New addition to our family

Hah what did you think I was referring to? Naaaah! Not that!!

I guess the public holiday tomorrow will be spent in front of this huge family member!

30th Dec 2010

Alaaaa the title not glamourous enough lah... but anyway, today the atmosphere everywhere is about football and new year and of course, public holiday tomorrow! Yippeee! For someone who was going to work 'diligently' until new year, this came as a really good news!

But then, holiday so now what should I do? Sleep in? Don't even dare think about it! AIR1 will be awake latest by 730am, if I'm lucky (no matter what time he goes to bed the previous night) so if I think I want extra snooze time, hub will have to wake up early.

I never watch Malaysian football, but yesterday was totally different. Still stuck in the jam due to heavy rain, I was keeping my fingers crossed that I would reach home in time to watch it. Alas, when I actually settled what I had to do it was 30mins into the 1st half.

Already past AIR1's bedtime and still no signs of him wanting to zzzz but already very tired, I asked him if he wanted to sleep yet. No! OK lah, I happily watch the match till the end!

Wasted-lah. We should've won even playing on foreign land. Then it will prove to people that we are not just 'juara kampung' (local champions). But anyhow, the cup is ours after 14 years!

Go Harimaus! 2010 will be a year many Malaysians will remember for many years to come!

I hope my 'uhuk-uhuk-uhuks' will go away just as sudden as it appeared this morning! I wanna bike-run this weekend!!

T'was the day after Christmas

For the first time I actually asked hub to go to a carnival (read: a place packed with people) to let AIR1 to meet Upin & Ipin. Well of course I mis-read the info and I thought it was in SACC Mall, but it turned out to be in SACC Convention Centre. Thank goodness still indoors and cool. I am not outdoor-friendly when I’m not dressed for sports and especially when baby is concerned. Plus I hated crowded places.

I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t as packed as I thought it would be and of course, we killed two birds with one stone, as planned. I was supposed to entertain AIR1 and AIR2 while hub goes for his haircut and instead of what I had in mind, there was an inflatables-play-land which costs RM8 per child and so AIR1 entertained himself. I watched him, fed AIR2 till she almost fell asleep (but awoke no thanks to the emcees) and consoled AIR1 when someone took ‘his car’.

Finally he saw Upin & Ipin and was excited (no chance for photos). He insisted on an Upin inflatable which squeaks and that, he wouldn’t let go until it fell from his grip when he fell asleep.

Eventful day.

From SACC we went to Mid Valley and brought home our new year gift for the house. Hub couldn’t wait for it to be delivered. I guess children are not the only ones excited about their Christmas gifts. : )

500 BLOG

I’m sure many would have heard of Ben Ashaari. He’s doing a search for 500 blogs in 24 hours. Click on the banner for further info.

Me, myself and I

Ok overdo lah this one. Working mum of two, avid outdoor person involved in triathlon and any one of the three disciplines and still trying to find ways to be a better mum. Engineer by day, mum, housewife and wife by night and hopefully in the new year, sportsperson on weekends ;p

Started blogging about my first pregnancy. Easiest way to vent all the frustrations, stress and all those negative feelings when it happens on the blog. Making new cyber pals was one thing I didn’t expect, but it came as a good surprise, when I found few people who share a whole lot of similarities with me. Exchanging ideas and points of views was another plus point. And so I’ve stuck to blogging. How I wish my blogs have more than info bout myself, but more insight and indepth information. I will work on that.

Merry Christmas!

And Happy Winter Soltice!

delayed wishes due to a super duper busy week and am now in JB.

Merry Christmas to all celebrating! 1 week to the new year!!

What's in store?

Annoying news!

Hello!! You sit and rot and never attend meetings and then complain we don't do the work?

You expect us to volunteer ourselves all the time and help out, but you never participated until last month. Everytime everyone is busy doing something, you'll be on the phone like a big shot and then the people who work their a## off are the ones being called 'not participating'?

Come on lah!

We give all the ideas and you can only comment its not good enough? Then give us your brilliant ideas lah!

Thank goodness I don't have to see you face in any meetings anymore!

2011

Time flies. Felt like I was pregnant with AIR2 only recently but she's already 6 months now. And AIR1? He'll be 2 in Jan!

Gosh!

So what have I planned for 2011?

1x21km, 1x tri and many 10kms. hopefully it wil materialise. Keeping the 42km for another time, perhaps or when my knee feels better. And for each 10km event, I will bring either AIR along in each 10km run of mine! :) (target lah, dunno how many percent will materialise yet)

1xholiday with family (yes, holiday, balik kg is no holiday and that is what we have been doing all this while and end up no more leave left for a REAL holiday ;p)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rock 2 Rock Run, Penang

This was an unplanned event as it was supposed to be on 28 Nov, but postponed due to the passing of Dr Lim Chong Eu. And since I was back, I decided to RUN! But registrations were long closed. I planned to 'pirate' the run.

But how did I get the '2250'? hehe My god-sis who has registered decided not to go. Oh well, it made no difference cos I wouldn't be a podium finisher nor did I stay for the lucky draw and all other post-run events. I only have the cert to show ;p

It took me as long to drive up (Teluk Bahang), wait for the start and then run. Yes, short 5km run but I think it was less (need to google to check to satisfy my curiosity).

It is an inaugural charity run organized by Hard Rock Hotel, Penang in aid of a charity home (can't remember the name-lah). I kinda enjoyed this very much cos it was my first 'home run' since my last Pg Bridge Marathon in 2006. Not many people, traffic was almost zilch and route was scenic (run by the sea on the hillslopes).

Brought back memories when I was still single and would make it a point to go back to almost all the run events in Penang. A place called home, but then I didn't have any penang-running-friends. I always ran alone but almost all the time I had daddy greeting me at the finishing and sharing all my joyous almost-podium-finishing moments (haha not top 3 lah, top 5 or 10 'got chance lah' that time).

Now? perhaps next Pg Bridge Marathon....

Rock Run was on Saturday, and on Sunday it was Pg Round Island Relay. Yup relay of 12people (I think or was it 10) running round the island. All this while its been a men-only event but I planned to pirate (again) just the 1st leg at it runs through somewhere close to my house. But alas, it was only a plan. hahaha....Sunday morning came and I woke up with a heavy head. So after feeding baby milk, I popped back to bed. :)

What to do with 2?

this was the moment of desperation when AIR2 'stole' AIR1's pacifier because he was quite tired. Pretending to read the flyer (not seen)

I’ve been recently asked this many times recently – ‘How do you handle your two kiddos when you go out? What if you are alone?’ due to the fact that they are only 1.5 yrs apart.

When I was pregnant the 2nd time, I was already starting to think of a ‘twin-stroller’. The one where either both can sit side by side or one in front of the other. And now 5.5 mths after giving birth to AIR2, I’m still stuck with 1 stroller. (But I’m still looking for 1 jogger or such to take them running with me)

So how do I handle both? If I’m at a shopping place with trolley facilities, AIR2 sits in her baby car seat and I plop her ‘on the trolley’ while AIR1 sits on where the seat on the trolley is, as in the photo. Now if there’s no trolley? Then it’s only a short trip out and AIR1 walks while I carry AIR2. Though I used to sling her, but now she’s quite rebellious at times.

