Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Attention Everybody!

ANNOUNCEMENT NO 1.
To those who have add slide in their blogs (from slide.com), I would not able to access your blog and worse still, leave comments as much as I wanted too, coz my office decided to firewall that kind of stuff. So, everytime if I tried to access your blog, I will be kicked off from the cyberworld completely. Please understand my situation here.Is not that I don't want to visit you, but I've got no choice (except going to cyber cafe just to blog hop...or subscribe to internet at home...extra cost for me, thus not a good idea).

ANNOUNCEMENT NO 2.
This blog owner is in need of the following:-

1. Facial
I need it badly. The last time I went for facial is like..emmm...one year ago. Or perhaps more. Together with an eye treatment is more I like it. I really need to lighten the dark eye circle underneath my eyes, and prepare myself to turning 3-0 in about three months time. I don't want to look like I've just turn 4-0 on my birthday.Perhaps its time to pay a visit to normal beauty centre.

2. Shoes
Few of them actually. Currently I only have these:-
i. A pair of weekend shoes,
ii. A pair for going back and worth to LRT everyday,
iii. A pair for office wear, which I use interchangeably in any function like kenduri kawin for example.

I know it does sound pathetic.
I really want so much to have the following shoes:-
i. A pair of high-cut boots to wear with jubah-like dress perhaps. Ala-ala Muslimah sejati yang stylo.
ii. A pair of comfy shoes for Sydn3y trip.
iii. A stiletos for attending formal functions like weddings or dinners. With a matching handbag would be nice.

To anyone who would be able to sponsor the above items, you are very much appreciated. You are indeed my 'bestest' friend.

This blog owner is running out of spare cash to spend on herself. She has been using her monthly income for loan repayments including credit card, bibik's salary, Ashraff's school fees, her disposable contact lenses (coz she's never gonna wear spectacles to work), putting aside a fixed amount of money for the holiday, makan and tambang, just to name a few.

The only thing that she can control on spending is buying things for her kids, which she finds it's extremely hard to do so. In fact, she has categorised that thing as her fixed expenses. She can never walk out from any children's department store without buying anything. She would rather spend on her children's stuffs rather than pampering herself. Do all mommies act the way she does?

Ok, one way out is to use a credit card just to fulfill her wish list. But that's not really way out, isn't it? This blogger doesn't want to get hook with credit card. In fact, her target is to clear off her credit card balance as much as she can, just to prepare for new potential debts for e.g. shopping at Sydn3y...hihi...

So what this blogger is implementing currently is the 'envelope system'. One envelope with money for food only, another one for tambang, one for gaji bibik..and she is thinking of coming out with another envelope just for her kids' stuffs so that she doesn't overspend. How's that?
Her plan is to put aside the cash leftovers for the things she wanted most i.e facial and shoes. And she got to act really fast before her birthday in June and before the trip in August. That's quite a tough job, isn't it?

ANNOUNCEMENT NO 3.
The little home business of mine, CreateMyOwnGift, is somesort of abandoned for almost half a year. Am not doing promotion. Have not updated the website. Will just fulfill any orders should we are lucky enough to receive one. I guess we are too caught up with work and raising a family.

But lately, I've started to brainstorm on few projects with my partners, and hopefully we could come out with something before this year ends.

Will make an announcement then, insyaAllah.

In the meantime, if you do want to order some personalized book or tshirt, please enquire within. I also do some personalized birthday and baby newspaper for close friends and family in my spare time (if I have any). Sorry I can't upload sample photos for your viewing. But you are free to email me.

ANNOUNCEMENT NO 4
Berapa banyak announce daaa...Cukuplah 3 je...

Friday, March 23, 2007

What's with LRT nowadays??!!

This morning I was all geared up to go to work, full of motivation. Bukan senang nak bersemangat macam ni...but entah kenapa pagi ni rasa bersemangat pulak. Dalam otak dah merancang-rancang kerja apa yang nak dilakukan first thing in the morning.

