Last checkup!

At my 38wk checkup, I was given the option to induce the labour which I hurriedly accepted with a huge, silly grin! Just the thing I need as these later stages of pregnancy is becoming a real test of patience for me. The rash I had during my first trimester is back. Ooh how it itches.. esp. at nite. And don't even let me get started on the backpain...unbearable! I've been keeping Iskandar up late massaging my back as it's the only way to soothe me to sleep. Some nites I have to sleep sitting up straight which is just "tidur2 ayam" as I keep jolting up soon as I doze off.

So the date's been set, on 22nd June I'll have the labour induction, at about 7am, if all goes well, Dr Alex will break the water bag round 9am and I can have the epidural after that. Then all I hv to do is sit back and wait as labour progresses. Hopefully everythg goes well and I won't be in labour for too long. Must remember to bring some chick lits or trashy mags to keep me company :)

Iskandar told me to think about what I wanna do, things to eat, places to go during my last weekend b4 the big event. So many things to do, so little time! I think I'm just gonna spend all the time with Imran as I think this could be the last few days I can give him my undivided attention. At least for another 6 months or a year. I hope he understands, sigh..

Thirty today

As it is my big 3-0 day today, it's only apt to post something bout it, right? ;-P Woke up and found a bouquet of roses greeting me, the perfect pick-me-up after last nite's long and tiring day! With it is a birthday card from Iskandar and Imran (complete with Imran's drawings of KLCC and KL Tower!). Kisses from the boys and went downstairs to find another surprise, birthday gift from MIL and PIL! Alamak, so embarassing lah, must be Iskandar yg kepoh2 to them bout me turning 30 today :P

Some of the boys at work somehow found out it's my bday today n started to kepoh oso, which was kinda nice considering how little fun we've had at the office eversince the "announcement".

I'm not sure what Iskandar's planning for the rest of the day as he said the flowers are just Part 1 of the day...hmmm..

Anyway, as for me, there's nothing I want more on my birthday than to share it with my two best men..and the little lady in me too, care to join me babygirl? :)


edited - 12/6/2009

Part II of my birthday surprise came in the form of, a super cute, lilac Anya Hindmarch tote! Love it to bits!! oh, and love u too babe!

Oh come out already

I think i've passed the anxiety of giving birth and now just hoping that labour would start sooner than later! The backpains and sciatica are getting just too unbearable. With me still working full time just makes it worse I guess. It's like clockwork, the pain starts to creep from 9pm and gets worse by the minute. Can't even manage a step without cringing or howling in pain. Bedtimes are the worst now. Lying down flat or on any side is painful so some nights I end up falling asleep while sitting up straight. They say that once the backpain stops, labour would soon start but judging from how I'm feeling these days I don't think its happening anytime soon :(

Papa's surgery went well, according to Iskandar. They are still in Korea for the post op recovery and should be home on Saturday as scheduled. Hopefully the surgery's cured the numbness of his hand. We are all optimistic that one day he'll be free of the pain altogether.

Last nite Iskandar took us out to KLCC to cheer me up. And cheered up I did, as I discovered that my fave shop, Accesorize has finally made it to KL! I almost died of happiness upon stepping into the shop :D Scored a lovely satin cream purse to wear for Jaja's engagement on Saturday...and a few more gorgeous stuff hehe.

Dinner was at California Pizza Kitchen, my favourite restaurant. yums.

The minute we arrived home, the dreaded backpain started! Argh! but I didn't suffer too long as I fell asleep soonafter brushing my teeth and making Imran's last bottle of milk. Thanks to the soothing backrub from Iskandar!

The dilemma

Our office has recently been taken over by another VC, who coincidentally owns one of our competitors. Needless to say, it has upped our profile as the No.1 agency in Malaysia, possibly the world too. The competitor company, in Malaysia at least, is, unfortunately well known for its cut-throat policies, resulting in much dispopularity within the industry, peers and clients alike. Our company, on the other hand, did tremendously well in previous years, quite popular in the industry and one of the bigger players in town. Safe to say that the new owners are lucky that they are acquiring a profitable company, not a losing one.

Which is to our huge disappointment that the owner has appointed the CEO of the loser company to head the new, merged companies. Only reason for this, I hear is because our own CEO had passed away earlier this year and there is no one else befitting our CEO's chair since. With this new incoming, big changes are being implemented, particularly upsetting us is in the amendments of employee benefits and new bonus (bogus) scheme.

Together, a group of us shortchanged staff are putting together a memo to the new management, protesting the changes. It is hard not to get emotional as this is our livelihood that's on the line. We have all been working our assess off for the company, generating decent bonuses in the course and enjoying the wonderful working environment that's been the envy of our competitors. With the new cutbacks on benefits and impossible bonus scheme, all we have left is our monthly salary, which is peanuts, to get through the day to day. Previously, we are ok with the low salary coz we know that we would be rewarded with good bonuses provided we reach the fee target set by the company. And a handsome extra if we exceed the targets. That is why I love this company and stayed for the past 5 yrs, regardless of the low salary. I work hard every year for that big fat bonus cheque.

