Pure Thought

I'm back! Sort of...

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 4 Jul 2015 18:02:00 +1100

My last entry was 2012 when we say goodbye to Pohnpei at the end of our 2 year posting and heading back to the land down under, with additional one person to the family.

And here we are now, living in Vientiane, Lao PDR for almost a year and we became family of 4.

We settled in ok, ms. A enjoying school and playing with her friends, mr. B loves playing with m. Piu our gardener/day guard and Phoung our lovely nanny/maeban and playgroups.

Mr. Husband working as usual and enjoy beer Lao so much, 'it's cheap and really tasty' he said, but he still can't convince me to drink it though, I don't like beer, period.

As for me, I try to enjoy life as a madam meaning I have someone else to look after the house, no laundry and ironing oh yeah.. well I will be doing everything by myself when we are back to the land of down under, so why not.

Stay tune for our journey in Laos, and I promise to write regularly.

Good Bye Pohnpei

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:39:00 +1100

Our time in Pohnpei has come to an end, how time flies and it has been 2 years since we arrived in the Garden Island of Micronesia or famous for Pohnpei.

It's time to pack our stuff and move on to the next journey, going back to Australia where I called second home. My first home still Indonesia, a place where I was born and grew up until 2009 when I decided to leave everything and follow Mr. Husband to his homeland.

When I married Mr. Husband I knew that my life won't be boring, we can move to anywhere in this globe where his office reside.

Pohnpei is my first posting but fourth postings for Mr. Husband. When I said yes, he can apply for Pohnpei I don't know what to expect, as not much information I can get from google but one thing strike me was the island remind me of my first home, Indonesia, the tropical weather, the green scenery and the people, well Micronesian and Indonesian are quite similar, dark brown skin and brown eyes.

We arrived in 9 September 2010 and yes the island reminds me of my home town (5 hours drive from Jakarta), I saw familiar trees along the road and in the compound.
I see sugar cane, casava, breadfruit, lemongrass, pineapple, coconut, papaya, soursap, banana, tumeric and even jambu or sour apple as Pohnpean called it, the main difference is rice/padi field, I don't see a single of rice field in Pohnpei, in fact there is no rice field anymore in Pohnpei not like in my home town where you will see rice field pretty much everywhere you look.

Last week the removalist have come and packed our stuff, the house is empty now. We live out of settling in kit and 3 suitcases among the 3 of us. The house feels different, mind you the physic still the same but the heart is different. Everywhere I look, I see empty shelves and empty cupboard, it feels weird and cold, it doesn't feel home anymore, it just feels empty.

The emptyness makes me ready to go but alas we can't go until tomorrow. Our succesor have arrived last Friday and they are ready to move in to the house and we are so ready to go, it's the last 2 weeks that feel dragging.

As in life, there is always ups and downs. I experienced both up and down in Pohnpei but nevertheles I enjoyed my 2 years here. I will miss the easy life, the beautiful scenery, the kind people that I met and I proudly I called friends now.

2 years is perfect for us, because most of our friends were arriving at the same time. We said good bye to some good friends who were finished in July and moved back to the United States but we still have some friends in the island. If we choose 3 years, we will be the last staying in Pohnpei and saying good bye to all of our friends, that would be really hard for us and making new friends is not easy.

I'm sure at the airport tomorrow, there will be tears, yes mostly mine. I guess it's normal to be emotional when you leave your home for 2 years, leave your friends behind and leave the memories that you built based on genuine friendships, laugh, anger and even tears. But life goes on, people move on, people saying good bye and welcome new comers, that is life as I know it.

Good bye Pohnpei, it's been a memorable 2 years for me, good and bad ones. I have formed new friends here and I will cherish the friendship and the memories.

The one that I will call home for now is Canberra, until we pack our stuff again and move somewhere and the cycle will continue.

I'm closing this chapter of my life and opening the new one. It's not the place that count but the people. No matter where you are if you have friends, you will enjoy it anyway.

Good bye Pohnpei, and hello again Canberra.

Sleep Training For Adults (From A Baby’s Point Of View)

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 22:34:00 +1100

This is funny, I got this from my BC group :)

OK, here’s my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great – I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened.

Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep through the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I’ve talked to other babies, and it seems like it’s pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months. Here’s the thing: these Mommies don’t really need to sleep. It’s just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep–they just don’t need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle. It goes like this:

Night 1–cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it’s hard. It’s hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it’s for her own good.

