Thursday, May 08, 2008

Dear Haidan

Dear Haidan,

You are now 5.5 months now and growing up so fast. Am really sorry that Mama didn't update much in our blog coz you have kept us very busy since!

Anyways, here's an update:
1)You can now sit up on your tummy with no problems. You love the different view and call up for Mama & Papa to notice every time you sit up on your own :)



2) You love to give us a BIG smile... (err..and for some strange reason, that big smile of yours seems to appear everytime you just done soiling your nappy!)



3) Your favourite activity at the moment is looking at yourself in the mirror... uhm yess.. Everytime you feel cranky or moody, all Mama & Papa have to do is just show you a mirror and suddenly you're in a world of your own- all happy and chatty... (hmm.. how ah?)





4) You have started on solids.. Hoorrraayyy!!! Your first food was baby rice, and then you moved on to purees- sweet potatoes (his favourite!), apples and carrots. You much prefer Mama's fresh homecooked purees than the ready-made-bottled ones tho... So thanks to you, Papa finally caved in to buy Mama the TEFAL steamer that I've always wanted.. hehe, kita geng kannn- calit sikit ;)



5)You seem to love music and sing-alongs. You enjoy listening to Mama singing to "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star" and playing our "5 little fingers" sing-along-game. Excited sampai gelak tergedik-gedik... (either that or you find Mama's terrible croaking really funny... sabo je-lah!)





6) You're getting chattier too (hmmm... maybe you're not like Papa after all... hehe). Your favourite words are "aaa--buuu" (followed by a trail of air liur bubbles), "ammm-mmmaaamm-mmmaamm" (especially when you see your bottle) and your trademark grunt.. Here's a picture of you giving Papa a lecture on "the-disadvantages-of-coming-home-late-from-work and how-it-would-be-so-cool-&-fun-if-we-can-go-on-a-holiday-to-Europe-this-summer" ;)





Aaahhh.. yess my dear Haidan.. Mama thought you well, I'm so proud of you sayang!

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

A great weekend :)

I truly enjoyed the long May bank holiday weekend. On Friday night, Marisa, Alan and little Azmarea came over and we all went for a lovely dinner at Tony Romas in Kingston. Thank you dearies for the presents - me, the desperate housewife is intimately Beckham-ised... hehe ;)

Haidan wore his first formal shirt and vest for the dinner...


I got a pleasant surprise from them when they came up with a birthday song and cake (which was lit up by bunga api). Obviously, Haidan was surprised too and enjoyed the mini-sing-along


Here's the yummy warm chocolate birthday mud cake.. so sedap!


The next morning, we drove up to Lemington Spa to meet up my dear friend, Devina and her sis, Shivani. We lepak the whole Saturday at her house catching up on gossips- it has been quite a while since I last met her... so much stories! Devina made yummy nasi lemak and surprised us with a strawberry truffle birthday cake- it was lovely!

On Sunday, we decided to jalan-jalan Royal Lemington Spa town and gardens. It's a really nice lovely town, people are so relaxed and laid back. The flowers were in full bloom- beautiful!



On the way back from town, Molly, the next door neighbour cat greeted us in her own special way. She jumped in the car as soon as Devina opened the door! Here she is, the cheeky one:


She refused to get out of the car (much to the delight of Haidan who was squealing away excitedly!):


On Monday, Marc came over and we had dinner in Sutton.

It was a lovely long weekend - great food, great weather and great company.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

... come, on clock!

Can't wait till the clock strike 4.30pm... and I'm off work for a long 4-day weekend.

Can't wait for tomorrow... we're having dinner at TGIF with Marisa, Azlan & Azmarea to celebrate me getting a year older. (I so miss Leelwan!)

Can't wait for Saturday... we're going to spend the weekend at Devina's in Lemington Spa.

Can't wait for Vasantha's parcel, which is supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Can't wait to explore & "i-touch" my birthday present from Hubby.

Can't wait to see Haidan's smile.... miss him!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Interesting Geeky Facts

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:
Alaska
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The average number of people airborne over the U.K. in any given hour:
61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

“WHAT GRIND MY GEARS”

Things that make you go “GGGrrrrrrrrr!!!!”

