post pregnancy

It has been exactly 2 weeks since I've given birth and I'm becoming more 'human' now as compared to the past weeks where I've been moving around like a zombie due to a major lack of sleep. I had my first deep slumber last weekend when the hubby graciously offered to do the 'night shifts' so I could have my much needed uninterrupted snooze. He did that the whole Christmas weekend.. merci, chéri!

Well things are slowly (but surely) taking shape now. I'm taking it easy and trying to rest as much as possible.. as many has advised. But it's easier said than done when you don't have anybody else around to help you out. My dear hubby has been a great source of many things since the very beginning and more so now than ever. He's been a great help in and out of the apartment and it's very kesian to see him running around like that. But we're managing things better day by day.

So how's motherhood like so far? Well, I'm enjoying every second of it.. just seeing the face of my little girl is enough to make my day. She's such a little darling.. she doesn't ask for much attention... cries mostly when she's hungry or in need of a clean nappy. Oh, she dislikes bathing time though.. and that's because of the cold. She'll scream once I stripped her down, calms down in the warm bath and scream again when she's out of the water. I have to be very agile and quick to keep her in the warmth. I did require hubby's help in the beginning but I can manage on my own now.

As a new mother, I wanted to experience how it's like to breastfeed but with the oral medication I'm taking, it's not possible to do so. We've discussed this matter with my doctors and they've decided that I should continue with my twice a day injections in order to be able to breastfeed. I had no problems with that.. I've been poked countless of times throughout the pregnancy, that another few more weeks or months of poking, won't make any difference. Hubby has been good at playing nurse.. most of the time, the injections went without a glitch, though sometimes he left a nice shade of purplish blue on my skin.. heh.

The only thing I miss about being pregnant is the privilege to feel the baby's movement in the tummy. But I do enjoy being pregnant as a whole since I had a smooth pregnancy. Having said that, I'm glad that the baby's out though cause I can finally sleep on my tummy again and on my back without any worries.. and also able to trim my toenails without any fancy manoeuvers.

The delivery itself went smoothly, Alhamdulillah. All the planning to induce me didn't materialize in the end. It was meant for things to come naturally and for me to give birth as naturally as possible. I've always considered myself to have a high threshold for pain and well, I do. So since things came naturally, I wasn't eligible for an epidural if I wanted it, due to the injection I had. Well in the end, it wasn't THAT bad after all. Holding that tiny baby in your arms is worth all the pain. Will I go through it all over again? - in a heartbeat :)

my first christmas

This year, Christmas was spent in our apartment for the first time since it's too early for us to be going to my in-laws. Didn't do anything special, though we had our usual festive spread - lobster, escargots, smoked salmon, foie gras, petits gateaux, bubbly toast.

And our Christmas gift?... why, baby Naila, of course! :D

welcome home, little princess!

Here're some photos:

nasi goreng spanyol

Or paella, as it's widely known. Made my first paella for dinner today and it's actually easy to do than it looks.. although the preparation can take quite a while. It's the first time ever that I used saffron in my cooking which by the way, is the most expensive spice in the world. I followed the recipe to the tee and it didn't turn out as spicy as we'd like. Well I know next time to add more cayenne pepper than the recipe calls for. But it tastes good nonetheless. So there's red pepper, chorizo, chicken and prawns in it.. and rice, of course - a filling and complete meal. Maybe I'll try seafood paella the next time.

all ready..

It was our last childbirth lesson and we've picked up a lot of things at the end of it. Mérci Madame Canavesio!

Last week, we had a guided tour of the maternity section at the hospital. It was held in the evening and there were about 12 couples present and we were shown around places like the bathing room, where mothers get to bathe their babies during their hospital stay, the delivery room and few other rooms and we finished off in the conference room for Q&A.

I think it's good that they organize hospital visits like this especially for new parents as it'll help you to envision how it's like on your delivery day. Well it sure helped me clear up my mind, which has been clouded with the American version of the hospital setting, from watching countless childbirth programme.. which I must say, looks more agreeable. But heck, the most important thing is to have a great medical team and the people I've met in the hospital so far has been nothing but a professional, nice bunch.

Though no one likes to be in the hospital, I'm looking forward to make my way there, push this baby out and enter the world of motherhood :)

four year bliss

This year is extra special for us. We're celebrating our fourth year marriage with the anticipation of welcoming our first child. It's the greatest gift in life. To my dearest husband, THANKS for being a wonderful partner.. for all the things you've done for me. You've been a great support throughout the pregnancy.. been a great help, a great masseur, a great 'nurse'. Thanks for your patience and tolerance during those days when my mood swings to the low and ugly. I can never thank you enough for going out of your way for me.

Tu es merveilleux et tu es mon plus grand amour et je t'adore beaucoup. May our love grow more beautiful as time goes by.

Happy Anniversary, chéri!

breathe in... breathe out

So yesterday, we went to the childbirth class. It was informative and educative although I'm pretty much well-informed through reading numerous articles from books and the net, as well as through watching daily childbirth programmes on tv. Since we didn't opt for the weekly lessons as the schedule didn't sit well with us, I was taught the essentials in breathing techniques and the different positions that could be used during labour.

I can't believe that in less than a month, we'll finally get to see our baby! Somehow, it didn't seem like it has already been almost nine months now.. it's incredible how time just flew us by.