But how do I handle AIR1 while I have to carry AIR2? I believe it’s how we talk to the toddler. Many will say they won’t listen and will always have a mind of their own. Indeed they do. But if everytime we give in to their whims and fancies, then that is how they will behave. AIR1 used to refuse to hold our hands while walking. Now he finds it a thrill to be able to walk and on his left is daddy while on his right is mummy. He insists, even though my hands are full, and I offer him my pants, he still wants my finger, at least. (I was very delighted when this happened)

It takes a lot of patience and scream-enduring time in the beginning, but in the end its worth it. He used to scream when forced to sit in the stroller. He screamed when asked to sit in the trolley, but now he’s ok with both, though once in a while, he’ll want to come out. Negotiate with the toddler.

I believe it will work because I’ve seen how AIR1 changed from being rebellious and always screaming to a happy-to-listen-and-follow kid. (except when he is all tired and sleepy ;p) Not that I’m very experienced or perfect in this case, but I think it would work. Just takes patience. But somehow Daddy seems to be the bad-guy so far ;p He just takes longer to comply to my requests or reprimands :)

source

There are days where things just don’t go right. And days when everything seems right but actually not. And then days when you just simply don’t want to do anything at all!

Today seems to be just THAT day….when I’m just not in the mood.

Baked choc chip cookies last night and they were not too bad.

But that doesn’t make me feel better today. The blues, perhaps?

Dunno…but I will RUN it AWAY this evening! :D

Wake up, Sleepy head!

On normal days (not school holidays like now), I would have appreciated my ‘natural’ alarm at 530 or 545 am. But for the past 3 days, it wasn’t very highly appreciated :(

My ‘natural alarm’ would be my lil’ girl crying out for milk. :D Last night, before going to bed, I told myself, if she wakes up early, I’ll feed her and then sneak out for a run if it was not raining/drizzling. But by the time I was ready to go to bed, I felt a certain uneasiness, i.e. aches at my neck area and the weary feeling I sometimes get when I’m about to be ‘down’. (Weekend’s here and I don’t want to be confined at home!) And so at 5 am she woke up, my head was really heavy and I literally had to drag myself out of bed.

So there goes my plans for a cool morning run!

After the school holidays, perhaps? ;p

Tarzan & Jane

AIR1 and I were watching Tarzan, the animated movie on paid-tv over the weekend, or perhaps it was during the Maal-Hijrah break (can’t remember). At the last bit of the movie, Jane who was on the row-boat with her dad going towards their waiting ship decided that it was her destiny’s call to stay on with Tarzan and so she swam back to shore.

When reuniting with Tarzan, Tarzan held her and kissed her on the lips….within 5 seconds, AIR1 turned to me and did the same!!

I was surprised. I didn’t expect that. He never has really kissed me on the lips (usually off-target) and this time he intentionally did that.

And so now if I say ‘Kiss Mummy’, he would do that again. If it’s just ‘Sayang Mummy’ then it can be a cheek-to-cheek gesture or a kiss anywhere on the face ;p

The power of TV!

Does this look familiar to you?

It's from the new Luxe range

Why would anyone want to ‘display’ the patterns on a sanitary pad? Who would see it except yourself?

I asked myself that and I was wondering why Kotex came out with this idea.

And one day when I was in Lahad Datu, I had an unexpected visitor, so I succumbed to it and decided to try it out. Besides, it came in a nice metal box (just like in the photo) so I didn’t mind paying a bit more, just to try this one time.

Indeed it’s just a marketing gimmick and well, it’s not any better than the ones without the designs on it, it’s just the same, except that you’ll have to fork out slightly more $ for it. My overall opinion? The printing is not as brightly colored as the one you see on the 1st photo, its kinda slightly darker toned. And it served its purpose! :D

Customer satisfaction? Satisfied, but being the stingy person I am, I’ll not purchase it again.

Let's watch TV

It's a ritual for AIR1 to watch his favourite DVD every night before bedtime. And sometimes he insists that I sit with him, so AIR2 will join him too (if not asleep yet).

He's got 4 favourites - Barnyard until he discovered Alvin & The Chipmunks 2, then he was introduced to Upin & Ipin's Geng (the movie) and finally Ice Age 3. Nowadays he spends most of the time watching 'pin pin' (Upin Ipin) or 'moth' (Mammoth) and only once in a while 'mouse' (the intro of the prog was the lil' mouse jumpin' about at the 'start menu') or 'cat' (he confidently refers to the chipmunks as cats).

I wonder what's next.

Blogging and Photography

I've noticed this - generally most bloggers are into photography. This does not necessarily mean they are doing photography to generate income, but what I mean is that they at least do have some sort of interest in photography.

Why is that?

hahaha

Nothing specific realating to my question but its just an observation. Perhaps I'm the only one into it ;p hence I always have half-past-six photos :)

21 weeks and balding

AIR2 is now 5months and 1 week old. Time flies.

About 2 weeks or so ago, I started experiencing significant hair fall. Then I recalled that during this similar period, with AIR1, I also had this same experience and I got really worried then. I thought it was due to b/feeding (I was then but not now) but I guess its mainly due to hormonal changes.

It's really scarry. Comb my hair and I'll see large quantities stuck to the hairbrush. It's even worse after washing my hair. When I dry my hair, I seem to be 'sweeping' off hair from my head. And it's kinda significant cos 'hair thinning spots' can now be noticed.

Somehow I'm not as panicky as I was the last time, knowing the fact that it would one day just return to normal. HOwever I am not taking it fogranted. Vitamins should not be neglected.

Any of you have the same experience after child birth?

Crappy weekend

Reading comments on my earlier post triggered this. Oh yes, my supposedly superb Saturday started out horribly. My itinery was supposed to be spa, kids photography, musical then rest.

Spa
went right on time, only to hear the reception tell me that I was not booked for that day. Called hub to clarify and he said he booked thru our consultant, which for some reason or other didn't place the booking and asked her colleague to let us know but the colleague didn't. WEI!! You are the consultant, why can't you tell us? You mentioned that if you didn't call us back, means appointment was made. And only when I stepped into the premise, your bongok colleague comes up to me and said, 'Oh so-and-so told me to tell you this.' WHAT? I asked why can't either one of you call us?her reason? 'because I just arrived.' WHAT? as though your system doesn't have our telephone numbers and as though you were only told this morning or last night? The appt was made like 4 days ago..hellooooo! I told her off with that last sentence and stormed off to the ladies. And no, having a full bladder doesn't make me less intolerable, I'm not tolerable to stupid reasonings.

Came out and the reception asked if she could reschedule for me and I said 'NO! I want my appt right now!' I'm not to be taken lightly here. Unfortunately only a male therapist was available, so my dreams of having a body massage went right through the toilet. Ended up with only foot reflexology. Darn!

And after that 30mins ordeal, I'm running out of time...So I had to only settle with that ONE treatment.

Kids photog
It was ok, except that when it was AIR1's turn, he was very stingy with his smile and he was distracted by a ball...he just has to have that ball and kick it a about.

By the time it was AIR2's turn, AIR1 was tired and cranky, didn't make my usually smily AIR2 feel any better as she too was quite worn out, waiting and it was few hours after her 3rd booster jab.

Musical
I got invites from AMBP (All m'sian bloggers) for Peter Pan The Musical, but by the time I reached home, I wasn't well...I was feeling feverish, body achy and throat starting to be painful. I seriously had to forgo it, because Sunday was another day hub had to work, and me at home with the kiddos this time. I contemplated to go, tried to get ready, but oh well, it was too late. Apologies to AMBP. Thanks for the invite but I know I missed a great show!

