I love my Giselle Baby :)

It's baby's 1st new year!

What joy and what pleasure!

Your life is expanding

To make room for this treasure.

A darling newcomer

To have and to hold

Whose smiles are more precious

Than silver or gold.

He'll demolish your schedule

Though he's helpless and small

He'll make his needs known,

And he'll rule over all.

A parent’s work

Is just never quite done,

But you’ll never mind,

‘Cause it’s all so much fun.

When you hear his cute giggle

You’ll start "aahing" and "oohing,"

And he'll reply back

By "ga ga" and "goo gooing."

Those big innocent eyes

See a world strange and new

To make sense of it all

He'll look only to you.

So cherish this time

Of miraculous things

The excitement and wonder

That a baby brings.

- Posted from my iPhone

MNG Sale Dec 2011

$300+ in dec 2006,

$133 in jun 2007,

$125 in dec 2007,

$134 in jun 2008,

$126 in dec 2008,

$190 in jun 2009,

$254 in dec 2009,

$192 in jun 2010,

$148 in dec 2010, 

$43 in jun 2011, 
$175 in dec 2011.


shopaholic mama is back with a vengeance.

Ten Commandments for Getting Along With People

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

1. Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

2. Smile at people. It takes seventy-two muscles to frown and only fourteen to smile.

3. Call people by name. The sweetest music to anyone's ears is the sound of his or her name.

4. Be friendly and helpful. If you would have friends, be friendly.

5. Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure [make sure that it is].

6. Be genuinely interested in people. You can find something interesting about every person.

7. Be generous with praise … and cautious with criticism.

8. Be considerate of the feelings of others. It will be appreciated.

9. Be thoughtful of the opinion of others. There are three sides to a conversation/argument: yours, the other person's, and the right one!

10. Be alert to give service. What you do for others is important.

- Posted from my iPhone

Sashimiiiii!

Finally settled my sashimi craving! I'm pretty sure aunty weiwei has a natural flair for entertaining children. Look how fascinated Giselle Bb is!


Having said that, aunty weiwei has an inborn ability to entertain herself too! While we were racking our brains on which red plate to order, she's busy entertaining herself with very intellect games (pun intended)... ie how to make sushi.


- Posted from my iPhone

cOnfinements

they say confinements last for either 28, 30 or 40 days. i say, confinements last as long as your baby is still a baby. 

so far, i haven really stepped out of house for a period of time longer than 5 hours, nor have done things i've truly enjoyed (read: shopping).

let's take a peek at my september calendar: 

12 sep: giselle baby is born! 

17 sep: PD review at Mt A for giselle bb, of which she failed and had to be admitted. :( sneaked out to chinatown to get groceries

18 sep: delivered milk to Mt A for giselle bb, dropped by united square for some good old toast box.

27 sep: post natal checkup at katong. katong laksa no longer attracts me. =(

the rest of the time, i was either at home pumping milk, fighting the zzz monster, or the lil monster called giselle. 

giselle bb shower

argh guess wat! the Sister beat me to blogging on giselle bb's bb shower! well, it's not exactly my fault, right? i've taken on the moomoo career which requires me to wake up in the middle of the night, juz in case i wake up with exploding boobs, or exploded boobs. so i need sleep more than anything else! -.-

plus almost all the photos were taken with the Sister's BF's cammie, which makes it even more difficult for me to organise. alright, let's juz say i'm lazy.

for updates, pls refer to this link: bb shower

on ginger, bilrubin, and jaundice

my confinement started the moment i reached home. the over-zealous MIL was busy preparing the sumptuous confinement meal based on the confinement meal book which she bought during my 1st trimester.

i have to admit, i love ginger. i can eat them anytime with anything. but on account that i am breastfeeding and that bb is likely to drink ginger milk when her liver aint fully functioning yet, i had to abstain from them.=( it took me about 1 week to convince the MIL tis.

my efforts did not pay off, when bb was diagnosed with high jaundice level on her 5th day of review. like me, she nearly had to have a blood transfusion, although i was pretty sure that jaundice was not hereditary. anyhow, she was admitted to Mt A for suntanning. =( =( =(

 

retrospectively, was glad for that 2 days of rest without bb waking us up in the middle of the night. it was juz that at that time bb had to be admitted, cant help but teared. 

