Awal Muharram

Happy New Year to all Muslims!

I'm not happy as I have to work today, while the whole of Malaysia is on holiday. If it was just Selangor I wouldn't mind. Darn!

It would've been nice to sleep in as it was rainy and gloomy and cosy...

And it was probably a once in a year thing to have so few cars on the dreaded LDP in the morning. I could've counted the number of vehicles.

Nevermind. Another 2 days and it's gonna be 2009!

Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas

AFter hospital, it was movie-time that night. 'The Spirit' was errm, one 'interesting' show. It wasn't of the normal type of movie. You will either love it or hate it. So we just ended up watching it till the end cos since we were there.

Next day, mum and dad came and we were up for a week of lots of shopping and eating. So our Christmas Eve dinner with my aunts was in an Indian Restaurant. No turkey served! hehe

Thursday, Friday and Saturday were filled with shopping. From One Utama to Ikea to Pavillion and Sg. Wang Plaza, we ventured while mum shopped. Most of the baby stuff are ready, so there's nothing much to get. Just 1 or 2 items for the house and that was it. While mum practically went into every other shop and browsed everything. Gosh!

TOday, it's back to normal, but the fact that today is Awal Muharram and while the rest of the country is on holiday, I'm stuck in the office, having to work! Adoi!! This is indeed no fun.

Since last week, I've been having dreams almost every night. And every night its a different type relating to delivery. Guess I'm just excited about it. I just can't wait for the day to arrive.

Last night, we finally got to washing all the clothes and linen bought for Jr. And my bag is packed! :D

Wonder what new year would be like.....

T'was the Week of Christmas

Boy it was a hectic week. Not from work, but all other things.

STarted Monday (22nd Dec) with a Dr's appt. Yeah, the much anticipated 'wait' to 'fil up' my capacity is finally here. Got my bag packed and checked with my insurance. I can't claim from my insurance if I'm not warded, hence I can't do a day-care treatment. So, I HAD to get myself admited.

The best part was, this 'admission' was in a way weird. Cos usually your Dr tells you when to be admitted into hospital, right? But this time, no. My Dr asked me 'So, when will it be good for you to be admitted?' I nearly laughed out. So I just told him I'm ready for today. So just do it la. Gosh! Admitting youself into hospital has never came across to me as a tedious process. Perhaps it was also timing, cos it's holiday season and those 'front desk' people were left with only 2, and it took me more than 1 hour to get myself admitted. Boy oh boy!

So why did I have to be hospitalised? Well, I had to 'refill' or medically, increase my red blood cell count to an acceptable level. This is in case of any surgery needed while delivery. I'm praying for a normal delivery, hence no surgery, but its just procedure to ensure that I'm at a safe level, if any emergency surgery is needed.

HOwever, surprisingly my Hb that morning was on a 9-month high! I was at 6.9. Fantastic! I was surprised. I needed to add 2 pints of blood la.

I finally got myself into my ward at about 3pm plus. By the time I got comfy, it was about 4pm and then hubby went home first la. Dr came in about almost 5pm to 'poke' me...hahaha he inserted that needle thingy into my left wrist into that vein of mine. Then I was put on drips till the blood was ready. Bout 6pm of so then they came and administered the blood. Aiyo....so complicated. Some more there's the white blood cell filter. Yeah, it amazes me - this filter-thingy. I didn't get to ask the Dr so I asked the staff nurse but she doesn't know how it works.

Blood with the filter

I was stuck with this from 6pm onwards....I had to 'ferry' it around everytime I went to the toilet. TO make things worse, apparently I was administered with this drug which would cause frequent urination. Aiyo, imagine the hassle.

I was in a 2-bedded ward, but before I was put on the drip, the lady beside me 'moved' out. The nurse told me she moved into a single-bedded room. I guess it wasn't ready when she got there. I got a little worried about what would happen later that night. :)

I kept myself sane by channel surfing but at that time, there wasn't much on TV or paid TV channels. I ended up watching Disney channel. hahaha Then I did some reading and Dr Siti came by at about 7pm. Saying she'll pop by tomorrow and I may have to go to her clinic to scan.

Dinner came and went and after that I was strapped on to this CTG (dunno what it meant) where fetal movement n heartbeat was recorded for 30mins. So I was lying down with a belt strapped on the tummy. Can't move much. By that time, there was about 1/4 left of that 1st pint. But it was really, really slow then. After about another hour or so, finally the nurse came in to 'pressurize' the pack by putting that pint into a bag which would be pressurised. It looks like the device used to take ur blood pressure readings, but this is in a bag form.

Thank God the other lady moved out already. SO hubby stayed on till midnight. Otherwise by 930pm he would be chased out! Only until midnight, this bit of blood finally finished. Apparently its due to the filter that causes it to be so slow.

