The "Patriot"

His entries are sometimes thought-provoking, usually interesting and always strongly-worded. He used to be a Singaporean, stood for elections twice, and is now American. 

He clearly dislikes LKY, and pulls no punches with his comments and accusations.

Which is why i find it an interesting read sometimes, but this entry (Lee Kuan Yew "orders" Singaporeans to "fly the Singapore flag") simply repulses me.

太夸张了吧。。。

"Odd as it is for any government to go out and deliberately ask their citizens to do this, since this is always a personal choice and not legally mandatory; in Singapore it is even worse, since when the government puts out any "request" such as this in their state controlled media, it is usually not a "request", it is in fact an "order". " - Singapore Dissident, July 17

OK, i can't say if it's odd for governments to encourage citizens to fly the flag, since i've always been a Singaporean, but i've never found it odd though. In any case, REALLY, it's NOT an order. It IS a personal choice. Even here in Singapore.

 "Therefore, in Singapore, when you fly the national flag, you are showing your loyalty not to Singapore but to Lee Kuan Yew and his family for ruling over you."- Singapore Dissident, July 17

Ummm.... no lae, when i do fly the flag, i'm very sure i'm showing my loyalty to Singapore. 

"And what if you refused after this demand has been put out in the newspaper? Singapore being a country run on fear, that is fear of Lee Kuan Yew and what he will do to you if you oppose, the people fear government agents going around the island marking the names of those who do not fly the flag. Next thing, these "ungrateful citizens" may lose their jobs, they may lose their pensions, they may lose their career promotions, their children might be thrown out of schools, and a litany of misfortune may happen to them."- Singapore Dissident, July 17

0_0

He REALLY thinks that??

He's worse of a conspiracy theorist than me!!

But really la, 太夸张了吧!

"If there are those who despite these dangers still refuse to fly the Singapore national flag during national day celebrations, I would think you rightfully deserve the Victoria Cross or some other medal for bravery beyond that normally expected of a soldier in battle!"- Singapore Dissident, July 17

He can come to my block and distribute Victoria crosses like housing-agent flyers then. 

And to encourage Singaporeans NOT to fly the flag, and to leave Singapore... 

("If you are a thinking person within the island, take my advice. Get out of that island. It is a weird place."  in an earlier post, "Singapore - More Weird Laws), 

it makes me doubt his intentions. How does THAT help anything???

Haiz... sad. For all his intelligence, experiences, qualifications, "accolades", he's just a bitter and jaded man more concerned with a personal vendetta than with doing something for the country. 

Oh wait. It's not even his country anymore.

no baby, don't come out this way!

Baby2 was moving a lot and my belly was stretched weirdly. 

It was so stretched you could almost see right through the skin, as if it was just a thin deflated balloon separating Baby2 and the world outside. 

I could even see Baby2's arms and legs pushing against the belly - and the arms and legs were so skeletal. It shocked me to see how bony the baby was. To another person, it would have been a scene out of a horror movie. But to me, that was my baby.

I kept telling myself that's coz the flesh  is still forming, that by the time Baby2 comes out, it wouldn't look skeletal anymore.

All the while Baby2's limbs kept pressing against the belly, stretching the skin so thin ...  it eventually gave way.

"Oh no! I want natural birth! Does this mean it's a caesarean?" I thought to myself.

I applied pressure to the tears that were starting to appear, as if trying to stop Baby2 from forcing her way out. "Once she stops moving, i'll get myself to hospital."

Then i saw Munch, and i gesticulated for him to take a look.

"I think we better pack the documents and get to the hospital!" I told him, "How? Do you think she's gonna come out now?"

Munch stared at the skeletal arms punching holes in my tummy. He stared at the blood on my clothes.

"Eeeeeee" he said, and hosed me down with a showerhead from a distance. (Grrrrrrrrrrr!)

But it seems he did the right thing. Soon after, Baby2 stopped her rabid attempts at exiting my belly. And with the blood washed off, i saw that in spite of the bony arms protruding right out of the belly skin, all that remained was just a perforated line.

"I gotta start preparing to go to the hospital," I told myself, and proceeded to pack my staffroom desk, stopping halfway to chat with a colleague who was moody and crying.

