Corrupt, Convert & Conquer

Baking Gingerbread Men

2010-12-14T22:00:00.005+08:00

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

2010-12-06T00:00:00.002+08:00

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

2010-11-29T22:00:00.001+08:00

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

2010-11-22T11:00:00.002+08:00

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

2010-10-25T13:00:00.003+08:00

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

2010-10-23T22:00:00.000+08:00

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.

2010-10-23T11:02:00.004+08:00

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

2010-10-18T23:51:00.003+08:00

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

2010-10-18T16:03:00.007+08:00

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

2010-10-14T23:35:00.004+08:00

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?

2010-10-10T19:00:00.000+08:00

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

2010-10-08T00:16:00.005+08:00

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

2010-10-03T02:41:00.002+08:00

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?

2010-10-03T02:28:00.003+08:00

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

2010-10-02T01:46:00.004+08:00

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

2010-10-02T01:38:00.003+08:00

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

2010-10-02T01:24:00.003+08:00

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

2010-10-02T00:41:00.005+08:00

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

2010-09-30T16:31:00.005+08:00

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

2010-09-27T22:04:00.003+08:00

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

2010-09-27T11:58:00.000+08:00

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

2010-09-27T00:49:00.004+08:00

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.

2010-09-26T23:13:00.004+08:00

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

2010-09-26T23:01:00.004+08:00

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

2010-09-25T23:17:00.005+08:00

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

2010-09-25T23:09:00.003+08:00

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?

2010-09-21T12:17:00.004+08:00

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

2010-09-20T12:00:00.000+08:00

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

2010-09-17T15:39:00.015+08:00

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

2010-09-15T23:47:00.005+08:00

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

2010-09-15T15:41:00.005+08:00

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

2010-09-13T22:00:00.004+08:00

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

2010-09-13T04:00:00.001+08:00

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

2010-09-13T02:00:00.001+08:00

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

2010-09-12T22:25:00.004+08:00

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

2010-09-02T18:00:00.002+08:00

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.

Post Natal Depression

2010-08-13T21:00:00.002+08:00

I've read about PND. And we even talked about it with a psychologist at our mums meet-up. So I was ready for it. I even got Lord Gaga to go for the talk so he knew what it was all about.

While I was pregnant, one night in bed, I felt this overwhelming feeling come over me. I turned to Lord Gaga and said "Don't freak out, but I'm going to cry".

3 seconds after that, tears started streaming down my face. Even I was shocked but there was nothing I could do about it.... but I knew to blame it on the hormones. Hehe. So that was our first hand experience.

And I was totally fine after the birth of the baby. Until today.

I was breastfeeding Aydreanne in bed at about 5am when I started thinking about how tired I am from getting up every few hours to breast feed.

Then I thought how expensive a baby is, not just the milk, diapers and visits to the doctor but also her trust fund, education etc.

Then I though about how I had to go back to work because we needed the money even though I really didn't want to because I wanted to be a full time mum.

That led to the pressure of making more money on top of what my day time job was paying.

Which means I'll have even less time to spend with baby Aydreanne.

It just spiralled down and down till I was sobbing uncontrollably, had to unlatch Aydreanne from breast feeding and wake Lord Gaga up to take care of her while I get a hold of myself.

Wow, those hormones are powerful!

After I composed myself, looked at Aydreanne, she gave me a smile.

And everything seems fine again.

Things have a way of working themselves out and worrying is just a waste of time.

We can only give our kids the best we can give. And no one can fault us otherwise.

Pics from Aydreanne's 1st Month

2010-07-24T18:00:00.008+08:00

It's true that new parents take pics of their first baby's every move. Check these ones out.

I'm so tiny, Daddy can hold my face in his hand.

Hello World!

I may be a few days old but I'm independant.

I want my milk ...... NOW!!!!!

That's more like it.

My confinement

2010-07-08T21:00:00.003+08:00

I recommend every new mum to get a pui yuet / confinement lady.

Innitially we decided against it because we wanted to save the money and felt that with all the family members' help, we could manage. But after speaking to new mums and their mums, everyone agreed it's best to hire one. So we did.

And she is god sent!

She takes care of the baby throughout the night so that I can sleep. And whenever Aydreanne cries or fusses, she is there to feed, change and bathe her.

So all I do is breast feed Aydreanne and play with her when she is in a good mood.

Oh and eat all the yummy and rich confinement food such as rice wine ginger chicken, vinegared pigs trotters (chi keok cho) and pork in tumeric. And lotsa soups. And essense of chicken, boiled from scratch.

I don't know how the westerners do it, without the help of a pui yuet and sometimes even no help from their mothers because they live apart. It must be tough.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my confinement.

Oh and I get to watch all the TV I want because I have so much time on my hands.

Luckily I stocked up on Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, Gray's Anatomy and Lie to Me. Which I watched one a week.

Confinement is almost like a holiday. And if u were working previously, it's a paid holiday called maternity leave! I could do this again!

Aydreanne & I Check Out of the Hospital

2010-06-28T10:00:00.002+08:00

The doctor still recommends that Aydreanne continue phototherapy. Or alternatively, to rent the equipment and do it at home.

We said no to either, preferring to bring her home and heal the jaundice the traditional way - a bath in Guinness and some time in the sun.

And being home with family member and a comfortable environment.

Baby Aydreane has Jaundice

2010-06-25T11:00:00.000+08:00

I'm totally fine and can check out .... I keep on saying 'check out' instead of discharge because the hospital room is so nice and service is great so it feels like a hotel.

But poor Aydreanne has jaundice. 3 out of 5 babies these days get jaundice. In fact, every one of my friends' babies had jaundice.

The paedetritian recommended that Aydreanne go for the photolight theraphy and that we stay on in the hospital as boarders since I was breast feeding. We agreed because which parent would willingly leave their newborn baby in the hospital?

We brought Aydreanne to the nursery. They stripped her down to her diaper and placed some wool over her eyes (this is really 'pulling wool over her eyes') and placed her tummy down in a basinette and under the blue light. She began to cry. Then I begand to cry. Then she screamed louder and I wailed louder.

Poor Lord Gaga didn't know what to do.

Finally we all calmed down and we left her there and tiny and red and under the blue light. I went back to my room to cry.

The Birth of Baby Aydreanne

2010-06-24T22:00:00.001+08:00

2.15am
I woke up to pee, yet again. I'm totally getting used to waking up and peeing 3 to 4 times in the night.

2.30am
I feel a little strange. Like a mild tummy upset but not really so I decided to lie back down on the bed. The weirdness continued. Could this be contractions? No way .... not when my EDD is more than 2 weeks away. Nevertheless, I started timing them.

4.00am
The weird feelings were 5 to 4 minutes apart. But they don't feel like contractions.

4.30am
The weird feelings were becoming more unfomfortable. I woke Lord Gaga and told him what I felt and we decided to time them together.

5.00am
Still 4 to 5 minutes apart. But no pain. Hmmmm

5.30am
Told Lord Gaga that we should go to the hospital to get it checked out. But not to worry, it CAN'T be contractions. I'm not due and there's no pain.

6.00am
We arrive at the hospital. Told the nurses I'm feeling a little odd. They strap me into this monitor thing for half hour.

6.30am
The nurse comes back in.
Nurse: You're having contractions.
Me: Huh? What do you mean?
Nurse: You're in labour.
Me: Huh? What? Labour? Like real labour? As in, I'm going to have my baby today?
Nurse: (Nonchalantly) Yup, today. Please go to the labour ward.
Me: ????

6.40am
As I was convinced I was not in labour, we didn't bring all of our packed bags, just half of them so, still in shock, we got into the car and headed home.

7.10am
Got home, took a shower, grabbed my bags and told our new Cambodian maid who doesn't speak much English - "Maam. Baby come now. You stay here. Maggi Mee. U eat. Bye!" and we ran out the door

7.12am
Met the neighbour on the way out and chatted for a while. All the time, the contractions were becoming stronger.

7.20am
Told Paul to swing by Mc D as I was hungry. As there were no places to stop and we didn't want to park, he dropped me off while I went in.
Me: 1 big breakfast and 1 sausage McMuffin. To go.
Mc D server: Coffee or tea?
Me: (Deep breathe) 1 coffee and 1 tea (cluthes counter top tightly while bending over in pain)
Mc D server: Here u go.
Me: Thank you (Grabs food and half run, half hobble out the door to Lord Gaga's waiting truck)

7.45am
I go straight to the labour room while Lord Gaga goes to register me. Nurses were already expecting me and made em comfortable and gave me a realy ugly and thick green gown to change into.

8.00am
The doc comes in to check and asks a few questions. Predict's I'll deliver about 1pm or 2pm

8.15am
I go into meditation and practise my Hypnobirthing methods. They work. With every contraction, I breathe and relax and the pain subsided.

8.30am
I ask to try the ethonox gas. It's fun! Tastes funny and every breath gets me high. Giggling, I ask Lord Gaga to try.

