Attack of the Mummies

We arrived safely on Monday afternoon and went straight to my inlaws' new house in Alam Damai. Haidan's Tok and TokMummy was so excited, that they have been waiting at the airport 1 hour before we land pun- just in case our flight sampai awal.. hehe.

We rested to recover on Tuesday (serious jetlag!) and by Wednesday Haidan was already attacked by his favourite mummies: Mummy Vasantha, Mummy Mate & Mummy Mar.

Obviously he loves being the center of attention!

KUALA LUMPUR...

.... HERE I COME!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY :)

A special message to my best friend, Vasantha, who turns 31 today :)




Also, birthday shout-outs to Ezrul and my brother Danial.

Happy Birthday, may all your wishes come true!!!

Tips on melaram!

I was about to do my report... and then I got bored (as usual, sigh..). So, I browsed through the net, trying very hard to avoid ebay (ebay is eviiilllll!) and other shopping sites. Then I bumped into this one. Its a web from this quite pretty girl on how to apply make-up and do your hair. Its so cool! What makes it different is that she demos on herself, rather than someone doing make-up on someone else. This is an excellent tutorial if you need help.. especially for people like me yang tak reti pakai make-up. I love how she does her eyes- brilliant!

Its 2 am...

... and I can't sleep. Mostly because I slept through the evening with Haidan. He's been quite grumpy and clingy the whole day. I can't really do much. Everytime I put him down, he'll scream his lungs out. Not sure why though. Its either I dukung him or I have to lie with him on the bed.. baru dia settled.

I was trying to start packing for our Reading trip this weekend and also gearing up for our trip home to Malaysia. But everytime he saw me putting things in our luggage he gets really upset. This really reminds me of Boboy when I was packing up to leave to UK last year. Stress di buatnyer!! Sabor je lah.

So, now I'm trying to get some things done.. very quietly while Haidan is fast asleep in his bassinet. Hopefully I can pack as much as I can and get to sleep soon. Its going to be a busy day tomorrow- we're going for our 3rd settling session at the nursery and then a trip to the post office.

Thank you Mummy Vasantha :)

Dear Haidan,

Your surprise from Mummy Vasantha arrived today- its a lovely light stroller for you to use in Malaysia nanti. Mama had quite a struggle reading the manual to put it up together but voila...



You loved it when Mama tested the stroller around the living room. But sorry sayang, you can't use the seat yet until you're a bit bigger. So, when we balik KL nanti, we can use the frame and attach your car seat instead!

Anyways, to Mummy Vasantha and Daddy Shasi- thank you so much for the lovely present. Can't wait to go strolling together in KL! 10 days more to go and counting!

Who's the boss??...

.... I am!

Sorted :)

Yeayyy!! Thank you for all the advice to help me out on Haidan's travels.. you guys are a gem :)

So now, we are getting a stroller courtesy of Haidan's godmummy Vasantha and sampai KL je Auntie Nina will pinjamkan her carseat. I'm so excited now that it's sorted!

My Operasi Februari update:

1) Ops 1: Operasi Nurseri - I've registered Haidan in his nursery and later today will be our first trial run. I'm leaving him there for a couple of hours to get him used to the surroundings. I've also started Haidan on formula for lunch... he's quite OKlah with it, no allergic reaction or anything. Sorted!

2) Ops 2: Operasi Lesen Pandu - Got my provisional license and have enquired around for my driving lessons. I've already made up my mind on this one school and hopefully we can start after Easter. Planning to take up my tests in April so that I can drive dah when I start work full time. Sorted!

3) Ops 3: Operasi Kuruskan Badan - Though still have not been exercising, I have successfully given up my Nutella & Doritos suppers... so that's a good start lah kot.. eheh.

4) Ops 4: Operasi Shopping Sakan - Hampir pokai because I took Mama shopping instead. Though knowing that I takkan sempat kurus by the time I start work, I did buy 2 pairs of size 12 working pants for £5 each. Primark rocks! Sorted!

5) Ops 5: Operasi Celik IT - Skip!... for now.

6) Ops 6: Operasi Imbas Kembali - Alamak, tak buat lagi. Sure Hubby bising... better start sorting this out by next week.

How ahh???

Nothing much happened since the makan-makan. Haidan got his 2nd jab and as expected, he had a slight fever. But since dia dah besar sikit, he's now good at merengek-rengek if he doesn't get his dukungs, hugs and kisses. Sabor je lah...

