'Twas the night before Christmas' for Moms

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the abode
Only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode.
The children were finally sleeping all snug in their beds,
while visions of Nintendo and Barbie flipped through their heads.

The dad was snoring in front of the TV,
With a half-constructed bicycle propped on his knee.
So only Mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,
Which made her sigh, "Now what is the matter?"

With the toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,
She descended the stairs and saw the old man.
He was covered with ashes and soot, which fell with a shrug,
"Oh, great," muttered Mom, "now I have to clean the rug."

"Ho Ho Ho!" cried Santa, "I'm glad you're awake,
your gift was especially difficult to make."
"Thanks, Santa, but all I want is time alone."
"Exactly!" he chuckled, "So, I've made you a clone."

"A clone?" she muttered, "What good is that?"
"Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit chat."
Then out walked the clone - The Mother's twin;
Same hair, same eyes, same double chin.

"She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess.
You'll relax, take it easy, watch The Young and The Restless."
"Fantastic!" the Mom cheered. "My dream has come true!"
"I'll shop, I'll read, I'll sleep a night through!"

From the room above, the youngest did fret.
"Mommy? Come quickly, I'm scared and I'm wet."
The clone replied, "I'm coming, sweetheart."
"Hey," the Mom smiled, "she sure knows her part."

The clone changed the small one and hummed her a tune,
as she bundled the child in a blanket cocoon.
"You're the best mommy ever. I really love you."
The clone smiled and sighed, "And I love you, too."

The Mom frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal.
That's my child's love she is trying to steal."
Smiling wisely, Santa said, "To me it is clear,
Only one loving Mother is needed here."

The Mom kissed her child and tucked her in bed.
"Thank you, Santa, for clearing my head.
I sometimes forget, it won't be very long,
when they'll be too old for my cradle and song."

The clock on the mantle began to chime.
Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."
With the clone by his side, Santa said, "Good night.
Merry Christmas, dear Mom, you will be all right."

~ Author Unknown ~

Baby Steps

What I've learnt so far ...

1) When she wants her milk ... she means she wants it NOW!

Before and After

2) If she sleeps for 3 hours in a stretch, she is giving you a breather. Don't be surprise if she's up in half that time.

3) Babies do break wind, sometimes more often than I do. And don't be surprise at the amount of 'fecal matter' can come out of that tiny frame.

4) Angel, Textbook, Miss Sensitive or Grouchy ? ... well, that depends on whether her needs are met.

Homecoming

The past week and a half has been a blur of happenings and changes. The important thing is that both baby and mummy are healthy and well.

As for the house, it has become kind of unrecognisable, turning into a war-room like place for project BABY-01. My mum and the confinement nanny has cleaned and dusted every nook and cranny, revamped the kitchen and all its contents, stocked up the fridge to the brim and hung nappies on every space that catches a glimpse of the elusive sun beam. Our time has also been tuned to the sleeping pattern of our little girl, the one who eat-sleeps-and-poo.

Welcome home Cheyenne!

Awaiting the stork

My friend once told me that planning for a wedding was a 'stroll in the park' compared to the sweat and tears that accompanies the coming of the baby. The emotion runs much deeper, the preparation never stops even after the stork arrives, and the dent it leaves on your pockets might need a 'rescue package' to tide over. Okay, I exaggerate, he did not quite put it in the same exact terms but he was quite serious when he asked me to enjoy the 'honeymoon' while it last.

Well our preparation journey is almost coming to an end now. We have listened to advice from many a mothers, enrolled in 'Baby-101' class, and bought up a room full of baby stuff. The anxiety and excitement has not really set in yet, but it will crank up in the next few weeks as the day approaches.

Two more months to go

Fool's Gold

"Two percent per month leh ... what could beat that?
How is it possible ... precious metal price don't shoot up so fast ...
What they do with all our deposits? Ah Long interest also not so high ...
Don't think so much lah ... as long as we get the money each month ...
What's the worst case scenario? You can still sell off the gold bar at 20% down, one year already earns you 24% ... "

Fortunately we escaped unscathed. Lesson Learnt.
1) Worst-case scenarios do happen. And it could be worse than you think.
2) Do not put your money in schemes that you do not understand.
3) It could happen to you.

Joyous moments

These were from a wedding I attended two weekends back. Sometimes I wonder how wonderful the life of a wedding photographer must be. Capturing people during one of their happiest moments ... you can't help but feel happy and proud of what you are doing. Not something you would usually associate with your job. Well Mr.Photographer may not think so but the grass always looks greener on the other side.

Life behind wheels

Life has not been the same after we decided to put our foot down (on the pedal) and swap public transport with a set of wheels. Here is the down side to life behind wheels.

