Baking Gingerbread Men

Fruitcake and I were getting into the spirit of Christmas and what's more Christmassy than baking ginger bread me? We've never done it before and thought it would be fun. So we Googled the recipe which looks very complicated. Our next best option: Take a short cut. So here goes!

We start with the pre-mix in a box which we kneaded and the dough turned out to look like ... well, see and judge for yourself.

The baking set even came with a ginger bread men cooking cutter!

We cut and decorated the men with M&Ms, raisins, Jelly Tots and sugar hearts and stars.

And into the over for 12 minutes. Here's Belle keeping a watchful eye.

They're expanding! And the M&Ms are exploding!

The Smarties made it though. Ta da! Our gingerbread men is ready to be eaten.

Marsupial's Wedding in Kuching

What a beautiful day to take a drive to the airport.
And what do we do as soon as we touch down to Kuching? Eat the famour kolo mee of course!
Then Aydreanne meets dear old Suzi Quattro.
And Aydreanne gets and ang pow!
Baby A, Lord Gaga and I at St Joseph Church with Marsupial the groom and good friends Michelle Who Stays On The Seashore and Alicia Looqy.
Baby A is not impressed with the scorching heat.
Ah but we can entertain her with phones. I think she'd like an ipad.
1am and wide awake!
And how do we end our trip to Sarawak? With Sarawak Laksa of course! This was in a coffee shop called Goody! Haha! And it really was pretty good. This big bowl with huge prawns was only RM7. Cheap by KL standards but the locals disagree.
On the way to the airport, we stopped by to Paul Si and Reena's kampung. Guess what this is? A dragon fruit tree! I've never seen one before and never in my wild imagination would I think a dragon fruit would come from this catus like tree.
And what about this strange creature? It's a duck ....... that is not found in water! The kampung folk must be thinking this city girl is nuts to take a pic of our pet duck.
Baby A is such a great flyer. We're on our way home to KL!

Gymboree

Many of the mummies I know in KL send their babies and kids to Gymboree. A friend is a member and had a free pass so a few of us brought our babies to the 0-6 months class to try it out. We sang songs, interacted with the babies, tried to get them to interact with each other, blew bubbles (I loved this part!) and played with a parachute too (I enjoyed this too!)

At the end of the class, Baby A and Baby Jerry had this look which said "Huh? What's going on here?"

My personal conclusion - While it was pretty fun, for almost RM2,000 which u need to pay a lump sum and upfront, for 48 classes to be used up within one year just to sing, play with puppets and blow bubbles, I rather just do it at home. Plus, its something I do at home with Baby A everyday anyway.

And when I run out of play ideas, one alternative is to go to Gymboree but pay for single classes. It costs RM48 per class and is almost 3 times more expensive compared to the price per class from the RM2,000 package, at least I don't need to have such a huge cash outlay and I can go as and when I want to which is not going to be as often as once a week for sure.

Trip Up To Camerons Once A Decade

It's been about 10 years since I went to Camerons. It was with a group of friends one weekend when strangely enough, we decided NOT to go clubbing. So when Lord Gaga's family suggested a trip up there, I was pretty excited. I also wanted Baby A to experience a cooler climate. So I bought and borrowed some winter clothings for her and off we went!

The new highway is excellent and is not as windy as the old road which is headache and puke inducing for many. Just 2 hours from KL and we we're already among the clouds.

What's the best thing to do in Camerons at night when it's a chilly 18C? Steam boat of course! We had this in some restaurant in Brinchang. There's also the charcoal version which we did not try.

Baby A all wrapped up in her new hoodie.

Baby A in her hat complete with ear coverings.
A trip to Camerons is never complete without a visit to the tea plantations. Yes, even though I go every single time I'm in Camerons. We had to park at the bottom of the hill then trek up. Good thing the weather was nice and I had the sling to carry Baby A in.
While the cool air was lovely and the trip was a chillaxing one, I doubt I'd be going back any time soon because every time there's a market selling the local produce of fruits, veges and flowers ... there's bound to be a massive jam. It took us 45 minutes to move 1km from Equitorial Hotel where we were staying towards Brinchang town. In fact, we didn't even reach Brinchang because it wasn't worth another 45 mins sitting in a jam to get there. And once there, we didn't want to think about the parking. It was like the whole of Malaysia was holidaying in Camerons. If we ever think of going to Camerons again, I'm going to just take a look at this photo

and be reminded why I'm not going to Camerons in at least another 10 years.