The 2nd pint came and right from the begining it was put into that pressurized bag. After about 1.5hours, I noticed that blood was trickling and was really slow again. SO I 'called' the nurse and she came in puzzled too. Finally after a while, she decided to depressurize the bag and remove the blood from there and noticed that it was all gone! hahaha the 1st took almost 6 hours and the 2nd was only about 1.5 hours. A 'normal' duration is about 3 hours or so la.

So that was my adventure. My 'ordeal' was supposed to end bout 2am. However I was not left in peace. Every 2 hours, the nurse would come in and take my temperature and blood pressure readings. Aiyo...so mafan (troublesome). And at one time also fetal heartbeat. I didn't sleep well.

I ended up waking up at 645am (almost like any other working day) and felt groggy and not well-rested. PErhaps that was how they wanted me to be - to feel like I'm in hospital. hehehe otherwise I'd be too cheery and not sick-like...

I waited anxiuosly for breakfast but was totally dissapointed. They chose oatmeal for me. Adoi! So I ended up eating the bread only and my own supply of 'bytes'.

Dr Siti came and saw the CTG results and said to see me to scan at her clinic. Then, Dr Ng came in to check on me, I felt the same as before though I'm supposed to be 'energized' now. I guess its because to begin with I wasn't the wee bit tired or feeling lethargic. I Was ready to go home.

Went for the scan. Baby is now 2.63kg at 36 weeks. I finally 'told' Jr that he can come anytime now as we're all ready for him! We can't wait for his arrival!

The finished 2nd pint

Got out of hospital and had the days off till Christmas.

44444 already?

Everytime it hits a 'nice' number, it'll be at the most inconvenient time. When it hit '33333' I was stuck in a jam. Good time to snap, but then my camera wasn't that good and all visuals of it were shaky. (Or was it the person who took the photo?) And today it hit '44444' right at the toll booth, so I thought after I go through the Smart Tag, I'll take a snap. Somehow, 3 shots of it were blurry. Again. Adoi. So I had to wait till I reached the carpark of my office, hence about 3km away. So it's not a not-so-unique '44447'.

Just missed 44444

And is it a coincidence or what? On both occasions, I didn't have much fuel left. hahahaha

It's only 1yr and 5 months and it's surpassed 40k. Well, I guess this seems much better than the Mahindra. Less than 6 months and I was into 25k already. That time I was travelling JB-KL-JB almost every weekend. Gosh! Can't imagine....Right now the daily trips have been cut tremendously the past 1 month cos I've not gone to site for sometime now.

It's the weekend again. I'm looking forward to the gathering of Explorace friends, dunno how many will turn up. Erm, other than that, it's gonna be more spring cleaning again in anticipation of mum & dad's arrival on Christmas eve and well, the baby! :D

Everyday's been the same, anxious and looking forward to new challenges. Next week, will be more of 'hospital time' for me. Yeah....gonna be a 'dracula' for a day. Hope all will go well then.

OK, here's the story.

When I got preggy, I went to my doc (here I mean my hematologist) first. I wanted him to recommend an experienced ObGyn who can and knows what to do in my case. So he says that in my case, the only thing I may have is that I may feel tired and perhaps sometime in the middle of my pregnancy (around 4th or 5th month), I'll need blood transfusion. That is normal for most of his Thallassaemia patients. Thallassaemia minor, that is. This is because when preggy, blood gets diluted, and hence the red blood cell count will usually be reduced by 1 or 2 counts (erm, I can't remember the units - opps!). So anyway, I braced for that and I wanted that to be my challenge. To stay away from transfusion!

So at 4 months, I was feeling much better than the first 3 months. I was climbing steps with no problems, walking as fast as I normally would (on flat terrain la of course) and I just felt great. On my 6th month visit to my doc again, he was happy seeing my condition. Though my blood count is stable aroung the 6s (its usually about 8), I was doing great. So I was estatic. Throughout, I've not felt faint even. I seem to have all the energy in the world. Of course with the exception that I couldn't do anymore cardio la.

I breezed though and now that I'm approaching 36 weeks, I have to be transfused. This transfusion is to elevate my blood count to a safer level in case surgery is required. It's a safety precaution. There will also be blood loss during delivery and this should help keep the situation more stable. So, next week, I'll be 'checked in' for some 'dracula-action' .

If trasfusion was carried out earlier at the 'expected' 4th or 5th month, at the end, I still may have to have this 2nd transfusion. This is because one transfusion usually lasts for about 1 month only.

So looks like I managed to go through the 'challenge' I set for myself and I'm just so happy.

I'm anxious. I keep having funny and weird dreams about delivery, the transfusion and all that is to come the next 4 weeks. NOw the tummy is the only obstruction to what I can usually do before this. Bending forward is not so possible now so I have to re-position myself at times when needing to pick up something from the floor. Sleeping patterns have changed recently. I'm sleeping later than before. Weird. I just can't go to sleep.

Looking forward to more 'action' next week!

Did I mention?

Chocolate is IN again! hehehe after 36weeks of not craving for chocolate or cakes or anything sweet (I only take it when it's there and I don't go hunting for it), I suddenly craved for choc again few days ago. I was surprised.

