Hiatus Miatus

hello dear blog, am sorry that i've not been blogging for a while now. in fact am just doing this to hedge against possible loss of past entries. so tata and see you soon.

about to fall asleep...zzz...

altho you may think it's weird to blog about my state of sleepiness. but this is a real issue for me right this second. & i am blogging in a noble attempt to keep awake at work.

by the way i have changed jobs (finally) since august this year. given my new-ness, i should at least pretend to be awake and alert but it is a hard and trying feat, i can tell you that.

i have seen my colleagues taking a snooze under their desks. how cool. but again, i am new, not to mention a bit prim & proper-ish, and as such, would feel mightily awkward snoozing under my desk. and possibly snoring. and possibly drooling. and hopefully not scratching myself like guys do hihihi... mana lah tau right...

so yeah, i changed jobs, i am currently sleepy and blogging to keep awake.

by the way, im not sure if i've posted about my new addition to the family. i gots myself a daughter now. a real cutie sweetie pie who is now 7.5mths old and developing just great. she can dance, hum, scream for attention, crawl, stand supported, smile a fake smile, make faces, squint her eyes, smile at the camera, grab onto you if she doesnt want to be put down etc. we've started her on solids and this time around, i've ventured the food puree way and so far, shes taken to pureed carrots, pumpkin and potatoes famously. ethan, who had a bit of trouble adjusting to the shared attention in the 1st month, now loves his baby sister and whenever someone suggests taking ava home with them, ethan will say "mummy you carry ava". often when i call home in the afternoon, the maid's report is "there, they are playing. ethan is singing and ava is dancing." imagine the scene... hahaha... ava is a tiny tot but she's quite steady. still, imagine a tiny tot who's dancing away to his brother's screaming.

ethan too is doing well, and about to start playschool in jan. his speech has gotten better & clearer but still with some baby talk peppered in good measure. his eating habits too are getting better with an affinity for "peanut butter bread", cheese & nesvita 3-in-1 oats while his milk intake is slowly decreasing. his sleep hours are getting worse with him only turning in at midnight or later. we are such terrible parents. also, since im in the mood for self-bashing, he doesnt get enough reading time or learning time with us. why are we such lazy parents. it's gotten worse now with my new job which keeps me busy almost every day and with a new baby in the house which makes for a cranky, impatient mom in me. ptooiii to myself. poor ethan. i do so need to spend some quality time with him. maybe i'll take him out for some cake to share tonight. oh yes, he's also quite fond of the ipad and seems to be more adept at it than the adults.

christmas is almost upon us, like in 4 days time :) the house, altho decorated, lacks some christmas spirit because, again, mom's just too tired and busy. sigh. tonight i shall try to put on some christmas carols and to roll about on the floor with my kids.

ok so, time to go, cos after all i am in the office. will hopefully be able to post more updates on christmas soon.

a blessed christmas to one and all :)

visiting sydney, australia (19-25july2011)

i am in sydney for a week.

i miss my kids. but apparently they are doing just fine without me. i'm relieved. but i really miss ava. love the way she clings on me. i hope she wont merajuk with me when i get back. ethan's being distracted by his cousin so hes fine. but kinda miss his recent clinginess. love you both my darlings. missing my husband too, but being away from each other every now and again is probably good and healthy for us. i know hes making use of this time to bond with friends. lets hope hes not doing anything more ahaha. i havent been able to skype due to our program here. but hopefully i can one of these days.

the weather's wet, rainy and cold. too bad cos we cant take many pictures. been here 2 days now and have had lots to eat and lots of laughter too. thinking i should be taking some oats tomorrow to counter the richness of the food i've already had.

we'll be having a full day meeting tomorrow. kinda wish we didnt have to attend.

shopping here is not that great. kinda pricey lah. even compared to the uk. but souvenirs must be bought. next ive gotta get something for myself and the husband.

oh yes, internet access here is also pricey and a bit impractical since you get charged not based on usage. bit of a rip-off if you ask me.

speaking of which, my access is about to expire. so toodle loo.

some life lessons

• be wary of moments when you spend more time with others than you do with those who really matter.


• learn from your mistakes. learn also from other people's mistakes.


• don't go digging your nose in public.


• close your mouth when you sneeze and cough.


• don't sweat the small stuff.


• be less judgmental.


