The baby's about 3 kgs! I've 4 more weeks to go and I'm getting really anxious. Sometimes I wonder if the baby will come out soon but then I also wonder if I'm prepared. It's really mind-boggling. At times I feel like I'm ready and at times... not. All I do know now is that I get exhausted easily and I'm always perspiring!!! I've been taking lots of fish in these last trimester, read somewhere that the baby's brain development will need it. No harm trying :)

Got to go back to preparing my project.. not much time left to finish it!!!!

Haven't been blogging for quite a while! Been soooo busy at work and double at home with my school projects to complete and tests to study for!! I had quite a scare on Sunday, my right foot swelled to double its normal size ! I hadn't realised it until I was putting on my shoe to go to mass. I thought something was wrong for a moment, a quick scramble to the phone allayed my fears, "It's just water retention!" said my more experienced friends. "You're lucky you didn't get it till now!" quipped another.... ok, ok, I got the picture. Still I was kinda scared, but 2 days later, it went down... thank God for that. I wasn't in the mood to go shopping for sandals that I'd wear just for a month or even less!!

The baby is due in 5 week's time, that is if the little fella's co-operative. I just can't wait! It's just that all these extra weights that I'm carrying is really very taxing on my back. Sleeping is quite a challenge too! I cannot seem to find the right position to get comfortable and when I finally do, the little one will either be kicking or pushing his feet hard at my ribcage which causes me wake up with a start! Sigh! I'm looking more and more like a panda with my black eyes and all.

I'm really hoping the baby will come out soon...

It's a beautiful cool day, cloudy with a little bit of breeze now and then... ie. a wonderful day! made better by the fact that I'm at home and not in the office today! Yup, I'm on leave today coz didn't get much sleep last night due to a very bad dinner which made me stay up half the night! It's nice to stay at home and catch up with doing much of what I have put aside because of my busy work and study schedules. It's absolutely lovely to just veg!! I was finally able to fall asleep at about 7.30 am and didn't get up till about 12pm with my stomach growling..!! Took a shower, fixed lunch, did my laundry, read a little and now I'm on the computer!! My stomach's still feeling a little funny though, lots of weird noises but I dare not take any medication for fear of it effecting the baby. If it still feels weird by tonight, I'll pop in to the doc's tomorrow morning.

The week's been really pleasant, haven't been in the office at all since last Saturday, instead I was at this computer training centre undergoing a 2-day Advanced Excel training! The facilities sucks - no ergonomically designed furniture there! The trainer was ok but didn't speak good English so it was a pretty trying 2 days. As for the other participants..... well, half of them shouldn't be there at all coz they obviously are not even at the Intermediate level in using Excel. They asked many 'stupid' questions, making the training session very LONG and draggy! Obviously the training centre didn't check their 'Excel' background before admitting them. Anyways, the ordeal is over, I still managed to learn some really cool features of Excel which I was not aware of, although half of what was taught seemed pretty basic to me :)

My laundry's almost done, I can hear the washing machine in it's last stages of spinning... Like I said, it's really wonderful to just be at home once in a while with nothing to do, no errands to run etc., just taking it easy and lazing around! It would be perfect though if my neighbours weren't doing any renovation works!!

My baby's growing bigger and stronger everyday! I can feel the little fella moving, kicking and even hiccupping! It's a really wonderful feeling, something that never ceases to amaze me every time it happens. Sometimes when I'm swimming and feel it moving inside me I can just imagine the little fella swimming with me, I know, I know, that's just my overactive imagination but it does make it more fun :)

I've nine weeks more to go and I really can't wait to meet with this little fella who has already changed my life even before (s)he's out!

More backaches! That's my complain these days :( I just found out that the tummy exploding feeling that I've been having is actually the Braxton-Hicks contractions - supposedly painless contractions to help the body to adjust to the actual delivery!! Well, I can't fault the painless part, ..only that it is an extremely uncomfortable feeling when it comes!!

