A New Chapter in Life

I am officially on LOA starting today. For those scratching their heads, LOA spells Leave of Absence, meaning I don't have to work for a while. So I guess I will be blogging more regularly from now on.

Let's start with the very reason why I am on LOA then.

No no, that is not a thermometer.
If you still don't get it, well ... I am expecting!

I am into my 9th week now and it has been and still is pretty rough. Sensing that I am not going to be physically and mentally up to my demanding job, I decided to take a break and totally rest myself. Especially after the unfortunate miscarriage last year, I am not about to take any risk this time round.

Fatigue and nausea I may be (most of the time), I am so so delighted and always looking forward to the next gynae appointment when I can see how my little one is doing in there.

The last appointment was just coincidentally on Valentines' Day and that was the first time we saw and heard my little one's heartbeat. Simply amazing!

At 174 bpm, I bet my little one is getting very excited too :)

Lily Bulb

Last Sunday, a friend gave me a lovely lily bulb plant. Doesn't it look amazingly cute? I am determined to give it 101% attention to ensure its longevity because no plants have survived long enough in this house except for the fake orchid. Talking about the fake orchid, that is another tale to tell :)

For now, my lovely lily bulb stands tall and proud.

Ethical Fashion

I chanced upon this site which showcases an Australian designer whose label Heidi & Seek uses only fabric remains and second-hand reconstructs. Totally eco-friendly and standing up against manufacturing waste and labour exploitation in the exploding world of consumerism.

And who says going green and being fashionable cannot go hand-in-hand? Heidi & Seek promises just that.

Decisions

Important decisions are difficult decisions, usuually.With sufficient support and understanding, difficult decisions can then be made with more self-conviction.

Or maybe that's just me.

New Year Resolutions with Governance

There has been much new year resolution talks these past weeks.

So just how realistic and achievable are they?And how many of us actually act on or even remember them except until 12 months later when we go " oh here we go again..."

Are we making resolutions just to make ourselves feel like a better person while crossing into the new year OR are they really things that we hope to achieve but did not manage to do so due to reasons only we ourselves know?

This year, a couple of friends and I decided to take it to the next level ... with better governance. Our resolutions were documented clearly and quarterly reviews by the self appointed committee have been scheduled to track our progress! If you wonder why this sounds all so familiar... think "work", "boss","peformance-based bonous". Why take it so serious? Well, just adopting a model that has proved to work, hasn't it?

This is only 3rd week into 2009 and I am already seriously contemplating if the documented resolutions can be modified. Ok, maybe just slightly modified. Oh Come on! At uncertain times like these when banks and jobs disappear overnight , shouldn't we be more adaptive to changing times? (this shall be my appeal justification to the committee, not too weak I hope)

In the meantime, I better start working harder on achieving my new DAY resolutions ... which has been disappointing so far ... without any governance.

All About Bunnies

I chanced upon this non-profit organization about rabbits while passing through a flea market the other day.

Being a "fellow rabbit" myself, I did my part by purchasing some merchandise for which proceeds go to the society fund.

Along with that, I came across a few interesting facts which I never knew about rabbits:

- There are over 1,000 rabbits abandoned in Singapore every year- Never hold rabbit by their ears (those darn magicians)
- Rabbits can live up to 12 years.- Rabbits reach sexual maturity btw 3 to 6 months of age (not much of a childhood)
- Rabbits have induced ovulation. That means the female only produces an egg when being mounted by a male! (absolute nightmare when it comes to family planning). This is also the very reason why rabbits should be sterilized and not allowed to breed
- Female rabbits are known as "Does" and male rabbits are known as "Bucks" (that's probably how the most famous rabbit we know got its name!)

For fellow species and rabbits-lovers, you may want to drop in at House Rabbits Society to learn more!

Lesson Learnt #1

Lesson Learnt #1: Never buy bleach together with a million other items and when you actually have to walk home.

For the benefit of those who have never bought bleach in their life, I am talking about the 4 litres kind.

My cleaning aunties have been reminding me week after week that my bleach is running out and that I should seriously buy a new bottle before the "running out" becomes "ran out". And week after week, there is no new bottle of bleach ... much to the disappointment of the aunties.

So today I have decided to end all that and go get bleach!

It was all good until I thought, heck, since I am at the supermarket why not load up on some fruits & drinks in the fridge as well ... and some good old instant noodles too ... and hey, isn't that my favourite brand of sausages which was off the shelf for a long time ... ahhh, campbell soups on discount, no harm getting 2 cans to standby for emergency ... and why not grab some buns from the bakery for tomorrow's breakfast ...

And then I began my longest 5 min walk home.

I totally over-estimated my arms' carrying capabilities (it then dawned upon me what all those weight lifting in gyms is all about. To prepare us for trying moments like this! But then, I was never a gym person)

Did I mention it was raining?