I have come to accept the fact that morning runs/training will be almost impossible.

AIR woke up even before 6am. Initially I thought he wanted milk. BUt no, all he wanted to do was chat and chat. And he started to chatter to himself at first, but of couse subsequently dear mummy would have to entertain la. So I gave up trying to feed him milk and just entertained him. And after that started, I knew this was not going to end soon. If he was hungry, he'll fall asleep again while being fed, but no, not when he talks to you and his eyes looking at you, wide open. So I thought I shall postpone my run.

We went on and on and on and then I realised - I have to cancel it again. Yup...there goes my run. CAn u imagine - right from almost 6am thru to about 705 am, we were talking and cooing and making all sorts of sounds. Yesterday was the 1st time I actually heard him squeal in delight...

Hubby was going to drive on a long journey, so I didn't expect him to entertain AIR. He needed the rest after a terrible tummy ordeal the night before. So, there goes another attempt...

Now you know why I can't wait for AIR to walk...I can take him further with me. My morning walk to the nursery with him, albeit uphill all the way, is just too short to do any good. I wonder if I can get ant milleage over this weekend?

hmmmm

I expect a weekend of a lot of window shopping with mum and alot of makan2.

Enjoy the long weekend, folks!

Photo Printing Online

Have you ever come across online photo printing services? It's very popular overseas but rather new here. All you have to do it - upload your photos online, fill in your personal details (for the delivery services) and then walla! the photos will arrive at your doorstep within 2-7 days...depending on where you live..


I chanced upon this site - eoe online while browsing online for some other things. It's an online store offerring online photo printing, digital camera shopping (new and second hand too), online photo storage for sharring and personal as well as photography related competitions. I got hooked. And now, there's a promotion going on. It's only RM0.30 per 4R print or RM0.50 per 5R print. You can even edit/enhance your photos with their online services before printing.


Anyhoo...I'm loving it. Serious. e-Print is so easy. You upload your photos into an album of your choice, create one if you must. But of course before that, sign in and register first la...After uploading your photos, you can choose to enhance your photos. Then select those that you want to print, and the sizes of your choice. Then load then into your purchase cart. Like any other online shopping portals, you can choose to delete or change and of your orders.


ONce you are a member, upon checking out your shopping cart, your delivery details are automatically filled up. Change if necessary. If you choose to want to deliver the photos to another person or address, fill up the related form given. Check that all are good and proceed to make payments. Payments can be made via credit card (Master/Visa), debit card (Maybank 2U) or bank-in. Once confirmed, i.e payment made in full, if you are in Klang Valley, your photos will arrive at your doorstep in 2-3 days. You can always track your order anytime...check your order status under 'My Shopping'.

For orders above RM35.00, delivery will be free for all areas within Malaysia. Otherwise it will be charged. Delivery rates within Malaysia and Singapore and International differs.

So, why wait! It's the best offer you can get without getting out of the door.

I've tried it and I can take my time and cater to my whims and fancies while choosing which prints I want and change my mind every now and then. I don't have to prepare everything before hand and then go out and look for the shop, parking spot and then hurriedly get it over with.

Photo printing has never been easier with eoe online e-Print. Save time, save money and save all the hassle.

Again...

Now I'm beginning to wonder if its because of me, that AIR wakes up early.

Today is another example - my alarm was set for 620am. Prior to that, AIR stirred in his sleep abit. NOthing new. So when alarm went off, I was delighted as I thought I would be able to finally clock some milleage, albeit rather miserable one.

HOwever, AIR had something else in his mind too. As I got out of the bathroom, he stirred and looked at me wide-eyed again. So, looks like another postponement. Hubby was having an upset tummy. I wouldn't expect him to over see AIR if I did put on my shoes and go for a short run.

So, I stayed and 'chatted' with AIR again. He was more eloquent today. Hmmm and he added new sounds/babbling too. PLUS, today he turned himself from back-lying to his side, and continued talking. And by now, yup, it will have to be cancelled. :)

And so we kept talking and talking and talking then i gave him some expressed breast milk before his cough medicine. He still has his cough, which seems to be worse than last week. OVer the weekend, I thought it was gone. But no...poor boy.

We 'horsed around' abit more before I finally had to walk him to the nursery. He loves the attention the girls waiting for the bus gives him when we walk past them.

