Year End Update

We're supposed to submit our Year End Update report for all clients on our WIP..and I had about easily 100+ YEUs to go through and submit..WHICH I have done, mind you hehehe. of course with the help of my super efficient secretary Kak Rozi :) So now that that's done, all I need to do is issue out one more report and I'm done for the year! Well..not exactly. still have a huge pile on my table to clear and a thousand phonecalls to make and return but just haven't got around to do it. Been terribly busy the past weeks and was on MC several days due to a sprained ankle. So upset that I had to break my own record of MCs this year. aanyways, I guess the pile will have to wait till next year. My boss is away on a sabbatical anyway so I still can't get much things moving without him around.

So here's my Year End Update for my blog pulak. This year's been an okay year I guess.. I try to limit or block out dramas as much as I can but some things are just unavoidable..you know, one of those curve balls life throws at you, that sorta thing. Like having Imran going through surgery to remove a cyst on his upper lip.. moving house drama, maid drama etc. But I guess all that is considered chicken feet compared to what others more unfortunate had to go through. The most recent are those affected by the Bkt Antarabangsa landslide. My heart goes out to those who lost their homes and loved ones that Saturday morning.

With all that's happening with the rest of the world, I am thankful for my share of good and bad this year. Thankful for my handsome and loving husband, adorable son, our new kitty and of course my precious family and friends. Next year's gonna be pretty exciting I reckon with the upcoming arrival of another new addition to the family!

I'm guessing this will be my last post for 2008.. for anyone who's reading, hope the year was good for you too. Till we meet again.. Adieu!

Just another manic Monday

i have so many things on my mind but i just can't focus on any of them right now. last weekend was such a whirlwind of weddings and sleepless days and nights. half of it i blame to the exhaustion from doing the routine housework..a routine which i find to be more and more a burden as i tire easily maybe coz of the pregnancy or lack of sleep the night before. maybe both. and to make things worse, i have songs perpetually stuck in my head! currently it's jamiroquai's "Canned Heat". so annoying! imagine trying to get some shut eye after a long day and u have a mini disco running in your brain! so today i came to work - groggy and even more exhausted than during last friday nite when i had to go thru a horrible two-hour crawl along jalan raja chulan traffic in the rain.

i think it's time for another vacation.

6 weeks and counting..

Had another appointment with Dr.Alex today. Just to check on the baby's heartbeat since he couldn't detect it during the last scan 2 weeks ago. Syukur alhamdulillah, everything looks well and good in there. Amazing how a thing so teeny-tiny could have a heartbeat! Also such a relief to actually confirm that baby's really in there. So far it's de same as my last preg, no cravings, no quirky habits, nausea or other preg related symptoms. Not that I'm asking for it but sometimes I'm not sure if he/she's really in there coz i don't experience any weird symptoms.

Broke the news to my in-laws last weekend when we flew over, all three of us. MIL's so excited, she took out all her old baby albums of the boys and told the story of all three pregnancies. Looking at Izzudin's pic somewhere round 2-3 yrs old cant help but notice how he and Imran looked SO alike round that age!Of course in between albums she didn't stop dropping hints that she wants a cucu girl this time :) pressure..pressure..

Dr.Alex remarked that I've put on quite a bit of weight which is not expected this early on! Hahaha, guilty me! No thanks to all those tall glasses of Milo shake I've been having everyday in Brunei! Sinfully delicious things, those Milo shakes. How I miss you so. Gina's scrumptious roast chicken didn't help much in the diet department either. And lets not forget MIL's best ever melts-in-your-mouth cheesecake! aahh..heavenly things.

Tomorrow I'm driving to Kuantan for some bridge inspections. Have to remind myself to be extra careful when I go over and under the bridges. Will scribble a note on my palm for that.

The thin red line

Woke up this morning, brushed my teeth, washed my face and took the test no.i-dunno-what-i-lost-count-already. Had a warm shower, stepped out, towel dried myself and checked the dipstick just cukup syarat only coz I sorta expected another blank window again. But to my surprise, the window showed a faint, verrrry faint red line. It wasnt even red, but sorta light pink. So I was like, ahh what de heck, must be another negative and chucked de thing in the wastebin.

Few minutes later and I'm rummaging through the bin like a homeless tramp looking for food, yes, my curiosity got the better (or worse) of me. Found the rumpled metal pack with the dipstick inside, pulled it out slowly this time and there it was - bright red lines on both the C and T window!

Went to my panel doc again for another test to confirm, at Iskandar's insistence coz he still can't believe it i.e. in denial and...yes it's confirmed. Baby no.2 is on the way ;-)

Raya!