Tetapi, setiba aja di LRT station, di tempat menunggu LRT, rasa frust sangat2. The sight of lots of people queueing up in a 'snake line' has given indication that LRT is undergoing technical problem. This is second time LRT buat hal dalam bulan ni! What happened to the so-called efficient and improved Malaysian's public transport?! Don't they have maintenance program or something?!

Rasa cam nak jerit je.

This is the second time in a month yang I'm late for work, and it's all because of the train. I've got tonnes to do in the office so the last thing I wanna do is late to work. Bengang je!

Yang buat menambahkan rasa sakit hati ialah the announcement. "Train is having technical difficulties...We apologize for the inconvenience cause..." Again, and again, and again, for the umpth time.

"We would advise you to take other mode of transport. Rapid KL buses....bla..bla..bla.."
I don't have alternative transport, ok?! Kalau ada pun, I kena lompat2 bas baru sampai office and by that time, I might reach later than if I were to take LRT. The only other option I got is for my father to chauffeur driven me to the office, but he was on his way back to our house after sending me to the station, and he doesn't have any handphone for me to call!

Rasa cam nak jerit lagi.

And my tummy started to growl from hunger. I haven't eaten my breakfast. Ishk...
And this line that I chose, tends to be the slowest moving line ever. Apalah malang nasib ku hari ni...

After one hour waiting, I'm no longer playing Mr Nice Guy. The next train that comes I'm gonna try my very best to squeeze in it. So, I did it. Squeeze and squeeze till all the molecules in body cramped together. You have to have this super power of squeezing and transforming yourself into Cicakman/Spiderman so that you will be able to melekat kat pintu LRT. Seriously, at that point of time I didn't care what the others in the train are saying bout me. I was hungry and my sole was aching after standing up for too long (kalau shopping tak sakit pulak kaki ni) and I hate waiting! So, be it!

Finally, I've reached my office...and supposed to be doing my work, but instead I blog.

Anyway, I just want to voice out my frustration on our public transport nowadays. I don't know what went wrong but lately not only Putr@LRT but other form of transportations are also having technical problems quite so often. A lot of people is depending on public transports as their main carrier to their destinations. Especially in the peak hours like in the morning and evening after work. Takde ruang untuk buat silap pada masa ini. Public transport companies should at least increase their maintenance schedule. Oh, probably they have...but still...Tension tau kalau kena macam ni! Selalu pulak tu!

Oklah, guess I've released all the anger and frustration within. I need to start working. Full stop.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

At school...

Heh? Rajinnya aku blog dua tiga hari ni. Dalam 2 minggu ni aje, dah 5 entry aku buat. Macam takde keje lain pulak. Ala, selagi ada mood, baik teruskan...

Ok, what do I wanna write about just now? Oh yes, on Ashraff. He's been attending this English class at L0rn@Wh1st0n, Taman Tun for..let me see...1 1/2 months now. For the last two classes, we (me & hubby) decided to wait outside instead of joining him in the class. Alhamdulillah, he is independent enough, and does not cry for us to stay besides him all the time. In fact, he doesn't even care whether we exist! The moment he saw the lovely and colourful toys spread across the rooms, he completely forgotten about us, just as expected...

I have to admit, it was quite boring to be waiting outside for 1 1/2 hour, despite having a book to read. Actually not so much of boring but more of the strong urge to see what's my son is doing in the class. I think I'm getting so used to being involved in the class activity, that I somehow regretted not being able to join the fun anymore. Since other parents now decided to wait outside, it will be a bit odd for me to be sitting inside the class. The teacher and her assistant must be thinking I'm an overly protective mommy or something...

But anyway, last week, I decided to stay a bit longer in the class before going out. So I got to see Ashraff playing with the toys. He's interested on the wooden peg puzzle (you know the one where each piece has a handle, so all you have to do is put it according to the mold and shape..oh, i'm bad at describing stuffs). He did only two pieces of one puzzle, and move on to disturb another girl who was trying her luck on another puzzle. Ashraff started to snatch the piece the girl was holding, and showed the girl how to put it in a correct mold. "Macam ni lah..." said Ashraff, like macamlah that girl tu tak tahu. Then when the girl took another piece and terkial-kial nak letak dalam the correct mold, Ashraff again snatched the piece from her hand. Thank God the girl decided not to cry or else her mother would be running inside the room and found out that my son was the culprit.

