In love with Cafe Cafe

I found this restaurant on the web, while browsing for places to bring Iskandar for his belated birthday dinner. His birthday's actually last week but since he was busy all day for the music fest we decided to postpone our little celebration to this week. Anyways, the online reviews were pretty good but none of my friends hv actually been there to give me their true accounts of it. What worried me most was the location, within the dodgy dingies of Jln Maharajalela. When we found a parking spot near de restaurant I was so nervous as there was this little creepy Chinese guy tapping on my window. He looked drunk and dazed. Iskandar quickly shoved some money into his hands and he disappeared just like that. I started to have this queasy feeling in my tummy telling me that this is a really bad idea.

But all that ended soon as we stepped into Cafe Cafe. Oh my gosh!!! The candle light and sparkling crystals hanging on the ceiling just took my breath away! Inside, diners were quietly enjoying each others' company in the romantic ambience, with slow French jazz music taking them through the meal. We were seated by the window which was draped in black velvet curtains. The floors were tiled in black and white - tres chic. It really felt like we were in 1920's Paris.

Needless to say, everything was perfect about the restaurant, service was superb, ambience SO romantic, the diners were unpretentious..best of all, food was excellent and not too painful on the wallet :) I finished off with the tiramisu which was just perfect, except de fact that I was too full from the lambshank main course to actually finish it! Even Imran behaved surprisingly well throughout dinner, thank God :)

I didn't take any pictures as the restaurant has a strict policy on cameras which is a good thing to maintain its' air of mystery. But I did feel slightly annoyed with a group of diners who were snapping photos now and then, which brought me back from 1920s Paris to 2009 Malaysia again, sigh..

All in all, it was the perfect night out, just me and my two best men. Je t'aime Cafe Cafe!

Sombre year so far

As far as my family (and esp. Mak Ngah's) is concerned, it has been a quite a sad 2009 for us thus far, losing three of our beloved family members within a month apart of each other. It is particularly tragic that Mak Ngah's eldest daughter, who passed away on Feb 14, happened to be a single parent, with 5 growing kids. Now they are left in the care of the eldest son, who had no choice but to grow up overnight, take over the household and be mama and papa to his brother and sisters. I pray that God gives him the strength to go through this tough time.

Mak Ngah's youngest son passed on mid January, in a car accident. He had been traveling to and fro KL-Segamat to take care of my cousin's hubby who's been in and out of coma for the past 5 months. His contributions and sacrifices to the family is hugely appreciated, it is our biggest regret not to get the chance to tell him so. His eldest son scored 10A1s in the recent SPM exams, Abg Lokman must be proud, looking down on him from heaven.

Latest to go was my cousin's beloved hubby, Abang Hashim. What's so frustrating was that the doctors still couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, until now, and told us to pray for a miracle that one day he will wake up and recover. But looking at his condition when we visited him few weeks ago, I somehow expected that he'd never pull out of this one. Arwah was such a cheerful, youthful looking guy that sometimes I feel that Kak Teh is so lucky to marry such a lovely man. The person I saw lying on the hospital looked already half-gone, chest sunken, hair all white, only skin and bones. Not the jovial Abang Hashim I always knew. I can never imagine anyone would have such horrible feelings towards him, up to the extent as to put him through so much physical pain like this. At least that was the only thing that makes sense to us all, given the discovery of "voodoo"-like things around the compound of the house. Yes, we have resorted to numerous bomohs and ustads to help cure him but none actually could. I know those responsible (if it's true) would receive their dues from Allah one day and all we can do is redha for all that has happened.

All I can say is, I hope with the passing of Arwah Abg Hashim there would be no more tragedies in our families. I don't know if my mum can take losing another family member like this anymore. It has clearly taken a toll on her, esp as she had sorta taken responsibility to care for Mak Ngah's children after her passing last year.

Mummy's birthday is coming this weekend, we haven't planned anything yet coz she insisted that we wait for my younger sis to come home from Dublin. But I'm thinking of a surprise little family celebration for her on that day itself, especially after all the tough days she had to go through.

Till then.