A Holiday Within the City

When you want a short holiday but dont want the hassle of planning or travelling, one of the easiest option is to just check into a local hotel. And that's just what we did.

Lord Gaga and I packed and overnighter bag. But for Baby A, we had to pack the travel cot, feeding bottles, steriliser, milk, clothes, lotsa diapers, her toiletteries, toys, usual diaper bag and everything to do with travelling with a baby.

With everything finally packed, we checked into the Le Meridien at KL Sentral.

This was another free trip as I had a voucher from my Starwood Club membership that was expiring soon.

The standard room.

After checking in, we went to Latest Recipe, the hotel's coffee house for lunch. I had the fish & chips which was the chef's recommendation. It was surprisingly excellent! The batter was light and fried to a crisp and the fish within was yummy, light and flaky. And to complement and excellent simple dish, tere was ketchup, chilli sauce, tartar sauce and even malted vinegar. Brilliant!

Lord Gaga had his usual (where ever we go) which was the char kway teow. This was so-so, From experience, the best char kway teows can only be found in the hottest, sweatiest coffee shops. Apart from the one at Champs which is by far Lord Gaga's favourite. But at RM20 a plate, we can't be eating there too often.

The key to taking a holiday in your own city is not to leave the hotel but instead enjoy all the facilities and amenities it has to offer. So the folllowing day, we went back to the coffee house, but this time, for their buffet. Chocolate fountains are a must at any good hotel buffet. So after about 5 rounds of Chinese, Indian, Japanese and a mish mash of other offerings, I had chocolate coated marshmallows, grapes & strawberries. And then had some fun with the remaining chocolate. I like playing with my food but I better stop soo less Baby A picks it up too.

They also had tepanyaki ice cream. No it's not fried and it's nothing like fried ice cream. Instead, you pick a few different flavours and a variety of toppings. Then the server will put at all on a chopping board and chop everything up using a tepanyaki spatula. The result : a gray coloured goo (if u choose chocolate and green tea flavours) with black and colourful dots (if u choose rainbow sprinkles and chocolate chips). I didn't take a pic cos it doesn't look appealing. Come to think of it, it didn't taste too appealing either. Perhaps it was my choice of flavour combination.

After fussing for a bit and after being fed, Baby A was such a good girl and slept while we enjoyed the buffet spread.

After a good meal, a nie stroll helps the food go down so we went to chill at the hotel pool.

Baby A was certanly having fun.

Another holiday for Baby A!

Baby A Rolls Over

One of the joys of being a full time mum is being there for all of your baby's milestones. And today, I just witnessed something amazing. Baby A just learnt to roll over. It is something so small in her life but it is the start of many milestones that will play a part in her development and growth.

She was trying to roll for a while now and this morning I saw that she was about to do it. So I cheered her on and with just one little flip, she did it!

I'm so proud of u my darling! I love u so much and look forward to being there for many more of your milestones.

Sitting up, crawling, standing, walking, talking ..... I'll be there with u and cheering u on.

Happy Belated Birthday Lord Gaga! Off To Our Holiday In The City.

This is a much belated post.

Happy birthday Lord Gaga!!!

It's not that I forgot my own hubby's birthday on 3rd Oct but what started off as a celebration became a bit of a scare.

On the eve of his birthday, we had a few friends over for dinner and we put Baby A to sleep early. Just before midnight, we found that Baby A had a fever. So we were taking care of her, giving her meds and holding her ... midnight and along with it the start of Lord Gaga's birthday came and left. But our focus was on Baby A.

In the morning, Baby A became weaker . To the point that she was almost unresponsive.

We panicked, blood drained from my body as I held her in my arms and we rushed to the hospital and went straight to the A&E. I don't think I have ever been that scared in my life. Upon seeing we had a baby, we were immediately brought into the area for treatment. After checking and confirming Baby A had a fever of 40C, the doctor said we should be admitted.

After a fair amount of drama and a lot of crying by Baby A, my mum, Lord Gaga's mum and myself, long story short ....

Baby A had UTI which the doc said is pretty common especially in baby girls. So Baby A, Lord Gaga and I stayed in the hospital for 4 days. Baby A was fine after the 2nd day but we stayed on to ensure that everything was really fine.

She is perfectly fine now so we will celebrate Lord Gaga's birthday good and proper. As well as celebrate our wedding anniversary again, this time with Baby A since we missed her so much. To do that, we're going for a holiday today!

Nothing fancy as we don't have the time to plan it and didn't want the hassle of travel either. So we're going to check into a 5 star hotel in the city and have a holiday away from home.

