Posts from — February 2007

It’s been raining these past few days here in Canberra. Quite rare really in this part of the world because drought has been a major concern for Australians for quite some time now. They say that the El Niño phenomenon is now over and that La Niña has taken its place.

Earlier this afternoon, we had another thunderstorm and this time, I had the awesome opportunity to witness hale coming down from the heavens. Buti na lang I was not out of the house and was just having my lunch indoors. Take a look-see! I took a photo of some that fell on our pergola. They’re actually small bits of ice, more like the size of pebbles.

Those tiny dots on the ground are also hale, by the way. (Click to enlarge)

This isn’t necessarily good news for us though. They say it’s going to be a colder winter this year. You see, winter’s not really my favorite time of the year. I hate the cold!

Take a look at what I did today…

Click to enlarge

Most of them were so tiny — it took me pretty much an hour just to hang them on the line!

Ever heard of the term Chinglish? I first encountered this term last night while I was watching the late news on SBS. They were featuring it as part of China’s preparation for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Chinglish, according to Wikipedia, is ”an English pseudo-dialect heavily affected by Chinese grammar and accent. It may also imply poor translation.” No offense to the Chinese, but here are a few examples. Some can be really hilarious.

Fire prevention sign at the Great Wall of China: Appreciate lovely view of the great wall, do not forget the fire is heartless!

Beijing Hotel Sign: Dear Guests, Guest rooms lenovation project may bring you in convenience. Thank you for your under standing. – Hotel Managemeat

Chinese Restaurant Sign: Smart Noshery Makes You Slobber

And last but certainly not the least…

Image swiped from Metanoiac

More Chinglish signs found here.

There have been changes lately in my pregnancy. It all started last Saturday night when J and I were having one of our late night conversations in bed. I had around 4-5 Braxton Hicks contractions at 10-15 minute intervals. It was a major change for me because I only had the BHC’s once or twice a night prior to Saturday. Now the episodes are more frequent and happen also during the day but are still at 10-15 minutes apart.

That’s not the only thing new these days. Yesterday after lunch and doing my thing in the toilet, I may have had my first “bloody show” (or mucous plug as they call it). I noticed my discharge had a pinkish tinge and the amount of discharge seemed quite a lot. Eeek!  I told J about it and he advised me to call the Delivery Suite immediately. I was quite hesitant to call the hospital because I was afraid to find out and confirm if it really was a sign of early labor. After some time, I was able to muster the courage to ring up the DS at the Canberra Hospital. A friendly midwife named Debbie patiently listened as I told her the entire story. She asked me a few questions as well (e.g., if it is my first baby, if baby is still active and if any amniotic fluid was leaking). She concluded that what happened was perfectly normal and she asked me to just wear a pad in case any amniotic fluid leaked. If there is any leakage, then that’s the time I should call back the delivery suite.

Phew! What a relief! That really gave us quite a scare!   Nevertheless, this prompted me to pack my bag just in case the time came for us to rush to the hospital. It is a bit too early though for me to give birth at this point so i’m trying to take it easy now and cut back on any strenuous activity. I need at least two to three more weeks to keep this baby in. I definitely don’t want to go into premature labor at this time! We’re crossing our fingers (and toes) once again.