My thoughts, my musings

The VERY belated second birthday

2012-01-10T08:34:00.000+08:00

Sara is going to be three tomorrow. I better get this post done before that :p

We held her second birthday sometime in January last year. I think it was 8th or 9th of January 2010. We had a small ceremony, as it was quite a last minute occasion. I had planned for sort of a cupcake-themed birthday and we made it happen even with the short amount of time we had to prepare.

We made cupcake shaped goodie bag for the guests, my mom sew cupcake shape on Sara's tutu dress, we even have a cupcake station (where the children can decorate their own cupcakes). I tried to make her a giant cupcake red velvet cake, but the cake looks like a giant glob of something (definitely not the shape of a cupcake). Oh well, at least it tasted delicious.

Sara was a bit quiet at first because she just woke up from her nap but later, returned to her happy self. I know she won't remember the details of her birthday (she doesn't even care about the cupcake theme and whatnot), but it makes me satisfied that I've tried to provide her with everything I can even though it was a far cry from the image of cupcake party I had in my head.

We had a blast and my mom forbade me from ever again having a cupcake party because the icing on the carpet was sooo hard to clean. Everybody had fun, and that's what matters most, no? :)

Circle-circle thing

2012-01-09T08:22:00.000+08:00

About two months ago, my cousin came with her baby boy to our house. She changed her baby's diaper in front of Sara.

Sara just watched her and didn't say anything at the time. Last month, while we were talking together, Sara asked me:

"Mummy, remember the other day Mak Lin came to our house with the baby to see Dina?"

"Yes, I remember"

"Then, Mak Lin changed the baby's pampers kan?"

"Yes"

"Why the baby got circle-circle thing?"

"Circle-circle thing?"

"Yes, circle-circle thing. Here" pointing to her private parts.

Oh. That circle-circle thing. Apparently, she's referring to the baby's ehem, testicle.

Haha, what would you answer to that?

Rapunzel in the making :)

2012-01-01T22:03:00.002+08:00

Yeah, I know...Look at the hair...so thick right? :)

Adelya Qasdina - The Birth Story

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000+08:00

Okay, now that I think I am in a better state of mind (but still experiencing the sharp piercing pain from breastfeeding), I am finally ready to tell this chapter of my life story.

My labor experience was a beautiful one. I had what they would call a precipitate labor (very rapid labor. Oh, it comes with its own set of risks but thankfully, I didn't know about it beforehand).

"Short, Fast Labor (Precipitate Labor)

A precipitate labor is normally very short, lasting less than three hours. A precipitate labor has its own special problems and challenges. The duration of the labor may appeal to you, but you may not notice the signs of the labor in the latent phase thereby missing the early signs of labor. Suddenly, you will be thrown into active, hard labor without time to prepare psychologically. The first noticeable contractions can be long and crushingly intense, and accompanied by feelings of panic and confusion."

On 19th October 2011, I had to check myself in the hospital because I had not yet show any sign of delivery. Since I had diabetes, the doctor does not allow me to past my due date; which is 20th October 2011.

So, at 6.00am, 20th October 2011, I was induced. Nothing new there (because I experienced that with Sara) BUT, it did felt a little bit painful. I had two rounds of check-ups using the CTG machine, and my contractions are progressing. Great, that means I won't have to be induced for the second time.

At 2.30pm, Dr Hamidah came and my dilation was only at 3cm, so she asked me casually "Do you want to give birth today? I can help you if you do, but it will be a little painful". Hmm, well, okay doc, bring it on. She did the membrane sweep and yeah, it was painful. It did struck my mind that I was completely aware and alert of all the pain I'm feeling this time around. Back then, with Sara, I was blissfully ignorant.

The nurse told me that they would wheel me to the labour room at 3.30pm. I bathe, perform solat, recite a bit of Quran and walk around the ward to speed up my dilation.

3.40pm - reached the labour room and was attached to the CTG machine for 20 minutes. A doctor came and explained to me that I had to decide whether I'm going to take the epidural injection or not. I told her that the pain is still bearable, but I might change my mind if the pain gets worse. Hehe. She told me I had to decide there and then because my dilation was at 4cm and they had to book the doctor early. I politely decline. I have nothing against taking the epidural injection but the thought of having to poke a big-ass needle in between my spine is much more scarier than facing the contraction pain.

4.00 - 5.15pm - I drifted in and out of sleep. Oh, I did take the ethonox gas. Twice. Doesn't make much difference though. I think (for Muslim) you're better off reciting the "doa Nabi Yusof". At 5.15pm, the doctor thought that I might need another induction, so they hook me to the drip and injected painkillers on my hip. (Hey, that rhymes ;p)

-- What goes on from here onwards is really embarrassing for me. I, err...lost my cool (to put it mildly) but in my defence precipitate labour does cause panic and confusion (as explained in the orange font above ;p)--

5.30pm - Suddenly, I feel like something moved in my stomach, sort of like something fell down from my tummy to my uterus. And after that, came the excruciating pain. Whoa, this is not normal. I screamed to hubby "Get the nurse!!" and I was thrashing in the bed from the pain. (It was sooo embarrassing, I was literally thrashing and almost took out all the drips and machine they put on me).

The nurse came in and because I was that hysterical, she had to scream at me "PUAN! SABAR! JANGAN MACAM NI! TENGOK SAYA!". I remember thinking, if this is not the time yet, I want epidural. Now. The nurse checked my dilation and her face changes. She rushed out to call the doctor and everything, everyone moved sooo fast.

The nurse grabbed a hold of my hand "PUAN! TENGOK SAYA OK. KITA BUAT SAMA-SAMA. BILA SAYA CAKAP PUSH, PUAN TARIK NAFAS, DAGU SENTUH KE DADA, PUSH SEKUAT HATI." I was like, oh, its time? Now? I'm really giving birth?

I pushed twice, and the third time, the baby came out at exactly 5.45pm. And because there was no drugs on me this time (the painkiller have not yet taken effect), I was fully alert and aware of everything. I saw the baby came out, I can hear the suction thingy that they use on the baby and then they took the baby away (don't ask me, I really don't know why).

The doctor then told me that my baby came out with her fists first (like knocking the door) and she weighed 3.05kgs. She told me to relax my body because she's taking out the placenta. (hmm, I thought the placenta came out with the baby?) She pressed and massage the top bit of my tummy and the placenta safely came out.

I had first degree tear and there were stitches. But, it was not very painful (as compared to the contractions I felt earlier). And then, my baby was delivered back to me. And I fed her for the first time. And it hurts like hell. But, thank god that the painkillers have started to take effect so I was more sleepy than in pain.

The nurse came to check on me and she told me she's sorry for screaming at me. She said even she was panicked to see me "lost control" like that. Tee hee. I also said that I was sorry for losing it. And I thank her for grabbing a hold of the situation, even if it means screaming at me. See, who said that public nurses are grumpy? I think negative perception towards government/public hospitals are overrated.

So, there you have it...the story of how I lost my cool and delivered a beautiful bundle of joy. I think she looks exactly like her sister, but with much thicker and longer hair :)

Oh, when my hubby wheeled Dina to meet the rest of my family waiting outside the labor room, I can hear Sara screaming "Hey, I want to see my sister!" (because she was short and everybody else is blocking her view ;p)

Breastfeeding - the ugly truth

2011-12-03T08:21:00.004+08:00

I know, I know...I haven't properly introduce my second princess, I haven't update on the birth story but this story on breastfeeding deserves to be told first.

I expected breastfeeding to be painful (I experienced it during Sara, and I gave up, remember?). What I didn't expect was the pain to last this long. I'm on my last day of confinement and I'm NOT jumping with joy because breastfeeding is STILL PAINFUL.

This time around, I really prepared myself. I rubbed lanolin (Medela Purelan) on my nipple from the very first day. The problem is, even by then, my nipples are already in pain. From the first moment my baby latch on me, I could feel the pain.

Day 1 - Still in hospital, all nurses come and help me to breastfeed but even they don't quite understand how I can be in sooo much pain and why my nipple was such in a bad state.

Day 2 - was discharged. Kept on breastfeeding my baby. The pain was excruciating. I put hot oil on my back, popped painkillers to help alleviate the pain.

Day 3 - my confinement lady arrived, and even she was flabbergasted with my nipple and breastfeeding problem. Everyone thought it was because my milk hasn't come in yet and the baby was suckling too hard.

Day 5 - called another masseur, she came and help and sure enough, my milk has come in but due to the condition of the nipple, I suffered from blocked ducts. (Oh, I've tried pumping, using 3 different pumps : Spectra, Avent and Ameda Lactaline but NOTHING works)

Day 6 - called susuibu.com, asked for help and thankfully there was this one volunteer who lived nearby my house and came to help me. She taught me how to get a good latch and proper positioning.

Day 7-24 - Still in constant pain. No matter what I do, the pain won't dissipate. Asked for help from a dear friend to buy me a nipple shield and I think I've tried about every remedy suggested. Had engorgement and almost fainted, I was feverish and was fatigued all the time. But still, I kept breastfeeding my baby. Its like I have to choose between two types of pain : The sharp, burning pain from the nipple or the whole body pain of engorgement. From time to time, I had to express my milk using hand express until my hands went numb. Oh, there was this one time I felt excruciating pain and had to release my baby using my pinkie finger and suddenly I saw blood gushing out from my nipple and on my baby's mouth. Oy, the trauma was indescribable.

Day 25 - engorgement got sooo bad, had to call the masseur again, she helped cleared up the blocked ducts and suggested I go see a lactation consultant.

Day 27 - went to a lactation consultant (LC) and got to the root of the problem. MY BABY HAS TONGUE-TIE!!!! I won't go into details but tongue-tied baby have difficulties to extend their tongue past the lower gumline, therefore making it VERY painful everytime she breastfed. And for the first time throughout my painful breastfeeding journey, I cried. Haha. The LC referred me to another LC who is also a pediatrician for more thorough assessment. And oh, Sara also have tongue-tied, that's why breastfeeding her was soooo painful (Thank god I have that cleared up, because I always have this sense of guilt everytime I look at her and knowing that I failed to breastfeed her)

Day 28 - Got all ready to meet Dr Koe, only to be informed that she will be on leave for the entire week. Oh, just my luck :(

Day 32 - Went to Dr Koe's clinic, had to go through the worst traffic jam ever at MEX highway (Yeah, I never expected traffic jam would occur in MEX highway either!!) and had to wait for almost three hours at Dr Koe's clinic because apparently, she is the go-to doctor for problems in breastfeeding. She diagnosed my baby with tongue-tie and asked me whether I want to do the frenotomy procedure (snipping a bit of your baby's "tie" under the tongue. The procedure is not dangerous and even safer than circumcision, so I said yes. I had actually read up all I can about the procedure so I felt confident and safe)

Day 33-40 - I don't expect the nipple pain to magically disappear, but it has been a week and I finally figured that my baby has developed a habit when breastfeeding. She doesn't know that now she can extend her tongue to cup the lower areola and therefore, she did what she always do, grazed my nipple EVERYTIME she fed. Oh my. I had to go back to Kuantan for my sis-in-law wedding and can you imagine going to a kenduri with your breast (nipple) in constant pain. I got so stressed out, even the quality of my milk dropped and they became sooo thin, like plain water. So, the baby got hungry and started demanding to be fed every half an hour. Went to another LC in Kuantan and she suggested I take Shaklee to boost my milk and make it more thick, thus helping the baby to not get hungry every so often. I also tried pumping using Medela Swing and amazingly, I managed to express my milk. But, the pain to my nipple is still there. HUWAAAA!!!

Day 44 (today) - yeah, still in pain. We'll just see how this goes, okay? In the meantime, do pray that I get better, please...

P/S - will update on the baby and the birth story once I feel better. Just a note to those with bf problems as well, please do get professional help before its too late..

And oh, the ONLY silver lining in my dark breastfeeding cloud is I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And that is just within the first 20 days. Guess pain really can make you lose weight :)

Easy Peasy Chocolate Cake in 5 minutes (and that includes the cooking time!)

2011-10-12T10:00:00.001+08:00

I'm not a big fan of cake. So even though I bake cakes on what use to be a daily occasion, I seldom eat my own cakes.

When the craving to suddenly eat something chocolaty kicks in, I remembered seeing the recipe for chocolate mug cake (baked in microwave) in few websites/blogs. And I'm always game for an easy recipe, especially those which does not involve having to haul up my mixer and whatnot ;p

After tweaking here and there, the most perfect recipe for me is :

1) 4 tablespoon of flour + a teenie weenie pinch of soda bicarbonate
(can substitute for self-raising flour if you have those)
2) 2 tablespoon of sugar
3) 3 tablespoon of cocoa powder
4) 1 egg
5) 2 tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk
6) 3 tablespoon of coffee (preferably with creamer)
(I usually use 3-in-1 nescafe)
7) 3 tablespoon of vegetable oil

The method is soooooo easy, even my two-year-old can do it. Dump item 1,2 and 3 together. Give it a good stir. And then dump item 4 until 7, giving it a good stir after each item. Set microwave on high, and pop the mug/bowl in the microwave for two minutes, and voila...your chocolate cake is ready. Top with ice cream, ganache, nuts and serve warm...yummmeeeehhhh...

Second appointment as FPP in Hospital Putrajaya

2011-10-11T09:00:00.000+08:00

My second appointment wih Dr Hamidah went well. Although I did have to wait for a while since she's performing an operation.

Its true what pinkertonic and ryyhan said, she'll spend more time with you once you reach towards the end of you pregnancy. She perform the ultrasound scan and Alhamdulillah, everything appears to be in good condition. Dr Hamidah said that it appears that this baby is gonna be slightly smaller than Sara (Yes!! Tak sia-sia control makan).

She also said that this time, they are not going to allow post-date (meaning : if I still haven't give birth by 19th October, I'd have to get induced) and I am somewhat relieved by that. Part of the reason I'm totally okay with being induced is that I'm having difficulty to even walk nowadays. I get tired easily and even walking has become quite a chore.

I gained only 300gm for this past two weeks (What?? Yeah, I don't believe it either). Haha. Probably due to the fact that I haven't been able to eat properly for the last 5 days (remember the annoying wisdom tooth that decided to show up?)

This is latest picture of me (of my tummy actually, my face is too wide nowadays, it would take up the whole desktop ;p) at nine months. Slightly smaller than my previous pregnancy, I must say *pats shoulder* :)

Oh, the other day I totally made a fool of myself...you know how they say that when you're pregnant you have this baby brain (the tendency to become forgetful, fuzzy memories)...hihi...well, they are true (for me at least).

I parked my car in front of a Shell kiosk, locked the door and went inside to buy the chocolate I promised for Sara. I paid for the chocolate and went outside, pressed my car key and CONFIDENTLY opened the car door. I remember thinking "Hmm, the car door handle looks different today"

As I was about to enter the car, I noticed that not only the handle was different, the whole interior was different too. I took a step back and errr....no wonder everything looks different, it was a silver Perodua Myvi while yours truly is driving a silver Hyundai Getz.

Since there are quite a few people around the car (and maybe the owner too *gasp*), I avoid any kind of eye contact and sheepishly said "Oops, tersalah pulak.." and with the tiny shred of dignity I have left, I walked to my car, start the engine and drove away from the embarrassing scene.

Here's a picture of a Myvi door handle and Getz door handle. Even a blind man can feel the difference (and I have been driving my Getz for more than 5 years!!)

On the left is Myvi and the green one is Getz. Image googled.

The pain that woke me up!

2011-10-06T09:27:00.006+08:00

I am a very deep sleeper. Fortunately for me, Sara has always been a good sleeper too. I am not the one known to wake up from sleep for whatever reason (my mom always said that a bomb can go off and I'd still be sleeping soundly). Even when I was having contraction during Sara's birth, I drifted in and out of sleep.

However, last two night, when I was soundly sleeping, something woke me up. That something is the excruciating pain on the right side of my jaw (Oh, hi there my lovely wisdom tooth). I grabbed my handphone, and fervently wished that it was already 4 or 5 am. Instead, it was only 1 am. Gaahhhh!!! How am I suppose to deal with this pain for another 7 hours?

I tossed and turned, drank water and try the "its-all-in-your-mind" therapy. Pfftt. Nothing seems to work. And when nothing works, what do you do? Turn to Him, of course. I perform solat sunat and felt calmer afterward. The pain does not magically subside, but it became manageable.

I took the whole day off yesterday and thought of going to the clinic, but I'm sure they'll only give me some painkillers and antibiotics (which I'm not planning on consuming, since I'm afraid it might affect the baby). BUT, I might go today if the condition got worse.

Having your wisdom tooth appear towards the end of your pregnancy is NOT FUN! It does however, take my mind away from the impending delivery.

Set Asas Pengurusan Uri

2011-10-04T09:18:00.000+08:00

I am fairly sure that every Muslim knows that placenta (uri) have to be managed properly, so I will not blog about that here...however, what I wanted to share is : Did you know that nowadays people sell a set specifically to manage the uri (the Islamic way?). The first thing that popped into my mind is "Why didn't they do this sooner?" Hehe...

