And so, 3 days on the job and I get a day off for the May Day PH tomorrow. Lol.

Everything seems well and I always think that's because one doesn't place too high an expectation to start with. However, the fact that I will now be seated in the same room as my new Manager, will take some getting used to. Sure, I have more privacy when it comes to HR matters but my free time will no longer be so free, spent on surfing, blogging and so on. I will have to make that conscious effort to really focus on my work. But I guess this also mean that she's more transparent and open unlike the bat.

What sort of blew me away was the availability of yakult in the few pantries around the office. They even came in that little yakult fridge. And they have in the fridge and outside the fridge, cartons of soft drinks like coke, coke light, root beer, schwepps and even canned coconut and jia jia herbal tea! I am trying to control myself with these because knowing me, I'll probably pick up the habit of 1 can of soft drink everyday. As it is, I already caved in yesterday and today with a root beer and coke light when I needed the caffeine to stay awake while my predecessor was teaching me the system.

My predecessor has further extended her stay till end May so at least she'll be around to run the payroll with me next month and more time spent with me to be familiar with their daily operations. My new Manager definitely comes from a HR background, an obvious difference from the way she talks compared to the bat.

Everything's good and I pray that it remains so. Yesterday, 5 of my ex-colleagues, including one from the KL office, whatsapped me. It's so sweet to know that I've been missed and that we did not end our 'friendship' when I left the company.

Well, today is my last day here and away from the french to the vikings! Lol...

I am not expecting anything, just hoping for the best. Blog entries may take a backseat for awhile. Knowing me, it may be shorter than expected. So, watch this space and pray for me! :)

I've been having lunch treats everyday for the past 2 weeks and it's nice to have colleagues email me saying things like 'Oh nooooooooooooo.' and 'Keep in touch.' when the bat sent out a mass email on my resignation today. Oh well, I hope things will work out well with the new company when I join them on Monday.

On another note, we have been greeted with the beauty of spring everywhere! Look what has been greeting us at our estate. Enjoying them while they last.

P.S: The photo doesn't do them justice. :p

The SIL said the same thing on Friday and Sunday, when we met up with them again. She mentioned that she did some thinking and should the current baby who she is looking after go off to childcare when he turns 2 and if I should conceive again, it'll be just right the time for her to start looking after number 2. And then she goes on to ask K if she would like a 'mei mei or di di'. (??!??!)

Where she has the idea that that should ever happen escapes me. When she brought it up on Good Friday, I told her she can go back to the agency to register herself for another assignment but she replied that she doesn't want to anymore. However, if I do get pregnant, she would love to look after my child again.

I am not sure if they were trying to convince the hubs and me but my SIL added that since K has been a fairly easy baby and delivering was such a breeze to me, I could even laugh during that, number 2 should be ok too. But I always remember what I've read that no 2 pregnancies are alike and similarly, no 2 children have the same traits and character. So, that was really not too convincing to me. I guess with babies growing up so fast, their difficult stage is soon forgotten.

To be honest, if I had started earlier, I will consider trying for number 2. But with age and of course everything else that slows down with the ascending number, I will regrettably give the chance of a 2nd birth a pass. Having said that, the 2nd SIL is expecting and is currently in her 7th week.

When the hubs sent me a text on that, the first thing that crossed my mind was 'Great, we can pass K as well as the hubs' nephew's stuff to them soon!' But of course, I am sincerely happy to hear the news. They're lucky they didn't have to wait too long. Guess it's really true that one should let nature take it's course. God may have other plans when you actually think you are in control.

K slept at 8pm last night, all the way to about 7.30am this morning. This is the first time she has slept through for 11hours, not considering that she woke up at about 6ish for milk and continued sleeping. I hope she has better sleep as I can see dark rings below her eyes. Yikes!

She dozed off in the car after church yesterday but woke up as we were walking back to the flat. And when we reached home, she refused to continue her nap. So I got her involved when I took out some of her bigger clothes for wash and packed away some that were getting tighter. And then we took a walk to the supermarket, where she started rubbing her eyes but still, she didn't sleep. Sigh.

When she was at Jeremy's on Friday, she only slept for an hour and that is after much coaxing, I was told. On Saturday, with no plans or maybe because we didn't tell her anything, she took a 3 hour nap. She must have played like crazy at Jeremy's the day before. When I told her that she needs to take her nap, she replied that she doesn't want to and that she wants to play her toys.