If all goes well, insya'Allah, I might be induced a week or so earlier than the presumed due date, so that I could stop my medication well in time before heading to the hospital. This is to ensure that I'd be able to take the epidural if needed. So if that's the case, I could be in the delivery room in less than 3 weeks.. gosh!

Well I'm pretty much psyched up and mentally ready (so I'd like to think).. but reality will present itself on THE day.

So we're literally counting down the days till the big pop... vey excited like dat :)

the singing brothers

Got this from a cousin's site. I think that's the first time ever that my Abah karaoke-ed... and Nenek too, for that matter.. what fun! Nenek, you so cute lah :D

So Boy & Yati's wedding was a success, Alhamdulillah. We sorely regret for not being there but it was inevitable. But of course we'll relive the grand occasion on the cd, once it's ready. And we're glad we get to witness the akad nikah through live broadcast on the net, thanks to Omi and Muz (you did a good job, Muz!). It was a memorable moment, seeing my little brother entering a new phase in his life.

this is how we saw it through the web

and this is the actual thing

Next step - lune de miel ('moon of the honey'... honeymoon lah tu). So have a happy honeymoon and a save trip, you guys!

from france with love

CONGRATULATIONS, Boy & Yati!!!

Today marks the biggest day in the life of my dearest brother, Shahreil. It's the day to a new life, a new journey, a whole new experience.. it's your BIG day, dear bro. We're so happy for you and so proud of you.

Have a great wedding, a wonderful marriage and a lifetime of happiness with the love of your life.

We miss you lots!

Oh and of course, have a Happy Birthday as well.. this must be your happiest one :)

a sparkling day

It was a beautiful day.

Woke up to a crisp morning, with the sun shining over the snow-covered rooftops, giving it a 'sparkled' look (the first snowfall we had for the season). It was a beautiful sight although the white flakes didn't stay for long.. but it was a great way to greet my day indeed :D

The second sparkle comes in the form of stones.. a huge gift from dearest hubby to celebrate my day and most importantly, to grace the soon to come birth of our child. Hubby made my day by spoiling me with great gifts, good food, a wonderful massage (mérci, mon chéri!).. my dear ones from far away Singapore made my day with their well wishes and to top it all off, I got to see some of my family members online.

It WAS a beautiful day indeed :)

to my one & only

Happy 34th Dear Darling Hubby!

Je t'adore énormément!

celebrating eid

So Hari Raya has come and gone (well for us at least). We spent the first day of Syawal in the warmth and quietness of our home.. just the two of us.. "yeayy!" (kesian kita tau). I missed my family and all the relatives I usually meet on the first day of Hari Raya... missed all the festivities and the wonderful atmosphere that is Hari Raya. It's the second year in a row we didn't get to celebrate Syawal in Singapore. It's especially hard to be apart from your loved ones at times like this.

But at least we get 'to be' with my family on the first day of Hari Raya - via online. We woke up at 3.30 am to log on in time to see and chat with them before they left for the ritual first day house-visiting. It's great to see everybody in their fine bajus and to be 'in' the atmosphere even if it's just for a brief, virtual moment :)

Hari Raya or Aïd-El-Fitr as it's known here, is not as joyous and festive as it is celebrated in Singapore or other Muslim countries around the world. To begin with, this day is not recognised as a national holiday, even if Islam is France's second religion and that is a sad fact indeed. Hence the Muslims here take a day off from work or absent themselves from school to celebrate this day with families and friends. So it's a good thing that the first day of Syawal fell on a weekend this time around.

Well as it was planned ahead that we'll be spending Hari Raya here, I made a list of what to cook and managed to put together a few dishes especially for this day, to have some semblance of Hari Raya-ness. It may took me hours to prepare the food but the satisfying end result is worth all the effort.

our humble Hari Raya feast & us in our "festive" Hari Raya gear

So to all our family and friends, have a joyous Eid and do think of us when you feast upon those yummy Hari Raya spread. Happy visiting and digesting, you guys!

Īd mubārak!

big buys

Our baby car seat is finally here and it's sitting in the corner of our apartment for the time being. It's one of our big buys so far - big in terms of size and the amount of cash we put into it. Well it's something we can't do without... a must have item if you have a car and a baby in tow. But it's a good investment since the car seat can last until the child is around 4 years old.

We recently received a letter from the social security company here, saying that we're eligible for the birth prime, whereby couples who're expecting a child, would receive allowances for their newborn. So that was a very welcoming surprise for us. And that's not all.. the people from this company will be providing monthly allowance once the baby is born, and will keep the cash flowing until the child is 3 years old. So to that I say, merci! you generous people... who by the way, paid the bulk of my medical expenses since I had my attack a year ago.

mari memasak

So I was complaining about how I miss the kuih Melayu in my previous post. Then I was thinking, stop whining and go get busy in the kitcen.. and got busy I did. Bought some keledek, mashed it around and voilà, my kuih keria is born! (terubat rinduku). That was I think, my second attempt at making this kuih. Wanted to make onde-onde but I ran out of gula melaka and chances of finding one here is as much as trying to find roquefort cheese in Geylang Serai.

For our main dish, I tried my hands at mee bandung, which was my first attempt and it turned out just fine. I wasn't sure how an authentic mee bandung tastes like so I had no past memory to compare mine with. Well as long as it's edible, palatable and hubby gives the thumbs up, I'm good. My next maiden dish will be seafood hor fun, which I like and am missing it as well.

counting down

I'm in the last leg of the pregnancy race. Went for my monthly ultrasound today and Alhamdulillah, everything is fine.