THE birth process

my birth process was far from the uber dramatic waterbag gushing preggie screaming passers by shuddering experience...

was sound asleep when there was this sudden urge to go pee at 5am in the morning. and being the piggie i am, i decided to hold my bladder juz so that i can sleep till morning den go toilet. 

it took me another 5 min to realise that my bladder was indeed full. moped to the toilet with almost closed eyes, peed and moped back to the bed. and then it took me another 5 min to wonder if i have really emptied my bladder. there was this slight trickle of urine (or at least at that moment i tot it was urine, and an impending urine incontinence problem) so for the 2nd time, i dragged myself to the toilet...

switched on the lights and guess wat, the waterbag has broken!!!! woke the Husband up, while 1,001 things ran through my mind:

1. BATHE. now. immediately. with hair washed.

2. i cant get to watch the free smurfs movie!

3. the hospital bag was not fully packed! wat am i gonna wear? wat is bb gonna to wear home? 

4. wat's for breakfast~!!!

nonetheless, i took a not-so-quick shower, slipped into my prettiest purple dress, chucked last minute packings into the hospital bag, while the rest of the family woke up not too sure wat had happened (including the Husband) 

I'M GONNA DELIVER! whee~!

**********

the Husband took 4 wrong u-turns before safely sending me to Mount A hospital. my legs were feeling wobbly as we walked toward the delivery ward, abit like how i felt when i was forced to wash the dishes. "can i not deliver today instead? im not the least prepared......."

the nurses seemed to know exactly wat to do... changed me from my short-lived purple dress into the sizeless operation gown, tagged me with my name, made me go to the toilet and pee, made me poo with the powerful liquid, put me on the CTG, drew my blood, and so on...

it did not help that we forgot the Cordblood case. plus the Husband had to go TPY for completion, i was left in the delivery suite watching Cartoon Network in between contractions. 

 

by tis time, i was starving. regretted not going for a sumptuous breakfast before checking in Mt A hotel. nurses were kind to offer me breakfast. fish porridge PLAIN. oh well, better than nothing right? to make myself happy, i apped the Husband to get me McDonalds Sausage McMuffin on his way back from work. hehe. 

it was not until past 12noon when the doc arrived to an almost dying me screaming for epidural. alright i admit, i was garang to even entertain the thought of going through labor without epidural. changed my mind after some 4 hours of contractions. after all, epidural is Godsend! the only con: i ended up shivering uncontrollably with my nails turning purple.

took another tasteless lunch, was checked for dilation (which was only 2cm at this point) and was told to take a nap to relax. at 3pm, i was 6cm dilated... at 5pm i was finally 10cm dilated... and then the rest moved too quickly for me to register... 

nurses got me to push at every contraction, which was mild cos of the epidural, so i attempted to push. i swore i pushed with all my might, although the nurse commented that i only pushed "at my face" grrr.

after much tries, giselle baby is out with the help of dr geraldine. like wat cyn had pre-empted me, bb was thrown on my tummy. and for the first time, i see the baby whom i've been carrying the for past 9 months. this is the fruit of our love. =)

 

♥ this is our baby: giselle wong ♥

The September hiatus

I was told I've been neglecting my blog. With a lil one in tow, it's hard to even squeeze out some time to catch 40 winks, much less have time to blog. :(

But it's days like this that I'm sleepless. Nope, not from too much caffeine, but simply cos there's too much on my mind to even fall asleep.

Oh God, can u multiply my time, my hands, and my sleep?

- Posted from my iPhone

cot & cot-accessories!

yay papa finally got down to fixing the baby cot! in the space scarce singapore, it's quite scary to have such a huge cot occupy my otherwise precious space in the bedroom. =(

i spent the next half hour deciding which bedsheet to use. all thanks to my mom who is the sole supplier of all my bedsheets. they come in different shapes and sizes, colors and patterns... i'm spoilt for choice.

and then, when all is done, my bears made themselves comfy in their borrowed bed. and so does my not-so-packed hospital bag... next task in line: finish packing the hospital bag

and then i spent the next half hour admiring my ''best buy'', the musical mobile! it's sooooooo cute! there's baby mickey, baby marie, baby jumbo and baby i-forgot-what... (chipmunk?)

when fixed, it can stand alone... or be fixed to the cot! isnt it awesome! BEST BUY!

manicures, the surest way to waste time.

i'm so bored of waiting i did my manicure again. shorter nails, hopefully longer lasting...

