Beverly's Secret - Promise to Share

Good Bye

2012-05-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

** Updates on May 25, 2012 **

Boohoo... Thank you all for making me feel special; it's beyond touching & my eyes were brimming with tears while reading through all the heartfelt notes, comments & wishes (T____T) Never knew that BS can actually mean so much to all of you... Sending you love again & wishing you the greatest happiness in your life too! Also, just FYI, I won't be update my Facebook & Twitter as often as I used to, don't wanna hypocritically announce this blogosphere retreat yet still being overly active on social media sites; however, I'll still post stuff there occasionally, especially knowing you all are real excited to meet Bao Bao. So feel free to subscribe to my Facebook public updates, or follow me on Twitter or WeiBo. Yes, I'm revealing my WeiBo account for the very first time because you guys are truly the best! Stay in touch (＾ｰ^)ノ♥

*********************************************

It’s an overwhelming compulsion; I mean this official Good Bye and this last BS post. It’s also a well-assessed thought rather than a spontaneous impulse. To be strictly accurate, I’ve been planning for this blogosphere retreat since last Oct right after I learned about my pregnancy. Drafted this 2 weeks ago and supposed to finalize it before Sunday but as I carefully revise every single line, I add more words to it, trying to find the right vocabulary that’d precisely express my thinking. More importantly, I wish to make this an earnest one instead of keeping everyone hanging and wondering around. If this turns out to be a super wordy one, the perfectionist side of me should be blamed. Ya, you hear me right, I'll freeze this blog. Maybe just for three months, maybe a year or maybe longer. I'm not sure but it's going to be a long vacation for BS...

I started blogging when I first moved to the States in 2007. BS was born during the time when many mistaken me as a frivolous housewife who’s just looking for a way to kill time. True to a certain extent but not really (you just have to continue reading to hear my assertion). I blog for only one simple intention: to share my brand new life with my family & friends in M’sia. Somehow, I got kinda absorbed in it and decided to keep this virtual space as my online journal & personal diary, kind of... Not turning myself a full-time blogger but I’m committed to it. So I blog about everything, my life, my relationship, my studies, my trips, my shopping goodies, my stupid thoughts… literally every single thing that revolves around my tiny world.

Then… Time flies in a blink of an eye… and guess what, I’ve been blogging for about 4 and a half years now yet it feels just like yesterday that I was sitting in front of my lappie, drafting and generating a blog post...

#1 Dec 2007. Oh, the super young & carefree Beverly 1.0, haha (*^_^*)

#2 Feb 2008. Celebrated my birthday with Chean for the first time after 4 years long distance relationship. Now you know my age, ya, 21.

#3 June 2008. Never liked Summer until I met Portland.

#4 July 2008. School started finally! The MBA program opens up a large number of personal development goals and opportunities.

#5 March 2009. A moment that I'll never forget. Welcome to the family, Miyaki!

#6 April 2009. Feel so contented and Portland started to smell like home, even just with them both.

#7 Sept 2009. And we did actually own our first home :D

#8 June 2010. After spending all excruciating hours on endless researches & assignments in two grueling years, I waved APA writing format goodbye, with a flying kiss some more.

#9 July 2010. Fresh start. We moved to Boulder, CO, a place we called home now.

#10 Sept 2010. Added a new label on BS called Hammie The Hamster.

#11 Jan 2011. A kick-start in advertising industry, was working as an Assistant Account Executive.

#12 June 2011. Working psychologically hard & got my hands full with the wedding things. Crazy schedule. Flew back to M'sia, visited Taiwan and had our pre-wedding photos taken in Tainan.

#13 Sept 2011. It's official! Chean & I are traditionally considered husband & wife although we actually registered for our marriage in Miami, in 2006. O.M.G, that's 6 years ago and I was only 22 :p

#14 Oct 2011. I am P.R.E.G.N.A.N.T~~ *drumroll please*

#15 Jan 2012. And Miyaki Baby just turned 3 this year.

#16 Feb 2012. Fragile Hammie fared us well (T_____T).

#17 Feb 2012. Our second trip with Bao Bao; the first was Aspen.

#18 May 2012. Chean gets older, my baby bump becomes bigger (37 weeks preggie) and Miyaki hair grows longer... Every thing is changing incrementally but life is still as beautiful as always.

Looking back at all these entries and rerunning all these fond memories bring tears into my eyes. It’s been an utter bliss, a divine devotion of time for the past 4 and a half years of my life. You know, they said it's just a blog, why so serious? Well, I'm not serious about blogging actually, it's just a pastime-turned-habit thingie but I'm serious about my life, and my blog is a place where I store wonderful things about my life. Thus I don't want to take things lightly (again, it's the perfectionist side of me that's playing its ruse). Many may see BS as a bragging, bimbotic & self-absorbed blog of nobody (then why are you still reading?), but to me, it's a happiness-sharing platform to those who need a friendly reminder of how beautiful life is. I myself need that too especially, from time to time.

As BS gains more traffic and attention, it also attracts a great wave of jealousy and hatred comments from haters & anonymous readers, to be extremely frank, I get so tired of it. I know some of you may covertly think "Oh, she's lucky because her husband got her back and support her in any way she wants. She's nothing without her husband," which I'm not going to deny; I luck out in love. However, great fortune in relationship often comes with a price too, in my case, it's the unconditional love & support I contribute throughout these years that makes me the luckiest person on earth. Nothing comes free in this world and my life has its ups & downs too, just that I always choose to look on the bright side. Positivity rules. Anyway... Although I loathe the fact that I have to explain myself all the time, that's not the main reason that drives me to this decision because the awesome readers always outnumber the bad ones; it's my inner self who craves for an escape, a break, and a breakthrough.

I want to do something else. Maybe finish writing my book (still stuck on that bloody page 26, sigh), it's on the top of my to-do list. Maybe learn to be a good mum & a good wife; maybe work on the mini project Chean & I once brainstormed, maybe travel a bit, maybe kick start on my career, maybe do nothing but L.I.V.E. Just doing one thing at a time. Life is a process of ongoing incremental change and I don't want to miss a thing, not even a second.

So, for whatever reason that brings you to this blog, whether you are a recent supporter or a long time faithful fan of BS, I sincerely appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to hear me blurting my heart out all these while. To put it bluntly, I’m just a complete stranger to many of you although there’s an inexplicable connection between us that you & I have established throughout the years, thank you for showing me that genuine virtual friendship does exist.

While I heavyheartedly ending this post, H.E.R.E is something little I made yesterday (kinda silly though), an appreciation as well as farewell pressie for all of you who're reading this. Maybe I'll be back once I've figured out what I wanna do and get back on track with the newborn.

So long, BS-ers! I'll miss you for sure ❤❤

"去年的我好忙好忙，今年的我只想简单的，专心的学习去爱那些爱我的和我爱的人。"
— 贝薇丽的秘密

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
— Robert Brault

Take care,
Bev

Darling Chean Is Getting Older

2012-05-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

All about Chean's birthday celebration on last Saturday... and M.O.R.E~~

#1 Family portrait has become part of our family tradition and ya, I'm the pioneer who initiates that ;)

#2 Love this pic although it's out of focus @.@

#3

#4

#5

#6 It's always a painful process to get a decent picture with Miyaki! He hates looking at the camera =.=lll

#7 He is super uncooperative!!! A.R.G.H!!! Nvm.

#8 Belanja Chean makan at this Japanese Restaurant in Denver called Domo Restaurant.

#9 At the entrance, kinda reminds us of Japanese Garden in Portland.

#10 Waiting for our table~~

#11 Doing the typical Asian gimmick, camwhoring that is, haha.

#12 Getting himself familiar with the menu, or else it'll take him more than a decade to decide. Chean takes every meal very seriously, don't mess with him :p

#13

#14

#15

#16 Our window & corner seats ^____^V

#17 See, I train him good, that's a nice angle Chean (*^_^*)

#18 Hibiscus Tea for me & Ginger Tea for him. Kampai, darling ♪(*^^)o∀*∀o(^^*)♪

#19 Side dishes that come together with entrees. Salmon, mackerel, chicken, pork...

#20 Main course! Chean ordered Wankosushi.

#21 With salmon, yellowtail, mackerel and tuna.

#22 I miss raw fish so much (T____T)

#23

#24 The Ramen Set I ordered. Jeez... Humongous, you can feed 3 persons with this portion!!!

#25 And it comes with a Donburi too @.@

#26 Challenge accepted but mission failed. I tried my best to eat for two but only managed to nom 1/6 of it, and I da pao the salmon donburi for Sunday lunch. How is it possible for a normal human to finish such portion in a single meal? Even a pregnant lady can't do it. Pure insanity.

Despite the crazy portions and the not-so-authentic Japanese cuisine (the foods are just ok though, do not live up to our expectation), we did have fun hanging out & chit-chatting in the restaurant. Great dining environment for small party; it's always fun to explore & try out something new in town! Guess this will be the last time for us to enjoy a blissful dinning-out & peaceful evening out... I'll miss these just-the-two-of-us moments for sure :)

#27 Picked up a Tiramisu Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory later on. No pictures taken after that because Chean got tired of it :p

** On Friday Night **

#28 Went to Il Pastaio for casual dinner. Chean's real exhausted after a hard day work so we decided to just do a quick dine-out...

#29 He actually lost weight, you think? Pity him, he's been working too hard lately.

#30 And Mama Bev have been eating too much lately... A.R.G.H, oily hair, wondering how could I survive the one month confinement period without hair wash (T____T)

#31 Pick your noodle~~

#32 Capellini with Italian Sausage. Y.U.M.M.Y! But a little salty though.

#33 Chean chose Fettucini instead :)

** On Sunday Morning **

#34 Had farewell brunch with CP+Bers Calvin, Ping, Yoko (from left to right) at Southside Walnut Cafe (again). So long Ping! Until then & take care~~

#36 Took this in the car and honestly I have to blur it out because... my boobs have doubled in size *shy* God, please give me milk too!!!

