Searching for Utopia

Happy new year, folks! Got new year resolutions?

Fancy having several newborn rats fell right onto your chicken curry plate? Well, you could ask Madam Dong:

SHE was enjoying her lunch at the coffee shop when she suddenly shrieked - a newborn rat had fallen right into her plate of curry rice.

The shocking incident took place at 2pm on Sunday in a coffee shop at Block 446, Pasir Ris Drive 6, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

Customers said they heard a strange noise coming from the ceiling while they were having their meals.

When they looked up, they saw something small and pink falling through a crack in the ceiling - right onto Madam Dong’s plate.

Madam Dong, who declined to reveal her age, said: ‘I didn’t know what it was initially. When I looked closer, I realised that it was a newborn rat.

‘Its eyes were closed and it wriggled slowly. I could even see its heart beating.’

The good news is that I’m lucky enough not to witness this myself. The bad news is, I live near that area. And this wasn’t the first time I read such news. A few months back similar case happened at a McDonald’s outlet I sometimes patronized in Tampines. They also fell from the ceiling.

That is strange, eh? Rat is not usually associated to cleanliness. Yet, Singapore, being the cleanest country in the world stil can’t free herself from rats attack. Not just in HDB, I’ve seen some around our condo too.

OK, maybe it’s difficult to exterminate rats which live outdoor. But I’d think that those in the ceilings would be easier to handle. One thing they could do is perhaps cover the ceilings. I’ve noticed that in many public places here, they leave the ceilings opened. Well, rats are the last thing I want to be on my plate for sure.

What about you, would you return to the same eatery after experiencing such a thing? Ratatouille, anyone?

Who is the most famous male celeb in Singapore at this moment? I should think it’s Brunei-born actor, singer, model, gym instructor–at least Wikipedia said so–Wu Chun. As I noticed, he’s been visiting Singapore several times in a year. Only less than two weeks ago he and his Taiwanese boyband Fahrenheit came to town. We missed it–not that I’m a big fan though. It’s just fun to meet a celeb, as long as it’s free :p

I remember once Zsolt even had to accompany me to go for Wu Chun hunting at Bugis Junction. But thanks to the traffic jam (who said Singapore had the best traffic?), it took more than an hour for us to go there. By the time we arrived, everyone had just gone to Junction 8. So we quickly went to Junction 8, and we found the place to be so quiet. Only the next day we read online that it was somewhere on level 4. Oh well, no luck. We couldn’t sell his autograph on e-bay.

So what’s the fuss about him? His acting skill is mediocre, methinks. His songs are ok, easy-listening, maybe. Just don’t expect you’d hear something like Michael Buble’s :p But anyway, it’s enough to make teen girls scream his name. Pretty much like Zac Efron in the USA, I guess, his hair is his best feature.

How do you make such hairdo, by the way?–Wondered if I could cut Adam’s hair like that

I know parking can be expensive in Singapore, but what would you do if you’re charged $73,695 for a 1 hour parking like this person?

One thing you could do to avoid paying parking is–don’t use car!

If you can’t resist it, like us, then maybe get yourself a CapitaCard from DBS. Only last week we received free parking for three months after charging our hospital bill to that card. Thanks to the hospital, we even became one of the top spenders–not that we were happy about it though.

Another tip to get free parking is: go out only on Sunday and public holidays, and park only on HDB carpark

These are places which offer free parking for visitors: IMM (only for the first 3 hours), UE Square (on Sunday), Turf Club, Singapore Zoo–oh and HDB, as I mentioned before.

Many girls see models like Kate Moss or Heidi Klum as fashion goddesses. I bet they’d kill to look like them. Funnily enough, I think Kate Moss’ look is average at best. Heidi Klum is better, but I wouldn’t consider her a goddess still.

I don’t have any specific celeb whose fashion sense I wanted to follow. I do drool over those Korean girls on tv though. They have the cutest dresses and the most gorgeous hairdos.

Korean outfit is not really very expensive. For $40 you can already purchase a very good trench coat, which can be $200 in Europe. But Korean hairdo is a different story. Check this girl’s permed hair, for example. Isn’t it simply gorgeous? I’ll certainly go for this look one day. Of course, in Singapore it doesn’t come cheap. Last year I had my hair permed and the total damage was more than $400 :p

What do you think, is it worth it?

Still being in confinement, lately I haven’t followed much news. Two days ago Zsolt passed me this article, and it really breaks my heart to read it:

“After 21 days at the Children’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), baby Rizal Idris breathed his last.

He was barely a month old.

The baby, who weighed 2.93kg at birth on 27 Nov, had been fighting for his life because of a bacterial infection that his mother had caught while she was carrying him.

His mother did not know that she was suffering from a vaginal infection that affects about 14 per cent of pregnant women here. She gave birth to him at KKH.

Baby Rizal suffered from what is known as Group B Streptococcus Infection (GBS). It was passed on from his mother, Madam Norashikin Latiff, 31, during delivery.”

This could happen to anyone. I was also tested positive for this GBS, but I was more fortunate because I opted for C-section–not just because of this infection, but other complications too.

I did panic when I heard of my test result. I can relate to Madam Latiff. In many cases doctors seem to be too busy to take some time to explain to their patients. In my case, my gynae hardly spent more than five minutes with me — sometimes even less. Fortunately both Adam and I are healthy.

