Baby Gloria's debut -- delayed post

OK, I had the whole chronology of event that I wanted to post. Blow by blow account of the labour process. Hehehe, but then the job of a new mummy took most of my time, and my hubby beat me to it here.

Well, it was no Hallmark moment... No huffing and puffing with my hubby holding my hand encouraging me to push. In fact, even the c-section was not how a normal c-section would have been.

Long story short, I was knocked out cold (literally as the Operation Theater is one giant freezer) and I didn't get to hold our daughter till the morning after. Even then, I was so groggy and numb below my waist, I couldn't hold her. My ObGyn placed her beside me on my bed and my first contact with my first born was her snuggling close to me for warmth.

I fell in love again.

The wait is over (?)

My Ob/Gyn called this morning.

Didn't hear my phone ringing.

He called my hubby's phone.... he didn't hear it either.

Ob/Gyn must have been panicky (hehehe)

Finally heard the call, answered it.

"Can you come in for a check up today?" Asked my Ob/Gyn

"Sure, what time would you like to see me?" I replied.

"How about now?"

"OK"

"OK be prepared k"

"Er... OK (?)"

** Click **

"Hubby, doc wants to see me now and he wants me to be prepared" I told Hubby.

"Be prepared?"

"Yeah that's what he said"

Hubby shrugs... "OK then... "He then looks at my bulging tummy and said "Baby, looks like the doc's gonna get you out soon."

Were we feeling anxious? Not really.

Did we panic? Not at all.

On the way to the clinic, we were even discussing what to eat for breakfast! Once at the clinic we were ushered into the office. (Bypassing some other moomies who were waiting in the lounge... hehehe felt like a VIP then)

"So today, we'll do an internal examination, then a scan and then we'll monitor the fetal heartbeat for a while." explained the good doc.

"OK" we said.

Upon examination I was already 4-5 cm dilated!

"I think you'll be going into labour today!" exclaimed the doc.

"There are two options, one, go in today at about 3pm and we'll put you on the drips. If all goes well I believe you'll be carrying your baby by tonight. Option two, wait for the spontaneous contractions and then check into the hospital."

Hmmm.... door no. 1 we'll take our leisure time, pack our stuff, relax a little and then check in. Door no. 2, wait till I get my contractions about 10 minutes apart and panic and rush into the hospital Hollywood style (hehehe yeah a bit of exageration there).

"Let's do the leisure one" said Hubby.

I concured.

So here goes, in another 2 hours, we'll be checking in... and hopefully by tonight, we'll hear the first wail of our first born ;)

Wish us luck.

The wait continues...

At work yesterday on MSN Messenger:
SIL *	:	Any signs yet?
Me	:	Nope :(
SIL	:	Aiyoh she getting too comfy in there.
At dinner last night:
MIL **	:	Any signs yet?
Me	:	Nope.
MIL	:	Aunty Irene called today to ask if you've delivered.
Me	:	Oh..
This morning:
Mum	:	Any signs yet?
Me	:	Nope.
Mum	:	Your sis asks if your feet have swollen for the 3rd time.
Me	:	Erm.. yesterday it got swollen again. So I guess yeah..
Sis in background saying 'Yay!'

And yet... she's still happily kicking away inside my womb... why do I get a feeling she's mocking us? :P Hehehe well at least I'm not the only one who's anxious.

* SIL - Sister in Law
** MIL - Mother in Law

Our Deepest Fear...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we
are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most
frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing
small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so
that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as
children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light
shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are
liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. -- Marianne Williamson

The waiting game

We're now 38 weeks into the pregnancy. My tummy has grown to the size of a basketball... it's so big that when I walk down the stairs, and I look down, all I see is a big round tummy! The only time I can see my own swollen feet is when I put them up when I sit or when I sleep.

Looking back, this journey has been insightfull. This baby that I now carry was very much like a gift for us to overcome an initial grief. Though precious to both of us, we decided early on not to be overly protective. Lo and behold, I even travelled to Jakarta numerous times within this pregnancy!