We're pretty much geared up for the baby's arrival but at the same time, we're enjoying the few weeks we have left, living as a couple and doing things like staying up late and sleeping in during weekends. As we've been told many times here - "Profitez-en bien avant que le bébé arrive!" (lit.= profit well before the baby arrives). Yes, profit we are but nonetheless, we're impatient to see our baby and welcome her home.

We get to see the baby in 4-D for the first time today and it was such a thrill to see a lifelike version of our baby! It's too bad that they couldn't print out a photo of the 4-D scan. Well insya'Allah the next time I put up a photo of the baby, it will be in virtual flesh :)

ramadan chez nous

Ramadan here is not as exciting as in Singapore. No big fanfare, no bazaar or the likes.. no lampu kelap-kelip, no kecoh-kecoh. In short, there's none of those festivities atmosphere.. things are just like every other day... tak best.

The only hint of Ramadan you get here is when you see dates on display on the racks of the hypermarkets and also, arrays of middle eastern desserts titillating your tastebuds when you enter the halal store.

I saw a kuih Arab I know well and bought it for myself (hubby doesn't like it as these desserts are too sweet for his liking). Oh how I miss the kuih Melayu.. especially at these times..

what we had for berbuka

itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny

It's grey, it's wet, it's cold.. feels like winter already but we're just in the beginning of autumn!.. what a dread... am I complaining? Nooo.. just being critical. But the cold, wet weather couldn't stop us from having some retail therapy yesterday. After visiting a few stores, we bagged baby clothes, a plush baby hippo, more baby clothes and a baby car seat, though we'll only get the car seat 3 weeks later since it was out of stock.


I must admit that shopping for baby stuff can be a perilous affair cause if you don't control yourself, you'll end up buying the whole store! Everything is so cutesy and tiny and adorable.. the perfect melt-your-heart combination that could eventually burn large, deep, irreparable holes in your pocket.

Well, we're not done shopping yet.. still a long way to go.

ramadan mubarak

We'd like to wish all our family and friends and all Muslims,

a blessed and fulfilled Ramadan!

May Allah bless you with happiness

and grace your home with warmth and peace!

baby matters

Our apartment has just been given a fresh coat of paint last weekend and it looks new and much cleaner now. We took advantage of what little sun we have left and decided to do the painting now before the cold weather sets in for good (and also, before the baby comes).

We may not have a nursery for our newborn but we managed to create a baby corner in the sole bedroom of our apartment. Everything is up and ready to welcome our baby home.. well in terms of the sleeping area, at least. Those are one of our first baby buys, bought during our summer vacation. We still have a long list of things to get, like baby clothes, winter wear (since it would be a winter baby), car seat, mobile for the crib, toys and other little details. Can't wait to go shopping again!

Oh, I weighed myself this morning and for the first time in my life, I tipped the scale at 60kg.. but it's all for a good cause and most of the extra kilos is due to my ballooning tummy ;)

Here's the progress so far:

tummy at 3, 4 & 5 months

home sweet home

Our summer vacation has ended and we're glad to be back home.. well there's no place like home, right? (Vacation actually ended last weekend but I wasn't in the mood to update the whole of last week). Well we didn't do much during the 2-week break. We had one wedding, three family get-togethers, a trip to a rather boring castle (boring due to limited access and the sparsely decorated rooms) and a couple of visits to Dijon, where I got a much-needed rush of city life.

Too bad cousin Buang couldn't make it to our place during his work trip to Belgium due to a no weekend off. He left for Singapore earlier than expected and we chatted on the phone before he left (would've loved to follow him back to Singapore!)

Well apparently the weather in Belgium wasn't that much different than here. It has been a strange summer, with the sky looking grey most of the time. Bad for vacationers aiming for a tan, which by the way, is the tradition here comes every summer. But I'm not complaining cause it's neither too hot nor too cold, which is perfectly fine by me.

Well, that's that for summer I guess. Our next long vacation would probably be end year.

[Click here for photos]

wedding bells

Summer spells wedding for most of the betrothed couples here. And so it was my cousin-in-law's turn to get married last Saturday. It's a female cousin from hubby's maternal side. It was my first French wedding and it was a pleasant (and tiring) experience.. tiring, due to a lot of standing and waiting. [Photo = the wedding card]

The day started off by witnessing the couple's matrimony at the mayor's office, followed by a church ceremony, a cocktail and then late lunch lasting until late afternoon. The celebration then continued until the wee hour in the morning but we didn't stay for the late night celebration as I badly needed a bed rest after all the standing and sitting.

I was the only Asian present at the wedding and the only one with a very obvious bump up front. So most of the conversation I had there was centered around the pregnancy. I was introduced to quite a number of the family whom I've never met before and they were all nice people. It's one of the rare occasions where families far and abroad reunited.

Well it was a really charming summer wedding although the weather was a tad on the cold side during the first part of the day but the sun did come out in the afternoon and it didn't rain, so it was a very pleasant day indeed.

On Sunday, we had another family reunion at my paternal grandma-in-law's, lunching and dinner-ing and then admiring the beautiful fireworks display in the heart of the village (it was for some kinda celebration.. dunno what).