Finished with the girl, Ashraff moved on to the next victim, a pair of twins, also trying a hand on another puzzle. He squeezed in between the twins and sat there. Despite Ashraff's behaviour, I decided not to take charge of things and let the teacher and assistant control the situation. All I did was shaking my head. The teacher saw me and she said "Our aim is actually to make these children concentrate for at least 20 minutes so that they can move on to next level. Usually by the end of the year, we manage to do it." 20 minutes?! Ashraff can't even sit still, for like 3 minutes? Well, good luck teacher!

Then during the physical activity (which Ashraff loves best!), the teacher approached me and sat next to me. She told me "Ashraff is such a brave and active boy. You know about Ashraff, he keeps on running and jumping around in the class and refused to sit on the mat while we did our read-aloud or playing games."

I'm like errr...."Well, he has a short concentration span," trying my best to defend Ashraff. Actually more of like in a denial state...

The teacher then replied "Actually, this is not on concentration. Concentration is when you do or look at something, and later move on doing other things. But Ashraff doesn't even LOOK to start of with."

I'm like WHAT???!! Apa kes dengan anak aku ni?? I thought he will actually behave in class, after all, most kids were when they are surrounded by unfamiliar surrounding. But not this lil lad of mine. He's just being his super-duper active self no matter where he is.

"Is he the only one in class who behave like this?"
"Emmm...I guess so...Or probably some other kids..", the teacher replied, more of like macam nak sedapkan hati I je.

Kids in the class are all his age (they are all born in 2004), but takkan lah the others could give full commitment and cooperation but not my Ashraff? Ishk...

"Errr...what can I do to help?"
"It's okay. That's why you send him to school. We will he try what we can do and see whether he could at least concentrate by the end of the year. For now, my assistant will have to sit with him so that he can at least be involved in the activity."

Ok, should I be panicked my son doesn't sit still in class?
Breathe in, breathe out...Think...
Hmmmm...
He's only 2 plus. And this is only a playschool, for God's sake. Playschool, is only for play, play and play, am I right? So, I shouldn't be worried, right?
Breathe in, breathe out again...
There's no exam at the end of the year, anyway. So why should I care whether he actually learns in class, right?
Now, think of the reasons why I sent him to school.
Develop social skills, learn English, introduce him to school atmosphere.
These are definitely not the reasons - Able to read at three. Able to write perfectly at 4. Score straight As in class.
So, by right I should not panic, right?
Ok, inhale, exhale...
Yes, I should be proud that Ashraff is independent enough in class. He can carry himself well, rather than berkepit dengan Ibu. That is even harder I believe...
When should I start worrying?
If this thing continues when Ashraff enters Primary, then I should start think about it and take action if the same behaviour persist. Or is that still a bit too early?

For now, I'll just stick to what the teacher advised me - sent him to school and let them do their job and we'll see how he turns out to be by the end of the year. If the teacher could just make him stay still and concentrate by then, then they are doing a marvellous job.

Oh, this makes my urge to stay in the class even stronger. I could sit with him just like what the assistant did. Rasa okay tak idea ni?
Do I sound like I'm worry...again?

Monday, March 19, 2007

Got it!

Have u been to M@tt@ Fair before?

We (me and Abah) went to the fair last friday. The fair started at 10 a.m. We reached there about 15 minutes late, but the crowd is HUGE! The place is jam-packed with LOTS of people. The queue to buy the entrance ticket is terribly long! Apa diaorang ni bukak-bukak je terus serbu ke?

Anyway, for anyone who wants to go to the same fair which is held twice a year (the next one will be on 7-9 September this year), please, please, please be specific on your holiday destination, the estimate date you want to travel and the number of pax. Or else, you will make other people who have somewhat make great planning for their holidays (like me..*grin*) really irritated by having to wait for your endless enquiries at the ticketing counter. For example, like one gentleman in front of me who carried a blank paper and a pen, asked millions of questions like "Pls check for me the trip to Beijing for this date, this, this, this date...", then move on to next question "Now check for me trip to Hong Kong for this, this, this date....errr...how about this date?", then another question "Trip to Taiwan, this, this, this date..." My God! I don't have whole day here!

