Call me Miss Flamingo.

Birthday party ...

2010-02-09T12:22:00.041+03:00

My husband turned 1 year older just few days ago and believe it or not, we didn't celebrate (big) at all. Yeap, you read that right -- no celebration, no birthday dinner and worst, no birthday present! Initially I wanted to take him out for a nice dinner but we had committed to a party on his birthday eve much earlier and then there's my son's birthday party on his birth day itself so jadinya he terpaksa tumpang our son's birthday party and tiup lilin together. Jadi lah kan ..

And as for the birthday present, I seriously don't know what else to get him! I've literally given him everything under the sun and I am running out of ideas. His current obsession is this remote control car, Hpi Racing Baja 5B, but itu pun he dah beli every single thing he needed. And plus I have zero knowledge about the RC car so tak berani lah nak memandai2 beli spare part ke accessories ke, nanti tak ngam and he tak suka, membazir plak! So his birthday present is still pending .. my OtherHalf said he'll let me know if there's anything he wants but for his birthday he requested for a special birthday cake, so I made him this .. :)

As for the little birthday boy, I made him an airplane birthday cake as he is soooooo fond of airplanes! The cake was a hit (I think) as the only thing left after the party was the plane's tail!

My son's exact birth date is actually not until tomorrow but since it falls on a weekday and my in laws pun ada kat sini, we decided to celebrate earlier. As for his real birthday tomorrow, we are going to celebrate at school with his classmates. No birthday cakes though, just cupcakes and little favors for the kids. Cukup syarat lah and plus dia pun still oblivious to the birthday party. Believe it or not, there are still un-opened birthday presents lying around at home as he is happy with the ones he had opened earlier. He he he ...

Anyway, happy birthday to my OtherHalf and dearest son ... you both rock my world :)

A quickie

2010-01-25T21:39:00.001+03:00

Just a quick note so i won't forget in the future, Baby#2 has started rolling front-to-back yesterday :)

Baby#2's Rolling Over Milestone

. back-to-front @ 3.5 months ie 1st December 2009

. front-to-back @ 5 months ie 24th January 2010

He has also figured out how to move forward by shuffling his bottom and slithering on his stomach. Macam ulat beluncas! I think he'll be crawling soon enough .. he he he!

Well done, my boy!

Kuih melayu : project 1 ... LULUS!

2010-01-19T22:45:00.003+03:00

Apakah itu?

It's Tepung Pelita, baby!

Kira lulus tak ni? :)

Or, to be exact, home-made tepung pelita. He he he!

Don't play2 ahh ... yours truly can make tepung pelita now. Got the recipe from here but I quartered the ingredients sebab nak try dulu .. kot tak menjadi taklah membazir. Nasib baik jadi and rasa pun boleh la tahan (kot).

For those who know me in person mesti terkejut .. hah? Miss Flamingo buat kuih melayu? Apa kes? FYI, I am not a fan of kuih melayu. Honestly, I can't even tell the name of the kuehs (as I don't eat them) and the only kueh melayu that I love is Karipap, which probably isn't even an authentic kueh melayu. I am ashamed to admit that I have only started eating kueh melayu after we migrated to this country. Biasalah kan, bila kat Ms14, kuih2 tu semua easily accessable kat tepi jalan taknak pandang. Bila dah tinggal kat negara orang and daun pandan pun susah nak carik, baru lah nak ingat asal usul, baru lah sebok nak belajar buat kueh melayu. Huh! :)

Nantikan "Kuih melayu : project 2" pula (tapi entah bila la kan).

Mask clearing ... it's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

2010-01-19T16:34:00.004+03:00

Don't you just hate it when your mask gets foggy underwater? I've tried everything from shampoo, spitting method, toothpaste etc but nothing works and my mask still gets foggy.

If you're not a diver, the above clip is a demo on how you can defog your mask underwater but let me tell you this, it's not really as easy as it looks. I mean, if you're not rabun then you probably won't have much problem. And it's also fine if you're wearing a mask with a prescription lens but what if you're not? How are you going to deliberately flood your mask with your contact lenses on? And no .. don't tell me to close my eyes underwater .. dibuatnya tengah tutup mata tu terlanggar lion fish ker, tak ker naya! Hehehehe. And the worst case is if you're like me -- it always takes at least 2-3 blows for me to flush all the water out. And believe me, it could get frustrating especially when your buddy is happily swimming and you sorang2 terkulat-kulat nak defog mask. Get what I mean?

But thank god, I have found a solution to my fogging issues :)

Can you see that white little round thing sticking on my lens? It's a Mask Fog Wiper and it is the ultimate solution to all my fogging issues!

How does it work? Easy peasy -- just like a car's wiper, all you have to do is wipe your lens by pushing the magnetic disc and voila! Your mask is fog-free again! And don't worry as it won't block your view; just push them to the side of your mask and you won't even notice they're there! The only problem is that the magnets are so strong that it interferes with the compass navigation but other than that ... an awesome invention and I love, love, love, love, love it!

You can get it from Amazon at only $6.99!

Sama tapi tak serupa

2010-01-18T18:55:00.002+03:00

Look at her dress ...

And now look at mine.

Look similar, eh?
The only major difference is she probably paid thousands of dollars for her dress while mine only cost few hundred ringgits. Hehe ...

I want!

2010-01-17T11:11:00.002+03:00

I was just looking at a friend's album on their recent diving trip in Australia and I was overwhelmed with jealousy! The pictures are all so nice and colorful and oh my god, so sharp! But don't ask lah what camera they are using as the husband is a professional underwater photographer so mestilah gambar2 semua cantik2 belaka. And naturally, the wife becomes the subject in almost all of the pictures alongside the fishies ... lucky her!

I've been wanting to get an underwater camera for the longest time; a simple one, just so I could take pictures whenever I go scuba and do that signature diver pose -- you know, the one where they do the 'OK' sign like in the picture below.

Image from JupiterImages

But knowing my OtherHalf, he is very particular when it comes to gadgets (atually, he is very particular in everything) and always, always, always insists on the best. And not listening to his opinion in this department would mean endless comments on picture quality, how the camera is such a waste of money and bla bla bla. Boleh berdarah telinga ni dibuatnya but I know at the end of the day that he's (always) right. My OtherHalf is really good in this department that he is his friends and families' personal reference point before purchasing anything gadget-related be it TV, camera, PCs, laptop etc.

Anyway, I actually have my eye on the Sealife DC1000 (the one in the picture below) and I've read many positive reviews on this camera. I think for an amateur underwater photog like myself, this should suffice, don't you think? The only problem is I feel that it's kind of pricey for a camera that I don't use everyday so I'm hoping, since our Anniversary is around the corner, that my OtherHalf would buy it ~~for me~~ as our Anniversary present.

Image from Absolute Camera

Are you reading this, my darling? Are you? Are you? 'Cos if you do, and if you get this camera, we could celebrate and capture this year's anniversary with the fishies :)

*fingers crossed*

For now, I'll just make peace with doing only the 'ascend' sign .. on the surface :(

That's yours truly after our dive in M4bul isl4nd ~~during my confinement~~s> in September 2009

The gang getting ready for another dive

Boys and their toys ...

2010-01-16T13:51:00.001+03:00

My Toddler is turning 3 years old in a few weeks and I still can't believe how fast time flies! I look at him and often wonder - when, and how, did he get so big? It felt like it was only yesterday that I first held him in my arms and today he is all grown up!

For his 3rd birthday party, we decided that this year we are just going to celebrate at home. His 2nd birthday was celebrated at Burg3rK1ng and he didn't enjoy it AT ALL! He hated the noise and he especially hated the mascot (so much that I had to halau the mascot as my Toddler was screaming his lungs out). Aaah, what a stressful party that was! My Toddler ni nampak ajer macho but the truth is that he is actually a softie at heart and kuaaaaaaat merajuk!

Initially I plan to get him a ride-on toy as his 3rd birthday present -- an electric-powered car similar to the one in the picture below but OtherHalf thought that a bicycle is probably more practical, which is true as he's been getting ride-on toys for the past 2 birthdays and those toys are hardly touched these days. Bagus juga idea bicycle tu, at least he can ride outside with the other kids and plus, it's a lotttt cheaper than the electric ride-on toy :)

Pic googled.

Lightning McQueen car for his 1st birthday and Little Tikes Ride for his 2nd birthday.

So today, we went out early morning to the bicycle shop and found just the right one! The size is just nice, color is black and red and harga pun not that expensive. And when we presented the bicycle to him, he was sooo excited terus nak ride the bicycle outside.

New bicycle!

Mommy and Dada are over excited as we've been trying to teach him how to ride a bicycle for quite a while now but he never showed much interest. Tiba2 hari ni dah ada basikal sendiri, pandai lah pulak dia ride sendiri! Hehehe. Anyway, we are taking him to the park this afternoon so he could ride his new bicycle there to his heart's content. Will post more pics soon :)

Hello Shoe lovers ..

2010-01-11T08:36:00.002+03:00

Check out SEPATU.

Shoes can be special delivered to your doorstep.
Email them for any enquiries.

Enjoy!

Kids Say the Darndest Things ..

2010-01-10T15:23:00.000+03:00

This conversation happened on the way to school this morning:

'Aish (bukan nama sebenar), where's Dada?'
'Dada work'
'Where's Baby?'
'With kakak'
'Where's Kakak?'
'Kakak at home'
'Where's Aish?'
'Aish school'
'Where's mommy?'
'Mommy ..... antik (cantik)'

He certainly made my day :)

Potty training .. Version GGgggrrr!

2010-01-09T22:45:00.001+03:00

So here's an update on my mission to potty train MyToddler -- the shishi part is successful but I am now having a massive problem with the poopoo part. Not only he refused to do his number 2 on the training potty, but now that he is beginning to get all geli, he'd take off his pants whenever he is done with his business and would just run around the house butt naked ... and of course with the remainings of his poopoo still in tact. Aarrghh!!

Seriously, how do I do this? This is really frustrating as this happens on a daily basis. The thing is, I could've rushed him to the potty seat if I knew it was coming but the problem is that it always happens when I wasn't paying attention (like when I was bathing baby#2 etc) or when I'm not around (like when he's playing in his playroom and when my helper is cooking, etc). Is potty-training supposed to be this difficult?

I swear sometimes it feels like he does this on purpose to test my patience. Or is he? Is this an act? Is this an expression? His way of telling me that he wants more attention?

Experienced moms please help me!