We tried to maintain a normal lifestyle, with me doing normal things without over exerting my body. I kept remembering how my beloved grandma would advice me last time 'Keep active during your pregnancy, and your labour will be short and easy'. I only wished she was still with us and to be able to see her great grand daughter... but I'm sure she's watching us from up above.

Now as the days to baby's debut draw near... I am getting more and more anxious to greet her. I even hoped that she would make an early appearance and surprise us during this long holiday break. At the last check up with the gynae on Sunday, he was happy at the progress and baby's head was already locked low. He too hoped that she will make an early debut for she now weighs in at an estimated 3.25kg! Whoa! Rough calculations would put her nearly at 4kg if she's delivered at 40 weeks!

So since the checkup, we've been making daily walks at the park, walking at the mall, walking up and down the stairs.... hoping that it'll somehow kick start the labour process. Unfortunately, she's still comfortably snuggled within my womb. Every night before I sleep I tell her not to get too comfortable in there.... hehehe

This waiting game is really getting to me ... I'm even reading up HypnoBirthing ! To keep my mind occupied, I've packed, unpacked and repacked my bag for when I go into labour. I've also packed some stuff for baby for when we get discharged from the hospital. In addition, the guest room is prepared for my mom for when she accompanies me during my house arrest confinement period. Baby's cot is also ready.... I'm running out of things to do! I must keep myself occupied before the waiting drives me mad :P

Any suggestions?

32 weeks

How your baby's growing: By now, your baby probably weighs almost 4 pounds and is almost 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. She has tiny toenails now, and her fingernails have grown in, too. Some babies have a head of hair already; others have only peach fuzz.

My sister measured around my waist (or what used to be the location of my waist) and all I can say is that it's amazing how much human skin can stretch! -- If you're expecting me to put the number in inches.... dream on :P --

We went to the gynae's last week and he's happy with baby's progress. She's already turned down and facing my spine. According to the doc, that's a very good position. Apparently it is said that in that position, labour will be quicker and should be less painful. (I can only hope that is true and baby decides to stay that way for the next 8 weeks or so)

While doc was scanning my tum, I told him that she's really active and strong. At that very moment, she wanted to prove to the doc too... so she kicked the doc's probe. And boy was it a hard kick. Doc was SURPRISED... he had that doe caught in the headlight look for a while hehee.

I attribute her kicking habit to me watching football matches during the world cup and also EPL matches with hubby. Oh my, will she be a tomboy? *Note to self: Best not let hubby dress her up in MU jersey so early*

One day at the gynae's...

Last Saturday, we went for a scheduled check up at the gynae's. Instead of going at about 8pm like we usually do, we opted to go early at 9am. As we walked in, I found it odd, that in the waiting lounge, was only 2 guys.

Took a step back out and looked at the sign board... yup.... this is the right place. It's a 'Klinik Pakar Puan' alright.

Walked back in, handed my appointment card to the nurse. "Urine and weight" she said.. so ok, obidiently I took the cup and waddled to the ladies.

As I approached, I saw a lady bent over the WC offloading breakfast (or maybe yesterday's dinner). Oh, so one of the guys out there must be her husband, I thought.

So after filling the cup, I waddled back to the front. I was then weighed (oh man that was so depressing)... I saw the same lady again being soothed by her husband.

The other lone guy looked kind of lost amidst the 2 couples (including us) at the waiting lounge. I thought that maybe his wife was in with the doc and he decided to wait outside....

But then, the door to the doctor's room opened and out came another couple... Aiks...

Then... we saw the doc come over to the nurse counter and motioned for the lone guy to go over. After a few minutes of hushed conversation, the lone guy left.

"That's odd" I said to hubby.

Soon it was our turn to go in to see the doc. After all the check and scan, my doc suddenly said... "There are some really funny people out there"

Hubby and I looked at each other.

"There was a guy who came in just now," continued the doctor " came for a check up on behalf of his wife!"

"Huh?" we replied

"Yeah, his wife was busy, but had an appointment today, so just sent the husband instead. Amazing... I wonder how she thought I was gonna scan her husband to check on her baby"

Hubby and I couldn't stop laughing.