It's Monday, 2 days to the much anticipated Raya break. Not so looking fwd to stuffing myself with the typical Raya fatty-but-goody foodies but more to waking up in the morning and enjoying that hot cuppa coffee..mmm.. cutting down on caffeine has always been the toughest cabaran for me every Ramadhan and I'm so glad that I can finally indulge myself anytime anywhere at least for the next 11 or so months.

My in-laws are finally here. Flew in last week, the whole bunch of them. Even their maid tagged along ;-) Hubby managed to sweet talk MIL to "borrow" her maid for a day to help with the cleaning and cooking on Raya. Not planning a spread to feed the country but just a simple dish or two to go with the usual ketupat / lemang / rendang fare for the family and friends who may swing by. Managed to do most of the house work last weekend which was just torture!! I hate doing house work coz when I start, I get really anal and OCD bout it that I just find myself cleaning and scrubbing one thing after another non-stop! Can't stand the sight of a smudge or stain even the tiniest grease smudge on the cooker hob would get me on all fours and start attacking the whole kitchen with my sponge and Zip Super All Purpose Cleaner.

I'm sitting at my workdesk as I'm blogging. So takde mood to do anything work-ish haha. I'm just blissfully ignoring the piles of files and documents I'm supposed to go through. Bet the rest of you working Malay yuppies in KL are feeling the same.

Till next post, here's a wish for a blessed Aidilfitri for everyone.

Ramadhan stress

I've finally succumbed to the flu bug over the weekend - what worse timing, with Ramadhan looming near and in laws flying in at round the same time. To make it worse, I sorta passed the bug to my son, the poor guy. He hasn't been eating well due to the cough n cold. Feel terrible for him. He seldom gets sick like that and to hear him coughing away into the night really makes me sad. I miss his cheery, cheeky self! Damn u stupid virus.

Anyway it's been decided that this year's Raya will be celebrated at our house, yes that's right, OUR HOUSE! oh, panic! shock! horror! To add to the stress, this will be the first in 10 years that my hubby's family are together to celebrate Hari Raya. I've never played host to such a major family event! And our house seems so..incomplete to cater for the whole family! Need to furnish the bedrooms, get some rugs, curtains, plants etc. Not mentioning the COOKING to be done! Must start looking for foolproof rendang and lontong recipes pronto!

No news yet on the maid, this Bandung woman better come soon, I'm getting nervous thinking bout this :-(

Out Of Office

Counting the hours till end of today, can't wait to get away with the boys this weekend for the much needed R&R. Plus it's gonna be the first beach holiday for Imran and I can't wait to see if he enjoys the sun, sand and sea as much as Mummy and Daddy does. Also for the spa session at the resort - I've been dying to try it out the last 3-4 times I stayed there but never actually made it out the room door due to severe exhaustion from the long drive and longer day with the client.

Fasting month is approaching soon - not really looking fwd to the long days of hunger but am kinda hopeful that I'll finally shed off the last 2 kilos of damn persistent post-baby weight. Wishful thinking? You bet. OK, I'll try my utmost best to make up excuses to not attend any buka puasa buffets with clients. Yes, I said I'll try. But seriously, its kinda depressing to look into the mirror and seeing how out of shape I am. sigh..

*Mental note - I will start going for evening brisk walks again. While carrying an 11kg, 2yr old. ha ha haa.

Ok, time to switch on my Out Of Office mode on my email box now to inform that I'll be away till next Wednesday. Though it's only 10:30am ;-P

Hope for one Anak Bangsa Malaysia

Found this open letter to Anwar Ibrahim on Haris Ibrahim's blog. Having read it, I'd say that it does represent what I, personally, (and many others - looking at the response posted) feel and would say to him if given the chance.

Have a read here.

To daycare or not to daycare

Every now and then I call my mum to check on how she's doing with Imran, whether he's been troublesome, naughty etc. The boy's been such a picky eater these past few days that Mum has totally given up trying to feed him proper foods other than milk. My research on the matter tells me to be consistent during mealtimes, and not force him if he doesn't want to eat. I read that toddlers are smart enough not to starve themselves and will ask for food when he's hungry. In this case, Imran just asks for milk and sometimes roti, buah or cake, if he feels like it. Even so, he won't finish the whole roti, buah or cake portion but merely picks at it and take a few nibbles, that's it. I still make him different foods to try every night during dinner and am patiently waiting for him to get his appetite back. Iskandar bought a book on toddler food recipes which is great. I can't wait to try them on him but now with his appetite, I'm not too excited to start yet.