Now going to throw a few things into a bag, pack Baby A's stuff, fold up her travel cot and off we go!

Hong Leong Bank - Another Bank That Sucks

Since we moved, I informed all the corporations to send all correspondences to the new place with immediate effect.

Somehow, letters from Hong Leong Bank with whom we have a home loan, was till being sent to the old address. I called up the customer service line and they told me that their system still reflects the old address. Perhaps the letter did not reach them?

So I faxed the change of address letter to the KL Main brand in Jalan Perak and then posted it again. I spent all of today calling the bank to see if they received the fax but no one picked up. I tried all different extensions from Home Loans to Current Accounts to Customer Service, trying to get hold of someone, anyone. I made 6 calls and spent a total of 1 hour dialling, pressing buttons and being put on hold and still no one picked up.

This is the Main Branch, the HQ of Hong Leong. How can it be that no one is around to answer the phone. I even ensured that it's not a public holiday and that the bank was indeed open today.

I'm so disappointed in all the banks. I've had issues with HSBC, Alliance Bank and Maybank (several) before and now I'm adding Hong Leong to the list of Crap Banks.

Happy 2nd Wedding Anniversary

They say that the first year of marriage is the hardest. That's when a person's true personality shows and one has less tolerance for the other. But I didn't feel that way at all. Our 1st year was absolutely wonderful and past quickly. We celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary last year with friends and family and had a ball.

This year, as we just had a baby, and life evolved around her for the past 3 months plus, we decided to spend one dinner together, just the 2 of us. Bubbles & Lord Gaga.

We went for dinner at Latest Recipe at Le Meridien as Lord Gaga's mum babysat Baby A.

We were there not too long ago and found the spread to be excellent and the quality up to a 5 start hotel standard. This time, however, we sampled quite a few of the offerings but nothing stood out. It was either too rich, too spicy or too salty. But we think it's us and not the food. As we sat and ate, we could not help but miss little Baby A. This was the first time we were out together without her since she was born. And without her, something was just missing.

Like DJ Beryl said, it's nice to see when 2 becomes 3.

Happy 2nd anniversary Lord Gaga! My friend. My partner. My love. Thank you for loving me and indulging me. Here's to our love and a lifetime more of celebrations. Muaks!

An Exhausting Day but Baby A is Finally Asleep

Baby A has been fussing all day. She's upset by one thing or another. I carried her, jiggle her, rocked her, put her on the sofa, put her in the play pen, changed her diaper, changed her clothes, sang to her, talked to her, cuddled her, let her watch cartoons, brought out her toys, breast fed her, fed her a bottle, fed her Gripe water, massaged her, rubbed Yu Yi oil on her tummy ...... but every time she stopped fussing for only a few minutes.

It's been an exhausting day and she is asleep .... finally!

I can now have some time to myself. But I just went in to check on her.

I watched her sleep and realized I miss her so much!

Whn she is fussing and I'm at wit's end, I wished she'd calm down and sleep. But when she is asleep, I miss her and I want her up so I can play with her!

End of Funny Maid Stories?

Last night, the maid did something to piss me off. I can't remember what .... she does so many things to upset me throughout the day.

And when I woke up this morning, I found that she sterilised 2 baby feeding bottles. But not the other 6. I asked her why. She gave me a look like "Huh? I'm supposed to sterlise ALL the bottles?". What would compel her to just sterilize 2 bottles and not all of them?

I then found out that when I'm not watching, she washes but does not sterilize the bottles! I then lost it. I can see the funny side of eating bad egg tarts or writing on tables (with a PEN!) but when it comes to baby's hygiene, it won't let it slide.

So Lord Gaga went to talk to her. But she still had no answer. I guess these maids do things without thinking and therefore can't explain their actions.

In the afternoon, Lord Gaga and I went out for a few hours. When we got back, we could not find the maid. When we are out, she often sleeps or daydreams at the balcony. We could not find her at either of those places. So upon a second round of checking, we concluded she has run away.

Yayyyyyyy!!!! I can't believe the relief we felt. Yes you read right. It was relief and not shock.

I was just telling Lord Gaga that I'm going to give her one last chance. If she screws up again with something stupid, I'm going to personally kick her ass back to Cambodia. So now I don't need to do anything.

We can now leave our money or phones laying around at home. We can relax and not worry about what nonsense she is up to next. We can enjoy the air in the home (she had really bad BO even tho we bought her antibacterial soap, got her to shower 4 times a day and got her to drink a lot of water).