Of course, it's not wrong for you to be asking all these questions..i mean, it's your right, but if you make at least a teeny weeny planning (not just for the sake of surveying), you will be more considerate to other people's needs.

Another thing i noted is the airlines fare from one agent to another it's not the same eventhough it is the same airlines you are looking for. I mean if you are a frequent traveller, then you would have known this fact, but for someone new like me, I'm quite suprise by the fact. Even the airport tax charges are not the same. Apparently, different agents use different systems, thus the taxes and extra charges are different. So, I ended up having to queue and wait at almost every ticketing counter. A lot of time is wasted there!

Next, it is a great advantage if you are looking for full board holiday tour i.e. flight + accommodation + tour. A lot of promotions at this fair. Unfortunately, we are looking for serviced apartments, so there's not much (in fact only one) package available. The reason why we insist on apartments because we want a lot bigger space with microwave, dishwasher and full laundry facility so that we could wash the kids cloth conveniently. So, our only choice is to take advantage of lower airfare (too bad we miss on the very very cheap Roy@l Brune1 airline), and make ground arrangement later on. In fact, for ground arrangement, we prefer to deal directly with the owner via email. I guess it's cheaper that way, plus there's a lot more choices.

Oh yeah, another thing, please make a holiday budget first. And should u can find a cheaper alternative at M@tt@ without compromising the quality, then go for it. If you don't have benchmark, then it's pretty hard for you to make decision. You'll go pening-pening lalat, and very the rambang mata while you are there.

Anyway, we've finally got our ticket! Thanks to Abah for being my credit card no provider (yelah limit kita tak cukup nak beli tiket utk the whole family). InsyaAllah, we'll be travelling to Sydn3y, Austral1a at the end of August this year. Ashraff will be 3 yo by then, at Aliff will be 10 mo old. I hope this holiday materialise and just pray and hope all of us are in good healthy condition at that time....So, Sydn3y, here we come!! (insyaAllah)..

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

In the Hot Seat

Tonnes of work to do. Loads. Things are really piling up on my desk. Everything's urgent...(and u still have time to blog?!)

So when the VP decided to have a sudden meeting this morning, I was frantic. Terrified at the same time, coz I know an impromptu meeting is not a good sign.

Indeed it was. He came down with a red face, boiling with anger. Just as expected. But I was not too sure what exactly triggers his anger till he decided to see all of us immediately. Like there's no tomorrow.

"Your branch performance is bad! You're an anchor branch but you have not done well! I'm very dissapointed with the branch's performance!"

Oh, there goes our increment and bonus, I thought. But what actually makes him think that way? Okay, we may not be tip-top in everything, but we did achieve our target last year. So what actually activate his anger? I'm still clueless, until....

"I marah betul tengok the 50-pages audit report only on your branch. How do u expect me to response to the auditors?"

Oh that's it! Damn the auditors! Kau cari kesalahan orang je bolehlah...aku pun boleh macam tu. Cuba kau duduk sini, buat kerja sampai tak cukup kaki tangan cam aku ni. Can u come-out superbly error-free?! Even the system can be corrupted sometimes... Anyway, the audit is done after three years, so of course there will be lots of findings and what not. If it's done every year, perhaps the pages will decrease to about...let me see...17 pages (50 divided by 3)...That's still a lot of findings. No wonder this VP of mine is boiling mad. Apa tak efisyen sangat ke kita orang ni? Don't you know by now that meeting target is one thing, compliance to policy and procedure is another thing? This is where the auditors love to scrutinise. Oh, I can see my increment and bonus flying above me, and vanished thru the thin air.

As usual after an intense meeting, we were somehow feeling terribly stressed out...even my EBM was affected! And as usual, we were left with a whole lot of work to do...