Night 2–cry every 2 hours until you get fed.

Night 3–every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don’t give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT’S HARD! But she really doesn’t need the sleep, she’s just resisting the change. If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.

Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with. My sleep sack tickled my foot. I felt a wrinkle under the sheet. My mobile made a shadow on the wall. I burped, and it tasted like pears. I hadn’t eaten pears since lunch, what’s up with that? The cat said “meow”. I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL. Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room. Too hot, too cold, just right–doesn’t matter! Keep crying!!

It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies’ internal clocks.

Sometimes my Mommy will call for reinforcements by sending in Daddy. Don’t worry Daddies are not set up for not needing sleep the way Mommies are. They can only handle a few pats and shhing before they declare defeat and send in the Mommy.

Also, be wary of the sleep sheep with rain noises. I like to give Mommy false hope that listening to the rain puts me to sleep sometimes I pretend to close my eyes and be asleep and then wait until I know Mommy is settling back to sleep to spring a surprise cry attack. If she doesn’t get to me fast enough I follow up with my fake cough and gag noise that always has her running to the crib. At some point I am positive she will start to realize that she really doesn’t really need sleep.

P.S. Don’t let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out. Trust me.

5 months and solid

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 1 Jul 2012 16:13:00 +1100

Today Ms. A is 5 months and 2 days old, how time flies when you are having fun and she's not a newborn anymore :(.

I have been stalling to NOT give her solid because when she's on solid it means she's a big girl and I'm not ready I want my baby to stay baby for a long time :). Yeah I know that's not going to happen.

Ms. A has been watching us eating like a hawk, she will stop and look at me when I drink or eat something while I nurse her, I can see that her mouth is making chewing movement and she also starting to wake up at night for feed which she usually sleep through the night so I told Mr. Husband that I want to try give her solid and see if she's ready or not.

I decided to make her food not using commercial ones, so on Friday I grinded brown rice until become powder, 2/4 cup of raw brown rice make up 1 cup of brown rice powder.

I also save the grainy ones for when she is older and ready for more texture food.

I put 1/2 cup of brown rice powder + 4 cups of water in a saucepan with cover on and boil it, once it boils I turn down the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes with cover on.

I took out 2 tbs and put it in a bowl to serve and let the rest to cool down before I move it to the food tray to freeze.

And the moment of truth whether she is ready for solid or not. When I put the spoon close to her mouth she open her mouth oh yes she is ready, and she makes chewing movement.

Yay she likes it, she finished the whole bowl of 2 tbs of rice cereal and she also likes her sippy cup.

Operation solid was a success!

Happy 5 months old baby!

Is Baby the Best Ice Breaker?

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 6 Jun 2012 23:28:00 +1100

Based on my experience from 9 months pregnant and 4 months in the motherhood gig, I can tell that baby is the best ice breaker in the world.

When I was pregnant strangers ask me how far along I am or they ask me whether it's a boy or a girl and somehow there's softness in their eyes.

When we were "stuck" in Guam for 10 days, every single person well most of people that we shared elevator with ask about Ms. A, "is that a boy or a girl?", "how old is she?", "oh she's so cute", "oh she's big for her age" and the comments will continue. Although, I'm a bit annoyed when people ask whether she's a girl or a boy when she's clearly wearing flower pink onesies.

Now, we are back in Pohnpei and Ms. A is 4 months old, everytime I took her to the shop I always got question how old is she, and when I said her age some people will look at me in horror because according to Pohnpean culture you shouldn's take your baby outside the house up until they're 6 months old.

And when we were eating out which is quite often since we're back, the waiters swoon over Ms. A and want to hold her so we can have our meals in peace, well I guess the main reason is they just want to cuddle her. At first I was a bit reluctant to let her go with random people but Mr. Husband pretty relax about it so I let them hold her, I swear they are watching us like a hawk, they won't come near us if Ms. A is in her capsule but by the time we take her out of it because she started to whingy they literally run to us and ask permission to hold her.

One day we were at the all you can eat sushi resto and there's this scary old Japannese woman that came out from her work station inside the sushi train like a flash and suddenly she was standing next to me when I was about to put Ms. A back to her capsule and ask for permission to take Ms. A with her broken English. I can see that her face is soften when she cuddles Ms. A, maybe she misses her grand daughter back in Japan.

I think Ms. A enjoys the attention too, traitor!

