Home Sweet Home

G was brought home on the 4th day. It also happened to be a Saturday. I had to deploy my cousins to help carry some stuff. My mother-in-law's friend had visited us everyday with big bouquet of flowers. I guess Singaporeans are generally more pragmatic, flowers don't quit fall into the "useful" range.

Luckily my aunt came as well. She had helped to carry G all the way home.

Things got chaotic on Saturday. Everyone has their own agenda too. My aunt was busy collecting numbers to buy 4D. My mom was busy with cooking, packing and nagging. I was extremely tired.

G has a very strange schedule. She simply lives in US time. She sleeps alot in the day, and wakes up every hour or so at night. My new "customer" is really hard to please at times. On the 1st night, both Lo Sheng and myself were completely at wits! Her behaviour was completely unmanageable.

Well things are getting better now. Or more like, we adults have adapted to her schedule.

Little G has a little jaundice. When she was still in the hospital, she was reduced to only pampers and eye shades, under the UV light. Oh.. what a sight. Thank goodness she was on the borderline case, otherwise she may need to be hospitalised much longer.

We were lucky to have a really nice pediatrician. He had given very good advise, plus also has a calming effect. We'd returned on Wednesday to check on the jaundice level. Unfortunately G still has relatively high level. Will continue to monitor.

G on the other hand is attracting lots of presents and visitors! At such a little age, the attention is way off it's size! :D

1st Week with G

The 1st day came and went.

On the 2nd day, I almost lost my patience waiting for the doctor to come; waiting for his instructions to remove all the drips, and get off the bed! The nurses came in before dawn to clean me up. The feeling was really unnatural (and painful still), but well, thanks to the experience nurses in MAH, they had made the experience alot more bearable.

The doctor finally came! Not only had he ok-ed the removal, he had also instructed for soft food! Yipppe!! I was feeling extremely hungry by then!

The rest of the day was spent on feeding, eating (hungry all the time), and counting down to the next feed. As little G has had some jittery problem (according to the paediatrician, a little lack of calcium), he had ordered a formula milk top up after each feed (or lack of milk). Was beginning to wonder if I'd ever produce enough food for her! Another advise: don't listen too much to those mother's tales, it'll make you really nervous.

Btw, I hadn't select the paediatrician (left it to my gynae to recommend). But before I went, my boss highly recommended his primary school friend, who is also a key paediatrician in MAH -- Dr. Terence Tan. Coincidentally, my gynae had also appointed him! He is really good, giving very wise advise to us. (We are worried for G if she has also got the Thalassemia)

No visitors came on day 2, which is a blessing! I was still fainting in and out of drowsiness!

Visitors started to stream in from day 3 onwards. Almost the entire papa's department came! I don't even have a place to sit! haha...

On day 3, milk started to build up, causing extreme engorgement pain -- Another mother nature's flaw in the design. There's no way of "getting rid" of the pain except to wait for the next few days for it to go away.... shootz.... :(

On day 4, I'd woke up extremely early to bathe and wash the hair (before dawn). When we were all ready to go, G somehow knew that, and refused to end the last feed in the hospital. I had fed for 1.5 hours until I was forced by the nurse to unlatch her. Part of the checkout process needed the mom to ensure it is the correct baby you're bringing home -- especially the sex of the baby. Its so weird, the nurse will ask you "do you have a boy or girl?". And she'll then reveal her pampers to make sure it is so... strange... :)

To Be Continued.....

1st Day with G

Lo G was born on 28 Mar 2007. Being a 1st time parent, it did take awhile to adapt to the changes of the additional headcount.

Suddenly I'd found myself been surrounded by lots of friends! Friends that you see very often, friends that you don't see very often. Everyone appeared in your life once again! It is an extremely pleasant feeling, knowing that these friends of yours whom at some point in life, had shared funfilled moments with, sent their well wishes from all over the world (thanks to the creation of Internet).

To those whom I hadn't response in time, thank you!

I had G through the general anaesthetic operation. I wonder why would anyone chose GA? (But I'm sure for those who went through natural delivery, some part of them will be asking the vice versa). The recovery was painnnnful. I can hardly hold G until the 3rd day! I'm sure for all new mothers, holding your little one after 9 months of anticipatioin is the 1st ever thing you'll want to do! Well, for GA patients, you'll have to wait the additional 3 days!

Waiting nervously in the hospital on the D-1 day. Did all the additional needles, checks and last minute preparation. I must say the MAH is really quite a pleasant hospital. I'm not sure if the govenment structured hospital will make the expectant mother more nervous!

Woke up early at 5am on D day. The anticipation was killing. Did the "last bath" for the month (or so I thought). Put on the blue operating gown, waited patiently for the nurses to enter.

Was pushed into the operating theatre at 7.30am. And so it all began. 2 hours later, I was wheeled back to the room, and laid there for another 24 long hours. The drips and needles, all needless to say, became part of the 24 long hours experience.

Meanwhile, G's 1st time father had already had lots of fun in the nursery, measuring her size, weight and head circumference... something again a GA mother can't experience.... :(

All these serves as no deterent to the 1st time mother. The little one came in for its 1st "empty" feed. Though there were no food for her, the little one diligently acted her natural feeding instinct (the act of mother nature to bring subsequent food!).