And hence ,I don't think the chocs which have been lying in the fridge will last till new year! Yes, I've finish half a large bar in less than two sittings (and that also cos last two days I wasn't lazing around at home). I was controlling myself. Could've finished that whole bar at one go! Yikes!

I'm looking forward to some choc/cheese cake slices this weekend....yummy!

Oh no!!

Trip to the East

My boss told me that we'll leave at 8am. Gosh, that seems pretty early. But nevermindlah. So by 8am I was already waiting. Thank God I told ladyboss the night before to call me before she leaves the house, cos by the time she called, it was already almost 830am. And in between, I managed to doze off and slot in some 'The Guardian'.

So the journey began to Kuantan. Stopped at Temerloh Rest Stop for a break - nice nasi lemak they have there too. Actually it was the first time for me travelling to Kuantan via the newly (not so new now) opened Karak highway. I think it's been two years already? The last trip I used was up to Mempaga only. That was barely halfway point. The new stretch starts further from there. So gone were the really winding and some parts single carriage way where you have to crane your neck to checkout the oncoming traffic before overtaking. However, it did take about 3 hours for us to get to the meeting. I didn't dare sleep (luckily I wasn't sleepy then) cos I needed to know where the meeting place was and where was the site too.

After everything was over, while we had lunch, somehow something too me by surprise. My boss knew I took part in Fear Factor? huh? when and how? I'm puzzled. Cos right after I went to settle the lunch bill, as soon as I got back to the table, my boss said 'they' (those people we had meeting with and hence lunch) wanted to know how I got to FF and what I did. Oh boy, was I surprised. hehehe Uptil now, I dunno how he knew. Don't wanna ask la.

Didn't manage to enjoy the 'beach' hehehe

The journey back was nother 3 hours or so too....dropped by the site and then shortly after hitting the highway, I dozed off. Hope I didn't snore! hehehe woke up approximately an hour later, fully rested and energized. :D

Guess there'll be more trips down Karak Highway next year for me.

Mid-morning Snack Anyone?

This is not a good sign....since yesterday, I noticed that I'm snacking (my so-called mid-morning snack la) because I'm bored and not because I'm hungry. Yeah, seriously. OK la, I was a tad hungry yesterday, and my mouth wanted to feel something sweet, so I ate that wafer. But today, after pasta for brekkie, I didn't even crave anything, but automatically bout 945am, I just had to open the drawer beside me and look for something. Oh no! Think since I'm down to my last 'snack', tomorrow I will have to prevent myself from doing this. This is NOT good!

Bored of surfing the net and doing some reading...hehe

--------------------------

Over the weekend, hubby received 3 wedding invitations from his friends, 3 consecutive weekends of eating, right after Christmas, through New Year, I'd say. Luckily they were all nearby, and not like last 2 weeks, those were far away....

And something just struck me - how come this year none of my friends got married huh? Erm, ok well, there was one in Penang and that was about few weeks back. Other than that, zilch! Not a good year? Or everyone still 'searching' and 'waiting'....

Speaking of which, it's really funny. This friend of mine la. He seems to be so aloof about it when I asked him about his wedding. I wonder why. Citing being busy perhaps is no excuse. We go back a long way, about 13 years I guess, since high school. He has along the way 'prospered' both physically and well, now emotionally la, now that he's happily married. Congratulations Logan & Pamela! May God bless both of you. (sorry la, it has taken me few weeks before I actually write bout it here - forgot la....:p)

Pasta Carbonara - finally

My intention to whip out Pasta Carbonara finally materialised (before the milk expired!!).... Well, I'd say it was rather simple actually, just make sure the egg and milk mixture is done properly, and after that, walla! it's done!

Imagine - I actually whipped it out for erm 'late tea' yesterday (in view of a late dinner) and then I made too much sauce so I had it again this morning for breakfast. Haha, so now I'm stuffed. And its amazing how fresh spring onions make the difference in the dish. I was too lazy to add the spring onions last night cos it was a miserably small portion, so instead I just sprinkled some parsley flakes (yeah, the dried ones). This morning, I decided to add the fresh spring onions, and my, my, my...it was awesome. The taste and smell of it was sort of enhanced. Yummy! I could do it again tomorrow. :D

And the best part of last night was - I had seafood pasta later in the night. Hehe yeah, this time the plate was piled full with squid and clams. Yummy! But in a tomato-based sauce.

When I got the carbonara recipe (okay, before this I had no idea what exactly went into the making of this dish other than cheese, milk, probably some cream and bacon and of course pasta la), I was surprised to find that it had eggs in it too. Then when I read the instructions/directions, I realised the egg isn't really actually completely cooked. And when I tried it myself I also noticed the same. Or does it? Well, I actually have no idea. My night attempt tells me it wasn't, but this morning when i did it again, it seemed to be, cos perhaps my egg&milk mix this time was better. Cos the night attempt had my carbonara sauce looking abit weird with bits n pieces of coagulated cooked eggy. Hmmm....but anyway, it's ok with me, whether its cooked or not. It was just my attempt at being cautious of what I take now and previously cos at my early stages of pregnancy, I was a huge carbonara 'consumer'. So if the eggy wasn't properly cooked, it's well, not encouraged....

