celebs are just like u and i...

Ellen Pompeo's pregnant wardrobe malfunction... I admit i was walking around with my top buckle undone in my first trimester. The fact tht she's skinny she can still do it in her 2nd trimester!

Nesting: Washing machine part 2

The hardware:



This is the size in comparison to my big washing machine.







Open the top and this is the interior where all the action happens. 4 modes: Wash, Rinse and Drain, Disinfecting and Full Auto.





The installation:
It's like any washing machine. One inlet for water tht is to be attached to ur water faucet (comes with different types of attachments depending on where and wht ur faucet is). One outlet for water to come out, one electric plug.

We encountered problems installing the faucet at first cos the water kept on leaking. Had to call on professional help from the apartment to fix it. It's not a hardcore washing machine so the hardware is not exactly sturdy. We can't leave the faucet "on" like the normal washing machine cos the pressure might wear the outlet down.

The Washing;
Okay the churning is pretty strong! i think it's very clean. The first try was a disaster. It was totally my fault cos the water outlet wasn't put at the right place, but i got the hang of it the 2nd and 3rd load.

This is the result of 2 loads. it's decent.

Water usage is about 2x standard sized pail. At first i didn't know how much water would flow out so water overflew from the pail and the entire bathroom is WET!

I think in the future, this water can be reused to soak the dirty diapers.

Common complaints:

1. Does not spin dry. But to be honest, wringing with bare hands is better than handwashing the whole thing. And i won't say that handwashing gives a cleaner result.
2. The draining function is not good enough. some water remains in the machine after the end. The tip is to press the rinse and drain mode for a while until the water full drains and off the machine.

All in all, i give this machine 7/10. All the "teething problems" at the start can be ironed out pretty easily once u get the hang of it. now i just have to figure out how durable this thing is....

then again, it's only 520RMB.

Nesting: T's new washing machine

I ordered the new Eco-egg washing machine for T, it's so cute!!! It's slightly above the knee in height, and it can take up to 1kilo of load. That's roughly 1 set of adultwear (Trousers, shirt, underpants, socks). It has similar functions to a standard washing machine, and an additional disinfecting mode if u're washing cloth diapers. SWELL right?

I know it seems extravagant and totally unnecessary to buy a new washing machine just for a baby. But actually it only cost me slightly over SGD 100 (china rocks!). And i think it's quite tough for the helper to handwash baby clothes and soiled diapers daily. A lot of time can be saved to do other things like play with the baby, cook a better meal, SLEEP....

Now i just gotta wait for mountain man to set up the thing so we can start washing the first batch of clothes! I've never been this enthusiastic about laundry.

We turned 100!

T and i now measure 100cm! My belly button just popped out in excitement. I'm officially an outie. No visible stretch marks YET but i think it's coming. The veins on my belly have become more obvious.

Why didn't i think if this sooner? I've always been curious about the baby's growth and i normally can't wait till the ultrasounds. I'm gonna measure everyday now! teehee...

when the going gets tough...

Me: Mountain man, can you please do ABCD by today?

Mountain man: What's the hurry?

Me: I've been having bad dreams about not being ready. I want to be ready!

Mountain man: Ok. Relax.

Me: do you know that when you tell someone to relax it has the EXACT OPPOSITE reaction?

Mountain Man: Ok. Panic.

#@&*%!!

I'm sorry...

My life is a bit boring at the moment. There's nothing to blog about except complain about the same symptoms so i'll spare you.

Anyway, caught Harry Potter last night. It's good but not as good as the book. Quick thoughts:

1. The subject of the book (half-blood prince himself) was lost i think. Why was so much time wasted on Lavender-Ron-Hermione love triangle when they could have thickened the plot by either giving a better build up to Dumbledore's death, or featuring more of the pseudo relationship going on between Harry and the HBP. Maybe i'm too harsh.
2. The CGI was just incredible.
3. Emma Watson is getting too pretty to be Hermione.

Letter to Tamagotchi: We're almost there...

Hi T,

it's been 32 weeks. In less than 2 months i may have you in my arms and i can't wait.

It's been tough on Mommy the last 1 month. I can no longer walk that well partly cos u're getting heavy, and partly cos my fat thighs are rubbing against one another so i get skin burns. I feel so short of breath on most days, u must be sucking up all of my oxygen.

Dad and i went for an ultrasound last week. Somehow you've managed to wind the umbilical cord round yourself. The gynae advised that we should monitor fetal movements 3 times a day.

Life is so full of ironies son. Right now U are facing the problem of being strangled by your only lifeline. Alot of mothers tell me that they are kept awake by their baby's kicks. But i'm the opposite. I can't sleep if you don't kick, i just won't feel safe unless i know u're ALIVE and KICKING me hard all over the place.