#37 Took this one on Sat. I successfully persuaded/hypnotized Bao Bao to grant me beauty with less water retention and tiring look, just for a day, on Chean's birthday. Miraculously enough, it works! Thank you BB!

I bet you're wondering about Chean's birthday presents now... Well, while Chean always buys me extravagant gifts for my birthday (the Cancun trip & the Chanel which I haven't blogged about), I literally buy him nothing this year besides the treats & birthday cake. I know...

B.U.T...

#38 I made him his favorite Bubur Cha Cha & Yam Cake~~ Consulted my mum twice and spent 4 hours making these! Imaging carrying the extra pounds working in the kitchen for such long hours... So glad that they turned out great. Btw, remember the egg tarts I baked on his previous birthday? Wanna collect more recipes next year (*^__^*)

#39 Also drew a handmade card for him and Miyaki gets full participation points on this, hehe. Actually Hallmark card is a lot better and less work too but Chean's been following me wherever I go, it's totally impossible to pick up anything without his notice loh @.@

Other than all these priceless gifts, there's also a real hilarious video that I made; it's a compilation of some of the silly things and crazy moments we recorded since 2006. Can't share that with you, too many inconvenient scenes but boy, Chean laughed till rolling on the floor...

Anyway, all these pressies are nothing compared with the tiny little one in my tummy. Be patient Chean, your "real" present is on her way!

Darling, Happy Birthday To You Again! Looking forward to having our loving family grow and to spending/creating uncountable wonderful moments together with you for many years to come. Muaksss (◍⁃͈ᴗ•͈)४४४♡♡

Lots of love,
Bev

Brown Sugar Fatt Go

2012-05-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Was thinking to bake something that day other than cupcakes or butter cake, a real spontaneous thought and I was lucky enough to discover this awesome food blog called 缘心缘品~*六月★空 that comes with a super easy Fatt Go (发糕) recipe! Not really a big fans of Fatt Go but I thought it's nice to make something for my father-in-law, as an appreciation of him looking after us from the heaven.

#1 First attempt, real hideous. Sorry, Baba @.@

#2 The first batch looked like cupcakes...

#3 And second batch looked a little better but still... they're more like over-exploded volcanoes
(*｀へ´*)

I'll definitely make this again, on special occasion maybe. Here's the translated recipe (refer to the link above for Chinese version).

Ingredients:
Self-rising flour, 250g
Baking soda, 1 tsp
Brown sugar, 150g
Egg, 1
Water, 200g
Butter, 50g
Vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp

Instructions:
1) Bring brown sugar & water to boil, then leave until completely cold.
2) Melt butter over hot water.
3) Use a fork to beat the egg and mix in (1), then sieve it.
4) Mix (2) in (3). Slowly add in flour and other ingredients until well blended.
5) Fill paper-lined or buttered muffin cups about 90% full.
6) Steam on high heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Simple right? Have fun baking (*^____^*)

Love ya,
Bev

Faturday

2012-05-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

The worst feeling ever is seeing the numbers on the weighing scale substantially increase everyday yet you can't do a thing about it (T____T) It's truly not an exaggeration to say that my last trimester is a constant battle against sugar addiction and late-night craving...

#1 Chean whatsapped me, asking which one I'd like to get... I wasn't famished and just planned to get a tiny fruit tart but this pic made me drool...

#2 Ended up getting the H.U.G.E one and I finished everything in 2 days. Unbelievable @.@

#3 I've ran out of clothes I can fit into, no longer enjoy camwhoring...

#4 And Chean's face is a lot slimmer than me, hate that!!!

#5 Yet I'm still feeding myself like there's no tomorrow; that's handcrafted root beer btw. At BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse.

#6 Turkey Burger. Crazy portion.

#7 Cajun Pasta. Huge portion but I manage to clean the plate, this has never ever happened in my entire life before, crazy me!

#8 Dim Sum Time at Star Kitchen. Super packed & crowded that day @.@ We come here almost every weekend ever since I got pregnant, now all the staff recognize us and even call Chean "Dai Lou," lol. Why ah? No idea.

#9 We ordered a lot and this is just 1/3 of it. Lazy to take pics eh.

#10 Egg tartssssss! Fresh from the oven! That's the reason why I come here so often. Y.U.M!

#11 Then on the same day... After stuffing myself with all these high carbs dim sum dishes, I continued to indulge myself with snacks & biscuits at home. What has gotten into me? Zero self-control.

S.I.G.H. One side story to share. Apparently I was thinking about getting a new spec the other day, so Chean accompanied me to check out some local eyeglasses stores. I tried a lot yet nothing stood out, got a little upset and desperate but you know what, Chean suddenly wised up and suggested me to leave the spec-hunting idea aside...

"You know what, your face is quite rounded now, it's impossible to pick a frame that will suit you perfectly," He said in calm voice.

Truth hurts!!!! (T_______T)

And he is so dang right, I can't argue with that at all.

Whatever. I'm almost there... home stretch to the finish line of 10 months pregnancy! Although I seem to complain a lot about the uncontrollable weight gain, forgetfulness, or clumsiness, I do enjoy being preggie and being able to act as capricious and unreasonable as I like, hahaha...

Keep rocking, Mama Bev & Bao Bao (◍⁃͈ᴗ•͈)४४४♡*

*************** Miyaki & His Mellow Days ***************

#12 Strained his muscles a little after a long walk in the park, poor baby.

#13 Soaking up the sun on the balcony.

#14 Always a baby...

#15 Playing with his new pal~~

So grateful to have him around, Miyaki is simply irreplaceable! Mummy loves you the same!

XOXO,
Bev

Drugstore Products Review

2012-05-14T16:56:00.004-07:00

#1 Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipsticks: 1) 202 crush, 2) 170 Alarm ★★★★✩
Love its soft & smooth texture, quite pigmented but not super long-lasting. Go for it if you're looking for a boost of subtle color at a reasonable price point. Worth every penny ;)

#2 Fresh Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo ★★★★✩
A complimentary birthday gift from Sephora. Fresh is not really a drugstore brand but judging from the fact that I got these for free, I might as well do a quick review on them. Cute packaging, pleasantly scented with SPF 15, pretty hydrating and moisturizing for daily lips protection. Would recommend them :)

#3 Carmex Moisturizing Lip Balm (Original) ★★★✩✩
Extremely affordable, unscented, and I personally enjoy the minty tingling sensation :p It's kinda refreshing. However, it won't promise an instant healing effect on chapped & dried lips, unlike my all-time-favorite Kielh's Lip Balm #1. Still, I love having them sitting around every corner of my house so that I can just snap & apply whenever my lips need a little comfort.

#4 CoverGirl Cheekers Blush Natural Shimmer 103 ★★★✩✩
Perfect for a neutral touch in summer, not too glittery yet it brings peachy shines to your cheeks. Easy to blend and quite pigmented. Be careful while handling it, it's quite fragile, I dropped it on the floor right after I bought it and the blusher almost popped out @.@

#5 CoverGirl Bronzer Copper Radiance 102 ★★★✩✩
Bought this to go with CoverGirl Cheekers Blush Natural Shimmer 103. A great bargain, and I adore its natural sun-kissed glow. Won't use it everyday, but definitely worth a try~~

#6 Vasaline Healthy Hand & Nail Conditioning Lotion ★★✩✩✩
Bought this at Safeway months ago because I forgot to bring L'occitane hand cream with me. I'm one of those hand cream fanatics who can't live without hand cream, and I usually stuff all my bags with a travel size tube (and lip balm too), will go crazy and super insecure if I don't have them in my bag @.@ Anyway, I'm just ok with Vasaline hand lotion, a bit too greasy and most importantly I do not appreciate its scent. Will try my best to finish it but won't buy it again.

#7 DUO eyelash adhesive: 1) Clear-white, 2) Dark-tone ★★★★✩
Essentials and they both work equally great to me, depends on my eye makeup of the day of course! Dry quickly, hold all day long, easy to apply and remove. Falsie lovers, go get them N.O.W!

#8 Eyebrow Pencil with Brush from Daiso, Taipei ★★★★★
It deserves 5 stars, no doubt, it's my current favorite eyebrow pencil! The brush comes in handy while shaping the brows and the shades precisely matches my skin tone & eye color. A.R.G.H, I wanna stock it up so bad!!! Do we have this in Daiso Malaysia? Or Daiso U.S?

*Side Note*
Cut down a lot on skin care and cosmetic products ever since I got pregnant, missing facial mask, body scrubs, bubble bath, essential oil massage, and all those chemical-heavy self-indulgences that I used to abuse :p Just couple more weeks to go before claiming my vain life back. Muahahahahahahaha...

Hope you enjoy this simple review still~~

Warmest regards,
Bev

Going-Home Outfits

2012-05-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

Start packing my hospital bag as soon as I reach 2nd trimester, which's months ago, and yet I feel unprepared @.@ I've got tree bags full (one for BB, one for me, and one for tools & other necessities like breast pump, nursing pillow, milk bottles, confinement herbs & the list goes on...) but there's lots of items to be packed still. Hmm... Panic attack. Confirmed.

Going through all the baby stuff is quite a fun task actually, especially picking BB's going-home outfit (*^___^*) Oh ya, actually we do not need to bring anything for BB during the hospital stay, including infant clothes, receiving blankets, diapers and etc... All the items will be provided by the hospital and we were told that they will usually give us tons of freebies, sample kits, and mama bags to bring home with. But we want to bring something special for BB to wear as her first outings into the world, yup, that's the going-home outfit, let's see what I've got here after filtering all her newborn clothes...

#1 The first newborn set I purchased at 10 weeks preggie, not knowing BB's gender but super eager to fill her closet with cute clothes ;)

#2 So cute right?

