Bathing A Newborn

My son Josh was born 2 weeks earlier than his due date.

It was an induced labour as my doctor established that Josh was safer outside my body than inside my womb as I had complications during the pregnancy and because of my history of miscarriages. 

Story of my miracle baby here.

When Josh was delivered, he was no bigger than our family cat! 

He looked so tiny and frail!

And I would burst into tears each time I looked at him!

I had a bad case of post-partum blues and I just couldn't bring myself to bathe my precious baby. 

I was terrified of hurting my little bubbaleh — he looked so fragile!

The hubs would bathe him every morning before he left for his office.

I only started to bathe Josh when I got over my fear and anxiety after the 4th month of his birth.

This video of a Vietnamese soon-to-be grandpa teaching his son and  daughter-in-law how to bathe a newborn made me smile!

Haha! He couldn't have picked a cuter prop!

Kolam 2020

Around this time for the past few years, I would be hopping from mall to mall to photograph kolams for the upcoming Deepawali/Diwali festival.

This year, Covid-19 has stolen the fun from me.

Here, you might instead enjoy these photos I snagged from a local newspaper!

Kolam 2020

image credit - S.S Kanesan, Art Chen & Sia Hong Kiau

You can see photos of kolams I've captured over the years here - 2019, 2018, 2014.

Wishing all my Hindu pallies a very Happy *Deepavali in advance!

For those who are new to my blog, below is an excerpt from a previous post explaining what Deepavali/Diwali and kolam/rangoli are.

* Deepavali/Diwali also known as the Festival of Lights is celebrated by the Hindu Community to symbolize the triumph of good over evil; the victory of light over dark.

The entrances to Hindu homes are decorated with fresh mango leaves and kolams. It is believed that Lakshmi, The Goddess of Wealth, will only enter a home that is adorned with a *kolam. 

* Kolam is an ancient Indian art of drawing using colored rice grains or powdered rice to form symmetrical geometric patterns on the floor. The Hindus believe that a kolam at the entrance of a house will usher prosperity and harmony to the home. It is also believed that a kolam wards off evil spirits and diseases.

Another purpose of the kolam is to invite birds and small insects like ants to a home to symbolize man’s co-existence with and consideration for other living things.

Traditionally, the ritual is performed daily by the women of a household early in the morning.

Fun Kolam Facts 

1. The lines in a kolam must be continuous and unbroken so that evil cannot enter the house via the gaps.

2. The patterns are traditionally passed on from mothers to their daughters.

3. Kolam in the Tamil language means form and beauty.

4. As the kolam erases during the course of the day by birds and insects feeding on the rice, people's foot steps and the natural elements, a new kolam is drawn again the next morning, thus repeating the cycle. It imparts the idea that life is renewed daily.

Indy

This is Indy, one of the dogs my son bathed at the animal shelter he volunteered at.

She is now in a forever home.

Suicide

Yesterday, my sister from Singapore texted me and shared the tragic news that the daughter of a mutual friend of ours had taken her own life.

She was 23.

My sister and I were both shaken by the heartbreaking news.

My first thought was for the mom of the deceased.

I wept for her. 

No mother should ever have to go through this. 

Suicide never really steals the life of just one person and no parent should ever bury their child.

No one suspected our friend's daughter was struggling with depression or maybe we just didn't recognize the signs.

She always seemed so chirpy and full of zest for life.

We are still grappling with the news of her sudden demise.

I feel compelled to share this video my sister sent and hope to bring awareness to those in need.

WARNING

This video contains themes some viewers may find distressing

Doreen and Elaine helped to set up the PleaseStay movement in Singapore, addressing youth mental health and suicide.

@@@

   

If you ever find yourself in a dark place in your life, PLEASE let that one spark of light in.

Hold on to it.

Please, please, I beg of you, please STAY!

Talk to someone, anyone — a family member, a friend, your parish priest, counsellor or even a perfect stranger.

No matter how hopeless the situation, always remember where there is life, there is hope.

If you or someone you know have been affected by mental heath issues , please visit samaritans.org or befrienders,org

There is always someone there for anyone who needs someone.

Here We Go Again!

 Noooooooo! 

Dang!

Unfortunately, we find ourselves at the start of another partial lockdown again due to a sudden resurgence of Covid-19 cases in my country. 

Our government enforced the Targeted Enhanced Movement Control Order (TEMCO) in high-risk areas and my suburb is one of the hot spots.

This really sucks! 

When will this nightmare ever end?

Phat Phong, Kaddu, Labu

The monsoon season has started and the cooler temps almost feel like fall over here in my corner of the world.

And fall screams PUMPKINS to me!

There's nothing like a hot and spicy pumpkin curry to warm hungry tummies on a cold day.

