Red Pineapple

Letter to Mirae

2012-01-27T13:08:00.000+08:00

Dear Tasha (Yoon Mirae), I don't think you will ever read this letter I am writing to you, but I just wanted to let you know how inspiring you are to me, as a person. I've only ever known you by your songs since you've not made that many tv appearances previously. I watched you and Tiger JK on Win Win on KBSW (kbsw shows airs 3 weeks later than on KBS) and you really inspired me. Why do I say

Designer Diaper Bags Part 3

2012-01-25T17:15:00.000+08:00

Wokeh folks! I am so excited about this update! In my never-ending quest to find gorgeous diaper bags that mom can tote around and not look silly... I found this online store: Baby Kingdom. Go to their "nappy bags" section under "for mum". It seems they are the biggest retailer of baby stuff in Sydney? Who knew! They carry designer diaper bag brands Babymel, Bugaboo, Dashbaby, Melobaby, Oi Oi,

WTH... I mean really

2012-01-23T02:00:00.000+08:00

Earlier at the start of the year, I had this premonition, due to the impending end of 1N2D this coming February, I suddenly felt a strong urge to download all the episodes... before it all disappears. I think it was because jiwonified's youtube account finally getting axed by MBC (due to copyright infringement) and Bee's talk of "I don't know what to do with this site once 1n2d ends" that gave me

Just one of those things...

2012-01-18T15:25:00.000+08:00

When I've completed all my tasks and have nothing to do at work, I always wish I can go home and play with my kids. I always make plans in my head... oh, if only I can pick them up, we'd go to the playground, or.. we'd play puzzles. Or build a castle. Then the day wears on, and I'll get tired, and by the time I come home, there are so many things to do, that in the end, I'll be lucky if I get to

Routines Routines Routines!

2012-01-13T15:49:00.000+08:00

The life of a working, single mom of an infant and toddler is the most optimal when routines can be followed without much disturbance. I think I've posted about this before, but I cannot stress this enough. If you are not a working mom, routines are still important. Even if you are not a single mom, routines are pivotal. Routines are just important. Period. I like to think that my day begins

My own two cents: KBS Entertainment Awards 2011

2011-12-26T09:40:00.000+08:00

One day has passed and now all sorts of news articles are coming out about how enraged people are that the entire cast of "1n2d" won the Daesang at the KBS Entertainment Awards 2011 without being nomintated, save for one cast member, Lee Seung Gi. But did KBS do the right thing? By awarding all the members when only Seunggi was nominated? Shouldn't they have just let the boys win Best Team

Sultan Selangor's birthday

2011-12-12T09:55:00.001+08:00

The kids' school is closed today due to it being the Sultan of Selangor's birthday. It's only public holiday in Selangor, and not KL, so I had to apply for leave today (since I work in KL and not Selangor) to take care of the kids at home. The kids did not wake up late as I had expected [T_T] ... I wanted some downtime for myself to finish my ironing, but I managed to do that anyway while they

Missed the concert again

2011-12-09T16:12:00.001+08:00

So Lee Seung Gi is having his concert tomorrow, and I am so envious of Yoke Leng and the rest of the Airens that are going! Initially, when I was pregnant with Sophie, I had planned to go to his concert at the end of this year, and I had actually saved $100 per month just for the trip. But then when the baby was born and we got divorced, I had to use that money I saved to pay for the rental

Whew this dusty blog!

2011-12-09T15:32:00.000+08:00

Can you imagine me blowing the dust off of this dusty blog? I haven't posted anything here in ages. Feels like a lifetime. But anyway. Here we go again. Gotta try to get back into the groove of blogging again. This blog used to be known as "Bleach fan becomes a new mom" and then it changed to "Bleach fan (re)discovers LSG." And now it's evolved into "LSG fan becomes a single mom and a G-Crew."

Back at work...

2011-09-12T14:10:00.000+08:00

I kept telling myself, "One more ounce, just one more ounce." But it wasn't to be. Second week back at work, and I only managed to pump 8 oz today, as compared to being able to pump 15 oz or more during confinement. There is one lady in this office that can still pump 20 oz per day! And she said she needed to buy another fridge just to store all the excess milk. How I envy this woman! My daily

The End?