Another day of surprises and more to come. Now it actually makes me wonder whether it was me, or the lack of me which woke him up. Because when I went to the bathroom, perhaps my smell or my weight on the bed was gone, so he woke up. hmmmm....we'll test it out again....

Astro-NOT

I've always had the impression that Astro, yeah our paid-TV, is easy to install. I didn't know that its dish (outdoor unit, to be technically correct, DTU), has to face a certain direction...until last Saturday.

So, we're now all geared to watch Astro after the guys come and install it at our new place. TV and everything else in place. And when the guy came, his first reaction was, 'Alamak, rumah kat belakang ni ke?' i.e. your house is not facing the 'right' direction. Oops!

Errr, so how?

Option 1 - we place the DTU at the supposedly 'strategic' location and wire it back to the house. Long cable, poor signal, so need to add booster. (Hmm, i'm expecting this to be very costly too)
Option 2 - looking upwards from my balcony I saw 2 units which had the DTUs on a 7" extension (arm). So I wanted to use that also. OK, they'll call when the 'arm' is available. Shorter distance, better quality, no need booster, price is slightly cheaper, RM170 (as I expect) or almost the same as Option 1.

So, the day came and everyone was prepared to have the DTU installed from the balcony, outside the 3rd room. Installation took only about 15 minutes. Setting and searching for the signal - after half an hour, almost, nothing...still below the 60% mark. SO looks like Option 2 has failed.

hmmmm guess if we really want to watch PAID TV, then Option 1 it has to be. Aiya.....

So off they went to work again, after charges were discussed.

Finally, after completion, we've now got a 55+metre cable from the DTU to our decoder. And the charges? More expensive than that 'arm'.....What to do....

It's Not as Easy....

It's funny how easy I thought it would be. Set your mind and schedule, wake up and do it. That's all. Previously, that is. Now, I have another factor to add - AIR. Yes!! And seems like now the additional factor is not as predictable as I thought it would be.

Today I made an effort to wake up extra early just for that short run. However, after brushing my teeth, I walked out of the toilet/bath to see AIR starring at me eyes wide open. Gosh, 'shouldn't he be still fast asleep at this time?' thinking to myself....guess not. And then I thought my plans may have to be delayed...but soon after, he started to 'chat' and that's a sign that he's not going to go back to sleep anymore. Guess my plans are now shelved. hehehe

So chatting it was, and then came poopoo....and more chatting. Soon, it was time to send him to the nursery. And since i didn't get to jog, so I walked there with him. He enjoyed the short walk, looking all around him...and enjoying the attention people give him along the way. He used to love to smile at people, now he's quite selective. I suppose he's begining to recognise people slowly.

Our impromptu trip back to hubby's kg (that was his first long road trip) was indeed an eye-opener to him. He saw chickens running around, lots of cats and kittens and he was trying to immitate the cock crowing. It sounded like he was trying to poopoo...And after a whole day of making that sound...he's still doing it now.

He may soon have another new experience....we may be flying back soon.

AIR's 100 days old!

AIR is 100 days old today!!

So is there a term for that? You ride 100km, and it's called a century ride. 100 years is 1 century. So 100 days old? errrr...

From a tiny 2.92kg he's now a hefty 6.5kg boy. He used to be soooo fragile-looking, now he's so buff and tough. During his first jab at the paed, he cried so much and so loud. His 2nd jab at the same place, he barely cried. It was more of a sob. We were totally surprised!

And so much has happened and there will be many more to come.

The best part is the joy of spending time with him and seeing him grow up. Sadly, on weekdays we spend so little time with him. I hope I can do something to be able to spend more time with him.

Lighting

Yellow light (from bulbs) is supposed to be better than those white light (from flourscent lights), esp for the eyes.

My office uses 'yellow lights' and its really nice. I like the atmosphere it creates. HOwever, sometime last year, our office expanded and the new area uses flourescent lights. NOt a problem to adjust to it. BUt it feels like any other place la. Feel like an office. NOrmal office.

Then, 2 days ago, my boss told the few of us at the new area to move back to our previous seats. So we did. And now I get to enjoy the yellow lights again. Unfortunately I'm having a tough time adjusting to it. Yesterday was ok as I wasn't all the time at my seat. Today, trying to read and do some calculations on white coloured paper, proved difficult. I've got to take short breaks in between. hmmmm

Tired eyes...