I have one more motherhood problem to share but I'll write about that in a different post. Tackling one problem at a time!
Sent from my QTel BlackBerry

Retail therapy

2009-12-15T21:03:00.008+03:00

One of the things I love about living in this country is that whenever there is a sale, they really mean SALE; as in 50% discount on ALL products, not just on selected items like in M's14. Few days ago I received a text that Ch1cco is on sale but I was just too busy to check it out what with MyToddler's Christmas party lah, Baby#2's paediatrician appointment lah, resident permit renewal lah, etc. Plus I didn't have anything important or urgent to buy so I thought the sale can wait. Fortunately today, after picking up MyToddler from school I managed to find some time to drop by the mall. And boy am I glad I did! Dalam "nothing imporant to buy" tu, terbeli jugak macam-macam sebab murah like crazy. For example;

Terkejut beruk my OtherHalf when I came home with another car seat. Well, in my defense, Baby#2's current car seat tu tak best and color pun tak cantik (tu lah siapa suruh beli without my consultation).

A Digital Food/bottle warmer as a present for a friend who just delivered a baby -- QAR60!

Bought this for Baby#2 -- a must for us yang tinggal kat negara yang dusty nie :p

Also bought this for a friend who is going to deliver in a few months (awalnya beli present hehehe ...)

Playpen for Baby#2 ..

This milk powder dispenser is so cool as it is made up of 2 jars, each designed to meet different needs of a child in the subsequent phases of growth -- first tier divided into 3 for portions of 25 gm, 2nd tier divided into 2 for portions of 40 gm and then when your child starts weaning, the top tier can be used to store milk powder while the botton for storage of food like fresh fruits, snacks etc. Best of all, it was only QAR 8!

Bought this feeding set for both kids. Baby#2 doesn't really need this at the moment but when the time comes (in just a few short months!) this will come very handy for mommy. For now only useful for MyToddler for his lunchbox to school. Senang tak payah bawak 2 food container dah ... and how could I resist? It was only QAR15!

Banyaklah lagi benda2 kecik dan mengarut like segala jenis cream, shampoo etc. Kalau ikutkan hati nak beli satu kedai he he he but have to save money lah, kalau tak hidu bau jer kat Dub4i nanti he he he ...

The only thing I wanted but did not buy (yet) is this twin stroller. I know I shouldn't buy this as we already have the tandem stroller (which is hardly used as OtherHalf hates it -- katanya macam tolak choo choo train) but I am so tempted as it's really cheap -- after 50% discount tinggal QAR600. Mana and bila nak dapat harga macam tu kat Ms14 kan?

Note : QAR = RM

Bittersweet hell ..

2009-12-12T19:26:00.004+03:00

It's been almost 4 months and I still have those baby fats with me. What I hate is that it's not that they are difficult to shed, it's just that I am lazy. The clubhouse is literally just 10 steps away from my house and yet I chose to ignore its existence. Worst, I always, always, always use the 'still breastfeeding' excuse to not resume my exercise regime ('my milk will turn sour', although I know that wont happen if I exercise in moderation) and I even refused to cut down my food intake aka diet ('I am breastfeeding so I need the nutrients to keep up my energy level'). Teruk kan .. and then I complain I'm fat. Ha ha ha!

Anyway, speaking of, Alhamdulillah I am still breastfeeding and like MrsSAHM, I promise that I will not brag or get obsessed with breastfeeding and I will not look down at moms who doesn't. My only aim for now is to comply that 6 months mark and after that we shall see. Not that I plan to stop either but I don't want to be too ambitious as I know from experience that breastfeeding isn't as easy as it sounds. If it was that easy, believe me, no moms would've stopped.

Baby#2 is turning 4 months old in just 6 days and I cannot help but feel how fast time flies. He did his first back to front roll when he hit exactly 3.5 months on 4th December 2009 and now he rolls like a pro. Baby#2 is more on the chubby side -- last time I weigh him he was 6.7 kg and that was last month. I have a feeling he is close to (if not more than) 8 kg now.

A lot of you must wonder how the big brother cope with the little one. Well, I can happily say that the two brothers co-exists just fine, which comes as a surprise to everyone, including us, given that MyToddler is quite 'aggressive' with everyone else. But hey, I'm not complaining! MyToddler used to be really (REALLY) handful. I've read all that Terrible Twos articles way before MyToddler turned 2 and at the time I thought it was all exaggerated. But boy was I wroong! MyToddler was the worst case of Terrible Twos one could imagine -- tantrums, no patience, hitting, kicking, screaming, bitting, mood swings etc. Those who know us in person know that I am not exaggerating and if anything, the description above is quite an understatement to how bad MyToddler's Terrible Twos stage were. But Alhamdulillah, as the Terrible Twos stage wear off he is, slowly but gradually, transforming into a more behaved little boy. He no longer hits/kick/bite people for 'leisure', doesn't throw tantrum out of thin air and can tolerate reasoning. Well ... most of the time anyway. It really takes a village to raise this boy but OtherHalf and I are doing everything we can to guide him. I kept telling OtherHalf that this is probably karma getting back at me -- my parents told me that I was such a diffiult baby myself so perhaps now it's my turn to endure what they went through raising me ...

Geramnya ....

2009-12-12T16:08:00.002+03:00

.. dengan blogger. Wrote a really long entry and when I clicked publish the page went blank.

Refreshed the page, nothing happened.

Checked draft, not saved (what happened to the autosave feature?!?).

WT ... ?

'Till then y'all ...

Potty training!

2009-12-07T19:53:00.002+03:00

Image googled

I've been meaning to potty-train MyToddler for a while now -- every night for the past 3 weeks I promised myself that I'd start the next morning but come morning, I always, always, always forgot. Initially I thought it'd be easier to train him on school days so his teachers can ~~deal with it~~ help in the morning while I follow through in the evening (I know .. teruk kan mommy ni. Hahahaha!) but even that kept slipping out of my mind. And so, during that long eid holiday I decided to potty-train him myself.

We started quite late on the first day; as usual mommy terlupa in the morning and the idea only came in the afternoon tapi takperlah kan, better now or never. And plus it's a good idea juga to start with only half day, at least it gives us a preview of what's coming for the next few days ... or weeks.

So far, so good. I thought it was going to be difficult as MyToddler ni suruh mandi pun banyak dramanya but surprisingly, asking him to pee in the toilet is quite effortless (phew!). The only problem now is mommy as I keep forgetting to take him to the toilet ... I guess I'm not disciplined enough!

Alhamdulillah, MyToddler is getting the hang of using the toilet bowl now and dah pandai geli pulak skarang ni. For a few days in a row now I woke up in the morning almost sakit jantung to see MyToddler wearing nothing but his pyjama top. When I asked him why he took off his diaper and pants, his answer was 'Eeeuuww'. Geli lah tu kononnya. And last night, I woke up at 3am to feed Baby#2 and just when I was about to go back to sleep, I saw MyToddler sound asleep but naked waist down!! I quickly checked to see if he wet the bed but fortunately he hasn't! Lega .. if not satu kerja pulak mommy kena change bedsheet tengah2 malam buta.

It's been few days now and we are both doing good. I just hope that this 'training period' will be over soon as I am really tired of taking him to the bathroom every hour. Boring tau tak!

SAHM Vs WOHM?

2009-12-06T20:08:00.001+03:00

Few weeks ago I received a job offer to be an instructor for a cake decorating class; I was so excited as it is one of my passions and I was really thinking of accepting. Unfortunately though, after going through the schedules I decided to decline the offer as some of the classes are scheduled on weekends -- no chance in hell will I let work interfere with my weekends! I guess it's not my rezeki so now I am back to doing business from home, which isn't much but at least it works well with me -- kalau rajin buat, kalau malas decline. Heh heh .. apa punya businesswoman lah macam nie :)

So anyway, I have been having a sudden itch to start working again so several weeks ago I started looking for jobs -- but this time I want to do something different from what I used to do and so I started sending my CVs to several companies, just to try out my luck. And few days ago ... jeng jeng jeng ... I received an email from the VP (kenapa lah everytime I send out my CV mesti the VP yang respond?!?) of this one company asking for more details about my professional experience and that he is interested to have a 'chat' about my areas of interest.

Told my husband about it and as expected he wasn't too happy about it but gave his green light anyway; he said that it is up to me but he'd still prefer that I stay at home with the kids. He told me to sleep on it before agreeing to pursue this further as he takmau lah like last time, kerja for few months and then resign pulak kan. So how now brown cow? Dulu bukan main suka nak berenti kerja duduk rumah jaga anak but now that I'm a SAHM, I feel that it is a waste of education and those years of trainings and experience will go down the drain.

Maybe I wasn't born to be a SAHM.
Maybe I was born to take over the world (okay, over exaggerating it, but you know what I mean).

So how now brown cow?

I know that before anything else, my job is as a mother -- to be there for my kids in every step of the way but I cannot make my kids my sole identity. And at the risk of sounding sefish, I feel that I need a life outside of catering my children's whims and fancies in order to keep my sanity.

So how now brown cow?

It's been 2 days and I'm still sleeping on it .....

Hi, my name is Mommy Zombie

2009-12-03T10:10:00.007+03:00

Baby#2 has been really fussy lately -- he doesn't nap long during the day, demands to be carried all day long and wakes up every hour at night. I am not exaggerating, believe me. I haven't been getting enough sleep (or rest, for that matter) so if you see me with a pair of big round panda eyes, don't ask why. I probably won't have the energy to answer your question, anyway.

Baby#2 is a really difficult baby and sooooo different from his big brother (when he was a baby). MyToddler aka Baby#1 was a happy baby and was really easy to look after -- tak pernah kembung perut, tak pernah colic, tak pernah cranky when he was teething, tak pernah nangis on flight, etc. MyToddler was a really happy baby! Baby#2 however, is a different story altogether. He gets gassy easily, is a cry baby, wants to be carried and entertained ALL the time, dengan colic lagi, dengan facial rash tak hilang2, etc. And he gets worst lately -- he cries all day long that he almost lost his voice now. My parents told me that I was a cry baby myself and that my "tag line" is always 'buka mata, buka mulut'. Maybe this is payback for me for putting my parents through hell .. ha ha. Now I know exactly what my parents went through with me. Sometimes, when it's my husband's turn to look after Baby#2, he'd tease me by saying things like 'mommy dulu buka mata buka mulut. Baby ni tutup mata pun buka mulut. Salah tu sayang ..'. Hmmpph!

Anyway, I suspect that Baby#2 is teething as the only time he stops crying is when I let him chew my finger (and no he doesn't want the teething ring .. mengada kan), and he'd really chew my finger! Kalau lah betul dia nak tumbuh gigi, please oh please lah gigi keluar cepat as mommy dah tak larat nak melayan karenah Baby#2 yang fussy nie. MyToddler was never this fussy when he was teething .. dia relax aje; no demam, no mengada, tiba2 tengok gigi dah keluar.