2011-08-21T20:35:00.000+08:00

*Sigh... life as I know it really is coming to an end. Not just stuff on the homefront and getting a new job, but 1n2d coming to an end... One of the only things I look forward to at the end of a long, hard week of working, taking care of two kids and keeping house. The routine that I am so used to. The show that makes me smile, laugh and cry. The show that saw me through my depression and two

What to look for in a web-host / the last month of my pregnancy

2011-05-06T11:50:00.002+08:00

The most frustrating time is when you've dilated 1 cm and waiting to dilate to 5 cm so that you can actually get admitted into the hospital to deliver your baby. First of all, my OBGYN and I anticipated that my 2nd baby would be born early, just like my first baby, Salma. During Salma's time, I had a show of blood at 38 weeks, and went in straight for delivery. This time around, at 38 weeks, I

Princess

2011-05-04T08:25:00.002+08:00

You would think that she was inspired by William and Catherine's recent wedding, but no...She wanted to be like Dora (the Explorer) when she put on the magic mermaid crown to save the mermaid kingdom (it's one of Dora's dvds). So she asked her dad to get her a crown (where is my magic crown?) and so daddy bought her one from Girls and brought it home after work. She was so excited about it, she

Children's TV

2011-04-06T10:01:00.000+08:00

My little girl has finally graduated from watching Playhouse Disney exclusively to watching a mix of Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney and the Disney Channel. It was a bit of surprise when she suddenly asked me a few days ago to change the channel. She doesn't know how to work the remote all by herself yet. I changed it to Nick Jr, and she recognized Dora the Explorer (I guess they must watch the dvd in

Stretchmarks... again

2011-04-01T07:40:00.000+08:00

I really envy those moms that don't get stretchmarks when pregnant. I guess I made a mistake the first time round by not applying any cocoa butter at all on my tummy before it started stretching, so I was left with like a gazillion stretchmarks. However, having said that, I was surprised to find that there are other moms with worse stretchmarks than me! Not that I was peeking or you know, asking

Travel tips

2011-03-29T17:17:00.000+08:00

We have friends that newly became parents. And some of the things that they said & planned during the first three months of having their newborn just made me laugh. It wasn't that I was laughing at them, just that their innocence was so touching, it made me laugh. For instance, they asked us to join them on a trip to Singapore or some place where we would take a flight and stay in a budget hotel

Things that interest me at 33 weeks

2011-03-28T11:08:00.000+08:00

Being pregnant can get boring after awhile, especially in the last 2 months. You get so big that your movement is impeded, and you are always feeling hot and tired, and the combination of all of these will make you grumpy. Like, "Enough already and come out!" I am going through that stage right now. So I am trying to distract myself by thinking up of different activities I can do to pass the

Hmmm...

2011-03-27T05:44:00.000+08:00

I'm about to have baby #2, and I'm having flashbacks of all the things I hate and fear. These flashbacks normally occur in dreams and in those short periods between awake and sleep that you sometimes experience when you are really tired. Normally the second type of flashback will jolt me back to life, and not in a good way. I'll feel more than a little apprehensive after one of those. I read

Baby coming soon!

2011-03-22T11:46:00.001+08:00

Wow... I haven't updated this blog in awhile. Been busy with moving house and settling down. I am now going through the "nesting" phase of my second pregnancy. I'm browsing a lot of online baby shops and looking at a lot of baby stuff whenever I go out. But I am relieved that all my major purchases for the new baby were completed today: 1) MAM Anti-colic bpa-free bottles 2) Nipple shields (for

Things that I will miss most about this house...

2011-01-28T08:27:00.000+08:00

Everything. I don't think there is a single thing that I will not miss about this house. Even the naughty neighborhood cats that always pee at the porch which I always complain about, I will miss. This is the first house I moved into after getting married that I love completely. The first housing area that I love completely, too. Even though sometimes we complain that we don't know where to eat

Musings

2011-01-07T16:29:00.000+08:00

Isn't it weird that while I was cheering feverishly for the South Korean team during World Cup 2010 during all their live games, LSG was too? There we were, two excited football fans cheering on their favorite team at the same time but at two different parts of the world, totally oblivious to the other? Back then, I wasn't even a fan of LSG. But we probably cursed at the screen at the same time

Pangs of guilt

2011-01-07T15:25:00.000+08:00

Don't you wish sometimes you could take a break from being a mom? And you know just be yourself for awhile, without having to chase after some small running thing, or feed an open mouth or pick up toys off the floor one after another? And no more of Playhouse Disney and Elmo dvds and Dibo dvds? *Sigh... when will that day come? I asked Salma to play with her musical schoolbus, and instead of

The Non-Diaper Bag (Designer Diaper Bags Part 2)

2011-01-05T10:09:00.000+08:00

I am becoming a newborn mom again, which means taking a second look at the Diaper Bag. I stopped using a diaper bag more than a year ago, when my daughter stopped drinking milk from the bottle. When going out, I'd just stuff one spare diaper and wet wipes into my handbag. But now that I'll be a mom to a new baby soon (in about 4-5 months time), I think it's time for me to shop around for a new

Pretty Mom

2011-01-01T10:10:00.000+08:00

Something that's been bugging me for awhile now is how do I get back into shape after delivery. I haven't been able to do that after my first child was born, but I am determined to do it after my second child is born. And what I mean by "get back into shape" is going back to my pre-marriage days. Ya ya. I think maybe my ideal weight was when I first started working. I need to get back to that,

A good year...

