Mel & Sham - Snippets of a Journey

Best Indoor Playland in KL!

2011-11-17T01:32:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite places to take Asha to is the indoor playland in Gardens Mall, KL. It's called Kids E World and we love it!

I take Asha there on weekdays, when it's less crowded and she has a whale of a time running and scampering about, trying out all the slides and tunnels, exploring all the little nooks and corners. Everytime we go there, I see how she teaches herself something new... attempting an activity she was afraid of before, trying out games that she previously shied away from, climbing higher, running faster, becoming braver and stronger, more confident and more sure of herself. I'm sold on its goodness!

Some photos of Asha at Kids E World.

Look at that smile! :) Is it any wonder why we decided to have Asha's 2nd birthday party here? I cannot wait for it!

Party Lovin'

2011-11-12T23:24:00.000-08:00

My cousin married the love of her life a couple of weeks back. Look who boogied the night away!

My daughter... the party lover!

This Is Our Home

2011-11-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

When we bought, renovated and furnished this house we live in, we had many hopes and dreams for our lives together in it. Whilst we did put much thought, effort and time into the design, layout, wall colours, fittings and furnishing, still, more than anything, we envisioned a house that would be filled with life, activity, fun, noise, music, conversations and laughter. A home in which people felt welcome, respected, loved and cherished.

Over the last 3 years, we’ve organized and hosted dinner parties, BBQ get-togethers, pot luck meals, birthday dos, play dates, game nites, etc. We’ve welcomed guests from different parts of the world and have them stay with us for a few days. We celebrated good news and grieved over the bad. We’ve grown and learnt so much from the many, many people whom we’ve had the honour of calling our guests.

Over the recent public holiday, we decided to have some dear friends and their kids over for a play date cum pot luck lunch. By 12pm, there were 7 kids and 15 adults in our home. Imagine the noise level! Imagine the FUN level!

Kids were going crazy in the sand pit, over 100 colouful, plastic balls and Lego pieces and white board markers! Toys were everywhere! There were mums and dads running all around trying to keep the house from collapsing...all while chatting, cooking, catching up, laughing and sharing!
To me, it was a beautiful day in EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD!

My feet were sooo tired by the time our last guest left. But as I went to bed later that night and the thank you smses came in one my one, I fell asleep happy, content and with an ever grateful heart. I had asked God for our home to be filled with love, and indeed it is... our little corner of the world.

Meet Our Godson!

2011-11-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

Remember this little bubba?

Well, guess what? Little Aaditya Zachary is now Sham & my godson! We were so honoured to be asked and said YES right away, when Ann & Rohan asked to be Aaditya godparents.

The baptism was in Ann's hometown of Taiping, incidentally one of Sham's & my favourite towns in Malaysia. We took the short drive there, stayed overnight at a hotel and participated in the baptism ceremony the next morning.

I look horrid in the photos.. all puffed up and fat (no, i'm not pregnant)! But because I love my godson and all his chubby goodness to bits... here are the photos anyway :)

There was a hilarious miscommunication about what time the ceremony was to begin. And Sham & I ended up getting there right in the nick of time! It was all too funny, looking back... me trying to get Asha's crazy curls into two little pigtails while she kicked and fussed in the car, Sham rushing to get the diaper bag, the food thermos, the hot water flask and camera bag and all 3 of us running up the aisle to get to the altar on time! Phew! :D

Aaditya was an angel throughout his baptism (unlike Asha at hers) and Sham & I are blessed to have been part of it.

Check out my litte Dittu-boy in his recent photos...

... look at all those expressions. Ain't he just the cutest?

God bless you, Dittu, as you grow and learn and become the person God wants you to be. Your Godpa & I are here for always!

To Cameron Highlands!

2011-11-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

My Aunty Ena, who lives in Italy, came to Malaysia recently for a 1 and a half month visit, with my cousin, Sonia. The last I saw Aunty Ena was at my wedding nearly 3 years ago, so Sham & I wanted to make the best of her time here.

We took Asha and tagged along with them on their 3-day stay in Penang.

We went for lunches, dinner, trip to shopping malls, etc.. but our most memorable time together was our short but sweet weekend getaway to Cameron Highlands. Sham's parents and my grandmother, Nana, came along as well.

Us at the Palas Tea Plantation

Asha & Aunty Ena hard at work together. I learnt at this trip, how valuable a pack of crayons is when travelling with a toddler!

Asha with her #1 Fan - Pipa!

Asha and her beloved Mima!

We did a little sight-seeing, had a steam boat dinner, stayed up till late chatting, took walks to the nearby park, joked and laughed and sang... nothing spectacular or amazing. Just simple, little things that mean so much and which we'll cherish forever in our memories.

Aunty Ena & Sonia, you may be very far away, but know that you're loved dearly and are always in our thoughts! Come again, soon... and bring Marco & Uncle Franco with you too!

You Were Right, Sham!

2011-11-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

When Sham first bought this piece of equipment, I huffed and puffed about what a complete and utter waste of money it was. What would we EVER do with it, I wailed!

Not too long after, I noticed way too much moss on the cement slabs outside the back of my house, and took to work. For a good couple of hours, I used my little hoe and on my hands and knees, removed as much moss as I could.

IT WAS SO MUCH WORK.

Know what I finally ended up using? You guessed it!

Siiigh... admitting the hubs is right, is no fun at all!

Reading Nook

2011-10-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

Jen at iheartorganizing is a genius! Thanks to ideas from her blog, I created a little reading nook for Asha. It's functional, accessible and makes EXCELLENT use of wall space that I wouldn't otherwise use!

By far, the best use of wall space in my house ever.

To The Bookstore, We Go!

2011-10-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

There's a shopping mall not too far from where I live, and it has small bookshop with a pretty cool collection of children's books. Once a week, I take Asha there.

She'll find a comfortable place to plop herself, I'll bring her stack of books and she'll soon busy herself flipping the pages, identifying different objects and colours, making up stories, chatting with the many characters, etc. It's all a lot of fun to watch.

Here she is with my little cousin, Faith, on a day out together.

They got bored reading after half an hour, and amused themselves with this.

Kids sure are cute, aren't they?

Today's Highlight!

2011-10-21T03:08:00.000-07:00

Flour + Water + A Few Drops of Yellow Colouring + A Basin + A Toddler = MAGIC!

Jolly Phonics

2011-10-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

Twice a week, my good friend, Marcia, a trained Jolly Phonics teacher, comes over and teaches Asha, English phonetics. Another friend, Tina, brings her son, Nat, over too.

It's been about 6 months now and both kids have learnt so much!

The sessions are a lot of fun. I love how Marcia understands that learning is natural and fun and kids only need a little stimulus and direction to learn. She incorporates song, dance, art & craft, outdoor activities, etc in her sessions.

Whilst I'm not fussed at all about Asha learning to read (because, well... I know she'll learn, sooner or later), it amazes me how much she's picked up from these sessions. She recognizes letters, can make the corresponding phonetic sound and can even blend phonetics and spell some words. Not bad for an almost 2-year old!

As long as she's having fun and learns at her own pace, pressure-free and test-free, I'm all for more of Jolly Phonics!

An Anniversary Gift

2011-10-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

On our 3rd wedding anniversary earlier this year (I can't believe it's been 3 years!), a dear, thoughtful friend saw this card in shop and got it for us.

It arrived by post and I opened it right away. It took me a couple of seconds to grasp the significance of this card... that it looks so much like our wedding invitation card!

Imagine that!

It completely made my day.

To be thought of and remembered like this is, is priceless. Sham & I are truly blessed with the most precious of friends.

Splish Splash Again!

2011-10-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law's new home has a little dip pool! Puuuurrrrfect for little Asha!

A couple of weekends ago, his lovely wife, Sujeetha, invited Asha as well as two of her favourite friends, Mark & Nathaniel over for some splashing fun.

Bubs has sure has come a long way from this eh...?

Muar Escapade!

2011-10-14T03:54:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of mine, Tina, hails from a town a little south of KL called Muar. Usually over the holidays, she heads there with her husband and their almost 2 year old son, Nathaniel.

Over the recent Raya break, she invited me and another friend of ours, Marcia to join them together with our families. We jumped at the chance! We get to kick back and enjoy the small town life for a bit, kids get to play together... definitely a great way to spend a couple of days.

So of to Muar we headed!

We stayed with Tina's aunts, who live together in a quaint little bungalow with a big garden and lots of fruit trees around. Tina aunts were such great hosts! And the kids basked in all the outdoor fun.

Check out the pics.

Belting Her Heart Out

2011-08-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

Asha loves to sing. She LOVES to sing. She thinks she's a superstar!

I bought her a toy microphone, one that actually does amplify her voice a little and has buttons you step on to make clapping noises, drumbeats, etc. By far, it her most used and favourite toy.

Look at her.

The Return To The Pool

2011-07-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

Some time back, Asha got ill after drinking water from the nearby swimming pool we take her too. She had a pretty bad throat infection and suffered quite a bit, poor girl.

So we took a couple of months hiatus from swimming and last week, was the grand return! Asha's grandpa, also her No 1 fan, accompanied us. In fact, he got there a half hour earlier, right after work, checked weather conditions, check water temperature, changed into his swim gear and called to give us the OK!

As you can see, Asha & Grandpa had a blast!

It's Only Makeup!

2011-07-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

As far as makeup is concerned, I've always been a compact powder-blusher-lip gloss kinda gal.

None of those smoky eyes/ pouty lips/ bombshell vixen looks for me, no siree! I had no idea how to get those looks, much less the confidence to pull them off. So, I've always kept it pretty simple and aimed to look well... pleasant. Yes, I aim low, I know :)

So, when this deal was on offer over at Dealmates, my sister promptly signed me, herself and a friend up! It was a great price for 7.5 hours of makeup lessons by experts at the Amber Chia Academy. Classes were divided into 3 sessions, with 2.5 hours for each session.

My first lesson was about a week ago. I went with slight trepidition, I must admit. You had to bring all of your own makeup - powders, brushers, eye colours, lip colours, cotton balls, sponges, everything. So off I went, on a weekday morning, toting a make-up bag full of stuff I'd bought over the years and never knew how to use.

My make-up teacher was a very experienced and patient, Sally. She took me through the finer points of make-up - the different brushes and its uses, the purpose of each tub and tube and bottle in my make-up bag and the more efficient ways to put them on, how to apply eye shadow without looking like you've been punched in the eye - and load of other things I either scoffed at previously, or shied away from.

I'm starting to look at makeup in a whole new light now! It was actually fun and interesting and if done properly, can highlight your best features and make you feel pretty great about yourself! I'm all for that!

For my first lesson, Sally focussed on day-makeup. And after 2.5 hours of awesome girly fun... voila!

Whaddya think?

What In The World Are 'Boy Toys' Anyway??

2011-06-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

It irks me no end everytime I walk into Toys R Us and see huge signages indicating the different sections for GIRLS toys and BOYS toys.

In fact, it completely mystifies me HOW anyone can make the disctintion in the first place! On what basis exactly, is a toy categorized as a 'boys toy' or a 'girls toy'?

And anyway, WHY would anyone want to make such a categorization? So... girls can't play with 'boys toys'? And boys aren't supposed to play with 'girls toys'?

At the risk of sounding like I'm taking this too seriously, isn't this a form of gender discrimination? And WHO introduced it into something as sweet and innocent as kids play? Has this person(s) never seen a child at play... ever marveled at the extent of a child's imagination? ...seen how the bottom of a couch can be the insides of a space tunnel? observed a kid make a cake out of mud or use a toy hammer as a spoon or stack blocks to make a bed for a doll?

I bought Asha this tool bench not too long ago. Today, she put on the hard hat, then fed her toy orang utan water from her sippy cup. Yesterday, she used one of the nails and pretended it was a pen or crayon and 'scribbled' all over my carpet with it.