At times I found it difficult to accept than one moment I was told I had an infection, and the next minute I was told to calm down as if nothing happened. I’m sure it’s only because the doctor had too many patients in line, but patients are paying, aren’t they? In general I feel like many of my questions went unanswered as she was always in a hurry to dismiss me, and the nurses were impatient and quick-tempered. I won’t return there ever again, and if all patients think like I do, then she’d lose her cash-machine.

Anyways, my thoughts go with baby Rizal’s family. And perhaps this is an eye opener for the rest of us. It’s very important for us, mommies, to find the right gynae. And even if we have, don’t forget to get second opinion when you’re in doubt.

Bernie Ecclestone’s Christmas card shows Max Mosley lashing lashing F1 bosses with a whip while Ecclestone hands out sticking plasters.

Once again Christmas is just around the corner. If you have many clients, co-workers and colleagues on your business gift list, and you haven’t got anything for them, then you must start to look around. More people will also mean more damage to your pocket.

No worries though. There are sites that list online promotion codes, so that you can shop at the convenience of your home—and still get the best deals.

Officedeals.info is the one for you. If you are thinking about buying gadgets for your colleagues—or yourselves, make sure you visit this site first.

For example, Apple fans can save up to $100 on a new Mac and printer, if you have the coupon codes from Officedeals.info.

HP also offers a $459 off on HP tx2500z Customizable notebook PC for your convenience.

And not just those two, there are many other merchants listed. Gadgets are perhaps the safest present to give to co-workers, but if you like something different, then maybe you should check Target online specials to purchase other items.

Whatever you choose, personalize your gifts to add an extra touch of feeling, even if it’s a business gift.

Explore the library for more ideas on gifts, or just tips to choose equipment and supplies for your business.

I used to laugh when I read celebs like Jessica Alba and Eva Longoria telling people of how they’re so proud of their natural curves. I have nothing against curvy people, of course, but I wouldn’t say Jessica Alba curvy. Kate Winslet is curvy. America Ferrera is curvy. ScarJo is curvy. But Jessica Alba and Eva Longoria?

Anyways, turns out that I was wrong. Jessica Alba IS curvy. Check out her pictures below, five months after giving birth. But what’s with all the photoshop? It doesn’t really show the pride she once boasted, does it?

Oh well, I still agree with the article: “Most women would be only too happy have Jessica Alba’s stunning figure.” And I’m talking about the non-airbrushed one. I think her face is even prettier than after being photoshopped.

I’m not really her fan, but I can’t help but hoping that in 3.5 month I WILL BE that curvy :p

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A month after Adam was born, I’ve already thought of trying to get things back to the way they used to be. What I mean by that is to shed my baby weight, put on a little make up while the hubby is around, or get my hair a Korean perm or something like that.

…

To tell the truth, it’s like a mission impossible. Kudos to mommies who have three kids and could still manage to look their best, but I just can’t find the time–at least for now. Perming my hair will take at least four hours, and meanwhile whom can I leave my baby with? And though I’m still as vain as I was, I do think it’s not worth it to put on some make up while staying at home all day, dealing with baby’s poo and all that.

I did my post natal massage though. I took a five-day package from a Malay lady that my friend recommended. She did an amazing job, although it was a bit painful on the tummy, I lost 10 kg after finishing the massage. I had to wait for two weeks after the operation for this massage. If you had normal labor, then you could start such massage much earlier and thus the result would be more obvious. But who am I to say? Result may vary, of course. As for me, I don’t drink any jamu and hardly wear my binder.

But then again, having to cope with all house chores and a newborn baby would be enough to shed some pounds. How’s your experience?

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I think most mothers would dream of having a natural delivery–if they could help it. But there are times when things don’t go as we planned. And although I never thought it would happen to me, it did.

When Adam was still breech in the 38th week of my pregnancy, we finally scheduled for a C-section. I was terrified. But at that time it seemed to be the best option, what with his position and

You can say that the operation has very low risk and all, but anyone would know it’s still a major surgery. I had hemorrhoid operation last year, and I had to wait until 1.5 month to be able to walk normally.

So I was kinda expecting worse things to happen after the C-section procedure, considering that I would have to stay in the hospital for four days. When the gynae asked whether I’d choose regional or general anaesthetics, I was quick to decide GA–because of my fears.

I’ve heard enough tales about C-sections gone bad, and women who undergo it would heal very slowly. Well, turns out that it all depends on ourselves and our pain threshold. Mine is low, but I could already walk–though very very slowly–on the second day after the surgery. In fact, I didn’t feel any pain on the first day, at least not until I started to walk. The pain came right when I began to step, but it was nothing compared to my hemorrhoid operation.

The only setback was that I couldn’t see Adam’s face until the second day, but on the third day I could already breastfeed him. He was cute and healthy–and big.

One week after, I could walk perfectly. I still had not done all house chores, but my condition improved swiftly.

Now it’s exactly 5 weeks after Adam was born. The wound, though still swollen a bit, is looking no more than pigmentation. It’s hardly visible, and only painful when I feel too tired. Otherwise, I have no complaint.

The arguments about this subject will not stop soon, but I’ve learned. Sometimes it doesn’t depend on us. At the end of the day, when you look into your baby’s eyes, you’d just say, “If I had to do it all again, I would do it the same way”. Maybe I’d just choose another hospital.