Actually, I'm writing today coz I'm kinda happy as I've completed a huge portion of my projects. It has been a long and rough road these past two months or so but I managed to finish a lot of my work and I'm really proud. Well, knowing this place, efficiency will be rewarded alright! ... with more work, so nothing to look forward to. Anyway, I just needed a breather.. hence this blog

My classes has resumed, for the uninitiated - I am currently doing my degree. Just completed my first semester and now am in my second. Yes, it IS tiring to attend night classes when you are 7 months pregnant!! It's hard to sit thru 3 hours of lecture in a hard, plastic chair that is definitely not back-friendly ie. not ergonomically designed! I've already gone thru one-third of the second semester, only two-thirds more to go.... all I need to do is endure a little longer and then I'm done! Will get my much deserved break and then it's back to school again for me minus the big tummy!! :)

Rocks: A Meaning For Life

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2 inches in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the
jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The students laughed. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

Now, said the professor, I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, and your children - things that if everything else were lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Go with your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

BACKACHES!! BACKPAINS!! aaarghhh......!!! That's my complain these days. Guess my back's really tired with all that arching and weight it's carrying. I can feel pain in my hips too and I just realised that it could be because of the shift in pelvic bones to get my body 'ready' for the baby's passage. Another of God's miracles!

Irony in pregnancy - To reduce water retention in your body - drink more water!!
You'd think that the body will retain water if it has too much of it!

Lunch! Just had my fill of over-cooked cabbage, tough-chicken and some oily porkchops!! Can't believe that I actually ate that stuff! But haven't got much of a choice since I got someone to buy my lunch for me. Next time I'll get a vegetarian to do it, hopefully something more healthy! I was feeling tired and my backaches are getting more and more frequent now. Almost everyday, every hour, .. maybe the chair in the office is not ergonomically designed - that's my guess. Apart from the frequent backaches and the exploding-tummy feelings that I get now and then, I really enjoyed my second trimester!

I'll be going into the third trimester soon and don't really know how that will be. Heard a lot of horror stories about it, more backaches for one, more heartburns, more pains when walking coz of the baby's shifting weight towards the pelvic bone.

Sleeping is pretty tough these days... well actually trying to find the comfortable position is the tough part! Apart from that, sleeping comes pretty naturally coz I'm so tired by day end.

These past few days have been but a blurr to me, had so much work to do that I'm practically having nightmares about work!! Even in my train journeys home I plan what to do for the next day. Everything has been put into my lap now. All projects seem to be "URGENT" and since I've only 2 months more to go before I deliver, all projects have to be completed before then no matter how late they handed them over to me!! Ridiculous.

I got this from a wonderful friend today. To be identified as a beautiful woman is really wonderful, it helped cheer me up a bit ....

Beautiful Woman

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen within her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole.
But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years-only grows!

I got this in the email this morning and I thought I'd share it with whoever that reads my blog... It's something we all should be aware of so read on...


LIFE AS A JUGGLER

In a university commencement address several years ago, Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises, spoke of the relation of work to one's other commitments:

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit ¡V and you're keeping all of these in the air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

How?

o Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each
of us is special.

o Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

o Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

o Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

o Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

o Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.

o Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

o Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

o Don't run through life so fast that you forget Not only where you've been, but also where you are going.

o Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

o Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

o Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.


Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

I am feeling kind of troubled ... Someone has asked me for 'advise' and I don't think I am qualified enough to give it, someone much older.. .. How do I advise anyone when I, myself am still grappling with the similar situation? All I could do was share my life experience.. which isn't very much when compared to the person who was seeking it! Life is so complicated and I am just making sense of it or at least I thought I was making some sense out of what's happening but everytime I think I've settled a little, the dust flies again!

Why is it so difficult? Why do I feel so sad for this person? How can I help? These questions keep coming back to me again and again and I hope and pray that with God's help that what I have shared so far will be interpreted correctly by the person seeking it! That maybe some of what I have written will appear to make some sense... I hope and pray it does.

STRONG vs STRENGTH

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape...
But a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future...
A woman of strength realises life’s mistakes can also be God’s blessings and capitalises on them.