Spanish dreams

Last weekend was a bit low key for us. Iskandar was feeling under the weather so we spent the rainy days watching DVDs. Watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona on Sunday which I thoroughly enjoyed! Not so much the storyline, typical lame Woody Allen stuff to me, but I just adored how they filmed Barcelona's beautiful architecture, art, scenery and the Spanish guitar nights. Breathtaking. The scenes at Oviedo were equally charming. I find myself daydreaming of visiting Barcelona someday and of the romantic balmy nights listening to Spanish guitar at one of the many garden gazebos, glass of sangria in hand :). Lovely.

Back to reality, I find myself panicking at work, realizing the tons of work I need to finish before I go off on my maternity leave. yikeS! I don't want to repeat my previous mistakes of not finishing up in time and ending up briefing my boss over the phone, from the hospital bed, on the status of each and every file on my long WIP list :P Very troublesome, and I hated the inconvenience it must have brought my boss and colleagues due to that. But then again, last time wasn't entirely my fault as the baby decided to come a month early!

I'm entering 7 months soon and with each passing moment I'm so excited to meet this new person growing inside me. The kicks and punches are getting more and more stronger and frequent, you can actually see it if you sit/stand close enough. I haven't bought much stuff for the baby. Thank god I saved most of Imran's old rompers, pyjamas and blankets. They were still in pretty good as new condition, just need a good washover.

Ok, I better get back to work, till later!

Sawadeekap!

Just got back from our shopping trip to Bangkok. It was fun as expected, especially as I get to spend a good full 4 days with Iskandar, just de two of us, exploring the sights and sounds of Bangkok. Its been a while since we had that luxury, but all the time I know we both were missing Imran terribly :P

We stayed at a cute little boutique hotel in the outskirts of Sukhumvit, near On Nut station, Imm Hotel. Scored a great deal with the stay-for-3-nites-pay-for-2 package. They even threw in a free Thai massage and BTS day pass. Awesome deal. Anyone heading to Bangkok on a budget, please checkout this hotel www.immhotel.com/fusion-home.html

hotel entrance

The hotel looks like one of those old Chinese heritage homes u see in Melaka, with a modern touch. I especially love the pool and lounge area. Super cozy and unpretentious. The resident turtles are very friendly too, always poking their heads out of the water when we pass by.

me with the resident turtle




the pool

Went to Chatuchak market on Saturday AND Sunday for our shopping binge. It was madness, stuffy, claustrophobic, and the smell of pork meat was just dreadful. At the same time, it was exhilirating to be among thousands of shoppers, bargaining away for things that are already priced dirt cheap! Bought lotsa stuff for the home, Thai silk sheets, big wooden pots and paintings and other bric-a-bracs. Of course I so can't resist the cutesy dresses and flip-flops! Bought extra for friends who I think would be interested but now I'm having second thoughts to keep it for myself!

coffee break at Phatpong

And the FOOD..ohh..I'm so missing the mango and sticky rice dessert. Had it practically every day after EVERY meal! They are that good.

one of the many i had

As I was on the BTS from MBK making my way back to our hotel (Iskandar wanted to shop some more after Chatuchak but I needed to get home coz I was so sweaty and tired), I thought to myself that this is a city I can actually live in, not just for the shopping, but also for the low cost of living, cheap massages, convenience of city traveling and food of course. And did I mention that the public toilets are super clean? Even the toilets at Chatuchak were suprisingly clean, when thousands use it every hour! I can safely say that KLCC toilets pun kalah ok.

I can't wait to go back again, I think I left a little piece of my heart in Bangkok.

Something in the water..

Phewh, what a weekend it has been. I'm so groggy here at my desk this morning. Hardly got any sleep, awakened every 30mins or so by Iskandar's tummy noises :P Poor guy must've ate sumthin bad last nite, had terrible food poisoning and finally puked it all out sometime round 3am. Speaking bout food poisoning, it seems like its been going around, this tummy flu bug. I took Friday off to take care of Imran. He's been having horrible tummy ache for 3 days already, throwing up, diaorrhea, fever, the works. My poor baby. Tasha, my niece also got the tummy flu Friday morning too and was throwing up all over, so my sis had to send her to Mum's place. I figured, poor Tokmi can't take care of 2 sick kids, so I decided to stay home and take care of Imran while Tasha stays at Tokmi's. He was a lil fretful, refusing the ORS and kept asking for "minum / sirap / oreng". I totally detested the ORS when I had tummy flu too. Whoever said ORS is good for you prolly has never tasted it himself. What a load of bull. It tastes like salty crap. His lips was so dried n cracked from dehydration, it was really sad to see him crying away asking for "minum". I chucked the ORS in de sink atfer a few hours n gave him Ribena and was so glad to see Imran sipping away.

