It was a bad dream. Yet, this time round, I surprised even myself. I woke up feeling horrible. Wondered about it for a while. Then life started. I miss Abby so much.
Had dinner and conversation with Ben's family tonite. Ben got really tipsy. Drank quite a bit. And left the pregnant wife while he was lost in his thoughts and his conversations. Not that the pregnant wife minded, but just that through the dark alley, thank God for a brother-in-law who realised that his wife's sister-in-law is pregnant. Rather heavily in fact. And trying to get around a dark alley without falling apart.
Sense of belonging. The last time I felt that was probably in Perth. At Queenie's. Thereafter it's been downhill. Perhaps when I was at Poi Ching. That was the other time when I felt I belonged. Maybe that's why my heart yearns to go back there. Otherwise I just wanna take Abby and run. To look for a place where I can belong. Maybe I'm just being selfish. Probably am.
This nite is just one of those nites when I feel sick in the stomach. And it's not morning sickness. It'll go away and I'll resume succumbing to being a meek person again.
Sigh. It gets tiring after a while. When will the ride be over? I wanna get off.
Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow, I'll feel better.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Sunday, November 27, 2005
The Day Abby Ran
Okie. She's almost exactly like her mother. Procrastinate like mad then start to cheong last minute. Apparently, according to my MIL, Abby kinda started running today. Fwah. At first dowan to walk. Then suddenly start walking *and* running. Scary to see my kinda procrastination in action. Din know it's hereditary. :P
P.S. She's absolutely adorable! :D
P.S. She's absolutely adorable! :D
Friday, November 25, 2005
The Nite Abby Walked
8pm. Abby was having fish porridge for dinner in church, just before cell was due to start. Vic was happily walking all over the place, while Abby had to sit still to finish her food. She wanted to go to the 'car-car' area, where all the push cars were. But she couldn't, so she sat there obediently trying to finish a huge bowl of fish porridge.
When she finally couldn't take anymore food, we let her go. She was really excited! Especially when she kept watching Vic run up and down with the cars while she couldn't. So when she was released, she started walking excitedly! Many steps!!! She actually walked like a quarter of the room, superly excitedly! Lina and I were terribly excited too! I could hardly breathe...
I had a dream the other nite. I dreamt that she walked. I knew she would, but I don't really know when. I know when it comes, it comes. So she just started stumbling everywhere, around the whole room! It was unfortunate that I didn't have our digital camera with us - Ben had D&D so he took it - so I took a movie with my trusty Nokia 6230 instead. A full 4 min of it. Woot! Adventure mini-film!
During worship, Abby continued walking. But there was a moment where she lost her balance, fell sideways-backwards, and landed on her head. I was so afraid. She cried and everyone was so worried. Later before her tears even stopped she was clapping along with the music accompanied by her sobs. Then she smiled and worshiped. PRAISE THE LORD.
She did continue walking after that, but I don't know if the fall would affect her confidence. Let's pray it won't! :)
When she finally couldn't take anymore food, we let her go. She was really excited! Especially when she kept watching Vic run up and down with the cars while she couldn't. So when she was released, she started walking excitedly! Many steps!!! She actually walked like a quarter of the room, superly excitedly! Lina and I were terribly excited too! I could hardly breathe...
I had a dream the other nite. I dreamt that she walked. I knew she would, but I don't really know when. I know when it comes, it comes. So she just started stumbling everywhere, around the whole room! It was unfortunate that I didn't have our digital camera with us - Ben had D&D so he took it - so I took a movie with my trusty Nokia 6230 instead. A full 4 min of it. Woot! Adventure mini-film!
During worship, Abby continued walking. But there was a moment where she lost her balance, fell sideways-backwards, and landed on her head. I was so afraid. She cried and everyone was so worried. Later before her tears even stopped she was clapping along with the music accompanied by her sobs. Then she smiled and worshiped. PRAISE THE LORD.
She did continue walking after that, but I don't know if the fall would affect her confidence. Let's pray it won't! :)
Sunday, November 20, 2005
All About A Mad Saturday
Expected to have a long day yesterday, but didn't expect it to have been so tiring. Went to bed late the night before, discussing about kitchen designs etc because we were going to meet the contractor. Woke up a lil' late for an early appointment, but thank God it was delayed by an hour. Brought Abby over to Sharon's (my secondary school best friend) place. She's about 33wks and counting. :) She's expecting a boy, and experiencing occasional Braxton Hicks. So exciting!! :D So far I'm the only breastfeeding advocating friend that she has. Everyone else around her who's given birth failed to breastfeed, so somehow she's expecting less than satisfactory success rates. On the other hand, the people all around me have been breastfeeding so successfully, I think I was one of those who stopped rather early! :( I didn't have the persistence to stop Abby from biting, also, NIE was a pain when it came to pumping and storage in school. I have no idea why, but I spend up to 45min per session pumping in the toilet. It was really long, so my lunch breaks and breaks between tutorials were usually spent in the loo. How exciting. :( Also, I was pretty anal about cleaning the pump well, so I'd take about 5mins just to wash all the pump parts thoroughly. Maybe this time round, I'll bring the Medela Pump In Style and leave it in school instead of using the Avent Isis Manual. Bummer that Avent stopped producing the liner bags. BRING THEM BACK, AVENT! YOU HEAR ME? :( (Don't think they did...)
Abby was pretty shy when she first arrived at Sharon's place, but warmed up after about half an hour later. She was really attached to me. Thankfully Sharon was pretty understanding and then slowly helped Abby to warm up. :) Anyway, when we were about to leave, Abby finally started playing with Sharon although it was way past her nap time. :P
So as we left and was on the way home, Abby kept looking at her thumb (now the hard skin is peeling and kept pressing it. It hurts coz whenever we ask her, "Where's pain-pain/painful?" She'll either show us her thumb or press it. She's been trying to take the other thumb but it doesn't seem she likes it a lot. Anyway, dropped her at home and picked Ben up. Ben was rushing and forgot to take along the kitchen cabinet samples from the contractor. :P Anyway meeting the contractor again today.
Had lunch and went to source for kitchen appliances. Went to a small shop opposite our place. Although nothing fancy, the prices aren't very low. Ben then called his buddy and we headed down the bud's recommendation opposite Eminent Plaza. Gave a much better discount and got our 3-burner hob, hood, kitchen sink and tap (mixer, it's called. Mixes hot & cold water... sounds funky eh?) from there. Wanted to get the built-in oven also, but will KIV that for now.
Headed down to our new place and met the contractor H. Surprisingly young guy, about Ben's age. We'll seen his work at our aunt's place, very satisfied with it. Came to take the kitchen measurements while his colleague E (a sub-contractor) focused on floorworks. H quoted us a rather high price which we have no idea HOW TO BARGAIN. HELP!! :P And E quoted us a beyond expectation price for hacking kitchen wall tiles and overlaying of floor tiles. Later we heard from my aunt that it's actually negotiable. BUT HOW TO NEGOTIATE?? *sob* I dun like bargaining...
Meeting H later to look at kitchen samples, but feel so sore that we have to pay a high price, unless we can bargain. We've seen other contractors, and the workmanship is really something we're quite particular about. The first one we saw, K, was ultra-condescending and rather chee-ko-pek kind... not towards women, but towards money. We went to one of the almost completed flats, and that fella kept saying that because that family was of a particular race, therefore blah blah blah. Then as he was talking like towkay, I saw that the cabinet door was uneven, the laminates were also poorly done (while he kept boasting about how his design was changed (because this family was of this particular race. HUH???) and the island with built-in oven was not properly seated on the base (a bit off-centre) and as a result, the corner that was jutting out from the base already had a chip in it. Very strange layout, even had the clothes dryer suspended in the kitchen cabinet. Well, since his layout so fantastic, then he can go charm his 'fantastic' customers. He kept saying that this family had a tight budget, so he could only do so much.
When I finally asked him about the budget size, he said $20k. That was when we confirmed within ourselves (or rather myself) that I wasn't going to use him. If he sees his customers according to their budget size, then we how? Only doing kitchen leh. Sure kena suan/slammed like mad. Dowan. He was also very condescending towards women, about how women don't understand measurements, dimensions etc. And a whole lot of other nonsense lah. Sigh.
Some men really use the wrong head to think.
Anyway, back to mad saturday. Bumped into my aunt and her family at Bedok South and updated her on the events with H. Later she called and told us that we could actually bargain... and even offered to sponsor us partially for the reno!! :P She's been a great help to us - helping us source for contractors, and keeping an eye out for us regarding this new place. :) She's really been a blessing!
Went S'Expo to pick Abby up from her grandparents. They were there for some family expo thingey. Super crowded. When I first saw Abby in the stroller, I felt she looked super angelic! There was this sweet radiance about her. Just sitting sweetly in the stroller in a pretty white dress. Looked like she had much fun! Seems she wasn't afraid of the 'tall man'. It seems my MIL is expecting her to be afraid of everything and keeps emphasising it whenever she shows dislike for certain stuff, then keep lamenting why she also so afraid. Gosh. If her dislikes are so enthusiastically perceived as fears, then she'll have A LOT OF FEARS, MY DEAR. So irritating. Even Abby's picking the perception up. Sigh. And MIL keeps complaining that her grandson's also very fearful. Hullo. Stop encouraging them to be fearful and they won't. So using fear motivation with them and they won't be as fearful. Granted that they'll have their fears, but we don't have to encourage them to cultivate more fears! Argh. Oh, while I'm at it, stop saying, "If you do this, I won't love you anymore!" Sheesh... how bold can someone get with that kinda words in their faces all the time? Yah, I know, different mindsets, different perspectives. But keep doing something the same way, you'll get the same results isn't it?