On another note, I finally received my provisional driving licence (and my passport!) in the post. I was dead worried that my passport would be lost in transition and that I wouldn't go back home this coming March. Speaking of which, we've got 2 more weeks to pack and I'm confident I'll be in panic mode as to what to bring and what not to bring for the journey with Haidan along.

Since it is a long haul flight for Haidan (he'll just turn 3 months then), I was wondering whether we could bring his buggy with him to the cabin? I mean tak larat lah nak dukung dia all the time while waiting for the flight, especially when I have to tend to the luggage and Mama without Hubby around (Hubby's flying in 2 weeks later).
I have seen people with strollers around the waiting lounge but most strollers are for 6months and above, right? Haidan still can't sit unassisted. At the moment, he's using his car seat, which attaches to the buggy frame. Can I bring his car seat in the flight with me? To those with experience- help please!


If I were to get a sling/ carrier instead, then sampai Malaysia nak jalan-jalan leceh pulak, especially if we eat outside (which we definitely will!).

Hmmm.. how ahhh????

Gong Xi Fatt Chai Makan-Makan

Me and my mates here have made a pact that we'll always try to get together for makan-makan to celebrate Malaysia's festive spirit. Last Saturday, we celebrated Chinese New Year at Holiday Villa London, where they've laid out a special Gong Xi Fatt Chai buffet spread. We conquered 4 tables altogether! It was so much fun meeting with everyone again, we truly enjoyed the food and the company- so kecoh I tell you. Can't wait for the next one!

Operasi Februari

I plan to keep myself busy this month. There are so much things to settle before we all pack up and balik kampung for a month in March. Then in April, I will start work already. Its gonna be really difficult to adjust I bet, mostly due to the fact that I'll have to cope without Haidan for 10hours straight in a day and worst still Hubby & I will be independent to keep the house a home because Mama will not be here. Yes, its sad because Mama could not be granted a visa to live with us- she'll have to come in and out of the UK every 6months... (hmm... which reminds me that we might need to apply for a frequent flyer membership for her lah). I think its more sad to acknowledge the fact that Mama will be all alone in Kg Baru for the first time in her life. Though she said she's going to be OK, deep down I can see the frustration in her eyes knowing that soon her loved ones will be far away from her and that 6 months would feel like an eternity.

Because Mama won't be around when I start work, I was busy looking around for nursery arrangement for my Baby Bubbles. So far, I've been to 6 already and my god the childcare here is soooo expensive... I mean a return flight ticket to M'sia once a month pun lagi murah! Hubby & I did contemplate to bring a relative or nanny from Msia to help take care of Haidan at home while we work but it proved to be difficult to find the right person to leave all their commitments in Malaysia and stay here every 6 months to ganti Mama. So, we decided to send Haidan to the nursery instead until his Nenek's next visit-&-stay.

So below are my Operasi Februari:
1) Ops 1: Operasi Nurseri - Need to confirm booking for Haidan's enrollment this April. I found a good one in Sutton, a bit of a walk but the place is so much better than the rest I've seen. Its pricey but worth it coz Haidan will have one sole key carer and is inclusive of nappies, formula milk and 4meals a day. So, I'll have to bring him from next week onwards to practise him (and myself!) settling in the nursery.

2) Ops 2: Operasi Lesen Pandu - I need to (legally) drive now in the UK, especially for those just-in-case cases with Haidan when Hubby's not around. I've sent out my application to apply my British driving licence. Now have to wait patiently (and anxiously sebab my passport is with them now) for the provisional driving card (and my passport!) to arrive within the next week. Hopefully no dramas coz I would need my passport on time for my flight back home! Then, its organising my mandatory driving lessons to fit my schedule in April.

3) Ops 3: Operasi Kuruskan Badan - This Ops is a bit overdue.. eheh. I'd have to stop eating junk food and start exercising vigorously again. I can't fit all my work clothes anymore lahhh... how ahh???

