Dylan Wants to Knit

Which isn't a bad idea, really, though Kee Min's eyes popped when he heard that ("but, er..."). Boys can knit too!!! I figure, let a kid learn what he wants to when he wants to. He can decide later in life if he wants to keep knitting or not. Besides, haven't you seen the book "Knitting with Balls" for men? Might teach the boy some patience.

I Hate Mealtimes

This lack of tolerance to sugar (and milk, including soya milk) is really making mealtimes difficult, to say the least. It's 10am and I am *still* wondering what I could eat for breakfast that I am (1) not already sick of eating and (2) can actually eat, cos just about everything has sugar in it. Even Gardenia bread makes me ill... *groan*

What to eat...what to eat?

*sigh*

Knit Knack Paddywhack

Gimme a ball of yarn!

(=

The knitting's coming along, rather well, if I say so myself. I'm a quarter way through knitting Lauren's kimono wrap, and just got me more yarn to complete this little (in every sense of the word) project. I'm totally determined to have her come home in a full set of Mummy-Knitted clothes. *grin* Hope I'll manage to meet my own deadlines! 3 more months before her arrival! So excited!

My Planned Knitting Projects

I have to be nuts to think I can actually complete all of these... but here goes anyway:

1. Baby's first blankie
I'm not following the gauge with this one... I just like the pattern. Hopefully my re-knewbie knitter "agaration" turns out ok... heh heh...

2. MJ Booties!
OK. These are just too, too cute to pass on, ya? And with the apparent success of my mini test bootie, I think I'll try to knit at least 3 pairs.

3. Baby Mittens
Wish I could find nicer patterns for these, but I guess mittens generally look like these. I'll try to match them with the booties - hopefully there's enough yarn!

4. Play Rug
This is not quite a priority, yet, 'cos she probably won't need one until she starts sitting up, which will be a while later. Maybe a maternity leave project then.

5. Teddy Bear
I bought a book with a pretty nice teddy bear pattern and I really want to try it. I've already got the yarn type in mind. *grin*

6. Baby Kimono Wrap
This will be the first proper garment I'm attempting. Have already started on it. Hopefully my gauge conversion turns out right!

7. Baby Cardigan
I *want* to do this, but it'll be done pending the success of the Kimono Wrap I guess...

8. Playing Blocks
Again, not a priority until she's old enough to play. But they would be easy and mindless to do. Hahaha... mindless is always good for me. I'm totally not intending to use my brains during my maternity leave, I tell you... hahaha...

Oh the plans... Hold me to them!

My first test bootie

Not bad hor? hahaha... Now I can make the real thing. :D

Knit Knacks

I bought a super uber knitting needle set today. I'm absolutely mad. It cost me S$110. And it's not like I'm some super uber knitter. Yet. I doubt I ever will be, but I'm determined to be able to knit decently at least. It's my latest obsession. Heh... I've got all these knitting projects lined up for myself, starting with a baby blanket for my little one who's on her way. I've made tonnes of mistakes on that one already, but no matter still. I think baby will like it nonetheless. Just a small blanket measuring approximately 40x90cm. Won't last her too long, but I hope it'll be like a toy for her when she gets bigger... It'll be her very first blankie. :D

And then there are booties to be made. I love these and hope to make a few. :D Other projects possibly include this and this and this!

I've totally gone knuts over knitting.

A Nuisance

Dylan wanted a pet. Mum said no (but of course she would).

Dylan: Why?
Mum: Because it'd be a nuisance.
Dylan: But Megan and I are nuisances, and you have us.
Dad: PRECISELY.

In Memory

My Uncle passed away at 6.50am this morning in China.

He had been suffering from cancer for more than a decade now, but for a good part of those many years, he had been doing rather well. I think he was in remission for quite some time, but it came back in the last few years, and recently got rather bad.

We had all been hoping that he would at least hang in there a while longer, perhaps until winter when the weather would be better. The hot summer air had made it more uncomfortable for him this period.