1) Walking 1Km less daily. Sigh ... I did not sign up for the extra spare tire around my waist.
2) Bye bye reading time. Train rides were a good time to catch up on reading.
3) Instead of the frustrating wait for the bus, I have to bear with congested roads and lots of traffic lights.
4) The roads have eyes. Take a misstep and you get fined for the smallest of offences, and "tolonglah encik ..." does not work here.
5) This 1.2 tonne machine puts a hole in your pocket and sucks up all extra dough. Well we sign up for this so were ready for this... well sort of ...

The moment when two lines meet

How often does a single moment changes the shape of your future, or elevates you to an unfamiliar position that expects no less than total devotion and effort? The cross on the Clearblue kit that greeted us 3 1/2 months back was one of those moments. It confirmed what we had earlier suspected. A bunch of feelings almost jumped out at once. Excitement, relief, trepidation. They were all knotted up somewhere within me. We needed a second opinion, make that third if we counted the pregnancy strip. Should we keep it under wraps until the 2nd trimester? A useful Chinese belief that lets the bulging stomach reveals itself, and keeps colleagues guessing about your weight gain and snacking binges. At least our family should know.

We are half way through this journey of preparation, yet there is still so much more that we do not know. But we are ready, or we think that we are ready, to take on this journey and whatever that awaits.

Discovering Formosa : Day 7 & 8 - Yilan and Taipei

We were leaving the countryside today and heading back to the bustling capital city of Taipei. The bus had to travel through winding coastal roads so we were bundled onto the train instead. We arrived first at the train station in Yilan and waited patiently for about an hour for the bus to arrive. Then we proceded to the Yilan National Center for Traditional Arts. This place had buildings with traditional architecture, shops selling everything from local snacks to painted dolls, and a small theatre for performances. After exploring the place for about an hour. it was time to go.

View from the train window

One-way tix to Yilan

Yilan train station

Yilan National Center for Traditional Arts

Goods on sale

We were heading back to Taipei and our first stop will be lunch at one of the tallest bulding in the world, the Taipei 101. Unfortunately though we could not see much of the view with clouds blanketing the top of the building. Lunch was good though. After we had our fill, we were given time to walk around the shopping center.

Shinyeh 101 - Restaurant with a view (supposedly)

Waiting for lunch to be served

Shopping Ccnter

Our next stop was a small feng shui shopin Taipei. We were briefly taught how to touch a stone 'Chi Lin' before being herded in for a talk by the master. The interesting talk about auspicious names and home fengshui ended rather abruptly before the sales pitch began. This time it was little Chi Lin pendants. No matter how many auspicious strokes our names had, we were asked to buy those pendants that came in different colours and sizes. It is interesting to note that at least one sale was made out of the tour group at every stop (eg. Lingzhi shop, Jade factory, etc).

After feeling happy that my chinese fist name had an auspicious 13 strokes and that we resisted buying all the sales pitch, we were finally heading for Shi Lin night market, the biggest of them all. It was almost dusk now, so the shops were all out. We headed towards the 'fashion' street first before settling for food at the well known food market. It was our last chance to sample the Taiwanese street fare, so we dug into 'Smelly Tofu', Ji Pa (chicken fillet), and Da Bing Bao Xiao Bing (small bun in big bun).

Start of the 'Fashion' Street

Smelly Tofu

Da Bing Bao Xiao Bing

Ji Pa

Tonight we finally get to stay in a 5 Star accomodation, the Grand Hyatt Taipei. It was defintely the best hotel so far.

The next day, we had half the day to wander around before departing for Singapore. We got up for the breakfast buffet and ended up watching the 'American idol' finals on TV. Then we decided to roam around the nearby shopping malls which only opened at 11am. Our original plan was to visit the National Palace Museum but it was located quite far away and we just so little time to spend., so we will save that for our next trip. After lunch, it was time to depart for the airport, so we collected our bags at took the bus one last time.

Getting ready for the opening at 11am

Grand Hyatt lobby

Discovering Formosa : Day 6 - Hualien

After having a taste of the Hot Springs of Taitung, we were headed to Hualien county, located on the mountainous eastern coast of Taiwan. And going into Hualien, we were certainly not going to miss Taroko Gorge, so we made it it our first stop there. The bus made its way up the mountaineous region and dropped us at the Tunnel of Nine Turns. We took the well known trek down the mountain which gave us chance to have a close up look of the magnificent gorge that was carved up by the river a long time ago. However walking down had its share of lurking danger in the form of falling rock. We were given helmets but that was just scant protection against the impact a falling rock can make. There was a scary moment too when a rock the size of a small papaya dropped just a few meters away from our group. We completed the walk in about 30 minutes and headed towards the town.

Taroko Gorge

Site of a recent rock fall accident

There was a short pitstop at a Jade Factory for a salespitch on Jade and other stone pieces. It was already dark when we stopped for dinner. We arrived at a normal house, looking nothing like a restaurant, that had a few tables laid out for us. However this was the best food we had for our entire trip. The food was mainly organic, with free-range chicken and wild boar, and tasty glutinous rice.