I also bought Asha this toy kitchen from Ikea. When her friends, Mark and Nathaniel come over, they happily play with it together. Their make believe is fun to watch... they fry fish, make tea, stir, chop, etc.

If the folks at Toyr R Us are right, my 1-and-a-half year old and her friends must suffer from severe gender confusion.

But no, the folks at Toyr R Us are wrong. Making the distinction between 'boys' and 'girls' toys shows a complete lack of appreciation of the ability and potential of the child and a great disrespect of their right to learn freely.

I hope for a change soon.

In the meantime, I'm planning to get Asha a complete train set. Then, we'll dress in pink, tie pretty ribbons on our hair and have crazy fun with it! The folks at Toyr R Us can kiss my a*@!

The Forgotten Thrill of Playgrounds

2011-06-26T03:29:00.000-07:00

Nothing like being a parent to make you appreciate the little things in life.
For instance, evenings in a park or playground.

We're lucky that there's a playground right behind our house that we take Asha to often.

It never fails to amaze me how much FUN she has there. She toddles about, runs here and there, watches older kids at play, squeals for joy when we go on the swing together, kicks her pink Barbie ball around, plays on slides.... all until its too dark to stay any longer!

For that one hour or so, it feels like I've been transported to a place where life is... simple. I really like that feeling.

Its things like this that make me so grateful for the privilege of being a parent.

First Lunch Date

2011-06-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

... just the two of us, in more than a year :)

I forgot how fun this was! We have to do this more often.

I Can Bake!

2011-06-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

I come from a long line of women who bake pretty darn well. My grandma has a successful home-based cake business and my mum helps her out with orders pretty often. They bake birthday cakes, wedding cakes, fruit cakes... cakes for every occassion!

I always wondered why is it I hadn't inherited even a hint of this interest, let alone skill!

But something changed recently, I'm not sure what, and I found myself wanting to try baking. So I learnt a few recipes from my grandma and tested them at home. My first attempt was a complete disaster (I wasn't at all familiar with my oven and set the temperature too high for too long, cake balooned, I pressed it down with a cloth, it exploded... bla bla). Anyway, my subsequent attempts were not too bad, really.

In fact, I baked a cake for Sham's birthday, 5 days ago. I did the icing myself, even. This is the end result.

Not too bad, huh? I shock myself sometimes, I tell ya. Then again, I think I shocked my grandma even more.

Baby Blooming

2011-06-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Things are looking good at my vegetable patch! Woo hoo!

I'm growing tomatoes, chilis and brinjals. And I'm DESPERATE for them to bear fruit!

Please let them grow, God... pleeeeaseeeee! I need the encouragement! Amen.

Mission Sand Pit

2011-06-16T01:41:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted a sand pit at home for Asha to play in. Kids just seem to LOVE playing with sand. I think sand-play is their second-love next to water-play!

So off I went on a mission to acquire one.

First, the pit itself. I wanted one with a cover and was big enough for at least 2 kids to play in. I saw a few for sale at Toys R Us but they were WAY to expensive! My next plan was to harass the sweet husband to make one! Heheee... I got some ideas online and drew out a rough sketch for him. He looked at my sketches, frowned and said 'there go my weekends for the rest of the year'!

Luckily for him, one my of girlfriends gave me this FANTASTIC container from Ikea which was perfect as a sand pit! It even had a lid! WOO HOOO!!

That done, all I needed next was the sand. I heard that ELC at Mothercare used to sell play-sand but didn't carry them anymore. We loooked at many other alternatives - construction sand, river sand - which we soon ruled out for various reasons. We finally decided to drive to Port Dickson, fill buckets and pails with beach sand and bring them home.

Just days before the trip, though, I stumbled upon this site and lo and behold, found out that they sold exactly what I was looking for! And the sand was actually SIRIM accredited! So I ordered 30kgs, which was a little pricey, but hey if they meet stringent safety standards...

The end result is hugely satisfying, I must say. Asha can spend hours in the sand pit - touching, feeling, moulding, experimenting...in other words, learning and growing! Mum's mission - ACCOMPLISHED! :)

Welcome To The World, Aaditya Zachary!

2011-06-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

There's a new little baby in my life!

My cousin, Ann, delivered a beautiful baby boy a couple of weeks ago. Asha and I were at the hospital to welcome little Aaditya Zachary to the world.

Aaditya's arrival means so much to Sham and I. Over the course of Ann's pregnancy, Sham & I had grown especially close to her and her husband, Rohan. Ann would pop by the house frequently after work to play with Asha. Rohan would come over soon after and we'd all have dinner together. They would stay and we would chat till late at night about... well, everything!

We were one of the first few they announced they were expecting, we listened as they shared their worries and we shared our own experiences as first-time parents. They updated us after every doctors visits and we watched as Ann's belly grew month by month. Little did we realize it then, we were already growing a connection to their baby.

So just being there, witnessing them hold and greet their first-born child, filled me with waves of happiness.

I'm so happy for them!!

Ann & Rohan, Praise God for this amazing blessing in your lives! You guys will make fantastic parents! God bless you all :)

PS - Can't wait for Asha's & Dittu-boy's first play date! YIPEEEE!!

My 15-month breast feeding journey

2011-06-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is the start of it all - Asha's very first feed, minutes after she was born.

I went into breastfeeding with my eyes wide open but my heart full of hope. I had heard all the horror stories - engorgement, mastitis, etc - but firmly decided in my heart, that I would breast feed my baby, no matter how hard it got.

And so I overcame all the obstacles slowly, one by one - sore nipples, Asha's totally unpredictable feeding schedule, an initially low milk supply, difficult-to-use breast pumps, etc.

After about 2 months, my perseverence paid off and it was pretty smooth sailing from there. In fact, I had totally gotten the hang of it and from novice, I was suddenly breast feeding like a pro! HAH!

My initial target was to breast feed Asha for 6 months, and if I met that target, to continue for another 6 months. And I'm SO grateful that I managed to do just that. In fact, I breast fed for 15 months.

My breastfeeding journey ended pretty suddenly. When Asha was about 13 months, I started to try and wean her off the breast, but found it pretty difficult to do so. She was by then so used to being breast fed and was ever so reluctant to drink from a bottle or cup.

Then at 15 months, Asha developed throat ulcers and got pretty sick. For 2 days,my poor baby refused to be breast fed and any food or drink. Until she got better, we could only feed her chilled, pureed fruits and water through syringes.

She did get better and quickly resumed her usual diet.... minus the breastfeeding. For some reason, she just refused to be breast fed. Just like that!

At first, admittedly, I was pretty relieved! It was kinda... freeing, not having a baby hanging of a breast every few hours a day! Plus, that she was now able to drink milk from a cup, meant I could have longer monthly me-time instead of rushing home after 3 hours!

After a while though, I have to say, I did miss the bond Asha and I shared through breastfeeding. Our 15 months journey together was special on so many levels and isn't something I can fully describe in words. It was just... special, ya know?

I'm grateful for all the support I got from those around me, especially at the beginning. My mum - my biggest cheerleader during my confinement, visits from my trusty Jenlia midwife, my ex-colleagues and bosses who allowed my short breast feeding breaks back when I was still working and of course, Sham! :)

All in all, my 15-month breastfeeding journey has been a thoroughly fulfilling one. Asha is reaping its many benefits and is growing up strong and healthy... what else is a mama to ask for? ;)

An Open Letter to Sham for Father's Day

2011-06-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Shaman,

First of all, Happy Fathers' Day. I wish you every blessing and happiness in the world, because you deserve it.

One of the best things you've done since becoming a father, is making it possible for me to be a full-time mother to our daugther. The attention and time I am able to devote to her will carry her far later in life and for this, we have you to thank.

Not only do you provide well for all our physical needs, you also understand and provide for our emotional needs as well. You understand that every child needs a happy mother and work so hard to ensure that I am secure and happy.

Someone once said, "the most important thing that a father can do for his children is to love their mother". I couldn't agree more.

I also truly appreciate your selflessness. You always, always put our needs, mine & Asha's before your own.

I am grateful of the ways you choose to spend your time. When you are not at work or at badminton, you are always by our side. You have given us the security that we are truly your top priority.

I can also never thank you enough for the joy and laughter you bring into this home. You are always cheerful and acccomodating, very tolerant, flexible and accepting. Thanks to you, managing this home and raising Asha is pretty stress-free.

Asha is indeed so blessed to have a father like you. It isn't easy growing up in fast-moving times like this, so I know having a stable, solid, strong and joyful man like you as her Papa will help shape her into being the person God wants her to be.

As time passes and Insya'allah, our family grows, along with our challenges and responsibilities, we are blessed to have you as the head of this home.

My prayer for you this Father's Day is that God will shower many graces upon you, that He will bless and protect you always and that you will seek Him and do His will everyday.

God bless you Sham!

Happy Father's Day.

2011-04-08T00:54:00.000-07:00

There's something very therepeutic about sitting next to a pond with a 1 year old, feeding fish.

Something so calming, soothing and joyful.

Our Sabah Getaway

2011-04-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

We went to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah recently! Just the 3 of us and oooooh it was jolly good fun! Arrived on a Thursday, rented a car from the airport and drove to the Shangri La Rasa Ria where we spent 4 glorious nights.

Although Asha's been to the beach a couple of times before, this was the first time she was old enough to actually enjoy it. She loooooves playing with sand. We brought her into the sea too, for a bit. Hahaa.. sooo cool watching her fascination with the waves as they hit the shore.

The hotel had plenty of activities for kids so we were never short of things to do. We saw orang utans, went on a boat ride, went island hopping, ate seafood, fed fish and ducks, patted goats...

I'll let the pictures do the talking

My favourite part of the trip was on the last night! Sham suggested a romantic dinner at one of the restaurants in the hotel and I declined because well.. how romantic can a meal be when you have a 1 year old nearby throwing food from her high chair?

Later, though, while I put Asha to sleep in our room, my sweet and ever loving husband arranges for the restaurant to set up a romantic, candle-lit dinner at our balcony. We had a room on the ground floor, facing the garden, so the staff had done the set up from the outside. And because the curtains in our room were drawn, I hadn't a clue what was going on on our balcony.

When Asha had gone to sleep, Sham led me to the balcony and man I was totally blown away! And so very, very touched by his sweet thoughtfulness.

2011-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Sham & I are big on getting Asha to experience and enjoy the great outdoors. There's also plenty arts & crafts activities, play groups and play dates, sing-alongs, etc. Bubs is soaking up every minute of it!

Here are some recent pics.

Going Green!

2011-01-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

About 3-4 months ago, we started 'going-green' here in the Gaspar household.

First, we got this waste-sorting bin from Ikea and began separating our trash.

I've since found 3 locations that are convenient for me to send my recyling, so it's all turned out to be much easier than I expected.

Next, we built our own vegetable patch. For a first-time gardener, I'm pretty pleased with the results. So far, we've harvested long beans, onion leaves, coriander leaves, a just recently green chilies! As my confidence grows, I'll probably increase the size of the vege patch and plant more.

I must say, I was shocked by the difference between vege home-grown organically and the vege I usually by from the market. The home grown ones look and taste SO much better. I'm completely sold on growing my own vege!

Thirdly, I'm slowly trying to use less chemical around the house. I've started replacing the cleaner I use to remove dirt and oil and grime from my kitchen tops with this home-made natural solution. The amazing powers of vinegar + baking soda... I tell ya! It does the job of cleaning just as well, if not better!

Lastly, I've also stopped using plastic bags from grocery shops. We bought a few reusable bags and I keep them in my car booth, so they're there even for last-minute shopping trips!

I'd like to extend my efforts but like they say, it's always better to start with baby steps! It sure does feel good, knowing we doing our bit to save the earth!

