22 December 2010 - 7th visit to the gynae

Phew! Baby is looking good, going into the 34th week, weighing 2.2 kg, while I have lost 0.5kg in weight as compared to last visit. Thankfully, my weight loss did not affect the baby. Baby is still growing healthy. The one week of cough has indeed affect my weight. After one week of endurance, I finally decided to take cough syrup...sigh...

Exam over, finally fall sick

Exam is finally over. Back to work for one week, to clear all outstanding work before going for a week of long leave. No break yet, though the mental stress is over.

My manager went on leave for this week and left me to manage 2 new staff. Arghhhh.....I was irritated at first, because I thought I could relax after my exams, but end up I have to monitor the new staff and assign them with work (which I thought is her job????). However, I decided to look at the positive side. I will treat it as - I am given the opportunities to learn how to manage people, how to lead.

I felt myself on the verge of falling sick on Tuesday. I had a bad sore throat and it lasted until Thursday, but I didn't see a doctor or take any medication. Because I had to be in the office since my manager has already gone on leave and my fear that too much medication will affect the baby. Thus, I go for the natural healing process.

Sigh.....this is such a naive thought. Natural healing process?!?!?!?

Natural healing process will only help if I get ample rest. However, with the amount of work in the office and the absence of my manager, it is difficult to rest. With stress and anxiety piling up, it aggravate my condition. Due to the low immune system, I had diarrhea on Thursday and Friday. Nothing got to do with the food, I guess, it is the low immune system that makes my body less receptive towards food intakes. Flu comes in on Friday, and that is, I am going to spend my weekends in bed.

True enough, I woke up together feeling body very heaty and slight fever. And here is my antidote. Honey with lemon, plenty of water and sleep.

3rd trimester

It is already the 32nd week, finally the 8th month.

Tummy is growing bigger as days go by. Baby is also getting heavier. I am also slowly feeling the weight in my tummy. Bending and squatting get more tedious.  Feel as if I am big fat elephant, wobbling my way through the streets, fat and clumsy. Nevertheless, I like my tummy.

Thankfully, throughout this period, I managed to get seats on the train. Maybe every 7 out of 10 times, I will meet some kind souls who willingly will give up their seats to me. Well, the world is never perfect, there is/are always some irritants who pretends to fall asleep or engross in their readings and conversations and chose to ignore me. Sigh....I am just too lazy and tired to fight with them. Is a karma, I always believe, whatever goes round will come back to you. Sometimes, we just have to take things as it is. And I always tell myself, the world is not perfect, everyone is unique.

Looking back, life is so amazing. It started out as an embryo, a tiny little dot inside your tummy and slowly grow into something with heartbeat, followed by the hands and legs and finally a full-grown baby.

The 3rd trimester is not as easy as it seemed to be. Most of the discomfort comes from my tummy. Tummy-ache almost everyday. The fear of eating too much, as it forces my ribcage to expand as the uterus expand. This expansion causes a lot of discomfort. Leg cramps and back pains are minimized with the help of regular prenatal massage, as it helps with the blood circulation.  

Experienced a lot of "soccer kicks" from the baby. On some occasions, baby can give up to 3 continuous kicks at one time, hahaha. And I will always tell my hubby "I bet this baby is going to be a good soccer player. He is already practicing his kicks in my tummy." I love the feelings of these kicks and always yearn for more. Hubby also loves to feel the baby kicks. Baby kicks more when I am taking a rest. The kicks are not painful and I am enjoying it. 

Baby grows more and more accustomed to classical music. It will be sleeping soundly, no kicks, no motions whenever I switch on to classical music. 

Braxton hicks gets more after the 30th week. The feelings of regular expansions and contractions of the uterus as the body prepares for delivery. At times, I could feel the tummy goes sideway, moves up and down, as if there is an earthquake or a groundshake going on in my tummy. hahahaha

This is what I feed my baby with on a daily basis - fish oil, good for brain development.

2 December 2010 - 6th visit to the gynae

Ohhhh, this is an interesting one.

Dr Ho wanted to capture a 3D shot of the baby. Several attempts were made but unsuccessful. 

When we finally managed to get a shot, we realised that baby was actually sucking its thumb. Soooooo cute. Thus, we were not able to get a good picture of its face. Sigh....no choice, have to wait for the next visit.

The November month was not an easy month. 

1st, it was my exam period and I was going at full gear for my revision. 2nd, I was already 7 months into my pregnancy. The strain on my tummy plus the stress of wanting to pass my last 2 papers made it very strenuous. 

On some days, I could hardly study because of the pain in the tummy. Sitting for too long caused the tummyache. And not being able to study on that day, makes me more stressed. Thus, exam stress and tummyache added on more stress and more mood swings. Well, these mood swings affect my hubby.

Furthermore, our maid went for homevisit for 2 weeks, and it was during my exam period. Thus, there is a need to help out in the household chores and laundry.

Thus, this visit to the gynae lightened up my mood. Seeing the baby makes me laugh and drives the stress away.

By the way, baby is already 1.5kg, still going strong =D

I am thankful.

4 November 2010 - 5th visit to the gynae

I am always looking forward to see my gynae because that will mean seeing my baby as well. Looking forward to see the baby in the ultrascan. 

I am always amazed by the technology. How does a simple ultrascan machine detect every of baby's movements, its heartbeat and its weight? However, it is this technology that enables anxious parents like us to monitor the baby's every single movements, to monitor the baby's growth, all done to give the parents a peace of mind. Well, we do get a peace of mind whenever we see that our baby is growing well.