Oh, while I'm still at it, I was just wondering. 'Traditional' (I won't use 'Chinese') LOVE to use hurting words to 'motivate' their children to 'do better' - like calling them stupid, useless, fearful or simply comparing them with other kids, saying how clever other kids are, so that their own kids will feel charged up to do better and prove their parents wrong (in the process, 'improve'.) THEN THESE SAME PARENTS COMPLAIN THAT THEIR KIDS ARE DISOBEDIENT AND REBELLIOUS AND REFUSE TO LISTEN TO THEM. They really don't realise the values they are inculcating in their children. Don't they realise they are TRAINING their kids to be disobedient and rebellious and 'forcing' the kids not to listen to them? ARGH. It builds a very wrong heart attitude. Very very wrong. Imagine your husband saying, "Oh, look at Lucy, her breasts so big. How come your breasts not as big as hers?" How motivated will you be to enhance your physical appearances? Perhaps to a certain extent, because of a fear of losing your husband, rather than being motivated because of a genuine love for each other. (Don't you also think the husband ought to be smacked?) Instead, if a wise husband knows how to affirm his wife, the wife would be motivated to take better self-care to satisfy the husband better (I'm not advocating breast enhancement, but a reinforced commitment to eating healthful foods and regular exercise) instead of shooting of his mouth.
Back to frantic Saturday. Went for evening service and Ps Hoo spoke about listening genuinely. Message noted. Most importantly, listening to the voice of God intently, rather than just being busy (super-guilty of that!) Was in the nursery with Abby, Vic and Tina. Vic's already running around the whole place! She's becoming more endearing, and she's willing to let me carry her! Hahaha... :D Went off to Lao Hokkien for Granny's birthday dinner. Didn't eat enough while the other table was complaining there was too much food. Poor distribution of eaters. Poor Ben was still rather hungry. :P We didn't take Lina along, so Ben took care of Abby while I was trying not to faint from low sugar and hunger. (Trying to keep my sugar level in check. Rude shock with my last glucose home-test I did the night before. The colour was beyond the darkest shade. Must have been the Milo & Egg Prata supper.) Abby warmed up to Uncle Tuan and charmed her great-grandma with her 'Ah-Ma' birthday song:
Me (singing): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to...
Abby: Ah-Mah!
Me: Happy birthday to you!
(That's the only edition she knows, by the way.)
She melted Tai-ma's heart.
Later, I gave her an ang-pow to pass to her great-grandma. Walked from outside the restaurant all the way in, heading for the birthday girl. Tai-Ma (Greatgrandma) was so impressed coz Abby knew who to give it to! Then we left. :)
Had updates about one another - saw Mattie's photos. Gosh. He's so grown up now! (By the way, I dreamt that I bought a ticket to Sydney. Six weeks. Solo though. With Abby. I was alone. As usual. In my dreams lah.) Miss them so much. :'(
Persis' having her A Levels now, seems she's pushing herself quite hard. Auntie Chong Keng kept asking me how I was coping, one baby, one more on the way, plus studies. I think despite my complaints etc I am super blessed with in-laws who love Abby to bits and a good helper. She's reliable though she can't really stand my MIL. :( Pity. Otherwise she's really a great help. Though influenced by my MIL's helper who openly 'stabs' (verbally) my MIL in front of me. Gosh. The tales she carries to me. Awful.
Val & Vanessa are attending Uncle Wee's church now; Uncle Phillip was surprised by my pregnancy. Commented that we are very productive. Yup. Most definitely. Ben caught up with Uncle Tuan. Glad he wasn't there quiet and all. Talked to each other about food catering etc. Quite interesting conversation.
Day ended with Abby learning a couple of new words, Ta (for thanks), Mien-mien (for pain-pain), cow (courtesy of Bumblebee) and accompanied "How much is that doggie in the window?" with Wow-wow (we had a 'mini-argument' regarding whether it was wow wow or mao-mao "cat"). It was so cute!! Hehe. She didn't want to sleep, was more confident in climbing off the bed and even up the bed - assisted of course. Watched a bit of Bumble-Bee, her favourite and before she dozed off between us (we had to cuddle closer coz she kept shuttling between lying with Ben & lying with me), she hugged me, said Bao-bao (for hug/carry), got up kissed Ben & myself a couple of times on her own accord (!) and then went back to lie down and dozed off almost immediately. :)
Long day, sweet ending. :) Praise God for His faithfulness and provision. WIth what I've almost tore down with my hands, God has restored abundantly and even blessed me with more than I could have even imagine. I must be more thankful and more appreciative, instead of being so critical. :P
Abby was pretty shy when she first arrived at Sharon's place, but warmed up after about half an hour later. She was really attached to me. Thankfully Sharon was pretty understanding and then slowly helped Abby to warm up. :) Anyway, when we were about to leave, Abby finally started playing with Sharon although it was way past her nap time. :P
So as we left and was on the way home, Abby kept looking at her thumb (now the hard skin is peeling and kept pressing it. It hurts coz whenever we ask her, "Where's pain-pain/painful?" She'll either show us her thumb or press it. She's been trying to take the other thumb but it doesn't seem she likes it a lot. Anyway, dropped her at home and picked Ben up. Ben was rushing and forgot to take along the kitchen cabinet samples from the contractor. :P Anyway meeting the contractor again today.
Had lunch and went to source for kitchen appliances. Went to a small shop opposite our place. Although nothing fancy, the prices aren't very low. Ben then called his buddy and we headed down the bud's recommendation opposite Eminent Plaza. Gave a much better discount and got our 3-burner hob, hood, kitchen sink and tap (mixer, it's called. Mixes hot & cold water... sounds funky eh?) from there. Wanted to get the built-in oven also, but will KIV that for now.
Headed down to our new place and met the contractor H. Surprisingly young guy, about Ben's age. We'll seen his work at our aunt's place, very satisfied with it. Came to take the kitchen measurements while his colleague E (a sub-contractor) focused on floorworks. H quoted us a rather high price which we have no idea HOW TO BARGAIN. HELP!! :P And E quoted us a beyond expectation price for hacking kitchen wall tiles and overlaying of floor tiles. Later we heard from my aunt that it's actually negotiable. BUT HOW TO NEGOTIATE?? *sob* I dun like bargaining...
Meeting H later to look at kitchen samples, but feel so sore that we have to pay a high price, unless we can bargain. We've seen other contractors, and the workmanship is really something we're quite particular about. The first one we saw, K, was ultra-condescending and rather chee-ko-pek kind... not towards women, but towards money. We went to one of the almost completed flats, and that fella kept saying that because that family was of a particular race, therefore blah blah blah. Then as he was talking like towkay, I saw that the cabinet door was uneven, the laminates were also poorly done (while he kept boasting about how his design was changed (because this family was of this particular race. HUH???) and the island with built-in oven was not properly seated on the base (a bit off-centre) and as a result, the corner that was jutting out from the base already had a chip in it. Very strange layout, even had the clothes dryer suspended in the kitchen cabinet. Well, since his layout so fantastic, then he can go charm his 'fantastic' customers. He kept saying that this family had a tight budget, so he could only do so much.
When I finally asked him about the budget size, he said $20k. That was when we confirmed within ourselves (or rather myself) that I wasn't going to use him. If he sees his customers according to their budget size, then we how? Only doing kitchen leh. Sure kena suan/slammed like mad. Dowan. He was also very condescending towards women, about how women don't understand measurements, dimensions etc. And a whole lot of other nonsense lah. Sigh.
Some men really use the wrong head to think.
Anyway, back to mad saturday. Bumped into my aunt and her family at Bedok South and updated her on the events with H. Later she called and told us that we could actually bargain... and even offered to sponsor us partially for the reno!! :P She's been a great help to us - helping us source for contractors, and keeping an eye out for us regarding this new place. :) She's really been a blessing!
Went S'Expo to pick Abby up from her grandparents. They were there for some family expo thingey. Super crowded. When I first saw Abby in the stroller, I felt she looked super angelic! There was this sweet radiance about her. Just sitting sweetly in the stroller in a pretty white dress. Looked like she had much fun! Seems she wasn't afraid of the 'tall man'. It seems my MIL is expecting her to be afraid of everything and keeps emphasising it whenever she shows dislike for certain stuff, then keep lamenting why she also so afraid. Gosh. If her dislikes are so enthusiastically perceived as fears, then she'll have A LOT OF FEARS, MY DEAR. So irritating. Even Abby's picking the perception up. Sigh. And MIL keeps complaining that her grandson's also very fearful. Hullo. Stop encouraging them to be fearful and they won't. So using fear motivation with them and they won't be as fearful. Granted that they'll have their fears, but we don't have to encourage them to cultivate more fears! Argh. Oh, while I'm at it, stop saying, "If you do this, I won't love you anymore!" Sheesh... how bold can someone get with that kinda words in their faces all the time? Yah, I know, different mindsets, different perspectives. But keep doing something the same way, you'll get the same results isn't it?
Oh, while I'm still at it, I was just wondering. 'Traditional' (I won't use 'Chinese') LOVE to use hurting words to 'motivate' their children to 'do better' - like calling them stupid, useless, fearful or simply comparing them with other kids, saying how clever other kids are, so that their own kids will feel charged up to do better and prove their parents wrong (in the process, 'improve'.) THEN THESE SAME PARENTS COMPLAIN THAT THEIR KIDS ARE DISOBEDIENT AND REBELLIOUS AND REFUSE TO LISTEN TO THEM. They really don't realise the values they are inculcating in their children. Don't they realise they are TRAINING their kids to be disobedient and rebellious and 'forcing' the kids not to listen to them? ARGH. It builds a very wrong heart attitude. Very very wrong. Imagine your husband saying, "Oh, look at Lucy, her breasts so big. How come your breasts not as big as hers?" How motivated will you be to enhance your physical appearances? Perhaps to a certain extent, because of a fear of losing your husband, rather than being motivated because of a genuine love for each other. (Don't you also think the husband ought to be smacked?) Instead, if a wise husband knows how to affirm his wife, the wife would be motivated to take better self-care to satisfy the husband better (I'm not advocating breast enhancement, but a reinforced commitment to eating healthful foods and regular exercise) instead of shooting of his mouth.