8.45am
Lord Gaga puts on some photos of scenic beaches on his laptop for me to see and futher relax. And played my meditation CD.

9.00am
By now, the pain was so strong, I was on all fours on the bed with my ass in the air, rocking back and forth.

9.15am
The doc came in to check me again and asked if I wanted the epidural. I said no, I wanted to do this naturally. He said okay but in his experience, the epi helps mothers relax and therefore able to birth the baby more quickly. And it will be more comfortable too.

9.30am
No amount of breathing (natural or gas), visualisation, rocking, walking or moving is helping. I felt PAIN! I was at 5cm. I was thinking ... if this is the pain at 5cm, what is going to happen at 10cm when the baby is ready to be pushed? Bring on the epi NOW!

9.45am
They administer the epi. I didn't feel any pain apart from when they put the needlle in ... or when they pushed the epi liquid in ... can't tell which. Anyway, i felt an electric jolt then was asked to lay down. I was then shivering uncontrolably, an effect of the epi (some people puke).

10.30am
The epi took on its full effect and while I felt no pain, I could feel movement which was important cos I didn't want to be so numb that I could not push.

10.45am
The doctor came in again and said that I was ready.
Me: Huh? Ready for what?
Doc: Ready to push.
Me: Err ... okay

10.55am
More nurses and midwives came in to hold me hand, monitor me and encourage me. Lord Gaga was standing right next to the doctor.

11.00am
The pushing begins. The nurses tell me when a contraction was happening and told me when to push.

11.30am
The doctor says that I'm pushing very hard and doing a good job but the baby wasn't coming. Lord Gaga says he can see the baby's head. Doctor said he'll need to "help me out". I prayed he didn't say the dreaded "C" word. Whatever it was, I hope no C section was involved. Instead, he took out a vacuum and stuck it on my baby's head.

And before 12 noon
With just 2 more pushes, my baby was out.
And within 3 seconds of being birthed, my baby girl was placed on my tummy.
Eyes wide opened, she looked into my eyes.
It was totally sureal.

Welcome to the world, little baby Aydreanne Alexia Wong!

Mummy and Daddy loves u so much. Good job with the birthing!

Week 38

2010-06-23T12:50:00.002+08:00

Believe it or not, I'm now at the 38th week of my pregnancy. While 'normal' gestation is 40 weeks, it is also not unusual for a baby the arrive 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after the 40th week. This means the baby could be here any time now!

I've been busy with work, packing, moving, house reno etc but as i go into my last few weeks, i feel a lack of energy and I do know that I should not strain myself. So I've been taking it easy and putting my feet up whenever possible.

I'm ready to meet my baby and it's all very exciting. With every little pain or ache I feel, I stop and wonder "Is this it"? I have not felt any Braxton Hicks contractions so I really don't know what a contraction feels like, practise or other wise.

But she is moving a lot. Hiccuping or stretching maybe. I can feel her every movement. Sometimes Paul and I lay in bed and watch my belly as it bounces and wobbles around. We talk to her and she responds with a movement. It's totally amazing. And she makes ur laugh out loud with her in-belly antics. I think this is going to be an active baby. Paul say, just like her mother. If that's true, we're in real trouble!

Hope the baby comes on time and not sooner because the new house is still being renovated! Painting is happening today and apparently there's thinner smell all over.

But contractors (they are all liars) promised that the place will be ready today (after postponing the date about 3 times). If so, we can get the place cleaned up and we can move in by this weekend.

Hope the baby doesn't come too late either because I'm beginning to feel like I can't carry this weight around anymore. I've put on 21kgs since I got pregnant! And now that the baby is growing too, try as I might, I cannot walk in a straight line. My belly sways from side to side and if i could look at myself from the back, I'm sure my ass is too!

New house, new baby. Exciting times ahead!

Burger King Sri Hartamas Closes Down And Now I Want A Burger

2010-04-20T22:56:00.002+08:00

Drove past the Shell in Hartamas and saw that the Burger King had shut down. I do like their burgers even tho I only go there about once in 6 months. But now that they are closed, I find myself asking Lord Gaga where's the next nearest Burger King. I do feel like a Mushroom Swiss Double now. Why is it that humans want what they can't have or when it's no longer there?

Hmmm could be linked to the fact that I love having a pool, BBQ area, playground, sauna, gym, tennis courts, chill out area and the usual amnities within a condo even tho I hardly use them and despite paying for their maintainance every month. It's a nice-to-have and I know I'd feel deprived if they weren't there even if I had no use for them and no longer paying for them.

Us humans are a funny lot.

Baby Cost Costs

2010-04-18T00:25:00.001+08:00

How is it that my queen sized bed frame costs RM799 and a baby's cot costs RM1,299. And the baby's latex mattress which comes highly recommnded costs RM699 while my 4 times larger quuen sized mattress costs under RM1,000?

So far we have purchased a Peg Perago Switch stroller and Recaro Infant to Toddler car seat which costs just uhnder RM5,000. I forsee we'd have spent double that amount by the time the baby get's here .... excluding hospitalisation etc.

And that's just 2 1/2 months away. How quick is that! How exciting!

Voracious Appetite

2010-03-23T10:00:00.000+08:00

I woke up at 6am this morning, could not get back to bed and feeling as ravenous as a ....... what animal is usually ravenous?

Okay never mind. So I got up and ate chocolate Quaker oats while watching TV.

I went back to bed at 7am, and slept till 8 plus when I had to get up for work.

I made a cheese sandwhich and ate it while driving to work.

When I got to work, I stopped by at San Francisco Coffee and picked up a latte and crioissant.

So 3 meals in 3 hours.

No wonder I've put on 15kgs since i got pregnant. But I can't help it! I'm so hungry all the time....

5 months / 22 Weeks

2010-03-12T10:39:00.002+08:00

Believe it or not, I'm 5 months pregnant now! .... Or 22 weeks if u follow how the medical profession counts it.

It was been amazing so far and I can't stop thanking God for giving me a relatively stress free pregnancy. No morning sickness or nausea at all. In fact, my hair is more lustrous and is growing fast and falls in beautiful layers. My face is glowing and is not too oily. And my boobs are as big and lovely as ever. Despite being pregnant, I have a bounce in my step and I've not slowed down at all.

Apart from giving up smoking entirely, cutting down alcohol and coffee by 95%, there's not much other changes in lifestyle.

The only angst I have is extremely itchy and flaky and dry skin on my body and extremities. This results in investing in mild shower creams (yes, and adding on to my collection of a few hundred bottles of different toiletries), taking more showers and constantly lotioning every inch of my body. I do this about 3 times a day. So it's a bit of a hassle but it does provide relief. And I'd take this any day compared to having morning sickness.

Life has also been pretty busy with work, my event planning, educating ourselves with all things to do with baby, going baby window shopping, doing actual baby stuff shopping soon, packing, planning the renovation on our new place (yes we are moving and I can't want to work on the baby room!), moving to the new place, going for pre natal yoga ...

There's just so much to do so I'm sorry if I disappoint some of you with less updates on this blog.

I will do my best to share all the exciting news with you. :)

Welcoming 2010 with a Bun in the Oven

2010-01-01T15:44:00.003+08:00

Happy 2010 everyone!

Hope that 2009 was good to you and that the new year will bring even more love, joy, peace, happiness and every success to you.

My blog has been quiet for such a long time. And that's because so much has happened in the last 6 months.

I started a new job in yet another big ad agency.

I turned my event planning hobby into something real and have since planned one wedding with 2 more to come in 2010. We are in the midst of a product research and will be working on a PR launch. Together with Fruitcake, we have set up Bubbles & Fruitcake Event Planning, specialising in wedding planning but we do all aspects related to events. More info here: www.bubblesandfruitcake.blogspot.com

And this is the biggest news of all. ..... I'm going to be a mommy come July 2010! And it's going to be a Tiger baby.

And so is Fruitcake. Yes we planned to get pregnant together so this is very exciting.

I've been lying low not just on the blog but in my everyday life too. But now that the initial shock is over and I've settled into a routine, I'm feeling much more myself.

So I shall post up some of the most eventful moments in the past few months. Enjoy reading the come back of this blog and the back dated posts from the last few months.

From psychotic trice-a-week clubber to married woman to mum-to-be. All within just a span of 2 years. Life is a constant change and it just gets more and more exciting.

1st Check Up

2009-12-19T15:00:00.003+08:00

When we were planning for a kid, I spoke to friends who were already parents about their OBGYNs, the hospitals they were attached to, their overall experience in the hospital and my friends' personal opinion of the doctors.

My birth plan is natural with epi. So it is a little worrying when 75% of the mothers I know had to go through an emergency C Section. Not only were they not prepared mentally and emotionally but the price can jump from RM2k to RM12kin an instant.

From what I understand, many OBGYNs prefer C-Sec to natural because it's more manageable, it can be scheduled in, there's less risk (but longer recovery time) and they can charge more.