So in whole, we had an enjoyable weekend. A good start to our 2-week summer vacation, which will be spent here at my in-laws.

happy birthday singapore!

I just saw a live webcast of the NDP and it was spectacular as always (thanks Mak, for calling and reminding me about it :). Watching it made me real proud to be a Singaporean and appreciate it all the more.. especially so if you're living abroad, I guess.

We miss you, Singapore! Can't wait to be back home.

fille ou garçon?

We're having a ger-gerl! :) If the last scan showed a hint of the determining sex, today's scan confirmed it. Well even before we knew the baby's sex, we've already thought up of a few names both for boy and girl. And we're pretty much fixed on a name already.

The baby is in good health, Alhamdulillah and I can feel the baby's movement more frequently now and it's a great feeling. And hubby's favourite pastime now is to chit-chat and 'listen' to the baby.. heh.


Oh by the way, I'd like to wish all the August-arians a Happy Birthday especially to Uncle Black, Big Bro, Rina, Shahira and Tamara, who're celebrating their birthdays today.


fille ou garçon = girl or boy

hawaiian-y

What's a woman to do? More precisely, what's a Malay Singaporean woman to do when she has a hankering for a hawaiian pizza in an Occidental country where halal eateries can be counted by the hand? (Well actually it's not as much my hankering as it is hubby's).

Well, you make it yourself! And that's what I did yesterday - from dough-making right till the finish product. Tiring?-yes. Worth it?-oh yes! But as much as I am pleased by the sense of accomplishment, I'll be the first to make a beeline for the halal pizzeria if ever one exists here. I don't think I'll be making a feast like this one again anytime soon. Too much work, too much time needed. But at least the pizza will last us a few meals.

One of the things I miss about Singapore is its diverse food and the abundance of halal eateries.. you can find anything and everything there. Well I guess I've tamed my Melayu palate down a few notches over the years and make do with what I can find and cook here. But that doesn't mean my kitchen is void of Malay dishes.. when there's a will, there's always a way. And just recently, I willed myself to make satay goreng & the works, chicken porridge, chicken cook red.. albeit with some ingredients missing but they turned out just fine. When you're in my situation and lacking in some ingredients, you just have to improvise.

I love cooking and trying out new recipes but there are days when you just wanna hang the apron and sit back (especially now, with double body, y'know).. and on days like these, I wish we're in Singapore where we can just drop by the nearest hawker center and buy takeouts.. ah, to be in the face of convenience...

the fruit of my labour - barbecue hawaiian pizza (made with halal chorizo.. yum)

getting there

building up defence / in the thick of action / game over

6 nukes, 2 s.landmine, 1 b.c.bomb and 1 b.c.b.landmine got me this far. Will improve next time.

For those who don't know, I'm a gamer.. love them boys games - speed chase, car crash, shooting, killing.. I'm in. Blame it on hubby.

bienvenue chez nous*

Along the line of my previous post, we're virtually inviting you over to our home. As we're living in a place many stones away and travelling doesn't come cheap, we won't be expecting any of my family members and friends to come a-knocking on our door any time soon (if ever :)

So I thought it'd be nice to show you guys where we live. Here's a grand welcome to all of you:

PS: outdoor photos were taken during spring which explains the bare trees

* welcome to our home

body double

Okay, I figure since none of my family members or my friends will ever get to see the pregnant and chubby me in the flesh, I've decided to 'expose' myself to you dear people, via the virtual world.

Here goes:

exhibit numéro un (halfway through pregnancy)

exhibit numéro deux

I'll probably post more pics towards the end of my pregnancy.

très cool!

Saw this ad on tv and I find it really cute. See if you can figure out the different languages used.

lets talk crap crêpes..

I had a sudden urge to eat warm crepes so I looked up the recipe, did some quick whisking in the kitchen et voilà, my crepe is born. I was a bit too eager to eat it and burnt my tongue from the hot oozing butter. Sinking my teeth into the warm sweet layers brought me back to Paris's streets where you can always find a creperie (crepe restaurant) or a crepe stand and get yourself a sweet or savoury crepe to tide your hunger.

The crepe is to Parisians what the burger is to Americans - the essential fast food. You can find crepe stands near all major sightseeing attractions. They are offered with a variety of yummy fillings. For a wider variety of fillings, try the creperies where you can have a filling, sit down meal for a bit more money. A great way for cheap eats while you're in Paris, I'd say.

words french

I (not so) recently found out through the cooking channel that the name for French toast in French is pain perdu (lost bread).. and I asked hubby if he knows what a French toast is and he said no. So that got me searching on the net for the origin of this dish.

There're different theories on its origin or how it got its name. French toast was said to originate as a way to use stale bread (especially French bread) to make it more appetizing by dipping it in egg and then frying it. Some people claim that this dish was called "German toast" in the U.S. before World War I and was changed to "French toast" because of anti-German sentiment. And then there's a story on how it was invented by an American man named Joseph French and then naming the dish after himself, hence French toast.

There are dozens of expressions in English which contain the word French... like french fries, french kiss, french manicure, pardon my French, etc. But are they really French in origin?.. apparently most of them are not. I did some quick search on the net and this is what I found:

- French fries or pommes frites (fried potato) as we call it here, is commonly believed to originate in Belgium while another theory on why it is so called is due to the manner the potato is cut, that is in thin lengthwise strips (to french).