Back to frantic Saturday. Went for evening service and Ps Hoo spoke about listening genuinely. Message noted. Most importantly, listening to the voice of God intently, rather than just being busy (super-guilty of that!) Was in the nursery with Abby, Vic and Tina. Vic's already running around the whole place! She's becoming more endearing, and she's willing to let me carry her! Hahaha... :D Went off to Lao Hokkien for Granny's birthday dinner. Didn't eat enough while the other table was complaining there was too much food. Poor distribution of eaters. Poor Ben was still rather hungry. :P We didn't take Lina along, so Ben took care of Abby while I was trying not to faint from low sugar and hunger. (Trying to keep my sugar level in check. Rude shock with my last glucose home-test I did the night before. The colour was beyond the darkest shade. Must have been the Milo & Egg Prata supper.) Abby warmed up to Uncle Tuan and charmed her great-grandma with her 'Ah-Ma' birthday song:
Me (singing): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to...
Abby: Ah-Mah!
Me: Happy birthday to you!
(That's the only edition she knows, by the way.)
She melted Tai-ma's heart.
Later, I gave her an ang-pow to pass to her great-grandma. Walked from outside the restaurant all the way in, heading for the birthday girl. Tai-Ma (Greatgrandma) was so impressed coz Abby knew who to give it to! Then we left. :)
Had updates about one another - saw Mattie's photos. Gosh. He's so grown up now! (By the way, I dreamt that I bought a ticket to Sydney. Six weeks. Solo though. With Abby. I was alone. As usual. In my dreams lah.) Miss them so much. :'(
Persis' having her A Levels now, seems she's pushing herself quite hard. Auntie Chong Keng kept asking me how I was coping, one baby, one more on the way, plus studies. I think despite my complaints etc I am super blessed with in-laws who love Abby to bits and a good helper. She's reliable though she can't really stand my MIL. :( Pity. Otherwise she's really a great help. Though influenced by my MIL's helper who openly 'stabs' (verbally) my MIL in front of me. Gosh. The tales she carries to me. Awful.
Val & Vanessa are attending Uncle Wee's church now; Uncle Phillip was surprised by my pregnancy. Commented that we are very productive. Yup. Most definitely. Ben caught up with Uncle Tuan. Glad he wasn't there quiet and all. Talked to each other about food catering etc. Quite interesting conversation.
Day ended with Abby learning a couple of new words, Ta (for thanks), Mien-mien (for pain-pain), cow (courtesy of Bumblebee) and accompanied "How much is that doggie in the window?" with Wow-wow (we had a 'mini-argument' regarding whether it was wow wow or mao-mao "cat"). It was so cute!! Hehe. She didn't want to sleep, was more confident in climbing off the bed and even up the bed - assisted of course. Watched a bit of Bumble-Bee, her favourite and before she dozed off between us (we had to cuddle closer coz she kept shuttling between lying with Ben & lying with me), she hugged me, said Bao-bao (for hug/carry), got up kissed Ben & myself a couple of times on her own accord (!) and then went back to lie down and dozed off almost immediately. :)
Long day, sweet ending. :) Praise God for His faithfulness and provision. WIth what I've almost tore down with my hands, God has restored abundantly and even blessed me with more than I could have even imagine. I must be more thankful and more appreciative, instead of being so critical. :P
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
New Place
We finally got the keys to our new place! Well, we got them on the 8th of this month, thank God it was a rather smooth transaction, unlike the last round which was quite heart-stopping. (The seller had some problem with legal representatives... long story.) However, one of the seller's family members couldn't get out of the house fast enough and he asked for about one week's extension. Said that his new place wasn't ready, so he couldn't move. So we let him stay till Sunday for a 'small token' which seemed like a pound of flesh to him. He could even say - if I don't move out by Monday u can start charging me rent. Er,... he think that place still his uh? :P Anyway, it was pegged at market rate from the 8th till 12th. On the 11th, Ben & I felt that we should make a courtesy call to him. So we did. Thank God we did. At first, the fella said, "Oh, it's about 99% done already. I just have a few pieces of item left. Oh, by the way, could you help me throw away the bench? Just leave it outside can already." I was quite shocked lah.
You want us to throw this heavy monster away? Erhm... the initial agreement was that the place was EMPTIED by the 8th November, and on the 11th night, he wants us to throw that (amongst many other things) away. We had to provide him with the mover's contact and even teach him how to go about doing stuff.
We declined the request nicely and Ben proceeded to go upstairs (we were at the block's carpark) to have a look. When he went up, he MMSed me the stated of the place. He was very very upset. That fella's remaining 1% still had about a lift landing's worth of stuff - 2 tables, 1 big cupboard, 1 kitchen full of knick-knacks (which he kindly offered to give us - erh... hawker takeaway plastic containers etc?) Ben had to help him move all the stuff out! We knew that he was a penny pincher, so Ben said, if all the stuff (subsequently at the lift-landing) isn't gone by Monday, we'll have to charge him additional rent - in response to him commenting much earlier that he'll only clear his 1% by Thursday, 17th coz that's his off day. Wah. Argh.
Anyway, by the 14th, the Town Council guys came and clear all his junk, leaving behind his shoe cabinet (which I dutifully reminded him nicely to dispose of). Sigh. He's really in a world of his own - can even lament to Ben over the phone that he hasn't gotten anything done and even hasn't brushed his teeth! It was an afternoon call. :S He's about mid-thirties, single and desperately needs a woman to clean him up. Any takers? :S
So now we're in the midst of looking for a contractor to do up the kitchen. It is in a VERY bad state. This guy can pay off his new place WITHOUT taking a HDB loan. But the current kitchen (his old place/our new place) looks BAD.
The floor's in a bad shape (not visible) and some of the cupboard doors cannot be closed. It's really dirty, though the picture does it too much justice.
This is supposed to be a kitchen balcony.
It's been like this for years. Looks like it's undergoing construction right? But we're glad that we can hack this whole place and do it up the way we want it, without feeling too sayang about 'wasting' good furniture.
Anyway, because of upgrading, we won't be moving in so soon, not in the next six months, to say the least. The HDB Main Upgrading Programme provides: upgrading of Existing Bathroom and Toilet, waterproofing of bathroom and toilet floors, tiling of bathroom and toilet floor and walls, replacement of existing squat / pedestal pan with new pedestal pan, replacement of bathroom and toilet vents, provision of grab bar, replacement of existing bathroom and toilet door with PVC folding door, replacement of existing wash basin with new wash basin, replacement of windows and grilles, and replacement of main door and gate. We really don't know how the new design's gonna look like, hopefully it's decent. We'll have to go to the Branch office to check it out. Hopefully it's decent. *Fingers crossed*
You want us to throw this heavy monster away? Erhm... the initial agreement was that the place was EMPTIED by the 8th November, and on the 11th night, he wants us to throw that (amongst many other things) away. We had to provide him with the mover's contact and even teach him how to go about doing stuff.
We declined the request nicely and Ben proceeded to go upstairs (we were at the block's carpark) to have a look. When he went up, he MMSed me the stated of the place. He was very very upset. That fella's remaining 1% still had about a lift landing's worth of stuff - 2 tables, 1 big cupboard, 1 kitchen full of knick-knacks (which he kindly offered to give us - erh... hawker takeaway plastic containers etc?) Ben had to help him move all the stuff out! We knew that he was a penny pincher, so Ben said, if all the stuff (subsequently at the lift-landing) isn't gone by Monday, we'll have to charge him additional rent - in response to him commenting much earlier that he'll only clear his 1% by Thursday, 17th coz that's his off day. Wah. Argh.
Anyway, by the 14th, the Town Council guys came and clear all his junk, leaving behind his shoe cabinet (which I dutifully reminded him nicely to dispose of). Sigh. He's really in a world of his own - can even lament to Ben over the phone that he hasn't gotten anything done and even hasn't brushed his teeth! It was an afternoon call. :S He's about mid-thirties, single and desperately needs a woman to clean him up. Any takers? :S
So now we're in the midst of looking for a contractor to do up the kitchen. It is in a VERY bad state. This guy can pay off his new place WITHOUT taking a HDB loan. But the current kitchen (his old place/our new place) looks BAD.
The floor's in a bad shape (not visible) and some of the cupboard doors cannot be closed. It's really dirty, though the picture does it too much justice.
This is supposed to be a kitchen balcony.
It's been like this for years. Looks like it's undergoing construction right? But we're glad that we can hack this whole place and do it up the way we want it, without feeling too sayang about 'wasting' good furniture.
Anyway, because of upgrading, we won't be moving in so soon, not in the next six months, to say the least. The HDB Main Upgrading Programme provides: upgrading of Existing Bathroom and Toilet, waterproofing of bathroom and toilet floors, tiling of bathroom and toilet floor and walls, replacement of existing squat / pedestal pan with new pedestal pan, replacement of bathroom and toilet vents, provision of grab bar, replacement of existing bathroom and toilet door with PVC folding door, replacement of existing wash basin with new wash basin, replacement of windows and grilles, and replacement of main door and gate. We really don't know how the new design's gonna look like, hopefully it's decent. We'll have to go to the Branch office to check it out. Hopefully it's decent. *Fingers crossed*
Monday, November 14, 2005
Exam Stress
Body is showing signs of stress from the exam... problem is - I tend to use a lot of short term memory for exams. No point using LTM (so my body believes). So, even though I planned my study schedule, I'm only starting two days before each paper (obviously not according to plan). I'm spending the 'excess' time with Abby (while trying to get into the momentum of studying) and as a result, we're having so much fun! :D
MIL told me she asked Abby today whether she wanted to come upstairs to be with Mummy. Abby nodded! :D We've been having tonnes of fun (which explains why studying is such a dread). Really enjoy communicating with my lil' one, especially when she nods or shakes her head, indicating what she wants or what she doesn't want. She gets terribly excited when Ben's around, and makes us kiss each other! She giggles whenever we do that, and even pushes us towards each other so that we'd kiss. So cute.