2010-12-31T23:59:00.001+08:00

pic taken from leeseunggiworld (thanks!) It's been a good year for LSG, he just won a string of awards for music, mc-ing and acting at the end of the 2010. On 30/12/2010 LSG won the Netizens Popularity Award and the Best Excellence Award at the 2010 SBS Entertainment Awards, so... Congratulations!! I think The SBS Best Excellence Award is worth mentioning because he's come a long way as an MC,

Explosive!

2010-12-30T14:08:00.000+08:00

I don't normally do this, and I am a little embarrassed to admit that I am a 2PM fan, but I thought their performance at last night's "SBS Gayo Daejun" (29/12/10) was explosive! I love how the song starts with them changing in their car and then they come on stage to perform a rocked-up version of "I'll be back". 2PM will be performing on tonight's (30/12/10) "2010 KBS Song Festival" at 9pm on

Good Morning

2010-12-30T07:21:00.000+08:00

After resuming posting recently, several people contacted me to congratulate me on being pregnant again and asked me when my due date is. Surprisingly, I don't exactly know when my due date is. Because I got the dates of my last period wrong. I'd given my Obgyn one date, and my due date was estimated at May 11. Then suddenly during my check-up at 15-16 weeks, my doc measures the baby and

The Beginning

2010-12-29T11:25:00.000+08:00

Some people may want to know, who or what is Bleach? Bleach is an anime. And Red Pineapple is Abarai Renji - To make a long story short, I used to watch Bleach everyday during my confinement months after delivering baby Salma. I was stuck in this one room with my new baby, since new moms aren't allowed to walk much during confinement, and I passed my time by watching all the episodes of Bleach.

Time for a revamp

2010-12-25T09:06:00.000+08:00

I haven't updated this blog for several months, and I feel that it's time for a revamp. Although I will probably still remain as the red pineapple (or not..), and although I am still a Bleach fan, a whole new tour de force has taken over my life. So I'm wondering whether to incorporate it into my blog or not. I took a break from writing anything because I got pregnant again, and was so sick from

Ramadan Buffet

2010-08-25T09:11:00.000+08:00

As far as Ramadan Buffets are concerned, I learned one thing last night: when you have a small kid, it's preferred not to have your table outdoors. But if you really have to sit outdoors, make sure the place has sufficient fans or cooling systems. We went to maybe one of the worst buffet places yesterday. The food wasn't bad, on the contrary, the food was quite good. It was just the way the

Buka Puasa

2010-08-24T07:23:00.000+08:00

Salma does not yet understand the concept of "puasa" (fasting), so during the day she is always offering mummy and daddy bits of her biscuit or chocolate to eat. When it's almost time to break fast, she will ask us to go upstairs because she wants to get ready for bed. And if I think about it, before fasting month, we used to have our dinner early. And by the time the sun has set, she has

Conversations

2010-08-19T07:11:00.000+08:00

After breaking fast last night, I was clearing the dining table and walking back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen, when I suddenly found Salma sitting alone in the living room. "Where's daddy?" I asked. "Daddy blow," she replied. Stunned, I asked her, "Blow?? What do you mean?" Salma replied with an action as if blowing out cigarette smoke, "Fuuuuuuhhhhh." "Oh," I said,

Stuff I like

2010-08-18T15:21:00.002+08:00

Taken from www.kimarie.com.my Two things that make this mommy happy are: 1) a good tailor (that always makes me look slim in a baju kurung) and 2) a good haircut. I have the best tailor in the world, who shall remain nameless because she specifically asked me not to recommend her to any more customers. And secondly, I have now found another good hairdresser. I have 3 hairdressers that are

Conversations

2010-08-12T10:07:00.001+08:00

"Krong-krong" is the made-up word we use at home to mean "snoring". Salma was cuddling with me before bed, and I teased my husband and imitated the sound he makes when he snores to Salma. "This is the way daddy krong-krong. Horrh horrh horhh (nasally-throaty snoring sound)," I said and she giggled. "This is the way Salma krong-krong, hmmmt hmmmt hmmmt (air blowing through nose sound)," I

When you are sick too

2010-08-08T14:41:00.000+08:00

As a mom, taking care of a sick child when you are sick yourself is pretty much the hardest thing to do. Especially when your husband, your only helper is sick, too. That's what's going on in my household right now. My husband has both laryngitis and tonsilitis, I have laryngitis, and my lil girl probably has laryngitis, too. Our sinuses are swollen, our eyes watery, our noses blocked, our

Potty training

2010-08-04T15:26:00.000+08:00

I think it's time I begin potty training Salma in earnest. She's almost two. I already bought her a potty training book: "Lulu's Loo" by Camilla Reid (bought it at Popular bookstore), which she reads to herself every night. I also read it to her, but it's fun to see her read it to herself with her made up words. And I bought her a pink colored portable potty, which so far, she's only sat on

Old Macdonald had a burger

2010-07-31T08:47:00.004+08:00

Last Thursday evening, we were watching the CSI Trilogy replay, so we decided to order McDonalds delivery. Salma was annoyed that we were watching CSI on tv instead of her Playhouse Disney, and kept pestering me to go upstairs. "Mummy, I want naik atas." (Mummy, I want to go upstairs.) "No, cannot, we have to wait for McDonalds to come." "Huh..." she gave me a skeptical look, "Old Macdonald?"