Another tag from Marisa.

Here are the things that make me so Gerrrraaammmm!:

1. When Hubby can never, ever be on time when it comes to my or Haidan’s appointments!

2. When Hubby can be very punctual when it comes to his work (see item no1.. Grrrr…. sabo je lah!)

3. The dreadful feeling when British viral flu hits you- the GPs can't do anything, the weather makes it worst and despite cups and cups of Lemsip Max Plus, it will take you at least a week to fully recover!

4. Facebook applications and quizzes that forced you to invite innocent people BEFORE you can reveal the anticipated results.

5. Receptionists with that rude “look” (a.k.a assumes you are an asylum seeker seeking for free healthcare, just because you have a different skin colour, not knowing that nearly half of your professional pay goes to taxes to support ‘their’ benefits)

6. Stupid visa and immigration rules

7. Selfish people who think the whole world needs to revolve around them - If you have a problem, fix it! Whining and complaining all day won’t solve anything.

8. The day you left your umbrella at home is the day the rain decides to pour!

9. Kiasu people who purposely do not queue or ‘cut line’ – hate them!

10. After all the effort to get Haidan ready to go out, with matching shirts and pants and shoes and coat all, he suddenly berak and soiled himself just as we are about to leave the house….(especially when we are already late- see item no1).

Now who would I tag???... my usual suspects, of course.. hehe!

• Mate
• Devina
• Ibdil/ Ezah
• Lolyta/ Fabmama
• Dian
• Ghaz
• Sherie
• Fina
• Zura Chikong

LISTS OF EIGHTS

I have been tagged by Marisa to do lists of eights:

8 things I am passionate about:
• My family & Boboy
• My good friends
• Travel
• Career
• Spice Girls
• Cats & tigers
• My SK2 essence
• Mild Seven Lights

8 things I say often:
• “Ayang…”
• “Haidan Arief”
• “Oh my God"
• "Yes ah?”/ “Iye ker??”/ “Is it??”
• "I love you” / “I love you too”
• ”Assalammualaikum”/ “Waalaikumsalam”
• "Sure or not???”
• “Balik pukul berapa ni???”

8 books I've read recently:
• My Best Friends Guide to Motherhood by Vicky Iovine (I love her!)
• My Best Friends Guide to Pregnancy by Vicky Iovine (did I mention that I love her?)
• The Complete Baby & Toddler Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel
• What to Expect in your 1st Year
• What to Expect When You’re Expecting
• Bounty magazines
• My weekly doses of celeb gossip mags – Grazia & Look
• My IET magazines

8 things to do before I die:
• Travel the world with my family
• Have another baby (hopefully a girl this time)
• Get my Professional Engineer Charteredship
• See the Cirque du Soleil
• Perform the hajj and/ or Umrah
• Have our own house with our own way of making it our home (get it??)
• Organise my children’s wedding (if they want me to lah… or at least convince them to let me do the montage hehe)
• Kiss and hold my future grandson/ granddaughter

8 songs I could listen to over and over again:
• Satu Dalam Sejuta (Amy Mastura) – I listen to this every night before I sleep when I was pregnant. It’s now Haidan’s favourite song- everytime it’s on, he’ll smile and gets excited coz he recognizes it.
• Stop (Spice Girls)
• Viva Forever (Spice Girls)
• Who Do You Think You Are (Spice Girls)
• Kerinduan (Sheila Majid) – our wedding song
• Penantian (Kris Dayanti)
• Kini (Feminin)- yes, serious! Hahahah
• Trauma (Elite) – our must have karaoke song, eh Vas?? hehe

8 things I've learnt in the last year:
• Motherhood changed my life completely- I never knew how much I can love and be willing to sacrifice anything and everything for my son
• You cannot get your pre-pregnancy body back within the first few months (without plastic surgery)
• Hubbies don’t get hints. If you want them to get it right, just tell them!
• Appreciate your loved ones and never ever take them for granted. You’ll never know- they might not be there tomorrow.
• LOL means ‘Laugh Out Loud’ and LMFAO means ‘Laugh My F***ing A** Off’… oooohhhh… iyer ker?? Now I get it….
• People who likes to call other people fat or who likes to boast about their huge savings account are just insecure
• RM120 for a weekend is nothing compared to the time you spend with your best friends who were there for you through thick and thin… that’s priceless!
• I believe in karma. Good things happen to good people.