So I shortlisted the docs and selected those which try and push for natural where possible. I went for a consultation with them to meet them face-ta-face, check out their bedside manners and to see if the rapport was right.

So now that I am pregnant, it was easy to pick up the phone and make an appointment with my chosen doc.

I also decided on Damansara Specialist Hospital because of it's proximity to home. Monthly check ups which increase in frequency in the last few months can be a chore.

Not to mention the time you spend in the waiting room after making an appointment weeks in advanced if your OBGYN is one which comes highly recommended and is thus more popular.

My first appointment was at 12.30pm but I on;t got called in after 2pm.

I went in and said "Hi doc. When I first saw you, I wasn't pregnant but I am now".

To check he replied "Well done!".

I thought that was a rather odd response. Then I realized that in this day and age, it really isn't that easy to get pregnant. More and more couples are turning to fertility clinics. Damansara Women's Specialist is now Tropicana Medical Centre. So that says a lot. So I guess 'Well done" makes sense.

We spoke a bit then did a scan. That little being in me is 4.8cm and we could see it was almost fully form. Tiny, but the head, spine, limbs & fingers could all be sen clearly. It was jumping up and down and waving it's hands up. How strange. The scan showed that all is well and normal.

So I headed off to do my blood test. And I don't know if it was because of the needle puncture or sheer shock but when the cashier said the cost was RM580, I could not bring myself to bring out the credit card.

I knew having a kid was expensive but perhaps I'm not quite prepared. I'm gonna call my financial advisor soon to talk about setting up a trust fund.

Boobs. Big Ones.

2009-11-03T11:00:00.000+08:00

Its weird being newly pregnant and being at work. I'm sitting at my desk and working. But I keep on thinking of this clump of cells which makes up the blastocyst within me. I'm distracted from work and I keep on reminding myself to stay stress free. I've not announced to anyone at work but I have quit smoking. So I'm guessing people will be catching on very soon.

Also, my boobs are a lot bigger. They look great and I often stare at myself in the mirror. Nice!

But man do they hurt!

Guess everything comes with a price.

I love my new cleavage!

Yes yes sure they will deflate later on but while it's here, why not enjoy it to the full? My low cut dresses are coming out!

Finding Out

2009-11-01T10:00:00.002+08:00

My period is late. By 4 days. And I've been feeling .... different. I know we have been 'trying' but could it really be true? I rolled around in bed and looked at Paul who was still sleeping. Not being one to worry or think too much when there is an easy solution, I got up and went to the bathroom.

I looked at the few brands of home pregnancy test kits on the shelf and picked up the cheapest one - Dip & Tell. I figured if it was a negative, i would not have wasted RM30. The cheap brands come with a cup which you pee into then dip a stick in it. I did just that and stared at the stick for a few seconds. One pink line appeared. Then another. I freaked a little. Then stopped myself and picked up the instruction leaflet instead. Okay so I did it right. And 2 lines means pregnant. Hmmm but it's a cheap test. Maybe there's an error.

So I waited a while.

Then opened the package of the very expensive Clear Blue home pregnancy test kit. It comes in a plastic wand with a cap on one end which you open and pee onto the fabric-like tip. I did just that. I recapped it and placed it on the counter. One line appeared. Right. That means the test is working properly.

Then a vertical line appeared. A few seconds later, a horizontal line intersected the first line. So a '+' wasnow staring at me. It was as clear as day. Both lines were prominent and it was no disputing the sign staring at me. Without freaking this time, I picked up the instruction leaflet just to check what '+' means. And I picked up the wand to have an even closer look.

It said: '+' indicates that you are pregnant.

Okay so I'm pregnant. We've been trying. It's a planned pregnancy. And now I'm pregnant. Okay ....

I"M PREGNANT??!!!

I nearly threw the wand as I backed into the wall and caught my breath. After a few minutes, I went to the bed and woke Paul up. He grunted. I said "Wake up, I've something to tell you". He mumbled, "What? You're pregnant?". I replied, "Yes". He grunted again and went back to sleep.

5 seconds later, his eyes flew open and he stared at me. I merely nodded.

He was immediately awake after that.

We're having a baby!

Bubbles & Lord Gaga's 1st Wedding Anniversary Party

2009-10-18T10:00:00.000+08:00

In the blink of an eye, Lord Gaga and I have been married one full year. We celebrated with family and friends by having our first wedding anniversary in Bijou, Mont Kiara.

Our wedding anniversary falls on 18th October but the party was on 17th October. Since it was also Deepavali, we had the theme of 'Scents of a Fragrant Garden". Guests came in Indian costumes and it was a very colourful party indeed.

And who better to plan the party but Bubbles & Fruitcake Events?

Tuck the Hammie Died 0223hrs Today

2009-07-21T11:03:00.004+08:00

Paul & I bought 2 hamsters in February.

Nip aka Skinny. And Tuck aka Fatty.

We were unsure if we should get a pair of same sex hamsters but in the end, decided on a male & female pair. Tuck was pregnant some time ago and gave birth to 6 baby hamsters. But due to reasons unknown to us, none of the babies survived.

It's hard to tell when a hamster is pregnant but watching Tuck's bahaviour last night, it did look like she was in pain and was going into labour.

As we learnt from the first time round, the best thing to do is not to do anything and leave her alone. We're not even supposed to peer into their home as it stresses the mother out.

So off we went to bed at midnight. At about 2am, Paul got up from bed to check on them and found that Tuck was in the middle of giving birth but there seems to be complications. He held her while she took her last breath.

I woke up this morning and saw Nip in their home. I thought it was rather strange that there were some peeled kuachi in a corner. Usually the hamsters would peel it and eat it right away. I thought Tuck was sleeping inside the house.

Then Paul told me this morning that Tuck died. Poor Nip is in mourning!

I'm feeling sad too and am reminded that this is the feeling one gets when your pet dies. This is one reason why getting a pet is not always a good idea. They bring you a lot of joy. But the more joy the bring when they are alive, the sadder you are when they die.

Poor Nip. Poor Tuck.

RIP Tuck. Hope you are in Hammie Heaven with all the kuachi you can eat.

Bombing in Jakarta Again - Marriot & Ritz

2009-07-17T10:16:00.007+08:00

The Ritz in Jakarta just got bombed! Just happened and just heard about it so no details yet. Heard that the Marriot was also bombed. CNN didn't mentioned Marriot but if it is true, that's horrible, especially since they were bombed a few years back.

Just 2 days ago, there was a fire in MK Bayu. Not that there's any connection, but the recent space of celebrity deaths, fires, bombs .... it's pretty depressing. What's going on?

Ogilvy

2009-07-17T10:12:00.005+08:00

I started work at Ogilvy about 2 weeks back. While it's not been too stressful yet, time has absolutely flown by. I'm starting to get immersed into the work and I'm already a part of the Ogilvy Cheerleading team for the Corbis Futsal Tournament that's coming up. I've also been roped in to organize the opening ceremony and party for the newly renovated bar and chill out area for the agency. I'm already begining to feel tired and not being able to wake up in the mornings.

Well, at least my mother-in-law commented at dinner last night that my skin looks good. This means I'm really not as stressed as I think I am. Hehe.

Starting Work Soon And Will Have To Hit The Ground Running

2009-06-28T00:50:00.003+08:00

On second thoughts, maybe it's not so great I'm starting work so soon.

Yes I'm now well rested, I have my energy back and my spirit have been lifted.

I've completed about 80% of my To Do List which consisted of about 80 over items.

I am beginning to be slightly bored at times.

And I've been spending way too much money for a person who's not working.

But ... the guy I'm going to replace at my new job just told me to enjoy the rest of my holiday because as soon as I get into work, I'll have to hit the ground running.

I'm grateful for the heads up but I'm already starting to feel stressed!

Losing Track Of Time

2009-06-28T00:42:00.003+08:00

I saw John the Chef on MSN and proceeded to send him the following message:

"Hello! What r u doin online? It's Friday. Aren't workin?"

To which he replied:

"Hallo. I've finished work. And it's Sunday"

Whoops! Indeed it is a Sunday night. In fact, it's technically Monday morning now.

Not working and not having a set routine is wrecking havoc on my sense of time.

My time keeping is also often off. Not having deadlines to chase not that many appointments to keep, means I don't apportion sufficient time to get up, get ready, get out of the house and drive to a destination.

Good thing I'm starting work soon!

Lower Back Pains Already?

2009-06-28T00:18:00.002+08:00

I know that I'm only 32 and I'm still young but my body is certainly beginning to feel old. Forget the grunting when i sit down in a low seat or getting up after being sated for a long time. That started about 2 years back.

But these days, after seated for a period of time, I actually feel a sharp pain on my lower back when I get up! It lasts about 5 seconds, then slowly goes away.

I was complaining to Fruitcake and she merely said "Oh that's normal" then proceeded to show me how she bends her body with her shoulders hunched and her back pushed forward in order to ease the pain.

