Latest buys!

What are my latest buys for boyboy? Nope...not clothes or toys, sad to say!

Daktacort was given by Chrisopher's pead coz (sigh) he has some fungal reaction on his groin!

In the interest of privacy, no pictures of the infected area. but it looks like red dots. And in some other areas, it is a red patch.

Trouble is it can spread (only within the baby and not to others!) so after washing the infected area and applying the ointment, I cannot carry him. This makes this a 2 person operation!

And the cloth that I use to wipe his bum cannot be reused again!

Susceptible to spreading only in areas that are moist and damp - so the mouth is the next best place!

It usually starts from the top down....but as always, my son decided he wants to do things differently and the reaction has started from his bum! NO WAY it will be spreading anywhere up!

The next thing I got for him from Herbs and Food in Subang SS15 was "Moz Away".

This purchasae is in prepartion for my coming Sat outdoor trip, my up and coming PD trip in May and my promised few months later picnic in FRIM with Florence and family and etc.!

Death to all insects that come an inch from my son!

Cost me RM 10+ and I saw it just as I was paying for my herbs. Didn't bring my wallet, so rushed to hubby waiting outside in the car and requested for another RM10. Then lined up again to pay!

On the lighter side....stuff boyboy has eaten to date and LOVED it!

Apple, pear, sweet potato AND fish! Thanks to my mummy who bought some fresh, good fish all the way from Ipoh for her grandson to eat!

Note to self : Must not be lazy...go to market!

Almost ready....yiipppeee !!!

So, my new place is coming along nicely ! Prayerfully we will be able to get the key by end of this year. Than it will be renovation , renovation.....

So, this is the outside. For the bold and daring, the purple will make it a landmark in itself. The conservative will cringe at the colour!



Pic on the left : This is about the length of my dry kitchen. Made sure the picture's bottom border was at the edge of where the kitchen tiles started! Having some grand thoughts about the sink being at the window, cabinets on the left and thinking of a bar table to split the kitchen and the dining!

Pic on the right is the living room and the stairs (note the miniture store room under the stairs!).
The little part of the wall next to the stairs makes a cool corner for something! Hmm...




And above left is the wet kitchen!
Also tried to take the picture so that I can remember the number of tiles that make up the length of the place! I reckon it will fit a L shape cement top! But it does look like the washing machine has been predestined to be there!

Now...wonder how I am going to squeeze the cooking and the washing machine here! Unless I get a front door washing machine.

But the cooker will have to be where the windows are. Else reckon my kids will never get fried food from mummy's kitchen!

And at the other end of the wet kitchen is the downstairs bathroom (pic above right). Originally was thinking of putting my washing machine in here! But doesn't look like there will be space!

Why do I keep thinking of my washing machine!

This is the downstairs bedroom.



While I was pregnant, I was thinking that this room will belong to my son if I get a daughter the next time round! But now when I think about it....I don't think I want Christopher to be 'banished' downstairs! Wonder what I can do about this! The downstairs room is quite large actually!


UPSTAIRS.....

The landing and the 2nd room! Originally (master planner me) I wanted to make a wall high bookcase on the wall facing the staircase....but didn't expect the floor space to be so tiny! They shouldn't have called it s 'family room' !!! Don't think any of the family wants to gather there!!!



The 2nd bedroom is also very long actually. I am taking the picture from the entrance of the room! But it does seem rather dark at the entrance of the room!

If I have 2 boys, there will both share this room until one of them makes some 'noise'!

So, fellow bloggers....do you know any good and not so expensive contractors?
What is your experience in furniture shopping?
What about kitchen cabinets and kitchen tabletops?

And especially.....where do you think I should put that damn washing machine?

Updates on updates

At 6 months, boyboy managed to turn only from his back to his front. And once that happens, he will cry for us to turn him back on his front.

More often than not he will practice turning again and cry again. And on other times, after turning him around again, he will fall back to sleep.

Last week on Tuesday (or thereabout), he surprised me by turning from the front to his back again! Now when we put him on the big bed, he will roll and roll around and around. When he reaches the pile of pillows though, he will still cry for us. Coz he can't fathom what to do with this mountain that is stopping him from moving!