30 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long
now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid
surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and fills out
your uterus. Her eyes open and close, she's able to distinguish between light
and dark, and she can even follow a light source back and forth. Once she's
born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open
them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only
20/400 — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.
("Normal" vision in adults is 20/20.)

I can feel baby move a lot during the course of the day (and sometimes in the night too). However, whenever anyone else tries to feel for her movements, she keeps still (what a tease she's turning out to be).

Hubby and I are getting more excited as the pregnancy is near it's final lap. I however, am feeling less agile and I get tired easier too. I now have

• Swollen nose
• Swollen feet
• Stretch marks (arrgh!!)
• Back aches
• Pelvic joint aches (especially when I walk)

My visit to the Ob-Gyn will now be once every 2 weeks. We just went for one yesterday and this is what we saw...

When it rains, it pours!

When we thought the whole car fiasco was over.....

our ole faithful (highly doubting that term now actually) decides to present us with a 'clutch' issue. We've to send it in to the workshop again on Saturday.


I think our car has fallen in love with the mechanic

Double Trouble

1p.m.

It all started during lunch. Hubby and I met up for lunch as usual and we went to the usual area. I had an appointment lined up at about 2p.m. with my CEO and so we hurried through lunch so that I can get back in time.

It was a REALLY HOT afternoon, and the prospect of getting back into the aircond environment of the car was inviting. Quickly hubby flicked the key into ignition...


Kkkkrnnnkk! ..... said the car..... and the alarm went off.

Oh no... Hubby tried again...

KKKRRRRnnnkk! .... exclaimed the car again... and again the alarm went off.

These were somewhat indicative that the battery was exhausted. Thankfully there were a few car spare parts shop and a mechanic shop around. So we decided to just get a battery. 20 minutes later, a young chap helped us install the new battery.

Time check, 1.50p.m... Hurrah... I can make it back to office in time.

Hubby tried to start the engine again....

KKKRRRRNnkkkkkk .... EEEEEEEeeeee! complained the car!

What? How could it do this to us now!?!

The young mechanic chap checked and it was our air cond bearing that was jammed. The workaround for us to get out of the predicament would be to remove the belt, so that the car can start, but we won't have the aircond.

Time check, 2p.m... OK! We'll take that workaround.

Made it back to office by 2.15p.m. .... CEO was occupied and so I wasn't late after all.

8p.m.

We decided to drop by our neighbourhood mechanic on the way back to check out the damage on the aircond (a very very nice chap indeed). He initially forewarned hubby that the aircond would give way in the near future.... and true enough it did. He asked us to leave the car for a day tomorrow and he'll get it done.

The plan was to get my Father In Law's car, and use it for the next day while our car was in the workshop. So we went to my in law's for dinner, and I drove my FIL's car back.

Upon reaching the workshop, I heard a hissing noise. A quick glance at the temperature gauge.... 'H' . Oh this was SO NOT GOOD!

I told hubby and he told the mechanic, and they checked under the hood. The fan was not working! Oh well, they had a good laugh (at the coincidence) and thought, no biggie, we'll just change the fan and that's that.

1 hour later, fan fixed, let's check it out....... hang on! What's that? Water dripping from one of the hose. Check check....

Water pump leaking.... this car will not be going anywhere tonight!

Lesser of two evils

So it ended up, leaving my FIL's car for repair, we drove off with our aircondless car. We'll do the swap the next day when my FIL's car is repaired.

What a day!

28 weeks

How your baby's growing: By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds
and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can
open her eyes — which now sport lashes — and she'll turn her head toward a
continuous, bright light from the outside. Her fat layers are beginning to form,
too, as she gets ready for life outside the womb.

As we're reaching the homestretch of the pregnancy, we're beginning to gear up on the preparation. Thus far we've gotten:

1. A beginner feeding bottle set
2. 1 set of clothings for baby ( to bring her home in.... Hubby decided to go gender neutral colors -- even though doc has shown us again that he's pretty sure that it's a girl. So we bought a FULL set in yellow with duck motif :P )
3. Sanitary stuff for me to be packed into my labour bag.
4. Bedding for baby's cot... (Yes, I got Winnie the Pooh!!)
5. Some toys for baby ... (hehehe.. we just couldn't resist it)

There'll be other stuff to get but we're trying to pace ourselves.

