While watching an episode of Little Einsteins celebrating Halloween, we saw a “ghost” floating around on the screen. You know, those atypical ghosts that just look like towels draped over some lame person pretending to be a ghost?

Joshua’s first response was “Towel!!” while pointing at the TV screen. Just goes to show what a failure that “ghost” is.

But obviously this space has been somewhat left to rot for the past couple of weeks. I can almost smell the muskiness…

So anyways, some of you would have guessed that I’m embarking on a BIG MISSION of starting my own business. So far things have been going well, which explains why my fingers would rather draft out (yet another) email to the manufacturer, instead of typing idly (?) over here. I have no idea who is still reading – and who isn’t – and those who “miss” my rantings have professed through other channels like MSN, SMS, emails, etc.

So here’s the foreword: Don’t miss me too much cos I’m striking out on my own and I haven’t had much idle time since I’ve started. I see it as something constructive that I’m doing with my quite-the-bummer lifestyle ever since I’ve been married. Not to mention the deviation from the usual humdrum of domestic mamahood.

So far it’s been heaps of fun, playing around with numbers and figures, planning business strategies – which led to a complete overhaul in the initial plans of a web-store into a distributing company for Asia – and lining up A&P campaigns once the nitty-gritty website stuff is out of the way. Meanwhile, the company website still looks like shit.

I’m not going into play-play, this is serious business I’m talking about! So pardon me while I work things out (quite literally), and check out my flickr periodically for photos of the boys. Both of them are thriving on my breastmilk! *round of applause for myself and the trusty breastpump*

I’ll still try to record down the funny anecdotes that Joshua coughs up ever so often. But man, this is hard! He’s so funny everyday that I can’t possibly blog them all!

While waiting to cross the road…

Me: Look! It’s the Green Man, so we can cross the road now.
Joshua: Amen!

I don’t know if he meant it that way, or just because both are “men” anyway.

Nonetheless, this boy sure loves to pray! Before nap-time, before bedtime, and whenever he feels like it, he’ll come to us with his hands clasped together, and he’ll say “PRAY!” and we’ll have to help him pray cos he’s still not speaking in sentences yet. And he’ll somehow always ask to pray for the crabs. They’ve been his favourite creature for close to a month now, and since having tasted them on Thursday, he’s been asking for them evermore.

We will go broke very soon if we keep feeding him with crabs!

After much grappling, fondling, grasping, tweaking, I finally concede defeat. I am not any good with customising websites with e-commerce shopping cart systems. Setting it up was relatively easy-peasy, but the customising of the website layout… OMFG KILL ME PLEASE. I swear my eyes started popping out a couple of hours into it.

Although I would have to say I’m definitely less n00b-ish now when it comes to terms like mySQL, PHP, FTP and the various e-commerce softwares like osCommerce, Zen Cart and Cubecart.

Nonetheless, knowing these geekspeak doesn’t solve my problem, and the website doesn’t just set itself up nicely. So… who knows a good web-designer who knows how to fuck around template layouts to work seamlessly with osCommerce? Looking for affordable rates, of course.

In the wee hours of the morning while I was pumping, the TV (a 6 year-old JVC CRT, might I add) went POP! SNAP! CRACKLE! and seem to have died.

The day was almost unbearable with J bugging me (cos he wanted to watch Playhouse Disney) and K screaming periodically (because he had nothing to stare at).

Great.

Mom-in-law was kind (and anxious) enough to lug the spare TV (21″ CRT, very old, comes with broken remote control) down from the shophouse. Unfortunately, the sound went poof within an hour of using it. The sound came back after a while with an awfully weird crackling tone to it. Then it started to periodically go silent throughout the night.

Double great. *both thumbs up, eyes rolling, and utterly miffed*

Hubs and I actually read subtitles for almost an hour. The last 30 mins of the Hong Kong drama serial on Channel U, followed by “Lemur Street” on Animal Planet. We didn’t have much choice. It’s either to watch something that had subtitles, or don’t watch TV.

Tomorrow the repairman will be coming in, and we’ll see if our 32″ is fixable. If not, we will have to find a way to squeeze $600 out from our arseholes to pay for a new 32″ telly. This time, flat screen would be good.

As for MIL’s 21″… will probably have to get the guy to take a look at it as well. But in my opinion, all CRTs should be replaced with flat screens. Who the hell under 35 still uses CRTs?! My dad’s got a more stylo TV than me lor. Sibei sia suay.

I should be happy that the telly kicked the bucket, since I’ve been wanting a flat screen to mount on the wall and save me some floor space for the longest time. But, what the hell, not now lah! My bloody milky Medela PISA pump costs more than the average 32″ LCD TV lor!!

CURSES!

:: Update @ 11am, 6th November ::

Somehow Hubs finally thought to look for the warranty card, found it, and apparently it is still valid. DUH. He’s called Best Denki to check on repair terms, and the JVC repair guys will come in between 2-5pm later.

Fingers crossed that it’ll be repairable, because there’s really no spare cash to go into a new telly now. Although I won’t deny that I still really want a bloody flat screen.

Meanwhile MIL’s loaned 21″ is still showing silent movies. Very 20’s, except it’s not black and white, and it’s totally silent.

I am going positively mad with the boys bugging me constantly.

