Hug Hug

I swear I did not teach Ryan this.

Each time I am annoyed with Ryan (and he feels it), he will come to me and say "HUG HUG" and then "SHAKE HANDS" .... and I must comply, otherwise, he will insist on it till I comply.

I think this is his way of saying sorry and his way of trying to make up for his naughty behavior which has annoyed me in the first place.

Mummy is proud nevertheless.

Funny face

2 nights ago, on our way back from nanny's ... Ryan made a funny face in the lift.
I could not help but laugh at him.

He put his hands on his ears and stuck his tongue out.
And he gave me a big smile.

I could not resist but gave him a big fat kiss on his cheeks.
That little one is a charmer. : )

Now which mother would not say so about her own child?

My grandparents

I have never seen my grandparents (from my dad's side) in real life.
Sure, I have heard stories about them, but not enough to really know them. I think it is such a pity not really knowing about them.

Today, we went to visit my grandma's grave in Seremban. We went to exhume her bones as my parents have bought a place in one of the memorial centres for her to rest in peace. Some time last year, we exhumed my grandpa's bones from Penang and had him placed at the memorial park already. Today, they have been placed together after so many years apart.

The entire ceremony from the time we arrived to the grave till the completion of burining of the after life papers was pretty long. It started in the morning where we had a prayer ritual at her grave. We were told that we had to wait for 2 hours before we could gather her bones, so we went to have breakfast.

After an hour, it was ready. My dad, bro and cousins went to see the bones being collected. I was too chicken to go, so I stayed at the foot hill with mum. The bones were brought to the foothill where it was burnt for about an hour till it was brittle and then it was filled into an urn. The urn was then transported back to the memorial centre.

There, we had more prayers and then after like 2 hours, my grandma's urn is put into the unit where my grandpa was. Then we had more prayers and then finally we burnt our paper offerings to them.

At each step before we move the urn, we had to "ask" for her permission to go into the urn. The monk had to throw a "sing pui" where it supposedly shows if the spirit will say Yes or No to our proposal. This is actually 2 shell-like item where one is supposed to face up and the other down when the monk throws it on the table. When it shows this, the spirit is deemed agreeable to our proposal ... in this case of moving her from Seremban to the memorial centre and later into the unit where she will rest with grandpa. Luckily, the "sing pui" showed her concurrence ... it is deemed to be a good sign.

I think now my dad is at peace knowing that his parents are finally together and this is something he feels strongly about. For us, it means that we do not have to scale the hills to find their graves and no more dirty shoes for me .... and no more scratch marks on my legs!!!

May they rest in peace.

KLSE craze

Lately there has been a lot of craze at the KLSE.
Everybody seems to have a stock tip and everybody seems to think that their stocks will be rising soon.

I have previously traded about 7 years ago and did not make much money simply because I believed what the tip of the day was. About 6 months ago, I started to trade again, this time with a little wisdom ... although I cannot say that I have made a lot of money.

Nowadays, I log into the computer every morning and the Bursa website comes on. Somehow seeing all the little red/ green/ yellow numbers excite me. At night (like now), I will be reading up on press releases which the companies release and see if I can understand what the news means and how it will impact on the share price.

I am no wizard in this and so hard work is needed to understand the mechanics of the market. My bro introduced me to some books to read up as a means to get started in understanding the market. I must say that it is not easy at all. Most of the time I just read on even though I do not fully understand the entire chapter. I guess that is why people who are really good at picking stocks are paid so well - it is tough!!!

Anyway, I have finished my scrolling for the day and I will hit the sack now.

Here's wishing that the KLSE will have another bull run tomorrow.

Ryan at his 2nd birthday

This is how my little darling look like now.
It was taken during his recent 2nd birthday where we had a small party for friends and relatives.
Seen here he is wearing a traditional costume which his uncle Raymond bought for him during Chinese New Year.

Don't you think that yellow suits him perfectly?
Muaks to uncle Raymond for his thoughts for little Ryan.

Declining supply

For most of you who know me, you would know that I am a breastfeeding mother.
I did not start out thinking that I would be, but my journey has been 98% a smooth one.

For a start, I thought if I could just pull through 2 months, then 6 months, then 12 months, then 2 years.
This month, it has been 2 years.

I have been using 2 breast pumps - one manual and another electric. Both have been my great friends and also my money savers, although the initial investment cannot be ignored. Last week, I started to pack them and hang my bottles to dry.