- The french kiss was first known as maraichinage, a term to describe the prolonged, deep tongue kiss practiced by the Maraichins, inhabitants of the French region of Brittany.

- French manicure never had that much to do with the French, other than for the Parisian runway models who sported the look. It is an idea originated in Paris, introduced by Orly International, a nail care company.

- The phrase "pardon my French" is often uttered in an attempt to excuse the user of profanity or curses in the presence of those offended by it under the pretense of the words being part of a foreign language. It has been suggested that the French language is used because of the association of the French people with vulgarity. The phrase may have been reinforced as a result of World Wars I and II, at which time a lot of fighting took place in France. On their return from war, British boys continued to use the swearing that they picked up in the service, having learned it in France. Thus, they would ask their listeners to 'pardon my French'.

So there you go. Whether or not these explanations stand true to their origin, we'll never know but it was an interesting find, nonetheless.

and here they come..

The much hyped Heroes that Boboy went gaga about at one point on his blog, is finally aired on the French channel. It's the second week and already six episodes seen. True, we're usually weeks behind when it comes to airing the latest series or movies. But the good thing is, once it's on tv, they'll air not just one but three episodes in a row. So we're putting our usual 'DVD renting on Saturdays' on hold until we're done with Heroes.

On a different subject, we're having the wettest summer ever with the presence of rain almost daily. The temperature right now doesn't correspond to summer at all. Our plans to go picnicking or sojourning somewhere comes weekend, had been put back again and again. "Rain, rain, go away... and come back in spring!"

c'est les soldes!!

The month-long summer sale's here and I've already scoured through the racks for some new garb for my expanding tummy and erm, elsewhere. Found some nice stuff, though we really need to look high and low for some decent maternity wear here. They don't have much to offer for moms-to-be, to begin with. Perhaps we should swing by the nearest city for a better, wider choice.

4th month

Went for our second ultrasound today and the baby has grown to 11.8 cm long. Due to my medical history, I'll be having more ultrasound checks than the regular pregnant woman.

Our baby at 4 months in utero:

:updates:

Dah lama tak blog eh.. nothing interesting to write lah. So what's up over here?.. nothing much. Hubby had a 4-day weekend and we drove over to my in-laws. We took the highway for the first time to drive there and back... we can afford to go on the highway for hours now, with the 307 but not with the previous old car. And with the speed limit at 130km/h, I was a happy girl since I don't have much patience on the road. So it was a much pleasant, smoother ride for me and it took us about 2 hrs 45 mins to reach our destination as opposed to 4 hrs. The total amount paid for the toll back and forth was 35€.. a tad high but hey, money can always be earned but you can't turn back lost time. I think from now on, we're gonna take the highway to my in-laws, instead of traversing through villages after villages and enduring the much longer and tiring journey.

We have the 307 for what, 3 weeks now and already we had 2 wheel covers stolen and a minor accident just yesterday when a blind guy (he has to be blind) bumped into our car while reversing out of his lot. The accident was totally his fault, so he pays for the damage and hubby had recently replaced the 2 wheel covers for 65€. Well it's never safe to let your car sleeps outside on the roads here cause when night falls, anything could happen to it. If it's not completely gone, you can either have it scratched, rims stolen, wiper stolen, tyres punctured or stolen. Hubby had his car stolen twice previously and the second time round, the cops found it burnt - nice huh. The only way to ensure your car's safety here is to lock it up in a garage.

Well besides that, the weather has been on the yo-yo lately.. shifting from strong sun to storm to hail to heavy downpour and back to sun. We had slight hail yesterday, the size of small marbles.. we're good as long as it doesn't get any bigger than that.

Summer clocks in officially tomorrow and if the temperature stays below 30°C, we'll have a pleasant summer.

and then we're 3...

In due time, Insya'Allah. Yes, we're pregnant! :D I'm 2 months along (plus a bit more) and we had our first ultrasound a couple of days back and everything seems fine, Alhamdulillah. Saw our tiny baby and listened to the heartbeat and it was such an incredible feeling. It's still hard to believe that there's a tiny, living, growing person inside me.. simply amazing. The pregnancy has been going smoothly for me so far and we pray that it'll continue that way all through. I'm still taking my daily post-stroke medication but instead of taking it orally, I'm now taking it through injections. So hubby is playing nurse and does the poking twice a day everyday and it will go on throughout the pregnancy. Nobody likes being poked at but I guess I've gotten used to it though it does hurt sometimes but I don't mind at all.. it's a small sacrifice for something wonderful.

Here's a peek at our tiny baby:

front, back & the minuscule feet

notre nouvelle voiture

After weeks of contemplating on whether we should get a new car... well, we finally did. The previous long weekend we had, was spent finding a car and then settling papers and stuff once we've found it. Hubby put up our 15-yr old Volkswagen Golf for sales on the net and we got a buyer from Paris. We managed to squeeze 900€ out of the valueless car, which is a whole lot better than nothing.

So we've switched from the red Golf to a second hand Peugeot 307 - more recent (a 2002 make), with better functions and more importantly, it comes with an air-con system (yeayy!) for a more pleasant drive during the coming hot summer. Not all cars here come equipped with air-conditioner (the same goes to commercial stores), seeing that it's only hot 3 months out of 12.