I have to approach this issue carefully as I'll be going off on maternity leave soon and I don't want this to have any repercussions upon my return. But on the other hand, I have to support my colleagues in this fight without appearing too unreasonable and rebellious. What a pickle!

Imran at school

We've been sending Imran to his play school for almost a week now and boy, don't he just love it! Of course during the first day he was clingy towards me and shy to mix around with the other kids. He didn't even touch the Koko Krunch snack the school served, his favourite! But by the second day, I could see that he's started to join in the group circle, singing songs, playing at the playground and doing arts and craft with the teacher. I'm so glad that the kids all seem to adore him too, always inviting him to join the playgroup and helping him with his snack bowl and drink. The kids are the sweetest things, I tell ya! I have half a mind of quitting my current job and joining the school to be with the kids...hmm.. maybe someday..

The trial period ends tomorrow after which we'll be enrolling him into the school's Montessori program proper. I hope the new school uniforms will encourage him to go even more. As it is, the kids are always asking me; Aunty, where's Imran's uniform? Need to get a small schoolbag for Imran's things, water bottles and more socks too!

I'm so happy to see Imran enjoying his time at school. He's making friends easily and I truly believe I made the right choice with this school. But I can't help feeling a wee bit emotional too, seeing how fast he's growing!

Playschool

Went to the doctor's for my monthly checkup Mon afternoon. According to the doc's calculated EDD, i'm at 31 wks but the measurements of the baby showed that i'm at 33wks! yikes! does this mean that the baby's coming early, again? Unfortunately, said Dr.Alex, they still don't have the knowledge or technology to accurately determine, unless actual labour starts. And I felt even more n more nervous after that.

My checkups are now twice monthly as I've entered the final stages of pregnancy. This week i'll be retrieving back all my stuff loaned to friends and family when they had their babies - car seat, BF cushion, donut cushion, mobile etc. I hope they took care of the stuff :P contemplating of taking back the oh-so precious baby swaddle i loaned to hubby's cousin..should i? i know i can afford buying a new one, but the one i found to keep for our "future offspring" but ended up loaning to her for some stupid reason was SO special, not mentioning quite pricey too!

This afternoon we went to checkout another playschool for Imran, one closer to my Mum's. It was a very pleasant and kinda exclusive school, with only 2 kids of Imran's agegroup and about 10 other bigger kids. Listening to the Principal explain the activities, her experiences with newbies (kids and parents) gave us quite the assurance we needed. Told her bout Imran's habits and temperaments and how we deal with it which she was happy to oblige. She also expressed her relief that we have been instilling discipline in him at this age as some parents had even instruct her not to make their kids follow the school's routine program if they don't want to which makes it quite tricky for the teachers. Being experienced in Montessori early learning for 16 years, my gut feel says that she's the right person to handle our Imran. Thinking of sending him on a trial basis for a week first before we decide to sign him up for a whole year. I love that the school allows this trial basis as other schools never gave us this option. Another plus is that they will toilet train him too when he's settled and ready, yay! :)

Now comes the hard part, that is to tell my Mum that she needs to part with her favourite cucu for 3 hours a day.. :P

Almost at the finish line..

..and I can't wait!The extra weight on me is making it even more and more difficult to move around. Sleeps at nights are also tough, I feel short of breath and the backpain is a real bitch.
We had a 3-day weekend which was just what I needed, except for the fact that Imran was down with fever and flu for 2 out of the 3 days! But I had a lovely time taking care of him, sick and all. Just sitting there cuddling and soothing him while he sniffles and whines away was therapeutic for me as much as it was for him, I hope. In times like this, I know he needs as much TLC as he does meds, which was what I provided whole-heartedly. The boy got better on Sunday and was back to his usual naughty and mischievous self! I sorta secretly hope the fever extended through Sunday as I was enjoying the quiet and pensive Imran too much! :P

We completed doing up the kids' bedroom yesterday. Hubby layered the second coat of paint all by himself this time and did a pretty good job! Finished off the day by pasting the glow-in-the-dark stars to the ceiling. It turned out real nice and Imran loved it too. I placed an order for an all-white wardrobe and aircon for the room which shud arrive these few days. After that, we shud be done with all the big spending. Until the big day arrives, that is.

Last nite before bed I managed to catch the documentary, "In The Womb" on NatGeo. What a wonderful "inside story" on what goes on in there. It also says that the baby gets more sensitive to the mother's voices after 32 weeks and can sense the difference in tones when she's stressed out, happy, angry etc. So I'll try my best to maintain a happy self from now on :P ...how can I not be? My Coach bag booking came through and will arrive next week! Happy!

