Difference between modern day shifting and those of yesteryears

Modern Day Shifting : the WIFI must be up when we shift in! 

And yes it has been set up. 

As has the TV and sound system. After 2 years of living without much music in my daily life at home, I'm glad that I'm getting it again. :) 

See that little black round thing on the floor of the master room? That's a speaker, till we find a better place for it. 

The TV is up as well. Woot!

La Cuisine

The kitchen is the heart of the home. 

While our kitchen might be a tiny one, and smaller than what we both are used to, we'll endeavor to make it our own well-loved space! 

The fridge, washer and oven came in today. :) 

Shifting

The first functional chair/stool/seating apparatus in our home! 

Developing My Musical Instincts

The inlaws recently bought a xylophone for the little girl. And it inspired me to download a piano app on my phone. I've been fiddling around with it and after many trials and errors, I am proud to announce that I now know how to play the following tunes! Of course, I literally only know how to play single note songs with no accompanying or underlying musical currents lol. Plain and simple.

- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

- The ABC Song

- Baa Baa Black Sheep

- When The Saints Came Marching In (only one verse lol)

- Happy Birthday 

- Doe a Deer.....

Will try to explore other songs!

I played some songs while K and I sang to her last night. I wouldn't say she loved it but it did keep her entertained for more than several minutes :) 

累了, 病了

Guess those initial late nights when Little Baby was having fever and the running around to get things ready for the new home has taken its toll...

Had slight fever yesterday. Nose seems to be a little runny as well. Still feeling less than 100%, am functioning alright but just a little groggy. 

Bah, jiayou!! 

There are still things to be done and work to be settled! 

Moment of Truth

Packing clothes for the shift. Setting aside those shorts and fitted dresses I can no longer fit into.

Bah. 

Reality bites. 

Mama's 100th day

Been so tied up that I actually let the date slip past me...

19 Jul, almost a week ago. That day was Mama's 100th day of passing. 

I missed it. Damn. My mind was flitting in between new furniture, chores we need to do, bills we need to pay, forms we need to fill, things we need to buy and of course, Little Baby as well. 

I missed it. Sigh. I won't offer any reason or excuses. It's my mistake, I missed the date, plain and simple. :(

Love you granny. Sometimes I wonder if you visit Little Baby because there are times when she stares at a particular empty spot and then starts waving. 

Don't get it

It's been 9 months. The "possessiveness" and the constant excitement is still there. To the extent that  they came upstairs this afternoon to bring her down to their area to play.

Why like that? And how come? 

I don't get it. 

The sick little one

Been a long long time since she fell asleep in my arms this way. Guess being sick has made her more needy and "stickier" than usual.

Woke in the middle of the night (4am is considered morning or middle of the night?) to check on her. And ended up sponging her, feeding her, giving (fighting to give seems more like it) her medication, cleaning up her poop, and then trying to get her get back to sleep again. 

I was hesitant whether to sponge her at such an ungodly hour. Would I bring her more chills instead? Oh, such decisions at such hours. I went ahead anyway. Wanted to tame her 38.8C fever. I was adamant that I should quell that heat and not let it rage on further. 

Coupled with the effects the medication has had, I'm glad that her fever broke this morning. It's gone and I hope it's gone for good. Good riddance! 

I is zombie. Tired. But content. 

Little baby is sick

I am on leave today. What was supposed to be a not-so-rushed day has turned out to be a mad rush in the morning.

Little Baby suddenly developed fever last night and she was fussy and cranky and tired. She woke every one to two hours throughout the night. Her fever got quite high at 3am and I ended up not being able to sleep much after that because I was worried about her. 

Brought her to the PD this morning and he ended up giving her 7 different types of medications for her fever, runny nose and phelgmy cough. 

I had planned to go for my medical checkup and then go grab some stuff for the home but I won't be able to do that anymore. 

It'll be straight back home to look after her...

Get well soon baby girl....

Oh K is in BKK again. Me is Lone Ranger tonight and tomorrow night...

Our own Ewok?

A spark of inspiration while I was changing her led to um.....this. Hehe.

 

The funny thing was that she didn't even try to take it off haha. 

Happy Anniversary!

2 years ago on this day at this hour of 8am, what were K and I doing?

I believe I was sitting in my room at my parents' place, all dressed up in my gown and waiting for K and his band of brothers to arrive and pick me. 

Now, 2 years later, we're a family of three with our own home. 

Happy (Chinese) Wedding Anniversary Baby! 

Here's to many more wonderful years together! Let's build a warm, loving and cosy nest together for Little Baby and her future sibling! :) 

(Bah, couldn't find a recent family selfie where she wasn't being grouchy lol.)

P/s: entry wasn't published properly and I only discovered it at 1115pm at night...hence the late republished time.

The Nest

Part of the nest in its (almost) full glory. A pity the bags are in the picture. :)

Little Baby

Oh, the signs of future temper tantrums were there last night.

