i embarrass myself sometimes, love bites

I want to be a ninja more than anything in the world

November 18, 2010

Except maybe a teleporter. A teleporter would be even better, like Nightcrawler. Have I mentioned that I occasionally have dreams that involve me fighting villains or running away from villains or getting shot by villains. In typical dreams, getting shot is the point you wake up but mine go on and I’m all “crap, I got shot again” but I have to fight to stay alive because I’m afraid that if I die in the dream world, I also die in real life.

But this post is not really about my weird dreams, though I have many. Just 2 nights ago, I dreamt I was trying to escape from a zombie apocalypse, which was both horrifying and incredible at the same time (just a tip: don’t take the MRT when zombies attack, unless you want to get cornered and eaten).

No, this is supposed to be about my need to acquire stealth abilities.

For the last few months, we’ve had to stay with baby girl till she falls asleep every night. Her daytime naps are great, I can just tuck her in and leave the room but at night, we’ve got to pat her till she falls asleep. Only then are we allowed to tiptoe out of the room.

At first, I thought she was sensitive to sound because she seemed to stir at the faintest creak and rustle. But then I realized that she wasn’t at all concerned with sounds like sneezing or throat-clearing. I could have the mother of all sneezes and she doesn’t even flinch. It’s only certain sounds that will make her sit up with a look of “I caught tou sneaking out, mom. You’re busted!” Sounds like footsteps, the creak from the floor boards, the door opening and closing.

I’m fairly certain that at 16 months, her advanced cognitive abilities have been trained to filter out sounds that indicate I’m still around, and to pick up on the sounds that suggest I’m leaving.

Like I said, the only way for me not make a sound is to be a ninja or Nightcrawler. Evidently, I’m avoiding the obvious solution of training her to sleep on her own at night because I’d much rather spend all that time learning to be a ninja. Of course, I had to have a word with the husband first.

me: You think I could be a ninja?

Husband: You would be the worst ninja in the world. You’re like the opposite of a ninja.

me: There’s no such thing as the opposite of a ninja, don’t be ridiculous.

Husband: Oh, if you were a ninja, you’d wake up every single person in the village, injure all the good guys with your shurikens and knock yourself out with the nunchucks before the bad guys got you. That’s pretty much the opposite of a ninja.

me: You mean the ninja stars? Trust me, I know how to hold a ninja star. I’ve read the tutorial.

Husband: That’s it. You don’t get to be a ninja anymore.

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It’s time to shop, shop, shop.

November 15, 2010

It’s 9 o’clock and time to shop, shop, shop. I’m talking about online shopping here, which you can technically do at anytime but old school infomercial taglines are so much more fun, don’t you think?

I was recently introduced to a new local online shopping site 12buy.sg during their launch event at the Goodstuph studio. Ever since the kids were born, I’ve stopped buying their stuff from department stores and turned instead to the cyberspace for all their shopping needs. It’s true, I have turned into one of those die-hard online shoppers and here’s why.

1. Lower prices.

Stuff at online shops are usually cheaper than your regular department stores, because they don’t have to work in those exorbitant staffing and logistical overheads. So even with shipping costs included, it’s still 20-30% cheaper.

2. Convenience.

It’s ridiculous trying to get any shopping done with 2 unstoppable kids in tow. Instead, I shop when they take their naps, right in the comfort of my bedroom. I used to think that online shopping was impractical because it’s better to touch the product and try it before purchase but websites have very detailed descriptions and dimensions for the products so you can make an informed decision before you buy.

3. Free delivery.

I can’t imagine having to carry a truckload of shopping bags on top of the kids and their bag of necessities. When I shop online, I don’t have to because all I have to do is click a few pages and the stuff gets delivered right to my doorstep.

4. You have access to items not found in local shops.

The beauty of online shopping is that you’re not limited to the items that are brought in by local stores. I don’t have to wait for friends to travel before I can get my hands on some of those American, Brit or Aussie products.

5. Shopping for kids stuff is a good way to start.

There’s a lot more flexibility buying kids clothes online because the sizes are pretty standard and I don’t have to worry about getting items that don’t fit. When in doubt, I get one size up so they can grow into the new clothes. It’s tougher when I’m getting clothes for myself because it sucks to get something that’s too small and I certainly do not intend to grow into a bigger size, thankyouverymuch.