We're in our 30s and we're getting all these ailments already? We're growing old right before our eyes.

We now understand why our grandmothers used to stoop forward, and beat their lower backs with a fist after they get up from a sitting position.

RIP MJ

2009-06-26T13:48:00.002+08:00

Rest in Peace Michael Jackson!

You were a child star, then rose to be the king of pop. Then you got a pretty weird towards the end.

But still, you once rocked the world! And The world mourns your death.

Rest in peace.

Not Working Is Expensive

2009-06-26T13:27:00.003+08:00

I've been back for 2 days and I've spent RM1000!

I can back on Wednesday morning.

A the airport, I spent RM186 at duty free on alcohol, cigarettes and chocolates.

I got back home, showered, and met Michelle Who Stays On The Seashore for lunch. And after that I sent RM218 on DVDs!

Got home, changed, picked Fruitcake up and went to Angle Caster for our meditation class. We went earlier and found that there was going to be a change in manangement and there was a moving out sale. We spent an hour looking at crystals, crystal holders, sun catchers, dream catchers, candles, pendants and more. And i end up spending RM234 on several items!

And on Thursday, I went for lunch with Kit at Ikea Cafe. And after lunch, I was in Curve running errands when I saw that Nichhi City was on sale. There were a few items I liked there which I held off because I was going for the Singapore Sale. Now that Nichhi was on sale too, i went in to pick up the pieces I wanted. Another RM189 there.

For dinner, Paul and I went to Ayam Penyet in The Curve. We wanted to go to Ikea to pick up a floor uplighter but along the way, we passd by Aussino which was on sale. The 600 thread count duvet covers and bedsheets were going at 70% off. And it's 600 thread count too! Apart from luxury hotels, I've never slept on 600 thread countbedding before. So there's another RM212 there.

So I've spent RM1,000 in 36 hours! This is apart from the throusands I spent at the Great Singapore Sale.

What happened? I've never been a shopper. And I loathe shopping. And I always think twice about spending money.

Not working is getting to be really expensive for me!

I'm guessing not being focused on work and career gives me more time and excuse to walk around a mall and be lured by sales, to want to organize the house, to decorate the house, and generally have more time to be ou and spend money.

Back from Singapore

2009-06-26T13:14:00.002+08:00

Singapore was great!

The Great Singapore Sale wasn't great, compared to the ones in the years before. Most stores were on 30% discount. But then again, with the minimal discounts, the stuff were still cheaper than what we can usually get in KL.

So in the end I did shop. In Ralph Lauren, Massimo Dutti, Banana Republic, Esprit, URS and more. It's a good thing I brought an almost empty luggage bag.

I don't usually shop and frankly I find it a hassle to look through clothes, get pushed and shoved, look for the right sizes, line up at the changing rooms, change into the clothes, look at it at all angles, bend over and move around to ensure it's a right fit, decide which ones I like, mentally calculate the price after the dicount, decide if the price was worth the item and after all that, move on to the next store and start all over again.

It's so tiring.

But after shoppng and hunting, I did end up with many peices of clothing I really liked.

It comes at a great time too cos many of my old clothes no longer fit or was out of style.

And, I'm starting work soon! This new company seems to be a little dressier than my last few companies. So I'm looking wearing a brand new wardrobe to a brand new job.

It was also great to catch up with my old friends in Singapore. I was great seeing u Gary, Lance, Rina & Yenny!

Off to Singapore!

2009-06-17T23:31:00.002+08:00

I'm off to Singapore tomorrow for the Great Singapore Sale and to meet up with friends too.

And I have such a packed holiday ahead!

Better go on holiday before I need to start work again.

I'm leaving in the morning and arriving at lunch time. Banana Gary will pick me up for lunch and a spot of shopping before I head to an aunt's house for dinner.

Maybe will go out for drinks after that if Dawn came come out to meet me.

The full daytime Friday will be dedicated to shopping then it's dinner and drinks with Lance and gang.

On Saturday, I'll meet Yenny and Divemaster Gan to shop for dive gear.

And if weather permits, I'll hang out at Cafe Del Mar in Sentosa.

On Sunday, it's lunch with Jasmine as soon as she touches down in Singapore and that's the end of my Singapore trip!

It feels like it ended even before it began!

No Walk In The Park Tomorrow

2009-06-09T22:21:00.005+08:00

I take it back. I'm not going to walk in the park tomorrow.

My calves and thigh muscles really hurt!

I didn't think it'll be this bad till I realized that I walked 8km this morning. Including uphill terrain. And after zero vigorous exercise in more than 6 months.

I'm gonna stay in tomorrow. Possibly in front of the TV with my legs up.

I'll resume the walk in the park next week. And maybe walk 5km only.

So I guess I'll sleep in tomorrow.

One of the many luxuries one doesn't often get.

A Walk in the (Taman Tun) Park

2009-06-09T11:00:00.000+08:00

I've tried walking the Taman Tun Hill and each time I trudge up that hill, I'm cursing and out of breath. But once I've completed it, I feel really good!

So when Hosanna told me that she walks in the Taman Tun Park (it's next to the hill and much less challenging) every weekday mornings, I told he I'd join her.

I woke up at 7.30am this morning, donned on my sports gear which hardly sees the light of day, and went to the park. We started walking and chatting and before long, we actually completed one round around the pond, one round uphill round the pond and one more round around the pond. We did so well that we even decided to walk down the road to check out the Hutan Rimba and walked one round there.

We walked a total of 1 1/2 hours non-stop. And it wasn't as hard as I thought it'll be.

I may just walk in the park more mornings of my weekdays. And eventually, maybe tackle The Hill again.

Ikea - No More Plastic Shopping Bags

2009-06-06T17:33:00.003+08:00

As of yesterday, 5th June 2009, Ikea will no longer be giving out plastic shopping bags to shoppers. They are doing their bit to reduce the amount of plastic bags which are harmful to our environment. Animal and sea creatures are hurt by them. And it just contributes to more waste.

If shoppers still want a plastic bag, they can have the usual Ikea bags for 10 sen and 20 sen per bag, depending on the size.

Sales from the plastic bags will be donated to the Malaysian Nature Society for the Climate Change Programme which includes planting of mangrove trees at Kuala Selangor Nature Park.

I love that they used actual Ikea products as part of the campaign!

This is great! Ikea bags are durable and biogedradable and with this move, they are taking an even strong stance in protecting our environment. It's geat to see big companies, well loved companies, doing this to encourage individuals to do the same. Small changes in our habits and lifestyles bring about huge positive changes in the world we live in.

And the big blue Ikea carrier bag which usually retails at EM3.90, is now available at RM1.90.

I currently have shopping bags in the car for when I go grocery shopping. I'll now remember to bring a bigger bag for when I'm shopping in kea.

Another reason why Ikea is a brand I love.

More Baby Girls Than Boys

2009-06-06T13:45:00.004+08:00

Now that I'm at that age where most of my peers are married and are having babies, I noticed that there seems to be a lot more baby girls.

Fruitcake and Ed has Isabelle.

Twister Gwen & Dason just had Chloe.

Sue Ann has Kay Lee.

Helene & Alex has Gabrielle.

Desmond & Diana has Faith.

Aileen has Kaitlyn.

Kuen has Hannah.

Tamilzchelvi has Apsara.

Wendy and Ee are going to have a girl in September.

The only couple with a boy is Chris A & Eilene. They have Aidan.

Wonder why that's so. Is it a coincidence that most of my friends have girls? Or is it that there really are more girls born into this world than boys these days.

Welcome Chloe Abigail Vela!

2009-06-06T13:41:00.002+08:00

Fruitcakes' lil sister, Twister Gwen just delivered a healthy baby girl this morning in Melbourne, Australia.

Welcome to the world, Chloe Abigail Vela!

And congrats Gwen & Dason!

Hugs, love & kisses to the Chua & Vela family.

Vegetarian Wednesday & Meditation Class

2009-06-03T22:00:00.000+08:00

Vegetarian Wednesdays are back again!

Not that they ever left but I found it difficult to be vegetarian every Wednesday because its hard sometimes during a business lunch or when I'm eating with a group in a place which does have vegetarian dishes or have crappy ones. In which case, I'll be vegetarian on another occasion or on another day.

But now that I'm not working, I'm going to be vegetarian on Wednesdays as well as any other meal or day I can.

And as an added reason, Fruitcake and I have started meditation classes. It lasts for an hour on Wednesday evenings. It's Meditation for Stress Management. They guy who leads the class, Chi Choong, is not only a psychologist but also a clairvoyant. I never thought that that combination would work. Science is science. And the new age spiritual world is ... well, a completely different work, isn't it?

But now that we got to know him and tried out a few classes, it makes perfect sense. We start the class with an aura reading, go through the theories of the meditation we're about to do, do the meditation, and discuss about it afterwards while looking up and around to see if our spirit guides made an appearance.