Anyway, I bought mine at mypermatahati.com at RM35.00 only. Inside the set is salt, tamarind, a clay pot, white cloth and latex glove. All the necessary things to help us dispose and manage the uri properly.

On a side note, a friend in the office who have the same due date as mine have already given birth...and looking at the maternity ticker above, I have less than 20 days!

Perineal Massage

2011-10-03T10:00:00.001+08:00

Note : This is going to be a slightly "uncomfortable" topic, so may I suggest to those who have low tolerance of human anatomy, particularly in the "southern region" to please kindly leave this page ;p

I've heard about perineal massage from Suzie's blog. I followed the link back to Diah's blog and reading her experience, I'm sold. (she popped out a 4.1kg baby without the need for episiotomy).

Back during my first pregnancy, I somewhat shy away reading all the related material on the actual giving birth procedure because the more I read, the more I felt nervous, scared and all those negative feelings. This time, I'm proud to say that I am more open in reading the related material BUT I still haven't had the guts to look at the pictures/videos of people giving birth.

Okay, enough babbling...here is some info on perineal massage (copied from here)

What is perineal massage?

Perineal massage is the gentle stretching and massaging of the perineum (skin between the anus and vagina) during the last few weeks of pregnancy. This has been shown to reduce the incidence of episiotomy and perineal tears during childbirth.

Why does perineal massage work?

Perineal massage does not "lengthen" the tissues of the perineum. However, it does increase the stretch in two ways.

First, perineal massage is done with a cold pressed oil, which lubricates the tissue making it softer, more supple and improving is flexibility. This makes it easier for the tissues to stretch as the baby is born.

Second, perineal massage familiarizes the mother with the stretching sensations she will feel as the baby is born. This helps her learn to keep her perineal area relaxed during the stretching of crowning which can help prevent tears.

How do I do it?

Perineal massage can be done by the mother or her partner. The mother should be in a comfortable place, sitting or reclining in a way that gives access to the skin around the vagina. It can be done for up to 10 minutes a day during the last four weeks of pregnancy.

Wash hands thoroughly. Ensure there are no sharp or long nails that may scratch the mother.
Locate the perineum, directly below the vagina. It is the skin between the vagina and the anus. Apply some cold pressed and pure oil (such as olive oil) to this skin.
Place the thumbs at the base of the vagina, allowing them the slide inside the vagina (to about the first joint) moving some oil with them.
Using gentle but firm pressure, move the thumbs from the base of the vagina up the side walls as if you were making a "U".
Return the thumbs to the base of the vagina, and repeat procedure.
As the mother becomes more comfortable with the stretch, you may increase the amount you stretch the skin.

As for me, I've started doing the perineal massage two weeks ago and am hoping for the best (please...no more episiotomy). BUT, the thing with routine and me, we seldom see eye to eye. I've only done this massage for four times...(probably the same amount as applying anti-stretchmark cream on my tummy throughout these 9 months).

Note to self : Kalau tau je, tapi pemalas nak buat, tak guna ok!!
Self answered back : ok, ok...lepas ni tiap-tiap malam buat..

Air selusuh

2011-09-29T09:30:00.000+08:00

* Disclaimer : I got this information from an ustaz at my office. For fear of misunderstanding or miscommunication, I'm going to directly "copy-paste" the instruction. This is for my future reference and also to whoever reads my blog and wishes to make their own air selusuh.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

Selusuh ialah nama bagi bahan khusus yang disediakan untuk memudahkan kelahiran bayi juga meringankan penderitaan ibu. Selusuh terdiri daripada air dan minyak yang disebut sebagai air selusuh dan juga minyak selusuh. Adakalanya kedua bahan ini digunakan secara bersama dengan ditambah dengan buah kurma (seelok-eloknya kurma Nabi iaitu ajwah)

Air selusuh dibuat (jika dapat) menggunakan air zam-zam. Minyak selusuh pula dibuat sendiri menggunakan kelapa tua yang belum kering kulitnya (kelapa hijau). Kelapa diparut dan diperah santannya tanpa ditambah air. Toskan santan tersebut didalam bekas selama lebih kurang 3 hingga 4 jam. Kemudian saring kepala (bahagian atas) santan menggunakan sudu bagi mengasingkan pati-patinya yang telah terkumpul di dasar bekas tadi.

Masak santan berkenaan menggunakan kuali dengan api perlahan. Sentiasa kacau santan bagi mengelakkannya menjadi berketul. Masak sehingga pecah minyak dan kacau hingga bentuk tahi minyak bertukar menjadi kuning keemasan (lebih kepada kehitaman sebenarnya tapi bukan hangus). Setelah itu sejukkan minyak dan asingkan daripada tahinya. Tuang minyak ke dalam gelas kaca (kalau dapat gelas tidak berwarna dan putih jernih). Simpan minyak dalam suhu bilik selama lebih kurang seminggu atau lebih agar pati-pati tahi minyak akan mendap ke bawah gelas. Setelah itu anda akan dapati minyak yang warnanya keemas-emasan dan jernih. Pindahkan minyak (saringkan) yang jernih bersih itu ke dalam bekas kaca yang lain dan kini mulakan dengan amalan-amalan di bawah:

1. Minyak dan air zam-zam di bawa bersama ketika solat hajat. (letak di hadapan sebelah kanan);

2. Setelah selesai solat hajat, bacakan doa-doa ini (mengikut kadar dan bilangan yang digemari) ke atas air dan minyak tadi:

Surah Al-fatihah

Surah al-Hasyr ayat 21-24

Selawat Syifa

Doa 1

Doa 2

3. Simpan (air dan minyak) di tempat yang selamat

4. Sementara menunggu saat sakit nak bersalin, suami dan isteri hendaklah sentiasa solat hajat mohon dipermudahkan proses kelahiran anak yang ditunggu-tunggu. Banyakkan membaca al-Quran terutama surah Maryam, Yusuf dan Luqman. Setelah masuk minggu yang terakhir (sebelum due), berikan isteri minum air selusuh (sahaja, tidak termasuk minyak) sekali sehari selepas solat fardhu subuh.

5. Apabila isteri merasakan sakit nak bersalin, minum air selusuh, makan 1-3 biji buah kurma dan telan sesudu minyak selusuh. Sabarlah menunggu saat kelahiran dengan perasaan yakin dan tawakkal kepada Allah...

First Appointment as FPP in Hospital Putrajaya

2011-09-27T11:00:00.001+08:00

This FPP thing is really great. I get treated even better than when I went for my appointment in K*J. I spent less than 2 hours (and the first 45 minutes was spent looking for parking...hmm, maybe the Hospital should consider special parking space for FPP *kidding*).

I walked up straight to the counter; explained that I'm an FPP and have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Hamidah and I was immediately ushered to another counter to complete the registration and pay RM110 (new case and registration fee).

I was asked to go directly to the obgyn counter and when I gave the nurse my card, she immediately asked me to weigh myself and took my blood pressure. Wow, no waiting? Hehe... On a side note, I gained 2.5kgs in two weeks!! I blame the Raya foods ;p

And then, I went to have my urine checked, and again...no queue? What? Is this really the same hospital where I spent almost 8 hours last two weeks?

I was politely asked to have a seat and wait for my turn to see the doctor as she was swamped with appointments today. I sat for a good 15 minutes and my name was called. Now, this is where it gets tricky.

I went to the hospital with a full tummy, hence a very good mood. I am a patient with a normal pregnancy case, and I myself didn't have anything extraordinary to ask. So, when I entered the room and the Doctor is still examining the other patient and at the same time, asking me conditions about my health, it doesn't bug me as much as it should. Maybe it did piss off the other patient, but I was somewhat okay with it.

The doctor asked me to go to a different room for ultrasound scan and I lie down on the bed for 3 minutes before the doctor came. She performed the scan, and told me everything looks good, the baby's head is where it is supposed to be, and at 36 weeks, my baby weighs 2.8kg. *Sigh* Guess she's gonna be huge like her big sister...

All in all, I wasn't disappointed nor was I delighted by the FPP service. For RM110 (new case + registration), it was okay. Although I do have to admit my opinion may differ if I went there hoping for some one-on-one time with my gynae. Or if I went there with an empty stomach. These days, my mood is in exact correlation with the amount of food I consume. Full stomach = happy me.

Mother-Daughter Drama Episode 4 - Up to you lah

2011-09-19T10:12:00.000+08:00

It has been a while since our last drama episode. Owh, trust me, it was not because the lack of drama between me and Sara, it was more because of my procrastination habit.

Last 4-5 months (I think), I had just came back home from work in a bad mood with all the crappy nonsense in the office. I wanted to bathe Sara, I took her pyjamas, opened her clothes, and bathe her. No drama. Yet.

She's such a chatterbox in the bathroom and we always enjoy our bath session. Then, I dried her and started to put on the clothes that I took out earlier. She started whining "Yaya don't want to wear this one, want to wear another one". I conceded "Okay, which one?"

She showed me another set of pjs, but when I started to put on the clothes to her, the former scene ensues. Repeat three times. Now, can you imagine my frustration and anger at that time? I threw all her clothes on the bed, and told her "Up to you lah Sara, choose whatever you want, Mummy don't care"

I guess she can hear the strain in my voice, and knows that I'm already at my limit, so she did the next best thing. She cried, on top of her lung. Resulting in of course everybody coming in the room and asking what went wrong (which of course added to my annoyance..hehe)

Since that, the phrase "Up to you lah" has always been extra sensitive to her. If she gets really stubborn and we say "Up to you lah" to her, she'll immediately apologized "Sowwy, sowwy mummy, yaya don't want mummy to angry yaya. Sowwy mummy. Don't say up to you. Sowwy mummy" Hihi, it's funny and heartbreakingly sweet at the same time.

Last week, we went outing together and as usual, she insisted to sit with me at the shotgun position. Its getting hard adjusting to her chubby body (18kgs, 97cm) and mummy's growing tummy. So, I said to her "Sara sit in front la ye, babah drive, Sara sit beside babah. Mummy sit at the back ye?" And she pleaded "No lah, mummy sit with yaya la. Yaya want to sit with mummy. Pleeeaaassseee".

I tried negotiating "Okay, we sit at the back together, nak?" She replied "We sit in front la. Yaya hot, nak aircond". After several minutes of coaxing, she suddenly looked up to me, and said with a very strained voice "Up to you la mummy, want to sit at the back ke, want to sit in front ke" *___*

And guess what I did? I succumbed, I sat in front with her. I swear I can see the glint of amusement in her eyes afterward. Gosh, to think that I am being psyched and manipulated by a two-year-old. I blame it on the pregnancy hormones! ;p

Full Paying Patient (FPP) in Hospital Putrajaya

2011-09-15T12:12:00.000+08:00

*Disclaimer : The information below is based on the brochure distributed by the Hospital and from the inquiry counter and solely from my own understanding. Please go directly to the hospital for more accurate information.

After some hard contemplating (private vs government hospital), I've decided to try my luck at Hospital Putrajaya. Again. But this time, as a full paying patient. I was made to understand that a full paying patient is entitled to the same privilege as the private hospital.

Frankly, I have nothing against government hospital, I had a really nice experience during my first pregnancy and labour. Its just that government hospitals does not allow spouse/parents to spend the night at the hospital (and I was in sooooo much pain after the labour, I can't bear going through that again without anybody present this time).

Okay, before I got sidetracked, below is the information on FPP for birth/delivery in Hospital Putrajaya:

1) Registration fee for a new case (first time visit) is RM10 and the consultation fee is RM100.

2) Subsequent and follow-up visits are charged at RM60.

* Both fees are not inclusive of treatments and medications

3) There are four OBGYN specialists in Hospital Putrajaya (and the patient can choose whomever they want subject to the specialist availability). There are two female doctors (Dr. Noraihan, Dr Hamidah) and two male doctors (Dr. Hazim, Dr. Azmi). As for me, I made an appointment with Dr Hamidah this 20th (will update on the outcome).

4) All FPP need to pay downpayment of RM3,000 the day they are admitted. The total amount of bills will be updated regularly to the patient and the excess fee (should there be any) will be returned to the patient (by cash) during discharge. I asked around and the rate for normal delivery is quite cheap (RM1,000 to RM1,900 - depending on extra medication/procedure such as induce, epidural, vacuum etc..etc). As for c-sect, the rate is also quite competitive and can go as low as RM1,200 (if the operation is smooth).

5) The actual charge is RM250 per hour for the operation theatre (for c-sect delivery) and RM250 for birth in the normal delivery room.

6) The room for FPP is at level 5 and is charged at RM300 per day. Again, I asked around, and they said that the room is super nice, similar to a hotel suite. At RM300 per night, the room better be super nice, right?

I think that's all I have for now. Hope this information helps. I will write more review after my first appointment with Dr Hamidah. Should anybody wishes to get more info, you can call 03-8312 4315 or email to fpp@hpj.gov.my

Pregnancy update : I'm only slightly diabetic

2011-09-13T10:00:00.000+08:00

Remember when I said I had to went for a fortnightly Blood Sugar Profile (BSP) check-ups? Well, my last two visits revealed an alarming result, so I was referred to the hospital. I grudgingly went and confidently give my fingertip to the nurse in charge.

I was surprised when she took out the big syringe, and immediately asked "Err, I thought you can just poke my finger to get a few drops of blood. What's the syringe for?" She replied "Oh, that's the procedure for clinic. Here, in the hospital, we draw the blood from the vein in your hand to yield a more accurate result." *__*

I was like, accurate my *ss. I hated needles, and really scared of drawing blood. And this procedure have to be done 4 times a day every two weeks. Nooooo!!!!! And, the first two times was really painful. I'm not exaggerating, I've got proof. See this:

Luckily the last two times did not hurt as much, but still...I can see some of my friends rolling their eyes at my whining, but what to do...I'm really scared of needles. Its on top of "things that I am scared of" list, along with cats and cable cars and rollercoasters.

The next day, I went again for review and was told that my readings are normal, and with proper diet (read : control), I wouldn't have to be induced early at 38 weeks nor do I have to undergo the insulin injection. Yeay!

The gruesome bruising, the 4 times blood draw, the agonizing 8-hour wait to meet the doctor was soooo totally worth it :)

Selamat Hari Raya...Maaf Zahir Batin

2011-09-12T10:49:00.006+08:00

Back when I was pregnant with Sara, I have no motivation whatsoever to celebrate Raya. I was 7months plus during that time (same as now) and I was sooooo big. I didn't even wear baju kurung/kaftan/dress, instead I just lazed around the house wearing my baju kelawar. Soooo not phat, I know :p

But, this time, considering that I have another toddler who even though doesn't really understand the concept of raya and whatnot, I feel like I'm being selfish if I didn't celebrate raya properly. So, I bought a kaftan, baju melayu for hubby and loads of baju raya for the little kid.

Early morning of hari raya, I bathed Sara and explained to her that this morning we have to "salam" everybody, say Selamat Hari Raya and seek forgiveness for any wrongdoings. So, that is what she did. I didn't explain the part where people would give her angpow, and she should politely accept it and say thank you.

The first person Sara "salam" was her Totok and Nenek, she said "Selamat Hawi Waye" and kissed them both. When they gave her the angpow, she got curious and asked "What is this?". I quickly reply "Angpow. Got money inside". Then she proceeded to "salam" me and hubby. Hubby handed her the angpow, and she took it. But, when she "salam" my sisters and they gave her the angpow as well, she immediately said "Hey, some more? Yaya got already-lah. See, Yaya got two already. Why give some more?" and everybody burst into laughter.

We went back to Kuantan shortly after the salam session in my house. We thought it would be a smooth sailing journey because the holiday was pretty long, and who goes back hometown on pagi raya anyway, right? NOT! The road was congested by people who took the opportunity of the long holiday to go to Genting. Gahhhh!!!

We stopped over at Temerloh and went beraya to hubby's side of the family and continue to Kuantan later in the evening. Our Raya was pretty relaxed, but even then, I felt soooo tired and lethargic...To top that off, I have never felt sooo huge, I was sweating like a p*g (Kuantan is soooo hot!), and my face was sooooooo round. Several attempts to look phat ended up in me looking fat *cries*

Anyway, I hope it is still not too late to wish everybody "Selamat Hari Raya" and I sincerely apologize for any wrongdoings that I may have commit whether direct or indirectly to any of you. I only took two decent pics; one with the whole family and another with my sisters and cousin. I totally forgot to take a picture of my family (with hubby and Sara). Oh well...

Selamat Hari Raya

Maaf Zahir Batin

Fasting during pregnancy

2011-08-25T10:00:00.002+08:00

During my first pregnancy, I missed seven days of fasting. I usually throw up around 10am, and depending how I feel in the next half an hour, I'd either break my fast or continue fasting. Usually, it will also depend on whether my good friend, who was also pregnant at that time feels. She was my partner in crime, we'd go and buy McDonalds at the drive-through and eat it in the car, under a tree of some random housing area. Hehe.