On my way out of the school, the students were having morning assembly, and i noticed 2 foreign students who were chatting while the national anthem was being sung.

And i stopped to speak with them.

"It's not my country, it's not my national anthem," one of them retorted.

"Imagine it's at the Olympics, and your national anthem is being sung. And everyone who's not from your country are chatting away, as if it meant nothing. How would you feel?"

i was seething inside.

Then Bee Leng handed me 2 thin folders and told me that i had to make sure those were in order before i go off for maternity leave. She had a new haircut - shoulder length, sleek and straight, and she looked good. 

In the folders were some crumpled math worksheet.

The End.

***

this is the second time i dreamt that Baby2 forced her way out through my abdomen.

The first time, she just poked her arm right out, right through my dress. i was at a liposuction clinic (??!?) and juliana was a nurse there (??!?)

No Baby2, please don't come out this way...

***

Preggies sure have weird dreams.

Maternity Leave Day 3

Spent the day hurling away.

='(

It feels different from the normal preggy puke.

I hope it's not H1N1 - seems like vomiting can also be a symptom of it.

***

Didn't manage to do much packing and baby-prep today, but i had a very nice morning with Glory. 

It was raining heavily, so we opened the window just a little - just enough to wet our faces and feel the cool wind. We told each other "cold!" as we touched the window grille, then ran off to snuggle up and warm ourselves before returning to the window. Again and again. The sweet thing about babies is that they can do the same thing a dozen times, and it'd still be fun for them. 

We watched people going off to work and school, named the colours of the umbrellas, and said "Hello! Have a nice day!" to a select few, not that they heard us. Then we snuggled up on the bed and she fell asleep again.

She's a darling, this one. 

***

We finally found our 40 days of prayer book last night, so i spent the rest of the morning praying... haha... still haven't caught up. =)

Enjoyed.

***

I don't know why my view on buying clothes for Glory suddenly changed. In her first year, all she got was hand-me-downs. But recently i've been buying.

Perhaps it's coz we haven't received a fresh batch of old clothings in a while.

Perhaps it's coz she seems to like trying on new dresses.

Perhaps it's coz i like to dress her up. (She should be a model. Big eyes, small mouth, skinny arms. S.W.E.E.T)

Perhaps it's just coz i found some pretty good deals online =) =) =)

Today i ordered 2 pairs of shoes, an Old Navy dress, 2 pairs of leggings, a GAP dress and a red Little Me jumper. The total cost is less than $100! =)

***

I tested out the names on Glory.

She can't say Desiree.

She can't really say Celeste.

But she calls out "Meimei" beautifully. =) 

***

The insomnia is back.

It's almost 4am and i'm not sleepy at all.

Been like that for the past few days... 

i tried putting sermons on repeat, it makes the wakeful moments more bearable, but it keeps munch up, which is bad, coz he has to work.

so now i leave the room and blog. Which doesn't work, coz it means i'd go on and on, and i dun sleep.

Ah well, at least i dun have to work. =)

***

Me Lil Bro will be back tomorrow later today, in 2-3 hours time. 

I wonder how notti he has been the past month and a half in OZ.

But with a girlfren in tow, he should be well looked after. i hope.

***

Read that there's a 7.9 earthquake in NZ and a tsunami warning issued for parts of OZ.

Makes me wonder if that email that's circulating about the MAJOR earthquake/tsunami on 22 April is not a hoax after all.

***

Received another Babycentre update today - by the end of this week, my Celeste is full-term!

Yippy-yikes!

Anytime soon, anytime soon! I'm gonna be a mother of two!

And then the breastfeeding starts again. Ouch.

Please let it be less painful the second time round.

***

I really hope my waterbag doesn't burst suddenly.

I really hope my waterbag doesn't burst while i'm out.

***

i like throwing things away. 

I think i'm gonna walk around the house looking for things to throw away. 

Preggies are allowed to do that.

It's part of our nesting instinct.

I will also start to dettol everything in the house.

That's also part of our nesting instinct.

Hamsters have that too. They throw out stuff and make a nest with clean fluffy beddings. It's just that shops generally don't sell Hamster Dettol.