Anyway anyhow, just hope that so far it's been so good, so it will be good! :D

No pasta tonight definitely...erm, I think.... :) hehe

Baby n etc...

Hubby's friend welcomed a new addition to her family. Opps, I dun know the baby's nane la, but she's sooo cute....with really lipstick-like lips...:) adorable (sorry no pics!)

We went to Pantai Cheras to visit the couple and their newborn on Sunday. It was really interesting, hearing first-hand everything that she had to go through prior to delivery and almost the whole works during delivery. She looked ok, but said her body still aches after the 'battle'. Gosh, I'm trying to imagine it when it's my time. Not too far away....

Unfortunately, as we were leaving, it was raining very heavily. We parked outside, not in the basement, and guess what - can u imainge, water was rising at the area we parked. Already almost 1-2inches of my poor tyre was in water. And that was in the hopsital carpark area. Adoi!! Terrible la! So we braced the rain and didn't want to wait any longer - in case the water level rose even more!

After that, since we didn't have lunch yet, we went to Wong Solo Ayam Bakar in Ampang. This used to be our favourite joint cos if its Ayam Penyet and Ayam Bakar. Lovely. However, it's more expensive than anywhere else. There's another Ayam Penyet shop - Waroeng Ayam Penyet in Curve, slightly cheaper and closer to home which we frequent more lately. But the taste still can't beat Wong Solo's ....somehow it just taste better. Anyway, after our meal, we were shocked by the bill...but anyway, it's been a while, so its ok la. :D

Then, it was off to our weekly pasar malam outing, only this time, it was only 430-ish and we were there for fresh stuff only. It was rainy so no mood la wanna hang out there long long...:)

It was a night at home after that....Kyle XY and the documentary bout the Half Man Half Tree ended the night superbly...

Warehouse sales

About 2 weeks ago, my aunt told me that there was a warehouse sale for baby stuff. So since I wasn't able to get full info on it, and I didn't know which newspaper to look for, I decided to search for it online. And walaaa....guess what I found? A website dedicated to warehouse sales in Klang Valley and all sorts of other discounts or sales...goodness....http://everyday.com.my/ seriously, I was shocked!

I found the warehouse sale my aunt mentioned, but it wasn't what I was looking for, so I didn't go. I went to another, also featured on that page, but I already knew of it from the papers. Anyway, so that got me sort of hooked. Every end-of-the-week, I'll just check out that page. And so last Friday, I found a Crocs' Clearance Sale in Sri Damansara (aiya around tat area la). Well, sale started on Friday, so if i went on Saturday, naturally most would be gone. But since we didn't have much planned for the day, we headed there anyway. As expected, the sandals of my size were gone, largest were of size 4....then shoes, found a unisex kind of pair, but was slightly too big, bought it anyway, for Dad...hehehe so if Dad refuses it, I'll just wear it with a pair of thick socks. Hehehe well, after my 1st pair of Crocs, I find it to be unbelieveably comfortable, especially at time when I really need the cushioning from too much window-shopping with extra weight. :D

Bought some really cheap baby stuff there too, well, just 1 or 2 toys, not many varieties of Fisher-Price toys there, but they were really cheap.

Then we were off to the movies again! hehehehe this time, really dunno what to watch anymore, we ended up watching 'Cicakman 2'. Can u believe that? Anyway, there were some unrealistic portions, erm, not so nice parts, but ok la...few doze-off-sessions to add...:) But since it was free, I think it's ok la.

Then, for some reason or other, after that, we actually headed to Ikano/Cineleisure to continue. hehehe in total, we walked for about almost 5 hours, minus the movie and the makan etc... Goodness can u imagine?

Well, my left back-of-my-knee pain is still there, and today it's slightly better. I think I need to rub it on and off. But its really weird la. I just hope it goes off as sudden as it appeared la. Cos in the morning, sometimes that nerve/tendon/muscle really hurts esp when I take the first step out of bed. Have to limp.

Road trip again

Looks like the weekend will hold another road trip for us....Last weekend, we headed to Simpang Pulai. This time it'll be to Teluk Intan. I'm thinking, can I extend it further up north? haha

Perhaps not. Since Mum & Dad will be here the following weekend and well, as much as I'd like to go home and meet up with friends who are back from overseas for the Christmas and New Year holidays, I think it's best I stay put around here.

We had Thursday off as it was Sultan Selangor's birthday. It was sleep-in and movie day. Bolt was quite good. Somehow it had small twists to it and made it interesting, more than just another animated movie.

