More Abby pictures

Pictures of what Abby does on a regular basis. As for the bottom right picture, she picked out Gulliver's Travels (the cartoon version). I had several versions with me, and she liked that. It was the smallest one also. :) She can hold her own bottle now! :D But she knows that other than Mummy feeding her, she can take advantage of others by making them hold for her. :P Terrible hor! :P

She's super cuddly... she just fell asleep in my arms on the way home just now. Had to send uncle and brother back, so we had to remove the baby seat. Sundays are just superly hectic for us. Get out of the house by 8.30 to go for Christian Ed class in church while Abby goes to the nursery, then breakfast II at 10am, followed by service at 10.30am. BUT. During service I'll be walking in and out of the sanctuary coz Abby will be in the nursery. If Lina is around, I'll be able to listen to the sermon. If not, we'll just be in the nursery, feeding, changing and playing. :P

Then after service, we'll go for quick lunch then drop Lina off at my mum's place to clean up the mess my brother creates on a weekly basis. Mum's away in Indo, so Lina has to help out. If not the ironing itself will mess my mum up big time. After that, we'll ship Lina over to my granny's place to help her prepare for dinner while we, or rather, Ben, goes to WTC to pick my mum up. After that, we'll have dinner, pray that Abby will be a good girl and not fuss at my granny's then rush home after sending my uncle back.

And all this happens weekly. :S

Swimming!

Brought Abby for a swim on Thursday. It was an impromptu decision by her dearest daddy. :) So off we went! :D We put her in her home clothes then dipped her in. But just felt that her clothes would keep her cold, so we decided to get a swimsuit for her. And this is what her daddy bought! :D When I first saw it, I didn't think it was outstanding. But once we put her in it, wow... she was the cutest thing on earth! :D

She really enjoyed herself! :D ESPECIALLY in front of the camera. :) She's definitely NOT camera-shy. :D Hehe. She really enjoyed herself tremendously. Glad that Ben chose to stay with us instead of getting his 30 laps. He really made two girls very happy! :D

*sick* A Trip to the Frog Farm

We (CTL trainees) had to go to a frog farm at Lim Chu Kang this morning. Supposed to reach NIE at SEVEN-THIRTY AM to see frogs. Wow. So exciting. The bus was late; didn't arrive till about 8.15. Might as well. Not in a hurry to see frogs anywayz.

Reached there and this towkay took us on a tour of his land. Specialises in breeding bull frogs. Those monsters are huge, especially the males. They are bigger than the size of a man's palm, length - if extended, would be about the length of an average forearm. The females are smaller.

It was strangely quiet there,... then I learnt that only male bullfrogs croaked. Well, as I looked into the pond, I saw about a million female frogs at the mercy of a couple of male frogs. Then in another pond, I saw about a million male frogs... some humping each other; others looked like they were involved in a mass ****. *sick*

Then we proceeded to the slaughter house. I had been warned yesterday by well-meaning friends that if I wasn't able to take the gruesome sight, I should excuse myself. Even my tutor warned. So while everyone gathered around the chopping table to witness the massacre of bullfrogs, I stood behind, not looking. When it was all over, some were quite appalled. Thought it was all over. HOW WRONG I WAS. Well, I thought u know, demo lah. So as most of my classmates left the area, a classmate and I went over to look at the pile of beheaded frogs. (I can see live animals, then dead. I just can't stand the dying/killing part. I don't like to see my food alive, basically.) These beheaded frogs were de-skinned. Their skin is just ripped off their flesh. AND THEY ARE STILL MOVING.

While we were distracted by the moving carcasses, a happy and lively frog decided to make a run while it thought it still had the opportunity. Well, the sharp Thai worker caught the escapee with the left hand, landed it on the bloodied chopping board, and lopped off its head with the chopper in one swift movement. RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES. NO WARNING GIVEN WHATSOEVER.

The frog just looked ahead. Blankly.

That's it. No more meat for the time being. *throws up*

Rare pic of happy abby with granny

A standard must-have photo of baby with granny. But the thing is, Abby's not often this happy when she's with my family. Guards her personal space you know? But she really enjoyed herself yesterday. Mum played the 'pull-the-towel-off-your-head' thing with her and she got it! (It's not instinctive by the way.) Observation: She consistently uses her left hand to pull it off. But she's responsive with her right hand also, in other matters. Glad they enjoyed themselves yesterday. :)

Countdown

Two weeks left, then examinations. Just counting down so that I can devote my time to abby. Then again, when july comes, i'll have to pick up the momentum. Dun really like it coz i take about 6 weeks to start up... :P

Warning: More poop talk. Yesterday, Eve, Vic, Abby and I together with Lina went to Suntec to cheong the food fair and then to taka for the baby fair. Nowadays places are really baby friendly, quite impressed with taka's mother's room (not the huge baby room) but still, inconsiderate people keep using the water dispenser meant for baby's milk for their own water bottles. They *should* have water coolers installed instead. The water keeps running dry, so complains the attendant.