Ok let me see...few disbursement to process, some memo changes to be done, appoint lawyers for issuance of notice of demand for those bad paymasters..and new one on the list...project review on all accounts to be done before 31/3...and..oh, the list is endless. I think I'll go back really late tonight and tomorrow night.

But the good thing is I'm taking leave on Friday. Off to Matta Fair. My first trip to Matta actually. Wanna check out the price for our planned holiday trip...Yippee! Gosh, I'm so looking forward for a break...

Oh, well, for now back to work...I've been taking five for pumping (and blogging) and should be back to work, or else I'll have to burn a midnight oil here in the office...

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Rectification Plan

After what had happened yesterday, I practically did not do any productive task, more of like doing some housekeeping of my files and documents, surfed the net for new breastpump, write some personal emails, made an entry at the blog and...that's it. How unproductive I was yesterday after the incidence!

Anyway, after making my last entry yesterday, my mind was somewhat at ease. I could clearly think, and rethink on an action plan before it's too late. Then suddenly it strikes me that I should go back to the place where I first bought the pump, which happens to be the sole distributor in Malaysia. Probably they could give a good look at the pump I'm using, and better still find a replacement part instead of having to buy a new pump. So I gave them a buzz before I left the office, and they told me I could come during their business hour, which happens to coincide with my working hours too. Thus, I decided to pay them a visit this Friday because after all I'm taking a leave on that day (errr...I plan to visit M@tta@Fair for our family holiday but that's different subject altogether). La, la, la, my heart was singing...

As I reached home, I decided on an even better plan. I will take an emergency leave tomorrow to drop by at the distributor's office. Work can wait, but 'production line' could not..hehehe...

The very next morning, I smsed to my officemate (which happens to be a guy) to tell boss that I'll be on half day EL today. My sms "Please bagitau boss yang I ambik cuti half day hari ni sebab...." Errr...sebab apa ye? I can't tell him that I need to repair my breastpump. He, my boss and the rest of the Human Resource troops will laugh when they read my reasons on the leave form. Ok, think of a reason quick! Ok, got it "sebab nak pergi repair kereta..." Hahaha...good and valid reason I believe. And the guy replied "Ok, will tell boss. Boss pun masuk lambat hari ni sebab alarm kereta dia buat hal." Lah, takkanlah kes aku sama ngan boss pulak? Now, I've got to think of what parts when wrong with my car. Errr...my dad's car broke down and I can't go to work, something's wrong with the engine. That'll do. Hahaha...talk about white lies...

So off I went to distributor's place at D@taranP@lma. Thank God it's near to my house. A lady greeted me at the door, and I told her my problem. She then asked me for my pump so she could have a look. The moment I showed her my pump, she gasped at the sight of it "Kak, pump ni dah teruk ni. Mungkin kena beli baru". What?! Alamak, takkan tak boleh repair kot...Shoot the question "Takde replacement part ke? Terus terang, budget takde nak beli pump baru ni". Betapa jujurnye aku!

The lady then decided to diagnose the problem and see what she can do. It turned out the rubber thingy near the handle (which is called stem-o-ring) has torn. The membrane pun dah koyak, the funnel is out of shape, and the valve head need to be replaced. "So, berapa semua sekali ni ye?" I asked the lady. Akak ni memang seriously takde duit, the lady must have think. So the purchase of the day were:-

Valve Head - RM15.00
Valve Membrane - RM14.00
Stem-O-Ring - RM35.00
Soft fit funnel - RM40.00

TOTAL - RM104.00

RM104.00! That's half the price of a new pump (or 45% of the price to be exact)! Not bad! I infact saved a lot. Alhamdulillah...and the pump looks like brand new, with shining funnel and what not...But I'm yet to test whether it's functioning well.

So, right before lunch, I did my first pumping section of the day. My God! It works like brand new...just like I first purchase it, almost three years ago. And guess what, it even increases my EBM. I got 8 oz at one go! I'm jumping with joy! Boy, I really am happy I'm making this choice.

