24 Weeks Or 6 Months

As of now, I can only fit into two bras, a few shirts, one pair of shorts, two pairs of jeans, about four dresses and that's about it. Dressing for work is a pain (no thanks to ASOS for the shipment that went missing), but casual dressing around the house is great. I'd just slip into Jerry's t-shirt and boxers.

Though I'm a little apprehensive about shopping on ASOS again, I don't feel like I have many other choices. My fruitless searches on Gumtree for secondhand clothing have left me feeling frustrated. Why isn't there anyone out there who wears a UK size 8? Also, I've been hunting around in H&M, Forever 21, etc, hoping to find some stretchy dresses. To my dismay, I found that this shopping season is just not pro-pregnancy at all. The waistline is fashionably placed right in the middle now (where I'm expanding). Stretchy or jersey materials are not the rage and ultimately, I just need something a little more dressy for work. I don't need another casual maxi dress! Maternity shops here offer only expensive clothes and my other dilemma is having to find something that can fit my 5'9" long body. Let me just say, it ain't easy even on ASOS.

On Sunday evening, Jerry and I dropped by the Mothercare store in Harbourfront Centre to officially check out baby things we'll be buying in the months to come. But what I really enjoyed was witnessing Jerry's growing excitement as we went from aisle to aisle. We finally left the store with no purchases but this priceless statement from Jerry: "I think we are going to have a lot of fun with our kid". My sentiments exactly :)

So, I spent some time today on Gumtree looking around for secondhand cots and strollers. I was initially thinking of buying brand new stuff. But when I think about my dad and his habit of using secondhand furniture, I can't help but feel like it's a big waste of money to buy something straight out of the store, especially if we will only be using it for a short while. Babies do outgrow their things very quickly! I'm also determined to save as much money as we can. Who knows what may come in the future? Working in Prudential has definitely made me want to be more prudent in my life.

Oh yes, last night, baby did something really weird. He usually kicks around a little more at night when I'm about to fall asleep. But yesterday, he did this super fast back and forth kicking that made me freak out a little. I had no idea he could move so quickly at this age! Perhaps it was the DDR earlier in the evening that inspired him. Speaking of which, playing DDR this weekend gave me such a great mental boost again. I LOVE being able to sweat and feel happy hormones flooding my brain.

I also did some skating... 

Shhh.... :P

Hung out with some friends... I had a really good time :) Socialising feels soooo great!

Oh baby I really cannot wait till you come out and start skating with us HAHA! Since Eito Yasutoko said his son started skating at age one, I figure you'll be fine starting at eleven months eh? Just kidding... Can't wait to see your cute little face soon.

Oh yes I had a little panicky thought last night. I started thinking about the actual labor process and the pain that would ensue and it made me really anxious all of a sudden. I've actually been pretty calm and cool about it until recently when EVERYBODY keeps asking me if I'm going to do a cesarean or get an epidural. The response from all my supportive friends are uniform when I tell them I'm going au naturel: "ARE YOU CRAZY?! IT'S GONNA HURT LIKE HELL!"

Well for someone who's never been to hell, it's easy to brush them off at first. But you know, I can't help but think: what if I can't handle it? I don't want to faint from the pain or have to do anything drastic!

All this just goes to show- I should just stop discussing the labor process with people. I haven't heard a single "you're gonna be fine" throughout all these discussions. It's making me anxious for no reason and that's it!

21 Weeks

What other mummies have been telling me is true: I am starting to really enjoy feeling my baby kick me.

It felt weird at first and I wasn't used to it for the first few weeks. Whenever he kicked me, it would give me a little shock because I wasn't expecting it. But these days, it feels more natural to me.

Today as he kicked my lower right tummy, I could see the movements through my skin. I quickly reached for my phone to try to take a video but it was too late. I'm sure I'll get to catch him in action someday though!

In the meantime, Jerry has been extremely patient and accommodating to my *ahem* emotional/mental needs. Being a skater himself, he totally understands how much I miss the skatepark. This weekend, he agreed to let me put on my skates just for a little roll around the skatepark. Although I didn't go pumping in the combo bowl, he did (reluctantly) let me go down a flat ramp twice just so I wouldn't feel so miserable. It sounds silly, but just being able to put on my skates did so much for my mood. For the most part though, I just stayed on flat ground and avoided the skateboarding/BMX kids.

But dear baby, although mummy is dying to skate again and can't wait till you're out of the womb, I'm determined to enjoy what few months I have left with you inside me. I hope you'll enjoy the skatepark as much as we do, because if you don't... Well I'm sure you will :)

Once In A Lifetime Photoshoot

Photos have always been very important to me. Ever since I was 14, I rarely go out without bringing my camera. Along with important occasions, the mundane doesn't go unrecorded by me.