I don't want another full time maid as it seems like finding a good maid is 1 in 100. Will try an get a part time maid in and see how I manage that way.

So no more Funny Maid Stories? Hmmmm. She may be gone but there's lots more I've not posted. Stay tuned.

Funny Maid Story #8 - Cloth & Sponge

My maid uses one particular cloth to wipe the floor. So I scolded her when she placed that same dirty cloth on the kitchen counter top where we prepare food. I explained that it was dirty and could contaminate our food. She said okay.

So what did she do next?

Use the scouring pad for washing the sink and tile ...... to wash our coffee mugs.

*faints*

She really will be the death of me.

Funny Maid Story #7 - Cooking

I met up with an old friend who also had a baby. She said that she will be bringing her baby and maid to lunch. So I said I'd do the same. We went to Reunion in Bangsar Village II to have lunch and chat while the maids watched over the babies.

Both our maid were Cambodian but hers had been with her for a longer time so understood more English.

My friend and I were exchanging stories (in Cantonese or Bahasa) about our Cambodian maids and realized that they are all the same!

Both the maids:
- Stand out at the balcony to day dream and sing songs
- Eat A LOT
- So much so that they put on so much weight that they rip their pants or buttons pop off

We allowed the maids to converse with each other in their native language for a while.

My friend's maid later told my friend who told me that my maid said that she likes it when I cook for her. All 3 of us laughed out loud and said that SHE was the maid and that she should really be the one who cooks for me and the family.

Sigh. Maids these days.

What To Do With The Maid?

After the many incidences I has with my maid and after talking to many others who have had maids and similar experiences, the scary thing is that my maid is actually not that bad. In comparison, she's considered pretty good!

I guess I can stomach the ruined teflon pan, her constant daydreaming and singing at the balcony, taking extra long to throw rubbish in hopes of meeting and chatting with the maid next door, not following instructions, pretending she doesn't understand when she actually does ......

But the knives incident is one worrying one.

I don't think she had any malicious intent. She seems pretty innocent in all she does and she is pretty good with the baby (even tho I never let her take care or handle the baby alone unless I really need her too and even then it's not more than 5 minutes per time).

But you never really know what is going through their minds. Like what would compel her to write on my table, in ink, twice??!

We are now in the midst of speaking to the maid agency to look at our options.

Maybe we just need to send her ass back to Cambodia! It will be stressful running a household when you have a baby. But maybe it will be less stressful compared to the stress that the maid has inflicted upon out family. We have been so good to her and cannot understand why she can't follow simple insructions or to do simple work well. Afterall, she really doesn't do that much apart from cleaning the house and washing up after I cook. Her afternoons are always very free. Some people tell me that it's better to send her back and make do with part time maids. Right now, that seems like a pretty good idea.

In the meantime, we're keeping a watchful eye on her in everything that she does.

Funny Maid Stories #6 - Knives

We periodically do checks on the maid's room to ensure she is keeping it clean and not hiding anything. During one of these spot checks, I found knives in her drawer. I'm not talking about just a butter knife, carving knife or even a cleaver. It was an entire set of Lord Gaga's Victorinox hotel school knives. There must be about 10 different knives in there!

We freaked out and confronted her. She could not explain herself. We hauled her ass back to the maid agency where the agents drilled and questioned her. She was crying but still could not explain her actions.

We brought her back and I asked her again. What I managed to get out of her was that she was cleaning the knives. If that was the case, would she not have returned the knives to the kitchen where they belong instead of keeping them in her room?

Worrying, isn't it? Not sure what to do with her and what is going through her head.

This is definitely not one of the funny stories.

Funny Maid Stories #5 - Table Writing

When our maid first arrived, we were in the midst of moving from one house to another. One day, Lord Gaga was in the old house and noticed that there were some scribblings on our pine wood table. In pen. It couldn't be either of us and there were no kids in the house. We asked the maid if she wrote on the table and she said yes. Is that crazy or what? We gave her a shelling and warned her not to do it again. We put it down to her being a village girl and not knowing that a table is not for writing on.

A few days later, we found out that she did it again! This time it was on the marble kitchen counter top of the new house.

We scolded her again but are not sure if she understood that what she did was wrong. We need to treat her like a 3 year old kid who goes crazy with a crayon when unsupervised.

Funny Maid Stories #4 - A Visit To The Doctor

Many Cambodian maids are village girls. The maid agency told us that some of them are so unexposed that when they come over here, the do a Number 2 on the floor instead of in the toilet. We were appalled but was glad to know that our maid was not like that. Ours was smart, apparently.

