Friday, September 28, 2007

Hanging with Uncle Chin Lai


Hanging with Uncle Chin Lai, originally uploaded by Ashkarya.


Another one of her preferred spots; talk about VIP parking...and they match too!


Penny For Your Thoughts?


Penny For Your Thoughts?, originally uploaded by Ashkarya.


Just what is she thinking, I wonder? Sitting with Yee yee.



My life is full -
an emptiness filled with noise
abundant void.


Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Kick you in the face!


Kick you in the face!, originally uploaded by Ashkarya.

Haaaiiiii-yaaah! Practicing her moves for entry into the Kung Fu team or Aikido gang.



Come a Little Closer


I look even cuter close up!


Week 10 : Snug as a Bug


Receiving a little TLC from dad while he's back for the weekend.


Like Snorting Coke...and Getting Seriously Addicted

Not that I've snorted coke but I hear it is THAT addictive. My only brush with anything that can be remotely called a drug would be smoking grass in Amsterdam some xx years back.

No, this addiction is even worse: it's easily available and hardly costs. It's Facebook. I shouldn't have listened in to the conversation sis and Sam were having on this 'thing' that they called Facebook. I caught whiffs of the conversation: vampire, zombie, pirates...

So I checked it out. Bad idea.

I don't go without a day checking into Facebook and seeing what my other friends have been doing to me or to other friends. My pirate gets bombed quite a bit but luckily I always bury my loot before I set sail again. I get Superpoked often as well. People have stopped sending me stuff for My Aquarium and My Garden. I provoke Fights and so far, have joined several groups and supported a few Causes. People still keep sending me new apps and games to add on and I just have to learn to sift them out.

Other than keeping an eye on Sophia and eating/sleeping according to her schedule (my dinner can be as late as 9pm and bedtime as early as 2am), life at the moment revolves around Facebook and some work.

I gotta go check if anyone's tried to bomb me again. So much for blogging...


Friday, September 21, 2007

Got Milk?


All ready for going back to work this coming Monday. Two months' worth of hard work and I have a whole freezer door to show for it plus more in the freezer which can't be seen from this photo. Am hoping that I can keep up the production level at least until CNY.


Sunday, September 16, 2007


Dusk suffuses light
asleep she sprawls akimbo on my chest
hearts beat


Her favourite place


Her favourite place, originally uploaded by Ashkarya.


...is the sarong swing; in her almost favourite sleeping pose.


Five Adults and a Baby

Last night marked Sophie's and my first alone together. Well, technically, we were alone only past 1am. Prior to that the turtle gang (or half of the turtle gang plus an addition) came by to keep us company for lunch. Sophie became the centre of attention as PA and mommy went overboard testing the ISOs of their DSLRs and snapped away even when she was trying to sleep. The results from PA's efforts can be seen here and here. Yee yee and her beau stayed on with us for dinner with po po and kung kung after the turtle gang had left.

After dinner, the Sams dropped by for an unusual round of games (the usual rounds take place on either Sunday and/or Monday nights). How many players does it take to play Citadels and Power Grid? Five adult players and an infant, apparently.

Sophie would not sleep; for Citadels she remained mostly in her cot with aunt Aisha dashing from her spot at the dining table to the cot in between turns. Towards the end of the game, it was a no-go: mommy had to whip out the milk supply to appease the little monster. Mealtime over, she stayed bright and chirpy so mom reserved a spot on her lap for a courtside view when the game
switched to Power Grid.

Unfortunately sitting on mommy's lap proved not to her pleasure, as Sophie demanded to be put into the sarong swing, which was wheeled from its usual place on the carpet in the middle of the living room closer to the players at the dining table. Yee yee and aunty Aisha took turns entertaining and swinging her to sleep. Multi-tasking took its toll on aunty Aisha as she lost concentration on the game and didn't bid for power plants, buy resources or build power plants as efficiently as she would have if she'd concentrated fully on the game.

The little monster slept only for a while. Halfway through the game, she gave everyone a taste of her powerful vocals. No choice, mom had to carry her on her lap again. This time, she had to be patted to sleep.

Third time's the charm. In no time, Sophie was deep in slumber. Mom had to rearrange the power plant cards with one free hand and receive help with marking her cities on the board and buying resources.

Unfortunately, multi-tasking for mom also didn't seem to work for her game. With extra cash to spare and a couple of power plants short, mom didn't win the game. Sophie however, remained asleep.


Saturday, September 15, 2007


Her tub a blue pool
late morning sun streams in
splash



In evening's cool
gurgles and coos burst forth
she smiles


Friday, September 14, 2007

Fun in a Tub


Enjoying her bath, originally uploaded by Ashkarya.


What's better than a splash in the tub? Mummy's milk, of course!

Rub A Dub Dub


Bathing in technicolour, originally uploaded by Ashkarya.