I was pissed, I guess it all started from that darn spa appointment. See, maybe if I did have the massage, I'd feel good enough for the musical. Oh well....and today, the monday after, I'm in no mood, for dunno what reasons....just feeling blah...

Mood

Feeling kinda 'blaaah'..dunno why.

Not very busy at work, erm 'no kick' and dunno what's wrong. Monday blues? Maybe its the blues when you don't have enough adrenalin highs for a long time...;p

I WANT to train!!!

Sugar-high today though...got my vanilla coke-fix and kueh seri muka ;p talk about piling up the calories.

Fridaayyyy!

Want to blog, but no mood. I wonder why...

So many things lined up for the weekend, but not sure if all will happen. Perhaps the only thing which will materialise is the escaping of escape, my spa treatment and the kids' photography.

Oh well....

When women rise to the top

I thought this was a really interesting piece.

Check out this article from The Star, here.

Raya Haji 2010

Something new this year. In-laws hosted the kenduri aqiqah and korban. Yup, 1 poor lembu will be slaughtered. This will be for both the kids.

Unfortunately it was kinda hap-hazard and I didn't have time to snap any pics. Photo above taken from here.

That was because we left KL to Kedah on the eve after work. Arrived approx 1am, and AIR refused to go to bed. We went in and out of the room twice and finally about 3am both of us slept in front of the TV. And he woke up at 6am after that. Oh boy...and the whole morning, while waiting for the sacrifice of the cow to take place, he was sleepy and was all moody and whinny. Up till about 10minutes before, he slept. So by the time I went to see it, already 'niat' (the intentions were already made) by hub with AIR2 there. I arrived in time to see the knife to the throat. ;p

It would've been interesting if AIR was awake to see this, seeing his current obsession with animals. Or would it be traumatic?

Then the day was full of taking care of both kids amidst entertaining (technically they entertained themselves, but I just answered questions when they asked me) guests (mainly relatives and neighbours). The two AIRs kept me busy. It was indeed a long day.

A trip back to the kampung is never complete if AIR doesn't go for his morning stroll chasing cats and hens/cocks. Somehow, this trip back there wasn't as many hens/cocks as the previous. And if the cock crowed, AIR would clutch on to me really tightly. Its really amusing. This time, he found some kittens beneath some racks. He wasn't even afraid of them. He immediately caught one and held on to it really tightly. So tight that the poor fella was calling out for help. The moment he let go, mama cat came and grabbed her lil' one away. But AIR didn't hessitate to give chase!

On one of the days, a leach 'visited' my foot. Luckily I felt something cold and moving, looked down just in time. Leach hasn't 'attacked' me!

It was a 4 day break and it coincided with the Penang Bridge International Marathon. I intended to run on Sunday morning before heading home to KL but after some re-evaluation of the situation (having to go outstation on Mon and a possible traffic jam on Sun), I decided to give it a miss and we left Pg on Sat night, after seeing the Malaysian doubles lose the gold medal in badminton Asian Games.

Thank God it was smooth sailing back to KL and AIR didn't wake up when we reached home.

Lahad Datu again!

Oh well, another quick trip to Lahad Datu.

ETA LDU on 22nd Nov, and ETA KUL on 23rd Nov night.

I guess my itinery would've been different if it was bike-friendly and if hub wasn't having a busy week.

Anyway there's really nothing in LDU. hehe so I can catch up on blogging tonight. :)

Yam!

It's not what it supposed to be :)

Read - ya (the baku version) with - am (also baku version)

And that's what lil' AIR1 started to call his daddy.

Location 1 - back in the kg where there's no internet connection

Scene - packing the car to go home.

Me: Yang, you'll have to carry him later cos his shoes are in the car, ok?

AIR2: yaaaam! (his version of 'yang')

and so it stuck with him for a while. I had to use Daddy again and only he followed :)

Location 2 - shopping centre in KL

Scene - walking about and I was carrying AIR2, all of a sudden...

AIR2 - yaaaaam!

I was puzzled but then I realised he was calling out for daddy cos he was ahead of us. I had to correct him again. :)

Peter Pan The Musical

Come 26th November 2010 till 2nd January 2011, Sunway Lagoon Amphitheatre will play hosts to Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Wendy, as well as Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, and the whole production is being dubbed as ‘Malaysia’s first prestigious London West End Theatre musical production’.

Produced and choreographed by talents hailing from London’s famous West End theatre district, this musical tells the well-known and affectionate story of a boy who would just never grow up.

So, what are you waiting for? Sprinkle some pixie dust and fly over to Sunway Lagoon's Peter Pan the Musical microsite for more information on ticketing and show schedules.

Bring the whole family to enjoy this heartwarming classic tale of this young boy!

No break....

It seemed like this site was where things decided to just go wrong!

Day 1 - it was deeper than we thought, so took much longer than we expected.
Day 2 - after all that extra depth and off-sets, the cutter was not sharp anymore, hence anymore cutting was slow and not effective. Thank goodness the contractor managed to source a temporary replacement.

and because of that, we still have to work on Day 3, when in actual fact, we would actually only need to worry about packing to go home. Oh well....it's not always smooth and easy ride out there.

And after 2 nights, I've still not got out of bed for a morning run, which I had been planning to. By 630am, I just decided it was too bright and hot for me to run. And so I decided to put on the snooze and sleep for another 30 minutes. Now, tomorrow it WILL not be the same! I shall drag my bu&& out of bed for at least a 30min run towards the shore and along the road parallel to the sea (no beach lah) before heading out to site. That's the benefit of staying close to the site.

Sabah Chicken Rice

Sounds very erm 'grand' but the menu and the shops seems otherwise. It actually sells more than just chicken rice. hah!

But, the rice isn't very tasty. The chicken's quite nice and this place is actually erm like a typical Chinese 'tai chow' place. There's the one-dish-meals and ala-carte dishes you can order and have with rice. Nothing to shout about lah, but kinda pricey for a small town.

RM7 for a small portion of mix vege, RM4.50 for one portion of roast chicken, RM6.50 for a portion of clay pot noodles. Price is more like what I get in KL. Maybe we'll just go for the road side stalls tomorrow. Wanna see what the locals have here.

It's amazing that these people just like to do business in the dark. No street lights, but they will set up stalls by the road side. Nothing much to explore but luckily not all shops close at 9pm anymore. 1 more night to go.

Lahad Datu

rest house?
Noooo....airport terminal

My first time in Lahad Datu, and all this while I imagined it to be a really small town.

OK, the town wasn't THAT small, but the airport is miniscule ;p

Now, what shall I do for the next few days after work?

Maiden ride after.....

4 looooong years!

That's how long it was sitting around, moved from one house to another and finally it saw tarmac again, from all angles! haha

Of course, I had to perform some stunts! I decided to ride 'proper' with helmet and bike shoes, wanting to practise what clipping and unclipping.

Comfortably 'rode' a slight downhill towards a flat, then turned around, backtrack again. OK, the uphill didn't look very tormenting, but for someone who hasn't ridden for 4 years, and first time clipping my shoes.....I realised my bike almost came to a stand still and it was too late before I unclipped! So you can guess what happened next! AH-HAH! Thank God knee scrapped a bit and no one to laugh at me! *shy*

After half an hour of going round and round and round and realising that I need to do a lot more (perhaps the gym would help) before attempting some mild slopes, I decided I had enough. Jaja, luckily I didn't follow you guys the other day....I'd probably be pushing my bike ALL the way! Maybe I shall target 1 month from now! (keeping fingers n toes crossed)

I kept trying to imagine how I did it the last time I started riding. I guess it was more or less flats and with a couple of friends with lots of patience. ;0 Now, I need to get down this steep hill where I call home, and then decide how to get myself up after my rides on the flats.....

