AQ + QoS = a date

yay! i am going to watch Avenue Q!

i don't usually watch musicals, productions and concerts for the simplest reason: they can be quite expensive, especially if you want good seats. also, the hub doesn't really fancy them so we'd go only if we have complimentary tickets.

we were watching TV a few nights ago when the Avenue Q commercial was screened. it’s touted as ‘Sesame Street’ with a very grown up twist! i casually expressed my interest to watch the musical.

the next day, the hub sent me an sms and asked if i wanted to watch the musical as there was credit card promotion/redemption - but he had mistakenly thought the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace was the title of the musical. since the both of us hadn't watched any James Bond movie in years, we decided to make a date to catch it, though we didn't decide on a day.

just before lunch, i was chatting to dev and he told me he was going to catch Avenue Q today (the preview show). i was sooooooooooooooooo envious and it got me SERIOUSLY thinking about watching the musical. so after lunch i emailed the hub about it and his reply was:

"i am fine to go. not my type. but for my wife, why not?"

aaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

isn't he just the sweeeeest person EVER?

anyway, i logged onto the sistic website and bought the tickets online for 13 november 2008, thursday. after a 10% discount, i paid S$150 and they aren't even the best seats in the house!

*gulp*

i know, i know, i know. considering the sluggish and bearish economy, i really should be tightening my purse strings and not splurge unnecessarily. my only argument is that i don't watch musicals often (once in a few years) and i'm giving myself a treat.

and to be fair to my self-sacrificing hub, i suggested that we'd go catch Quantum of Solace first (so that he can have his popcorn and nachos) and then watch Avenue Q at The Esplanade. in that way, we both get to watch something we like!

i know it sounds strange, but i'm excited about the date with the hub. it's been quite a while since we went out together without the kids.

ok, will need to apply for leave for the all-important thursday now.ow.

*wooooooo-hoooooooooooo!*

milk transporter

here's something i can't leave home without these days:


it's my trusty milk transporter!

my 6-year-old coleman mini-cooler is a bit worn around the ages and scarred with numerous scratches. but the most important thing is that it still works!

i've had too many people shooting weird glances at me when i carry my coleman cooler. at the workplace, some would confidently jerk their heads towards the box and ask, "you're going for a picnic?" or "is that our lunch?"

i really never know how to reply them without making them (mostly the men) feel squeamish or downright uncomfortable. so my answers will range from "er...no. it's for my baby. i'm breastfeeding" (the most straightforward reply) to "no, it's my baby's lunch" (this adds further confusion).

most of the guys will zip up immediately and look away, but not before revealing an embarrassed 'woah-too-much-info' expression. the ladies often nod with enthusiasm and smile, "that's very good! keep it up!" or "wow, you're still breastfeeding! how old is your baby?"

actually, i'm quite unfazed by the questions and reactions. especially since i've been lugging the coleman out and about since xian's birth in 2002, after i returned to work following my 2 months of maternity leave. what's more, i take the public transport so you can imagine the stares i get whenever i board the bus or train.

it can be super bulky and horribly inconvenient, and i've even brought it to town when i'm on half-day leave and need to run errands. but it serves the purpose of keeping my expressed milk freshly cool until i reach home and transfer the bottles into the refrigerator or freezer. in fact, right after i pump out the milk, i store them immediately into my coleman (with 4 ice bricks) and it functions like a mini-fridge!
ah, the things mums do for their kids. i sure hope my girls will appreciate all my efforts when they grow up. in the meantime, i'll still be carrying my coleman cooler around till wei gets older and doesn't rely entirely on my milk for sustenance. and that's probably in about 6 months to a year's time.

Jay and The Lost Boys

i'm very pleased to note that one of my current favourite comic strips is finally up:

http://jayandthelostboys.blogspot.com/

the Otter and @Ittor (author and editor - i get it, guys) are my former students who're unleashing their brand of humour and creativity on innocent, unsuspecting readers in the blog sphere.

note: in order to really understand what the heck they're going on about in their strips, you've first got to be movie buff. secondly, you've got to be warped in the humour department.

unfortunately, if you don't meet either of the above mentioned criteria, you'll find it rather tough to comprehend some of their story lines.

my only gripe so far? they're not producing the strips fast enough.

nevertheless, i'm proud of the guys. keep it going you two!

barefoot

i walked barefoot in the school compound for 2 minutes this morning...

...and this has nothing to do with me starting a new exercise routine.

you see, on my way to work, the strap of my left shoe broke. i was already at the bus stop when i noticed the loose strap. then as i was boarding the school bus, it suddenly gave way. and it was too late for me to go back and change another pair of shoes.

so when i alighted, i took off both my shoes and threw them into bin. fortunately, there wasn't anyone around when i entered the lift and got out on my floor else they'd think me mad to walk around without any footwear!

i slipped into the room unnoticed - walking barefoot has its advantages of stealth - and grabbed my reeboks. (i'm thankful for keeping my running shoes in the office). and it just so happens that today i'm in semi-casual garb of a long-sleeved linen shirt and corduroy jeans, and wearing them with my sports shoes won't look too awkward.