I decided that I would stop expressing during work hours since my yield is low and work is a little crazy. For the first 2 days, I was a little full, then by the third day, I was perfectly normal.

Ryan still gets his milk milk in the evenings and at night, just that he will not have any expressed breast milk to bring to nanny's. He has been adjusting very well to the milk powder that we feed him, so that has helped to make the transition better.

I am really happy that Ryan and I have come so far in our breastfeeding journey.
I hear some people have great starters but encounter problems with the second child. I hope to dear God that I am not one of them. But even if I am, I am confident I will get over it, since I have Ryan as my proof.

Here's to all breastfeeding mothers - Good luck and keep up the good work you are doing for your kids!!!

Traffic jams

I am so sleepy now but felt that I needed to blog about this.

In the last 3 mornings, getting to work has been a nightmare.
On Monday, the roads were so bad that I had to take the LRT to work.
Yesterday there was not much difference at all, but I decided to hacked it out.
Today, it was also jammed.

It took me more than an hour to reach the office, I usually take less than 30 minutes.
I was really annoyed.
Did you know that while we were ALL stuck in the jam, there were this VIP car and his entourage honked and we ALL had to make way for them. As it is the road is small enough, but to squeeze in more ... ! Someone should tell these VIPs that they should not surface during the peak period and that they should not squeeze and take our space in the morning

Then there are also some major road closures to have a rehearsal for the Police Day this weekend. The roads closes from 730-930 am....I do not understand why they cannot have the rehearsals in the middle of the day when there is less traffic on the road. Maybe if they spend less time on these things (and blocking our way) the crime levels may be able to decrease.

There was also apparently flash floods as a result of the rain the whole night before.
The question is, how many times can the authorities blame the flash foods for this horrible jam?

Sigh ... I hope tomorrow will be a better drive.

Ryan to date

Sometime back, I blogged to say how much Ryan has developed verbally.

In the last few days, there has been more exciting developments - Ryan was able to speak a whole sentence without me prompting/ helping him!!! Granted, the sentence was not grammatically correct, but still it is an achievement.

It is so amazing seeing him learn new words day to day. It is said that a 2 year old learns up to 16 words a day, I am not sure I have so many words to teach him.

Sometimes, he will say words which we did not intentionally teach him, but more like he picked it up himself. The wonder is that he is able to understand and apply the word appropriately. Gee ... I really wonder how he knows...

Then since last weekend, Ryan has been asking to sleep in his own bed rather than on mine although he still needs his milk milk to doze off. I tried to persuade him to sleep on my bed, but he stubbornly shook his head. I guess it is a sign that he is growing up and demanding his own space, although he gets up in the middle of the night to have his milk and then sleeps with me. I am not forcing him but rather I am giving him time to grow on his own terms.

Through it all, I am feeling rally proud of Ryan and hope to see more of his developments. And as with all mums, I really wish I can freeze time so I can savor the moment a little longer.

Birthday party

Yesterday we had Ryan's birthday party.

It was supposed to start at 10.30am, but most guests did not arrive until after 11am.
We went to collect the cake and the food in the morning and then went on to prepare some boiled eggs. The Elmo cake that we bought Ryan was lovely. And the food really smells very nice.

The photographer arrived at about 10.15am and promptly set up his equipment and then we started to take some family photos. Ryan was posing very well in front of the camera, even the photographer was impressed. However, he soon grew to be irritated and insisted on having his milk milk before proceeding.

After having his dose of milk, Ryan went back out to continue with his play and tried to play pee-a-boo with nanny.

We had to move people to the swimming pool after a while as it was getting a little crowded. So, we all proceeded to the pool side where we blew candles and sang Ryan his song. I remember vividly a year ago when we did just the same thing for his 1st birthday. Hmm ... next year must change.

Anyway, the day flew by and I think I had a better time than Ryan cause I got to meet with old friends. During the entire time I was reflecting upon my life and how it has changed since I meet these people, especially people from Synovate. It is really lovely to see how far we have gone back and we are still keeping in touch.

At the end of the affair, some of my friends stayed back to catch up and also to see Ryan and his funny ways. I said a silent prayer to thank God for giving me this wonderful child, the joy of having a family and the happiness of being surrounded by old friends.

Oops, this entry suddenly seemed to be more about me than the party itself.
Anyway, I think I can safely say everyone had a good time.

Till next year then ...