Baby eczema

2010-07-28T11:57:00.000+08:00

It just breaks my heart that my lil Poppet Cuk has eczema! All my life I have never suffered any skin problems. I didn't even get that many pimples. So when Salma got eczema, I was clueless on what to do. Recently, the eczema around her left elbow has gotten worse! It's all red and inflamed, and she scratches it even in her sleep. The capillaries under the skin have broken, and I can see the

Plans plans plans

2010-07-27T10:31:00.000+08:00

As with the last time I had to leave my job, I started making plans in my head as to what I'd do during the free time I will have. Other than cleaning the house, folding and ironing the piles and piles of clean laundry I have left in several laundry baskets, I thought I would start baking cakes and cookies and muffins and cupcakes. And also do some photography/artwork projects on the computer.

The red pineapple

2010-07-26T10:24:00.000+08:00

Many people don't know the true meaning of Red Pineapple. "Red Pineapple" was the nickname given to Abarai Renji for his spiky red hair when he was freeloading at Urahara's shop. While I was in confinement, Salma and I spent most of our time watching dvds of the anime Bleach. We are great fans. Until now (or rather just me, as Salma sometimes zones out when we are watching). I am kinda bummed

Shoes

2010-07-23T10:46:00.000+08:00

I know that some of you will think I'm a complete idiot when I say this, but I find it pretty stressful when it comes to buying shoes for my 2 year old. Because I can't seem to decide whether or not I should buy shoes that fit her just right, or shoes that are a little bigger (so that her feet can grow into them). And I never seem to make the right decision, either way. I bought her shoes that

Mommy's plans

2010-07-21T17:32:00.000+08:00

I don't think men realise that moms plan just as much as dads do, and probably even more than dads do. I know my husband will hate it when I mention it, but I do a lot of planning for the future. I was told by two people in particular (my husband and my former boss) that I behave somewhat like a man. For example, when I start feeling the financial constraints, I automatically (well almost

The funny things they say

2010-07-02T18:05:00.000+08:00

Salma learned this song for Mother's Day, that goes something like, "Mummy, mummy, I love you, And I know you love me too..." (that's about all I know because after that, the words Salma sings don't make much sense to me). And when we are travelling in the car, we'll ask her to swap the words "Mummy" for "Daddy" and "Atuk" and "Wan", etc. Then we tease her by singing to her, "Salma, Salma,

Salma at the movies part 2

2010-06-28T14:20:00.000+08:00

I posted some time ago about how we took Salma to watch Shrek 4 in the cinema for the first time and she was asleep for the entire move. Well, yesterday we brought her to see Toy Story 3 at the cinema, and I am happy to say that she watched at least 30 mins of the show before falling asleep. I give her points for good behaviour. She didn't cry, scream or shout. Good girl! Now we can see the

Mumsy

2010-06-25T14:26:00.006+08:00

The lady in charge of maintenance for my office building said to me one day, "When you first came, you didn't look like someone that was married and with kids. Then you put the photos of your daughter up on your desk, and I was so surprised!" Hmm, I thought to myself, do I take that as a compliment or not? I asked her. And she said, "Yes, it's meant to be a compliment! You don't look 'mumsy' at

2010-06-21T17:03:00.000+08:00

There is a positive correlation between weaning and tantrums: the more you try to wean your toddler from breastfeeding, the more temper tantrums you will get. I have been breastfeeding for close to 2 years now, and I feel that it's time to stop. Or else I fear it will go on and on forever. I have started to refuse her requests to nurse only just recently, but boy has it had an impact on my

Fantastic puzzles!

2010-06-14T10:35:00.001+08:00

I am a big fan of Melissa & Doug. (http://www.melissaanddoug.com/) They are a US company that make educational toys for children. A couple of months ago, I bought 2 wooden peg puzzles by Melissa & Doug at the Toys R Us at Empire Shopping Gallery. We went to the grand opening of the Toys R Us, and got ourselves a free membership card. Melissa & Doug's wooden puzzles are just gorgeous and safe. No

Bedtime rituals

2010-06-03T13:29:00.000+08:00

Salma has officially entered her terrible twos at 20 months. Yes, she does everything early. I began to notice the change when our usual bedtime routine changed the last two times. Instead of the usual read a book and nightly feed, Salma now has the need to do anything and everything in that short period between after-dinner and bedtime. She will insist on playing her puzzles, insist on reading

Tantrums

2010-06-02T11:57:00.001+08:00

Last night, after Salma had finished her dinner, she asked me if she can watch her favorite DVD. I said, "No, we have to go upstairs and get ready for bed." She then proceeded to throw a tantrum. Nonetheless, I carried her upstairs, kicking and screaming. I continued to change her clothes and change her diaper. She still did not stop her tantrum. The

Snapshot

2010-05-28T17:24:00.002+08:00

Her first movie!