This time, I still do vomit from time to time, but I have better self-control (or maybe because this time, I no longer have my partner in crime ;p), I still haven't missed puasa except for a couple of days I have to go through with my BSP checkup at the clinic. I am also spared from the stomach cramps I usually get when I'm hungry, Alhamdulillah...

I didn't do anything differently though. Still the same routine. I'm the type of person that have to wake up for sahur EVERYDAY. And I eat more during sahur than berbuka. I usually have rice, one glass of teh tarik, one glass of pomegranate juice, one glass of plain water, half-boiled eggs, some leftover kuihs and dates for sahur.

With only 5 days left in Ramadhan, here's to hoping I can fast throughout and may my fast is acceptable to the Lord Almighty. Amin...

__

2011-08-16T15:00:00.000+08:00

Hi blog...

Hee, I'm surprised I can even remember my own username and password (did have to try twice, cause I forgot my password..teehee..) I guess I have to ask Mr.Firefox to remember my password from now on..

Usual excuse for not blogging in err..two months : yep, busy (read : lazy). But, I'm still baking though, and I recently discovered that leaoven (the one that produces edible image) is located very near to my house. Yeay! So, those who would like to order their cakes with edible images are welcomed to do so (sample as pic below)

As for the baby in my tummy, I'm loving my second trimester. And, its a girl. Yeay! Secretly, I am wishing for another girl, so imagine my joy when my secret wish turns out to be true. However, the bad news is, I have diabetes this time around. I was told that it is caused by the hormonal change in the body and with proper diet, it will most likely to go away after the pregnancy. Which I pray so hard to be true.

Sara has slowly beginning to accept that she's going to have a ~~rival~~ sister soon. Before this, she kept insisting that she's the baby, and the thing growing in mummy's tummy is kakak. Hehe. Last week, we brought her along for the 3d/4d scan and I think she's beginning to really understand that "Mummy got baby inside Mummy's stomach". But, she still refuses to call the baby "Baby". Instead, she calls the baby "Adik" and she calls herself "Baby".

The 3d/4d scan that I went was at PJ Women Specialist and Family Clinic at SS2. I bought the service from www.kasihkusayangku.com for RM100 and I'm really pleased throughout the whole experience. Everything looks good, and my baby kept yawning and at one point, she even sucked her toe. She even opened her eyes (probably out of anger because we were disturbing her rest). Here's a video of the miracle in my womb :

Sara has been really wonderful as of late. She understands that I can no longer carry her (she's already 18kgs++) and she's very quick to apologize if she does something wrong. I don't know why, but lately I've been feeling rather emotional when it comes to her. I'd get mad if I hear my husband raise his voice to her, and she too, have grown somewhat clingy-er to me. Here's a few photos of Sara I couldn't resist to share.

She looks like a five-year-old instead of two and a half, kan?

Err, she insisted to be swaddled like the baby?

Luckily we were all fasting this day. If not, we'd eat her KFC thighs :)

Oh, did I mention she's really reliable these days?
Yep, up to the extent where I can ask her to mop the floor ;p

Tips on how to stop your child from using pacifier

2011-06-08T11:33:00.000+08:00

I am not supporting nor rejecting the idea of using pacifier. My motto in raising my kid is work with what you've got. :)

As for Sara, she was on pacifier as early as five days old (I think) and no, I am NOT proud of the fact.I know that kids regularly on the pacifier will tend to develop dental deformities, so we have from time to time try to avoid excessive usage.
Sara has always call her pacifier nu-nu, and she'll motion for her pacifier using her index finger to her mouth EVERY TIME she wanted to sleep. So, what we did was take out her pacifier as soon as she falls asleep.

As she grows older, and able to talk, she'll always ask for her nu-nu when she wants to sleep. BUT, when she reached towards two-years-old, she began to demand for her nu-nu every time she felt neglected by people around her.

For example, when I was watching TV instead of playing with her, she'll walk up to the kitchen, and start to ask for her nu-nu. So, I casually suggested to my mom to start depriving her of the pacifier, gradually.

Little did I know that my mom was also having the same thought, which is to stop her from using the pacifier altogether.

So, what we did was: first, we stopped giving her pacifier by her demand. When she wanted to sleep, we gave her the pacifier, but after 10 minutes of sucking, if she's still not sleeping, we'd take out the pacifier and played with her until she's really sleepy.

Secondly, we'd take out her pacifier the minute she falls asleep (as opposed to taking it out when she has dozed off completely). Sometimes she would wake up, but judging from varying degree of crying (mild meaning she can get back to sleep, screaming meaning I-want-my-nunu-back); we either give it back or just cuddle her until she falls right back to sleep.

However, the two ways doesn't really diminish her need for pacifier. They were just means to train her and decrease her need to depend on the pacifier.

One day, my mom decided to go cold-turkey. She secretly cut the tip of the pacifier and put a black thread inside the pacifier. So, it looks as if there's "worm" inside the pacifier. (Sara is really scared of worms ;p)

She took one look at her pacifier, and say "Nenek, got worm" and together, they threw the pacifier in the dustbin. Later that day, when she wanted to sleep and asked for her nu-nu, my mom reminded her that her nu-nu got worm and its in the dustbin. She must've been really sleepy because she dozed off after that.

During night time, she asked for her nu-nu again, and this time, she pulled my dad's hand to the dustbin and demanded that my dad take back her nu-nu. "Wash first, ok?" she said. Haha.

My dad took the nu-nu and brought her to the kitchen and they wash the nu-nu together. "But, the worm cannot come out-la, Yaya" my dad said. She's dissatisfied, but didn't cry. I take that as a good sign.

She came running to me and asked me to buy her new nu-nu and I said okay. I also told her that "Only baby can get nu-nu, Sara big girl already, Sara kan kakak. No more nu-nu okay?" She seemed to understand and didn't press further.

Luckily for us, starting from that moment on, she'd never scream/shout asking for her pacifier. Don't get me wrong, she did cry and we have had some sleepless nights and our patience are almost running thin. But, we persevered and the result; no more pacifier for the little girl.

Priceless moments...

2011-06-07T11:54:00.004+08:00

Mummy, come take picture of Yaya..

Ok, Yaya pretend to watch Barney, mummy take picture okay?

Umm...Yaya pretend to laugh, Mummy take picture okay?

And then, Yaya pretend to become angry, Mummy take picture okay?

Yaya do funny face, Mummy take picture okay?

Yaya smile like cute girl, Mummy take picture okay?

And all the pictures are blurry because I was laughing sooo hard entertaining my cheeky little kid :)

Children's Playground Ethics.

2011-06-03T10:12:00.000+08:00

First off, if your child is below 3 years, kindly assist him/her to play. I've seen a father who suddenly came into the playground area shouting "Who pushed him? Who pushed him??!!" upon seeing his son falling down and crying. Dude, seriously, no point blaming others, if you don't want your child to fall, be with him. DUH! (and yes, the child looked no more than 2 years old)

Do not let your child climb the slide from below. Ask them to go through the stairs. I don't really mind if the child is alone, I understand that children have their own imagination and sense of adventure. What makes me tick is when the parents is there, letting their child climb the slide when obviously, a queue is starting to form at the top of the slide consisting of children trying to CORRECTLY go down the slide (including my child).

I once said to a boy (indirectly to his father, who was just standing not two feet away) "Abang, bagi adik turun dulu gelongsor ni boleh?" because my child is trying to slide down (like a normal person do), instead of trying to climb up the slide (like the boy was trying to do).

Of course, he didn't understand me, and almost fall off in his attempt to climb the slide, all the while the father was watching him, and DOING NOTHING.

So, I did the next mature thing to do. I told my child gently, "Sara, don't do like abang ok. Next time you want to climb the slide, use the stairs. Don't be selfish like abang, ok?".

The father instantly looked at me. And immediately coax his son to climb through the stairs. Luckily, he did still have some ounce of shame.

From my observation, the parents are always there in the playground area, standing nearby the child at every time (which is good thing) but more often than not, the parents (especially the father) just stood there watching. I get the whole "letting your child test his ability" thing, believe me, I do. But, when your child is dangling upside down from the stairs, its really a good time to interfere, no?

The first tiny movement :)

2011-06-03T09:53:00.000+08:00

Even though I complaint a lot (the stomach cramps, the frequent toilet visit, the nausea all day, etc)...

All of that is worthwhile when you felt the first tiny movement of the baby inside you. It was as if the baby was telling me...

"Hey mummy...I'm here...can't wait to meet you..."

And I would reply "Yeah, me too..."

Sometimes, the baby would get a little bit naughty and poked and turned inside me so hard, I feel like being tickled.

And, what surprises me most is that I can feel the movement quite early. I remembered the first time I felt the fluttering in my tummy was when I was only 13 weeks pregnant. During my first pregnancy, it was exactly 16 weeks that I felt the baby's first movement.

The first tiny movement of this baby have the ability to bring me wayyyy up in the sky and can sometimes brought tears of joy to my eyes. But, there are always things can bring me plummeting down back to earth. For example:-

This is the most recent photo of me; pregnant at 4 months. So "healthy", I know.

And, the blunt honesty of the first child. "Mummy so fat la" she told me yesterday. Grrrr...

Hi... sheepish smile

2011-05-24T10:00:00.000+08:00

Hi there, my dear blog. I've been neglecting you, I know. But I have a good reason. I was ermm...busy..not with work, but with myself. You know...I was busy entertaining myself. We do that, you know. A pregnant lady must put aside some time for herself, and herself only.

Okay, I've run out of excuses, so yeah, I was lazy. Seems like my finger can only move the mouse to bloghop and reading stories about other people but too lazy to actually type something.

Hmm, its been so long, I don't even know where to start. Oh, the trip to Bandung. It was a disaster the first day. I puked all the contents in my stomach, which resulted in both my hubby and sister to forbid me from drinking "jus alpukat" (avocado juice). I think they got really grossed out by...I think I got to stop telling stories about that. Just typing those words make me nauseous and feel like vomiting.

I didn't really shop that much in Bandung. I only bought 4 shirts/blouse for myself and clothes for Sara (a lot!) and 3 pairs of baby clothes. I suck at shopping, especially when I have to deal with the constant drowsiness. Okay, enough about Bandung. Moving on to something else...

Oh, my aunt got into an accident two weeks ago. Apparently, my uncle (who was driving at the time) hit another car that was already in an accident. Its kinda hilarious, I mean there was this unfortunate car who was maybe driving a tad too fast, and swerve to the side of the road. The driver must be thinking, luckily I am okay, the car is okay and I didn't hit into any other vehicle. Then, BAM! My uncle came and hit the car as it was repositioning itself to drive away.

When we went and visit my aunt, she was in soooo much pain, even the doctors and nurses didn't know what to make of it. Turns out, she broke two of her ribs during the collision. No wonder she couldn't even sit up straight and her oxygen level was quite low. Everything is okay now, she has been discharged and is now at home, recuperating.

Okay, my favourite topic....Adlyna Qaisara. She is such a chatterbox, and can talk for hours. And the great thing is, we can actually understand what she's trying to tell us. For example, she got this really great story that goes like this "One day, kakak and me. Kakak got red bicyle. Yaya don't know how to cycle. Kakak cycle so very fast. And then, abang want to play. Kakak said "No!. Cannot. Abang cannot play". Naughty kakak didn't let abang play. Then, kakak go away. Suddenly, got dog. Dog chase kakak. Kakak cry. Pity kakak". Tee hee hee...

She also can sing a lot of songs now, and the two songs she can sing perfectly is "Twinkle twinkle little star" and Barney's "I love you". She learned quite a lot from the Barney video she insisted on watching every night. On that note, I really think that Barney is a positive influence on kid, since it preaches about happiness, and the concept of sharing. Although Sara's concept of sharing is slightly distorted whereby she will quickly finish her food/drink and goes to the person who still have food/drink and persuade sweetly "We share okay. Barney said we must share. Okay?" Hehe, nobody ever refused her ;)

Sometimes, she announces out of the blue "Yaya looovvveeee Mummy. Yaya love Nenek. Yaya love Totok. Yaya love Babah. Yaya love Tashu. Yaya love Ingah. Yaya love everybody!" And that is why she gets away with little naughty things.

P/S - I intend to end this post with a preggy picture of me, but can't find a camera and I am secretly ashamed to post a picture of me, since I look like 6 months pregnant, as opposed to 4 months.

Pregnancy Woes #2 : I can't travel!!

2011-03-18T09:54:00.003+08:00

I don't usually get motion sickness, I am usually a healthy-as-a-horse kind of traveler, be it by land, sea or air transport. But, yeah, being pregnant changes EVERYTHING.

I still remember back in my first pregnancy (when I was about seven months along), I was required to go to Johore for a short seminar. Along the trip, I was okay. No throwing up. Everything was good. During dinner, I've started to feel a bit nauseated. Still okay. BUT, later that night, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't understand what my body is trying to tell me. I feel like vomiting and the stomach pain was soooo severe, I ended up sleeping in the bathroom. I lay flat on the floor for a few hours, and then I slept in the bathtub while soaking in the hot water.

So, two days ago, my office mates and I went to Port Dickson (which is just 30km from my house). I requested to sit in the front passenger seat, and I started to feel nauseated within the first ten minutes. You know the feeling you get when you are about to get sick? The shivers like you're cold but you're also sweating at the same time? I tried to sleep it off, hoping the nausea will go away. We stopped for snack in one of the mamak restaurant along the way, and I immediately go to the toilet and well, lets just say that the breakfast I ate in the morning had safely abandon my stomach. Eugh! I still feel lightheaded after that but still bearable. We arrived back home at 2pm, and I was excused from working throughout the day. Yeay, right?

NOT! I tried getting some nap/sleep in the evening but for some reason, I still feel queasy, so no sleeping. During the night, the same thing happened! I feel like crapping and vomiting at the same time and since I don't have a bathtub at my house, sleeping in the bathroom does not sound like a solution this time. The feeling comes and go as they please, and finally, I fell asleep at four am. Whew!

Well, that's it guys. I will not be traveling anytime soon. The silver lining in this story? I hope the baby inside my tummy is well and healthy and not at all affected by the mummy's sickness. On another note, how la to go to bandung next month???

Conversation with a 2 year old

2011-03-14T09:58:00.005+08:00

The other day, she wanted to go upstairs and started whining.

My mom asked her "Why do you want to go upstairs? Nobody is there".

She looked her grandma squarely in the eyes and said "Because Yaya want to see whether CikSu is sleeping or not".

You may think that its insignificant, but I think for a 2 year-old, that's pretty advance (haha, mummy pride)

And oh, if you ask her anything that starts with "why this and why that", she'll definitely answer "because blablabla". Always have the proper conjecture, that kid. Hehe.

us, before sleeping, telling stories to one another (my favourite moment of the day)

Pregnancy Woes #1 : Constipation

2011-03-11T08:58:00.005+08:00

I'm fairly sure that most pregnant mommies in one time or another experience the difficulty to pass motion during their pregnancy. As for me, yup...comes in the full package. :( I've eaten lots of fibers (from fruits and veggies) and lots of water. I even chewed my food religiously (which I seldom do, too impatient) but the crap just wouldn't leave me....

From various reading, I was made to understand that constipation is not uncommon during pregnancy and is caused by the hormonal change in the body (higher level of progesterone). As a side effect of the increase in progesterone, food digestion will be slower; feces get harden; hence the difficulty to pass motion.

If possible, I do not want to take laxative to aid the process (as I've read that the active chemicals may harm the mommy and the baby) but, if nothing is happening in these few days, I'm gonna give it a go. Cannot tahan anymore :)

I thought I'd be pretty much ace any pregnancy difficulty that comes around this time (what with having been through this before) but, yeah, all the pregnancy woes can still baffles me at times. I'm thankful, really I am but how I wish nine months would just fly by...

* pics from here

There's a bun in the oven ;)

2011-03-09T08:51:00.004+08:00

After months of trying, we're finally pregnant. Alhamdulillah :)

Before making the test, I had the usual soreness of breasts, shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate. But, I thought I am in THAT time of the month. So, when the period didn't came, I got myself checked and the result is as you can see above. After months of single line, finally we've got ourselves a double line. Yeay!

I am ecstatic, up to a point where I almost forgot that pregnancy for me comes in its full "glory". Now, I'm at 8 weeks and boy oh boy...I have to eat constantly (every two hours) or I get bloated and sick. Getting sick and running to the toilet is almost an everyday occurrence, but this time the nausea attack is on the evening. I guess I have an evening sickness :)

I am soooo lethargic all the time, its a miracle I am able to drag myself to work everyday. I think that my boss and colleague are starting to hate me a little bit, but I can't help it. I am completely useless during my first trimester (hmm, that may apply throughout my pregnancy, if truth be told ;p) I sincerely thought that I would be able to control myself better this time (hormones or not, most of the time, its mind over matter) BUT, I'm just too lazy? tired?