Jade Factory

Part of our dinner

There was more activities after dinner and like all Taiwanese towns, Hualien also had a Night Market. Although there was not much of a crowd in this sleepy town. The highlight of the Market was that it was loacated just next to the beach, and this allowed activities like firing fireworks and setting free 'Heaven Lanterns'. The flying lantern bit was quickly over due to strong winds but we had a good time lighting up the skies with fireworks of all sizes and colour.

Lighting up the Lantern

Flying to Heaven

Fireworks of all shapes and sizes

Age is not a barrier play Sparklers

Like A Comet Blazing 'Cross The Evening Sky

...Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight
Here One Day
Gone One Night

Like A Sunset
Dying With The Rising Of The Moon
Gone Too Soon

Discovering Formosa : Day 5 - Kenting and Taitung

It was another bright and sunny day today. Though the blue skies would really look great in pics, we will have to earn it by sweating it out. First stop was a tour of Hengchun which was a really a tour of the filming sites made famous in Cape No.7. Here are the pics.

The Hengchun Post Office

The Church

Aga's house. Aga is the male lead of the story.

Inside the house

The two panes which were replaced and autographed. The panes were broken by Tomoko in the story.

The West Gate, where the bus carrying the models had problems crossing

Sending a self addressed postcard back home.

Next we travelled the coastal road to two popular rock formations, ie. President Nixon's Nose and Cat's Nose (Mou Bi tou). You need some imigination to figure them out but if it gives tourist a reason to stop and admire, the Taiwanese wil name all the rock formations along their coasts.

President Nixon's Nose

Cat's Nose (Mou Bi Tou)

After lunch, the bus took us through the scenic coastal road all the way up to Taitung. While they played 'Cape No.7' on TV, I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery which meanders around mountains on one side and cliffs on the other. The skies were cloudy so we were given a respite from the scorching heat.

It was evening when we reached our accomodation for the night which was along the belt of 'hot spring' hotels in Taitung. Now, one has to be clothed in proper swimming attire (cap and trunks) to take to the hot springs, else you will just have to do with the piped in 'spring' water in the bathroom. But since I was there,I was not going to miss out on the real thing, so I bought a cheap set at the hotel. The water was piping hot in the 'All Male' pool, but once I am in the water it felt so comfortable and therapeutic. Too bad one can't spend too long in the pool. By the way, the rooms were spacious and had a nice Japanese theme to it. It could really have filled a full family.

Discovering Formosa : Day 4 - Kaohsiung and Kenting

We had a day to explore Kaohsiung today. So we started off with the tallest building in sight, the Kaohsiung 85 Building. There was only one main attraction here which was the viewing deck on the 75th floor. The lift raced up the building in no time, so we had ample time to admire the 360 degree view of the city and port from the vantage point. This building has been surpassed by the Taipei 101 Building since, but the clear skies in Kaohsiung helped put one over the cloudy Taipei skyline.

Panaromic views of the city

Next up was the Dream Mall, located just a few blocks away. This was supposed to be the biggest shopping complex in Taiwan with a Hello Kitty Ferris Wheel on the roof. Yes, we did rode on it. It was purely for the view, I swear, and not for the cute Hello Kitty inspired cabins or the Cinnamon Roll pilow in ours. The rest of the mall was not much different from the ones in Singapore except for a few interesting shops. There was a particular one which combined fashion, collectibles and dining, and had moving display shelves.

After our shopping stint, we headed to the countryside for a visit to the Fo Guang Shan Monastery. This is just a monastery with big grounds, lots of buddha statues and one really gigantic one. The walk under the hot sun made us sweat out and we were glad to be back in the air-conditioned bus again. Our next destination was to be some distance away, so we had time to take a nap while the scenery slowly changed to one with a rugged coastline.

We were heading to 'Cape No.7 ' country, the Kenting National Park. This place is down at the southern tip of Taiwan and boasts many sunny beaches. But now it is even more famous as the filming site of the Taiwan's hit movie of 2008. We made a pit stop on the way to savour some local fruits, namely the 'Jambu Air' and local Mangoes. It has been a long time since I tasted Jambu Air and these Taiwanese grown ones were as big as Fuji Apples and really sweet.

After dropping our bags at the hotel, we headed to the town for yet another night market. For a small town, there were quite a number of people walking around the stalls. There was a difference between this night market and the previous ones in the major towns. People were less hurried and walking at a leisurely pace as you would have expected of a 'Beach' town. Our only buy at this market was a foldable bag which could fit the rest of our buys and potential ones. Yes, our luggage space was bursting at the seams and reinforcements had to be bought in.