letter sounds的八卦，YOUTUBE、PINTEREST和Yahoo名人娛樂都在討論

《Ting與小小孩一起封城之🇬🇧英國全攻略網站連結大公開！ 》＃歡迎分享

好不容易週五了！各位家有小小孩的爸媽你都還好嗎？你是不是也偷偷在算，跟孩子已經相處幾小時了呢？讓Ting資深學姊來安慰你，你們有我當墊背不用怕。我們最高紀錄是「連續」整整130天，天天24小時一家四口相處在家裡。然後Ting整整120天沒有外食也沒有點外賣！
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不過海外同溫層朋友自嘲說「我們這些倒數幾名的歐美國家，憑什麼給台灣資優生建議？！」乍聽好像也是喔？不過，住在重症區座標英國的資深學姊，還是可以提供給大家一些我的經驗。
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首先要先謝謝 德州媽媽沒有崩潰 率先無私分享她在美國的網站資訊，想了想我能回饋台灣什麼？乾脆一起響應把我「在英國」所有我當初有用到的 home schooling網站連結，通通大公開給你們，我很認真的整理了一晚，因為有些網站過了封城時效性就移除了，有點可惜。有些網站可能因為地區限制會點不開，還需要大家回報給我。或是利用「關鍵字」搜尋一下。歡迎努力轉發給有需要的朋友！
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全都是適合3-8歲的孩子，內容包羅萬象，有運動、瑜伽、動物園直播秀、英文、數學、免費學習單、美勞、兒歌、園藝、甚至還有學做菜！也歡迎大家補充分享在留言處。希望可以幫助到你們大家！
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◀ Cosmic Yoga
https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga/videos

結合故事主題的兒童瑜伽，我家兒子女兒都很愛，常常欲罷不能連做2小時。


◀ PE with Joe 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBodyCoachTV/playlists

當初是全民早上9點準時跟著他live運動的，他有時候還會變裝娛樂孩子。

◀ Edinburghzoo 愛丁堡動物園直播動物
https://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/webcams/panda-cam/#pandacam
這個網站真的超適合娛樂小小孩，因為封城緣故促使愛丁堡動物園設立這個page，裡面可以24小時直播收看熊貓、企鵝、老虎、無尾熊跟獅子。超酷的吧！


◀ Twinkle 教育資料庫網站（加入會員可無限下載）
https://www.twinkl.co.uk/

這個英國叫 Twinkle 網站在英國非常火紅，第一次封城時他們還釋出優惠代碼，讓大家免費使用。會推薦他是因為學校老師，常常在這裡下載學習單給孩子。我最喜歡的地方是他能「按照年紀」甚至「節慶」「主題」延伸各種科目針對一個主題，有學習單、著色本、遊戲、美勞、食譜、科學、甚至新聞。真的只要有一台印表機，完全不怕小孩無聊，也不用買一堆作業練習本或是美勞紙，是我的救星。

◀ Education.com 免費學習單下載

如果你不想要加入上面推薦的Twinkle網站會員，這裡也是有超級多免費的worksheet供你免費下載。你可以點選左邊那排by Grade按照適合年紀選擇學習單。
https://www.education.com/worksheets/

◀ Cooking with Jamie Oliver

https://www.jamieoliver.com/videos/

大家應該對傑米奧利弗不陌生，因為他自己也有小孩，所以封城期間他無私錄製了不少跟他孩子一起烹飪的小短片，還可以訓練一下小孩英式英文的聽力。


◀RHS 英國皇室花園協會
https://reurl.cc/bzMQ2v
提供超多給孩子的園藝activities活動點子！比如說把牛奶罐變成灑水器、散步發現收集彩虹、利用蛋盒製作感官活動sensory nature game...等。我個人非常喜歡他們提供很多很有趣，讓孩子自然而然學習自然與科學接觸接的小活動。

◀ OxfordOWL

https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/

牛津Oxford大家應該不陌生，這個網站是專門英國學校會使用的「教材」OWL是專門針對3-11歲英國小學年紀的各種訓練，尤其他們家的Phonic學習跟增加閱讀能力資源很多，因為疫情有好多免費的library可以使用。
英國孩子學習phonic不是像台灣ㄅㄆㄇ一口氣學完，而是循序漸進，所以他們閱讀能力的分級是用「顏色colour band」來分級。

有興趣的家長也可以利用這個免費的ebook Library測驗一下自己孩子的英文程度在英國大概在哪裡。
https://reurl.cc/NX3vaq


◀OxfordOWL在youtube也有自己頻道有超多超多資源，假設你有興趣知道英國小學生學什麼，或是想學真正標準的英式英文，也可以多加利用。
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCllFxIfCNYQvsRepWxT7n8A