4) Ops 4: Operasi Shopping Sakan - This Ops will only be valid if Ops 3 fails. Then, I have no choice but to buy an all-new-all-out well fitting working wardrobe.. (sigh... with an evil grin.. hehe)

5) Ops 5: Operasi Celik IT - Yes, I'm a bit the buta IT compared to all my mates. Since I was pregnant, I have always wanted to reorganise my photos, learn scrapbooks, build a canggih blog for Haidan's milestones and make the most of my iCal, iWeb and iPhoto. I would need to sit down and go through the online tutorials.. but this proves to be a bit difficult when you have a baby who seems to get hungry every time I turn on the laptop...

6) Ops 6: Operasi Imbas Kembali - This is an important one. I need to sort out and finish my report on my past engineering experiences with Petronas. The hardest part is to remember all the technical stuff I've done for the past 5 years and compile them ready for review for my Chartered application. Need to do this before I balik so that my ex-bosses (if they are still around) can sign and verify.

Hmmmm... looks like I'm a bit too optimistic with my Operasi Februari. Well, better make the most out of it now while Mama is still around to help out with Haidan. Wish me luck!

Haidan's London Drama

Hoorrraaayyy!!! We survived London with minimal drama.

We started the day a bit off-track than planned... err, OK lah correction: "very" off-track than planned. We were supposed to catch the 9am train to London, but unfortunately we woke up at 9.30am gara-gara overslept tak dengar alarm. By the time we got Haidan ready, board the train and arrive London Victoria (where the HiCom is), we only had 20minutes before the office-amik-nombor closes. So we ran like mad and Alhamdulillah made it as the last ones of the day. Phew!

Haidan was still fast asleep amongst the rushing chaos. Hubby insisted we take this photo to mark Haidan's 1st London visit.


Once in HiCom, we filled in numerous forms for Haidan's official registration and passport application. Haidan woke up and I pulak yang restless takut he would scream any moment... but he kept his cool. So, we waited for our turn...

Haidan (in happy mode): "Mama, is it our turn?"
Me (in relax mode): "Not yet dear, we wait. Now smile at the camera.."


An hour later,
Haidan (in irritated mode): "Mama is it our turn??!!"
Me (in panic mode): "Err.. Still not yet dear. We wait some more, OK... Errr.. Haidan don't mengamuk yek, smile, eheh..."

Another hour later,
Haidan (in sleepy mode): "Mama, will we ever get our turn?.. (yawn)"
Me (also in sleepy mode): "Entah lah naaak... sabor je lah..."

After another hour later, we finally got called and at last, we got ourself registered. Two hours after that, Haidan's passport was ready for collection.. Hooorrraaayyy!!! We laughed out loud when we saw his passport- since Malaysian passport photo MUST have blue background (why ahh???) and here in the UK, all official photos are of white background, the HiCom office put a blue tint over his photo. Thus, his pimply red cheeks on the photo now looks purple!! Hehe, takperlah.. janji passport siap!



On the way back, Haidan was wide awake enjoying his train ride and behaved really well, despite the coach being crowded with Londoners rushing home.


Once we reached home, we were knackered! What a trip- actually the travelling was not too bad la, it was the waiting that was exhausting. And as expected, Haidan terus pengsan- slept like a baby and survived his London drama like a true trooper!

Haiyyooo... stress.

Its 4am in the morning and in a few hours, we will be heading to London to do Haidan's passport. I'm so menggelabah as it will be Haidan's first trip in a train and his first encounter of crazy London amongst the peak-hour Monday crowd. Since last night , I've been packing and repacking stuff to bring... it's like a nightmare- my mom told me to bawak everything under the sun, for "just-in-case" cases... while Hubby warned me to be mobile and not hog unnecessary loads as we will always be moving and cramping with the London-ers. Haiyyyooo... stress.

Speaking of passports, we took Haidan's passport photo last Saturday and (of all the days!), poor Haidan had a rash on his face. His cheeks were all red and siap ada scar on his nose because (of all nights!) he accidentally scratched himself the night before. As soon as we arrived at the photoshop, his pimply cheeks flared. I tried putting on a bit of Avent magic cream last minute... but (with the bright white lights and all) it made it more obvious, so we gave up and took his photo anyways. And like true dramas, 15 minutes later Haidan's face completely cleared- no more red rash!!... (though his scar was still there lah). Haiyyooo... stress.

I better get myself some rest now.. need to wake up again and express milk for later. I kept getting this vision that we're in the tube cramped with people, my milk's leaking, Haidan's crying his lungs out hungry and there's nothing I can do about it! Haiiyyyooo, how ah if like that??? Oh my god, that will be the ultimate drama!!!

