"Hello world!"

My baby girl was born on April 9th, 2010 at 3:17am. Here are some photos of her when she was only 10 minutes old =)

Does she look like her mommy?

The baby inside me...

Yes, I'm gonna be a mom soon. How soon? 1 week's time? 2 week's time or even longer depending on the little girl. You see, this hasn't been a smooth pregnancy for me right from the start. Somehow I've managed 9 months of it.

There were times I resented her for all the miseries she had caused me. My first trimester I couldn't swallow anything. Finally when into my 2nd trimester I could start to eat, I ended up vomitting everything. Even when in car or taxi I needed to standby a plastic bag. Middle of 2nd trimester, I had more problems arising. I couldn't drink or eat any diary products, not even soy. I was tested positive for gestation diabetics and therefore, till today I am not allowed to take in any drinks or food that has sugar content. 3rd trimester I am being ordered by my gynae to bed rest.

I started to have early contractions too and have been on extra medication to make sure this baby won't join the world too early. I was even admitted to hospital because of this. I was on drip and 2 painful injections to mature her lungs in case of early labour.

Thankfully, after all these ordeals, I have managed to survive for 36 weeks with her inside me. I do not know how to describe my feelings at this moment. I realise that I won't have many days left with her inside me, how I feel weird whenever she hiccups inside me or make a slight movement. I know that I'll miss having her inside me, but at the same time I'm looking forward to how she looks like and how her small body feels in my arms.

My little angel will be called Shena. It means "God's grace". Nice meaning right? Truth is, she is indeed god's grace. After 2 miscarriages, this tough pregnancy really makes me cherish her even more. It hasn't been an easy journey for both of us, especially to my husband. He has to endure my emotional trashhold and at the same time, taking care of both mommy and baby.

Well, let's have a glimpse of her chubby face first. It's not very clear but still can see her chubby face. Shena, say hi to the world of bloggers =)

3 Injections & 3 Stitches

It all started with Regan wanted to eat Mango. Clumsy me accidentally cut my right hand middle finger instead of the mango. The cut was so deep that I cut my middle finger's tendon? Eew...

Initially I thought it was just a very bad cut, but Shen insisted that I should see a doctor. And luckily we did. I had 2 injections for general anaesthetic to numb my middle finger in order to stitch up the wound. The last injection for tetanus. My finger had 3 stitches to close up the wound and I need to go back to the clinic to change dressing on Saturday. 2 weeks later again to remove the stitches. The doctor said I would need physiotherapy for my finger so that it would not be "rusty".

I'm now on antibiotics and painkiller to reduce the pain. Who would have thought that this would happen for just wanting to eat some mango?

Just Before My Trip...

I need to pack my luggage right? I'm going to Lombok for a spa retreat. I had been there last year March and am going back again. It's a nice 2-storey villa with private pool. The villa is situated on a mountain, overlooking the sea. I am thinking should I take a boat ride of 3 hours to Bali since it's nearby. Anyway, I'm packing my La Mer Whitening Mask to bring along to sooth my sunburn face. I'm not sure how much it cost now since this box I bought it last year. Retail price for a box containing 8 sheets of mask cost S$600. This isn't the first time I'm using this mask. Before I bought this box, I had bought a smaller box set of 2 sheets of mask at S$180. After using it, I find it over-rated by the reviews and regretted buying that bigger box. I mean, I'm paying so much and yet the so called wonder isn't that wonderful to me. Lucky me, this box I managed to get a heavy discount from my sister's friend.

Below are some photos of what I'd been cooking lately. The fish was my new creation. The sauce was a combination of dark vinegar, sugar, and so on.

I shall take a break from blogging till my return from the trip and will definitely post up photos of the nice villa. The last trip I didn't manage to take good photos for I forgotten to bring my camera? Zzz...

My New Year's Resolutions - 2009

It's that time of the year again. Time to renew, refresh, recommit, re-everything we can come the turn of the new year. Few will actually commit to making any real changes, and of those who do, even fewer will actually succeed.

For myself, I start thinking about my resolutions just today on another insomnia night.  My goals are simple. I want resolutions that will either make me happy or resolutions that are truly aspirational. I don't want to feel bad missing them and I can continue tossing them into the mix for years to come.

For Year 2009, I will work to:

• go out of my way to help others and not feeling disappointed if it's not being returned.
• reduce, reuse, recycle. It's the right thing to do.
• try new foods and come up with more new recipes for my cooking class (Which I need to planning new schedules for cooking class as well grrr... )
• take photos and sell stuff on Ebay. I have tons of junk I can get rid of.
• buy more stuff on Ebay. A cheaper way to spend than going to the malls.
• start exercising at least once a week.
• clear the food in my refridgerator before buying anything else.
  

 That's all for this year. Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Fickle Minded Me

Remember I mentioned about my new Crumpler camera bag which I bought yesterday? Well, I changed my mind on the one I bought. I managed to change for a bigger size one by paying additional $10. This one is called "5 Million Dollar Home". I wonder why they name these bags starting from the smallest camera bag "3 Million Dollar Home", "4 Million Dollar Home" and the one that I just changed to.