Although it has only been two months, my tummy is starting to show. Haha, from food, not from the teeny baby I have inside ;p I haven't got myself scanned yet (will be doing that sometime next week) but I'm hoping everything will be okay. If the baby decides to pop out on the expected due date, baby and mummy may be sharing birthdays :)

* on a side note, so far, I am still able to take orders for RVC and cupcakes.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-01T08:00:00.000+08:00

Random updates

2011-02-22T11:00:00.000+08:00

Since I am now unable to actually compose a decent post about Sara developments, I'll just jot down whatever I remembered. This is not in sequence and may happen around last two months and this month (yeah, sue me...I am a bad and a very forgetful mummy)

1. She's so imaginative and likes to create dialogues; for example : "Mummy,mummy...got cat ot-shide (outside). Cat call Yaya, yaya..nak food. Cat hung-ghee (hungry). Pity cat. Mummy come. Ya nak gif food. Mummy take" or when she hears another toddler crying, she'd say "Mummy, kakak kai (cry). Pity kakak. Kakak nak food." It seems funny that she associates crying with not enough food. Hehe, I see similarities with me there. But, hey, I fed her enough, ok. She's already 15kgs at the age of two ;p

2. Right now, she's in the phase whereby whe wants to sleep in Nenek's room. Every night. I don't really have a problem with that, its just that I pity my mom. She'd go screaming in the middle of the night "Yaya nak cip in Nenek's yuum" and cry like there's no tomorrow. Once, I let her cry her heart out, she woke up with a puffy eyes. I felt so guilty after that and succumbed to her demands to cip (sleep) in Nenek's yuum (room).

3. She's also is at the stage where she copies everything that we do. And if we didn't notice that she is imitating what we do, she'd say "Mummy, Yaya copycat mummy". Note to self : No more saying bad words in front of her ;p

4. I went for a short course last month and when I came back, she was waiting to pick me up. The first thing that she asked me to do was "Mummy, help Yaya. Big nose chit. Babah non know (Babah don't know)" Hehe, can you guess? After 1 week of separation, the thing she misses most is me picking her nose. ;p Anyway, I happily obliged, as always.

5. Oh, she now knows all our names. And if she calls us several times but we didn't answer, she'll start calling our names; for example when she called her babah to come eat and her babah didn't reply, she'll scream "EDIE, COME EAT". Once in Ikea, she called for hubby but he didn't answer, so when she caught a glimpse of him, she screams "EDIE! WAIT FOR YAYA!" :)

6. Its getting harder to feed her nowadays. You know why? Because she'll demand to go to the "shop" and buy "fish, chicken or ta-to (potato) and ne-yert (carrot)" and she also insisted on "cook-cook-cook" all the groceries she bought. My mum will have to follow her to her imaginary shop (which could be anywhere in the house, sometimes its behind the sofa, sometimes near the door), all the while carrying her bag with actual money inside. Then, she'll want to cut-cut-cut her fish/chicken/tato/neyert and cook-cook-cook them. And, yes, she tripled the words to show that she means business.

7. She has a new teddy bear. She started calling it "tay-bee bear" but I quickly name it Molly. (Its not a very cool name, but that was the first name that popped to my head *defensive* ;p). We're thinking that Mama may have to go play somewhere else because Sara's got a new friend.

8. She sings. She can actually sing. I went outstation for two weeks, and when I got back, Nenk prompted her, "Sara, sing to mummy." I'd expected the usual "Na-na-na...ni..nu..." but I had the shock of my life when she perfectly sings "Ibu...ibu...engkaulah ratu hatiku". I almost teared (but had to control, wouldn't want to appear so soppy in front of my mom. Heh) I have a video of it (her singing) but for some reason, it can't be uploaded here.

Just to get me back in the mood...

2011-02-21T15:08:00.002+08:00

After almost two months (gasp!) of not updating, I really need a good kick on the b*tt to get me back to blogging.

So, I present to you, my maiden attempt at making character cupcake. Haha, really bad and sloppy buttercream work, I know, but hey...at least the customer recognizes the character.

From top row, it should be Mario, Spongebob, (the birthday boy's name), Mickey Mouse and Ben10.

eenie meenie myni moe

2011-01-26T10:00:00.000+08:00

If it were up to you..

Would you rather someone who make promises but sometimes falls short,
Or someone who promises but keeping it, no they will not.

Would you rather someone who pretends to be something they are not,
Only to realize they are not as good as we thought.

Would you be so eager to change, thinking that the current is so impaired,
but whose to say that the change is for the better when the current is the best we had.

Would you rather stake your fate in the hands of an accuser,
or in the hands of the unfortunate accused?
because in accusing, you can't help but to do what you accuse the other person of doing.

We can complaint all we want,
but until we are in the shoes of people we are complaining about,
only then we will understand that they are actually doing their best,
and we would have done the same.

Eenie meenie myni moe,
Catch the liar by the toe,
If he hollers, let him be,
My mother says pick the best one,
Eenie meenie myni moe.
If it was really as simple as that :)

Change? Are you sure the so-called change is gonna be better?
Nah, I think I'm good. For now.

Putrajaya Treasure Hunt 2011

2011-01-23T08:00:00.001+08:00

Oohh...so many things to record but yet so little time to do it...

I haven't share about Sara's birthday yet, her developments and soo much more but have to save that for another day. Right now, I'm in the mood of updating about our latest adventure. Me, hubby and my sister joined the Putrajaya Treasure Hunt 2011!! Our achievement, well, ehem, we were beginners!! Hehe, nampak sangat performance memang tak best.

The day began early, we were already at the Perbadanan Putrajaya at 7.15am. We were team 131 and our group name is Ya-ya (creative, right? *rolls eyes*). I have lots of things to share about the hunt but as I've said before, too much things to do and too little time :(

Anyway, the MVP of our team for that day is my dear sister, Yanie. She ate these: (it was part of the challenge)

Pic credit to here

Now I know who to team with if I ever join Explorace or The Amazing Race. Sorry Cashu, you're out :)

Chocolate chip rolls

2011-01-03T10:47:00.000+08:00

I have been itching to try this recipe for quite a while but the resulting amount is seven pans! So, when I found out that majority of my mum's side of family is coming for aidiladha, its a perfect opportunity for me to try out the recipe. The recipe I got was from the famous pioneer woman. Her pictures and step-by-step instruction was enough to make my mouth water. However, I reduced the amount of sugar and I didn't do the glazing because I think the chocolate chip rolls is just nice without them. The ingredients are:

4 cups Fresh Milk
3/4 cup Fine Granulated Sugar
1 cup Canola Oil
9 cups All-purpose Flour
2 packages Mauri-Pan instant active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon (scant) Salt
1 teaspoon (scant) Soda Bicarbonate
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1/2 cup Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1½ cup Hersheys Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup Almond Flakes

Her recipe is really simple and I especially love the no-kneading method (I suck at kneading things ;p). To prove to you how simple the method is, I'll explain it in 7 steps (only seven, are you sure? Yes, I'm sure. Now go make some. You will not regret this)

Step No 1:
Heat the milk, sugar and oil until near boiling point in a large pot. Let warm (lukewarm, like your baby's bath water)

Step No 2:
Sprinkle yeast to the mixture. Wait two minutes. Put 8 cups of flour and stir until combined. Close the pot, put it in draft-free place for at least one hour. As an added precaution, I sometimes put a warm towel on top of the pot (if I'm using my mom's Corningware set)

Step No 3:
Sorry for the lack of pics until this point, but you should get a very fluffy dough, triple the original dough you had one hour earlier. Put the extra one cup of flour, salt, soda and baking powder and stir away :) (I use a large wood spoon). I usually do this at night, before going to sleep. I put the dough in a large airtight container and store them in the fridge to be used the next day. Note: It is easier to handle the dough once its frozen

Step No 4:
Next day, I take the dough out from the fridge and readied my workplace. In one bowl, melt the butter and add the vanilla to the butter. In another bowl, mix the brown sugar and salt. Next, butter the pans in which you're going to bake the rolls. I use two round pans and four square pans for the whole recipe.

Step No 5:
Flour the workplace and roll the dough to a relatively rectangular shape. Pour the melted butter on the dough, sprinkle the sugar-salt mixture, almond flakes and chocolate chips. Now, starting from the far end of your rectangle, roll the dough towards you. And, luckily I have picture to demonstrate the method. Note: Pinch the end to stick the rolls together

Step No 6:
Next, cut the rolls and arrange them in the buttered pans. Cover with a thick towel and wait for 20-30 minutes. Oh, and heat your oven to 175 celcius.

Step No 7:
Bake them for 15 minutes or until they turn golden brown, like this:

This is just perfect for tea time, isn't it?

These rolls are only good when served hot/warm. So, just put in microwave for a bit before serving if they got cold.

And I kid you not when I say this can be done in seven simple steps. So, what are you waiting for? Let's make our own sweet rolls :) .

Note : The filling of the rolls are entirely up to your creativity. See the aforementioned pioneer woman's blog for ideas. Hers is much nicer and complete with step-by-step photo :)

Ole..ole..ole..ole...kita menang, kita lah juara... woot

2010-12-30T09:33:00.004+08:00

It really shouldn't come as a surprise that Malaysia takes the coveted AFF cup, but watching it sure makes my heart beats faster and my throat calls for mercy for being overused (screaming, that is ;p)

Anyway, the whole family watched the match last night, and dare I say, we enjoyed it more than watching the world cup a few months back. Hihi...even though there was no Ballack, but Fahmi (Malaysia's goalie) really stands out. That bloke deserves an award of his own. He saves lots of goals, and heartbreaks.

My MVP

And, out of admiration, I googled him today, and guess what I found out? His heart is taken, to a charming girl who has a very entertaining blog.

And, thanks to the Malaysian team, tomorrow is declared as a public holiday. Yeay! Isn't it thoughtful that Friday was declared as public holiday (as opposed to today?). Long weekend ahead, people :)

Thank you to you too :)

2010-12-29T15:03:00.002+08:00

This is the reason why I enjoy baking :

The face of a truly satisfied customer (her words, not mine). Soooo glad she likes it, makes all my effort worthwhile.

Sophie, thank you to you too :)

After the long hiatus __

2010-12-19T20:32:00.004+08:00

Hi *small voice*

Yeah, after all the big talk on updating the blog more regularly, there I go again, MIA for almost 1 month. Huhu.

To those who've asked, yes, I'm still taking rvc orders :) And, speaking of rvc, last two weeks I've managed to bake the largest cake I've ever baked : A 32cm two layer round cake. Okay, this might not be a big deal to some people, but I had to bake twice as the first one collapse as I tried to layer them together. I just hope that the bride and groom enjoyed the cake.

Besides that, I've also managed to make hantaran cuppies for engagement and wedding. And, speaking of cupcakes, I'm going to impose a new condition : my cupcake design will strictly consists of chocolate ganache topping and buttercream and/or fondant deco. Like this:

Or this:

But, I'm open to any suggestions and recommendations :). And for those who've asked, below is the packaging for mini RVC, in an upside-down plastic container (reason : I can't seem to find a box that can fit the cake as its quite tall for the size)

Okay, moving on to other things, last week I was away on a course and when I reach home, I was seriously struck by Sara's development. But, I'll leave that story to tell in another post. :)

Aidiladha 2010

2010-11-26T10:46:00.001+08:00

Aidiladha 2010 is the best one so far :) Majority of my mum's side of the family came to KL and we had a blast. My cousin each have 4 boys so, that totaled up to 8 boys, in the house. Oy, that itself resulted in chaos and mayhem. Sara was delighted to see them, she kept tugging me to play with "abang". I taught her to say "Abang, Yaya nak main". She confidently went to them and said those words and then came running back to me. Haha.

Oh, did I tell you she can jump? With both legs up? She has been doing that since last month actually.

We had our usual festive dish "nasi minyak" and the best "soto" ever. I was working the day before, so I had no part in the cooking whatsoever (Ohh, the beauty of living with my mum ;p) But, I did bake a cake and I succeeded on making chocolate chip rolls (more on that later, promise!) We just lazed around the whole day, taking pictures, eating, watching telly and it was a very fun and relaxing day. I mean, good food, good company, what's not to love, right?

The "quiet" picture

The "noisy" picture

Later that night, one of the boys came to me and said that they miss my choc chip cookies. It's almost 10pm, I protested. But, seeing their hopeful faces, I just didn't have the heart to say no. But, I imposed a condition : They have to help me. And so, there I was at 11pm, making cookies with my two nephews. They are yawning every 2 minutes, but they helped me all the way to the end.

Some of the boys :)

The next day, everybody went back to Kuantan. Sara woke up and was somewhat disappointed to see that there was no more abang. I, on the other hand, had 300 cupcake to do for a solemnization favor. :)

It's been....a while

2010-11-25T09:37:00.003+08:00

From: phatmummy@yahoo.com
To: phatmummy.blogspot.com
Sent: Wed, November 24, 2010 2:03:03 PM
Subject: Sorry

On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 11:07 AM, Phatmummy -- wrote:

Dear blog,

I know. I'm sorry that I've neglected you. Its been a while and I seriously am losing my mojo to write. There's much to tell, much to record. Its just that work have been piling up. And there have been some major changes here and there and I just couldn't find the time. Sorry. Will write again soon.

-- Phatmummy --

Re : Sorry

From:phatmummy.blogspot.com
To:phatmummy@yahoo.com
Sent:Wed, November 24, 2010 2:04:04 PM

Dear Phatmummy

Hmm, why am I not surprised? I know that all bloggers are allowed to have a blogger's block, but I know in your case its more of lazyness rather than busyness. Ha! Start writing back, take it slow and I promise you, I will be here, waiting patiently for your words to fill me in.

I'm not surprised though, you never had a diary (okay, you had maybe maintained a diary for two weeks??), you can barely keep up to a routine, you don't even have a routine beauty regime (in fact, you hardly ever wash your face before going to sleep), so it makes sense that you just can't be trusted to keep blogging. You promised to record Sara's milestone and now she's practically a toddler...shame on you!

Okay, I have done enough blabbing. Now take you lazy fingers and start typing. NOW!

--the blog--

Hantaran cuppies

2010-11-04T17:15:00.003+08:00

I was so nervous regarding this order. 1) She's a return customer 2) She wants fondant deco. I really suck at making really cute little things. Let's just say, I lack the patience required to deal with such minuscule proportion. Anyways, here it is, a blue-turquoise-white hantaran set. Hope she liked it.

What's with the I-dont-vote attitude?

2010-11-02T10:22:00.000+08:00

Firstly, let me make this clear that this is not a political blog nor this is a hate statement. I'm merely writing this as a gentle reminder to myself, my child, my family, my friends and yes, to those who read this blog. Lately, I have been witnessing lots of people (friends included) that are openly admitting that they don't vote. Hmm, let's see...

Since primary school, we have been voting whether we realize it or not. We vote for the head of sports house, we vote for president of various clubs and we even vote for our favourite teacher for Teacher's Day. This tradition continues until secondary school and throughout our university life.

Okay, fine, one would argue that those were made compulsory, so now that they have a freedom to choose, they choose not to vote. BUT, bear in mind that some time in our life, we are attached to some kind of groups or association, be it our sports house during primary school, any clubs during secondary school, any college during university or any sidang during DPA. We are a part of this associations, whether we like it or not. The same way we are a part of this country.

We b*tched and praise about the presidents of our club and the chairman of our association because deep down, we care. We care because these people were elected to lead us. The same way should apply to the nation, no? I am a Malaysian, so I should vote because I care and I love my country, right?

Well, I don't know about you, but I care about who lead the country and who determines the future of this beloved country of mine. Not only that, I am concerned about my future's generation well-being, therefore it is only logic for me to vote and exercise my right as a responsible citizen.

As a colleague of mine eloquently said (pohon izin ye Puan Didi) "Passion of doing your work not only comes from sound ethical background, but also the love you have for your country. I believe working for the government should come hand in hand with at least SOME feeling of patriotism. You work for the government yet you don't care who rule the country? I say that's pretty messed up :("

Do vote...if not for ourselves, then at least think about what kind of future we are leaving our descendants. I vote, I made sure my family does and I think you should too.

Tips on toilet training

2010-11-01T09:41:00.000+08:00

Hi, my name is Mama. I was given to Sara on her birthday by my Mummy's best friend. I would have preferred other name than Mama, but Sara thought it was my name, since I say "Ma...mama" when she squeeze my chest.

At first, Sara was scared of me, but as she grows bigger, we became friends. She would give me milk, put powder on my face, take out and put on my clothes, put me to sleep and lots more fun stuff we do together.

Right now, my current role is to motivate Sara to go to the toilet. For example, Nenek and Mummy often come to me and ask "Mama nak ci-ci?" and I'd nod my head. They'll then ask Sara whether she'd like to come along. If she agrees, Nenek or Mummy would ask her to take out her pants, in case they got wet and all. When we arrive to the toilet, we'd pee together. Okay, I stand and watch while Sara pees.

So, yeah, I am officially the toilet trainer for that little kid. Sometimes, she'd carry me to her Mummy and said that I wanted to pee, when in fact, she's the one who wanted to go to the toilet. Yeah, just blame it on me, the mute doll ;p

Presenting : The MINI Red Velvet Cake

2010-10-29T10:15:00.000+08:00

So, I've been getting a lot of inquiry to do the cupcake version of my red velvet cake. I did try a few times, but it turns out not as good as the cake version. Somehow, the cupcake turns out to be quite dense and nowhere near the velvety soft taste of the cake.