50 Rules for Dads of Daughters

This is for the Husband =)

1. Love her mom. Treat her mother with respect, honor, and a big heaping spoonful of public displays of affection. When she grows up, the odds are good she’ll fall in love with and marry someone who treats her much like you treated her mother. Good or bad, that’s just the way it is. I’d prefer good.

2. Always be there. Quality time doesn’t happen without quantity time. Hang out together for no other reason than just to be in each other’s presence. Be genuinely interested in the things that interest her. She needs her dad to be involved in her life at every stage. Don’t just sit idly by while she add years to her… add life to her years.

3. Save the day. She’ll grow up looking for a hero. It might as well be you. She’ll need you to come through for her over and over again throughout her life. Rise to the occasion. Red cape and blue tights optional.

4. Savor every moment you have together. Today she’s crawling around the house in diapers, tomorrow you’re handing her the keys to the car, and before you know it, you’re walking her down the aisle. Some day soon, hanging out with her old man won’t be the bees knees anymore. Life happens pretty fast. You better cherish it while you can.

5. Pray for her. Regularly. Passionately. Continually.

6. Buy her a glove and teach her to throw a baseball. Make her proud to throw like a girl… a girl with a wicked slider.

7. She will fight with her mother. Choose sides wisely.

8. Go ahead. Buy her those pearls.

9. Of course you look silly playing peek-a-boo. You should play anyway.

10. Enjoy the wonder of bath time.

11. There will come a day when she asks for a puppy. Don’t over think it. At least one time in her life, just say, “Yes.”

12. It’s never too early to start teaching her about money. She will still probably suck you dry as a teenager… and on her wedding day.

13. Make pancakes in the shape of her age for breakfast on her birthday. In a pinch, donuts with pink sprinkles and a candle will suffice.

14. Buy her a pair of Chucks as soon as she starts walking. She won’t always want to wear matching shoes with her old man.

15. Dance with her. Start when she’s a little girl or even when she’s a baby. Don’t wait ‘til her wedding day.

16. Take her fishing. She will probably squirm more than the worm on your hook. That’s OK.

17. Learn to say no. She may pitch a fit today, but someday you’ll both be glad you stuck to your guns.

18. Tell her she’s beautiful. Say it over and over again. Someday an animated movie or “beauty” magazine will try to convince her otherwise.

19. Teach her to change a flat. A tire without air need not be a major panic inducing event in her life. She’ll still call you crying the first time it happens.

20. Take her camping. Immerse her in the great outdoors. Watch her eyes fill with wonder the first time she sees the beauty of wide open spaces. Leave the iPod at home.

21. Let her hold the wheel. She will always remember when daddy let her drive.

22. She’s as smart as any boy. Make sure she knows that.

23. When she learns to give kisses, she will want to plant them all over your face. Encourage this practice.

24. Knowing how to eat sunflower seeds correctly will not help her get into a good college. Teach her anyway.

25. Letting her ride on your shoulders is pure magic. Do it now while you have a strong back and she’s still tiny.

26. It is in her nature to make music. It’s up to you to introduce her to the joy of socks on a wooden floor.

27. If there’s a splash park near your home, take her there often. She will be drawn to the water like a duck to a puddle.

28. She will eagerly await your return home from work in the evenings. Don’t be late.

29. If her mom enrolls her in swim lessons, make sure you get in the pool too. Don’t be intimidated if there are no other dads there. It’s their loss.

30. Never miss her birthday. In ten years she won’t remember the present you gave her. She will remember if you weren’t there.

31. Teach her to roller skate. Watch her confidence soar.

32. Let her roll around in the grass. It’s good for her soul. It’s not bad for yours either.

33. Take her swimsuit shopping. Don’t be afraid to veto some of her choices, but resist the urge to buy her full-body beach pajamas.