And last Sunday, an amazing thing happened! We had got back from church and lunch and I thought of putting him on the big bed to roll around and wind down before sleep! He rolled a bit while I folded up some clothes, turned himself on his front, sucked his thumb and fell asleep BY HIMSELF !!

What a good boy! He must have been sooooo tired! :)

Then on Friday evening, I was surprised by yet another feat! He could balance his whole body on his knees and arms. Previously he could only lift his upper body with his arms. And I have been gently showing him how to lift up his bum and 'kneel' ! So, this is boyboy in his latest position.

He is also doing an 'obscene' act of rocking front and back! Hahaha.....I know that is the way they learn to crawl.....but still...can't help but laugh at him!






AND...thanks to the babysitter's daily coaching, he always holds the side of the bathtub when we bathe him. We don't usually let him sit by himself in the bathtub...note daddy's hand is right at the corner just in case anything happens while mummy captures the picture of grand little smart boyboy!


Sigh.....a mother's pride!








He is 'speaking' more now. His sounds come out in Waahhh.....ah booo.....ah gooo....mee mooo...and all those aeiou-s!

Getting there....getting there. No pressure!

When they start to get the hang of things, they continue to learn and pick things up very quickly! So marvellously amazing!

And we have a Chicco pullstring star at the edge of his cot which he already knows how to pull to make the music come 'alive'! That is my alarm bell now every weekend! He will pull the string, listen to the music and when it is done, pull at the string again. Though now I am thinking if that is a potential accident waiting to happen! have to do something about that!!!

But hey....

Christopher boy, mummy and daddy are really proud of you!

One defining moment

I was screening through some You Tube this afternoon during lunch and decided to search up some ABBA videos.

The moment I started to hear and see The Winner Takes It All, an extremely nostalgic feeling overwhelmed me.

ABBA was introduced to my sister and I by our maternal grandfather. I should have been about 13 years old then. My parents had taken a trip to France and my sister and I were left with my grandparents in Ipoh. We were to stay there for 2 weeks or thereabout.

My grandparents were staying with my mother's youngest sister in Ipoh then. She is a teacher and therefore spent the mornings at school. So, in the mornings, my grandfather was left in charge of taking care of us. My grandmother was frequently preoccupied with the cooking, cleaning and all other things. Also, we being cantonese illiterate then, could not hold a decent conversation with my grandmother.

My grandfather however, spoke perfect English. He was a English teacher in his younger days. He was also a firm believer of filling up our time with all things useful. And therefore our mornings were filled with loads of activies.

He was a very active man.
He took us for walks to the nearby shops and let us pick out some goodies to eat.
He took us along on bus rides to the nearest shopping complex to get some music videos.

He was a creative man.
He enrolled us in art classes with a neighbour. It was the first time I realised the power of paint!
He loved music and would always fill the house with great songs.

His favourite at that time when we were there was ABBA. He would bring us to the shop and allow us to choose an ABBA video to purchase. He had an amazing system which he would whisk out and kindly tell us that this particular video already contained almost 70% of all the songs he already had at home.

In the afternoons, especially after the purchase, he would play it for us over and over again. My sister and I started to pick up on ABBA's dance moves and waltzed around the house!

Such was the love for music that he engrained into our soul! The love for ABBA actually.

This was a defining moment in my life. Everytime I hear an ABBA song now, I can rememebr the fun we had spinning around dancing to 'Dancing Queen'. And we always watched Xanadu by Olivia Newton John every other day.

I also remember the minced pork patties that my grandmother used to make for us while we were there. Her ice milo was heavenly. The homecooked noodles she made for us every morning.

And my aunty playing the alphabet game with us. You choose 5 categories like animals, states, food etc. and if we choose A, we have to think of an animal beginning with A and a state beginning with A etc.etc.

And to top it up, my uncle from Australia was also back at that time and had a girlfriend, who is now my aunty! I think that was the first time I had an idea of what relationships before marriage were all about!

My grandfather has since passed away. I had just started work when it happened. I cannot say that I was really that close to my grandfather. But everytime I listen to ABBA again, I remember the impact he made in my life that few weeks.