2010-05-24T10:35:00.003+08:00

On Saturday, we brought Salma to watch her first movie in the cinema - Shrek 4! My husband had this brilliant idea to get gold/premiere class tickets so that Salma will be more comfortable with the space and fewer people in one cinema. So I bought the tickets online, and off we went to watch the movie the 3 of us together for the first time! We bought popcorn, drinks and twisties for her. She was

Temporary fixation

2010-05-21T09:18:00.000+08:00

Is it totally weird that I am still looking for a middle name to go with "Sophie" even though I am not planning at all to have a second child yet? But I am totally fixated on it. I can't figure out what name goes well after "Sophie". Because I so do want to name my second kid "Sophie" if it's a girl. I have a pretty strong feeling that it will be a girl. And I am neither ready or not ready to

Messy Rooms

2010-05-19T09:47:00.001+08:00

The one thing I absolutely dread and try to avoid looking at (by closing the door) is a messy room. I am a terrible mom when it comes to cleaning up my daughter's room. And I feel so guilty for ignoring the messy room. To the point that it remains messy for over a week! My husband and I agreed early on, that when we decided to make space for Salma to have

Baby clothes

2010-05-17T11:43:00.001+08:00

I think I can get pretty obsessed when it comes to buying baby clothes. Even to the point of planning what clothes to get Salma once she's a little older. But I hide all this from my husband, and do it secretly in my head (or hide bigger sized clothes in the bottom drawer). I enjoy shopping for clothes for my daughter even more than I enjoy shopping for my

Play tent

2010-05-10T17:22:00.001+08:00

I redeemed with my credit card points a play tent or play house made by the brand K's Kids. It's called "Pop Up Imagic Tent". http://www.kskids.com/new3/KksProductDetail.php?product_id=3022 It is foldable and portable and comes with a handy carrying case. The tent folds out into quite a large house! I was surprised, and very happy with it. It has

I really like this neighborhood!

2010-05-04T08:49:00.000+08:00

photo taken from thestar.com.my I must say, I really like living in Subang Jaya. No, the photo isn't taken from my street, but frome one very much like it. I tried taking some sunrise photos of Subang, but they didn't turn out right. But I'll keep trying and post them here when I get some really good ones. As I was saying, I really like living in Subang. Now, I have moved around a lot, all of my

Herb garden

2010-04-29T09:41:00.000+08:00

As part of my happiness project, (finding small ways to create more enjoyment in my life) I had decided to start a herb garden. I am starting slowly, of course, as plants don't grow all that fast. So two weeks ago, I went to ACE Hardware and bought myself some small pots, soil, and some gardening equipment, and planted seeds of Dill, Coriander and Chili. Since I have no experience with gardening

Orange cake or orange muffins

2010-04-26T13:47:00.006+08:00

The org I work for gives staff fresh fruit everyday, and today's fruit is orange. And for some reason, oranges are not very popular with the people here, and not many people take it. I suppose it's the type of orange that you have to cut rather than peel, and that's why people don't take them. But I will take the orange and bring it home and make orange cake or orange muffins! I am excited about

Home made jam muffins

2010-04-25T11:19:00.000+08:00

Muffins (and chocolate chip cookies) have always been my specialty (as I like to think! hehe). This morning's batch of jam muffins that I made with my new oven turned out great and were a success with Salma! She ate 2 of them straight away! First, to get Salma to enjoy the baking process, I lined the dining table with newspaper and transferred all my baking materials to the dining table from

10 Things I Can Do To Make Life Easier/Better

2010-04-22T13:20:00.000+08:00

Having been inspired by Gretchen Rubin's list of "Nine Things You Can Do Everyday - Even When You Can't Do Anything Else" from her The Happiness Project blog (click on link to go there), I also created a list of 10 Things I Can Do Everyday To Make Life Easier/Better - 1. Make my bed every morning before going out. 2. Wash plates immediately after a meal, so that dishes won't pile up in the

First try with my new oven

2010-04-22T09:50:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, I bought a 42L Faber table-top electric oven. We chose the biggest one after comparing all the electric ovens that they had in the store and figured with the SenQ Member discount, it was the best value-for-money oven that they had there (for that size) for below RM400. I knew that with a table-top oven, I'd have a harder time getting used to

Next step: baking

2010-04-14T11:35:00.000+08:00

Four posts ago, I spoke about my happiness project (borrowed from Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project"). Okay sure, I haven't gone round to taking walks 3 times a week after work, but my excuse is that it's been raining heavily on most days, so save that activity for another time. The next step in my happiness project is to buy an oven. And I've done my research, and I found out that table

It's like a sauna in here!