Asha Is ONE!!

2010-12-24T03:45:00.000-08:00

My baby girl turned 1 recently!

Sham & I had planned a huge bash for her. Everything was arranged - the restaurant, the food, the hand made invitations, the balloons, the napkins... everything.

And well, as fate would have it, bubs caught a cold a few days before, so we cancelled everything.

We ended up having a small gathering of close family at our home which turned out to be fantastic! One of the guests commented the day after, that this was the first time he'd been to a baby's birthday do, where the baby was having fun too!

Asha certainly had a lot of fun! She clapped when everyone sang the birthday song, smiled broadly at her first taste of cake icing and danced along to the music of the sing-along!

Can't believe she's 1!

Here's a recent photo of our little family. She's grown, eh? :)

YAY for Play Dates!

2010-08-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

We went on a play date early this week. It was so, so, SO much fun!

Yup, two stay-at-home mums and two babies had a BALL of a time by a little stream in a little park.

I LOVED this play date! The weather was great! The sun was up! The water, oh so cool and oh so clean! The air was fresh! And the bubs were very, very happy splashing around in the water.

An absolute must-go-again!

Baby Wearing, Breast Feeding & Cloth Diapering

2010-08-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

It's been 7 months and it's been good!
Asha is growing big and strong and healthy. The best part is... I get to spend every moment of the day with her!

Yup, since I last blogged, I quit my job and am now a full-time stay at home mom (SAHM).

I love my new job! I wish I'd blogged more and filled you in on life since I took that big step. I will from now on!

I've been cooking almost daily. I started a vegetable patch. I kicked up my recycling efforts. I'm volunteering to translate articles for baby-related website. I organized our store room, sorted out our closet, cleaned and tidied up the attic, started a filing system for all our documents.

Of course all this is between reading-time, sing-song-time, jolly-jumper-time, tummy time, eating time, swim time, play time, etc etc etc

It's a full, full life! Amen!

Hiking At Chiling

2010-05-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

Some friends came down recently from the UK for Asha's baptism as well as for a short holiday.

So one Sunday morning, we took them hiking to the Chiling Waterfalls.

It was a pretty easy trail, I'd say. We had to cross the river 5 times to before reaching the peak, but since it hadn't rained the past 2 days, the water level was pretty low.

It's interesting, hiking with foreigners I must say.

They'll stop and marvel at everything! And after the initial 'there they go again' eyeball roll, we actually found ourselves stopping to marvel as well.

After all, isn't this a sight to see?

Asha's Baptism

2010-05-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

Our baby is baptised!

Asha received the Sacrament of Baptism late last month at the same church we got married in. The same priest who said our wedding mass, a dear friend of Sham's, flew down from UK to do the baptism ceremony.

Our darling daughter made full use of the limelight... yup she did! The mid afternoon heat plus the long baptism gown she was wearing made her terribly uncomfortable. So the poor little one cried and fussed throughout the whole ceremony!

Imagine my stress!

See?? Stress!

Anywaaay... she did calm down afterwards at the luncheon we hosted at the church hall.

It was BEYOOTIFULLY decorated by (you guessed it), the same decorater I used for my wedding.There were pink, purple and white baloons everywhere! Look!! See!

Nice, right?

So with that, Asha Helena is now an official member of the Catholic Church. No mean feat for a 5 month old, I tell ya! I certainly hope she'll be MUCH better behaved when she receives the Sacrament of Holy Communion!

Asha Update!

2010-04-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

I know EVERY parent says this... but only because it's true - kids grow fast!!!

Our Asha is almost 4 months old now and I really can't believe that she isn't a tiny, helpless little newborn anymore!

She's round and chubby and oh so cute!
Has mood swings (yes, at 4 months.. us Indian women start young, ya know)... throws a fit one minute and breaks into gurgles the next!
She LOVES the outdoors, having people around her, Puneh the Kitty and Sasha the Elephant!

She is one chatty baby! I just LOVE watching her babble on and on!
She's smiling a whole lot more these days too... which totally melts our hearts!
She's also getting stronger, our bubs, with much better control of her hands and legs.
And I may be wrong... but I think she recognizes me!

So yes, Asha Helena has changed Mel & Sham forever!
I swear, EVERY aspect of our lives have changed and things can get pretty chaotic sometimes around here!
It's funny, really... the crazy flurry of activity that takes place... all for the love of our dear little girl!

Here are some pictures of Bubblelicious!

Miss Chubbylicious

2010-03-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

Our bubs is growing well and growing round!
She's great to be around now... smiles back, coos, babbles a little.
She's healthy and hitting all her milestones.

What a blessing this baby is! She's filled our lives with so much colour!
She keeps us busy, busy, busy... and happy, happy, HAPPY!

Ain't she a cutie?

The Newest Gaspar

2010-01-12T01:20:00.000-08:00

She arrives!

And baby makes three...

With Mama

and Papa

With Grandma

and Grandpa

With her paternal Grandma & Grandpa

4 generations of Pereira women!

With Godma, Aunty Laura

My ultimate favourite picture - Asha & me!

In baby blissdom :)

The Birth Story

2009-12-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

It all started on Dec 16 when I went for my weekly check up with my gynae, Dr Tan at Sime Darby Medical Center (SDMC). A quick check revealed I was already 2cm dilated, incidentally something I had pretty much suspected already.

Regardless, the confirmation was exciting news! Our baby would be here in a matter of days, Dr Tan told us. I was filled with anticipation... and dread. What would my labour be like???

I had already been living with my parents a week earlier, in anticipation of the birth. So, the next couple of days my parents and Sham went with me on long walks around the neighborhood in hopes of speeding up the dilation and birth.

On Dec 18, Sham's parents came over to my folks' and we all went out for dinner together. Everybody kept guessing when the baby would be born, with most guesses being after the weekend. But I knew, I just knew she would arrive the very next day, which also happened to be my youngest brother, Keith's birthday.

And she did! Don't ask me how I knew, I just did.

The next morning, Dec 19, I woke up around 6am and noticed a slight show. This had been happening the past few days as well, so I didn't think much of it and went back to bed. An hour later, I noticed what could have been signs that my water bag was leaking and immediately notified Sham and my folks.

My mum made me breakfast....which, by the way, I ate and threw up. Yes, let it be known that I PUKED RIGHT UP UNTIL THE DAY I DELIVERED!!!

We weren't sure if we should go to hospital, and my gynae wasn't at his clinic yet, so I couldn't reach him on the phone. We called some doctor friends who said yes, we'd better just go to the hospital to check.

I got to the SDMC labour ward at around 9am and was immediately asked to change into the hospital gown and admitted into Delivery Suite 5. The midwife did a check - I was still 2cm dilated, no contractions yet.

At around 9.40am, I was feeling very hungry so they let me have some Milo with biscuits. There was to be no eating after the epidural, which I had asked for, so that would have been my last meal until after the birth.

At 10.05am, I was given the Edema to empty out my bowels...which well, worked, to say the least!

At 10.35am, the anesthesiologist came in and applied the epidural on me. The entire procedure took about half an hour, was painless and explained step by step by the doctor.

At 11.15, Dr Tan came in and broke my water bag and announced I would definitely have my baby today. I anxiously asked what I could expect in the next few hours. He smiled and said 'you'll see'. Wise man!

An hour later, the midwife checks me. I'm still 2cm dilated.

At 1pm, Sham digs into the mee goreng my mum and his mum bought him from Taj Restaurant. I feel hungry and weak, but no pain, thanks to the Epidural.

At 1.30pm, Dr Tan checks me again. I'm 4cm dilated. Yay, progress!!!

At 2.40pm later, I'm still 4cm dilated! Starting to get a little impatient. Why so slow!! Still, the mood in the delivery suite is pretty calm. I'm on my handphone, texting my mum my progress, chatting with Sham. Dr Tan orders for my contractions to be induced.

At this point on, I start to feel the contractions, especially on my right side. My left feels totally numb. The contractions feel like intense menstrual cramps, bearable at this point. I worry that the pain will intensify a millionfold close to birth and ask if the epidural can be topped up or reapplied so my right side is completely numb as well. The midwife discourages me from doing this, because being able to feel the contractions would help me to push better later.

I decide to take her advice and stick it out. Begin my breathing exercise through every contraction. Sham stands next to me, holds my hand and helps me through.

At 3.50pm, a check by the midwife reveals I'm 7cm dilated.

From here on, it was do or die! (LOL, so drama!) But, yup the pains increase tenfold. I focus on my breathing through every contraction. Sham holds my hand tight. We repeat bible verses we memorized together... "the joy of the Lord is my strength"... "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me"... "my Rock and my Salvation, my Fortress I shall never be shaken"

At 4.30pm, I'm 8cm dilated and very quickly 8.5cm and soon almost 10. I feel a HUGE urge to push. I tell the midwife this and she says 'okay, push'

Here we go!!

I begin pushing. The first half hour or so, I push pretty well but very quickly tire out. I wonder if I will ever get the baby out! Can't believe how much energy pushing takes!

The midwife urges me on, telling me to push and push harder through every contraction and I do my very, very best. I take a deep breaths, my hands grabbing on tight to the handle bars and I push with all my might!

It

was

so

so

SO

exhausting.

I start to feel drained of every ounce of energy. There were times, I was certain I blacked out for a few seconds. Shams recalls at one point, I was SO tired, my eyes were rolling backward! It really scared him, he says.

But man, did he stay strong! He was totally my rock! Holding my body up as I pushed, telling me I could do it, lovingly encouraging me through.

I hear snippets of verses he repeats again and again..."my Fortress, I shall never be shaken".... "I can do all things in Christ"

I wasn't too conscious of everything that was going on. I remember Dr Tan coming into the room at one point. He must have noticed how weak I was and said he'd assist me with the vacuum.

At some point, he does the episiotomy.

He sets the vacuum up and they get me to push just a few times more. I give it all I've got and next thing you know, at 5.52pm, she's out!

Finally, Asha Helena Gaspar is born :)

She takes her first breath and they take her to be weighed and what not. I hear her crying and I'm crying too!

They quickly bundle her up loosely and put her in my arms. I'm happy like I've never been before and am crying even more. Something is awakened within me... I don't know what. Something new and real and powerful.

I hold her close to me and never want to let her go. They tell me I can start to feed her. She takes to the breast like a pro! She must have been hungry!

Sham's snapping pictures like crazy. He looks just overjoyed and crazily excited. We really have never been happier.

Soon, they take her to the nursery. Sham follows. Outside, both our mums, Sham's brother and his fiancee are waiting. They whoop with delight when they see Sham and baby. I can hear them from the delivery suite!

I lay there, on the bed waiting for the nurses to clean me. I'm still in shock from the intensity of the last few hours. How life changing they have been!

But I'm also filled with the rush and joy of having fallen madly and hopelessly in love again!

And now... we are three!

Thank you, Jesus!

She's Here!

2009-12-21T02:32:00.000-08:00

Our baby is here!

We named her Asha Helena. She was born on 19 December 2009 at 5.52pm in Sime Darby Medical Centre via normal birth. She weighed 2.79kg. She's just gorgeous!

Both she and I are in doing well and in good health.

I'm dying to write about the entire birth story and post the many photos we've taken! We have so much to share... and share we will, over the next few days.

In the meantime, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all your prayers and well wishes throughout my pregnancy and now! Doesn't it feel like we've gone on a journey together? It does to me!

And guess what? The journey isn't over! Watch this space as we share with snippets of our journey into parenthood!

In the meantime, let's rejoice SHE'S HERE!! She's finally hereeee!!

WOO HOOOO!!

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Close to Crunch Time

2009-12-14T02:29:00.000-08:00

I'm almost 39 weeks pregnant!