Comparing the the images in yesterday blog and today's, you can see that this is slightly bigger than the other one. Not much of a big difference, except more storage space both sides. This will allow me to have a slot for my extra lens, and the other for my camera cleaning kit.

Anyway, I haven't even started packing my stuff yet. I am feeling so lazy right now that I just feel like taking a lazy afternoon nap hehe... I will do so later tonight.Right now? Nap time!!!

Final Selection!

Yup, I have finally decided which are the ones that I will be bringing along with me to KL. I am referring to my cute dolls, pinkystreet. I'm bringing Yoshiko, Moe and Maki (From left to right according to the images below).

Trust me, it is not an easy job on deciding these cute little dolls the ones I want to bring with me. I ended up bringing 2 new ones, and the same one that I brought with me to Scotland. That is my favourite, and is the first pinkyst. that I own.

I will be bringing along extra 2 sets of clothings to mix and match. Refer to the image below as in what I mean by mix and match. Also the girls in their outfits haha... Aren't they adorable?

A New Toy...

... for me. MY VERY FIRST SLR DIGITAL CAMERA!!! I have always been wanting one (what other things have you not been wanting as well Phoebe??? tsk tsk...), just that I could never bring myself to buy one since it isn't cheap. It is not about being able to afford it or not, it is about the pinch of buying such an expensive toy. Devil side of Fairy says, "Oh, then what about your Chanel, Gucci or even LV bags which are far more expensive than your camera? LAME!!!" OH SHUT UP!!!

Before heading down to Suntec City where the COMEX is held at, I did my research on which are the better models. I narrowed down to 2: Nikon D60 and Sony A200. Price wise Sony is $100 cheaper than Nikon, but both are within my budget.

My first stop was at Sony. I tested out the camera and I loved the zoom, 15mm - 70mm. And fuction wise, it is pretty user friendly. The cons will be that after all it is not known as a camera maker brand and that the lens are just normal lens unless you buy the Carl Zeiss series which the cheapest will cost you $1100? Zzz... And also the grip that is kind of tough for my small little fingers to grip on. After a few shots, my fingers were aching.

Headed to Nikon's booth next and the minute I was there, I was like "Can I take a look at the model D60?". The images was obviously clearer and nicer colors and the lens itself definitely a much better lens than Sony. Also, it was pretty easy for me to grip on for my small hands. But the cons are: $100 more than Sony, zoom is only 15mm - 55mm and less user friendly.

After going back and forth both booths for two times, I ended up walking home with a Nikon D60 which cost me S$988. Tomorrow I will bring it along and try to take some pictures with it since I will be meeting my friends for dinner. . Below are some pictures I took of my camera and the freebies. Nice huh =p

 

 

A Last Minute Decision

2 days ago, I had decided to go for a short trip. Not knowing that my niece's term break starts the following week, hence the last minute decision. By the way, I am a part-time nanny to my niece since currently I am not working. That is why my travel plan is very much revolved around her school holidays.

Places like Hokkaido, Taiwan, Hongkong and even Canada were in my list. Canada was because my buddy is a Canadian and I have been wanting to visit him. However, he did not reply to my email as of today, so strike out!

Realising that my mom's birthday is on September 7th, I decided to sacrifice my holiday plans and ended up choosing a cheaper destination. Why? For I am paying for my parents and niece. Yes, fully paid for by me! It will consider as a birthday present from me to my mom. I cannot afford to bring them to Greece (That's where I wanted to go and had planned) for each person will cost about S$4500. Multiply that amount by 4? Zzz... Plus, it is so last minute that many of the tours are fully booked by now (Peak season due to school holidays). Most importantly, not forgetting I have no income for more than a year already. Figures in my bank account are getting lesser and lesser. Sob...

In the end, I decided to bring them to Kuala Lumpur for a dining and shopping trip. I had been to KL a few times so it is kind of easy for me to move around the city, knowing where to bring them. I suggested Bangkok but parents rejected that idea saying there are strikes going on and it is not safe to travel there now. We will travel by the most luxury coach ride, and accommodation will be at the Oriental Mandarin Hotel (Mind you it's a 5-stars hotel) which is located right next to KLCC. Let's just say, it adds up not that cheap anymore for travelling in luxury haha...

So friends, September 2nd - 5th I won't be in Singapore. When back, I will definitely update everything about the trip. Not forgetting photos of my cute pinkystreet. Yes, I am bringing them along for a photoshoot! Singapore Next Top Model? =D

Forget about the people in your past. They didn't make it to your future for a reason.

Friends and lovers come and go in our lives. Like vagabonds, some keep moving on from one place to another, whereas others will eventually find a place and settle down forever.