I don't mind doing long drives, now that we have a much safer, more comfortable car. We have a 3-day weekend coming up next and it would be a good time to take our new car for a spin, if the weather permits and remain sunny like today (spring weather is so unpredictable!).


notre nouvelle voiture = our new car

holidays abound

Yesterday was the end of the first of many long weekends this month. May is the month that has the most public holidays - there's a holiday almost every week. And when the public holidays fall on a Tuesday or Thursday, it is commonplace to take the day off on Monday or Friday as well; known as "faire le pont" (making a bridge). And hubby's company is one of those that give their employees this privilege (lucky him).

So since we had a four-day weekend, we drove east to my in-laws for a visit and mainly to deliver them their new set of computer to replace the archaic one they had before. It's a collective present from the children for their birthdays. Hubby also installed the newly acquired cable channel for them. Now they can immerse themselves in the hundreds of channels made available to them.

On Sunday, we went to my paternal grandma-in-law's place to celebrate her belated birthday with 12 other people. She turned 95 and still very sane and able. Here're some pictures:

spring-ling

Ah, il fait beau! - literally, 'it makes beautiful'.. meaning to say, it's a fine weather.

On a fine spring day like this, you really wanna 'air' yourself outside, have a stroll by the riverbank or in the park, scooping on strawberry granita on the sidewalk terrace, have a picnic, golek-golek on the grass... the weather is perfect for these activities. It's really sunny and cool at the same time.

This is the season when the rituals of winter - nursing a kettle of tea, bundling in layers of scratchy wool, staying cooped up in the warmth of the home - make way for the rites of spring.

I love this period of the year when it's sunny but not scorching hot, when you get to listen to birds tweeting upon opening the windows, when everything comes back to life. We have longer days, warmer temperature, livelier streets decorated with bouquet of fresh flowers, happier, sprightly people.

Spring air gives me a particular sense of clarity and if you breathe in hard enough, you could almost smell that new bud sprouting from the tree branch. J'adore!

greek chick

It all started in a Parisian Greek restaurant. Hubby had a love affair with a Greek goddess.. er, sandwich, he'd eaten there and wanted me to replicate it at home. Sure. So I searched the net for the recipe. Didn't know what to look for exactly but found a fairly easy Greek chicken recipe instead. Tried my hand at it.. can't say it's the exact replica of the Paris's version but it was good nonetheless. I made ciabatta sandwich out of the chicken. It was quite a hassle to eat it, so I improvise the second time I cooked the chicken, and made it into a salad instead. And it has become a cult dish for hubby since. He likes it so much that he said, and I quote, "I can even eat it for breakfast" (haral kami).

sandwich vs salad

All you need here is skinless chicken legs marinated in lemon juice, herbes de provence (mixture of rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano), olive oil and minced garlic. Leave it to marinate for an hour or so and it's ready to be pan-fried. Once the chicken has cooked through, shred it, put it back in the pan and pour the rest of the marinade and let it sizzle. I like to add some chilli flakes at this stage to give it an added kick. Remove the pan from the heat, cool it down a little before mixing it with the salad, cherry tomatoes and cut-up ciabatta which I made into croutons. Give it a good mix, drizzle a little more olive oil if it's too dry, sprinkle some salt and it's good to go. Bon appétit!

before & after

cinematic experience

We dropped by the cinema today to check on the movie 300. I told myself that I must watch this movie after Boboy mentioned it to me and then checking out the movie site. But unfortunately, they only show it in version française and that really sucks. Well I guessed it as much but was hoping by miracle that they might show this kinda movie in its original version. Pas de chance! That's what you get in French cinemas. All foreign films are French-dubbed here.. and I hate that. I like my movies in their original version, wherever they come from, and with the appropriate subtitles. But if you're in Paris though, you have the choice to watch an American-produced movie either in version française or version originale. But since we're not in Paris, we'll just have to wait for the movie to be out on DVD :(

So what is it about this movie? It's an epic and I like epic movies like 300 even if it comes with lots of gory fights. It appeals to me firstly because of its visual feast - the different era, the costumes, the artistic direction, the whole setting. This movie reminds me of the game The Prince of Persia (which we both like and have played repeatedly).

I love those movies that are set in the 18th century or older. Movies like Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Elizabeth, Dangerous Liaisons, Marie Antoinette, Gone With The Wind.. just to name a few. I'm completely mesmerized by movies of this genre. Once again, its the visual feast (don't you just love those extravagant, intricately-designed dresses back then?) and of course they usually come with a good storyline. Watching these movies will propel you to another world altogether. How life seems so much simpler back then. Oooh.. talking about this makes me long for a good one right now.

I'm not one to watch those mindless 'fighting movies' especially if Jean-Claude Van Damme is in it. Another movie peeve for me has to be the Western cowboy kinds.. I'll do a double pass on that. Oh, I've also passed up on horror movies. Just as well, cause hubby's not into it either. I did watch movies like The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Ring, etc., before I went cold turkey on them. Most of the scary scenes would stay fresh in my mind for a long time after watching such movies. So why scare myself shit when I can just not watch it altogether.