In the mean time, baby has been actively kicking and moving. Sometimes I feel she's using my bladder as a punching bag, making me visit the WC more often.

We're feeling excited... anxious... oh the plethora of emotions .... but yet... we still have yet to think of a name :P

Huff and Puff

We've always walked by the Beard Papa stall at Mid Valley without giving it a second look. I fell out with blogging and blogs for quite some time and I didn't know anything about the craze it caused.

It was until one fine day when my sister mentioned that the cream puffs there were absolutely YUMZ and I bought half a dozen to try. It was love at first bite! Hubby loved them too...

Then Hubby started looking at the puffs and said "Darling, this looks simple. Why don't you try to make some yourself?"

*shock*

*silence*

Me? Make that? After you've tasted one of the world's best cream puff?

*more silence*

"OK, I'll try" I replied... Oh I was so going to regret this....

Anyhow, I scoured the net to look for a recipe for the choux puff and the cream. Unfortunately I was tied up with work and had to fly off to the land of constant haze (aka Jakarta) for work. I finally managed to gather up the mood and inspiration to take on the challenge 2 weeks after (which was a good thing coz I think by then, the absolutely delish taste of Beard Papa's puffs would have been somewhat vague)

One fine Saturday, I decided to spend some time in my much neglected kitchen. I jot down the ingredients I needed and popped over to the nearby hypermarket to get them (Hubby was fast asleep coz he too just came back from a business trip).

The choux puff recipe was fairly easy to follow. After scooping out the batter onto the trays and popping those babies into the oven, I started on the filling. Instead of custard cream, I cheated and made whipped cream with vanilla essence instead. The whipped cream was then placed into the fridge as I patiently waited for the puffs to be done.

After cooling the puffs, I made a make shift piping bag, and piped in the whipped cream. The puffs I made were bite size and looked really cute.

Now.... the moment of truth....

I took a plate of those cute cream puffs to hubby...... he looked at them and said "Aiks, why so small one?"

*dup dup dup.... went my heart....*

He took one and popped it into his mouth....

"Well?" I asked "Very nice", answered a very smart husband who knows how to praise the cook if he wants to have more home cooked meals :P

Was it really nice? .... here .... judge for yourself... help yourself to some cream puffs and tea..

Shiver me timbers!

I'm a fan of Johnny "Dreamy Eyes" Depp. Not a crazy fan though... I don't go out collecting every movie he's acted in... but generally I just like to look at him... I like the roles he takes on... they are not ... conventional.

I absolutely LURVED him as Capt Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean : The curse of the Black Pearl. When I heard that POC: Dead Man's Chest was coming out... I told DH that I HAD to watch it. Deep inside, I knew that the sequel will never surpass the first movie... but what the heck.. it's Johnny Depp!

Alas, when POC:DMC premiered here... I was stuck in Jakarta. EVERY DAY, when I turn on the television, the trailer would tease me.... the clips of the Red Carpet event of Pirates of the Caribbean would tease me.... E! TV kept running features of Johnny Depp... ARGH!... I have to go.

So finally yesterday, we decided to meet up Lens and go watch the movie. We got 6 rows from the front of the screen, even though Lens tried to butter up the guy over at the ticket counter. I guess the guy over the ticket counter just didn't take to Lens' charms :P

After getting our drinks and chips and popcorns, we made a beeline to the cinema. Oh well, 6 rows from the front ain't all that bad... And lo and behold... a cute chick actually is seated next to Lens... must be his lucky night. That was till....................

At a scene that was meant to probably just make you jump in your seat a little, we heard a blood curdling scream (ok lar a bit exagerated... but a horrific scream is a horrific scream). I turned to the direction of the scream and there I saw Lens, with the 'oh-my-god' look. At that time it didn't register to me that it was the cute chick sitting next to him that turned into Banshee.

