Movie@home: The Water Horse

We decided to catch a movie at home on Sunday nite and for Ryan's sake, we choose "The Water Horse". Ryan kept on asking questions throughout the movie and I ended up spending 50% of the time answering all his questions. Anyway, the movie is quite enjoyable with impressive visual effects and the creature looks very lifelike.

Ryan watched the entire movie without feeling scared and in fact, he found a few scenes; especially the one with Crusoe, the water horse pulling the bait so hard that it made the boat sped through the loch, extremely hilarious and he also cheered right in middle of our living room when Crusoe managed to jump over the net (and escaped).

For the parents, it's a nice way to wind down after a hectic but productive week and to prepare for another hectic week ahead.

Seeds, Nuts and Dried Fruits

This is what I have asked a friend to help me buy last week and I am such a pig that I'm already halfway through the bottle. The only consolation is that it's fat-free, extremely healthy and the munching keeps my mind off the nausea.

I also discovered that I preferred the seeds (be it kuaci, pumpkin, sunflower etc) compared to the dried fruits. So my next bottle with be of different seeds mixture since that is what makes me tick.

Book: The Prodigal Daughter

Another winner from Jeffrey Archer.

It's a continuation from Kane & Abel and having just completed the 1st novel last week, the story is still fresh on my mind. The first half "the prodigal daughter" basically recapped the ending of the 1st novel but in greater details. I do not mind that one bit because Jeffrey Archer is such a good story teller that I wouldn't mind reading his work again and again, even when I know the outcome.

The sequel is witty, well plotted and you do not know how the story will turn out so you just kept on reading and reading. It's just unputdowntable and that's why I am surprised that I could somehow find the time and energy to finish this book in 5 days amidst a crazy week at work.

I would rate it a 9.5/10.

Beano and Bash Street Kids

We ended up buying Ryan Beano because it's quite difficult to find other inexpensive-English-language-comic. Most of the comics sold here are either in Mandarin or Bahasa (Malaysia's national language) and most of them are for teenagers, except Doreamon.

Comics are colourful and we figured that Ryan can more or less figure out the story/joke on his own without bugging the parents to explain/read to him. That's what we thought and it's usually wishful thinking with 100% chance of not-going-to-happen-that-way.

He still wants us to read to him or in his words, "explain what the pictures mean". And every might, he will negotiate with us to "explain at least 5 stories" for him.

Obviously, parents' strategy did not work so parents and Ryan re-negotiate. We agreed that we will impose a 30-minute reading time where each one will read their own books and there must not be any interruption, no asking questions and no talking. As a REWARD, we will read the comics together.

Somehow, that works and every night, I am assured of at least 30-minute of quiet reading. Win-win situation and by the way, I will need to get more comic books/books this weekend.

Ryan's homework pouch

This is how Ryan's homework pouch looks like.

When he first brought it home, it was nice and VERY clean because it's new. After 3 months, it's no longer clean but definitely much, much nicer as Ryan had sticked a lot of ultraman stickers all over it.

Now he said it's "COOL!!".

Post #100

This is my 100th post. I considered maintaining this blog an achievement of some sort for myself, something I am really proud off and hope to continue for many, many more years to come. Looking back, I have certainly come a long way since my first post appeared on 25 August 2007, some 7 months ago.

Some highlights

• Hubby went and came back from his 1-month training in Austin.
• Ryan had since started proper kindergarten and been "exposed" to Mandarin and he's such a big boy now.
• My best pal, Sham finally made the plunge and became a housewife; one of the wisest decision she has ever made.
• I am now 5 months pregnant and soon there will be an addition to the family.
• Hubby and my office work is getting more and more demanding and we are learning to cope.
• Everyone is busy but we make it a point to be there for each other and to maintain a loving family....

Not sure what happens when I post my 200th, 300th, 500th or 1,000th post.
Life is a journey and we shall find out together. Cheers !

20+ weeks: What/When to eat?

Still vomiting, still taking anti-nausea pills but the good new is that I am more energetic and I can hold more food in my tummy now compared to my first trimester. I have also been experimenting with food; food that I could stomach since I do not have any cravings whatsoever and the timing of the food intake.

The conclusion?

Type of food:
I'm okay with fruits, therefore I will munch apples/oranges in-between meals.
I'm okay with fresh milk, so I will add that to my diet as well.
I'm okay with assortment of nuts, grains and dried fruits, so will make it a point to buy it this weekend. Oily stuffs are No-No and I shall avoid them at all cost.
I tend to eat soupy stuff without oil, so will stick to that. Rice is current not my favourite, but I will still take, in very small portions. Most of the mornings, my breakfast will consists of a cup of coffee and a piece of brown bread; will try to limit my caffeine intake to 2 cups a-day.

Timing of food and vitamins:
I can eat a good portion for breakfast and lunch but not dinner. Therefore, I will eat more in the mornings to make up for my poor appetite by evenings. Also, I found out that if I take my vitamins in the morning, I tend to vomit more, so now, vitamins intake are strictly in the evenings/nights.

Other habits:
I tend to have a lot of dreams, not about baby though. Mostly it's about work. Maybe I am stressed at work with all those new initiatives and projects to think about. Pregnant or not, work still goes on. Shall find a way to de-stress, somehow.

There were a few nights that I could not sleep but I am not sure whether it's because I slept too much in the afternoons or it is a hormonal thing (yeah, blame it on the hormones). Now, unless I am very tired, I will avoid taking naps during the day and opt to sleep early instead. So far, so good.

Conclusion:
Having put my life on hold during my first trimester and now, with my health improving, (slowly but surely) I am determined to go back to my normal routine; not only for my sake but for my family's as well. I will participate in as much activities as possible. Sometimes, it might just be the remedy - don't think too much and JUST DO IT!!