I love going to the cinemas but I don't do that here due the reasons cited above. The only time I went to a cinema here was years back and that was to watch a French comedy. My (and hubby's) best cinematic experience had to be the one in Golden Village Gold Class.. very class indeed.. our thanks again to Boboy and Yati for that! (biasa-biasakan lah buat mende macam tu, eh ;)

fuji-yama

That's the name of the restaurant we went to for dinner earlier. And with a name like that, it has to be a Japanese restaurant = restaurant japonais. It's our very first visit to a Japanese restaurant here in France. It's located only a couple of minutes away from our apartment. We've been contemplating to go to this particular eatery everytime we drove by it but finally made it there only today. And that was mainly due to the documentary we saw on tv the night before, about Japanese food and that made us (well mainly hubby) hanker for some sushi spread.

Our dinner and "Oriental" nougat with green tea, as dessert

We wanted to have a takeout in the beginning but finally decided to dine in instead. We were a bit ambitious and ordered more than we could eat, so we ended up with half of the meal packed in a doggy bag - and that would be for tomorrow's lunch. We wanted to order tempura but with just 3 shrimps and some vegetables for 12€, it's not worth it.. we'll be better off if I were to prepare that myself.

Well the menu's not bad although it can't compete with those you'd find in Singapore. Most Asian restaurants here serve watered-down Asian dishes adapted to European palates unused to pungent spices. Dining at this restaurant reminded us of the great time we had with the cousins in the Japanese restaurant but minus the hubbub and fun, of course :)

Us with our takeout

liliputian cars

It's the kinda car you'll never see on Singapore roads. The first time I saw this moving bundle before us, I was thinking, "what's this toy car doing on the road?" Well it does look like a toy car at first glance. Everytime I see these cars on the roads here, I have the impression that it's missing its second half. But no, that IS the whole package. They call it voiture sans permis (car without permit). And what does that mean? Well it means exactly that... you don't need to have a license to drive this car. It's a small quadricycle (mostly around 2.6m long) - just like a smart car but with different technical (and legal) characteristics. Driven on a diesel engine, its maximum speed is 45 km/h and it comes with very restricted regulation. For example, you're obviously not allowed to go on the highway with this machine. So what's the use of this car then? Well it's particularly useful for those without license (duh!) or who has had their license revoked or suspended. This car offers an undeniable advantage over a 2-wheeler sans license like the moped, because of the safety of the driver on the road, a better comfort (possibility of transporting a passenger or cumbersome objects) and a good protection from bad weather.

Anybody (as long as you're 16) can drive it. Having a car here is more a necessity than a luxury, unless you live in the big cities where they have better public transport system. So while waiting to obtain a driving license, les voitures sans permis can be used as a temporary means to get you moving on the road. But don't think this car cost mere peanuts just because it's tiny. It's priced at over 10,000€ for a brand new one.

Speaking of cars, let me tell you that Europeans are big on small cars.. probably due to the demographics of their home market and the topography of their towns. This is especially apparent for a first-time tourist to this continent. Like how an American couple who once asked us for directions and got into a small talk, remarked, "The cars here are really, really tiny!" That was my exact reaction the first time I came to Europe. If sedans and SUVs are a common sight on Singapore roads,.. superminis, hatchbacks, compact MPVs, run rampant on the roads here. The obvious advantage of a small car is that it's real easy to park, especially when you have to do a parrallel which is common on the streets here.

Cars here are dirt cheap if you were to compare it with Singapore. A brand new car costs around 10,000€ to 30,000€ max (double the numbers for a rough amount in Sing dollars). Second hand cars go much lower than that. You can get yourself say, a Peugeot 307 for 4,000€. Just the other day, we saw a car at a mere 500€ on the net.. what? only 500€?! You can buy those in bulk of tens. But of course with that kinda price, it's probably third or fourth (or fifth?) hand.. and also old, ugly, dirty, smelly and with over a hundred thousands of mileage clocked in. Seeing how the cars here are cheap, I guess that's probably the reason why most people don't bother cleaning their cars as frequently as Singaporeans with cars do, cause if the car's really pricy, we'd want to baby it more often. And also, Singaporeans wouldn't wanna be seen driving around in a dirty, bent-up car.. we always want to look good on the road, don't we? Status, baby, status. But here, people won't even bat an eyelid if you drive a car with dents everywhere or with dirt thick enough, you can finger-write on your car.

A small, cute car is fine if you don't have a big family. I wouldn't mind having a smart as a second car (if we have the extra means, of course) cause I find it oh-so-very-cute!.. a girl-car, I'd say :)

chocolate galore

"How much is that baaanny in the window?"... Too much, I'd say! 58€ for a 120g chocolate bunny?! - ouch! As the French would put it, "ça me coûte la peau du cul!" (it cost me the skin of my ass!). But of course that's designer chocolate there, sitting in the display window of a chocolatier's boutique. We pass by this particular chocolate store everytime we do our grocery shopping and I like to admire their pretty displays. Well the number of times we stepped into this store can easily be counted in one hand.

We normally buy chocolates from the supermarket whenever I need to satisfy my sweet cravings. And when you're greeted with rows of chocolaty goodness upon entering a supermarket here, that can only mean two things - either Easter or Christmas is approaching. Since April is around the corner and there're an abundance of bunny/egg-shaped chocolates sitting on the shelves, there's no doubt that Easter's coming. But what do we care about that... we're only happy that there're different varieties of chocolates and other totally sinful sweeties made available for us.. slobber, slobber! Hey, in times like these, you need to drop the calorie-counting for a while and give in to your gluttony instincts.