Hmmmm....me no likey...from PC to book, I suddenly get this glare starring back at me. arrrrgh

I need a break! :)

Puns

Saw this on The Star and I thought I'd like to share. Interesting...:)

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Lino­leum Blownapart.
9. Two silkworms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
12. Atheism is a non-prophet organisation.
13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other:
‘You stay here; I’ll go on a head.’
14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab centre: ‘Keep off the Grass’.
16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said: “No change yet.”
17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
18. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
19. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
20. A backward poet writes inverse.
21. In democracy, it’s your vote that counts. In feudalism, it’s your count that votes.
22. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
23. Don’t join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects.

I've always liked puns. A pun or paronomasia as defined by Wikipedia is A pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play that deliberately exploits ambiguity between similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect. Such ambiguity may arise from the intentional misuse of homophonical, homographical, homonymic, polysemic, metonymic or metaphorical language.

It felt good...

Yahoo! I did it today! Yes, finally.

When I was in the lift, I think people did give me some weird stares. Everyone else were dressed in work-outfits but here I was standing in jogging outfit. At 640am, it was still relatively dark, but there was traffic and people around and street lights kept me company. So I felt safe.

And so I did about 20mins again this time, but I didn’t feel as tired as the last attempt. OK la, miserable 20mins, but I'm making progress...I’m still trying to figure out why. Maybe more flats. Maybe I was running slower. Dunno, but I think I made progress la. Another attempt tomorrow. Yippee! I felt energized again. I felt like before...full of energy again early in the morning! But too bad I was restricted to only 20mins. Perhaps I shall start earlier tomorrow.

As I stepped into the room, both father & son seemed to be in the position I left them in before. Haha..then as I approached the bed, suddenly AIR looked up at me wide-eyed. I was surprised. So I ‘chatted’ with him, while I was resting before sending him to the nursery. However, he decided otherwise. He wanted to poop. Hehehe

When I checked with hubby, apparently he was already awake just before I got home. But didn’t fuss. Good.

So the trip to the nursery was postponed till when I leave for work.

And maybe tomorrow I’ll try something new.

Caffeine

As soon as I learnt that caffeine isn't really good for preggy mums (although my ObGyn said 1 cup is ok), I stopped having my daily cuppa...I resorted to my choc malt drink and that was my daily staple until I realised that every morning when I had that, I will have diarrhea after. So, my daily choc malt drink in the morning became my tea-time drink. And for the subsequent months, that was it.

Then, after 32 weeks, once in a while I would slot in a cuppa for a change. I was dying to have it. After delivery, no-way-man, until after confinement. Then I was cautious. Up till when I started work again. I just seemed to need the caffeine fix in the evening but I controlled myself. 3-4 weeks down the road, and since baby didn't show any signs of being affected by my daily cuppa, I felt comfortable to increase it now. So 2 cups daily would be it.

Just as I've come to conclude that my baby isn't affected by caffeine, I have to think otherwise now....

1. Two weeks ago I sort of increased my daily consumption from 1cup to 2 cups a day.
2. Quantity by volume still much less than that stated by most of the articles I read or the US FDA, but approx a week later, the symptoms showed...
3. It supposedly takes one week or so before the effects can be seen, because of the cumulative effects...
4. So now I shall have to keep to 1 cup a day or less...
5. See exerpt below for details...

Extracted from http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/caffeine.html

According to the Breastfeeding Answer Book (LLLI 2003, p. 599-600), excessive caffeine consumption by the mother (more than 750 mL per day) can result in a baby who shows signs of caffeine stimulation. "A baby who is being overstimulated by caffeine is a wide-eyed, active, alert baby who doesn't sleep for long. He may also be unusually fussy." (Yup, he shows all of that...though he may not be fussy)

If your baby seems particularly wakeful or fussy and there is a significant amount of caffeine in your diet, you might want to cut back or stop the caffeine for 2-3 weeks to see if it makes a difference. If you cut out caffeine, consider decreasing it slowly since abruptly stopping caffeine can result in headaches or other symptoms.

If caffeine stimulation is a problem for baby, it may take a few days to a week after mom eliminates caffeine for baby to become less fussy.

So looks like I'll have to put step 4 into practise....and just as I was enjoying my cuppa twice a day...:) For the sake of AIR...nevermind...:P

So does caffeine consumption affect breast milk supply? It doesn't. There's no evidence, so to speak...read on for another extract from the same source.

There is no evidence that caffeine decreases milk supply.