So Fruitcake and I now go to class together but with slightly different agendas. She goes to meditate to try and understand and deal with her depression. While I go to develop my psychic abilities. I always felt that i could 'feel' things and I'm not finally ready to take it to the next level. It's been a little scary so far, but it's also been interesting. There are many branches of psychicism but the ones I'm most interested in is clairvoyance and aura reading. I'll update again once I've had some success in 'seeing' things. :)

2 Upcoming Parties

2009-05-29T15:48:00.003+08:00

Now that I've time on my hands again, I'm going what comes natural to me. Party planning!

I've 2 up my sleeves already.

The first is an event my American Express. It's called Chocs-2-Die For Soiree. That's the easy one. I just need to see who wants to go, make the reservations, remind people and make sure everyone has a good time. But you'll be surprise how such a simple event can become complicated when there's more than 4 people on the guests lists. Timing, availability, proximity, logistics ... all come into play.

Naked Teoh was online and I was telling him that I want to plan a party and the first thing he asked was "What's the theme". Hahaha! I told him he was smart to know that there was a theme and he replied "With u... a party without a theme is like a diver without their oxygen tank" . So true!

So the second party is going to be a house party and since World Environmental Day, Summer Solstice, Flag Day, Fairy Day and Best Friends Day fall in June, the theme could be one of those. Or it may even be 'Come As Your Past Life Character'.

I'm going as a witch or a fairy naturally.

Less Time, More Money. More Time, Less Money.

2009-05-29T14:57:00.004+08:00

Now that I'm not working and have loads of time on my hands, I'm spending more money. I just spent a few hundred bucks buying DVD box sets to catch up on all the TV series I've missed. And having lunches with friends. And since I'm moving around running errands and meeting friends, I'm using a lot more petrol and paying a lot more parking too.

Guess I've to start staying home more often to watch the DVDs I've purchased, have friends over for lunches and coffees and start thinking of businesses I can do online and working from home.

And start using up those prepaid spa, massages and mani & pedi sessions!

Angel Healing - I was a Witch. Now that explains a lot.

2009-05-26T20:00:00.004+08:00

I had lunch with Fruitcake at Champs and after she went back to work, I went for an angel healing session at Angel Caster.

I went for an angel reading before over there. It's just like a crystal ball reading or a tarot card reading but the person conducting the session will listen for the angel's message or answer and she'll tell it to you.

The person who does that at Angel Caster is Stephanie van Driesen. It was an interesting session and friends who went for the angel reading often followed up with an angel healing session.

The moment I walked in, Stephanie asked me if I was sure I wanted to do an Angel Healing session because I didn't look like i needed any healing. "That's cos I quit my job!" I told her but wanted to experience it anyway.

So we went into the room, she called upon the angels and started singing in this amazing voice, like a dolphin at times, which surrounded the whole room and lifted me up. Not literally, but there were times I felt I was floating or hanging almost upside down. A few interesting past life experiences surfaced and she 'healed' those experiences. She also mentioned a few past lives I've lived which really explained why I am the way I am now in this life.

She even told me my life's purpose in this life.

For those who believe in past life, there are things which happen and you carry into this life time. And those things effect you but you do not know about it or are unable to do much about it. This healing cuts the cords that bind you to the negative elements in those lifetimes so that the lessons which you're supposed to learn or the bad experiences do not affect you as much in this lifetime.

What I can reveal to you about one of my past lives was that I was a witch in a village in Scotland. That explains why I always look forward to Halloween and can't wait to wear my witch's outfit. Or why I love Harry Potter. Or why I'm always curious about potions and spells. Hahaha. But all of this also goes to a much deeper level of my being in this lifetime.

That's something I should definitely explore further.

Work-Free Day 2

2009-05-26T09:00:00.001+08:00

Ah bliss. I woke up, pottered around the house and seeing how gloomy, chilly and windy the morning was, I'm now having a croissant and coffee at the balcony. Worklessness is great!

First Non Working Day

2009-05-25T11:00:00.000+08:00

My first work-free day!

And there's so much I want to do like finally file my documents, clean up the house, declutter, clear out the larder, catch up with friends, go to the dentist, sell stuff on e-bay, think of online business ideas, meet my financial planner to consolidate monetary matters, reiew my insurance policy, watch up on TV series, develop photos for PADI Advance Diver card, develop photos from the wedding (I know! That's not fully completed yet), chase the videographer for the wedding video (again, I know!), got for a mani & pedi, go for a spa, start yoga again, learn meditation, sit the by pool and maintain my tan, host a party, think of a theme for that party, post pics up from the Komodo trip, read, blog more and so much more!

These are all the items on my To Do List which were neglected because I was too busy working.

And now that I'm not working, seems like I've loads to do!

I shall start my first official non-working day by having lunch with Michelle, one among several non-working friends. Yay!

Last Day At Work

2009-05-22T16:13:00.006+08:00

Today is my last day at Euro. Woo hoo! Freedom!

Don't understand why I didn't quit any earlier.

Now I can look forward to coffees with friends, spas, manis & pedis, catching up with friends, Facebooking more, try and finish reading all the books I've bought and so much more.

To not have anything else waiting for me later on is both scary and liberating.

But I'm going to enjoy what I can while I can.

1 hours 40 mins and I'll officially be work-free!

For now, I'll while away the time at Starbucks with my MD and my ex Account Director.

Yay! I'm outta here!

Komod LOB Dive Trip

2009-05-22T14:47:00.016+08:00

The Komodo Live-on-board dive trip was absolutely amazing! Scary but amazing and relaxing and exciting at the same time.

All we did was ......

- wake up when someone bangs on our door and yell "BRIEFING!!!!"

- come out of our rooms, still in our jammies, rub our eyes and listen to the briefing.

- after the briefing, straight away check our equipment and suit up

- jump onto the small boat, head out to the dive site, jump in and do a 45min - 1 hour dive

- get back onto the big boat for breakfast, rest, dive, have lunch, dive, have tea, dive, rest, do a night dive, have dinner & watch a move, sleep

- wait to be awoken by "BRIEFING!!!!" the next morning.

We saw manta rays, black tipped sharks, white tipped sharks, blue spotted ribbon tail eels, barramundi cods, Napolean wrasses, turtles, dolphins, helmut gurnards, moray eels, bob-tailed squids and so much more.

I don't have all the pics with me yet because when we all met up last weekend to exchange pics, we couldn't burn them all cos the photographers among us were shooting in raw so the file sizes were huge!

But I'll post whatever pics I have this weekend or early next week.

Hopefully I'll get every one's pics by then and I can post up the best pics. And some videos too.

For now, here are some of the pics I have.

The little boat which takes us from the LOB boat to the dive sites.

One of the manta rays!

A school of ... err I'm not sure of the name of this fish.

Sea apple.

Pigmy seahorse. It's so tiny and camouflaged.

Orang utan crab. So hairy!

Flying gurnard. It was a pretty big fellow!

Bob-tailed squid. Tiny, hard to find and totally adorable. Yenny & I wanted to bring him home.

The Komodo Dragon!

The crazy divers. We love the fish eye lense!

L - R: Yenny, Paul, Bubbles, Jon & Gan(asai)

Pics on this post curtesy of Yenny, our only underwater photogarpher.

Off to Komodo Tomorrow!

2009-04-30T18:56:00.002+08:00

The day has finally arrived!

I'm actually headed to Bali tomorrow and to Komodo the next day for 9 blissful days on a boat without internet connection or phone reception. Just the sun, the sea and some really huge sea creatures.

I promise I'll take loads of pics!

And since I've quit my job and have short notice period and will soon be out of this hell hole, I will have time to post up the pics and blog about the trip.

I love that I've quit my job and am going on holiday!!!!!

3 Days to Komodo. 27 Days Till I'm Out Of The Agency

2009-04-27T21:58:00.003+08:00

Today is my first day back at work after throwing in my resignation letter on Friday. I feel like a cloud has been lifted. I'm no longer dragging my feet. I stop holding my breath. I even did a twirl and a dance today. It feels so gooood to know that I'm going to be out of there and won't need to interact and be polite and civil to those who are nasty, rude, annoying and generally bring negativity every time they walk into a room.

1 months notice can seem like a long time when you've officially said you want to leave.

So I'm really glad that we're leaving for Komodo in 3 days. In fact, this time Friday, we'll be on a beach or a bar in Bali having a drink and chilling out after a day of surfing, shopping and tanning.

We'll be in Bali for one night then we'll fly off to Komodo the next day then onto a boat where we'll be living and diving for the next 9 days.

We'll be out at sea or under the sea. It'll just be us, the blue waters and the underwater creatures. There was once in my life where I could not live withoit my mobile phone less I miss a party or event or some hot news. I even brought my phone into the shower with me. On this trip, I can't wait to get away to a place where there is no phone reception and the only thing that's technologocally advanced on the boat is a fish finder. So cuten rigyht? Just like Maxis' Friend Finder.