#3

#4 The minty green, playful polka dots, pinky kitty prints & ribbons are too perfect for summer~~

#5

#6 A real adorable outfit but I think it's a little costly for newborn.

I mean, it still costs you the same if you get the 12-months or 24-months, but Chean insisted to buy the S.M.A.L.L.E.S.T size, hmm... All experienced mums, including my mum & my MIL, advised me not to buy too many newborn & 0-6 months clothes because BB will outgrow them before she gets a chance to wear it. So I did my very best to convince Chean about this all-mums-know-it philosophy and tried to talk him into getting the 12-months instead...

But Daddy Chean got a little livid and frustrated and he said: "I don't want my BB to wear loose outfits, you got it?"

Awkward silence.

Dead air.

(T______T)

I just thought to save money mah although I'm not good at saving at all... Since then, I never dare to stop him from choosing the "right" size for BB :( See, it's not just me! Daddy Chean goes out of control too!!! And guess what, Bao Bao's mini closet is cramped with clothessssss and accessoriesssss, from newborns to 24-months (already spoiled, how? That gets me worried)!!!

Anyway, back to the going-home outfits, I still can't make up my mind; they are equally cute! Guess I'll bring them with me and let Bao Bao picks her favorite at the hospital (^___^)V

XOXO,
Mama Bev

Hey, What Are You Reading?

2012-05-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hello BS-ers,

Does my recent frequent updates hype you up a bit? Cherish & savor it while you can cause I'm mysteriously planning to abandon my blog after this month. Ok, obviously it's no longer a secret :p Just so you know. And also to kinda give you a heads up so that you won't feel awkwardly abandoned when I abruptly vanish into thin air or leave this place unannounced... I'll definitely miss you all. Although the interaction between us has been decreased dramatically (why ah?), I know you all are still hitting, clicking and reading BS. Thank you. I think I also ran out of reasons to keep you around since I myself have been experiencing some sort of writer's block. Well, I'm not really a writer kinda writer but I do write (a bit, BS is photo-heavy in case you are a newbie) so maybe now is a good time to divert your attention to something I've been real engaging with...

Nothing too fancy. Just books. As straightforward as it sounds. Not many but worth sharing still.

#1 Spent most of my days reading while stuffing myself like a pig at home. This book, as many of you have asked about, is called...

#2 Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (from Amazon.com). It's hilarious yet intense and I personally find the cultures dilemmas as well as the motherhood's emotional roller coaster ride Amy experienced intriguingly fun. Jeez, I can totally relate myself to what she'd been through. Finished this one in just T.W.O days, need I say more?

#3 And you've requested me to share about this book too...

#4 Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. Just finished it this noon, a little heavyhearted though, I'm still lingering on Sadie's cheerful & feisty spirit, I think Lara Lington feels the same too. Should have taken my own sweet time on this... Btw, I picked this book at Goodwill (when I stopped by that area for Sunday brunch) for only a dollar, yup, US$1, tra la la la (^__^)V

#5 sMothering by Wendy French. Ok, Also grabbed this one, nothing can beat a dollar-deal :D Haven't flicked on this yet, guess I'm going after this next. The plot builds around a twenty-something American girl living in Portland, Oregon... It's Portland, you see!!! I just have to grab it. No doubt.

#6 Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger (from Barnes & Noble). Hastily bought this the night before my Cancun trip, with an image of myself enjoying an easy read while listening the soothing sounds of ocean waves from the Caribbean... Obviously, I think too much; it didn't happen as I planned and this book is all new still.

#7 Looking Glass: A Special Edition of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (from Barnes & Noble). I'm half way through this one and I stopped reading it at page 62. Honestly don't think I can ever finish it, especially now that I'm preggie with a baby girl. Just too much for me, sorry Susie Salmon (T____T)

#8 Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews (from Barnes & Noble). It was on sales, like 50% off or so, no wrong to add it in my book collection I thought and yup, it's brand new still, I haven't get any chance to gaze at it yet :p

I know you're probably raising your eyebrows at me right now, why buying when you don't even have time to read? Ah ha... I do have time to read and I read everyday, just that I'm prioritizing on different genre instead...

#9 From Vogue, Vanity Fair, ViVi, Popteen to all these mama magazines... It's quite a dramatic change I'd say in terms of mentality and lifestyle. But hey, these magazines are free copies, picked them up at my OB's office, Y.A.H.O.O~~ See, always look on the bright side of life :D

#10 Then from The Devil Wears Prada and That Extra Half an Inch to this one... Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 (from Amazon.com).

What the hell, I know, please excuse me for a moment. %$#%^&*^%$#@$%^&%$#@%^&

It feels so much better after blurping it out. Ok, let's get serious now. This book is recommended by Marsha, a mother of two and a real good friend of mine. It's super insightful and informative, be prepared to familiarize yourself with new medical terms and vocabs though. It preps me for in-depth conversations with OB & pediatrician, and this significant knowledge eventually led to conscious decisions... Truly think it's a bible to all first-time-parents. Thanks Marsha ;)

#11 The book is about 2 inches thick, covering basic knowledge and advanced finding that will answer all common medical and parenting questions.

#12 Apgar Scores.

#13 Vaccinations and shots. I actually snapped this page and showed it to the pediatrician I chose for BB during our vaccinations discussion, guess what, she's having the same copy too. Not to my surprise, but it's a total reassurance to know that this book is a reliable guide.

#14 Before I Say "Yes, I Do" by Angelica Lee. 《在我说愿意之前》李心洁. BFF Eling presented this to me, the night before my wedding. Thanks, dear~~

#15 翻开斑斑的记忆 by 李忠勳. Yup, it's by Jimmy Lee, my pre-wedding photographer in Taiwan (click H.E.R.E to read more).

#16 The words on the back cover: “有时候拍照不只是拍照而已，而是关心这片土地，是倾听人的心跳，是感觉自己还活着。” So touching & super inspirational~~

#17 On this page, he wrote:

“2010年，飞鱼记忆美术馆有一个梦想要去完成。我们赶在出书之前把第一个梦想作品放了进来。明年，梦想继续。《脸的皱褶。半世纪环岛婚纱》飞鱼帮老人拍婚纱的环岛希望计划。请帮我们把这件事传达出去，这是个完全自发性完全免费的活动，在飞鱼心里有一件重要的事情，那就是每一个人的回忆。也许在你们身旁的朋友身边有一张皱褶的脸需要或等待着被纪录，请告诉他们飞鱼也正在做，让我们一起为这个梦想加油。

我记得小时候看爸爸妈妈的脸，那回忆好清晰，尽管经过岁月的冲刷与累积，脑海里的印象仍旧挥之不去。从身高只到爸妈的腰间，然后肩膀，然后超越他们成为大人，在学校拼学业，在外头忙碌工作，离开家乡离开家人，好久好久以后回过头，那张温暖而皱褶的脸，那脸孔如此熟悉又陌生，我们已经忽略了很多年，皱褶里藏了什么样的心情，那就像是永远说不出口的秘密，不会跟孩子说的秘密。

每一张脸都是在诉说着半个世纪的故事，我们准备把故事纪录下来。” －－飞鱼记忆美术馆

Karin bought me this as a gift & souvenir, I'm not sure where you can order it or how much it cost, guess you can only get it in Taiwan. But if you are very keen to get one, feel free to drop me an email or shoot me a msg on Facebook, I'll try to hook you up with Fei Yu.

Hope you enjoy this post. Have a great weekend in case I do not have time to blog tomorrow (*^___^*)

Take care,
Bev

More Apps

2012-05-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

My burgeoning belly keeps me up real early this morning, not much to do except organizing Siew Bak's home screen... Some of the apps are installed ages ago but some are recently added; anyway, this's just a semi-compilation of my current fave apps, not planning to go into details because they are quite a number of them that I'd love to share...

#1

#2 LINE Camera is really cute~~

#3

#4

#5

#6 Highly recommend these two apps to all mums-to-be, love the kick counter & contraction timer (*^___^*)

#7 Bedtime stories for BB~~

#8 Love reading educational stories to her too! It's never too early to start instilling/teaching good manners :p

#9 Ok, I should come clean. Actually it's me that adore all the readings and bedtime stories, wakaka!!! Mama Bev just can't help it :p

Is there any cool apps I missed out here? Or you have got something cooler to suggest? ;)

Best,
Bev

Sleepless Shanghai - Part V

2012-05-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

Running out of topics to write about and thought of abandon my blog for a day or two, then I realized there's some old pictures from the Shanghai (SH) trip I did with my BFF Eling last August still craving for exposition. So here goes the last SH post!

Nelson brought us to a wildly popular Hong Kong restaurant, Cha's Restauran (查餐厅) for a casual Cantonese dinner. Super crowded, we waited for about 45 mins, but Eling & I managed to shop at H&M while killing our time. Haha...

But we also spotted a real gross and scary scene right before we entered the restaurant. Guess what we saw? Some random people collecting gutter oil from the sewage drains right in front of the restaurant!!! Ewwwww (@.@)lll

We're gobsmacked but Nelson said it's quite common. Honestly, I wanted to take pic of that real bad but super afraid I'll get myself into troubles cause those workers looked pretty furious to me. It was our 2nd last night in SH, and obviously we no longer able to enjoy SH food as much as we used to. Hopefully Cha's Restaurant isn't using any of recycled gutter oil :(

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6 Their signature milk tea tasted so good, super authentic~~ The ice cubes are made of milk tea too :D

#7 Woo Hoo~~ Nelson got us tickets to the closing ceremony of Nike Festival of Sport 2011 (耐克运动汇全攻略).

#8 The stadium is sooooo huge!!! And we got lost, twice.

#9 BFF Eling & I ❤❤

#10 Met some awesome friends too! Nelson, Crystal, Me & Eling (from left to right). And Wing Wu actually took this one for us, thanks!

