"Dear Non-Pregnant Person"

Dear Non-Pregnant Person, 

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice:

1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is 'Congratulations!' with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an a$$.

2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase 'my baby'.

3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in #2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it.

4) The body of a pregnant women should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5) Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is 'You look fabulous!'.

Trip to Nah Island

Last weekend was our turn to take the boat out, after got confirmation from 3 other couples, we booked Francisco as the boat driver and prepare stuff to bring include food for the picnic and snorkling gear.

We decided to go to Nah island because it's not as far as Ant atoll but it has same sandy beach like Ant which is a rare treat in Pohnpei. Trip to Nah island took about 45 minutes to one hour by our boat because we have to go really slow in some shallow area especially during the low tide. Nah Island located inside the lagoon across from Nan Madol but since we're using big boat so we have to go outside the lagoon to reach it. I'm not too fancy going out the lagoon as the sea can be really choppy and rough, but this time it wasn't too bad and it's not too long so I'm fine.


The view on the way to Nah island

Nan Madol

50 reasons to be glad you're pregnant!

1. Relishing the early weeks when only you and your partner know your special secret.

2. Knowing you've got nine whole months to plan, dream and fantasise.

3. Throwing away your ovulation charts and testing kits and going back to having sex without a timetable.

4. Choosing maternity clothes - they've never been more practical or more sexy.

5. Now you've got the perfect excuse to pamper yourself - spending hours in a scented bath, enjoying a massage or rubbing soothing lotions into your growing bump.

6. You can join an antenatal class and find a whole new bunch of friends (and don't forget our BabyCenter birth clubs: another great way to meet people due at the same time as you).

7. For once in your life you need to get heavier - pregnancy is nature's way of making you feel good about putting on weight.

8. If this is your first baby, enjoy the next nine months sleeping late at weekends: you may not get many chances later on.

9. At last you've got the bosom you've always wanted, which means you also have...

10...a great excuse to buy lots of pretty new bras.

11. Now you have the good reason you have been looking for to take up yoga, meditation, healthy eating and deep breathing.

12. At last you'll have something more than potplants and cats to care for and nurture!

13. Suddenly you'll find you're getting lots of extra attention from parents, aunts and uncles, not to mention your partner.

14. You may find you develop a closer relationship with sisters, cousins or friends who are parents themselves. Congratulations, you've just won free admission to the parents' club!

15. Telling your mum, dad, sister, brother, aunt the good news and watching their faces light up.

16. New talents! Whether it's knitting bootees or assembling a flat-pack cot, you'll suddenly find yourself trying out all sorts of new skills.

17. Suddenly you'll feel a new appreciation for your own mother and all she went through having you.

18. Decorating the nursery: one of the most exciting things you'll ever do.

19. Feeling those first fluttering kicks and thinking, 'Is that what I think it is? Or is it just wind?'

20. Feeling OK for sending your partner out for chicken tikka masala followed by double-choc chip ice cream.

21. Your parents digging out your old cot or clothes, which they've kept safely all this time 'just in case'.

22. Going for healthy walks with your partner and getting fresh air in your lungs because it's good for you and good for your baby.

23. Enjoying the extra-vivid dreams you get in late pregnancy - and laughing about them with your friends.

24. Feeling a little pair of heels prodding under your diaphragm and knowing you'll soon be meeting the little person they belong to!

25. Choosing baby clothes - or just phoning round for all the catalogues, leafing through them and planning what you're going to buy.

Go Local: Coconut Jam

I have been living in Pohnpei for 7 months but I haven't found local food that I really like. Some of the local food are similar with Indonesia like: breadfruit, taro, yam, casava, the difference is we don't eat those food as main course but more to snack. Oh maybe in some parts of Indonesia they still eat it as main course but from where I come from we eat it as snack.

Everytime I go to Yoshie for groceries shopping I always see jars of Coconut Jam near the cashier, but the package doesn't look appealing to me, yeah I know it's not easy to make a good packaging that really appealing and scream BUY ME I've been there done that with my previous work as an advertising slave. Until Keira & Sky invited us to have dinner at their place.