We get back, I work for 2 weeks then I'm out of there!

(The panic and worry and boredom of not having a job or income will kick in later. But that's later)

Komodo dragon, mantra rays & dugongs .... here we come!

No It Is Not Worth It

2009-04-27T15:22:00.002+08:00

A few months ago while I was hating my job, I asked myself if it was all worth it. Is it meant to be this hard? Maybe it, is the higher I climb. Maybe I just need to take it a day at a time. Stress is normal.

But now that a few months have passed and I'm still feeling like crap, I sat myself down and listed down all the reasons why I hated my job and I stopped being myself. I needed to understand what was going on. So I wrote and I wrote and I came up with 40 reasons why I hate it here. 40!

A lot of it has to do with the client. I've already blogged about the long meetings without food or water. I have to say that they're better now and at least do provide water but now very often while we're presenting work which the client rushed us to finish, the client will be passing notes to his colleagues, going through his credit card bills and once even watched a video and laughed out loud. Yes, this is DURING the presentation. To say that he's rude and disrespectful is an understatement.

This agency also doesn't feel like an agency. There's no energy or fun. I feel like it's shrouded in secrecy and I'm constantly walking on eggshells.

Those are just a few out of the 40 reasons.

But the last straw for me was during a meeting last week, the client actually said "You fucking piss me off". Yes. During a meeting. Did my boss defend or say something? Nope. Then again the client once called my boss "My bitch". So my boss isn't going to do anything is he?

Well, he can take his brand and stuff it up his ass cos I'm not going to do this anymore. I'm not going to kill myself for a brand who own brand owner doesn't seem to give a toss about it.

So I threw my resignation letter on Friday and it feels so good!

While I'm still fairly stressed with work, th thought that I'm gonna be outta here soon really lifts my spirits.

So I'm lookin for something else. Despite the economic situation, lots of people are actually hiring!

So I'm hoping for the best.

As least I can now start to rebuild my self confidence.

5 hours Meeting, 5 Hour Report, 2 Hour Debrief

2009-03-26T00:19:00.002+08:00

I spent 5 hours yesterday in a meeting with the client which ended at 10pm in their office.

The only consolation this time is that they ordered pizza. Which came with Coke thankfully. Or we'll be starved and parched again.

As soon as the meeting was done, I got into my car and drove home while some stayed on for a few drinks.

As soon as I got into work this morning, I went out for another meeting. And as soon as i got back, I had lunch then spent 5 hours writing out a report for the meeting yesterday.

And there after i spent another 2 hours debriefing the team on the meeting and discussing next steps.

This means I've spent 12 hours in a meeting, reporting on that meeting and debriefing about that meeting.

So where will I find the time to do any work resulting from the meeting?

This is so counter-productive. And totally ridiculous.

And the client asks us why it seems that nothing gets done.

Preparing for Komodo

2009-03-22T16:34:00.004+08:00

It's not often I'm excited about a trip. I attribute it to being older, having more experiences in life and and traveling to a fair amount of different destinations.

So a trip is usually just a welcomed getaway or for a specific reason be it visit friends, shopping etc.

But I'm actually excited about Komodo. After the diving re-fresher course yesterday, Jon the Diver, Paul & I headed to Global Scuba in 1U to look at gear.

I don't need a wetsuit since I was so enthusiastic (despite the fear) that I bought it even during my Scuba Discovery Course. And I do have a mask. But they are both black and I'd like to have some distinguishing factor when all suited up under water.

Somehow most dive gear are in black, yellow and sometimes purple. And not very nice shades of those colours either. Boring.

I'm really looking forward to the baby pink fins and mask which I've ordered and should be collecting next week.

Before a trip, I love to prepare for it. Like learning a new language when you're going to a country where English is not the primary language.

So when it comes to diving, I guess it's buying gear since i can't possibly learn to talk Fish.

Tho I'd like to try and swim like a dolphin and talk to them less I get to see one in Komodo.

Bubbles is Going to Komodo!

2009-03-22T16:09:00.002+08:00

I know that the economic situation is bad and we should all be bucking down, eating in and spending less but an opportunity has come along that's too good to give up but it will cost RM12,000 (For Paul & I)!

Jon the Diver, Paul & I are going diving in Komodo! Yes, the place with the komodo dragons.

But we'll be living on board a boat so we'll be safe. From the komodo dragons at least.

My last dive trip, which was also my Open Water Certification, was in Redang 2 years ago. So I've forgotten a lot about the technicalities and feel of diving. So yesterday Jon, Paul & I went to the Polo Club in Kota Damansara and did a diving refresher.

I'm actually very freaked out with water. I swim with my head above the water. So diving and being totally submerged in water is really scary for me. Yet it's something I really want to do. Maybe not doing pool sessions and learning everything in the sea during my Open Water added to my fear. But yesterday was great and I re-learnt a lot of the skills and am now a lot more comfortable in the water. At least my bouyancy is under control somewhat.

And I'm ready for Komodo!

Komodo sounds so exotic and it's a place I never thought of going. But Jon the Diver who just came back from Makasar, suggested it and it sounded great!

It was supposed to be just for 6 days, followed by 4 relaxing days in Bali. But we've been told that there are so many dive sites in Komodo that a full 10 days is recommended.

So now I need to go buy my pink fins and pink mask, pack up and go! Komodo!

Recession in Malaysia & China?

2009-03-20T18:25:00.002+08:00

Signs of Malaysia being in recession seems to be more apparent now.

Apart from the retrenchment of 5 people in my office, I also read that Dell is offering VSS and will be retrenching 5% of their work force in Malaysia. A friend who works in an electronic manufacturing firm may be out of a job when the company shuts down his division in the second half of this tear.

But we're still doing fairly well comparatively.

And China is still booming despite The Star today reporting massive loss of jobs there.

And I know this because I recently received calls from headhunters regarding jobs in China. These are fairly high level jobs and they're offering expat packages with the pay range of RMB35,000 to RMB60,000.

Here I was thinking the the RMB is a large denomination currency and therefore it does not amount to much.

So I went to my favourite currency converter site, coinmill.com and checked how much is RMB60,000 in RM.

I almost fell off my chair when I found it was in access of RM30,000!

It is a lot of money for me anyway, considering the level I'm at and the exposure I've had so far.

So if China can pay an expat that much (and I have loads of friends who have moved there a few years ago with no signs of coming back), they can't be in recession, can they?

Are We In A Recession?

2009-03-11T23:47:00.002+08:00

Given the 2 rounds of retrenchments in my company and news that tens of thousands of people are out of a job in Malaysia, it feels like the bubble finally burst and recession has truly hit our shores.

But I was in Jarrod & Rawlin's in Damanara Heights for dinner and the place was full of large groups of people laughing and having a jolly good time. Dinner and drinks for 5 of us come up to almost RM600. So that place isn't exactly a place for those on a budget.

And recently, I've been getting a few calls regarding jobs within the industry.

Isn't that surprising?

We're in recession, supposedly, but so many agencies are hiring. And hiring pretty aggressively too.

So actually, are we really in a recession?

Retrenchment

2009-03-04T23:22:00.003+08:00

For weeks I've been feeling uneasy about work. It's not just about the work itself because that sucks ass big time but hey what can you do ......

I just felt that something is up and that the the energy in the office is dark, very negative, almost oppressive.

But I just couldn't put my finger on it.

There seems to be several management meetings a week and after the meetings in the board room, a couple of the directors will gather in the glass meeting rooms and talk further.

They then have a staff meeting to tell everyone how the agency is moving forwards and how we're in a good place and everything is dandy. Trying to spread a feel good factor.

But we're not buying it. In fact, we all walk out feeling like they're trying to cover up something.

So I've been uneasy all week. Until last Friday that is.

I was stuck in a glass meeting room for almost an entire day for a discussion and brain storm session. When I emerged at 8pm, I saw groups of people huddled around looking shocked and bewildered. Wondering what happened, I walked up to the Creative Group Head.

Me: What happened?

CGH: You didn't hear?

Me: No. What happened?

CHG: 3 people have been retrenched.

Me: What???!!

So i emerge from an 8 hour meeting only to find that 3 of my colleagues were told to pack up and go within 24 hours.

Even better was my manager who asked another colleague of mine today.

Manager: Where's that fella? His desk is so clean.

Other colleague: Oh you didn't hear?

Manager: No, what happened?

Other colleague: He's been retrenched.

Manager: What?!!

And so it goes. Management is not telling the staff whats going on and no announcements have been made that there's been retrenchment. So people walk into the office to find some collegues missing. And even worst, that a new person is sitting in their colleagues place.

I can understand the retrenchment. What I don't understand is they way they go about doing it.

I don't know if there is a right or wrong way to handle retrenchment but I do know that doing it the way they've done it is leaving the remaining staff feeling puzzled, scared and demotivated.

Open Plan Office

2009-03-04T23:15:00.002+08:00

Some companies choose an open plan office as they want to have more transparency within it's walls.

