And Baby Makes Four!

Here she is... Sarah Yeoh Zher Yan, our tiny bundle of joy who decided she’d end my days in suspense by making an early appearance on 30 October, 11 days earlier than her actual due date. She is the tiniest baby in the nursery, weighing 2.91kg and measuring 48cm in length.




She is an exact miniature of her older brother except that she has miniscule features, with larger eyes and smaller face. Seen here anticipating her feed from mommy who, since her birth, has doubled up as mommy and a cow. Make that a mad cow since she has to assume the role of a mother chicken watching over her newborn from the very angry and chaotic wolf, her little brother, who, since his discovery of a new addition to the family, perceived her as a threat to the affection shown only to him all these while. And so, at any time, I will be seen holding either a milk pumper in one hand or Sarah but always the cane in the other. So far, I need to whip it out about 8 times a day to restrain the angry wolf. This act of caning and screaming does not make me feel very motherly but it is the only method to keep her safe from his wrath which had taken the form of scratching her eyes, nudging her soft head and pulling a blankie over her face.

As was the case with the 1st confinement, I had anticipated a leisurely confinement period with ample of time to reflect, scrap, gaze and recharge but realised on the 3rd day itself that this was not to be. Not when there is a wolf around who declares a new request once in 10 minutes. And then there is the endless engorgement that requires an outlet every 2 hours and this is a task I had to struggle to complete under the watchful eyes of the wolf who watches with envious eyes that could bend spoons. Just 2 days ago, he finally let us in to what his little mind is concocting by saying this “I don’t like Sarah. I want to put her in the toilet”. Since then, he was never left in her room alone for goodness knows what he is capable of doing.

My family is now complete! A boy and a girl. Can't wait to bring them to Disneyland in a few years' time but right now, we will have to deal with some domestic issues such as awaiting the arrival of our new maid whose arrival is getting more elusive as the day passes, as well as getting everything ready to relocate to a new home. Loads to do in the next few months. Can't wait for the time where we will all settle in and resume a more predictable routine and I can finally scrap again.

House Arrest & Pictures of The Son

I am now under house arrest under dr's orders. Pelvis were inflamed from pressure of the baby and this makes walking impossible. Only waddling is and so the house arrest came at an opportune time since waddling in public isn't exactly a delightful sight. Working from home is certainly a better alternative since i no longer need to drag myself out of bed with an abdomen that weighs a tonne and still reeling from the exhaustion of not sleeping well from a middle that bulges like a tractor sticking out in all direction.

My wish of having another caesarian has been ruled out since The Daughter has positioned herself for a birth the "au naturel" way about 2 to 3 months ago and my hope of her doing another somersault to a breech did not materialise at all. And so I am now trying to live in denial while waiting for that hour where i am to endure the time of my life where i have always dreaded.

Some pictures of The Son who has turned into a grammarian, mind-reader, strategist, manipulator and charmer all at once. The pictures do the talking themselves. It has been a splendid 2 years plus with him and i can't imagine loving anyone else as much.

At this point of his life, CARS are the only thing that matter. This topic comes out at almost every juncture of his speech. He now has almost 60 of them and knows exactly when to sneak in a request of getting us to buy him another one: after we complimented him on doing something good such as cleaning up. Sneaky indeed.









Naturally a McQueen Fan. Shows off this shirt to everyone everytime he is donned in it.








Can't wait to meet The Daughter.

Our Last Burst of Normalcy

We were yanked off our comfort zone nearly 3 months ago with the grand betrayal by our maid. What was meant as a one-month holiday and a pledge to continue her service for another 2 years, turned out to be a permanent decision to stay put in her home country. The betrayal is “grand” because she had made such convincing declaration of her intention to return with her confirmation of flight details just the night before her scheduled departure. And so a 2-hour wait it in the airport was halted by a notification by the airline officer that she did not board the flight.

The drive home was followed by a month of trying to “digest it all” especially since it originated from one maid who has managed to appease the world with her unrivalled sincerity and seemingly obedient disposition.