#11 MCs & guest of the night (from left to right): Jason (Taiwan), 艾力克斯 (Taiwan), 刘翔 (LiuXiang) and I forgot the last MC's name, sorry. They're also a lot of famous international athletes that I didn't bother to take pics, apologetically speaking :p

#12

#13 Elva Hsiao (蕭亞軒)!

#14 Then 张震岳! O.M.G!!! He sang about 8 songs, all super popular one like 爱我别走, 分手吧, 思念是一种病 and 爱的初体验. I personally considered that the climax of the night, love him soooooo much (cause Chean kinda looks like him, don't care even if you do not agree :p)!

#15 Million thanks to Nelson! Thank you for showing us around, treating us to good restaurants, making sure we're well taken care of... It's so good to have you around!

Gonna bring Chean here next time! Thanks again for the warm hospitality, we miss your homemade coffee already (^___^)V

XOXO,
Bev

Weekly Report

2012-05-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

#1 Hello Week 35 ^___^V

#2 Camwhoring before hitting the restaurant on Friday Night~~

#3 The dress is getting tighter & tighter, guess this could be the last time you see my humungous body slipping into it :p

#4 Less water retention = happy day!

#5 Love Pizzeria Locale max, have to come here at least once a month~~

#6 Heart their non-alcohol drink Bambino, a fresh grapefruit juice sparkler with mint! Slurpsss~~ Read H.E.R.E if you wanna know more about this awesome restaurant.

#7 Having breakfast with Chean at Southside Walnut Cafe, two weekends in a row @.@

#8 Arghh... Carbs...

#9 But it's undeniably delicious (=.=)lll

#10 Went jalan-jalan around Pearl Street (Boulder Downtown), stopped by Crocs to check out some shoes for my mum & MIL.

#11 By the way, do you know Crocs' HQ is located in Boulder?

#12 Not a big fans of Crocs, but the kid section is just way too adorable! I wanna bring my Bao Bao here, to pick her fave item, to customize her accessories...

#13 Almost buy this teeny backpack for BB but Chean said she won't be able to use it until she's three :( Hmm... Such a long wait, nvm then.

#14

#15 Chean acting like a tourist; he bought postcards, excuse me @.@

#16 Ku Cha House of Tea is officially our current fave store!

#17

#18 Smell so good, super zen & aromatic.

#19

#20

#22

#21 You are welcome to enjoy a lovely tea drinking experience at the shop or order drink to go, love the environment. Oh, they offer free tasting and tea classes occasionally.

#22 These two grabbed my attention, purchased them and tasted at home. Absolutely in love with them ❤❤ Highly recommend Milk Oolong~~

Pretty fun weekend outing although my legs can't take any walk longer than 2 hours, super grateful that I'm still surviving!!! Just couple more weeks to go, H.O.O.R.A.Y~~

**************** Happy Moments ****************

#23 You have not idea how satisfying it is when I find out nail trimming at week 34 (almost 35) is not a mission impossible ;)

#24 去年的我好忙好忙，今年的我只想简单的，专心的学习去爱那些爱我的和我爱的人。"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." — Robert Brault

Life is awesome, simply too awesome...

Happily blogged,
Bev

Yes, They're Frozen!

2012-05-06T21:11:00.001-07:00

If I were to rank all the most frequently asked questions about my pregnancy, this one definitely rates in my top 3--What about your confinement plan?

First of all, read T.H.I.S to familiarize yourself with the term "confinement", the Chinese traditional beliefs and practices in postpartum.

Alright, now I assume you kinda understand the background, the theories, and the reasons why my ancestors invented and passed down those restrictions & rules thousand years ago, generations to generations, regions to regions. The result? Billions of Chinese mothers are benefiting from their wisdom...also suffering at the time. What? 30 days of sole confinement, bed rest, and being fed 5 meals a day are not fun ok, at least to me. Don't forget there are tons of taboos & don'ts too. Just thinking of those rules gives me postpartum depression already @.@

Cut the crap. Anyway, the bottom line is my mum isn't visiting; her knee caps are too weak to survive the 26 hours flight unless someone is willing to travel together with her. And ya, my sis is the right candidate, I thought of that too but after considering her back problem that she's still dealing with, I better don't risk it no matter how bad I wish they could be here with me. I can't be too selfish. As for my MIL, she won't be coming either. My sis-in-law just gave birth to a super adorable baby boy last month; everyone is super busy with the newborn (Y.A.Y! Double dragons for the Law family, a dragon & a phoenix! 龙凤呈祥!)

So ya, it'll be just me & Chean, dealing with the confinement thingy and our baby. Hold your pitiful stares and don't raise your eyebrows yet, because we actually see this coming months ago and we roll out plan B--Frozen Confinement Meals.

Yes, they are frozen, FedExed from L.A every 5 days or every week, depends the package you chose. Actually there're a few companies in L.A that offer the similar confinement meals service; I picked JingMommy (金品月子膳食) because: 1) It's owned & run by Taiwanese, 2) They imported all the herbs packets from Taiwan (風車月子藥膳), and 3) They adopt 莊淑旂博士's confinement theories (google her and you'll be convinced).

I honestly think Taiwanese have better knowledge about confinement plan than Malaysian (look at all the Taiwanese celebrities who have given birth and still look amazing); our confinement practices are kinda rojak (mixed) and I'm not buying some of the theories my mum told me, cause she herself doesn't even understand the rationale behind those practices (she's an ABC btw, that's even less convincing :p), no facts, no reasons, just blind rules. Ok lah, I do appreciate ancient knowledge and personal experiences, but I need more substantial information & solid facts, sorry for being such a pest @.@

Oh, before I forget, feel free to peek at the menu & price, if you're interested.

#1 I ordered the trial samples couple months ago which cost me US$70 for FedEx overnight shipment. Sigh. This expense is unnecessary if I live in L.A; they offer free tasting from time to time.

#2 Five meals a day, plus drinks and soups, all in full size portion. The "real" meal plan will come with rice (養生飯), eggs (活力蛋), veggie (鮮翠生蔬), and herbal soup (風車生化湯). Jeez, how can a human eat so much in a day? I got depression already (T____T)

#3 紅豆紫米粥

#4 香菇枸杞燉雞湯

#5 黑棗花生燉豬腳 (This one tastes surprisingly good! Full of collagen~~)

#6 紅棗枸杞鱸魚湯 (My fave of all! Y.U.M.M.Y~~)

There are more that I didn't take pics with, like 麻油鸡, 花生薏仁湯 and so on. They all tasted decent. I just wish I could get them fresh, daily fresh, but it's impossible unless I move to L.A. This is the best possible solution that we came across other than hiring a confinement lady from L.A. I never ever wanted to have a total stranger to take care of me & my baby, I won't do that even if I were in M'sia. It's just odd to me, too used to my personal comfort zone perhaps :p

Also, I've ordered loads of postnatal herbal packets directly from Taiwan and my MIL posted me tons of traditional herbs & medicines too (maybe I'll share with you all later). Hopefully things go well. If we can do this, we can do anything!!! Hahahahahahahaha~~ *being delusionally positive*

Hmm... Gan jiong max!!!

Wish me luck, will you?

p/s: share with me if you have any thoughts or ideas about a better confinement meal plan in the U.S, appreciated :D

Fingers crossed,
Bev

My 1st Mama Shoes

2012-05-05T19:11:00.003-07:00

#1

#2

Purchased these not only because I'm a mum-to-be, also because I've been longing to own a pair of loafers since I first laid eyes on Prada's Moccasin in SoHo New York. They're expensive (a pair of US$400++ shoes is not a necessary expense) and I think I can't carry them well (kinda old for my age that time), so I gave up on the Prada but the thought of it never fades away.

Now that I am a real mama, loafers & flats are total godsends. If I really wanna splurge on them, I have to opt for something valuable: Something classic that won't go out of style for a long time, something affordable that won't ache my heart when I accidentally stain them, something comfortable (the most vital element of all) that won't cause me pain and suffering... So ya, Coach loafers/flats are the winners, I just can't take them off as soon as I slipped my feet into them.

And they mark the beginning of my mama's journey, real excited to find out where they would bring me to ;)

Best,
Bev

Orange Canvas

2012-05-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

#1

#2

Have been searching for an extra pair of good walking shoes, something casual, something comfortable yet pleasure to look at. Kinda debating between Toms slip-on (tried it but not so into its style) or Converse (Chean thinks my Juicy Couture canvas shoes are better-looking) before bumping into this pair, Keds Surfer.

Oh my, Summer is waiting~~

Happy weekend,
Bev

Push Baby Push

2012-05-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

April 21, 2012 (Sat)

It was a beautiful day. Daddy & I got up at 6.45am and we heard birds singing & chirping outside the balcony. Miyaki waived to you while wiggling around in our bedroom, just like us, he can't wait to meet you too.

We both were real tired, didn't get much sleep but insisted to get on the road before 7.30am. Other than the 6-hour childbirth class, daddy also made a appointment at 8.30am with a certified technician to help us install & inspect your car seat. Would you like to ride on a short road trip with us next time? We have plans lining up already :D

Fast forward to the 6-hour class...

The class was super informative, the instructor was real helpful, and the classmates were highly engaged & motivated. Pretty fun but I found myself zooming out several times, too sleepy to focus I guess :p Also because you're so busy kicking and moving inside, like you're familiarizing yourself with those childbirth positions, even Daddy can feel that you're really immersing & enjoying the class *giggle*. He saw your butt rising up & down, don't blame him, it's too obvious.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

I'm just beyond happy to learn all these new things together with you, unfolding every lovely stage of life while feeling you growing inside me. You make me step outside myself and look at who I really am & who I really want to be... You make me discover a complete different side of me, not just that, but a better & greater me that I'd never ever thought I'd be...