Then again, I would still love to have a see-look-see-look on the Sp3tra electric pump. Perhaps I can use and leave that pump in the office...while my manual pump, I can use for tandem pumping at home (Aliff breastfeed one side, pump another side), or use it during travelling. I will contact the seller of Sp3ctra this evening to arrange for appointment to have a look at the pump and its carrier bag (She told me that bag is like a camcorder bag. Besar tu!). God, I'm obsessed with breastfeeding...*LOL* Alhamdulillah, I can continue giving Aliff the 'gold-standard' milk *sigh with relief*.

Anyway, for those who could not give your children breastmilk, it's okay. Don't feel bad. Ashraff was fed with formula from day one and he grew up to be a healthy and active boy. In fact, kalau nak ikutkan dia lagi jarang sakit dari adik dia yang so far dah 3 kali masuk hospital. U could perhaps try breastfeeding your next child, coz by that time, I'm sure you are more equipped with knowledge. I mean, that's what I do...

Monday, March 12, 2007

Can I achieve it?

I feel like crying so bad, now at this hour...in front of my PC..I suppose to be doing my work now, but instead I choose to express my feeling in this little online journal of mine...I wanted to blog about something else, but this thing has been boiling in my mind for the last 5 hours.

Camana nak mulakan ni? Straight to the point jelah. My expressed breast milk is running low today. I managed to extract only 3 oz instead of the normal 7 oz per pumping session! Aliff needs like 15 oz per day. The breastpump just conked out! The suction is no longer strong and the use-to-be quiet manual pump is currently making quite a sound while pumping. I can't figure out what's wrong but I believe that pump sudah menemui 'ajal'nya. Damnit!

Actually, semalam lagi I dah sedar yang my EBM dropped while doing tandem pumping but I don't really mind that much coz yesterday is an off-day from work. Aliff could breastfeed directly as long and as much as he wants. But today, the reality strikes when I did my first pumping session this morning. What the heck is wrong with this pump? Why is the sucking motion so soft? And the sound? I tried pumping for almost 1/2 hour and just gave up when I could not get much outcome. At that point onwards, I feel like crying...and that feeling lingers till now...

I immediately surfed the net, looking for a replacement part for the pump (somehow or rather I think the problem has got to do with the rubber thingy at the handle). But, they don't offer such part for the breastpump. No choice, but to hunt for a new breastpump. I feel like buying the same type I'm currently using, but I want to try an electric pump from Spectr@ due to its rave reviews (esp the part where it actually increase your EBM). So Spectr@ 3 is on my top list.

Then again, this working place of mine is not breastfeeding friendly. There's no comfortable location for me to do the pumping. I use to pump in the surau or in the store (where there's no lock so anyone could just enter without notice) . The corner of the store where I usually does my 'production' has no power source/point, so scrape the idea of wanting to continue breastpumping there should I want to invest on this new breastpump.

Next is the surau. Oh yeah, they do have a power point there so I'd be able to set up my production line there. In the morning I could do it comfortably, but after lunch hour the surau will be jam-packed with people, so there's no way I'm going to do my activity there. In fact, I've never seen people pumping in surau before. Oh, I feel like crying again...

Ok stop it Rafiqah. You are determine to continue breastfeeding exclusively. So by right, you shouldn't care what people say. But this Rafiqah does care! I have to admit I'm shy when it comes to this subject. I treat it as my most intimate and private moment. I'll sneak out slowly to do my pumping, and will put my EBM in the fridge as slowly as I can so nobody would notice (and nobody will find out about my EBM in there), and back at my desk doing work as if I've never leave it before. Well, at least I thot nobody would notice...

And then on the carrier bag itself. You know how by carrying a cooler/carrier bag at peculiar time of the day could attract the attention of the people around you? I wanna avoid that too, if I could, especially from the guys at the office. They might wondering where the hell this Rafiqah is going carrying the bag at this time of the hour. With the current pump, I use the JLChildress bag, pretty small and compact so nobody would actually notice or care to ask what's inside. They might think that's just the normal cosmetic pouch. But with the new pump I'm eyeing on, the carrier bag is a bit bulky, thus I have the feeling like the whole office would be looking at me should I carry the bag, trotting across the floor. Or what's the impression of the people in LRT when they look at a lady carrying a big handbag plus another bulky carrier bag? It'll be too space consuming in the packed-LRT, everyone will feel like screaming at me!