But, I do understand that some of my customer wanted a smaller version ibarat kata cik tini "Order satu velvet cake makan sendiri adalah racun kepada diri" ;p

Without further ado, I present to you...mini red velvet cake : a five-inch two-layer cake with cream cheese frosting. Price is only RM30.

Forgive the picture, can't seem to rotate it. The above image is mini RVC and the below image is regular RVC. To order, email me at phatmummy@yahoo.com :)

Red velvet cake

2010-10-29T09:00:00.000+08:00

These were ordered from Farhan, Nad (My sister's friend who is now out of confinement) and Erna (return customer, currently at her 8th month and looks positively glowing). Thanks for the orders and hope u like it :)

My tutu little girl

2010-10-27T11:00:00.001+08:00

"Sara, come Mummy hold your bottle, Mummy want to take your photo"

"NANAK! NANAK! YAYA NAK HOLD!"

O-kay.

"Sara, sara, look here. Mummy want to take your photo"

"Yes. Good girl. Sara do the peace sign."

How?

"Look at Cik Ngah. Follow Cik Ngah"

Like this?

"Sara, look here. Smiillleeee"
Like this?

"Mummy, Yaya tired"

"Okay, okay just one more picture. Please"

*P/S : We couldn't pry the bottle away from her. She insisted on wearing the bottle on her neck all day long.

*P/P/S : My dad says her leg is gemok!

Hitting the big Three-Oh

2010-10-26T12:16:00.006+08:00

Yesterday marks the day I hit the big three-oh. I've been stalling for the longest time, but no amount of power can make the clock stop ticking, so yeah, I'm thirty. 30. Ugh, even typing this makes me feel old. Hehe.

For whatever its worth, I did check few items on my life checklist.
Marriage : check!
Baby : check!
A stable job : check!
So I guess all in all, I am indeed blessed.

We didn't do anything special yesterday. Hubby brought me out on Sunday to celebrate and bought me a cake. Honestly, when you've been married for 5 years +, both of us just wished for practical birthday presents. And, this year, I have nothing that I REALLY wanted, and I just bought the two handbags, so no present this year. I just hope that he'll finish his studies, and get that scroll for my birthday present.

Okay, I have another confession. I've been late for my period and I was thinking well, maybe, I am pregnant and what a wonderful present that would be on my own birthday, so bright and early yesterday's morning, I checked and it was negative. Again. :(

Gosh, this post sounds downright depressing. Better stop before I make everybody feels gloomy. Thanks for all the wishes on my facebook and SMS. What better way to cheer me up than the little kid, right? Hihi, see this pic? She got soooo big, her wrist is almost as big as mine...ngeee

The guessing game

2010-10-14T10:49:00.000+08:00

Everytime Sara sees a pen/pencil or paper, she'll insist "Mummy, Yaya nak daw" *daw=draw and minutes after that, she'll go to anybody willing to entertain her and demand the person to "Daw cat" or "daw bird" or "daw fish".

So, last night, her CikNgah drew this:
Guess what that is? Err, its a bird.

According to Sara "CikNgah daw bird. Bird cry. Bird big poo-poo. Pain. Bird cry"

You would have thought that CikNgah, a 25 year-old professional would draw something more educational. ;p

More red velvet cake(s) and cuppies

2010-10-12T09:52:00.000+08:00

I've been busy. Alhamdulillah ;)

click on image for better view

She likes it. She does too. What about you? :)

Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and Dr. Harlina Yusof

2010-10-11T10:47:00.007+08:00

Wedding of the decade. Seriously?? Even the events that my batch handled during DPA was wayyyyy better than what I witness on the television last night. After these beautiful pre-wedding pictures, THAT was the best that you can do? Seriously?

Don't even get me started on the so-called "Istana Kayangan" concept.The first wedding dress? It was just o-kay. The second ensemble for the cake cutting ceremony? Lame. The cake? Lame with a humongous capital L. They have got to be kidding me. I watched the live telecast all the way, hoping for some miraculous transformation of event but I was left hoping. And screaming profanities on the telly. Heh.

pics from here

Congratulations to TV3, you have managed to ruin what little respect I have for you. The only thing that saved the wedding from total disaster was the bride and groom. They were soooo beautiful and they looked so happy and contented. At the end of the day, I guess that is what matters most, right?

Disclaimer : All views and opinions stated above are of my own. I wish only the best for the bride and groom, this is not a hate statement. This is just my frustration towards the organizer of the wedding event.

Sara : 21 months

2010-10-11T09:09:00.000+08:00

Okay, I know I might be jumping the gun here, but I believe that my dear little angel has started talking. Talking as in constructing complete sentences! *Gasp* I kid you not, she really can talk, and most of the time, we understand what she says!!! Okay, there are a few circumstances that led me to believe this fact, and I'm sharing it here as one of her many milestone :)

Example 1 : We were in the car, I was driving and she was happily watching barney on the dvd when suddenly she looked up and said with clarity "Mummy, Baba put frog up there".

The frog up there ;)

Example 2 : She ran up to me holding her doll (which she calls Mama, by the way - don't ask me why, Sara believes that the doll's name is Mama because when you squeeze the doll's chest, the doll will squeak "Ma, Mama"). Then, she would thrust the doll to me and said "Mummy, Mama cry. Mama nak milk. Plis. Plis. Mama, don't cry. Emmm-mmaaah". I would pretend to make milk and give her an empty bottle to give to Mama. Sara will politely say "Thank you" and put her mama on the pillow and gave the bottle to Mama.

Example 3 : "Mummy. Yaya nak baba. Yaya nak yu-na-mi. Come, go upstairs. Plis. Plis" Okay, you might wonder what yu-na-mi is, I did too, at first. She'd come to me whining, wanting to sing or see yu-na-mi. She'd said yuuuuu-na-miiiii (with a sing-song voice - rhythm to "This Old Man" song) Turns out she's singing the ever-famous Barney song "I love you, You love me, we're a happy family...bla...bla" The part You-love-me is Yu-na-mi. Heh.

Example 4 : I was taking out all my bakery stuff to start baking cake. She'd come running to me and said "Mummy, Yaya nak mick-mick cake" *Mick = mix. And true to her name (Qaisara in Arab means "Queen"), she'd put her hand out and said "Mummy, hold hand plis" to help her to climb the chair and mick the cake.

Example 5 : We always complimented her when she did something good (i/e throwing rubbish in the dustbin, ci-ci in the toilet, finish her milk). We'd say "Sara, good girl" and clap our hand. One day, I caught her playing with Mama "Mama, dink milk. Finish. Good girl." and clapped her hand. *dink=drink

Example 6 : We'd always tell her nicely "Sara, don't do that" whenever she does something naughty. The other day, I came back from work early and went straight to her, and kissed her repeatedly. She got agitated and pushed me away and say "Nanak Mummy". I went to the kitchen and later she came to me and I asked for a kiss. She kissed me half-heartedly. Suddenly, she went all patronizing on me and said "Mummy, don't do that. *kissing sound" Don't do that. Yaya nanak". Wait, let me get this straight. Did she just scold me? Did my 1 year-old daughter just reprimand me?? Haha, who would have thought I'd live to see the day ;p

Road trip to the North

2010-10-05T12:08:00.000+08:00

I'm not a big fan of traveling. Especially when I have to pack not only for me, but for Sara as well. And her toilet training will definitely go haywire if we travel. However, how can I not go to one of my best-est friend's wedding, right? So, off we went to Kedah (Alor Star to be exact).

We slept at my cousin's house in Kulim the first night. My cousin have four boys; but all of them are so well-behaved and treat Sara like their baby sister :) I really look up to her as I really respect the way she raise her children. I hope I can be as patient-but-stern as she is if I ever have a son.

We went to Alor Star the next day and I managed to see the beautiful bride before the bersanding ceremony. We have been friends for more than 10 years, and I was so happy for her. She looks gorgeous and positively radiant in the ravishing purple/mauve.

After Alor Star, we decided that it was way to early to retire to our next stop, hubby's uncle's house in Pendang. So, we decided to give Bukit Kayu Hitam a try. On the way there, hubby's uncle called and told us that we might as well go to Padang Besar since Bukit Kayu Hitam have nothing to offer. He said that it'll only take us extra 10 minutes. So, we drove past Bukit Kayu Hitam and I can assure you, IT WAS NOT A 10 MINUTES JOURNEY OKAY. Even I was getting cranky in the car. Luckily Sara was captivated with the Barney video we put on.

I bought Sara two pajamas, and another two for my sister and that's about it (I suck at shopping). We went for a bite and grudgingly drove back to Alor Star. Since the house we're going is in Pendang, that adds up another hour in the car. Ugh. We reached the house around 11pm.

See the little kid running away from everyone?

The next day, we just lazed around because we were planning to go back around noon. Well, knowing us, the lazing around temptation was too high, we ended up going back at 5pm. On the way back, hubby said he wanted to try the ever so famous mee udang, so I called my cousin and we met up at the mee udang Sg. Dua. I keep reminding myself to take pictures and take note of the route to come here, but once the sizzling hot mee udang arrived, all was forgotten. As usual.

We head back to KL from Sg Dua around 7.00pm. After numerous stops (one that involved all three of us sleeping in the car at the R&R), we safely arrive home around 1am. Conclusion of the whole trip? NO MORE ROAD TRIP IN THE NEAR FUTURE. Too tiring. :)

Even though Sara hates stranger, she has a thing for "ATUK" figure. She'll run away from any nenek figure but will be sooo manja and mengada with an atuk figure. Heh.

Red Velvet Cake(s)

2010-10-04T08:47:00.005+08:00

Thanks to her, I've been getting my hands full with RVC order. Alhamdulillah.

I know, I know, the deco is nothing to be shout about, but I was happy making them, I can only hope the person on the receiving end was happy too.

Raya 2010

2010-09-30T16:01:00.001+08:00

Just to serve as a reminder for the years to come, below are Raya 2010 pictures. This year was a bit low key, but it was certainly different from last year because Sara got a little older and she can eat variety of food as opposed to porridge only (last year), so she became the kuih raya monster. The kid can gobble 8 almond london biscuits in one go. I had to change her baju kurung from size 2 years to size 4 years because her tummy was too big for the 2Y size.

On another note, the other day I went home and was greeted by the little kid at the door. She excitedly exclaimed "Mummy, mummy, big nose cit" all the while digging her nose for more nose shit? I asked her "Eeee, who teach you to do that?" and she answered proudly "CikSu".

Hmm, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought that I have two brothers instead of two sisters ;p

The two aunties who taught Sara every GOOD and NAUGHTY things.

Gaya Si Comel Berbaju Raya

2010-09-29T14:45:00.011+08:00

ADLYNA QAISARA BINTI EDIE SURADI
1 year 9 months

I always wanted to join baby-related contest but due to no decent picture of the little kid, I've always given them a pass. However, since this year I got this cheeky cute picture of Sara, I decided to try my luck. And besides, the sponsors for this contest sounded too good to be true (eoeonline, mahanim, babyruffkins, gin&jacqie, izzybakery, myavenue888, secretBargains, sofeababywear, Tote Boutique, Tupperwareville, Victoria'sSecretHeaven, Weego Bottle and MySuperkids). Just browsing through the sponsors blog makes me jump at this opportunity :)

This contest was organized by BabyIbu and Azzamoro and there are two categories (I'm sure the organizer will be sooooo rambang mata to choose the winner). This contest will end on 31st October 2010, so there's still a lot of time for everybody to join :)

So, to all my fellow friends; jom sama-sama masuk contest. Nanti anak dah besar, takde can nak masuk contest cenggini :p

Cuppies for engagement (Purple and Gold)

2010-09-22T08:44:00.002+08:00

I made these for my boss's sister's engagement :) I had to scratch my head when she said her theme was gold and purple, as I was dumbstruck on how to combine those two colours. I made 60 individual cuppies for her to gave out to guests and one box for hantaran.

Red Velvet Cake

2010-09-20T22:00:00.000+08:00

I know I've been posting about red velvet cake for 3-4 times, but without any actual picture of the insides of the cake. So here it is, the insides of the red velvet cake :)

I bake this to give to my favourite blogger; Iza@thepinkstilettos. When I read at her blog on how she loooovvveeeessss RVC, I decided to brace myself and emailed her whether she wanted to sample mine. It took me a lot of guts, I mean what if she hated it?? What if she said it tasted awful?? I bake this with all my heart, hoping she'll like it...

And, she did!! Thepinkstilettos actually said my cake is delicious! Ngeee....actually I was so starstruck upon meeting her (what with her being such a famous blogger and all). She looked so radiant, tak macam orang dalam pantang.

So, yeay for my RVC. To all that wish to order, I am so sorry but I could not provide delivery. Meet-up is available in Putrajaya during weekdays or can self pick-up at my house in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi (near KLIA Sepang area).

The Day I Wrestle With A......Supermarket Trolley

2010-09-20T14:29:00.000+08:00

Last Wednesday I went to Alamanda to get some groceries. It was sixth day of Raya and boy oh boy, Alamanda was packed with people. I stopped by Chicken Rice Shop to order some takeaway and proceed to Carrefour. With 20 cents in my hand, I went to the array of trolley.

I picked one that looked most sturdy. Turns out, one of its wheel was broken. Sigh. So, I change to another trolley. The wheels looks good, and so I happily resume my grocery shopping. After I put almost all my groceries in the trolley, I realize that one of its wheel have given out. Like a dislocated kneecap, my trolley is now rendered useless.

I was getting frustrated. I had to exert extra force on my left hand and guide the trolley with my right hand. Not an easy task, I tell you. And to add salt to the wound, there was no lemon in Carrefour, so poor me have to walk all the way to Cold Storage to get them lemon. I'm sure people are glaring at me for wrestling with the trolley all the way. I even stopped to have a heart-to-heart talk with the uncooperative trolley at one point.

After all the drama with the uncooperative trolley, I was exhausted and utterly disappointed. My high spirit was gone, I even cursed at the slow driver in front of me. I was snappish the whole day, even Sara didn't want to play with me. Two days after that, my period came. Oh, hello hormones! Hah, now I can blame my moodiness on them :p

Raya Cuppies

2010-09-16T11:20:00.000+08:00

These were ordered in Ramadhan. Here's to hoping for more orders in Syawal. :)

Sara says : Selamat Hari Raya!!

2010-09-13T09:09:00.003+08:00

Hi everyone!!

Peek-a-boo!! Selamat Hari Raya!!

Mummy says to say sorry for any wrongdoings. But I haven't done anything wrong, did I? Apart from ci-ci on the floor, throwing my food when I've had enough, not wanting to be held by people I just met, whining and crying...

Err...looks like I do need to apologize then. Okay, fine, sorry everyone...My Raya was a blast, I hope your Raya was fun too...mmuuaahhhsss!!!

Sara : Random update

2010-09-09T10:00:00.000+08:00

1. I was making cupcakes the other night and she insisted on helping. I told her that Mummy is making cake and she replied "Cupcake?" with perfect pronunciation.

2. Sara was wearing a pink t-shirt and I was wearing a red t-shirt. So, I asked her "What colour is your shirt?" "Bwu..." she says. I insisted "No, look first. Look at your shirt. What colour is it?" She looked down and said "Pink" with a very cheeky smile. I thought it was coincidence so I pointed to my shirt and asked her what colour is it. She said "Red". I pointed to something green, I forgot what it was and she said correctly "Gweeeen". Maybe its normal for a 20-months old kid to say that, but as a biased mummy, I think she's a genius! :)

3. Overheard in the kitchen "No sara, you cannot eat this. This is spicy food" and then I hear a verrryyy cute little voice saying "Nighty put". Spicy food = Nighty put. Geddit? Haha.

4. She cried in the middle of the night due to her runny nose, so I carried her and try to calm her down. She stopped crying and I called hubby to take her from me because I really needed to go to the toilet. I said "Baba, take her for a while please. I need to go to the toilet" Suddenly, she wailed on top of her lungs "Nanak ci-ci. Yaya nanak ci-ci. Cold" I had to gently explain to her that I am not bringing her to the toilet, I am going to the toilet. "No, not you. Mummy want to go ci-ci" It took a while to calm her down. Heh.

5. Hubby bought Sara a Barney CD and since then, she's addicted to it. There's this one scene involving an owl. So, when the scene is nearing, she will quickly find somebody for example "CikSu, come. Bird. Big eyes. Scared Yaya" complete with covering her eyes.

6. Everytime we go in the car, she'll definitely demand "Mummy, nak na-wo" and minutes after that "Mummy, nak nunu" Na-wo is her strawberry pillow and nunu is her pacifier.

7. She adds the syllable na to EVERY word. For example slipper become na-per, biscuits becomes na-ket, elephant doll becomes na-phant, Tok Bah becomes Na-bah, alamak becomes na-mak.