I've been observing her quite a bit regarding her walking 'status', and we've come to a conclusion that she's ultra-careful. She's willing to walk only on the bed, which she initiates on her own! She'll start at the headboard, then take about 3-4steps forward, usually tumbling towards me. I have to maintain absolute eye contact with her, otherwise she won't walk to me, and sometimes even affirms herself by clapping after she's made the journey! It gets even more celebratory when Ben's around. Pure fun! :) She'll only walk on the bed, and is rather reluctant to try the same stunt on the floor. She'll even get to the original position (at the head of the bed) to repeat the journey! She'll say, "Tend!" (meaning 'stand') and try to get up without holding on to anything. Her efforts are so visible, though she can't really fully execute lifting her butt yet, so she'll end up using the pillows or headboard for support. Then when she's steady, then she'll walk forward, afterwhich, we'll all cheer! :D
Good news: Her attempt at walking was recorded on video, but...
Bad news: the best video needs to be rotated!! Ben forgot it was a video (somehow something didn't click) and he took the clip in 'portrait'. So bear with the video - Abby starts with a self-initiated clapping routine and then attempts walking!
After this video, we realised our error; nevertheless, we're grateful for that shot! :D
Also, she 'pretended' to take the pacifier. The way she did it was really cute! :D
This post, though about exam stress, is anything but the exams. Can't wait to get over them and fully indulge in my babies! :D
MIL told me she asked Abby today whether she wanted to come upstairs to be with Mummy. Abby nodded! :D We've been having tonnes of fun (which explains why studying is such a dread). Really enjoy communicating with my lil' one, especially when she nods or shakes her head, indicating what she wants or what she doesn't want. She gets terribly excited when Ben's around, and makes us kiss each other! She giggles whenever we do that, and even pushes us towards each other so that we'd kiss. So cute.
I've been observing her quite a bit regarding her walking 'status', and we've come to a conclusion that she's ultra-careful. She's willing to walk only on the bed, which she initiates on her own! She'll start at the headboard, then take about 3-4steps forward, usually tumbling towards me. I have to maintain absolute eye contact with her, otherwise she won't walk to me, and sometimes even affirms herself by clapping after she's made the journey! It gets even more celebratory when Ben's around. Pure fun! :) She'll only walk on the bed, and is rather reluctant to try the same stunt on the floor. She'll even get to the original position (at the head of the bed) to repeat the journey! She'll say, "Tend!" (meaning 'stand') and try to get up without holding on to anything. Her efforts are so visible, though she can't really fully execute lifting her butt yet, so she'll end up using the pillows or headboard for support. Then when she's steady, then she'll walk forward, afterwhich, we'll all cheer! :D
Good news: Her attempt at walking was recorded on video, but...
Bad news: the best video needs to be rotated!! Ben forgot it was a video (somehow something didn't click) and he took the clip in 'portrait'. So bear with the video - Abby starts with a self-initiated clapping routine and then attempts walking!
After this video, we realised our error; nevertheless, we're grateful for that shot! :D
Also, she 'pretended' to take the pacifier. The way she did it was really cute! :D
This post, though about exam stress, is anything but the exams. Can't wait to get over them and fully indulge in my babies! :D
Sunday, November 13, 2005
One of Our Favourite Shots
Taken during the Baby Bonanza 2005 yesterday at Rivervale Mall. It was a horribly organised (or should I say perfectly disorganised) event. Abby had fun during the first segment though, out of the three.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Abby's Development at 15 months
A follow-up from the previous post.
Verbal
1. Moom (for moon - seems she applauded us for saying moom after she said it. Too cute!
2. A-bing! (I suspect for 'open'. I think...)
3. No
4. Beat (with hand sign)
5. Wait (with hand sign. This is a classic! And she actually understands the meaning of wait! :D)
6. Walk-walk
7. Go-go
8. Down
9. Elmo!
10. Mao-Mao (for cat)
11. Gou-Gou (for dog)
12. Bang-bang (for knocking and gun-play. Yes, her cousin plays with guns with her.)
13. Wan-more (I think she's trying to say, "Some more" for more food)
14. Pa-pah (for frightened)
15. Baby! (Bei-BEE!)
16. Mei mei! (for little girl/younger sister)
17. Tang! (for 'stand')
18. Meh MEE (Mummy! Sometimes she says Mah-mee but usually will call me Mama! Has been calling me very affectionately these past few days.)
Stimulus-Response verbal play
1. A? Apple
2. B? Ball
3. Fill in the blanks for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Must try to put up the medley she performed for the video!)
4. Fill in the blanks for London Bridge is Falling Down
5. Fill in the blanks for Happy Birthday To You (To Ah-Mah!)
6. Points to her own belly when we ask her where the baby is! (I showed her my protruding belly.)
Actions/Play
1. Signals "Good!" with forefinger to approve of tasty food
2. Folds arms and dances - gets grandparents to follow her actions!
3. Makes funny faces in the mirror (such as pouting) and laughs at herself!
4. Knows how to manipulate new water bottle - press button for straw to eject, drink from straw then close the cover. Previous bottle was leaking, so had to make sure she knew how to use the new one, otherwise she won't drink her fluids.
5. Plays pretend by herself - eats from bowl/plate, feeds others with spoon/fork and drinks from cup. We tried to get her to drink from a cup by herself without the lid but not too steady yet. As for self-feeding, I haven't broached the topic with MIL. Tired to start another controversy.
6. Knows how to close/cap my Nalgene bottle cover. Offers to cap it when it is exposed and does a good job of turning the cap. :)
7. Knows the meaning of 'no' and 'beat'. Once, I said no to her yelling in the restaurant, followed by a threat, then she yelled, then said and signaled 'no' followed by 'beat'! She understood. It was an overdose of cuteness!
8. Nods and shakes head to signify 'yes' and 'no' respectively. Knows what she wants and shows approval when we understand/give her the wanted item.
9. Identified 'A' (we suspect) when we were at the petrol station. She pointed to the 'Star M A R T' sign and said 'A'! Anyway, we acknowledged it. Any attempt at anything is great for us! :D
Physical Development
1. Has 16 teeth!! 8 on top and 8 below. All nice and cute! 4 left to go. I wonder how we'd do if I was still breastfeeding her. :S
2. Not too confident in walking yet. Supposed to be worried by 15months, but she cruises and is willing to walk if we hold her hands or if she holds on to a push-toy. She would lean on us if we supported her back or arms to walk. She's been late on motor skills development since young, so let's see what happens. Some sources state the 'healthy range' is till 18 months, so let's just wait and see. :)
3. Fine motor skills are rather good, together with good hand-eye co-ordination. She can operate key and keyhole (although not smoothly, but good attempts. With that, I'm not so worried about her gross motor development, i.e. no 2)
4. Eats really well, in fact she can go on and on... Took her to a buffet and she ate about the same amount as me. :P Not much carbo, mainly carrots, broccoli and fish. Even likes spiced biscuits! Haven't let her try chilli yet. I'm not that adventurous... :P
5. She's about 10.8kg now and 88cm tall.
Personality
1. Very cheeky! Yesterday we were rolling around on the bed, she stood up and pointed to our wedding portrait. Pointed Ben out as 'Dae-dae'. Asked her who the person next to Daddy was, and she replied, "Elmo!" and laughed! At night, pointed to me, and said, "Dae-dae" when we asked her who Daddy was, and pointed to Ben when asked who Mummy was. Then she laughed and laughed! We jokingly said she was 'Ah-Mah' and asked her who 'Ah-mah' was, and she pointed to herself and laughed! :D
2. She's very careful. She will survey her surroundings before sitting down from a standing position and will do it pretty slowly. Also, when she's near the edge of our bed, we'll warn her, which she'd turn around to see how close she is to the edge, then scurry towards us.
3. Very loving. She'll give hugs and kisses on her own accord (but depending on her mood also). When one of our relatives who sat next to her during a family dinner choked, Abby patted her on the back! She'll also keep offering us food and feeding us without worrying that she'll have none. Great lesson for me to trust my Abba Father for endless provision when we keep giving to others because He'll provide for our needs. Abby knows that she'll not run out of supplies when she gives to others.
4. Very happybaby toddler. Wakes up happy and is all smiles especially in familiar environments.
5. Loves her best friend, Vic. Will cry when Vic leaves and actually squeals with delight when she sees Vic! Affectionately calls her Mei-mei!
6. Very obedient. Will obey instructions and tell herself 'no' if she's not allowed to do something. I'm eternally grateful and enjoying every moment of it. I pray that this lasts... :P Though at times she resists, we've learnt not to get into power struggles with her. Quite a bit of compromising, but both needs are met. E.g. sometimes she refuses to sleep, we give her about 1/2hr of reading/interaction time, after which she'll nicely lie down and knock out. Couple of days ago, she didn't want to nap though she was tired (quite a struggle). I gave her a puzzle to explore which calmed her down. Later she got a bit fussy, so I told her, "Darling, you're getting fussy and you're tired. You need a nap now." At which, she promptly stuck her thumb in her mouth, fell forward (we were on our bed) and slept! Amazing!
7. Has a special spot for my brother. Adores him very much and is willing to give him kisses after kisses. When he walks into the room, her eyes light up and just watches him, till he acknowledges her. He loves her to bits too. :)
8. Loves books. Loves to explore them.
9. Loves music. Will sing, clap and dance to them. Her singing is sooo cute!
10. Loves swimming. When I ask her if she'd like to go swimming, her eyes will light up and she'll break into a wide smile! And get terribly excited after that!
