The extended long weekend / "love myself campaign" is almost coming to an end with just a day left.

Truth be told, I hardly feel rested or that I've had enough me time, despite that nice 3 hours of mindless YouTube surfing on Day 2.

Last night I was waking up every hour since 2am, and the little one decided to wake up at 5am this morning to party. She eventually went back to sleep at 6ish, with me curled up at the end of her mattress.

She slept till 8am, rolled to one side of the mattress, sat up, looked at me with her extreme lion bed hair and said, "I wake up."

My neck and back were already numb by then, but just for that nice little moment in the morning, I guess it was worth it.

We played for a while before waking the hubs up.

So everyone else had a glorious and (relatively) late start this morning.. but I had a dull headache since perhaps 2 days ago that never really went away.

Popped a panadol and tried to keep up with the rest of the day.

Times like this just makes me feel slightly resentful, that it's so hard being a woman. You are expected to be a good mother, take care of everything, and bring in the money.

So perhaps it's not a bad thing to get back to work again. At least I'd be so busy feeling busy, I wouldn't feel the exhaustion as much, or to wallow in self pity.

The good things that happened over the past few days:

🔹I started on physiotherapy for my back. It's still early days and hasn't really relieved the pain, but the assessment is very logical and I learned more about the cause of the pain which I wouldn't have known otherwise.

My physiotherapist recommended a course of action which I'm really to try. But it comes with time and money commitment so I hope things work out, especially on the time part because she only works weekdays from 830am to 3pm. 😂

So I need to block out my calendar to take some time off for the sessions before returning to work.

And she's expensive! $140 per 30-minute session so imma try to claim despite the hassle. 😂

🔹I got a hair cut. Always nice to go for hair cuts.

🔹I started watching a Korean drama. Of course, can't do it a back to back break neck speed so only three episodes so far and it's not the most recent drama.

So far so good. It's got all the elements I love – young love, swimmers, kinship, comedy, bittersweetness – all packed in one "Weight-lifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo".

The title sounds almost absurd and reminds me of the time I told my sis #3, oh I'm watching legend of the blue sea.

She asked me, oh what is it about?

And I said, it's about a mermaid.

And she immediately laughed at the absurdity of the drama serial about a mermaid. And probably the fact that I'm watching it. 😂

Anyway we both enjoyed that show in the end so I hope this one wouldn't disappoint.

🔹The list of #thingsclarissasays continues to grow. She says the funniest things.

These days she has been adding the word "what" to the end of her sentences, like a true blue Singaporean. Even the tone and tonality were spot-on.

👧: Clarissa, go and wipe your hands.
👶: I wipe already whaaat.

😂😂😂
I tried to correct her, "It should be 'I have already wiped my hands; don't need to say the what", but she said, "No, this is correct what!"

*I fainted again*

Today's the hubs' grandma's birthday and we've prepared her about the crowd.

She was uncharacteristically silent throughout the car ride to my in-law's place.

When we reached, she told the hubs, "I'm scared" and held onto him tightly.
She mostly kept to us/herself but ate her lunch very well and after everyone left, she very sweetly went to grandma's room with me and said "生日快乐" to her, loud and clear.

She was her usualy self when we got home and talking up a storm after dinner.

Our helper was amused and remarked, how come she's not tired?

I told her she's really a different person when she's at Ah-gong's place, and turned to ask the little one, "Clarissa, why are you so quiet at Ah-gong's place?"

She looked up and said to me, "Because I don't want to talk."

😂😂😂

She's been having a runny nose since two days ago and her voice is sounding like a boy's.

To be safe, we decided not to take her swimming today.

In the lift on our way home, she asked us, "Are we going swimming today?"

I had to tell her, no we can't because Clarissa has a runny nose.

Her little face fell in disappointment (aww) but almost immediately she sniffed her nose, and turned it up to show me, "See? No more mucus already!"

Good try. 😂

But we said no, and that we'll bring her next week when she's really better.

Before bedtime she asked me, "What is Ah-gong doing now?"

"Hmm I don't know? Maybe sleeping?" I said to her.

"Ah-gong drink milk?" She asked, her big round eyes looking all curious and concerned.

I was surprised by her question. "I don't think Ah-gong needs to drink milk?" I answered.

She looked at me and nodded her head.

"Yes, only Clarissa and little babies need to drink milk." was her matter-of-fact response.

😂😂😂

I still find it amazing, how she's equal parts cheeky and sweet.

The girl who talks back at me "I do already whaaat" is the same girl who'd ask me, "is your back painful?" when I let out a loud sigh while sitting down, and who'd then help me lift my other leg up onto the bed. 😢

I feel better already, just writing about her.