2010-04-13T09:01:00.001+08:00

Unbelievable. I guess this is a direct result of global warming because I never remembered Malaysia to be this hot, ever! My house was like a sauna last night! And I just moved in about 2 weeks ago, so still not used to having to sleep with the aircon. And anyway, the aircon in my room is broken, it doesn't blow cold air at all! My previous house was

You know it when...

2010-04-09T14:28:00.001+08:00

You know that Salma is going to be a girly-girl when she grows up when at 18 months old, she puts on mummy's high heels and waddles around in them without falling! And you know that she's going to be a girly-girl when she tries on every single one of mummy's shoes and waddles around in them! And you know that she's going to be a girly-girl when not only does she try on every single one of mummy's

Salma's new room (with photos)

2010-04-01T16:53:00.003+08:00

We've just moved into our new house in Subang, and for the first time, Salma has her very own room! (Instead of having an unused guest room.) My husband bought a very nice shade of light, creamy green (Nippon Paint's Colour of 2009), and painted the room in just one night. And then he did some touching up the next day. I had bought some nice Korean wall stickers from a flea market, and also those

Salma's new room

2010-04-01T13:27:00.001+08:00

My Happiness Project

2010-03-25T13:22:00.001+08:00

Having been inspired by the book I'm reading online, "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Craft Rubin, I am now preparing a list of things that I would like to do once I move into my new house. Moving into a new house closer to my daughter's school is in itself the first part of my own happiness project. Being closer to her school will eliminate two traffic

Infant & child CPR

2010-03-25T11:38:00.000+08:00

I've just completed a Basic First Aid & CPR Training last week conducted by the Malaysian Red Crescent Society. And I am so glad I attended, because now I know how to perform infant & child CPR, as well as treatment for choking, both for adults and children! I wasn't part of the original participant list, so I was so glad that they decided to include me in

New Working Environment

2010-03-01T16:23:00.001+08:00

I am now working for a non-profit organization, and it's really refreshing to work with an organization that really understands my needs to provide for my child's needs. I mean, I've worked with family-friendly organizations before, but never have they been this friendly! The HR manager is a real HR manager, who understands a mother's need to attend to

Eyelashes

2010-02-19T17:11:00.001+08:00

I went to the spa on the Tuesday public holiday during Chinese New Year week. My masseuse was from China, and even though she did not speak English very well, she was able to tell me (using gestures and pointing) that she thought I had very beautiful eyelashes. I was going to say to her, "If you think mine are beautiful, you should see my baby girl's!" But

Pumping first time in 3 months!

2010-02-11T16:42:00.001+08:00

This afternoon I pumped my breastmilk for the first time in about 3 months! I had stopped pumping during my time of unemployment, and actually could not produce any milk for pumping even before I had stopped work. But today, my 3rd day working at my new office, I was thrilled to be able to pump again! (No more sore breasts) However, to my dismay, I was

"To do less and be more"

2010-02-08T13:13:00.000+08:00

Ani DiFranco said that her baby "...teaches me how to just be in my skin, to do less and be more." Those words sort of inspire me now. I would love to do less and be more for my child. Hahahahahaha... how can I get like that? I suppose what it means is if I were a real genius, I would be able to do less (through creating a super efficient process for getting everything done) and be more of a good

Singing Fast

2010-01-19T16:45:00.002+08:00

I am super surprised at how fast Salma learns new words and songs! I guess it's about time anyway huh? Since she was roundabout 10-11 months old, she used to call her little Elmo doll "baby" (now she is 15 months old). She didn't know who or what Elmo was yet, so even though we tried telling her that it was "Elmo", she still kept calling him "baby". Then yesterday, she totally took me by

Taking medicine

2010-01-15T08:43:00.000+08:00

It is so effing frustrating when Salma doesn't want to take her medicine! With her, it's always a struggle. Take this morning for instance, she has to take 5ml of antibiotics because she has a terrible runny nose and watery eyes which could lead to other infections later. I tasted the yellow liquid and it tasted alright! Like lemon almost and it was sweet. I was given a syringe to help give her

Our Langkawi Trip: sunscreen

2010-01-10T01:00:00.000+08:00

Additional note that I forgot to add! I used Sunplay Water Kids SPF 30 sunscreen on Salma, but it did not provide good coverage. When choosing sunscreen for babies and toddlers it's important to choose one that is mild and gentle (in other words less chemicals) so I chose this one. But unfortunately, it did not do it's job very well. Yeah, I know you're supposed to keep on reapplying, but it's

Our Langkawi Trip: a guide for families with toddlers

2010-01-09T10:39:00.000+08:00

My husband, Salma and I just came back from a 3D2N vacation in Langkawi, and I must say it went better than we expected. I booked one of those "Go Holiday" packages from Air Asia and I think we really got our money's worth. The return flight was only 15 minutes delayed, (as opposed being hours and hours late as AirAsia flights can sometimes can -- people say anyway --), but the departing flight