I shall never forget him. And I will remember him always for the vitality he had in his life up to the end. And though deaf, he even took the bus to church every Sunday morning to pay tithes.

One great man. One defining moment.....

Do you have your moment?

A heart attack!

This is no a story of me as a mum having one due to boyboy's multiple escapades recently. This is genuinely about a heart attack.

I have not been blogging for some days now really because I have been feeling tired mentally, spiritually and physically.

The whole fiasco started on monday evening. As soon as I had parked my car after work, I recieved a call from hubby that his father was in hospital and that he was rushing over now. What had happened?? We were clueless then. So, I rushed to change out of my office clothes, put the fish into the porridge and into the magic cooker and waited for hubby to pick me up.

In the car on the way to the hospital he was making calls to his brother who was already there and I was making calls to cancel all our appointments for this evening and to the babysitter that we may be rather late.

We found out in the car then that my father in law had a minor heart attack and was now in hospital doing some tests.

After a few tests, the doctor declared he has to be admitted, given some pills and prepped for angiogram tommorrow morning to see the severity of the blockage. At this point, we were told 99% chance one of the arteries was blocked.

So at night, we were busy calling our bosses and letting them know about the emergency leave we were taking the next day. Hubby and I only managed to take the second half of the day off due to work work work!!!

At 11.30 on Tuesday, we took off from work and made our way to the hospital. On the way, we munched down some bread I had bought in case we could not manage lunch! He was already in the room doing the test when we arrrived.

Result of the angiogram - 1 artery 90% blocked, the other 2 20%. Thank God the 90% blocked artery was not the aorta! The doctor was supposed to do an angioplasty but it could not be done on the spot. My father in law's blood was far too thick and doing the angioplasty now could cause the clot to be dislocated to a smaller artery and cause a 100% blockage in that!

So, since then till Saturday, he would have to be in the hospital for medication (to thin his blood and reduce the size of the clot) and observation. Today is Friday.

Things have not been easy also since my mother inlaw was still in Canada visiting her ailing sister. The difference a mother and wife makes to a family is indeed tremendous. I reckon my father inlaw would have been much more comforted with his wife beside him. So, as the eldest daughter in law, I tried my best to give him all the comfort and womanly touch required by a patient!

Thank God my father in law's sister came after that to help! Nothing like letting someone older, his sister and an ex-nurse take over the mothering!!

My mother in law is due home today as well. That is good news too for my father inlaw.

And in the due course of this attack, I come to know what I have always been wondering. Do my inlaws have insurance coverage?

Glad to say that yes they do...thought it is more a medical card that has no life time limit. As long as the premium is paid annually, you are covered. However....the coverage is very minimal. RM60 for the room and Rm10,000 annual coverage.

The angioplasty we were told would cost like RM10,000 for one, RM 18,000 for two and RM25,000 for three. Prayerfully, the total cost will not be that high. All the years of paying premiums is nothing compared to the ease you feel to know that you are covered when something strickes!

Now, talking about insurance, do you know that there is a lifetime coverage? Previously if we have a sum assured of RM20,000 the lifetime coverage would be about 3 times! That means once you have claimed more than RM 60,000 the insurance ceases to cover you anymore! However, Allianz recently told us that this has been increased to 10 times. I am not sure if the insurance you have bought has been upgraded. And if not, it really is time to think about it.

As we get older, we really don't want to burden our kids. And illnesses are such a come and go thing now. Make the insurance commitment before anything happens. And as all commitment goes, make it a good one!

Pray, exercise, eat well, sleep well and think positively. That is the only prevention.

Change in character, change in activity

Of late my son has been acting up.

It all started one fateful dinner time in Malacca during Chinese New Year when he was just a little bit flu-ish.

He was sitting in his stroller quietly like he has been doinog for the pass 5 months when all of a sudden, he looked up at me and started to 'shout'. I decided to call it 'calling' then coz that was what it was initially. He was indeed calling out to us to go home perhaps, not to ignore him perhaps, that he was warm perhaps, that is was too noisy perhaps....many many perhaps...

So, finally because I was with relatives, I picked hm up and carried him over my shoulder while I tried to eat up my dinner. he quieten down and ended up sleeping in the car on our way home.