34. Somewhere between the time she turns three and her sixth birthday, the odds are good that she will ask you to marry her. Let her down gently.

35. She’ll probably want to crawl in bed with you after a nightmare. This is a good thing.

36. Few things in life are more comforting to a crying little girl than her father’s hand. Never forget this.

37. Introduce her to the swings at your local park. She’ll squeal for you to push her higher and faster. Her definition of “higher and faster” is probably not the same as yours. Keep that in mind.

38. When she’s a bit older, your definition of higher and faster will be a lot closer to hers. When that day comes, go ahead… give it all you’ve got.

39. Holding her upside down by the legs while she giggles and screams uncontrollably is great for your biceps. WARNING: She has no concept of muscle fatigue.

40. She might ask you to buy her a pony on her birthday. Unless you live on a farm, do not buy her a pony on her birthday. It’s OK to rent one though.

41. Take it easy on the presents for her birthday and Christmas. Instead, give her the gift of experiences you can share together.

42. Let her know she can always come home. No matter what.

43. Remember, just like a butterfly, she too will spread her wings and fly some day. Enjoy her caterpillar years.

44. Write her a handwritten letter every year on her birthday. Give them to her when she goes off to college, becomes a mother herself, or when you think she needs them most.

45. Learn to trust her. Gradually give her more freedom as she gets older. She will rise to the expectations you set for her.

46. When in doubt, trust your heart. She already does.

47. When your teenage daughter is upset, learning when to engage and when to back off will add years to YOUR life. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

48. Ice cream covers over a multitude of sins. Know her favorite flavor.

49. This day is coming soon. There’s nothing you can do to be ready for it. The sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be.

50. Today she’s walking down the driveway to get on the school bus. Tomorrow she’s going off to college. Don’t blink.

COMEX 2011

At week 38, i was courageous enough to brave the crowd at COMEX 2011.was pretty intrigued by the fact that HP is able to reduce the price of the TouchPad from a whooping $699 to $128.

dun really think i stand a chance of getting my hands on one. and true enough, it was sold out even before the doors open... to the part timers and promoters in the event hall itself. >.<

Ramen Champion!

hidden at an obscure corner of illuma bugis lies the site for the Ramen Champion competition, where 6 ramen stalls in japan come together to fight it out for the ultimate ramen champion! and this is my order! spicy miso ramen from Iroha.

Menya Iroha, 2009 - 2010 Consecutive Champion in Tokyo.
Specialize in two types of ramen, the black shoyu and traditional miso with chili mara ramen.

come to think of it, it's pretty biased. i mean, how many bowls of ramen can you try before deciding on your vote? unless you go in a group of at least 6 people, who will be ordering from all 6 stalls. and then you end up tasting a mouthful of each bowl.

in any case i am voting for the best hard-but-not-so-hard boiled eggs! yay!! they'll be here till 30 jun 2012, and then only the winner gets to stay! go try it today!

fOOd, fOOd and more fOOd....

had my gynae appt on wed... it's always a bliss to have your doc situated near good foodie places, so that in case he doesnt appear on time, you can always go nomnomnom. hehe..

didnt eat my katong laksa this time round, as was distracted by this old school coffeeshop (think marble tables and wooden chairs) went in and ordered the breakfast set. oh wrong, they didnt have the set, so we ordered eggs, bread and tea separately.

well i supposed the bread is home made, cos the entire bill came up to $7.20 for 2 teas, 4 eggs and 2 bread. that's about $3.60 for a breakfast set, comparable to toast box/yakun!
for that price, let's juz say we were there to reminisce the rotating ceiling fan and the marble table. =)

i need to rant!

with less than 2 weeks (or effectively 5 workdays) to the start of my maternity leave, the very thing i would expect to hear is for my boss to tell me i have to handover a particular piece of job to a newbie (well, sort of). after all, he's never worked in his entire life before, and has only been here less than a year.

that's NOT the point. the point was that this was a huge piece of job, and i aint even sure i can deliver the handover well, much less to say that i will be confident in him absorbing the points. having said that, come to think of it, this is NOT even the main point.

