天氣最近都很好，只是心情卻莫名奇妙的怪。 要忙的事還多得很，不過老是提不起勁，一天到晚發呆，胡思亂想，腦袋混沌。你可以救救我嗎？

我...未死得 + 小OO小軼事

雖然忙到命得番半條，但總算還未死得。

過去數月，每天起床上班，下班匆匆照顧小OO晚飯洗澡，待她入睡後又開始趕稿賺外快，無論對一些事多有感觸，又或是小OO有多可愛的舉動，都一概敵不過腦死亡睡魔急call，未有精神去記錄，實在很遺憾。

如是者一天復一天，轉眼回去上班已經5個月了。小OO已全面適應daycare的生活，有時還會賴死不肯跟我們回家。比起數個月前，她亦變得會跟我們玩和溝通。好玩的時侯會指手劃腳，嘰呢咕囉，整古做怪，𢭃得大家非常高興。但亦會有她的terrible moments，發脾氣，扭計，lur 地 (唉，好醜怪但都唔知要點攪/教佢)，年紀小小但極度硬頸兼要面子，連我老爹都陰陰嘴笑話係報應... 總之，有辣有唔辣啦! 通常在最不在意時，小OO往往會做一些氹死人的事，例如有一個平凡的早上，一擘大眼就見到她扮monster (即扮張牙舞爪發出kaaaaa的聲音)，cute得想賴床都不捨得了。又例如在我很趕要出門時，她會慢條施理地叫"媽媽" (她是在差不多15個月大時才叫媽的呀!)，還送一句"Ah...Boooo", 即I love you，你話，冧死唔冧死?

雖然很enjoy做回一個事業人 (還有那張paycheck...)，但 from time to time 都會懷念放產假的日子，每時每刻都和小OO一起 (兼可以開小差睡午覺)。之不過小OO其實並不再需要我廿四小時陪著她，看見她一天一天長大, 並變得越來越獨立，雖然很欣慰但卻更感不捨。要學會放手還有一段漫漫長路呢!

送給你的...

冬奧剪影

話咁快冬奧又過去了，市面又回復平靜。趁我還未忘記冬奧在溫市留下的印記前，先來一個slideshow 留個紀念!

忙忙忙!

如是者又過了差不多兩個月，本來draft了一篇回顧小OO的第一年，結果到現在還是只寫了一點點，要是等到那篇完成再繼續寫，恐怕要等到小OO兩歲生日，所以唯有跳過了，先來個小update。

簡單來說，就是忙到PK。自從產假結束重回工作崗位後，不知是不習慣工作的步伐還是待在家那一年導至腦細胞急促死亡，總覺得力不從心，一天到晚都累呼呼的。回家還要幫忙做家務看管小OO (留意是"幫忙"，因為Omama幸福得很，大部份的粗重工夫都由老公一手包辦了), 一下子還未適應。最主要的是，為了多儲點錢，我除了在朱力廠全職擔擔抬抬賣笑外，還幫朋友的網頁寫點東西 (是一個很嚴謹的營養網頁，www.healthcastle.com, 請多多支持!)，所以下了班還得上班，累上加累。還不夠多瓣數嗎，最近還take了很認真的攝影班。有很多assignment要交，自己既技不如人，又沒有空檔去惡補和拍照，所以又多一個煩惱。忙到冬奧揭幕都沒有時間去參與盛事，有時間就巴不得倒頭大睡。

咁又何苦呢，你話，不過Omama就是一個這樣的人，all or nothing，要不就hea到底，要不就一做就做好幾件事，不忙死不罷休!

幸好的是，小OO很乖，在daycare裡很受歡迎，姨姨們都很疼她，照顧周到，讓我們都很放心。她一向獨立，不怎麼黏我們，在家時也不用太手忙腳亂。倒是她太有個性，每每想教她點什麼時她都別過頭去，啋我都傻，有點跟我想像的不太一樣而已。到現在還是只會發baba mama dada gaga 等等無意思的音，教來教去都不肯望著我叫媽媽，唉~~ 希望她不會是late blooming的B囉...

小OO，加油! (叫媽媽啦女!)
Omama，加油! (頂住呀!)
老公，加油! (靠晒你喇!)

仲有，冬奧各運動員，加油! (比賽第二，安全第一呀!)

