Why I’d have no problems undergoing a mastectomy.

Today, the world is abuzz with news that Angelina Jolie had a prophylactic mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer as a BRCA1 gene carrier. I’m sure it wasn’t as easy a decision as she made it sound on her New York Times column. After all, she’s an actress and makes her living from her image. Now that she has breast implants, it’ll be very obvious that her breasts are not natural whenever she wears clothes that bare her decolletage.

I would have few, if any, problems making the decision that Jolie did. Not so much because it makes medical sense, but because my breasts are a huge burden in every sense of the word. In primary school, I bore the brunt of my schoolmates’ jokes about my ampleness. Once when I found my training bra too uncomfortable after a PE lesson, I hid under a table in class and took it off, only to be discovered by my friends and have the aforementioned bra snatched from me and whirled in the air to the rousing chant of, “Jean’s wearing a bra! Jean’s wearing a bra!”

As a teenager, I would get heckled daily by workers at the shops near my home, on the way back from school. Thanks to them, I became an expert at the art of delivering the one finger salute. I’m no looker, but I still get cat calls and wolf whistles once in a while – I simply pretend that I’m deaf or, if I’m in a particularly foul mood, turn around and tell the offending idiot off.

Social inconveniences, however, are nothing compared to the physical limitations of being chesty. Most of my female friends who are much less well-endowed tell me they’d kill to have my boobs, but they don’t know what a challenge my breasts pose. I have limited choices when it comes to buying lingerie. Before La Senza opened in Singapore, it seemed that bras in size 34DD had to either come in ugly beige lace, or be built like industrial-grade hoists. Even though I now have a place to buy my bras, they rarely go on sale. I limit my shopping to my birthday month when I get a special discount. Definitely no impulse-buying of lingerie for me. When I need to buy clothes, I have to make sure that they will go with my bras because strapless and multi-way bras that are comfortable for someone of my size are hard to come by.

The physical discomforts of hefting the equivalent of two cantaloupes around all the time are also not to be scoffed at. I have had back and shoulder issues for years, and firmly believe that they are caused by the weight of my breasts. I hunch, because it’s difficult to sit and stand up straight. Since gravity will do its awful work, I am in perpetual danger of looking rather like one of those tribal women with breasts reaching down to her knees.

Still, whenever I suggest getting a breast reduction, K balks. Alison and Zoe, too, are attached to my breasts as they were breastfed for 21 months and 14 months respectively, and like to cuddle up against my side sometimes. I suppose I should be thankful that my breasts were useful for a time, and are appreciated. They are too much of a load to me to be viewed as anything other than burdens.

How liberating it would be to not have perpetual weights attached to my chest. Not having to wear a bra all the time would also be bliss. More realistically, if I ever need a mastectomy, I’d probably undergo reconstruction so that my husband won’t feel like he’s married to a boy. But I’d pick an A cup so I’d never again have to grapple with melons.

Edited to add: I feel compelled to state that I know full well that a mastectomy is major surgery and that the post-operative recovery is an arduous process. This post does not discount the difficulties of recovering from a mastectomy. 

MummyMOO

 

Five While Alive: Places I’d Like to Visit.

People have been making bucket lists ever since Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman embarked on a mission to tick off to-do items before they died on the big screen. I myself have so many things I’d like to square away before I kick the bucket. Life is so short and we often forget all the things we say we want to do, so I thought I’d start Five While Alive, a series of posts with no deadline (pun fully intended) and no fixed agenda, except to make lists of things to see, do, hear, taste or otherwise experience before I buy the farm, push up daisies, become worm food, whatever. To kick off, here are five places I’d like to visit in my lifetime.

Santorini, Greece

Santorini-Village of Oia 2
There’s something so alluring about this sun-bathed town clinging to the sheer cliff face of a volcanic caldera. I’d like to see the blueness of the sky and the ocean, and walk through the labyrinthine alleys to admire the traditional architecture. Too bad I’m not much of a wine drinker – Santorini is famous for its vinsanto.

Shirakawago in winter

The Gassho Houses

Shirakawago is a World Heritage-listed village in Gifu prefecture, central Japan that’s famous for its farmhouses with steep slanting roofs. Every year at wintertime (January and February), the entire village lights up. It’s more magical than Disneyland!

Morocco
Morocco

Morocco is such a study in contrasts – endless golden sand dunes, snow-capped mountains, cosmopolitan cities plus vibrantly colourful markets and a melting pot of cultures and religions.

The United Kingdom
Stonehenge
If we ever go on a second honeymoon, I would love for it to be a long trip covering England, Scotland and Ireland. England to have tea with the Queen, Scotland to visit Fife which is the origin of my surname and Ireland to look for leprechauns.

Israel

Western (Wailing) Wall  - Jerusalem

Journeying to Israel to visit all the places mentioned in the Bible and to retrace Jesus’ footsteps – I think that would make the Bible really come alive for me. It’s by no means a compulsory pilgrimage, but an important one for faith.

 

Join me on this list-making journey, if you will!