Just met my gynae and guess what... an internal exam revealed I'm 2cm dilated! Technically, I'm actually already in labour!

The signs (water bag bursting, a bloody show, contractions) should show within the next few days. My gynae's pretty sure it won't be any later that early next week.

I

can

barely

believe

it!!!

Sham & I will be Papa & Mama in about a week!
And life will never be the same again.

Praise be the LORD!

ps - Please do pray for a safe and easy delivery and a healthy baby.

Pregnancy Updates : Life Changes

2009-10-14T01:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while... but to be honest, life is hardly as fun-filled as it was in my pre-pregnancy days.

Not that I'm complaining - Sham & I couldn't be more grateful for the gift of a baby coming our way! OUR baby....woo hoo!

Truth be told, I'm still battling morning sickness, 7 months on.
But I guess I've learnt to accept it and be grateful for all the blessings in my life.

Considering the constant nausea, Sham & I seldom hang out socially these days or engage in much outdoor activities.

Instead, we spend a lot of time with both our families - having meals at theirs, putting up with them on weekends, etc. I can't be more grateful for the way both our parents have been there for us!

And I can't imagine going through these past 7 months without their constant, loving presence and support.

Indeed, we are blessed!

Sham & I are also bonding tremendously with our little baby!
She kicks, rolls, and moves around a LOT these days so it often looks like my tummy's 'dancing' about sometimes! Too funny!

Sham loves playing his guitar and singing to her and the best part is she'll respond by moving all about!
Sometimes, she kicks a certain part of my tummy and when I tickle the spot, she'll kick again. And on and on we go tickling and kicking, tickling and kicking.
Warms my heart no end and makes ALL the pregnancy pangs worth the while.

We really can't wait to see her - this baby God found us worthy to raise.
We constantly talk about how she'll look, how much fun we're going to have with her, the things we'll teach her, places we'll take her to.

Sometimes as I fall asleep, I close my eyes and imagine what it would be like to see her for the first time, to touch her and smell her!
And how awesome it must be to cuddle her close and feel her warmth - this baby that's ours!! Ours!

Babykins... already we are filled with love for you and await your presence with bated breath!

Pregnancy Update: Belly Shots!

2009-09-28T00:24:00.000-07:00

Here it is, folks. Me at nearly 7 months... well, 27 weeks to be exact!

And with that, I officially enter my third trimester!

Imaginary Friends :D

2009-09-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

I absolutely had to post this funny story from Rocks in My Dryer, a blog I love!

When You've Lost Control of the Imaginary Friends, You've Lost Control

My four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Corrie, has an imaginary friend named Katie Mexico. Katie lives in our house, joined occasionally by her brother Mel Mexico (he tends to be in and out -- a vagabond imaginary friend, if you will). Katie may be simply a figment of my daughter’s charming imagination, but she is also wearing me out.

(Before I explain further, let me clear up that I am sympathetic to the importance of imaginary friends -- I had one as a child, too. Her name was Tonya, and she wore a dress remarkably similar to that of Scooby Doo’s Daphne. Come to think of it, she was often joined by her brother, Kimmy-ko, who tended to stop by only occasionally. I guess transient imaginary siblings must run in the family.)

I remember enjoying my “talks” with Tonya, and I remember how much fun it was to have a playmate who operated entirely by the dictates of my own imagination. So when Katie Mexico joined our family, I welcomed her. My daughter lives in a houseful of brothers; it seems natural she would desire a more sisterly companion. I love it that Corrie has an active and precocious imagination. To keep the lines clear, I’ve encouraged Corrie’s creative “Katie play”, while still pointing out that Katie is pretend.

Corrie agrees. “Yes,” she always says, “Katie is a pretend friend.”

But she’s a pretend friend with issues.

Katie is a mischievous little soul, frequently (as I’m told, by my wide-eyed daughter with a flair for the dramatic) pulling stunts Corrie is not allowed to do. Katie uses bad words sometimes (i.e. “shut up” and “stupid”), and she doesn’t clean up her messes. She tends to be bossy, and once she even crossed the street without looking first.

It appears my daughter is not only imaginative, she is clever: she is clearly using Katie as a guinea pig to test her own boundaries. She reports Katie’s mischief to me, to see how I’ll respond. Wanting to communicate to Corrie that our household rules matter to everyone, I’ve been thrust into the unique position of having to scold, correct and otherwise discipline a person who does not actually exist.

Yes, really.

I get eye-to-eye (I think) with Katie Mexico and tell her that she has to play by our rules, or she can’t play with Corrie anymore. Corrie nods self-righteously, for emphasis. I give Katie’s head (I think) a pat, and off the two friends go.

(They don’t prepare you for this stuff in Lamaze class.)

My tough-love strategy has worked: Katie (I’m told) has lately pulled her act together. Corrie and Katie get along beautifully now, holding tea parties and playing hide-and-seek (you can imagine that Katie has a distinct advantage at the latter, being, you know, invisible.) Last week, Katie was evidently struck by a nasty cold. “Can you take her to the imaginary doctor?” Corrie asked. “Yes,” I answered.

It was so pleasant sitting in imaginary traffic, finding an imaginary parking place and paying an imaginary co-pay, I’ve about decided my daughter is onto something after all.

Hmmm, I wonder if Sham & I will ever have to welcome a 'Katie Mexico' into our home?

Pregnancy Update : Guess What?

2009-09-14T01:38:00.000-07:00

It's time to shop pink, pink, PINK!!

Cos we're having a GIRL!!!!

Pregnancy Update : The Journey So Far

2009-08-28T03:57:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm at Week 22 now (that's 5.5 months). At my last post, I was at Week 16.

6 weeks have passed. And well... they haven't been easy ones!

Oh I WISH I was one of those women who glowed with pregnancy joy, wore cool, hip maternity clothes that showed off their cute bumps, and enjoyed rosy cheeks and lustrous hair thanks to all the hormones!

But I'm not. Life goes on. I have to move on!

So, yes, I suffered another relapse (details of which I hate to recount) but thanks to medical attention and a LOT of care from Shaman, my folks and my in-laws, I'm recuperating.

AND I am determined not to let this morning sickness get the better of me or cause me any more misery! I want to remember EVERYDAY that this pregnancy is a gift, something both Shaman & I wanted so very much and prayed so very hard for. And I'm almost desperate to enjoy it.

Some updates on my pregnancy so far:-

Weight Gain
Or should I say 'loss'? :) Needless to say, with all the vomiting, not only have I NOT gained wieght, I've lost weight! My gynae isn't too alarmed by this at all. The baby's growing well and that's what really matters!

It is a bummer though, that my baby bump, though it's there, hardly shows :( I can still fit easily into my regular clothes, although I do use maternity tops occasionally. Totally love it's loseness around my belly!

Just can't wait for that bump to start showing!

Food Cravings
Or should I say 'aversions'? :)) There's almost nothing that I crave for and PLENTY that I'm totally avert against. Burgers - YUCK! Steak - NO WAY! Desserts, Cakes, Sweets - BLEAH! Soups, Pies, Pastry - Ewwww!!

So, while planning my diet hasn't exactly been easy, Sham and my folks have been diligently suggesting and buying different types of foods and drinks to keep me constantly hydrated and well nourished.

Baby's Growth
Like I mentioned earlier, my baby's growing well, just well! For this, I'm ever grateful. We did a detailed scan of baby last week and everything's just perfect - every organ, muscle, bone. Praise God.

The best part of the baby growing, is that it's staring to KICK! They're more like flutters actually and I feel them constantly in my belly! Oh how I LOVE 'em flutters! It's feels like my baby's communicating with me and that's just awesome!

Morning Sickness
It's hasn't left me yet but I never stop hoping. I'll have great days without ANY nausea, am able to go to work and actually perform, go shopping, get my nails done, hangout with Sham and then the next day BAM! everything just falls apart and I'm well... getting sick all over again.

But like I said, after 5.5 months, I've decided enough is enough. The morning sickness may weaken my body, but it ain't gonna weaken my mind! And how am I gonna make that happen? More on that in my next post!

"Strength does not come from physical capacity.

It comes from an indomitable will."

~ Mahatma Gandhi

On Moving On... And Staying the Same!

2009-08-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great time Friday night. Sham & I had our friends from church over for a (very) late housewarming party.
We didn't want to bother with sorting dinner out, so we catered.
Turned out to be a great idea cos we got to spend all our time talking and chatting and laughing and catching up with everyone.

We all met about 8 years ago, as singles or newly weds. The subject of conversations then were the latest movies, weekend plans, career ambitions, holiday destinations, etc.

NOW... here we were, all gathered together with pregnant bellies, diaper bags, toys stuffed into handbags, toddlers at the hip, talking about baby bearing, child-raising, home renovations, recipes, etc.

Yup, time flies. And boy, I can't believe how we've grown.... to people with serious responsiblities!! Us! We could hardly believe it ourselves.

What is great though (and a huge relief) is knowing that some things... don't change!
Like our ability to make each other laugh loud and crazy and have an AWESOME fun time together!

And for that, I shout a loud and hearty 'AMEN'!

Pregnancy Update : Getting Fit

2009-07-29T02:03:00.000-07:00

Before being pregnant, I took weekly squash lessons and did kickboxing.
I loved the intensity of both sports and the workout it gave me and always felt so energized afterwards!
Both sports are a big no-no now since the plenty hip movements involved aren't good for the me or the baby.

So aside from some swimming I've started at the Club, some minor housework and the occasional walk around the neighbourhood with Sham, I've more or less been a lazy bum!!
Definitely high-time for some exercise!

So last night, I started Pregnancy Fit Ball classes at FitFor2 in Bangsar Village and I must say, I loved every minute of it!
Not only was it cleverly designed to greatly benefit expectant mothers, it was fun too. For a good hour, we bounced, stretched, marched and even got on all fours!
According to my instructor and all that I've been reading, the work out does help to ease delivery... so here's hoping!

Either way, I felt super fine after so this mama-to-be's definitely going back for more!

Lookalikes?

2009-07-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Isn't it weird how Sham & I kinda look alike?

Well, weird in an endearing sort of way, I guess! :)

Our First Anniversay

2009-07-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

A weekend getaway, to the beach perhaps, candle-light dinners, evening strolls, mind-blowing sex - all the stuff a great first wedding anniversary celebration is made of!

Not for Sham & I though... no, siree! Not for us!

I wasn't exactly in the best of health but Sham insisted we go away somewhere, just to get away from it all. So off we drove to nearby Ipoh and stayed at the pretty classy Indulgence Restaurant and Living. Everything about the place was fantastic.

But I got sick and Sham spent the whole time selflessly caring for me. No candle-light dinners, no evening strolls, no mind-blowing sex.

So it may not have been the anniversary celebration of my dreams, but I returned home rested in the certainty that my marriage was made in heaven. That my husband and I were hand picked for each other by Jesus. Beyond any doubt, we are each others' best friend, each others' anchor.

And well, isn't that romance enough? :)

A Piece of Heaven

2009-07-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

They say a garden is a piece on heaven on earth. So Sham & I are really lucky to have our own little 'piece of heaven' in our home- one we've badly neglected of late though, what with recent preoccupations and all!

So yesterday evening, with much resolve, we put our gloves on and began work!

I couldn't believe how much weeds there were. For a good two hours, we got on our knees and tugged and pulled and ended up filling 4 big garbage bags full of weeds! Phew, what a task!

With the new plants we planted, and all the weeds out of the way, things are looking much better now. There's more colour and some sense of neatness. Well worth the effort, I guess! Now to find the time to sit at our patio and enjoy the view!

Pregnancy Update : How We Announced It

2009-07-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Sham & I got both our families together for dinner about a week after our third positive pregnancy test (we had to be really, REALLY sure before getting everyone excited!).