If there's a will, there's always a way!!

Lahad Datu, here I come....

This is going to be my first ever outstation trip after having 2 kids, without them tagging along!

Planned for 3 days, but looks like it's gonna be 4 days. Work, work and work!

Keeping fingers crossed that AIR2 will be well by then (she sleeps through the night if she's well), and AIR1 will not be extra manja. But then again, AIR1 knows when to and not to be manja. He's extremely clingy to me these 2 weeks..

So 4 days away may mean I may get to slot in some workouts ;p but then Lahad Datu gets dark early. I'm not about to wake up too early when I have the chance to sleep in a bit longer ;p

And, after coming back, I'll be going for a race with none other than Fong! YAhoo!! It's going to be our first race together ever since erm...(ok, I shall leave the years out) we knew each other. Technically, we never partnered or teamed up with each other. Yalah, mix team always has us separated and we were always short of members to make a full women's team. Excited excited! (as though it's my first race ever!)

Lets hope dear hubby will not be driven up the wall by AIR1. And he will be in good health throughout that week!

Happy Deepavali

credit to google.com

To everyone out there celebrating the festival of lights, Happy Deepavali....have a good celebration with your family and friends. (eh, no invitation to your open house?)

Mum and Dad will be here tonight and we'll have a busy weekend! AIR will be surely excited!

Spa-rri-fic day!

Credit to grand.hyatt.com

The long-awaited spa treatment finally arrived ;p (the last I had a massage was during confinement haha)

Swedish massage followed by a relaxing eye-treatment, and guess what? during the eye-treatment I fell asleep....and just as I dozed off, I believe I was snoring...(so embarassing, cos I rarely snore. I must've been really tired and usually after a massage, it's so good to zzzzzz)

As the therapist came to finish up the eye-treatment, she told me, 'you sleep very well' *opps, shy shy* hahaha

And now I feel like I can just do about anything....hahaha

Counting the days to the next one....

No brainer!

It is NOT a MAJOR issue when something goes missing from your desk at work, but when a whole roll of tape was taken off its dispenser, I AM MAD!

C'monlah....at least have the courtesy to leave a note to say you've taken it or something of that effect, and not let the owner find out the next day!!

2 days later, a colleague comes up to me and gives me back an almost-gone roll of tape, and said so&so asked me to return to you. I'm like WHAT?? What's the point of returning an almost empty roll? might as well just throw it away and make dunno so at least I won't be so annoyed knowing that there's a dumb-a$$ out there with such a mentality!! Just because you're a bit more senior to me at work??

What a week!

After what seemed like eons, my throat finally felt much better, but it didn't last too long. By evening, it was starting to show signs of pain again. Aaaargh!! I'm totally at my wits ends already!

And to make things worse, AIR2 is starting to show signs of flu. Adoi....

And AIR1's scratch on his nose seems to take forever to cure. Before it dries up, he'll scratch it again, and this process repeats itself daily. Oh boy, please don't leave a scar on the lil' boy's nose....

Thank God it's the long weekend. Mum & Dad will be around, we (hub, AIR1 & I) will be going for Terry Fox Run this sunday and let's hope things turn out well! Die die also I must go-lah...cos I helped organized it for a huge team from the office ;p

3f's First Contest!

Free Books? I thought that was really generous of you. It caught my attention.

And from then on I was stuck.

In the first place, I don't remember how I chanced upon your blog, but it was definitely during one of those days when I had extra time and was blog-hopping. The 'Maysaa scarf' caught my attention and prompted my first connection with 3f's. Then I kinda kept it easy...not really 'visiting' you constantly, though I already started to 'follow'.

And from 'Free Books', I kinda stuck. I noticed we have similar taste in our reading. And I like your stuff about crafting. The post itself had nothing much, but just a photo of what was available. This short post, well worded to its intention portrayed the person behind it.

And subsequently I guess the person I imagined to be did reveal (eh, not trying to bodek, ok) when there was a problem with the shipment of our stuff and you sorted it out first without alarming us, until it was all over and done with. Can't thank you enough :) Back to the main topic, I somehow felt 'connected' via the books. I dunno why. Weird it may seem to some.

I suppose that post led form one thing to another and now I've also got myself a crafting-buddy (though I only intend to do simple stuff for my baby).

Expensive investment!

I'm amazed at prices of things nowadays.

Running shoes used to cost in the rance of RM150-250 and you get really good ones. Now, it goes up to RM700!!!?? and some even more!

Tri-suit was in the range of less than RM250, and then, I thought it was expensive. Now, there's nothing less than RM400!!

Now, let's not talk about bike and its accessories yet, cos I've no intention of upgrading or getting anything. But I may have to get a new helmet if its gonna be more than a once a month affair. Will have to wait and see.

Thanks God I can still fit into all that I used to have. Who cares about being in fashion? haha

And with all that, how come my pay didn't increase two-folds from the last time I was actively tri-ing?

Kueh Teow Soup

Last night's attempt to make Kueh Teow Soup - passed! :)

Despite having to juggle 2 kids who refused to sleep or be left alone to entertain themselves (they always seem to know when I've got a task at hand), I managed to somehow conjour the soup and it was not too bad! (I blame it on my not-so-recovered-tastebuds that the soup initially was rather bland)

Because of the fact that I had to entertain 2 of them, bottle feed one and cook at the same time, my earlier plans of taking photos of the whole process was cancelled. Halfway thru chopping garlic, AIR2 cries. Halfway entertaining her, AIR1 decides he wants me to accompany him to watch Barnyard. Adoi....So I carted AIR2 into the room and so we all watched Barnyard while the soup manages itself in the kitchen :)

The rest of the meal (thank God only some cutting and chopping required) was only completed 1.5hrs later, after hub came home and AIR1 decided he just couldn't stay awake any longer.

By then, we were both too hungry and so the finishing also had no snapshots! :)

Maybe I'll take those shots in my next attempt.

Gym-time!

Today, for the first time after having 2 kids, I went to the gym in the morning.

Fed up with the daily traffic inconsistency, no matter what time I left the house I will still seem to arrive at the nursery about 8am! hack! A complete waste of time on the road! What happen to arriving at 745am or even 730 am?

The jam along the East-West Link is getting ridiculous. Trying to slot in my already pathetic 20min run in the evening sometimes leaves me frustrated. Part of me want to go fetch the kiddos early, part of me desperately want that 20min feel-good-factor. Oh well, and finally, with a 30-day-pass, and some calculation and time shift, I decided to go back to what I used to do 2 years ago. Get myself to the gym as its doors open.

OKlah, technically, in this case, after the nursery opens :)

Felt good, in a way, though I didn't manage to squeeze in much of a real workout, but I think those weight machines (some pretty funky ones, which I've not encoutered 2 yrs back) did make me work it out!

Maybe I'll try to put in a run tomoro (but it's such a waste of a gym pass, if all I use is just the treadmill!). Haha the evil in me is suggesting more milleage so perhaps I can run the Pg Bridge half mara! Anyway, I will just utilise it to my advantage!

Can't wait for tomoro morning!!