But her hygiene isn't the best. We keep on asking her to wash her hands after she finished her chores or before preparing food. But she washed her hands by pumping soap onto her hands and immediately washing them under running water. I had to explain to her to wet her hands first, then rub the soap all over, then only rinse it off. It took her several tries to get that right. And even then I need to constantly supervise her hand washing or she will shortcut it again which not only means her hands remain dirty but she is literally running the soap down the drain.

Recently she said she had a itch down there. I brought her to the doctor to have it checked out. Doc said it's due to hygiene! Guess I'm not surprised. If she can't even wash her hands properly, how can I expect her to keep her body clean, right? We got home, I gave her the meds and sent her to bed after telling her not to take the meds on her own.

The next morning after breakfast, I wanted to give her the meds again but she said she took them already! Freaking out, I asked her what she took because the doses and meds for night and day are different. Not surprisingly, she took the wrong doses. I can only hope she is fine, doesn't fall ill and her ailment doesn't get worst.

Hmmmm ... these stories are getting less and less funny. And more and more worrying.

Funny Maid Stories #3 - Egg Tarts

A friend came for a visit and brought 6 eggs tarts. We finished 3 and I put the remaining 3 in the fridge.

I then forgot about it till more than a week later when the maid brought it out and asked if I wanted to eat it. I told her to throw it away and DO NOT eat it. Egg tarts are made from eggs (duh) and does not keep well.

I then went out with Baby A to meet a friend to pass something to her.

Once done, I headed back up. The maid seemed shocked to see me back so quickly.

Immediately, I smelt something. I asked the maid if she was cooking. She said no. But I did not believe her and I asked her again. She again said no, but less convincingly this time. I asked her yet again and after a long silence, she said she put the egg tarts that I asked her to throw away.into the oven and ate them. I freaked out and asked her how many she ate. She said one but upon checking the box, there were none left. I told her to throw it away for a reason. Did she want to fall ill?

I know that these maids come from very poor backgrounds and often don't have a lot to eat. In order to reassure her, I gave her a basket of food that I keep well stocked with rice, noodles, bread, biscuits and other snacks.

But this does not seem enough for her and she needs to eat bad food?

Luckily, she did not have a stomachache.

And it is very worrying that she is lying.

Hmmmm ... this story isn't that funny. More like a potential visit to the doctor.

Funny Maid Stories #2 - Eating for 3

Our Cambodian maid arrived about 5 months ago and it was pretty good timing because we were moving house. And because of that, we hardly cooked so we at out a lot. Since we had her with us, we could not afford to go to nice fancy restaurants so we often went to taichows or coffee shops.

We noticed that she eats a lot and always answers "yes" when we asked her if she was still hungry.

We know that one portion in a taichow is usually more than enough for a person with a moderate appetite. In fact, I often order one portion to be shared between 2 people.

Since the maid is always hungry, we ordered for her 2 portion (this means it can feed 3 - 4 people). She whacked the entire mountain of rice!

Just to test just how much she can eat, we ordered her another portion of noodles. She finished that too!

We almost fell off our chairs but did not dare try test her with yet another portion...

Often her meals costs more than Lord Gaga's and mine combined!

Previously I felt it was very unkind of families to go out for dinner but made the maid eat before going out. I totally understand now why they do it! I don't mind paying for ean xtra mouth but to pay for 3 more?

I just weight the maid. She arrived in Malaysia weighing 48kgs. As of today, she is 58kgs. She put on 12kgs in 5 months!!!

I do understand that they come from poor backgrounds and have not had such good food before. So when they see food, they can't help but consume as much as possible. I call this the hamster mentality. So we do let her eat. But there's got to be a limit.

She can't fit into her clothes anymore and is now wearing the clothes I used to wear when I was pregnant!

When will this stop? She is eating us broke.

Funny Maid Stories #1 - Washing Machine

Once you have a baby, most couples will opt to get a maid. It isn't cheap. Initial agency fees and advanced salary average at RM8,000. And depending on the country the maid is from, the monthly can range anything from RM550 to RM1,500. Cambodians are the cheapest so far, starting at RM550 for a new maid (read: no experience), Indonesians at RM600+ (but hard to get one these days due to the embargo) and Filipinas at RM1,200.

We got a new Cambodian maid because we were told that they are the easiest to get and the cheapest. And we should not worry about her not having experience because it's better to train her to do things they we we want it. Hmmmm. Language and communication will be a problem tho. Double Hmmmm.......