I thought the two of them were settled in watching Playhouse Disney – J sucking on a mini Chupa Chup, while K sucked on his own fist (how yummy!) – so I decided to cavort with the breastpump.

The moment my letdown reflex kicked in and the milk started gushing into the funnel, K started wailing. J continued watching his cartoons, seemingly undisturbed by the noise. I couldn’t walked around while my boobs were attached to the pump, so I had to request a favour from J to rock the rocker (oh redundant redundancy) to pacify the little bub.

So there he was… leaning back against the couch with his eyes still affixed to the telly, his left hand still feeding himself that Chupa Chup, half bent over so he could rock the baby with his right hand. My son is a multi-tasker!! And he did it without a single complaint. The little one also responded well to his korkor’s rocking, and kept quiet so I could finish up.

A minute into it, K started fussing again. Somewhat exasperated with the rocking, J went into my room and retrieved didi’s beansprout pillow. He plonked it onto K’s lap, and said “Nah!” then he went back to watching his cartoons. But not without stroking the baby’s cheek first.

Oh boy, I’m a mighty proud mommy.

I would have video-ed it down if not for the fact that I had my hands full of plastic parts that were helping me suck the milk out of my boobies.

The moment my milk stopped, I picked up the small one and headed off to change his diaper. As expected, he pooped. He always kicks up a ruckus after he poops.

Halfway through the diaper-changing, J stumbled into the room looking kinda drunk. He plopped onto his own bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep immediately! But I had to disturb him just for a few more seconds while my hands were busy with the baby.

“Joshua? Where’s your lollipop stick? Did you throw it away?”

He forced his eyes open and nodded at me. Then promptly went back to sleep again.

K got mighty happy after his change, so he started gurgling and cooing pretty loudly. I told him: “Shhh… korkor’s sleeping.” So he turned his own volume down two notches.

As I walked past the dustbin on my way out of their room – and saw the empty lollipop stick in the bin – I couldn’t help but beam with maternal pride.

What on earth have I ever done to deserve these two boys who are so loving and sweet?

Thank you, God.

Joshua pointed to the stove and pot yelling: “Soup! Soup! Soup!”
Me: “You want soup for dinner?” (Again?!?!)
Joshua: “Ya ya ya ya ya.” *nods heads furiously*

2 minutes later, Daddy calls home and asks what we would like for dinner.
Joshua chants down the phone: “Hotdog! Hotdog! Hotdog!”
Me: “So you want soup or you want hotdog??” *getting frustrated*
Joshua: “Soup! Hotdog! Sooooup! Hotdog hotdog!”
Me: “You want soup AND hotdog?”
Joshua: “Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya.” *grins*

*I pengz!*

It’s almost a nightly ritual that Joshua would ask for “pat pat” on his chest just before bedtime. And despite doing it for him right after the whole shebang of his bedtime routine – 2 books (at least), putting on diaper, face cream, lip balm, prayer, pat pat while singing lullabies – he would often still come out and ask for some more “pat pat”.

So once again tonight, I had to go into his room upon his pleas and pat him just for that extra one more minute.

In a bid to shorten my back-aching misery as the official “pat pat” sponsor, I told the boy: “I’m only going to pat you for a while, because I’m tired and I want to go to bed early.”

His retort had me tied between laughing and feeling belittled.

“Pump! Go go! Pump!” And he still mimicked the squeezing of his “boobies” to get his point across.

I have now been commanded to pump before I am allowed to go to bed. Don’t see this boy gei siao gei siao, sometimes I secretly think he’s the one who wears the pants in the family.

The reason why I don’t like my sleep to get disturbed is because once I wake, I truly truly wake. Then it’s hard to fall back asleep again. Even if I’ve barely slept more than 2 hours in the last 24 hours.

I have to acquire that fantastic skill that Hubs has – falling asleep once his head hits the pillow. It would be an invaluable ability, then at least I won’t be wasting time sitting around cos I can’t pop right back to dreamland!

While I 闭馆练功 to try and acquire the skill, I just hope the boys don’t simultaneously wake up and kacheow my beauty sleep again. And both of them still have the cheek(s) to smile at me!! You boys better remember that no sleep = less breastmilk!

Sheesh.

Hubs used his lunch hour to head to Thomson ParentCraft to purchase the Medela Pump In Style Advanced (aka “PISA”) and delivered it back home for me. Along with a piping hot lunch from Delifrance. Which eventually turned cold before I had a chance to eat it because Joshua was extra fussy because of his “teeth. pain.” (sprouting molars) and his “hair. hot hot” (fever). But ok, that’s not the point.

The point is, it only took me 10 minutes to obtain 110+95ml of breastmilk using this new machine! W00t!

And now you know why this blardy piece of metal, plastic and rubber costs $678.60. And this price is already much cheaper than the regular RRP of $754 in most places.

Imagine, MORE THAN HALF A THOUSAND FRIKKIN DOLLARS! It better frikkin’ work, man.

And the sad part about all of this? Now we’ve officially spent over $1000 on breastpumps alone. $365 + $678.60 =$1043.60. (Just in case you’re not that good in Math and a calculator is not within reach.)

Yes, breastfeeding is supposed to be virtually free – notice that I mention “virtually” – but no one said breastpumping was free.

I rue the day I gave Joshua that bottle of expressed breastmilk.