It's just so good to have you around, too good to be true. And we love you with all our heart and soul, just so you know :)

**************************************************

#9

I've became so used to blood now, nose bleeding's nothing new anymore and the same episode keeps repeating itself every day since 2nd trimester. Boulder is too dry. Hormonal changes and increased blood flow are too tough to handle. Nothing worrisome or severe, me and my poor nose vessels are still hanging in there.

Wait, how many more days to go?

Let's rock this journey together, me & you!!!

Hugs & Kisses,
Mama Bev

Simple Cat Eyes

2012-05-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

Miss doing makeup tutorial so much but it's getting harder and harder for me to focus on a particular activity these days, even reading can eat up all my energy. Spent 2 days working on this and it'd probably be the last one until I give birth in June. Then there're confinement period, endless sleepless nights & busy days, so maybe it'll take me longer to feel like myself again. Savor it & I hope you E.N.J.O.Y this simple makeup tutorial!

#1 Transform your day-to-day OL/casual makeup to cool & sexy look for a spontaneous evening outings with buddies.

#2 Get yourself ready and turn on your party mode with only 6 makeup products (the products images are solely for illustration purposes, I use none of those, but it doesn't really matter, no specific brand needed, just use whatever you have in your makeup collection :p).

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10 V.I.O.L.A~~ Opps... It'd be M.E.O.W instead~~

#11

#12 Mmm... I'm picturing myself sipping a glass of Bloody Mary and surrounded by cool lounge music and lots of great chats...

Obviously I'm thinking a little too much now...

Gonna grab some snacks and snuggle in bed (=___=)...

Til then, BS-ers ❤❤

Love,
Bev

Masak-Masak

2012-05-01T14:13:00.002-07:00

Masak means cooking in Malay, and masak-masak refers to cooking game in Malaysia, a child's activity. Guess all Malaysians are super familiar with this term; we usually play the cooking game with a group of our childhood buddies or imaginary friends during pastime (sorry if you're the single child).

As we grow up, masak-masak eventually became masak, a real chore & an inevitable task of our daily routine, that kinda sucks honestly, especially to those who doesn't like cooking at all, like myself. However, there're things in life that some of us don't seem to really enjoy yet we still have to do it for the sake of survival, say dental & doctor visit for instance, so no excuse, gonna roll up my sleeves and get busy in the kitchen.

#1 Marmite Pork Ribs

#2 Marmite Prawns

Here's the recipe~~ I'm just gonna copy it from the recipe book my aunt gave me.

Ingredients:
250ml oil for deep-frying
500g of chopped pork ribs

Marinade:
1 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp corn flour

Sauce:
2 tbsp Marmite yeast extract
1 tbsp maltose (麦芽糖)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp light soya sauce
100ml water & dash of pepper

Method:
1) Mix pork ribs with marinade and leave for at least an hour.
2) Deep-fry in hot oil for 2 minutes or until cooked. Dish & drain.
3) Leave 1 tbsp oil in wok, pour in sauce and cook at medium heat until thick.
4) Put in fried pork ribs and mix well.
5) Dish up & serve.

** Same method applies to Marmite Prawns, but remember not to marinate prawns before frying.

It's really a lot easier than I thought, I've the recipe with me for years actually but only tried it out couple weeks ago. Not bad cause I ate a bowl of rice with it (only if you know how much I hate eating rice) ^____^V

Then, followed by some homemade cupcakes to satisfy my sweet tooth and sugar craving!

#3 Bite size mini cupcakes & some full size ones.

#4 I made the frosting too~~

#5

I'm still using the same old R.E.C.I.P.E as I did 4 years ago (O.M.G! Time flies! Remember when I first learned baking in 2008? H.E.R.E if you want to read that.) Yup, this proves that my baking skill doesn't improve or get any better over the years. Bottleneck. Reached my full capacity. But who cares? I'm not aiming to be a pastry chef anyway :p

I don't need to be an excellent cook but I really need to get a little more serious about cooking, at least have to make sure the dishes I made are edible (T____T). God knows why, I have this image of myself starving & food-poisoning my BB due to my horrible/lame cooking skills. S.I.G.H. That's real scary but it's a real positive motivator. Also, ermm, kinda embarrassed to say that but I used to complain about my mum's homemade dishes a lot, I'd just skip dinner or ask for "da pao". Super regret now, took things for granted all the time. Hope my BB won't do that to me, I'm so sorry Mum!!! *反省中*

It's not easy to be a good wife, and it's extremely difficult to be a good wife with superb cooking skills. And as a perfectionist, I think being a good mum is bazillion times harder than all the above.

Happy Birthday to you, Mum! Salute you, my true heroine!!! Love you always (^з^)❤❤

Good day,
Bev

Latest Progress

2012-04-30T08:24:00.002-07:00

Just adding another page to my pregnancy journal on BS.

#1 Camwhored before hitting the new restaurant in town, Oak at Fourteenth with friends last Thursday,

Btw, I can no longer sleep soundly at night due to frequent restroom trips and my ballooning belly (T____T) Dunno how my mum & other mums did it last time but poor-quality sleep is killing me softly. Talked to my OB doc and nothing helps honestly, guess it's just an inevitable thing that I've to deal with, for now.

#2 Farewell dinner for Maria, together with her bf Calvin & our good friend Ping. Fun evening!

I looked bloated, totally & constantly bloated (with bad hair too, that's even more pathetic). Edema is getting more & more unpredictable & bothersome these days, sometimes it gets better, sometimes it gets worse (T____T)

And the best way to temporarily escape from all these irritating pregnancy signs is to seek solace in foodsssss...

#3 Complimentary bread.

#4 Squid Ink Gnocchi & Oak Grilled Calamari.

#5 Chean & Calvin ordered the same thing which tasted real good: “Coffee Cured” Tender Belly Farm Pork Tenderloin.

#6 Unfortunately I always order the worst thing on the menu: Wood Grilled Rocky Junior Chicken. The meat's super dry can, I only ate quarter of it! 回水 (T____T)

#7 Ping's Pan Roasted Mediterranean Sea Bass. Pretty decent he said.

#8 Maria's Maine Lobster & Tagliatelle Pasta. I think I'd love to try this next time, prefect portion for dinner and it looks yummy.

#9 Brought Miyaki for a short walk at the park nearby on Friday evening...

#10 Trying our best to spend more time with him, look at him, still a playful soul~~

#11 Easily fatigued, feel tired and restless all the time, have zero strength to care about hair, makeup or clothes (T____T) A 15-mins stroll or a quick shopping trip at Whole Foods Market has now become a real challenging event for me... (Psst, the swing is simply too perfect for pregnant lady, haha!)

#12 Approximately 34 weeks. Went shopping at 29th Street Mall on Saturday then bought the lace & gemstones heels that I posted yesterday.

#13 Did some grocery shopping & had lunch at Whole Foods Market on Sunday. Bare face, swollen feet, aching back, and tiresome look but still elated!

#14 Me & my baby bump! Oh, and the new canvas shoes (*^___^*)

Despite some of the downright annoying changes in my body, I'm still maximizing every fun moment of this precious journey. A happy & healthy pregnancy is just way too priceless~~ I'm doing great & I think things have been progressing pretty well so far, super looking forward to meeting my BB soon (keeping my fingers crossed, tight & firm)!!! Just couple more weeks to go, yee haw~~

With love,
Bev

Lace & Gemstones

2012-04-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hitting 34 weeks soon, very soon, and there goes the very noticeable signs of pregnancy--my swollen feet & ankles. Thank goodness they are not severe at all, I'm still able to wear my old flats (and heels, too) but they get pretty snug sometimes, especially after a long walk. So I thought maybe it's the right time to splurge a little on some comfy shoes, couldn't find better excuse than that right?

It's two-thirty on Saturday (I mean yesterday lah, just trying to make thing sounds more graceful) and Chean dropped me at Macy's to do some shoe shopping before sending Mr.Bronze for a quick bath. Then terrible thing happened...

#1 The vain side of me took over and I ended up getting a pair of heels instead @.@

Two grannies were there too, browsing through racks of Clarks and carefully running their fingers on the discounted sandals. I felt their uneasy stares watching over me like a sharp swords while I put those heels on my feet. I stood up and took a few steps walking around with the heels, they spoke up finally, "Young lady, these are the better options" They then pointed to the Clarks sandals (=.=)lll A very sound advice and reasonable suggestion, but hell no!!! "Ya, they look cute," I replied politely with a super wide smile. Hmm... That's the biggest lie in my life.

I really don't care, I can't wear them now but I still can own them!!!

#2 Last pair in the store and they are on sale, 30% off. Tell me how to resist?

#3 Lace, gemstones & chiffon are always my lethal points. Sigh.

Chean picked me up after 45 mins and I showed him my extremely satisfied & happy face, and of course these cute heels that I just purchased. "Good buy, they suit you," He said. Nothing can ever change me I think, and Chean knows that very well. Hahaha...

p/s: I also bought a pair of canvas shoes & loafers. Slip-ons are simply too comfy; my feet feel love too. Share with y'all next time.

XOXO,
Bev

Behind The Scene Part III

2012-04-26T16:19:00.003-07:00

最后一篇了，连续三天对着键盘拼音爬格子的我也快吐了，打中文真的好吃力哦！至于想要了解这几天BS究竟为什么一直po中文博文的童鞋，建议你们可以先看看Part I以及Part II~~

#1 换上第二套白纱。我想要弄简洁的造型，所以凯莉替我把头发全盘起...

#2 她的手好巧，换妆换发型都很神速！我发量有限，但看不出来吧？;)

#3 米粒吗？嘻嘻 *\^___^/*

#4 妹妹表示很想吃Roti Boy面包，哈哈！

#5 倦容有点藏不住了...

