~ The Unexpected ~

Uish lama gila tak update blog sampai dah bertimbun2 debu, sekali update dah ada citer baru. Aku dah ter'beranak' on last 6th December. Punya la terkejut tak sangka pun nak bersalin aritu tapi kuasa tuhan kan, Ammar pun nak jumpa mama & babah dia awal. Tengahari ahad tuh kebetulan ada appointment kat klinik kesihatan untuk scan perut, so bila dah siap scan doktor cakap baby ok and kemungkinan bleh bersalin ujung bulan. Doktor tanya lagi ada apa2 masalah ka, aku cakap la malam sebelum rasa perut dok mengeras selalu sangat. Doktor terus prepare referral letter to GH, kononnya suh aku pi cek detail kat sana in case ada apa2 problem. Aku ngan hubby singgah Hussain nasi kandar dulu pekena nasi then baru gi hospital.

Sampai sana dorang suh refer to wad bersalin, masa tu dok pikir apahal la kena pi situ bukan nak bersalin pun. Sampai sana misi siap suruh bukak barang kemas bagai memang macam nak bersalin padahal bila tanya just nak buat ctg test ja (to check baby's heartbeats & contractions). Dengan selambanya aku seludup masuk henpon and bermesej ngn hubby time menunggu test tu setel. Baring je pun dengan benda alah ctg tu ikat kat perut sambil dengar heartbeat baby yg kuat berbunyi. Tetiba rasa macam dengar heartbeats slowdown and doktor pun dengan pantas cakap nak check 'bawah'. Adoyaiii saket gila kena seluk ngan doktor laki tu, dah le dia badan besar kompem la tangan besar! Doktor tu bagitau dah bukak 2cm and trus dia discuss ngan doktor lain and they decided to cut me open immediately. What?!!!!

Another doctor explained to me that the baby was in distress and I was actually having contractions with no pain. Since the baby was in head-up position so I had to undergo a C-sect. Masa tu aku dah panik gila, hubby was nowhere to be seen and bila call rupanya dia pi minum Milo, huhu.. Nasib baik sempat jumpa salam, peluk cium sebelum disorong masuk OT. Takmo la cita bab dalam OT tuh, ngeri dan ngilu tapi yang pasti lepas dengar suara Ammar menangis rasa sayu sangat tapi sedih sebab tak boleh tengok dia, dorang dah bawak masuk ventilator and straight to NICU. Kejap je rupanya beranak through C-sect nih tapi lepas bius separuh tu dah abeh seksanya tuhan ja yang tau! Dah la takda sapa yang teman kat wad malam tu because the policy should be a woman below 50. My mom is over 50 and I have no sibling, menangis la aku malam tu sorang2 atas katil tahan sakit.. Ni la downside beranak kat hospital kerajaan, banyak karenah birokrasi.

Esoknya dapat jumpa my parents and hubby again during visiting time, trus kuatkan semangat bangun dari katil (saket!!!) and pergi NICU tengok Ammar. It was love at the 1st sight and seeing him so small sleeping and breathing is the most wonderful moment that I ever have in my life. I would never want to trade those moments with anything else! Another emotional part was to see him so vulnerable and fragile with wires and all.. Isk, takmo cerita la, sampai sekarang kalo ingat pun rasa nak nangis :(

Apa2 pun aku bersyukur sebab even bersalin @34 weeks++ tapi semuanya selamat. Walaupun Ammar is a preemie baby tapi berat dia cukup which is 2.65kg at birth and only stayed in ventilator for a short period and he started breathing on his own on the 3rd day of life. Alhamdulillah..

p/s: more details on next updates!

~ Finally.. ~

I'm so happy! Finally hubby dah bleh tukar sekolah and pindah ke SP. Walaupun sekolah tu nun jauh kat Yan tapi kami dah bleh stay serumah tetiap hari bukan macam dulu weekend ja jumpa. Tapi saspen gak nak dok serumah ni (even dok ngan my parents), rasa macam pengantin baru plak padahal sebenarnya dah setahun setengah kawen. Bermula la rutin nak iron baju dia, nak prepare makan minum dia yang sebelum ni jarang sangat aku buat. Yela, sebelum ni masing2 dok ngan parents sendiri kan.. Tapi sebenarnya bab masak tu kompem mama buat, yang tu memang aku fail!

Living cost sama ja tak berubah, dulu hubby berulang dari AS - Bukit Kayu Hitam dalam 45 minit, sekarang berulang dari SP - Yan pun sama gak. Minyak and tol pun dah kira sama la. Aku plak berulang dari SP - BM, 45 minit gak. Jadinya nanti sorang menghala ke selatan sorang lagi ke utara, duit buang atas jalan la jawabnya huhu.. apa nak buat nama pun carik rezeki, janji dok skali and paling penting bleh tengok baby membesar depan mata tak lama lagi! InsyaAllah..