We love our baby, we love the sight of seeing the baby on a monthly basis, especially my groggy, grumpy hubby. The sight of the baby literally lighten up his mood. You can see his smile whenever he sees the baby. Well, that sort of made Mummy jealous ("hahahahaha"). 

Like most anxious fathers, he will get nervous when the baby's mom gets tummyache, gastric pain, accidentally caught a cold, accidentally knock herself. His first reaction was to look at the mummy's tummy, as if asking "Baby, are you ok? Did mummy give you a fright?" 

"_____""""""

Mummy will look at the baby's daddy and "Hey, look, mummy is also suffering."

Nevertheless, it was a fun process with all the little hiccups, the unanticipated.

As usual, baby was active throughout the session, kicking and tossing in its limited and confined area. It is really surprised how the baby is able to confine itself in the small space throughout the 9 months. 

This is where, I wouldn't be able to understand the anatomy of the human body.

Baby is already 900grams and I have gained another 2 kgs. 

This is my favourite ultrascan. Because I can practically see the baby's face. See the nose, the mouth, the eyes. =DDDDD

What a 2nd trimester: Part III, 14 October, 22nd weeks and 4 days

I suddenly had an acute pain in the centre part of my tummy, the area below the chest and above the uterus. 

This was the 1st sign on 13 October 2010, 130am. Everything was ok, until I woke up with an acute pain in the tummy area, followed by a burning sensation. Throughout the pregnancy period, this was the first pain, I encountered such a pain. It was unusual for me. And being first time mother and a paranoid, I started to wonder if something had happened. The pain lasted for about 15 minutes.

The pain has disappeared in the morning, until it came back again after my lunch. The same area and the pain persisted until evening. Before that, my hubby had advised me to call up Dr Ho and checked about the pain. I did as I was told. It was gastric pain, as advised by the nurse. Trying to be a brave spot, I endured the pain, thinking that it will disappear by itself without any medication.

Well...this is called, "Do not act strong, if you are not." The pain continued until evening, until it was so unbearable that my hubby decided that I should go to KK Women's A&E for a check up.

What a lousy mummy. Gastric pain - go to A&E. Sigh....

The main purpose was to check on the well-being of the baby, to ensure that everything was alright. Most importantly, is to have a peace of mind. And I finally understand what being mummy is about. When the nurse gave me an option of whether to fill up my stomach with food 1st, in order to stop the pain or to check on the baby 1st, I insisted on checking on the baby 1st, knowing that I will have to endure the pain for another 1 hr. 

This is the mother instinct - everything is done with the child in mind 1st. You rather suffer, then have the child suffer. I am sure my hubby will agree with what I have done. It is ok for the adults to endure the pain, but we should not let the young ones suffer.

The nurse suspected the pain to be either gastric pain (which is common among pregnant mothers) or uterus contractions (which is a danger sign and could mean early delivery).

In order to confirm the findings, I was put on a machine for an hour plus, where I was being monitored for signs of uterus contractions. 

It was close to 9pm after the test was completed. Poor hubby has to rush from home after receiving my call of the persistent pain, skip his dinner, accompany this lousy mum to A&E and wait at the hospital for more than an hour. Well, I felt guilty towards both the father and the baby for not taking good care of myself. 

There was no signs of uterus contractions, thankfully. It was just a gastric pain. 

Now, I am more aware of the different types of pain.

If the pain occurs directly above the uterus, in the middle part of the stomach, that is gastric pain. If the pain occurs directly below the uterus, it is uterus contractions. If the pain occurs on either sides of the tummy, directly below the rib areas, it is due to the stretching of the uterus. 

Well, it pays to be curious and question about everything under the sun. At least, after spending all the money on consultations, on a piece of mind, on advices, my hubby and I became more aware of the different signs of pregnancy. 

We will soon become seasoned mum and dad after this round of pregnancy.

And there you go....my gastric medicine.

What a 2nd trimester - Part II: Visit to Thomson Medical Centre, 9 Oct 2010

We did not manage to get any slot on Saturday. The earliest one will be the following Tuesday. Being anxious, 1st-time parents, we could not wait any further. Thus, with the advice of the nurse, we reached TMC before 830am (opening hour of the clinic), hoping to get the earliest slot.

The centre was packed. Nevertheless, we managed to see the doctor after waiting for 1 1/2hr. 

Like I mentioned before, this is an active baby, constantly moving inside my tummy. But I was happy that it is active. Active = healthy. The doctor did a detailed ultra-scan of the baby's developing organs, everything was good, as per Dr Ho's diagnosis. However, when it comes to the examination of the baby's brain, the doctor has a bit of difficulty. The baby was lying on its tummy, face down (hahahaha.....). No matter how much the doctor tried to talk to the baby to look up, the baby just refused, until the mummy came in. 

"Baby baby, be good. Listen to the doctor and let her look at you. The more obedient you are, the faster we can get out of this room and meet daddy who is waiting outside for us." 

It works. Baby slowly turned its body and looked up. There it went. Doctor finally managed to get a good view of the baby. No cyst. Phew. What a relief. 

Baby tried to be a little funny before we ended the session. It stretched one of its legs and tried to use its hand to reach the toes. "So cute."

Once again, we heaved a sigh of relief. Baby is good, active and healthy.

Here are another snapshot of our pretty baby. For a moment, I thought the baby was blowing bubbles...=p

What a 2nd trimester - Part I: 4th visit to the gynae (7 October 2010)

2nd trimester, to most people is supposed to be a very easy-going period, the most relaxing period throughout the entire pregnancy. However, it does not seem to be the case for us. 