The myth that caffeine will decrease milk supply is widespread. Many moms consume caffeine, and it ought to be easy to document any adverse effects of caffeine on milk supply. No such effect has been observed, however, despite a number of studies of caffeine intake in breastfeeding mothers and years of clinical observations. In fact, one study (Nehlig & Debry, 1994) indicates that caffeine can stimulate milk production. A baby who is fussy and jittery from caffeine stimulation may not nurse well, however, which could lead to a decreased milk supply over time (due to decreased nursing, rather than the mother's caffeine intake).

So there you have it..

The last time I stayed away from coffee for a long period of time (can't rmbr how long but approx 4-5 months) was when I was trying to prove to myself if coffee does affect my knee problem. And in fact I proved that it did have an adverse effect. But after that, since I wasn't training that hard anymore, I continued having it.

So what shall I have for tea-time now?

Finally...

And so it finally materialised - 7am on Saturday (that was 2 days ago) and I was off. I walked abit downhill. Aiyo, the slope steep la, I need to take good care of my poor knees in my maiden attempt. hehe and so I ran and ran and ran for a good 2o mins, down the slope through abit of flats and the return was backtracking my way back.

Somehow the flats weren't as flat, they were mild slopes too. Hah, so it was almost upwards all the way back. 20 mins only, so I wasn't drenched in sweat yet. And I felt like I was just warmed up and ready to go slightly more, but I had other things to do. So its a good sign that I did 20mins without much difficulty.

Sunday didn't happen and neither did today.

I read in The Star on Saturday about Mat Rempits' harrassment and robbery cases and it got me thinking. One was just in TTDI, not that far from where I am. And both were pre-dawn and dawn incidences. Lady accompanying her son at the bus stop was harrassed and robbed off her jewellery by 40 Mat Rempits on 20 motorbikes, thank God not injured. Another case in Sentul of a man on the way back from work answering a phone call by the roadside on his motorbike was beaten and robbed of his phone and cash, also by some 10-20 ppl on motorbikes.

My place seems ok when there's light, but before 7am - I wasn't too sure. So I woke up early enough to check out the lighting at my area and to see if nature would have lit up by then. So tomorrow before 7 am I should be up, out and running.

Fingers crossed - tomorrow will be the start of a routine which I shall stick to! :)

Hypermarket

Two weeks back I realised that almost everytime I went looking for fresh food (perishables) at my usual hypermarket, I end up dissapointed. It's always understocked. Vege - sometimes not refilled, seafood - also the same. Fruits - I once went two days in a row and on both times the same thing was still not refilled. I used to think sometimes its because I go on weekend night and hence none left. On weekdays it is also the same. Once I went late morning, and it was disspointingly the same. SO, when do these people restock the shelves?

Is this place selling stuff so cheap that it's always gone from the shelves? I don't think so, but perhaps its the one with most variety of other shops within its vicinity that makes it attractive. But the fact is I don't only go during weekends.

And their weekly or daily specials are always not re-stocked. 2 weeks and it's still as empty as it was on the first day of the promotion.

I'm having second thoughts on shopping here. I still do shop at other hypermarts for some of my groceries, because different places have different variety and brands of products. I still do almost 90% of my shopping here, but now I try to shop for the perishables from the weekly pasar malam (night market) instead. Much cheaper.

Kari Mee (said with the Penang Hokkien accent)

Curry Mee - where?

OPps! I only remembered and managed to take the photo after I've devoured it. I was famished. When it came, although I was toying with my phone, I totally forgot to take a pic. And it was delicious. Or so I thought, to my tastebuds la.

My take on this - it was at this shop Papa-something in Bandar Puteri Puchong. Lots and lots of si-ham (cockles), generously thick and large slices of fish cake, large chunks of tau-fo-pok (small cube-like bean curd), some fu-chok (bean curd skin) and some chicken, topped with alot of mint leaves. Mum would love this.

Value for money - this is a larger and more hearty portion than that you can get at Chicken Rice Shop (Curry Laksa). They are both the SAME price at these two places. If you love si-ham, you'll prefer the one here. If you're a chicken-person, then this is not for you. The one in Old Town White Coffee, though RM1 cheaper, is much smaller in portion and less topping.

My soya bean with cincau and gula melaka - tak sempat take photo. Does not look good when finished either. kekeke

I still can't find an authentic Penang Curry Mee here. The closest one I got to was at Little Penang Cafe in The Curve, but it wasn't that tasty. Only the chilly paste that came with it was authentic.