We got everyone together at LaRisata in Damansara Heights and Sham made the grand announcement halfway through dinner. I must say, we didn't exactly get the first reactions we expected - shouts of glee, table thumping and crazy prancing all over the restaurant. What we did get were more like stumped gazes and glazed, blur looks from our folks - you know, the kind that said 'you kids know how to make babies??' LOL!

But when the shocked subsided and the reality finally set it, there were smiles all around and hearty congratulations! Everyone toasted to the upcoming next generation! I more or less spent the rest of the night answering a million questions -'When are you due? Do you have a gynae in mind? Are you on folic acid yet? Are you sure you've stopped drinking Coca Cola?' Gosh!

Needless to say, everyone's excited about the impending arrival!

Here's a picture of me and a soon-to-be great grandmother, my maternal grandma, Nana. We were debating a suitable name for the baby to call her... Nanny? Nono? Nan? Gigi Nan? None of them sound right, somehow. Hmmm... what do you think?

It's A Red Ribbon Day!

2009-07-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Sham's birthday fell right in the middle of this episode, so I wasn't able to plan anything elaborate or fancy or spend much time shoppping for that perfect present.

But because he is wonderful and good and kind and I love him so, I still did want to give him something special :)

So I was really glad when I came across this super cool website while surfing the web one day - a company called Red Ribbon Days. The first ever of its kind in Malaysia, the Red Ribbon team puts together and sells pretty unique gifts - not the material kind, but experiences and outings that suit every occasion, taste and budget.

There's loads of fun stuff like pilot lessons for a day, body massage for two, cooking lessons, romantics meals, cruise trips, cupcake making lessons, flying fox outings, batik printing lessons and oh so much more! There's absolutely something for everyone!

Picking a gift for Sham wasn't easy and I finally settled for the ATV Waterfall Adventure for Two. Sham and a friend get to experience the fun and adventure of exploring a rainforest right up to a waterfall on an ATV bike! Ooooh I would so go with him if I could!

Anyway, I got the team at Red Ribbon to have my gift delivered to our house early on a Sunday morning, the eve of his birthday. They showed up right on time with a big red box, wrapped with - you guessed it - a big red ribbon, tied to big red baloons and Sham's gift voucher inside. It was a surprise and it worked! Still in his PJs and groggy eyed, Sham was totally excited about his gift and can't wait for his big adventure!

The best part is, it was all so easy! Red Ribbon organizes everything - from the planning right up until the delivery. You just have to pick an experience and your preferred mode of delivery and pay for it! The team does everything else. Very cool! Definitely something I'll be trying again.

Pregnancy Update : Morning Sickness!