Being immersed into her tub of warm soapy water, our girl loves a good splash.

T -1: Baby on the loose

It's just one more day till D-day; Kiew che, my confinement lady, will leave us for good by tomorrow evening. It's been a good two months since she's been here; I've been able to rest up and be lazy even with a fussy and sometimes demanding baby around.

She doesn't usually take on babies for two months. Out of the seven to eight cases she takes on a year, only one will be for a two-month period. I can understand why: the demands of the job take a heavy toll on one's health, especially if the baby in question is difficult to look after and refuses to sleep through the night.

We had that problem with Sophie during her first month. She simmered down and began sleeping through the night in the second month. Recently she started sleeping later at night, usually past midnight. Luckily, I'd taken over and stayed up with her for her last feed so Kiew che could get some rest before Sophie's middle-of-the-night feed at 3am. Even then, sometimes I'd be sprawled on the sofa zonked out from waiting for her to either fall asleep or to wake up for her midnight feed.

Last night she slept with me on the bed. Since Rizal isn't around and there's so much space I thought, why waste the space? It was an uneventful night. Except for the fact I had to bundle her up to make sure she didn't thrash her arms around when she's lying on her back and waking herself up from all that movement. And then I found out this morning from Kiew che that Sophie sleeps better lying on her side on the bed.

Spending time with a baby day in and day out, anyone would grow attached to their charge. Kiew che confirmed the fact when my mom asked her about this. In these last few days, this past week or so in fact, I think she's begun to feel a stronger attachment to Sophie and is probably going to miss her when she leaves. She's been talking to her more and not really wanting to relinquish her task of looking after Sophie and passing her on to me. I'm fine with that. After all, I'll be spending the rest of my life with Sophie so I suppose a few more days letting Kiew che take care of her is OK.

Last night was quite hilarious. The girl (Rizal's and my nickname for Sophie) was being fussy - as usual - even in her sarong. Kiew che picked her up and sat her on her lap. Thus ensued a somewhat heated discussion between the two of them about, oh maybe who's the most popular Korean soap actor on TV (one of Kiew che's favourite programmes is the Korean drama on prime time 8TV). It sounded to the civilized ear like a negotiation among two primates with a series of loud ohs, ahs and ughs being rallied back and forth between the both of them. Talks broke down when Sophie, clearly not liking the direction the conversation was going, screwed up her face and started wailing. Kiew che and I laughed at her stubbornness and at her last resort to scare tactics to make us agree and do what she wanted. Such a typical baby manouvre. Anyhow, it worked.

Sigh...something tells me that with Kiew che gone, I'm going to be the one who'll be subject to Sophie's manipulations, other than her dad and her grandparents. Since I'll be spending the most time with her, she'll probably learn how to push all the right buttons to get me to do her bidding, just as she has with Kiew che. And they say adults are manipulative.

I will sorely miss Kiew che's help; I'll miss the tasty meals she cooks. I'll miss being able to nap or run out on errands while she watches over Sophie. I'll even miss the banter we shared (not that my Cantonese is that good nor her English any use). Most of all I'll miss having someone to rely on during the nights when it's quiet and dark and Sophie's shrill cries pierce through the night when I'm too slow to get to her. Or my boob to her. Sayonara restful nights.


Thursday, September 13, 2007

My Own Feel Good Generator


Ensconced, originally uploaded by Ashkarya.


It pays to have a little something, or rather in my case, someone to distract me from the humdrum of life and the crap that is going on in the governing of this country. Ain't she cute?

I have this photo of her on my mobile as a wallpaper. What I like about it is that on the phone, she looks like she's floating in a sea of clear blue water. So serene to gaze at if/when I'm stressed out.


The Spiral Downwards

It's been getting depressing lately reading the dailies about the local news: the 'feel good' budget, the escalating crime rate, the nonsense that emanates from our Ministers' mouths. Now there's the Auditor General's report for last year. Sigh...we all know that our taxes are being siphoned off to various pockets through various means but the report drives home the fact even clearer just how badly mismanaged this country is. Check this out for further details.

I doubt if anyone will be brought to book for these transgressions. I suppose the PM will utter his standard drivel again, "I don't know". And not one of us citizens can do anything about it for now. Not until the next election, that is.



Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Daddy's Girl Through and Through



There seems to be a lack of pictures taken with mommy...

Week 8 : Getting chubby, aren't we?


Putting on the pounds and looking ever cuter, though still very much like a boy. Hopefully putting her in dresses will deflect the question, "How old is he?"


Comrades



Kiew che with her charge. She's been a lifesaver. We'll be sad to see her go this Saturday.



Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The Cow is Leaky

There must be some malfunction with either my Avent collection shells, my boobs or my bra. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why it is that my bra gets soaked when I use my Avent collection shells. For the uninitiated, these collection shells 'collect' the milk leaking from whichever boob that Sophia is not on when she's nursing. Because of the 'let down' reflex, the boob that she's not nursing from will also produce milk the same time as the boob she's nursing from.