This, my baby, who from 8 months or so, was down to just 1 nap while other babies were still at 2 naps each day. And no, her nap wasn't any longer than usual. Thankfully she's growing well, vertically and horizontally. I just wish, for my sanity, she takes a longer nap and without so much resistance. :(

We went to my father's grave early this morning and after lunch with Jeremy and Jerry's family, K followed Jeremy home as they have been asking for her to spend a day there with them. 

While she was away, the hubs and I got down to some work. He fixed the parquet skirting that has popped out in our dining area and we cleared a little bit more of the room that we intend for K.

From this:                                                             To this:                        

Still a little bit more work to do but it will be easier now. The bookshelf has been shifted out to our living area where we can now have a proper place for photo frames, a nice book corner and a display area to place lovely trinkets. The daybed has also been shifted against the wall, freeing up some area for K to scoot on, ride her balance bike on and do a little dance at. 

We would like to pass the study desk to anyone who would like to have it but yet to get any responses from FB. It occupies quite a big area and once it's cleared, we would have half the room empty. And K can have a space of her own. Soon, slowly but surely. Lol.

I had a pretty relaxed evening yesterday. Although the hubs had to go back to the office after dropping K off at home, I had enough time to heat up the soup, cook rice and steam an egg, again. Hahahaha. However, my steam egg doesn't look like how M used to do it, all smooth and nice. Mine is all crinkled up, 2 days in a row. Tasted fine, just the appearance. Lol. Time to do a goggle search!

On another note, the hubs has decided to pick K up at 5.30pm now instead of his usual earlier timing. I've been telling him not to pick her up any earlier as I do not want her to think that that's the usual time especially when I have to carry out pick up duties. There's no way I can reach the school before 5.30pm and I do not want her to get all anxious while waiting for me. And besides, with the hubs picking her up slightly later, I have enough time at home too, to prepare dinner without being hassled.

Today, I plan to cook chicken pasta in cream sauce. Hopefully, it doesn't take up too much time as I have not marinated the meat and it is still waiting in the fridge for me. We did not do any marketing for this week as the hubs had to work on Saturday morning so there isn't much in the fridge anyway. I don't quite fancy cream pasta but really want K to be exposed so it's really more for her than anything else. Ah, being a mother.

With the husband free from work obligations this evening, I was able to cook today. And having eaten food from outside for almost the whole of last week and yesterday, I was glad to be able to cook.

In fact, worried that I'm exposing K to too much outside food, I cooked capsicum and scrambled egg penne pasta with pasta sauce last Friday while the hubs waited before he went off to attend the farewell dinner that he and his colleagues were hosting for their out-going CEO.

And today, we had pork rib soup with pumpkin, potato, carrot and corn, which tasted yummy as the pumpkin had broken up and sweeten the soup, egg with spinach which I had steamed in the rice cooker and a small serving of stir fry spinach which a colleague's mother has nicely prepared for me. This is the first time I've used the rice cooker to cook egg and when I opened the cover, the egg fluffed up and down again. It was a very cute sight. Ya, sua ku as I am but it tasted nice even though I forgot to add a little bit of water as a colleague had advised. This, I will try again with a little water and little bit more seasoning.

I've added enough ingredients in the soup to last 2 days. So despite the hubs' after work meeting tomorrow again, he will still pick K up and drop her off at home, giving me enough time to wash and cook the rice as well as maybe add another dish. 

As you would probably know by now, I'm a strong advocate to healthy home cooked food. Well, for K at least. I count the number of times we eat out per week and try to balance that out by cooking as much at home for K even if it means a quick pasta dish.

A colleague visited a vegetable farm over the weekend and bought me 2 crazy big sweet corn and a bountiful stalk of spinach. But I regretted lugging them home as I had no idea it would become a burden and they were actually quite heavy. 'Regretted' because I had pick up duties today and I overlooked that I have to carry another bag when I pick K up. 

So off I went to the school under the dark clouds. She tripped while we were crossing the main road but thankfully, she was brave enough to say that she was fine. I carried her only when we crossed over to the other side and it was no easy task carrying a toddler with 2 big bags and my handbag. Whenever I have to fetch her, I think I lose some weight. Anyway, I realised crossing the road at the traffic lights is much easier than having to cross over the bridge although the bus-stop is slightly further away!

So, while we were in the bus, it rained! And when it did, it poured! There was no way I could make it home with her in that weather. So I decided that we could go to Tiong Bahru Plaza for dinner and hopefully, the rain will stop while we were there. It didn't and after dinner, we joined the taxi queue.

During the wait, she wanted me to carry her which I really couldn't. Well, I attempted but had to put her down after 10 minutes or so and she was crying almost the whole time we were in the queue, pleading for me to carry her. It was a long 20 minutes wait for the taxi.

