Letter to Tamagotchi: We're almost there...

Hi T,

it's been 32 weeks. In less than 2 months i may have you in my arms and i can't wait.

It's been tough on Mommy the last 1 month. I can no longer walk that well partly cos u're getting heavy, and partly cos my fat thighs are rubbing against one another so i get skin burns. I feel so short of breath on most days, u must be sucking up all of my oxygen.

Dad and i went for an ultrasound last week. Somehow you've managed to wind the umbilical cord round yourself. The gynae advised that we should monitor fetal movements 3 times a day.

Life is so full of ironies son. Right now U are facing the problem of being strangled by your only lifeline. Alot of mothers tell me that they are kept awake by their baby's kicks. But i'm the opposite. I can't sleep if you don't kick, i just won't feel safe unless i know u're ALIVE and KICKING me hard all over the place.

I hope u'll wiggle urself out of this tough situation, cos in life that's wht u'll need to do alot!

Be good okay? We're almost there.

Forgotten recipes

These were the first few dishes i learnt when i started cooking "seriously". By "serious" i mean good enough for the consumption of others other than myself.

This is sauteed mini potatos with garlic. It's so simple. First boil the mini potatoes, fry garlic in olive oil till fragrant, add the potatoes and add generous amounts of pepper and salt. The skin locks the moisture in and u'll get this nice crunchy texture on the outside with a soft centre. Mountain man dont' normally like potatoes but he likes this!



Beer Beef Stew. AAA u may remember our first attempt at this dish when u were at my old place. Anyway, it's one of the first dishes i learnt cos mountain man told me that he likes stews. I haven't made it for a while cos it takes at least 2 hrs of simmering. But i figured out that i could cheat by using smaller beef cubes. hehe. so clever.



Apple Crumble. this was a test batch before the real thing at our housewarming party some weeks ago. It received very good feedback! recipe here. But I never really use one recipe wholesale, i always improvise depending on wht ingredients i have in the kitchen. With the recipe above, i added a tablespoon of flour to the apple so it'll be a bit "sticky". And i have no food weighing machine at home (i refuse to buy) so i always guestimate, which explains why my muffins really suck cos my portions are always wrong. haha. Lucky the apple crumble turned out alright.

Symptoms of 3rd trimester

It's week 30 going 31. My movements are getting slow with frequent rests in between. Just a month ago i could walk the entire Seoul like i wasn't pregnant, now every step has to be premeditated. Should i walk to the kitchen to get that glass of water now, or can i do it later when i am more thirsty?

Lesser mobility = less frequent trips to the kitchen = less food = less fat
Might as well...I've put on enough anyways. While i waddle, the other parts of me wobble. It's depressing.

My hip joints also seemed to have been dislocated somehow. Last night i couldn't even get up to pee! It hurts soooo baaad.

My fingers haven't felt normal in the last 1 month, i've got the carpel tunnel syndrome. I don't remember what it is exactly but i think it means tht I'm so fat tht my blood vessels get squeezed, so the circulation to extremities are disrupted making my fingers numb and painful. I know it doesn't sound possible tht one can be both numb AND painful, but u'll know it when u get the carpel tunnel syndrome.

The body temperature is also rising, the aircon just don't seem to be cold enough. I'm wiping off my perspiration all the time, even when the person next to me is freezing.

But even with all these complaints, i take heart in the fact tht i've a miracle growing inside of me. Soon i'll have T in my arms. To remind myself of the approaching day, i did what every mother would do to feel better. I shopped.

Since i've combed through all of the baby sites in China, i've decided to widen my horizons and shop from amazon. So i bought...

Bravado Nursing Bras- Boy are they sexy. easy access to the boobies. (Note the sarcastic tone) But seriously i heard these provide the best support.
Bumwear- this one size cute diaper cover thing.
Robot Wall Decals- so i can decorate T's room.

I also opened up all of T's things that i bought over the last few months, sorted (i think for the 5th time) which ones need to be washed so T can wear them as a newborn.



We can't wait... I'm totally freaked out but somehow it still feels nice.

Lady GaGa "covered"

Chris Daughtry did a cover of Lady Gaga's Poker Face.

Love it! Reminds me of Travis' cover of Hit Me Baby One More Time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqT4VnnEU0M
Embedding not allowed, but it's worth watching!

Why there will be no snakes and Xbox

I am not fond of setting rules but i will have to once i become a mother. Tough love is better than no love.

Rule #1. No pet snakes (or any other scaly amphibians for that matter).

A burmese python escaped from her cage and strangled a 2 yr old in her sleep. Read news here. I mean COME ON. A snake and a baby don't go together and there are no exceptions.