Slow Progress

2009-12-26T08:00:00.000+08:00

It's been almost a month since I stopped working, but I still haven't gotten used to the rigour of housework and childcare. Hahaha! My back hurts just from doing chores while carrying my one year old. Yes, you read right, while carrying her. Sometimes it's alright, but sometimes it's just a pain. She gets into moods where she wants me to carry her while I do whatever it is I'm doing (such as

Moodiness

2009-12-15T08:38:00.003+08:00

Salma had her MMR vaccination last week, to immunize her against measles, mumps and rubella, and the doctor said that she would get a fever one week later. And sure enough, on the day of my husband's bowling tournament on Sat, she got a fever and was more quiet than usual. Which is good, considering that both my husband and me had to bowl. Then, in the middle of my second game, the most suprising

On the 3rd day...

2009-12-03T17:39:00.000+08:00

I thought I would spend more time with Salma now that I am jobless, so I pick her up at 1 o'clock from school now, so she can spend the entire afternoon with me. Usually at the end of the day, I am pretty tired after work so we do those gentle activities like eating dinner and reading books, so I thought, you know, with me now having more time on my hands I can do more strenuous activities with

Salma's first airplane ride

2009-11-23T13:41:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday morning was Salma's first airplane ride. We went to KT to attend my best friend's wedding. But on the plane ride to KT, Salma was fast asleep, so she missed everything going there, but coming back, she was wide awake! We sat at the window seat, with Salma on my lap. I let her look out of the window. Before take-off, I kept saying to her, "Okay, get ready... get ready..." and while

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! part 2

2009-11-20T10:49:00.000+08:00

Today I am wearing the super mama heels that my husband bought for me yesterday. Haha! I have not experienced this type of shoe-for-beauty pain in a long time. They're pretty high, these heels, and one size bigger than my normal size. Cos my favorite shoe shop was having a sale and they ran out of size 36.... I like how I look wearing them with my skinny jeans. Yeah, wearing jeans to work on a

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!

2009-11-17T11:12:00.000+08:00

I dunno what woman doesn't like shoes. I love shoes and shoe shopping. I used to have a different pair of shoes to suit each outfit (well almost), from stilletos, kitten heels to wedges. But ever since becoming a mom, that all changed for some reason. When I got pregnant, they told me I had to switch from heels to flats, so I packed away all my shoes into their shoe boxes. It's been almost 14

Stroller sale (and other stuff) at Baby Cottage Sunway

2009-11-09T09:00:00.001+08:00

This news is just too good to keep to myself! Baby Cottage at Sunway (the one off the Federal Highway, next to the Fire Fighting equipment shop, and across the street you can see the back of Mentari Court apartments like 50 m away or something) is having a sale. We bought a Maclaren Volo (lightweight buggy-type stroller useful for travelling) for just RM 487, from the usual price of RM 609, 20%

Conjunctivitis

2009-11-02T15:13:00.000+08:00

Salma and I are at home with conjunctivitis (eye infection). Salma caught it on Friday, most likely from someone at school. And since she spends 90% of her time at home with me, I am bound to catch the infection from her... which I did. This is the first time I am having conjunctivitis. It is a really irritable eye infection, very itchy. Your eyes secrete this sticky white discharge, especially

Weaning baby

2009-10-30T10:19:00.000+08:00

Without realising it, I have actually started to wean my baby from breastfeeding. I was reading an article from babycenter this morning, and it was giving tips on how to start weaning, and I found that I already do 2 out 3 of the steps below: Skip a feeding Shorten nursing time Postpone and distract I've already started skipping feedings by giving her solid foods at meal times, and I've already

A walk in the park

2009-10-26T08:30:00.000+08:00

Yesterday evening we brought Salma to the big park for the first time, and she got a chance to stretch her little legs! Boy can she run fast for a one year old! It's not really running, but more like speed walking. She got on the slide a few times too but I would have let her play on it more had she been wearing long pants (easier to slide down). The grass was quite wet and a little muddy at

The way life goes

2009-10-26T08:17:00.000+08:00

I walk into the office today and straight away I feel like I really shouldn't be here. I should be spending more time with my kid. Waking up late with her, and lounging around on the bed, reading books. I am really tired at the end of the day when I pick her up, and by the time I reach home, I just want to sleep. Because of fatigue, I think she is getting less attention from me, and it's causing

Salma's first birthday

2009-10-12T15:38:00.000+08:00

I know this is so overdue, but Salma celebrated her first birthday on Sept 29. She didn't even know it was her birthday. Both her mummy and daddy took the day off (to let ourselves have a little celebration, too... one year of first time parenting) to celebrate it with her at school. I pre-ordered cupcakes for each student & teacher, the wife of a colleague of mine bakes them. They are really