But I'm grateful though, because when they cuddle her that means I 'm able to eat with my 2 hands and actually enjoying the food not just swallowing it down fast Especially since we don't have privillage to have a full time nanny like in back home in Indonesia where we can take her to restos, some even take their nannies when they're on holiday.

I don't blame the waiters who swoon over Ms. A though, because who isn't fall in love with this sweet face?

So, who agree with me that baby is the best ice breaker?

Happy 4 Months

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:17:00 +1100

Time flies fast when you are having fun, I guess changing nappies every 4 hours (give or take), broken sleep, sleep for 4 hours max, wake up at 3am, dealing with a catnapper, overtired, screaming and squealing baby is fun, right?

Ms. A is not a newborn anymore, she's more responsive now, she laughs, she smiles everytime she sees me which melts my heart, she "talks" back, she's more mobile, she grabs and hold things, and sometimes she sleeps through the night.

Happy 4 months my little possum, please stay healthy and happy for many months and years to come, and let the real fun begins.

Mummy and Daddy love you so much xoxo

Super Boobs Juice Has Super Power

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:00:00 +1100

One of the girl in my group share this and I just had to share it with the world.

Read the original article here

Other uses of breast milk

Want to use your extra frozen breast milk for something useful? Using breast milk can benefit your whole household!

We all know about the great benefits of breast milk for mom and baby and even the environment, but are there other uses of breast milk?

The answer is yes, breast milk can be used to actually cure a few ailments and even help heal certain diseases…it can be taken by baby, you or any other grown-ups for these purposes.

Breast milk contains immunologic agents and other compounds that take action against viruses and parasites.

Breast milk is sterile, anti-bacterial and can even help heal wounds and can help people heal faster after organ transplants and other surgeries.

The many alternative uses for breast milk discussed here…

Breast milk and its uses

All of the below uses for breast milk or breast milk cures can be used for the whole family…

- Pink eye breast milk (eye infections). You can put a few drops of breast milk into baby’s eyes or any family members who are suffering from pink eye. The breast milk will keep the area clean and will initiate healing. You can do this as often as possible.

- Eye puffiness or redness. Wonderful for removing puffiness and is used just as you would cows milk for the same purpose. Dab on with some cotton wool.

- Opening a stuffy nose. Breast milk is natural and a great alternative to medications which might even make the situation worse. Just squirt a few drops into baby’s nose while he is lying down, then use a bulb to suction the excess out from his nose.

- Sore throats and mouth sores. Swirling some of the breast milk around in the mouth and even gargling with it can help. Even a breastfed baby can be given some breast milk in a cup to rinse out the mouth.

- Eczema and other skin rashes. Breast milk will keep the skin clean and will prevent flare ups. Just apply a layer of breast milk to the area and allow to air dry.

- Dry skin. Using breast milk as a moisturizer.

- Cradle cap. Just apply to baby’s scalp a few times per day.

- Diaper rash. Using breast milk to treat and prevent normal nappy rash.

- Ear infections. Squirt a few drops inside the ear for healing and some pain relief. (can be used for infants and grown-ups)

- Insect bites. Rub a small amount on the bite to relieve the itching and promote the healing process.

- Chicken pox. Apply the breast milk on the skin to relieve itching just as you would any other ointment.

- Warts. Apply daily on the wart until it dries up and falls off.

- Treating sore nipples. Putting some breast milk on your nipples can often heal them faster than any over the counter nipple cream. It can also prevent cracking by keeping them supple.

- Immune boost. Older children can be given a glass of breast milk or more everyday to boost their immune systems and keep them from becoming ill.

- Ease cold/flu symptoms. Get over your cold quicker with some liquid gold breast milk. Drink as much as you can.

- Make-up remover. Breast milk can naturally and easily remove eye make-up.

- Skin cleanser. Breast milk will gently cleanse your skin and can prevent acne because of its antibacterial properties.

- Contact lens solution. If you find yourself without saline solution you can always us a few drops of breast milk, it is sterile and has moisturizing properties.

- Chapped, cracked lips. Breast milk can keep your lips moist for quite some time.

- Donating the extra breast milk. By donating your stored breast milk you could be saving a sick or premature baby that needs breast milk.

- Cuts, scratches, scrapes and burns/sunburns. Apply on the open wound to disinfect the area. Allow to air dry.

- Sexual lubricant. Used the same way you would use any other lubricant like KY Jelly etc. (do not use if you think you might have a yeast infection)

- Leg ulcers. Using breast milk for healing.