December Ramblings

I never realized time really does go by that much faster when you have a household to care for. Before I know it it's another month since my last posting. I have to say, many many thoughts have crossed my mind and I had wanted to blog them, but all the little or big things that got in the way dampened my inspiration beyond repair. And as you can see, I can't even bring myself to type in Chinese because if I do, it'll probably be another month before you'll hear from me again.

So what exactly has gotten in the way?

As you guessed it, OO has now become another different baby, or a different child, I should say. She's the most active baby among her baby friends, as she really is literally unstoppable. She now has a bruise on her face and some minor cuts on her fingers, but that did not stop her from exploring her world. This level of activity combined with a decreased interest in eating (gosh I can write another blog on how mealtime has become a huge struggle), she is no longer that chubby baby with all the cute rolls. In many ways she reminds me of myself when I was a child - active, curious, mischievous and never cease to get into trouble, so my parents are now eyeing my parenting (more like my fumbling) with a twisted sense of satisfaction. If I can read their thoughts it'll probably be something like: "So you said you hated us doing this to you, and let's see what you're gonna do with OO!" Or: "I'm dying to see you how you're gonna put all your wonderful theories into practice!". *Sweating* As of now, between watching OO, chores, coming up with creative menu choices, and perhaps doing a little something for myself occasionally, I'm really finding it hard to sit down to record my thoughts before they vanish.

And then there's the search of childcare for when I go back to work in February. Initially we had wanted to hire help at home so OO can stay away from the germ-ridden daycares. We were willing to trade socializing and perhaps more learning for a cleaner healthier environment, but things never quite work out the way you intended. Finding the right person whom you can trust, who's willing to come to our home full-time at the rate we can afford seemed like an impossible proposition, so we had to settle with a daycare that a friend recommended. After visualizing OO being cared for at her own home for as long as I've had her, I really have to work on coming to terms with this drastically different choice. I have to admit that I do feel guilty to a certain extent, because it does feel like I am abandoning her after spending almost a whole year of living like conjoined twins with her. But after seeing her just took off from my loving arms and played on her own at a daycare we visited, this whole dropping-her-off-at-daycare business may not be like the gut-wrenching scene where she would wail and cling onto my leg as I said my tearful goodbye like I had envisioned before. Gut-wrenching still, but maybe more for me.

Last but not least, there is all the lovely festivities of December - my ?th birthday and the endless shopping/gift-giving/gift-receiving/cooking/eating/partying/Church-going all in the name of Christmas. Enough said.

On that note, I'll have to conclude my attempt to squeeze the happenings of a whole month into an entry while OO is napping.

Until my next entry, have a very merry and blessed Christmas!

我愛 Eggnog!

一過了萬聖節又是開始喝 eggnog 的時候了!

剛來加拿大時不太愛好 eggnog 這東西，嫌它太甜太膩，還有點怪怪的spice 味。當然，人的口味是會隨著年漸長而改變的 (那不過是因為味蕾越變越鈍吧，以前受不了的強烈味道慢慢會變得不像以前那麼難接受，經典例子如苦瓜，酒類飲品，咖啡等都算是 "acquired taste". )，而我和老公在近年間，自從discover了老北的 eggnog latte 後便瘋狂地愛上了這冬天獨有的飲品，還把這狂熱傳染給家妹和她男友，在我家聚會時總會一人手捧一杯，festive 得很。

Eggnog 中文叫「蛋酒」，那是我剛剛才發現的。但蛋酒裡，根本沒有酒，只有蛋，忌廉，糖，肉桂 (cinnamon) 和肉豆蔻 (nutmeg)，沒錯，是一種跟其他節日食品一樣肥仔的飲品，straight up 的話，一杯就有16g 的脂肪。還未算糖的熱量，單是計脂肪，喝一杯就等同於吞掉三茶匙的牛油! 所以我們自家做 eggnog latte，當然會混和等份或更多的低脂奶了，不然未到聖誕必會身型暴脹!

肥當然是怕的，但每年當eggnog在超市首度出現時，我們都會非常雀躍 -- 除了有eggnog latte 喝外，大概也因為 eggnog 的出現標誌著聖誕節的來臨吧，而對我們這些在十一/十二月出生的人來說，更份外有意思了。

Cheers~~