~ Overrated ~

I went to watch Papadom with high expectation but came out from the hall 2 hours later with disappointment. I enjoyed the message of the movie but not the whole package of it. I think it was overrated. The comedy scenes were just so-so. After all, it was just a typical malay movie only slightly better than the others.

~ The Excitement ~

It has been a while and everything does change in the past several weeks. Last raya was great especially the food. Since I really got my appetite back, I enjoyed attending open houses and finally managed to gain some more kilos! Currently weighs at 56 kilos and in my 26th week, I'm pretty satisfied the numbers are really on track according to the chart given by the doctor.

Lately, I love to eat at nasi kandar restaurant, not because of the briyani but I crave for my unusual menu of 'nasi putih + kari telur ikan + kerang + kuah campur + susu lembu panas'. I must have them at least 1-2 times a week because they are super duper yummy. Luckily my stomach can really accept milk again, Alhamdulillah.

By the way, I'm so excited because I've already started buying baby stuff! I've been out to various malls and baby stores since the last two weeks and had spent a lot on buying those cute apparels. I never thought shopping for baby was so much fun, I'd love to do that always! The last time I checked, almost all items on my baby list have been stroked out! The rest is going to be completed by the end of this month and that means more shopping, hehe..

We went for a checkup yesterday and everything is good except the baby is still in 'head-up' position but the doctor said he still got plenty of time to turn before the birth. Next check up will be on 19th November which will be on my 32nd week. Meanwhile, I'm going to 'persuade' and slow talk to baby so he can turn his head down as soon as possible since the womb will be smaller for him later.

~ Luncai dan Labunya.. ~

Sedapnya ngata orang kan?! What should I do?! The best way is to shut my ears, close my eyes, recite Alhamdulillah and let it go.. Aku jugak yang dapat pahala. Kenal aku pun tidak sesedap ja mulut nak komen apa bagai. Mungkin hidup korang ni kurang best kot?! Ke masih tak puas hati kes lama?!

By the way, I don't have time to dwell into that anymore because I'm too busy with my current life! Terjun la wahai si luncai dengan mat labu sorang tuh ke dalam sungai yer..

~ A Rough Week ~

Sepanjang minggu ni asyik tak sihat ja. Mula2 jangkit selsema + bersin dari aby sejak isnin lepas tapi sebab tak mau makan ubat punya pasal, biar camtu ja. Masuk ja rabu dah tak tahan so aku pi la klinik panel amek MC, jawabnya kena ponteng posa la. Doktor ada bagi ubat low dose untuk orang pregnant cam aku, tapi still tak berani nak makan. Kalo bleh nak elak makan2 ubat time pregnant neh!

Ari kamis ada checkup dengan gynae kat private. Punya la excited sbb checkup ngn gomen 2 minggu lepas tak leh tengok baby masa scan (refer last entry). Timbang berat dah turun plak 0.5 kg, so skrg dah jadi 52 kg. Apa nak jadi nih, sebelum pregnant berat 53 tapi skrg dah masuk 21 minggu berat menten kat 52 ja, mcm mana?!! Masa scan baby sihat, tanya gender doktor kata boy tapi tak official. Dah 2 doktor kata boy ni, rasanya btul la kot.. Alhamdulillah.. Doktor pun dah start bagi obimin, harapnya dengan makan obimin + pil kalsium (ganti susu sbb tak leh minum) baby akan sihat memandangkan mak dia ni dok menten kurus ja.

Masa sahur pagi jumaat terpaksa gak amek ubat selsema tuh, tak tertahan dah rasanya hingus meleleh. Kesannya mengantuk sepanjang ari plak and aku dah start risau takut effect baby. Malam lepas buka posa ikut aby balik AS sbb dia kena ganti skolah esoknya. Sahur malam tu dah xlalu makan sbb idung dua2 belah tersumbat, naya btul bernafas kot mulut ja. Lepas babai aby pi keja sambung tido tp terjaga plak sbb sesak nafas. Maunya tak, lubang idung dua2 tersumbat. Dengan sabarnya aku tunggu aby balik keja then kui 3 pi klinik. Doktor tu pun macam blur2 ja cek aku, dia bagi ubat tp macam besa aku tak makan. Aku ponteng posa lagi, huhu..

Sepanjang ari tu mmg dah perasan baby tak gerak. Dok terpikir la sbb makan ubat selsema semalam ke yang buat dia ngantuk gak. Sampai ke malam pun tak gerak gak so panik la aku ngn aby. Last2 aby bawak pi klinik lain plak pi scan (gynae tetap aku kat SP tp dah minggu ni kat AS terpaksa bantai je pegi klinik biasa). Bila nampak heartbeats baby rasa lega sangat, then amek kesempatan tanya doktor baby boy ke girl, dia kata boy jugak. Confirmlah baby boy sbb 3 doktor berbeza dah kata camtuh, Alhamdulillah!