- Cooking with breast milk. Many moms have started cooking with their own breast milk. It might seem a bit strange but why not replace a cow’s milk with something much more nutritious and healthy. Google “breast milk recipe” and you can find many interesting recipes. Using expressed breast milk in breast milk recipes, just like you would cow’s milk.

Using breast milk in the hospitals

(this is what some donated breast is used for)

- Renal failure, Cardiac problems, Failure to thrive in infants, Feeding intolerances, Bronchi pulmonary dysplasia, Treating infectious diseases, Treating intractable diarrhea, Gastrontentis, Pneumonia, Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis

- Post surgical healing: Omphaloele, Intestinal Obstruction/bowel fistula, Colostomy Repair

- Chemo patients: Breast milk can help calm their stomachs, help with digestion and strengthen the immune system.

- Burn patients. Breast milk helps heal and protect the skin and prevents infection.

- Organ transplants: The breast milk helps fight any infections and helps boost the immune system.

I think I'm down with flu, should I drink my own breast milk? I think Ms. A needs it more than I do.

Small Victories

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:26:00 +1100

It's been awhile since my last post, things happened here and there and caught me to stop posting for awhile until I have time to type with my 2 hands.

Yes, typing with my 2 hands is one of the things that I consider as a small victories in my new journey as a mother.

Why is that?

That means Ms. A is sleeping and she's not sleeping on me like she used to do in her early days. Don't get me wrong, I love the snuggles but things can be a bit tricky when your arms burn and you need to stretch it or you have this urge to go to the toilet. You try to move very little so it won't distract her precious sleep. Once, I tried to go to toilet with her on my chest sleeping, it was really tricky but it's doable and she opens her eyes and look at me like "what on earth are you doing woman?" lol, well a woman gotta do what a woman gotta do, no?

Don't judge me, I do whatever works for us.

For the past 3 weeks we fell into our own routine, I stop reading baby books because it just stressed me out so instead I read my baby.

And I proudly say that the accidental self-settle technique is a success, I consider this as a major victory. why is it accidental? Well, sorry TMI. I put her in her bed when I need to go to the toilet and when I finished she has fallen asleep booyah!

So I know that she can do it and she's ready. We tried this self-settle technique when she was 3 weeks old and it was a big fail because it ended with her and me crying together. I tried the next day around the same time but I make sure that she's not hungry, her nappy is not dirty and I burped her before I put her to bed so I know that her crying is protests cry. As soon as she hits 1.5 hour wake time I put her in her swaddle and put her to bed so she knows that it's sleep time. She has strong sleep association with the swaddle which is good, but not sure what we are going to do when she's outgrown her swaddle, ah well we will deal with it later when the time comes.

In a good day, I can get 3 hours morning sleep from her, the other things that I consider as my small victories, it means I can do exercise but I usually wait until she passed her first sleep cycle 30-40 minutes mark before I start do to stuff around the house or exercise, because once she passed that mark I know I can get at least 1.5 hours which is wonderful.

And now, I miss her snuggles, I miss the sweet smells of her body attach to mine. Geez woman, you want her to sleep on her own and now she's actually doing it you want her to sleep on you? :). I guess, we never get satisfy do we?

Funny how small victories like these will make my day and I feel proud of myself that she responded to my effort.

Now, let see if we can make her sleep through the night without the usual 3am feed. Ah well... that will be in another story as I still enjoying the early morning snuggles as I know she's not going to be a baby forever.

The Day I Fall in Love

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:25:00 +1100

29 January 2012 is the day I fall in love with you, the day I welcome you to the world and the day I hold you for the first time in my life little Ms. A.

The journey begins when my water broke at 6.30am on 28 January 2012, we rushed to the hospital as told by midwife. She checked me and she said it's only 1cm dilated and sent me home, she gave us instruction that I should have some rest as labor can be anytime today but instead we went for a walk around the neigbourhood to speed things up. I got more contractions but still irregular so we had lunch and just chillin at the apartment.

At around 6pm the contraction become 3 minutes apart so we went back to hospital again in a hope that labor is happening, but the midwife said that it's only 2cm dilated so she sent me home again. I burst into tears because I wish to meet my little girl soon. I think the midwife felt sorry for me, she gave me medicine so I can sleep and promise me that labor will be today. So off we go home again.

After a couple of hours sleep I feel another 2 minutes apart contractions, my feeling said this is it.. so off we go to hospital again for the third times at around midnight.