A lot of people say, budak kalau masa kecik senang jaga besar nanti susah nak jaga and vice versa. Which is true, based on my experience -- MyToddler was really easy to look after when he was a baby but now that he is a toddler, it takes a village to 'tame' him. The worst is when he was between 1.5 - 2.5 years old -- that terrible 2 stage. He was really difficult to deal with then, OtherHalf and I went berserk and only God knows how difficult it was for us. Those close to us know la how bad his Terribe Twos stage was. It took a lot of patience to raise him but even the most patient person in the world -- my OtherHalf -- lost it once or twice with him. Yes .. he was that difficult, but OtherHalf and I did everything we could to guide him and Alhamdulillah he is getting better everyday as the Terrible Twos stage wear off. Oh how I cannot wait for it to disappear altogether!

Bye bye Summer

2009-11-29T22:12:00.009+03:00

It's only the beginning of winter but I am already loving the weather -- Not too cold, not too hot, breezy and just right. Best of all, I can finally wear that fabulous winter coat (that was on sale few months ago!) and pair it up with knee high boots! Yeay!

This beautiful pair of boots are from 9West -- I couldn't help myself because it was really cheap as they were on sale (like 75% discount!) and it was the last pair (for my size) -- nasib baik makcik sampai kedai cepat he he he ...

Hujung2 tahun macam ni memang banyak sale but I shall refrained myself from going to the malls -- have to save money for Dub41 trip on January (yes .... we are going to DSF again!) and then L0nd0n & P4r1s trip in April next year.

I actually have lots to tell but will blog about them later. Lately ni yours truly macam slow sikit nak organize my own thoughts. Serabut memanjang which I suspect due to major sleep deprivation.

So till then .. take care!

It's that time of the year again ...

2009-11-17T22:34:00.003+03:00

Ultimate sale (where EVERYTHING - old and new collections, are at 50% off!!) is here :)

.. and more!

:)

I love Bare Minerals!

2009-11-17T14:04:00.002+03:00

Yes, as in the make up products :)

Surprised? Well, you're not the only one. I'm surprised at myself too, considering I'm not the make-up type and considering there has been several attempts (untuk menjebakkan diriku dalam dunia kecantikan yang very pricey ini!) before, but all failed nonetheless :)

Anyway, it started with a simple visit to S3ph0ra with original intention of accompanying a good friend (who is also a Professional Make Up Artist) to buy her stuff, followed by her testing several products on my face and the next thing I know, I was at the counter paying Bare Minerals products for myself! Tumpas jugak akhirnya :)

I know, I'm such a late bloomer, eh? Learning to paint my face at the age of (almost) 30? Well, in my defense, I was young and my complexion looked (so much) better then. But now that I'm entering the dreaded 3-0 and the skin is threatening to show its flaws, I succumb and have to agree that makeup is a necessary evil.

But seriously though, I love, love, love Bare Minerals. They're so easy to apply, not time-consuming, looks natural and I especially love the fact that I can sleep with the make-up on :) I fell in love with it the moment I had the prime on my face -- it felt so light and comfortable on my skin! It makes my skin tone look more even. And I appreciate how thoughtful they are -- the starter kit includes all the basic (natural) colors and brushes in one box, which makes a beginner's life, like yours truly, so much easier!

There is a down side of this product though -- it is probably not for everybody. If you have a lot of old acne scars then this product is probably not the best for you as it doesn't 'cover' as good as liquid foundation. Well, at least that's what my professional make-up artist friend told me ...

I'm back ...

2009-11-15T09:38:00.006+03:00

... after a long hiatus :)

And as a 'warm-up' entry, let me show you this picture ... can you see what it is?

It's a Hummer Limo for rent! So to those who want to celebrate their birthdays or anniversary in style, bolehla sewa these two Hummers .... ala2 Hollywood gitu ... he he he.

Will be back, so stay tuned :)

All mommy want for christmas ....

2009-08-31T10:16:00.004+03:00

... is this Taga stroller!

My OtherHalf dearest, when you go to L****n next week can buy this for mommy or not?
Muahahahaha ..

Alhamdulillah...

2009-08-20T16:45:00.001+03:00

... everything went well and I've delivered a healthy, perfect little boy, weight 3.38 kg, on 18th August at 8:37pm via normal delivery.

It was quite a swift delivery -- I was admitted at 430pm and the real contractions (the really sakit ones) only started at 730pm! But I must say, this time around I was more prepared and relaxed as compared to my first. Dah experienced la katakan ... I was even managed to bergelak ketawa in between contractions sedangkan masa first delivery dulu breathing technique pun lupa, panic punya pasal!

So to those who are about to deliver soon, just remember this magic word - RELAX! Don't think about the pain or how you are going to deliver the baby -- just focus one contraction at a time! Even better, tell your husband to get you a blackberry so you can ber-facebook, ber-YM, ber-email, ber-chatting etc in the delivery room while waiting for 'the moment' and believe me, those are really good distractions from the pain. Well at least it works for me; contractions dah 3 minutes apart pun masih boleh ber-blog :)

Insya Allah if everything is ok, Baby#2 and I will be discharged from the hospital tonight. I cannot wait to go home as I miss Baby#1 terribly but I am also quite nervous about starting the whole life-with-a-newborn cycle again. I am especially nervous about how Baby#1 is going to react when we bring Baby#2 home tonight. Yes, he has met Baby#2 several times at the hospital but I don't think he understood the fact that he is going to have to co-exist with this little stranger! We shall wait and see ... Insya Allah OtherHalf and I will do our best to help him adjust to being a big brother to Baby#2.

Oooops... That's Baby#2 calling for mommy('s milk). Til' later!
Sent from my BlackBerryÂ® smartphone from Qtel

Finally...

2009-08-18T18:10:00.000+03:00

... I am at the delivery suite :)

Contractions are 3 minutes apart now so Insya Allah I'll hold Baby#2 in my arms soon :)

Will update later but meanwhile, please pray for me ....
Sent from my BlackBerryÂ® smartphone from Qtel

I am addicted to ..

2009-08-16T06:55:00.010+03:00

... shopping at amaz0n.c0m!

Honestly, I blame this all on my OtherHalf -- He was the one who registered an account with Aramex and he was the one who taught me how to shop at amaz0n.c0m. And now I am so addicted that I visit the site every single day and (not) surprisingly, there's always something I need. It doesn't help that the site offers a wide range of products at cheaper price tags (even after adding the shipment fees!).

Like for example, I bought a Peanut Shell sling WITH a matching nursing cover and the amount I paid equals to the retail price of ONLY the sling in Ms14. How cool is that? Don't even get me started on other stuff like baby monitors, etc. But don't worry my dear OtherHalf, my sanity is still in tact -- I am a smart shopper and so far I've only bought things that are either way cheaper or are not at all available here or in Ms14. I am no Becky Bloomwood!

Anyway, please find more Jalabiya pictures below selling at a more reasonable price. Anyone interested, feel free to send me an email at ms.fl4mingo@gmail.com :)

Ms Flamingo's kitchen : Pizza koboi

2009-08-15T18:34:00.010+03:00

I've been wanting to try making home-made pizza for so long so when I saw the Pizza Crisper on sale today, I was one happy camper!

The recipe for this home-made pizza, just like the name suggests, is really quite easy. I didn't follow any specific recipe (a bit daring for a first timer, don't you think?), just basic bread dough.

Here are the ingredients and how to:

For the dough:
. 1 tsp yeast
. 350 gm all-purpose flour (additional 50 gm, if needed)
. UHT milk (room temperature)
. 1 tbsp sugar
. 1 tbsp margerine
. 1 tsp salt

How to:
. In a bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Set aside.
. In a mixer (using the dough hook), combine flour, salt and margerine and whisked together.
. Add yeast mixture. Whisk some more.
. Add 1 teaspoon of oil (preferably Olive Oil, mainly for the taste -- but other oil can do also lah..) and continue mixing.
. Gradually add milk until dough is formed. Dough should be sticky and soft but holds together.
. Shape into one bowl of dough, transfer to a floured bowl and cover with a damp cloth for 1 hour.
. After 1 hour, transfer dough to a well floured surface.
. Roll the dough using a rolling pin. If needed, add more flour but not too much, just enough for the dough to not stick to your hands. Transfer to your pizza pan.

As for the toppings, you can add whatever you like :) For this recipe, I added only chicken sausages, pineapples, capsicum, sprinkles of oregano and covered them with lots and lots of mozarella cheese.

Bake at 360°C for 20 minutes and voila!

Easy peasy right? That's why I call it Pizza Koboi :)

p.s. For my first try I used 500gm all-purpose flour and the dough turned out tebal and bread-like, sebab tu in the recipe above I put only 350 gm + 50 gm additional, for thinner crust.

Come out soon, Baby#2!

2009-08-13T10:04:00.002+03:00

I am already 39 weeks and there still isn't any sign that I'm going into labor anytime soon. Don't get me wrong, it has been a bittersweet experience with this pregnancy and as much as I love all the attention I'm getting, I just can't wait for this pregnancy to be over! I am exhausted and uncomfortable and just cannot wait to get back to my normal size again -- if that's even possible! But most of all, I cannot wait to hold Baby#2 in my arms! Not sure how I'm going to juggle one tak-reti-duduk-diam toddler and a newborn but I'm sure (err, hopefully) I'll adjust just fine.

Oh, did I tell you that we are expecting another boy? And I find it funny how other people get frustrated when we broke the news. I keep getting,

'Laa, yer ker, takperlaa, cuba lagi'

'Another boy? Kesian you' (apa yang nak dikesiankan pun I dont understand. I mean, if you were me would you love the baby differently?)

'Belum boleh tutup kilang lagi lah nampaknya' (FYI, we plan to have at least 4 kids and since we're only half way there, closing the factory isn't even in the picture!)

Those are among the comments I get whenever I tell people that I'm having a boy. Initially I went along with them but after getting the very same comment every single time I got really bored and malas nak bagitau orang the gender of Baby#2 (although by now almost everyone knows already!). Even after telling them that I don't mind getting another boy and all I wanted was for Baby#2 to be healthy and perfect, they still insisted that I was lying and that I was in denial. True, memang yours truly geram tengok baju and accessories budak2 perempuan but that's because they are cute, not because I'm in denial! So what, just because I'm having a boy I am not allowed to look at pink stuff? Memanglah, it is nice to have a pair but it is also nice to be the Queen of the house and be loved by 3 men! And percayalah, girl or boy, I'd still love Baby#2 the same!