A strong woman won’t let anyone get the best of her…
A woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.

A strong woman walks sure footedly...
A woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face...
A woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything…
A woman of strength shows courage amidst of her fear.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey...
A woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

I just read my sister-in-law's blog today, she sounded pretty down.... sort of lost.... can't really put my finger on it but somehow, it just sounded like she's 'troubled'. She wonders if her blog is good enough or significant enough for others .. ? It started me thinking too but then hey, out blog site is ours. Ours! To write whatever nonsense or ramblings that we want to...

I would love to have people reading my blog but even if nobody does, it doesn't matter coz this is where I express my frustrations or whatever other feelings that I have that need to get out. And after that, it feels good. When we do things, we shouldn't really do it for our own glory. Doing things for oneself does not give one the same satisfaction as doing things for other.

The reason why I started a blog? Because I was frustrated with people!! But then I carried on coz I guess if others can find some relief in reading it, then why not. If it helps them in any way (how I don't know) then all the better.
But the real reason why I continue to ramble on is because it is kinda therapeutic and fun :)

Have fun everyone!

That's it! After slightly more than 3 months of observation I've come to the conclusion that the folks in Singapore are becoming more apathetic, indifferent and heartless! If you're wondering what prompted this reaction in me, read on...

I am now about 5 1/2 months pregnant, I take the MRT to and from work everyday. For the uninitiated the MRT is Singapore's equivalent to HK's MTR, London's tube and NY's subways, etc. Okay, back to what I was saying.... I have been observing the passengers in the MRT for slightly more than 3 months now! Why? Because I'm pregnant and because of my rising awareness of the need for us pregnant women to have a seat in the MRT! OK, just because there are some pregnant women who take it for granted that they should be given seats does not mean that all of us preggies are like that! It is really tiring to stand for a good 15 - 20 minutes whilst trying to balance so as to avoid from having a closer view of the train's floor!! I'm not kidding! Wait till you are carrying an extra 8 - 16 kg on your abdomen!! You'll know what I mean then.

Anyway, what really riles me is that the folks here just pretend NOT to see you if you are pregnant!! They would just stare at you ~ as if to say, 'Oh you'd love this seat won't you? Too bad I got it first', these are the really heartless ones!! Then there are those who are in a dilemma ~ the ones who are trying to figure out whether they should or should not give up their seat but who will finally just pacify their conscience with a maybe 'Hey, I'm tired too!' and forget about giving you a seat. Of course there are those who just cannot even be bothered to look at us preggies ~ maybe they have the kid's mentality of hide and seek ie. "if I close my eyes and don't see them then they won't be able to see me too!".

Yup, we have them all here in Singapore!! Any and every excuse under the sun that can be used to avoid giving up their seat will be tried and used. Occassionally we do have the nice people ~they are really rare here!~ who will give up their seats for us preggies. Whenever I come across these people (can you believe it? I have only come across 3 of such nice people in the last 60 days (2 months)?) I make sure I thank them properly for giving up their seat for me. May God Bless them.

I found a wonderful dentist today!! I'm not kidding, this one is for keeps!! She's most wonderful. In case anyone's interested Dr Lim (that's her name) can be found at Pinnacle Dental Group Pte Ltd in Ocean Building, Singapore.

She gave me 2 'almost painless' injections and cleaned up my swollen gum and all this while explaining what she was doing and constantly asking me if I was alright. Just wonderful.

She has renewed by faith in dentists!

Today I was so frustrated with my colleagues that I decided to put up my own blog!! Hahaha what a way to start. I told my hubby that I'll just vent out my frustrations on the net and see if anyone has any similar feelings about the people that they work with!

What got me so irritated was this bunch of nuts I work with always have the fridge (that we share in the office) filled with nonsense stuff! Yesterday I cleared out some canned stuff from the fridge....who puts unopened canned food in the fridge anyway!?!? Stacked everything up neatly to make more space and guess what I discovered today when I opened the fridge!! There was absolutely no space left coz these jokers laid everything (that was in the fridge) side by side. Duh??