2009-07-07T01:22:00.000-07:00

This isn't a pretty post. But I've decided to share something personal and close to my heart - a recent difficult experience in my life.
Easily disgusted readers, you may back off now...
~~~~

My spirit is weak.... fighting back tears as I write this...
Truly a time of trial and testing for me.
Can't wait for it to pass.

Clinging to this verse
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness"2 Corinthians 12:9

- Excerpt from an email sent to my girlfriend, Brinda, sometime in May 2009.

A time of trial and testing - that is truly what the months of May, June and early July were for me. It was the 2nd and 3rd months of my pregnancy - weeks 6 to 13.

I suffered what is medically known as hyperemesis gravidarum or severe morning sickness.

It hit me suddenly and challenged me in every way - physically, mentally and emotionally.

What initially started as slight nausea grew into severe nausea, to infrequent vomiting, to frequent vomiting, to constant vomiting, to glued-to-a-toilet bowl/plastic bag-puking-my-guts-out-vomiting. It was just... horrid.

I was constantly dehydrated, my lips were permanently chapped and dry, my skin scaly. I lost 5 kgs and was thinner than I'd been in years (and not in a good way!)
I couldn't keep anything in.... I puked even when I hadn't eaten anything!
I was always hungry and knew not whether to eat just to quell the hunger pangs only to throw up later, or to not eat and and suffer the gastric pains (along with nausea waves).

I was physically very, very weak and bed-ridden. I couldn't drive, leave the house, go out in public, go to work or move around very much.
There were times when I couldn't talk or move my head because the nausea waves were so severe, a slight movement who trigger a vomit bout.

Three times, I was so dehydrated, I had to be admitted into a hospital and put on drips.
The third time, only last week, I was so weak from an all-day vomit spree, I was driven to the ER at 1 in the morning. I was so far gone, I barely remember anything that took place at the ER.

I have since been discharged and am living with my parents, temporarily.
Under their care, I am slowly thriving and regaining my strength.

This whole experience has been a true test, both mentally and emotionally.
Physical weakness affects the mind and spirit, I now know.
There were many times, after lying in bed for hours and unable to attend to my own needs, I'd find myself drifting off into an almost zombie-like state. Like my mind was slowly slipping away to some place scary... like I was slowly going insane!
It took all of my will and presence of mind to get a grip of myself and come back to reality.

I also found myself constantly in tears.... mostly tears of frustration at being unable to live life fully, tears of fear, worry and anxiety.

I am now entering Week 14 of my pregnancy.
Things are much better now though I can't say for sure if the morning sickness is completely over. I can only hope it is.

This experience, like all tough experiences, has thought me much. Lessons I would never have otherwise learnt - a compassion for the sick, a deep gratitude for my health, my energy and my strength. It has taught me that sometimes I need to slow down a little and appreciate the simple things in life - flowers in bloom, the breeze, a kind word, the sound of children laughing...and much, much more.

I don't know for sure if this experience has made me a better person, but I'm willing to bet it has.

And for that, I'm ever grateful and humbled.

Europe Holiday 2009

2009-07-05T01:22:00.000-07:00

Sometime during the end of March, Sham & I went on a 3-week holiday to Europe. We spent time in the UK, Switzerland and Germany.

It was a wonderful, wonderful time (Yes, it was at this holiday that our child was conceived. We made good use of our time there, you see)

We met up with old friends, made some new ones, had a 3-day stay at the beautiful Lake District, went on a 5 day road trip to northern England, took long, leisurely walks around the lovely lakes of Geneva and tried all sorts of different delicacies at different places.

Oh we had a ball - a holiday we'll look back at with great joy in the years to come!

Here are some pictures.

We're Back With NEWS!

2009-07-03T01:17:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been long. I have no excuses. Apologies all around.

Much has been happening in our lives. I'll tell of them all in stages here.
So stay tuned.
Yes, Sham & Mel are back... and we're here to stay!

The biggest news Sham & I have to share is.... we're pregnant!

I'm 14 weeks into my pregnancy now and boy what a ride it's been so far!
But I'll write more about my very eventful first trimester later on.

For now, Sham & I and our families are just delighted with the news.
Most of all, we're SO grateful to God for blessing us with this gift and we're totally looking forward to this next phase of our lives as parents.

Our baby... our firstborn (WOW!) is due late December and we just can't wait to see him/her. Watch this space!

The Lazy Wife's Dinner

2009-03-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

If I may say so myself, I'm actually a pretty okay cook.

Granted, I may not yet know the difference between fennel and fenugreek, understand if meat and fish curry powder really does produce difference tastes, or see why I need to distinct between green & red chilies, but well, I can whip up some fairly decent Indian dishes for my husband and I.

Indian cooking is a LOT of work though and there are days when the I abhor even the thought of chopping 1 more garlic or slicing 1 more onion! And on these days, I thank God for the the genius who invented instant pizza. More specifically, the genius who invented this!

Introducing the lazy wife's easy dinner - Dr Oetker's Ristorante Pizza!

It's just great, I tell ya! They come in 6 different topping and with a thin crust, most of which we've tried and are YUMMY! And considering that it IS fast food, it's actually pretty healthy too! And filling. And DELICIOUS. And so easy to prepare. And DELICIOUS. And cooks really fast too. And SO.VERY.DELICIOUS!

It's an absolute life saver!

P.S. - Mums, if you're reading this, we have this nothing more than twice a month, I swear!

Our Langkawi Getaway

2009-02-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

So Sham & I decided to utilize our free stay and flew to Langkawi last weekend.

I must say, the Berjaya Beach and Spa Resort, Langkawi is a great place to stay! We were lucky, it wasn't very crowded the weekend we were there. We were told, the place the place gets SO crowded sometimes, it looks like a circus!

So thank goodness for our good timing!

We were treated with excellent service the moment we arrived. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. I was very impressed.

Oh and they actually upgraded our room from the already fabulous Premier Chalet on Water, to the Executive Suite on Water!

Here are some photos of our stay...

It was a short but very memorable stay... one of many, many we plan to take!

Our First Valentines

2009-02-15T03:04:00.000-08:00

So I got flowers and a teddy bear this Valentines.

But it was my husband taking my car to the mechanic and getting my spare tyre sorted, without me asking, that totally won my heart.

That, and the pink helium baloon my brother-in-law pinched from some restaurant to give me.

It's always, always the little things that matter :)

My Favourite Girls

2009-02-14T02:46:00.000-08:00

This photo is of me and my favourite girls, taken over Christmas at our place, when we had them over for dinner with their significant others.

Life has taken us to different phases in life and to different parts of the world and we don't get to meet as much as we'd like to, but when we do, it's like not a day has passed since our last meet.

Except that we're older, better, stronger... and still connected by values that bind us, the laughter that sustains us, and this fabulous bond of sisterhood that feeds us.

I love you, gals!

The Goat Farm

2009-02-03T19:24:00.000-08:00

Two of my ex-uni mates, a very entrepreneurial couple, recently decided to invest in the goat business. Apparently a lot of money was to be made in goat meat! They'd bought a goat farm in Kuala Selangor some months back and have been asking us to come visit for ages.

So, just before Christmas, Sham & I took some of our friends and siblings there for a visit.

Man oh man... what fun we had! I'd never been to a goat farm before, so everything was so new! My friend, Anand, took us on the grand tour around the farm. I thought it was all so cool - the baby goats, the mummy goats, the big papa goat, goat houses, goat food! He explained the mating process, the birthing process, the milking process, the grazing, the feeding, the buying and selling. Apparently, a lot of work goes into producing the perfect goat!

Anand got his workers to prepare our lunch at the farm and they cooked up a feast! Chicken, wild boar, vege, dhal, all fried, cooked and grilled to perfection! Yummm!

It was such a swell time! To be so close to nature, surrounded by tall trees and with friends you love the most is simply... bliss!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-07T18:28:00.000-08:00

Hey all!
A Belated Happy New Year to all our readers!

The last two weeks of 2008 were hectic and fun, filled with family, food and friends, as I'm sure was yours! There was Christmas eve mass, the New Years Eve's do, parties at ours, parties at friends of ours, exchanging of presents, the visiting of relatives, and food and more food!

It was our first Christmas together and definitely one to remember :)

Here's what Sham got me

And here's what I got him

Oh and here's a (bad) picture of our crib!

The Building of the Crib

2008-12-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

The husband is busying himself making our very first Christmas crib!

Growing up, at Christmas, my mum would get my brothers to build our crib, rather than use the same store-purchased one every year. I remember, my brother, Adrian, was pretty good at making them. One year, he made a pretty impressive one with wood and nails and dried leaves and all... and even equipped it with a little bulb, creating a warm glow around the crib at night time.

Sham & I thought it would a good idea to start the same tradition in our home too. I went out and bought the figurines, even the cows and the sheep, and Sham started work on the crib.

It's half done. He's planning on completing it this weekend. So watch this space to see what our very first crib will look like!

The Luckiest Day of My Life!

2008-12-15T19:20:00.001-08:00

Look where I won us a 3D2N stay at!!

Thanks to a Spin and Win promotion by Ralph Lauren, Sham & I get to stay at the Berjaya Beach Resort and Spa, Langkawi for free! And at the Premier Chalet on Water, no less!

Now if you know me, you know this doesn't happen everyday! I've never won a thing in my life! Not even a lucky draw!

Not to mention, this win came after a string of free gifts I had already been given!

You see, I'd purchased two Ralph Lauren cologne for both our dads for Christmas. The very nice sales lady gave me 3 free sample perfumes and a free travel bag! She then gave me a RM10 gift voucher to use with my next purchase AND told me I had the chance to 'spin the wheel' - twice! So I did. I won a Ralph Lauren perfume with my first spin, and the trip with my second!

I would have pranced around in glee, but well... I was too much in shock to react! I mean, my arms were filled with freebies all in a span of 30 minutes!

Am I lucky or am I lucky?

Thank goodness I decided to get the dads cologne for Christmas, and not socks!!

Eulogy for Uncle Gren

2008-12-14T23:22:00.000-08:00

Beloved uncle. Irreplaceable. We miss him very much.

EULOGY FOR UNCLE GREN
(1951 –2008)
8 DECEMBER 2008
CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION, PETALING JAYA

Eulogies are hard to write, but this particularly so. I never expected to be standing here, to talk about this man, my uncle Gren. Someone so full of life, of joy, always smiling, upbeat, now lying cold in a coffin. It’s almost hard to believe.

Let me tell you about my uncle Gren.

As I was writing this, I tried to think about the number of times I’ve seen Uncle Gren being or looking anything other than happy, pleasant, jovial, FUN! I don’t think I ever have. Although he’s had his share of troubles, maybe more than his share, he has never ever let any of it bring him down. The trials and tribulations of this life never robbed him of that almost childlike trust and faith in the goodness of this world and in the goodness of people. He chose to live with optimism and chose to always believe in the good. Hate, suspicion, anger – these things were simply foreign to him, to his nature.

Maybe it is this, that made him too good, too innocent to live among us in this world. They say a childlike attitude is the closest imitation of Jesus and in his own way, with his cheeriness, his exuberance and joy, Uncle Gren was Christ among us.

I will miss my uncle’s presence in Nana’s house. I will miss him noticing and making fun of me when I put on even a little bit of weight, miss his unsolicited advice about my hair and clothes, miss his teasing, his crazy chatter, his outrageous stories.

I will miss his mannerisms, hand gestures, the many expression on his face, his loud presence at family gatherings. I will even miss the smell of Dunhill reds all around Nana’s house.

Yes, I will miss him. We all will.

Not many of you may know this, but in the last months of his life, Uncle Gren had, at long last, found love. He’d met and fallen in love with Anabelle - his sweetheart, Belle. He was so proud and so happy to tell the world of her! They were to be married but sadly this is never to be.

I take heart, though, in knowing that my uncle knew love before he died. That he experienced the happiness that comes from being loved by that one, special person.

And for that, Belle, my family and I thank you.

But I can’t end without telling you about Uncle Gren and his first love – MUSIC! He was an accomplished musician. His music career actually began at the St Nicholas’ School of the Blind where he studied. At the age of 13, he performed live on Radio & Television Malaysia when TV had just begun in the country in black and white. In his late teens, he performed with the Falcons for the Americans in Saigon, Vietnam. And later in 1971, they rocked the National Stadium of Singapore with their stunning performance.

He was a musician, through and through. It seemed that he was happiest when he was performing – he played with passion, danced with a spring in each step.

How awesome, then, that he is now a place where the singing never stops, the dancing goes on and the rejoicing is forever.

My uncle was a man who grabbed each day and lived it to the fullest, a life all of us would envy. He lived in the present, for today, knowing that tomorrow might never come. Is this not what Jesus has told us to do?

In a way, I think, perhaps this outlook of life prepared him for the eventuality of his passing. And ironic though it may be, whilst we sit here in sadness, Uncle Gren, I know you are surely happy and smiling in the arms of the Lord.

Friends, as we bid farewell to our friend, our brother, Gren, as we mourn his absence in our lives, I ask you to remember his joyful spirit, his simple and carefree personality, and to remember him in your prayers. This is what he would have wanted.

Friends and family, your presence today is a testament of your love and fondness for Gren. On behalf of the family, I thank you being here today and for your prayers. They mean so very much to us.

I leave you with these words of comfort from a song by the Alleycats, one which Uncle Gren performed.

Andainya aku pergi dulu sebelummu
Janganlah kau bersedih hati
Andainya aku tiada lagi di sisimu
Janganlah kau memencil diri
Bayangkanlah masa-masa bahagia
Semasa kau dan aku
Bermesra di langit biru.

Disini ku berjanji di saksi rambulan
Andainya ku pergi dulu
Jikalau ku pergi dulu
Ku nantimu di pintu syurga.

Shoud I go before you
Weep not for me
Remember the happy times we had together
You and I, beneath the big, blue sky

Should I go before you
If I go before you
I will await you at Heaven’s gates

The Fabulous Weekend

2008-11-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

I walked into the office today and my colleagues asked me 'how was your weekend?.

I smiled from ear to ear and said 'It was FABULOUS!!!'
Well, it certainly was! Look what we did...

We hiked to the very top of a waterfalls on Saturday,

had a yummy dimsum breakfast on Sunday,

and for dinner, went on a romantic dinner date, just the two of us :)

These are happy days, these are!

A Flashback!

2008-11-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

Recently, I went with Sham to the airport to send off his brother who was off to Europe for two weeks on business. His girlfriend had come with us.

It was sweet watching them bid each other goodbye. She was clinging on lovingly to his arm and he looked just so sad that he had to leave.