I still remember in my early pregnany, a lot of people were anxious to know the gender of Baby#2. Initially OtherHalf and I thought we wanted to know too but when we finally went for the ultrasound, our very first thought was to find out if Baby#2 was healthy and growing fine.

'Is baby normal?'
'Is the head fully formed?'
'It's not anencephalic?'

I was so relieved and had tears in my eyes after finding out that Baby#2 was developing normally. I think we both were -- we didn't even bother asking for the gender until the sonographer told us! While waiting for the report, I remember asking OtherHalf,

'Frust tak we're having a boy?'
'Tak lah. Kenapa? Mommy frust ke?'
'Tak! I thought I would be but I'm just glad that Baby is normal'
'Ha'ah. Cuma harap2 tak senakal Baby#1!'

Drama in my house

2009-08-06T21:06:00.015+03:00

Baby#1 is so mengada-ngada lately ni; many say it is due to the upcoming little sibling and that he is simply seeking for our attention. Most days when I feel 'normal' and myself I'd layan his every karenah but he can get really .. err, irritating, sometimes, especially when he puts on that horrible Terrible Two hat -- I swear I could almost feel labor pains coming!

Recently, he decided that he hates bath time sedangkan he never complains about it before. Skarang ni, tak payah buat apa2, announce aje 'it's bath time!' and he'd run away and scream macam ada orang kejar nak pukul dia. Drama, kan? (Eee, kalau awak tu reti main bersih2 okaylah jugak skip mandi, ini main segala benda entah apa2 pastu malas pulak nak mandi. Geram mommy dibuatnya ..).

So this morning, instead of showering him the usual way, I let him get into a bucket and let him berendam puas2 in air sabun. But convincing him to do that wasn't an easy task either. Mula-mula I asked him if he wants to 'swim' in the baldi and he kept saying 'No! Don't want!' so lepas 20 kali tanya soalan sama and penat nak bergaduh I lifted the unwilling budak bertuah and put him inside the baldi. Mula2 tu he menangis la jugak tapi lepas dapat main bubbles tiba-tiba senyap and gelak2. Heiii ... drama! Getting him out of the water was also another problem -- I had to switch off the light and threaten to leave him alone in the toilet! I know, tak baik kan tapi with this big belly, backpain and low energy level, I'll do whatever works, for now.

Oh ya, something funny happened. We were at a friend's house for dinner last night and as usual, the parents were chatting away while the kids play. All of the sudden and out of the blue, Baby#1 came to me and asked for milk. But he wasn't asking for his usual formula milk; he was asking for MY milk. As in the milk from my boobies, much to my surprise. Both OtherHalf and I were shocked and thought that he was just teasing, but I knew he was serious when he kept trying to lift my shirt up while pointing at my boobs. Apa mimpi ntah dia tetiba nak breastfeed?! FYI, he stopped BF-ing at 7 months old. I would definitely let him BF again if I know there's milk in there tapi belum ada lagi lah! It took quite a while jugak lah to get the idea off his head and in the end he got distracted when he saw Roti Telur, nasib baik :) I wonder macam mana la nanti if he saw me breastfeeding Baby#2 ya?

Actually banyak lagi drama dia tapi nak cerita satu persatu pun dah rasa penat. For now all I can do is pray for this Terrible Twos stage to end soon. Many say that this is just a phase and that it will all end as soon as Baby#2 is here but we'll see :) Hopefully that's true and not the other way round!

Anyway, you're probably wondering why am I still doing all this myself when I can easily let the maid take over? Well, I don't know really, I must be crazy. OtherHalf kept telling me to let the maid help with bathing, feeding and looking after Baby#1 in general, but I don't feel comfortable letting her lah, I don't know why. Even when I go out for morning coffee with my girlfriends (who often leave their kids at home with their maids), I still bring my son along even when I know I wont be able to enjoy my coffee as much. I guess after all that videos I've seen on youtube, it'd take time for me to trust other people to look after my kid(s) ...

After 4 months of silence

2009-08-04T15:39:00.006+03:00

My last post was on 4th of May?!? Boy I am truly one lazy blogger. Aaanyway, here I am, attempting to blog again, though I think this might only be temporary before I go on hiatus again. We'll see how long this will last. Heh!

So, what's new with me? Well, I am still heavily pregnant and actively counting days to the arrival of Baby#2. My EDD keeps changing from 8th August to 21st August and then back to 8th August which is really confusing, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Baby#2 is not going to stay in there forever so meanwhile I'll just enjoy the pregnancy, however uncomfortable or big or heavy of fat I may feel.

I've gained a total of 10kgs so far, which I am really thankful of -- at least I won't have to work that hard to lose weight post-pregnancy and will not feel that bad eating all the lauk raya. Eeee, bestnyaa!

Speaking of Raya, how's your preparation? Initially, because I am still pregnant and not sure how quick my body will go back to normal, OtherHalf and I decided to just recycle our past baju raya. But all that changed after my trip to the souq with my good friend yesterday -- we bumped into this boutique selling really gorgeous jalabiyas and abayas! Cantik gila I tell you, even the non-jubah wearer will fall in love with them.

Anyway, In case you're wondering what abayas and Jalabiyas look like, see pictures below. Abaya is the black jubah often seen worn by the Ar4b ladies, while Jalabiyah is basically a trendy and modernised kaftan.

Love, love, love this modern abaya!

And this one too... bling-bling gitu!

These are various designs of Jalabiya. I have a similar Jalabiya like the one on the far right, but in Yellow and blue.

Some of the Jalabiyas found in the boutique. White Jalabiya on the left is my favorite!

Paris Hilton wearing a modern Jalabiya during her recent trip to Dubai.

So aaaanyway, after seeing all the gorgeous Jalabiyas and Abayas, I decided that Hubby can recycle his baju all he wants, but there's no way I'm going to pass the opportunity to bergaya in those gorgeous Jalabiya. The thing is, the cheapest Jalabiya in that boutique retails at QR600 and I don't think I'd pay that much amount of money for one dress, especially when I know that it is definitely going to get soiled with milk, food stains etc.

Hence, I am now on a quest to find the best bargain around the souq. Believe it or not, even after years of residing in this country I still have not managed to explore every inch of the souq(s). Man, they are filled with hidden treasures rupanya!

Kejadian hari ini

2009-05-04T22:03:00.006+03:00

At around 7pm today while entertaining a friend who came over for a short visit, OtherHalf suddenly received a phone call from our manpower agency. OtherHalf, expecting to hear good news about our maid application then picked up the call .. and received a super shocking news.

Him : Sir, when are you going to pick up your maid?
OtherHalf : Whaaat ..?
Him : Your maid is here, sir.
OtherHalf : When did she arrived?
Him : Today at 3pm sir.
OtherHalf : What? Why didn't you inform me earlier? I am busy now, and my wife is also somewhere else. Can I pick her up tomorrow?
Him : No sir, she doesn't have anywhere to sleep tonight.

Bangang tak? Orang tu dah sampai kul 3pm, kul 7pm baru nak call? Grrr ...

So nak taknak I had to rush to the manpower agency to pick her up. Memanglah, after 3 months of waiting we are extremely thankful that she's finally here but the thing is, her room is not ready yet (takkanlah bagi dia duduk guestroom dengan katil king size kan!) and plus the house is still kelam kabut (I am in the midst of revamping the look of the house). Mana nak sorok jewelleries lagi, gambar2 lagi etc. Heiii .. tensyen!

So anyway, I went to pick her up and everything went smoothly. On the way home, I casually asked her, dah makan ker? Dia jawab belum. Alamak, terus blank, mana pulak nak bawak minah ni makan? Takkan bawak makan KFC kot?! Pikir punya pikir, I thought, takpelah .. she's new so sebagai menyambut kedatangan dia, I thought belikan lah dia Nasi Beriyani for dinner. Settle.

So now our main problem is solved but came another masalah. Am going back to M's14 soon, jadi mana pulak nak simpan minah ni? Takkan nak kasi duduk berdua-duaan dengan OtherHalf kot?!? Err, macam mana ni? Pening. Bolehke nak bawak balik M's14 without her RP etc? Nevermind, that's for me to find out .... Harap2 bolehlah.

Anyhow, I am grateful that she is finally here. At least I have someone to look after the house and iron our clothes. Let's just hope she doesn't buat perangai.

* * * * * * * * * *
Update:

It's almost 11pm and I still can't go to sleep. I feel really uneasy having a stranger in the house. Hmmm ....

Tagged by Azlena

2009-04-29T16:20:00.006+03:00

How well do you know your hubby? Let's see ...

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
If not playing his PS3/Wii/Xbox, he'd be watching National Geographic, Discovery Channel, etc ... eee, boring2 semuanya!

2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Italian. But he hardly order salad.

3. What’s one food he doesn’t like?
Semua boleh :)

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
Teh tarik.

5. Where did he go to high school?
MCKK.

6. What size shoes does he wear?
8.5

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Watches.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
He's not picky at all so any sandwich will do. But he'd prefer one with beef/turkey and lots and lots of vegies.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
He doesn't like to eat the same menu everyday ...

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Semua pun boleh lah :)

11. What would he never wear?
Bright-colored shirts.

12. What is his favorite sports team?
McLaren

13. Who did he vote for?
Biarlah rahsia katanya ..

14. Who is his best friend?
MrIz.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?
Mengamuk tak tentu pasal bila tengah bad mood :)

16. What is his heritage?
Melayu

17. What is his favorite colour?
Blue. Actually, I kind of know this already judging from his shirts but ye lah, prior to publishing online I have to get my facts right kan? So when I asked him this he said, 'Eee, teruknya, taktau?!?'. But then when I asked him back, 'what's my favorite color?'. He sengih. Hah! I wish he had a blog so I could tag him!

18. What is his habit?
Soalan kurang lengkap. Which habit? Good, bad, cute, annoying, etc?

19. What is he proud of?
His son.

20. Lastly, do you think he will read this?
Maybe.

So i would like to tag these people:
You who haven't already done this.

My boy, the daredevil

2009-04-23T15:47:00.002+03:00

Summer is slowly making its appearance but I find the current weather is simply just nice (well, except in the afternoon) - not cold and not that hot either, which is why we decided to take the chance to take Baby#1 for some outdoor activities. Swimming is of course on the top of our list since Baby#1 was forbidden to go anywhere near the pool throughout the whole winter months. So bila dah masuk air tu, apa lagi .. lepas gian lah dia!