Went to Eve's place after the adventure to the shopping malls with two babies. (Yes, it's an adventure.) And just R&R. :D Vic's really very active! She did sometihng really surprising. Usually she doesn't like to lie down in people's arms. Yet, yesterday when ben held her she just let go. Wow. We were pretty surprised! She's really comfortable with Ben. Also, Eve & her family thinks that Abby's always so good-natured. Hmm. Hahha.. told them that she likes them, that's why *everytime* go there she's always so docile and happy! With my family and other friends, must see her mood. :P But she's getting better. :D

OH. And when she had to 'go' last nite, she made THE facial expression. Thought she had stained her diapers already. But still, we rushed the potty over to her and she sat there for a while just looking at the fishes and concentrating on her expulsion. We really din know when she'd finished, but i knew there WAS something. :D could tell by the odour... it's really very astonishing, coz it's the FIRST time we saw her go potty. And it was successful!! :D My MIL had done it once with her, and it's really quite exciting. :) hahah... but, abby had that 'what-are-you-guys-so-excited-for' look on her face. Hehe... well, keep them coming, girl! :D

Received a gift from Joyce today: a book entitled "Mentoring: How to Invest Your Life in Others" by Tim Elmore, and two personalised pens. :) So sweet of her. :) Must remember to thank her. :) Quite surprised that she'd get me this book. Caught my eye before, but my library's abit bursting from the shelves. Oh yah, must pass mich the sylvia plath book also. :D

K. Two essays - Wordsworth and Harry Potter/Charlotte's Web, and 1 presentation on Harry Potter left. No progress this weekend. Yeah. It was more exciting watching my girl go potty, I tellya! :D

Absolutely Irresistible...

My little sweetheart in her rubber pool :)

Causeway Point and work

Abby absolutely loves the baby room in this shopping centre. It's lovely. Glad to see more shopping centres becoming baby and nursing friendly. We're supposed to go to the Parents' room, but ended up in the nursing room instead. Well, it's cool.

Had dinner at Kampong Days (#03-02) directly opposite the HUGE Kiddy Palace. Ordered Ah Gong's curry chicken, braised beancurd, ah mah ah kong soup and mee goreng. Fabulouso! :D Ended with mango with beancurd. That was odd. Brainfreeze nonetheless.

Kinda finished my CEM101 public awareness campaign. Have to design posters. But looking at the scale of what I've proposed, I'm not sure if the posters will be of any use at all. I'm not really sure what the tutors are looking for, but will just design anyway. :)

Now CAE104 - Perspectives in Literature. Will be doing Wordsworth resolution and independence about how Nature is a moral guide and instructor. CAE203 - Intro to Children's Literature. Have to do a presentation on Wed and a paper. Haven't exactly decided what I'll do. Maybe Harry Potter. Maybe Charlotte's Web. See which one I've more to say. :P And after this it's quizzes and exams! Then it's the hols!! I can spend time with abby liao! :D

Oh. Ben received a notice from some1 quite high above him at work for an appointment today. He's a casual, so it's not a permanent job till they secure him with a contract or something. So he was quite worried that he'd be asked to go. In the end, he's been asked to take on a big project and it seems that one other person was 'competing' with his boss over him! :D Someone with his passion and experience, "GRAB!" Heh. I did. :D

He also shared something with me today - the emotional age. Sometimes we feel like telling people to GROW UP. But what exactly does growing up mean? Why would someone tell another person to grow up? It's actually gotta do with the person's emotional age. Chronologically, a person may be 21years old. But emotionally, perhaps due to abuse, trauma or simply an unhealthy environment, emotional growth is stunted and the person may be at an age younger than the chronological age. So for that 21 year old person, he or she may have suffered a real emotional blow at a much younger age and may be 'stuck' there. Unless someone nurturing is able to come alongside with this person and scaffold the growth, the person can be stuck at that age for a long time. Sometimes the behaviour displayed can be typical of a 9 (or 12, or 14, or 19, or whatever) year old, yet the person is way much older (say 21, 25, 30 etc). That's when help is needed to assist the person to mature. :) Provided the person recognises the need. If not, nvm. :) We are all different shapes and sizes, and will just be a blessing to one another in whatever way we can. :)

Absolutely Blogworthy

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime. An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart and she will do everything with only two hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish.

"But I won't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride."

The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."

