30 mins away

We popped over to Batam over the weekend, for a short break & also to visit Uncle William & Aunty Cecilia.

It was not the usual weekend getaway retreat as we really did alot more than just R&R. They brought us to the best places for meals, shopping centres where we dug out plenty of good bargains, the most "shiok" massage centre ever and we even went to visit kampongs & kelongs. We finally got a chance to see the kind of lifestyles that our parents used to live and realised that simplicity certainly has its virtues and its distress. We saw little children, some as young as JD, weaving in between traffic, selling newspapers on the streets. Life seems so cheap there.


This trip was probably the most unprepared trip we had ever taken with JD. We only started packing the night before, brought as little clothes & diapers as we could since we did not want to check in our luggage. We did not pack cereals or food stuff. JD took a share from every meal I had and we even resorted to buying UHT milk at the supermarkets to lessen our load in our diaper bag.

And we survived!

So yes, check out Batam and you'll realise it's more than just beaches & resorts.. venture out and see for yourself, a beautiful island set in an almost idyllic setting but yet outlined with a tinge of sadness & poverty.

I Heart Wednesday

It's been a super long day. In the morning itself, I've already had more cases on hand that I alone could have handled.

And now, I've finally finished up all the cases. Time passed really quickly and I'm so happy it's going to be nightfall. Not because it's time to head home, but because it's Wednesday. And Wednesday is GLEE night! Yipee! It's another of those silly high school drama but it's full of music. Music never fails to lift my spirits and it's even better when it's accompanied by beautifully choreographed dance moves. It also has those innocent teenager secret crushes which never fail to bring a smile to my face. Somehow, it makes me feel young again...

Wednesdays used to be Mambo nights.. I still remember those horrendous long queues at Zouk and how fortunate we girls were when they finally opened a girls' queue. We will start to queue at 5pm, head for dinner and party all night long. I loved those days, I had June, Ailin & Mich, I had Pam, Clara & Sok Hui, I had Delvyn and the gang from Nee Soon Delta Camp. It may seem silly now to have done all those things just to ensure that we could get into the club, but those were the days that will always remain a beautiful memory with me.

I can't wait for 10pm! Finally.. the day's over...

Period of Pain

1st week of June has been tough. Usually this time of the year would be a time of celebration, drinking & having fun. But not this year.

I unfortunately sprained my lower back again the Sunday before my birthday. The sprains last week left me alot more immobile than the 1st one which happened. I hate to say this but both times it happened were because I was busy with JD. The 1st happened when I was trying to carry a bawling JD out of her cot in the middle of the night and the 2nd time was in the bathroom when I was trying to get the mischievous one to bathe. Since then, it's been a week since I carried her and yes, I do miss carrying her.

A week passed & I'm still whining about the pain. I still can't walk normally and I wish I could be lying in bed instead of having to go to work. Each time I get up from sitting for a long time, I can feel the pain searing down my back. It makes think if I didn't have an epidural, would it have made a difference. And I wonder why does my life seem to go downhill after giving birth to JD. It's really bad of me to say such things and I really have to slap myself. I just hope it's a period which will pass quickly enough.

Meanwhile a consolation from all these is that I'm glad JD understands that mommy hurt her back & is in pain. Yesterday whilst I was trying to get her to take her nap, she asked to be carried, but this time round, she specifically asked for mama (as in Ah ma) or Papa and I asked her "can mommy carry you"? She answered "no no" and put her hand on her back, says "mi.. pain". It's moments like this when I could just slam my head against the wall for ever harboring bad thoughts about motherhood.

What's in a birthday?

I feel sad today. I thought it was because I've an aching lower back but after I "complained" to June, I remembered that this is an annual tradition, a tradition for the past 10+ years of my life.

I still remember the day when I turned 21. I was on Mt Pilatus in Switzerland. I didn't want to attend the party that was going on inside. Instead I chose to hide in the open and bawl my eyes out. I'm a depressive freak who gets sad on my birthday. I don't know why.

It's the eve today and it's just gonna get worse tomorrow. But then again, considering that this is gonna be the 1st time that I need to work (btw, I never had to go to school since it's always the school hols) perhaps it may not be that bad afterall, since I'll have so many people around me such that I cannot hide anywhere.

Happy Birthday Moninet, U MUST BE HAPPY! :)