#6 但我累是应分的，可是Karin，宝妹和Momo还在一旁默默守候着，真的太感动 (T_____T）大家辛苦了，这应该比上班还累吧？Momo，姐姐好开心认识你哦，等你长大后看到这篇文章会对我有印象吗？

#7 继续冲刺！加油！

#8 不好意思啦，在棚内摄影真的很难不摆pose，这样会hold不住画面滴，嘻嘻！

#9 都是我妹的错，一直说白纱里可以藏一个人，还莫名地游说着：“真的，不信你试试看！” 我也真的太容易任人摆布了 @.@

#10 棚内摄影对Chean来说很轻松叻，还跑到二楼阅读，好悠哉～

#11 他在认真看我梳化，有man噢！不过想要代言矿泉水吗？哈哈哈！

#12 这张太秒了！凯莉和我笑得多开心，可是Chean和我妹，请问你们是在...

#13 最后一个造型！我像cupcake吗？还是觉得自己适合简单的礼服比较多，嘿嘿。

这时已经是晚上9点多了。其实当天也有另一对新人的，但他们大约7点多就搞定了。凯莉说Jimmy好久都没拍到这么晚了，他应该是拍得很起劲儿，感觉到了 (*^___^*) 原本我以为台湾的婚摄都是拍到很晚的，那时的我也还不知道Jimmy和凯莉是夫妻呢！因为太忙根本都没时间闲聊，也忘了跟宝妹和Momo合影，后悔啊！

#14 比我年小7岁的妹妹，从在私立医院看到她被裹得像粽子的那一刻就决定长大后要成为对方一辈子最要好的朋友。谢谢你，让我觉得自己是最棒，也是最幸运的姐姐~~ 下辈子也要做姐妹噢！

#15

#16 所有棚内的照片我都还没整理耶，有机会在跟大家分享！

这样一天下来，一共拍了将近12个小时。10点30分的晚上，我们总算可以功成身退，可是为了让我们能够赶在明天下午之前挑片，Jimmy还需要继续加班替我们整理，过滤和筛选照片。他一共替我们拍了2千多张！！！夸张吧！

完成拍摄后，我们三人行在台南趴趴走吃喝溜达一番后无意经过飞鱼，看见Jimmy还留在工作室，一直到凌晨。除了感激，真的找不到其他的言语去表达。谢谢飞鱼们，真的辛苦你们了！也谢谢Karin和宝妹，还好有你们，要不然我的婚摄一定很迷茫。感谢大家的热情招待，让我们深深爱上了台南。

台南有一股神奇的魔力，只要到过那里的人都会想再回去；也有一种很独特的氛围，只要感受过的人这辈子都忘不了。所谓的人情味，应该就是这样的味道。

**************关于飞鱼的Q&A**************

1）请问你选的配套价位是多少？

我当时选的是《飞鱼配套四》。但这都是2011年的事了，所以除了价钱之外，我不太记得详细的内容，但大概是这样的：配套的价格是TWD 69900，大约MYR 7200，包括5个造型，3个外景2个室内，400张设计明信片（我们所谓的姐妹照），200张设计请帖，宽屏MV相本（42张入本），大相框（不过我忘了尺寸），还有照片的底片是全拿的。对，所有的soft copies！我们一共拍了2千多张，最后Jimmy替我们选了大概800多张，这些high resolutions的soft copies全都是属于我们的。很棒吧？单单这个就值回票价，多少新人在挑选照片时抓破头皮。其实配套还包括一些台湾习俗的小礼品，以及婚礼当天的婚纱和礼服，可是我的婚纱礼服都是用自己订制跟购买的，所以省略了。

2）那你的婚摄一共花了多少钱？

Hmm... 是比一般花得多一些，但不是在婚纱拍摄的配套，而是很多的hidden costs，像Chean从美国飞到台湾的来回机票，我和妹妹的机票，住宿，高铁及交通费，外汇兑换率，还有明信片，请帖，相本和相框的运输费... 这些都不便宜，所以要好好做budget预算噢。对了，明信片以及请帖都是Chean的设计，因为烫金所以也要付额外的差价。不过真心觉得很值得，有些钱是省不来的啦～

3）拍摄的道具都是你自己准备的吗？

其实应该是新人自己准备的，不过因为之前沟通上有小差错，飞鱼们把我的预约时间搞错了，所以气球和手捧花都是付送滴，嘻嘻。

4）飞鱼有几个摄影师？可以指定用Jimmy吗？

那时是有两个，一个是Jimmy本人，另一个是马来西亚的小马，他也很棒，噢耶！一般都是看摄影师的工作量安排吧，但听说如果要指定Jimmy的话好像需要另加 TWD 5000。我一开始就被编排到Jimmy那组，所以真的不大清楚耶。

5）飞鱼们好像停止营业了是吗？

是的。去年6月到飞鱼拍摄已经知道他们在2011年9月后就不接新的案子了。Jimmy和凯莉想让自己的心放一个悠长假期。听说他们将回在今年8月从新出发，但配套和价格方面应该会有所调整。想要了解更多关于飞鱼的消息可以到飞鱼的无名歇歇～

****************************************

#17 欢乐大合照～

#18 要很屌的～

#19 一，二，三！装可爱！飞鱼们，想你们哦！

《完》

Behind The Scene Part I

Behind The Scene Part II

想要看更多我和Chean在飞鱼拍摄的婚纱照可以点击一下的博文：

True Love Never Runs Smooth

From Me To You

Beautiful

17 Days

10th

祝安康

贝薇丽

Behind The Scene Part II

2012-04-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

噢耶！谢谢大家喜欢Part I，你们Facebook message我关于飞鱼配套还有其他相关的问题我将会在Part III一一解答，要耐心哦～至于没办法看懂中文的朋友，真的很抱歉，试一下Google Translate，或许可以大概了解内容。

我妹看了昨天的post非常激动，下令要我赶紧在她回Sabah之前把所有的拍摄花絮po完（姐姐表示鸭梨很大 =.=lll）。然后Chean读后也暗示叫我一鼓作气地把它写完。好啦，我会努力，毕竟这是一年前的事了，我也真的拖太久，呵呵。

现在立马出发到第二个外景场地--台南窄門咖啡館！

#1 名副其实的窄门，入口处就只有38公分宽。

#2 所以只能侧着进...台南的旧建筑物都好有特色！

#3 超推荐哦！下次有机会到台南的朋友一定要来这里品尝道地的咖啡～

#4 非一般用心的Jimmy，为了捕抓镜头爬得好高，我们都好担心他，一直叮咛他离风扇远一点 @.@

#5 这就是敬业乐业！马来西亚好多摄影师都好爱在摄影时耍帅，为什么会这样呢？费解。

#6 前天晚上还有点小担心和Jimmy的互动，但我都想太多了，嘻嘻。我们和Jimmy的默契很好哦，应该是他的经验很丰富了，所以拍摄的现场气氛都很轻松自然，像和朋友出游玩乐，一点都不觉得约束，反而很享受整个过程:D （看，我在傍边一直闹Chean，也太得意忘形了，哈哈！）

#7 这次Karin和妹妹有跟拍，看见她们也乐在其中，我整个大开心的叻～

#8 Karin这张有feel，嘻嘻。

#9 喜欢这张，妹妹拍得不错，有抓角度哦 ;)

#10 造型和外景（二）

我和Chean大爱这系列的照片，旧旧的感觉，淡淡的幸福，每一张照片都在描述着我们的故事。咖啡厅，热拿铁，脸上的那抹微笑，手中握着的温暖，这是真实的我们。那个左上第二张，两个人拿着咖啡杯互相凝视的照片被我们放大，框起来，表在睡房了。50年后再看回这些照片，应该更有另一番独特的味道。

#11 下一个拍摄地点是台南的地标，孔庙（就在窄门的附近）。

我们在窄门拍太久了，他们关了耶，好可惜。不过我们依然照拍不误，哈哈！反正就follow the flow，没什么不好的啊！那天的天气这么棒，已经是上天对我们的眷顾了，别忘了六月是台湾的梅雨季，天气以阴雨为多，台风的机率也很高，所以呀，我们多幸运！^___^V

#12 婚摄一般都以新娘为主吧。我有好多individual镜头，Chean一直被叫到一边休息，哈哈，我和妹妹笑惨了！

#13 每当Jimmy说：“老公该你咯！” Chean勤快的叻～然后我就亏他说：“要珍惜哦，表现不好一会儿又要被叫休息咯！” 哈哈哈...哎呀，看他无奈的表情好好玩！

#14 Jimmy就是这样，为了效果默默牺牲自己，我们真的真的真的佩服得五体投地，超感动。哦，Jimmy旁边的叫小龙，是他的助手。

#15 我和Karin。手捧花选了我最喜欢的Pink Daisy，是慧倩亲手绑的，她还免费授课教我DIY，太棒了。

#16 感激飞鱼们破例让妹妹也一起参与拍摄过程，可以和家人共同拥有这样一生人一次的经验及回忆真的好难得，真心感恩 (T____T)

#17 造型（二）和外景（三）

#18 拍完第二和第三的外景已经是接近傍晚了，飞奔回工作室换造型，然后又飞奔到海边赶夕阳！

#19 换上私服跟帆布鞋后整个人豁然开朗，嘻嘻～

#20

#21 妹妹也玩起来啦！

#22 造型（三）和外景（四）

左边的第一张我简直爱疯了（虽然Chean好像抱我抱得很吃力）。这个外景Jimmy是武术指导哦！Chean简直是在physical training，又要跑，又要跳，又要抱，又要举... 好几次他气喘得手在发抖，哈哈，你看吧，平时叫你多运动你就不听！我没有很重好不好 @.@ 哦，气球也是我要求的，飞鱼们说因为成本的关系他们从未用过这样的气球拍摄呢，谢谢你们啊！

#23 最后一个外景了，尽情地奔放吧！

#24 Jimmy问：“你们介意把衣服弄湿吗？” 当然不介意！

#25 造型（三）和外景（五）

#26 就这样，我们带着湿漉漉的身体，在夕阳徐徐落下的海边完成了将近12个小时的户外拍摄。

不要误会，还没办法收工，还有室内的没拍呢！大家又要再回到工作室休息换装咯。一路上Jimmy又有新发现新想法，他把我们带到一条长长的马路上，马路的两旁是靠海的堤岸，在那里又卡咋卡咋地按下近百次快门。拍完后，Chean牵着我的手走回停车处，他看着Jimmy拎着相机的背影，在我耳里悄悄地说：“好久没遇见这么热血的人，Jimmy让我想起以前的自己。谢谢你，宝贝。”

嗯，这一趟台南之旅也太值了。

待续......