But our wedding photoshoot was not going to be a mundane one for sure!

I knew we had this one chance to write our story in photos and I wanted them to be beautiful. So, not wanting to take any wild chances, I decided that we should have our photos taken with a tried and tested wedding studio.

Naturally, Sophia Wedding was the first choice since my Xiao yee (little aunt), Ah Ghim (aunt-in-law) and mom had their photos taken there. I really really liked my Xiao yee's wedding photos. Even though their shoot was almost 10 years ago, recent online reviews still tout them to be one of the best in their industry.

Hebe, our coordinator spoke with us on the day that we went down to Sophia's. She was very friendly and accommodating, and put many of my fears to rest. Living in Singapore these few years, I'd almost forgotten what good customer service felt like. Hebe was like a breath of fresh air! She kept the tea on our table flowing, showed us album samples and patiently listened to our concerns without showing any sign of dissatisfaction. Most importantly, I really felt like she understood exactly what I wanted.

Even though our booking was rushed (we had a month or so to our wedding date), she was able to give us a slot and I even managed to choose my dresses on the very same day. 

I won't share my exact package details because I understand that each couple has very different requirements for their package, but I will say that we got a great deal given the experience and professionalism of the people working there. The total amount we're spending on each photograph is approximately $82 (Singapore dollars). 

I know all of you in the States are probably balking at this amount... Well, that's what you get for living in the most expensive city in the world!

I did look up some individual photographers who are not attached to studios. They were charging a minimum of $1,000 for a whole day outdoor shoot, as well as another $1,000 for an indoor shoot. This is not yet including makeup ($400 for both shooting sessions), dresses (approximately $2,000 for a wedding dress, cheongsam and evening dress) and other things like renting of the suits, editing and printing of albums and large photos.

I figured that with all the hassle that would go into having to look for the photographer, makeup artist and everything else separately, I'd rather just settle everything with one studio instead. I would not be saving money by going outside anyway.

April 24th was the day we scheduled our indoor and outdoor shoots.

Our outdoor shots were taken at East Coast Park and The Orchard Residences. The photographers were Arsen and Jensen. 

Sadly, the first photoshoot did not yield the kind of "feel" that I wanted for our photos.

I wanted photos that were classic, romantic and warm. Instead, we got the above.

After a long night talking with Hebe at Sophia Wedding, they finally decided to let us reshoot the entire thing to our liking for free!

For the next and final shoot, we had Ryan and Carvin shoot for us instead. I'd looked through Sophia Wedding's Facebook page before and realised that Ryan's style was much closer to what I was looking for. 

This time, we went outdoors (still East Coast Park and The Orchard Residences) to shoot first before going indoors.

These photos are all taken by my Ah yee (big aunt) on my camera. 

She and my Ah ghim were the ones helping us that day. I am so grateful to them, because without their help doing little things like carrying our bags around and buying bubble tea, I doubt we would have had the time and energy to pose for so many wonderful shots.

Of course, I am grateful to my mom and Xiao yee too for helping us in the same way with the first photoshoot... It's a shame that it didn't go well!

Knowing that there was a specific look we were going for, Ryan took the initiative to double check each iconic shot with us. If there was something we didn't like or if we had any ideas, Ryan and Carvin would hop on it and try what they could to give us our dream shots.

Our poses felt more natural that day, even though we were tired and sweating buckets.

At one point, Ryan even got into the pool for the right angle! I was actually kind of worried for his camera...

My family supporting us on the side.

And of course the cheeky duo...

Max was really cute, insisting on helping his big sis with anything he could! I eventually gave him the very simple task of just helping me carry my train, which he felt very much obliged to do. 

We were soooo pooped by the time the outdoor shoot was over! It took us approximately six hours... 

Back in the studio for makeup round two.

Our makeup artist, Candy, had been waiting in the studio for all those six hours ever since we left. Earlier that morning, she arrived promptly at 6am just to do my makeup! I am so amazed at her work ethic and skill. Being in the business for over 10 years now, her makeup skills are not only way above average- she's also ahead of the trend and able to give me that "natural Korean" look that is so popular these days.

To be honest, I was concerned whether the makeup artist would be able to work with a tan Asian skin tone like mine. Many tan Asians that I know always seem to end up with fake-looking skin makeup! You know, the ones where the face is ten shades lighter than the rest of the body?

Well, mine was not like that at all. 

Candy did a really really fantastic job. I'm thoroughly impressed!

As for Mister Jerry... He had some trouble tying his tie, so I volunteered to retie it for him.

It took me about four tries to get the right length.

But being SUCH a man, he goes ahead and unties my perfect handiwork, only to spend the next fifteen minutes trying to tie it to his liking.

Grrr... 