My company believes in that. We have rows and rows of work stations and no one gets a room, even the MD or CEO.

But we do have rooms albeit with glass walls. Again, to promote transparency.

But I don't think it works. Sometimes, there are phone calls one needs to make which you don't want the world to know about. Or sometimes a boss needs to reprimand a subordinate and that should be done in private. Or HR needs to have a meeting to talk about salary or n employee's performance.

So now instead of ensuring nothing is hidden, every time someone goes into the glass rooms and especially if they look grim, people start speculating what's going on.

I don't think it works at all.

I've a Wii ...... Whee!!!!!

2009-02-24T23:40:00.005+08:00

I've been so stress lately that I drag my feet in thru the door, drop my work bag and laptop and collapse onto the sofa.

So Paul decided to surprise me a few days ago and got me a ..... Nintendo Wii!

We've been looking at it for ages but I just could not bring myself to buy it especially since we have a PS3 already.

We spent last weekend at home playing bowling and tennis on the Wii.

He also bought the Wii Fit ad-on. Which we both love!

The Wii Fit told us our BMI, how much to lose / put on, how to correct our posture & centre of gravity, what are the areas we need to work on and a plan and timeline on how to achieve it! And even a virtual personal trainer to encourage us!

So I'm on a plan to put on 8lbs (of muscle) in 3 months. Now if only I can find the time and energy to use the Wii Fit after work everyday......

Well, at least I've the option to exercise even if it's only for 10 mins at home on the Wii Fit. Alternatively, I could play tennis, bowling, golf or boxing without needing to leave my living room.

Wheeeeeee!!!

Remember To Breathe

2009-02-24T23:30:00.003+08:00

Breathe.

I sometimes need to remind myself to breathe.

And not only when I'm stressed or when I'm holding a tough yoga pose nor when I'm about to experience serious pain.

But it happens when everything is normal.

Sometimes I'm just sitting and watching TV or reading a book. Totally relaxed. Then my brain sends a signal "Hey I'm running outta oxygen. You need to breath!".

Then I'm like, "Oh. Breathe. Yes."

Then I take a deep breath and fill my lungs.

Does that happen to you?

Or is that just me?

Strange things like that happen to me for some reason or another.

Working 9-5

2009-02-24T23:14:00.002+08:00

There was a time in my life when my version of a worst job ever was a 9-5 job.

I rather have a fun, casual working environment where we can go to work in t-shirts and jeans (even shorts sometimes!), throw paper airplanes (or just job requisitions squished up into a ball) at people or race around the office seating in office chairs (the ones with the wheels).

I could not work if it wasn't in an adrenaline filled, trouble shooting on the fly, never say die, time crisis environment.

But now ..... what I wouldn't give for a stable 9-5 job, with more annual leave (and not have to worry or make / receive calls when away on holiday), dental benefits and a bonus at the end of the year.

Of course with the state of the world, I must be dreaming to even imagine a cushy job.

People are losing their jobs and worrying about their rice bowls.

So no matter how tough it is currently, no matter how much I cry or no matter how much I doubt myself, it's probably still a better situation to be in.

That's what I keep telling myself.

Thank you to friends and readers for all your words of encouragement.

I'll probably emerge stronger after this .... but why put myself thru this shit??!!! It's not worth it!!! No no no wait ... pull back. Breathe ... yes I've been reminding myself to breathe a lot these days.

I'm just taking it one day at a time. Anyway with the unstability of the market, no point planning too far away anyway. Tomorrow is another day and I sure hope it's a good one!

Too Tired to Go For A Holiday ..... But Went For One Anyway

2009-02-13T20:51:00.004+08:00

About 3 weeks ago, I blogged that I was too tired for a holiday.

But after looking at my condition, Paul said we just had to go.

It was also my belated birthday present, which by the way happened on 1st Feb but I didn't have time to blog about it. The past few posts will explain why.

I should blog about my birthday. Hmmm ... okay, later.

So last weekend, during the long weekend due to Thaipusam, Paul and I took off to Penang and checked into the G Hotel. It's the newest hotel along Gurney Drive. It's chic and modern. It maintains an air of classiness without the usual hotel stuffiness.

I slept (a lot!) and went shopping just next door in Gurney Plaza and bought 3 pairs of shoes in this place called Shoe Point which had nice shoes and most importantly, not available in KL. Im sick of shopping in Vincci and Nose and seeing another girl wear the same shoe the next day.

Ah, shoes! That's still a passion of mine and that makes me happy. Will post a pic of the new shoes later. They're prussion blue, canary yellow and pale gold!

We met one of Paul's friends and we did what Penang was famous for - eat. We went to a hawker centre and ordered char kway teow, tom yum soup, corn, muah chee, chicken wings, fried noodles, BBQ fish and more. Unfortunately, the food just wasn't that great. Not up to par to what I remember Penang's food as being anyway. What happened? Paul thinks the best hawkers moved to KL.

We also spent an afternoon at the pool side, driving around and I went to the spa too.

All in all, a nice restful lil getaway. It was a nice 3 days.

Unfortunately the first day at work after the holiday negated all the therapeutic qualities of the holiday.

I'm still in the office now. I better go innit?

It's the even of Valentine's Day too! But there goes our dinner plans.

Have a good Valentine's Day everyone.

Wishing you lots of love, hugs and kisses.

Promise I'll blog more and more often but for now, I better get back to my hubby. Toodles!

Is It Worth It?

2009-02-13T20:31:00.006+08:00

Now that I'm in my 30s, climbing up the career ladder, holding a pretty high position and taking home a fair amount of $ each month, I'm asking myself .... "Is it all worth it?"

After 3 months into the new job, I can say with conviction, it is not.

I thought maybe it's me. Maybe I've not grown into the new role. Maybe my job scope is different now and I need to adjust. Maybe it's a new environment and I've not assimilated.

I'm feeling so much self doubt and anxiety. I work such long hours. And the worst thing about it is going home thoroughly exhausted but not being able to sleep cos my mind is still whirling from 14 hours of brain picking. So I end up with a lack of sleep but needing to start the next day with a run.

Being this high up in a corporation is new to me. So I spoke to a few friends. Friends who were older and had more experience in the rat race.

"Does it get any easier the higher up you go?" I asked them.

"No" was their immediate answer.

That doesn't help matters does it!

One friend suggested that I quit everything, move to an island and catch fish to feed myself. That's all well and good if i were white. But being Asian, that's just not in my blood.

Money is very important. But even I think you should not sell your soul for it.

"Is it worth it?" i asked a few other friends.

"No" was their immediate answer. Again.

So not only is it not worth it but it gets harder?

That's not nice at all.

So why do we do it? I don't know. All I know is that I go home and feel like crap everyday. I literally drag my feel through the door because I've that little energy left. The money in the bank at the end of the month is great tho. But is it all worth it?

Probably not.

No one ever said on their death bed, "I wished I spent more time in the office".

Again, then why do we do it? I'll go away and ponder about that now.

Cruel

2009-02-13T20:16:00.003+08:00

Was it really 3 weeks since my last blog? That's madness! But unfortunately very true.

It took an anonymous reader to post a comment, asking me if I've stopped blogging and that he / she missed my writing.

That gave me a jolt.

Writing and blogging is one of the joys in my life but like many things that make us happy in life, we don't seem to have enough time to do the. Why is that?

My days have all turned topsy turvy since I started this new job.

Just a few days ago I was in 7 hour meeting where there was no official breaks (but i got up and went to the loo anyway whenever I needed to) and there was no water served despite it being requested. But I got smart and brought my own mug (yes, to the client's office) so that I can easily access the water cooler.

That got me thinking. Maybe the client does not serve water so that everyone pees less, thus less toilet breaks are needed which results in more time spent in the meeting. A far out theory? Maybe. But why else would they do it?

A friend asked why they did that and commented that it's almost ..... cruel.

Cruel. Yes I think that's an apt description to what I've been subjected to the past few weeks.

Too Tired For A Holiday

2009-01-23T11:30:00.003+08:00

My life these days starts out in bed where I toss and turn, fight the alarm clock and snooze for an hour. By 9am, I jump out of bed, get ready and hope I get into work before 10am.

I then work furiously and relentlessly for 10 - 12 hours with not much of a lunch break and then I'm home to meet Paul for dinner, a bit of telly then off to bed.

This is my standard schedule from Monday till Friday.

Come Saturday, it's usually spent running errands or cleaning the house.

And if we're lucky and there's no accessive errands or chores, we'll get to stay in on Saturday night and stay up watching movies and eating a barrel of KFC.

And Sunday is when we sleep in and laze around or meet friends.

So it's no surprise that I now no longer have time for sufficient sleep, to blog, check my facebook, or go to a spa.

Instead it's a race against the washing machine. How much can it wash and dry versus how much can I fold and iron? Can i work faster than it can spew out clean clothes?