• when you're at risk of being the fall guy for other people's bad deeds, leave.

- to be updated more later -

on being full of myself ;)

from my almost-a-decade-long exposure to copy writing, proof-reading & editing other people's work, i think i should be able to give trainings on effective business communications ;p

1) ever heard of the term K-I-S-S? Keep It Simple Stupid. yes, do just that. dont be flowery. there's no glory in adding flowers to business letters/proposals/reports/presentations. go be a gardener. or a florist.

2) dont be long winded. theres no law against having a few separate sentences to make a point. too many people think cramming everything into a single sentence that spans 4-5 lines is impressive. it's not.

3) dont assume that your audience is stupid. stop making the same point again & again. over-kill tau. you already kill me, you kill me again. hohumm... boringggg...

4) enough with the quotable quotes already. i can buy my own self-development books or reader's digest or sun tzu's art of war or whatever. quoting famous people too often will make the audience feel like you're a wannabe self-help guru.

5) dont perasan yourself to be great at creating brand-y terms. get feedback. if the feedback is negative, for goodness sake, listen. dont be bullheaded and syok sendiri. note: you'll be surprised just how syok sendiri some people can be.

lots more lessons learnt to impart here but it's time for this wannabe trainer to go to sleep. good night world!!

giving thanks

in the last couple of weeks/months, there were a few occasions on which i have felt extremely grateful & lest i forget (which i have, hence why this is actually a belated entry) & take things for granted yet again, i would like to register my thanks where i can re-visit it & remind myself to be thankful for the blessings that surround my every day existence.

aiyo, sounds so hallmark channel hor...

so here goes:

- for having the talent to write very professional sounding corporate stuff or (when i let myself get away with it,) the soppy-flowery-oozing-with-sugar kind of stuff.

- for being pregnant again after having had 2 miscarriages last year.

- for a little boy who is super adorable & who is now at a most amusing & entertaining age

- for a husband who's a great guy, a great dad to our son and who has re-discovered the joys of being fit and healthy ;p.

- for a helper who is great with my son & who is there to help me with all manner of house work while i'm pregnant with my second child.

- for contributions from friends & family in the form of birth/baptism/birthday/festive etc angpows for my son which has resulted in a healthy savings account for him.

- for the opportunity to venture into newer pastures later on this year :)

- for the good relationship that i have with my in-laws.

- for parents who are retired, able and willing to help with whatever i need especially when i'm on maternity leave.

- for a sister who lives nearby. at least i dont feel so alone.

- for the ability to contribute to charitable causes. even if it’s only in small measures.

- for facebook cos as cliché as it sounds, it has certainly made the world a smaller place.

- for blogs so i get to improve my typing speed & skills ;p

- for having a small frame so it's easier to lose weight post-pregnancy. (let’s hope this is true this time around)

- for having received a nice bonus. it certainly is a welcome windfall especially this year.

- for friends who are available for online chats especially on oh-so-boring days.


There’s definitely more to be grateful for but let’s just call this entry a work-in-progress.

(i'm actually trying to blog surreptitiously cos there's this pain of a colleague who's constantly coming after me to do HIS work. ok, i should be thankful also for someone who thinks highly of my talents *right* that he keeps bugging me hor?)

men should learn to shut it

i'm pregnant & hormonal. dont expect me to be super-chill at this point.

YOU try carrying the extra kilos. & dealing with the hormones. & backaches. & boob aches.

oh wait, you can't cos you're a guy. & so not in a position to comment on this, cos you'll never ever go through it. & the only extra kilos you'd every have to carry has nothing to do with bringing a another life into the world.

men are so blur.

please humor me & just let me be. can or not? yes, even if i feel like going shopping. so what? hows that gonna kill you? also, lets apply some logic to the whole picture ya: i'm pregnant & in my 3rd trimester. just how long do you think i will last walking about in a mall? and do you seriously think i'll want to do it more than once a week, if at all? in any case, so what if i like shopping? i shop for necessities anyways. to feed YOUR child (& you). apa lah...

&, it isn't like you've offered to get the baby's things ready (not that you would know what to get, right??). yet when i want to do it, you want to give me a hard time. please lah, give me a break. it's enough that i have to deal with all the physical discomforts. you want to be a big hero & add on to that summore kah?

so, hello, lets do try to be a bit more patient & understanding & supportive. it really won't kill you. i promise.