Wee Stories Five While Alive




Public Garden at the National Museum

I really enjoy visiting flea markets and always try to visit them when I’m travelling. Unfortunately, Singapore doesn’t have a fixed market, so flea market fans have to rely on pop-up events for an alternative to the boring same-old same-old on Orchard Road. We dropped by Public Garden at the National Museum last month and were pleasantly surprised by the variety of goods on sale there. I didn’t take very many photos because I was busy browsing, but here are a few.

Public Garden

Yummy baked goods for sale – very tempting just before lunchtime.

Once Upon a Milkshake

Alison and Zoe each had a green tea milkshake from Once Upon a Milkshake.

wheniwasfour

I really liked the items sold by wheniwasfour, especially the large five stones cushion. Check them out at wheniwasfour.com.

Personal seal.

Alison bought a seal with her initial and wax for sealing letters to her friends.

Public Garden

Country/shabby chic stall.

Public Garden

Zoe bought two adjustable rings that were way too big for her and declared, “My style is very bling.”

The next Public Garden flea market will be held from 18-19 May from 1-7pm at the MCI (formerly MICA) building. To learn more about Public Garden, check out their website.

What’s in my work bag.

Adeline started a fun little linky inviting people to reveal what’s in their bags, so here’s what’s in my work bag. I use much smaller bags and travel a lot lighter on the weekends. This is what I tote around from Monday to Friday.

IMG_6542

The red pouch in the middle is an Agnes B purse organiser that came free with a magazine a couple of years ago. I throw almost everything into it, so that it’s easy to transfer my stuff from one bag to another. It’s a bit too small to fit everything nicely, but I haven’t gotten around to getting a bigger one yet.

In no particular order, the other stuff is…

Earphones
I seldom listen to music on the go, and when I do it’s usually because someone on the train is listening to techno at full blast at 8am, so I plug in to some soothing choons to block out the noise.

iPhone
Can’t live with it, can’t live without it.

Phone charger
A must-have, especially when I’m running media events at work and need to stay contactable for journalists to reach me.

Kindle Touch with purple embossed Oberon leather cover
I have a 40-minute commute each way, every day, so I catch up on my reading on the Kindle.

Watch and wedding ring
I throw these into my bag when I go for exercise classes at work. They are usually on my hand.

Stolen pen
Nicked that pen from a conference that I attended. I like it because it writes very smoothly. I should have helped myself to a few more!

Foldable bag
Yes, that red round lump is a foldable bag.

Keys
Self-explanatory. One set is for home, the other for my pedestal drawers at work.

Name card case, EZ-link card case, work ID
Also self-explanatory.

Random small strip of Panadol
I dumped this in my bag as a just-in-case when I was having a headache several weeks ago.

Tampon pouch
In a cheery yellow colour to help lift my black mood when Aunt Flo comes to visit.

Loyalty card pouch
For all the loyalty cards that I’ve accumulated over the years but somehow never seem to use.

Wallet
My mom gave me this wallet for Christmas two years ago. I love it because the pebbled leather is very hard wearing and the colour masks dirt very well.

The Accidental Mom Blogger

Lunch at Sushi Airways

Usually, when June and I meet for lunch, she picks the place because she’s so much more of a foodie than I. But this time, I suggested that we pay a visit to Sushi Airways, a tiny Japanese airplane-themed restaurant tucked away on the second floor of a shophouse on the corner of Bussorah and Baghdad Street in the Kampong Glam area. We both love Japanese food, and since Sushi Airways’ chef Wong Eun Chun was previously from the Grand Hyatt, I thought it’d be worth a try.

The restaurant was pretty busy while we were there so I didn’t get any decent interiors of the place, but you can see plenty of photos taken by others and published online. I thought the decor deserved A+ for effort, but air travel really has nothing to do with Japanese food so I didn’t see the connection. Unless of course, you fly JAL. Even then, it’s not like the food at Sushi Airways is served airplane style – that would have really cheapened the really pricey fare.

But less talk, more photos!

Shake at Sushi Airways.

I was hungry so I ordered a serving of shake ($18.90) while waiting for June to arrive. Nice thick pieces, oh so fresh.

June and I decided that we would just share two items, for fear of over-ordering and also to save some room for dessert, which is always a must-have when June is around. We ordered the premium assorted sushi of the day (small plate, $38) and the recommended kani mentai cheese (also $38), which is crab meat with baked cheese and mentai.

Sushi Airways assorted sushi plate

The sushi plate was very…

Sushi Airways assorted sushi plate

…very…

Sushi Airways assorted sushi plate

…long!

We were quite stuffed by the time we’d finished everything on the plate. The sashimi slices were super thick (not that we complained!) and the portions of rice generous, making each piece extremely filling. We congratulated ourselves for not having ordered too much. And then the kani mentai cheese arrived. I love cheese in any form, so I’m biased, but I thought this was really delicious. I loved the different textures – the ebiko which burst into little fireworks of flavour, the gooey cheese, the chewy rice. Just, yum.

Sushi Airways kani mentai cheese

Presentation was a bit messy, but it went down a treat.

We quailed at the sight of so many pieces, but gamely finished all of it. There was no more room for dessert when we were done, for sure.