The 13th - 16th weeks were good period, not much complaints, except the regular pain in the lower left part of the rib area, appetite was good, everything was manageable, life was as per normal, business as usual.

The regular pain in the lower left part of the rib area persists. The pain will come whenever I start eating. It could last from a few minutes to 1/2 an hour, sometimes bearable, sometimes no.

This pain, as assured by Dr Ho, during our 5th visit on 7 Oct 2010, is due to the expansion of the uterus which causes the ribcage to expand. This is why, if I eat too much, it will cause my tummy to stretch and affect the rib area, thus causing pain. Thus, it is important that I take many small meals and moderate my food and/drink intake at any one time. 

We were shown the results of my blood test and the Triple Blood Test for Down Syndrome. Everything was good. 

The 2nd part was followed by a detailed ultra-scan of the baby. Examining in detail, every single developing organs of the baby. This has always been an active baby. Constantly moving about in my tummy; stretching its legs and arms; trying to reach its toes with its hands; lying side way on one moment, and lying face down on the other. Sometimes, it seems to be waving its hands at us. The detailed scan was good, except for the presence of a cyst in the brain, which was detected in the last visit. The cyst, however, has disappeared. But to be assured that everything is good, Dr Ho suggested for a 2nd opinion, i.e. for us to head down to Thomson Medical Centre to do another scan. 

We were shocked to hear the news but did as were told, and immediately fix the earliest appointment to TMC.

Baby is already weighing 400+ grams and it is within the acceptable range. We were glad to hear that. And I have also gained 8kg.

 

It is such a funny world. hahahha

On the train, some people will be afraid to give up their seat to a person for fear that they may give the seat to a wrong person, i.e. when the person is just being fat and not pregnant.

In roadshows, promoters of slimming companies maybe skeptical of approaching someone for fear that they may mistake a pregnant woman as being fat.

This is such an amusing world.

What a week. Another bad news.

Our boss has officially announced her resignation. In fact, she has already served her full month notice and has stayed on on a voluntary basis.

She has chosen family over career, one which a woman would have done, especially when I have reached her level. She is already in her late 30s, a career woman, a super power woman, I should say. In terms of career satisfaction, I believed she would have achieved what she wants. The only thing that is lacking in her life and which I believe she has sacrificed for her career, is her family. 

As a woman, I can fully understand where she is coming from. Nothing is ever complete without a family. No matter how much a woman earns, how successful she is in her career, her life will be lacking if there is no children. That is how she is feeling now.

I believe she is starting to feel her biological clock ticking away. Career can be built up at any point of time in life, even when you are at your 40s or 50s. But having a baby gets more and more difficult as you aged. That is why, in a way, whether it comes at the right time or wrong time, I am thankful that I have.

My boss has always been like a mother hen to us. To us, it is like a love-hate relationship. I didn't fully understand this love-hate relationship until I saw tears welled up in her eyes as she broke the news to us, until I saw one of our old fellow colleagues tear in front of her. This colleague of ours has always been complaining about the boss micro-management, her autocratic style, is a "I dislike working under your management" kind of attitude. Until I saw her tear, then I realised that, in this colleague's eyes, she still values our boss a lot. 

I have the same sentiment as this colleague but I am thankful for what I have. Because I know my boss always have a soft spot for me, don't ask me why. She seemed to have witnessed a few stages of my life - from the time I joined, I get married, I passed my exams, till my current stage - she is always beaming with joy whenever I shared these happiness with her. I am lucky and she is always my support. If I have conflicts with my immediate supervisor, she is always my shield.

But, sigh....now that she is leaving, I am starting to get very lost. How is the new management like? I guess everyone is as apprehensive as I.

Pregnancy is a blessing in disguise

Perhaps this pregnancy is blessing in disguise. 

I received news of another staff turnover, which is from my team. This means that my team is down by 1 again. Back to square 1 - from 2 staff to 3 staff and now back to 2 staff. The immediate reaction will be a big SIGH - when will the cycle stop? There again, my workload will pile up.

However, I forgot that I am pregnant. Being pregnant is like having a decree. Because of this decree, I can manage to escape from a lot of things. Things that I should do in the past, becomes not required. Things that I should be given now, are given 2nd thoughts by the management. No matter what, my boss is still warm-blooded. Once in a while, she will tell me, "Do not stretch yourself. Get help if you need. The last thing you will want is to strain yourself." Or when she sees me carrying heavy things, she will say "Please get someone to help you." These are such comforting words. Something that you know there is someone out there who cares. 

Well, like what everyone says - enjoy this moment of being a queen.You deserve this kind of luxury treatment because you have a decree on hand now =)

Staff turnover is not exactly a bad thing. Our YTD figure for this year alone is 50%. However, I don't see that as bad. I see that as opportunity for changes. New staff helps to remove the cliques and re-bond people together. 

Like what someone rightfully said. People of X personality come together to form a group called X. People of Y personality come together to form a group called Y. X types of people cannot mix with Y types of people. But when a Z type of person comes along, he may bring both the X and Y group of people together, to form a new group. I did not believe it at first. But as the days go by, I slowly witness this change and am convinced of this analogy.

The joining of new staff does help to reduce the formation of cliques. People of A, B, C and D personalities come together. All are new to each other, no one knows each other beforehand, they come together because of 1 objective - they need company. There is not a need to break any invisible boundaries which are present in cliques. And this is what makes a team. A team consisting of a group of people rather than many groups of people. 