The Difference

It really is very different the second time around.

For one, the morning sickness didn't continue throughout the pregnancy, which REALLY REALLY matters. I don't feel so miserable this time round. The backache is much worse though - perhaps i really should (try to) follow those confinement rules this time round. Or maybe the backache is shoes-related? You see,  this time round i didn't fly to Chiangmai, so i couldn't buy any flatties. =) Yeah, i got through the 9 months on my platforms! Score!

Not having 9 months of morning sickness also means i ate much more than i did the first time round. My belly's much much bigger than the first pregnancy, and i think Baby2 is gonna be bigger than Glory. 

At the previous check-up, Baby2 was already around 2.4kg. 

With Glory, i remember fretting that she would be a low birth weight baby. 

Seems like size-wise and weight-wise, Baby2 (and sadly, mummy too) is a full month bigger. 

And for mummy, that's really not too good. Last weekend, i couldn't get into my daddy's car coz he parked the car near the gate, and the car door couldn't be opened fully. The space between the car and the gate was too narrow. The killer blow is that it's my DADDY'S car, which, in case you still dun geddit, means HE managed to GET OUT of that car, and I couldn't get in!!!!!!! How can my tummy be bigger than daddy's legendary tummy???!?! Hey i used that tummy as a trampoline when i was young alright! 

I am soooo gonna sign up for Amore gym classes after i deliver.

Another distinct difference. Procrastination. The first time round, we started thinking of names months in advance. Almost 2 months before the EDD, the name was more or less chosen and her cot and clothes were prepared. Which is too early, by the way - i rewashed them a couple of times coz i kept thinking they have gone dusty again while waiting. The gynae had started briefing me on what to do when i go into labour. I even conducted a readiness- check on munch to see if he was keeping himself contactable in case of emergency.

This time round? The cot's with my brother, the clothes are with another friend, and i'm not sure when i'm gonna collect them, much less wash them. 

I'm also not quite sure what the going-into-labour procedures are like with this new gynae. Do i call him, or will the hospital do that? He hasn't even signed us up for his delivery package yet - do i assume he will be delivering, or must we explicitly tell him, and sign up for the delivery package first? 

And there's that "Ready Bag" that i am supposed to prepare.... ummm, what's supposed to be in there again? When i do go into labour, i reckon i'll take a cab to the hospital and SMS munch to pack my "ready bag", then meet me there. 

Oh yah, another big difference: The first time round, munch went with me to EVERY prenatal check. Then we would usually stop by Peirce reservoir for a stroll and to pray for the baby. This time round, because of the opening hours of the clinic, munch usually cannot accompany me =( In fact, my companions at the detailed scan were mummy and glory- Munch had to work. We do still pray for Baby2 of coz, though this time round, instead of the picturesque reservoir, we do it in the comfort of our four-poster bed, as we collapse after a long day of work and playing with Glory. 

Also, because Dr Adrian doesn't take facial shots of Baby2  we don't get to see as much of Baby2 as we did with Glory. Baby2's ultrasound pics are usually just some round-shaped thing - i think it's the tummy circumference. With Dr Joycelyn, we get to see Glory's profile, frontal view, and even watch her dance. Dr Adrian is not into such frivolity i think. As long as there's a heartbeat, he's satisfied ;) 

With the demands of work and a first child, we have much less time to just sit and imagine how Baby2 would be like. But it doesn't mean she would be any less than Jie Jie! 

Coz darling, you are not made by mummy's idle thoughts and dreams, but you are made wonderfully by God himself! While some believe that staring at pictures of cute babies make one's baby cuter, i know that prayer makes the difference. 

My prayer for you darling, is that you will be a courageous lover of God, bold to proclaim, like Elijah. That you will be a woman of the Spirit, sensitive, always aware and obedient to the Holy Spirit's leading. Gentle, wise, loving, discerning and disciplined. And beautiful, well-mannered and hospitable, with a heart for the oppressed, weak and poor. 

And big, sparkling eyes, long lashes, beautiful strong healthy hair that will not go bald in old age, good skin - no acne during adolescent years, healthy, well-formed and attractive body, divine health, beautiful smile, pretty lips, nice teeth and a dainty nose.

