Getting back into shape

I admire those mothers that still can maintain their slim figures even after giving birth! For them, everything is the same and their bodies did not alter during and after pregnancy. Sometimes I wonder whether are they pregnant or not! Lol!

Wouldn’t it be nice if a mother’s weight and size can still be maintained like before?? I know it is hard, as some mothers like myself experiencing bigger frame, especially my hip and abdomen part, which are most obvious now.

Some more I am going for C-section, so those parts are even more difficult to slim down after delivery. I hope that I can shred some fat probably from gym or aerobic. In my first pregnancy, I only started exercising after a year, as I couldn’t find times to go anywhere and find suitable centre, except working and taking care of my gal after work. But this time round, I must start my exercise regime earlier, once my gynae gives me green light to do so! *wink*

Dry, hazy and smoky

I don’t remember it has been that hot in this time of the year. Yes, last year there wasn’t much rain and haze was hitting us pretty hard too. Look like the haze is a yearly affair and we cannot avoid it. But I think the condition is even worse this year. The weather is extremely hot till the sun is seen red in colour. Even my little gal commented that the sun is red and moon is yellow in colour. Visibility is poorer too especially when it is at sunset.

Irregardless of the weather, open burning is still visible and everyone is doing it. I still see people burning leaves, grasses or what-so-ever in their gardens. Some more I think the burning is more at such time than normal days. Those inconsiderate burning adds in more smokes to the already-hazy weather. My dark colour car is covered by those ashes and dusts that I don’t really bother to wash now. After I wash, the next minute, it will be coated with those white dusts again. Not to mention my dry laundry is smell of smoke. With the Chinese 7th lunar month end of the month, there would be even more open burning of offerings. Oh dear!! It could worsen the situation if there is no rain.

Is our API still under the "safe" level?? I don’t think our air is under the “safe” level anymore. With the continuous forest fire in Indonesia, I could smell smoke in the air. It is pretty bad. With such weather and condition, it would be rational to stay indoor more than going out. There is no more fresh air to breathe and enjoy!! All I am hoping now is that rain will come and weather will get cooler.

Recently I read in a local newspaper that some Northern and Central districts in Sarawak are been hit badly by drought till people do not have any clean water. People has to resort to bathing and washing in dirty rivers and streams. Now again, this is very sad to know that people is deprived of clean water as the rivers and streams are polluted and not safe to be consumed. El Nino is simply drying up the districts. I also read that soon Kuching will be hit with lack of water supply like the Northern Districts. Must do some water ration, and buy and store mineral water at home!!

Rain, rain, rain! Where have all the rain gone?? I couldn’t imagine what my confinement would be. Staying in the room with a mild temperature, no bath for a week, no hair washing for a month and eating all those hot soups with white and red wine, I wonder how I can stand all those heat and sweat…….

36th week and still counting

I went for my usual check up this morning. Just did the normal check up, i.e. urine (no protein detected), weight (62.5kg)and blood pressure (normal). Doctor also did the normal heart beat checking on baby. Except for the lower abdomen pain I have last week, which doctor assure me it is normal probably due to baby's head moving downward, everything is fine with me.

Doctor will do scanning on baby next Thursday to determine the weight of baby upon delivery. So, now I am on a weekly check-up......

Baby Handbook

We got this helpful baby handbook back in 2006. This useful handbook is written by Dr Tan Poh Tin who is my little gal's pediatrician. As new parents, we are not 100% know what is wrong with our little gal when she developed fever, crying non stop or developed rashes on her body. Thanks to Dr Tan, she introduced us to her handbook which from time to time, I still refer to it for tips.



This book covers from birth, umbilical cord & care, jaundice to feeding older children and feeding medicines and types of vaccines. It basically explains everything on baby from birth in laymen terms and empower you to take care of your baby's health from Day 1.



A great handbook!! I don't remember how much it costs as it was bought 3 years ago. You can buy it from Dr Tan's clinic at Green Heights.