Behind The Scene Part I
Behind The Scene Part III

想要看更多我和Chean在飞鱼拍摄的婚纱照可以点击一下的博文：

True Love Never Runs Smooth

From Me To You

Beautiful

17 Days

10th

祝喜乐
贝薇丽

Behind The Scene Part I

2012-04-24T16:37:00.001-07:00

花了三倍的时间和精力，坚持用中文完成第一篇台南的婚摄记录，想要让台湾的好友更轻松地阅读。不要误会，他们的英语其实很好噢，只是有些事中文真的比较容易表达，比较亲切，嘻嘻。

准备好咖啡和零食了吗？故事开始咯 ^___^V

话说去年的六月中旬，我拎着妹妹和Chean到台南跑了一趟，在那里呆了三天两夜。全为了婚纱摄影。这个plan计划了很久，打从一月就开始接洽，商讨，筹备...... 一切敲定后，就又忙着订机票饭店的琐碎事情。所有一切的计划安排都只是通过电邮和电话来沟通，我们都没到过台湾（是经常在桃园机场转机，但那不算吧），所以那时真的是抱着冒险的精神，放手一搏。幸好有Karin的帮忙及照顾，让我们心里很踏实，也让这一趟台南之旅变的更有意义。

为什么要选在台南拍摄？其实一开始我们都没有打算在美国或马来西亚拍摄pre-wedding photos的。在美国根本没有pre-wedding photography这回事，新人们一般就只聘请摄影师在婚礼当天拍摄，国情以及文化都很不一样。虽然有些华人人口较密集的地方, 如: San Fransisco, Los Angeles和New York可以找到华人经营的婚摄公司提供这样的服务，但成品效果可能就很一般。

至于马来西亚的婚摄公司，我在这里有小小的意见噢。马来西亚的婚摄技术是有在进步，也有很多有才华的摄影师，但是大多的婚摄公司真的太商业化到一个我不能忍受的地步，好像把每对新人当作是弱智的顾客。咨询过几间KL大规模的婚纱店，也听过朋友们亲身经历。什么摄影师在拍摄当天耍脾气把新娘弄哭，新人对拍摄效果有意见被恶骂，新娘的预订婚纱被别人借去或莫名其妙地被加价，等等很多无理到极度恐怖的故事。这些事，看穿了，其实就是因为马来西亚一般的婚摄公司都以盈利和月绩为奋斗目标，聘请的员工（或许除了老板自己本身）当然也只把婚摄的过程当作一份工作。没有灵魂和热忱，又怎能把事情做好？怎么会用心去记录别人的故事？

Pre-wedding Photography这工作对很多婚摄公司的员工，甚至对摄影师来说都只是每天在重复做的事情，但对于新人，每一个瞬间，每一次的举手投足，都是一份被期待很久的美好回忆。

Chean对所有跟艺术美术有关的事物都很有自己的看法，而我自认也是很难侍侯的顾客，我们俩加起来应该就成了世上最多要求的一对新人，哈哈。所以为了让自己可以活久一点，一开始就坚决要到台湾拍摄。只是最后，出乎意料地，我们将台北著名的婚纱店Sophia Ritz（林志玲代言的哦）以及CH Wedding（小S御用的婚摄公司）淘汰了，决定转换到台南一家很朴实，很有味道，很用心，规模不大的飞鱼记忆美术馆进行这件人生大事。这婚纱店是Karin极力推荐的~~

还记得那一晚我们在烦恼要选那一间婚纱店时，Chean过滤着其他婚纱店的相簿作品然后说：“为什么婚纱照要被拍得那么不真实？好做作。” 这句话回荡在我脑海里很久。为什么要拍婚纱照？不就是想要趁年轻赶紧将还没枯萎的爱情史冻结起来，希望日后自己的孩子孙子也可以感受到那份爱吗？就这么简单。所以婚纱照应该是减法的方程式，减掉多余的装饰，卸下厚重的彩妆，除下没必要的造作pose，剩下的就只有单纯的幸福写照。嗯，这才是我们想要留给孩子的。

************************************************

2011年6月19日

日盼夜盼的奇妙旅程起飞了！我和Chean先后在台南汇合。我和妹妹先从马来西亚飞到台北，再转高铁到台南与Karin会面，然后到飞鱼跟摄影师做最后的沟通还有挑婚纱礼服。而Chean在晚上12点多会从美国到达台南，在我们预订的饭店见面。

#1 太惭愧，我们迟到了，刚好是他们收工的时间。但飞鱼们还是很耐心地让我慢慢挑选礼服，不过我也很神速，大概30分钟就选好了。毕竟在美国已经试过20几套婚纱，都快厌恶了，嘻嘻。Btw，妹妹，你的高度也把我拍得太小一只了吧？好没气势 @.@

一整天下来都在赶行程，累惨了。加上之前过度减肥导致淋巴腺肿了，下巴大了一个size，所以也不敢多吃，太悲惨 (T___T) 至于Chean，他更可怜。晚上的台南高铁站竟然接不到taxi，我都不知道耶，电话又联系不上！大概凌晨的一点多，几经波折终于在饭店的lobby见到他了，我瞬时瓦解，哭了。好像真的太任性，饿坏了妹妹，折腾了Chean。心里好担心明天的摄影。

2011年6月20日

早安！9点就起床到飞鱼梳化咯。Karin替我们预订的饭店就在附近，超方便，不过飞鱼也有自己的民宿好像叫做《木子》，下次可以试试。

#2 飞鱼工作室入口处的摆设。

#3 这里的每一砖，每一瓦都在说着不同的故事，是不是跟一般的婚纱店很不一样？

#4 临时抱佛脚的Chean。每对新人都有功课哦，这样才能让摄影师Jimmy了解我们爱情的心路历程，让他更能从外人的角度去诠释我们的故事。好期待这样的火花！

#5 准备中...

凱莉是我的造型师，Jimmy是她老公哦！飞鱼是他们两人同心创立的呢～好喜欢夫妻档，那时凱莉肚子里还有个小baby。

#6 逐渐蜕变成...

#7 包租婆，有木有？哈哈！

#8 爱拍姐妹花。长腿是遗传，是妈妈送的礼物啦！

#9 换了第一套礼服，二度改造中...

#10 Taa Daa~~

#11 我的贴心小助理！幕后花絮的照片全靠她 ;)

#12 Karin也请假来陪我了，超感动的！一整天，超过12个小时的拍摄，全程都贴身陪伴，也帮我照顾妹妹，太感激。

#13 不只那样，Karin还带来好友宝妹（宝妹认识飞鱼们哦），还有宝妹的女儿Momo！

#14 虽然初次和宝妹见面，但气氛好开心热闹，像似朋友聚会一样让我觉得很轻松。

#15 给Momo买的Hello Kitty Container和Doreamon豆沙饼，她好可爱也不怕生...

#16 把我们逗得好欢乐，哈哈！

#17 到他变装了...

#18 我在努力把握时间自high...（原文：Good Morning）

#19 造型和外景（一）

所有的造型配搭完全是超spontaneous的impromtu，Chean没看过我挑的礼服，我也不晓得他会准备什么服装，只能说我们的默契太好，哈哈！至于外景，原本我们想要的是绿油油的草地，Jimmy也一早替我们物色好了，可是人算不如天算，那片无边无际的绿色背景在前一天被收割了(@.@)！好好笑，我们也太幸运了。不过认真的说，被收割后一层层泛黄的稻田让照片有很不一样的feel，效果很满意。其实造型和外景（一）还有很多照片我还没po, 呵呵。

第一个外景因为太隐秘，好像就在军事基地的附近，所以打算跟拍的Karin和妹妹都找不到我们就又回到工作室休息。幸好她们也没找上，39度C的台南不是盖的，接近两个多小时的曝晒我们快中暑了。其实已经拍了好多好多，可是Jimmy依然很坚持，这就是我说的，对摄影的热忱和执着，十分感激。哦，那驾在天上飞的其实是战机，校稿时看见那张照片真的很激动，想起好多的第一次，飞机对于长距离的我们意义太重大了。谢谢Jimmy，或许连他都不知道，当他按下快门的那一瞬间，让我们的记忆变得更完整，更美。

拍完第一个外景在回工作室的路上，Jimmy给我们买了冰凉可乐，还说一路上如果看到喜欢的场景可以停下来拍哦。结果说完后，他还真的建议在半路的草丛停下来，卡咋卡咋地拍了30分钟。哎唷，叫我们怎么可能不爱上这么友善，有才华又尽责的摄影师呢？

#20 便当时间！Yummy！Chean整个在狼吞虎咽，太想念亚洲的食物！

#21 Momo累了，辛苦咯。

负责接我们案子的慧倩也很棒，早上时就问我们要吃什么了，还连妹妹和朋友的便当都一起准备，又给我们买了当地有名的冬瓜茶！我叫妹妹把钱付时，他们直摇头说不用客气，而且不止一餐哦。这...这没在预算之内的啊，原来这年头还真是有免费的午餐，太窝心。宝妹的老公也来探班，也买来好多喝的吃的，有红茶啦，虾饼啦，还有很多像蜜饯之类的零嘴（我妹和Chean爱死了！）。唉，都怪自己太忙，没抓紧机会拍照，那个虾饼超推荐的。

#22 就是这个冬瓜茶，想念啊～

#23 吃饱了，赶紧遮小腹。值得庆幸的是昨天试穿的这件婚纱，改了我的尺寸后今天竟然变宽松！所谓神迹就是这意思 :p

#24 我们又来噜，哈哈！

#25 心情靓了，感觉对了，随意拍的照片都好看...