It reminded me of the time, almost 2 years ago, when Sham & I were still dating and he had to go to Europe for 2 weeks. Shortly after he'd flown off, I sent this email to Jeevan, the friend he was going to live with there for a few days, before work began.

Dearest Jeevan,

Hi there :-) How are you? We haven't met but I have a HUGE favour to ask...

As I write this, precious cargo is airborne and due to arrive at your doorstep in approximately 10 hours. It is well packaged (oh very well indeed) and attractive looking (in fact, is known to be quite a turn on), is sturdy and built well (built very well), mobile (so you needn't worry about lifting or carrying), and not fragile (except when in my arms and requiring some TLC).

Said cargo has been placed in my care the past few months and as a result is functioning pretty well, in fact I believe, has never been better.

But fate has decided that it be parted from me for 2 weeks.
A sad 2 weeks indeed, as said cargo is irreplaceable, and I desperately await its return!

Back to my favour.....

.... I hope it's not too much to ask

.... but if you don't mind

.... I would be so grateful

.... and ever indebted to you

.... if you could please

.... please

.... please

.... take good care

.... extremely good care

.... of my Baby... my li'l Shamu-sweetums!!!

OK?

Basically, just do whetever it takes so that he's always happy and smiling!

Boleh?

With gratitude
Melissa

Reading that brought back a flood of memories and made me laugh out loud!

Anyway, this was Jeevan's reply.

Dear Melissa,

My my, is this lurve or what?

Umm, I did pick up some cargo from Manchester airport, although I am unsure if it is that which you describe. The rather overweight cargo I picked up does not seem to match your description. Ah, well, love is blind, so I'm told..

Hmmm.... it normally costs a fortune in alcohol to keep this guy happy and smiling, but I shall see what I can do....

Hope to see you soon, insyallah!

Jeevan

LOL! :D

A 'Windy' Episode

2008-11-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Oh this is so humiliating but I suffered a HORRIBLE case of excess wind in my tummy Sunday night!

What a terrible way to end a wonderful weekend of family & friends & church & home cooked food & movies & exercise and everything good!

Thank God Shaman got home in time after his badminton. He found me writhing in pain on our bed and rushed me to the nearest clinic. What had started as pain in my tummy had eventually led to my chest area and for a while I actually thought I was having a heart attack! Oh the pain!

Anyway, the doctor prescribed some pills which I had to take right away and THANK HEAVENS, the pain began to subside on our drive home... phew!

It sure was awful while it lasted, though! And I'd NEVER gone through some thing like this before...

Sham got me something soupy to eat, gave me more meds to take and tucked me into bed.

You know how I know my husband loves me?
He still hugs me tight to sleep even when I'm... (please, please pardon the crudeness)..... farting the night away!

Siiiighh....

Blogger Down...

2008-11-11T19:06:00.001-08:00

I've been sick the past 3 days.

What started as a throat infection, led to fever, a runny nose, headaches, sneezing bouts, a bad cough, diarrhoea...the works! I laid in bed for most of Monday and Tuesday, complete knocked out by Polaromine and cough lynctus.

Communication with Sham has been limited to 2-3 word text messages...

... head feels heavy

... still purging

... buy soup

... no more panadol

... body hurts

... so tired

... hug me please?

Can't wait to recover fully and get back to normal life!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAURA!!

2008-11-05T18:46:00.001-08:00

And many happy returns of the day to you from both of us!

For those of you who didn't know, Laura, my sister, is the reason Sham & I met at all! She introduced us to each other and was instrumental in setting us up on that very fateful blind date.

Laura, thanks to you I've found the love of my life and now... there's two less lonely people in the world!

Here's wishing you sunny days and starry nights, happy days and lotsa smiles!

Cheers, sistah!

It's The Allan & Indi Show!!!

2008-10-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

Sham & I had a wonderfully delighful time on Friday night!

We watched Malaysia's awesome comedy duo, Allan Perera & Indi Nadaraja in action! Together, they make up the Comedy Court, a fabulous production that has been making it rounds in our live entertainment scene since 1997.

This time round, the show is called We Don't Swear, a hilarious performance by the two that poke fun at just about everything Malaysian - our politics, our lifestyles choices, our food, our politics, our relationships, our habits & pecularities, our politics, our weather, did I mention our politics? And oh boy, were they FUNNY!!

They were AWESOME, switching roles so easily - from corrupt Members of Parliment one minute, to typical China-men the next and to old aunties in another!

They TOTALLY cracked us up! The dialogue, the expressions and mannerisms... I swear I never laughed so much!

Man... WHAT a night!

(P.S. - If you do get to watch the show, look out for supporting cast member in the 3rd skit- the young and talented Amanda Charmaine. I know her!! And she was fabulous!!)

Our First Farewell

2008-10-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Sham & I lost a family member 2 weeks ago.
His maternal granddad died of a heart attack on a Thursday morning.

The funeral mass and cremation was the very day after.

A 7-day prayer followed.

Friends and family rallied around the family, comforting his widow.

Prayers were said, hymns were sung, old friends visited and were reacquainted.

There was a lot of love in the air.

Tata was 77 when he died.

He leaves behind a wife, 4 children, 4 children-in-law & 7 grandchildren.

All of whom were brought closer together by their loss.

Yes, there are silver linings around dark clouds.

Tata, you are finally home with Jesus.
May you rest in peace.

Fun on a Monday Nite??

2008-10-20T23:40:00.001-07:00

Sham & I went to the Backyard Pub last nite. Fancy us at a pub on a Monday nite, sipping on whiskys and Margaritas! Haha :D

Sham had heard about this one man piece who performs there on Mondays and was supposed to be good, so we decided to go check it out.

The one man piece turned out to be a very talented and highly entertaining, 28 year old Mark Renesh!

He was awesome! A great voice and a whole range of music - the Eagles, Simon & Garfunkel, a little bit of country, a lot of stuff from the 70s, some Tracy Chapman and good ol' rock and roll! We were very entertained and had a really good time!

On a Monday nite, can you believe?

If you're ever in the neighbouhood on Mondays, head on over to Backyard! You won't regret it!

Cruising with Sham

2008-10-17T01:23:00.001-07:00

One of my favouritest things to do with Sham is to hop into the car and take a long drive some place just for the heck of it! Most of our trips didn't exactly turn out 'well', though. But that never made them any less fun!

For instance, once, on a random Friday night, we found ourselved bored and decided.. hey! let's go to Gentings! So we drove up, only to find the place closed and it was pouring cats and dogs!

Then another time, we drove up to Frasers Hill on a Sunday, only to discover it was under major development and most restaurants were closed!

Funny thing was, it didn't bother us at all! Who cared? After all, the fun was in the drive!!

Sham would open the sun roof and let the cool air in. I'd flip off my sandals and sit with my legs curled under me.

We'd munch on donuts and chat about everything!

Or we'd play our favourite songs on the radio and sing loudly along.

Or we'd just be quiet, and take in the fantastic green that surrounds our highways.

And sometimes, I'd lean slightly over to my right and rest my head on Sham's shoulder while he drove us safely home.

NB : Pic taken on the drive up to Frasers, July 08

The Long and Beautiful Break

2008-10-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about living in a multi racial country, is that thanks to the many religous celebrations, we get all these public holidays!

We we were off work (almost) the entire week :)))
I'm so sad it's over :(((

We got some things done around the house. Sham finished the bookshelf. He also tidied up our storeroom (it got all messed up again a few days back... oh well!) We cleaned our carpets and learnt to cook some new dishes. Changes some light bulbs, put up some pictures, sorted out a blocked pipe problem.

It as Mum's birthday on Thursday, so we threw a BBQ party at our place on Wednesday night. Had both families over till way over midnight!

Spent some time at my folk's and some time with Sham's.

Spent some time with friends - a very yummy dinner at Unique Seafood, followed by drinks at ours. Had another group of friends over for tea on Saturday.

Spent some time together, just us, doing couple things. We did lunch at Coliseum Cafe (it was just us at the quaint, old place - kinda romantic in a way), went to our local neighbourhood pub for music and drinks (and realized we hadn't been out so late since we got married!), went shopping, bought some new clothes, watched movies at home, ran some errands together.

All in all, time pretty well spent.

Are there any more holidays in October, by the way?
There are... right? ... right? ... right?

Sham The Builder

2008-09-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

The husband is busying himself with a new project - building our bookshelf and shoe rack.

He spent a good part of Saturday sand papering, varnishing, polishing and doing a lot of other very manly things. I'm terribly excited and can't wait for him to finish!

In the meantime though, I'm pretty content watching him work because carpentry makes him look SO sexy!

Our Wednesday Night Routine

2008-09-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

We're usually busy most weeknights - either someone comes over our place, or we're out running errands, etc. We try to keep Wednesday nights simple though. Here's what a typical Wednesday night looks like at the Gaspar residence.

5.30pm

I leave the office for home.
Sham leaves the office and heads for the club for his regular badminton.

6.00pm

I arrive home, water my plants and sweep the porch.

6.15pm

I put on my apron and start cooking, trying not to burn anything!

7.45pm

I finish cooking (Yes, it takes me 1.5 hours to prepare 3 simple, edible dishes, one of which includes rice) and start Storming the kitchen.

8.00pm

I go upstairs and have my bath.
Sham returns from badminton, having had his bath at the club.
Sham sorts out the laundry, then listens to some music or plays his guitar.

8.30pm

I come down all nice and fresh. We chat a little and have dinner.

9.00pm

We finish dinner and do the dishes.

10.00pm

We chill in our patio, drink some wine and talk, listen to music and just relax.

11.00pm

We put the clothes into the dryer before heading upstairs to sleep.

So boring and routine but oh, I live for days like these!

Will The Real Mel & Sham Please Stand Up?

2008-09-24T02:11:00.000-07:00

Some vital information on Mel & Sham, courtesy of flooble.com

Mel, 29 years, Aries

Aggressive to the extreme, the Aries is primitive - warlike and cruel. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, he often has trouble remembering the simplest of things. The Aries will often try to backstab his peers, but luckily, he usually lacks the mental capacity to succeed. He is vulgar and blunt, and incapable of subtelty.
From early childhood, Rams aspire to be a career soldier or an austronaut - which is why they constantly go around trying to pick fights with everyone they meet. An Aries should be kept as far away from family savings as possible - he will blow it all at the first chance, but will not remember how or why.
He is unbearably dull in a conversation, mostly due to an annoying tendency to ramble on for hours about himself, completely oblivious to those around him. When drunk, an Aires will usually become roudy and violent, often making a scene.

Sham, 30 years, Gemini

Eternally childish - both intellectually and emotionally, a Gemini simply refuses to grow up, and will often mooch of off someone until old age. His only true passion is pointless chatter, which he has mastered to perfection. A Gemini can talk for hours without ever getting to the point. He reads little, but has an opinion on every issue - even though he will change it about a dozen times a week.
It is not uncommon for a Gemini to become an actor or at least a "writer". Geminis can't stand stress - neither physical nor mental. Even though a Gemini loves to entertain guests, at best, he will have nothing more to offer than soda and chips. Usually though, it's just his endless and pointless ramblings.

We truly are a match made in heaven, aren't we?

Penang - Sept 18-20

2008-09-22T02:24:00.000-07:00

Penang, this time around was short but sweet.

We chilled at the beach at Penang Club, had dinner at Hai Nan Town, by Church Street Pier and patted the horses outside Fort Cornwallis.

We stopped by the snake temple on our way back.
Hubs was disappointed all the snakes were in captivity.
(He figured snakes in the wild would unleash the screaming, squealing drama queen in his wife which would no doubt, entertain him hugely!)

I found the place pretty boring.. until we came across this!

It's the Green Tree Python, or the Morelia Viridis.
Isn't it just gorgeous? I couldn't take my eyes off it!
Definitely the highlight of my trip!

Off To Penang!

2008-09-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Sham & I are heading to Penang this weekend.

He actually has work there, so I decided to take Friday off work and go with him. It's all kinda impromptu... but well, those are the best kind of holidays, aren't they?

Our last impromptu trip to Penang, shortly after we got married, was awesome!

We stayed at the quaint, unassuming and simply delightful Penang Club and filled our 2 days stay with activity - trishaw rides late at night, nature walks in the Penang National Park, lots of hawker-fried char koay toew, jazz at No 32, drinks at the E&O...

It was wonderful!

I can't wait for this trip! It sure is fun being carefree newly-weds.. and we plan to soak in every minute of it!

N.B - Picture is of the restaurant at Penang Club. We love sitting out there, just chilling and feeling the wind blow our hair... bliss!

Measure up b4 ikea....

2008-09-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago my dear wifey and I made a spontaneous run to the World of Ikea with the sole purpose of saving electricity. After our 6pm board meeting, the house anonymously approved the use of a device known as a clothes drying rack!! The budget set forth by the treasury was a nominal sum of RM (ringgit Malaysia) 199.99 only.

The arguments for the motion was that sun-drying laundry as opposed to tumble drying would significantly reduce drying time and consequently further reduce overhead costs i.e. electricity and extend the life of our tumble drying system. Despite the brilliance of the motion forwarded by Mrs. Melissa Gaspar, we forgot one crucial element.... and the result is as illustrated below

As such, dear friends it is wise to ensure that any merchandise bought from Ikea will fit into the vehicle that acts as the carriage. Not much point in realising half way home that Ikea also provides delivery service!

An Open Letter to Sham

2008-09-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

My love,

I was looking through some old files in my PC and guess what I found? Copies of old letters I’d written you.

The memories came flooding back. Man, how fast time flies! And how far we’ve come! I mean look at us now… a married couple!

It’s been over 2 months now. And it’s been nothing short of extraordinary!

I just wanted to write this to thank you for being the best husband anyone could ever ask for! Truly, Sham, you’ve been absolutely wonderful to me.

You’re a gift to me in so many ways. Thank you so much.

Thank you for providing so well for me and for our home and for working so hard to give us both a good life.

Thank you for being so sensitive to my needs and feelings, my fears and thoughts. I feel so understood and cared for, safe and protected.

Thank you for all the fun you bring into our life together. For silly jokes and funny faces, for your spontaneity and joyful outlook of life. Thank you for making me smile.
Thank you for all the little things you do around the house. For remembering to fill empty water bottles, take out the trash, put the clothes in the machine – without me having to ask. It really means a lot to me.

Thank you for being so loving and affectionate. For hugs and kisses and romantic gestures – flowers, chocolates and notes that come my way so often. Little things and big things that tell me how much you love me. I’m so touched by them.

Thank you, most of all, Sham, for filling me with peace. Fr. Chris said this in his sermon at our wedding mass–

“But he is the man who will make you happy and give you peace and security as together you begin the great adventure of living as man and wife in this beautiful, fragile, amazing and complex new world of ours”