Now, since that day, he was not taken too kindly to the stroller. he is fine when the stroller is moving around and there are things to see and the place is cool. But if we put him down while we are having dinner, I would only manage to take 5 mouthfuls of thereabout before he starts to shout (I don't call it call anymore!) !

Since this change in character, I have to be careful what I order now. It has to be dry preferably things that I can eat with one hand.

WInce this character change, I can no longer sit in church and listen to a full sermon (what more write notes!). I am lugging everything over to Sunday School where at least his cries do not cause heads to turn! Why can't he cause heads to turn in a different way!

The upside to my going to Sunday school though is that time passes really quickly. Also I get to know more mummies and get to share experiences with them. I get to see how some daddies and mummies handle their kids. I make more friends! Perhaps even get invovled in a new ministry!

So yeah....he is 6 months plus now. Showing signs of his own character. If he gets bored, he gets irritated. When he is tired, he gets grumpy. And he can give you quite a frown!
Though the smiles are a plenty and every so heart warming still!

The thing is, I am starting to wonder when we should start to put out foot down and not allow him to get away with his demands having to be met ASAP. At what age do they start to manipulate us. I know babies howl for a reason but is he still a baby at 6?

Half a year old

This milestone has no physical achievements save for the fact that some kind of vege/fruit can be digested in boyboy's system apart from just Nestle Baby Rice.

My kind and knowledagble babysitter is in opnion that we should take it easy (and stop being overly enthusiastic) with the feeding new food timing. However, I couldn't help it considering all other kids were already on fruit purees at 5 months or so.

So, (naughty me) I let him try some apple puree last weekend, 3 days short of is 6th month! His first reaction was that of grimace! And he actually stuck out his tongue. Then as the second mouthful went in, he looked at me and started to smack his lips. Mmmm......just a little sourish but quite nice!

No pics I am afriad coz I fed him alone without hubby!

Then on Thursday, 2 days after his 6th month, I steamed some carrots and put it into his Nestle baby rice. He ate it up like normal. Guess the carrots did not change the taste of the baby rice much. And I did not give him alot for fear he would turn orange! hehe....

Then just just now, I was browsing in the baby food aisle of Cold Storage and started looking at all the baby food. There were actually many varieties of baby food sold. There were jars of green peas, squash, sweet potato, pumpkin in all combinations. But I reckon I should stay away from the combination stuff just in case he reacted to something in the paste. Best to stick to the one ingredient foods first!

Pear looked like a safe choice. Apple and sweet potato seemed also safe...but I have that at home and can do it myself. So, I bought the pear Heinz. I will let him have a taste tommorrow.

And if he doesn't like it, hubby can have the best experience ever of eating up after boyboy! Hehehe.....

So far, boyboy loves trying all the new food I have been mouthing into him. I wonder who is enjoying themself more - me or him!

Now, I know why my mother in law loves to feed her 3 boys! The joy of seeing them eat well!

And now, presenting Christopher at 6 months!

Apart from his food, he loves the door knob, the remote control, his left thunb and mummy's shirt right at the shoulder where his head rests when being carried!

Things as per normal

Normal is usually good. And I should think that normal is actually good. But sigh, I reckon at this stage normal is NOT GOOD ! Not when you are healthy and thriving.....and bored and tired!

So, Matta fair came and went. And nope, I am not committed to going anywhere!

Next weekend will be the usual stay at home.
Catch in a few hours of grocery shopping on Saturday.
Church and in laws on Sunday...
and then Monday again!

I reckon this is the Monday blues.....so, let me write about something else!

I wanted to write about this originally but my thoughts ran away with me (again) and I ended up writing about Finding the Mr/Mrs. Right!

When was it in your dating days that you two decided to get married?

For me and hubby, we decided to get married BECAUSE we wanted to travel and my parents simply would not allow me to go for holidays (overseas) and stay in the same room IF we were not married.

Everyone I tell would roll their eyes, shake their head or look at me with astonished eyes!

"You got married just so that you could travel?"

Afraid so. After all if you feel you want to travel with someone, that must mean something right? We had gone on short local holidays before but this time round (all due to Air Asia's crazy deals), we wanted to go somewhere further longer.