Cerita ari ahad plak bangun pagi ja dah memulas perut. 'Cherry berry' sampai 4-5 kali, rasanya gara2 terlebih minum orange juice tropicana kononnya nak dapat vitamin C untuk legakan selsema. Aduhai, macam2 jenis sakit dah nih. Dugaan pembawakan budak orang kata.

Isnin pun sakit perut lagi tp skit2 ja. Petang balik SP tapi perut mmg rasa tak best. Arini pi keja then tetiba idung berdarah plak.. Uwaaaa.. Apsal selalu sakit ni, takutnya kesihatan aku yg tak berapa elok ni akan effect baby. Harapnya esok dah sihat, InsyaAllah.

p/s: panjang entry ni and dalam bm plak tuh, hehe

~ The Checkup ~

I just came back from my monthly checkup at a government clinic with hubby and it was lame as usual. The only interesting part is to hear the baby's heartbeats. The doctor did an ultrasound but didn't bother to turn the screen towards me even when I asked for it. What is the point of doing it if the parents couldn't feel the excitement of seeing their baby growing up in the womb?! Well, it's a free service after all so no complaint.

I asked the doctor about the gender and she said the genital parts look like a boy. Hmmm.. I'll confirm it with my gynae in next couple of weeks. Hubby and I planned to have our baby at a private facility so I'm just doing the monthly checkups with general hospital in order to maintain my 'buku merah' (just in case anything will not happen as planned).

The only thing that worries me is my weight. After I dropped 3 kgs in the first 4 months into pregnancy, I only manged to gain back 2.5 and now I weigh at only 52.5 which is still quite far behind the expected digits at 54.5 kgs. I need to try hard and eat more for the baby!! But it's already Ramadhan and I'm afraid I'll drop some more. How?!

~ Recovered ~

I almost forgot how much I love to eat. Now that I'm feeling so much better, I crave for everything that comes to mind! For the past 2-3 weeks, I only threw up 3-4 times a week but who cares?! Compared to what I had been through the previous months, it's considered nothing. I'm on the mission to 'ganti puasa', and still has the remaining 3 days to go. Chayok!

Another thing is my nose is not as sensitive as before and it's such a relief. I start to wear perfume, skincare and make-ups again and I have return to the old bubbly EcLaSs. Families, friends and colleagues are glad to 'have' me back. Oh! I'm driving again, went to Alor Star last week and met in-laws after a long time.

P/S: I was half-way through the entry when I decided to stop and drove to Leomag just to get a Blueberry Cheese Waffle (I drool just by looking at the picture above). I ate the whole waffle and drove back home and completed the rest of this entry! Life couldn't be much happier. Alhamdulillah..

~ The 1st Trimester Experiences ~

I really want to share some of the experiences I had during the 1^st 4 months of pregnancy. Besides, they will be my references for my 2nd pregnancy in the next 3-4 years, insyaAllah. Here they are:-

1. I went for a trip in Kuching during week 6^th with hubby on our 1^st anniversary. We couldn’t cancel since everything had been booked a month earlier. It turned out to be the worst trip ever due to nausea & vomiting I had to endure. I didn’t enjoy it and I cried almost all the time because I was so uncomfortable. I hate the trip I don’t even bother to see all the pictures taken there up until now (that’s why not a single picture uploaded on my FB / Friendster). I also forbid myself not to wear the same clothes and shoes I wore in Kuching because the thought of them will make me puke!
2. I cannot smell perfumes and deodorant. I made hubby promised not to wear them whenever he is with me. I was also not wearing any of it and stay away from those who wear them.
3. I cannot stand the smell of any skincare and make-ups. I avoided them on my skin, I practically had bare face all the time and my colleagues said I looked so sick and some even said I didn’t take my morning shower! (Don’t worry, I never fail to have one every morning)
4. I had problems with my own bathroom. Usually a bathroom will always has a trail of scents whether it is shampoo, soap, shower foam, toothpaste, scrubs etc but they really annoyed me. I always ended up vomiting once I entered the bathroom. I tried various air freshener and replaced the toiletries with some new fragrances but they never solve the problems. At last, I decided to minimize my time in that much dreaded room. Sometimes I brushed my teeth and washed my face at kitchen sink.
5. This one is funny! At some times, I couldn't smell my own poop. Imagine throwing out while you're pooping, weird right?!!
   
6. I gave up rice but forced myself to have it 1-2 times a week for energy booster. I also gave up durian and milk, the two things I had no problem to consume before I got pregnant. Furthermore, I couldn't drink any plain water except anything with color such as sunquick, milo and sirap.
   
7. I cannot drive because it will make me dizzy. Lucky enough I have a car pool partner. Due to this, I hadn't been to Alor Star for a long time. It was hubby who came to SP every weekend.