8 people to pass this tag to:
• Dian
• Zura Chikong
• Ghaz
• Devina
• Mate
• Vasantha
• Ibdil
• Sherie

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Life as a (part-time) desperate housewife...

... is actually not bad at all.

I'm now working part time Tues-Thurs and am off work to have a very long weekend Fri-Mon to sort out stuff at home. At first , I was quite dreading it coz I'm not much of the housewife type- I can't cook too well and cleaning are on an as-and-when-needed-only basis. However, now I'm beginning to enjoy this arrangement. I finally wiped the dust off Mama's recipe books she gave me for my wedding present (..yup, after so long!). Last Friday, after sending Haidan off to his nursery, I was suddenly on a 'master-chef' mode. I cooked 7 lauks all in one day! Masak and portioned them to freeze - itupun I "had" to stop at the 7th lauk coz tak cukup tupperware for freezing. If not, I could have kept going! That's 2 weeks dinner sorted!

Next, was the laundry. I sorted Haidan's wardrobe- oh my, he can't wear half of his clothes already! He's growing too fast now... how ah??? I washed everything- from the bedding to the bath mats. I even managed to iron ALL of Hubby's shirt (which was much to his surprise coz I usually moan and groan everytime I picked up the seterika).

Last but not least was the cleaning- the dapur and bathrooms got a good scrubbing and polishing and I managed to re-organise the cupboards and shelves.

Phew! By the end of the day, my body was all aching.. but it was worth it! Now that it's all clean and organised, I feel like Bree from Desperate Housewives.... everything in the house must be perfect in its place. I was so "over" that Hubby's getting a bit irritated now coz he'll get my deadly stares and sneers if he tries to move ANYthing out of its place in this house.... Muahahahha....

Tomorrow, we'll be taking Haidan out to town. He's feeling so much better now after a hell-ish 2 weeks of fever and diarrhea. Thank you so much for the well-wishes guys! Here's Haidan's latest- all smiles and kicking again. Yup, he got his chubby cheeks back!




Hopefully on Monday, I will be updating more pictures and replying to the tags (coming soon Marisa!). Till then, I better get some rest... I'm totally knackered.

OK, over and out!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

I'm back....

... but not for long.

We got back from KL 2 weeks ago and we have been so busy trying to juggle between Haidan, work and home. I hardly have time to turn on the laptop nowadays!

Last weekend, Haidan was hit with a viral fever. He's temperature soared to 39deg and had diarrhea. He lost so much weight coz he refused to feed. We rushed him to the Emergency ward at St Helier's last Monday night coz he was not getting any better. The doctor kept him for a couple of hours to do some checks. Fortunately, it wasn't too serious but he was still a bit dehydrated. He's now recovering at home (with me & hubby taking turns taking day-offs).

I'm now at work, bored (not much work yet..) and can't wait to go home and check on my little baby. Hopefully Hubby's taking good care of him....

I am so tired... exhausted. Mornings have to rush to get Haidan ready and catch the train to work. Evenings have to rush to pick Haidan up from the nursery and then prepare dinner for the family. Now that Haidan's not well, he's been very clingy and there's nothing that I can do, except cuddle and nurse him.

After this 2 weeks ordeal, I hereby salute all the working mommies & daddies that have managed their family without the help of parents/ inlaws and maids. Tabik spring!

I miss Mama now more than ever...

Oh well, until Haidan is fully recovered, I might not get the chance to update this blog with all the happenings and dramas while we were in Malaysia. So many pictures, so many stories to tell... gosh..

Monday, March 10, 2008

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!

Sunday, March 02, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR...



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

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

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!!!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

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!

Friday, February 22, 2008

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.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

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!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Friday, February 15, 2008

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.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

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????

Monday, February 11, 2008

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!




Tuesday, February 05, 2008

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!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

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!

Monday, January 28, 2008

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....

Monday, January 21, 2008

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:

Friday, January 18, 2008

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

Thursday, January 17, 2008

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.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

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...)