It was truly one of the most exhausting days of my life... Jerry even fell asleep briefly on the couch while I was getting my hair and makeup touched up.

But looking at the results makes it all worthwhile...

:)

Weekend In Review

It seems like more and more of my blog posts are just turning into reviews of what I did over the weekend. I suppose that makes sense since I'm working all day during the week anyway. After work, I don't do much besides skating. 

Well last Monday I went with Chen (colleague) to meet up with a prolific user of our app- PG. It was the first time we'd met him offline and I must say, he's not much different from what I thought he'd be like. I could even recognise him off his profile picture! 

We had ramen at a restaurant in Cuppage Plaza that I'd never eaten at before. The restaurant, Gyoza Na Ohsho, is an informal little place on the first floor with a nice selection of ramens cooked by Japanese chefs (served by filippinos). I ordered chili ramen and it cost $12. All the basic ramens cost $12 while the more special ones (I assume they're more special) cost $15. 

Overall I thought this place was pretty good. Cuppage Plaza has a lot of hidden gems I suppose... Gotta explore this area more!

So I've been rollerblading almost every night. Nothing new, I know.

One of my favourite places to skate to when I'm alone is the East Bay Gardens overlooking the Singapore Flyer. It's next to East Coast Park and there is a path that you can take over a bridge towards Marina Barrage.

The reason why I love this place is because it's usually devoid of noisy people. The couples who do come here for "pa tor" are very unassuming in their dark corner benches- leaving me virtually whole peaceful waterfront to myself.  

Tuesday night, the moon was gigantic.

It's so nice to find a place in Singapore that is not crowded (like ECP) yet well-lit enough to feel safe.

Not to mention, the views across the river are quite stunning. 

Can't believe how much the Marina Bay area has transformed in slightly less than a decade.

 All this "wildlife" that's here right now, wasn't here too long ago...

That Tuesday night, my dad and I went on a totally impromptu trip into Johor Bahru, Malaysia for supper. He drove me home from East Bay Gardens to grab my passport before we zoomed over the Woodlands Causeway towards yummy and cheap food.

Went to a street vendor for wanton mee.

Papa decided to try the BBQ grease truck parked on the side.

You get to pick whatever you want before they barbecue it for you. Most of the skewers were seafood skewers.

Even though it was almost midnight, the tables and chairs were mostly filled with Singaporeans. All the cars parked along the side of the road were Singaporean cars as well! 

I don't blame Singaporeans for wanting to eat here though. Look at how much our food costs. And keep in mind that this is in Malaysian ringgit! Divide the amount by 2 for a rough estimate of how much all this costs in Singapore dollars, or divide by 4 for a rough estimate in US dollars.

My dad and I each got a plate of wanton mee.

This bowl of wantons in soup came with it as well.

Our BBQ skewers were amazing.

Everything was dipped in a kind of soy sauce mix which gave it just the right level of saltiness.

Soft shell crabs on a stick. Ate the thing whole.

Love the old school chopsticks.

After getting gas in Malaysia (which is half the price in Singapore), we went back home. I went to sleep about 01:00 that Wednesday morning.

The rest of the week went by like a blur and by the time Saturday arrived, I didn't want to do anything else by relax.

The weather was perfect that afternoon.

The boys had a lot of fun in the pool.

At about 14:30, we started getting ready to go to ECP for their rolerblading lessons. 

I really wanted to skate, but my entire body was aching severely from rollerblading about 40km on Friday night. It was insane! 

Nevertheless, my addiction to skating couldn't keep me from going to ECP where I met this lovely cat.

In the daytime, Xtreme Skate Park is overrun with young kids. And when I say young, I mean anywhere from four to fourteen. Some of the real "pros" in the skate park happen to be plucky seven year olds who don't seem to get the concept of pain or gravity. 

Man, this place makes me feel old...

After some time in the skate park, I wandered off towards the water. Thankfully, the weather was slightly cloudy and breezy. Still, I was sweating like a pig (random thought: do pigs even sweat?).

There was some windsurfing thing going on by Castle Beach.

ECP is always a blast when it's nice out on the weekends!

On Sunday, I cooked borscht for my friends at House of Bread. It's the first time I'd cooked borscht since I came back to Singapore and it turned out quite alright. 

I've never been to Russia, but sometimes I feel like I miss it haha!

After House of Bread, we went to Dave and Sarah's place for a farewell BBQ for them. Dave and Sarah aren't regulars at House of Bread anymore, but I see them at the baptisms and other meetings. They're Americans who are teaching in Singapore, but now they're going back to Virginia. Though I haven't known them for a long time, I've grown to appreciate their presence as shining examples of Christians.

Quite sad to know they're leaving actually... So soon before I've even got to hang out with them more.

Welp, people come and go in this life. But in heaven, we'll be together for all eternity! =)