Good Night and Sweet Dreams Contest

Asrul Irfan Riley, 21 months

Hmmm seems like its been a while I've not joined any contest. Getting lazy, I guess :)

Not a very clear photo of the lil' fella but this photo was one of the rare days when he was wearing his PJs. Why? Cos he wasn't feeling well. This PJ was given by his grandma months ago, maybe even almost a year, but then it's long sleeves with long pants, so we rarely let him wear. He's a 'hot' boy. haha

He was still cranky (not feeling well), so when I gave him his water in the bottle, he just wanted to hold it. Took a sip and decided to clutch it and few minutes later, he eventually fell asleep holding it, all the way, from Damansara to Cheras! :)

Notice the black with grey border cloth? That's his must-have before sleeping. His blankie!

Now I wish I was curled up comfy in that seat instead of being stuck in the jam!!

RM23mil were approved

Wait a sec!! How did RM23 mil get approved to 16 thousand students who didn't apply for these PTPTN loans??? Goodness!!

I'm totally lost for words! These are not mere 20, 30 cent loans but thousands of ringgit per student!!

It makes me wonder how come there is no system in existance here and it is even reported that the load agreement folders are just stacked up till the ceiling. This is utter rubbish!! No wonder they are 3-32 months late in even giving out notices for repayment!!

It's a shame! How do you expect people to pay you back when you don't even keep proper records in the first place? No wonder they just can't be bothered!

Crafting - next...

I literally lost track of time just choosing ribbons!! They were all sooooo adorable!

Now, wait till I get my hands on more stuff, can't wait to get those lil' hairpins and hairbands done!

Looks like since my weekend of riding is out (my throat still hurts badly) I'll compensate with crafting ;p

Clinic encounter...

In my many years of visiting GPs and specialists in hospitals, I've never seen an overly concerned Dr about such a small thing. Even when my usual Dr (specialist) first met me, he wasn't sooooo overly cautious (though I was probably the 'greenest' and most yellow-looking person (imagine kunyit on my face) in the hospital). Now that I mentioned that, I think its because that lady GP is too scared to treat me because she does not have enough knowledge. Betul tak? Or else she won't be that way.

Not for me to judge.

But this is what happened. Wait, let me warn you...long long post!

Bad sore throat this morning. Slight fever which got worse when I reached office (air cond contributed). Went to a panel clinic nearby and while waiting outside, can hear this lady Dr babbling non-stop to all 3 patients before me. I thought to myself, they must have some complicated ailment.

My turn, got in, told her my pre-exsiting medical condition (cause I look really jaundiced), and then what I was there for. She looked at me and went yadda yadda yadda bout maybe it was more than just sore throat. Maybe my liver function not good (indication is the jaundice) etc etc. I told her, when I'm unwell, not enough rest, over-strained, I will look jaundiced. After that I'll be fine. Once in a while I'll look pale, yahla, women, kan? That's part of my Thallasaemia hbH disease. I've grown with it. Other GPs don't seem to think three times after I've given them a tour of my medical history.

But this lady just won't let go. She's young. Maybe not enough experience? She suggested going for a blood test to check my liver function before treating me, citing all antibiotics (most medicine for that matter) will have an effect on the liver and she doesn't want suddenly i get acute liver-failure or something. ;p She was talking non-stop. (now I know why the other patients too so long)

She insisted on not even giving me anything. She then said she'll refer me to UH ER for a blood test and ask me to take it from there. Oh well, she wasn't about to give up and I had enough of her 'lecture', so I said OK. (she was going on and on about not wanting to give wrong medication, the risks for me and her etc etc) MC also given.

I took the letter and MC and drove to another clinic.

I'm was not about to sit for hours waiting for a blood test and the results (ER will treat based on priority, not first come first served!) and my last full blood count didn't indicate anything abnormal (in August). I wasn't going to ask her for some strange drugs, cos another branch of the same panel has given me antibiotic before and I'm still alive and kicking.

Oh well...lesson learnt, I'll now have to avoid that clinic if I see her name as 'dr on duty'. Convenient but not really at the same time.

Crafting - my new pastime?

I’m not a very creative person especially when it comes to the artsy stuff, but somehow I wanted to do some craft-y stuff.

To be exact, perhaps sew myself a small pouch/bag for my phone (although there are tons readymade out there, but they don’t really fit very well) and at the same time, make my baby some nice hairbands. Oh well, for someone who has delayed sewing buttons on hubby’s shirt for ages, if I actually tell him my idea (it only popped last night), he’ll probably get a shock of his life.

But then again, I don't really know how to use a sewing machine. hehehe I didn't take 'home economics', I did 'kemahiran hidup' in lower sec. hahaha must get mum to give me a quick tutorial....

It's not going to be my daytime pastime, more likely my night time pastime, when the TV offers lousy programs or when I just feel like it (this can consider hobby?) hehehe oh well, we'll just have to wait and see.

Still unwell

Think it's the season....so many kids are down and out with fever and the works!

AIR wasn't spared. All of a sudden he came home with fever, and that was 5 days ago. I thought my body was cold form the car air-cond, so when I asked mum for her opinion, she said he seemed ok.

Next day, the truth revealed. He had fever. For the first time, he gladly took his PCM and wanted more :) After two days, the lil fella was still down. His moods were getting bad, really cranky and crying at every other moment. Gosh, it was really mind-boggling. Stressed out man! He wakes up in the middle of the night screaming. I guess its the discomfort but everything he does that, its for no specific reason.

2 days ago, we took him to the clinic and his encounter with the antibiotic wasn't so nice. He refused. But he still gladly took his PCM. He barely ate, refused milk (unless he was sleeping) and oh well, his inflamed throat is no comfort, I guess.

Today, finally back to the babysitter again, I hope he feels better, stops screaming for no reason (he partially lost his voice already) and will not give the ladies there a hard time!

Suziey's Giveaway

the broken

the new

This is a waaaaay delayed post....



Thanks Suziey for the GA, and though the first one reached me broken (I have the pic, but it's in another place. upload later k, this is the replacement I got few weeks back :)

It caught me by surprise, the replacement, I mean....when hubby brought something from postlaju for me.

Tried to take a snapshot of it on my fridge, but I guess it was night time so the photo didn't turn out so nicely.

Neway, thanks once again!

I want!

If you’re familiar with Bandar Tun Hussien Onn in Cheras, there is a MPKj branch office, the corner shoplot right next to a McD drive-thru.

Reached at 8am, when this office was supposed to open and at 8am, the doors opened. I thought no one was ready yet, but to my surprised, all the counters were manned and ready to go. (Now, that’s a rare good comment from me for a local authority office) AIR was sleeping (wasn’t well and woke up extremely early) but since I didn’t park right in front of the shop lot, I decided I had to carry him down. He awakened when I carried him.

After I finished ‘my business’, I walked to the car and he spotted the oh-so-famous Golden Arches. And he kept pointing at it. I asked him why? Want mum-mum? He small-laughed (hmmph not sure how to describe), which is his way of saying ‘yes’. I half the mind wanted to just ignore and drive off, but perhaps 5 minutes later will have to suffer his endless cries, so decided to just drive-thru and buy the breakfast meal. All he wanted was the hashbrown.

Yup, all because daddy has taught him well. :)

Daddy’s a fan of the big breakfast and especially when I was on maternity, the journey from home to the babysitter’s included a stop at a drive-thru once in a while. So guess who has been learning?

Now that's just at 21 months...