Our Cambodian maid has been with us for almost 6 months. Instructions are made with a combination of English and a lot of sigh language. They do pick up languages very quickly tho.

Most of these maids come from the village so they are in total culture shock when they get here. Guess there's an adjustment period on both the maid and employer's end.

I've had many frustrating incidences with this maid. She totally stresses me out but I keep telling myself that it will be stressful without a maid too. So I just need to be happy I have help and try and forget the teflon pan she ruined, the table she wrote on (in PEN!) and many other stories that have totally frustrated me.

Instead, I will try and see the funny side of things. And I shall post them here for your entertainment too.

So here goes. Funny Maid Stories Number 1.

The maid knows how to use the washing machine. So I tell her that the clothes must be separated to dark and light loads. And washed separately. I proceeded to separate the clothes to demonstrate to her. She says "Okay Ma'am". I went back to check and she did indeed do the separation correctly. Later in the day, I found that the washing machine has finished its cycle so I asked her to put the clothes in the dryer.

When she opened up the washing machine, I asked her why the darks and lights were in the same load. Why didn't see do separate loads?

"Yes ma'am. I put. Dark here (indicating to the left side of the washing machine). Light here (indicating to the right side of the washing machine)."

*faints*

100 Kisses & Cuddles

I've kissed and cuddled Aydreanne more than 100 times today. I watched her smile and I made her laughed. And it's not even 12 noon yet! I love being a stay at home mum!

Being A Mum Makes You Ambidextrous

Aydreanne is awake and I'm now breast feeding her with my right hand while I type with my left. It takes longer and sometimes there are typos but I'm beginning to be ambidextrous. From typing to eating to writing. One needs to be or will eventually develop the skill when one has a kid that constantly needs feeding, attention and entertainment..... but still needs to get other things done.

Aydreanne Is Sleeping. I Miss Her.

Aydreanne has been peacefully sleeping since 8pm and I've been in to look at her sleep about 5 times. When she is awake and active in the day and constantly needs attention, I sometimes wish that she would go to sleep so that I can get things done around the house. But she she's asleep, I miss her so much and I want to pick her up and play with her.....

No Sunday nor Monday Blues

It's Sunday nights and unlike most Sunday nights, I don't have the Monday Blues! I love not having to go into work on Monday. I love enjoying my Sunday night to the very fullest without starting to feel blue from about 6pm onwards and progressively feeling bluer as the clock ticks toward midnight when I'll be forced to go to bed in anticipation of facing the start of a new work week. I love being a full time mum! I don't love the midnight feeds and the lack of sleep ... but other than that, it's awesome!

Interrupted Sleep

During the one week when I was back at work, Aydreanne slept thru the night. I thought about how lucky I was to be able to get about 6 hours sleep, having to wake up only once to express milk. Other working mums I know were only getting 4 hours.

But now that I'm not working, she's waking twice in the night. Maybe she knew I had to work then and decided to help me out.

So I only get 2 - 3 hours sleep per sleep cycle as I will wake to feed her. After a feed, she usually falls right back to sleep. Whereas I'm laying in bed trying to fall asleep. And when I do, she's up again needing her next feed. So I'm still pretty sleep deprived.

But I'm very thankful that I'm not working now so that I do get to sleep in till 10am (if Aydreanne does sleep in) even if it means I only get a total of 7 hours of interrupted sleep.

But in the first few months of a baby's life, the baby is going to wake a few times in the night. So no point worrying about it or complaining. May as well just embrace it as neither of us have a choice in the matter. Things will get better in a matter of months.

Anyway, I miss her when she is asleep. Even if she's just in the next room. So I'll just enjoy this phase while it lasts, sleep deprived or not.

TNB Called Me Back

Wow! I'm impressed! TNB actually called me back after I made the email complaint. They explained the bills and clarified the amount. And today, someone else called again to check if someone has called me to settle my issue. And she said that she will send me a summary of the current amount via email. And she did. Wow .... maybe they read my blog & Facebook about how upset I was? Well they redeemed themselves this time.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad - What Customer Service?

I received 2 electric bills and am confused as to which one to pay as there are 2 different amounts. So I've been trying to call TNB since last week to get clarification. There are several numbers to call, 2 stated on the bill itself and a few on their website. So I called all of them and could get through to none.

So after waiting for a long time, I requested for a call-back but no one has called me since.

Finally today I got through to someone who told me I got the wrong number despite that number being stated on the website. I called the number she gave me instead ......but no one picked up.