KTM Komuter

I had one of my worst rides today on KTM.
It was LATE!!!!!

This happened last Friday ... by 30 minutes.
Today, it was late by 45 minutes.

I could not tahan and tried to get a cab.
The notice on the counter said "SORRY, NO CAB, HAVE TO WAIT FOR 45 MINS".
I almost screamed!!!!!

I then went back to queue for the train.
Because it was late for so long, 3 train loads of people have gathered around the train.
Can you imagine the amount of sweat and smell?? I almost died.

Darn train. Darn cab. Darn public transport.
If the government wants to promote public transport, must make sure that the service is efficient right?
Otherwise, if always late and cramped, how to promote public transport??
Arghh!!!!!

CFP Module 4

I received my exam results for my Investment module I sat for in December 2006.
I passed!!!

Going for Module 5 this June and hopefully the last one in December 2007.
Keeping fingers crossed so I do not have to resit any papers.
Otherwise, money flying out the window.....

Shh ....

Ryan has been with my mum for 3 days already.
The house has been quiet for 3 days already.

Before we had Ryan, we did not feel it.
After we have Ryan, we feel that the house is too big for us whenever he is not around.

Shhh ...

Disturbing news

Yesterday there was an article about a teenager who gave birth to a baby in the school's sick bay.
Today the news reported that her step father has been arrested to assist in the investigations.

This piece of news troubled me in 2 ways:
1) Although it was not mentioned that the step father raped her, it implies it to be so.
How can people be so sick as to commit this type of crime?
What has happened to our society that such a hideous crime can be committed in their own homes? What happened to security and safety one is supposed to get at home?
What exactly drives a person to commit something like this?

2) How is it that a girl can be pregnant and yet, not known to her friends and family?
The news reported that she was "on the larger side" ... therefore not noticeable.
I am just appalled that this is given as an excuse to say that this poor girl has been ignored by people around her. I am assuming that she still has friends and a mother, what happened to them? Did they not notice her? Did they not care about her? Were they not curious?

As if this piece of news is not enough, I just read on the star online that a 67 year old deaf and mute man raped a teenager and another 31 year old deaf and mute man raped a disabled factory worker. .... what has the world come to???

Missing my little one

I am missing Ryan badly now.
You see, nanny has gone for a holiday to the Philippines and so, I was left to care for Ryan on Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday, my parents came to take him back to PD for the rest of the week as I could not take anymore leave.

This is not the first time that Ryan is sent to my parents' but each time, my heart aches and I will miss him terribly. This is even more so if I hear him cry over the phone. But luckily this time, my mum said he was rather happy and only look for me when he wanted to sleep.

Mum says that Ryan has been getting better and better at jumping across the furniture. He almost gave my father a heart attack when he jumped from a small stool to the couch which is about 1-1.5meters away! He also talks more now, but my parents sometimes cannot make out what he says, so it is a lot of to and fro till they get through to each other.

My mum also says that Ryan eats a lot, really a lot compared to when he is with me. I am not sure why that is the case. Maybe he bullies me, maybe he prefers his milk milk more than his porridge, or maybe he eats more junk when he is with me, I do not know.

I am counting the days till he comes back on Sunday when we will have his little party.
I am so so wishing Sunday is tomorrow.

Sigh, mummy miss you like crazy little darling Ryan.
Sleep tight tonight.

Changes to Ryan's looks - March 2007

This was taken 2 days ago during his birthday.

Compared to last year, he has grown so much taller and as a result, looked lankier. Of course this year he could talk much more and a lot more mobile compared to the last birthday.

Shown here he is trying to push me while I was taking the photo. One of his ways to tease me.

Changes to Ryan's looks - March 2006

This was taken at his first birthday.

We had a small celebration with the nanny marking his first year in existence.

Changes to Ryan's looks - March 2005

This is what Ryan looked like when he was a week old.
For some reason, I did not manage to capture Ryan's first week's photos.
That was like one of those things which I regret not doing.

Anyway, here he is with his oversize diaper and looking adorable in his mittens and booties. Later on, he ditched them both.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR RYAN

Today is my little darling's second birthday.
It is quite unbelievable that he has existed in my life for so long.

I am spending the day with him, blowing up some balloons for his amusement.
Tonight we will have a small celebration with cakes and eggs and noodles.
My parents and brother will be here too.

It is such a blessing to have Ryan in our lives.
Here's to many more happy birthdays to be celebrated!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLING!!!