 years. Let alone speak to them. 

While I am curious, I am not very excited. I don't know, maybe I didn't really enjoy primary school that much. Like how I'm not close to my JC class at all too.  

Should I start eating ginkgo??

My smart cells are going to the little one in my belly. My own store of smart cells seems to be depleting. Case in point:

I got into the lift today at the 12th floor, intending to go down to the ground floor so I could get lunch. When I got in, I started jabbing at the button labelled "12"  and wondering why the hell it did not light up. 

By the time it dawned on me that I WAS on level 12 going downstairs, the rest of the folks in the lift were staring quizzically at me. 

I didn't know where to hide and just shuffled silently to a corner.....so embarrassing! 

Vestiges of time

We’re already into June, the middle of the year. Before we know it, we’ll be inching towards the end of the year soon.

Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years. Time flies so quickly it is terrifying at times.

So treasure what you have in the present. But of course let’s look towards the future at the same time. J

Aunties

Two aunties saw me in office last Thursday and spoke to me.

Auntie A: Wah, promoted liao ah? Gong Xi Gong Xi!
Auntie B: Ya ya, gong xi ni! Congrats!
Me: Huh?
Auntie A: *points to my belly* Pregnant right? Promoted liao lor!
Auntie B: Now mother liao mah! So "promoted" lor!
Both Aunties: *starts cackling with laughter and poking each other on the arms*
Me: Ohhhhh....hahahha. Thank you thank you!


Aunties. They can be so cute sometimes.

The Buying Has Begun

After several weeks of doing research and also some procrastinating, the buying has begun. Between last weekend and this weekend, I've easily spent $1,600 buying things in preparation for the arrival of the little one.

It's been a fun time trying to gather and buy all these things from various places. Both online and in person.

More spending to come definitely. :)

Am touched as well that some sponsorships are coming in from family and friends lol...:)

Onward we go!