He got a lil better on Sunday. Good timing coz MIL and family were coming over to stay that night. Was so happy to see him back to his usual self and enjoying the attention of his Atok, Tah and Uncle Har. Come Sunday nite, Iskandar pulak got hit by the tummy flu bug.

There must be something in the water I think. No wonder we Selangor folks got it for free.. :P

My personal thoughts

The reason i started writing on this blog maybe similar to some, that is to express my personal feelings albeit anonymously. Sorta like keeping a personal diary online. I've never told anyone, even closest friends and family bout it. As far as my writings are concerned, I've been writing straight from my heart, things that I feel deeply about, things that are too personal to be discussed or too mushy to some people. For those who really know me, they would describe me as a no-nonsense, somewhat secretive, laidback and easy-going kinda girl. Kinda like Miranda from SATC, minus the baby-daddy drama. I've never shared my deepest thoughts and fears with friends.

Maybe that's one of the reasons I'm always left out of the loop when it comes to the drama or lovelives of my friends :P Thing is, I've always lived on these two principles, life and love should come easy. We can't sweat the small stuff but we also shouldn't ignore any warning bells in our heads, no matter how soft the ring is. Nobody's perfect, esp. me but that doesn't mean that my life is doomed. Love is hard work, but it shouldn't be too hard, to the point that you sacrifice your own feelings and principles. Otherwise, it's just not worth it and we should walkaway, no matter how hard it is to find someone to like, who fancies us in return in the first place. Especially when it comes to something so forbidden, like married men /women. That's just plain wrong. I've known a few who were in these kind of tormenting relationships. The heartache it leaves the lovers when its over is nothing compared to the broken lives of the spouses / children left in the trail.

But then again, some people are addicted to drama. It keeps them on their toes. I can admit having a bit of drama in my personal life. The fights were horrible but the making up is oh-so-sweet afterwards. Addictive stuff. But in time, esp after marriage, I've learnt that love doesn't deserve to be treated so lightly, that every little mistake should not be blown out of proportion to the point of shouting matches and harsh words. Love is above all that.

Contrary to what some would think, I do feel that we must put ourselves first before our partners. We should love and appreciate ourselves more than our partners do. Not to the point of being a selfish, heartless bitch but we must never let our self-worth or principles be compromised in the name of "love".

This Valentine's Day, I hope people would learn to love, respect and appreciate themselves more.

Kinky baby

I felt my baby move a little few days ago - and in the most inappropriate circumstance. See, last Saturday we had a hen's dinner party for a girlfriend who's getting hitch this weekend. It was a nice dinner with a small group of close girlfriends. Typical noisy, chatty, gossippy nite out. The bride-to-be was her usual gorgeous and radiant self. We then adjourned to nearby PNB Darby Park for a nitecap and a game of charades. Bout half past midnite, I was starting to get sleepy but the host persuaded us to stay on as there was still another surprise for the bride-to-be.

Few minutes on and our doorbell was rang, and in comes two strange looking men. Ahah! U guessed it, strippers! We managed to prop our lil' bride on a chair, put on some kinky dance music on the CD player and one of the guys then started to do his "moves". It was hilarious and scary at the same time, we forgot that it was supposed to be sexy! Anyway, the stripper did his thing i.e. stripping, dirty dancing and showing off his notti moves, I thot I was back in Phatpong! Kinky stuff I tell ya. Anyway, I was just sitting there on my couch with a cushion half covering my face due to the "inappropriateness" haha when suddenly I felt a small kick in my belly. Not a strong kick, but felt more like a popped air bubble. It can't be the baby, i thought. Few mins later and "plop!" Another little kick. And all the while the stripper was still gyrating and grinding in front of me. The kicks were more frequent since then, I can't really tell whether he's kicking in excitement or he's just plain annoyed with the loud techno music. I have a horrible feeling that it's the former.

So I guess my baby's been corrupted even before he was born. Terrible! Told hubby when I got home and though he too found it funny that the baby is a horny lil bugger (is it even possible?) he insists on getting me headphones to play Quran verses.. sorta like to cleanse his mind again after that dirrty nite out with Mummy.