He's also got very good memory and recognition of places. He remembers SDMC (used to be SJMC) as where he saw 'nemo' one of the few clown fishes in the aquarium at the outpatient waiting area. (It was his monthly-visit to nemo when I went to see my gynea). Mind you, passing by SDMC on the outside, he kept pointing towards the building saying 'Mo, mo!' I was wondering what he was talking about, then I asked, 'Nemo?' he acknowledged. We were both too shocked to respond after that. Why didn't he relate it to his lil' sister? Or when we went to visit Fong Jr (Aydeen)?

Now in another 17 months, I'll compare this to AIR2 :)

pic from mcillinois.com

Sayang, baby!

Squaaaaashed!

Not that actually...he was trying to sayang his sister :)

And if he is close to her, this is what he will keep doing to her. Constantly 'sayang-ing' her, pat her and even share his ever-precious-blankie with her. Really heartwarming seeing.

Now I wonder if it would be the same once she starts to snatch and take his toys away from him. But let's just savour and enjoy the precious moments for now :)

when we arrived

almost at the end....



That was what both of us were up to on 10.10.10....the fun run.
Fast asleep....after a 'tiring run' :)

Long Silence

Why? because I had no internet access, wasn't in the office and though had updates, now already old news ;p

Hang on! Some pics will be up in my next post....

1Malaysia - another TV advert

Now, I'm not sure if this even made it on-air ;p

1Malaysia

Somehow I've not seen this on air myself, but few people have. Oh well....;p

What are you doing on 10.10.10?

October is my favourite month!

And its going to be 10.10.10 this Sunday! So, what have I planned? Join this run!

C'mon lets all go! It's just a fun run, 5.5km and I guess it's going to be my longest distance to date, running with AIR in his stroller. Keeping my fingers crossed that he WILL sit and enjoy the run! Let's run right through KL city (now, when else will you have the chance to do that?)

Everything about this event sums up to the number ten!
Distance - 5.5km (5+5=10)
Start time - 8.20am (8+2=10)
Start point - Lot 10

I'm excited. Though hubby won't be around, I guess it's ok. I'll drag him along for Terry Fox next!

Bite!

I lurrrve the lion! (3 months)
What's this?

Someone bit me, mummy!

Are you wondering what the pictures are about? (with the exception of the 1st photo ;p)

Yes, bite marks on my 20 month-old. Oh well, ‘Umi’ at the nursery says he and another kid were both fighting for a bag, and my guess is, the other kid knew he was on the losing end, so decided to bite AIR. Oh well, by the time I went to fetch AIR, the other kid has gone home, but what can I do, right?

I’ve noticed that AIR will not give in to kids younger than him or his age. If the other kid is older, he will sort of give in, and somehow, the other kid being older, he/she will also give the item to AIR again. (Observation throughout Syawal when he was interacting with his other ‘relatives’ in the kampong.)

But why do kids bite? Opps, wrong question, I guess its either hit or being hit or if not BITE!! hahaha

Noooooo!! Injections!

My 'funny injection'

How does a child normally react to injections?

1. Small cry due to slight shock in the beginning, then no more cries after
2. Small cry in the beginning and for a short while later
3. Cry incessantly as it hurts very badly, normally in newborns
4. Tensed up limb suddenly relaxes once jab is done

Now, have u ever heard of a case where the child laughs out loud? Hahahaha

Took both AIRs for their jab (3 months for AIR2 and the booster for AIR1). Since the older is wiser, so he took the jab first. Sat him on my lap and held him. (dunno why that night the Dr didn’t have her assistant) but anyway, he saw the needle and he tensed his body. Dr already sprayed some anesthetic on him and he loved the cold feeling. Then suddenly after the needle went in, he relaxed a little and as the Dr injected the fluid, he started to laugh. Oh boy, the Dr and I was surprised. I guess the sensation of the liquid going through the leg /thigh is kinda ticklish, but we never expected him to laugh. Daddy in the other side was wondering what was happening. And AIR kept on laughing as is it was something very funny.

We had a good laugh at the whole incident.

Hungry again...

Why is it that everytime I bring food (not limited to rice only) from home (for lunch at the office), I will always feel hungry almost immediately after?

If I tapau from the stall outside, even if its just mixed rice and nothing fancy, once in a while I do get that feeling. But if I eat outside, I don't get that hunger immediately.

Mmm maybe I must try eating at my desk instead of in the pantry. Pantry can be quite cold.

Oh well....

Let's go to the gym

Used to be a FF gym member for about 5 years. Until I was pregnant. Terminated my membership, knowing it will be unused (not underutilized).

2 years and 2 babies on, I’ve decided that I will not join a gym as it will definitely be underutilized. The so-called gym at my place is good enough and somehow working out outdoors with the kids is a better option. Improvise-lah, in other words.

Recently TF called to offer a free pass for 3 or 4 weeks (depending on which outlet you choose). Since it’s free, why not? So yesterday, I went to the gym in Jaya 33.

It was as though I’ve not been to a gym before. I forgot to pack so many things. Gosh! But anyway, I went.

First impression, BIG and spacious compared to FF. Equipment still quite new. So off I went on the elliptical trainer. Next, I noticed, not all cardio machines were located in areas with TV, unlike in FF. One drawback. I prefer watching the screen then plugging in into songs.

Then I went on to the weight machines. First try, wah, impressed that I could still lift/use the same weight or even slightly more than 2 years back. I guess I still have the strength but my muscles are just not toned. Or perhaps my ‘weights’ back home did help :)

So from one machine to another I went, reliving my previous workouts. As I headed to the free weight area, I got stares from the macho looking guys there. Why? Female can’t do free weights? Felt like giving them a slap, but instead, since I didn’t bring my gloves (excuses), I turned around and went back to the weight machines.

I was kinda bored. Don’t ask me why. I dunno either. Perhaps I felt like an outsider. Haha go gym also must feel welcomed eh? Or I’m now more ‘one-with-nature’? hehe

Then I decided to stretch and call it a day.

The day after – body ache? None. Muscle sore? None. Maybe I didn’t push myself hard enough. But maybe my muscles were already used to it, just that they only need to be toned with more consistent and structured workouts. Well, my 11kg and 5kg awaits me daily at home, shopping, makan2 or jalan2, just about anywhere. :) I just need to get a regular routine up with them after my free pass expires ;p

Marathon Benchmark

Pic courtesy of iaaf.org

Yesterday I bumped into one of my many bosses on the way to the pantry, he stopped and said to me that he heard I took part in Newton. (He himself used to be an avid runer) He says not many people can even do a 10km run, after I told him I was very slow in the 12km event. Our small talk went on and he learnt that I also do the triathlon and half and full marathon. As he was telling me about the full marathon in Hong Kong in 2005, I realized that ok, we’re almost on par (our speed lah I mean) seeing that the HK Mara is also running across the bridge, similar to Pg Bridge mara, which I did in 2006. I’ve never done the KL mara. It always clashes with something I have.

And then he was surprised to learn that I too have done the 42km. He then said that there’s only 4 of us in the office now who has done the full mara, and went on to list the 4 down, including me. He seemed impressed.

So, does running the marathon become a benchmark?

It is impressive that one person can run the marathon, esp to those who don’t run. But after completing one, especially without any stoppage, in my opinion, it doesn’t seem to be good enough. Hehe I have the urge to go again and improve my time or to run a longer distance.

But my current condition tells me to sit back, take it easy and stick to shorter runs. My knees are not in their best condition now and I would still need their services for perhaps at least another 30 years or more. Though am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that perhaps Sundown will be my next challenge.