Little Baby was playing with something she wasn't supposed to. And when I took it away from her and offered her something else, she descended into a big cry-fest, complete with red face, clenched fists, and some tears.

I hope K and I are able to teach her to be more calm when she grows up...

That said, consistency is key to a child's upbringing.

If the parents are saying something or trying to achieve something, but other caregivers are doing otherwise, then mixed signals are being given to the child. The child gets confused and doesn't get steered in the right direction.

I hope we won't fall into this situation.

Men vs Women

We were buying cleaning stuff for the new place. K bought the usual 3M brand yellow and green sponge. 

I popped by Daiso and grabbed a pack of lovely coloured sponges, each comes with a scouring pad too! 

My theory: I want to feel happy while cleaning. Haha. The bubblegum colours are so sweet! Red, orange and yellow....:)

K shook his head when I shared my theory with him. Lol. 

Our Nest

Our toilet bowl is no longer a virgin. Lol.

My apologies for sounding crude but K and I each had an inaugural pee and poo session in our new master bedroom toilet today. Haha. 

We had marathon session in Giant earlier in the morning where we grabbed tons of cleaning chemicals and tools and other knick knacks, in preparation for the major clean-up needed after the renovation is officially over. We then brought it over to the house and kept it a corner first. 

Things look more or less in place already save for the installation of glass pieces and sliding doors. 

Loving our kitchen tap and sink. Loving our bar counter. Loving the LED lights and the track lighting. And loving our balcony lampshade. 

Yesterday was a mad rush running errands and taking care of the girl for the entire day. Today is no exception. The next few weeks will be madness I think. 

Feeling tired, hot and sticky now. 

But, it's all worth it. :) 

RIP

I woke this morning and read with horror and sadness of the news of the crashed airplane MH#17.

I shuddered at the thought of all those people on the plane, trapped, innocent and helpless. Spiralling down when they were hit by the supposed missile.

What were their last thoughts? Were they terrified? Did they have any regrets? Who did they think of in their last moments? Were they sleeping and jolted awake by the impact of the missile hitting the plane? Did God mean for them to perish this way? Why?


One report said there were 80 children on the plane. My heart aches for them and for what could have been for them had their lives not been so brusquely snatched away.

In all honesty, I hope the passengers and crew died quickly and were not made to suffer unnecessarily.

God bless their souls.

Of Gaza and Gratefulness

I have not been following closely the tense situation in Gaza. While I have only had the chance to take brief glimpses at various snippets people have posted on social media, what I have seen is more than enough to touch me.

Innocent young babies, toddlers and children having their lives robbed from them. Women and other innocent civilians are not spared as well. Call me naive but isn't there is such a thing called war ethics? That women and children and other innocent civilians shouldn't be dragged into the fracas?

I saw a photo of a baby, no more than 3 months old, swaddled up in a white cloth. He looked tiny amidst the folds of cloth. His eyes were closed and he looked somewhat peaceful. He didn't know any better I suppose and was not given a chance to savour life fully before it was taken away from him. He was laid out next to his mother who too, had her life taken from her.

I don't know the underlying premise behind the attacks nor what political agenda and motives there might be. I admit, I am lacking in knowledge of current affairs of both our local arena and that of the world. But still, one does not need to understand the motives and causes to know that it is inherently wrong to conduct attacks on innocent people....

I am grateful that my government has taken steps to ensure the safety and peace of the country not only through military preparedness and weaving social harmony over the years, but also through maintaining healthy bilateral ties with other nations.

I am grateful, that I am born in a country that is stable, both from such atrocities and from other earthly natural disasters.
I am grateful too, that my daughter has been brought into this world in a safe environment. I cannot fathom if she had been born into a situation otherwise.

When she grows older, I wish to share with her the plight of other less fortunate people...and that we should treasure our loved ones and not take things for granted.

Nest building in progress

Yes. Let's Do It!

I think K and I have been caught in a trap in recent months. And it's called "The Daily Grind".

Work, caring for little baby and our weekends are spent madly running errands or settling things for our new home or going over to visit my parents. We hardly have time for ourselves. When we do have some quiet moments together, we just feel like crashing into bed and snoring the time away lol.

Hmm. We'll need to figure a way out of it. Or at least figure out some ways to break the monotony of the grind.

My solution for now?

Plan some simple outdoor activities for the weekend. Something just needing an hour or two. Nothing too complicated for a start.
eg. picnic at the park or the beach or bringing the girl for a quick dip in the pool, etc.

Will objectives be met? I think so...

1. It's a break from the usual routine.
2. K & I will have time together.
3. Little Baby will get her outdoor time and fresh air and some sun (she needs more of these in my opinion).
4. And we get to bond together as a family.

何乐而不为! 

Just takes some effort to think and a little bit more effort to execute but at least we're doing something about it! And yup, it gives me a little something to look forward to and perhaps helps me get through the week. :)

Yes. Let's do it!