11. Appreciates routine. General routine as well as specific ones. E.g. When I ask her if she'd like to watch 'Bumblebee', she'll laugh (in agreement) and I'll carry her to our bed. Then she'll scurry to her favourite position between the pillows and either sit or stand there while I switch the VCD on and get a hand towel to wipe her hands coz she'll suck her thumb. She'll stay rooted on the bed (and eyes fixed on the VCD intro) while I grab the towel from the toilet. Then I'll ask for her hands which she'll give me, one at a time. Quite cautious about leaving her on the bed alone though, will keep an eye on her even with my mini-errand.
12. In-laws think she's timid, like her cousin. When she sees something she's not comfortable with, she'll pat her chest and say 'pa-pah'! So even when she just pats her chest (which also could mean 'me') MIL will quickly say that she's afraid. Quite irritating. Tried to explain to MIL that not all chest-patting means she's afraid. I'm quite against the labelling, because it's quite convenient then complain that she's a timid kid. It's a vicious cycle. She does make a big deal out of the Abby's 'pa-pah'. :S *silence*
Verbal
1. Moom (for moon - seems she applauded us for saying moom after she said it. Too cute!
2. A-bing! (I suspect for 'open'. I think...)
3. No
4. Beat (with hand sign)
5. Wait (with hand sign. This is a classic! And she actually understands the meaning of wait! :D)
6. Walk-walk
7. Go-go
8. Down
9. Elmo!
10. Mao-Mao (for cat)
11. Gou-Gou (for dog)
12. Bang-bang (for knocking and gun-play. Yes, her cousin plays with guns with her.)
13. Wan-more (I think she's trying to say, "Some more" for more food)
14. Pa-pah (for frightened)
15. Baby! (Bei-BEE!)
16. Mei mei! (for little girl/younger sister)
17. Tang! (for 'stand')
18. Meh MEE (Mummy! Sometimes she says Mah-mee but usually will call me Mama! Has been calling me very affectionately these past few days.)
Stimulus-Response verbal play
1. A? Apple
2. B? Ball
3. Fill in the blanks for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Must try to put up the medley she performed for the video!)
4. Fill in the blanks for London Bridge is Falling Down
5. Fill in the blanks for Happy Birthday To You (To Ah-Mah!)
6. Points to her own belly when we ask her where the baby is! (I showed her my protruding belly.)
Actions/Play
1. Signals "Good!" with forefinger to approve of tasty food
2. Folds arms and dances - gets grandparents to follow her actions!
3. Makes funny faces in the mirror (such as pouting) and laughs at herself!
4. Knows how to manipulate new water bottle - press button for straw to eject, drink from straw then close the cover. Previous bottle was leaking, so had to make sure she knew how to use the new one, otherwise she won't drink her fluids.
5. Plays pretend by herself - eats from bowl/plate, feeds others with spoon/fork and drinks from cup. We tried to get her to drink from a cup by herself without the lid but not too steady yet. As for self-feeding, I haven't broached the topic with MIL. Tired to start another controversy.
6. Knows how to close/cap my Nalgene bottle cover. Offers to cap it when it is exposed and does a good job of turning the cap. :)
7. Knows the meaning of 'no' and 'beat'. Once, I said no to her yelling in the restaurant, followed by a threat, then she yelled, then said and signaled 'no' followed by 'beat'! She understood. It was an overdose of cuteness!
8. Nods and shakes head to signify 'yes' and 'no' respectively. Knows what she wants and shows approval when we understand/give her the wanted item.
9. Identified 'A' (we suspect) when we were at the petrol station. She pointed to the 'Star M A R T' sign and said 'A'! Anyway, we acknowledged it. Any attempt at anything is great for us! :D
Physical Development
1. Has 16 teeth!! 8 on top and 8 below. All nice and cute! 4 left to go. I wonder how we'd do if I was still breastfeeding her. :S
2. Not too confident in walking yet. Supposed to be worried by 15months, but she cruises and is willing to walk if we hold her hands or if she holds on to a push-toy. She would lean on us if we supported her back or arms to walk. She's been late on motor skills development since young, so let's see what happens. Some sources state the 'healthy range' is till 18 months, so let's just wait and see. :)
3. Fine motor skills are rather good, together with good hand-eye co-ordination. She can operate key and keyhole (although not smoothly, but good attempts. With that, I'm not so worried about her gross motor development, i.e. no 2)
4. Eats really well, in fact she can go on and on... Took her to a buffet and she ate about the same amount as me. :P Not much carbo, mainly carrots, broccoli and fish. Even likes spiced biscuits! Haven't let her try chilli yet. I'm not that adventurous... :P
5. She's about 10.8kg now and 88cm tall.
Personality
1. Very cheeky! Yesterday we were rolling around on the bed, she stood up and pointed to our wedding portrait. Pointed Ben out as 'Dae-dae'. Asked her who the person next to Daddy was, and she replied, "Elmo!" and laughed! At night, pointed to me, and said, "Dae-dae" when we asked her who Daddy was, and pointed to Ben when asked who Mummy was. Then she laughed and laughed! We jokingly said she was 'Ah-Mah' and asked her who 'Ah-mah' was, and she pointed to herself and laughed! :D
2. She's very careful. She will survey her surroundings before sitting down from a standing position and will do it pretty slowly. Also, when she's near the edge of our bed, we'll warn her, which she'd turn around to see how close she is to the edge, then scurry towards us.
3. Very loving. She'll give hugs and kisses on her own accord (but depending on her mood also). When one of our relatives who sat next to her during a family dinner choked, Abby patted her on the back! She'll also keep offering us food and feeding us without worrying that she'll have none. Great lesson for me to trust my Abba Father for endless provision when we keep giving to others because He'll provide for our needs. Abby knows that she'll not run out of supplies when she gives to others.
4. Very happy
5. Loves her best friend, Vic. Will cry when Vic leaves and actually squeals with delight when she sees Vic! Affectionately calls her Mei-mei!
6. Very obedient. Will obey instructions and tell herself 'no' if she's not allowed to do something. I'm eternally grateful and enjoying every moment of it. I pray that this lasts... :P Though at times she resists, we've learnt not to get into power struggles with her. Quite a bit of compromising, but both needs are met. E.g. sometimes she refuses to sleep, we give her about 1/2hr of reading/interaction time, after which she'll nicely lie down and knock out. Couple of days ago, she didn't want to nap though she was tired (quite a struggle). I gave her a puzzle to explore which calmed her down. Later she got a bit fussy, so I told her, "Darling, you're getting fussy and you're tired. You need a nap now." At which, she promptly stuck her thumb in her mouth, fell forward (we were on our bed) and slept! Amazing!
7. Has a special spot for my brother. Adores him very much and is willing to give him kisses after kisses. When he walks into the room, her eyes light up and just watches him, till he acknowledges her. He loves her to bits too. :)
8. Loves books. Loves to explore them.
9. Loves music. Will sing, clap and dance to them. Her singing is sooo cute!
10. Loves swimming. When I ask her if she'd like to go swimming, her eyes will light up and she'll break into a wide smile! And get terribly excited after that!
11. Appreciates routine. General routine as well as specific ones. E.g. When I ask her if she'd like to watch 'Bumblebee', she'll laugh (in agreement) and I'll carry her to our bed. Then she'll scurry to her favourite position between the pillows and either sit or stand there while I switch the VCD on and get a hand towel to wipe her hands coz she'll suck her thumb. She'll stay rooted on the bed (and eyes fixed on the VCD intro) while I grab the towel from the toilet. Then I'll ask for her hands which she'll give me, one at a time. Quite cautious about leaving her on the bed alone though, will keep an eye on her even with my mini-errand.
12. In-laws think she's timid, like her cousin. When she sees something she's not comfortable with, she'll pat her chest and say 'pa-pah'! So even when she just pats her chest (which also could mean 'me') MIL will quickly say that she's afraid. Quite irritating. Tried to explain to MIL that not all chest-patting means she's afraid. I'm quite against the labelling, because it's quite convenient then complain that she's a timid kid. It's a vicious cycle. She does make a big deal out of the Abby's 'pa-pah'. :S *silence*
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Pregnancy Log: Week 22
Wah, week 22 already uh? I've been thinking I'm just coming to week 21. Well, din know so fast 5.5mths pregnant already! I think I ought to do a weekly entry, at least next time when I dig through my archives it wouldn't be such a hassle.
I've put on about 4.5 to 5kg since I got pregnant, and trying my best to control my diet. I actually put on about 18kg for the last pregnancy! I think by the time I got to mid-2nd trimester, I was already 12kg heavier than before the pregnancy! The weight gain tapered off nearer the end of the pregnancy.
I was told I've got a curved spine, which explains the sharp pain in my right butt/hip. My right leg literally jams up at times, leaving me yelping in shock (and leaving everyone else in shock also), but after minor adjustments to relief the 'jam', the leg would function properly once again.
My abs are not so intact also. It's an odd feeling, but even before I'd gotten big, there'll be this distention (I think) in my right ab whenever I breathe too hard. I'm quite determined to get my body back in shape after the pregnancy - provided I can deal with the leaky/full breasts and toxins released from weight loss into the breastmilk.
I wanna go waaaay much longer with breastfeeding this time. I think Abby's a really obedient kid, and if I had persevered instead of throwing in the towel, I would have been able to coax her NOT to bite me and still be breastfeeding her now. But then again, I wouldn't be pregnant - chances not so high, but still possible though. She was weaned off the breast at 6mths and the bottle at 9mths. MIL wasn't too happy that I didn't want her on the bottle (I've seen kids with a bottle hanging out of their mouths - I'm talking 5-6yos) and I'm really not keen for Abby to go that way. Anyway, she's managing well with drinking from straws and cups, so I'm not so worried about her food intake.
