A Face of My Life?

Help! Help! Help!

I am seriously addicted to the word games in faceb0ok. (I have very nerd-like interests. My name is so apt for me. My parents named me nerdirah, after all...) Previously, I would badger my sister to log into her account so that I could play scramble using her account. But, thanks to one terribly boring afternoon spent too long waiting for someone to be free, I decided to start my own account so that I could play the game on my own. And, oh dear, oh dear... I discovered more word games which I used to play on yahoogames.

What else do I think of facebo0k? I think it's frightening that sooooooooo many people are on it. What is the appeal of facebo0k, I wonder? Why isn't friendster as popular as facebo0k? Don't they serve the same purpose? 

In any case, I'm going to use this holiday to indulge in my addiction and hopefully, get sick of it before work starts again.

And, now, I got to go back to nursing my addiction. Tataa!

Woes of a Commuter

I am trying to cut down my expenses on taxi (which could reach up to the high hundreds in some months) and take other modes of public transport instead. But, my mood turns ugly each time I have to take the train during peak hours.

Do the people heading SMRT take the MRT regularly? Are they even vaguely aware of how long 6 minutes is during rush hour? What possessed them to think that it is even remotely acceptable to remove seats from trains and have standing-space-only carriages? Don't they realise that commuters prefer seats? If commuters do not prefer seats, explain why people are not standing when seats are available? Don't even get me started on the useless 45-degree bum rest they removed after complaints from the public. Gaah! Hate them!

I am so tempted to get a car - only thing is, I have neither the license nor the moolah. $2 COEs don't happen every month. I hate hate hate being held ransom by these providers of public transport!!!

Week 26 and Other Matters

I *think* I'm entering Week 26. (checks pregnancy calculator) Yup. Week 26, it is.

The pregnancy is going on smoothly. Baby is growing well. The last check-up shows that the placenta is still low. But, that's a small matter. I just have to ensure that I take all the precautions to avoid early labour. And, if it's still low at the end of the pregnancy, C-section it will be. But, it's okay. I'm not so bothered as to how the baby comes out. As long as she comes out safely.

My stomach is much bigger now than when I was about to deliver Huda. So, this explains why I can't eat much in one sitting. (I'm quite sure I talked about this before so I shall stop here about this one.)

This pregnancy has made my tastebuds extremely sensitive. Many types of food leave an unpleasant taste in the mouth. Mamee snacks, certain types of chocolates and biscuits, instant noodles, 3-n-1 tea mix etc etc.. Basically (I really hate using that word - basically), everything that is made using additives and preservatives and strange 'food' substances like glycerides and polyunsaturated vegetable oils etc etc. I suppose, this daughter of mine will have a preference for organic food when she starts eating.

Just like it was for Huda, The Husband and I still can't see eye-to-eye about the name for the second baby. I want Fxxxx and The Husband wants Nxxxxx. As usual, I told him that I would run to the baby-name-registering-office once the baby pops and with my placenta still dangling out but he reminded me that he gave in to me the last time. Heh. We'll see. Maybe, it will all come down to a game of scissors-paper-stone.

On to non-pregnancy related stuff... (I am extra chatty tonight because I'm supposed to do my w0r;k re\/i3w but as usual, I just can't bring myself to do it. I really hate doing those things. It's not that difficult but the mere thought of it puts me off.)

The Husband and I are in a sort-of dilemma. We are presently looking for a new place because we realise that while our place was cosy enough for the two of us, there's just not enough running space for the little ones. The problem is, we are looking for a place in only a few blocks and it should preferably be on the higher floors and it must be certain units. Given these specific requirements, our choices are very, very limited.

So, the dilemma is, should we do up the girls' room or not? Presently, Huda is still very contented to sleep on the mattress beside our bed. We do/did(?) have plans to kick her out move her to her own room soon. Because of the hunt for the new place, we are unsure if we should put in so much time and effort in doing up the girls' room only to use it for a few months (should our dream flat appears). But, there is also a possibility that we won't find the dream flat all that soon so, we need to move Huda and the little sister to their own room. What to do? What to do? Maybe we should also solve this problem with a game of scissors-paper-stone.

There is at least one more thing I wanted to talk about but, as usual, I can't recall what it is.