An untitled post

Bonus came in yesterday and already I've spent almost half of it on loan repayments, bills and such. Put aside some money in Imran's savings too, something I haven't been doing in a long, long time. Still have quite a bit more spending to be done this weekend - new aircond for the kids' room, a new stroller, wardrobe for kids and last but not least, to pay the deposit for labour and delivery at Gleneagles. Once all that's done (and with a few hundred RMs to spare hopefully), only am I gonna spend on myself. I'm thinking a luxurious a hair treatment and touch-up of my rebonded hair :) Hubby needs new lenses for his glasses so I'm gonna treat him to that too. A new handbag? Crossing my fingers on that one! I've put a booking on a Coach Legacy stripey tote that I've been eyeing since '06 but never had enough $$$$ for it. If the bag is available and the price is right, perhaps I can sacrifice my hair treatment for it!

Had a bit of an argument with Hubby yesterday on some small money matters. He didn't speak to me at all last night and I know he's still angry with me this morning. For the first time this morning I didn't give him a kiss before going to work. I'm still scared.. and what if he just brushes me off? I'll just die. I guess I'll just have to wait for him to come around and get over it. It's not that big a deal to me, really but he's treating me as though I've cheated on him which I have not and will not, ever.

Can't wait for the day to be over. I have no mood to work and just feel like rolling around the bed with my Imran.

30 weeks

Last night had a lovely time with Iskandar and Imran, strolling around Pavillion. I hv been scouting for a new handbag to replace my old tattered one for the past week and finally found a cute and decently priced bag at Eclipse. I was actually eyeing the one at Nine West but Iskandar protested as it looked almost exactly like my old one, hahaha, typical boring me.

Anyways, had dinner followed by J-Co donuts at Imran's insistence. Back home, I started to feel like I was gonna explode! And I didnt even eat that much, didn't finish dinner and only ate about 1 and half donuts. My lower back suffered the most, aching all night long and throughout today. Told Iskandar that I think we hv to complete preparing for new baby by end of de month as at 30 weeks, its almost suicidal to walk here and there with a backache like this. We still have to look for a wardrobe for the room which I hope we can settle by next week. Also for typical baby toilettries, diapers and such, which shouldn't be a big problem with Giant being just a minute away. Still, no excuse to do evrything last minute so I'm gonna get that done too.

Was looking at my reflection this morning before going to work and was surprised at how big I am now. Gosh, I really feel this baby is gonna come sooner than the EDD coz I don't think I can expand anymore or risk exploding! Feel quite scared too coz I'm so not ready with tonnes of things yet to be settled. Funny that my colleagues think I'm quite 'small' considering being at 30weeks. Yea saying it is one thing, actually experiencing it is totally another! So far I don't see any stretch marks appearing yet and I hope my skin will maintain this way.

Iskandar's skipping his company trip that's happening from Thursday to spend time with us instead. What a sweet gesture. I know he derserves some time out too, seeing how hard he works his ass for LB. But I'm kinda thankful he's not going, haven't seen much of him this past few weeks, and weekends are always a mad rush between shopping, errands, family dinners and Imrans.

So for the first time in a loooOOOOooong time, we are going out on a dinner date this Friday, some place fancy around this Changkat area, just the two of us. He will be spending the whole day with Imran and night with Mummy so Imran really shouldn't complain! :)

Here's to the weekend! (come already!)

Wet Wednesday

What a gloomy day today is, wish I was home curled up under the covers with Imran..I feel so tired and groggy waking up this morning and I blame it all on the foul tasting mee hailam I had at the Bangi Kopitiam, newly opened at Melawati. I sorta blame myself a bit too, I've been warned many times not to eat ANYTHING on the menu as they are all basically horrible tasting crap. But I was optimistic, and also damn hungry as I haven't had my dinner yet. Wasted a whole hour feeding Imran, had no time to eat a proper dinner as I was running late to meet up with my family at the cursed kopitiam.

Anyway, later that night after midnight I started to have this bad tummy cramps. Took me about 4-5 times to clear my system a.k.a. kareb it all out! It was horrible. I think the baby felt the "effects" too. She wouldn't stop kicking and poking and jumping the whole night! I couldn't sleep a wink. Dozed off a bit but awoken again by the thunderstorms and Imran climbing me for a cuddle. When my alarm actually went off at 6:40am, I felt like crying!

I don't think I can function properly like this. Made a strong cuppa coffee but am still as drowsy as ever. Am waiting for boss to go out before I quietly escape the office to catch some zzZZZzzzss. Oh yes, first I'm gonna send a nasty email to the owners of the Bangi Kopitiam for unleashing their terrible foods on me!