THE MAIN POINT is, frustratingly, that the piece of job was handed over because my dear colleague who is relatively new (read: in the job for 2 freaking long years) cannot cope with her issues right now and hence, she cannot be loaded. YEA RITE. so pls unload her salary package as well then. it juz doesnt make sense to see why other efficient pple have to take on more simply cos of a CMI colleague.

*damn pissed to the max* and you know wat, i am secretly wishing that Miss CMI knows that she is CMI and buck up. i've had enough of her falling asleep at her desk, or coughing her lungs out and have everyone fooled that she is not coping well....

Pwetty nails...

Tis prolly the last time I'm gonna don a set of manicured nails. Or at least perhaps in the next half year or so?

Wanted to be super bimbotic and do some baby nail art, think pacifiers and booties. But too bad salon didn't have such designs. So went ahead with the graduation designs.

And the toes. Pardon the ugly take. Tis was as far as my stand and reach skills could reach with a bowling ball as obstacle.

Anyway I spent some 2 hours waiting for nails to dry and for the Husband to pick me up. While waiting, I watched 3 episodes of 醉后决定爱上你。Am so gonna finish the entire series online. Wahaha.

- Posted from my iPhone

wat i have been up to lately...

1. spree shopping - its fun to buy baby clothes... albeit the fact that babies grow out of them in no time. =(
2. figuring out how i am to claim my medical fees from both insurance and medisave without being charged for double claiming...
3. nesting - packing the room, and then repacking the room.
4. real shopping at the stores - except that i will get tired after an hour of walking. how lousy.
5. planning my maternity + annual leave, for this year, and the next. yahooooo! to paid 4 months leave!
6. eating less - yes, less. gynae says bb is 2.8kg at 35 weeks is heavy... c'mon, mama glad was 3.43kg at birth, so how light can baby G get? =(
7. and having fun watching baby G kick in my tummy. hmm am so gonna miss the feeling once she's out...
   

Pedi pedi

I ain't a big fan of manicures and pedicures, and I kinda subscribe to the idea that keeping cuticles neat and tidy is juz one of the excuses girls give for going to a luxurious mani/pedicure session. (yes, sometimes I feel like a man...)

As I finally got my loosening muscles to the nail parlor, I have to admit, I can't reach my toenails now! Giselle Baby is blocking my way!

And so it was, here I am, sitting in the nail parlor waiting for my nail color to dry. Oh and 2 MEN juz walked into the shop for pedicure. I'm vaguely provoked.

And nope, I din get nail art like I was extremely tempted to do so... Perhaps in a couple of months time I might. Hehe.
- Posted from my iPhone

We Are 22!

In a blinking of an eye, we're 22... Let's come together to celebrate shall we?
- Posted from my iPhone

i love timsum!

it's a post-mimi-wedding gathering at the Mandarin Oriental Cherry Garden for our lunch! mimi's treat for us being the bridesmaids! never knew being bridesmaid had such privileges too! but then again, mimi is generous! yayness!

not these bridesmaids....

this one!

knowing mimi, i aint surprised at all when she failed in her attempt to make reservations at the restaurant, or any other restaurants for that matter. she's not really a C kinda person... thank God for airdeline who managed to bargain her way into the place, securing our very humongous table.... way too big for short arms (ahem, like wei..)

look at the galore of food! for $48+++ free flow, it's worth it!

us after an extremely full timsum lunch. close to embarrassing to have the waiters serve us non-stop with food... =]

complete randomness

it's seldom in my benevolent nature to blog and bitch abt pple online. but i reckon that since this is MY blog and i aint gonna run for presidency anytime soon, i have the freedom of speech here, and hopefully, the parties involved will not be offended and cast a spell on me or something. after all, they are not supposed to be stalking me, right?

lately, i've been hearing stuffs abt breakups (of aeons ago) and till today, parties involved (or rather, one party involved) are still bitter abt it.... this is so secondary school can... so 16-year-old...

i mean, i do empathize that a breakup is hard to handle, but c'mon, the best part abt breakups is that you can start afresh and live with sweet memories, and NOT to keep harping on the fact that you both are not an item anymore and y the other party is making such a lousy decision with the new beau, and so on. there muz be a reason y u are the EX, right?