Now, on to that \/\/0rk r3v|ew... *big sigh*

 

An Evening with ---

There were no pyrotechnics, no fireworks, no fancy dance moves, no dancers, no confetti, no elaborate stage set-up.

But those were not necessary.

Because there was Anuar Zain.

It was almost surreal to see Anuar Zain live in person. I only managed to shake off that am-I-really-here feeling by the third song.

I was blown away by his perfect vocals. And The Husband (yes, he was beside me all along to make sure that I remember that I'm a married woman - heh) was just as enthralled by his voice. This despite telling me repeatedly before the concert began that he was going to fall asleep. He reached all the high notes effortlessly and he was pitch-perfect all the time. He sang with emotion and you can feel the pain when he sang Kembalilah Kasih, which he wrote to mourn the loss of a lady for whom he waited five years. *gulp* Five years. Imagine that. And all you get at the end of five years is news that this woman is marrying someone else. With a man like that, how can the ladies in the crowd not swoon?

He sounded so much better than on his CD (and he already sounds great on CD). I wished that I had an audio-recording device (heh heh - the ushers at Esplanade would have a fit) so that I could listen to his powerful vocals again and again and again...

Now, I can only hope that there will soon be a DVD of his concert released.

-

Acknowledgements: 1. Jiji & family for babysitting Huda;   2. The Husband - for the tickets, for the company and for enjoying himself and not falling asleep. :D

Duck

I don't want to waddle but I've got cramps on my bottoms and waddling seems to be the best way to walk.

Gaaah!

Week 23

TDF

That stands for too free. D stands for? This may be read by my children when they grow up so let's sanitise things a bit.

Yes,  yes. I'm too free today. That explains two blog entries within an hour.

I *think* I'm in Week 23.

This is just a little update about my pregnancy so far. The vomiting has stopped. Yayyy! But, this baby seems to be squeezing my stomach and so I can only eat a tiny amount each time because I feel extremely bloated after each meal.

Occasionally, I feel cramps especially in the lower abdomen area. I don't know if that's because of the low placenta but I have faith that the placenta will not be too low as the weeks go by. That's what the gynae says. I am trying to avoid carrying heavy things. By January, I should be able to avoid climbing stairs also because the lift in my block should be ready by then. So, when I'm heavily pregnant in January, I should be having an easier time.

The baby is moving about the tummy quite a bit these days. I can feel movements on the left and right and mostly nearer to the bottom, below my C-section scar. It's nice to know that the little one is having a whale of a time in there.

My stomach now is so much bigger than when I was 34 weeks pregnant with Huda. (That's not saying much because I barely had a tummy then. Haha!) So, I'm actually filling out some of my maternity clothes nicely.

Talking about maternity clothes - I really dont understand myself. I only need to wear maternity clothes for about 6 months at best but I have a lot more maternity clothes than I have nursing tops. I intend to nurse my child for about 2 years so it makes sense to have more nursing tops, doesn't it?

And, I gotta make a decision between CordLife and StemCord. Dunno which one to go for. I couldn't bank in Huda's cord blood because she was a preemie with IUGR. Hopefully, this one will be okay so there will be some cord blood to be stored as insurance.

Going to School

1 December 2008 will mark a major milestone in Huda's life.

She's going to school, at the ripe old age of 2 years 9 months.

Initially, my main motivation of sending her to school was to allow her to mix around with people her age. Then, my father fell ill and the need to send her to a school was even greater. Now that things have stabilised on the home front, she will be going to school mainly to socialise.

She will be attending a nearby childcare centre, a centre that my nieces and nephew also go to. Choosing the cc wasn't a difficult task. It meets almost all the criteria I have, not that I had many to begin with. It was not airconditioned and the same teachers have been there for many years. I would not want to send Huda to a cc where the teachers change every few months. It also helps that three of her cousins are in the same cc so she'll see familiar faces all the time.

I don't know who will be affected worse when she goes to school. Huda or her mother. I have a feeling that she will adapt to the new school easily (the school is not unfamiliar to her; we go there sometimes to pick up her cousins) but I will most probably miss her terribly. Sigh.

I think I have to start planning my December schedule so that I will be kept busy when she's at school. Cooking and baking, perhaps? *nervous laughter*