Every pregnancy is different and I like reading others' stories in the pregnancy forum just to compare with my own ones. Pregnancy does make us, the expectant mothers different and weird, right? But it's worth once you get to see and hold the baby. And I can't wait for the moment.. Hope both the baby and I will be OK throughout the pregnancy :)

~ A Tale Of A Pregnant Lady ~

It was a bumpy and never-ending roller coaster ride. Not the one that rushes your adrenaline high enough to give you excitement and energy but the type which leave you sick of puking out all over the places. That’s what I thought for the past 4 months..

I always imagined being pregnant is a wonderful experiences, it’s the labor that I fear most. Of course I have the general ideas of a pregnancy; morning sickness, bladder problems and hormonal imbalances etc but I was so sure I could handle them because it is normal by nature, right? Unfortunately when I experience it in hand, the 1^st 4 months into it was the hardest time. It hit me by storm and totally changed my life 100%!

The nausea and vomiting had made me so weak and I stopped taking care of myself, sometimes I forgot to comb my hair. I never cared about my look or whatsoever, instead, all I wanted to do is lie down and sleep so I couldn't feel them. I threw up 2-3 times a day (4-5 times on the worst day) and had trouble eating. Thanks to hubby who kept buying KFC nuggets, yong tau fu, ice cream and iced milo (they seemed the only food I could tolerate). As the result, I managed to prevent further weight loss which I stopped at 3kg on week 15^th.

I was so glad the nausea and vomiting started to abate during week 14^th. Even though the queasiness stays for 2-3 days of each week later on, at least I got my life back. Everything starts to look normal again and I try to savor the good feeling as much as I can! I’m hoping for a happy experiences in this 2^nd trimester and also the next one, insyaAllah..

p/s: now at week 16th ++

~ A Grumpy Lady ~

I'm going to have a break from blogging since I'm not feeling good nowadays. The nausea and vomiting have really took all the comfort and happiness away from me. I'm officially a grumpy lady for the current being and might stay the same for the next couple of months. I don't have many readers and followers here but I'm happy to announce my pregnancy. It's still too early to celebrate (now at week 7++) but I pray to God for everything to be okay throughout this pregnancy..

Goodbye for a while..

~ How Does A Bag Affect You?! ~

I went to Pacific @ Alor Star Mall last weekend and caught my eyes on a gorgeous white handbag. I have been longing for another Guess bag and a white one to complete my handbag varieties (I don't have so many but enough to mix and match with my attires) and the thought of buying this one could be a '2-in-1' package which consists of a white handbag and it's from Guess!

Still.. I had a 50-50 thought considering whether to spend a big fortune just for a bag or keep the money for good. In the end I left the mall without buying it because 500 bucks were considered expensive. Besides, If I really wanted the bag I planned to make the purchase at Guess retail outlet for the sake of getting it's signature paper bag (I love collecting paper bags!).

The downside of making the decision was I couldn't stop thinking about it. I kept telling myself I didn't really need an expensive bag and I could get a cheaper one from Epsrit (found a nice one in white @ Queensbay) for just 150 bucks but my mind said no. Three days later right after work I went straight to Sunway Carnival to get the bag ASAP but sadly the pattern was not there.

My next trip to Alor Setar is in another 2 weeks, I couldn't wait any longer so last night hubby and I did the bag hunting in Penang. We didn't find the bag @ Queensbay, then rushed to Gurney Plaza later to found out luck was also not there. Lastly, we headed to Metrojaya @ Island Plaza on our way back to mainland and I was so happy to finally see the bag displayed on the rack! According to the salesgirl it was the last stock, without further ado I took it to the cashier and hubby offered to pay as our 1st anniversary present (I bought him 2 bottles of Ralph Lauren perfumes in return to make us even!).

The restless mind of wanting the bag is now over. I'm so happy to own the bag even though its rigid shoulder strap is kinda hurting my shoulder blade (fashion is pain!). I rarely experience the urge to buy something I really want desperately and now I realize how Becky Bloomwood feels every time she does some significant impulsive buying without putting so much thoughts about it (go girl!). Not that I never do the same before but I usually managed to calm down and forget about it (for example, I almost forgot about my dream shoes @ Charles & Keith) but this one was really intense and totally crazy!

P/s: Orang pregnant pun tak mengidam beg sampai macam nih kan..

~ The Mas Kahwin and The Lost Ring ~

It's a Malay tradition for a new bride to spend her 'mas kahwin' to buy something pretty out of it (most probably jewelry). To be honest, I spent mine for daily expenses. I felt bad for doing so but I had no choice and before you judge me, I have strong reasons for that. I started my new job in May and that was the month I got married. The wedding preparation was already burning holes in my pocket and to make it worst, the 1st salary was paid 2 months later. I didn't want to burden hubby to pay everything for me so I made the sacrifice.

After life has been financially stable couples of months later, hubby and I were crazy going places and not to forget the multiple trips of shopping spree. At last, I kinda ignored the need to replace the money until recently that I realized our 1st anniversary is just around the corner.