And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice. They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards. They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,

IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Sort Your Rubbish - The Semakau Countdown

Welcome to the beautiful island of Semakau. Home to the waste of Singaporeans, this land will be available for recreational use in about twenty-five years' time. Either indulge in a game of golf in your retirement, or enjoy the laughter of your grandchildren running around in the landscaped parks. Who knows, we may even see a casino built right here!

To hasten the completion of this island, everyone must co-operate. Please don't ever recycle! That would only prolong the completion of this paradise! This unique offshore landfill is the only one left in Singapore, so do join in the efforts of other non-recycling Singaporeans to make this Eden a dream come true!

Don't bother about where waste will go AFTER this land is filled... no no... that's the Government's responsibility. Remember, you mustn't take any proactive effort to cut down waste... that would hinder the filling up of the bunks you see here. Isn't it beautiful? Filled with incinerated trash barged nightly from the mainland as well as items which cannot be incinerated, Semakau indeed will blossom in no time!

So grab your chance now and simply throw away whatever you don't need! You know those stuff that those crazy people tell you to recycle? Papers, metal, plastic, glass, clothing, etc? Just throw them away. You don't need them anymore, the trucks will just ship them to the incineration plant, burn them, and take the incineration ash to Semakau. Then, viola! Magic island, home of the rubbish of Singaporeans!

Pulau Semakau is the only landfill left in Singapore. Which means, when it's filled, there will be no other landfills available to dispose of our rubbish. It's not an immediate problem, so most people don't even realise that it's a problem.

Recycling is often seen as just a fad, yet it has serious repercussions if we still take a nonchalant attitude to it. It's through an Environmental Issues module in NIE that has woken me up to the state of things in the world. Somehow this is especially significant to me. I hope I will be able to do something about it.

Although it is encouraging to see statistics that demonstrate the increase in recycling efforts, yet we have yet to be
inculcated to take care of our waste properly.

Seriously. Time is running out. We need to extend the life of this landfill. Statistics have shown that by a mere 10% reduction in waste, we are able to extend the lifespan by 10 years. That's pretty awesome. So, how then do we take care? Easy. We just need to learn to sort our rubbish. We really have too much. We buy big houses just to store the
things we don't really need. Yet when we spring clean, the most convenient way is to dump everything into the rubbish. We must learn to sort the things we no longer want and channel it accordingly, instead of being uninitiated.

The countdown has already begun. Unless we reduce our waste significantly, we have twenty-five years left to Pulau
Semakau, our only landfill left. Who knows what will happen after that? The 'ignorant' Singaporean probably believes that
the Government will take care of this problem - which shows how self-centred we truly are.

Let's make a difference and start the ball rolling by doing whatever we can to prolong Semakau's life!

P.S. aren't these great ideas?
Compartmentalised bins to sort paper, plastic and glass.



(Three heavy-duty bags, clearly labelled with 'paper', 'metal' and 'glass' to make organising your recycling easy)

Zombified

Yay. I've finished my CTL essay. Wanted to leave it till tmr do last minute work. But then realised i gotta produce SOMETHING for my CEM group meeting on thursday. So tomorrow cannot do last minute CTL, brought forward to tonite. Zombified now. Ben proofread my work, said I wasn't too convincing in my argument that 'the evolution of Singapore's public housing policies reflect a LACK OF planning and long-term vision'. Of course. They've done such a good job. I can only seek the complainers' view to retaliate and give my essay a 'balanced' view. :S

Anyway, I'm glad it's over. Now to battle the rest of my assignments to get my final prize - my holiday with ABBY! :D YAY! :D

Thank God It's Sunday

Today's baby vic's dedication! :D Praise God! It's been great. :) A friend made it to the dedication and was really glad to see him there. :) Dunno why, but just felt really happy for Eve that he was there. Although there wasn't the 'tangible' presence of God in service today (coz as mummies we're superly busy in the nursery looking after our lil' precious) God's presence was definitely tangible. :) Have to keep praying for God's will to unfold in its magnificence! :D

Almost finished my CEM essay! :D I know i've been procrastinating... what to do... wanna spend time with Abby. :D Lately her hair has been so smelly. First it was the medicine's fault (eat medicine will perspire(?) so become smelly), then it was because she sleeps(?) so she's smelly. So today, as i had a rare chance of bathing her, I gave her a jolly good rubdown. :D Mmmm. She smells good now. EVEN though she perspired like mad today. Hahha... maybe I'm biased, but it's good to have maintenance service once in a while. Nevertheless, I can't afford to take care of her so intensely when there's school... but come 3 weeks' time,... I'll have to *try* to make opportunities to take care of her. *rubs chin to devise plan* Must be diplomatic, or else it'd look terrible! *tsk tsk* Then come July, I won't 'see' her again for a while... :'( even though I try to make time for her!! :(

Sigh. Must learn to let go.