Rule #2. No xbox, or rather no violent xbox games when the baby is awake and roaming the house. I don't want the baby to sleep with gunshots in the background. No bloody stabbing scenes, running over screaming pedestrians, vulgarities and dismembering of things (even if they are zombies). I watched an episode of Desparate Housewives Season 5 yesterday. Susan became an art teacher and she told her students to draw things that make them happy. One of the boy's drew himself stabbing his mother. How is that acceptable!!!

It's simple. Kids want to become what they watch. They are like sponges. Otherwise why would mountain man spend hours pretending he was Superman. And why did i want to become xiaolongnu? So what is to stop T from wanting to become the Godfather? I don't think i need to justify further why there can be no violent xbox games anymore.

Note to mountain man: if the xbox goes flying out of our 21st story home one day. Don't say i didn't warn you. heh.

Wht's ur break-up song?

Disclaimer: Parental Guidance required.

In my days of playing the field, i've had the pleasure of going through a few break-ups. Some were painful, some provided relief, some u just wanna bury and hope it'll never surface again for as long as you live.

The best thing about breaking up are break-up songs of course. I've marvelled at how songwriters can so cleverly capture all of those confusing feelings into 1 song. There's one for the cheaters , lost love, getting out of a rut, unrequited feelings... They mark a particular era in our lives. I'd blast whatever my break-up song is on repeat and transfer all of my residual sadness, anger and whtever self-pity i have left for myself into the song. When i'm done, i'll never listen to the song again until time makes it funny instead of sad.

Here's my all time favourite list, in no particular order, it all depends on how u're feeling at that moment. That's if u ever need tips. The list actually got longer and longer when i wrote it, i'm sure it doesn't cover everything but it's a start.

1. Grace is Gone- Dave Mathews Band - For when u're wallowing and not able to let go of the person you love.
2. The Space Between- Dave Mathews Band- For the one who is longing and hopeful for the other party to try again. Perfect for the kind of relationship that breaks up and patches up.
3. Jerk- Kim Stockwood- This one is straight-up from an angry female singer.
4. Transatlanticism- Death Cab for Cutie- About love that has grown apart. Good for relationship ruts.
5. Love is Here- Starsailor- Classic unrequitted love.
6. Stay by my side- Jimmy Eat World (this is not a song but an EP of 5 songs)- quite negative lyrics. only for the strong hearted. but good music i think.
7. The Freshman- The Vervepipe- If u're depressed or if the other party has suicidal tendencies.
8. Mr Brightside- the Killers- for those who were cheated on.
9. Jagged Little Pill- Alanis Morissette- okay the entire album is the epitome of teen "i hate U" break-ups.

Mountain Man's additions.

1. A Case of You- Joni Mitchell- Signifies undying love for someone whom u know is clearly no good for you.
2. River- Joni Mitchell- Crying over spilt milk, especially if u've been a bad partner and u wanna escape.
3. Blackstar- Radiohead-lost love.
4. I'm so lonesome i could cry- Hank williams- okay this is if u're really really drama.
5. Return to Sender- Mojave 3- It's quite typical for a guy to want to get back with a girl after he dumps her, so this song is for the girl who wants strength in rejecting the guy's advances.

And of course, we must credit Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks as the number 1 romantic break-up album. Written by Bob Dylan when he went through separation with his 1st wife Sara. Wht smoother way to break up with ur wife than to dedicate an entire album to her right?

Would love to hear what ur epic break-up song is too. We will wallow and cry and finally(hopefully) laugh about it together.

New baby has arrived!!

Don't panic, i wasn't in labour yesterday, I didn't just give birth to a real crying baby.

A package arrived at my desk yesterday, i knew it was wht i had been waiting for. It finally came. I wanted to rip it open immediately but i was so shy cos i didn't want my colleagues to find out about my splurge. So i tore it open slowly. First i opened the box... I waited a couple of hours before i took IT out of the box. And another couple of hours before i took IT out of the dustbag.

Here's what i got. TADA! My brand new Balenciaga Raisin Courier. The colour is so rich and the leather is so smooshy i love love love it!

I've been accumulating my bals very slowly. Each one has a memorable story. I originally wanted a tote but this colour is so hot that it was pre-booked before it even launched. I was on the waitlist for a while before i noticed this courier model. I thot..."hmm... maybe mountain man will be more supportive if this bag was baby friendly". I enquired TPF members on their feedback and indeed, this bag is quite good with babies cos it can be slung across the shoulders. It's large enough in case u need to carry extra baby things like blankets or toys (not anything spillable things like milk and soiled diapers of course). It's also very reasonably priced for the amount of leather i get.

This is the bag worn messenger style (slung across shoulders).

As a shoulder bag. For a 30week pregger, my belly is actually pretty small. But i'm getting heavy, i've started feeling aches and pains on my back and legs. Which is why this bag is so perfect cos it's light and it helps with the waddling. haha.