The best part is now I realised (yeah, like a few moments ago) that my boss wants me to pop by the site tomorrow night during the shutdown. Hello?? Well, lemme see....if I pop by at 10pm, should be ok la, but if I'm expected to pop by at midnight, I think it's a big 'no thank you!'...Though it's just a pop-by and I'm not expected to do anything, I think it's wiser for me to not go...we'll see how things goes. Hubby will have to be dragged along.

It's really weird. I was technically on medical leave on Wednesday cos I went for my routine check up. And the best part (again) is that my boss can ask me to attend a meeting which he already agreed to attend the day before. Goodness! Well, I told myself that I'll go only if it didn't rain and luckily the office wasn't too far away from my house. It's getting ridiculous la!

Haha, I can smell the weekend already! :D

On another note, it's only now that I'm begining to feel preggy! hehehe yes, my ankles get swollen more often and this annoys me cos I like to walk alot. And I do get unexpected dizzy spells, even while sitting down. And I do feel the weight on me when I lie down now. At 34 wks, baby's 2.3kg makes its pressence felt. :D

Can't wait for the road trip, Mum & Dad and some long break to come!! :D

10 Unusual Marathons

This instantly caught my attention when I was browsing the newpapers few days back. Then, I didn't know where that page went and I found it again on the net....take a look..

1. Marathon Du Medoc (Medoc wine region, France)
This marathon passes 50 chateaux, features Bordeaux wine at the water stations along the route and
provides foie gras to runners in need of refueling.
(Wow....foie gras...I wonder what the entrance fee is like.)

2. Little Rock Marathon (Little Rock, Arkansas)
This race features a 'lipstick statoin' at Mile 26.1, so runners can freshen up before their finisher's picture.
The race also boasts the lasrgest finisher's medal, measuring 6.25 inches (15.6cm) by 4.25 inches (10.6cm).
(I think it'll take more than just 'freshen up at a station' to make me look good for the finisher's pic...hehe)

3. Walt Disney World Marathon (Orlando, Florida)
Half Marathon and a full marathon on consecutive weekend days in early January. RUnners who complete
both get a special 'Goofy Medal', named after Disney's famous canine.
(Hmm this, I don't mind taking part. Perhaps I'll plan my holiday to Disney World to coincide next time :P )

4. Flying Pig Marathon (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Popular with first-time marathoners and those who may have said they would run a marathon 'when pigs
fly'. The title also honours the city's hog butchering history.
(Erm, nothing spectacular, just the phrase, I guess)

5. North Pole Marathon (Norway)
Takes place deep in teh Artic Circle around the summer solstice, attraction about 40 runners. In 2007, the
temperature was -4F (-25C). One year, runners donned snow shoes because of a storm.
(Wow! Think I'll pass this, but it'll be an experience....)

6. Country Music Marathon (Nashville, Tennessee)
Some 50 contry artists perform on 28 stages along the course. A post-race concert was headlined last year
by Steve Cropper, a founding member of soul ban Booker T. & the MG's.
(Entertainment as you run, sounds good...)

7. Everest Marathon (Nepal)
At 17,000 feet (5,184 metres), it is the highest marathon, taking runners along mountain trails starting at
Everest Base Camp.
(I'd love to try scalling Everest, but perhaps not in a race...)

8. Athens Marathon (Greece)
Retraces the steps of the messenger Pheidippides, who ran from Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. to deliver
news of the defeat of Persian invaders.
(Erm, ok la...Mum, wanna join me? hehehe since you love history....)

9. Great Wall Marathon (China)
This race starts with a 3.1mile (5 km) uphill stretch, includes part of the Great Wall, and takes runners
through villages and rice fields.
(Intersting!)

10. Safaricom Marathon (Kenya)
Two 13.1 mile (20.1km) loops of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy game reserve.
(Sounds intersting. Do I get to 'meet' some special spectators on the way?)

I wonder if Malaysia will try to have one up on this list?

The Weekend That Was....

It was indeed a looong weekend with Monday being a holiday cos it was Hari Raya Aidil Adha...

Neways, our weekends started on Friday nite when we dashed off to watch the MM semi-finals. OK la, wasn't too bad and being on the 3rd row from the front, was indeed superb.

On Saturday, I wanted roti canai for breakfast. Yes, it's been sometime since I had roti canai. Eversince project in Sg. Langat completed, I think, so that would make it almost errrr 3 months? Yah...oh no, 4 months, since fasting month...but this place in TTDI just wasn't as good as the one I've always had. Nevertheles, it satisfied my 'crave' la.

Anyway, we were supposed to go on a road trip to Simpang Pulai for hubby's friend's wedding. Yes, it was a looong journey and the thoughts of stopping over at Cameron Highlands on the way back was there. However, the journey took longer than expected. There were just too many vehicles on the road and I think most were taking advantage of the long weekend and the Raya break. And unknowingly to us, we found ourselved stuck too. With a convoy of 3 cars, we finally met at the destination at about 3pm. So, there goes the Cameron plan, cos it was just not worth the drive up and down in such a short time. Plus, the weather wasn't very promising. It was drizzling on and off.