Smoke Gets in My Eyes...

Its so annoying. Tak paham ke these people? You are already given a place to smoke, it's your choice to kill yourself faster and yet you want to take others along with you.

In the section where I'm in, only 1 person out of the 5 there smokes. So Mr A either smokes in the boss' room, or in the toilet. The toilet area is separated by another door. But everytime Mr A ligths up the stick there, finishes it and when he comes out of the area, he always leaves the common door ajar. Hence, the smell still penetrates to the rest of us. And we have to share his desire to die faster. Arrrgh I can't stand it.

He wasn't like this previously. HOw come now he just doesn't shut the door properly after him? Weird. Now it's everytime he goes in. Jeez!

My headache cum hunger (err I dunno if its a headache or I'm tired or dunno what) makes me even less tolerable to all that S*@#!!!!

Papayaya...

Something's happening - I'm not a papaya-fan. I dislike the taste of papaya, much worse if when its tasteless. THEN something happened. I discovered half-ripen papayas.

A : You should take papaya soup. Cook unripe or half ripe papayas with chicken, like how you normally

cook your chicken soup la.

R: Oh, I see. OK will try. Thanks.

That was the petua to help increase breast milk supply for breastfeeding mums.

And after 5 weeks of mum cooking the papaya soup for me, now (err, bout 7 weeks ago) I've got to do it myself. It wasn't too bad. Turned out ok. And it was after that 5 weeks, that somehow I've developed a liking for half-ripe papayas. Sweet and crunchy. If not sweet enough, nevermind. Still crunchy.

Now that sometimes I don't have time to make the soup, (when I have time, I always forget) I will just eat the half-ripe papaya as it is.

Somtam

And that dish up there was what I had for lunch today. Main ingredient - unripe papaya. There you go!

It came with lots of roasted peanuts on top. But I only take peanut as a snack and I don't like it on my food. So I finished the peanuts one by one first. hehe Then there was the slightly sweetened fried ikan bilis at the side. I also don't like this to mix with my food, but I decided against eating it first. Luckily. The somtam was spicy cos the lady asked me if 2 cili padi is ok, so I said ok. And almost halfway through, it set in - pedas!! I didn't order any drinks so to kill the spiciness, I took the sweet ikan bilis. Phewww! (opps the ikan bilis is on the other side of the plate)

But it was yummy, despite the fact that it was very spicy towards the end. I suppose can ask the lady to not put the chillis at all. Can go for another round.

I've totally banned the food at the cafe downstairs already. First it was exorbitant. Then the prices got adjusted and it was ok. So I thought i'll give it another chance. It's a hassle driving out for lunch everyday and trying to decide what I should eat. But now, I can't take it anymore. Everyday the meat dishes are pathetic. And the vegies are not much better. Maybe they changed the cook. And the fruits - pathetic! So there goes. Guess I'll either have to tapau or drive out.

Again?

Even AIR has got his routine now. Yeah, his poo-poo routine. It's funny (dunno why but it amuses me) actually now he poops right after waking up in the morning. And today because I was already ready when he woke up, he didn't have the chance to laze around n stretch too long on the bed, he poo-poo-ed on our way to the car. So, babysitter has to do the cleaning :)

And I've not got my routine yet. It was fabulous weather this morning. Wasted. I have my excuses again.

Arrrrrgh!

AIR's 3!

Yup, AIR turned 3 months yesterday. Technically he's 13 weeks, though. Another milestone for a developing baby.

Happy baby he is but cranky at times when it's almost bedtime. For almost the past two weeks, he wakes up every morning smilling and wants to chat.

Can't wait for him to be 'exploring' the new house.

Gosh, it's exciting to move. But its a dread to pack. haha

Another wet morning today....

Sushi-ed!

Sushi King has it's promo of RM2 for all the rice-based sushi on the kaiten belt. And so for the 1st time, we went. To avoid the expected long queue, we went early and yup, we WERE early. Hardly anyone yet, the belt was always full.

