November 5, 2010
Every time I walk on the streets and pavements of Bangkok, I cringed at the thought that one fine day, heels or no heels; I might just trip-up, fall flat on my face and break my ankles.
Me being a major klutz aside, the sidewalks of Bangkok are not too friendly for pedestrians on foot. With uneven pathways, pot holes and weird things sticking out of nowhere, Bangkok is certainly not very stroller-friendly . Considering the existing condition of these sidewalks, being out and about with a stroller can be quite a feat.
Add that to the fact that all BTS stations here were not constructed in the most efficient way for commuters as escalators were poorly installed. As such, anyone who is wheel-chair bound can expect a very cumbersome commuting experience. Imagine the sheer difficulty of trying to negotiate your way when all BTS stations tend to have only ONE escalator for each direction and always only going UP. While ascending to the station will not be a problem, descending crazy flights of steps with a stroller can be a sheer nightmare!
We found that out the hard way when we brought our stroller while trying to commute by BTS. It was frustratingly idiotic as we both had to haul the stroller down many, many flight of steps once we get out of the train to exit the stations. What baffled me was the fact that only Siam station is installed with an elevator! O.N.E (or probably two as I thought I saw an elevator at Asok’s station) measly station and then you will be shit out of luck when you get out of the other stations as they don’t have any elevators around. Help is also not easy to find since most people would already throng their way out of the stations as quickly and as far away from you as they can! I was thinking then that there is no way I can manage the stroller and a baby on my own if I were to take the BTS to get around! That being said, I really cannot imagine for a second what life would be like with a baby and without the baby carriers!
It already is hard for people with babies with strollers. Can you imagine how difficult it is then for the wheel-chair bound? It really is a shame that there is certainly almost no room for the wheel-chair bound to navigate their way around the public transportation system in this city.
Funny how we started thinking of these when we now have a baby on-board.
November 3, 2010
My Mei-Tai goes everywhere we go these days. With Spud around, we don’t leave home without it. Funnily enough, wherever we are, we tend to attract a lot of attention whenever we put our
Mei-Tai in motion. To my surprise, a lot of people really seem to be intrigued by it and I have had a few moms and moms-to-be asking me about my Mei-Tai.
I knew about Mei-Tai from the first Baby Wearing Club session I went to where I had the opportunity to try on several different types of carriers. I got hooked on it and promptly bought it from the business owner of
One Love Baby Carrier who was participating in an event a few days later.
As I needed an alternative carrier rather badly at that time, I bought one that was already in stock. The one that I have is a 2-pocket Mei-Tai. The pockets come in very handy to stuff in a couple of diapers and wet-wipes, allowing me to be hands-free.
I have not looked back since and it is now a trusted buddy. Even Silver Bullet likes it. (Although he does wish that the strap is longer to accommodate his cute tummy!).
One Love produces only one unit of each design per production batch. If you like, you can get yourself a customised Mei-Tai from her online shop as well. I like the fact that you can design your own Mei-Tai and do mix and match based on what they have. I do think the prices are reasonable, too.
Certainly a great (and definitely useful) item for gifting, if you ask me!
November 2, 2010
My days at home of being a full-time mom are numbered as I stepped into the very last week of my maternity leave on this first week of November.
How do I feel about that?
To be really frank, I can’t quite answer that question for I don’t exactly know how I feel about that. It somehow feels like I have taken an extended “vacation” from work and like any other vacation, I eventually will have to get back into the grind. At this point, my honest answer is that going back to work is just something I have to do.
Am I looking forward to it?
Well…my answer is, yes to a certain extend as I think I can benefit from the social setting the workplace generally provides as well as the mental stimulation that comes with it. Okay, some form of mental stimulation (or not!) depending on the types of morons I encounter on a daily basis.
On the other hand, the thought of not being able to see Spud’s development first hand is not very appealing, while dreading the fact that she has to spend most of her time in the hands of a Nanny.
So, no; at this point, I don’t really have a concrete answer to those questions. I am only glad for the following when I rejoin the workforce:
- Spud has taken to the bottle like a champ and is still taking the breast with no problems at all
- We have a nanny
whom we can trust (or at least, we think so)
- I should be able to ease in into my job smoothly
With all other things, I guess we should be able to sort them out as we go along.
These days, I try to get out of the house as often as I can without bringing Spud along with me just so that she can get used to not having her momma around all the time. And suddenly I have some time on my hands to arrange lunches, go for a deserving foot massage and even a session of much a needed mani-pedi! (yes, I have nice feet and fingers again!)
While it really is nice to be able to get some time-out for myself after an intensive full-on, 24/7-in-your-face-on-the-job-training of mommydom for 3 months at a stretch, I actually started thinking about Spud and then realise that I miss her after only being away from her for a few hours! Funny that.
I surprise myself sometimes. I guess I have come a long way…