◀ All Things Oi! 英國最夯的韻母英文童書
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLlRtGQGEzUOcXyQjfs_EhvuwcJpQDkiK

相信只要你住在英國家有小小孩，對於整個系列的「Oi !____」 絕對不陌生！因為疫情的關係，竟然作者自己開頻道唸給你聽之外，還教你怎麼畫裡面的角色！我家兩隻畫Oi Frog裡面的青蛙畫到樂不思蜀！

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jollylearning 標準的英式phonic發音影片
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ksblMiliA8

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CBeebies Alphablock
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/alphablocks
說到英國小孩學alphablock絕對沒有人不知道這個學習卡通，裡面每一角色都有自己專屬的發音特色，然後按照簡單到難的程度，學習組合方式跟tricky words。連我自己都很愛跟孩子一起唱，看著字母邊唱歌邊搞笑，就真的學起來了。超級超級希望，有一天ㄅㄆㄇㄈ也有人發明這樣一整套的卡通和學習單。
網站裡也有一些小遊戲！如果你是住在英國地區，推薦下載bbc iplayer，電視機也能使用。就可以收看完整Alphablocks的節目。



◀CBeebies Numberblocks
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/numberblocks
說到Alphablock就絕對會聯想到numberblocks! 字義上就不難理解了，上一個是學英文！這一個是學數學。而且跟著孩子看這個節目，我才更理解英國人算數學的很多邏輯，真的跟我們台灣小時後學的方式差好多。我家兩個孩子都好愛看這個節目！

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Letter and sounds 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP_FbjYUP_UtldV2K_-niWw/videos
這個是英國教育部在封城期間，統一錄製給學校當資源使用學phonic的真人版！而且是按照英國教育部標準進度教，那時候是我兒子學校規定每天一定要看的節目，都是固定早上9點開始按照不同年級上傳。但說真的，我覺得超級無聊XD 但是老師們就是真的正統英文本人，你可以看他的嘴行發音。


◀ NRICH 劍橋數學挑戰

https://nrich.maths.org/
這個網站是由英國劍橋大學的數學系跟教育系提供內容。從0-5歲一直到16+都有不同程度。網站是真的做得很醜，排版也不好用。但是內容很多都需要孩子花時間去思考邏輯。建議家長可以陪著一起做！

◀
 BBC Teach (我不確定台灣能不能點開這個網頁)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/primary/zd7p47h
BBC在疫情期間也是卯足全力support家長，這個網站結合了各式各樣的學習資源，有時候真的不得已要給小孩3Ｃ我就開這個網頁，讓哥哥自己隨便瀏覽他有興趣的內容，裡面都是一些有教育意義的小短片，科目包羅萬象。我女兒的話就是熱衷這個英文兒歌童謠a-z頻道：
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-a-to-z-index/z4ddgwx

◀ The Singing Walrus - English Songs For Kids
https://www.youtube.com/c/Thesingingwalrus/featured
這個英文兒歌頻道我也很推薦，因為他畫的動畫不會太俗氣，然後也會搭配上歌詞在影片中。我家妹妹也滿喜歡的，尤其有些歌老實說我自己沒學過，歌搭配上文字像KTV一樣。



◀ SingingHandsUK 手語兒歌頻道
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSgfqkristwvJft3BNN-NYQ
這個頻道是妹妹幼兒園老師提供，在英國小嬰兒還不會說話前，非常流行學寶寶手語，這個頻道非常無私的教了很多簡單手語配合的兒歌，家有小小孩的爸媽不妨也可試試看。


◀BBC bitesize
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
這個同樣也是疫情下的了BBC產物，跟上面的teach有異曲同工之妙，但是當初這個bitesize封城時會有每天的課表，讓學校沒有遠距課程設備的人使用。我個人是覺得比較多是適合小一以上的程度跟大孩子。上面那個Teach就有到更小幼兒園年紀適合的內容選擇。



◀BookTrust 英國閱讀機構

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/
這是英國最大致力於閱讀的慈善機構，從孩子很小在醫院做過健康檢查，或是在圖書館一歲生日時，就可以領到BookTrust贈送的書。隨著年紀孩子們也都會有一些他們送的書，或是折價卷去買書。疫情期間他們的youtube頻道是有超多英國作者或是老師們，自發性的錄閱讀童書給孩子們聽。
https://www.youtube.com/c/booktrust/videos