The Most Expensive Tomatoes in Pohnpei

That will be our tomato.... if it ever grows eventually.


I went to pick up my gardener last week and he load in bunch of long sticks into the car, I know that he always complained that if I have aa truck it would be easier to get all materials he needed for my garden. But I don't have a truck and the embassy's truck is broken so a truck is out of question.


We need wood sticks to support my tomato which already outgrown and also we need to build the structure for the tomato "house".


I ask him to load all the sticks in and see how it goes, so he put the stick from the back all the way to the front windscreen or windshields. My car is a Toyota RA4 so we have a little bit of room but not as big as a ute/pick up truck. After all loaded in then I try to close the back door, I didn't slam the door just a gentle touch trying to close it but then I hear "CRACK"... I was thinking what the hell was that... and when I see the front windscreen/windshield this is what I see... Not a pleasant sight...

Things You Do For Love

In my case, things I would do for love is camping. Yes, you can read my experience on camping trip here.


When you love someone, you are willing to do anything to make that person happy. Some of you may change your appearance, personality and some even change their religions to declare their love. 

Especially in a marriage you would do things to make your husband/wife happy, like trying to do and liking what the other enjoys to do. Who I am talking about marriage and stuff, I've only been married for 2 years and there are many more years to come but I learn everyday that do something for your loved one is actually gives you satisfaction and make you content. The idea of making him happy is making me happy although I don't really like it and I was whinging about it on the internet like what I just did :).

This post inspired by Mr. Husband who criticized my previous post as being too negative about camping. He just wants me to do something that he likes to do. Yes, my first experience wasn't a pleasant one but we can learn from the mistake and next time will do better. And of course I want to thank my good friends The Reynolds who went out with us although Huyen doesn't like the idea of being in a boat on a rough ocean which I perfectly understand because I have the same feeling too. Didn't I say that I'm the biggest wuss in the world?.


I understand what Mr. Husband is trying to do, he wants me to be able to enjoy thing that he enjoys to do. He wants to share the experience with me, together. Like we experience every day, every night together. 

There is nothing wrong with that, it's just he has to convince and persuade me even more that camping is fun. I can't convert to liking and enjoy camping in just after one trip, it's all about the process to actually like and enjoy it at the end.

And what would you do for LOVE?

My First Camping Trip

If you find yourself trapped in the middle of the woods without electricity, running water, or a car you would likely describe that situation as a “nightmare” or “a worse case scenario like after plane crash or something.” Some people refer to it as “camping.”

I've never been camping before and the idea of camping no shower never amuse me. Mr. husband has been trying to persuaded me to camping since we were back in Canberra but no luck so far, as I always have good excuses to bail from it. But last weekend I was running out of excuses and also it was his birthday, he wants to celebrate his birthday by camping in Ant atoll. It was a good plan since he got 5 days weekend for Easter and Anzac Day. Yeah among many other things that he can do, he chooses camping. Suck big time for me, no toilet for 2 days, how can I survive?. This time I can't say NO, it's his birthday. As a good wife *cough*... I respect his choice so off we go camping then.

Mr. Husband is doing his best to tell me that it’s very easy and it allows us to escape the pressures and troubles of the urban lifestyle for a more natural, simplified, relaxing time. Nothing could be further from the truth. In theory camping should be a very inexpensive activity since you are literally sleeping on the ground. But  the more simple it appears the more expensive it actually is.


The first stage is to buy a tent and a matress. Our new tent and matress arrived weeks before the day and we even had a trial at home on how to build the tent, yeah he was so determined to educate me about camping and the FUN of it. 

Here is our tent and matress:

Ant Atoll

We went out on the boat last month for a day trip to Ant Atoll, I heard people say that it's a gorgeous place and a must visit atoll if you live in Pohnpei. Ant atoll is about 1.5 to 2 hours trip by boat depends on the sea, if the sea really rough it might be longer than 2 hours and also if you always chase the school for fishing than it will be more than 3 hours for sure.