8. Oh, nowadays she's really lazy to go to the bathroom, she asked to wear diapers "Mummy, nanak ci-ci. Cold. Na-pers. Yaya wear. Nak na-pers" Na-pers = Diapers. She always uses the "cold" excuse to avoid going to the toilet.

9. HUbby's parents in Kuantan have three tank of aquarium full with very fierce and angry fish. They would jump and bang their head every time people come near them. I don't go near them because I am concerned for their well-being (okay, fine, I don't go near them because I'm scared they'll jump out and eat me). But, Sara loves to watch the fishes, so she'd always watch them with hubby or her Tok Bah. The moment I love most is when the fish starts to jump, she'll run over to me and said "Mummy, mummy...big fish. Jump. Scared Yaya. Mummy come. Big fish". Heee...

10. My mother has been teaching her good manners such as requesting for things nicely instead of whining and crying. So, the other day while she was eating her rice, after a couple of bites, she said "Nenek, nanak wice. Yaya nanak. Nak na-ket plis. Na-ket nak. Plis. Plis" It was sooo sweet. When she uses that voice with the term "plis, plis" she can get away with anything, I tell you!

Ramadhan 2010

2010-09-08T12:00:00.000+08:00

I just realize that I haven't made an entry about Ramadhan this year. Part of it is because my work kept me sooo busy, I didn't even realize Ramadhan is nearing to the end.

This Ramadhan, I embark on another project "Chocolate Chip Cookies Project". Actually, chocolate chip and I, we go way back. My chocolate chip cookies is what saved me from near bankruptcy back in the days when I was jobless. I still remembered, my dad gave me about RM1k to buy an oven and the necessary things to begin my project. This was in Ramadhan year 2006, I had already quit my old job without actually getting a new job. That year alone, I managed to sell about 200+ jars of cookies and I got to "beraya" despite the lack of financial incomes. I even have my own special sticker :

This year, I decided to re-start the project again. But, this time around, I have to be realistic. I could not bake all-out like I did past four years, what with my job and the little angel at home. So, I took about 75++ orders and last weekend was the last batch I had to make. Whew!! I'm so glad I managed to finish all the orders.

To top that off, I have been getting a few cupcakes orders, but all the decoration was done by my youngest sister, who is currently jobless. Hey, we got that in common, I was jobless in Ramadhan too. I have also another three pending cupcake set and two red velvet cake to be delivered tomorrow. Gasp! And right now, I'm still in the office, working, blogging, helping hubby with his thesis.

Yeah, life is busy. But its still good. And I'm blessed. With a very supportive and loving family.

Not one, but two gasp

2010-09-07T11:48:00.007+08:00

Last week, we went to the SOGO sale. And I brought Sara along. What a big mistake! There are people EVERYWHERE. I left Sara with hubby and dive straight to the concourse area. And I came out with a couple of handbags, 10 minutes later.

I asked hubby which one should I but, he said he's willing to buy both for me. These are just ordinary handbags (I don't buy designer handbags), so I bought both of the handbags. Instead of feeling elated with my purchase, I have this nagging feeling of guilt, do I really need two type of the same item? But, I have my own justification.

Handbag no. 1 costs about RM120 and is quite small, suitable for office use. Handbag no. 2 is a tote bag, costs about RM 130 and is large enough to store all Sara's things when we go out. And my current handbag looks like this:

See, I'm totally justified. :)

I hate it when my work consumes my life...

2010-08-30T02:36:00.005+08:00

When I got married,I have made a deal with my job. I will never put my job ahead of my family. Especially when I have kids.

Well, the sad truth is, for the past couple of months, I have let THE JOB rule my life. Okay, maybe not my life but my thoughts and emotions are often influenced by my work. Gahhhh!!! I'd come back home feeling frustrated and wound-up, all because of what had happened in the office.

It's almost three am and I'm still up, doing my meeting minutes. And my head is a jumble of thoughts, all with regards to THE JOB. Worst yet, I am constantly thinking on what more points to put in my never ending concept paper. My head is so full of ideas that I sometimes feel overwhelmed. And my desk is such a mess, I wouldn't be surprised if one day I drown in it.

It has come to an extent where I currently have a pen and book with me at all times to jot down things and ideas. I SO DON'T WANT TO BECOME LIKE THIS. And sometimes, when my mind is thinking about the tasks I left in the office, I didn't give my little angel the full attention that she needs. :(

I have a meeting scheduled tomorrow but I'm on leave. Yeah, I AM NOT LETTING MY JOB RULE MY LIFE. Ha!

Sara : 19 months

2010-08-13T00:00:00.000+08:00

Actually, this draft took me sooo long to post, I had to change the title from "Sara : 18months" to "Sara : 19 months" (Bad Mummy!)

Weight : 12.5 kgs ++ (this was last month, now it's closer to 14kgs)
Height : 89 cm (I'm pretty sure she got taller because her last months pants are hanging by the ankle already)
Teeth : She got 4 pairs of front teeth and 2 pairs of molars!

Identification of body parts and other things
Last time, I only asked her "where's your stomach?", or "where's your head" and she'll point. Nowadays, I point and she'll say the words. She also knows most of the things at home. Now, we're trying to teach her colours. So far, everything is "bwu" to her. *bwu=blue. Owh, Nenek bought a big poster of fruits and she can point to all the fruits and she can say "papaya" perfectly. She can't say banana though.

Speech
"Pain"
"Eat"
"Down"
"Walk"
"Bred" for "bread""Kyu" for thank you
and lots more, I can't remember

Kiss mummy....emmm-mmaahhh

Skills

At 18 months, she can wear her own slipper! She can also recognize all the different types of button on the mini keyboard. She can also open the gate! On her own! (Which is really dangerous, since my house is directly facing the main road)

Notice how long her hair actually is??

Emotion
She feels so much concern for us. For example, the other day she saw I was massaging my dad's aching feet, so I told her that "Atuk pain. Sara don't be a naughty girl. Atuk cannot carry you today". So, the next day Atuk came back from work, she immediately goes to get the hot oil, pull me by the hand, asks me to sit beside Atuk and insisted me to rub the oil. Heh.

Toilet training

As for her toilet training, nothing really change drastically. I'm fairly confident to bring her out without diapers, and she does seem to behave very well every time we went out. BUT, the moment she's surrounded by her favourite people (Nenek, CikNgah, CikSu, Atuk), she will definitely act up and always refuses to go to the toilet. I've lost my temper quite a few times also, but that's another story to tell another time :)

This is her most recent picture

My favourite kind of leader

2010-07-27T06:01:00.004+08:00

My favourite kind of leader is those who admit,
rather than those who accuse.

Those who welcome and listens,
rather than those who decline and shut their ears.

Those who moves forward,
rather than those who are stagnant
and glued to their seats.

Those who are objectively rational,
rather than those who are subjectively emotional.

Those who teaches,
rather than those who refuse to learn.

And most importantly, those who respects
and offer respect in return,
rather those who are contemptuous and insulting,
and hiding behind a mediocre job,
saying that he has done more than most.

P/S : What happens when the nails actually deserved a knock on the head and the hammer is actually right?

P/P/S : I worked for a different hammer last week and that hammer is THE BEST! Taught me a lot and it has been an honor working under him.

Note to self : Nails do not disrespect the hammer, and nails can not be emotional. I sincerely believed that, as should you.

Pic credit to here

Mother-daughter drama episode 3 : The sulking baby

2010-07-16T08:36:00.001+08:00

I usually come back from work just in time to take Sara for a simple walk around our housing area. According to Nenek, she'll usually wait for us (me, Atuk, Ciksu or Cikngah) in front of the door and will light up whenever we come back.

She'll then wear her slipper, come to us and say "Mummy, walk walk walk. Come!". However, yesterday, all of us came back late. Sara has been waiting since 6.00pm. She sat in front of the door, waiting patiently. My mum told me that each time a car passed by, she'd ask "Mummy?" and poor Nenek had to say "No, not yet. mummy hasn't come back yet".

When I came back (around 7.30pm), she was lying down on the spread in the living room with her Babah. I gently nudged her "Hi Sara. Sorry for coming back so late". I tried to kiss her, she pushed me away. She kept saying "Nanak, nanak mummy. Baba..." *Nanak = No Now, when she prefers hubby than me, it means that she really is angry and hurt.

My mom told me that she's been waiting for me and now she's sulking. My heart broke into a million pieces. She continued lying down, never really looked at my face. I told her stories, I asked her about the rabbit next door, still she refused to answer.

I asked her whether she wants to eat rice, she nod (without looking at me). When I offered to carry her to the kitchen, she cried "NANAK! BABA, YI (baba, carry)" I almost smiled. God, she sulks just like me. (It is quite funny in retrospect).

She held on to her Baba and didn't even want to sit on my lap (usually she'll sit on my lap while I feed her rice). I feed her rice and continue talking to her until she caves. We traded stories, she told me about her day, how she play cook-cook with bibik, how there was two dogs chasing her, how the rabbit next door eat and drink, how she ate three kakek (chocolate) and I know her sulking is almost over.

Halfway through the eating session, she looked up to me, pat my hips and say "Mummy, down" meaning she wants to sit down on my lap. Hubby groaned and laughed. And with that, I know her sulking is officially over.

Confessions of a non-shopaholic

2010-07-12T16:11:00.000+08:00

You see, I grew up in a middle-class family. And by middle-class, I mean that we often do not have the luxury of extravagant purchases. And I guess, being frugal back then has really stuck to me until now. I used to shop (not a lot) back in my uni years, but not anymore.

Shopping requires money, which is something I do not have to spare during my early years of working. The previous company I worked for is cakap-nak-bayar-gaji-2.5k-tapi-bayar-1k je-pastu-bila-nak-benti-offer-gaji-3k-tapi tak-bagi-pun. I'll admit, it's my fault. I was naively fooled by their empty promises.

But that experience really taught me to save money. For example, I have only four handbag since year 2003 (one from Padini, then my hubby bought me a Sembonia handbag, then my sister bought me a Guess handbag, and now I'm wearing an Esprit handbag - also present from hubby which I have worn since Sara was born). My first handphone was the big-ass 3310 in 2004, later I traded that for Nokia 6600 and then hubby gave me a Sony Ericsson W660i which I am still using until now.

My wardrobe collection is nothing to be proud of and my toiletries and makeup collection are even worst. I used to put makeup on when I go out during my uni years, but now, I hardly put on powder on my face. I only put on makeup when going to wedding or special event. I promised myself that I'm going to at least put on make up before going to work but that only lasted for 1+ year. I used pregnancy as an excuse after that.

This week, I'm going to buy an eyeliner. And moisturizer. And new lippie (I think the ones that I have is past its expiry date already). And some eyeshadow. Its about time my eyes got reacquainted with colours again.

With this entry, I am making a promise, I am going to live up to my blog name. Phat, not fat. Being phat.

I can see some people rolling their eyes and said "We'll see how long that will last". To those people, I say...pffftttt. ;p

Auf wiedersehen my dear, dear Germany :(

2010-07-08T12:50:00.005+08:00

So it turns out that the octopus is right. D*mn. I didn't expect to feel this way, I mean, I am rooting for Germany to win, but I didn't expect to have such invested feeling over a football match.I am actually very sad and frustrated that Germany lost. The feeling is mutual to the way I felt when a guy I like doesn't like me back and stood me up on a date.

Hmph...One day you're in, another day you're out. Auf wiedersehen my dear team.

Oh, send my regards to Ballack. We'll see each other again in four years time.

And come that time, I will be prepared. If you're going to ditch me halfway through, I'll make sure I have another ~~man~~ team to ~~date~~ support.

*pic from fifa.com

A different kind of signage

2010-07-02T10:00:00.001+08:00

I've seen witty and funny pictures of signage before, mostly originated from other countries *coughjapancough* So, it caught me by surprise to see this signage back in Kuantan.

Happy birthday cuppies

2010-07-01T08:53:00.000+08:00

These cuppies were ordered by my office colleague to celebrate her dad and sister's birthday. She requested pastel colours and I hope she liked it.

pHatMummy and World Cup...

2010-06-30T09:00:00.001+08:00

I don't really watch football. I don't really know all the players, nor can I tell the differences between EPL, UEFA and whatnot. I don't understand offside and I think I never will. :) HOWEVER, during my insomnia years in university (2002), I flipped through the TV channel and found this :

Oh my! Yummehhhh....

And I got hooked. Like, seriously hooked. I watched UEFA Champions League religiously that year. I never missed a match. I missed all my morning classes though. And luckily, that football fever didn't stick. I watched it on and off. On when Germany or whatever club Ballack was playing and off whenever he was not. Heh.

Anyways, I catch the football fever again during the 2006 World Cup, simply because it was held in Germany. And I was sooooo sure that Germany would repeat its history in 2002 by getting to the finals and WIN THIS TIME. But they lost to Italy, much to my disappointment.

Fast forward to current World Cup, here they are again, but this time I have mixed feelings. The reason : Ballack is not in the team, he got injured. Booooo! And I hated Podolski. I hate him sooo much, he's on the top of my hate list, along with Jalaludin Hassan. Haha.

And, this year, I think Germany has included another module in their football training, "How to act surprised when a goal is actually scored?" Lesson 1 : Control facial expression. Do not act surprised and DO NOT SHOW that you are furious or mad. Instead, kick the ball so fast with an indignant face and ignore all hesitation.

You are such a good actor, I can't help but to like you. And you remind me of Sark (in Alias).

Discovering moles

2010-06-26T13:41:00.000+08:00

I've just discovered that Sara has two moles, in exactly the same places as mine : eyes and thighs. :)

I've been reading on the internet regarding moles and some of them are quite scary (as in early signs of cancer and whatnot) so I decided to go with a more light-hearted reading. Did you know that moles in body parts symbolizes different things? Check out this info: (taken from this website)

Moles on Body for Females: Front of Body

1 - Life will be challenging for you and sometimes things will not be easy. If the mole is red in color, however, no challenges will be too hard for you.

2 – A mole in this location indicates that you get easily stressed out. Learn to relax and don't take life too seriously.

3 – You are a busy and popular person. Your actions are efficient and you are liked by many people. It is likely that you hold a high position with a lot of responsibilities because of your ability to make good connections.

4 – This mole warns you that you should have good eating habits. If the mole is light, however, it means that you will have or already have a partner who loves you very much.

5 – This mole indicates that you have the responsibility of taking care of your family. It also indicates that you will be good at that and will be rewarded for that later on in your life.

6 – The mole in this location indicates that you are a very ambitions person and have big goals. If you have more moles of such significance, it indicates that you are likely to become a well-known person.

7 – The mole here shows that you are a kind and generous person. You are fair with people therefore people trust you.

8 – This mole means that your life will be easy. You will not lack support and you will be safe throughout your life. It's one the luckiest moles to have.

9 – This mole indicates your capacity to achieve great wealth. If it touches your navel, it means that you will become extremely wealthy.

10 – This mole shows that you are a very passionate person and have a high sex drive.(The location of these moles on body can be slightly different to the ones shown in the picture.)

11 – Your children are likely to be obedient and will bring you a lot of happiness. You will be (or are) proud of them.

12 – This mole shows that you are going to have a good life. Everything will be relatively easy for you to accomplish but there will be some surprises along the way.

13 – You will have a beautiful husband or wife and you yourself are likely to be good-looking.

14 – You love your children and they feel safe with you. You have a close connection with your children.

15 – You should learn how to manage money because otherwise it is likely that you will lose some.

16 – You cannot keep any secrets because you love to gossip.

17 – You are a happy person and it is likely that you are or will become prosperous.

18 -You have some unstable traits and have a tendency to spend too much money.

19 – You are a positive person to whom life will be easier than for most.

20 – You treat everyone with respect and therefore everyone respects you in return.

21 – With little work you will easily succeed in life.

22 – You are a very ambitious woman therefore whenever you truly decide to set goals, it is more than likely that you will achieve them.

23 – You can be quite a heartless and cold person at times. (The location of these moles on body can be slightly different to the ones shown in the picture.)

24 – Your life is full of challenges. If the mole is read in color, it means that your love life will be successful but there will be only one problem with that – your desire to flirt will cause you to have only short relationships.

Moles on Body for Females: Back of Body

1 – Your marriage is likely to be rather challenging.

2 – You will have many responsibilities in your life and it's a good decision to remove this mole.

3 – This mole shows that you may be lacking elegance. Some people prefer to remove this mole because of this meaning.

4 – It will be quite hard for you to stay in the same job for a long time.

5 – You are intelligent, creative and it will be easy for you to become well-known and respected.

6 – You will have an unstable career. It is a good idea to remove this mole since it's quite negative.

7 – You are a reliable and trustworthy person therefore your friends find it easy to tell you even their deepest secrets.

8 – Your life will be safe and easy. This mole is one of the best moles to have.

9 – You are a very patient person but if you are annoyed too much, you can snap.

10 – You are very good with numbers therefore would be a very efficient accountant. In general, you are good with managing money.

11 – You have great interpersonal skills and therefore it's easy for you to make friends.