I hope u'll wiggle urself out of this tough situation, cos in life that's wht u'll need to do alot!

Be good okay? We're almost there.

Forgotten recipes

These were the first few dishes i learnt when i started cooking "seriously". By "serious" i mean good enough for the consumption of others other than myself.

This is sauteed mini potatos with garlic. It's so simple. First boil the mini potatoes, fry garlic in olive oil till fragrant, add the potatoes and add generous amounts of pepper and salt. The skin locks the moisture in and u'll get this nice crunchy texture on the outside with a soft centre. Mountain man dont' normally like potatoes but he likes this!



Beer Beef Stew. AAA u may remember our first attempt at this dish when u were at my old place. Anyway, it's one of the first dishes i learnt cos mountain man told me that he likes stews. I haven't made it for a while cos it takes at least 2 hrs of simmering. But i figured out that i could cheat by using smaller beef cubes. hehe. so clever.



Apple Crumble. this was a test batch before the real thing at our housewarming party some weeks ago. It received very good feedback! recipe here. But I never really use one recipe wholesale, i always improvise depending on wht ingredients i have in the kitchen. With the recipe above, i added a tablespoon of flour to the apple so it'll be a bit "sticky". And i have no food weighing machine at home (i refuse to buy) so i always guestimate, which explains why my muffins really suck cos my portions are always wrong. haha. Lucky the apple crumble turned out alright.

Symptoms of 3rd trimester

It's week 30 going 31. My movements are getting slow with frequent rests in between. Just a month ago i could walk the entire Seoul like i wasn't pregnant, now every step has to be premeditated. Should i walk to the kitchen to get that glass of water now, or can i do it later when i am more thirsty?

Lesser mobility = less frequent trips to the kitchen = less food = less fat
Might as well...I've put on enough anyways. While i waddle, the other parts of me wobble. It's depressing.

My hip joints also seemed to have been dislocated somehow. Last night i couldn't even get up to pee! It hurts soooo baaad.

My fingers haven't felt normal in the last 1 month, i've got the carpel tunnel syndrome. I don't remember what it is exactly but i think it means tht I'm so fat tht my blood vessels get squeezed, so the circulation to extremities are disrupted making my fingers numb and painful. I know it doesn't sound possible tht one can be both numb AND painful, but u'll know it when u get the carpel tunnel syndrome.

The body temperature is also rising, the aircon just don't seem to be cold enough. I'm wiping off my perspiration all the time, even when the person next to me is freezing.

But even with all these complaints, i take heart in the fact tht i've a miracle growing inside of me. Soon i'll have T in my arms. To remind myself of the approaching day, i did what every mother would do to feel better. I shopped.

Since i've combed through all of the baby sites in China, i've decided to widen my horizons and shop from amazon. So i bought...

Bravado Nursing Bras- Boy are they sexy. easy access to the boobies. (Note the sarcastic tone) But seriously i heard these provide the best support.
Bumwear- this one size cute diaper cover thing.
Robot Wall Decals- so i can decorate T's room.

I also opened up all of T's things that i bought over the last few months, sorted (i think for the 5th time) which ones need to be washed so T can wear them as a newborn.



We can't wait... I'm totally freaked out but somehow it still feels nice.

Lady GaGa "covered"

Chris Daughtry did a cover of Lady Gaga's Poker Face.

Love it! Reminds me of Travis' cover of Hit Me Baby One More Time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqT4VnnEU0M
Embedding not allowed, but it's worth watching!

Why there will be no snakes and Xbox

I am not fond of setting rules but i will have to once i become a mother. Tough love is better than no love.

Rule #1. No pet snakes (or any other scaly amphibians for that matter).

A burmese python escaped from her cage and strangled a 2 yr old in her sleep. Read news here. I mean COME ON. A snake and a baby don't go together and there are no exceptions.

Rule #2. No xbox, or rather no violent xbox games when the baby is awake and roaming the house. I don't want the baby to sleep with gunshots in the background. No bloody stabbing scenes, running over screaming pedestrians, vulgarities and dismembering of things (even if they are zombies). I watched an episode of Desparate Housewives Season 5 yesterday. Susan became an art teacher and she told her students to draw things that make them happy. One of the boy's drew himself stabbing his mother. How is that acceptable!!!

It's simple. Kids want to become what they watch. They are like sponges. Otherwise why would mountain man spend hours pretending he was Superman. And why did i want to become xiaolongnu? So what is to stop T from wanting to become the Godfather? I don't think i need to justify further why there can be no violent xbox games anymore.

Note to mountain man: if the xbox goes flying out of our 21st story home one day. Don't say i didn't warn you. heh.