a few of my colleagues raised an eyebrow when they noticed my choice of footwear (i don't usually wear track shoes during office hours) so i had to explain my misfortune.

ah well, i suppose it's just one of those days. i think i'd better keep a spare pair of heels at work in case a repeat of today's incident occurs.

new term, extra work

i take pride in being able to multi-task at work and so far, i've been able to do so without buckling under pressure though i'll admit i'm feeling swamped at the moment.

the new term started on monday and i was prepared mentally to take on more than usual as my colleague GR's still on medical leave after his operation a few weeks back. and while trying to make arrangements for his classes, the bosses screened through all our time-tables and found that i could combine his classes with mine (or i was available to teach his students) for most of his slots.

i don't mind the extra teaching cos i think it's part and parcel of work - helping colleagues when they need it - but i didn't count on how energy-zapping those extra hours were going to be.

plus i've been tasked to oversee this particular core subject for the term. i'd spent several weeks working on the changes and updates to the materials, including new inputs by a few other colleagues. i managed to send the materials to print before the deadline and also conducted 2 briefing sessions to the tutors last week to get them prepared for the term.

we've got a bumper crop of 63 classes and 31 tutors (including 12 adjuncts and several lecturers who're teaching the subject for the first time). this meant that for the first 2 days, i was the most "sought-after" person in my room because someone somewhere needed to clarify information, get materials or help from me.

i'm now taking a short break in between classes to write this entry but will have to pop back for my 4-6pm tutorial soon.

and of course, once i'm back home, i've to wear my mumsy hat and care for my 3 girls.

heck, i'm so tired it's not even funny.

home. sick.

i'm back from my 8 day trip to western australia. touched down at singapore changi airport at about 9.20pm on sunday night, 5 october 2008.

it was a lovely break, marred by my falling horribly ill on sunday itself. i wasn't able to sleep much the night before, tossing and turning in bed, waking up with chills and feeling too warm the next hour. but it was only after we checked out of the hotel and headed for breakfast that i just wanted to crawl back under the covers.

i was attacked by a nasty stomach flu. plus too much of rich food, and an overdose of dairy products and meat.

naturally i didn't eat any breakfast as i was overwhelmed by nausea. just the mere thought of food was enough to scramble to the toilet to throw up. the hub had planned to take the kids to AQWA - The Aquarium of Western Australia but i was in no condition (or desire) to go anywhere, except the washroom.

since our flight back to singapore was at 3.55pm, we had some time to spare so the hub went ahead as planned and drove to AQWA. throughout the journey, i was slumped in the backseat with a plastic bag hovering within inches of my face, ever-ready to barf.

wei didn't help the situation with her constant screaming (she doesn't like to be in the car for too long) and the older girls' constant squabbling over nothing and MIL's constant yelling to settle them only added to my throbbing headache.

when we arrived at AQWA, the hub brought xian and wen along while i stayed in the car with wei, MIL and FIL. that was the best arrangement we could figure out as both MIL and FIL weren't too keen on going and even if the hub slung wei in the sarong she wouldn't have understood what was happening.

i tried to take a nap in the car and i think the rest did me some good as i didn't feel as yucky as i did in the morning. at the airport, i managed to consume 1/4 of a cinnamon croissant before boarding the plane. once on the aircraft, i only drank orange juice and water and stole a few pieces of cut fruit from xian's tray since i couldn't eat any savoury food.

actually, i think i would have recovered a little faster if i didn't have to care for a cranky baby. everyone else had some shut-eye time but i wasn't so fortunate.

wei's a bit claustrophobic - she doesn't like to be confined in spaces like the car and airplane - and creates a ruckus when we don't attend to her needs immediately. thankfully, both the MIL and FIL were seating with me and they both took turns to bounce her on their laps and "entertain" her till she got bored and yelled herself hoarse and i carried her back to my seat.

well, my baby terrorliza ain't called screamy for no reason.

the hub was a real sweetie as well. he decided to carry wei during the plane's descend, knowing full well that she'd erupt into another chorus of wails because of the discomfort in her ears due to the change in air pressure. both xian and wen chipped in to distract and comfort wei during the last 15 minutes on the plane until we touched landed. amazingly, the minute wei was placed back in the sarong and we left the plane she became silent again.

monsterina, rascalrella and baby terrorliza (with a 'buay song' look)

usually at the end of any holiday, i'd be moody because i'd wish i could extend my vacation. this time round, i couldn't wait to get back to the comfort of home so that i could enjoy a good rest instead of rushing around after the kids in a foreign land.

*sigh*

it was a real pity that i was ill towards the tail-end of the trip. not the most wonderful ending of an enjoyable holiday with the family. but we did have lots of fun, and we managed to do what we'd mapped out to accomplish. i'd give this trip an 8/10, points lost only because i became sick.

having said that, i can't WAIT for our next family vacation. but first, the hub and i have got to recover from the huge hole in our savings caused by the holiday expenses. plus with the current economic and financial peril, i'm not too hopeful that we'll be able to afford another trip so soon.

we'll see it goes. by the way, we took about 546 photos during our 9 day western australia holiday and i'll need some time to sort them out, so won't be posting them up so soon. :)