◀Brightly Storytime

https://www.readbrightly.com/
這個是美國的書籍推薦購物網站，但其實裡面非常多資源！幫助你幫孩子挑書。
https://www.youtube.com/c/BrightlyStorytime/featured
然後最棒的是他還有搭配自己的youtube頻道，念超多童書給孩子聽。最特別的是，他每一本書念的時候會配合圖片，而且會「跟著唸的聲音速度，跑書裡的字」（代替用手指頭邊指邊念）。還有邀請到「作者本人」念他自己的書給孩子聽。

我當初第一個找到這個網站是因為要找「好餓的毛毛蟲作者Eric Carle相關資料」才發現這麽網站，你們可以點這個網址去下載他的作品activities worksheets。
https://reurl.cc/1gD64Y



◀ The StoryTime Family
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvdUKabPUkx6p-zYlrxmJJw/featured
這個也是像上面Brightly storytime頻道，但是是澳洲的版主，所以英文腔調有點不一樣，也超多故事可以聽，鍛鍊一下英文。

◀Place2Be 關心孩子心理健康網站
https://www.place2be.org.uk/
這個英國網站很貼心，給了很多如果關心孩子心理健康的素材。小至如何發現孩子需要mental health support，也有各種專家分享幫助孩子的方式。做特別也有art room的一些活動，幫助孩子透過藝術穩定情緒。 https://reurl.cc/0DLApl

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如果以上你還是興趣缺缺，也歡迎大家可以多利用 ＃英國媽媽防疫日記 這個hashtag回顧一下這15個月來的封城生活（中間有稍微短暫條件式的階段性解封過）。（或直接點 https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/%E8%8B%B1%E5%9C%8B%E5%AA%BD%E5%AA%BD%E9%98%B2%E7%96%AB%E6%97%A5%E8%A8%98 ）
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上一篇「疫情是一時親子關係是一輩子」也滿值得先閱讀！
https://www.facebook.com/LondonWifeDiary/posts/325585682259705
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照片：是我拍於英國皇宮 Hampton court palace的警語標示！「管你什麼階級的人，通通給我戴上口罩！」

My sister, Michelle-Ann Iking's 3% chance of conceiving naturally was a success! Here's her story:

(My apologies as I've been overwhelmed with personal matters. I've only managed to get to my desk. So finally got around posting this).

This is the story behind my sister's pregnancy struggle and how she shared her journey over her Facebook page.

Because some may have not caught her LIVE session chat with me (https://www.facebook.com/daphneiking/videos/687743128744960/) , or read her lengthy post (as it's a private page);
she's allowed me to copy and paste it over my wall, in case you need to know more about her thought process on how AND why she focused on the 3% success probability. Read on.

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Posted 10th May 2020.
FB Credit: Michelle-Ann Iking

A week ago today I celebrated becoming a mother to our second, long awaited child.

Please forgive this mother's LONG (self-indulgent) post, journalling what this significant milestone has meant for her personally, for her own fallible memory's sake as well as maybe to share one day with her son.

If all you were wondering was whether I had delivered and if mum and bub are OK, please be assured the whole KkLM family are thriving tremendously, and continue scrolling right along your Newsfeed 😁.

OUR 3% MIRACLE

All babies are miracles... and none more so than our precious Kiaen Aaryan (pronounced KEY-n AR-yen), whose name derives from Sanskrit origins meaning:

Grace of God
Spiritual
Kind
Benevolent

...words espousing the gratitude Kishore and I feel for Kiaen's arrival as our "3% miracle".

He was conceived, naturally, after 3 years of Kishore and I hoping, praying and 'endeavoring'... and only couples for whom the objective switches from pure recreation to (elusive) procreation will understand how this is less fun than it sounds ...

3 years during which time we had consensus from 3 different doctors that we, particularly I (with my advancing age etc etc) had only a 3% chance of natural conception and that our best hope for a sibling for our firstborn, Lara Anoushka, was via IVF.

Lara herself was an 'intervention baby', being one of the 20% of babies successfully conceived through the less intrusive IUI process, after a year and a half of trying naturally and already being told then my age was a debilitating factor.

We had tried another round of IUI for her sibling in 2017 when Lara was a year old. And that time we fell into the ranks of the 80% of would-be parents for whom it would be an exercise in futility... who would go home, comfort each other as best they could, while individually masking their own personal disappointment... hoping for the best, 'the next time around'...