And to show just how much he has grown, this time he refused to wear any types of safety float - the ring type takmau, the armband pun takmau jugak. Konon dah big boy la tu. Initially he was a bit nervous but after a few minutes he was already on his own and refused to hold on to anything .. or anyone, for that matter. But the good thing is, he is very good at balancing himself in the water. And we are not that worried either if he ter-slip or tenggelam sekejap in the water as he can already swim a bit now, thanks to his Daddy who is determined to train him to be a good swimmer (like him).

That's my boy! =)

Murtabak instant ..

2009-04-12T20:00:00.005+03:00

I'm on leave again today as the school is closed for Easter and we couldn't find anyone to look after baby#1. But of course, I was more than glad to take the day off and be a one-day SAHM again. I had so much fun lazying around and Baby#1 seem to enjoy the day off from school too - mana taknya, he gets to watch cartoons back to back today because I didn't have the energy to entertain him all morning.

Come afternoon, when Baby#1 was napping, I felt so bored and thus decided to engage myself in a kitchen experiment. This time, sebab teringin punya pasal and dah lama tak makan I decided to make murtabak ayam. I googled the recipe and found resepi for the inti here. As for the kulit murtabak, I had to cheat a little because memang tak kuasa nak buat sendiri. So instead of going through all the trouble, I used the instant paratha that is widely available from supermarkets.

Here's how to;
1. Thaw instant paratha and then on a floured surface roll the roti with a rolling pin to make it slightly thinner (tak payah pun boleh tapi bila dah masak nanti agak kureng sebab kulit jadi tebal and keras sikit).
2. Spread inti and cover with another roti on top.
3. Tekan2 hujung roti tu to make sure tak bocor. When that's done, bakar on non stick pan and voila!

Murtabak instant, siap! =)

The day I feel like one of the Hollywood Celebrity parent ..

2009-04-11T16:57:00.010+03:00

Bennifer

Milla Jovovich

Matthew McConaughey

Gwen Steffani

Dave Ghrol

Christy Turlington

Matt Damon
And that's Baby#1 covering his face from paparazzi!

p.s. Celebrity Images taken from various sources in Google!

Can you smell what Miss Flamingo is cooking?

2009-04-11T13:46:00.011+03:00

My morning sickness has finally subsided and my aversion to strong odors is slowly disappearing. My OtherHalf is the happiest as that only means one thing to him - that I can resume cooking again! I am no pro at cooking but here on this foreign land, home-cooked meals are always better than take-outs. So few nights ago, after months of "closed-kitchen" policy, I decided to prepare home-cooked dinner as opposed to our usual take-outs.

As a start, I decided to cook something easy - asam pedas, buttered prawn (thanks to LadyVerde for the inspiration!) and vegies. OtherHalf was really happy and told me just how much he'd missed home-cooked meals. Kesian .. hehe. The night after I was feeling rajin again so for dinner, I cooked sotong goreng tepung, Ayam masak cili and vegies (no pics as we were too hungry at the time!). OtherHalf was overjoyed and finished everything that was on the table ... lepas gian la tu kot.

And then again today, OtherHalf requested Nasi Lemak for breakfast and told me to cook extra as he wanted to invite some friends over. I happily complied, lagipun dah alang2 masak might as well masak in big portion or else macam tak worth the effort pulak.

Oh ya - the picture is also to prove to my mom that the food warmer wasn't just an impulse purchase and that they don't just sit in the cupboard. In fact, they have proven to be very handy and to date they have already been used twice - the first time was about a month ago when we invited 7 families (yes ... SEVEN FAMILIES! And mind you, menu was all home-cooked by yours truly alone ya) for brunch and the second time was today for the nasi lemak breakfast. And now that I'm cooking again, Insya Allah they will be in used for more occasions to come!

On another different note, it was our 5th wedding anniversary recently. Initially I wanted to celebrate the occasion the same way we did the previous years - by staying at a hotel and just relax for 2 days but I thought I'd save it for Babymoon. Plus, with an active & handful toddler in tow, we probably wouldn't be able to relax anyway so we decided that a romantic hotel getaway just isn't feasible anymore for us. At least not until we found a helper (or someone we could trust to look after Baby#1).

In the end we opted for a simple Anniversary dinner. Again, initially we thought of going for a romantic candle-lit dinner at some hotel but the thought of my son running, climbing and me chasing and screaming to baby#1 "NO!", "get down from there!", "don't throw your food!", or "get up!" was enough to put me off. So this year, we decided to have our Anniversary dinner at a more "family-friendly" restaurant, Applebee's. Sad isn't it? But at least I won't be the only mommy screaming and chasing my kid around. However, the not-so-sad part of this year's Anniversary was that OtherHalf was feeling really generous and decided to get me the bling-bling that I craved for as Anniversary gift.

Masalahnya, now that I have the Bling-bling that I craved for so many months, I don't ever want to wear it. Apa lagi, mengamuk sakan la si pakcik tu .. hehehehe.

Tagged by Azlena

2009-04-09T14:18:00.005+03:00

The rules to comply with:-

1. Make a list of what you want on your birthday

2. The list should be 10 number

3. Post the image of this award in your posting
4. Give it to 10 friends of yours

Here is my wish list :)

1. Birthday wishes and prayers from my loved ones

2. Birthday dinner (preferably at seafood restaurants!)

3. Gift vouchers

4. $$$$

5. Family Holiday to anywhere in the world. Dalam Malaysia pun boleh ..

6. A chic case for my blackberry bold (preferably in lime or apple green)

10.

Can't think of anything else lah. I am quite easy to please so apa-apa pun boleh :)

10 people to tag:
Anda semua :)

I shall remember this ...

2009-04-08T21:34:00.003+03:00

One of the things I love about being pregnant is the special treatments I get from people. So far I've craved for Laksa Penang, Kuew Teow Goreng and Keropok Lekor, all of which are really difficult, if not impossible, to find in this country. Tapi Alhamdulillah, rezeki orang mengandung agaknya, my cravings for all of those were satisfied, thanks to my lovely friends who voluntarily went through all the trouble and korbankan 'stock' makanan sendiri to entertain my pregnancy cravings. My dear friends, I am forever grateful for your kindness!

The most recent craving of mine was this Kek Kukus Coklat Sarawak - a cake that I have no idea how to make, and even if I know how to make pun I probably wouldn't sebab nak mengukusnya pun ambik masa 4-8 jam. Tak kuasa, dek non .. tidur lagi bagus. But last week, when I was at a friend's house I accidentally blurted out that I teringin sangat nak makan kek kukus coklat sarawak tu but have no idea how to make. Actually, sebab tau nak buat kek tu time-consuming so memang takde effort pun nak google resepi kek tu. Buut, I found out that there's a lady here who makes all kinds of cakes for sale, termasuklah kek sarawak tu so I took her contact number, nak order lah niatnya. Lepas tu borak punya borak punya borak, one of the kakak kebetulan rupanya ada resepi kek tu and she promised to send it to me via email. But a week had passed and I still didn't receive that email. Kita pun segan lah jugak nak mintak resepi tu kan, kot2 la she was just being polite.

Rupa-rupanya, kakak tu memang saja tak email resepi sebab rupanya diam-diam dalam hati dah niat nak buat kek tu untuk orang mengidam ni ha! I received a call from her today and when she told me to pick up the cake from her house, rasa macam nak melompat, menjerit sebab gembira tak terhingga! Not only she baked the cake for me, siap print dah resepi tu and letak dalam plastik for me to try. Kak D kata seminggu lepas asyik teringat kat yours truly dok mengidam kek kukus tu .. hehehe. Alahai, murahnya rezeki orang mengandung! Terima kasih banyak-banyak, Kak D!

When this baby comes I shall remind him/her of these people who went the extra mile to entertain mommy's cravings while carrying him/her. Banyak songeh kejap nak laksa, kejap nak bling-bling, kejap nak kek kukus! Hmph!

Tagged By Vanderwijck

2009-04-08T14:42:00.005+03:00

1. Letakkan gambar profile anda.

2. Terangkan apa maksud gambar itu.
Miss Flamingo - itulah saya.

3. Kenapa pilih atau letak gambar tu.
Because I can very much relate to a Flamingo - I am blessed with a pair of long legs, I can swim and I often, subconsciously, lift my other leg and stand on the other. I can stand on one leg all day long, proving that I am sturdy and can always be counted upon. The only thing Flamingos and I don't have in common is that I don't (like to) wear pink.

4. Tag 5 blogger.
Err, rasanya less than 5 blogger reads this blog now so, tak payahlah kot ;)

Finally .. an update!

2009-04-08T13:18:00.003+03:00

Wow .... I have been away from this hideout for a very long, long, loooong time haven't I?

The reason for my long hiatus is simply because frankly, I didn't have much to tell! And I won't bore you with my never-ending morning sickness stories, cravings, etc as you probably already know the drill - nauseous, tak selera makan, crave itu ini, etc. The typical pregnant woman drama.

What I have not been sharing with you people (err, ada ke yang visit blog ni lagi? Ha ha ha!!) is how Baby#1 is doing. Oh, how he has grown so much so fast that I find it hard to keep up sometimes. He attended a new playschool in February and we have seen so much improvements in him ever since. The old school was fine, but the new school is so much better, except that it costs us one Speedy 30 every month. Crazy expensive but totally worth it!

You see, when Baby#1 was at his previous school, there were several occasions when he came home with minor bumps on his forehead. The school of course produced a report, saying that he fell from the slides etc. Which was fine, really, because I know my son and memang dia lasak pun so I didn't blame the school at all. But ever since his enrollment in his current school, not once did he come home with a scratch, what more a bump. So what does that tell you? My theory is either the previous school was short-handed with staff or the staff were negligence and didn't perform their job properly. Itu pun kalau betul lah Baby#1 jatuh slide. Kot dia kena pukul dengan budak lain ke, mana kita tau?

What I love about the new school is that they have a structured curriculum and variety of activities for the kids. Like every Wednesday is a Fruit Bowl Day, which means everyone has to bring a predefined fruit to school on that day and it will become part of their activities for the day. And then they would celebrate all kinds of celebrations - National Day, International Day, Valentines Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, Easter, Christmas, etc. 'World' gitu!

Baby#1 during International Day at school

Alhamdulillah Baby#1 very much enjoy his time at school. I did for several times, went to the school for a surprise visit, just to see what the teachers are doing with the kids and Alhamdulillah, they adhered to the timetable. I got to see my kid sing at school, menari, buat artworks, etc. And what makes me so proud is whenever my son comes home from school, he'd open his bag and show me what he did in class. There are no words to describe how super-proud I am of him everytime that happens that I decided to frame every single artwork and hang every single piece of crafts he made!