We ate and ate and ate non-stop. Then we also ordered some ala-carte dishes - unagi kabayaki, shishamo and fresh scallops. It was really yummy! After we had our fill, about 15 plates of sakes, smoked salmons, scallops and octopus tentacles and ebiko plus the ala carte, it only cost us RM53. Gosh! Can do that again! hehe *greedy greedy* (forgot to take pics cos too busy scanning the belt for food) haha

And it was weird - as we sat down to order our drinks, suddenly someone approached me and called out my name - he looked familiar but isn't he based in UK? so I just couldn't bring myself to say his name when he asked if i knew who he was. Then he revealed that he was back for a short trip only. ahhh...that figures. FUnny eh, now with FB in existance, he not only could recognise me (otherwise, with all the transformation, he wouldn't), he also remembered that I had AIR. Ah Nygen (alamak, sorry la, that's what we call u right?) have a safe trip back to UK and hope to bump into you again! :) it's almost 13 years since the last we met, when we were still studying in UK.

And then looking back at our previous trip to Sushi King, which was last week, it was a totally diff experience. We met someone we both knew. But with my trasformation, and although he was also in FB, (guess he's busy la), and the fact that the last we met was only 3 yrs ago, he couldn't recognise me and only spoke to hubby. It was totally weird. I said hi to him, but he was looking beyond me, to my hubby behind. And they had a short chat. Then it occurred to me that he didn't recognise me. hahaha (he must be thinking - who that perasan person is...hahaha)

And so - my run didn't hapen this morning either cos I was abit delayed in sending AIR. He pooped! :D Opps! I forgot to put my running gear in the car, in case I can squeeze in one in the evening. SO there goes....

Rain

My plan for the weekend to run/jog in the morning again didn't materialise. Blame it on the rain! hehe Both days I woke up early enough, about 7am and realised it was raining/drizzling so since baby was still asleep I decided to cash-in on it too.

And today (Monday) was also the same. It was drizzling. CRAP! When will IT happen then?

Over the weekend, some friends would've swam 6.5km from Pulau KApas to MArang (mainland) across the South China Sea. And some would have ran at least 11km in the Orange Run at The Curve. I'm so jealous. 3 years ago, I was one of those who attempted the 6.5km swim. And it was a good experience. The strong current, the clear blue waters and the un-seen bouys which were supposed to mark ur journey makes it all more challenging. I would love to try it again, if I have the chance.

But for now, back to reality!! My first swim in ages, would happen this saturday! Yay! Finally!! I'm so excited. It was either I cycle or I swim. I think I have a better chance of not giving up (or tyre puncture) if i swim, so swim I shall.

Anybody? Shah Alam pool?

Bad Habit

Before this, whenever I'm in the car, I always had my seat belt fastened.


Then approximately 4 months into my pregnancy, hubby told me that pregnant women are exempted from wearing seat belt. My tummy was still small so it wasn't getting tight or in my way yet - the seat belt I mean.


Then about 1 month later, tummy still small, I got stopped by the police at a road block near my office. I had renewed my roadtax but i didn't stick it on my windscreen yet. Only when I see police, then I prompty place it on my dashboard. Anyway, after 'advising' me to stick it on my windscreen, he suddenly asked me this

Cop : Pn. mengandung ke?

I was taken by surprise. I was thinking to myself, 'How he knew and why he called me Puan, ha?'

Me : Errrr ya Encik. Kenapa?

Cop : Mengandung tak payah pakai seat belt. Kesian kat baby kat dalam tu.
Ketat. Terpenyet. Tak payah pakai. Buka la seat belt tu.

Me : Oh, ok.

And I was about to get ready to drive away, but still haven't taken off my seat belt yet.

Cop : Eh, buka la seat belt tu. Cepat. Kesian baby tu.

Surprised at his persistency, so I pun quickly released my seat belt, said my thanks, smiled and left.

And that was the start of my no-seat-belt-in-car. Somehow, being so used to it, I still do put it on whenever I'm in the car. Even when my tummy grew bigger and bigger but I still somehow forget.

Now that I'm supposed to have 'outgrown' this previlege, I find that it's so convenient NOT to wear the seat belt. Opps! And I always forget that I should wear it. So now I know my excuse if a cop pulls me over.

More Excuses?

Still haven't got to it yet.

Tomorrow maybe? Arrrgh procastinating....:P

Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya

Goodness me! I think it's a tad too expensive for a 70.3.
NO special rates for Malaysians?
Or did I overlook it?
USD200 for individual participant and USD450 for relay team.
Hmmmm.....tak jadilah considering the current situation....

Excuses

Yesterday evening I was already having a plan and a mental picture playing in my head. I was strategizing how and what time should I start my jog today, where should I run/jog to and for how long.

Excited.to.start.'training'.again.

By 10pm, my hopes were dashed! There was no water supply. Checked with some friends in that area and some have but some didn't so we were confident it was the usual pump problem which affected certain units/sections of the block.