Though the transformation is painful, with a lot of legacies to clear, the comforting part is we are starting to see new changes in the team.

Less cliques and more team spirits. And I am starting to like what I am seeing.

I am currently reading this book. The first chapter that I came across immediately reflected my current dilemma. "Love or Money," is the name of the chapter.

Just a few quotes from this chapter. 

"A baby's brain grows whole new structure in response to the love and affection, and caring firmness, given during its first 2 years of life."

"Children raised without sufficient loving care do not become fully the human being they were meant to be."

"Loving, patient and supported time with young babies is not a luxury, but a vital nutrient that we must provide."

I have no qualms about this. The nurture and love that you provide to your baby during its 1st year is very important; it is something that money cannot buy.  However, this will mean giving up your job, a lost of a secondary income which could possibly help the family and provide better financial to your family. 

This is a dilemma that I been having ever since I knew that I was pregnant. To continue working after my 4 months of maternity leave or to stop working for one year?

I am a Capricorn. Capricorn goes for stability, especially financial stability and security. They will continue to strive towards this goal until they reach their desired level of stability and security, one that no longer allows them to ponder "what will happen if I were to stop working?" This source of security is very important to them. They are realistic animals; they dislike living for the moment, they plan far far ahead and go for delayed gratifications. Furthermore, they are very ambitious creatures. They constantly like to test their abilities and go for difficult tasks that give them the most success even though these tasks are difficult to achieve. To the Capricorns, for the sake of future security, they do not mind suffering first and enjoy later.

Well, after describing the characteristics of a Capricorn, I guess the answer seems clear. As much as I want to provide a lot of love to my child during the first year, being a finance person and a Capricorn, I seriously doubt I will stop working for a year. I guess I may continue to work and push myself to continue to provide the best for my child while seeking for an income. To me, if that source of supplementary income is lost, it will cause a huge responsibility to my hubby, who becomes the sole provider. What good does it make, if my hubby is so stressed in trying to make ends meet but unable to continue to provide love, care and concern to his family? 

A stressed man becomes a depressed man, that's what I always believe. Thus, my role as a wife is always to make my hubby happy. Is only when he is happy, he will be relaxed and more able to provide for the family. So, if you say I am not a good wife, what's more?

I really appreciate what my hubby did.

Knowing that once the baby is born, travelling will be difficult, he tried to arrange for our last trip before the delivery. This will mean going on trips during my second/third trimester. 

This is what I like about him.

I dislike the fact that he is a Santa Claus but I cannot help but admit that it is his generosity makes me really appreciate him. To a finance person, it is a hate relationship. But to a woman, it is a love relationship.

However, I really appreciate the fact that he values relationships more than money. It is this value of his, that makes a trip before the delivery possible, despite our tight budget. 

These are what I am really thankful for and will ensure that these values are passed on to our children.

9 Sept 2010 - 3rd visit to the gynae

We were late for the visit and ended up having to send our car for valet parking. It costs us $10 for the parking! What an expensive lesson to learn.

As usual, Dr Ho's opening speech is "How are you doing now?" "Any vomiting?"

"No," was my answer. "Other than my tummy pain, everything was ok, normal. What could be wrong?" I continued. 

"Do you have gastric pain?" Dr Ho enquired.

"I do have gastric pain before. Last time I was able to tell whether it is gastric but now with the baby, I cannot tell. Could it be baby kicking?"

"Most probably is your gastric pain. It is quite common for pregnant mother to suffer from gastric." Dr Ho assured.

Sigh....not gastric again. I dislike gastric. In the past, I tried very hard to prevent gastric - tried to eat regular meals, tried to relax myself - all because I dislike the pain. And now it is back again. Arghhhh...

The long awaiting moment came - the ultrascan, to see the baby again =DDDDD

The baby has grown quite big now, about 15cm in size, an increase of 7cm since our last visit. The baby's features are much clearer - the head, the nose, the eyeballs, the 4 fingers and one thumb, the tummy, the thigh and its feet. Hahahaha...it is so exciting.

Baby was quite active this morning. It kept moving inside my tummy. Up and down. Left and right. Lifting one of its hands up, as if it is an ultra-man really to fly =p

Now the most important question, one that we have been waiting for. What is the gender of the baby?

It took us a while before we managed to find out. Baby kept moving its legs. From crossing both its legs, uncrossing then crossing back again. Lifting its legs up and turning. The patience paid off. Baby finally opened its legs wide enough for us to see an extra piece of triangular skin sticking out from in between its 2 legs. 

"Is a boy, high chance", said Dr Ho. "Next round will give us a better view as the baby grows bigger."

What a relief. I always wanted a boy. I have been praying for a boy. For some traditional reasons or another, I prefer a boy to a girl. I am thankful that my prayers are heard. 

Anyway, the visit was followed by 2 blood tests to test the presence of hep B, Rubella, etcetc in the body and the possibility of Down Syndrome of baby. I was not hoping for any bad news. 

14th - 17th week of pregnancy (II)

Food cravings are getting stronger. Nothing will seem right until I get to eat the food I have craved for.

On one occasion, I craved for fried chicken wings. Not the fried chicken wings from MacDonalds or KFC but those from the hawker centre. My hubby has no choice, but to bring me to the western food stall at a hawker centre to savour my chicken wings. 