The hubs must have been so worried as he called my mobile a couple of times which I didn't hear as I recently updated the phone's software and didn't realise that the ringtones have been changed. He even took a chance at skipping his meeting to come home to check that we were ok.

Yes, we are but I am exhausted.

The hubs had an event yesterday morning and came back after lunch. K, who was trying to delay her nap time was still wide awake at 2pm although, I must say she was very well behaved. With the rain, I couldn't bring her out either although I had planned to bring her on a short train ride to Tiong Bahru Plaza, to the supermarket.

Finally, at about 3pm, just about tea-time, I gave her plain wholemeal bread, hoping that she'll somehow fall asleep. Yes, my daughter has this thing with falling asleep while eating. Although rare as she grows bigger, it still happens at times and it's a funny sight. After finishing each slice of bread, she kept asking for more and finally, after her 4th slice, she dozed off on her high chair.

While she was enjoying her bread in the kitchen, I was pottering around and when she fell asleep, I had just came out of the bedroom and saw her head bobbing. Thinking that she probably ate the last slice half-way, I was prepared to finish it and then carry her to bed. But all I saw was an empty bowl and a sleeping baby. LOL!

When she woke, the 3 of us went to Chinatown and the planned trip to the BIL's was somewhat put in the back burner. The hubs said sometime early week to visit his parents but either he was too tired after his event or by the time K woke up, it was nearing her dinner time, I don't know. I don't usually bother anyway. So after dinner and some shopping, we went back home.

And today, we didn't have to wait very long for K to nap. After lunch and on our way back from church, she dozed off and by the time she woke up, it was just nice to leave for a friend's place for a gathering. But it was raining fairly heavily intermittently and the swim cum makan gathering was brought indoors. Thankfully, K managed to have some fun in the pool followed by upstairs with the other kids. 

That concludes another fun weekend for her and well, us. 

The last time I fell sick, I think it took me about almost 2 weeks to recover. This time round, it's a week and although I am not coughing and neither is my nose dripping, I've still got a case of block nose. In fact, I thought I was going to die on Wednesday night!

After the 9pm chinese drama ended, I was fiddling with my phone when I just couldn't breathe through my nose anymore. Not dripping, not sniffling, it was just blocked! Clear and block. Clear as in there wasn't any mucus or even snot in there! I thought I should go lie down and maybe the nasal pathway will clear but nooooo. I poked the hubs who was already fast asleep with K and told him I couldn't breathe.

Being the dead sleeper that he is, he continued lying there and took a few seconds to respond. He ordered me to the toilet. For what, I have no idea and since he was still in a sleep induced state, he kept repeating himself and started getting angry. It reached a point where I felt that even if I was dying, he wanted me to help myself and then I started crying. K, a light sleeper that she is, started crying and the hubs swiftly patted her back to sleep. 

Anyhows, I went to the toilet and he followed. I blew my nose to show him nothing was coming out and he told me to suck in water with my nose..(!!!!) Sometimes he really makes me wonder. Then he made me apply K's ru yi oil on my nose and it hurt! Although I've only rubbed the oil at the entrance of my nose, he scolded me and said I should put it in my nose! Wouldn't it have been worse! He must have inherited all these useless knowledge from the MIL!

I cried and then like almost 20 minutes later, remembered I had an unopened box of nasal spray that the Dr had prescribed me at my last visit. I used it and couple of seconds later, felt better. The hubs by then, was fully awake and decided to watch some television as he couldn't fall asleep anymore. I went back to bed and while thinking through it, went out, looked for the hubs and cried.

I told him if I had really died, he would be so lost. He wouldn't know where were things kept and of course it's going to be all about K. I even said I should start writing down notes, so if anything happens, at least he can refer to it. Hahahaaah....sounds silly now but so real then ok.

It's morbid to think about death now. If life was just the 2 of us, it wouldn't have bothered me so much. But with K, it really puts everything into a whole new perspective.

The hubs had his company's annual D&D on Monday, an evening meeting on Tuesday as well as one later today and a farewell dinner for his CEO tomorrow.

I was a tad upset when he informed me of his schedule this week as it would mean I would be able to only cook for K on Wednesday and the rest of the weekdays, I'll have to eat out with her. The hubs said that he could sneak home at about 3ish to put the rice in the cooker, so that it might possibly free up some time for me to prepare anything else for dinner. But with K usually quite famished by the time she reach home after school which she displays by clinging on to me, the only thing I can do is to quickly strap her in the high chair and give her dinner. 

Nevertheless, 1 day is still 1 day of home-cooked goodness so yesterday I managed a Thai-style minced beef with Olive rice for the hubs, K and myself. 