I'm feeling his kicks much more now, and it's quite fun. Have to pray more though, haven't been praying as much. God's blessed us tremendously - baby is healthy and right on schedule, detailed scan shows ALL's well! We've been receiving A LOT OF baby boy's clothings - Ben's now worried about the storage space!
Got quite a bit of maternity clothing too, ranging from the 1980s fashion all the way to 2005! Heh. But I find myself wearing the same few pieces - always the 80/20 rule. I wear 20% of my clothing 80% of the time, and the remaining 80% about 20% of the time (if ever!)
Can't decide on the name yet - need God to impress upon us. The last time was pretty easy coz God told me specifically Abby's name - so before I knew about the pregnancy, I knew it was a girl (from the name, duh...) and what name to give. This time round, a little more challenging. Ben would like a name that starts with 'B', but finding 'B' boy names can be quite a challenge without scarring our little one for life! Suggestions such as - Bedok, etc, are all rejected, and the name has to go well with the surname too... cannot be too much of a tongue twister. We've decided on the Chinese name and might stick to Jonathan if no better B names come up. We liked Brenner, but found out it meant distiller of alcohol. Sad. It's more of a famiily name than a first name.
Sleep is much better compared to first one, where I got up rather frequency just to pee. I don't find myself getting up so often just to pee. The last time - it was routine! Every nite in fact.
Chicken soup is much yummier this time round compared to the last time, and the taste buds' pretty different. That's how my MIL suspected it was a boy. Heh. I can take fish also, but I still can't take the odour in one of the rooms downstairs. Very nauseating.
People have been telling me this and that regarding a wide range of topics they are so interested in - well, all I can say is - to each his own. E.g. one woman in church was telling me about how a 3 year gap is sooooo ideal, that mine is too close. She went on and on about how the older one will take care of the younger one without her worrying too much. Another lady with 2 sons with a 19-month age gap agreed that 19months is too close. Then next, my granny was saying - thank God for her who kept urging us to have more babies (??) otherwise we'll take too long. The last time I remembered, when she urged us to have No. 1 so that she could 'carry' the baby, I asked her who was going to take care of the baby, then she kept complaining she cannot, too old, too tired, too weak. Would I continue to heed her advice and go for no. 2 as she claimed? Well, make her happy, whatever she wanna say. Anyway, this is the best time for me to have coz being pregnant in NIE is reallly a much better option than being pregnant while teaching, contrary to popular belief. (I had one lady in NIE who raised one eyebrow and asked me if I had planned for this pregnancy.) I don't have 12hr workdays, don't have to shout at kiddos, don't have extra duties to do, and don't have loads of marking to lug around. Now, if i'm unfortunate enough, I go school everyday, sometimes for 2hours only, rush for deadlines only at selected days of the semester, can sleep in if school is in the afternoon, bring few sheets of paper to school instead of textbooks and files and just enjoy myself during the breaks between lessons. No wonder it's a privilege being in school. Anyway, we can control NOT being pregnant, but can't control when we wanna get pregnant.
One baby for the diploma, one for the degree. How cool is that? :) Then after that, factory suspended till I get out of the school system. :P Or at least near the end of the school system. ;) Not easy being a pregnant teacher. I tried during practicum and my final posting - and that's not even 1/2 the workload. Eeeps.
I've put on about 4.5 to 5kg since I got pregnant, and trying my best to control my diet. I actually put on about 18kg for the last pregnancy! I think by the time I got to mid-2nd trimester, I was already 12kg heavier than before the pregnancy! The weight gain tapered off nearer the end of the pregnancy.
I was told I've got a curved spine, which explains the sharp pain in my right butt/hip. My right leg literally jams up at times, leaving me yelping in shock (and leaving everyone else in shock also), but after minor adjustments to relief the 'jam', the leg would function properly once again.
My abs are not so intact also. It's an odd feeling, but even before I'd gotten big, there'll be this distention (I think) in my right ab whenever I breathe too hard. I'm quite determined to get my body back in shape after the pregnancy - provided I can deal with the leaky/full breasts and toxins released from weight loss into the breastmilk.
I wanna go waaaay much longer with breastfeeding this time. I think Abby's a really obedient kid, and if I had persevered instead of throwing in the towel, I would have been able to coax her NOT to bite me and still be breastfeeding her now. But then again, I wouldn't be pregnant - chances not so high, but still possible though. She was weaned off the breast at 6mths and the bottle at 9mths. MIL wasn't too happy that I didn't want her on the bottle (I've seen kids with a bottle hanging out of their mouths - I'm talking 5-6yos) and I'm really not keen for Abby to go that way. Anyway, she's managing well with drinking from straws and cups, so I'm not so worried about her food intake.
I'm feeling his kicks much more now, and it's quite fun. Have to pray more though, haven't been praying as much. God's blessed us tremendously - baby is healthy and right on schedule, detailed scan shows ALL's well! We've been receiving A LOT OF baby boy's clothings - Ben's now worried about the storage space!
Got quite a bit of maternity clothing too, ranging from the 1980s fashion all the way to 2005! Heh. But I find myself wearing the same few pieces - always the 80/20 rule. I wear 20% of my clothing 80% of the time, and the remaining 80% about 20% of the time (if ever!)
Can't decide on the name yet - need God to impress upon us. The last time was pretty easy coz God told me specifically Abby's name - so before I knew about the pregnancy, I knew it was a girl (from the name, duh...) and what name to give. This time round, a little more challenging. Ben would like a name that starts with 'B', but finding 'B' boy names can be quite a challenge without scarring our little one for life! Suggestions such as - Bedok, etc, are all rejected, and the name has to go well with the surname too... cannot be too much of a tongue twister. We've decided on the Chinese name and might stick to Jonathan if no better B names come up. We liked Brenner, but found out it meant distiller of alcohol. Sad. It's more of a famiily name than a first name.
Sleep is much better compared to first one, where I got up rather frequency just to pee. I don't find myself getting up so often just to pee. The last time - it was routine! Every nite in fact.
Chicken soup is much yummier this time round compared to the last time, and the taste buds' pretty different. That's how my MIL suspected it was a boy. Heh. I can take fish also, but I still can't take the odour in one of the rooms downstairs. Very nauseating.
People have been telling me this and that regarding a wide range of topics they are so interested in - well, all I can say is - to each his own. E.g. one woman in church was telling me about how a 3 year gap is sooooo ideal, that mine is too close. She went on and on about how the older one will take care of the younger one without her worrying too much. Another lady with 2 sons with a 19-month age gap agreed that 19months is too close. Then next, my granny was saying - thank God for her who kept urging us to have more babies (??) otherwise we'll take too long. The last time I remembered, when she urged us to have No. 1 so that she could 'carry' the baby, I asked her who was going to take care of the baby, then she kept complaining she cannot, too old, too tired, too weak. Would I continue to heed her advice and go for no. 2 as she claimed? Well, make her happy, whatever she wanna say. Anyway, this is the best time for me to have coz being pregnant in NIE is reallly a much better option than being pregnant while teaching, contrary to popular belief. (I had one lady in NIE who raised one eyebrow and asked me if I had planned for this pregnancy.) I don't have 12hr workdays, don't have to shout at kiddos, don't have extra duties to do, and don't have loads of marking to lug around. Now, if i'm unfortunate enough, I go school everyday, sometimes for 2hours only, rush for deadlines only at selected days of the semester, can sleep in if school is in the afternoon, bring few sheets of paper to school instead of textbooks and files and just enjoy myself during the breaks between lessons. No wonder it's a privilege being in school. Anyway, we can control NOT being pregnant, but can't control when we wanna get pregnant.
One baby for the diploma, one for the degree. How cool is that? :) Then after that, factory suspended till I get out of the school system. :P Or at least near the end of the school system. ;) Not easy being a pregnant teacher. I tried during practicum and my final posting - and that's not even 1/2 the workload. Eeeps.
Wondering...
If Mount E delivery ward has got wireless access... then can blog updates regularly when i'm in there during labour! How cool! :D Right now I'm going through my archives to see if I recorded much during my last pregnancy. Doesn't seem so... Hmm... Should blog more! :D
Daily Devotion from The Vine
Received this this morning for my daily devotion! Heh, so cute. How apt.
Good morning Audrey!
Here is today's "The Word for Today", brought to you by The Vine in association with Rhema Broadcasting Group and UCB International Ltd.
You can support The Vine by clicking here.
The Word for Today
With Bob Gass
Wednesday, 9th November 2005
Love And Loyalty
If you love... you will be loyal.
1 Corinthians 13:7 TLB
One night in bed a wife says to her husband of 50 years, "When we were young you used to hold my hand." Slowly, a little irritated, his hand reaches out. "And when we were young you used to snuggle up against me." A little more slowly his body creaks and turns, nestling against hers. "And when we were young you used to nibble on my ear." Abruptly the covers are thrown back and he lurches out of bed. "Where are you going?" she asks, a little hurt. "To get my teeth," he grumbles. To nibble on an ear when you're full of romance and bubbling hormones and the room is scented with perfume is one thing; to still be nibbling when that ear holds a hearing device, the room is scented with Bengay, and you have to get up to get your teeth - that's something else. That's love and loyalty.
When passion wanes, can love stay strong? Listen: "Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong... If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him...
There are three things that remain - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love" (1 Co 13:4-7 & 13 TLB).
May all of us learn to love and be loyal till we get to nibble our loved one's ears with such loyalty. ;)
Good morning Audrey!
Here is today's "The Word for Today", brought to you by The Vine in association with Rhema Broadcasting Group and UCB International Ltd.
You can support The Vine by clicking here.
The Word for Today
With Bob Gass
Wednesday, 9th November 2005
Love And Loyalty
If you love... you will be loyal.