12 – You have many reliable friends therefore this mole is considered to be very good to have.

13 – This mole indicates that you can be quite insensitive at times. (The location of these moles on body can be slightly different to the ones shown in the picture.)

Moles on Body for Males: Front of Body

1 – You get stressed quite easily. Because of that you should try to calm down and control yourself.

2 – Your life will have some challenges but you will solve any problems that you will encounter.

3 – You should make sure that you eating habits are good. If the mole is light in color, it means that your wife loves you very much.

4 – You will have a happy life and very little worries. However you should pay attention to your health.

5 – You are a very ambitions person with great dreams.

6 – You are popular and your life has many challenges. People like you and trust you. It is likely that you will achieve great heights in your career.

7 – Your life will be easy and you will be safe no matter where you are.

8 – Your life will be easy and there will be little unexpected problems. (The location of these moles on body can be slightly different to the ones shown in the picture.)

9 – Your children are obedient and bring you much happiness. You are proud of them.

10 – Your wife is likely to be good-looking. You are likely to be good-looking too.

11 – You will enjoy great wealth and life will be easy for you.

12 – You are likely to have many children.

13 – You are likely to inherit a large amount of money.

14 – The same as mole 13.

15 – There will be some challenges in your life.

16 – You will travel many times, both for pleasure and work. The smaller the mole, the more happiness travel will bring you. If the mole is very large, it means that travel will bring more problems than happy events.

17 – You will be very successful and are likely to rise high in your career.

18 – You are likely to do a physical work and you are a hard working person.

19 – You find it hard to get recognition for the work that you do. (The location of these moles on body can be slightly different to the ones shown in the picture.)

20 – It is likely that you will have a profession that involves dealing with money. This mole also indicates that you should take great care in dealing with money, especially if it's not yours.

21 – You love spending money and it will be hard for you to save money. You should therefore practice to tithe so that the money supply would never end for you. If the mole is on the left hand, it means that you spend more than you earn. If it's on the right hand, it means that you easily attract money.

Moles on Body for Males: Back of Body

1 – This mole indicates that you will have a comfortable life and it's likely that you will become wealthy.

2 – You are likely to suffer from backache. Your life can be challenging and therefore it's better to remove this mole.

3 – You will have many responsibilities in life.

4 - Friends may backstab you and you may experience betrayal. Therefore it's better to remove this mole.

5 – Your friends are likely to backstab you.

6 – It will be hard for you to hold the same position for a long time. (The location of these moles on body can be slightly different to the ones shown in the picture.)

7 – The same as mole 6.

8 – You will generally doubt your own abilities to make sound decisions. You cannot motivate yourself enough therefore you require some push from others when you try to achieve your goals. On the more positive side, you will have a very good wife.

9 – You are likely to be successful and wealthy and you will find success in starting your own business. You will be much better off being an entrepreneur rather than working for someone else.

10 – You are intelligent, creative and wise. You are highly respected by people who know you.

11 – You are indecisive when it comes to love and marriage.

12 – You have a tendency to be messy.

13 – You may experience a broken marriage or a very unstable relationship.

14 – You will be earning a lot of money. (The location of these moles on body can be slightly different to the ones shown in the picture.)

15 – You are a charismatic and popular person and you are likely to become very successful.

16 – You are very intelligent and people find it easy to trust you.

17 – Your life will be full of challenges. It's a good idea to remove this mole.

18 – You are a hard working person and this will pay off indeed. You will become a recognized person and will enjoy many great relationships.

19 – You will live far away from your home. You are always on the move.

Disclaimer : These are just theories and assumption by the website owner and in no way reflect my opinion and judgment. :)

OMG...OMG...I totally forgot its father's day

2010-06-24T14:00:00.000+08:00

I totally forgot. I truly did. I remembered planning to buy a card or something, because I already bought and give hubby his gift, but on the day itself, I totally forgot.

So, here it is....Happy Father's Day to my hubby, papa (my dad) and Abah (hubby's dad). Thank you for being in my life.

To dear hubby, although we are so incompatible in many ways, you are the best person for me and the best father for Sara. Mmuuuahhhsss from Mummy and Sara.

This pic was taken when Sara is almost one year.
And no, they don't usually go to sleep like that ;)

The TRIPLETSplusONE birthday party...

2010-06-23T09:00:00.012+08:00

Last two Sunday, we were honored to receive invitation from TRIPLETSplusONE! We were on our way back from Kuantan, luckily we found the house without much hassle (thank god for GPS!)

On our way there, we stopped at Petronas petrol station, I splashed Sara with water, change her so that she'll feel more refreshed and will be more friendly and receptive at the birthday party. I was contemplating whether to put diapers on her or not, but seeing her exemplary behavior throughout the journey, I decided to gamble and not put diapers on her.

We reached the venue around 4.00 pm and the party is just getting started. Sara was still clinging to me. It took her almost one hour to warm up. After we ate, I asked her whether she wants to go to the toilet. And she does. And I brought her to the toilet. And she pees. I seriously love that kid. She just knows when to behave.

The party was a blast. Munirah (the TRIPLETSplusONE mummy) really put a lot of effort planning this party.There were cute signage everywhere, lots of toys and some seriously good food. Being the forgetful person I am, of course I forgot to bring the camera. So, the nice pictures you see in here is all credited to Hafiz Ismail of WOW! Art and Photography (these blokes are really good, I am thinking of having the fun and funky white studio session..for info, click here) Oh, I also curik some photo from this blog

The party started to get wet (as promised). Sara looked at all the other kids playing with longing interest, so I asked her whether she wants to join. She said yes, and I changed her into short pants and t-shirt. As I was changing her pants, she looked me in the eye and said "mummy....poo-poo". I was aghast. I asked her "Seriously Sara? You have to poo-poo? Now?" And she nod emphatically. Luckily I remembered I saw a toilet seat when we went to the bathroom earlier. To Munirah, if you are reading this, yes, my darling little angel poo-poo in your toilet. She's sorry and I am *really embarassed*

The SUPERMAMA who did it all

To Harith, Athirah and Uzair, Happy Birthday dearie!!! Hope you like the presents we got you (and hope they fit nicely). To Munirah, congratulations on a very well-planned party and please send my warmest regards to your wonderful family. Oh, and a special thanks for your hubby too for his manly action in "mencampak" my little Sara down the slide. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and again THANK YOU for including us in this event.

Mummy....

2010-06-16T11:02:00.001+08:00

So, the little kid can call me Mummy now. The first 100 times she called me that, I'd get all soft and gooey inside. The next 1000 times has been driving *some people* up the wall. Its been Mummy this and Mummy that every 10 second. And I have to reply ever-so-sweetly "Yes, Sara?" every time she calls me. Don't get me wrong, I love replying to her every call and request but its really getting on everybody else's nerves. Even my ever-so-patient hubby is getting annoyed by her incessant cry for Mummy.

The Mummy calling started when Sara and I went back to Kuantan without hubby. Hubby joined us later during the weekend. Its been too long since we last met hubby's side of the family, so naturally she was a bit reserved when meeting them especially her one and only uncle (hubby's younger brother). And her uncle certainly wasn't helping the situation by being so intimidating and unnecessarily harsh towards her.

So, for four days, she has been clinging to me for dear life. She's been under tremendous amount of fear, she even closed her eyes with her hand when she wants to sleep. Sometimes, she'd grab my hands, asking me to cover her eyes when she felt scared. She will look for me every 10 second to make sure I'm right beside her.

I had to make sure she's either sleeping or happily entertained if I want to do anything. Once, I wanted to shower, so I take her to her aunties (whom she got along fine). After 5 minutes, I heard her crying and wailing "Ma-mm, Ma-mm" and I heard everybody trying to calm her. The cries got worse and suddenly she started screaming "Maaaaaaa miiiiiiiiiii" It was a bittersweet moment, really. She's saying Mummy for the first time but it was out of fear.

And since that moment, its been Mummyyyyyyyy all day long. And, even though this post may be well interpreted as me not appreciating the Mummy calling, its not. Its really not. I love it when she call me Mummy. I don't care if she called me every 2 second, I'm loving it!

Mummy.....

2010-06-15T11:56:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone!

I'm sure my Mummy has been telling everyone about my monthly progress.

And I'm pretty sure that she's a bit frustrated with the fact that I can't call her Mummy like she wanted me to.

I always call her Ma-mm or Ma-mu.

But I'm a big girl now and I can call Mummy perfectly. In fact, I've been doing that every 10 seconds and I think the sentimentality has worn off. It's starting to drive Mummy crazy.

Hey, its her fault that she wanted me to call her Mummy soooo bad and now I can't seem to stop.

Mummy......Mummy........Mummy.........

Random musings

2010-06-09T09:00:00.001+08:00

1. A fellow PTD died, and everybody is shifting blame. Some are blaming the deceased for not being able to differentiate a common flu and influenza-type flu. Some are blaming the PASKAU for the rigorous training method. Some even blamed the clinic that said the deceased only suffers from normal fever. Some blamed the administration of the course programme for letting this situation get out of hand. Some are wondering the relevance of this type of training for a public service officer who is not going to require this level of stamina and fitness to fulfill their everyday routine. And I? I wondered whether the people involved in this whole thing are even bothered by her death? Did they go to the funeral? Did they console and express their remorse to the family?
2. In Mac 2009, I was elated when I found out that I was pregnant. I was always somewhat reckless and a bit clumsy at times and I tried my best to live a healthier lifestyle because I am now responsible for two lives. I was never the one who eat my vitamins everyday, nor did I do all the light exercise or the suggested good things to do when you are pregnant. I just keep tabs of the baby. I can't proclaim to know much, but I do know this : Active baby is good thing. Must remember to make sure that baby is moving at least once every two hours. If baby is idle, I will eat, take a bath, start to talk, exercise with hubby ;) until the baby reacts. (And yes, in that order ;))
3. My hubby and I are ready to have our second child. In fact, we've been ready for two months now, but my aunty still visits, complete with her truckload of emotional baggage and stomach cramps! Heh. I know its been only two months but we need baby NOW! I miss holding a newborn and I would very much prefer a baby now so that when it comes Ramadhan, I am out of the dreaded first trimester. (I have awful morning sickness that last all day).
4. I am impressed with my fellow friends who have been doing so well in their respective agencies. I feel a tinge of pride when my fellow batchmate receive glowing recommendation from their bosses. In retrospect, I am also somewhat ashamed and disgusted by some that are blatantly misusing their power and influence. We are supposed to work for the greater good, no?
5. I have a weakness for books. I can never put down a book, once I started reading it. My hubby once gave me the Harry Potter : The Deathly Hallows when I was heavily pregnant at 8 months. He gave me the book at midnight and although I know that I won't be able to stop reading once I started, I also could not sleep knowing that the book is silently calling out to me. So, I give in and spent the whole night awake reading the book. Recently my sister bought the Cecilia Ahern "Thanks for the memories" book. And whaddayaknow....I fell asleep reading it! That was a first! I find myself skimming the pages, just reading without any invested feelings. Ngeeee....I think I'm getting old
6. My ability to memorize is better than my capability to comprehend. It has work to my benefit so far, when I'm not sure of anything, I'll just recite whatever it is I remember from my conversation with others. BUT, as I slowly creeps into the dreaded three-oh, I find both my skills to memorize and to understand, is going down the drains :(
7. I have four meeting minutes that I am supposed to finish...umm....yesterday? Heee....

Another red velvet cake

2010-06-08T14:00:00.000+08:00

I just love the combination of red and white...don't you?

Lagenda Budak Setan the Movie

2010-06-07T16:40:00.005+08:00

I was a big fan of Ahadiat Akashah's novel back in my school years. It would be safe to say that I sort of grew up reading his books, Budak Rap, Budak Momok, Budak Setan, Salina, Katerina. To his credit, he did inspire me to love and live life to the fullest, albeit a little bit superficial. I mean ALL characters in his stories are handsome, gorgeous, filthy rich, studied overseas, earning millions and genius (didn't study but scored straight A's). Hihi, luckily he only inspired me, not guide me!

While reading his novels, I often imagined who will star in what role if it was made into a movie. None of the actor reflected my choice ;p (I thought Kasyah was supposed to be this manly and handsome figure, no offense to Farid Kamil, but his looks is not typical malay and he certainly is not what you would call a handsome man). And oh, the close-up shot does not help. I have a permanently etched image of Farid Kamil's pimples at the back of my head. Heh.

I also watched the trailer for quite a few times before watching the actual movie and take my advice, you wouldn't want to be doing that or you'll end up somewhat disappointed in the movie because the trailer showcases ALL the interesting scenes, so what was left of the actual movie is mediocre? boring?So, the overall movie was quite good, although I would have very much liked it if they stick to the original novel plot. And I would very much appreciate it if they omit all the corny dialog. At one point, I was bawling (I always cry at movies, don't take my tears as some form of endorsement that this movie is guaranteed sad movie), I was really into the movie when Emi/Ayu uttered "Tiba-tiba aku merasa macam sesuatu yang aneh". I was like WHAT? Totally spoiled the whole scene, man. Oh, and there are quite a few corny dialogues like that throughout the movie. Killjoy!

Apart from that, the movie was o-kay. The song was fantastic, really suits the whole mood of the story. The cinematography was superb. The acting from Fazura and Que Haidar is beyond expectation, Farid Kamil and Lisa Surihani is as expected and Shikin Kamal, the newcomer is wayyyyy below expectation. Huh! Its really hard to sell that Emi by Shikin is actually Ayu by Lisa. I thought Ayu only undergo a face surgery, not pack in a few pound and grow 4 inches! Sazzy Falak would have made a nicer Emi (Emi should be smaller and thinner from Ayu. She has been abused and is suffering, no?)
Memorable scenes from the movies for me is when Ayu fighting with Azmi, Kasyah wooing Ayu/Emi who has lost her memory and Fazura crying in the toilet. I am proud of this movie and although there is soooo much room for improvement, I still liked it. I still cried watching it and I probably would have cried watching it for at least two more times. Next Malay movie : Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa. The trailer blows my mind!!!! Can't wait to watch it :)

* all image credit to google and site owner. And the owner of this site supports the local film industry. She just hates corny stories and does not have patience for Razak Mohaideen and Yusof Haslam type of romance.

Red Velvet Cake

2010-06-03T10:00:00.000+08:00

This is my third attempt of making a whole cake. Sure, there are A LOT of room for improvement, and I will surely try my very best to improve my skills in decorating these kind of cake. This is a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting ordered by a dear colleague.

A red velvet love cake for a lovely wife from a loving husband *Pardon the pun

Sara : 16 months

2010-06-02T10:11:00.000+08:00

I really have to make a mental note on how to categorize Sara's milestone. I'll start with this month's progress and I hope I'll remember to do the same for months after.

Weight : 11 kgs (dropped! probably due to the fever she had earlier)
Height : 86 cm (she grew 5 cm in the last two months!)

Identification of body parts and other things
She now knows ALL her body parts (all that I could think of, that is)
She can point to everything inside her elmo book (big lorry, rabbit, butterfly, baloon, cake, bubble, ball)
She recognizes cats, dogs, birds, worms (hee, she scared shitless of worms)
She can point correctly to our belongings (such as sandals and hand phones) and correctly call out the name of the owner (she points to atuk's hand phone and say to tookkk and does the same for everybody else's hand phones)
She can understand instructions! (such as "Sara, can you please take a tissue, Mummy want to wipe this mess. The tissue is on the cabinet. Take one only (because she likes to grab a handful of them) and she can carry out the instruction perfectly.

Speech
"How you call Nenek?" "Nenekkkkk"
"How you call Atuk?" "To toookkkkk"
"How you call Ciksu?" "Ca cshuuu"
"How you call Bibik?" "Brr biikkk"
"How you call Baba?" "BABA!!!" Yeah, she always screams when she call her baba
"How you call Mummy?" "Ma-mmm" For some reason, she can't quite say Mi :)
"How you call Cik Ngah?" "Ya niiiii" This is the most surprising since we always call my sister Cik Ngah or Angah
She can also say simple things such as "Come", "Milk", "Eat", "Down" and "Dog". Oh, and her favourite word is "More!" Haha.

Habits
She loves to mimic things she sees. For example, whenever we watch TV or read books, she always imitates the Nippon paint character (which is to bulge her stomach forward).
Emotion
She looooooves to sulk. She pouts for even the tiniest things (okay, I know she got that from me) But, I love seeing her pout. She will cross her arm, pursed her lips and gave us THAT look. She doesn't appreciate people teasing her and loves it when we compliment her. VAIN, I know!
Toilet training
Her toilet training is getting better. In fact, we took her on two short outings without diapers and NO accidents occured. Yeay! We even took her on a long journey to JB and unwanted accidents happened along the way. We stopped twice and took her to the toilet and she pees like a good girl. Yeay!

Cutie Pastel

2010-06-01T15:46:00.000+08:00

I love pastel colours. I will have a really hard time choosing what colour I like most. I made these cuppies with lots of happy feeling because of the colours. I hope you like them as much as I do. ;)

Sara and Baba!