Ahh...why should I care in the first place? Why do I have to think too much and stress myself out (that'll affect my milk production even more). I suppose to be proud that I'm giving my baby the best milk in the whole wide world. If I'm determine enough, I should have tutup mata sebelah and just do what I have to do. I could just go at anyone who's looking at me quizzically and say 'if u r wondering but afraid to ask, inside this big and bulky bag is actually a breastpump and bottles for me to produce milk for my son. Oh yeah, u can have a look inside the fridge if u want to see what I've produce so far'. And at the surau, I could just pump proudly and answer any queries that come along the way. Aha! That sounds good isn't it?

Then again, do I actually have the guts to do so? Ah! I have to have a strong-will in order for me to pursue my goal to exclusive breastfeed Aliff. I have to do it. I've gone this far and in another 1 1/2 month to go, I've reached my goal. Come on Rafiqah!

Ok, let me see. I visualize myself carrying my big handbag and carrier bag in the crowded LRT, smile at anyone who look at me with annoying face, take the bulky bag and walk pass my boss room to the surau, make myself comfortable in one corner of the surau where the powerpoint is, smile at anyone who's giving me 'the look' and continue pumping happily. Oh, it wasn't that bad isn't it?

Aaahhh...I think I should go on investing on this new electric pump before my EBM reduce even further. Looking at the stock I have, I think it could last for another one week. Or I could just take a 'milk leave' for desperate measure. I'll place the order soon, but not after I know what's the dimension of the carrier bag, only for my knowledge...hehehe...

Oh it feels a lot better after pouring out my dissapointment and exasperation..Now I can smile again...

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Bits and Pieces of My Life

On Aliff:-


Aliff has turned 4-month old last Friday, which also marked my achievement to exclusively breastfeed him for 4 months *pat on my shoulder*. We have not bring Aliff for his 4 month check-up as yet, thus we can't tell his current weight (but I'm sure he has thrive well judging from his chubby cheeks). He seldomed roll-over, as he usually got tired after two or three tries. Am still waiting for him to actually master this skill and do it more often. Even Abang Ashraff couldn't wait as he kept on saying "Ok Aliff, tiarap!".

This 4-month old chap also still loves to be swaddled to sleep. Failing to do so, will make him a restless sleeper, or worse still, couldn't get an shut-eye altogether. This is an extreme contrast with his brother who doesn't want to be swaddled from Day One. Another glaring contrast (apart from personality difference) is Aliff loves to put his hand on his mouth, and now that he can somewhat master the skill of grabbing things within his reach, he'll put those things inside his mouth as well. Mak then made an assumption that Aliff will become 'pengutip' once he hits the creepy crawler stage. Ayooo...lagi penat nak monitor ini macam...

He hasn't start on his solid as yet. We intend to delay the weaning stage until he reaches 6 mo, unless he shows the sign of readiness before that.


Some pictures of 4-mo Aliff and his brother.

On Sling:-


I'm now officially a sling-wearer. Actually my maid opened up my eyes to the concept of sling, when the only thing that can soothe Aliff when he was having colic was by using sling. Aliff tends to fall asleep by breastfeeding him in motion. Thus, sling is my saviour. Aliff loves the sling very much, and from the look of it, he probably views the sling as his second home by now. Plus point of wearing sling is I can do my shopping while breastfeeding Aliff. And I got two free hands to handle the superbly energetic Ashraff. Memang best dan menyeronokkan! Now, am waiting for a baby pouch I bought online. Unlike sling, this pouch is basically ring-less, and claimed to be easier to wear. Will see about that.


Me, in my best 'sling' mode

On Books:-

Right after Ashraff's class at Lorn@Whist0n (he's doing great at school!), we went straight ahead to MPH Warehouse Clearance Sale in PJ. Damage done to our pocket is RM200++. No wait! I can't really classify that as 'damage', am I right? Spending money on books is a valuable investment after all (should the book is read and not left to collect dust on the rack..a reminder to myself *LOL, while imagining the number of unread/unfinished books at home*). Here's what I bought during the sale:-


For Moi - 2 Sophie Kensella's Shopaholic series and 1 Thai Cookbook.
For Hubby - 1 DanBrown's.
For the two boys - loads of books including Barney, Dr. Seuss and Ice Age books for Ashraff and Boardbooks for Aliff.