So, since it was already late at night, almost midnight, I was quite sure there was no way this problem was going to be rectified in time and so my jog/run has to be postponed. Hopes dashed! Spirits died down.

And the worst was yet to come. (little did we/I know there was going to be worse news)

At slightly pass 7am, when I reached the babysitter's I was promptly asked:

BS: Akak, rumah akak ada air tak?

Sleepy Mum: Huh? Takde la, dari semalam. Kenapa?

BS: Sini baru je takde. Semalam ok lagi. Takde bagi notice ape-ape pun. (referring to a previous water cut, when residents were notified)

Sleepy Mum: Oh yeke? Alamak. (Already worried about baby's feeding and was jolted awake by that statement)

BS: Takpa la. Nanti kalau MBPJ hantar air dalam tangki, kita pergi ambik je la.

Sleepy Mum: OK la, arap-arap ni tak lama la.

Stunned sleepy mum was worried but still rather blur. All I could think of was how happy AIR was the whole morning (a short 20 minutes from the time he was carried off the bed till he reached the babysitter's) . He was smilling and laughing to the other residents in the lift. And now, his mum is helpless in this water issue.

There was a notice at babysitter's block saying that water has been cut few days ago at the low-cost blocks (A&B) and hence there maybe water cut for the other blocks. OMG!

Went home and told hubby the problem. 10mins later I changed, packed wet wipes, hot water and 1 bottle of mineral water and sent them to the babysitter's on my way out to work. No bath - nevermind. Just make sure he gets his milk.

Gosh I hope this is just temporary. I dread if it's gonna last.

New PM

And so on 3rd April 2009 we have a new PM....

Haven't had any effect yet....still a long way to go....

Amazed!

First it was seafood spaghetti, then it was noodles and then it was fish head curry. I'm impressed at my own ability to be able to juggle cooking and baby at home after work, out of which those 3 times were days when hubby was not back yet when I was home. 3 out of 5 is quite good I suppose. hehehe (no, no its not self praise).

It is indeed tiring at times. It's a relieve when baby goes to bed but then after that I somehow feel that I didn't spend enough time with him.

Looking back, 11 weeks ago and reminiscing at how it all began. The journey was indeed sweet. It's funny how people complain about the 'aftermath', but mine seem as uneventful as my pregnancy.

I never vommited or experienced nausea throughout my 39.5 weeks. It was as though I was normal. Only thing that 'confirmed' I was pregnant was that growing tummy and that out-of-breath experience when climbing stairs and if I walk up slopes. And of course the huge appetite I had and occasional cravings.

My post delivery sore butt didn't last more than 2 days. I only consumed the painkiller tablets twice, though I think I was given 3 times a day. And that was it. My take-home prescription is still untouched. And my stitches healed very fast. However, only problem was constipation due to the herbal and heaty food that I consumed throughout confinement. I was also lactating almost immediately - when baby was brought in for his first feed about 4 hours later, there was colostrum.

I wasn't THAT zombied and I got my 'rhythm' tuned to baby after about 2 weeks. I think my eyebags were there la but even normal days when I lack sleep also it appears.

ONLY problem was that the fact that I wasn't allowed to bathe or wash my hair was indeed a stinking experience. It was horrible!! Just before 2 weeks (that's supposedly when I get my 1st bath) I pleaded to my mum to let me bathe cos it was almost Chinese New Year. SO finally I got my 1st bath - herbal bath. hehehe wat a relieve. It was so much easier to sleep at night. And my next bath is only due in another 2 weeks. For someone who perspires easily even during normal times, it was a horrific 1 month not being able to shower. Serious. My hair was always tied up, and constantly 'wet' due to my sweat. Terrible smelly experience. Finally sometime durin my 3rd week or so, mum asked me to wash my hair. Wash without getting water on my shoulders or upper body. Similar to washing at the saloon. And so I did. Gosh, it was a REAL relief.

Post delivery, I was taken aback to find that I still had a 'tummy' which made me look like I was about 4 months pregnant. I was worried how to loose this 'tummy'. Thankfully, after 2 urut sessions, it was gone! Yahoo! After 3 sessions, I was slimmer than before. Serious. No tummy at all. I was thrilled. I was being fed 3 meals with lots of food each time and yet I didn't have that tummy anymore. Waaaaah, happy!