We checked out this daycare centre just behind my office last week. From our chat with the headmistress and walkabout after, the place seems perfect for our little boy. Hopefully with other kids around, he'll be more open to try different foods and develop more on his vocabulary. Maybe the teachers can toilet train him too :P He's a very sociable and active boy and I'm sure he'll enjoy the activities and company of other kids other than us boring grown-ups. The thing is, my Mum isn't too keen to let him go. She's been taking care of him since he was born and says that she'll be so lonely without Imran. Dilemma! On one hand, I know how difficult and tiring it is to run after a 2-yr old and I want to release Mum off this burden - but at the same time, I do not want her to feel lonely.

I'm hoping that our new maid will arrive soon. That way we can get our lives back on track and Mum will get to watch her sinetrons in peace. The agent said she'll try her best to get one within 3 weeks. She'd better put our RM3,600.00 (and that's just the deposit!) to good use..

Weekend To-do list

With the maid gone, I'll have to plan out my weekend carefully to keep my family and home happy, safe, fed and in order for the next week at least.

Super(Fabulous)Mom's Weekend To-do list:

1. Laundry - sheets, clothes and baby's
2. House cleaning - esp the basement area, toys, underneath the couch (yes no avoiding anymore)
3. Change sheets
4. Pull out weeds in the backyard and water the greens
5. Scrub the toilets and sinks
6. Cook!
7. Prepare Imran's meals for the next few days
8. Clean the fridge and scrub sotong stains off freezer (yuk)
9. Wash car porch and pick up the pebbles thrown by Imran into the drains
10. Wash Imran's and my muddy shoes from last weekend's dusun visit

Last but not least - the most dreaded chore - Ironing :P maybe I'll make muka kesian at hubby again and psyche him into doing it again this week!

I am SuperMom

Our domestic maid of 2 years conveniently decided to quit with 24hours notice just after we've renewed her work permit for another year. What a waste of time and $$$ and not forgetting the hassle!! Went to the Immigration to cancel the permit, attempted and failed miserably to get a refund despite sweet talking the pegawai to death :P I must be losing my charm, no the guy must be gay, haha, yes that's it.

Anyway, we sent her off on the first boat out to Dumai the next morning and went home to a dusty, messy home. Went into Stepford-wife mode and spent the rest of the day just cleaning, dusting, picking up dirty clothes and toys, doing the laundry, cooking, feeding Imran, playing with him and put him down for a nap. Phew! Can't believe how hard it must be for my mum taking care of us 4 growing kids and a home, being a single parent pulak tu (Daddy passed away when I was 5). I can so understand her frustration that time, and I feel for her coz Daddy wasn't there for her, as I have Iskandar (love you babe).

It's not so bad really, I'm used to doing housework before having a baby, just that we've been so spoilt and pampered having a maid to do all the dirty work while I lay stupid on the couch watching channel E or Bold & Beautiful.

Juggling between work, cooking, cleaning, laundry and caring for a hyperactive and picky eater 2-yr old is definitely not easy. But it's only been 3 days, so I hope to get my groove back and ease into being SuperMom in no time. I guess I'll have to say goodbye to datenights, kofi2 and gossip sessions with my girlfriends and eventually any form of social interaction other than at Kizsports & Gym until we get a new maid which is gonna take months.

Till that time, say hello to Super(Fabulous)Mom!

brownies

friday's finally here, yeay! but tonite won't be so yeay for me - just got 6 orders of brownies from a friend who's expecting her 2nd kid - mengidam la nih. so, u know what they say bout an expectant mum's cravings - to be fulfilled at all costs or else! or else apa pun tak tau, but yea the pantang larang is like that. it is said that if a mum's craving is not satisfied, her baby will be endlessly drooling, u know like how we girls get around shoes, bags, men etc. that we so badly want but can't get ;-) tsk tsk..so yeah i don't wanna be held responsible for that.

on the other hand, i quite like doing this baking stuff. cliche as it sounds, it really is relaxing and therapeutic for me. especially when im working with chocolates. i just love the texture and scent of melted dark chocolate. yum. it all started when a close cousin of ours who's been our regular supplier of these heavenly brownies moved away to dublin 2 yrs ago. of course we missed her and the kids very much but for me it's far more painful as i was SO addicted to her brownies. went to try others but they were just no match for hers! so when a close friend invited me to attend a cooking class, which includes making brownies, i jumped at the chance! after several adjustments to the recipe and switching some of the ingredients, i can say that i have sorta perfected my craft of making the perfect scrrrumptious brownies (to me at least). then it was time to try it out with friends and relatives. needless to say, they all love it, with repeat orders coming in day by day, esp. during raya period. made quite good money too!

now if only i can find a contact to hook me up with secret recipe for the supply of brownies at their restaurants..

happy weekend, all!

he's 2!

my son is turning two in two days. and what an amazing two years it has been bringing up this little person. the sleepless nights, high pitched screams, vomits, tantrums etc all seem to melt away when i think of the tremendous joy he's brought into my life. that gorgeous toothy smile of his.. gosh this angel/devil of a kid can get away with anything!