Tomorrow's my bro's 21st bdae. He passed his driving test on Friday and he received an iPod from his gf from Australia! Drove us around last nite under Ben's supervision. Almost knocked down a guy walking across the road. About 20 min later, saw the guy again at a different location quite far away from the first. Maybe still asking to be knocked down. Come to think about it, he looked kinda strange... :S

Had to squeeze time for my CTL and CEM essay amidst consecutive birthday celebrations. Last nite was at aunt's place. Tonite at granny's place. Tomorrow with dad & mum. How to find time to finish my CTL essay? :P THANK GOD THE CEM IS DONE!!! I can sleep in peace tonite. Initially I wanted to finish the CTL one before the CEM. But how to? :P Actually thinking about joining Mon's drama class from 1.30 to 5. But have to write to enrol. Lazy lah. :P I see how. :D

To Elise (If you happen to read this)

Yes. Religiously. Except that I can't reply straight on your blog coz your doodleboard doesn't work anymore (well, at this point of reading anyway). Wanna chio u out with a couple of friends ;) got some kang tao. :P Beep me when you're free.

Singapore Littered with Bad English

At this point in time, I feel quite embarrassed to be a Singaporean. Who on earth is the copywriter???

According to Cambridge Dictionaries Online the definition(s) of 'SPARKLE' are as follows:
sparkle
verb
1 to shine brightly with a lot of small points of light:
The snow/sea sparkled in the sunlight.

2 If a person or performance sparkles, they are energetic, interesting and exciting:
Alice is shy and quiet at parties, but her sister really sparkles!

sparkle
noun
1 bright shine:
The radiant smile and the sparkle in her blue eyes were the clear signs of a woman still deeply in love.

2 energy and interest:
Their latest performance of My Fair Lady really lacked sparkle.
The sparkle went out of/left her (= She became unhappy) after her husband died.

So, by asking us, "Have you sparkle (sic) lately?", are they asking if we:
1. have been shining brightly with a lot of small points of light?
2. have been energetic, interesting and exciting?
3. have a bright shine?
4. have energy and interest?

Also, the verb 'sparkle' in such a question, should be in present perfect tense. Thus, it should have been "Have you sparkleD lately?"

It's really about having a clean and green town, rather than the verb definitions - to be shining bright with a lot of small points of light, or been energetic, interesting and exciting. Maybe it's used metaphorically, but still, the tenses' wrong, and they ought to remove these banners that are littered all over the island.

A Love Story

This has blessed me. I pray that I would do the same to my loved ones and love them deeply regardless of what happens.

I trust in God’s unfailing love, for ever and ever. Psalm 52:8b

Around Valentine’s Day most people think about love. With all of the media hype, even people who aren’t in love, think about love! Here, however, is a great story (author unknown) about the depths of real love; a love that goes far beyond romance; and a love that is instructive to all!

"It was a busy morning, about 8:30 a.m., when an elderly gentleman in his 80’s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 a.m. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch and decided since I was not busy with another patient that I would evaluate his wound. It had healed well, so I talked to one of the doctors and got the needed supplies to remove his stitches. While taking care of the wound we began a conversation.

I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment that morning as he was in such a hurry. He told me no, but that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I then inquired about her health. He told me that she had been in the nursing home for awhile and that she had Alzheimer’s Disease. As we talked, I asked him if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was and that she had not recognized him in five years. I was surprised, and asked him why he was still going every morning to visit his wife even though she didn’t know who he is. He smiled and patted my hand and said,

'She doesn’t know me but I still know who she is.'

I tried to hold back tears as he left – I had goose bumps on my arm – and I thought to myself, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'"

We all want to be loved in that kind of way – a love that remains strong and unchanged even when we don’t recognize it! Thank God that He loves us in exactly in that way! Though we may not recognize it, feel it, appreciate it or even take it for granted, God’s love for us never changes! He is always there for us! And God’s love for us sets the example of how we are to love others: our spouses, children, close friends, casual friends – and strangers alike.

As we celebrate another Valentine’s Day, may you be reminded of God’s love and experience it in a new and fresh way – and pass that same kind of love on to the loved ones in your life!

GOING DEEPER:
1. Reflect on some of the ways that God has shown his love to you. Thank God for His love!

2. Consider some ways that you can express real, unchanging love to someone you love. Then commit to acting on those ways.

FURTHER READING:
Colossians 3:12-14
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

1 John 3:18
18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

1 John 4:7.
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

This devotional was written by Jim Liebelt.