On another occasion, I craved for economic fried bee hoon. I had that craving for one week but I had been unable to satisfy this craving. Either because, I already had a heavy breakfast or I was late for work, so as a result not able to savour the fried bee hoon. The craving was so strong that, I dreamt of it on one night. The next morning, I immediately went to get the bee hoon. It was very satisfying and everything starts to revert to normal.

My girlfriend asked, "Why did you crave for all the inexpensive, unhealthy food?"

Well, how could I answer this?

14th - 17th week of pregnancy (I)

This is not an easy month as it seems to be. 

On a positive side, there were no naseaus or giddiness for the past one month, except for one occasion, where I almost fainted because of low insulin level, else, everything is good. On the negative side, I have been having tummy pain, especially on the lower left rib area for the last 2 weeks. The pain can be so acute that it can affect your movements. Being 1st time mother, I started to get paranoid "Did something happened to the baby?" Or is it my body posture? Laying side way helps to eliminate the pain, but it ends in neck ache. Sitting face up, with back support, is not helpful, as there is continual strain in the tummy area. Thus, this month the challenge is on the tummy. Sigh...

I had dreams of miscarriage on 2 occasions too which I realised that such dreams denote anxiety and fear. This maybe correctly depicts my current state of emotions. It is not easy for a woman to be pregnant. On a positive side, it is a happy and joyous occasion of the arrival of a new life, something to celebrate, something to rejoice. On a negative side, the woman has a great responsibility of ensuring the new life stays healthy and carry the pregnancy through.

Well, someone said this to me. "Don't stress yourself by thinking of pregnancy as a negative thing. It is all in the mind. Pregnancy is a joyous occasion, make yourself happy."

That is some truth in it, though...

Food Cravings

Pregnant moms have food cravings, so do I. But sad to say, I crave for all the unhealthy food.

 1) Calbee Jagabee Potato Chips - my fav: the blue potato

2) French Fries

3) Instant Noodles

 5) Potatoes

It remains my favourite and it is still my favourite during my pregnancy. 

 4) Sashimi and salmon sushi

Too bad, these are raw, no matter how much cravings I have for these food, I cannot eat them. In the past, I used to buy salmon sushi from the Japanese kiosk once a week. Nowadays, when I walk past, I could only see but no touch. Cravings for salmon sushi has been going on for a few weeks and I can only curb the temptations by diverting my attention to other things.

I am not alone

Even though a decision has been made to continue my ACCA, which I target to clear everything by this year end, provided I am smart enough to finish everything in one attempt once again, sometimes the heart will still waver. Especially when fatigue sinks in; when you see people around you enjoying life, spending their nights and weekends merrying around and you are mugging. This is not a good feeling though. Then you will start to feel demotivated, feeling why life is so unfair, how you wish you can be like them. Well, life is that unfair. Everyone is born with a different life.

Thankfully, things do not get so disheartening. In my class, I am not the only preggie taking lessons. There are a few others, some are in their 7th/8th months or even the last month, due anytime. 

There is a pregnant lady in our class. She is into her 9th month, ready for delivery anytime. One day, I found her missing from lesson for around 2-3 weeks, which I presume she must have delivered.

I was amazed by her determination. Her determination to complete her course and continue the lesson despite her pregnancy. And she has shorten her maternity break of 1 month, just to ensure that she does not miss any part of the lesson.

I guess I am not the only one. Seeing these pregnant moms in class make me feel luckier and comforted.

To continue my studies or defer

When I told people that I am pregnant, their first reaction, other than "Congratulations!", was "What is going to happen to your ACCA? Are you going to continue or defer?" I know their concerns. And, I am very well-aware of that. Well, those who know me well, will know how competitive and how realistic a person I am. Two choices, I will have. 

One is to continue and strive to finish the remaining modules as soon as possible. It will be a tedious route to study and take the exams while I am pregnant. The energy level and the concentration power all have to take into consideration. But the benefit is, I have my youth. Studying when I am young with little commitment, i.e. when the child have not arrived, makes it much easier to manage. It is important for me to secure an ACCA qualifications before going on to another stage of life.

Second is to defer. That is, to concentrate on my pregnancy at this stage and defer my studies until my child has grown up. However, when is a good time to re-start the engine then? When the child is 1 year old? 2 year old? 3 year old? Or.....? As the 1st one grows up, there might be a 2nd one and a 3rd one. SO, when then is a good time? By the time I want to continue my ACCA, I may already be in my mid 30s and I will still be striving to start my career rather than build a career.

Time is money. Time is opportunity. Every decision I make now, will affect my future route. People who know me well, will know that I always adopt the delay gratification approach. I suffer first then enjoy.

So, well, I chose option one. The route will be tough, but I know by taking on this route, my future will be bright. Not only mine, but ours.

My achievements since June 2008. FInally, this is going to end soon. Wish me plenty of luck

The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore Examination & Student Registry 12 Aljunied Road #04-02 KH Plaza @ Aljunied Singapore 389801 Tel: 65 67449865 Fax: 65 67497713

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants 2 Central Quay 89 Hydepark Street Glasgow G3 8BW UK Tel: +44 (0)141 582 2000 Fax: +44 (0)141 582 2222

Examination Status Report

Following the June 2010 session at 31-JUL-2010 your examination status is: Paper Details Status Date F1 Acc. in Bus. Exemption JUN 08 F2 Man. Acc. Exemption JUN 08 F3SGP Fin. Acc. Exemption JUN 08 F4SGP Corp & Bus Law Pass JUN 08 F5 Perf. Man. Pass DEC 08 F6SGP Tax. Pass JUN 08 F7SGP Fin. Rep. Pass DEC 08 F8SGP Aud. & Ass. Pass JUN 09 F9 Fin. Man. Pass DEC 09 P1SGP Prof. Acc. Pass JUN 10 P2SGP Corp. Rep. Pass JUN 10 P3 Bus. Ana. Pass JUN 10 P4 Adv. Fin. Man. To be attempted * optional 2 from 4 P5 Adv. Perf. Man. To be attempted * P6 Adv. Tax. To be attempted * P7 Adv. Aud & Ass. To be attempted *

Appraisal with boss

It was a fruitful and heart-to-heart appraisal with my boss. 