The rest of the day came and go under the drug's influence.

To-Be-Continued...

Friends

I was reading all the emails circulating amongst my girlfriends the other day and something hit me...

We are all so caught up in our own lives now that we hardly have time for each other.

There was a time when we see each other nearly everyday. A time when we even felt that we were never going to be apart. There were even times when we prefer each other's company to our own families. What happen?

Life happens I guess...

Some of us grow out of our group. As we go through life, our priorities change. Our world expand. There were more to see, more to explore and more things to remember. And sometimes, we just forget to keep in touch...

Some of us become more successful in work than others. Others are happier in marriage than some. We moved away from each other to fulfill our own goals and dreams. As we take each step towards our future, we are actually taking a step further and further away from each other.

It's sad don't you think?

To meet up now...it's like an impossible task. There were 10 of us then...how many of us are there now?

Some might disagree and feel that we are still keeping in touch. Yes we are...with a close few who made the effort. We go through life and meet new people. We have new friends... we find new hobbies. Our childhood dreams and friends takes a back seat... they are no longer our "world".

We arrange to meet up... we have to check with our schedule. We have to "book" each other weeks before. And even then, we will sometimes cancel when the day gets nearer due to some things that cropped up at the last minute. I understand that. I was guilty of that too.

I'm not pointing fingers or blaming anybody. This is just a reflection. A reflection that is filled with abit of sadness.

Now that I have moved so far away. There are some regrets which I know I will just have to accept. I will never get to share the joy of seeing my dear friends' newborn babies. To be there the day after they have given birth to visit them at the hospital and share their happiness. Picking up the phone and asking my girlfriends out for coffee when I feel like will be just a memory. Everyone is so far away...

Thus I write this as a reminder to all... never take the time you have together for granted. Stay in touch and make the effort. We will never get to rewind the time. We might never find another friend that have ever seen us at our worse, accept us as we are 'cause we have grown up together.

Shit Happens

Question: "What's worse than a bad haircut?"

Answer: "A bad cut that was so bloody short, even the best stylist in the world could not salvage it!"

Yes, I went for a haircut last Friday. Wanted to have a trim and just keep it short and easy to maintain. Ended up with a coocoo hairstyle that ruined my entire weekend. Now I am so freaking depress to even look at myself in the mirror.

It couldn't be so bad right? Maybe I'm just over reacting right? Well... I'M NOT!

I don't even want to go into the details of how that stylist cut my hair... I'm still traumatized by the memory!!! To summarize, she did not use a scissors throughout...she used razors!!!

To give a brief description of how I look now: My hair is so short now...the fringe is not touching my eyebrow. The top corner where the hair parting starts, I have a whole bunch of hair standing up 90 degrees. The overall look is like I am wearing a helmet with feathers sticking out on the top. I look like a retarded moron. Get the picture?

This would have been funny if it didn't happened to me. Probably in the future when I look back I will laugh my head off. But for now, I have to live with this till all my hair grows back...which from the looks of it, could take me months! How am I going to face the world?!!

Guess I just have to wear my beanies throughout... lucky this is Australia and it's still winter. Imagine if I'm in Singapore, what can I do to cover it up? Wear a helmet? Oh wait, no need, already look like I'm wearing one...

33's toilet bowl - again

So I've been living with 1 working toilet bowl. And the other still doesn't work. It's a pain deciding to get another repair man or change the whole toilet bowl altogether. Knowing too little is frustrating!

What makes a good toilet bowl? Why does some flush stronger than others? I think toilet bowls salemen need to be taught at least these 2 questions before putting them on the stage!! They know SHIT! Literally.

All salemen says the same thing, HDB limits to X-litre tanks so you can't get very powerful ones.

Bullshit!

My cousin's HDB's STANDARD toilet bowl flushes better than my leaky toilet bowl (even before it was leaking!)

What about the pipes? The way it turns? Oh doesn't matter... ReallY??!!!

Anyway in the toilet bowls there are 2 parts. I have replaced 1 part and its still leaky. So I have a choice to replace the other part, or change the whole bowl.

Luck wasn't too bad on me. My distant uncle turns out to be a retired plumber, and willing to help look at the problem (THANK YOU!!!)

The part that was replaced, was FAULTY! It has a bubble at the bottom which seals the water, hence causing the leak!!!

Don't Trust PLUMBERS!!!!!!!!

The Policy

In the beginning was the Plan,

and then came the assumptions,

and the assumptions were without form,

and the plan was completely without substance;

and the darkness was upon the face of the employees, and they spoke amongst themselves, saying: "It is a crock of shit and it stinks!"

and the employees went unto their supervisors, saying, "It is a pail of dung and none may abide the odor thereof."

and the supervisors went unto their managers, saying, "It is a container of excrement and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it."

and the manager's went unto their division managers, saying, "It is a vassal of fertilizer and none may abide it's strength."

and the division manager's went unto their region managers, saying,

"It contains that which aids plant growth and it is very strong."

and the region managers went unto the general manager, saying,

"It promotes growth and it is very powerful."

and the general manager went unto the board, saying, "This plan will actively promote the growth and efficiency of this organization!"

and the board looked upon the plan and thought it was good, and the plan became POLICY!

where upon, this is how shit happens.