After about 2 weeks plus I just couldn't wait for the 1 month to pass so that I can fill my stomach with nonsense again and get out of the house. Being coupped up wasn't fun. Everyday it was TV, TV and more TV. I couldn't really read though I wanted too cos I was constantly disrupted by baby. I stocked up on books and other reading materials in preparation, but I think I managed only 30%.

Seriously, I'm beginning to enjoy the joys of motherhood. Though during the first 2 weeks I kept thinking to myself how I was going to get through all these. It helped that mum was around for the first 5 weeks and hubby was great around the house eversince. And for the first 4 weeks, I wasn't allowed to do anything. Hah, that was the best part!

On the 6th week, when it was just hubby, baby and I, it was another totally new experience. However, I managed to juggle baby, housework and even doing some errands. Work started and somehow it was ok too. It's work, housework and baby. I guess at times I do think that it does make things easier if there's another person around in the house, but then again, that would mean that I won't be spending as much time as I am now with baby.

Now, it's just the 3 of us and we spend every waking hour together (other than office hours la). Though at times I do wish baby would sleep longer. During weekends, baby will be out with us. We'll go out as before shopping, window shopping or just galavanting la, sometimes for a whole day. Only thing we're not able to do - go for a movie together! Perhaps when he's slightly older. Have to train him. He's got parents who love going for movies.

I can't wait to see more progress in baby. This morning it looked like baby was trying to turn over. Can't wait for him to be able to walk or crawl and create a havoc in my house! :D

6am!!!

6am....615am....NO!!NO!!NO!! arrrrgh!

If baby AIR didn't squirm I would still be in bed. If he didn't fidget, my eyes would still be tightly shut and be somewhere in dreamland. It was my first attempt to wake up early (just to wake up, not to run yet! hah). And so I fed AIR and suddenly he was looking at me with his huge eyes. He was still sleepy but rather reluctant to shut his eyes. Sang him some lullabies (in rather out of tune and horse morning voice) and somehow he went back to sleep. So did I. Till 645am. Time for me to really wake up and send him to nursery.

I wonder if 6am will happen next week. I'll make sure it does. No excuses!

Time flies?

Suddenly it seems as though time is NOT flying by...

I keep counting the weeks n months and I seem to be stuck at telling people baby is 2.5months old. Seems like its forever stuck at that figure. How come 2 months went by so fast but it seems like its stuck at 2.5months for eons. Hmmm....

Guess I just can't wait to see more progress in my baby. I suppose. Now he goos and gaas and makes sounds when u talk or sing to him, as if trying to communicate. He also smiles and reacts when he likes it and is happy. Unfortunately, he's quite difficult to put to sleep at night. He takes forever to go to sleep. Sometimes he has fallen asleep but suddenly he will wake up 30mins later and looks at you wide-eyed. He is still sleepy but will refuse to go to sleep. Then the whole process starts again.

On weekdays it seems like the time spent with baby is short. Cos by the time I get home from work, baby may still be asleep and that's when I do the house chores or cook. Then he gets up for his feed and for the next 1-2 hours or sometimes 3 hours will be the only time I get to 'play' with him. Other times, I'll be juggling trying to get him to sleep quickly so I can shower and have dinner. That's when I wish baby would quickly sleep.

It's funny right?

Gone are the days when I get home and can straight away shower and then have dinner. Now this will happen only if hubby is home.

I guess it's all in the name of parenthood.

Finally

Today I finally got out of office. YES! After 3 weeks of warming my seat in the office, I finally visited the site again. Haha felt like a kid being let out of the house after being couped up for ages. Funny eh. Not that I just wanted to visit the site but there were problems which have been left unattended to for too long. So word has got to me and well....have to just go and take a look at it. Otherwise there'll be more phone calls daily to me.

Well, at least it added variety to my day today. At least I didn't have to face the PC throughout the day. And so I had the mutton curry which I've not taken for ages.

Its weird that sometimes I just feel helpless. I think its because I keep thinking I haven't been able to train. I have set my goal. I want to do at least one OD race this year and if i manage that maybe the 70.3. But somehow I haven't managed to get myself to train. I WILL try and find some time to do it. It's tough now to find the time. Looks like I've got to start waking up early again. Back to the grind man!!

Now I'm beginning to wonder if it's safe to run at 6am around my housing area. Or should I wait till at least 7am when there's light. Maybe I HAVE to really try it once so I can adjust after that. Pray that I'll be safe.