2010-05-31T11:25:00.001+08:00

What happens when you leave a toddler/baby with ONLY the daddy for one whole day?

Not-brushing-my teeth

Unbutton clothesMess EVERYWHEREMismatched clothes and unruly hair

In hubby's defense,

"She didn't want to brush her teeth" She ALWAYS does that, you have to coax her
"She cried when I comb her hair" Yeah, right
"She chose her clothes HERSELF" Are you trying to mock me now or what?
"She's clingy, I can't let go of her to tidy up the room" Really??

And people wonder why mommies are better than daddies. Ha!

Happy Teacher's Day

2010-05-27T14:09:00.001+08:00

Some friends from the office ordered cupcakes and cake for teacher's day. While making the cupcakes, I can't help but to reminisce about my teachers. To me, teachers play an integral part on shaping me to be who I am right now.

I still remember how it was in my days, where all the teachers use to be so passionate about what they do, and how the parents would support the teachers rather than to blame them for their child misbehaving.

Time changes, and changes bring good and bad impact in life. For instance, teachers nowadays (especially primary school teachers) are those from KPLI rather than those who took teaching as their degree. If the said person is wholeheartedly invested in teaching, then its a good thing BUT if that person is only teaching as a means to living, it will greatly affect the quality of education.

I have a very high respect for teachers as I think that being a teacher is like being a mom. Its a 24-hours job that requires constant attention and focus. On top of that, it also requires a lot of determination and perseverance.

I think that teaching is better left to people that are truly interested to teach (not just anybody with any kind of degree). My teachers made me who I am today, and I think I turned up pretty good. I just hope that my child will be able to experience education as I did. Happy Teacher's Day!!

The Thomas Cup Fiasco

2010-05-25T08:57:00.004+08:00

So, this may be a bit behind, but I feel the need to express my feelings regarding the Malaysia's quest for the coveted Thomas Cup. I watched the Thomas Cup during my long outstation, so I didn't get to watch it with hubby and family but I can almost hear them in my head.

You see, I am trying very hard not to swear since I found out that I was pregnant but watching the Malaysian team played, I was having a very difficult time keeping my mouth from saying all the bad words. I can be... err, shall we say quite vehemently "outspoken" when it comes to watching sports. I was literally throwing swears to the television. Heh.

Yeah, we lost. But you know who I blame?? I BLAME HAFIZ. If he won against whats-his-name (the Japanese dude), we would have met Indonesia, and we could have won. Okay, so maybe we would have lost to China in the finals, but at least we'd get to the finals. Gahhh!!! I'm blaming Hafiz. It's all on you, man. You seriously blew it.

Pic from here

The worst feeling ever.

2010-05-11T21:16:00.003+08:00

I still have this lingering feeling of depression, anxiety and lonely after I wrote about my previous post. So, when hubby texted me and said that Sara is having a high fever (39 degree!), I was instantly worried and now I feel like flying home!!!

I miss her sooooo much and to know that she is sick and I'm not there beside her is killing me. I hate long outstation!!! I really hope that I can finish my job earlier than expected and I can go home early.

To whomever reading this entry, please pray for my little angel's speedy recovery. *sobs

The emotional Mother's Day..

2010-05-11T08:00:00.001+08:00

This is the second time I got to celebrate Mother's Day but since I am away, so no special celebration or anything like that. Anyway, this year, I thought I'd jot down the kind of mum I'd like to be.

I'd like to be a mom like Lorelai (of Gilmore Girls). She's her daughter best friend, but still draws the line if needed to. But, I secretly think that I'm more of an uptight person, not to the extent of Bree (Desperate Housewives), but I do share some quality as hers.

What I really want to emulate is Bailey's (of Grey's Anatomy) style of parenting. She's focused on her job but still managed to provide full attention to her child.

One more resolution I have for this year, is to communicate better with my dear hubby. We do have our ups and downs, and I do take my share of the blame. I really, sincerely hope that we can communicate better, particularly in front of Sara because she's such a fast learner, I wouldn't want to set a bad example in front of her.

I know that this may be a wishful thinking, but I do want to be my daughter's best friend. I want her to be able to tell me anything. Even though I am pretty sure that I'll lose my temper A LOT, but I want to be the person she turned to, whenever she has problems.

I want to support her in every decision that she makes, I want to stop saying NO to every little request that she makes, I want to give her everything she wanted and beyond, I want to be so much and most importantly I want to be enough. For her.

I do sometimes wonder what if she likes another mommy figure more than me. Would I be okay with that? Would I resent the fact that somebody else is closer to my daughter than I am?

I want to be supportive but can I hold my temper when she does something wrong? Can I not yell at her when she fights with her siblings or cousins? Can I patiently answer her endless question?

Can I hold my breath and calm myself if she ever decided to throw tantrum in front of random people? Can I strain myself from resorting to hit her if she fights me back?

Can I be the mother she wanted? Can I provide all the love and care she need? Will my love be enough for her? Or would she want something more? More than me?

I guess my greatest fear of being a mom is that I will never be enough for her. I am afraid that she'll want more, more than what I am able to give. Gahh, this is emotional.

Being away from her especially on Mother's Day really hurts. Mummy misses you Sara, and Mummy can't wait to come back home.

Public speaking

2010-05-10T17:21:00.003+08:00

People who knew me on the first glance will most likely say that public speaking is right up my alley. Oh, how I wish that was true. Sure, I've been a public speaker since my school days but those were not pure talent, those were hard work.

I can only talk in public if I have a preconceived speech. I am not one of those spur-of-the-moment talker. I memorized all my public speaking text. In fact, I'm such a good memorizer, people will think I spoke spontaneously.

So, recently, I had to give a talk about national security. Yep, as if that topic wasn't intimidating enough, I had to also explain the current issues, past histories and what not. Gahhh! I don't watch news. Current issue to me is what happens in the last episode of my favourite current television show.

But, you had to do what you had to do, right? And what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?? Pfftttt. Whatever. Yeah, from now on, I will watch news and keep track of current affairs. NOT! Okay, fine. I will. Some day. (And may that day come soon enough!)

The LOVE cuppies

2010-05-07T09:26:00.000+08:00

This customer requested the cuppies to be decorated in red, purple and green colour and I remember thinking to myself, hmm, how can I make this colour combination work? This is the result and hope they'll like it.

This kind of cuppies made me sigh and think to myself "Ahhh, to be young and in love...."

Pitter Patter Tea Party

2010-05-04T10:00:00.000+08:00

On Sunday, Sara, my hubby and I went to the Pitter Patter Tea Party. I first stumbled upon the info here, and since its only RM10 per adult, I figured it would be a great opportunity to let my angel meet up and play with kids her age. And besides, we were planning to go along with my two wonderful friend; Mummy Allysha and Mama Idraki :)

Sara and I travelled to KL via KLIA Transit because hubby was already in KL, makes no sense for him to turn back in order to pick us up. This is actually the second time Sara and I board the train, and same as before, Sara fell asleep the moment the train moves.

Guess who we say in KL Sentral? Lisa Surihani!!! She was exactly as seen on TV, her skin is soooo smooth and porcelain-like, makes me seethe with jealousy.

The event was held in Carcosa Sri Negara, a perfect setting for an English Tea Afternoon. The place has a very classic English feel, complete with its lush landscapes and beautiful decorations, but I bet the organizer didn't expect the weather to be so hot and stuffy. And when you add screaming toddlers to that environment, it just resulted in total chaos.

They organized a separate room for the children and parents. We sent Sara to the children area, anticipating that she's going to cry when we left her. But, lo and behold, she immediately becomes absorbed in the environment, she even goes off to play BY HERSELF. She plays on the play dough station, read books and play lots of other toys. What amuses me was that everybody thought she was at least 2 years old. She answered every question they asked her with an emphatic nod or says "nanak" and waved her hand to say no, she sits and play when asked, she can immediately play correctly with the toys once you show her how, so everbody was very surprised when I told them Sara is only 15 months old.

There were three talk sessions, but I only managed to fully hear one of them. I was too anxious thinking about Sara in the other room. We did manage to join in the photoshoot for family and can't wait to see the result. Overall, the food was good, the talks were okay, the separate room for kids was a good idea, the only thing that deterred me from enjoying myself is the HOT, HUMID and STUFFY weather.

The most surprising thing I discovered through this event : My little angel is a big girl already *tears*

Farewell cuppies

2010-05-01T10:00:00.001+08:00

These cuppies were ordered to celebrate a farewell party. To me, farewell is such a sad thing. I mean, you got use to the person then having to find out that the person will be transferred to another department is just downright sad and depressing.

Recently, I had to say goodbye to a very dear colleague. She was in her confinement leave when she found out that she was transferred to another department. We weren't close from the get-go (when I was transferred to my current department), but as time goes by, we became closer. We discovered that even though we were quite different in terms of our approach towards certain aspect and problems at work, we do complement each other and we work VERY well together.

Slowly, our working relationship turned into personal relationship. We could share stories about almost everything. From husbands, families and when she discovered she was pregnant, we were both ecstatic. We can trade children stories! God knows how bored she is with me gushing about Sara every now and then.

She was with me throughout my pregnancy (and all the emotional hormonal outbursts every now and then). She took over most of my job, as I was so tired (read : lazy) to work. She helped me through so much and willingly listen to every child related story. I tried my best to repay all her favours when she was pregnant, and I missed her soo much during her confinement leave, consoling myself with the fact that she'll come back after 2-months leave.

So, when she told me that she received a letter saying she has been transferred to another agency, I was shocked and dissappointed. Don't know about her, but I'm certainly missing her. I can only hope that I've been there for her as much as she's been here for me. I can never thank her enough and I sincerely hope that we can continue our friendship even though we are no longer in the same deparment. Miss you babe, and hope for nothing but the best in all your future endeavours.

Sara itchy? Sara sick stomach?

2010-04-30T10:00:00.001+08:00

It will never cease to amaze me what my little angel is capable to comprehend. This is just another one of example where Sara astonishes me with the things she actually understands.

These are Sara's toiletries that we put in THE PINK BASKET. The pink basket's residence is on the coffee table near the television cabinet in our living room.

One fine day, we saw her scratching on her bum ferociously. I held her hand, make her look at me and asked "Sara itchy?". She looked troubled, and nod empathically. I said "Okay, go and get your cream. Mummy put on your back"

She seems hesitant at first, then she casually struts to the coffee table, grabbed her pink basket, rummaged around and took out the cream and give it to me. I don't know about you, but I never thought that a one-year-old can differentiate between powder, oil and creams, let alone tell the difference between drapolene and vizomet cream. And, she did brought the CORRECT cream (we usually put vizomet for her rashes).

Same goes for the other day, she had just finished her milk when she makes a troubled face while patting her stomach. We asked "Why? Sara sick stomach? You want oil?" And she nodded and proceed to take her OIL from the pink basket. Gahh! This kind of incidents makes me wonder what else she understand, and makes me somewhat cautious to do anything bad or rude in fornt of her. Sheesshhh....

Step-by-step instruction on making goodie bag

2010-04-28T12:30:00.001+08:00

I have been searching for the perfect goodie bag for Sara's first birthday but everything I found was just too big, too small, too expensive (that's the most common). I WILL NOT spend such a hefty amount just for the goodie bag (Yeah, I'm a cheapskate. Bite me)

So, what did I do? DIY, of course. I just need A3 size coloured paper, scissors, cellotape and some ribbons. Okay, now I know it will sound like "Why bother, just go and buy the normal paperbag etc..etc"

To prove how easy it is to make your own goodie bag, here's a step-by-step instruction.

Print the wording on an A3 coloured paper. Cut according to the shape and fold based on the lines. Straight lines means fold it outside, and dotted lines means fold in to the insides. I suck at explaining, refer picture below :)

Notice the part where I wrote double sided tape? Fold the small section, put double sided tape and tape it together with the other end of the paper. Again, see the pic if you have no idea what I am talking about :)

You may edit the template but I would advise you to maintain the lines. You will need the lines to help you gauge to fold the base. With the back section of the paper bag to you, fold the base as picture below.

I can never explain these steps eloquently, so I'll let the pictures do the talking. Hee...

Open the paper bag, adjust the folding, punch two holes, tie a ribbon and DONE!

Since sharing is caring, and I do care about all of you, here's the template I design, complete with all the lines and whatnot. Happy trying!

* This template is A4 size, you may need to adjust accordingly. Easiest way is to print it in A4 size, photostate and enlarge it to A3 size. You can edit the wording using paint. Simple, right?

Cuppies for Ammar

2010-04-26T16:00:00.000+08:00

I had the amazing opportunity to make these sweet and simple cuppies for budak-mata-bolat Ammar Elyas. Happy one-year-old, dearie.I have nothing but the utmost respect for people who are living on their own, especially with small children. The reason I say so is because I'm living with my parents, so I can't even imagine what life would be like if my hubby and I were left on our own to take care of Sara. I mean, I know we'd manage but life would be sooo chaotic.

I look at Ammar's parents (his mom was my schoolmate) and I feel a pang of jealousy that they are striving to provide the best for their children. I love the way they communicate with each other and most importantly I love the way they deal with glitches in life.

I know I may sound ungrateful with my current situation but believe me, I am not. I mean, of course, living with my parents doesn't always come so easily but at the end of the day, I can be rest assured that my little angel is getting the best care in life.

The other bird

2010-04-25T20:39:00.000+08:00

I can't believe I forgot to share this story. This happened around 1 month ago. I was upstairs and shamelessly eavesdropping on Sara and her grandparents outside. All of them were in the lawn, watching the stray cat and soaking up the morning sun. Coincidentally, there was a raven chirping really loud that morning.

Sara has already been making a few animal sound such as yeowwww for cat, woo woo woo for dog and teet teet teet for bird. So, she was completely and utterly captivated by the sound of this very different bird. She even does the aak aak aak sound; just like the raven.

So, a few days after that, on a whim I casually asked her "Sara, how the bird sound?" And she answered "Teet teet teet". I asked again "How the dog sound?". She says "Woo woo woo". I asked "How the cat sound?" and she said "Yeeoooowwww".

I waited a few second and asked her "How THE OTHER bird sound?" She looked at me, bemused, and said with complete confidence "Aak aak aak". Genius!

And oh! New words this week is "More!" if she wants more food or water and "Nisshh" for finish (whatever it is that she's currently doing).

My thoughts, my musings

The VERY belated second birthday

Circle-circle thing

Rapunzel in the making :)

Adelya Qasdina - The Birth Story

Breastfeeding - the ugly truth

Easy Peasy Chocolate Cake in 5 minutes (and that includes the cooking time!)

Second appointment as FPP in Hospital Putrajaya

The pain that woke me up!

Set Asas Pengurusan Uri

Perineal Massage

What is perineal massage?

Why does perineal massage work?

How do I do it?

Air selusuh

First Appointment as FPP in Hospital Putrajaya

Mother-Daughter Drama Episode 4 - Up to you lah

Full Paying Patient (FPP) in Hospital Putrajaya

Pregnancy update : I'm only slightly diabetic

Selamat Hari Raya...Maaf Zahir Batin

Fasting during pregnancy

*__*

Tips on how to stop your child from using pacifier

Priceless moments...

Children's Playground Ethics.

The first tiny movement :)

Hi... *sheepish smile*

Pregnancy Woes #2 : I can't travel!!

Conversation with a 2 year old

Pregnancy Woes #1 : Constipation

There's a bun in the oven ;)

Wordless Wednesday

Random updates

Just to get me back in the mood...

eenie meenie myni moe

Putrajaya Treasure Hunt 2011

Chocolate chip rolls

Ole..ole..ole..ole...kita menang, kita lah juara... *woot*

Thank you to you too :)

After the long hiatus *__*

Aidiladha 2010

It's been....a while

Hantaran cuppies

What's with the I-dont-vote attitude?

Tips on toilet training

Presenting : The MINI Red Velvet Cake

Red velvet cake

My tutu little girl

Hitting the big Three-Oh

The guessing game

More red velvet cake(s) and cuppies

Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and Dr. Harlina Yusof

Sara : 21 months

Road trip to the North

Red Velvet Cake(s)

Raya 2010

Gaya Si Comel Berbaju Raya

Cuppies for engagement (Purple and Gold)

Red Velvet Cake

The Day I Wrestle With A......Supermarket Trolley

Raya Cuppies

Sara says : Selamat Hari Raya!!

Sara : Random update

Ramadhan 2010

Not one, but two *gasp*

I hate it when my work consumes my life...

Sara : 19 months

My favourite kind of leader

Mother-daughter drama episode 3 : The sulking baby

Confessions of a non-shopaholic

Auf wiedersehen my dear, dear Germany :(

A different kind of signage

Happy birthday cuppies

pHatMummy and World Cup...

Discovering moles

OMG...OMG...I totally forgot its father's day

The TRIPLETSplusONE birthday party...

Mummy....

Mummy.....

Random musings

__

Hi... sheepish smile

Ole..ole..ole..ole...kita menang, kita lah juara... woot

After the long hiatus __

Not one, but two gasp