So, hubby being my perfect travel companion (since as I said, he lets me plan and goes along with anything), we decided let's get married then....then we can go to Chaing mai, Kota Kinabalu, Bali, Australia, China, Hong Kong....wow.....yes, let's do it!

So, that was my proposal...."Marry me and we can travel the world!"

So, that happened on 30th Sept 2006.

And to date....

Travel - none.
Baby - one.

And this year....

Tavel - none.
Baby - one....planning #2.

Now you know why I say normal is NOT right?

Finding, finding, found...

So, everyone has a love story. The married ones, at least, on how they found their Mr/Mrs Right.

From all my previous conversation and snippets thereof, I reckon there are a few ways...

1) Accident happened (obviously)
2) Best friends than one day you wondered where to go from there
3) Criteria set and searched and searched until found
4) Criteria set. Searched and searched and cannot find, so settle for 2nd best/person who has ever faithfully been waiting!
5) Selecting the best of all candidates
6) Through prayer and suffercation (I bet that word is spelled wrong! :))
7) Process of elimination

Now, I reckon the first 6 are pretty standard methods that we have either heard of or seen on TV. Method 6, I got to admit can only be heard from a Christian. And method 5 will usually be done when we first hit college (when all the boys and girls are sparkling new and looking to hook up!)

My method was #7!

Now...have you heard of anyone saying they got a life partner by the process of elimiation?

Eliminate what you say?
Elimination of character/traits/issues....I say.

Now I would say that people who follow in my footsteps are really people who are not that particular (just a little particular) about any traits in their life partner. I usually go with the flow and if we hit it off, we hit it off. If we don't, we don't. Move on! So, as each came and went, I recognized that which was 'bad' (only bad actually) and eliminated that from my next choice! Look at the sequence of my elimination.

By the way, I am including everyone I deicded to give a chance to... including those that lasted only a few months! Hey...I am not a loner at heart! And only then can you see what I mean by elimination!

BF #1 - smart, tall, not too cute, easy to talk to BUT had a bad temper

BF #2 - smart, tall, not too cute, easy to talk to, good natured BUT Indian

BF #3 - smart, not too tall, musically GREAT, atheletic, understood me like he was from Venus too!, good natured, Chinese BUT mummy's boy

BF #4 - not too tall, not too smart, not that easy to talk to, good natured, Chinese, independent from mummy BUT he didn't have many friends!

( I never knew a person could have as little friends as he did! oppsss...)

BF #5 - not too tall, smart, easy to talk to, good natured, Chinese, independent from mummy, friends enjoyed his company BUT he too much of a planner (cannot change plans else long face already)!

(And you really can't have 2 people planning the day and wanting to do things their way!)

BF #6 - tall, smart (in a way :)), easy to talk to, good natured, Chinese, independent from mummy, has plenty of great friends, let's me plan away AND married to me!

So...you see, I ended up with hubby for all the ways he is NOT. And it is the ways that he is NOT which makes him the way that he IS!

They say no one is perfect. No person can compliment a person so perfectly from day 1. Mummy always told me that you be with a person whose imperfections you can live with.

I think after 5, I have ruled out most imperfections I cannot stand.
But people always change, there will always be imperfections. And we will always seek to achieve perfection (me, especially).

The true challenge in marriage is to continuously see that which is perfect.

It is NOT trying to make things perfect.
And it is NOT seeing only that which is not perfect.

Concentrate on what is beautiful and everything around it will dim away leaving behind only that which is beautiful.

God changes people. People don't change people.


We can only pray that God works a little faster! :)

Much weaker

I am not sure what is the cause of this or whether it is just me....but it does seem that I am much weaker now since giving birth. My immune system seems to be failing me.

I used to hold a record of not falling ill within a year. And when everyone around me was having bouts of flu and coughs and fevers, I still managed to actively come to work and play!

I also used to be able to do with 4-5 hours of sleep and yet not fall ill.
I used to be able to eat all kinds of nonsense and still have endless energy.

Now...I am counting the days that I am well, instead of sick.
And my meals have to be on time and all rounded to maintain the same boost of energy.

Sometimes I feel lethargic and listless...

Wonder if this will last? What is the cause of this - hormons or just me?