It was a busy night at the hospital but they managed to put me in the room, and after another uncomfortable internal check by midwife she said the dilation still 2cm oh goodness me. But this time We decided to stay at the hospital just in case labor happening fast, but I begged for a pain killer so I can have a decent sleep before the real show begins.

The morphine helps me get thru the night and at early morning I feel another painful contractions, at 8am midwife said I already 5cm dilated so the next 5cm will be quick.. so what she said. I am the biggest wuss in the world I can't handle the pain so I cry and beg for an epidural at around lunch time and after the epidural kicked in it's the whole new world. Thank God for who ever invented epidural!

I started to push at around 6pm because I had my second high temperature and little Ms.A's heartbeat was really high 200bpm. I was so excited and nervous at the same time.

And 37.5 hours after my water broke she finally born at 7.25pm, a healthy little girl weigh 3.805kg and 53cm long. Little Ms. A is a punctual baby, she was born on her due date.

The moment I hold her in my arms I can feel this huge emotion of love coming into my body, I have never been so in love like this before.

I am a mum,
I have a daughter,
my blood is in her body,
this little person in my arms is mine,
bloody hell she was inside me all along for 9 months..

She is here... she is real... she is my baby girl...

Happy birth day my baby girl...

I love you to pieces, always and forever.

Now, let's this motherhood gig begins..

"Dear Non-Pregnant Person"

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:47:00 +1100

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!'.

6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.

7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticket master. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.

8) Like everything else is life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents' home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to 'help out'. If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child.

Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Sincerely,

All pregnant ladies in the world!

Trip to Nah Island

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:27:00 +1100

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

And finally we arrived at Nah island, uninhabited island with sand beach. A gorgeous place to spend one fine Sunday with good friends, relaxing, snorkling, lunch and just wandered around the island to enjoy its beauty. Such a tough life living in Pohnpei hey :)

50 reasons to be glad you're pregnant!

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 09:33:00 +1100

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.

26. Writing a pregnancy diary for your baby to read in the future.

27. Getting someone to take photos of you smiling over your enormous bump so that, one day, you can look back and be amazed you were ever that size.

28. Finding out how many people there are out there ready to care for you: doctors, nurses, midwives, health visitors, breastfeeding counsellors...

29. Lying in bed with your partner's arms around you and your bump, knowing that love has created a new life.

30. Enjoying indulgences, such as evenings out, weekends away and anything else you might not be able to do so easily once the baby arrives.

31. Knowing that from now on, whatever happens, you'll never be bored again.

32. Making new friends whenever you go shopping - everyone has a pregnancy story to share.

33. You can spend whole evenings debating whether to call your baby Hermione or Cleopatra, Fritz or Stanley... (don't forget to try our BabyCenter baby namer if you get stuck!)

34. Imagining what he or she will look like. Your sweet little ears, of course, and his sexy eyes!

35. Dreaming about, "My daughter the prime minister/pop star/brain surgeon."

36. Looking at your growing bump in the mirror and realising there's a person in there!

37. Making out a squirmy outline on the ultrasound monitor. Asking for the pic to take home and pinning it up next to your work station, or just keeping it in your bag to sneak looks at.

38. The expression on your partner's face as he sees the test strip turn blue, looks at your growing bump or feels the baby kicking.

39. Buying that first little cuddly toy for your baby, not somebody else's.

40. Making that phone call to your partner to tell him that - we're off! - labour has started.

41. Trying out all those exercises you learned at antenatal class and finding out that they actually work!

42. Being held and supported throughout a contraction by your partner/midwife/labour companion and knowing that you can trust them totally.

43. Finding out, as the contractions get tough, that your repertoire of swear words is far more extensive than you ever realised!

44. Making an informed choice about pain relief and finding that it's right for you at that stage in labour.

45. That huge rush of pleasure and relief when, suddenly, all the pain and effort stops.

46. Looking into your newborn's eyes and falling utterly in love.

47. Watching your partner kiss the midwife, the doctor, cleaning lady, delivery man and anyone else he can find because his joy and pride are overwhelming.

48. Opening a bottle of bubbly to celebrate, whatever the time of day or night.

49. Making all those phone calls to announce the arrival. Telling everyone the news and hearing the excitement in their voices.

50. Waking up to see your baby sleeping next to you and thinking, 'Wow! This is real. I'm a mum!

Go Local: Coconut Jam

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 May 2011 17:55:00 +1100

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.

