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We went to the doctor's today and here's the report (I know that Grandma A is anxious about baby's update!):
Baby is 9 weeks and 2 days old as of today and is 2.5 cm in length. When we looked at him/her on the ultrasound this morning, he/she twitched a few times - very cute! You can see on the above printout limb buds that would grow into hands and feet. So beautiful!
I'Ching isn't feeling too awful overall except for the occasional mood changes (from exhilaration to depression) but she's thankful that she has no real morning sickness. She's beginning to notice a pattern of her so-called cravings where she finds herself constantly thinking of foods she grew up eating - like Ipoh fishball noodles, "chee cheong fun" (Chinese rice noodle roll), Ipoh-style curry noodle and "chu chap chook" (congee with deep fried pig intestines) (Don't worry, baby's Grandma, such crazily exotic food will not harm the little one!)
Brian has been a most supportive husband where he would patiently endure his wife's whims and fancies. In fact, today, though he loathes being seen with a women's purse, he carried I'Ching's all the way from the doctor's to home as she was advised not to stress herself after her blood test. Ah...parenthood changes everything!
Most of you who read this blog would know by now that Brian and I are parents. I am seven weeks and three days along in my pregnancy. It still feels surreal sometimes that I have a human person growing inside of me but reality kicks in in the form of extreme exhaustion and intense hunger pangs.
It is predictable what the first questions are when someone finds out that I'm pregnant and I'll spare you the inquiry:
Anyone: Oh, how far along are you?
Me: Seven weeks and counting!
Anyone: Any morning sickness?
Me: No, I don't think so, except for the occasional nausea.
Anyone: Any cravings?
Me: I'm not sure if you'd consider them cravings but I'm always hungry for something! I guess, you could say that I'm craving for food, in general!
Brian reports that I also do not have radical mood swings (good for him!) and things have been rather smooth so far. There have been moments of anxiety and uncertainty but the awareness and reminder that this child is a blessing from God assures us that even now, the life of our little one is in his hands.
*Disclaimer: Belly in picture is NOT mine!!! :)
It's almost been a month since we moved into our new place. I am still getting used to the small space (where wherever I turn, I bump into Brian!) and getting into the habit of NOT stocking up on anything as we simply do not have the storage space.
Nonetheless, we are beginning to enjoy our new nest (more so Brian than I) and I must say that the view from our kitchen window is breathtaking - especially at night. It faces south where the Straits of Singapore is (that's where the East Coast Park beach I mentioned in an earlier post is). In the evening, we can sometimes hear ships sounding their horn. In fact, on a clear day, we may even catch a glimpse of an Indonesian island far in the horizon. Following is the view in the day and at night:
So, we survived our move! Come Monday and we would have moved into our new place one, oops, two weeks! Wow, I have totally lost track of time. The first few days post-move were trying for us - we had to keep throwing things out to fit our new small apartment (though we had started to trash before the move).
Finally, after four nights of going to bed at 4 am, we unpacked most of our boxes (Brian did really well with the books and CDs) and we felt almost settled again. Our phone and internet were hooked up by the second day and we had our curtains up (thanks to our friend, Richard, from church) by the third.
We (well, mostly I) breathed a huge sigh of relief as I cannot operate in the midst of disorder. Now that it's our new home, this small space actually feels pretty cozy. However, before I could enjoy our new place, I was due for travel again - this time to Grand Rapids in the US to attend a four-day conference (Acton University 2008). It is a long way to travel for such a short program but it's really worth it. I'm presently making this entry in my hotel room right after the end of the conference. The content, tone and mission of the program has been nothing but inspiring. Now I dread my 26-hour trip home tomorrow.
Some pixs from my visit: 1) view from the conference area; 2) sculpture that commemorates Grand Rapids as the first city in the world to put fluoride in its drinking water; 3) a sure sign that I'm in tornado-land!
While I'm here, Brian has been exploring our new neighborhood. He's been enjoying taking walks to the beach (East Coast Park) which he claims is only 20 minutes away (see below). We'll post pixs of our new place as soon as I get home.
We have been working on our move since this morning. Other than for lunch and dinner, we hardly took any break. Our bodies, especially our feet, are exhausted! Moving is not new to either of us.
I remember moving every few years when I was a kid as my parents always rented. However when I was child, I only had to pack the stuff in my room and that's really not a lot. Now that were grown-ups and have our own household, it's a totally different ball game! For example, I never knew it's so much trouble defrosting a fridge and getting it ready to be moved. I can't wait to be settled again!
Oops, our break is up and I'll leave you with some new pixs that just came in:
1) Church friend's wedding last weekend (can you spot us?)
2) Brian teaching the Adult Sunday School at our church on Sunday.
Our living room is filled with boxes and boxes of mostly books. We're almost ready to move in three days' time but I don't feel like I am prepared for it emotionally. I, I'Ching, have just returned from Manila. It was a good trip - a fruitful one in many ways. I visited some friends from another US-based Apologetics organization who're in the Philippines to teach at a conference. Interestingly enough, though I was not on the list to speak, the organizer had referred to me as one of the speakers (see pix below).