As the movie progressed, every time Davey Jones, the Kraken and the scene of Elizabeth's dress swaying over the deck (hehe ok lar this one she didn't scream lar), cute chick would turn into Banshee.... hahahah She was clearly enjoying the movie A LOT.

Lens, DH and I had a good laugh about it after the movie. Everyone of us in the theatre enjoyed the 5.1 surround sound effecct, but Lens had 5.2 ... Banshee sat next to him... what an experience to remember.

p.s (who screams in a Disney movie anyway? ) :P

Nesting Instinct or just a Compulsive Behavior

I always have an urge once in a while to just reorganize my cupboard, drawer or furniture. I have had these urges since I was in secondary school.

I may come home one day and just have the urge to alphabetize my textbooks, or rearrange the pens in my pencil case (hmm... pen in pencil case... that sounded odd). I thought it was normal, you know... probably genes from my mum kicking in once in a while.

However I can't explain this major urge I've had for the past two weeks. I was again away for work in Indonesia, but had major pangs to clean my home! I even drew up a plan on what I would do.

First, I would sort out my cupboard and remove all the clothes that I do not want anymore .. (also coz I ran out of cupboard space....really, just one side of a two door wardrobe is NEVER enough for a girl).

Second, I want to file up all the bills that are lying around the house and reorganize all the files in the study room.

Third, I want to reorganize all the drawers in the house. Each of them must have a specific genre of item, instead of the plethora of items that they hold now.

Fourth, I even had the urge to reorganize some furniture... but that's a big no-no now.. so I just have to surpress this one.

Of course within these there would be the general wiping, sweeping and mopping.

I even dreamt of it!

Is this normal? Is this Nesting Instinct, or am I just weird that way?

Once upon a time ....

there was a couple, Jack and Jill*. Jill is 5 months pregnant with their first child. Now Jack's career requires him to travel around the region a bit. So it was that Tuesday morning, he had to take a trip to Thailand.

Jill helped Jack iron his shirts and pack his bag the night before, and they retired a little late in the night. Jack's taxi was due to arrive at 5 am Tuesday morning. Afraid of oversleeping, Jack set the alarm clock to 4 am.

When the alarm clock went off, Jill woke up too, as she was a light sleeper. Sleepy eyed, she stayed up to kiss Jack and wish him good luck for his trip. Once Jack was out of the door and into the taxi, Jill climbed back to bed and fell asleep.

Jill was rudely awaken at 5.50 am by her mobile phone. Thinking that it was just Jack telling her that he has reached the terminal safely, she lazily reached out for the phone.

"Hello, Jill?" said the voice on the other end.
"Yes?" sleepily said Jill.
"It's Jack.. I need you to do something for me. I left my passport at home!"

Jill's eyelids immediately peeled back. Jack's flight is scheduled at 8 am. She'll have to hurry to make it in time to the airport.

"OK, I'll go immediately" promised Jill.

In haste she showered and dressed. Grabbed Jack's passport, ran down the stairs, fed the dog, and drove off towards the airport.

10 minutes into her journey, she heard an odd knocking sound from outside of her car.
"Oh no, please don't let anything be wrong with the car... not now... please" silently Jill prayed.

Jill turned on the indicator lights and came to a stop at the layby. Upon inspecting the car, Jill found that the right front indicator lamp had come loose and was hanging out. Causing it to knock against the chasis of the car. Quickly she shoved the light back in and continued her journey.

She called Jack to inform him of the light.

"It's ok.. take your time... no need to hurry. Drive safely honey." said Jack calmly.

Multiple calls and multiple km/h above the speed limit later, Jill arrived at the terminal. Jack was there waiting and thankfully took the passport from Jill.

With a sigh of relief, Jill made her way back to civilization (as the airport was really so far away, one wonders if there was ever civilization there). Jill thought she may as well report for work early that day. But wait!

Oh no!

In her haste to bring Jack his passport, she left her laptop at home!