This time we used the Navy boat called True Blue, it's one of the safest boat in this island, thank God for that. Since I'm the biggest wuss in the world, there is no way I will take the small boat with 1 engine to go to Ant. I was freaking out big time just doing trip from mainland Pohnpei to Nahlap which took only 10-15 minutes by small boat, can you imagine 1.5-2 hours? I will be passed out.

I don't do scuba diving and I don't have any intention to do it anyway, but you can see soo much just from snorkling, so why bother go deep down.

Anyhow... here is Ant atoll captured on my camera, but mind you photos didn't do any justice, the real one even more beautiful...

Kayaking

This is a very late post as we did kayaking couple of weeks ago, but hey better late than never, no?

I can swim but not on the ocean and I will freak out if I can not see the bottom, so when Sam told me that Emanuele & Nora invited us to do kayaking with them on Saturday I was excited but a little bit nervous at the same time. But Sam assured me that I will be fine and the kayak is safe.

So after we pack snack and lunch we head off to Coco Marina to meet Emanuele & Nora and rent the kayaks there. It was a bit windy and rough in Coco Marina so I was a bit scared but luckly I was wearing life jacket, in fact I was the only one who's wearing life jacket! Naughty kids!


Nora helped me get down into my kayak, and indeed it was a bit scary on that small kayak with rough water and high windy, and since it was my first time kayaking so I don't know what to do to make it turn right or left and I was freaking out when the wind and wave took me on the wrong direction but with Sam & Nora direction I managed to make it turn left and join Emanuele who's been on the water too.


Once you got the hang of it, it's pretty easy to do but still a hard work to paddle. And the view from the water is amazing.

Amateur Farmer Wannabe

It's been awhile since I post anything on this blog, I know I have been very slacked but things happened to me for the past 4 months. Good news and then the bad news happened just right after I think I can spread the joy, but anyhow God has other plan for us :)

So to keep me busy and taking my mind of that bad news event, I planned to expand my garden. 

Before I just plant everything on the containers but then I want to have bigger garden so I actually can enjoy the benefit without having to buy vegetables at the shop.

Here is my garden before:

A Lovely Poem For Me, You, Us...

A dear friend sent this lovely poem for me, thank you  Shinta

So now you see
What makes a Mother
It's the feeling in your heart
It's the love you had so much of
Right from the very start
A gift for such a little while,
your loss just seems so wrong,
you should not have left before us,
it’s with loved ones you belong.
Do not judge a song by its duration
Nor by the number of its notes
Judge it by the richness of its contents
Sometimes those unfinished are among the most poignant..

Do not judge a song by its duration
Nor by the number of its notes
Judge it by the way it touches and lifts the soul
Sometimes those unfinished are among the most beautiful…

And when something has enriched your life
And when it’s melody lingers on in your heart.
Is it unfinished?
Or is it endless?

Author Unknown

Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know

I stumbled upon this article and I thinks it's quite true and make sense, but again you decide and it's up to you to educate your children about these stuff.

Huffington Post recently put up a story called You're Out: 20 Things That Became Obsolete This Decade. It's a great retrospective on the technology leaps we've made since the new century began, and it got me thinking about the difference today's technology will make in the lives of tomorrow's kids.


I've used some of their ideas and added some of my own to make the list below: Do you think kids born in 2011 will recognize any of the following?

Video tape: Starting this year, the news stories we produce here at Money Talks have all been shot, edited, and distributed to TV stations without ever being on any kind of tape. Not only that, the tape-less broadcast camera we use today offers much higher quality than anything that could have been imagined 10 years ago -- and cost less than the lens on the camera we were using previously.

Travel agents: While not dead today, this profession is one of many that's been decimated by the Internet. When it's time for their honeymoon, will those born in 2011 be able to find one?

The separation of work and home: When you're carrying an email-equipped computer in your pocket, it's not just your friends who can find you -- so can your boss. For kids born this year, the wall between office and home will be blurry indeed.

Books, magazines, and newspapers: Like video tape, words written on dead trees are on their way out. Sure, there may be books -- but for those born today, stores that exist solely to sell them will be as numerous as record stores are now.

Movie rental stores: You actually got in your car and drove someplace just to rent a movie?