bad smells

I haven't had any vivid, surreal dreams lately, but the abhorrence of some smells is still pretty strong.

some smells that make me queasy:
1. kitchen exhaust fumes
2. deep frying
3. hubby's deodorant --- metallic and pungent
4. my new kitchen cupboards and sink --- wood dust and plasticky
5. durian --- always been a nauseating experience, but now especially so!

having a super strong sense of smell should be a superpower but instead, like kryptonite, it is debilitating...

in your dreams: wild horses

about two weeks ago, in two consecutive nights, i had dreams involving wild horses.

in the earlier dream, the setting was a dry, wild west meets plains of mongolia (like i would know). a young mongolian man, in his late teens-early 20s was trying to get home to his aged parents. i can't remember now how he managed to do it, but he tamed a wild white horse, the fastest in the world, and rode like the wind bareback.

the next night the dream setting was the high mountain valleys of tibet. a young boy was trying to buy something in a shop but was refused by the owner. he walked outside determined to prove that he was special. so he whistled about six or seven golden notes. almost as soon as he stopped whistling a little white tibetan pony galloped up to him. the last i remember of this dream was the boy patting the pony and the animal nustling him in turn.

in your dreams: giant pandas vs. giant squids

in the past week or two i have had a few odd, vivid dreams. must be the pregnancy and jumping hormones.

the most recently remembered is about giant pandas. i dreamt there was a line of pandas trying to cross the ocean floor (yup, underwater).

each time one came to a particular ridge though, an angry giant squid would come rushing out to strike at the panda. in this manner there were many panda casualties lying with large gaping wounds along the seafloor.

finally, one panda decided to defend itself and fight back. he tried to invert the giant squid's head inside out and i think he also tried to tie up a few of its arms. but i woke up before the outcome of the struggle could be determined.

don't ask me what this is all about. the evening earlier i did hear something on the bbc worldservice radio about giant pandas, so that bit must've seeped into the subconscious. but battling giant squids...in the sea?

a human bean

last week, on 11 july, i had my 1st visit to the obstetrician's and my 1st ultrasound scan.

lo and behold, i am really pregnant (then 8.5 weeks) with a foetus the size of a bean palpitating inside my abdomen! it was both thrilling and scary to see the teeny tiny heartbeat. but when i mentioned something about sigourney weaver, hubby nonchalantly said, "nonsense. the alien came out her chest, not abdomen." which is a lot more reassuring...not.

little bean, or "xiao dou dou" as my mom calls it, has been making me nauseous for the past 4 weeks now. i have had waves of queasiness wash over me from morn till night. even when i retire to bed i still sometimes need to rush to the bathroom to retch. most times there is no 'product' (!) but there have been 3 occasions when my dinners have been regurgitated. maybe "xiao dou dou" doesn't like wan tan mee or stir-fried black pepper beef (some of my faves tho)!

what a shame this early part of the pregnancy (1st trimester) is so uncomfortable. i would love to live out this myth of being able to eat for two...think of the double helpings of mee pok "dry", fishball kway teow tng, kway chap, roti john, sup kambing, etc etc. instead, i now approach meals with dread. dry, bland jacob's cream crackers it has to be for now.

please little bean, let mummy have her meals in peace!

today is the first day...

in order not to be regarded as a technology laggard, i've finally decided to hop onto the blogging bandwagon.

i have actually had a personal website documenting some of mine and hubby's travels over the past coupla years, but never seriously had any regular 'journaling' done online. so, now that am pregnant with (ooh exciting) first child, and have sick-time resting at home, it is perfect opp to try blogging.