La Lune

745am. 

I can still see the moon in the sky although the sun is shining brightly already. 

月亮月亮圆又圆!

It'll be a good day today. :) 

Hmm

有时候在cheong的途中也会有累的时刻。

累了继续走是坚持。

走啊走又发觉忘了目标或迷失了方向但还是继续走。 这还算是坚持吗？

Feeling nostalgic

Reminiscing the days when she was so little...and it was only 9 mths ago...spent some time last night storing away the clothes that she has outgrown and the mittens that she no longer uses.

Awwww *sniff* 

Now her socks are longer than the length of my whole hand. 

Oh my lips!

Oh dear. I seem to have developed lip eczema. And I have no idea why.

The doc I saw on 4 July told me I likely had an allergic reaction to whatever stuff I was putting on my lips. His words were "Aiyah you ladies put so much chemicals on your faces! I always see such cases. Eczema on lips and face. Always women!"

I admit, I have many many tubes of lipbalms. Various types. Lip balm and lip gloss. That's because I cannot do without them (I have lips that are quite dry). And that's also because I tend to misplace them so I usually have different tubes on hand in different places. 1 in my bag, 1 in my home cupboard, 1 in my office drawer, 1 in little baby's diaper bag, and 1 more on standby in case I misplace any of the others aforementioned. That's 5 tubes.

I've already stopped using any of them and bought a new one from Vaseline that helps with chapped lips.

I was put on medication and told to apply some ointment on the affected area of my lip (upper lip by the way). It helped and after 2-3 days, the red patches disappeared by up to 95%.

To my horror, on the Saturday afternoon just past, only a week after the initial consultation with the doctor, the stubborn red patch on the left side of my upper lip flared up again. And the skin on that patch is starting to scale too.

For the last few meals I had, the patch started to tingle after I ate. I feel as if the skin there is developing a life of its own.

Feeling a little "uglified". Go away red patch!

KH told me she developed something similar a few years ago and that her lip eczema flares up every now and then if she takes food which is too spicy or does not drink enough water. She told me to try skipping spicy food.

Gosh...I need my curry and spice from time to time leh....how ah? :(

CHEONG AH!!

This year has been a challenging year so far.

Tensions in the home in the beginning of the year, the constant lack of sleep, the transition of going back to work after 4 months of leave, getting our new place....juggling reno, work and little baby....buying stuff for the new home...going for my numerous medical reviews this year...

And the latest addition to the list....a team member just resigned after 6 months on the job...the boss just very naturally asked me to cover her duties....Ahhhh...a minion's life.

What can I say? Do lor.....
CHEONG AH!!!!

Jiayou Jiayou Jiayou!

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse is on my playlist today. And I have to say she's really got a great voice and is so talented. I was listening to her Live at Glastonbury concert from back in 2008.

Lovely voice. What a pity she's no longer with us.

I can stand!

With loads of support that is...she loved it when I placed her in a standing position using the cot rails as support. When she wobbled and sat back down on her bum later on, she tried to get back to the standing position again. To no avail though lol.

Touched

Two old friends suddenly both texted me yesterday to ask how I was doing. Interestingly, though I've not been in contact with both for quite awhile, they both remembered certain things about me.

One remembered where my office location was and the other remembered which industry I was in.

Somewhat touched that they remembered these details. Because honestly, I don't think I can remember such details of theirs. They are really 有心 and I appreciate that.

One of them reminded me that I lent him my listening ears last time when he was going through several rough patches and he really appreciated that and never forgot it.

Maybe it's true what Maya Angelou said. People might not remember what you said or what you did but they will always remember how you made them feel. Treat people how you want to be treated. 

My very own angry bird

Lun

Early morning. Snide remarks. 

Lun. 忍. 

Communication #101

Always be clear what subject you are talking about or referring to.

DBS called me on my office desk phone earlier this afternoon.

DBS: Hi I'm Sarah, calling to check and confirm on the transfer of $4million.
Me: DBS? $4million??
Sarah: Yes, $4million.
Me: Transfer in or out??
Sarah: Transfer out.
Me: I don't even have that amount of money darling.
Sarah: Erm...
Me: Oh wait. You are calling to check on [my organisation's name] banking activities is it??
Sarah: Yes I am.
Me: ...........*aiyah say so earlier lah*................


So apparently I have been listed by my admin as one of the persons for the bank to call and check with if there seems to be any strange or unusually large value of transactions being done with my organisation's funds. 

HUH?

“You need to learn to pick up the skill of more passionate writing.”

This was in an email the boss sent to me this morning. 

Oh please. I used to write more emotively and passionately and he said the words used were either too strong or too emotional and needed to be toned down and made more neutral and objective.

Now he's saying that I need to be more passionate in my writing.

Boss, what do you want ah? Sigh.

We’re in the public service. I thought our tone should be more neutral and subtle?