On the flights I was able to catch two movies which I think are worth checking out:
1) I could never be your woman (Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd)
2) Dan in real life (Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche)
I guess our next entry will be done at our new place. Till then, we're here.
It's been a while since our last entry. This is due to our present state of existence which is extremely hectic, busy and stressful. I, I'Ching, have been traveling: was in India for a little over a week and then immediately to Malaysia (with Brian) for a weekend of teaching.
Brian has been doing most of the packing till this week when I can finally do my share. I have to leave again for a few days to the Philippines - hence I've to ensure that I put in enough packing before I leave. My mom has so kindly traveled down for a few days to help me some. Do keep us in your prayers during this stressful time.
Needless to say, the apartment is in a mess - very troubling to my soul which very much prefers order and tidiness. We can't wait till it's mid-June when we can have a few weeks of "calmness".
The whole of last week was an eventful one. First, my sister visited us in Singapore over the weekend. It was a lot of fun (it's always fun when she visits!) involving lots of window-shopping, eating out at restaurants which Brian and I typically do not go on our own and fantasizing about our dream Chan-family vacation (due to life circumstances we've not taken a holiday together as a family since I was 11!).
Then, on Monday (sister left for home on Sunday), I got a call from her in the morning that our maternal grandmother (we all, including Brian, call her PohPoh) is very sick. Then, at 5 pm, I got another call from sister that PohPoh has had a hemorrhaging stroke and has been sent to the hospital. We did not know what to expect as we waited anxiously for my parents to update us on her situation. By the next morning, it was decided that she'll be operated on. As PohPoh is in her mid-80's, the risk of such a surgery was expected to be high.
Brian and I were of two minds about dropping all we had to do and travel to Ipoh Malaysia to see her. On one hand, my parents told us to wait and see, on the other hand, we didn't want to arrive at her bedside when it's too late. Unlike my sister and other cousins, I share a special bond with PohPoh as I was left with PohPoh for the first few years of my life as my parents worked in another city. Needless to say I'm her favorite grandchild.
Though I was scheduled to go to Jakarta on Friday for work, by late Tuesday afternoon I was on a flight to Kuala Lumpur to meet my sister who then drove us to Ipoh (two hour drive). By the time we arrive Ipoh, PohPoh had already come out of surgery. She was still semi-conscious when we visited her but doctor said she's a very strong woman. True enough, she was discharged from the hospital today (merely a week after her stroke). Seeing that she's okay we left for home the next day.
I even made it to Jakarta for a weekend of speaking engagements. Brian had to come with me last minute as my colleague was not well and could not make it.
The difficult part begins now for my family in Ipoh - PohPoh is now staying with my parents and it's been very hard taking care of her. Besides, my mom is not young herself and she is narcoleptic. We're hoping to hire help to assist my mom with PohPoh but the hiring process takes time. Our family needs lots of prayers right now.
I was only away for a night (for work) and Brian's fallen sick! Down with a rather bad cold, we've been trying to self-medicate (Nyquil at night and Panadol Cold in the day) before opting for the last resort of going to the doctor's. It's not a great week for Brian to be sick as he has to preach on Sunday at our home church (always not an easy task to preach at one's home church!).
I, on the other hand, have been trying to fulfill my role as the caring spouse - trying to nurse my poor husband to health by making sure that he takes his medication and gets enough fluid. One of the challenges I face is deciding which is better for him - chicken soup or chicken congee.In the West (particularly in the US), when one is ill, it is traditional to have chicken soup. 
However, my Chinese upbringing taught me that chicken congee is the way to go for someone who is sick. If you think about it, it makes sense to have congee as the carb would fuel the energy the sick needs. Therein lies my predicament - should I feed Brian with chicken soup (his tradition) or should I go with my Chinese instinct to give him chicken congee? In the end, I settled for a compromise - chicken soup for lunch and chicken congee for dinner. He seemed to have enjoyed the congee when he had it last evening (the ginger in it helps loosen the sinus).
So, please pray for Brian - that he'll recover soon enough for the long weekend ahead!
Last week, at a seminar in Malaysia on Syariah Law, the governing officer wants non-Muslims committing khalwat (close proximity - click on "close proximity" for full news article) with Muslims to also be held liable but charged in the civil courts and not the Islamic Syariah Court. This proposal was of course dropped the next day following objections from various human rights advocate bodies.
Ironically, on the same day, Brian had an interesting encounter here in Singapore that is related to "close proximity." Here's what happened: it was a sultry day late in the afternoon when most people who live on our building were either at work or in school. Brian, who has been working hard all day at home on his research, decided to take a break and come visit me at my office. Instead of taking the lift, for some reason, he decided that he would take the stairs. As he walked down the stairs from our 6th floor, he was very quiet as he was wearing his sneakers. He tried to multi-task by sending me a text message on his phone. As he approached the 4th floor, he sensed that there were some people sitting on the stairs of the 3rd but he didn't take too much notice of it. Then, as he approached the 3rd floor, he saw the backs of a middle-aged Malay Muslim couple who was engaged in a somewhat compromising position. Specifically, the man's face (or was it his mouth?) was against (or was it on?) one of the the woman's, well, boobs! And underneath her blouse and headscarf!!! As Brian was so silent, they hadn't notice his coming and hence were caught in the (some) act!