It's my turn for 'duit kutu' this month so yesterday I dragged hubby to Habib right after work and buy myself a bracelet and an anklet. I feel good for paying off the 'debt' by getting jewelry as a symbolic to my 'mas kahwin'. Even though I'm no more a blushing bride but it's better late than never!

By the way, hubby is still sad about the lost of his wedding ring. Yep, he lost his platinum wedding band about 3-4 months after the wedding. Sigh.. It's not his fault though.. It's not our rezeki to keep it, after all marriage longevity does not depend on a ring. I wanted to replace it as a gift for our 1st anniversary but he refused. He afraid to loose something special again so he prefers silver ring since then. Poor hubby..

~ The Job ~

Life had been busy due to extra long hours I need to endure during the last few days of e-Filing. I kinda like my job even though it was tiring. It gave me a lot of experiences such as meeting with different kinds of people every day and trying to find the best way to handle them. Some are nice but some are not, it depends on the approach I will take in order to make them understand what they don't. As a conclusion, my interpersonal skill has been incredibly improved! I hope to keep this spirit throughout my entire service with the organization.

~ He Heals Me by Indie Arie ~

He heals me
Told him my biggest secret
And he told me four.
He smiled at me and said that makes me love more
And then he made me laugh
And I knew it was a sign
That he was a man,
That I wanted in my life

And with every passing day
I feel more and more of that way

He heals me
He knows the real me
And he accepts me, he never hurts me
He heals me
He knows the real me
And he accepts me, he never hurts me
He heals me,
He heals me

I can play him songs, all through the night,
And he will listen to every line,
And even when I'm wrong, he is still kind
He chooses his words wisely when he tells me I'm not right.

And yes he is a beautiful man,
But he is also a beautiful friend

He heals me
He knows the real me
And he accepts me, he never hurts me
He heals me
He knows the real me
And he accepts me, he never hurts me
He heals me

The moment that we met, he made me smile.
He has so much compassion in his eyes
I have no idea, how long he'll be here
A season or a lifetime, forever or a year
But for the first time in my life I'm not worried about the future
Because we have such a wonderful time when we're together
However things turn out, it's all right
Cause he's already changed my life.

He heals me
He knows the real me
And he accepts me, he never hurts me
He heals me
He knows the real me
And he accepts me, he never hurts me
He heals me..........

** I heard this ballad song on Ghost Season 2 and and love it since then. Keep playing it hundreds time a day!

~ Wonderful Weekends ~

As I planned in previous entry, the Cameron trip has been materialized and it was a blast. Hubby and I enjoyed everything, the hotel room, colorful flowers, cold & windy weather and all places we visited especially the tea farms. The last time I went there was more than 15 years ago, even though hubby was there last November with his family but I couldn't come due to some reasons. The recent trip gave me sweet memories and I have them captured on 700++ pictures! I had tough time choosing which ones should be on friendster and facebook, HeHe..

Forget about the trip, let's move on to next story. Last night was also great. Hubby and I had a 'makan besar' with our family (the in-laws) @ Sala Classic and the food was all delicious. We had ikan kerapu, ikan siakap, lala bakar, sotong goreng tepung, tomyam, kailan ikan masin, abc and many more. We rarely dine out together so the get-together was really fun, in fact, I'm starting to adapt being in a big family (well, not really big but if compared to being the only child, it is sure to have some differences).

~ Vacations ~

Hubby and I were supposed to be in Cameron Highlands for a weekend getaway but since I can't get a day off on Friday, we are postponing it to next weekend. We spent our free time talking about places we want to go in future and we ended up with quite a long list. I don't know whether we could afford to materialize all the plans in short time but I do know we will make it happen no matter how. We categorized the places in 3 categories:-

A) 2009 Vacations

• Cameron Highlands - April '09 [Confirmed]
  
• Kuching - May '09 [Confirmed]
  
• Redang / Perhentian Island - August '09 [If we had some extra moolahhhhhh..]
• N9, KL & Selangor - December '09
  

B) 2010 Vacations

• Kelantan & Pahang - February '10
  
• JB & Singapore - Between April '10 to June '10
• Bandung and Jakarta - Between August '10 to October '10
  

C) 2011 Vacation and Onwards

• Tioman Island
• Bali
  
• Hong Kong
• Sipadan Island
  
• Perth / Melbourne

The 3rd category is merely a plan since year 2011 and onwards are still a long way to go.. Still, we listed down the places we really want to go if we had the chances and money too!

The only problem is being a teacher has only entitled hubby with just 7-days annual leaves. Yep, he has several months off every year during school holidays but planning a vacation during these time is a big NO-NO. Every vacation spot will be packed with people and the air ticket and hotel rates are insanely high. Since he had already took 2 days off for our last holiday in KK, the remaining 5 days should be planned carefully. By the way, we are both happy to postpone everything if we found out I got pregnant during the time.