1 Corinthians 13:7 TLB
One night in bed a wife says to her husband of 50 years, "When we were young you used to hold my hand." Slowly, a little irritated, his hand reaches out. "And when we were young you used to snuggle up against me." A little more slowly his body creaks and turns, nestling against hers. "And when we were young you used to nibble on my ear." Abruptly the covers are thrown back and he lurches out of bed. "Where are you going?" she asks, a little hurt. "To get my teeth," he grumbles. To nibble on an ear when you're full of romance and bubbling hormones and the room is scented with perfume is one thing; to still be nibbling when that ear holds a hearing device, the room is scented with Bengay, and you have to get up to get your teeth - that's something else. That's love and loyalty.
When passion wanes, can love stay strong? Listen: "Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong... If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him...
There are three things that remain - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love" (1 Co 13:4-7 & 13 TLB).
May all of us learn to love and be loyal till we get to nibble our loved one's ears with such loyalty. ;)
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
More thoughts on Love...
We often claim that we love the other party more than the other party does. But by whose standards? How does our love compare against what God defines as love? Imagine if both parties love as God as designed it, how awesome it would be! I know that when we are willing, God will empower us to love so magnificently!
Love is patient*.
(adjective)
having patience
NOTE: The opposite is impatient.
patience
(noun)
1 the ability to wait, or to continue doing something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed:
Am I willing to wait for the one I love? Will I continue to do what I need to do despite the circumstances becoming overwhelmingly difficult? Am I willing to suffer for the one I love without complaining or becoming annoyed? Do I grumble within? Do I let ill-feelings brood inside when the very thing I want does not materialise straightaway? Often we say we love, but when we need to wait, we become short-tempered. Is this the result of our instantanteous society where even waiting for the microwave oven to heat up our food takes too long?
Love is kind.
(adjective)
1 generous, helpful and caring about other people's feelings:
2 not causing harm or damage
Am I generous with the feelings of my loved one? Even when I really don't feel like it? Am I helpful towards helping the other person feel better? Even when I really don't feel like it? Do I care how the other person feels? Even when I really don't feel like it? Do I 'unintentionally' cause harm and damage with my words and actions? When my words are unintentionally hurting, how do I respond? Do I allow words which I know would definitely pierce the other person come out from my mouth? Or is my love kind enough to say that whatever hurtful words will definitely crush the one I love? Do I care for myself more than the other person? When the going gets tough, am I the priority, or would I still value the other person even when I really don't feel like it?
It does not envy,
(verb)
to wish that you had something that another person has:
Am I envious of my loved one's success? Straightforwardly, of course not! But, when my child is truly more affectionate to my partner than to me, do feelings of envy arise? When other people are nicer to my loved one than me, do I envy? When my partner can do something better than I can, do I wish that I had that skill my beloved has? Do I secretly ask why God hasn't blessed me like that in that particularly way? Or simply, if my partner is better looking than I am, do I wish I had better looks? Or can I just be happy for that person because of what God has blessed him or her with?
It does not boast,
(verb) DISAPPROVING
to speak too proudly or happily about what you have done or what you own:
Do I do that with my loved one? Do I boast about my success especially knowing that my loved one feels particularly lousy in that area? Do the words I speak indirectly make the other person feel lousier about himself or herself? Do I then complain why that person isn't happy for me?
It is not proud.
(adjective) DISAPPROVING
feeling that you are better and more important than other people:
Do I feel that my needs are more important than my loved one's? Do I honestly feel that I am better than my partner? Do I continually put the other person's needs above mine, and not complain when the other person misses out on my needs? If I feel that I really need to let the other person know I feel neglected, do I say it gently or do I do it accusingly?
It is not rude,
(adjective)
1 not polite; offensive or embarrassing:
Am I impolite towards my loved one? Do I treat him or her with utmost respect? Am I offensive with my words and actions? Do I embarrass my loved one and actually take delight in it, and then later claim that it was only a joke? (And then actually believe that my loved one is very petty?) Do I still say please and thank you even though we're so familiar with each other? Do i take the other person for granted simply because 'we're too used to each other's ways' or 'it's been such a long time, no need to be nice'? Then why are we surprised when our loved one seems attracted to other people who are kinder to them and compare us with them? Is it because we have been abusive towards them with our words and actions and yet not realise it?
It is not self-seeking,
(adjective) FORMAL DISAPPROVING
interested in your own advantage in everything that you do:
Do I put myself first? Do decisions 'we' make just involve my likes and dislikes? Am I willing to accommodate to my partner's preferences? Do I make myself feel better at the expense of my beloved? Do I even consider my partner whenever I do something or think about something? Do I pay attention when my partner tells me how I should improve, or do I just keep justifying myself and stick to my own point of view? Am I brave enough to say, "You are right. Your views are better than mine," and truly believe in that statement? When we argue or have conflicts, do we seek to understand the heartbeat of the other person or do we just seek to air our opinions and grouses and then lament when the other person does not seem to be listening? Do we seek first to understand? Or do we just seek to be understood without attempting to understand the other party from their perspective, instead of framing it within our perspective? Do we allow the other person to have differences or is ours the only right way? Is our interpretation the only way? Do we seek to spend time to hear the other person's real message instead of being distracted by the words and actions which might be seemingly hurting?
It is not easily angered,
(verb)
to make someone angry:
anger
(noun)
a strong feeling which makes you want to hurt someone or be unpleasant because of something unfair or hurtful that has happened:
Do I retaliate especially in the heat of an argument? Do I make sure my words will kill my loved one? Am I ruled by my strong emotions when I am angered? Do I try my best to show the full extent of my anger and ensure that the person who has angered me suffers for it many times over? Am I that petty to even be that vengeful? Do I flip at the slightest inconvenience? Do I provoke the other person to anger, especially when I know that some particular issues are extra-sensitive? Likewise, am I easily provoked and flare up to best of whatever I can? Do I really believe that showing my anger is mature and adult-like? Am I that easily influenced by what I see on television, by how these actors actually display their anger? Do I think vulgar words are actually the right means of expressing my anger? Don't vulgar words just reveal how polluted am I within?
It keeps no record of wrongs.
record (noun)
1 [C or U] a piece of information or a description of an event which is written on paper or stored on a computer:
wrongs (noun)
1 [U] what is considered to be morally unacceptable:
2 [C] an unfair action:
Do we store the unfair actions done to us in the past? Do we keep accusing the other person of potentially committing the other wrong even when it is gone? Does love require us to keep that track record and add on to it the list of wrongs committed? What kind of delight does it bring to continually count the probability that the wrong will happen in future again? Is that really love? Do we keep replaying the wrongs in our head and our hearts? Have we actually forgiven the one we love for the wrongs he/she has committed and have the faith that God will help to restore the relationship? Do we trust God to help us renew our minds through His word when the record of wrongs persistently haunts us? Will we allow this stronghold to be broken by His word and His blood?
Love does not delight in evil
delight (verb)
to give someone great pleasure or satisfaction:
evil (noun)
something that is very bad and harmful:
Do we secretly or blatantly gloat when the other person encounters something bad or harmful? Are we abusive - verbally, sexually, physically, mentally - towards our loved one and feel good doing so? Do we say with joy that the person is justly punished for the wrongs he or she has done when something bad happens?
But rejoices with the truth.
rejoice (verb) FORMAL
to feel or show great happiness about something:
truth (noun)
1 [U] the quality of being true:
2 the truth the real facts about a situation, event or person:
3 [C] FORMAL a fact or principle which is thought to be true by most people:
Are we happy when our loved one is truthful? Or do we persistently doubt that somehow, someday that person may not be truthful anymore and cling on to that fear needlessly? Wouldn't that be discouraging towards our beloved? Do we show that we are happy when the truth is revealed? Or do we go for the kill after knowing the truth? Do we thank the other person for being truthful? Do we give them the benefit of the doubt instead of believing we are right by thinking that the person will not be truthful? How then will there be rejoicing over the truth?
It always protects,
always (adverb)
every time, all the time or forever:
protects (verb)
1 [I or T] to keep someone or something safe from injury, damage or loss:
Will we commit ourselves to protecting our loved ones from injury, damage and loss from external sources? From ourselves? Will we refrain from saying words and doing things that would even potentially result in hurting the other person, damaging the self-esteem and losing respect? Will we commit ourselves to keeping the other person safe? 'Always' is such a strong word - every time, all the time or forever. Is our love able to sustain that?
Always trusts,
(verb)
to have belief or confidence in the honesty, goodness, skill or safety of a person, organization or thing:
Does our love have the belief or confidence in the other person? Are we willng to take the risk 'always'?
Always hopes,
(verb)
to want something to happen or to be true, and usually have a good reason to think that it might:
(noun)
something good that you want to happen in the future, or a confident feeling about what will happen in the future:
Do we dare to hope all the time? Do we honestly desire to want something to happen, or to be true? Do we dare to give ourselves the reason to think that it might? What does God's word say in particular to that situation?
Alwaysperseveres.
(verb)
to try to do or continue doing something in a determined way, despite having problems:
Are we determined all the time, even when the going gets really tough? Is our love able to weather through the storms and be strengthened by the overcoming of these problems? Or do we take the easy way out and not need to persevere?
Love never fails.
(adverb)
not at any time or not on any occasion:
(verb)
to not succeed in what you are trying to achieve or are expected to do:
This kind of love will only succeed. And thank God for being such an awesome God who loves each one of us with such a perfect love. Even when we have failed him repeatedly, he still loves us. Instead of seeing Him through our faulty lens of love - our own misinterpretations - God will help us to see Him, ourselves and others through HIS lens of love. I personally fail many of the questions above, yet I know that love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And when I continually dwell in God, he will transform the hatred, despair/misery, distress, impatience, meanness/unkindness, badness/corruptness/evil, unfaithfulness/faithlessness, cruelty/harshness/mercilessness/severity/strictness/vindictiveness and indiscipline ** into the beautiful fruits of the Spirit. How awesome that would be!
Love is patient*.