Saturday, January 12, 2008

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!

Thursday, January 03, 2008

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 :)

Monday, December 24, 2007

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!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Thank you Soffya & Areef :)

Dear Haidan,

Today you turn 1 month old (already??!! Oh my god, how time flies!). And just perfect timing, you received a very special surprise present all the way from Malaysia. It was your very first parcel- and it comes from your friends (and fellow scousers.. hehe) Soffyya and Areef... Yeay! Yeay! Thank you!!! (Errrmmm.. as you can see, your Papa & Mama yang ter-over excited pulak.. )

To Soffyya & Areef (and Uncle Dil & Aunty Eza), thank you so much. Remember, "you'll never walk alone" ;)

Hope to see you all soon!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

My pantang experience

I am struggling to stick to a strict pantang routine because I don't really have a lot of free time for myself nowadays. Seriously, this motherhood business is no easy task. Believe me, after a routine of feeding, changing nappies and putting Haidan to sleep, there's usually less than a 2-hour window left to do anything else, before he wakes up again.

This is when being in the UK made me realise how lucky new mommies in Malaysia are. My cousin, Nurul, gave birth a few weeks before I did and she was treated like a princess. Every morning and evening she goes through the traditional malay akar kayu/ daun herba bath, then di-urut, di-tungku and then di-barut/ bengkung and finished off with di-pilis and di-param. Then she rests until evening before she washes herself off. She doesn't do a lot of moving around coz she's got assistance to help her with the housework, cooking and babysitting.

Me on the otherhand have to struggle with the pantang routine as I have to do it all on my own. My mom's got her hands full in the kitchen with the cooking, cleaning and laundering. It gets a bit messy and complicated you know trying to put everything on yourself and then not being able to move for the next 4hours with all the pilis and param on me. Imagine standing alone in the bathroom trying to tie a very long bengkung with all these messy smelly pastes all over your body and forehead and just as you are about to tie halfway, your baby dah start melalak lapar! Therefore, it proved to be too stressful that I have given up on the total traditional routine. I've now resorted to mandi with sabun Dove and then putting this supposedly miraculous heaty Slimming & Toning Gel and then wear a M&S girdle.

On food pantang, there's bad news and good news. The good news is that Mama did make sure that I have a healthy menu with no frying dishes whatsoever. My daily menu will usually consists of a half portion of nasi putih panas, with either ikan bakar or tofu jepun or sup ayam and a serving of steamed vege (usually brocollis or asparagus). The bad news is that Mama now is going through this phase in her life where she’s all so excited on experimenting on making deserts and kueh. Yup, I may have a 10 calorie meal but then I screwed it all up by finishing it with a 1000zillion calorie desert. Plus, having a Hubby who loves to share his jar of Nutella after dinner with me proves to be a bit too difficult to live with.

Therefore, I have concluded that I have failed miserably in my pantang routine. I realized that this critical 40 days confinement period (mat sallehs call it the 6weeks-postpartum period) is originally to make sure that the new mommy gets the rest she deserves after all she’s been through. Since sticking to this pantang business proves to be more stressful than not, I shall not beat myself up for not following it exactly. However, I will promise myself that once I’m stronger, I will go all-out on my aerobics exercise regime again. In the meantime, I will forgive and forget my sexy size 8 jeans and devote all my free time (if any) to get myself a deserving rest. Heck, I’m going to follow exactly what the midwife told me before I left the hospital: “Don’t stand when you can sit, don’t sit when you can lie down and don’t stay awake when you can sleep!”

Friday, December 07, 2007

My Labour Drama

Yes, I’m alive again.. after a week long of heavy doses of morphine (with added ibuprofen and occasional paracetamol for extra uummph!), I’m now back on my slightly-swollen-feet, but am feeling a lot better.

It has been a little more than 2 weeks since Haidan arrived and I can still remember the drama I was going through to have him:

Friday, 16th Nov
My last day at work before I go on leave. After my colleagues threw me a big farewell do, I was busy the whole day packing stuff to bring home. Did quite a lot of heavy lifting- files, folders, books etc. My boss siap tegur, “Careful with that, we don’t want you to give birth now do we??” I looked at him and coyly replied with my ‘Don’t-be-silly-lah-My-baby’s-due-on-1st-Dec-only’ grin on my face.