Jill had to drive all the way home (which by the way was the opposite direction to her office), to get her laptop before going to work.

What a way to begin the day!.... And the light had to pop out again midway through the journey.

-This is based on a true story.
*Names have been changed to protect the anonimity of the characters.

It moves!

Reaching the halfway mark of our pregnancy, we often get questioned ... "Have you felt baby move yet?"

Well... I never was sure of my answer. How does it feel like? Is it like the minor cramp I feel off and on? Does it feel like the bubbly stomach acid in my stomach when I'm hungry? Or am I just focusing too much and imagining that I felt baby move.

I got so excited, that everytime I thought could be the indication of movement of baby, I would tell dear hubby "I think baby moved"... "THINK" being the operative word.

Well... all the doubt ended at the early mornings of 27th June 2006.

Sleep didn't come easy that night. I was feeling warm one moment, cold another. I was fleeting in and out of dreamland.

I turned to see the alarm clock and noted that the time was 4 a.m. Another 5 more hours and a gruelling day in the office begins.

Just as I was about to turn to my left side, I felt a nudge, slightly to the left of my belly button.

Hello....

Was I dreaming?

Then I felt it again... more distinct this time. I placed my palm over the spot... and again I felt the nudge... even on my palm!

There was no doubt about it! The big worm inside me moved!!

I was so excited, I sat up and woke dear hubby from slumber. Poor guy didn't know what hit him hehehe...

He gave a sleepy smile and placed his palm on my stomach.... then fell asleep again. Baby wasn't one for an encore performance... and must have fell asleep soon after.

Since that day, I've been experiencing the little squirms and nudges throughout the day.

Unfortunately though, every time dear hubby puts his hand on my belly, baby just stays still. :D maybe it's the calming vibe from daddy's hand hahaha...

It's good to be back.

These 5 words can hardly begin to explain how I feel. Been back a week and it has never felt better.

Things that I would never take for granted ever again

1. Spending time with the family
2. Spending time with close friends
3. Myriad of food to choose from for breakfast / lunch / dinner
4. The comfort of your own bed
5. WIDE roads
6. Myriad of languages heard throughout the day

The list can go on and on...

It's just good to be back...

Cumi!

Means 'squid' in Indonesian... Interestingly, it's also used when one wants to swear.... Oh Sh*t! would then become Oh Cumi! Or perhaps, F**k you! would then become Cumi you!

Ah, the things we learn in a foreign country...

Extra protein? Thanks but no thanks!

Eating at Jakarta is a challenge.

Where we live, it's either the hotel restaurant, the western food restaurant next door, or a very dodgy looking Indonesian food restaurant across the street. So, you can imagine what a mind boggling task it is every night to think of what to eat for dinner.

But that's not the reason for this post.

At the location where we work, we have 2 main coices of location for lunch. It's either the place at the driving range where they serve chicken and rice OR Japos, which serves mainly Mee Bakso. After 2 weeks, my appetite during lunch is waning. It doesn't help that there are no shops around to grab a bun or something else.

So anyway, last Friday, we decided to go for a quick lunch at the chicken place. This time, I decided to order something other than my usual of Ayam Cabe Ijo (Chicken with green chilli sauce..... trust me it's anything BUT spicy). I ordered, Ayam Bakar (Roasted chicken with some kind of spice sauce). Since I didn't have breakfast that morning, I was really keen on tucking in to my meal.

I took a spoonfull of rice, and began the process of pulling the meat off the chicken... then i noticed something in the sauce... about half the size of my thumb. My heart skipped a beat.

I flipped the unknown object over..... and involuntarily released a loud gasp. It was a cockroach!!!

Full roach with wings and all !!! .... *grossed out*

We called the waiter and she took my plate away pronto. They assured me they will give me a new plate.. but at that point I lost my appetite. I just paid for my drink and left. My two colleagues however, stayed on to finish their meal.

I had to rush up something and attend a meeting later that day.... and didn't reach the hotel till 8pm local time. By then I think my gastric juices already ate quite a fair bit of my stomach lining hahahah....

I'm SO thrown off food here now..... :(

Ganbate!