Since that unexpected departure, we made many discoveries, some quite startling:

We now share our abode with a few more visitors and their respective offsprings. First, the mother cockroach whom we have sighted only once or twice since we moved into the place has multiplied into at least 5 nymphas as the latter were spotted at almost every nook and corner with antennas that moves like 20 times per second. They also have a vitality that puts our patience to test. We have never succeeded even once to kill one of their tribes despite numerous methods and attempts.

Next, we have the lizards which, although not as deft as the cockroaches, are great in choosing their hiding places. I have suffered at least 3 frights from making surprise discovery of them lying underneath the baby bottle, hiding between kitchen closets and around the rubbish bins. As with the cockroaches, no mortality rates reported.

The Husband’s skill in bouncing off his attires into the sky and landing on the clothes hanger improved tremendously since the mountain of clothes on the hanger made it easier to achieve his target. We also realized the hardiness of the hanger too. It could carry the weight of about 8 clothes in one hook!

The elevated wood flooring, which used to bounce off its glossy dark brown sheen has now adopted a new design: white spots aka “dust” that has permanently made their abode there.

The Son manages to find some old cars behind the sofa, those which he had lost aeons ago, except that they are now coated with another layer of dust.

The yard which used to boast of a place that resembled the Garden of Eden with colourful blooms that attracted stares from every neighbour, is now a parched land with long-dead plants that resembled willows that sprout high with sharp edges.

The dining table has turned into a storage place with heaps of letters, magazines, books and other things that are meant for storage in a store-room. The height keeps getting higher by the day.

Leftover soup takes approximately 3 and a half days to solidify and the stench that it emits is sufficient to kill the inhabitants that hovered within the region. Saw some ants lying motionless within close proximity to this potent concoction.

There was a time where creased attires suddenly made their fame in the retail industry and I recalled how they irked me big time. My wardrobe has correspondingly taken a turn for this: creased but not sufficiently so to make it look deliberate so it remains the revelation of life without a maid

We wait with deep anxiety the arrival of another one. Absolutely no expectations whatsoever this time around save for a reasonably decent space to live in without these unnecessary intruders so we can have our life back! Scrapping is a past luxury that I only allow myself occasionally to reminisce over. That deft momentum where I could churn out one piece per night and several other items per week is gradually fading into a fairytale.

Something good came out of this though. I have suddenly been knighted from just being mum to The Son’s dearly beloved. That’s how I spend my nights these days: reveling in The Son’s devotion and affection towards me. There is the sudden cuddles, woody woodpecker’s pecks on the cheek, tight squeezes on the arm and other trappings that are sufficient to make me oblivious to the dining table that screams for mercy towards its wobbly legs from too heavy a load or the clothes that begged to be ironed and the yard that has born the stench of overnight poo and 3 and a half day long of fermented soup and leftover dinners.

Oops! We did it again!

Yes, we did.


Need to dust the 3-month thick cobwebs off blogosphere. The past 3 months had been spent nursing myself in a cocoon. Discovered the 2-lines on the self-test pee stick (yay! Another case of serendipity) and thereafter, body immediately snapped into a hibernation mode that reduced me into a limbless and lifeless vegetable. If there is a term called terminally exhausted, that was exactly what I went through for the past 3 months. A self-test done prematurely that erroneously displayed a one-line show inadvertently liberated yours truly to do all the forbidden acts: trip to the salon for a creased crowning glory, countless helpings of sushi and oysters, Chinese rice wine etc. The barrage of tempestuous volcanic eruptions and erratic food cravings plus a dory-like brain all provided the explanation of an imminent bub but because of the premature testing, I summed it up as one of the monthly hormone theory that have similar symptoms. Sheesh.