接下来我们要到台南一家很有特色的咖啡厅拍摄咯，下次再和你分享更多幕后花絮～～

Behind The Scene Part II

Behind The Scene Part III

想要看更多我和Chean在飞鱼拍摄的婚纱照可以点击一下的博文：

True Love Never Runs Smooth

From Me To You

Beautiful

17 Days

10th

祝開心，
贝薇丽

Rhythm of Love

2012-04-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

那些年，我是穷困的中学生，你是怀才不遇的平面设计师。
谈恋爱这码事像是自作孽的奢侈品。

为了存钱，
我们住过和10个人一起分租的双层排屋，
我们试过口袋只剩下搭KTM回家的零钱，
也曾把车子的冷气关掉让它多走几公里路，
Petronas售卖RM1.20的杯面是我们的烛光晚餐，
你家附近的公园是我们餐后浪漫消遣的好去处。

那些年，Internet不盛行，而Facebook还是个只有外星人才了解的语言。
长距离恋爱这码事在十年前就像是Steve Job刚推出iPhone一样，让人乍舌。

当全世界都认为我们是疯子时，我们潇洒豁达地一笑而过，
朋友和大人们都不明白，
青涩的我们虽然还不太懂得爱，但我们了解坚持是什么。
再说，年轻时不疯狂怎么对得起日后的自己？

#6

#7

#8

这些年，科技让世人开始歌颂长距离恋爱，
更视它为圣战一样伟大。

这些年，一切苦过的，哭过的，闹过的都慢慢变甜，
生活这码事像演奏会的指挥家，领导着交响乐团完成和谐的演出。

当全世界都认为我们是幸运的一对时，我们潇洒豁达地一笑而过，
大家都不明白，
既不年轻又不太成熟的我们虽然还不太懂得人生，但我们了解幸福的代价是什么。
再说，谁有能力确定日后的自己和今天一样快乐？

#9

#10

#11

但我们还是愿意单纯地相信，
只要确认可以牵着对方的手，
只要尽力把余生的日子过好，
幸福这码事就在不远的未来。

p/s: 再次感谢台南的摄影师Jimmy，我们婚摄的raw copies都只调色, 不修片。By the way, 小时候听别人说，一对恋人在一起久了会越来越像对方，好像是真的耶, #10和#11有木有？ @.@

p/p/s: Ugh, I know, I know, I said that I won't be blogging in Chinese anymore, bah, terribly sorry, hope the revamped Google Translate works wonder :p

XOXO,
Bev

Aza Aza Fighting

2012-04-20T14:03:00.001-07:00

Yohoo~~ How's everyone doing? My sis teased me yesterday, saying BS is long gone and I should rename it as Bao Bao's Secret (=.=)lll Kinda true to a certain extent also, I ran out of things to blog about, guess I can only showcase some vain Mama Bev photos to secure BS readership, please bear with me...

#1 My Tai Tai look last Sat.

#2 Pretty much wearing the old dresses again & again...

#3 New knit jacket from Forever 21, got it in January though.

#4 Was doing the pregnancy photoshoot at home last week also, super eager to share but Chean won't let me. Hmm... We will see.

#5 Super heart my makeup that day *\^___^/*

#6 Enjoying the pregnancy glow, thank you Bao Bao! Mummy loves you（＾Ｏ＾☆♪

#7 Have no idea why my mirror is always cloudy, clean it every week leh. Any tips?

#8 32 weeks, proud & loud!

#9 Mermaid hair & I before interviewing and meeting with pediatricians this Monday.

#10

#11

#12

#13 (^___*)

***************** Baby Shower & Gift Registry *****************

#14

Many family members & great friends have asked us about gift registry, we'd like to thank you for putting such thought into getting Bao Bao the perfect gift! However, we won't be having a baby shower or gift registry (Malaysian Chinese celebrate full moon or 100th-Day Birthday instead), if you really feel like buying BB something, help us pick her a good educational/bedtime story book as we're building a mini library for her. She has about 30++ now, so maybe 70 more to go before she turns one. Kids can never have too many books right? ;)

This is going to be an on-going project for us and we'll have one build in Malaysia. So dear all my M'sian buddies, feel free to drop the gifts to my mum or save it for now until I go home next CNY to avoid the expensive postage.

Thank you in advance, Bao Bao feels love, it's such a blessing to be surrounded by so many people who care & love about her.

God Bless. Muakssss (^з^)-☆

Flying kisses,
Bev

Where Is Happiness?

2012-04-19T12:56:00.005-07:00

幸福在哪里？

有时候它像已离你远去
但亲爱的它其实还在那里...

只是很多时候
你必需要认真地去找寻

Sometimes you thought you already lost it
But actually not...

Most of the time
You just have to look close enough to find it

#1

#2

#3

就像小时候玩捉迷藏
有时它躲你找
有时它逃你追

Just like playing hide-and-seek when we're kids
Sometimes it's hidden, waiting to be found
Sometimes it tries to escape, demanding to be pursued

#4

#5

#6

当你逮到它后
请用力地捉紧
然后用爱将它
收藏在你心里

Once you have caught it
Hold it tight
Seal it with love and
Lock it inside your heart

#7

#8

这样
幸福就会留在你的心脏里
让血液带它到身体各个部位

甚至
到你孩子的小手心里...

So that
Happiness will stay forever in your heart
and will be transported to every inch of your body

Even
to your baby's tiny little palms...

With lotsa love,
Bev

The Never-Ending Baby Haul

2012-04-18T13:13:00.013-07:00

Guess you'd find these two photos familiar if you already friend with me on Facebook or Twitter...

#1 Already spoiled... Hmm... (=.=)lll

#2 Calm down Chean :p

Just like any parents-to-be, Babies"R"Us has become our ultimate shopping destination in the past few months @.@ We try, we really try our best to avoid spending too much time browsing and shopping on baby items but it just seems impossible! The whole market of baby products does not extricate us from its effective marketing strategies, and expectedly, we end up making an inevitable shopping trip to Babies"R"Us every weekend and go home with a full load of baby items (T____T)

I'm not gonna lie, we have bought a lot, probably more than enough!!! The necessities as well as the wants. And we start complaining how small the house is, how nice if we could build a playroom for BB... My mum also thinks I'm totally out of my mind (which is true I admit, and I do that pretty much all the time) because newborn doesn't need much fancy clothes, toys, accessories, gears and etc, and then she'll wrap her lecture up with her favorite line: "You didn't have all these when you're a baby, and you grew up fine." True also mum, not going to argue, but I just can't help :p

In order to make my mum less naggy and also to make my life easier, I think I'm not going to blog about everything we purchased, not the toys, the cloths, the gears or the accessories but only items that I thought are worth sharing, useful & handy (at least for now).

#3 Avent Breastfeeding Starter Kit & Avent Single Electric Breast Pump.

Honestly think all mums should breastfeed their babies and hopefully I'll have M.I.L.K (gan jiong-ing). Bought the single electric breast pump although the twin one is just $50 extra. Not sure about you but I find the twin breast pumps look a little...

Ermm... too awkward to me.

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#4 Just don't see myself doing this. It really is personal preference and comfort level. But the twin one is more "efficient" & "productive" I guess, won't argue that for sure.

** Nipple cream & nursing pillow are essential too, bought those but I don't have pics with me :p

#5 Sealing discs, milk storage bottles, and bottle warmer. Basically everything Avent.

#6 Avent Baby Girl Starter Set. This is really C.U.T.E! I like the sippy cup a lot ❤❤

#7 Highly recommend this! Super convenient can & it will grow with the baby.

Here's a video demonstration of Philip Avent 3-in-1 Electric Steam Sterilizer.

#8 Aquatopia Safety Bath Thermometer.

The ideal & the safest bath water temperature for infant is around 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (32 - 38'C). Tested and liking it a lot, this little turtle will help us accurately estimate the right water temperature for BB ^___^V

#9 Braun Ear Thermometer.

Personally prefer ear thermometer than forehead, but some researches have shown that ear measurements were least accurate and precise while some studies suggested that the best measurement instruments are rectal or oral thermometers. We already have a digital oral thermometer at home, will see how this one works ;)

#10 Aveeno is L.O.V.E. Tried all these baby products myself, lovely scents, gentle ingredients, less greasy, and real soothing. I've been using Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash since last Nov; it helps moisture and soothe itchy skin ❤❤

All in all...

There are simply toooooo many choices and options out there, like Dr. Brown's, NUK, Medela, and tons of awesome unique & local brands to be mentioned. Although these brands all position themselves slightly different from one another--price and marketing strategy wise, they all posses a fair share of the baby product market. Guess you probably won't get a real poor quality baby products from some of the well-known brands.

I wouldn't say the purchases I've made are the best since those products are yet to be reviewed. However, I'm very very grateful for U.S return policy, it just too awesome knowing that I can always bring the items back to the stores and get full refund if I'm not satisfy. It's a total peace of mind.

Anyway, really love all the items above, really wish I don't have to return anything I've bought at all, it's such an hassle though :p Hopefully x 100, my Bao Bao will like what I picked for her so far, and praying hard that the breast pump and milk bottles will work out fine~~

Tata for now~~ Til next~~

XOXO,
Mama Bev