So back to 12buy.sg. They specialize in bringing in lifestyle, IT and kids products that we don’t get in our local shops. The great thing is that these are all ready stock so you don’t have to wait for weeks to get your items and they’ve already paid for the shipping costs so you don’t have to factor those in. I had a lot of fun browsing their kid’s selections, which include some cute as a button apparels, organic products and even green toys (made only from recycled plastics – the safest kind).

Last week, they sent over this deuter backpack for Tru to try out, which he picked out himself. I was introducing my son to the wonderful world of online shopping and he pointed to the bag (he even chose the color) and said that’s the one he wanted. When it arrived, he stuffed his blankie inside, strapped it on and refused to take it off for the entire afternoon.

I love the comfortable padded back and shoulder straps, the added chest strap, the ample space, the extra hidden zipped pocket to stuff my iPhone, the safety reflectors, the name tags and Tru, I think he just loves how it makes him feel like a big boy. I’ve bought 6 different backpacks for Tru and this is by far his favorite. I think he’s not taking it off ever.

Now while we’re on the topic of social media marketing, it’s been a breath of fresh air to work with folks who understand social media, as opposed to uninformed PR companies who think that blog advertising is about sending over a box of $3 cereal or tickets to a movie premiere and expecting bloggers to rave about how it’s more awesome than a thousand babies in fluffy white clouds. They get their panties all in a bunch when you make the slightest constructive suggestion on how to make it better.

But I like it when companies are secure enough in the awesomeness of their products or services that they are open to suggestions on how to make it more awesome. They send over a product to review and it doesn’t come with strings attached. They don’t ask to vet your post. They don’t freak out when you are not in love with their products. In short, they get social media marketing and I respect that.

Ok, here’s the fun part. The people at 12buy.sg are giving away 2 more deuter bags (1 in orange and 1 in red) to 2 readers of the blog. If you’d like to win one of these lovely bags, simply leave a comment about “What you love most about your kid(s)“.

2 winners will be picked by having my babies grab random numbers out of a bag. Contest ends at 12 midnight on Friday (19 November).

Update: Congrats to Kless (comment #7 – orange) and Yen (comment #10 – red) who won the 2 deuter bags. An email is coming your way shortly.

To see the random selection process, here’s a look at what went on behind the scenes.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH_5AtBiLXY

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i embarrass myself sometimes

A tooth for a tooth

November 13, 2010

I just had all my wisdom teeth removed yesterday, under general anesthesia because I’m terrified of dentists and I’m not going to be awake while they yank out four of my teeth. At first, everyone was like “Are you insane, why are you taking out all four at one go? Just do one side first” but then I would have to go through the toothache and surgery all over again and I don’t really have the luxury of being out of action for another week with the kids and all.

So right now, I’m paying the price for taking out four teeth. Both sides of my face are all puffy, I’m ravenously hungry and I’m eating like an baby, by pushing mashed potatoes straight to the back of my throat. I’m also still heavily medicated but then that’s a good thing because I get to lie in bed all day.

On the bright side, it was actually fun being listening to doctors banter in the OR, like a real episode of Grey’s Anatomy. I thought they would be all serious but they were actually laughing about how the next patient after me was going in to remove 8 teeth (insert toothless joke). And you know how the doctor always tells you to count to ten after they inject you with the anesthesia? I’ve always wanted to see how long I could last like maybe it’s a sign of my tremendous will power and the doctors will be all like “That patient counted right up to 28. Respect”. Guess how long I counted up to: 2 seconds.

Next thing I knew, they were telling me to wake up and breathe and I was trying to fight the drowsiness like “ok I’m awake, I’m fine” but the nurse said I was incoherent, which was mostly thanks to the fact that I couldn’t feel my entire lower jaw or my tongue.

Anyway, I’m back home now, with four wisdom teeth to show for it. You probably don’t want to see it but for those that do, I’m putting it in a discreet apture link so it’s not like I didn’t warn you about the grossness.

I’m putting it under my pillow for the tooth fairy because these babies are so massive it’s worth $10 a pop at least. Or maybe I’ll keep it till the kids lose their first tooth and make up a story about the evil tooth fairy who makes their tooth grow really huge while they sleep so they wake up and freak out when they see my tooth instead of theirs. So many options here.

PS. Tru was horrified to see my teeth and he tried shoving it back into my mouth to make me feel better, which was a sweet gesture but also very painful.

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