Touched down at Soekarno-Hatta airport at 5 pm local time. Automatically my countdown begins. 20 more days.

Yup, I'll be in Jakarta (not Jogjakarta... but more on that later) for work reasons for 20 days. Do not intend to do a lot of sightseeing, but I would probably be able to tell you the hues of the carpet, wall paper and the furnishing of the Hotel and the Client's office.

Anyhow, this post is NOT dedicated to the ramblings I have about being away from my Hubby and family. It's about the group of men and women I saw as I walked into the Soekarno terminal.

Right in front of me, like a never-ending train of green....soldiers. At closer look, it's no doubt that they're from Japan. Quick, Run for cover! We're being attacked! No wait, hang on... Japan last invaded this side of the world nearly 60 years ago.

Hehehe... actually, they are the medical relief and rescue team that were en-route to quake strikken Jogjakarta. Dressed in their uniform, with the red cross armband...they looked determined. Suddenly I felt that my lamenting about working in Jakarta for 20 days, pale in comparison with the purpose they have here.

These men and women, volunteered to leave their country, their family and friends, to help the quake victims in Jogjakarta. They bring hope to people whose hopes were probably shattered together with the buildings they once called home.

And so to these noble men and women..... Ganbate! All the best and keep up the good work.

I'm back!

Been a while since I upchucked my thoughts into my blog. Had a bit of a roller coaster ride earlier in the year, but things have now settled down. I'm ready to blog again.

New things to report...
1. New job
2. Baby on the way :)

Took up a new job, the scope is very much different from what I've been used to. A lot of deliberation and hesitation spent before making the decision, and now, I'm just doing the best I can out of it. As they say, never try, never know.

I'm less online at work now. Coz a. Have lots of things to catch up at work, and b. The internet line there has mood swings that rival a pregnant woman... (trust me, I for one should know). But thank goodness Streamyx is now available in our humble abode. (Hallelujiah!)

Miss chatting with my YM kakis though. Had withdrawal symptoms of it during the first week at work. Everyone in the office was so quiet, and my fingers were just itching to gossip or bitch about something hahaha. Now I guess I'll try to catch the 'Senandung Malam' chats .... though I think that train seldom leaves the station lately (Babe, must send me the schedule ar...)

At the home front, hubby and I are happily anticipating the arrival of the newest addition to the family. With the first trimester out of the way, I no longer serenade to the toilet bowl as often, and the sight of fish doesn't really invoke involuntary rejection of yesterday's dinner anymore. I'm less tired, less sleepy but boy have I bloated!

I had to get maternity wear already and it's a major ouch factor on the purse! Each freaking item costs a minimum of RM100. Don't be surprised if you see me wearing the same slacks 3 times in a week! And now, my hubby thinks "Oh, in this, you don't look pregnant, but you just look fat" is a compliment... *rolls eyes* The only consolation I get now is that there's still a hint of waist in my new rolly polly condition. hahhaa

That leads to speculations of the gender of the baby. My family seems to think that it'll be a boy. Some friends however are speculating that it could be a girl. I don't care what gender the baby is actually, I just pray that he/she will be healthy and strong. Hubby wants to know though... coz he just wanna focus on thinking of 1 name instead of 1 for each gender :p . We'll all just have to wait till my next visit to the ob-gyn.

In another life

If my loving you
Could change the river's flow
I would not let you drift away from me
I'd never let you go

I want to be by your side
But the water's too deep and wide

In another life
In another place
I'd have held you close
I'd have known your grace

In another world
In another time
You'd be mine
You'd be mine

If I touch you now
I'd only lose my mind
Ooh, what a cruel, wicked thing
Living one life at a time

I don't know where or when
But we'll pass this way again

In another life
In another place
I'd have held you close
I'd have known your grace

In another world
In another time
You'd be mine
You'd be mine

Farewell

I lost someone dear.
Someone I grew to love, but no longer here.

I know not when he said his goodbye,
I know not why.

I never saw his face,
we never embraced.

I know not even him or her
but I know I will love him forever.