He’s right, you know. When I’m with you, and especially when you put your arms around me tight before I go to sleep, I feel completely and totally… at peace. In your arms, I’m home… safe and loved.

Thank you more than I can ever say.

Thank you for loving me.
I love you too.

Hugs & kisses
Melissa

Lesson 1

2008-09-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

Here's what you do NOT say to your husband after he's run through almost all of Ikea, balancing between 3 very heavy wooden boards in one hand and a bag filled with glass items in the other, and meets you at the check out counter, huffing anf puffing and sweating -

'But you were supposed to get 4 boards!'

Questions, Questions, Questions

2008-09-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

I seem to be in contact with my mum a whole lot more, these days.
There's just always a reason to call her.

Mum, what does fennel look like?
Can I replace green chili with red?
How do I remove the stain from my kitchen sink?
How much sunlight do orchids need?
Which is a good laundry detergent to use?
How often should I wash my curtains?
What's a pressure cooker for?
How do I make my petunias bloom?
If I'm cooking for four, do I just double all the ingredients?
Where's the best place to buy meat - TMC, Cold Storage or Jusco?
Where did you get your rice container from?
Where do you get your pictures framed?
How exactly do you sharpen knives?
How often do I need to clean the fans in the house?
Is it better to use instant or full cream milk?

...and many, many more questions about things i NEVER thought about before!

Thankfully, mum knows most of the answers.

Congrats Nachi & Alagu!

2008-09-08T19:59:00.001-07:00

This is Nachi & Alagu, good friends of ours who celebrated their 1st wedding anniversary a few Saturday nights back.

The do was actually a surprise party Alagu threw for Nachi at El Salvador, in Damansara Heights.
Boy was he surprised!
They walked in to red heart-shaped ballons everywhere and 8 of their closest friends shouting SURPRISE!! All Alagu's careful planning.

It was a fun night, lots of drink and food and merriment!

We reminisced about Nachi's sudden, out of the blue announcement over a year ago, that he was to be wed, through a traditional Chettiar arranged marriage, to a girl from India he'd only met once, and whom we'd never even heard about before! We thought he was going nuts! Hahaha..

And then after the wedding, when Nachi first proudly introduced to his new bride and we all TOTALLY went crazy for Alagu too!

Truly, Nachi & Alagu, you guys are a match made in heaven! It's awesome to watch you two together. Here's to many, many more crazy, noisy wedding anniversay parties!

The Long and Beautiful Slumber

2008-09-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Shaman had a sudden very bad coughing bout on Tuesday night.
He coughed and coughed till his whole body hurt.

Needless to say, neither of us got much sleep that night.

What a night it was!

It was all quite funny actually, looking back - so much activity at SUCH an ungodly hour!

Sham walking to the bathroom for the 500th time, coughing up phlegm.
Me walking downstairs to the kitchen, eyes half open, to get his cough mixture.
Sham looking at me and sheepishly asking if I could fix him lemon juice with honey.
Me walking to the kitchen again, hardly believing that I had obliged!
Both of us sitting up in bed, Sham sipping his juice hoping desperately it provides some relief and me rubbing his back.

The next morning, needless to say, neither of us could wake up. We slept right through ringing alarm clocks and handphones!
I just about managed to call the office to take the day off and went right back to bed.

Sham and I slept like we'd never slept before. We slept away the stress from the busy weekend, past late nights and the collected exhaustion from our activity filled and jam packed weekdays... and awoke at 5pm. Yes, 5 in the evening!

It was the best sleep we've EVER had!
And when we awoke, Sham was cured.

Sometimes, a good sleep-in is really all the body needs.
We awoke feeling rejuvenated and throughly and completely.... rested.

:-))

The 'Dog Experiment' Results

2008-08-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here's what we learnt -

Dogs need affection and attention, which neither Sham nor I could give much of. We're not at home very much and the days are just so hectic. So, most of the time, she was left to herself to roam around our small garden.
Dogs need exercise! Throughout the 5 days Figs was with us, Shaman only manage to take her out once for a walk around the neighbourhood.

Dog meals should be planned in advance. We kept coming back home late especially over the weekends, so poor Figgy had her meals late too! And even then after she barked to remind us!
Dog fur is a pain! Figgy's were all over the place! I had to keep vacuuming our patio set.
POTTY TRAIN ALL DOGS!

I guess it looks like Sham and I won't be getting a dog anytime soon.

Jeez... how will we manage a baby??!

P.S. - Figgy did NOT eat my plants or kill any squirrels :)

Elbowed patient's remedy...

2008-08-22T02:03:00.002-07:00

Two nights ago, in the wee, vee hours of the morning I was subjected to much kicking, rambling and finally was elbowed by my wonderful wife. Much of this violence I reckon was caused by my failure to be nice while asleep.

The illustration above depicts the full colour x-ray scan of Mel's right elbow which crashed into my rib cage. At the moment of impact I yelped, shouted in pain....What I got was 'huh' and a silent back to sleep gesture. Hmmph

Now you see, the glow of the actual x-ray results of mel's elbow, you see the glowing bright joint which has the potential of cracking the biggest bone in 'DALCA' curry.

So I decided to defend myself with the help of Mr. Figgs who belongs to my in-laws. I have absconded with him.... faithfully hoping that he will save me.. should this episode take place ever again. Mr. Figgs is a dog and the last post says it all, however as I left Mr.Figgs at home, she too was looking kinda weiry and scared

The 'Dog Experiment'

2008-08-22T00:25:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of Shaman taking my PARENTS's dog Figgy into his car.

Being my PARENTS's dog, Figgy (short for Sir Alex Ferguson) should really, be in my PARENTS's house. However, during lunch at my mum's today, Shaman talked me into allowing him to bring Figgy back to our house.

Apparently, this is some sort of 'dog experiment'. This 'experiment', according to my husband, is very useful as it will reveal to us a lot of very important things - like if our home is dog-friendly enough, and if we are able to look after a dog - should we decide to get one in the future.

Okay Sham, I love you, so... whatever you say, babe!

Figgy will be in our home for 2 days (so Shaman promises), she will NOT eat my much loved and carefully tended plants (so Shaman promises) and she will NOT kill the squirrels that scamper around in our garden every so often (so Shaman promises).

No doubt, Shaman & I are going to have a very interesting weekend.

Sham's all optimistic about it.

And I'm... well, I'm...

... less optimistic

P.S. - Watch this space for updates on the 'dog experiment'.

There Is Life In Our Garden!!

2008-08-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

All the watering and fertilizing and weeding has finally paid of!

What a treat it is to sit out at our patio in the evenings with a view like this! Praise God for flowers!

Things That Go Bump In The Night

2008-08-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

I have a embarassing story to tell. Read on.

So Sham's been away for the last 4 nights, on work.
The first night, on the weekend, my mum & sister stayed over.
The second and third, I slept alone.

My mum & mum-in-law called everyday asking if I was ok, if I wanted them to come over and spend the night, if I knew the number to the nearest police station, etc.

I'd sigh and say "I'm fine!" "Stop worrying!" "I travel so much for work and stay in strange hotels, I most certainly can stay alone in my own home!"

I've even stayed alone in the ancient, creepy, Kuala Kangsar Rest House for two nights, what's a night alone at home, I thought!

So I slept alone those two nights and they were totally uneventful.
Last night however, last night.... was a whole other story!

I got back from work, changed into my sporting gear, grabbed my gloves and rushed for kickboxing class. Returned home, bathe and did my hair, fixed dinner & ate it in front of the TV. Went to bed at almost midnight.

Then I heard it... a loud, resounding THUMP!
My eyes flew open, and I stared out into the darkness in fright.
I wracked my brain thinking about the things that go bump in the night, and my paranoid mind kept coming back to one - an intruder knocking against my furniture!

I stayed up hoping I wouldn't hear it again... and I did!

Grabbed my handphone and called the 4-hours-away husband.
Groggy and half asleep, he convinced me that it was NOT an intruder and probably something that had fallen, a picture frame or something.
Just as I was about to believe him, I heard it again... THUMP!
and again.. THUMP! THUMP!!

I almost screamed outloud!

Shaman panicked and immediately called his folks, who live about 5 minutes away.

(Embarassing bit starts here)

They jumped out of bed, hopped into the car, and rushed over. They had a spare key so I didn't have to get out of the room and open the door for them (thank God!)

Mum-in-law walked straight up to my room and gave me a big hug. I was sweating by then! Dad-in-law walked around the whole house, inspecting every corner and every room.

We finally found the source of the noise - the water pump up in the roof.

Yes, the loud thumping sound I heard, which nearly scared me to death and forced my in laws out of bed past midnight - was from the water pump.

Mum-in-law spent the night with me and dad-in-law went home laughing his head off. God bless them!

Siiiigh..this is one story that's going to make its rounds at every family gathering... probably right up until 2035!

Now, please excuse me while I go hide my face in shame!

The STORM comes our way!

2008-08-17T20:52:00.001-07:00

DISCLAIMER : Boring housewifey post below. Feminists, the young and hip, men - leave now.

Those of you who've been to my house, know this of me - I'm almost anal about cleanliness.

I feel shudders down my spine when guests forget to put their drinks on the coaster I provide, cry inside when I see fingerprint marks on glass surfaces and lose sleep over the fact that my fan blades have dust on them.

That's just the half of it. My husband will attest to more.

Simply put, I revel in the clean and tidy... except for my husband - him, I like messy and scruffy and sweaty, sometimes ;-)

Anyway, back to clean and tidy. A few days ago, my husband generously bought me this!

It's the STORM hydrocleaner.

You can read all about its functions in the website.
In Mel-speak, its a tool that sweeps, mops, dusts, dehumidifies, removes stains, cleans curtains and mattresses and washes carpets, very, very well and very, very quickly. In short, a heaven-sent gift that soothes my soul and calms my spirits.

No more sweeping twice and mopping and mopping again and then sweeping again. With the STORM, I do everything all at once, once!
House cleaning this weekend took HOURS less than it did all the weekends before. Phew!

Aaaand I went to sleep with a smile on my face - my house is clean, all's right in my world :)
I told you this was a boring housewifey post!!

Teen Invasion!

2008-08-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

3 teenagers visited our home a few nights back.

My cousin, Gordon was back in town on uni break and decided to pop by for a visit with Trina & Romie. So cute they were! Chowed down 4 pizza in what seemed like 10 minutes and entertained us with their crazy chatter.

They oohed and aahed about how our home was so 'cool' and totally 'rawked', teased me over my obsession with cleanliness, threatened to jump all over my sofa, and pledged to return for sleep-ins and free food!

What a visit! I managed to capture the kiddos in action. Enjoy!

Trina, Romie, Gordon - you guys are welcome anytime! Just DON'T JUMP ON MY SOFA!!

A Boy & A Girl & Home Cooked Food

2008-08-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

I wasn't feeling very well the other night. So my sweet husband made me lamb stew! I watched and diligently wrote down the recipe. (Yes, it's a well known fact that Sham cooks like a pro and Mel can't at all... but that's going to change because I'm learning!!)

It turned out delicious and definitely helped clear the flu bug.

We ate together by the island, talking, sharing, laughing. Life is good. And my husband is the best!

We Got Married!

2008-08-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

We're back.

We're married and we're back!

I very much regret abandoning this blog, especially in the days leading up to the wedding. Our apologies for leaving you hanging like that! Our bad!

Much, much, oh so much has happened since our last post, the most obvious being - that we got married!

Yes, by God's grace and kindness, we are now Mr & Mrs Shaman Gaspar :) Praise the Lord!

The wedding... ah the wedding! People are still talking about it, more than a month later. It was a complete success and truly, a celebration of love!

The church was FILLED with people, so rare for wedding masses! The music was marvelous! The entire Sacrament was celebrated so meaningfully and joyfully! It was a happy, happy day for everyone who came.

The reception was a blast! It was a perfect mix of good food, good music, family and friends! It was, in every possible way, the perfect day! One we will remember forever.

Praise God!

There are tons of photos, some of which I've posted on Facebook, so add me if you wish to see them. I'm not going to post them here - simply because a marriage is SO much more than just a wedding, isn't it? :)

Shaman & I are now husband and wife, entwined together for life.

A new journey begins, and a new story. Stay tuned.

Bridal Shower!

2008-06-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

The girls from church, my Alleluia sistas, threw me a bridal shower yesterday evening. Of course, details are SO not to be revealed in this blog! All I'm going to say is apart from scintillating conversation, a stripper who went into hiding because he 'forgot his suit' and games that involved butts and smooches, nothing much else happened!

Hehee..

Anyway, the girls passed around a little gift bags at the end of the day. Big one for me and smaller ones for everyone else. I LOVE that the papers bag were of my theme colours - green & brown! So cute!

One of the gifts was this little book.

It's a book filled with quotes about marriage.

Some are challenging -

'Making a marriage work is like operating a farm. You have to start all over again each morning'
Some, thought provoking -

'You can never be happily married to another until you get a divorce from yourself. Successful marriage demands a certain death to self'
Some, so very sweet -

'Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave'

Some, plain scary -

'It doesn't matter who you marry, for you are sure to find out the next morning that it was someone else'

And some FOR SHAMAN! -

'A husband should compliment his wife, bring her flowers and tell her that he cares. These are the ingredients of genuine passion'
(Not that I EVER thought you would stop doing any of the above, Sham ;p)

All in all, it was a splendid evening. A big thank you to my Alleluia sistas for making it happen!

Love y'all long time!!

Headpiece - Done!

2008-06-06T20:15:00.001-07:00

Net + Beads + Hairpin = Melissa's Wedding Veil!

Reality Bite!

2008-06-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Look what came in the mail a few days back -

Mr & Mrs Shaman... that's what we'll be soon!

gUlp!

14 days and counting!

The Devil In The Detail

2008-06-02T02:18:00.000-07:00

Know what these are?

Napkin rings.

... handmade by my mum & mum-in-law to be - all 1000 of them!

Can you believe the attention that's going into this wedding?

Introducing... the Pereiras

2008-06-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

For months, my parents have been harassing me get our family photo taken. The last one we took was sometime in 1986 I think!

On Sunday, I got Gregory Yang, my wedding photographer to come over to our home and take the photos.

Haven't gotten his photos yet, but here are some I took with my own camera. Enjoy!

The Spawn Bearers

Derek & Coral, married 1978

The Spawn (in order of appearance)

Melissa, age 29

Laura, Age 28

Adrian, Age 25

Keith, Age 22

SISTAS!

BAND OF BROTHERS

Checking the results...

Some others...

Laura's Glam Shot!

(pssst... she's single and available. Can't cook but willing to learn!)

Lunch Break = Renovations Supervision

2008-05-09T00:09:00.000-07:00

This is how we spent my 2-hour Friday lunch break..

With our contractor, interior designer, painter & carpenter.

Discussing, designing, negotiating, deciding..

Oh whatever happened to leisurely lunches and random chatter?