Almost there

With limited weekends to go by, each minute of Saturday and Sunday is so precious to us and needs to be planned carefully, with no compromising when it comes to our little boy. And what a productive weekend it had been! Successfully painted the kids' room and put up the shelves, just Iskandar and me, on all fours! I had terrible leg cramps and backache and Iskandar had blisters all over his palms after that but it was all worth it. The kids' room look a little more lively now and I'm so proud of ourselves :) I hope the kids will love it as much as I do. I'm thinking of sticking those glow in the dark stars on the ceiling to give it a sorta sleeping-under-the-stars feel hehe.

Next on the list it to look for a good wardrobe for the room and also for our computer room aka our second dressing room :P

I've also managed to sort out all Imran's baby clothes and separated the "unisex" ones to recycle! Thank god we bought a lot of good quality clothes for Imran which lasted longer compared to the cheaper Anakku stuff. I also bought a few pairs of pyjamas, tights, newborn rompers, mittens and booties just to complete her wardrobe.

My younger sis is coming home from Dublin today and this will be her first time meeting Imran. I hope Imran behaves himself and doesn't buat perangai so much. Last night we took him to GE Mall and ended up paying RM20 for nothing - he broke a toy car. It's actually the first time he broke anything from a shop but this really worries me. I know I should bring the maid with us to watch him but it's just too risky now without a permit. Can't wait to get this shit sorted out.

Ok, now back to work!

Taking out the trash

Looking at the baby counter today, I can't help but freak out a little. Ok, a lot. Time is flying so fast and I still have a lot to do before I can actually go have my baby delivered :P It's 7 months now and I have this paranoia that this one's gonna come early too. Made a quick dash to Ampang Point and stocked up on baby bottles, towels and wraps at the Mum's Care last day sale on Sunday. Wanted to buy the baby cot bumper set but ran out of cash. Only then I felt slightly at ease. But today the feeling of unreadiness has returned and my mind is now jumbled up with all these - baby stuff that I should / should not / maybe I should/ oh but it's too expensive / girly things vs. recycle? / they r on sale! / necessities first - crazy thoughts.

Early Sunday morning, we met up with few other disgruntled customers of the maid agent and decide to have a little "intervention". Apparently the agent's been telling us all sorts of stories and making excuses to delay our dues. For me and 2 others, it's our maid's work permit and for another girl, it's de little problem about her maid's passport being EXPIRED for 3 months. It got a little heaty at the agent's house as she was trying to explain herself but all we wanted was our money back and burn all bridges with her. Had enough of her excuses and from what we heard from her other customers, she's been quite crafty in convincing her customers to part with their RM5,600 only to get miserable services from her. My only consolation was that the maid we got was good with my son and hard working, unlike the other girls who were stuck with terrible ones. After a few hours of bombarding her, she finally relented to return RM2,700 to the 3 girls, but for me, I decided to meet up with her runner direct and deal with him straight. I've cut all ties with the agent and made sure she paid all the money to the runner. It's damn frustrating when you trust a fellow Malay with your hard earned money and only got lousy service and lies. Sorry to say but this is the last time I'll be helping my fellow Malay for sure. I've learnt my lesson the hard way.

Come to think of it, we've had quite a bit of bad service this year. From Telekom, maid agent, Samy the alarm system guy and Maxis damn bloody cheats. We've "sorted out" Telekom and the maid agent already, next to suffer our wrath is Samy and Maxis! Bewarned u blood sucking scums!

Things I don't want to forget

Yesterday as I was enjoying my Spicy Italian sub in the car, the song Viva La Vida came up on the radio. My heart straight away went home to my son, knowing how MUCH he LOVES the song. Hey, he loved it even before it was announced the Grammy Song of the Year so you gotta admit he has good taste :) My thoughts flew next to all the quirky and funny things about Imran and I decided to list them all down before I forget them totally.

1. The way he pronounces "butterfly" as "apertee"
2. The way he pronounces "computer" as "tompeeteeter"
3. The funny face he makes and growls when I scold him
4. His original rendition of the Birthday Song - "Aaabirday to yoouuuu...Aaabirday to yoooouuu...Aaabirday to Iiimaaan / Tokmiii...Aaaabirday to yoouuu...!"
5. The way he pronounces his name - Iman
6. His hugs which come everytime it's requested
7. When he asks me "Mummy, where going??" when I step out of the door.
8. That smile
9. His obsession with Coldplay's Viva La Vida, refers to it as Iman Chong (Song) or Iman Chong Mummy Car as the CD is permanently fixed in my car radio.
10. How he gets overly excited when he spots KLCC (Otiti) or KL Tower (Aaa-tower)

These are the things I can recall on top of my head as I'm typing this. Being in the terrible 2's, of course there are also those temper tantrum episodes now and then. But let's not make a list about that one :P

I swear there's more that I've forgotten, I'll add to them when I remember. How I wish that he won't grow up so fast. He'll always be my little tee~bum :)

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!