So the improbability ratio of 97% against natural conception of our second baby, as concurred by the combined opinion of 3 medical professionals, was a very real, very daunting figure for us to have to mentally deal with.

Deep, DEEP, down in my heart however, though I had many a day of doubt... I kept a core kernel of faith that somehow, I would again experience the privilege of pregnancy, and again, have a chance at childbirth.

And so, the optimist in me would tell myself, "Well, there have to be people who fall in the 3% bucket... why shouldn't WE be part of the 3%?"

Those who know me well, understand my belief in the Law of Attraction, the philosophy of focusing your mind only on what you want to attract, not on what you don't want, and so even as Kishore and I prepared to go into significant personal debt to attempt IVF in the 2nd half of 2019, I marshalled a last ditch effort to hone in on that 3% chance of natural conception... through research coming across fertility supplements that I ordered from the US and sent to a friend in Singapore to redirect to me because the supplier would not deliver to Malaysia.

I made us as a couple take the supplements in the 3 month 'priming period' in the lead up to the IVF procedure - preconditioning our bodies for optimum results, if you will.

At the same time, I had invested in a sophisticated fertility monitor, with probes and digital sensors for daily tracking of saliva and other unmentionable fluid samples, designed to pinpoint with chemical accuracy my state of fertility on any given day.

(UPDATE: For those interested - I obtained the supplements and Ovacue Fertility Monitor from https://www.fairhavenhealth.com/. Though I had my supplies delivered to a friend in Singapore, and redirected to me here since the US site does not deliver to Malaysia, there are local distributors for these products, you will just have to research the trustworthiness of the vendors yourself...)

I had set an intention - in the 3 months of pre-IVF priming, I would consume what seemed like a pharmacy's worth of supplements, and track fertility religiously... in hopes that somehow, within the 3 month priming period, we would conceive naturally and potentially save ourselves a down payment on a new property... and this was just a projection on financial costs of IVF, not even considering the physical, emotional and mental toll it involves, with no guarantee of a baby at the end of it all...

It was a continuation of an intention embedded even with my first pregnancy, where all the big ticket baby items were consciously purchased for use by a future sibling, in gender neutral colours, in hopes that sibling would be a brother "for a balanced pair", though of course any healthy child would be a welcome blessing.

It was a very conscious determination to always skew my thoughts in service of what the end objective was. For example, when 3+year old Lara would innocently express impatience at not yet having a sibling, at one point suggesting that since we were "taking too long to give her a baby brother/sister", perhaps we should just "go buy a baby from a shop", instead of getting defensive or berating the baby that she herself was, we enlisted Lara's help to pray for her sibling... so in any place of worship, or sacred ground of any kind that we passed thereon, Lara would stop, close her eyes, bow her small head and place her tiny hands together in prayer, reciting earnestly, "Please God, please give me a baby brother or baby sister."

After months and months of watching Lara do this, in the constancy of her childlike chant, Kishore started feeling the pressure of possibly disappointing Lara if her prayer was not answered. Whereas for me, Lara's recitation of her simple wish became like a strengthening mantra, our collective intention imbued with greater power with each repetition, and the goal of a sibling kept very much in the forefront of our minds (hence our calling Lara our 'project manager' in this endeavour).

And somehow in the 2nd month of that 3 month period, a positive + sign appeared on one of the home pregnancy tests I had grown accustomed to taking - my version of the lottery tickets others keep buying in hopes of hitting the jackpot, with all the cyclical anticipation and more often than not, disappointment, that entails...

This time however I was not disappointed.

With God's Grace, (hence 'Kiaen', a variation of 'Kiaan' which means 'Grace of God'), my focus on our joining the ranks of the 3% had materialised.

It seems poetic then, that Kiaen chose to make his appearance on the 3rd May, ironically the same date that his paternal great-grandfather departed this world for the next... such that in the combined words of Kishore and his father Kai Vello Suppiah,

"The 1st generation Suppiah left on 3rd May and the 4th generation Suppiah arrived on 3rd May after 41yrs...
One leaves, another comes, the legacy lives on..."

***

KIAEN AARYAN SUPPIAH'S BIRTH STORY

On Sunday 3rd May, I was 40 weeks and 5 days pregnant.

The baby was, in my mind, very UN-fashionably late past his due date of 29th April, so as much as I had willed and 'manifested' the privilege of pregnancy, to say I was keen to be done with it all was an understatement.

In the weeks leading to up to my full term, I had experienced increasingly intense Braxton-Hicks 'practice contractions' - annoying for me for the discomfort involved, stressful for Kishore who was on tenterhooks with the false alarms, on constant alert for when we would actually need to leave home for the hospital.