And so, for the past 3 months, I helplessly witnessed the world whizzed past in all its speed and splendour in that almost permanent horizontal anatomy state. Marveled at the intensity of energy exhibited by almost everyone except myself. Even hearing of their tales, i.e. the number of things that they are able to get done in a day adds to my crippling exhaustion since calling it a day at 7pm during such times is a fact that most healthy / not pregnant people would deemed as a luxury to be had only to babies/toddlers. The words that the Son uttered mostly during this time was “Mummy, get up, get up”, followed by his usual forceful nugde on my cheek. During this time, The Son’s much desired presence in the past, seemed a bit wee overwhelming, especially when he needs my full attention ALL the time. Instead of reading books to him page by page, I literally flipped 5 pages off at once whenever I am able to so that we are able to reach the end faster. Such a horrible mum. Good thing is we finally found the remedy to The Son's "Only Child Syndrome" which we've been putting up with for a while now.


Last we checked, the bub is now into its 5th month of gestation, fully developed with a complete cardiac tube that emits thunderous sounds when the Doppler is maximized, limbs that waived actively, bloated tummy, a very adorable rounded head and a gender that has successfully sent The Husband to the moon. He finally got the daughter he wanted. Sarah is the name. For the sake of her choices of husbands in the future, I hope she will not inherit his dad’s towering height. For me, there is now a recipient of my scrap legacy and all the female items I accumulated over the years. Time to finally stock up on those cute little girly stuffs I have been eyeing but had no reason to get in the past.

I also had the hardest time holding up this news in the office. Same reason as in the past: do not wish to be seen as desiring privileges or being cut any slack by being pregnant. Relief came when it was well-received. The fashion scene for maternity clothes changed very little since 2 years ago. Still the class-less dowdy mocks with a back tie-string or those that accentuate the tummy that make us look helpless – so…. not my style. Futile to lament about this anyway so I’m gonna make do with my previous collection.

35 and Loving It!

I meant to create a page to commemorate my 35th birthday about a week back but was lacking in inspiration until I found Websters lying in an unopen stash from Singapore.

Yes, I am 35 this year and I'm getting increasingly alarmed that time is zooming faster than the things I wish to accomplish. On hindsight, I don't think I'd turn back the clock to any particular time in history.

A recap of the previous decades lived so far:

In the mid 80's: The teenage years. Can't say i particularly enjoyed it since life this time revolved around nothing else but books and piano lessons. Pretty one-dimentional and lacked seriously of anything fun.

Mid 90's: This was the time of my life as I broke free from the confines of home and my parents' grip and spread my wings in England for that hard-toiled law degree. Oh, the taste of freedom for the first time - fresh and unguarded.

Early 2000: Time where romance reigned coupled with my unruly desires to conquer the world, testing and finding what makes me tick. The stint with SQ and flying lessons satisfied my voracious appetite for pre-marital adventure. Then came marriage.

Mid 2000: Realised that my time of sampling the world is over. Took my career seriously for the first time and discovered that it is livelihood that motivates people to work and working because of passion is an over-rated phenomena.

Late 2000: Motherhood unravelled and the transformation took place. Life suddenly became more precious. Almost immediately, my desires and ambition ain't all that powerful and no longer beckon with a force that compels me to act. I found myself unable to just turn off the lights to sleep at night without making sure my son is completely covered in his blankie and that he isn't running a temperature. I also developed paranoia for safety in general. All of a sudden, boring things in life became a source of contentment, like staying in just chilling out with the husband and the son on a 5-day stretch of holiday without having to make a trip outstation/overseas and this is all ok. A sweat-drenched toddler with mucus running down his nose and a nappy filled with poo isn't as disgusting as they used to be when I saw it on other kids. And then there is the realisation that time passes even faster when you have a kid and the real need to preserve those never-will-happen-again-random-candid moments and this is where the therapeutic hobby of scrapbooking emerged.

So am I happy being 35? I think so. For the independence I now possess as compared to the days where I had to build my life up to where it is now.