Keira made tart filled with banana and top with coconut jam, yes local coconut jam. And the verdict? Love it! It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo yummy that I had to eat more than one piece lol.

This Coconut Jam – a local caramel-like spread made from sugar, glucose and coconut and sometimes Karat banana (in the description said it is a native mix of yams, breadfruit and rice but said different on the ingredients list). It can be eaten straight out of the jar, spread on toast, put on pancakes, scones, or made into tarts, and it is soooo good.

Since then, we are hooked by this coconut jam. As everything else in Pohnpei, there is no standard price for this coconut jam, an exactly the same product will have different prices in each shops.

If you go to Blue Nile it will cost you $2.30 or sometimes they have it at $2.35, side by side but different price.
Yoshie will charge you for $2.40
Palm Terrace mark it as $2.50

So you know where to go if you want to buy it.

PS. For Indonesians, I think this coconut jam taste similar with wajik/wajit, but in a different form not as solid as.

The Most Expensive Tomatoes in Pohnpei

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 8 May 2011 19:58:00 +1100

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...

I rarely swear and especially in front of people but that time I was swearing F.......K couple of time.. pardon my French.. but I was really upset and scared that Mr. Husband will yell at me when I got home.

But I have the best husband in the world... there Baby.. I said it to the whole world that you are the best husband :p. He didn't yell at me, he even comforts me by saying that it's not the end of the world... How can you not love him for that ;).

Anyhow, we finally got the windscreen replaced yesterday (thanks to Car Care) and yes it was a bit expensive but we need to replace it anyway before the crack got bigger and bigger. In order to prevent the crack to get bigger we can not turn on the air conditioner while we're driving, and driving around in the middle of the day without air con was not a pleasant experience because it's so hot, steamy and humid. Sometimes the outside temperature much better than inside the car.

So here is the tomato house that my gardener built.. pretty impressive eh?

But he said he's not done yet... uhm... not sure what else he wants to add on but for sure this time I will be extra carefull about loading stuff inside the car.

And it's been a week I talk to my tomato everytime I water it "tomato you better produce fruits soon or else....." You can fill in the blank by yourselves :).

Not sure if my scare tactic will work, I just have to wait, see, hope and pray...

Things You Do For Love

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:45:00 +1100

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

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:11:00 +1100

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:

The second stage is to plan the meal, what should I cook? Since there were other people on the camping site so we divided the cooking turn per couple and per meal time. We decided to cook for Saturday lunch, my thinking was that I can prepare everything at home and I can relax at night. The meals I prepared: couscous salad, sausages marinated with soy sauce & ginger and mango up-side down cake. A friends said it was the most lavish camping meals she ever heard lol.

It was a beautiful day when we arrived at Ant atoll and I was thinking uhm... maybe I can enjoy camping, relaxing by the beach while looking at a calm sea, simply heaven!. But when the night started to settle in I started to feel a bit uncomfortable because I hadn't had any shower and the humidity and salt water make my body sticky. After dinner we all sit by the beach and enjoy the night, by talking. Yes, camping requires you to talk to each other since there is no other distraction like TV or computer. I was a bit bored at night time since we just sit around the fire but then I have to admit it that I got excited to see the stars, thousands of it. We even can see the milky way and southern cross stars eventhough we are on the north side of the equator. It was an awesome view, because we can't really see the stars from Pohnpei especially at our house with all the lights on. Don't get me wrong, the company of the people at the camping site really helped a lot, we had good conversations and laughs.

Sleep time was the worst time of all, because it was stinking hot and humid no breeze at all. The sound of the forrest didn't help either. I used to sleep in an air con room with double blaze window so I only hear the humming noise from the air con, to suddenly I can hear everything, from the sound of crabs walking on the dry leaves, birds, to the sound of the wave on the ocean, not a good change. I had a horrible sleep, and beyond normal I woke up before Mr. Husband.

I don't mind spending the day at Ant atoll since it is a beautiful place and we can see beautiful fish and corals by snorkling, but to spend the night? No shower, no toilet. Uhm... I don't fancy that. I really like my comfort zone: shower, air con and a nice comfy bed.

Well maybe next time we will do better, if there is a next time :)

Aside from me whinging, here is the reward from last weekend camping:

Ant Atoll

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:44:00 +1100

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...

Here is Mr. Husband and our friends about to go down for diving

Me happily waiting on the boat with the driver

Let's have some lunch before snorkling

Kayaking

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:37:00 +1100

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.