Here are my favourite pumpkin curry recipes to share.

ENJOY!

THAI STYLE

Gaeng Paed Phat Phong  (Red Curry Pumpkin)

INDIAN STYLE

Kaddu Ki Sabji (Pumpkin Masala)

MALAY STYLE

Masak Kuning Bayam & Labu (Spinach and Pumpkin Yellow Curry)

Happy fall y’all !

A Dinner Treat

My younger son Rodney treated the hubs and me to dinner to celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary.

Rodney is in his final semester of university and the money came from the voice-over gigs he has been doing part time. 

We are so proud of this young man that we have raised and truly appreciate his sweet and thoughtful gesture.

  Thank you, son!

Ah, the rollercoaster ride that is parenting!

During those teen years, he and his elder brother were a constant challenge to my patience and a full-on attack on my sanity!

 YES, parenting is the toughest and most rewarding job you'll ever have.

The Balloon Girl

 This mural grabbed my attention when I was ambling around the Straits Quay promenade. 

I thought the artist's style was vaguely familiar. 

Turned out, I was right. The artist is Lithuanian Ernest Zacharevic of international fame.

I find the artist's signature style of involving real props in his street art fascinating.

From the archives (2013)

More photos here.

How to order Kopi 101

Me : Kopi-O *satu, Kopi-Ping satu, Kopi-Cham satu, Kopi-Si satu.

Waiter: Okay, boss!

 *satu in Malay means one.

A typical kopitiam 

Yep, that was coffee lingo and I had just ordered black coffee for myself, iced coffee with condensed milk for hubby, coffee+tea for Josh and coffee with evaporated milk for Rodney in a Malaysian kopitiam (coffee shop).

Suffixes to the word 'Kopi' are codes to indicate to the waiter how you like your coffee.

O = black with sugar

Si = with sugar and evaporated milk

Cham = with tea  Yes, coffee mixed with tea for those who can't make up their mind and want both!

Ping  = with ice

Kosong = without sugar

Kaw = extra strong

These codes can be interchangeably used for 'Teh' (tea in  Malay). 

So if you want a cup of black coffee with ice, you would say Kopi-O-Ping!

And if you don't want sugar in it, say  Kopi-O-Ping-Kosong!

Now you can order your coffee or tea like a boss in a local kopitiam!

Interestingly, kopi or tea without ice is always served in this standard ceramic cup and saucer set with the traditional Chinese green floral design in all old-school kopitiams wherever you are in Malaysia.

#MalaysianCoffee #KopitiamCulture #CoffeeLingo #LocalBoss #CulturalTraditions #KopiOrdering #CoffeeExperience #MalaysianCulture #KopitiamLife #FlavorsOfMalaysia

Snoopy

My younger son Rodney volunteered at an animal shelter recently with a group of his former high school classmates.

Together, they bathed 200 + dogs!

Meet Snoopy, one of the dogs at the shelter.

Isn't he adorable!

Hungry Ghosts

Oh, oh, it's that time of the year again when the gates of hell are open and  ravenous ghosts are released to wander the earth!

In case you are wondering what the heck I am talking about, you can read about the festival here.

During this period, offerings of candles, joss sticks, food and drinks to fete the wandering spirits are seen on roadsides.

Throughout the entire Ghost Month, several superstitions and beliefs are observed and wandering out after dark (more so when you are alone) is totally taboo, lest you bump into one of  'them' !

Interestingly, I noticed that starving stray dogs do not go near these food offerings in the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival —  they would rather scavenge the trash bins nearby!

You reckon they see something we humans can't see??

The Writing On The Wall

Patience is certainly a virtue my son, Josh, sadly lacks.

Growing up, Josh had quite a temper and his raging outbursts when things didn't go his way used to cause me great alarm.

I recall a funny (not so funny then) incident that happened when he was little.

Josh was attempting to fly his kite together with his younger brother and cousin when all three kites became entangled.

The boys tried to unravel their strings. While the other two patiently worked on the tangled mess, Josh gave up and threw a hissy fit. He started to shout and stamp about, impatient to get his kite flying again.

We were in my uncle's village and there were chickens running around.

Suddenly, a cockerel that was perching on a fence near Josh started to crow loudly.

"You! Shut up!" Josh yelled angrily at the cockerel!

Several villagers who witnessed the whole incident burst out laughing!

*"Ayam pun kena marah!"  One of the villagers remarked amusedly in Malay.

*Loosely translates as "even the chicken gets scolded"

I was more angry at his bad behavior than amused but looking back, it was pretty hilarious!

You should have seen the look on the cockerel's face!

After the chicken episode, I stuck this wall decal in Josh's room as a daily reminder of his short fuse.

I am happy to say that over the years, he has learnt to tame his temper.