OK, don't think Adita.. take a deep breath and try to relax... Fingers crossed hoping this London trip will go down well....

A message from Haidan

Here's Haidan in a happy mood saying his hellos to his Atuk & Nenek in Malaysia:


He seems to love the camera....

... until he got a bit irritated when his Mama & Papa got a bit over playing the paparazzi role.. eheh:

Me Me of Me

I got tagged by Marisa (thanks dear!).

So here goes:

The rules:
- Link to your tagger and post these rules.
- List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
- Tag eight people at the end of this post and list their names.
- Let them know they've been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

List eight (8) random facts about myself:
1) I am an only child with my single mom, whose a recovered schizophrenic- I'm proud of her and I love her to bits!

2) I HATE, HATE, HATE taugeh! Yes, I will take the effort to pick and throw each taugeh out from my dish. Though, Hubby used to do it for me during the old courting days... sigh!

3) Regardless of what Hubby says and think - I love Spice Girls, I love Posh Spice and I love David Beckham... full stop!

4) I was an aerobics instructor and used to teach part time 4x a week around KL and PJ. During my zaman-zaman kegemilangan, I was more known as an aerobics teacher, than my full time actual job as an engineer...

5) I'm not into sports cars- I'm a 4WD gal. My first (and only) car is my KEMBARA and I hope one day I can afford the BMW X5.

6) I love roller coaster rides- during a summer at uni, I went to work as a roller coaster ride assistant at Minnesota, USA for a month!

7) I'm quite organised and colour code almost EVERYTHING - my work notes, filing, schedules, lists etc- my baju mesti matching-matching with shoes & accessories, OK!

8) I love cats, tigers and all felines. I'm very passionate towards tiger conservation and have been actively donating to Malaysia's tiger reserve project since 2000. I get really upset if I see documentaries or news involving feline poaching.

I am tagging the following people (unless they have done it already):
- Mate
- Vasantha
- Mar
- Devina
- Fina
- Ibdil
- Ghaz
- Dian

Fever Beaver

Dear Haidan,

This week you had your first vaccinations. You had your BCG and your 2-month general vaccines (oh my, anak Mama dah 2 months already???). You were such a good boy in the clinic, tak nangis langsung when the midwives' gave you the jabs. Brave boy!

However, since you got back you developed a fever. You have been very unsettled - crying, sniffling and being moody and cranky. Debbie the midwife said it was normal - your body is trying to develop your immune system and fight the bad bad diseases.

Mama, Papa & Nenek understand its very uncomfy. In the meantime, you are entitled to our unlimited hugs, kisses and dukungs until you recover, OK?.. (though kalau boleh...we do hope your demands are mostly during the day... the past sleepless nights were quite letih-lah...)

Haidan Before - cranky and merengek, not feeling well- all havoc:


Errr.. zoom sikit, eheh:


Haidan After - terkulai, contented after a dose of Calpol and puting- peace at last:


So, hang in there my Fever Beaver... hopefully by end of the week, we'll get to see your lovely smile again.

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!

Colours of the world (Spice up your life)
Every boy and every girl (Spice up your life)
People of the world (Spice up your life)
Aaaaaahhhhh!

Oh my God, I can still hear the chanting in my head. Date was 11-01-08 at the 02 Arena, London. Weather sucked (as usual!), but it didn't stop me from smiling ear to ear as I was heading to the Spice Girls Concert!!! Met Hubby at London Bridge and arrived there at 6.30pm. Crowd was building up- 80% were female of all ages (Girl Power, y'all!... though queuing up for the toilet was quite a nightmare la). Anyways, the atmosphere was amazing, I was so excited sampai Hubby tak larat nak layan!

Here are the pics:

Yeay dah sampai- Spice Girls here I come!!!


Making our way inside the O2 to the concert hall- the place is so huge!


In the hall dah- have to wear my glasses to make sure I can see them clearly.. hehe.


Our view of the stage from where we were seating


Here they are - Spice Up Your Life!




Sporty, Ginger, Posh, Baby and Scary Spice!


Singing their new single Headlines


Performing "Too Much"


This one's for you, Mate!


"Holler!"


"Viva Forever!"


The Spice Girls together one last time


My Spice Mission accomplished!