Well forget about the expensive bunny.. I'm happily settled on the couch munching on my much cheaper (and yummy nonetheless) bunny, even if it's not aesthetically at par with the designer choc but hey, chocolate is chocolate is chocolate :D

changing times

Spring's here and it's that time again when we move the time an hour ahead and I let dear hubby have the honour of changing all the timepiece in our place. So when we woke up at 9 this morning, it's actually 10.. an hour lost there. The time difference between here and Singapore is now at 6 hours instead of 7.

kissy kissy

Now we all know what French kiss is, don't we? Kissing though, goes far beyond that in the French culture. It plays an important role in the French way of life, not only between lovers but in nearly every key relationship. What looks like air kissing or cheek brushing to an outsider is actually a complex ritual that defines the connection between people. Just like how salam and kissing hands can outline the hierarchical relationships in the Malay culture.

So who to kiss? Not anybody and everybody, that's for sure. Kissing is automatic between family relations and among friends and can even extend to friends of friends. Usually women greet everybody they're closed to, with kisses but men only kiss another man if he is the brother or father.. otherwise it's handshakes all around with the other men. Adult social acquaintances always begin with a handshake and only evolve to the kissing stage with time and complicity unless you're being introduced to the girlfriend/boyfriend of your siblings or cousins. In the professional world, manners dictate that you shake hands with your colleagues every morning with a "Bonjour".

Apart from knowing who (or who not) to kiss, there's the question of the number of times to kiss. The most common is 2 times, one on each cheek but depending on which part of France you're from, it can go up to 3 or 4 times. And then there's the question on which cheek to kiss first. Frankly speaking, I'm lost when it comes to this.. I've experienced left to right and the inverse. But I've found out that if you're unsure, the best way to do is to stay immobile and let the other person approach you. A miscalculation can mean an awkward moment or at worst, a collision! And unfortunately, that happened to me before and I ended up brushing the other person's lips.. quelle horreur!!

A kiss can be affectionate or even impersonal... affectionate being a lingering kiss with one or both hands on the other person's shoulders, almost like a short hug. A quick and sans eye contact kiss on the other hand, is deemed cold.. kinda like 'I resent your presence but kiss you out of manners' situation.

The one rule you must know when giving out kisses is to always leave the full lips out of it. Only grandparents and the elderly (and over-eager men) apply them to the cheeks.

Kissing doesn't only apply on the physical front in French manners but also through the phone or mails. It's common to end a conversation (or mail) with a family member or close friend with "Je t'embrasse" (I kiss you) or the more familiar "Bisous".

Well it took me quite a while to get used to the French way of greeting in the beginning. But with time, I feel more at ease and comfortable with it.

Allez, bisous à tous. (Kisses to all)

moody skies

Just when we thought winter has graciously bid its farewell by displaying extraordinary great sunny weather with exceptional temperature for the past few weeks, out it reappeared in a fury yesterday by making its presence felt with heavy snowfall, just before we're about to leave from my in-laws. In two minutes flat, the ground was covered with white flakes the depth of around 3 cm... that really caught us by surprise. So while travelling from east to north, we encountered changing weather - snow, fog, rain, sun, mild hail... kinda like traversing a different zone altogether. And that's the kinda combo weather that can give you a throbbing skull. The temperature dipped from 17 degree last week to 5 degree today.. not good.

Perhaps the winter-maker read my entry about me missing the snow this time and decided to let me have a good dose of it yesterday. True, I went all excited looking at thick clumps of snow falling from the sky.. I even stopped to open my mouth to get a taste of the fluffy flakes on our way to the car. So there, we did see (and swallow) snow after all... that's done and now it's time to welcome spring.

summer prep

What's a good indication that summer's approaching? Well besides the obvious change in the temperature and climate, another sign would be the slew of slimming ads that appear everywhere, lucidly targeted at women who wanna look good in summer clothes and when frolicking by the beach in their bare essentials.

It's amazing to see all the different kinds of slimming products they come up with, to beguile women (and men) into buying them. From fat-absorbing pill to slimming drink to appetite-control-mouth-spray (what?!) - all scientifically proven, mind you. All easy, quick fix, crap stuff, in my opinion.

Sure, it's the time to peel off those layers of thick clothes and shed those build-up 'winter fats'.. and the best way to get rid of those pudginess is through a sensible diet and exercise - the foolproof method.

Well I must say that I'm pretty good at maintaining my weight, though I do have some areas that are in dire need of a good toning up.. so lets get toning, woman!

what the..

So I was on the computer with MTV blaring in the background when I heard this commercial that goes something like this, "Salut, moi c'est Pooky..." (Hi, I'm Pooky...). My ears perked up to that and I did a double take at the tv. It turns out that it's a commercial on downloadable games for cell phones. Okay, so it's not the suggestive curse we know of but it's still weird for a Malay ear to hear the word 'Pooky' being so blatantly mentioned on tv like that but alas, it's just a dog's name.. heh.

early spring

The first hint of spring is already here and spring won't kick in until end this month. I guess the early bloom is due to the mild winter we're having this time around. We didn't get to see any snow this winter. There was a pretty heavy snowfall here for a few days over at our place and that happened while we're vacationing in Singapore, so we missed that marvel. That's too bad cause I like it when it snows - it makes the grey season prettier, though I don't like the cold but you can't have one without the other.

Well soon, spring is here.. then comes summer.. and then autumn.. and then to Singapore we go again! :D