What love feels like…sometimes

“Someday, when I’m awfully low… When the world is cold
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight.”

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In every relationship, there always seem to be a pinnacle moment.

A moment you realize that it’s not just you and him, or him and you.

Where through the thick and thin of going through a blessed marriage; having a gorgeous kid; or even getting your own place to live on your own – there’s a spark that isn’t just love. It’s more about what I can only describe as persistent love.

One that makes love feel and form as an unconditional extension of yourself.

That’s how I feel when I wake up in the morning and see both my boys in snooze mode.

What Kind of UGO (Obsessed) Gamer are You?

Holy Moley. I think I just hit another low spot, for nonstop gaming with no reprise even though I am feeling freaking grouchy from the lack of sleep. Even though this massive farming that I do might not see its effects anywhere soon, to heck with it.

What am I on about? You know the usual whatnots, namely where I have one hand still grappling for my psp’s analogue controller while trying to prevent myself from dozing off. Alright. I got hooked this time around. On a card game. That usually would not be approached even with a 12-foot pole. Then why did I play it? Well. Two words. <!–More To See–>

Peer pressure.

And now, even though the peers are not around to watch my every move, whether I was utilizing cheats or walkthroughs to make my life alot easier, the point was that I feel the need to level up quickly.  A simple conversation can attest for this obsession.

Me: Mm. *settles down to play*

2 hours later…

Me: Mm. *groans from sitting too long in a position*

4 hours later…

Me: Mm. *stomach growls*

6 hours later…

Me: Mm. Zzz.

Back in the days when I was playing good ol’ WOW (World of Warcraft), I could swear that I was onto something, what with my clocking of 18 hours farming gold time and running instances to get better loots. It was the same repetitive moves, day in and out, and I LOVED it.

You literally have a catalogue of unknown acquaintances you have not yet explored or troughed around killing monsters with. Even if you are alone in the real world, in WOW, you will always be able to meet some random 9-year old kid whose mother has gone gallivanting off to the shops, or a pregnant teenager waiting for her husband to get back from school. The possibilities are endless.

Of course, coming back to the card game I am obsessed about… let me say that this peer pressure can be a very powerful one, where unattractive games can instantly glitter with some magical-like dusting.

Imagine, the ability to challenge your opponents anywhere you head to, unbound by the ball-and-chains of your PC, without any constraints of space/time/venues. The very thought of being able to beat my ‘peers’ seemed like a chance bestowed from the heavens itself. How else can you beat your more athletic and physically fit other half who seems to be great at any game?

P.S – the game is called Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3 (UGO for short form). There is more information here if sought after. Ever played Magic the Gathering? Well, it is kind of like that except bearing in mind that for each battle, you could spend a good half to an hour fighting the same person, until your deck of 40 cards has been completely annihilated. Strategy against your challenges is of upmost importance.

Think ‘the Art of War’ where without ample thinking and reading what the cards are capable of, your army would instantly submerge within a few rounds. The tutorial itself took me a good day, where with over 20 battles lost during this learning process, you can perhaps imagine the anguish felt having to act as a hunter-gather. Namely, there are over 3,500 basic cards and well, endless possibilities as long as you can hunt them all down and consolidate them. Somewhat like Pokemon perhaps, if you would like to think of it in a more up-to-date context. As players you can even go online to download entirely new decks or unique cards, or hook up to up to 4 friends via the PSP Ad-hoc LAN mode. That is old school card playing gone cyber.

Enough ranting for the night. Back to the game. Must. Sleep. Soon.

 

First posted 2010

Unhappiness that nips you in the butt

The Truth of the matter…in relationship building is:

If your spouse is unhappy. Find out why.

Or else…

it’ll just come back full circle & BAM!

Of Jelly Bean & Idiosyncracies

If you think your 2 year old ‘bundle of joy’ seemingly might have evolved in terms of temperament and behaviour; you’re not alone. It’s just part of growing up…and a beauty to be behold.

Over the last few weeks it has been a rather trialing experience; what with Jelly Bean’s recent HFMD onset & my own rendition of an adult attack.

Having to spend much bonding time with him, it occurred to me again that I am not prepared to be a full-time housewife and that calling, is just not right for me. Active and happy, he was a bundle of joy bouncing around the house, climbing up chairs/tables to get to his final goal – the iPad which he calls ‘eye-pal’.

Of course, this new found bonding moments surfaced a few idiosyncrasies on both mine and his end.

For instance. Every morning, without fail…an item of value (or not) will be dragged out of the room to the living area and left there like a forsaken piece of offering. Almost akin to a “Look mama…” From bolsters to random soft toys, these items will be left scattered on the floor.

On my part…well, let’s just say constantly picking and keeping toys that reappear in 5 minutes while 5 months pregnant is quite taxing on the back.

Another point lies in key words.

Try whispering into their little ears that it is time to wake up and that we’re off to school/ play and there will be lots of fun things to be gotten. This is usually followed with a slightly muffled grunt and minor whining before…silence.

Of course, being a parent means to be creative. For instance, singing a favourite song or initiating a round of light tickling (this works, in a very different way for Jelly bean. Mainly…during bedtime which I’ll elaborate later). Overtime, I realized the way to get him out was by saying 3 magical words.

Something so magical, it made me ponder why I didn’t think of trialing it earlier.