I am not one who has many friends. Ok, let me rephrase it. In my life, I have many friends but only 2 I can truly consider as my friend. The rest? Like the weather; rainy days they'll remember me and sunny days? Poof!~

Recently, a friend of mine misunderstood about me and we ended up not talking anymore. I've known her since end 2007. I naively thought that she would understand my personalities and what kind of person I am. I guess I was wrong about it. Due to something I had said to a third party, she thought the wrong way of me. Initially I was affected by the whole incident. Such incident wasn't new to me. Similar cases as in friends misunderstood me had happened many times.

After a few days, I told myself that I should not let such a trivial matter affects my emotions. In life, there are bigger challenges ahead waiting for me to confront them. I realised that these are the people I should not consider as my friends for true friends will not give you bad attitude forever. True friends will sit down, think over the situation and confront it maturedly. After the confrontation, moves on and the friendship will be stronger than before for it has passed another trial. After thinking it this way, I felt much better and moved on my life without this girl in my life. I can't say that I am a fantastic person or the perfect friend. But at least I know that when I decided to befriend someone, I'll give in 100% of myself to that friend.

"Nothing is predestined: The obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings." - Ralph Blum

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

Ever wonder why your life is such and that things don't seem to work out as you had planned? Some of us would think that going for a holiday, taking a break or doing something will help us to find ourselves. We thought that by doing so we will know who we are or what we are. We are too caught up by that idea that we try so hard to chase after that someone whom we think we are.

For this very reason, I have lost myself many years ago. I have forgotten who I am and I don't even know myself anymore. Everyday, I'm trying to find a reason for my existence. Everyday, I'm trying to find myself. I was wrong. I only ended up falling deeper and deeper in the dark abyss, lost.

It is all about how you mould yourself. It is all about creating yourself. Everyday I simply just chasing after clouds that I could never grasp in my hands. I want to create a different me. How do I go about doing it? I don't know. I only know that I can't do this alone. I need to seek God for help. He will guide me and give me the strength and perseverance in doing so. Amen!~

Greece, Italy, Japan or Spain???

I'm so freaking bored!!! Yeap, still jobless after a year and I still don't intend to find one yet. I'm still slacking at home doing nothing except going online and being part-time nanny to my niece. HOW DULL CAN MY LIFE BE??? *Fairy on the verge of going cranky again... oopsie!~

This year hasn't been doing much travelling. I'd only been to Lombok, Indonesia early this year for few days at a private spa villa. Right now, I'm planning where shall my next destination be. The thing is, being a slacker for a year & still spend like there is no tomorrow has been rather damaging to my financial status. Going to these countries will gonna cost me a bomb. Should I choose a cheaper destination or just follow my heart?
I wanna go to Greece badly, mainly because of this island called Santorini. It is absolutely beautiful!!! I first saw this island from a movie and instantly fell in love with it. I told myself that I must definitely visit Santorini in my living years.

As for Italy and Spain, more for the historical architectures and not forgetting, SHOPPING!!! *Phoebe getting all excited over the word "shopping" Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo, Zara, Mango, & the list goes on... Not only the travel expenses will cost me a bomb, the shopping is definitely gonna be a killer too to my bank account. Oh man! If only I have 1/10 of Bill Gate's wealth hahaha...

Japan will be mainly to visit my brother who is residing in Tokyo.  Due to his business, he lives in both Japan and Singapore. I'm so jealous at him, being able to to something that he likes as his career. I'm not very keen in Tokyo though, cos it's just another city. Too cosmopolitan. I would prefer to visit places like Hokkaido and Kyushu.

Maybe I should just simply toss a coin and decide on it... Wanting to go on a holiday can be such a dilemma as well. Oh bother!~

The Chef In Action

Lately I've been cooking quite a lot at home. I love eating, & definitely love to cook as well.

Back when I was much younger, it had always been a disaster if I stepped into the kitchen. Food served by me was awefully disgusting! Trust me, you wouldn't want to be one of my guinea pigs >.<

My family would always complain about me cooking and them having to digest on my failed experiment. But hey! Now I can cook! Who would have thought that the gal who used to fail badly in cooking, now has become such a terrific cook? *tsk tsk... humble Fairy!!! =p

I don't really follow recipes or cook books. Those are just for my reference to give me ideas to create my own recipes. I enjoy creating something new, something different. Or at least try to cook something similar to what I'd eaten at a restaurant. With my new talent, I end up throwing dinners and parties pretty often. Friends would bug me to invite them over for a meal.

Been receiving emails from strangers enquiring about my cooking class. Talk about cooking lesson, I haven't been getting to sit down and plan out a schedule on what to teach or when to conduct the lessons. I'm so lazy and have been procrastinating for months. Afterall, this isn't my dream. My dream is to have my very own cafe or restuarant. Somehow, I dare not  take that big step. I know I can cook well, but am not confident enough to be a real big chef yet. I mean, afterall, I have never been to any cooking academy or any sort to have a proper training. I just happened to be so called "enlighten" and can cook out of the blue many years back then. Ask me why? I can't explain it either.

For the time being, I'm just happy cooking for my family and friends and happy to see their smiling face munching on whatever I served on the table. So just let me slack more and decide what to do next...