Brian being Brian was both amused and embarrassed and hurried down the stairs pretending that he didn't see anything. But we all know that they were in "close proximity"! We speculated that they must not be a married couple as which married couple would be desperate enough to make out on the stairs of a public resident building? Why not go back to their own sack? Hmmm...
Ironic isn't it? Ahh... life in Singapore in close proximity to Malaysia!
Many of you have asked about our housing situation - if we've found a place or if we've moved. Well, we have found a place - a 2-bedroom apartment close to our current one. It's not ideal in terms of floor space as we're currently in a 3-bedroom, 2 baths, 2 storage room double story apartment and we're absolutely spoilt! However, it is what we can afford for now and since it belongs to my colleague, she's renting it to us at a very good price. As the place is basically bare, we'll have to put in money to furnish it with bookshelves, wardrobe, etc.
We're scheduled to move end of May. Since my trip to the US in early June has been canceled, I am feeling less stressed over the move. Nonetheless, it will be challenging as moving house ranks high on life's most stressful events. We've designed a detailed checklist to help us keep up with our tasks. We've also identified some people from church who can help us with the move.
Meanwhile, our immediate chore is to go through our stuff and see what we can either give away or throw out. Ahh...a heart-rending task!
Our last weekend in Malaysia was quite eventful. First, my talk to students at University Malaya went really well. Though I couldn't finish presenting all I had intended, I think I covered the main points. Immediately after my talk, I picked up Brian from the bus terminal (he was arriving from Singapore). My good friend, Pari, was very generous in letting me use her car for the day. That Friday evening itself, we drove with my sister to Ipoh to visit my parents.
As our visit coincided with Malaysia's General Elections, traffic on the freeways was very heavy. The drive took four hours when it usually takes less than three. Needless to say there was a lot of excitement as well as anxiety in the air with the impending change in government. We were all glued to our tv set till late at night as we cheered the wins of the Opposition Coalition. (Below is a banner by the Opposition Party - Democratic Action Party) As Malaysian politics is too complex to be discussed here, if you are interested, you can check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_general_election,_2008
Another highlight of this visit was breakfasts at my uncle's (dad's younger half-brother) wanton noodle stall (and no, my uncle's not wanton, he's a decent guy). Many of you know what wantons are. Well, wanton noodles are just blanched noodles drizzled with soysauce and oil and served with wanton (and sometimes topped with sliced Chinese barbecue pork). Since Brian loves wanton noodles (as does my best friend, Fong) we decided it was time to pay my uncle a visit.
He and his wife serve up one of the best wanton noodles we've had (and I'm not saying this because we're related!). His stall is famous for its seafood-meat dumplings (suikow) and humongous wantons (served in delicious pork broth). On top of that, he makes his own barbecue pork every day (unlike other stalls which buy them wholesale). If you're ever visiting Ipoh, let me know and I'll let you know where to find my uncle! And, oh, interestingly enough, his two sisters in Penang are also in the hawker food business. One also runs a wanton noodle stall and another a sweet hot Chinese desserts stall. She was featured in a food guide program on tv recently and apparently since then, her business has been roaring!
Meanwhile, here are some pixs from our trip.
It's a sight I sort of grew up with - so it's hardly noticeable for me but not so for those who grew up on fillet (head-less pieces of boneless fish meat) like Brian. We were shopping at the fresh food section of the grocery store here the other day when he, in passing, remarked that in the US one would never see fish's head being displayed for sale like in Asia. It's true and I think his mom would scream if she saw those eyes staring back at her from the freezer shelf. For our friends and relatives in the US, we thought you may like to see it for yourself, hence we snapped the following. Fish heads, anyone??? 
Other than making cultural comparisons, we've been busy with various things. Brian has been busy with his doctoral research as well as getting ready to teach a class on Apologetics at Singapore's Biblical Graduates' School of Theology. This is the second time he's teaching there and this year he's scheduled to teach two semesters. He's quite excited to be able to do so again.
I've been keeping up with various projects at work. I haven't traveled since we returned from our CNY trip - has been a treat to be home for a stretch. But this week I travel to Malaysia to speak to students at the renowned University of Malaya - oldest university in Malaysia. I'm looking forward to it. The meeting is on Friday and we plan to travel to see my parents again over the weekend. Brian has to teach on Thursday evening - hence he'll join me in Malaysia on Friday afternoon before we travel to Ipoh with my sister on Saturday. I'm looking froward to the visit but I'm not looking forward to the week after our return as I've quite a few speaking engagements that I'm still not quite prepared for - this means, much burning of the midnight oil then!
Meanwhile, have a good week ahead!
We went to the doctor's today and here's the report (I know that Grandma A is anxious about baby's update!):