Our bill came up to just under $100 with tea. There’s no denying that Sushi Airways serves good quality grub, but methinks the renovation cost has been built into the prices. Will we be back? There are many other Japanese restaurants out there to be tried, some of which probably offer better value for money.

Sushi Airways
20A Baghdad Street
Singapore 199659
Open Mon-Sun 12.30-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm
Tel: 6291 1151 (reservations recommended)

Art of the Brick by Nathan Sawaya.

We finally managed to make it to the Art of the Brick exhibition over the weekend. The girls had been dying to go for the longest time. Between K being away and weekends packed with coaching after he returned, it was hard to find a day where all four of us could visit together. But the heavy rains on Sunday freed K from coaching, so off to the ArtScience Museum we went!

Art of the Brick is an exhibition featuring Lego-based sculptures by New York brick artist Nathan Sawaya. He creates pretty amazing stuff using standard Lego bricks – the exhibition in Singapore showcases only a small selection of his body of work. You can see other exhibitions and his latest creations on his website.

The magic of Lego.

The magic of Lego, in Sawaya’s words.

Here are photos of just a couple of the exhibits:

Yellow by Nathan Sawaya

Sometimes, we all feel like we need to get out of our own skin.

Ascension, by Nathan Sawaya.

Ascension, my personal favourite.

Hands, by Nathan Sawaya.

Hands – one of the first sculptures you see when you enter the exhibition.

This is what writer's block feels like.

This is what writer’s block feels like.

Lego T-rex.

The T-rex was easily the most impressive sculpture in the entire exhibition, for its sheer scale.

There were also opportunities to play with Lego, which made Zoe very happy. Even though we have an extensive collection of Lego at home, it seems that nothing beats playing with other people’s bricks!

Zoe attempting to recreate the teardrop found in Rain.

Zoe attempting to recreate the rain drop found in Rain.

Of course, we had to pose with the Blue Man in Chair. K and Alison were up for it, but Zoe was too busy trying to build the aforementioned rain drop.

Blue Man in Chair.

Hmmph!

"Let me tell you a secret."

“Let me tell you a secret.”

All in all, it was great fun. I didn’t really appreciate the pandemonium around the play tables near the exit, but I suppose they needed to include something for the kids to do after about an hour of looking at Lego sculptures. It was also good marketing for the little makeshift Lego shop that you have to walk through to get out of the gallery, for sure.

Art of the Brick has been extended till 26 May, so there’s still time for you to visit!

The scenic career route.

I rarely, if ever, mention work on this blog. But I’m breaking my own rule today to talk about work, in the context of finding what you love to do, and doing it. I think very few people can claim to have known right off the bat what they wanted to do with their lives. Most people go through an evolution of sorts and if they are lucky enough, discover their calling after a few detours. It’s definitely been that way for me.

When I was young, I wanted to be many things that had nothing whatsoever to do with my abilities, but everything to do with the “cool factor”. I wanted to be an air stewardess because I thought it would be lovely to jet set all over the world, not realising that stewardessing is a really tough job and that travelling all the time would take a toll on my wellbeing. Then, I wanted to be a professional pianist, disregarding the fact that although I could play a decent Für Elise, my limited talent would not earn me a living. After that, I was attracted to hospitality management – again, because of my insatiable wanderlust and my inexplicable affinity for hotels. I also wanted to be a zoologist because I liked animals, never mind that I’m allergic to animal dander.

I became a writer quite by chance – I saw an ad for a freelance writer one day, answered it, and started writing for the now-defunct missKat.com. Another ad for a book reviewer got me a regular gig with Acmabooks.com. I built up enough of a portfolio from working for these two clients to land a job at a major advertising agency, which I promptly turned down (earning me an earful from the creative director because, you know, there are hundreds of other people who’d die for the chance to work at this agency) in favour of a copywriting position at a boutique agency. After that, I moved from job to job in communications, until I finally discovered that health communication is what I’ve been meant to do all along.

Six years in, health still doesn’t fail to fascinate me. It’s such a rapidly-evolving field and there’s always something new to discover. Even though I grumble at times about having to wade through extremely technical papers on esoteric subjects such as gene discovery, I enjoy being able to learn continuously. Working in health communication won’t make me rich, but it’s broadened my mind immeasurably, which I think is more valuable than money. I wish I’d discovered my calling sooner – I might not have made so many diversions along the way!

Because of my experiences, I counsel Alison and Zoe about the importance of thinking about what they want to do with their lives. I want them to think about their futures not because I want to push them in a specific direction, but because developing self-awareness of their talents and abilities can minimise the number of career crossroads they encounter, and the resultant anxiety and uncertainty. Detours are not necessarily a bad thing because they can be learning opportunities in themselves, but not everyone enjoys the scenic route to a destination.

Alison wants to be a production designer - no, not a doctor, lawyer or accountant. K and I want to be able to offer her career guidance specific to her ambitions so we have to do research. It’s still early days, but hopefully when the time comes for her to decide on her next step, we will be ready to help her make the right choices.

 

Linking up with:

 photo I_always_wante_to_be_zps97e2c5ba.jpg

MummyMOO
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