Breastfeeding after puasa

2009-09-28T16:26:00.000+08:00

My breastmilk production decreased during Puasa month. I could not pump more than 2 - 3 oz a day at work during Ramadan. When I got home, Salma seems to nurse as usual, which means I was producing on demand, but lately I can tell that I am not producing enough, even though Puasa is over and I can eat and drink (and replenish my stock) as much as I want. I can tell I am not producing as much milk

Hari Raya (Eid)

2009-09-28T14:15:00.001+08:00

Officially, this is Salma's second raya, but first time celebrating it. The day before, as is my routine every Ramadan before the first day of Syawal, I iron all the baju raya (Raya clothes). This time I am not doing it so begrudgingly as I sewed Salma's baju raya myself! Then we went to get new rims for my car (my husband's idea). It is a raya present. :) The next day, I could tell she knew

Suddenly bigger

2009-09-18T13:57:00.000+08:00

You know the feeling that suddenly overnight your kid has grown bigger? That's what happenend to Salma! Suddenly yesterday I spied her through the web kiddie-cam being carried by one of her teachers, and she took up like half of that teacher's body! I thought, "She's so big!" Then last night, my husband dressed her in a shorts & t-shirt ensemble meant for 2 year olds, and it fit her (though with

She's come a long way

2009-09-14T10:50:00.002+08:00

I'm so proud of Salma this last week, she's reached many milestones I thought. She's started to walk more confidently and she's even shown interest in putting on her shoes by herself. She was very well behaved during a buka puasa dinner we had at a restaurant recently, where another mommy brought her baby girl, and Salma was very sociable. She started talking to the other baby, touched her face

Going green?

2009-09-04T15:39:00.000+08:00

Honestly, I don't think I do anything to help the environment as a mom. I use disposable diapers, I don't recycle my plastic and glass bottles, even though I should. I use wet wipes instead of just washing her butt with water. One thing I do though is reuse the cans of baby formula and baby cereal to store stuff like peanuts and muruku in them. Oh and I do use energy saving lightbulbs, but I

First real steps

2009-09-01T14:38:00.002+08:00

Over the three-day weekend, Salma had her first real steps. And when I say "real steps" I mean more than 2 or 3 steps on her own. She walked for quite a stretch from her dad to me, and we were sitting maybe 4 feet from each other? Her legs are still wobbly though and she just loves falling back down onto the floor. She has had no bruises though, thank God. I think by her first birthday (at the

Cheeky girl

2009-08-27T13:10:00.000+08:00

My cheeky little girl now wakes up for sahur with us sometimes. And she will want to eat whatever we're eating. She eats with us during buka puasa too, and will want to have whatever we're having. If she can't eat the main dishes, I will feed her with plain white rice from my plate. Last night, we broke fast at a restaurant that had a buffet spread. We sat her on a baby highchair. I collected

Wanted: Authentic Wooden Rocking Horse for One Year Old

2009-08-21T14:15:00.011+08:00

I am really not sure when this fetish (for lack of a better word) with wooden rocking horses started, but I really want to get Salma a wooden rocking horse for her first birthday. I've gone online and seen some really nice looking rocking horses!If I remember correctly, some time back in my early childhood, I had a white wooden rocking horse. Although my memory is so vague, it could as easily

Sleepless Night

2009-08-20T08:57:00.002+08:00

My husband and daughter were sleeping soundly (and snoring both of them), when I awoke at around 1 a.m. in the morning with a stomach ache. I'm lactose intolerant, and I had pizza for dinner. :( So of course, I was asking for it.Nevertheless, seeing as my baby girl was fast asleep, I decided to try out my husband's plan to let her sleep in her cot, which is located right beside our bed. So I

Crying over spilled milk

2009-08-19T09:57:00.003+08:00

They say there is no use crying over spilled milk. I would most definitely disagree!! It's such hard work to pump milk... and the other day, I accidentally spilled almost 2 oz of bmilk. I was nearly about to cry! It took me half an hour to pump that... Salma is now 10 months old and she still breastfeeds. I hope that I don't run out of milk during Ramadan. If I don't eat or drink during the day,

Interview with Ma & Pa magazine

2009-08-11T20:25:00.008+08:00

You know, I don't even know if that is the title of the magazine, but I think it is. I am on MC again today. The last day I hope of being on MC for the same viral infection. Anyway... around 9.30 am, the principal of my daughter's school called and asked whether I would be free at 10.30 am to be interviewed by Ma & Pa magazine, who are coming to Small Wonder Playhouse to do a piece on it.

Health - my own personal H1N1 take

2009-08-08T02:36:00.006+08:00

I'm worried about my health lately. Both my husband and I have been falling sick with flu-like symptoms for the last two months. We'll be fine for about two weeks, then fall sick again. I mostly get infected with it by him (haha! no offence intended daddy) or by someone at the office. And curiously enough, usually the newest bug to hit his office will also be hitting my office. So the flu virus (