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

One new trick

I don't know if you consider this a trick!

My babysitter does.

And she demonstrated it to us one evening when we were picking boyboy up.

After that we went home to try it out and to capture it on video!

Photos, Food and Friendship

There were several incidents that have happened over the pass few days which I had takes shots of. However, only now have I remembered to bring both my cable and camera to office to upload them into my computer.

I simple have so many other things to do at home!

So, here are some photos and some narrations of what has been 'up-and-about' this pass few days!

First and foremost must of course be about boyboy. This bumbo seat is a product of community living that I had written about earlier.

Boyboy started exploring it the first few times we put him in. But now after about 15 minutes, he arches his body to try to get out of the seat...and if we don't take him out, he will call and call until we do.

Unless of course we manage to distract him while he sits there....or let him watch some kids movie.

One time in his effort to get out, he leaned forward so much that the whole seat tumbled and he managed to come out. Only he cannot crawl yet and therefore got stuck under the seat!

Of course I was a spectator to this and quickly rescued him afterwhich. I just wanted to see how adamant he can be at getting his way! Sigh....my boy certainly has a mind of his own.

Concerning food and friendship, a friend of mine would be leaving for New York soon. So, we took her out to Ma Ma's Kitchen.

I wanted to surf for some reviews on this place, but surprisingly there weren't many people who had eaten there and written about it!

As I looked around that afternoon, I think I realised why. Most of the patrons were families and some older folks. I guess they have other better things to do than to take photos of food and post them on the net!


But here is what we ate anyway!

Omelette with cincaluk - very thin, alright as far as egg goes!

Rendang Beef - really good, quite spicy!

Kai Lan - ordered at the request of my US colleague.

Gulai Asam Ikan - it's like Assam Fish and the gravy was spicy and sour enough.

However, my favourite (that deserved a photo of its own) was the Inche Kabin.

This is actually a typical Penang dish. The best I have tasted so far was in Penang YMCA restaurant.

Its actually chicken marinated in Lea Perrins and then fried.





Then, on Sunday, we decided to try Marco's Pizza. My mum was down from Ipoh and she also wanted to eat Pizza since she would not be able to eat good pizza in Ipoh (she specifically told us NO PIZZA HUT PLEASE! )

So, after church we went there to take away 1 large pizza...


And with 1 large pizza, they give us 1 regular pizza
( on promotion) !




Large pizza - Marco's Supreme
The pepperoni on the pizza was really delicious. And there was quite alot of chicken ham in the middle. However, the pizza is quite cheesy (which hubby's stomach could not stand! Poor him!)
The crust on the pizza was also really good, very crispy and not exploding with cheese and pineapples or any of those un-necessary stuff!




See the gooey cheese!






Regular pizza - Tsunami

There were 5 prawns on this pizza which was quite pale. It looked like those frozen inported prawns and it tasted quite good. It also had beef bacon which we picked and ate!





Result - I quite like these pizzas. The atmosphere in Marco's is also really nice and very comfortable for family meals (with kids)!

However, I think we will not be having it anytime soon....considering hubby's upset tummy the whole afternoon after which! Maybe it wasn't the pizza, dear.....sigh.....

Bringing up kids in a Community

In the olden days, kids within the same village or community were brought up together as a 'pack'. THose who had to go off to work went off to work. Those who had business to do went about their business and the kids were left in the village with everyone else looking after and for them!

I reckon this concept still applies in several areas of Malaysia especially in the long houses of Sarawak and Sabah.

However, to a certain extent I think the kids of my church (my home based church, essentially) also grow up this way....especially when we are together in the same house.

(Un)fortunately we don't live in the same house ALL the time!

Whenever we have a gathering in any one person's house, there will always be an area for the kids play (or for me to deposit my kid). It would generally be a safe area in teh middle of the room.

Then those that need to eat will go and eat. Those that need to pee/poo will go and pee/poo. Those that want to take a break will go and take a break. All the way confident that if your kid cries, there will be someone to pick him/her up. And if he/she stumbles, there will be someone to pick him/her up.

Actually we only need wy (who is feeling 'not sick' though)to be around!