(adjective)
having patience
NOTE: The opposite is impatient.
patience
(noun)
1 the ability to wait, or to continue doing something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed:
Am I willing to wait for the one I love? Will I continue to do what I need to do despite the circumstances becoming overwhelmingly difficult? Am I willing to suffer for the one I love without complaining or becoming annoyed? Do I grumble within? Do I let ill-feelings brood inside when the very thing I want does not materialise straightaway? Often we say we love, but when we need to wait, we become short-tempered. Is this the result of our instantanteous society where even waiting for the microwave oven to heat up our food takes too long?
Love is kind.
(adjective)
1 generous, helpful and caring about other people's feelings:
2 not causing harm or damage
Am I generous with the feelings of my loved one? Even when I really don't feel like it? Am I helpful towards helping the other person feel better? Even when I really don't feel like it? Do I care how the other person feels? Even when I really don't feel like it? Do I 'unintentionally' cause harm and damage with my words and actions? When my words are unintentionally hurting, how do I respond? Do I allow words which I know would definitely pierce the other person come out from my mouth? Or is my love kind enough to say that whatever hurtful words will definitely crush the one I love? Do I care for myself more than the other person? When the going gets tough, am I the priority, or would I still value the other person even when I really don't feel like it?
It does not envy,
(verb)
to wish that you had something that another person has:
Am I envious of my loved one's success? Straightforwardly, of course not! But, when my child is truly more affectionate to my partner than to me, do feelings of envy arise? When other people are nicer to my loved one than me, do I envy? When my partner can do something better than I can, do I wish that I had that skill my beloved has? Do I secretly ask why God hasn't blessed me like that in that particularly way? Or simply, if my partner is better looking than I am, do I wish I had better looks? Or can I just be happy for that person because of what God has blessed him or her with?
It does not boast,
(verb) DISAPPROVING
to speak too proudly or happily about what you have done or what you own:
Do I do that with my loved one? Do I boast about my success especially knowing that my loved one feels particularly lousy in that area? Do the words I speak indirectly make the other person feel lousier about himself or herself? Do I then complain why that person isn't happy for me?
It is not proud.
(adjective) DISAPPROVING
feeling that you are better and more important than other people:
Do I feel that my needs are more important than my loved one's? Do I honestly feel that I am better than my partner? Do I continually put the other person's needs above mine, and not complain when the other person misses out on my needs? If I feel that I really need to let the other person know I feel neglected, do I say it gently or do I do it accusingly?
It is not rude,
(adjective)
1 not polite; offensive or embarrassing:
Am I impolite towards my loved one? Do I treat him or her with utmost respect? Am I offensive with my words and actions? Do I embarrass my loved one and actually take delight in it, and then later claim that it was only a joke? (And then actually believe that my loved one is very petty?) Do I still say please and thank you even though we're so familiar with each other? Do i take the other person for granted simply because 'we're too used to each other's ways' or 'it's been such a long time, no need to be nice'? Then why are we surprised when our loved one seems attracted to other people who are kinder to them and compare us with them? Is it because we have been abusive towards them with our words and actions and yet not realise it?
It is not self-seeking,
(adjective) FORMAL DISAPPROVING
interested in your own advantage in everything that you do:
Do I put myself first? Do decisions 'we' make just involve my likes and dislikes? Am I willing to accommodate to my partner's preferences? Do I make myself feel better at the expense of my beloved? Do I even consider my partner whenever I do something or think about something? Do I pay attention when my partner tells me how I should improve, or do I just keep justifying myself and stick to my own point of view? Am I brave enough to say, "You are right. Your views are better than mine," and truly believe in that statement? When we argue or have conflicts, do we seek to understand the heartbeat of the other person or do we just seek to air our opinions and grouses and then lament when the other person does not seem to be listening? Do we seek first to understand? Or do we just seek to be understood without attempting to understand the other party from their perspective, instead of framing it within our perspective? Do we allow the other person to have differences or is ours the only right way? Is our interpretation the only way? Do we seek to spend time to hear the other person's real message instead of being distracted by the words and actions which might be seemingly hurting?
It is not easily angered,
(verb)
to make someone angry:
anger
(noun)
a strong feeling which makes you want to hurt someone or be unpleasant because of something unfair or hurtful that has happened:
Do I retaliate especially in the heat of an argument? Do I make sure my words will kill my loved one? Am I ruled by my strong emotions when I am angered? Do I try my best to show the full extent of my anger and ensure that the person who has angered me suffers for it many times over? Am I that petty to even be that vengeful? Do I flip at the slightest inconvenience? Do I provoke the other person to anger, especially when I know that some particular issues are extra-sensitive? Likewise, am I easily provoked and flare up to best of whatever I can? Do I really believe that showing my anger is mature and adult-like? Am I that easily influenced by what I see on television, by how these actors actually display their anger? Do I think vulgar words are actually the right means of expressing my anger? Don't vulgar words just reveal how polluted am I within?
It keeps no record of wrongs.
record (noun)
1 [C or U] a piece of information or a description of an event which is written on paper or stored on a computer:
wrongs (noun)
1 [U] what is considered to be morally unacceptable:
2 [C] an unfair action:
Do we store the unfair actions done to us in the past? Do we keep accusing the other person of potentially committing the other wrong even when it is gone? Does love require us to keep that track record and add on to it the list of wrongs committed? What kind of delight does it bring to continually count the probability that the wrong will happen in future again? Is that really love? Do we keep replaying the wrongs in our head and our hearts? Have we actually forgiven the one we love for the wrongs he/she has committed and have the faith that God will help to restore the relationship? Do we trust God to help us renew our minds through His word when the record of wrongs persistently haunts us? Will we allow this stronghold to be broken by His word and His blood?
Love does not delight in evil
delight (verb)
to give someone great pleasure or satisfaction:
evil (noun)
something that is very bad and harmful:
Do we secretly or blatantly gloat when the other person encounters something bad or harmful? Are we abusive - verbally, sexually, physically, mentally - towards our loved one and feel good doing so? Do we say with joy that the person is justly punished for the wrongs he or she has done when something bad happens?
But rejoices with the truth.
rejoice (verb) FORMAL
to feel or show great happiness about something:
truth (noun)
1 [U] the quality of being true:
2 the truth the real facts about a situation, event or person:
3 [C] FORMAL a fact or principle which is thought to be true by most people:
Are we happy when our loved one is truthful? Or do we persistently doubt that somehow, someday that person may not be truthful anymore and cling on to that fear needlessly? Wouldn't that be discouraging towards our beloved? Do we show that we are happy when the truth is revealed? Or do we go for the kill after knowing the truth? Do we thank the other person for being truthful? Do we give them the benefit of the doubt instead of believing we are right by thinking that the person will not be truthful? How then will there be rejoicing over the truth?
It always protects,
always (adverb)
every time, all the time or forever:
protects (verb)
1 [I or T] to keep someone or something safe from injury, damage or loss:
Will we commit ourselves to protecting our loved ones from injury, damage and loss from external sources? From ourselves? Will we refrain from saying words and doing things that would even potentially result in hurting the other person, damaging the self-esteem and losing respect? Will we commit ourselves to keeping the other person safe? 'Always' is such a strong word - every time, all the time or forever. Is our love able to sustain that?
Always trusts,
(verb)
to have belief or confidence in the honesty, goodness, skill or safety of a person, organization or thing:
Does our love have the belief or confidence in the other person? Are we willng to take the risk 'always'?
Always hopes,
(verb)
to want something to happen or to be true, and usually have a good reason to think that it might:
(noun)
something good that you want to happen in the future, or a confident feeling about what will happen in the future:
Do we dare to hope all the time? Do we honestly desire to want something to happen, or to be true? Do we dare to give ourselves the reason to think that it might? What does God's word say in particular to that situation?
Alwaysperseveres.
(verb)
to try to do or continue doing something in a determined way, despite having problems:
Are we determined all the time, even when the going gets really tough? Is our love able to weather through the storms and be strengthened by the overcoming of these problems? Or do we take the easy way out and not need to persevere?
Love never fails.
(adverb)
not at any time or not on any occasion:
(verb)
to not succeed in what you are trying to achieve or are expected to do:
This kind of love will only succeed. And thank God for being such an awesome God who loves each one of us with such a perfect love. Even when we have failed him repeatedly, he still loves us. Instead of seeing Him through our faulty lens of love - our own misinterpretations - God will help us to see Him, ourselves and others through HIS lens of love. I personally fail many of the questions above, yet I know that love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And when I continually dwell in God, he will transform the hatred, despair/misery, distress, impatience, meanness/unkindness, badness/corruptness/evil, unfaithfulness/faithlessness, cruelty/harshness/mercilessness/severity/strictness/vindictiveness and indiscipline ** into the beautiful fruits of the Spirit. How awesome that would be!
Casio Exilim S500 rocks!
Yes, we managed our funds, scaled down on our renovation plans and got ourselves this! :D
We realised we needed to make this investment when many of Abby's cute video memories are just fuzzy images captured on our trusty Nokia 6230 and our well-used Olympus C-150. We took many photos today, and realised, "Hey, Abby has never looked so good in pictures before!"
(I think we really need to know how to operate the camera... :P)
Anyway, we went shopping for Abby's shoes today, and Abby was just being totally affectionate with a bear! Check out her look when the bear topples over! :D And the joy on her face when the bear is up again! :D
We realised we needed to make this investment when many of Abby's cute video memories are just fuzzy images captured on our trusty Nokia 6230 and our well-used Olympus C-150. We took many photos today, and realised, "Hey, Abby has never looked so good in pictures before!"
(I think we really need to know how to operate the camera... :P)
Anyway, we went shopping for Abby's shoes today, and Abby was just being totally affectionate with a bear! Check out her look when the bear topples over! :D And the joy on her face when the bear is up again! :D
Thursday, November 03, 2005
From my brother's blog...
f you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your (online journal if you've got one) and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.
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