My uncle was born here in Singapore, but due to a decision taken by my grandfather years ago to relocate the family back in China, my uncle was sent back as a little boy with my granduncle and a couple of other uncles just before the Cultural Revolution started. My dad was passed over for this return trip because he had taken ill at the time and could not travel. No one else ever went back, nor returned to Singapore. My uncle spent the rest of his growing years in China, away from his family.

Years after in the early 80s when the Singapore Government decided it was "safe" enough to let some Chinese relatives of Singaporeans visit on sponsored social passes, we managed to apply for my uncle to return for a month long visit. That was the first time I'd ever met my uncle, though my dad had told us many stories about his growing up years with my uncle, who was the next born after my dad. No doubt despite the distance all those years (and communication difficulties - my dad was schooled in English, my uncle in Chinese, and neither could easily write letters to the other back then; distance calls were not exactly the most affordable too), my dad and uncle were close. No one would deny they were brothers. I took to my uncle very quickly too - he was really very much like my dad, from looks to mannerisms and their love for chicken wings.

Like my dad, my Chinese has never been particularly good. Can't really write or read it well, and my spoken Mandarin is rather the pits. Nevertheless, I've always felt close to my uncle. Blood really is thicker than water. I'd try now and then to send the occasional SMS or email over in Chinese. I think my uncle understood my efforts to communicate, few and far between as they were. I wish I could've said more.

We visited him last year. As usual, I never managed to say much - can't speak Hainanese, don't understand Cantonese, Mandarin the pits. But it was nice sitting down for meals together with my uncle and family for three, short days. I was hoping he would be strong long enough for my baby to come, then I could at least send a photo over. He'd been asking for the longest time when we were going to start our own family.

I miss my uncle.

Vicious Cycle

I feel thirsty, cos my nose is blocked and I'm breathing through my mouth and that makes it dry.

So I keep drinking water.

But that makes me bloated. So I can't drink anymore water.

If I drink anymore, I'd throw up water.

But I'm thristy.

Damn.

I feel miserable.

It's Tough

There are days - many of which - when I'm just not enjoying this at all. They tell me I'm supposed to, but for the most part, honestly, I'm not liking it at all... I want to fast forward to Dec... This constant feeling of being ill when not really being ill is awful.

Korean Holiday, Seoul, Day 1

So here we are in Seoul... Hardly slept a wink in the plane last night. Am so glad I actually survived the night flight. The anti-nausea meds really worked. Hopefully, that would be all the help I need for keeping food in me for the rest of the trip. So far, so good.

It's about 9.20pm back in Singapore now, 10.20pm local time, but I am totally knackered already. Walked around so much today, though I can't say we went to many places. Just the palace grounds and Insadong shopping street. But boy, do my feet ache! I'm about to collapse in bed and go to lalaland, but before I do, a quick report on - THE FOOD!

We had ginseng chicken for lunch - ooh, yum! Didn't expect it to taste so yummy! They served it with soba noodles, and the chicken was stuffed with glutinous rice... yummy yummy! And then we had a sausage stick from a road side stall for tea, if you could call it tea. I was just hungry and it looked sinfully good. It was. :D And dinner - that was the ultimate! Korean BBQ! I will never step into Seoul Garden again. We had this really nice dish with thinly sliced beef cooked in soup ala steam boat style, wrapped in lettuce with glutinous rice and kojusang sauce... Dunno what it's called but it was DEEELISH!!!! Aiyah... hungry again...

:P

I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow! Hehehe...

Tune it up

Dylan, Mum and Dad are in the car. Dylan's watching Shrek on DVD in the back seat. Mum and Dad are listening to the dialogue on the player.

Mum: Dylan, can you tune it up back there?
Dylan: YOU MEAN LIKE THIS?!
Mum: Not you! The player!

Ordering in Style

Dylan: (Leaning back on his chair, finger tips of right hand tapping lightly against finger tips of left hand) Do you have Coke? or Pepsi?
Waiter: We have Coke.
Dylan: (Same pose) Do you have... Lime Coke?
Waiter: Yes we do.
Dylan: (Still in the same pose) Do you have... Lime Coke Float?
Waiter: Well, we don't, but I can see what we can do about it.
Dylan: (Contemplating) Alright. I'll have that then. Thank you.