Saturday, 17th Nov
Spent the whole day in bed, with my lazy mode on full. Hubby tried to convince me to wake up and start kemas to prepare the baby stuff. Dengan nada bongkak, I responded, “Alaaa… relax ah bro… lama lagi lah nak beranak…” and pulled the duvet over my head to continue my journey into slumberland..

Sunday, 18th Nov
Suddenly had the urge to makan besar, especially tetiba teringin sangat nak makan pengat durian. So, forced Hubby to drive 3 hours worth of traffic up to Oriental City in North London, where we all melantak dim-sum, nasi campur, roti canai planta, teh tarik etc. Managed to bungkus fresh durian, so that Mama can cook me my pengat. Was smiling ear to ear with a full tummy on the way home. I woke up in the middle of the night and ‘curi makan’ 2 ulas durian, hoping that Mama won’t notice.

Monday, 19th Nov
At around 4am, my water broke. Panic.
Midwife advised us to come in to the hospital and said that I should be in labour within the next 12 hours. My reaction, “Huh??? Alamak, camana nie.. We haven’t prepared anything yet. Damn the durians!”. More panic. Gobbled up a handful of Ferrero Roche to calm me down.

Tuesday, 20th Nov
After 24 hours, still no major contractions yet. The obstetrician came in and ordered me to be induced. Hubby was quick to suggest that I have epidural before the induction. The sight of the needle literally sent shivers down my spine… (thank God I had my Ferrero Roche to help me forget and relax). Within 20 minutes, I was all numb waist down (due to the drug) and a bit high waist up (due to Ferrero Roche overload). We were to wait until I was readily dilated to start labour. Hubby and I (and a couple of the midwives) resorted to watching Desperate Housewives on our laptop. It seemed to be the longest wait ever…

Wednesday, 21st Nov
After more than 8 hours of waiting, I wasn’t doing much progress at all. The obstetrician came up to me and said that Baby Bubble’s heart rate is slowing down and suggested that we opt for a caesarean. After much persuasion that it’s for the best (plus she promised that she’ll do the most perfect incision with dissolvable stitches), I succumbed and was then whisked away to the surgery theatre. After that, it was more drugs and I can’t remember much, (except the part when I can see Hubby all excited putting on his ER costume and sempat posing bergambar lagi!). They put up a screen so we can’t see the works. At 2.39am, the surgeons announced “It’s a BOY! Congratulations!!!” and soon after I heard my baby’s cry - it was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.

And thus, begin a new chapter of my life.... motherhood. Cool...

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Introducing my Baby Bubbles :)




HAIDAN ARIEF.

Born on Wednesday 21 Nov 2007, 2.39am at St Heliers Hospital, Surrey. He's a healthy 2.8kg boy, born via C-section. We both just got home from hospital last Sunday. My water broke prematurely and he arrives 2 weeks earlier than expected (such drama I tell you, it deserves its own posting.. hehe).

To those who've heard, thank you for all the wishes via sms, email, friendster and facebook while we were in hospital. Me will post more pics as soon as I'm fully recovered, as at the moment I'm still a bit stiff, sore and high on drugs...

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

3 days to go....

Tick, tock, tick, tock... 1 more hour to go and that's another day in the office gone. I'm so looking forward to my cuti as it has been very hectic at the office- so much work to finish before I leave.

Yup, I'm 37 weeks pregnant and am still working. Though this week will be my last week before I go off on a 4 month maternity leave- Hoooorrraaaayyyyy!!!! Next week onwards, I so can't wait...

... to wake up late, ignoring the winter chill as I curl under the duvet
... start organising Baby Bubbles wardrobe and shoppings
... test run my Quinny Buzz
... put my feet up and watch Desperate Housewives DVD
... update my blog, iPhoto and iTunes
... spend the whole day pampering myself in the bath
... go to Oriental City and melantak as much as I can

(Hmmm... macam banyak lah pulak kan nak buat- sempat ke ni???... especially considering I can just go into labour anytime.. eheh)