~ Emptiness ~

The absence of someone important is making me depress during this weekend. Hubby is away somewhere in Perak as a chaperone to his students whom involved in drama competition. I've become restless without him. We rarely fail to meet every single weekend since that is our last hope to really be like other couples (sadly, we are singles on weekdays). Even though he gave me a short visit last Thursday, the happiness ended as soon as he left.

Friday was dull and exhausting but I forced myself to drive to the nearest shopping complex to do some window shopping. The thoughts of buying new clothes / shoes / things could cheer me up but I ended up buying nothing. So I guess not being with hubby is really affecting the way my mind works..

Saturday is not over but I'm still doomed with an emptiness feeling, not knowing what to do. Later, I was invited to hang out at Old Town with Hafiz, Yus and their baby Elfy. It was fun and I'm lucky to have friends around during a bad day (the downside: I felt a twinge of envy towards them for having what I want, a baby of course..).

There's only one thing left for me to survive this weekend: to start on Breaking Dawn, 4th book of the Twilight Saga. I love the first three books after I finished reading them but I do have the slightest feeling they are quite sickly-sweet a.k.a corny.. Regardless of that, I'm hooked to know what is going to happen next. To be honest I suspects reading these love stories has made me oversensitive this weekend. It might be possible though.. You see, I've been reading those books (almost 1500 pages to be exact) nonstop since last week, no wonder it grows in me.. He He :)

~ A Day Off ~

I have a day off today due to the planned weekend in N9 which was shortened abruptly. Since this week is a school holiday and we got nothing to do, hubby wanted to bring me somewhere in order to make me happy. He couldn't endure another long hours drive a day before so he chose to go somewhere near, Penang Hill. We have tried to go up there a couple of times before but usually the place is always packed with people. Today was a lucky day, we managed to get some early tickets at 12.15 pm.

There's nothing much up there but I enjoyed jalan-jalan with hubby because that is the only time we are being alone from others and having stress-free moments in our own world.

We stopped by at Gurney Plaza, did some window shoppings (found nothing interesting as substitute to the wanted shoes) and watch 'Marley and Me' movie. I went back to SP with red eyes and feeling more miserable, the movie was so sad!!

Afterall, it's still a lovely day for both of us..

~ The Shortened Trip ~

Last Saturday hubby and I went to N9 together with mama and abah to visit Granma and relatives. We planned to start our journey at 4.30 am but hubby and I couldn't get up so early because we stayed up late watching American Idol result show and Twilight the night before. So we left home at 7.30 am and reached Mantin at 2.30 pm (we got lost somewhere in KL, HeHe..).

After getting some rest at Granma's that afternoon, we went to visit some relatives in Felda LBJ and Mambau. Later at night, we made a plan to wake up early on Sunday and go visit my cousin in PD and have a picnic with the whole family there before we continue visiting other relatives. Meanwhile, hubby and I planned to slip out in the evening so we can go straight to Pavilion and buy my dream Charles & Keith shoes. That's my only chance!

While everybody was sleeping, abah got a call from Pak ngah telling Pak su had just passed away. We packed all our bags and drive straight to SP at 3.45 am. Poor hubby, he was so tired but I managed to make him stay awake during the journey. I couldn't drive a manual car and since we used hubby's, he had to endure the 14-hour drive within 24 hours all by himself.. Mama was so sad about his late-brother and abah is not really fit to do a long distance travel during a short time. They are old people and they must be more tired compared to us the young ones.. I was so worried during the whole journey back to SP but luckily everything went OK. Reached SP at 9.45 am and went to the funeral later. May Pak su rests in peace, Amin..

As for me.. I didn't get the Charles & Keith shoes.. I will still dreaming about it until I can get my hands on them..

~ A Tales Of Shoes ~

One of my hobbies during free time is flipping through magazines (I'm a huge fan of Cleo) because they feature wide ranges of fashion, from the most expensive designers' labels to the local ones and they are always awesome. I admit that I am not a fashionista neither a fashion victim but I like to keep myself updated with what is 'IN' and what is 'OUT'.

For the past several months I've noticed Cleo has been featuring a brand new label in town. It's a label originated from Singapore which specialized in handbags and shoes called Charles & Keith. Since I'm living quite far away from KL, I only managed to drool over the pretty shoes just by looking at them on the magazine page. Lucky enough that I went to KK last month and I got chances to check out the outlets at 1Borneo and Warisan Square. The shoes are so gorgeous and pretty, in fact they are better than Blay and Primavera. Handbags are just so-so but all the price are affordable..

I was almost buying 2 pairs of shoes but changed my mind and bought a Nine West handbag instead. I thought it was a wise idea since I love the handbag but it's not. I've been dreaming about the shoes right after I got landed in Penang and up until now I'm still thinking of getting those shoes no matter how.

I've checked out the official website and found out that there are only 4 outlets in Malaysia: 2 in KK, 1 in Kuching and 1 in KL. That's it! I'm going to get them during my balik kampung trip to Negeri Sembilan this coming school holidays. Otherwise, I'm gonna be miserable!