And bringing up kids community wise also extends to the fact that
- clothes are passed around and
- developmental toys are also passed around and
- unfinished food that one kid has grown tired off is passed around
etc. etc.

And you know what....I am so far at the end of the line. So, I feel it typically more since I am the beneficiary of many good things!

Many thanks to PN, Florence, wy, Shang for all the little blessings.

Time for me to pass it along soon....

From the community, to the community...and further!

2nd award

Hehehe...got another award from Andrew&June.

Thanks ! Thanks !

Gold Card what more! What ingeniousity!

This means I can deposit into and draw out off this friendship forever and ever and ever....for as long as Visa stands credible!

And the same applies for you too Kathie, Bobo Bear, PN, Daddee Yah!, Florence

Accident Prone

I fell down the stairs yesterday as I was leaving the office. I really don't know how it happened. I remembered taking the steps pretty carefully (as normal) and I guess I just slipped. Landed on my hand and then my bum and then my back!

Then went down 3 more steps with each impact knocking on my hand and back!

So now I have a red swelt across my hand and my back. It is really really sore. Sensitive to bumps on the road. Can't bend for some time coz it pulls at the nerves in that areas. My whole hand feels sore as well. And I can't even lean back on the chair unless I put a pillow on the upper half of my back.

Thank God though there was no fracture or that I did not hurt my lumbra.

Ever since I was rather young, I have been particularly accident prone. I can be doing anything and no one else will get hurt except me. And they are all accidental...really they are! In fact there are certain days when I can 'feel' that some accident is going to happen. So I tend to be extra careful but somehow a small mishaps will happen anyway!

Thus I have been labelled "accident prone" by my mum. I think only those who stay with me will really know how prone to accidents I really am!

Sigh.....mummy now....how to be accident prone? Hope boyboy is not like me!

You know anyone else who is accident prone? Maybe we can start a club!

Baby Pimples Not!

Now, I have been to my share of one year old birthdays, dinners out and dinners in. I also have been around during snack times and desert times.

And now wherever I am, my son is with me too.

So what is my point?

During those times mentioned above, there will always be someone with oily hands or sweet laden hands or oily mouth or sweet laden mouth....and somehow someone of such stature will be bending dow to kiss my son on the cheek! Or smearing their oily/sweet hands on my kid's 'so-adorable-can't-wait-to-pinch-you' face!

And I will exclaim (not shout!) if I see them (to heck with their feelings now!) "Can you PLEASE wash your mouth/hands BEFORE touching the baby!"

And if they don't back away, I will bore them some more with "if he gets a pimple, it is all your fault". Usually this gets them far far away. But thankfully I have never needed to use this second threat very often!

But despite all the times it has happened....my son has survived without a zit so far!

Sigh....I think I should not be saying this. So far everytime I say something good about him, he does the opposite or the opposite happens!

Maybe it is my furious wiping him down after we come back from an 'event' that has helped somehow. But really....do babies get zits? Or are they really ALL hormon related, aggraveted only by dirt?

Heads up March!

March is certainly looking up!

All thanks to this GREAT news I read from my dearest firend's blog!

I have to mention a bit about this dear friend of mine....

I got to know her husband first from my previous company. I guess it was one of those 'arranged' meetings set together by a Higher Power. Then somehow I got to know his email addresss and added him on MSN.

I reckon must be years pass before I chatted on MSN one day and asked him why he had not updated his photo blog for some time now. So...in his effort to redirect me (hehehe...) he sent me off to his wife's site!

And ohhh...the inspirations I have gotten from her site. And the stories she tells and the way she writes.....it was all so engaging!

Partly I am also a personal person. I feel engaged when a person shares their life with me - fears, happiness, sorrows, frustrataions, love. And that is what Kathie has done with me.

We started off only with a comment or two. Then it was an exchange of emails. Then it was my confinement and I received a phone call from her!

God's provident arrangement...

I feel really blessed to have a friend like her even though I have only seen her photo.
I feel that if I have any troubles I can bury my head in my shoulder and cry and wail away.

She is like a mum and a friend all rolled up into one.

WIth this great news, I pray for all good health and all happiness to be upon her.
She certainly deserves it very very much!

Congratulations Kathie.....and thanks for sharing.