Having become a Hypnobirthing student and advocate from my first pregnancy with Lara, and thus being equipped with
(1) a lack of fear about childbirth in general and
(2) a basic understanding of how all the sensations I would experience fit into the big picture of my body bringing our baby closer to us,
I was less stressed - content to wait for the baby to be "fully cooked" and come out whenever he was ready... though I wouldn't have minded at all if the cooking time ended sooner, rather than later.

With Lara, I had been somewhat 'forced' into an induced labour, even though she was not yet due, and that had resulted in a 5 DAY LABOUR, a Birth Story for another post, so I was not inclined to chemically induce labour, even though I was assured that for second time mothers, it would be 'much faster and easier'...

That morning, I had a hunch *maybe* that day was the day, because in contrast to previous weeks' sensations of tightening, pressure and even spasms that were concentrated in the front of my abdomen and occasionally shot through my sides and legs, I felt period - like cramping in my lower back which I had not felt before throughout the pregnancy.

It was about 8am in the morning then, and my 'surges' were still relatively mild ('surges' being Hypnobirthing - speak for 'contractions', designed to frame them with the more positive connotations needed to counteract common language in which childbirth is presented as something that is unequivocally painful and traumatic, instead of the miraculous, powerful and natural phenomenon it actually is).

I recall (masochistically?) entertaining the thought of opting NOT to have an epidural JUST TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE...

I figured this would be the last time I would be pregnant and so it would be my 'last chance' to experience 'drug free labour' which, apart from the health benefits for baby and mother, might be *interesting* in a way that people who are curious about what getting a tattoo and skydiving and bungee jumping are like, might find these *interesting*...even knowing there will be pain and risk involved...

Since I have tried tattoos and skydiving (unfortunately not being able to squeeze in bungee-jumping while my life was purely my own to risk at no dependents' possible detriment) a similar curiousity about a no-epidural labour was on my mind...

In the absence of other signs of the onset of labour (like 'bloody show' or my waters breaking), I wanted to wait until the surges were coming every few minutes before we actually left the house for the hospital, not wanting to be one of those couples who rushed in too early and had interminable waits for the next stage in unfamiliar, clinical surroundings and/or were made to go home in an anti-climatic manner.

I was even calm enough through my surges to have the presence of mind to wash and blowdry my hair, knowing if I did deliver soon I would not be allowed this luxury for a while.

Around 9am I asked Kishore to prep for Lara and himself to be dressed and breakfasted so we could head to hospital soon, while I sent messages to family members on both sides informing them 'today might be the day.'

My mother, who had briefly served as a midwife before going back into general nursing and then becoming a nursing tutor, prophetically stated that if what I was experiencing was true labour, "the baby would be out by noon".

The pace in which my surges grew closer together was surprisingly quicker than I expected; and while I asked Lara to "Hurry up with breakfast" with only a tad more urgency than we normally tell her to do, little Missy being prone to dilly-dallying at meals, I probably freaked Kishore out when about 930am onwards, I had to instinctively get on my hands and knees a couple of times, eyes closed, trying to practice the Hypnobirthing breathing techniques I had revised to help along the process of my body birthing our child into the world.

I recall him saying a bit frantically as I knelt at our front door, doubled over as he waited for Lara to complete something or other, "Lara hurry up! Can't you see Mama is in so much pain and you are taking your own sweet time??!!"

SIDETRACK: Just the night before, Lara and I had watched a TV show in which a woman gave birth with the usual histrionics accompanying pop culture depictions of labour.

Lara watched the scene, transfixed.

I told her, simply and matter-of-factly, "That's what Mama has to do to get baby brother out Lara, and that's what I had to do for you also."

In most of interactions with my daughter, I have sought to equip her to face life's situations with calmness, truthful common sense, and ideally a minimum of drama.

Those who know the dramatic diva that Lara can be will know that this is a work-in-progress, but her response to me that night showed me some of my 'teachings' were sinking in:

She looked at me unfazed, "But Mama," she said. "You won't cry and scream like that lady, right? You will be BRAVE and stay calm, right?"
#nopressure.

So as we prepped to leave for the hospital I did indeed attempt to be that role model of calm for her, asking her only for her help in keeping very quiet,
"Because Mama needs to focus on bringing baby brother out and she needs quiet to concentrate...".

As we left the house at 10.11am, I texted Kishore's sister Geetha to please prep to pick up Lara from the hospital, and was grateful Kishore had the foresight to ask our gynae to prepare a letter for Geetha to show any police roadblocks between my in-laws' home in Subang Jaya and the hospital in Bangsar, this all happening under the Movement Control Order (MCO).