in any case, my point is, why bother making life difficult for others and life bitter for yourself? perhaps 2 years on, as you look back, you find yourself silly having wasted so much time. wake up, my dear friend.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to you, is purely coincidental.

i am Singaporean!

oh yes, indeed i am. for the 21++ years of my life, i've never been to a live National Day Parade!

tis year, thanks to surely (and whoever that friend was who played her out at the last minute -> i was told no one played us out, surely juz had extra tix! ), i managed to earn myself a free NE show tix! note, it's not even the preview or actual NDP. -.- i felt nonetheless Singaporean. hehe.
dat's me all decked in red, and baking under the hot sun. i swore i became at least 2 tones darker after the parade.
tis year's parade was done in a musical, where acts 1-3 depicted the growth of Singapore from a small fishing village to a metropolis. den again, which year didn't show such scenes? haha... in any case, i so like the seashells, especially the ones in the waters... for a moment i tot they were cupcakes. hehe.
and highlights of every NDP has gotta be the fireworks. after all, things that are shortlived are most precious! =D

Baby G enjoys Body Combat as much as Mommy!

and this is definitely not juz Mama's breathing!

Mimi and Ivan's Wedding!

the beautiful bride and her entourage of pink jiemeis!

finally, we have come to this long awaited day! frankly speaking, i wasn't v sure if mimi and ivan could work out. not 'work out' as in 'whether the marriage might work' but more of whether the wedding ceremony is going to go on smoothly. after all, mimi works in ways even i am amazed.

until the last minute, i was still fretting over the color of the flower petals needed. issit pink, fuchsia pink, red, champagne, or any other shade of pink i can't put a name to?
the day prior to the wedding was even worse (for me at least). i woke up at 3am thinking i am the bride and was going to be late for my own wedding.

and wat made things worse? the Husband conveniently switched off my alarm (for which i was secretly thankful for the few extra minutes of sleep.) in the end, i was the latest jiemei ever... think twice before even engaging my services, my frens.
the morning was indeed fun with all the sabos for the groom and the brothers. it was the usual 酸甜苦辣foodies and i muz say i'm proud of my eat-bread-off-the-panty-hanger game!
in the end, they made it, partly stating ''no time'' as the excuse for ending our games early. on our end, we had our fair share of ang bao $ too... in ringgit, rupiah and singapore dollars. -.-
we adjourned to the hotel soon after to set up the matrimony place and the banquet hall. seriously, with a bride like mimi, we dun really have to do much. i even had time to sneak off to carl's jr for breakfast. hee.

everything, from the bubbles bottle, decor on the table, ring holder, angbao box, was all planned for! so preetttty!

it wasnt long before everything was done and we juz made ourselves pretty at the reception table. =D ♥ ♥ ♥ have a blissful marriage mimi and ivan! ♥ ♥ ♥

Birthday Celebration, Surely

It's surely's birthday! Met up at an obscure part of Chinatown for a TìMSùM lunch and to also pass her bday present.

I bo sim-ly wrapped up my pressie for her with whatever wrapper remains at home... And that is the "happy wedding" wrapper. Ha!

Loitered to Bugis after our lunch to find ourselves getting all excited over free coke! Love freebies!
And I ended up being conned by the 2 of them to take neoprints. Yes, the kind we were crazy over back in secondary school. The only difference is that the machines have evolved to become more sophisticated! More features too!

And finally, our masterpiece!
- Posted from my iPhone

banana boat!

as usual, the old foggies (aka us) are taking a sit-back-relax approach to this getaway. sitting by the beach enjoying the seabreeze is sufficient for us.
the HAVE to do something girls went ahead with their banana boat ride. obviously not knowing what they will get themselves into.
it didnt take long for us to figure out which is the most scaredy cat, judging from the screams, EVEN before the boat set off. @.@ this is BEFORE.
and this is AFTER. the unglam shot of 2 falling and the remaining struggling to stay on the boat. and all this while accompanied by the constant screaming. @.@
aftermath: relaxation in the pool. and body massage to follow...