I always ask for a lot. 

God gives lae... look at Jie Jie...

Maternity Leave Day 1

Sent munch to school, brought mummy for breakfast, went to school for a while, had lunch with peck, glory played at her pool, had lunch with munch, watch sermons on DVD...

life is good =)

there's lots i need to do before Baby2 pops, and i shall get to them tomorrow, but MAN it feels good to be on leave! =)

Whose Car Is It Anyway?

So Munch chose the make and model (Suzuki Swift), and I chose the colour (red).  My in-laws paid for the downpayment, and Munch is paying for the remaining instalments. 

But whose car is it anyway?

By all appearances, it's Glory's.

Look in from the rear, and you’ll see a diaper bag, an extra stash of diapers, a monkey party hat, a portable foam-blade fan.

In the boot? 

An old balloon, a stroller, swimming ring, a beach chair and 2 picnic mats.

 

Back seat? 

Little Miffy, a birthday gift from Aunty Miffy Carol. Which Glory loves, by the way. Hand it to her in the car, and she’d smile and hold it affectionately to her face. Sometimes she even gives Miffy an affectionate nibble on its ears. (So avoid touching it, if you ever meet Little Miffy. You've been warned!)

 

At the front? 

These.

Ah, but these belong to Papa. 

Had to eat 4 boxes of cereals to get the whole collection ok. Dun play-play.

So it seems my only claim to the car is my stash of Giants Supermarket stamps. What?! Can redeem for free knife worth $40 leh!

Uh-huh, that's what motherhood does to me.

Aunty Shuyan.

Racial Harmony Month leh

Was looking for resources for Social Studies lessons when i came across an ABC production entitled "What Would You Do". They carried out social experiments and filmed them - kinda like Gotcha, but not for laughs.

I thought these were pretty good...

Vandals 1, 

Vandals 2

unearthing hidden prejudices - sometimes even hidden to the perpetrators themselves.

"Shopping while Black"

reactions of other shoppers when they witness a fellow shopper being unfairly treated - for being of a different race/ less well-dressed.

i loved how the 2 girls near the end of the show stood up for her. And i loved how their actions nudged the other shoppers into a mass exodus of the shop. When one person acts in courage, it gives the people around the courage to do the right thing too.

Refused service

i confess this made me cry. Ok, so did "Shopping While Black". But that's coz i'm very pregnant and hormonally out of whack. 

Anyway, i love it that the man whose son just returned from Iran stood up for the lady. And the crying girl with the Muslim friend. Some made a stand because of ideals and righteousness, some made a stand because of friendship and emotions. But they made a stand, and i think that's cool.

***

We all know that racial harmony is vital - we've been taught that, the press has reinforced that, the country's leaders are always reminding us of that. And it looks like we've been pretty good at it, going by the peaceful co-existence of our different races for many years. 

But do we know how much of it can be credited to real relationships, real goodwill, real love, real acceptance and appreciation? Or do we get to enjoy this peace, this racial harmony, only because the leaders are quick to act on the slightest signs of racial tension? (Eg having top leaders address the MP Fatimah/ Chinese temple issue, action against and press coverage of racist bloggers) 

Dare we look deeper than the enforced racial mixing, the impressive record of harmony, the organized community events, the survey results? 

Dare we do an experiment like this and test ourselves - when we think no one's staring at us to see if we give the politically-correct response, when we need to take initiative to act - what would we do?

I'm curious to see how this social experiment would pan out in Singapore. I hope we would pass with flying colours. 

But i suppose if the experiment shows up cracks and ugliness, it could end up being quite an incendiary program. 

But wouldn't it be a more honest look at how far (or not) we have REALLY come as a nation? Wouldn't it be more telling than just counting inter-ethnic events and citing survey results?(Eh, when asked "Do you think discrimination is right?" would you say yes? When asked "Is racial harmony important?" would you say no?) 

Aiyah, at the most, if it turns out that the results aren't good, just televise the parts where people respond "correctly" and leave the rest out. 

Don't report on how many did NOT help, just hail the televised folks as Model Citizens, and use it as another evidence that our Racial Harmony education is super effective lor.

Plus, it'll be a useful teaching material. =)