to imran who probly won't ever get to read this for at least until he's 10 - Happy 2nd Birthday my precious son, you are the best thing that ever happened to mummy n daddy... sorry for not being able to stay home and play with you every day, you know there's nothing in the world we'd rather do than spend time with you. but mummy n daddy have to work until we pay off all our loans and until daddy's boss gives him another 10k pay raise so mummy can finally quit her job and start off our own bakery/childcare/kayaball business.

anyways, am planning a small do for his birthday this weekend..not like last years' big bash with entertainers galore :P just family this time. setting up the kiddy pool and a little buffet table for the kiddies in the backyard while the adults can makan2 inside. hope the weather is kind that day.

it's off to toys r us now for the party paraphernalia!

hmm..

hmm..the political situation in this country is getting really worrying. in one hand, it's been quite an exciting few months since the March GE but the ensuing twists and turns of events are not so promising with the scandal involving the judiciary, the phenomenal comeback of a former political pariah, the was she/wasnt she involvement of the DPM's wife in the blowing-up-to-bits of her hubby's alleged lover and now a fresh allegation of unsavoury sex acts involving the former political pariah which got the whole world (well, at least the US which might as well be the whole world) screaming foul. ive always been a quiet admirer (not necessarily supporter) of anwar albeit not being a registered voter myself (dont believe in any of the of the contending parties) . initially the allegations seems like a desperate act of the higher powers to bring him down again but now that he's got his ass (pun intended) backed up by Washington and probly their allies sorta affirms the issue of him actually being a pawn to the US in gaining control of the running of this country and her economy. and come to think of it, is the PM/DPM/whoever hates his guts dumb enough to actually come up with this gigantically idiotic plot to take him down by using the same accusations in 98 that at the end of the day was proven false by the courts?

whatever it is, the timing couldnt be worse. with the ppl still reeling over the blow from the recent huge increase of fuel price and rising costs of living, another national crisis like this could cripple our economy as the impending recession (albeit speculation) looms near. makes an average jane like me shudder to think bout the future of her family in this once prosperous country.

i should seriously put some thoughts into our proposed kaya ball business plan now... times are hard and likely to get harder.

the test

we've recently started trying for a second kid. its only our second month into the "ordeal" haha, not the process of course, but the agonizing wait for the next expected period, which to our despair, came and went. so its almost the time of the month and stupid ol excited me impulsively bought myself another preg test kit. gosh just thinking bout the dipstick in my bag is pure torture! wanted so much to take the test immediately just to put myself out of this misery. at the same time, its just so hard to bear to see yet another blank window.

wish me luck! am gritting my teeth with anxiety as im writing this!

Inferiority complex

Thank god its Friday. Taking my parents out for seafood dinner later - owe them so much after putting up with us freeloaders for the past 2 yrs :P Mum told me also that we dont have to return the money we owed her for the house renovations - sort of her housewarming gift to us! Love you Mum! naturally hubby felt uncomfortable of accepting such an "expensive gift" after all we have NOT done for her. he insist on giving her some money every month. sukati lah. Im just glad that now we can really concentrate on doing up the house nicely and also to replenish our zero-ed bank accounts!

Hubby called to whine bout one of our..say, acquaintances he bumped into during lunch, and how she was going on and on, bragging and comparing her kid with ours! like how he can count up to 10 and stuff. SO insecure lah that woman. I admit, imran's no einstein (yet) but he ain't a dumb kid either. de lil guy really knows his way to get what he wants.with that cheeky smile, whimper2 and when all else fails - the infamous 16-octave scream that can match Mariah anytime. all that aside, hey, let a kid be a kid, i'll say. I've been getting loadsa crap in my email bout the food we should/should not give our kid, activities for the kid, classes to enrol them in etc.etc. so as to raise a so-called child genius. and it really annoys the crap out of me. so what if my 2-yr old can't count and says "aperteetee" instead of "butterfly" and "hoyeek" instead of "shoes"? he's still the cutest, most adorable and perfect child to me and I will make sure that he has a healthy, wholesome and happy childhood, with parents who will be there for him every step of the way, much like the way I was brought up. and if it means keeping him away from overly insecure parents (relatives, friends) who cant stop comparing our kids, then so be it.

a long hiatus

it has been 4yrs since my last post - guess its only fair to provide just what's been happening with my life throughout the times. Well, for the past two years, Ive got pregnant, gave birth to an adorable baby boy and moved back to live with my parents while waiting for our new house to be completed. Finally moved into our new place just last week after months of blood, sweat, tears and curses!

how's that for a quick update?

more later.