Grand Canyon

These pictures were taken during our trip to the States in May last year. Grand Canyon is truly the most beautiful place in the world. Natural beauty at its finest and rawest form. The million-year long changes of weather had created the most gorgeous of fossils, in all their golden splendour. A tangible legacy of what God can do. I recalled the Husband and I just standing there motionless, drinking in the entire scene before us - vast as the sea and surreal as if we're not there but yet we were. We were locked in that moment in time together, yet alone with the One who created the beauty. Would be a waste for all of these to be wrapped up during rapture.

Here are more:

Turning Point

Journalling reads:
In that 4.5 years in ECM, I took away valuable corporate fundraising exercises, stockmarket sentiments, astronomical bonuses, 2 promotions and the chance to work with the world's nicest boss. Going forward, better opportunities await as I unravel the world of trust and estate planning management. After 2 months, I am at last at peace in my career as I know it befits my strengths and interest a lot closely. Whilst the rest of the team is working on "Project Jasmine", I am busy stocking up on high networth individuals.


Mel and Maznee: 2 colleagues in ECM who made my stay there so very worthwhile.

I AM 2!!

Since we did the unthinkable, i.e. forgetting the take a picture of The Son with the cake and with us, I have decided to super-impose the 2 pictures as 1. He looks as if he is just sitting on a chair excited over his cake huh?




Journalling reads:
28 February 2009: The day you were showered with everything that makes you happy: 2 new bikes, a race car set, a huge cake with the picture of your favourite car on it, lots of food, endless paparazzi flashes, time in the park, lollipop, raisins and a truckload of love from mummy, daddy and your grandparents.

The Son's Birthday Pictures

Dusting off the cobwebs in blogosphere. 2 powerful forces have been keeping me at bay in the scrapping front: work and a 2-year old toddler. Yes, The Son has finally turned two on 28 February. Only that he has developed the "Terrible Two" syndrome much much earlier. We did something diffferent on his birthday this year.

Apart from the cake and food, we hired a professional photographer to capture candid shots of us in KLCC Park. The 3-hour session was totally draining on us but Chris held up quite well for a 2-year old. All except when his clumsy dad hit his head over a steel pillar while positioning him for a certain angle. These photos are still in the oven being edited but will soon make their grand appearance and boy oh boy, am i over the moon! I will finally and at long last, have great photos to scrap!

Here are 2 pieces I did.
This one was without much sweat since I let the paper itself do the talking.


This one was a tad too painful. I had the toughest time putting together suitable colour combination. Afterall, we're talking about the hardest colours to match: purple, yellow and green!!!


Here are some random pictures of The Son on his birthday. As usual, we kept it private and cosy with only his grandparents. And can you believe this? We were so caught up with the event that we have completely forgotten to take a family picture with the cake!! Not even one! Geez, can't believe i did that, really. For one who has been thinking out layouts even before any photos have been taken!!

Here's the birthday boy with his hair all gelled up like the gansgter from Shanghai Bund riding on his new bike. At such young age, he already thrives on being called "Handsome". He gives out a knowing look and we could also detect a tinge of embarassment with it.


The Cake! The Husband and I need not crack our heads thinking of what picture to place on the cake. It can't be anything apart from his favourite item in the world. The power of DNA results in him being a green colour fan.Scray how he almost always pick out cars only in green colour.


The storm cooked up by my mom.


The only person being captured in shots cutting cake with The Son is none other than his grand spoiler: Ah Koong.


Newly-assembled toy.


He is still trying to perfect his smile.I forgot to tell him he needs to show some eyes too.


This is much better! Big eyes and huge smile!

The Raisin Monster

This piece was scrapped up to remind us about one of Chris' many "Only Child Syndrome". The most prominent one is his strong refusal to share. The best example is raisins. He loves raisins. It is an antidote to whatever that causes him distress. A few granules of raisin usually does the trick.

Journalling reads:

Something miraculous happened just before posting this into this blog. He aactually acceded to our request for raisins!! No trifle indeed considering this has proven to be a futile attempt in the past.