The best part of the journey back was, less than 30mins on our way back, I just dozed off....awaking at one point to really heavy rain and then continued sleeping again. Must be the nasi minyak earlier.

Sunday was a lazy-day....well, not exactly lazy, cos we were 'spring cleaning part 2'. That was after lunch la. When we finished, we headed off to the pasar malam only to be dissapointed that there were no 'ekors' or fish heads left for us....so there goes plan for 'sup ekor' or fish head curry the next day.

Selamat Hari Raya

Woke up early, and it was again raining. The type that looked as though it will rain the whole day. And indeed it did.

Went to the mosque, came back famished, ate something and just relaxed to some non-holiday tv programmes, which were quite boring. Then cooked lunch, without the sup ekor (unfortunately) and decided to go out. Hey, we were planning to go out since friday anyway...keke Since it was raining, the only places we could go were covered or indoor, hence it spelled shopping complexes.

So, KLCC here we come!

Got tickets for Twilight and window-shopped for a while before the movie. Window shopped only cos the pair of shoes I thought was nice was out of my size. Darn!

After that it was time for a feast! Yes, had Braised Lamb Shank...:) Yummy, this time not at my usual haunt but it tasted just as good...Mussels Au Gratin & Clam Chowder

Braised Lamb Shank

Clam Chowder was a bit of a disspointment but the rest were fantabulous!

Came home happy, contented and ready to put those tired feet up and just chill!

Yippee, it's A Long Weekend!

The long weekend is almost here! Yes, Mon will be a holiday, cos it's Raya Haji. On top of that on Thurs, we get another holiday - Sultan Selangor's birthday! yipeee!! more short holdiays! But cos it's in the middle of the week, guess we'll be just around town or at home....

Nothing planned, we'll just have to wait n see...

Another round of 'spring cleaning' yesterday and I managed to unearth lots of books. Hehe so I guess I'll have lot of reading for next year! On top of that I added another 3 just now. Yeah, online shopping is addictive, especially when you've got nothing much to do!

And last night I felt that baby's getting heavier. Yes, I do feel more of the weight especially when I bend forward or when trying to get a 'perfect' sleeping postition. I can't wait to take another peek at him again sometime next week. Yeah, I think this time Dr will 'peek' to check on the fluid level, size and weight...

Had another round of soup ekor yesterday and it was splendid. Yes, it's gonna be a weekly thing, I'm presuming. We used to do that a couple of months back, until recently where we keep missing the weekend pasar malam, hence no supply of fresh oxtail. So we're back in business again, I guess! :D

Transporter 3

It is one cinematic experience I'll not forget - know why? Not because the cinema was superb, or the show was the best, but I was shocked that less than halfway through the show, I was perspiring. Well, that NEVER happened to me, throughout my whole preggy experience yet, but the fact that hubby wasn't even feeling the slightest bit cold tells me that it wasn't my thermostat gone wrong - but the cinema's.

Anyways, luckily the show and complimentary popcorn was distraction enough to make me sometimes forget about the trickling sweat...yes, it WAS that BAD....

We watched Transporter3, premier show before the release of the show today. Good action movie, but there were some unrealistic scenes and parts where the continuity of the scenes were not there. Go check the movie out and see if can spot them.

After that, Sup Ekor was waiting for us at home. Yummy....this time, really yummy (forgot about the pics) but then there were portions were meat was still relatively tough. Think it's either old ekor or it didn't spend enough time in the pot...

Crap

After completing my post, short of previewing it and posting it, my browser just decided to shut down. So now I'm not in the 'train of thoughts' anymore and perhaps only later shall I continue...

bleeeeuk!

Ah, I found it!

Hmmm I wonder if it's just me or is it that everyone is busy lately. Not as many online-active people are online lately. Perhaps all taken off for their year-end holidays while poor me, stuck here, with nothing much to do but just to fill up the office space for the moment.



Thank goodness my weird tummy has slowly recovered. Still got bits of that weird feeling though and I hope after lunch it'll just dissapear. I was worried last night as I had achy-joints and tired legs which usually leads to fever or something of that sort. Perhaps the lil' rub-down helped.



I'm still looking out for good deals and planning my holidays for next year. Amidst all that, few weeks back, I realised that I currently am allocated a really pathetic number of annual leave. SEriously, I don't remember when it became so little, but I never thought that it would be. Yeah, you guessed it - 8! miserably 8 only. The bare minimum which the Labour Law allows. Thank goodness, hopefully by next year it'll be increased. But goodness, it's gonna be a loooong journey to those 20-odd days in a year! Hah!

All the Glitz and Glam

The 2nd Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival wasn't so great to begin with. In comparison with Anugerah Skrin, in my personal opinion. Although the KLIFF was more grand, as it had international artistes, presenters and films competing with each other, not to mention Ministers and Delegates from all over the world, perhaps that was why it wasn't as great. Everything had to be kept formal.