What surprised me the most was when I caught him singing 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' one morning siap dengan action sekali! I seriously never taught him that song so obviously, that must be something he grasp from school, right? And that's not the only song he sings; there are few other songs which are not really familiar to me but must be something he learned from school. Another habit of his is that he integrates everything with numbers. He would count every, single, thing - how many pieces of chicken on his plate, the number of cars on the road, each step he makes when climbing the stairs, etc. Amazing!

He has also started using magic words like 'please' and 'thank you'. Like yesterday, I was so exhausted from work and thus decided to lie down for a short nap. He however, decided that it's time for his afternoon dose of mickey mouse. I told him, 'kejap lagi la ok?'. And of course, he decided to use the magic word and say, 'hlease' (translation : 'Please'. And yes, his pronunciation starts with 'H'). After all the effort of teaching him to say 'please' when he wants something nice, how could I resist his request, right? So I ended up watching Mickey Mouse with him instead of fulfilling my body's demand for a short nap. But it was worthwhile as I received a 'Ta chu' (translation : 'Thank you') from him in return.

That's all for now. I promise I'll update more often from now on .. :)

Pregnancy cravings (yang agak over)

2009-03-06T15:38:00.001+03:00

You know how you always crave for things when you're pregnant - sometimes they're within reach but sometimes, if you're unlucky, you crave for something that is unreasonably ridiculous or just plain impossible to get. And then there's this feeling when you mengidam, you just got to have it no matter how ridiculous, no matter how unreasonable, no matter how expensive, no matter how impossible for you (or your OtherHalf) to get it. Tak boleh tak dapat, else macam nak menangis rasanya sebab kecewanya tu lain macam. Selagi tak dapat rasa macam unsettled. And gents - this is not fiction okay.

When I was carrying Baby#1, I craved for many things but all of them were within reach ... except for one. Out of the blue, I suddenly craved for a Shawarma, which was weird because I didn't even like middle eastern food then! And it wasn't just any Shawarma - I wanted the one that's all the way in Bangkok; the one I had when we were there early that year. I tried to reason with myself - like, gila ka apa nak makan shawarma kat Bangkok ni? So I tried many shawarma in many different restaurants but none of them tasted the same and none of them satisfied my cravings; nak yang kat Bangkok tu jugak! I wanted it so badly that I was so close to booking a ticket from AirAsia's website for a day trip just for that silly Shawarma. Thank goodness, like miracle I found out a friend was about to leave to Bangkok so I decided to trouble her with my request. Honestly, it didn't feel wrong at all at the time but in retrospect, I really shouldn't have troubled her. Kesian my friend had to go and find that silly shawarma stall, located kat ceruk dunia pulak tu. Thank you my dear. Nanti you pregnant I entertain cravings you pulak ok. Jangan you mengidam nak jumpa Brat Pitt sudahlah.

And now it is happening again with this Baby#2; that silly, unreasonable cravings. Only this time, I crave for jewelery. Yes - jewelery as in Bling Bling. Funny thing is, I am not even the jewelery type. I don't even wear my wedding ring and paling habis jewelery I usually wear pun my watch ni ha. Tapi hati ni rasa naaaaaak sangat menatang ridiculous tu. Don't even bother asking me what it is (unless of course you're feeling generous) as I don't plan to entertain this expensive craving. Banyak songeh sungguh Baby#2 ni, kecik2 lagi dah high maintenance ... banyak cantek! Besides, I know for sure if I tell my OtherHalf what it is, I'd certainly hear 'cincin kahwin pun taknak pakai, ada hati nak beli jewelery' from him.

So gents, if your wife craves for something that is widely available, tak kisahlah dia teringin nak makan roti canai pukul 11 malam ker, count your lucky stars sebab kedai mamak pun bukak sampai midnight kan? I shall resist this temptation to own that silly beautiful bling thing and if this baby lahir nanti with non-stop drools, I guess I'd just have to try that petua orang-orang tua and curik garam from one you people's houses.

Testing....

2009-02-10T09:57:00.000+03:00

..... My new blackberry bold!

It' crazy cool :)

But I promise will not sync my BB to office email :)

Ok, till later. Boss is calling me!!
Sent from my BlackBerryÂ® smartphone from Qtel

This is obviously just lust, but ..

2009-02-07T16:15:00.004+03:00

Hasutan semakin kuat nampaknya and eventhough the reasons to own it doesn't justify AT ALL .. hati ni tetap gatal, nak jugak blackberry bold.

Bagaimanakah?

Perlukah?

Haruskah?

Updates

2009-01-29T00:17:00.001+03:00

On my love for gadgets
I am now seriously contemplating on whether or not I should get meself a Blackberry. No doubt that it is a cool gadget to own but the problem is, I don't really need to be connected all the time. Actually, correction - I don't want to be connected all the time. Reason being, kalau ada Blackberry, I have no excuse not to work during my off days. With Blackberry, I'm almost certain that I'll have to reply emails (especially from or on behalf of Boss) when I'm out and about. Ya lah, Blackberry mestilah kena sync dengan office account kan? Takkanlah pakai Blackberry setakat untuk check yahoo email (yang penuh dengan junk and forwaded emails) or YM, or main facebook je kan? Doesn't do justice lah. Plus, I can do all that with my iPhone, no problemo. So, masalahnya disini, perlukah ada Blackberry? Hati gatal nak beli tapi logic kata justification tak kukuh. Macam mana ya? Tengoklah balik from Dub41 nanti, kot lah terbeli kan.

On pregnancy
This pregnancy is a totally different experience for me as compared to my previous - my bump is bigger, I started showing earlier, morning sickness is sickening and the cravings are like no other. I am constantly hungry but doesn't have the appetite to eat. But when I do eat, I eat like crazy and in a really big portion. And I only eat hot and spicy stuff like tomyam, sambal etc, which of course leads to constipation, gassy etc. Dah nak buat macam mana, those are the only thing I can stomach at the moment. Aarggh .. I just cannot wait for this first trimester to be over, I desperately need my appetite back.

Anyway, though I am so far away from home and don't have family members to entertain my mengada-ness during this pregnancy, I am still very thankful that I have friends who are more than willing to entertain my cravings and antiques. Like for example, about 2 or 3 weeks ago I was craving for Laksa Penang and after mentioning it once or twice in front of my friends, my friend A1n1 decided to cook a whole pot just for me (kesian dia terpaksa korbankan her own stock of daun kesum, bunga kantan, mee laksa etc for me). And then, the week after mengidam nak makan kuey teow goreng pulak but since cooking odors makes me nauseous, I couldn't cook the dish myself so my friend N4d14 decided to cook, again, a whole wok just for me. Syok gila! And then, teringin nak makan keropok lekor pulak but since it's quite easy to make, I decided to make them myself and Alhamdulillah, jadi and puas lah hati. But then few days after that, R33n decided to dermakan her stock of keropok lekor to this pregnant lady. Orang dah bagi, kita terima lah kan :) Sungguh mengada but I guess that's the privilege of being pregnant - almost everyone treats you like a princess :)

My husband has also been very supportive; ever since the day we found out about this pregnancy, he no longer complaints when there are unwashed dishes in the sink, or if the house is messy, or if dinner is late, etc. And believe it or not, for many weeks now we have been surviving on take outs and simple dishes like soup and rice, noodles, and tsk tsk tsk .. maggie mee! Even Baby#1 doesn't have much choice when it comes to his meals - he either eats porridge, nasi goreng, simple pastas or just sandwiches.. kesian! Hopefully this aversion to strong odors will pass soon, kesian my OtherHalf dah nampak kurus sikit tu ha.

On Baby#1
Oh ya, starting this February, Baby#1 will be going to a different school. We finally got a call from the NewSchool yesterday saying they finally have a spot for Baby#1. Kelam kabut mommy dibuatnya, pegi NewSchool bayar registration etc. School fees kat sini mahalnya mak oii; I can buy one LV Speedy every month! But the NewSchool is renowned for its reputation so we decided to 'invest' and transfer him to the NewSchool anyway. Risau jugak nak tukar skolah as he has already settled in at his current school, but since memang it was our initial plan pun for him to go to this NewSchool so we'll just have to take the risk. Plus, we'll be on leave the first two weeks in Feb so we'll be there to help him adjust.

On Baby#2
Pregnancy is still very early but I so cannot wait for this first trimester to be over! You know la kan the drill - constipation, gassy, morning sickness, nausea, etc although that's not really my main concern. Everyday I pray for the safety of Baby#2, for it to grow healthy and yang paling penting hopefully ada lah rezeki dengan Baby#2 ni. Insya Allah, doa kan lah ...

I have to go pack our barang2 now. We're leaving for Dub41 in just a few hours :)

See you all soon and have a great weekend! :)

Wishlist

2009-01-15T21:36:00.003+03:00

Hopefully these bags are still available in Dub41 in 2 weeks time, and are at least on 50% discount!

Channel 2.55 Flap Bag

Dior Cannage Shopper

Marc Jacob's Stam

Prada Gauffre

Kalaulah boleh terbang besok ...

2009-01-15T20:29:00.003+03:00

I SO cannot wait to go to Dub41 for DSF (Dub41 Sh0pp1ng F3st1v4l)! 2 of my good friends flew there this morning and already I am being bombarded with reports of how crazy cheap things are during this shopping madness festival. For instance, after discount, the oh-so famous Di0r G4uch0 (although I'm NOT a fan) small and medium is RM3K (retails from $1660) and RM4K (retails from $2070) respectively! Aaarrghh! Tak sabarnyerrrrr nak shoppiiiinnngggggg! Ada siapa2 nak pesan? :)

Speaking of Gaucho, I think I'm the only human being on earth who doesn't get what the fuss is about. I showed OtherHalf pictures of the bag and you know what he said?

'Kenapa dengan bag tu? Macam dah kena gelek jer'

He he he... he is so funny. Okaylah, I know it's hot in Hollywood at the moment, but let's say lah it's not Dior and let's say lah Gwen Steffani's not wearing it, agak-agak ada tak orang nak beli bag tu? Hmm, I wonder.

My first day at work

2009-01-08T18:37:00.005+03:00

It's my first day at work today and though it was hard for me to get out of bed this morning, I was so happy to finally be in my corporate attire again. Nasib baik Zara ada sale haritu so I managed to grab a pair of nice suit and some shirts, bought especially for this job.

Anyway, I really enjoyed myself today. From past experiences, first day at a new place was never good; it's always either you have nothing to do, or you're lost, or you're uncomfortable. Today, however, was nothing like that. It was really hectic and I mean it in an exciting way. The minute I entered BigBigBigBoss' office this morning, he told me that he is going to a meeting and he is dragging me along. Dalam hati,

'Alamak, nak pegi tempat tu kena drive. Takkan aku nak drive berdua-duaan dengan BigBigBigBoss kot?'.