~ Spring In Alor Setar ~

I purposely made hubby stopped at Jalan Langgar, a main road nearby our house (inlaws' to be exact) so I can photograph a beautiful scenery of sakura-alike trees at full-bloom. I feel like Spring is here..

Pink flowers all over..

I'm liking the flowers!

I'm done, it's makan time!

~ The Laziness ~

Yes, I do.. I really want to get a dream body but unfortunately it will not happen soon enough. I've stopped working out last February (or should I say, put it on hold for a while), right before I went on a vacation to Kota Kinabalu. After the vacation ended, I worked at double effort in order to catch up what I had left during my absence in office. The busyness made me so exhausted and too tired for any activities thereafter. Since then, my weight has been static at 49.5 kg and I have no time to make any progress to reach my target.

Two weeks later when the workload has lessen a little bit, I found it hard to start exercise all over again and not to forget I eat like crazy. I feel so lazy to reach the dumbbells, let alone the exercise mat. What is happening to me?! Help! I am half way to achieve my target, I better motivate myself (and my butt) to get up and exercise. I really want the extra kilos to be shed off as soon as possible so I get to wear my favorite skinny jeans.

I'm going to give my body another week to relax and regain the excitement so I can start all over again. Good luck to me!

~ Weekend ~

Hubby and I went to Penang last Saturday just to check out Zoom Travel Fair which was held at Queensbay (saw the ads a night before). We surveyed all booths to find the best offer for our next trip to Kuching in October (if ada rezeki) but nothing was a bargain. In the end we made up our minds to plan the trip by ourselves instead of paying travel agents to do it and it'll be much cheaper.

Meanwhile, I'm interested to go to Cameron during school break in May / June, the hotel price offered is quite reasonable. Hmmm.. We'll see, maybe it'll be a weekend getaway to clear up tension and work stress before I sit for my 7-papers exam by the end of June. Gotta put this on my planner, 2D1N would be great! (still once again, if ada rezeki..). We might have a chance to stop by at Lost World..

After the fair, we managed to catch a movie since it's has been a while. We always go to the movies for at least twice a month but last February was so hectic and I couldn't find free time for that. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is sure a great movie, love it! I cried during the last 20 minutes and as a conclusion, whether we live our life as a normal human being or in reverse, death is a part of life..

Next, we went to do some shoppings. Honestly, I can't resist all the 'SALE' signs displayed on the window sills on most shops. Thank God I managed to restrict myself not to go overboard and just ended up buying 3 pairs of LaSenza cute bras and panties at great deals! Later, hubby and I went to Padini to redeem our accumulated cash vouchers and got a pair of shoes and a shirt without paying anything. One more thing, I finally redeemed the Guardian Paddington Bear stamps with a red tote bag, cute one!!

Reached home at 9.30 pm and hubby asked me to edit all his KK photos.. Uwaaaa.....

~ Busy ~

I'm trying to get some free time to write all about my vacation in KK. Besides, hundreds of pictures still need to be selected and edited. Sadly, I'm either too tired or too busy right after I'm back in office. Hopefully, I'm going to be able to squeeze my time during weekend to do all those things..

~ Guilty ~

I struggled to finish a bundle of files on my table at work, but I failed. This has left me feeling guilty since I'm all set for a vacation tomorrow. I hate it! I could imagine how stress it will be when I return to work on Tuesday, with KIV and incoming files waiting to be settled..

~ Weekend Treats ~

I was busy for the last 3 days.. Workload is now tiring since I've moved up from being 'under training' to 'staff' starting January. Realize it or not, it has been almost 10 months since the 1st day I started my new job. The bond among us the new colleagues is tighter. Besides, there's no more gap between seniors and juniors..

I attended a CNY open house hosted by my senior and it was a blast. Don and I enjoyed it so much. Gone all the rules of bad food and good food. I ate everything served on the table and sang my heart out during the karaoke session. Note to myself: Double the workouts for extra satay, pudding, lai chi kang and junk food that I took without noticing (munching while enjoying others singing!). After all of my hard workouts, I deserved good treats for myself, yeay!

The early birds..

Don helps to do my part :)

Karaoke session!

~ Current Obsession ~

I bought this DVD set last Sunday and been watching it for continuous hours. There is always one thing that can keep me occupied in front of a tv: watching beautiful people playing lovers! These two are too sweet and I'm hooked! I love Song Hye Kyo since watching her in Full House and Hyun Bin in Kim Sam Soon. I'm going to finish watching the whole 16 episodes by Thursday..

~ Goodbye.. My Beloved Abu ~

I just came back from a long weekend in Alor Star when mama told me Abu is now gone. Yesterday, a girl riding a motorbike ran over him and he died on the spot. Stupid girl!!

Even though I currently have more than 10 cats at home but I love them equally. Cats are like friends, they are some kind of a companion to a lonely girl like me.

As a cat lover, loosing him really makes me sad..