If there’s a favourite video that your child watches on youtube…try repeating its namesake to them. For Jelly Bean – it was “Chu Chu TV”. Just these 3 magical words and a smile would be awoken from the slumber of their sleep.Photo Credit: Google

And, before you know it, they’ll be up and perky, running around the house – searching for…. you got it. The ‘Eye-Pal’.

 

 

Huggies’ Experience on “Parent’s Guide”- 1/8/14 (Ch8, 10.30pm)

Received an invitation to partake in the local program “Parents’ Guide” on Channel 8.

Perhaps it is best described as a play date, Jelly bean had his first taster of airtime on television. Priscelia and Ben Yeo were of course the perfect hosts on this informative series that started on the 25th of July 2014.

Aired at 10.30pm, Ch 8; the segment was light-hearted in nature, delving into healthy cooking recipes  for children and where to cut your child’s hair.

Having used Huggies during his first arrival (we were give a pack of Huggies Ultra at Mt Alvernia Hospital), the quality of the diaper was actually cottony soft.

This is coming from a mum who had actively sourced for samples of all sorts – We used Goo.n, Pampers, Petpet, Mamy Poko, Merries, Drypers and of course Huggies.

My personal favourites in terms of absorbency and ease of use (e.g. tape) would be as ranked below:
1. Mamy Poko
2. Huggies
3. Merries
4. Pampers
5. Goo.N
6. Drypers
7. Petpet

I’ll elaborate more on costing and what I am currently using on Jelly Bean in another post.

For now, here’s a snippet of the episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KDNLjvpqOA

Disclaimer: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Huggies. However, all opinions are unbiased or influenced in any form.

#motherhood: 3 weeks and counting

It’s been over 3 weeks since jelly bean arrived and through these exciting times, there’s one thing I never forget-

When I gaze at him, I’m counting my blessings, everyday.

Here’s a big thank you to my supportive friends and family. Couldn’t have come this far without you guys. Of course, the confinement period didn’t feel as bad as what was previously expected but that’s a tale for soother day. 🙂

Jelly bean on the move: 36 weeks and counting

It is times like this that paranoia and over – analysing get the better of all of us.

Piece of advise. Forums are a great source of information and yet a place that breeds anxiety.

Having just moved back into mom’s old place, the constant barrage of comfort food and hot soup is a familiarity that’s greatly welcomed.

From eating takeaway daily, being fed non – msg laden  dishes and plenty of vegetables for that added nutrition boost; being close to family also makes things seem less surreal in this tidal change.

The countdown begins. On a fleeting note. There’s just 4 more weeks.

Strange Happenings in the Office

It’s time to horse around on this sunny Thursday. It’s ‘neigh’-mazing how strange things keep happening around the office.

As today is almost done and dusted … Friday, here we come!

Food Review- Revel at poulet

Headed down for a said unpretentiously good meal at Poulet with a friend. Needless to say, with resounding good recommendations from all around, this should make for a delightful dinner.

Having gotten started with deciding our meal preferences, as it would be for dessert craving individuals like us; our dinner options comprised of a granny chicken salad ($9.80) and fries ($4.80). For the rest of its rather delicious poutry and red meat range, that’ll have to wait for another time.

Upon seeing its serving, the lack of fresh vegetable was a little underwhelming. Expecting at least a good fill of leafy goodness, there were 3 pieces at tops (most likely cos lettuce?) and 4 tablespoons of prettily decorated chicken mix; all arranged in a professionally enticing manner.

Taste – wise and for a fact that my appetite these days was not too ravenous,  it took on a rather flavourful tuna mayo sandwich – texture, with a chicken twist. Not too bad as it wasn’t as salted or savoury as would be thought of, where with its overall presentation, it was acceptable overall.

In its place and to sate our sugar cravings, a creme brulee and tiramisu was our poison for the night. The main highlights if I had to add.

Portions were big in comparison to my earlier dinner which to place in perspective was just an appetiser to this delectable concoction.

Filled to the brim with creamy cheese and sponge fingers, it was more subtle in flavour when compared to the average Tiramisu; a mouthwatering and rather filling dessert to be had.

Lastly, we had the creme brulee which came served in a lagsana dish. With its lovely fired sugar topping; a quick tap and dip after, this eggy delight was completely demolished.

Time for round 2 soon, perhaps?

Keeping in rhythm

As the weekend lazily rolled past, the lil’ jelly bean has seemingly picked up pace. From regular pushes to rapid side kicks, the inner feeling of delight certainly makes everyday a refreshing one to wake up to.

Been voraciously reading up on the pros and cons of nursing, nutrition and other nuances. Until today, this knowledge acquisition isn’t even close to 50% complete.

Cot-related: from play pen to cots and co-sleepers, there are simply too many options out there. Even mattresses where ranging from a mere 20 bucks to 299 for a baby safe one; the question remains- latex, foam or fibre? If growing up, we were coddled and cooed at from atop our cheap foam mattress, lovely purchased from the neighbour store, what makes our next generation less hardy or more precious?

Nutrition-related: Even the consumption of food has its own ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts, especially if your from a dominantly cantonese family. The feasting on herbal soups doused with cordecep (Take reference from the video game- ‘The last of Us’ and this herb wouldn’t be half as “fun” to consume); bird’s nest and herbs-I-can’t-name-without-sounding-like-an-idiot.

Too many options and it seems we are (the royal plural) coming to a new beginning shortly. The exhilaration certainly helps drive the days along, quickly.

Are you experiencing a new 2014 as well?