She has became more humane, more understanding and more empathetic towards our situation. A boss, who is gradually putting herself in her staff's shoes. No more of "If I can do it, why not you?" Perhaps, the high turnover rate makes her re-look into her management style. 

Throughout the session, she kept telling me "Be careful with your movements nowadays. Take good care of yourself. Don't be like me, so careless." I was thankful for that but at the same time, felt sad for her. 

"Do you know you write very well?" that was her 1st comment.

"Huh?" was my reply. "I know I write better than I speak," I told her. "But seriously I don't deserve the "very well"" I thought to myself. 

I was very happy to have that compliment. Because I have always been trying very hard to improve both my communication and writing skills. Getting such a compliment, you know is an effort paid off and it motivates me to work even harder.

"You do things very fast but careless as well," was her next comment. "Gasp," I thought to myself. That was not the first time I heard that. My husband has always been penalizing me for that. "You never check your work before you submit." And well, I know whenever he says that, I will get a scolding. 

"But well, I guess because you are not a detailed person," she continued. 

"Yes, I agreed." I am not a detailed person. For years, because of my job nature, I have been trying hard to be detailed, to be meticulous. And being detailed is always a chore for me. On one hand, you want to get the assignment out as soon as possible, but on the other hand, you know that your job nature does not allow you to submit an assignment just like that - without much details, without much information. That is why, it often irks me when my superb detailed boss, wants an assignment to be changed again and again and again. It really pissed me off. That is also why, my husband did most of the planning for our wedding. Well, he is more detailed than me.

That marks the end of our appraisal, a 1 1/2hr. Though it is long, you know you get something out of it.

I would like to take this opportunity to show my appreciation to a young lady. Out of kindness, she helped me, a preggie to get a seat from a train, but in turn was scolded and shouted at by a young Indian man. I felt very bad for her and was aghasted by this young man's behaviour. 

This happened on 17 Aug around 130pm on an East bound train at Bugis Station. I was standing in the middle of the train, hoping that someone will give up their seat to a pregnant mum, but to no avail. I was neither surprised nor disappointed. Because taking public transport as a preggie for many months, I have never come across anyone who once offered their seats to me. Even so, I had to give up my seat to an elderly or a preggie whose tummy is bigger than mine.

It was at Bugis Station that someone finally left his seat and I was delighted. It was a reserved seat. At that moment, a 20+ year old Indian man rushed towards the seat. This young lady, out of kindness, tapped on him and asked him to give up the seat to me. 

"Why did you tap me?" shouted the man. 

"I wanted you to give up the seat to this lady. She is pregnant," replied the shocked lady.

He turned around and looked at me, but does not seem convinced and proceed to the seat. 

"What an embarrassing sight," I thought to myself and I told the young lady to "Let it go, I am fine. No point fighting with him."

In a rush, I forgot to ask for her name but this act of kindness gives pregnant mother like me a hope. A hope that, we do still have kind souls who are willing to stand up for the less privileged.

Once again, thank you to you, young lady.

From a very grateful mum.

Searching for a suitable milk powder for the mum and baby

Advice from the doctor - choose a milk powder with high omega 3 & 6 and DHA.

Importance of music during pregnancy

We have developed a habit to listen to classical music to sleep during the pregnancy period.  According to research, listening to classical music provides a soothing effect for the baby. It makes the baby feel more relaxed and also the mummy and daddy. Babies are more accustomed to rhythms  which is what makes classical music suitable. And that is the reason why if you put your baby close to your heart, it will fall asleep very fast. This is because of the rhythmic heartbeats of the adults that makes the baby feel relaxed. 

Samples we received from the clinic

The sketchbook

By the way, here is the baby's sketchbook, detailing every parts of its growth. The front page is reserved for its photo.

5 August 2010 - 2nd visit to the gynae

Finally, the long awaiting day is here. I get to see my gynae and my baby again. So happy.

"How are you doing?" asked Dr Ho. "Everything was normal, no more symptoms," I replied. "You were lucky," remarked Dr Ho. "So was it normal?" I sought for further assurance and me and my hubby started to look at each other. "Yes, you are," assured Dr Ho. Phew! 

Here you go. 6.5cm in size. Growth of 4cm in 4 weeks. Woah! Incredible. This time round, we were able to see the baby more clearly. The face, the nose and the mouth. The hands and its fingers. The legs and its toes. Throughout the scanning, the baby was moving up and down. Dr Ho said that we were lucky today, as the baby was lying on its back, so we were able to see a lot of the baby today.

Heartbeat - 162bm.

Week 9 - 12 (9 Jul - 31 July 2010)

The 10th week was a torture. The feelings of nauseas and giddiness were strong. Two days in the week, I almost fainted. I suffered from moments of low insulin levels, breakout of cold sweats and giddiness. This was not an easy week. I tried not to stand for too long and to take many small meals a day in order to ensure that the insulin level is normal. Thankfully, my appetite was normal and was still able to eat without vomiting. Given that my mode of transport is by train and buses, this was not exactly very helpful. The tummy was still not showing and thus, it was difficult for passengers to give up seats for you. Most of them will think that I am just being fat, having a bulging tummy, thus, nothing abnormal. 