To Lara's credit, in the journey over to the hospital, she - probably sensing the gravity of the situation, sat very quietly in her seat at the back, and the silence was punctuated only by my occasional deep intakes of breath and some variation of my Ohmmm-like moans when the sensations were at their height.

By the time we got to Pantai Hospital at around 10.30am, my surges were strong enough I requested a wheelchair to assist me in getting to the labour ward, as I did not trust my own legs to support me... and Kishore would have to wait until Geetha had arrived to take Lara back to my in-laws' house before he himself could go up.

I slumped in the wheelchair and was wheeled up to the labour room with my eyes closed the whole time, trying to handle my surges.

I didn't even look up to see the attendant who pushed me... but did make the effort to thank him sincerely when he handed me over, with what seemed like a palpable sense of relief on his part, to the labour ward nurses.

The nurse attending me at Pantai was calm, steady and efficient. I answered some questions and changed into my labour gown while waiting for Kishore to come up, all the while managing the increasingly intense surges with my rusty Hypnobirthing breathing techniques.

By the time Kishore joined me at around 11am (I know these timings based on the timestamps of the 'WhatsApp live feed' of messages Kishore sent to his family), I was asking the nurse on duty, "How soon can I get an epidural??" thinking what crazy woman thought she could do this without drugs???!!!

The nurse checked my cervix dilation, I saw her bloodied glove indicating my mucous plug had dislodged, and she told me, "Well you are already at 7cm (which, for the uninitiated, is 70% of the way to the 10cm dilation needed for birthing), you are really doing well, if you made it this far without any drugs, if can you try and manage without it... I suspect within 2 hours or less you will deliver your baby and since it will take about that time for the anaesthesiologist to be called, epidural to be administered and kick in... it might all be for nothing... but of course the decision is completely up to you... "

So there I was, super torn, should I risk the sensations becoming worse... or risk the epidural becoming a waste?? And of course I was trying to decide this as my labour surges were coming at me stronger and stronger...

I was in such a dilemma...because as a 'recovering approval junkie' there was also a silly element of approval-seeking involved, ("The nurse thinks I can do this without drugs... maybe I CAN do this without drugs... Yay me!") mixed with that element of curiosity I mentioned earlier ("What if I actually CAN do this without drugs... plenty of other women have done it all over the world since time immemorial.. no big deal, how bad can it be...??") so then I thought I would use the financial aspect to be the 'tiebreaker' in my decision making...

I asked the nurse how much an epidural would cost and when she replied "Around MYR1.5k", I still remember Kishore's incredulous face as I asked the question, i.e."Seriously babe, you are gonna think about money right now? If you need the epidural TAKE IT, don't worry about the money!!!"... and while we are not rich by any stretch of the imagination, thankfully RM1.5k is not a quantum that made me swing towards a decision to "better save the money"...

So in the end, I guess my curiosity won out, and I turned down the epidural "just to see what it would be like and if I had it in me" (in addition of course to avoiding the side effects of any drugs introduced into my and the baby's body).

My labour occuring in the time of coronavirus, it was protocol for me to have a COVID19 test done, so the medical staff could apply the necessary precautions. I had heard from a friend Sharon Ruba that the test procedure was uncomfortable, so when the nurse came with the test kit as I was starting another surge, I asked, "Please can I just finish this surge before I do the test?" as I really didn't think I could multitask tackling multiple uncomfortable sensations in one go.

The COVID19 test involved what felt like a looong, skinny cotton bud being inserted into one nostril... I definitely felt more than a tickle as it went in and up, being told to take deep breaths by the nurse. Then she asked me to "Try to swallow" and I felt it go into my nasal cavities where I didn't think anything could go any further, but was proven wrong when she asked me to swallow again and the swab was probed even deeper. Then she warned me there would be some slight discomfort as she prepared to collect a sample... but at that point all I could think about was:

(i) I really don't have much of a choice
(ii) please let this be over before my next surge kicks in
(iii) if all the people breaking the MCO rules knew what it feels like to do this test maybe they won't put themselves at risk of the need to perform one...

In full disclosure as I was transferred into the actual delivery room at some point after 11am, another nurse offered me 'laughing gas' to ostensibly take some of the edge off... I took the self-operated breathing nozzle passed to me but don't recall it making any difference to my sensations..so didn't use it much as it seemed pretty pointless.