Abacus Class?

Me: Since when did you have Abacus class?
Dylan: Hang on. (puts me on hold) Since 9 weeks ago.
Me: You went off to count?? So, since when?
Dylan: Well, Grandpa talked to me about the abacus before, and some questions later, I decided I wanted to take up a class, so Grandpa found me one.
Me: Some questions later??!

Maybe he has some time for me afterall...

So 1 o'clock didn't work too well.
Dylan: I'm a reading buddy now.
Me: What's that mean?
Dylan: I get to tutor some kids to read.
Me: I see.
Dylan: I have to do that on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays except Wednesdays. How does Wednesday sound, Yiyi?
Me:...
Dylan: Or we could always do Sunday after church.
Me: Er... Let me check. I'll call you back.

Making an Appointment with a 7½-year-old

Me: So, what do you do on Saturdays?
Dylan: I have Abacus class at 2pm, then Science class at 5pm.
Me: You sound busy.
Dylan: Why do you ask, yiyi?
Me: Was thinking of taking you to catch TMNT on Saturday.
Dylan: I see... I have 1 o'clock.
Me: ?!??? (He has 1 o'clock?!??)

Live the Digital Life!

Kee Min bought the 17" MacBook Pro last night. He has reclaimed his position as Computing Royalty since the demise of his iBook (which is in Apple Morgue right now undergoing an autopsy. They might be able to revive it yet, then I get to inherit it... How pathetic. Apple scraps, I oso want).

It just makes increasingly more sense to get the Mac for mobile computing. It's as powerful as a desktop. It comes with an inbuilt vidcam - don't need to spend more moolah on an external accessory which is so dteng-tor (cumbersome). It can do just about anything a PC can do. The sound quality is BRILLIANT! Like, FWAH! It's sleek and light even for its size - talk about REAL mobility! And it doesn't hurt that it looks real good.

The Fujitsu Lifebook looks like an embarrassment next to the MacBook Pro.

I want to sit at Coffee Bean with Kee Min's new piece of Computing Royalty. If only just to bask in the reflection of the silver casing...

Man of the House

We're all at Grandpa's home. Dad announces he's going out.

Dylan: OK! Now I'm the man of the house!
Me: No. Grandpa's still at home. And even if Grandpa went out, there's still Uncle Kee Min. So it's not quite your turn yet.
Dylan: But Mum says that whenever Dad's not in, I'm the man of the house.
Me: True, but this is Grandpa's house, so you have to wait your turn.
Dylan: ...

Be my valentine

Date: Thu 01 Feb 2007

Act 1 Scene 1: Inside Nissan Sunny. On the way to school.

Grandson: Gramps, When is Valentine's Day?
Gramps: It's on 14 Feb, Grandson. That would make it about two weeks away.
Grandson: I know who my Valentine's going to be.
Gramps: Who, Grandson?
Grandson: Magdelene.
Gramps: Oh? Is she from Henry Park?
Grandson: Yes.
Gramps: Is she your classmate?
Grandson: Yes.
Gramps: Was she in your class last year too?
Grandson: Yes.
Gramps: And you notice her only this year?
Grandson: No! Of course I've noticed her since last year.

Act 1 Scene 2: Inside Nissan Sunny. On the way home from school.

Gramps: How was school today, Grandson?
Grandson: Fine.
Gramps: How's your Valentime?
Grandson: Fine
Gramps: What's her full name, by the way? Magdalene what?
Grandson: Shutler. [Not sure if Gramps got it right.]
Gramps: Shutler? So she's not Chinese?
Grandson: No. She's Others.

(talk about success in Singapore's CMIO policy... hahaha)

All Grown Up

Kee Min: (to me) ... the Science Centre's a bit kiddy, don't you think?
Dylan: (from behind) No. I don't think it's kiddy at all. Are the robots still on display? They're kinda good...

[At Primary 2, he's certainly all grown up. Primary 1 - now that's kiddy.]