Thank goodness for the performances in between which kept me alive and waiting for more. Although it was mentioned that there were 191 participants in the KLIFF, out of which there were only a handful which were nominated repeatedly for the various awards. Were the others totally out of the league of these few? Funny, to think of it. Anyway, I'm no expert in this field so I just took it in as pure 'entertainment'.

Everyone there were by invitation only. So the crowd was 'less happenning'. The opening act by Datuk Siti was splendid and the finale by Ning Baizura was no less. I enjoyed Point Blank's performance of 'I am Warrior' (or something which sounds like that) the song was superb and they had a small martial arts troupe as their dancers. IT was entertaining. It was interesting to note that when Ning belted out a medley of songs from the 007 series, 'junior' was also enjoying the music, kicking to every base beat. That and the medley of songs from Mamma Mia did 'wake' him up. The rest were pretty mild movements which didn't 'attract' my attention.

I love Sarimah's outfit (other than the puffed sleeves she had) and her wit on and off stage.

That was the highlight of Saturday...and Sunday began with a day filled with spending.

Warehouse sale was our first stop after brunch. It was stuff for junior. Then after some 'light entertainment' of badminton at home, we headed of to more shopping, this time the pasar malam and then the hypermarket. It's been awhile since we spent so much at one go at the hypermart. 'Stocking' up I suppose.

tired from all the shopping...

Weird tummy this morning makes things worse. I just don't get it. AFter brekkie, I just want something sweet, and since milo is out, I'll wait till later to have a biscuit or cookie. But today is just weird. I really dunno what to do. Just let my tummy rumble a bit once in a while, while I soothe it with plain water. If I take coffee or milo, the next thing would be me running to you-know-where. So there's just no point.

Arrrrrrrgh!

Another slow week ahead albeit some work already assigned to me. Boring! :p

Online shopping anyone?

I made an online purchase yesterday with online banking too. (this would be my first time using that combination la - aiyo, so jakun) haha anyway, I was told that delivery would take 2-3 days. Fine by me, I'm in no rush to receive the package.

But suddenly, this morning, not even 10am, and it was sitting on my table waiting for me already. Boy was I surprised. Never did I expect such efficiency. And it all came via Poslaju and not any other courier services.

There it was waiting for me....

I didn't unwrap it instantly la..cos I already knew what was inside...hehehe

It's Friday already!! Yipee!! I can't wait for tomorrow's event. It's gonna be my 2nd time, and I'll make sure I will not miss out on any camera-worthy shots. Yala, what to do, I'm cam-shy ma...

I'm entering Week 33 already and this morning I woke up actually feeling that I'm carrying something. Yeah, so now it is getting heavy. haha before this I didn't even notice the 'weight' except for it's expanding size. :D

But the funny thing is I was reading this article saying that by this time, I'll probably be getting disturbed sleep at night due to frequent urinating spells and also difficulty in finding a 'perfect' position to lie in bed. The first one - no, I don't seem to be experiencing that, unless I'm awake. Funny. But number two - yeah, sometimes, but usually I'm quite bonked when I get to bed at night I so far, thank God I'll sleep through till the next morning, just few minuted before my alarm goes off!

I'm excited....

We Walked, Walked and walked

Yesterday was a whole lot of walking for me. After my checkup, it was walk & shop time...

After my hearty lunch at Dome, yes I finally had my serving of Dome's Chicken & Mushroom pie while hubby had catch of the day. Yummy, both were...I loved the herb rice which came with the Catch of the Day, and the fish was nicely done. The Pie was as usual. But the Twister wasn't as good as it was before. It was a let-down.

Then, we set off for almost 4 hours or roaming around, shopping for some necessities before deciding it was time to go. LUckily we left when we left.

And after a short 1.5 hours of streched-out-legs resting, I set off for another adventure. This time close to home, but it was not short of another 2 hours of walking. Gosh. My legs weren't really THAT tired, but my problematic right ankle did shown some signs of relief when I finally sat down again. I love browsing around, in search of what I want...and perhaps on the lookout of a good bargain.

This morning, I woke up to some weird muscle ache in the hamstring. hahaha yeah, its weird, and some slight pain in my right ankle. But all's well now.

I'm planning what to wear for the event of saturday night. Yes, I'm going to KL Film Festival in PWTC. hmmmmm

Deli-cious

Since I was going to be alone on Saturday, I decided to ‘explore’ 1U, this time it’s new wing to see what’s new, cos we’ve always been frequenting the old wing.


It still seems pretty much the same, except for some revamp on the GF. Managed to grab a bargain top for mum before spending lots of time in Parkson and then my tummy decided it was lunch time.


So I decided to head to Delicious. I’ve not tried the food there, it has always been the cakes. After pondering on the menu, I decided upon Smoked Salmon Angel Hair and Death by Chocolate. The Angel Hair comes in cream sauce topped with some caviar. It caught my interest and it tasted quite nice. I’m a sucker for anything in cream sauce. Hehe….

Smoked Salmon Angel Hair licked clean...

Death by Chocolate was tame…not as I expected it to be, somewhat much milder that that of similar in Dome. It was simple iced choc with vanilla ice cream.