Rupa-rupanya, ada company driver dah tunggu kat luar. Wah, terasa macam L4ur3n C0nr4d. Jakun sekejap, sebab ye lah, rasanya company2 kat Ms14 mana pernah sediakan driver apa segala kalau setakat nak pegi meeting kan. The usual practice is, pandai2 lah carik jalan sendiri and claim later. But that is based on my experience lah, taktaulah kot ada jugak company kat Ms14 yang provide the same thing. But then again, it's probably because I'm working very closely with the BigBigBigBoss, so I get the tempias of the perks he's getting. Maybe lah, I don't know. Anyway, I was dragged by BigBigBigBoss to meetings from morning 'til after lunch and by the time we got back to office, it was already 2 pm. The final one hour at the office was spent reading files and documents as a preparation to kickstart my job and before I knew it, it was already 3 pm and time to go home. (Yes, official office hours ends at 3pm. Silalah jeles skarang).

Oh ya, one of the perks that I cannot wait to utilize is that my family (me, husband, children) can travel anywhere in the world, for an unlimited time, and pay only 10% of the fee. Contohnya, kalau orang lain pay RM4K to London (let's say lah), I only have to pay RM400. Isn't that cool? My parents and siblings too get to enjoy similar perks; they can travel twice a year to anywhere in the world, paying only 10% for the first travel and 50% for the second. Hah, silalah jeles lagi :p

So that's how my first day at work went. Hectic but it was also exciting and fun. The only thing I hate about today was not being able to be with my son during the day. I miss him so much!

New Spring Term : School Day 1

2009-01-07T11:53:00.004+03:00

6th January 2009

Baby's school

It was the first day of Spring term and Baby#1 seemed fine when we reached school. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. As if he knew something big was going to happen, he refused to let my hand go even after he was bribed with all sorts of toys. One of the assistants ushered him into the playroom and showed him all sorts of toys while I stood and watched from the corner. He was still fine at this point, but consistently kept checking on me and occasionally persuaded me to get involved.

Baby's class timetable

After about 15 minutes in the playroom, the teacher announced that it was time to go into the classroom, so off we went. The kids are separated into different classes according to their age, so the group becomes smaller at this point; there were only about 8 of them in one class with 1 teacher and 3 assistants.

Puzzle time!

Baby#1 was still fine, although he seemed quite nervous to me. Seeing how occupied he was, I slowly walked towards the door, silently walked out and waited outside. And as expected, Baby#1 screamed and cried for mommy just barely 20 seconds after I left. I wanted to go back inside and hug him and told him that everything is going to be fine, but the manager told me that it wasn't a good idea as it wouldn't make it any easier for Baby#1 to adapt. *Sigh*.

But, being a stubborn mommy I am, I opened the door anyway to take a peek at my boy - yes, he was still crying very loudly. What saddened me the most was when I saw his face - he looked SO sad and scared =( Of course, this stubborn mommy went back inside despite being told not to. Upon seeing me, Baby#1 reached for me, hugged me and kept saying, 'mommy ... mommy'. Macam mana la tak cair kan? So that's when I get all teary sambil diperhatikan oleh cekgu2 dan assistants semua. Huh, sungguh memalukan!

(But in my defense, I am pregnant and my hormones adalah tidak balance and thus, menangis tak tentu pasal ni semua memang common semasa mengandung).

So anyway, back to Baby#1. He was sobbing (actually, we both were) in my arms and honestly, I think it was the biggest hug I've had from him in my entire life. He refused to leave my side and whenever any of the school staffs came near us, he quickly clings to me like a limpet. Only God knows how heart-wrenching it was; I didn't want to leave him in that condition but I know it's not going to help him either. So I stayed for another 20 minutes and when he has calmed down a little bit, I left him with a big smile, a kiss, a hug, and told him that I am going to pick him up soon and that meanwhile 'kakak' will play with him. He cried again, of course, but I read somewhere that it is better to leave your child with a warning rather than sneak out as it may make the kid feel abandoned and unloved.

It was really painful for the eyes, ears and heart, so I decided to wait for him at the lounge instead. Biar tak dengar and/or nampak Baby nangis - rasanya kalau dengar lagi sekali sure I bawak dia balik. Baby finally stopped crying after about 30 minutes but refused to be put down. Ok lah tu kan, at least he stopped crying. I left the school at 9 am.

I came back to the school at 12 pm to pick Baby up but I was told that Baby is sleeping and has been sleeping from 1030am. Laaah .... poor baby must be really tired from all the wailing and screaming. Kesiannya =( I went to take a peek at the sleeping room and boy, he looked so peaceful and different from this morning, so I decided to let him sleep and come back to pick him up later.

I came back around 1:30 pm and the manager told me that he is awake and is now playing at the TV area. I quickly climbed up the stairs and there he was - happily playing and chasing another boy! I wanted to let him play for another few minutes but realised that I've missed him so much that day and I couldn't wait any longer so I called his name. Upon hearing my voice, he stopped, looked around, saw me, ran in his cute little steps towards me and gave another gigantic hug. Cair hati ni mak oii .. I've never felt so missed and wanted my whole life!

So that's the story of Baby's first day at school. He survived his first day and I am so proud of him despite all the drama. And when we reached home from school, a reward is already waiting for him from Dada and Mommy..

A vacuum cleaner? Wow, just like Dada's!

Lega!

2009-01-05T12:06:00.004+03:00

Tomorrow is a BIG day for both me and Baby#1 - he is going to school! I finally found a place for him after 2 consecutive days of school hunting .. phew! He is supposed to start today but he cried for me after I left him in the class for barely 2 minutes. One of the staffs told me to bring him home and 'brainwash' him about going to school so that's what I've been doing this whole day; we talked about school, how he is going to meet and make lots of friends, how he gets to play all the toys he doesn't have at home to his heart's content, etc. Hopefully he is well-prepared and doesn't throw much tantrum tomorrow. Oh ya, I also took him shopping today and bribed him with nice beg sekolah, water tumbler, food containers and all. Tsk tsk tsk, the things you have to do to bribe the kids these days ...

Next on our list is to apply for a maid. Like it or not, we are definitely going to need one sooner or later as I am now expecting Baby#2. Ya lah, we duduk in a foreign land, kalau tak ambik helper siapa lagi nak tolong with house chores lepas yours truly deliver Baby#2 nanti? I just found out that the process of hiring a maid here is really tedious and requires a lot of money, time and patience. So meanwhile, looks like OtherHalf will have to make do with just take outs and make peace with a messy house once I start working again. Well, sebenarnya tak payah tunggu I masuk kerja because I hardly cook and clean lately pun, thanks to my ultra-sensitive nose and morning/evening sickness. That's the beauty of pregnancy - I get to escape from all the boring chores :p

Okie dokie folks ... I have to go as my eyes could just shut down anytime now.

Take care and 'til next post! :)

Mengidam punya pasal ...

2009-01-01T14:17:00.009+03:00

.... last night I went through the hassle and made these myself.

keropok lekor selepas direbus

Keropok lekor selepas digoreng. Yum!

But, if you notice, my keropok lekor is a bit white-ish and that is because,

1) yours truly dah tak kuasa nak kopek isi ikan kembung tuh, and
2) tertuang lebih air jadi terpaksa di-even kan dengan menambah tepung.

But the result was still finger licking good :) Takdelah rasa macam ala-Terengganu kan because obviously lah mine ni terlebih tepung dari ikan, but good enough to satisfy my pregnancy craving.

Hmm ... puas hati :)
Next mission : Laksa Penang

p.s. Ada siapa2 pernah try buat keropok lekor pakai tuna tak? Benci laa nak kopek isi ikan kembung tuh ..

Baby's first Christmas Party

2009-01-01T11:06:00.004+03:00

Note : Outdated post

Christmas tree with presents

Baby attended his very first Christmas party this year and I was really excited on his behalf. No, we don't celebrate Christmas but I feel that if my non-muslim friends could come and celebrate Hari Raya with me then why can't I do the same for them on Christmas kan. Besides, there's nothing religious about this party - the main agenda was to have breakfast, exchange gifts and open them together for the kids' sake.

And I'd say, the kids had the most fun! We all bought a little something for everyone and at the end of the day each kid has at least 4 new toys. They were so happy! The best moment for me was seeing their facial expressions when the content of the box is finally revealed ... priceless :) Baby was still a bit blur though; his first present was a Thomas & friends; he got so excited with his new Choo Choo Train that he completely neglected his other presents! He he he. Mommy yang tak sabar nak bukak present Baby ...

The kids opening their presents!

The kids play area

The kids testing the new toy

Pregnancy cravings

2008-12-30T12:34:00.004+03:00

I have been craving for a lot of things even before I knew I was pregnant. It didn't make sense then, why I wanted ABC Ice Kacang in the middle of the night so bad, why plain rice and omelet tasted sooo good with Maggi seasoning and why I suddenly hates Kinder Bueno (my favorite chocolate). I thought it was PMS, he he.

Anyway, last night, I woke up in the middle of the night with a sudden crave for paratha and chicken curry. I tried to ignore it but I couldn't, so I got up, cooked everything from scratch and finally had my craving satisfied at 2:00 am. And it felt mighty good, like it was the best chicken curry I've ever tasted. Funny thing is, I was never like this when I was carrying Baby#1; I was always reasonable and able to control myself. For example, even when I craved for something silly like a kit kat, I'd wait 'till the next morning and get it myself instead of troubling my husband to get it for me. However, with Baby#2, all I could think about is what and where to eat next and I don't care how much my poor Other Half has to pay for it (ie $100 for a bowl of Laksa, which didn't even satisfy my craving!). At this very moment, I'm actually craving for Laksa Penang, Kuey Teow Goreng (from that Penang Stall @ Food court, 4th floor, KLCC) and Keropok Lekor! Aarrghh! Man, I have a feeling I am going to be real fat this pregnancy around. Seriously, if I hadn't just signed the employment contract, I'd fly back to M'si4 to satisfy this major cravings! Bah!

1st check up

2008-12-29T21:07:00.005+03:00

So we went to the hospital today for my very first check up. We registered at 4:32 pm and since there were four other patients ahead of us, we took a seat and waited at the lounge.

'Only 4 patients ahead of us, shouldn't take long', I told Other Half.

We waited and waited and waited but my number was still not up. Baby#1 was getting restless, Other Half was getting cranky and I was getting hungry! I wonder what took so long? My number was only called after exactly one hour and by then baby#1 and Other Half was already gone to I don't know where.