I got fed up and I sent a feedback to customer service via their website. I was pleasantly surprise to receive a response that I could call up Ong Li Ling at extension 5176 or 5184 for follow up or further enquiries.

I did just that and someone picked up! It's so good to hear a human voice after an hour of listening to a machine. I asked for Miss Ong but she was out and was transferred to someone else .... who was not at her desk.

I'm back to square one. So frustrating!

I must have spent a total of about 2 hours trying to get in touch with someone so I know how much to pay THEM.

Customer service my arse!

No More Monday Blues

It's Monday and I'm at home with baby Aydreanne. No more work and no more Monday blues!

This feels so right! So right in the sense that this is meant to be. I never though I'd be the sort to give up my career to stay home with the baby but here I am doing just that.

And so right also, as in me as a mum gets to spend time with her daughter and watch her grow in the first few months of her life.

I'm loving it.

Last Day At Work

Today is my last day at work and I'm feeling elated!

When I leave a company, no matter how sucky it was, I usually feel slightly heavy hearted. Maybe it's the long hours spent there. Maybe it's the hard work put in and the work pushed out. Maybe it's the friends I made. Maybe it's a slight fear that it's the wrong move.

But this time, I feel none of the above. I just feel so happy and free. So .... right.

To all my friends, thank you for your support, encouragement and happiness for the decision I've made to quit my job to be a stay home mum. Thank you for all the Facebook posts and all the calls and SMSes.

I haven't been congratulated this much since I got pregnant.

I didn't even think congratulations were in order. But now that I think about it, it is totally appropriate.

Although I know that this is the right move for me, it feels even better to be validated and supported.

I am also thankful for Lord Gaga for totally supporting this decision.

I'm so loved.

SAHM

I'm a SAHM (or at least I will be as of this weekend).

What is a SAHM? Stay at home mum! I didn't even know there was a term and acronym for it.

And now that I am one, I realize that many friends and acqaintances of mine are too. I didn't realize just how many were SAHMs.

We're already planning lunches, coffee and play dates. It's gonna be great!

Stay At Home Mum

My Facebook is exploding with comments. Why? Because my status is:

"Bubbles has quit her job. Last day this Friday. I'm going to be a stay at home mum!:D"

And the comments are still growing and flooding in. Before I reply 1, 2 more appear.

It is surprising and shocking I guess. Especially since I just returned to work.

But that's the exact reason why this is the best time! I just got back and have not started work on any projects. So I told management I wanted to leave and negotiated not to serve my notice period. They agreed.

So I'm outta her on Friday. Just one more working day to go since tomorrow is a public holiday.

I've been a salaried worker for all of my working life. So to quit without a job just like that is scary. But it feels so right. I want to be there for Aydreanne's milestones. I want to just be there. She started to coo a word that sounds like "Hello". She smiles when you help her clap her hands. She cries shen you put her on her tummy and she's not strong enough to crawl forward yet. She beams when it's bath time. She fusses before bed because she wants to watch TV. I want to be there for all those moments.

After being a mom, a 9-5 job is no longer for me. I never thought I'd ever want it but I do feel that being a stay at home mum is probably one of the best decisions I've made.

First Day Back At Work

My heart almost broke and I almost cried when I left Aydreanne with my MIL. After being with her for 24 hours of almost 3 months, it's hard to let go. Thank goodness my office is within proximity to home so my plan is to go back to breast feed her every lunch time. And to rush home every day after work to see her.

Every minute is important because by the time I get back after work and play with her a little, we have dinner and it's time to put her to bed. She sleeps thru the night now so we try and put her to bed about 9pm and she'll wake up on her own between 5am and 6am.

At this young age, as long as she is fed when hungry, diaper is changed when soiled and receives plenty of cuddles, she is totally fine. It me the mommy who's having separation anxiety!

But judging by the number of friends on FB who are all going back to work about the same time as I am, we're all in the same boat.

2 months maternity is the norm here in Malaysia. But it's definitely too soon for a mum and baby to be separated. Just wondering when we will catch up with the other countries that give 3, 4, 6 months or even a year off.

Maybe I should move to Australia and have a baby and take 6 months of half pay leave. And get paid for it too!

Or maybe move to Japan for 1 year of paid maternity leave. One Japanese friend even managed to negotiate 2 years off!! Amazing.