We were leaving from Coco Marina, all the way through the main harbor until Sokehs bridge, until the entrance of the channel. The Germans used to dig channels through the mangroves in this region, for taking shortcuts while navigating through the islands. The one in Yap is large and well known, the one in Pohnpei is small, shallow and known by few. The best way to explore it is definitely using a kayak. From there, we passed between the main island and Sokehs, until reaching the next harbor, the one where Nihco marine park is. We finally landed on the beach of Nihco, 2 hours later and after lots of crashing into the mangrove.

It was fun but at the same time it was a good exercise as well since you paddle almost non stop for 2 hours. We didn't paddle back to Coco Marina, instead Emanuele pick up his truck from Coco Marina and pick us up at Nihco Marine Park, I guess 2 hours kayaking is not too bad for kayaking virgin like me hey?

The rain is coming behind me

Preparation at Coco Marina

Yay.. I'm on the water!

Emanuele & Nora with Sokeh's island view on the background

Thumbs up!

You can almost see our house from the water, it's on the right side on top of the hill

Inside the German mangrove channel.

Amateur Farmer Wannabe

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:39:00 +1100

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:

We went out to College Of Micronesia to get some soil and compost and the guy who works there is actually the brother of our helper, indeed Pohnpei is a small place! So it's just natural iwhen I ask him to help me build my garden.

The garden still on going project as we always running out of soil. But kangkong, bokchoy , choy sum and some of snake beans are already planted on the bigger garden, so they can grow bigger and healthier.

And here is my garden after expanded:

Some of the snake beans

Grow beautifully after 2.5 weeks transplanted

Other angle of my garden

We will transplant tomato to a bigger place this week, I can't wait to have my own tomato because it's really hard to get tomato here, both imported and local ones.

Here is my first choy cum harvest from my (expanded) garden, not bad hey? It came from 2 plants and I hope it will be more to come as it has been more than 4 weeks that the shops don't have fresh produce :(.

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

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 13:52:00 +1100

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

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 7 Jan 2011 18:09:00 +1100

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?

Watches: Maybe as quaint jewelry, but the correct time is on your smartphone, which is pretty much always in your hand.

Paper maps: At one time these were available free at every gas station. They're practically obsolete today, and the next generation will probably have to visit a museum to find one.

Wired phones: Why would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall? For those born today, this will be a silly concept.

Long distance: Thanks to the Internet, the days of paying more to talk to somebody in the next city, state, or even country are limited.

Newspaper classifieds: The days are gone when you have to buy a bunch of newsprint just to see what's for sale.

Dial-up Internet: While not everyone is on broadband, it won't be long before dial-up Internet goes the way of the plug-in phone.

Encyclopedias: Imagine a time when you had to buy expensive books that were outdated before the ink was dry. This will be a nonsense term for babies born today.

Forgotten friends: Remember when an old friend would bring up someone you went to high school with, and you'd say, "Oh yeah, I forgot about them!" The next generation will automatically be in touch with everyone they've ever known even slightly via Facebook.

Forgotten anything else: Kids born this year will never know what it was like to stand in a bar and incessantly argue the unknowable. Today the world's collective knowledge is on the computer in your pocket or purse. And since you have it with you at all times, why bother remembering anything?

The evening news: The news is on 24/7. And if you're not home to watch it, that's OK -- it's on the smartphone in your pocket.

CDs: First records, then 8-track, then cassette, then CDs -- replacing your music collection used to be an expensive pastime. Now it's cheap(er) and as close as the nearest Internet connection.

Film cameras: For the purist, perhaps, but for kids born today, the word "film" will mean nothing. In fact, even digital cameras -- both video and still -- are in danger of extinction as our pocket computers take over that function too.

Yellow and White Pages: Why in the world would you need a 10-pound book just to find someone?

Catalogs: There's no need to send me a book in the mail when I can see everything you have for sale anywhere, anytime. If you want to remind me to look at it, send me an email.

Fax machines: Can you say "scan," ".pdf" and "email?"

One picture to a frame: Such a waste of wall/counter/desk space to have a separate frame around each picture. Eight gigabytes of pictures and/or video in a digital frame encompassing every person you've ever met and everything you've ever done -- now, that's efficient. Especially compared to what we used to do: put our friends and relatives together in a room and force them to watch what we called a "slide show" or "home movies."

Wires: Wires connecting phones to walls? Wires connecting computers, TVs, stereos, and other electronics to each other? Wires connecting computers to the Internet? To kids born in 2011, that will make as much sense as an electric car trailing an extension cord.