To all TNF runners, be it solo or duo, all the best!

Newton 12/25km Challenge Kuala Lumpur

post-race

Finally, my first ever race report.

Also my first race/event since Desaru 2006!! Or ok, if you consider Terry Fox 2009 also can lah! ;p

I was excited (1st race in almost 4 years and 3 months post-partum) and worried (1st race with really NO training, hilly route, not sure if body and knee can take it) but I was looking forward to the grueling route and see if I can make a sort-of-come back!

During races, I normally have a toilet routine, and yes, it is literally a routine. So this time, I didn’t think I would have a routine. Haha I dunno why but before every race, I have to visit the toilet 3 times, no matter what I eat or do. So this time, thinking I may not experience the same effect, I left the house after session no.2. Boy was I wrong! Thank God calling no. 3 came as I was in the car park and I managed to run up just in time!

Ok, that aside. I was also worried about parking as recent stories about break-ins were rampant. I managed to park right beside the mosque’s entrance. I was surprised that the first person I met was Jaja. At slightly pass 6am we bumped into each other but she was getting ready for her 25km run at 0630.

So it felt like many other previous events, at the start, sometimes I’m alone. Saw some familiar faces, i.e. faces or people I know but not very close to (but you get to know them thru FB), so I didn’t go up to them. Gutsy Patsy was there and managed to chat with her.

Ok, back to the race. Started slow, but I was surprised to see seasoned runner starting really slow. Anyway, minding my own business I started at a pace I Was comfortable with. 1st hill was in sight and conquered. 2nd hill also conquered. 3rd slope (well it was a slope when I first saw it) was never ending. At the corner, this slope became a hill, and oh boy I was defeated. Tried as hard as I could to run/trot or whatever, just to avoid stopping, but I was defeated. So I did a walk/run/jog/walk routine up to almost the U-turn, which was still on the uphill! And after the U-turn and water station, the urge to stop and walk got very much stronger.

Fighting it, I only walked uphill when I really couldn’t take it (I felt like puking) or downhill when I sensed my knees were not happy. And so my pacing with a few ladies on the same route began. And then came a seasoned runner/triathlete whom I recognized, and I was thinking to myself, how come she’s so slow? She’s usually faster. Oh well, anyway I paced her, keeping her at a certain distance from me. This went on till the last 2 km where I really couldn’t take it anymore. I walked a lot more this time, and my run durations were much shorter and she was about 50m ahead by now. At approx 500-750m to the finish, I started running again slowly.

Bumped into Bandit and kept on running to the finish, but I felt really really horrible when I reached the finishing line. Kept walking and went looking for a drink. I don’t really remember how long I took, but I believe it was about 1hr 40 mins (because when I remembered to stop my stopwatch, it was already 1hr 50mins or so). Oh yes, snail pace it was!

All in all, the heat was unbearable and the route, I think if I had been training/running it would have been bearable, but not when I didn’t train at all. Knowing that I am 3 months post-partum coupled with zilch training, and with that, I was proud of my own achievement. (every race is my race against myself). No pressure, only to finish. No medals nevermind! :) I was fine.

I survived. My body felt like it went through a 21km run instead of just 12km. Post-run effects were much more like a longer race.

The best part of it all? Going home and having lil’ AIR run to you for a BIG HUG! Smelly, sweaty and all : )

On another note, my 2plus years absence from the circuit was an eye-opener. There were many ladies who donned the full headscarf running too. 2 -3 years ago, I only knew of 1 person who runs with that.

Water? Huh?

(picture from google)

Water? What's that? After the fasting month, I literally forgot how to drink water ;p

This seems to happen everytime after the fasting month, especially when I'm back in the office. And after almost 10days back in KL, I'm developing ulcers, as the Chinese like to say, I'm 'heaty'lah. Then only I'll remember to start drinking water.

On the 1st and 2nd day back in the office, the only liquid I consumed was during breakfast, coffee and during lunch, iced lemon tea. Both contains caffeine, which has diuretic properties, to the layman it just means that it promotes frequent urination, hence it's not hydrating either. However, regular users may develop tolerance to this, hence it does not significntly contribute to dehydration.

Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline, xanthine alkaloid, that is a psychoactive stimulant drug.

Thank God it wasn't as bad as last year. Bearable discomfort in the mouth. Thank God the weekend's here and my ulcers are getting better!

Post-Raya

Hmmm...I've not really done a Raya post, so now Post-Raya? haha

Anyway, I wanted to ramble about clothing for kids. Raya is somewhat known for the fact that families tend to dress in similar colours and even same type of material for their clothings. So walk around, especially during the first day of Raya and you'll see mum and their daughters dress alike and the men in the family also dressed alike. For me, we only keep to the colour scheme. Same colour. My outfit can be of a different designed material from my lil girl's. As long as we keep to the colour :)

At this stage, with AIR1 and 2 at only 20 months and 3 months, respectively, I don't believe in wasting money getting tailor-made outfits for them. Hah, even the mummy also buys off-the-rack :) So what did I do? I bought 1 set for AIR1 after Raya last year, it was on sale and only cost me RM10. Yes, believe it. That doesn't even cover tailoring costs nowadays. Then for AIR2, we went on a last minute walkabout along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and found a shop also selling most of its toddler's outfits for RM10. So there you go! (before that, I was contemplating the one in Jusco/Parkson for RM40++ or so)

And last week, when most were still in the kampungs celebrating Raya, we were back in KL. Went 'shopping' and window shopping and found the baju kurung and baju melayu for kids were going at 70% off!! So what were we waiting for?? One each again and this will be for next year! haha Our theme for next year? Must follow the kids' lah.

Call me stingy, but I belief I was being thrifty and spending wisely...hehe in defense of the well-known 'Penang stinge-trademark' :)

Congrats!

This will be another boring entry without photos, again!

Firstly, congratulations to the new parents, Fong & Faisal....their newborn Zane (Sorry Fong, dunno how to spell his second name) came after a delayed appearance! All 4kg and 'hardwork' was cherished after a cute baby boy (almost the size of my AIR2 at one month) was safely delivered. Congratulations once again! You got me worried when I didn't receive any reply from you...but alhamdulilah when I called the hospital, got your ward number, you were safe and sound :) More pain and pleasure than IM, isn't it?

Apologies if AIR2 was crying too much when Iwent to see you. That's what you get when the baby's colic/kembung/angin whatchamacallit! :) And the drama AIR1 kicked up after the bottle broke! *phaiseh* (embarassed)

Fong, when's the next addition coming? hehe enjoy motherhood and your 60-day-break! :)

Next up, congratulations to newlyweds Lokman and his wife Nadiah! Lovely outfit and wanted to take pics with you guys, but unfortunately, the lil' one wasn't too comfy in the heat and didn't make things easy. Didn't manage to stay too long and missed Faisal.

All the best to Lokman and Nadiah...it's your new walk of life and may you be blessed with mny children! :)

Raya 2010

Raya? Gosh, this year the mood hasn’t set in. I’ve no idea why.

Maybe cos my kids are not at the age yet to ‘know’ raya or perhaps because we’re just busy. But amidst all that, we managed to at least get baju raya for the two of them. :) Maybe because I won't be on leave for very long.