Thankfully, the tough times were short. From the 10th week onwards, life was back to normal. No more nauseas, no more giddiness, no more bloatedness, no more tiredness, no more tummyache and no more constipations. Appetite was as per normal. The feeling of being normal, without all the supposedly pregnancy symptoms made us worried. Is it normal to be normal during this period? Is it normal not to have all these symptoms anymore? Did something happened? Thankfully, I am not the only one, some preggies also do not have much or any symptoms throughout their pregnancy. Hearing stories from these experienced preggies gave us a little comfort.

Despite the little comfort that we get, I was still hoping that I could see my gynae as soon as possible to further confirm that the new life is still there....and I was normal to be feeling normal during this period.

8 July 2010 - Hubby's birthday and our 1st visit to the gynae

Kool, the day has come and here we are to Dr Ho's clinic for our "Ooopss! Gasps! Is that true?"

This day was specially selected because is my hubby's birthday. I would like him to have this birthday present - a birthday present that marks the beginning of our new life.

Dr Ho has a non-threatening, friendly and fatherly look. A look that makes me feel comfortable and wants to tease and joke with him. One whom I know, will give a shy smile for a joke cracked. 

The session was started with "Why were you here?" "Errrr.....what a question to ask?" I thought. "We had a positive test," I replied. And in my mind, I thought "This is equivalent to striking a lottery of a century...hahahahhaa" "We wanted to boost the birth rate," my hubby said. And 3 of us broke into laughter and the ice was broken.

"In the next few minutes, you will be able to confirm your findings," Dr Ho said. "Kool! That was what we have been waiting for." We looked at each other, caught a breath, finally....it is here. "What symptoms do you have?" asked Dr Ho. I started to "blah blah blah" about the amount of discomforts I had for the last few weeks. Those were discomforts, but they were blessing in disguise (I couldn't help grinning to myself). 

Scanning began. Look at what we saw! Amazing! Unbelievable!

A new life appearing inside my tummy. Look at the size - 2 cm big, the size of a pea. Ohhhh, so fragile, so vulnerable. A new precious life is growing inside me. I shedded tears of joys when I saw the new life and its movements. This is unbelievable. Now its well-beings are dependable on me.

Here's another one. Its heartbeat. At 182bm, that's very fast. So much more assured when we hear the heartbeats.

Week 8 (28 June 2010 - 3 July 2010) Part II

The anxiety continues throughout the week.

What can I eat? What can I not eat? What should I look out for? What should I expect? Every moment is spent on the website, searching for information on first trimester pregnancy. Things to expect, diet to follow, etcetc.

The days of nauseas, giddiness, bloatedness, tiredness and tummyache continue. The only difference is, I begin to be more aware of the symptoms and more cautious of my movements. No more running, no more dashing around, no more throwing tantrums. Everything is done with the baby in mind.

I am extremely careful with my diet now. No more raw food, i.e. no more sashimi (there goes my raw salmon for 9 months "__"). No more icy cold drinks or ice-creams ("__"). No more coffees/cokes/chocolates - so no matter how sleepy I am, I have to force my eyes open without any support from caffeine; but thankfully, I am not a caffeine addict, so not much effect on me. No more sausages and tibits and maggie mee ("__") due to the high amount of preservatives.

The mindset has also began to change. The hack care attitude of the past - you do not bother about what you eat, what you do, how you react - the temper, the tantrum - all these have gradually reduced. The life and mindset now are so different from the past. Whatever me and my hubby do nowadays take into consideration our baby. Because, whatever both of us do, act or say from now onwards will affect our baby. Our baby's senses are developing. Its ears are growing and it may already be eavesdropping our conversation =p

Week 8 (28 June 2010 - 3 July 2010) Part I

This is a week of anxiety, a week of uncertainty, a week of "Oooppss!" "Gasps!" "Oh no!" "What should we do next?"

Should we break the news and share this joy with everyone? Or "hush hush" until the most crucial period is over?

Being first-timers and being extra, superb cautious couple, we decided to be pandan ("superstitious") and let it remains a "hush hush" event.

The 1st thing we did was to search for a gynaecologist to confirm the test. Through website forums and researches, we decided to settle for Dr Ho Kok Kee from Mount Elizabeth  & Mount Alvenia Hospital. A good, caring and experienced gynae is important to us, as he/she will be with us throughout the 9 months; guiding young and inexperienced couples like us through the pregnancy process. However, we realised that choosing a good gynae is like going through a trial and error process.

Here's our gynae =D

"Dr Ho graduated with a M.B.B.S. degree from the University of Singapore in 1975. After serving National Service in the Singapore Armed Forces, he began his Ministry of Health traineeship in Obstetricians & Gynaecologists at the Kandang Kerbau Hospital. In 1984, he passed the qualifying examination for Membership in the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists of London, and subsequently received his Fellowship in the Academy of Medicine, Singapore. Dr Ho served in the government service for ten years before beginning his own practice at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre in 1998. Besides local patients, he also has a large number of patients from Indonesia, Malaysia and the ASEAN region. In order to improve the service, a branch located in Bishan was established in 1992. "

27 June 2010, 11:14am at First World Hotel, Gentings Highlands

This is a very special day. A day to rejoice, a day to celebrate. No words can describe our feelings at that moment.
And most importantly, this is a day that marks the new beginning of our life. A day to introduce a new member into our life.