Hand-written letters: For that matter, hand-written anything. When was the last time you wrote cursive? In fact, do you even know what the word "cursive" means? Kids born in 2011 won't -- but they'll put you to shame on a tiny keyboard.

Talking to one person at a time: Remember when it was rude to be with one person while talking to another on the phone? Kids born today will just assume that you're supposed to use texting to maintain contact with five or six other people while pretending to pay attention to the person you happen to be physically next to.

Retirement plans: Yes, Johnny, there was a time when all you had to do was work at the same place for 20 years and they'd send you a check every month for as long as you lived. In fact, some companies would even pay your medical bills, too!

[Watch: Toddler Can Name U.S. Presidents]

Mail: What's left when you take the mail you receive today, then subtract the bills you could be paying online, the checks you could be having direct-deposited, and the junk mail you could be receiving as junk email? Answer: A bloated bureaucracy that loses billions of taxpayer dollars annually.

Commercials on TV: They're terrifically expensive, easily avoided with DVRs, and inefficiently target mass audiences. Unless somebody comes up with a way to force you to watch them -- as with video on the Internet -- who's going to pay for them?

Commercial music radio: Smartphones with music-streaming programs like Pandora are a better solution that doesn't include ads screaming between every song.

Hiding: Not long ago, if you didn't answer your home phone, that was that -- nobody knew if you were alive or dead, much less where you might be. Now your phone is not only in your pocket, it can potentially tell everyone -- including advertisers -- exactly where you are.

Amateur Farmer

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:52:00 +1100

Alright, so far I have harvested dwarf bean not long ago, and today I proudly harvested my first lettuce. The lettuce is a bit different with what you find in the shops but it's not too bad.

Maybe I should wait a little bit longer so it will grow beautifully like the ones you find in the shops, but maybe this is the best that the lettuce can do in the steamy, humid, hot and very wet weather like Pohnpei.

Lights in Pohnpei

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:38:00 +1100

This is my first Christmas in Pohnpei and I am impressed with how the shops and some of the houses decorated their splace with lots of lights.

I have to admit that trips to downtown Kolonia at night time became very joyful, you can feel that the Christmas spirit is here. And I know some parents are using this opportunity to treat their children, yes a trip to down town with full of lights can be amusing even for adult like me.

So, on Thursday I decided to take some photos of the Chirstmas lights downtown, but I choose the wrong date because ACE Hardware & ACE Offices decided to have midnight shopping from 7pm - 12am, hence there were alot of people doing shopping and also some of the shops were doing final SALE too.

One thing for sure that their electricity bill for this month must cost them a fortune with all those lights, but hey it's just one month a year event, so why not?

Btw, I used the wrong lens 50mm so I can not capture the whole ambiance as I have limitation on the focal point.

Palm Terrrace shop

Super Savers, second hand clothing shop

Telecom

Gold dental clinic

Let's do some serious gardening

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 8 Dec 2010 14:18:00 +1100

I have been posted about my veggie garden in Pohnpei, I was inspired by Huyen's veggie garden at the US residence compound so here is my effort to do more serious gardening.

Oh did I tell you about the bleach effect? Yup, this is what happened with my beans :((

Brocolli and one healthy looking Lettuce

Capsicum

Not sure what happened, but some of my lettuce on the green pots are looking sad. I tried to put it inside maybe because outside is too hot but it still look sad, so I decided to put it back outside. Because if you see above, one lettuce looking really healthy eventhough it grows right next to the brocolli.

My sad looking lettuce

Parsley

I plant more seeds, cross my finger it will grow beautifully.

Wish me luck people!

Walk to Nett Point

screaming_leo@yahoo.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 8 Dec 2010 10:57:00 +1100

It was the easiest hike of all, that's why I called it walk not hike :)

It has been pouring rain on Sunday morning but since it's an easy hike/walk to Nett Point a man made beach popular swim destination for locals we decided to give it go anyway.

We were car pooling at PCR hotel and meet the others there before we walk down the street. The road is paved and just a little bit of dirt around the Nett Point it self. It was a good walk with a good length and little bit of hills but no steep at all like our last hike, so I still got the sweat on this walk.

We pretty much just follow the road until we reach Nett Point.

Let's drink beer to cool off.

The sea was really rough that day so no one swim, next time we might be lucky

All photos above taken by Sam and with his camera, so give him the credit will ya.