How often do you update your wardrobe? My wardrobe is so full, yet I keep wearing the same stuff over and over. There are so many pieces that I've not worn at all, which are probably older than K! And being a total slob at ironing, I usually wear more of my iron free outfits to work and if I think I have worn it one time too often, I'll drag myself to the ironing board for something different albeit something I've worn before.

In fact, I've got so many clothes in my wardrobe, it's screaming for space and a shout for a total make-over. Ever since I became pregnant and didn't make sense at that time to buy pre-pregnancy sized clothes, I have hardly shopped. In fact, it seems like I've totally lost that 'zeal' for shopping! Some said I've probably diverted my interest to K but no, we've only bought a few pieces for her. The only 'luxury' that I'm indulging her in are shoes, which I need to stop as their feet grow really fast and out-grow their shoes just as fast, as I've been told.

Am I saving more money then? I don't know. Maybe not for the past 2 years as part of it went to her 'infant-care' fees to Ivy and it only started in January this year, that we do not need to touch our personal account for her childcare fees. But soon, we've got to put aside some money into that account to top up.

Anyway, I really need to put aside some time to clear my dated wardrobe. I've had a little more time at work lately and was able to do a lot of surfing and realised that the sale times in blogshops are really affordable. Ok, maybe that might be an incentive to do a spring clean! Lol.

K turns 25 months today. She has started planting random kisses on me when I carry her or at bedtime and she follows the kisses with a 'I Love you Mummy.' I never thought I'll hear it from her so spontaneously but yet it has happened so many times.

I wish our relationship will continue to grow from that of a mother and daughter to one that she sees me also like a friend as she grows up to be a teenager and a young adult. I never really had much of a relationship with my mother and pray that things will turn out differently for K and me. Well, for one, I want to give her a different type of upbringing and always try to remind myself that she is only going to grow through this stage once. Once it's lost, it'll be lost forever.

She is growing up so fast. Once, I forgot the lyrics to a song which I was singing with her and she prompted me. She does something cheeky and she knows it when she looks at us through the corner of her eyes to see if we're observing her and if we are, she gives that cheeky smile. Oh, sweetheart, please don't grow up so fast.

I was taken off cooking duties on Wednesday when the hubs text me while I was in the train on my way home, to say that he feels like going to Ikea. He needed to get some photo frames for work and since I'm feeling under the weather and needed the distraction from going through the same routine everyday, I was more than glad.

And yesterday evening, after dinner at home, we brought down the infant car seat as well as a toddler car seat to a neighbour's house. The man of the house works in the ministry and I am so glad that we can be a blessing to them. In fact, they were really looking for a spare infant seat for the wife's parent's car for the impending arrival of their baby boy and they needed to replace the current car seat for their daughter, Emma, who is 2 months older than K. Emma and K get along very well, always hugging each other when they see each other. As Emma hasn't have much hair yet, yes, even at 2, she likes to touch K's especially when it's being tied up.

How I came about with offering the use of our spare car seats without them even asking was a chance sighting of the husband coming back home in a car. And I started thinking maybe they might need a car seat and decided to ask Esther, the neighbour. It so happens that the car has been on loan to them for a year. We bump into Esther and Luck occasionally and like how I mentioned before, it's with children that makes us break down walls and start smiling and talking to strangers. Especially so when our kids are of the same age! 

I'm sure the car seats will be of great use to them and it certainly feels good being able to share and paying it forward. :)

I went to the bat's room to inform her that I'll be away from my desk for a while as I would be consulting the GP for my cough, sore throat and running nose. She made a comment, something which she has commented before.

Bat of a Manager: I noticed that ever since you brought your daughter back, you have been falling sick.

Me: No, this is only the 2nd time.

The Blind Bat: (Completely ignoring that the number of times I have been on mc is lesser than her) Oh, have you been very busy and tired?

Me: No, she's at childcare the whole day and it's only the evening we get to spend time with her. Well, most probably because she got infected while in childcare and spread the virus to me.

The Blind Bat: (Sighs) Yes, that's childcare care.

A couple of months back, when I made a mistake, she asked if I was under stress having to take care of my daughter, now that she is back. And she again goes on to make a whole lot of unnecessary remarks. 

Does it even have to be my daughter? Don't I not have my own feelings anymore? Or at least some control over how I feel which may have affected my work? Her daughter who is now probably in junior college must have caused her stress when she was a toddler. I hate it when anyone says anything that insinuate that my daughter is the cause of anything. And she, a HR professional, should be the least guilty of this!

I just hope that she has good words to say about me when I leave this organisation.