Death by Chocolate

Somewhat I think I’ll drop by Delicious again. Something tells me that I wanna try more of their food.


But the highlight of my lunch was this couple (a mid-20s to early 30s lady with her mom) who were speaking Hokkien mostly, sitting next to me. So anyway, it didn’t really bother me until the fact that when my main came, the mum (let’s call her M and doter D) asked D what I was having. So she said it was pasta. Fine. They were talking about food, what they were having etc etc and it wasn’t my intention to eavesdrop but they were so close and I just could hear everything.

And when I finished with my pasta and went on to my drink, trying to take it in slowly and enjoying every bit of it, D asked M, this time it was something like ‘She’s pregnant and isn’t coffee bad or not good for pregnant ladies? Doesn’t she know about it? ‘ she paused and added ‘They should somewhat have similar food ‘pantangs’, right?’ They, referred to Malays, cos I looked Malay. And M told her that yeah, it’s supposed to be not good for pregnant people cos blah blah blah….then she added that maybe it’s because I was craving coffee. Pregnant women have weird cravings and their taste actually change a lot. And then D added, ‘Shouldn’t cold stuff be avoided?’ I was about to interject their conversation by answering to them that I was having cold choc and not coffee….but I held myself. I dunno who’d be more embarrassed. Hehe…and I was thinking to myself, I don’t have cold drinks very often, but since my mum and doctor told me its ok, so IT IS OK la….:)

And so their conversation on pregnant women went on and on, even up till I’ve ‘drank to my death’, paid my bill and left.

Bagan Lalang

Everytime I drive to Bagan Lalang for dinner, I will recall the times I used to cycle that same route on Sunday mornings. It was a real workout and a fun-filled time. I miss those times. There will be a group of maybe 4-6 of us cycling. Pit stops for drinks and meals were part of the itinery, either en-route to Bagan Lalang or on the way back. Somehow we never ventured further than that, but it was my dream to be able to ride with another friend all the way to Port Dickson. Hmmm I wonder if this will ever materialize?


Sunday’s dinner at our usual seafood shop was good. Cheap and good, as we always say, but it’s the distance to get there that doesn’t make it our weekly destination. We had garoupa, pari and bamboo lala and vege. And after so long, only then that we realized they serve nasi lemak too. But that wasn’t an option as it doesn’t go well with seafood. Probably next time. And for the first time since Hari Raya, I had additional rice! So I guess it’s either I was really hungry, or the rice portion was rather small.


And today, there was a network problem in the office. Of all days. And so I’m preparing my blog so when the network gets back, I’ll just post it up.
Luckily I found a ‘book’ which I downloaded sometime ago, so I’m actually reading it now. Otherwise, I really do not know how else to kill time. It’s called ‘Wow Mom!’.


And that was so yesterday. The network never came on till it was almost time for me to go out...so I just left it as it is. I guess then i'll have more to do today :D

What a Sunday!

I just couldn't belive what I saw on my phone - I got a text message from my boss on a Sunday morning asking me to be at the office about noon, and the time was already 11am. Goodness....Hello, it IS a SUNDAY....

And when I thought he mentioned that we maybe asked to come back over the weekend to help finish some documents, I had in mind Saturday. And since my Saturday wasn't disturbed, I thought that we were not needed at all...haha, fat chance, I suppose.

I had already planned to stay in the whole afternoon with the telly until it was time to go to the airport to fetch hubby. And so my lazy-sunday was busted. Still rather groggy, I had to get myself ready and then go for my lunch la. Hmmm on my way out of the house then only I replied the message saying that I would be late.

And so here I am in the office, already done with what I could do, waiting for both the bosses to be back. I shall make my getaway soon! :P

In the begining

I've finally started one. It's always been in Multiply or mere notes in Facebook, and so after many weeks of pondering if I should actually switch, I did. I wonder if its a wise move, or it's just a emotional decision.

Well yes, I've been on an emotional roller coaster these 3 days, to be exact. One moment I'm up and cheery, the next I'm just picking up pieces, crying to myself while I watch telly and just wanting to break into tears, and I get really sensitive to alot of things. It is really terrible. And now I can relate to my friend telling me about her 'experience' going through it.

It's just that the thought of hurting people on the way, the outburst I create whenever this happens, I'm really sorry.

I've never felt this vulnerable, I don't seem to be able to control myself emotionally. Not very nice, I'd say.

Anyway, the weekend's here and I hope that I'll be able to hold myself up and pull it together. Sitting at home and relax maybe good, but then I fear that I'll be thinking too much and again, I may not 'overcome' it. Perhaps I'll just have to be around people and mask this. Nevermind. I'll find something.

No pics up this time, but I'll try to put something interesting in the near future. It's almost 32 weeks and I'm counting. Excited as I can be, I'm also very nervous and worried. Yeah, it's normal.

My dearest hubby, please bear with me. I just am not myself these few days and I hope it will not be this way long.