I recall some measure of relief when I heard my gynae Dr. Paul entering the room, greeting Kishore and me, and telling us it was going well and it wouldn't be long now and he would see us again shortly.

From my previous labour with Lara I knew the midwives pretty much take you 90% of the way through the labour and when the Dr is called in you are really at the home stretch, so was very relieved to hear his voice though knowing he would leave and come back later meant it wasn't quite over yet.

I do remember realising when I had crossed the Thinning and Opening Phase of labour to the Birthing Phase, by the change in sensations... it is still amazing to me that as the Hypnobirthing book mentioned, having this knowledge I was instinctively able to switch breathing techniques for the next stage of labour .

Was my opting against epidural the right choice for me?

Overall? Yes.

Don't get me wrong.

I *almost* regretted the decision several times during active labour... especially when I felt my body being taken over by an overwhelming compulsion to push that did not seem conscious and was accompanied by involuntary gutteral moans where I literally just thought to myself, "I surrender, God do with me what you will..." (super dramatic I know but VERY real at the time...).

I think I experienced 3-4 such natural explusive reflexes (?), rhythmically pushing the baby down the birth path, one of which was accompanied by what felt like a swoosh of water coming out of a hose with a diameter the size of a golf ball... this was when I realised my water had finally broken...

The nurses kept instructing me to do different things, to keep breathing, to move to my side, then to move to the middle, to raise my feet... and when I didn't comply, Kishore (who was with me throughout both my labours) tried to help them by repeating the instructions prefaced with "Sayang..." but I basically ignored all the intructions because I felt I had no capacity to direct any part of my body to do anything and someone else would have to physically manoeuvre that body part themselves.

When I heard Dr. Paul's voice again and the flurry of commotion surrounding his presence, I knew the time was close... and when I heard the nurse say to Kishore, "Sir, these are your gloves, for when you cut the baby's cord", it was music to my ears...

I'm very, VERY grateful Kiaen slid out after maybe the 4th of those involuntary pushes... the wave of RELIEF when he came out so quickly... it still boggles my mind that my mother was essentially right and as his birth time was 12.02pm, it was *only* about 1.5 hours between our arrival at the hospital and his arrival into the world.

Kiaen was placed on my chest for skin to skin bonding and remained there for a considerable time.

For our short stay in the hospital he would be with us in my maternity ward number C327... another trivially serendipitous sign for me because he was born on the 3rd (May) and our wedding anniversary is 27th (July).

I was discharged the following day 4th May at about 5.30pm, after I got an all clear on COVID19 and a paediatric surgeon did a small procedure on Kiaen to address a tongue-tie that would affect his breastfeeding latch... making the entire duration of our stay about 31 hours.

I have taken the time and effort to record all this down so that whenever life's challenges threaten to get me down I can remind myself, "Ignore the 97% failure probability, focus on the 3% success probability".

Also that the human condition is miraculous and it is such a privilege to experience it.

To our son Kiaen Aaryan, thank you for coming into our lives and choosing us as your parents.

Even though Papa and I are both zombies trying to settle into a night time feeding routine with you, I look forward to spending not only all future Mother's Days, but every day, with you and your Akka...

And last but not least, to my husband Kishore...without whom none of this would be possible - we did it sayang, I love you ❤️

Photo credit: Stayhome session with Samantha Yong Photography (http://samanthayong.com/)

天氣變冷了，今天晚上6-12pm不想出門的人,還是歡迎大家到【粉絲貼文】【轉貼連結】區聽音樂、小聚、取暖。【今天請大家聽一首我很愛很愛的歌。】：Across the univers最早是約翰藍儂唱的。過去我沒有特別注意。可是被大才女 Fiona Apple翻唱，配上拍攝極佳的MV之後，那個『無限永恆之愛似燦爛千陽照耀』的美麗世界，竟對我產生了一股莫大的震憾。是我非常喜歡、非常喜歡的一支MV這首歌的副歌裡有四個字是梵文，一定要翻譯，它們分別代表了穿越宇宙的四個字【Jai Guru Deva Om】：【永生、導師、上蒼、天行】。在美麗的假期裡，送給大家這首簡直可以當成『信念』聽的歌： Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind,Possessing and caressing me.
Jai guru de va om. Nothing's gonna change my world, Nothing's gonna change my world. 話語似無盡的雨落入紙杯滿溢
它們滑行經過，滑動穿越宇宙。憂傷之池、歡喜之浪，在我開放的心中飄浮，占有我、撫慰我。永生、導師、上蒼、天行。沒什麼可以動搖我的世界。沒什麼可以動搖我的世界。Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes, That call me on and on across the universe,
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box they
Tumble blindly as they make their way
Across the universe
Jai guru de va om
Nothing's gonna change my world, Nothing's gonna change my world. 光影破碎在我面前翩翩起舞，似千眼萬眼，召喚著我穿越宇宙，
思緒蜿蜒似郵箱之中不息的風，跌跌撞撞盲目地尋找出路穿越宇宙永生、導師、上蒼、天行。沒什麼可以動搖我的世界，沒什麼可以動搖我的世界。