The kicks are getting stronger now. Its so exciting knowing that I'm halfway to meet my new "baby tibam". And I hope the baby will never know bout that stripper thing!

Zionist bastards

I cried as I read this..damn the Zionist animals. No words can describe my disgust in them.
Nauzubillah.

Taken from
http://www.our-palestine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=89:gaza-city-qdad-im-dyingq&catid=34:palestine-news

GAZA CITY — "Dad, I'm dying."

The words keep echoing in Kamal Awaga's ears, sending jolts of pain into his feeble, wounded body.

These were the last words uttered by his 9-year-old son, Ibrahim, before he ended up as a practicing target for Israeli soldiers.

"They killed my son in cold blood," says the grief-stricken father, still in a state of shock.

Ibrahim joined more than 350 children killed by Israel in its three-week onslaught on the coastal enclave.

But while others fell victim to killer bullets or deadly bombs, Ibrahim's fate was even more tragic.

He became a shooting practice for a squad of Israeli soldiers.

"The Israelis did not show mercy for his innocence," said his tearful father from his bed at the Al-Shefa hospital in Gaza City.

"They had no pity for his tiny body," added the heart-broken father.

A Sunny Day

Nothing in the day prepared the Awaga family for the tragic twist of events that unfolded.

They woke up to a sunny morning after days of being locked in one small room to escape the massive Israeli bombardment.

"Mom, let's have our breakfast out in the garden. I'm tired of staying in this room," the grieved mother recalls Ibrahim's plea.

An hour later, the table was set in the garden and the family was hoping to enjoy rare moments of peace, unaware of the eyes watching them from a distance.

A first missile stole the family's job before another destroyed their house.

"Dad, I am dying," cried Ibrahim to his father who rushed frantically to his side.

"Hurry, let's go," Awaga told his wife and two other children while carrying bleeding Ibrahim.

But even before they could reach the gate, a flood of bullets showered them.

One bullet hit the mother's leg and another hit the father's waist.

Ibrahim's two frightened brothers ran for cover behind the rubbles of their bombed-out house.

Shooting Practice

As the firing died down, the family thought their misery was over. But the Israeli soldiers were not finished yet.

"When the soldiers came closer, I thought they will kill me," said Awaga who faked being dead.

"But they were aiming at my young child," he said choking at the bitter memory.

One soldier came close to Ibrahim's body, turning him by his leg and laughing while another fired his gun to the dead boy's head.

Laughs got louder as they carried the body to a higher place to start their party.

For a whole hour, the father hushed his cries of pain as he watched the Israeli soldiers compete in sniping on his dead son's body.

"They were using his bullet-ridden, bleeding body as a shooting practice.

"With each bullet, they were humming with words I could not figure out, but it sounded full of rapture. It was as if they were celebrating."

When they finally had enough "practicing," the Israelis took their guns and left the house.

Four complete days passed before emergency doctors were able to find their way to the family and rush them to hospital.

"What did my son do to deserve that?" Awaga asks, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The Israelis killed my kid, not once or twice but a thousand times."

I miss my girlfriends

Was on the phone with one of my best girlfrens and was shocked to hear of some horrible things endured by another close girlfriend of ours. never once during the few times that i saw her did she mention her troubles to me.. and we used to be really close, meeting up for after work drinks and chit chat at least twice a week. so upsetting.. my fault i know. i'm so guilty for not being in touch with my girlfriends as much as i should. life has just been so consuming, with work, family and household matters to worry about. but i should have made more time for friends, more so during difficult times they had to go through. had a long chat with my other friend who told me the summarized version of all the things i missed for the past few months. it made me feel somewhat upset that i've been kept out of the loop all the while but i realize that it's partly my fault for not caring enough to pick up the phone and call them up for coffee or just to check how they're doing. maybe i won't be much help to the situation but at least i can let them know that i'm always here for them for support.

it's a new year and my resolution for this year is to make more time for friends. now that i've got a new maid it's time to get my social life back on track! i only have a few months of mobility before i get too big to move my fat arse anyway!

tomorrow we're having a girly lunch at my bestie's. can't wait to catch up with my friends and just absorb every single detail. let hubby take charge at home for once :)

Here's to Girlfriends!

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!