Oh baby baby, how was I supposed to know.
The other day, I was out in the garden with Kaylin after a downpour when I noticed how pretty the flowers looked with raindrops on them. That was when I realised how long it had been since I really looked at flowers. So I took a few photographs. Then we saw a snail, and I realised how long it had been since I saw one. So I took another photograph. And I decided I really must do this more often.
After four months of hopeful optimism (read: delusion), I have finally come to terms with the fact that the thrice-weekly gym sessions I endured enjoyed throughout my pregnancy are very much a thing of the past. These days, I’d be lucky to get any “me” time before 11pm and since I do not fancy pounding away on the treadmill in the middle of the night…
So in an attempt to get some semblance of regular exercise, I’ve been trying to take Kaylin for a walk every evening. Most days, we wander around my in-laws’ garden and don’t even make it out the front gate, although there was this one Saturday when we managed a walk to the neighbourhood basketball court and back – a grand total of, er, 500m.
It doesn’t sound like much but really, it’s a three-in-one exercise programme. Walking stretches and works my muscles, carrying a 6kg baby in my arms counts as weight training, and if I walk fast enough to get slightly breathless, it becomes a cardio workout. Or so I tell myself.
Here we are, out in the garden one evening. I like it best when it’s slightly gloomy and there’s a breeze. Kaylin’s practising her Blue Steel for when she becomes a rock star.
This is probably one of those photos that, if my daughter ever ends up in therapy, will be pinpointed as the source of whatever reason Kaylin is seeing a shrink in the first place. I don’t know why that comes to mind. Must be her slightly… traumatised expression.
…makes all those 4am feedings worth it.
This is Kaylin’s favourite toy at the moment, and our surefire way of keeping her entertained in her cot for a good half hour or so. Watch out for her smiling at the 25-second mark.
Baby Kaylin at two weeks old and a photo of hubby I quietly took one morning with my mobile phone. She’s looking more and more like her daddy everyday.
“An ancient species of everlasting plants known as the Resurrection plant that can withstand almost total dehydration for decades (losing 98% of its water content) and return to life unscathed when rehydrated … The Rose of Jericho is also said to have mystical properties and bring peace, harmony and abundance.”
I am so not the gardening type, but I was curious enough to put this in a bowl of water, almost a year after I first received it with a press release. I got it all shrivelled up and this is what it looks like after it has bloomed. It reminds me of those Chinese tea things that start out as a ball and blossom into a flower when you add hot water. This is probably going to be the only thing I ever “plant” in a long, long time to come.
Our Chinese New Year reunion dinner was exceptionally pretty this year. Y and I have never been big on the whole visiting shebang, and luckily for us, neither are our families. Here’s wishing you a wonderful Chinese New Year break, one that turns out just the way you hope for it to, and an even better year of the Tiger ahead. Gong Xi Fa Cai!
The Akad Nikah is the marriage contract or marriage solemnization part of a traditional Muslim wedding. I knew a little bit about it, things I’d learned from photographs, friends and wedding assignments for work, but until yesterday morning, I’d never actually attended one before.
The thing that struck me the most was how simple and communal everything was. The couple’s closest friends and family gathered around them for the ceremony, some sitting on the floor, others standing around. It felt really homely because it was held in the groom’s living room – some opt to have their ceremony in a mosque – and everyone just seemed laidback and happy without detracting from the solemnness of the occasion. I thought there was something really beautiful about that aspect of it.
In the picture, the groom is taking his marriage vows and signing the marriage contract before a religious official while the bride looks on. The bride doesn’t get to say anything during the ceremony, which I’ll admit felt a little weird to me.
The couple exchanging wedding rings after the ceremony. In more conservative fashion, the bride kisses her new husband’s hand while the groom kisses his new wife on the forehead. Unlike the Western ‘you may kiss the bride’ custom, which feels romantic, this feels really sweet. And did I mention that the newlyweds are absolutely darling?
In December 2007, the boys, Sivin and I sat down to dinner and wrote predictions for ourselves and for each other. Without reading any of them, we put all the slips of paper into a box and we were supposed to open the box at the end of 2008 to see whether our predictions came true.
This is how good we are at procrastinating: we finally opened the box this New Year’s Eve. And the interesting thing is, way more of our predictions came true in 2009 than in 2008. Are we better at looking into the farther-future as opposed to the nearer-future or did the extra year simply increase our chances of getting something right?
Just off the top of my head, these were some of the predictions for me:
I would buy at least two pairs of shoes: Too easy. I’ve bought two pairs of shoes in a day.
I would sponsor a World Vision child: We did. Two, in fact.
Hubby and I would have a major fight: We had our worst ever fight in early 2009.
I would learn to cook: Technically I do know how to. I just suck. If it meant I would cook more, it didn’t happen.
I would cook a meal for the guys: Nope, didn’t happen either.
I would find a close female friend: I think it meant one here in KL. All my closest girlfriends are overseas. And no, that didn’t come true.
Hubby and I would think about starting a family: We talked about it in mid-2009. And decided not to just yet.
I would get pregnant: Less than a month after our talk… well, you know what happened.
Hubby would admit that I was right in front of all the boys: I can’t remember if that actually happened but I must say he’s become a lot more… receptive over the last two years.
Y would become a better husband: Yes. Especially in 2009. After that major fight.
Reading others’ predictions for you tells you a lot about how they perceive you and what they hope for you. There were two predictions on cooking, two on starting a family, at least three on our marriage. These are just ten of them. There were heaps more. And as G said, whether or not they came true didn’t matter, they warmed his heart. And mine.