Books for new mummies

When there is a book fair around the city, hubby and myself would definitely make it a point to make a visit there. We simply love books. Hubby in particular is a book collector. He loves Chinese history, motivational books and business books, while I myself am into non-fiction, mystery and romance novels. And since I have a child, my hunting also covers children section. So when we visited a book fair or bookstore, we usually went our separate ways!

I read a lot when I was pregnant with my little gal. Been the first-time mummy, I bought a lot of books and magazines concerning pregnancy, parenting and baby. During my 1st pregnancy I don’t have any pregnant friends, so no one to ask or share experiences. I turned to my mum instead. This time round, I have few friends that are first time mummies, so we share our experiences. Websites become my reading material as they are free and can be downloaded. Still, nothing beats a good book!

Thanks to my MIL who works in a library, she borrowed me few books on pregnancy and baby during my 1st pregnancy. I found them informative and it helps a lot in my understanding of my pregnancy and preparation for delivery. However, I returned the books to her after I delivered.



There are many good books around, so I couldn’t recommend which one is the best. But I like this easy-to-read book by Michelle Kennedy. It provides good tips for new mothers and helps to understand why babies and toddlers behave in certain ways. Her books come with tips and suggestions when you are at the end of your wits and patiences. Her books are categorised into 8 series that cover Crying, Jealousy, Letting Go, Manners, Sleeping, Staying Dry, Tantrums and Eating. I shall share some tips from her books, so watch out for them! :)

Busy as a farmer

I sent off darling hubby to the airport this morning. Hubby is away for business trip for a week. Since he is away, I would have the computer for myself! Lol! It is not that I am happy that he is away for that long, but just got to get used to him been away. It is part of his job. Furthermore, I wouldnt be that lonely with access to internet and in particular, FACEBOOK.

Everyday I must check on my farms. Yes, not one, but 3 farms!! I am saying that I am hooked to farming in the Facebook since it was introduced to me by my SIL. Don’t know should I blame or thank her for showing me how fun it is to do farming there. But I am not greedy, I only have 3 farms under my belt; namely Barn Buddy, Farmtown and Farmville. I got other invitations from friends on joining Farm pals, Fantasy Farm, Sunshine Ranch and other countless farms. Sorry, too much for me! I couldn’t take care of so many farms, so got to ignore those invitations. Don't want to get too addicted too.

With my 3 farms, I already spent much times online day and night checking them out. Sometimes I would get up in middle of the night to harvest, knowing that it is time to do so. Since I am a light sleeper, I tend to wake up frequently at night, so spending few minutes harvesting is not much of a problem for me. The itch is there to check on my farms, see which farms that needs harvesting, which crops to buy and plant and so forth! Even my little gal loves when I play Farmtown as she loves to listen to the "cluck" of the chickens and "meh" sound of the goats in my farm!

Now I am planning of how to stop all those farming activities when my due date is nearer. Must stop after harvesting all those crops and leave the farms empty while I am in my confinement period. Trust hubby to look after my farm?? I don’t think so!! He himself is busy with his game, Mafia.com to bother about farming! Farming is too boring for him.....


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Reasoning with a child

I seldom hit or spank my daughter. She may be naughty and rebellious but I tried not to use punishment as a way to discipline her. Children will always be children. Like what her nanny said, a child would not grow up stronger if he or she is not naughty.

Instead of “hitting” or “spanking”, I will resort to “reasoning “with her. For example if she is climbing a tall stool, I will tell her patiently and calmly that she will fall down and hurt herself if she climb that high. If “reasoning” does not work, then I will finally use “shouting” as my last resort. That will eventually put some senses to her! Telling her that her action is unacceptable and mummy is not happy that she did not listen accordingly. *wink* Punishing by hitting or spanking will "scar" a child and discourage them to explore further. Children are explorers; they learn by exploring.