So I went into the room, briefed the Gynae about my pregnancy history, did the pregnancy test again, blood test, urine test, let her check my abdomen, and then hear her lecture about how I don't drink enough water. Hmph! Based on Gynae's own calculation, I am about 8 weeks pregnant. Assuming that is right, my EDD is on the 8th of August 2009. Nice date, huh? Anyway, I was actually really looking forward for the 'highlight' of the check-up, which is the ultrasound, but I noticed there was no ultrasound machine around. Weird. After a short consultation, the Gynae handed me 2 pieces of paper;

1) prescription of folic acid which I'm supposed to take at the pharmacy, and
2) a request to do Ultrasound at the Radiology department

I was like, what? I have to go to the Radiology department for the Ultrasound? Heeeiii ... leceh betul lah! I went to the Radiology department anyway, handed the paper to the lady at the counter and then heard her saying,

'Is January 8th okay?'

I was confused.

'Sorry?'
'Your ultrasound appointment. January 8th okay?'
'January 8th? What about before that?'
'Sorry Ma'am. Not available.'
'What about tonight?'
'Can, but the queue for the appointment is long'

Ggrrrrr ... Other Half yang sememangnya dah cranky (he hates waiting) mula lah membebel2. Apa lah, hospital canggih bukan main and mahal like crazy, tapi office Gynae satu machine Ultrasound pun takde. Last time, when I was with Dr A at Gl3n34gl3s, we only had to wait for maximum 30-40 minutes, and that's with maybe 5 patients before us and they usually dah siap buat ultrasound dah. Hmmph!

More good news :)

2008-12-28T19:35:00.002+03:00

Luck seems to be on my side lately and I am oh so very grateful. Alhamdulillah :)

On top of the news on the new job, I received another good news today; I am expecting baby #2! :)

Honestly, I'm not sure how far along my pregnancy is. I've been 'feeling pregnant' for a while but I did the home pregnancy test few weeks ago and it turned out negative so I didn't bother checking until today. But I've been having the usual pregnancy symptoms like;

i) my nips have been feeling extra sensitive and sore,
ii) I've been having low back pain,
iii) afternoon nap has suddenly become a routine to me,
iv) my nose has suddenly become very sensitive to aromas,
v) I have gained weight (wahahahaha it's so easy to blame it on the pregnancy kan!)

... and last but not least,

vi) baby#1 has suddenly become super clingy, especially to me.

.. so that's why I decided to do the home test again today. And honestly, I wasn't hopeful at all but was thrilled to see the two red lines! Woohoo! Other Half is of course, super excited when he learned the news and immediately told Baby#1, 'wah, baby#1 tak lama lagi nak jadi abang lah!'. Upon hearing that I suddenly feel guilty - Baby#1 and I will probably not have as much time together once Baby#2 is here :( Kesian dia ..

Anyway, please don't congratulate me yet. My first pregnancy was diagnosed anencephalic so I try not to put my hopes too high on this. Well, not unless we're 100% sure that Baby#2 is okay and healthy. Right now, all I need from all of you is your prayer for Baby#2 to grow normal and healthy so that Insya Allah, he/she will have the chance to see the world :)

We're going to the hospital tomorrow for my first check up. So excited!

It's Christmas ..

2008-12-26T00:23:00.000+03:00

... and it's the busiest day for yours truly! I received a lot of orders (can't complain though, makes me few hundreds richer!) so I was on full domestic gear the whole day (but loved it!). These are what came out from my kitchen today:

Fudge brownies

Mini strawberry-flavored cheesecake with blueberry toppings

Fruit tartlets

Christmas cupcakes

And of course, my signature blueberry cheesecake :)

Look at them puas2 as this is probably the last time you'll see them. Don't think I'll have the time nor the energy to take orders once I start working :)

News

2008-12-25T18:10:00.000+03:00

They offered me the job :)

And, the package meets my requirement :)

So I guess I have no reason not to join them. The only problem now is who is going to look after Baby? We are thinking of sending him to school 5-days a week as opposed to the original 2-days a week plan. But the thing is, school finishes at 1230pm (or I can pay extra and let him stay until 230 pm, tapi kesian la pulak kan) and office hour is until 3pm so the earliest I can pick him up is at 330pm. So where do I send him after school? Peningnya kepala ni mak oiii.

The Company (actually, the Boss) is being really accommodative. Firstly, when they asked me how soon I could join them, I told them I have a holiday planned sometime end of January until early February, so if I were to join them, I'd like an assurance that I'll be allowed to apply for 2 weeks leave or else I can only join them mid February. They told me,

'it's usually not allowed, but you'll have to check with Mr S'.

I said okay. But before I could find the time to call him myself, he somehow managed to find the time in his busy schedule to call and assure me that he will make sure that my already-planned holiday will not be interrupted.

Lega.

And so I told them, if that's the case then I need at least 2 weeks to sort out my Baby-logistic problem. They said ok, great, no problem. And then, when I spoke (again) to Mr S, he told me that if by then things are still not sorted out, he allows me to work only half-day for the whole month (if I want la). I was so tempted to ask him whether it's okay if I bring Baby to office with me. Heh!

Any suggestion? That doesn't involve daycare or live-in maid/stranger?

Hmm .. peningnya. Memang carik penyakit lah aku ni.

Christmas is around the corner

2008-12-25T09:28:00.000+03:00

No, Other Half and I don't celebrate Christmas but for many, many years since we were married, Christmas has always been an excuse for us to gather with friends. Plus, we kan perasan omputih so nak jugak join the bandwagon. But unlike previous years, this year's Christmas 'celebration' will be slightly different. Instead of roasting the bird myself, the girls and I are going to enjoy our roasted turkey at La Cigale tonight while the husbands and kids stay at home. The kids will have their Christmas party tomorrow morning and then the Daddies can have a party of their own after. Fair and square kan?

Speaking of, I have yet to buy Christmas presents for Baby's Christmas party tomorrow. Good thing almost every shops are on sale now so I might swing by the mall before going to dinner tonight. Or else, err, I'll have to burn copies and copies of Baby's cartoon DVD and give it to each of them as their Christmas present. You think they will like it? Maybe not, eh? Aah, kids these days are so demanding! :p

Okaylah .. I better start copying and burning those DVDs in case I didn't make it to the mall tonight. Enjoy your long weekend and Merry Christmas, everyone!

Finally decided.

2008-12-22T12:19:00.000+03:00

So it is decided - I am going to meet them tomorrow. I am so curious to know just how 'marketable' I am in the market after a year off. He he.

I told Other Half about the call last night and his reaction was, 'up to you lah' but with one condition - if I do get the job and if I do decide to accept it, the problem of who is going to look after baby when I go to work is solely mine. I told him, there is a probability of me not getting it too so let's not think about that now. Besides, even if they do like me, I promised baby that I will not leave him for anything less than $xx,xxx.00 so even if they do like me, they have to make a really generous offer or else I'm more than happy to stay at home :)

I know, I'm not some big shot who can afford to demand this and that but I look at my baby and just the thought of leaving him with someone else during the day already makes my heart feels heavy. So yes, it is going to cost them a lot to make me go back to work. I won't even bother for anything less :)

Speaking of tomorrow - I've done my research on the company's background and let's hope they stay in my head until the 'discussion' is over. My husband asked me why bother studying the company's background if I don't really want the job? Well, I don't want to look like an idiot in front of the Senior VP, do I? Plus, mana lah tau kan rezeki on my side and they agree to my condition, hah kau ... an extra 5 figure income into the household. Siapa nak bagi?

I need to go run some errands so I'm signing off. Nighty nite :)

I've a secret to tell.

2008-12-21T16:28:00.001+03:00

About 2 weeks ago I submitted my CV to a company just for fun, to see if my experiences are still relevant in the market.

And apparently, it still is.

I received a call from a company today and after a short chat (aka phone interview), they decided to set up a meeting with me sometime this week. Unfortunately, as I said earlier, me sending out my CV was just for fun and I did not intend to attend any interviews. But despite hundreds of excuses from my side, they still insist that I come and meet them soon for a short discussion, just to see if we could establish mutual interest.

So what do you think?

I am thinking of meeting the Senior Vice President of the department.
Because I am thinking, I have nothing to lose.

If I got it, rezeki lah kan (and with the perks they're offering, boleh la balik kampung selalu).
If I don't get it, I'll still be a SAHM (and tak payah pening2 fikir who is going to look after baby).

I'm feeling very neutral about this.
I'm not hopeful, I'm not nervous, I'm not excited.
I'm just going to go with the flow.

Let's just see what happens next. But please don't tell my Other Half yet okay. I'll tell him myself once I've made my decision wether or not to pursue this.

p.s. If you were me, would you go for it?

Gadget craze

2008-12-21T09:43:00.000+03:00

Last year, Other Half was given the option to choose from a selection of HTC PDA/smart phones as a Christmas gift from his company.

.. and Other Half chose this model and gave it to me for my M4x1s number. It's a good phone and it serves its purpose well. I love the fact that it's small in size. And for a girl who often drops her phone, the rubberized outer case material feels really great and ensures that the phone doesn't slip that easily from my hand.

The only thing I hate about this phone is the keypad - I have been a faithful Nokia user for many years prior to this so converting from the typical, normal keypad to QWERTY SureType keyboard (2 characters on each key) was difficult. And to be honest, I still don't know how to work it until this very day. And using the stylus or the touch keyboard aren't always convenient either, especially when I'm driving etc. Which explains why, despite the murder expensive rates, I'd rather reply SMS-es using my iPhone (used for my Qt3l Sim).

And because of that silly keypad, I wish Other Half had chosen this one instead. Oh well ..

But that was last year's story.

This year, there is a rumor saying that Other Half's company is going to give away a Blackberry as Christmas gift. A Blackberry! Wow, I so hope it's true and if it is, I hope Other Half is generous enough to pass it to me :) And oh .. I so hope it's a Blackberry Bold.
I know, I know .. it's too much to ask but last time I check, wishing and dreaming wasn't a crime :)

This is my first post

2008-12-19T11:37:00.000+03:00

... here.

Seriously, I am not new at this. I've been blogging for years and years but just recently decided to dump the old blog and start fresh. And this time, I want to keep my identity as anonymous as possible.

So to you, my dear readers (if I have any, that is), if you could guess or have a hunch of who I am, I beg you to keep your intuition to yourself and not EVER mention my (real of previous blogger) name, either here or anywhere else because from today onwards, I prefer to be known as Miss Flamingo.

And just a reminder - if you decide to link me up, it's MISS FLAMINGO, and not my real name or my previous blogger name. Thank you :)

Aaah .. I can't wait to blog. Have so many to tell!
Soon ok :)