It was truly a night to remember, everybody was all up dancing and singing the whole night through- I nearly lost my voice, OK! On the way home, on the tube and bus, people were still singing - a true Girl Power night. If I have the chance (and the money, of course...) I really wanna go again.

Anyways, Haidan behaved well while his Mama & Papa were away- good boy. Here's one for all the Spice Girls fan out there!



OKlah, Hubby is irritated already, nagging me to get ready as we're expecting guests tonight. I better Stop right now (...thank you very much, I need somebody with a human touch.. hey you always on the run, better slow it down baby, gotta have some fun... la la la laa, la la la laaa...)

Holler!

Since my last post, our home's broadband got disconnected- one of the many dramas caused by my very kurap ex-housemate (don't want to talk about him, waste of blog space only!). So, I had to live by with Hubby's office blackberry to hook up to the net, which was such a pain to type & navigate with la... so kecik the keyboard! So, I gave up and abandoned cyberspace altogether. In a way, it was quite good coz I finally had the time (and no more excuses) to start working on my Quarterly Reports and memorising the lyrics and dance moves for my Spice Girls Concert.

Alhamdulillah, yesterday we got a new broadband connection- with AOL pulak. It was so worth the wait- it's so much faster than our old kurap TalkTalk.. plus dapat offer free PS3 (you can imagine Hubby's over-excitement lah kannn! Takper lah, since he had to endure a Spice Girls Concert... kasi chance laaahhh...)

Oh my, so much to post about - from my trip to office, to Haidan's first day out and of course a full review of the Spice Girls Concert! I'm still uploading the pics and will post it as soon as I sort out my emails and 200+ Facebook requests while I was away!

GOODBYE 2007, HELLO 2008

The year 2007 will always be the best year of my life. It is the year when me & Hubby (finally!) settled down in the same place and most importantly, Haidan Arief arrived to complete us as a family. I'm so thankful that my 2007 wish has come true.

The year 2008 will be a new challenge for me as I brave motherhood. My 2008 resolution for my family is to try to be the best mother, wifey and daughter to Haidan, Hubby and Mama respectively. I shall always remember to not take them for granted and love them with all my heart. Also, my wish for 2008 is hopefully to have Boboy with us.

Career wise, I will continue giving all my best and hopefully complete compiling my evidence portfolio for my Charteredship application. Hubby has been nagging me to complete my quarterly reports and start doing my portfolio. I will try my best, OK... though it will be more comfy for me to start work if we have a proper workstation & good office chair at home kann?? (hint, hint hehe)

As for myself, (like every year's resolution.. eheh) I will strive to lose weight and try to stop (errr.. OKlah.. "MINIMISE") eating my daily Nutella supper obsession and start exercising. Hopefully by end of the year I can fit into my old clothes again.

Anyways, here's to a good year ahead everyone. Happy New Year and may all your 2008 wishes come true :)

Falala lalaa la laa la laa...

The Christmas trees are decorated, the Christmas lights are on and the presents are all wrapped up. People of Sutton are all in their festive mood with a sense of excitement in their eyes... ahhh yes, it's that time of year again. The Christmas holidays have officially started.

I love the Christmas holidays because it means that Hubby will be home 24hours for the whole 2 weeks. Hoorrayyy!!! This means that Haidan gets to spend quality time with his Papa (a.k.a me can finally have the time to colour my hair and shave my legs in peace!).

Christmas holidays also spell BOXING DAY SALES- double Hoorrayyy!!! As it’s the only time of the year when Hubby and I allow ourselves to shop till we drop! Every year on Boxing Day, we’d be well prepared to travel all the way to UK’s premier outlet stores and kiasu-ly queued up before the shops open to grab whatever we can get at good bargains. However, this year we’re not going to be as aggressive because of little Haidan. We vowed to not let our precious son see how crazy his Mama and Papa can get when it comes to succumbing to the boxing day sales. We wanted to set a good example and to not let him witness how violent we can be…. thus, we have unanimously agreed that Haidan tak boleh ikut Mama and Papa shopping at Bicester Village, OK? Eheh...(But we promise to be home early and buy you something as well, can ahh???)

Also, a huge thank you hug goes to little Azmarea (she's so adorable to the max, OK..) and Marisa & Alan for the lovely scrapbook page for our little Haidan, when they came visiting us in Sutton. We love it! Thank you!