Alvina’s baju raya would probably be still wearable 6 months from now, and on the 1st day of Raya, even just wearing the top would be more than enough. Yeah, it’s THAT BIG! Hehe

Asrul’s baju raya, bought 6-7months ago was intended to be kept till this Raya! Hehe and luckily he can still fit into it, as I intentionally bought it 1 size larger.

Other than that? Mummy and Daddy will be ‘recycling’ baju raya, and all other accessories.

Packing? Usually I start 2-3 days ahead, to avoid forgetting anything, since having AIR, but this time, I’m leaving tomorrow, and I’ve not started! And talk about travelling with 2!! I’m sure the car will be filled to the max, and on the return, it will still be just as full, but now filled with Raya goodies.

Many seems to have left KL, looking at the traffic this morning and so I hope the journey back tomorrow night would be jam-free.

To all travelling this whole week, drive safely and Selamat Hari Raya!

And especially to Fong, expecting your new arrival at this point of time will surely be an exciting one! Safe delivery and Selamat Hari Raya to you too! Will visit you when I come back.

image - thanks to vectorise

Sinari Lebaran - TV3 Raya Ad

It was finally aired on Friday on TV3 but my short-lived fame lasted only 2 days.

What am I referring too? The very much talked about (only if you watch TV3) Raya Advert by TV3. When I was asked to attend the shoot, I was told it was themed ‘Fantasy Raya’, i.e. a boy’s fantasy of Raya sparked off when he saw a picture of a trishaw. The shoot (especially for the kids) took 2 days, but I was there for my portion for only 1 day. End product – I had no idea.
So after all the waiting, I was told that it was going to be aired on Friday ( 3rd sept) and after waiting and waiting, I finally caught a glimpse of it before breaking of fast (can’t really rmbr what time, but I think it was before 7pm), that too, I missed the beginning.

Then when I saw the clip online, it was on You Tube and TV3’s FB page, it didn’t appear like how I imagined it to be. And to top it off, it sparked a lot of controversial comments especially from the Muslims in the country. It is said to have elements of Christianity (flying trishaw i.e. Santa Claus), Buddhism (flying lotus flowers) and Hinduism (a lot of lights, portraying Deepavali the festival of lights). I guess these comments were right in their own way because when I showed the clip to my mum and aunts (all non-Muslims) the first comment was ‘Why is that Santa?’ then it was ‘What exactly is it trying to portray? It’s not like a Raya Ad’.

Well, yeah it doesn’t look like a Raya Ad at all. Anyway, check it out here. (Not sure if it'll stay here forever due to the controversy)

So there goes my short-lived fame! Hahaha the other advert, which is supposed to be a 1Malaysia-concept advert, well I’ve not seen it yet. Now just not my luck I guess. 1 scrapped even before airing, 1 taken off air and now the other – dunno where it is. Hehe but the most important of all, I’m paid! :D

On a lighter note – although it lasted for about 2 days , I’m surprised that there were people who recognized me from that short 2s of close up shot. Few other shots were in a group and not so clear. :)

Funny Feeling

I do get a funny tingling sensation at my neck and back of my waist area when I’m nervous. However, from sahur this morning, I have been getting that. I assumed it will only last a while. Almost 6 hours on, I still am having this sensation and I’m not liking it. It can be very annoying, cos sometimes it pulsates. And when I’m trying to lean back and at least rest, it does not help.

Darn!

What is wrong?!

Happy 53rd Merdeka!

There's lots of fireworks tonight and its only 9pm+. It made me wonder why - Raya's not till 2 more weeks, so what could it be? Yes, I was that blur. Haha and suddenly it struck me, tomorrow is our 53rd independence day!

It's just another public holiday for me! :) Yes, this time around, I need and want more holidays! Tired la, the 430 am till 11+pm daily routine. Thank God another 2 weeks left, and I hope by then, AIR2 would've adjusted to 530am instead (my regular time).

Catch me on TV3, NTV7, 8TV and maybe TV9 throughout Sept, in 3 different installments of commercial and public sevice announcement (PSA). RIght now, I don't know the dates yet, but it's scheduled to be sometime this week.

Oh yes, Moi will be on TV again, but this time in a different context. phaiseh-phaiseh (Shy in Hokkien) cos I've not seen the end product myself. 2 of it (1 raya and 1 merdeka PSA) has no dialogue and another themed 'Faces of Malaysia' has a dialogue to it. mmmm I'll try to post some pics of it soon, in another post!

TV & toddlers

AIR's recent keen interest with animated movies and cartoons made me curious on what they actually see and absorb.

Extracted from this site, it tells of what our kids, from toddlers to adolescent, see and absorb from the 'idiot box'.

Infants (children up to 18 months old) can pay attention to an operating television set for short periods of time, but the attention demands a great effort and infants are usually more interested in their own activities. Even when they do pay attention to the television, infants likely miss most of what adults consider to be program content. They experience it primarily as fragmented displays of light and sound, which they are only intermittently able to group into meaningful combinations such as recognizable human or animal characters.

No research has focused specifically on how violent content affects infants, but there is some evidence that infants can imitate behaviour from television when that behaviour is presented in a simple, uncluttered and instructional manner.

Children do not become full-fledged "viewers" until around the age of two-and-a-half. As toddlers, they begin to pay more attention to the television set when it is on, and they develop a limited ability to extract meaning from television content. They are likely to imitate what they see and hear on television.

I noticed AIR , at 19 months, already immitating or try to say what he hears. From numerous repeats of 18 episodes of Upin & Ipin, he's learnt quite a few words. From watching Barnyard over the 3-day-weekend, he's learnt words from the mouse, Otis the cow, Manny this chick and a couple more characters. He dances with the Barnyard animals and well, for now its heartwarming to see that he's enjoying it.

But it may be becomming too much, because now when he wakes up, on weekends, he will ask us to put on the show for him. He already knows how to switch everything on by himself. He can spend 3+ hours (2 repeats back to back) of Barnyard and only gets bored (he walks out and looks for toys of books to read). In the evening, he will ask for Barnyard again.

The viewing patterns children establish as toddlers will influence their viewing habits throughout their lives. Since toddlers have a strong preference for cartoons and other programs that have characters who move fast, there is considerable likelihood that they will be exposed to large amounts of violence.

Under normal conditions, parents probably do not need to worry too much about their infants being negatively influenced by television, although they might want to limit their exposure to violence or other portrayals it might be dangerous for an infant to imitate.

Limiting exposure to this kind of TV content is especially wise with toddlers, who are even more prone to imitating what they see on television. Another highly influential action parents can take for toddlers is to examine and regulate their own viewing behaviour, since toddlers are highly influenced by their parents' viewing habits.

OKlah, at this moment I'm sure no violence yet, except for the scene where the coyote attacks the chicken coup and the cow (Ben and later Otis) fights them off.

Although toddlers do not understand a great deal of program content, creating educational programming using such features as animation, children's or women's voices on the sound track, and simplified movements and camera work will likely win them as loyal viewers. A habit of watching educational programs (as opposed to cartoons) will reduce their exposure to violent content and make it more likely that they will watch and benefit from educational television later on, as preschoolers.

For preschoolers, effective programming would include the use of vivid production features and "child-directed speech" (simple sentences spoken slowly, referring to objects that are actually being shown on the screen, and with repetition). These features will improve their attention and understanding and can be used to highlight important features of program content, such as critical plot events.

So, alternating with the more educational progs would be good. And I'm glad that AIR can sit still (more than 10mins good enough for now) and watch these too...

What about your toddlers or pre-schoolers? How do you handle their TV habbits?