Smashing Time

Guess what? This afternoon, I re-entered school after buying lunch at Eastpoint. I was walking along the path towards school while all the time looking over at the car bathing in the sun. "Die", I thought. "Sure to fry in the car while driving back later."

AND...WHAM!
Whadda you know? I had slammed right into a lamppost.I almost keeled over in pain, but had to maintain.you know..for whoever saw it. And of course, the security guard saw and couldn't resist a jibe. Some of my students walking out were still some distance away and didn't manage to catch their teacher in 'action'. Or else, I'd have been the butt of their jokes probably for the whole week.

Now my ribs and chest are hurting. But, I've to get back to work.
There's worksheets to be done and tests to be marked. Til next time.

Urine Collection 101

This post is targeted for mommies or mommies-to-be ;). If others are interested though, there's no harm reading on.

Having had a baby getting urinary tract infection (UTI) and suspected of it again just a few days ago when she's 1.5 years old, I have labelled myself an expert in collecting the girl's urine for analysis.

Disclaimer: This is in no way a professional how-to. Just a recount from my own personal experiences. So if it doesn't work for you, I don't want to hear about it.

Step 1: Get a baby with a high fever of over 38.5 degrees. A baby with a history of UTI is recommended.

Step 2: Go to your obnoxiously expensive paediatrician early in the morning (read: be the first person waiting at the door while the nurse is opening it), who wants to make sure that the baby is not suffering from a relapse of UTI. More tests, more costs?

Step 3: Refuse the plastic baggie that you need to place at the baby's 'flower' to collect urine. (This is just due to previous bad experiences.) Offer to take the cup instead to collect urine by hand.

Step 4: Go home. Prepare a plastic mat in front of the TV. Turn on the baby's favourite video. Make her milk (to promote peeing). Find baby in your bedroom with her pants already down, her diapers already removed (too clever this one) and her pee already on the floor.

Step 5: Undress the baby from top to toe and lie her down on the plastic mat in front of the TV. It is recommended to turn on the air-conditioner or the fan full blast.

Step 6: Wait anxiously for the first drop of pee with a plastic cup in hand. Remember, do not turn your head away because in accordance to the famous Murphy's law that states, 'She will pee when you are not looking'.

Step 7: When she walks around, follow her everywhere with a cup in hand, eye on her 'flower'. Warning: If you choose to put your face near her bottom, it is most likely that you will be farted in the face. Don't laugh. It happened. Do this for 1 and a half hours.

Step 8: Put baby to sleep (still naked) and rest your head and your hand for awhile. Think to yourself,"I can't belief she hasn't peed!" Call your husband and cry on the phone out of exasperation.

Step 9: Baby wakes up. Continue you 'cup in hand, eye on 'flower'' routine. By now, baby will crying while keeping her legs close together. Realise that baby is scared to pee without a diaper on and has been keeping it in. By the way, you can realise this only after baby pees a little on the floor while your head is turned for the 2 seconds that you are pouring hot water into her bottle to make milk.

Step 10: Bring baby to toilet. Coax her to pee by saying 'SHHH, SHHH' despite her crying and not wanting to pee. When the baby can't hold it in any longer and let go,.... GRAB YOUR CUP! SUCCESS!!

Hungry?..I think NOT!

My appetite has been steadily declining through the weeks and I'm at the point that I neither have the appetite nor the hunger pangs to eat anything..at all! Zero. Zilch. Nada. Not even chocolate. Not even when I break fast. 2 glasses of water is enough to fill me up and the thought of eating anything after that makes me feel like throwing up.

And I'm happy! I have also been monitoring my weight during this fasting month and I have dropped 2.8 kilos (do NOT tell me it's water or anything like that ok, cos it's not). Goal? 1.2 kilos to go.

My face is getting a bit slimmer and so is my body. But I still need my body to 'eat' up the fats. Come on cells and don't know what else, you can do it!

My only obstacle is my husband who keeps insisting I eat something. So for his sake, I sometimes nibble at 1 bread in the morning and managed to swallow down 4 tablespoonfuls of porridge during break fast.

I feel so.....anorexic and contented.

Mad Dash Along Orchard Road!

Have you seen thousands of women dashing madly along Orchard Road before?
If you are not privy to the scheme of things during the Great Singapore Sale, the Anlene Orchard Mile might be the first time that you can see the above sight.

Women, young and old, running from Dhoby Ghaut MRT area to the road in front of the Mariott. The enthusiam shown might lead someone to belive that there was indeed a super-duper prize at the end of it all. Other than the medal received by all at the finisher's line, the prize was inevitably the pride of womanhood coming together to celebrate the feminine spirit.

Below are some snapshots of the day:

THE number to look out for.

Drinking some cow juice before setting off.

Just finished the race..feeling giddy and nauseous.

I won! Along with the thousands of women at the event.

Breakfast of cereal & berries - courtesy of Anlene. Yum!

My very own cheerleading squad.

Weighty Issue

I have come to realise that a post-pregnancy body will never work the same way as a pre-pregnancy body. Unless you are as lucky as Steph (my colleague), or as rich as Zoe, or as famous as some other lucky women out there to be the spokesperson for some slimming agency.

Although my weight has reduced from a 65kg new momma to the current weight, it has yo-yoed ever since between a 53 to a 55.8kg. And this is regardless of the fact that I eat so very little during all my meals.

Remembering how easy it was to get into shape in the old days is like a knife stabbing into the gut, or heart, whatever. And it’s no use wishing that I didn’t eat only about 200 bars of ‘Boost’ during the pregnancy, plus some.

I guess it’s all water under the bridge now. I’ll just have to be satisfied with what I have now, and never dream again of prancing about …(hmm I think the descriptive ends here, lest I let out too many details).

My 10% segment today is dedicated in responding to Kev’s question as to my lack of updates on weekends. I hereby declare that there will be no entries made during weekends, public holidays, my birthday, etc. as I will be spending time with the family. Thank you and do tune in again for the next post.