So, instead of letting that precious breast milk go to waste, we busy moms let them pool in collection shells instead.

Unfortunately for me, my collection shells seem to have sprung a leak. Whichever side I place the shell on and in whichever bra it is that I'm wearing, the milk seems to be seeping through the silicone backing of the shell and soaking into my bra. Sigh...at first I thought it was the bra or the positioning of the shell but after a number of repeat incidences and on different boobs with different bras, I think my collection shells have outlived their usefulness.

I have begun to let the milk just seep into my disposable breast pads. It's just been getting too tedious to slip the shell into my bra while Sophia is screaming her lungs out in her classic impatient manner and then only to discover halfway through her very blissful feed that one side of my bra and T-shirt are soaking wet. Urgh! I'd rather let 0.5 - 1oz of milk go to waste. At least I'd still be in a clean dry T-shirt and bra.



Another Shopping Spree

Daddy survived the weekend shopping spree together with three women in tow. This time we hit The Curve and Ikano. Sophia and I got to use the baby care room at Ikano, Kiew che got herself a few clothes from Brands Outlet and Daddy got two Disney DVDs. Mommy went overboard and bought two onesies for Sophia even though she probably has enough onesies to last her for a few more months.

Noted on our trip out on Sunday: either there are a very large number of families with babies or toddlers living in and visiting Ikano/The Curve or we are just noticing the fact because we're pushing Sophia in her stroller along and we are one of these families as well.

Note to developers and mall management: we need more baby care/parenting rooms in your malls.


Friday, September 07, 2007

Shopping Spree

Po po, Sophia, Kiew Che and I bundled ourselves out to 1U yesterday. After almost two months cooped up in the house, it's got to be good for Kiew Che and Sophia to be out and about. Objective of the day? To look for a Tefal pan for Kiew Che and more clothes for Sophia. Her nenek had bought some clothes for her earlier in the week; unfortunately, she'll have to be a bit bigger to wear them. In the meantime, Kiew Che and I had cleared out a pile of clothes that were either too short, too tight or too small for her, which left her with too few long-sleeved pyjama tops that fit just right (a few of them do, most of them are too big), hence the need to buy her a few more shirts to tie her over till she gets big enough for the ones that she's not wearing now.

Sophia and I got to use the parenting room at Parkson right in the middle of po po and
Kiew che's lunch. I thought it was a much better (cleaner, drier and less pungent) alternative to the toilets. Too bad there's only one parenting room in the over-extended playground that is 1U. Well, at least there's only one that I know of. And luckily we were in the middle of the mall and not at the other end that is Jusco. If I'd had to wheel Sophia from the Jusco end to the Parkson end, she'd have cried enough to fill a 9oz bottle, much more than I'd be able to replenish for her in one feed.

In any case, our outing went off without a hitch and we all returned whole and undamaged. Although Sophia, excited from her trip out, hardly slept so much as two seconds even in the car ride home. Nor did she nap when she got home. Excited from her trip she stayed awake for much of the evening all the way till her last meal at midnight.

It's so much fun bringing her out (though a bit of a hassle with the stroller and bag and looking for a place to breastfeed) that I wouldn't mind heading out again this weekend. This time, with daddy along.


Discrimination

What a farce! Even in the matter of stray animals there seems to be discrimination in this country. The Malaysian government has extended their ridiculous policies down to the poor unfortunate strays of the nation. Look here for more information on a ridiculous witch hunt for stray dogs in Selayang and here for what people are saying about it.

I wonder why they didn't extend this ridiculously lucrative and barbaric competition to stray cats?

And it's amazing that sites like
these exist in our country. Pardon me, but I thought the country I'm living in is Malaysia? I'm wondering when it became Malay Muslim land? If I've got my history down pat, our forefathers came here as traders (yes, Parameswara was not a native of this land), settled here and worked together to bring about independence and that at the most basic level, the only people that this land really belongs to is the indigenous people. Now I'm being reminded that I should be thankful that I'm actually living on this Malay Muslim soil despite the fact that I was born here.

The delusional really do have place in this world; they live here in good ol' bolehland.



Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Just a thought

Oh, Sophia hasn't been lomo-ed yet. We'll try to make a project of it sometime this week...


Ever noticed...

Why do people favour carrying toddlers and babies with/on their left arms instead of their right?


Home Sweet Home

Sigh...why do I feel like a second-class citizen even in my own country where I was born and raised in, and in which I am now raising my own child? She will have minimum issues: her status as bumiputera will ensure that. Her mom on the other hand, remains, until the day she dies a non-bumiputera.

Must look for ways to move to Japan. At least I wouldn't feel as if I'm a migrant in the country because hey, guess what? I would be a migrant there!



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