My new happiness =DDDDD

Achiever and a Mediocre, which one are you?

An achiever will become very successful in one area of life but may not be successful in the other areas. He/She sacrifices other aspects of the life for one main aspect of life. Take for e.g. a career woman, she is successful in her career, she has everything, from money to status to car to properties, but she has nothing to look forward to in life.

A mediocre, on the other hand, maybe not be very successful but he/she strives in every aspect of the life. Balance work, family and social life. Though he/she is an average person, but this person has everything. Not a lot, but enough just to satisfy him/her and motivate him/her on a daily basis to strive for more.

The man I know is such a person. A simple and happy life is all that he yearns for, that is why he may not be the richest man on Earth, but he has gained more things than what most people do. He doesn't work for money but make money work for him. He is not a slave to money but a master to money. He is not a slave to his job but a master to his job. Not that he is incapable for success; on the contrary, he is more intelligent than any of his peers. But that is the life he seeks, a life without much brain cracking and rat-racing, a life that allows him to do what he likes and spends his time with his loved ones.

Me, other hand, am ambitious. I strive to have a balance of everything while at the same time trying to be an achiever. And well, what is the result? Frequency burn-out and emotional out-break. 

I guess it all goes back to the very 1st economic theory that we learn - 

there are no free lunches in the world.   

 Things have changed for the better since the beginning of this month. Finally, throughout my 1 1/2 years in the current job, for the 1st time I feel myself growing; growing at such a tremendous rate that sometimes I find it unbelievable. This is all thanks to the intensive training by my big boss. Baked and grilled until it is well-done; this is how the training has been like for the 3 weeks. 

It is very tiring and mentally draining, but as compared to the past 1 1/2 years, I finally leave office feeling a great sense of satisfaction. One that motivates me to go on. Well, this is me. The more I learn, the more imperfect I realise I am and the more I want to perfect myself. Tell me what goes wrong, teach me how to perfect it and next time I will learn how to fish. However, this leaves me in a big dilemma.

Previously, the urge to leave the place is because of the environment and its policies and the lack of learning. However, the constant grilling by boss these 3 weeks seemed to make me slowly discard that thought. What should I do now? Should I continue to stay in a job that expands horizontally but I know that I will grow exponentially and leave the place becoming a matured adult? Or should I leave for a better job that allows me to expand vertically?

Well....I guess I know the answer. I will continue to keep a look out for better opportunity and won't leave the place until I know that the next one is able to allow me to expand vertically

.

 Well Done!

I must be superb angry today. All the energy was unleashed during pilates tonight. I was in tip top condition, doing moves which I have not been able to do for the last few sessions. I was extremely amazed. Stretch and stretch and stretch, challenging myself beyond boundaries, feeling my energy flow through.

我很不服

心里战争

When you are being belittled;

When you are deemed to be incapable in almost everybody's eyes;

When you are deemed to be useless or even worthless...

What do you do?

 

 

 

 

 

Career Profiling Test

Did a Career Profiling Test. Not bad, quite accurate. Here's the results...

AT FIRST GLANCE
• Works hard, puts in long hours and keeps busy with work.
• Detailed, meticulous and observant, quick to pick out abnormalities.
• Objective, but may appear detached.
• Quiet and reserved, prefers own company.
• Faithful, trustworthy and devoted in long-term relationships.
• Exercises authority, takes ownership of responsibilities.
• A good supporter of others.
• Orderly, methodical and systematic, takes care to plan in detail.
• Needs clear and thorough instructions, slow to act when uncertain.


WHILE AT WORK

Diligence and discipline are characteristics of Sharon's work attitude. She is often pre-occupied with the tasks at hand. As she derives satisfaction from being immersed in work and thrives on being involved, expect Sharon to put in long and extended hours at work.

Sharon is relatively dependable to deliver results on time.

Sharon generally will persist with work until it is completed.

Sharon is likely to be quality-conscious and achievement-oriented. She is motivated to produce work that is of a high standard. She is observant, quick to spot errors and critical where work is concerned. She is likely to be meticulous, careful and pre-occupied with detail.

Sharon is an objective person who is impartial and rational. She speaks factually and often does not involve her own feelings and emotions. She may sometimes be perceived as distant or detached.

Although Sharon is usually a sympathetic person, she may at times be selective about being involved in the personal problems of people.

Being a shy, quiet and reserved person, Sharon prefers her own company and feels awkward when meeting people for the first time. In social gatherings, she tends to stay in the background.

Sharon is the sort of person who forms long term bonds and attachments. She is faithful, trustworthy, and devoted in such relationships. She tends to be trusting, dedicated and protective towards those she loves. Patriotism and sense of duty is a significant aspect of her character.

Taking ownership of Her responsibilities and being accountable to higher authority are strong trademarks of Sharon. She is responsible, courageous, commanding and forceful. However, others may see her as being territorial because she is likely to assert control over work situations. Sharon will probably feel demotivated when not given enough responsibilities.

Sharon is moderately concerned with prestige, rank and reputation.

Sharon is as keen to explore abstract concepts when the topic appeals to her and she is as interested to discuss theoretical issues as the average person.

Being orderly, methodical and systematic, Sharon spends considerable time planning ahead and organizing activities. She ensures that programmes are scheduled properly and takes care to plan in detail. Formulating procedures and policies is her forte.