Sounds of laughter shades of earth are ringing
Through my open views inviting and inciting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a
Million suns, it calls me on and on，
Across the universe.
Jai guru de va om .
Nothing's gonna change my world, Nothing's gonna change my world. 歡笑的聲音、大地的陰影，鈴聲般地響著，穿透我寬闊視野，吸引我、激發我。無限永恆的愛似燦爛千陽照耀，召喚我，召喚我究越宇宙。永生、導師、上蒼、天行。沒什麼可以改變我的世界。沒什麼可以改變我的世界。 /很好聽吧？

字幕をつけてみてね！！！Japanese subs are online!
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※この商品はリップだけではなく、箱全体の体験がとても大事とされているので、飾りなども時間をかけてお見せしていきたいと思います♪
Cation: The most important part of the product is the experience, including the box and the decoration which is why I spent lots of time in making sounds with the decoration as well as the lipstick itself :)

Hi! Katie here:) Today I tried reviewing the wonderful lipstick. This video is a mess and I look like Shrek but I did my best -_- Thank u so much for watching! Please follow my twitter, instagram and subscribe&like? love u guys and have a good night??

1:54 Tapping on the box 箱をタッピング
3:12 Scratching on the box 箱をネイルスクラッチング
4:40 Scratching on bumpy surface 凸凹してる所をネイルスクラッチング
6:32 Tracing Words 文字をなぞる
10:04 Close Whisper マイクに近めの囁き
11:50 Tapping on the letter 手紙をタッピング
13:26 Close Whisper マイクに近めの囁き
15:48 Tapping on & Messing around with pop rocks パチパチキャンディをタッピングしたりして遊ぶ
16:30 Eating Pop rocks パチパチキャンディを食べる音
17:39 Tapping on & Messing around with pop rocks パチパチキャンディをタッピングしたりして遊ぶ
18:36 Eating Pop rocks パチパチキャンディを食べる音
22:24 Tapping & Scratching on the lipstick 口紅をタッピング＆ネイルスクラッチング
26:57 Applying lipstick 口紅をつける
32:19 Repeating Thank you ありがとうを繰り返して言う

どうも！けいとです。今回の動画ではASMRtistryさんから頂いた「ASMRtistry One Lipstick」をレビューしてみました！！初めてのレビューでもうぐちゃぐちゃですが頑張りました?所々顔がシュレックみたいになってますがそこはお目々を閉じておいてください笑。それと服装が今回慣れないラッパーさんみたいになってます詳細はツイッターの方でお話してます笑笑
見てくださってありがとうございました！！高評価、チャンネル登録、通知、ツイッター＆インスタフォローよろしくおねがいします＾＾励みになります！みんないつもありがとう おやすみ??

Please help me put subtitles on my videos! x
字幕をつけてくださる方がいればご協力よろしくおねがいします！
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☆その89☆
ボールペンで文字を書いています。
無言です。バイノーラルマイク使用。


I writing letters with a pen.
No talking. Binaural sounds.


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The "Air Force" GT-R (R35) was the first Liberty Walk (LB Performance) wide body Nissan GT-R in the United States. Paul is an active duty Air Force member who loves his JDM and along with his many sponsors and the personal assistance of Wataru Kato (President of Liberty Walk) built one of the coolest LB Works GT-R outside of Japan. The car is a multiple show winner and was proudly on display near the entrance to SEMA. Steve hasn't seen Paul in almost a year, and has yet to see the car finished. It was a great opportunity to convince his friend to let Steve take the wheel of the car for a little test drive!!

Thank you Paul for your service and for building an awesome car!

Shot & Edited by Media Focus, Inc. (http://www.media-focus.com）

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Captain - Topher Mohr and Alex Elena : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xleiSFkDQMc
Donors - Letter box : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LUC2B_Bpd0
Cig Swag - Jingle Punks :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPsMQeEb35I
ludwig von dubstep - Doug Maxwell/ Media Right Productions : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFK2aVFecRQ

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