I'm so tired, I don't even want to go on holiday. I just want to stay in and sleep. Paul was really sweet, suggesting that we go away for the weekend during my birthday. But I think a nice dinner and a good nights sleep would be the best idea yet!

Chinese New Year is in 3 days and I've yet to clean the house. The plan is to do it tonight and over the weekend. Not sure if that's enough time. But I'll have to do what I can.

Not looking forward to CNY. Really hot weather and lots of people to visit. Rather stay in, vege out on the sofa and watch a movie. And sleep.

Sleep is really all I think of these days.

Cutting Down on Smoking, Not Quitting.

2009-01-08T18:24:00.004+08:00

Screw it! My quitting smoking strategy has changed. I can't sit around for 3 hours being totally unproductive while I suck on a straw and obsess about how badly I need and want a cigarette.

And I find that with a pack of cigarette in my bag, I'm able to function much better throughout the day and crave for cigarettes less. Sometimes I fell like having a cigarette but I don't, because I tell myself I can have one later since it's in my bag anyway. And by doing this, I'm down to 3 - 5 cigarettes a day. My usual is 7 - 10.

It's when there are no cigarettes around, that's when my mind stops functioning and can only think about smoking. It's madness! Trying to quit has taken over my life and i can't of nothing else but how badly I need a cigarette when clearly, I don't.

It's 6.30pm and I've only had 2 sticks today. Once after lunch. And once at tea time. Not too bad if I can say so myself.

It's in a bar (which I hardly go to anymore, yay!) or when having coffee with friends, that's the hardest to smoke just one.

Seriously ... coffee and cigarettes ... they go hand in hand.

Okay I know that cigarettes is bad for the body. But I figures I still really enjoy smoking. And if I stop cold turkey like I did for 2 days, it can lead to anxiety, stress, insomnia, and depression?! That's madness. Quite smoking for health but get a host of other illnesses?

So I figured that I'll still smoke (because it feels sooo good!) but only when I really want one and really am able to enjoy one. I shall no longer smoke because I'm bored or because everyone else around me is smoking.

I can now sit at a table of smokers and not smoke myself.

Yay!

And the battle continues.

To everyone out there who's trying to quit, good luck!

Quit Smoking - Day 2

2009-01-02T17:50:00.002+08:00

Since quitting smoking almost 2 days ago, my taste buds have totally cleared and everything tastes so good! Last night after dinner, I ate chocolate, biscuits and peanuts before bed. Today, after lunch, I finished 3 large slices of pannatone which I brought to work.

No wonder people who quit smoking put on weight. Everything tastes so good! And of course it also gives you something to do with your hands.

I've been reading a lot about quitting smoking. I know one can grow fat cos they eat more. But one could also get depressed! Quitting one habit to gain an illness is really not good!

I already feel agitated. And I've friends who are depressed. Depression causes you to not be able to function in normal every day life. Depression causes you to want to jump off buildings!

I rather be a smoker than a depressed person!

I'm going a bit crazy now. Paul's going to the gym. I'm going to go join him. Nothing like a physical work out to get the crazy thoughts out of my head. Plus after a work out, the fresh air in my lungs should negate any thoughts if beautiful grey clouds swirling around me forming a mist ..... argh! I'm going to the gym. Now!

Trying to Quit Smoking Since 1 Jan 2009

2009-01-02T17:19:00.004+08:00

As of today, I've not smoked for 1 3/4 days. Almost 2 days! I decided that 1 Jan 2009 would be the date that I quit. I pressured Paul into doing it too because there's just so many reasons to do it with the first and foremost being wanting to be parents at some point in the near future. So its not for our health (smokers don't ever consider this a factor) but it's to give the kid the best start possible, from conception onwards. I'm also reading What To Expect When You're Expecting and will be interviewing OBGYNs soon.

So after our New Year Eve party which ended at 4am, I went to bed and woke up at 3pm. Paul and I cleaned up the house, went out for dinner, walked around for a bit and came back. Paul promised he'll quit after he finished his last pack. I said okay. Fair enough.

The first smoke free day went without a hitch. No cravings. No nothing! I thought it was pretty easy. If only.

Came into work this morning and greeted Michelle Who Stays on the Seashore. She quit on 1 Jan too along with her partner.

We went to make coffee in the morning as usual but didn't detour to the stairwell for our morning smokes. The morning went by pretty quickly.

Then we went for lunch. We had our usual cravings for a cigarette after lunch. But that's to be expected. Then we saw a couple of people light up. We tried to ignore them. I sucked on a straw. Pretending it's a cigarette. It worked. For a while.

It's really not so much the nicotine but the hand-to-mouth action and having something to do with your hands and mouth. It helps so much when you're in a ackward situation. Or meeting a new group of people who smokes.

Since coming back from lunch, about 3 hours ago, I've thought about smoking about 30 times. It's all consuming. I can't work. I can only sit here, suck on my straw and imagine holding a stick between my fingers, the bright spark followed by the fire, then the deep inhalation and my lungs being filled with cool menthol air. And when I exhale, the smoke coming out like a dragon, the smoke enveloping me like a beautiful grey cloud, lifting me senses......

I can't help it (furtively and desperately sucking on my straw)!

Since writing this post, i thought about smoking another 15 times.

Wow this is tough.

I know I've not posted much on the wedding or the honeymoon but seriously, I need to share with you my trying to quit smoking experience.

I think this is when the anger and irritation sets in.

I know this isn't forever. I really love and enjoy smoking but recently have been doing it out of boredom, to relieve stress or just cos of habit. I wanna trash all of that and smoke when I really feel like having a cigarette. That means a few sticks a week which I think is fine. But I really do need to quit for at least a few months before i pick up social smoking just cos I can. Or after the baby. Or something. I can't think anymore!

I feel light headed. I dunno if it's the withdrawal symptoms. Or me taking really deep breaths through my plastic straw. Or winding my legs too tightly against my body.

I need a cigarette! Now............................

My Wedding Website

2008-12-15T19:05:00.003+08:00

I know I'm supposed to blog about the wedding.

But in the last 58 days since I've been married, I've been away for the honeymoon then came back and started a new job. Then I've been working working working. And when I'm not working, I'm either sleeping, running errands or moving house. It's been mad!

But I know it's something I have to do as soon as I can.

So for those who have been waiting for updates, I'm so so sorry.

In the meantime, how about checking out my wedding website?

Info on the wedidng can be found there, along with lotsa photo galleries, including the ones from the fairy wedding.

I will post about the wedding soon over here. Just as soon as I'm able to get out of the office, get something to eat, do the laundry, do the banking, move house, unpack and get some sleep .......

1 Month Anniversary.

2008-11-18T20:49:00.003+08:00

I've been married for a month. How fast is that?!

The most common question I've been asked recently is "So, how's married life?"

Really, there's no difference. We're still us and we still treat each other the same. It could be because we started our relationship already knowing that we wanted to be married to each other.

The past one month has been a total whirlwind! 10 months of planning which culminated in 3 weddings over 1 week. Right after the final wedding, we flew off to the Gold Coast for almost 2 weeks. We got back and started work the next day.

It was mad!

I know I've so much to blog about - the weddings, the honeymoon, starting work etc....

But I'm still in the office now. Working.

But I promise to blog about the events thats happened in the last one mont ASAP.

I'll back date them.

Till then!

Happy Halloween 2008!

2008-10-31T00:00:00.001+08:00

No Halloween Party this year unlike every other year because I'm in Gold Coast. Guess going on my honeymoon is a good enough reason not to have the standard Halloween parties.

Have a ball everyone and Happy Halloween!

Check out the post this time last year for some older Halloween pics.

So Much To Blog About

2008-10-27T10:41:00.004+08:00

There's so much I want to blog about!

The Chinese wedding, the Tea Ceremony, the Fairy Wedding, the JB wedding ........

But there's just no time and and we're off to Gold Coast tonight.

So once we're back from our honeymoon, I'll be blogging about all the above and the honeymoon.

Will be back in 2 weeks so do come back then! Thanks!

7 Hours Till the Chinese Wedding

2008-10-17T11:48:00.002+08:00

Woke up about 10 plus this morning feeling lazy and refreshed. Paul went out to get his truck washed then he'll send it over to the florist for it to be decorated.

Meanwhile I pottered around the house, put away some stuff and logged online to check my mail. Then I had a barrage of MSN messages, all of my friends asking "It's your wedding today! How come u still have time to come online??!".

I just told them that everything is done. I'm just sitting here chilling, checking mail, chatting, blogging ......

My girls will all arrive at 1 plus with tapau-ed lunch. We'll eat then get ready for the make up artist to come and we'll be ready at 5pm to meet the guys and head down to KL for the Chinese dinner.

I'm actually quite surprised that there's not the slightest hint of butterflies in my tummy.

Sin Cyn, guess there's no need to tranquilize me anymore as planned.

Apart from having an excellent team to help me plan the wedding, guess it also means that the wedding will go smoothly and that I'm ready for this union.

Let the show begin!