An Alex Balwin Dream

I woke up feeling weird and recalled I rather hazy dream. Some weird dream involving accusing someone of theft, 2 teeth, some blood, a tall and dark hour and Alec Balwin. (Alec Balwin??!! WTF?) It must be the manifestation of the stress of going back to work.

A Few Hours Before Going Back To Work

It's 2am and I can't sleep. Been tossing around for a few hours, listening to Aydreanne's grunts, wimpers and squeals as she sleeps. I need to be up in an hour to pump milk. And then at 6 am to get Aydreanne, the maid and myself ready so I can drop them off at my MIL's and then head to work. I must be anxious about returning to work.

Going Back To Work After Baby

After 2 months of maternity leave and extending it by another 3 weeks by using all my annual leave and combining it with the Raya holidays, I have to finally return to work tomorrow. I'm totally dreading it.

3 months is definitely too early for me to leave my little baby. She's now growing bigger, cries less, communicates more and is so adorable. She coos a lot now. When she says "oooooh" and I say "oooooh" back to her, she giggles with delight. We could go on and on 'speaking' to each other this way.

In the 5 days we were in Phuket on holiday, she learnt so many new coo words. She can coo sounds that sound like "Boo", "Go", "Hello" and "How are you".

When I go back to work, how many more developments and milestones would I miss? Will I be there when she first rolls over? To crawl? To walk? To call for me?

It breaks my heart not to be with her 24 hours a day. I never thought I'd want it but I really would like to be a stay at home mum, if only for 6 months or a year. Unfortunately finances does not allow for that.

So to work I go and I'll return home every day at lunch time to see her and to breastfeed her.

Hope all goes well tomorrow!

Our First Family Holiday

How excellent! I got offered a 5 day stay at Marriot Phuket by a friend. And it was absolutely free! Since the offer was valid till end Oct and I'm still on maternity leave, it was the perfect time to go on holiday.

So along with Lord Gaga and Michelle Who Stays on the Seashore, we brought baby Aydreanne on her first trip. An overseas on too. Such a lucky girl.

We were initially slightly worried about travelling with an infant, especially one who is only 2 months and a bit. Spoke to many well seasoned parents and called up MAS to ask them what travelling with an infant entails. And off we went!

I've been told babies may be affected by the air pressure and their ears will hurt. So I constantly kept her breast feeding while on the plane. The sucking and swallowing ensured that the pressure in the ears were kept in balance. It worked and there was not a peep from her throughout the flight. In fact, she slept almost all the way. For mums travlling with very young babies but are not breasr feeding, try giving your baby a pacifier. That should have the same effect.

There are perks to travelling with an infant - priority seating and 90% off the full fare!

We arrived at the hotel and the resort picked us up and brought us to our beautiful villa. Here's the shot in the garden of the villa upon our arrival.

And this is the lane leading to the back of the villa. We got the garden villa with a plunge pool.

Mel is posing with the elephant made out of towels. The housekeeping department here is creative. And I love the little details and touches the put in all corners of the villa.

This is the hall. It's huge! Lord Gaga is checking out the place.

And the dining room with a table that seats 6.

The guest room with 2 very comfortable double beds.

And this is the master bedroom.

Check out the bathroom! I had a few luxurious bubble baths in there.

And the resort pool.

One of the best thing about Thai holidays and staying in hotels is their buffet breakfast. Always plenty of crispy bacon. And we certainly ate our money's worth. Malaysian Chinese are so pork deprived!

Aydreanne and I about to take a dip in the plunge pool.

Aydreanne and I going for a walk just outside the resort to Turtle Village.

Aydreanne feeling lonesome in her stroller while the 3 adults had a hearty lunch.

Me wearing Aydreanne's tiny hat.

The sundae from Swensens called Little Prince, consisting of or favourite Sticky Chewy Chocolate.

Aydreanne is happy and having a great holiday!

It was monsoon season while we were there but was lucky because it rained only on the last day of our trip. So before that, we took the complementary buggy to the beach which was about 5 mins drive away. The sea was rough so we just sat on the beach and let Aydreanne's feet touch the sand and water.

A cute lil frog in the garden, seeking shelter from the rain.

At Phuket airport about to head back to KL. We stopped for breakfast at Burger King.

And of course had another dose of bacon.

Aydreanne says "Don't disturb me. I'm in a foul mood cos the holiday is ending".

The resort was excellent. Service was impeccable as it's well known among the Thais. And the hotel was very baby friendly. With a concept similar to Club Med with the many activities for all ages and the baby sitting service, but with the 'highend-ness' of the Marriot name, it's certainly a resort I'd recommend to families.