~ Grateful ~

Alhamdulillah… That’s all I can say…
I’m happy at where I am…
As long as I know it for myself
The rest wouldn’t need to…

~ 4 More To Go ~

It has been a month from the day I started sculpting workout and exercise together with healthy diet. I’m getting good result so far and my body is healthier and slimmer. I’ve dropped 3 kilos easily but since my target is 7, there are still 4 kilos to be shed off in another 6 weeks!

I always believe in exercise rather than restricting myself for not taking certain groups of food. For me, to understand your body is as simple as mathematic. If you consume more than you need, the excess energy will be stored as fat. But if you move your body a lot with exercises, walks, opting for stairs rather than elevator or do any other activities that require you to keep moving: you will use more energy. It is up to you whether to eat less / opting for low calorie food and does some exercises or; eat as much as you want and at the same time double your activities!

As for me, I cannot sacrifice all of my favorite foods so I prefer to move a lot and eat whatever I like!

~ A Tale Of A So-Called Celebrity ~

A mutual friend of mine informed me something which really amused me… I can't help myself to response.

What’s so important about it?!
Does the world revolve only around you?!
Are you a VVIP or a celebrity?!
Does all about you is patented with copyright?!
Does that mean I need to remind myself whenever taking pictures?!
So that I’d not end up with a same pose like you?!
Stupid isn’t it, anyone can do that but me?!
Don’t you think it’s a coincidence?!
Rather than thinking someone copying you and should be ashamed?!
By the way, which one is the same?!
I don't even know which one you are talking about!
Don’t you realize you also do things similar to me?!
Like putting icons and frames on your edited pictures?!
Do I need to say more about that?!
But I didn’t because for me it’s common…
I don't have any superior feeling judging you on that!
My advice for you, be wiser and stop acting like a celebrity!
Because you are not, you are just a normal person like any others..

~ Paddington Stamps ~

I love to shop at Guardian because there are so many things you can get there. Besides, it always offers the best price for its goods (especially toiletries and beauty products) with a lot of freebies, twinpacks, coupons, vouchers and recently the Paddington Bear stamps.

I started collecting the stamps last December and by the end of January, I’ve already have 20 stamps on the card. By the way, I’m still short of 10 stamps before I can get a cute Paddington tote bag for free (I’ve been eyeing it since I got the 1st stamp!).

The thing is, each stamp costs me RM25 and I already have 20. That means I’ve already spent at least RM500 at Guardian in order to collect 20 stamps in less than 2 months! Come to think of it, it’s a lot of money just to be spent at a shop like Guardian. So I open my cupboard (a place where I keep all stocks of toiletries / beauty products) just to check what things did I buy with the amount of money. Kept in place are bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower foams, tubes of sunblock, facial foam, lotion, body cream, boxes contain hundreds of pantiliner, packets of sanitary pad, and many more. As a conclusion I have everything supplied for at least 3-4 months and some I don’t really need much. What a waste!

Suddenly, I feel that I was too obsessed collecting stamps without realizing I was buying things I don’t really need / already have. I wish I could exchange the stamps with money instead, but I can’t… Uwaa… Sob… Sob…

Enough is enough, no more stamps for now on. Stupid me!

~ Aunt Flow ~

Aunt Flow made a decision to pay me a visit at the beginning of February..
I guess I should try again, but this time harder!
After all, there's a plenty of time for me to try.
I'm still young! And there's more!
I can continue my sculpting workouts and that means more kilos to be shed off, Hoorey!
Forget about Aunt Flow and start a new day :)

~ February ~

I can't wait for February to come. Here's the reason:-

• Latest news of Aunt Flow - What's her decision?! To visit or not?!
• Reduced weights after a month of exercising and consuming healthy food
  
• Much awaited vacation to Kota Kinabalu - It'll be my 1st visit to Borneo
• Latest news about bonus - How many months are they going to pay?! Big figures please!
• Kittens - There's gonna be new additions into my furry friends' family
• Latest episode of Heroes - More Peter Petrelli!!
  

~ Move Your Body ~

As promised, the body makeover has just started today! Even though it's still a long way to go but I'm willing to work hard so I can get what I want. It's quite hard to stop eating the unnecessary food but the image of those skinny jeans, curvy blouses and leggings have kept me disciplined. The new regime will be like these:-

• Breakfast - consists of low fat milk with wheats / cereals / wholegrain bread
• In between meal at 11 am - consists of wholegrain crackers / biscuits / fruits
• Lunch - a cup of rice with a fish / chicken breast / meat / seafood with a lot of vegetable
• In between meal at 5 pm - consists of wholegrain crackers / biscuits / fruits
• Dinner - a cup of rice with a fish / chicken breast / meat / seafood with a lot of vegetable
• Supper - consists of wholegrain crackers / biscuits / fruits
• A Weekend threat - consists of anything I want to eat such as pizza / cake etc
  

The most important part is a 30 - 45 minutes session of sculpting workout and exercise three times a week.