Kalau ikutkan hati, memang nak spend lagi 2-3 jam kat situ sebab I memang gila tengok buku yang banyak...and very cheap too. But mengenangkan hubby yang tunggu dalam kereta (sebab Ashraff tidur) and berat nak angkat buku banyak2, so belilah apa yang termampu...Did u get the chance to go to this clearance sale?

Looks like I'm going nowhere with this post (more of like descriptions of photos I have in store *LOL*), so I better sign-off now before I start rambling again. Opps, one last one, can you guess who am I?


Thursday, March 01, 2007

Me? A Weirdo?

Okay, I've been tagged by momma-mia to list down 6 weird things about myself. Good thing about this meme is that you got to take a break from your busy life and think about yourself in a different way then you would normally do. At least, for me it is. Weird is a subjective matter, so what I presume as weird about myself, might be the norm for somebody else (that somebody else mestilah lebih weirdo from me). This also can be seen as 'membuka pekung di dada' coz some weird stuffs you do, can be really nasty sometimes...hehehe..But anyway, just to continue the legacy, below are the 6 weird things about myself...

1. Kuat berangan.
This is not the normal day-dreaming kinda of thing, but this is more of like berangan depan cermin. I would dress up really nice and make my hair and then talk to the cermin as if I'm talking to someone else. Sometimes, I would talk as if I'm at the office, sometimes I would talk as if I'm having a cup of coffee with my friends. Sometimes I would sing and dance in-front of the mirror as if I have a large audience infront of me. How weirdo is that?
Well, this weird behaviour has slowly vanished from me since I became a wife and mother, probably I don't have time to berangan anymore. But once in a blue moon, terkeluar jugak habit lama. Masa baru2 kawin dulu, hubby was suprised to see me dancing and singing in front of the mirror, coz that's something yang I've never told him before. Ada satu kali tu i siap melompat lagi and the carpet slipped, and i terjatuh atas lantai sampai bengkak paha. Hubby ketawa terbahak2 sampai keluar air mata...Actually, that was the first time dia nampak i berangan...

The 'berangan' blood seems to run in the family, coz now Ashraff pulak dah mengikut. He'll stand infront of the mirror, smiling and sometimes I heard him talking alone. He'll talk to his toys as if there's 2-way communication. Errr...spooky to think of it. But, as you can guess, everyone in the family will say "Ni ikut sapa lagi kalau bukan ibu dia...". Damn!

2. Only one 'clean' toilet
I would only use one particular toilet wherever I am or go. For example, at my house it will be the toilet in my room. In the office, I'd prefer to go to only one particular cubicle and if it's occuppied, I don't mind waiting unless it's a very 'emergency' case. I would not go to any other toilet no matter how clean it is; or sometimes even cleaner than the one i'm comfortable with.

3. I hate doing homework
Who doesn't? But some people do it as well eventhough it's under-protest mode. But me, I totally ignored it! Mak endlessly nagged at me for not doing my school homework, but semuanya masuk telinga kanan, keluar telinga kiri. My motto is "kenapa kena buat benda yang sama berulang-ulang kalau kita dah tau macamana nak buat or dah faham konsep? Such a waste of time. Lebih baik tengok TV"...hahaha... As a result of not doing homework, I have to stand outside the class while other students were studying, my teacher snapped me with pembaris besi, etc (dah tak ingat sangat). But the weird part is I tak pernah serik. Buat lagi dan lagi dan lagi...How stubborn can I be. For me, I'd prefer to being punished rather than spending time doing homework. Some people find this really absurd. Now that I'm a mother, I hope none of my kids will inherit this behaviour. Oh please don't tell them about my flaws or else they'll use that as an excuse...

4. Ridiculously 'penakut'.
I'm the very penakut type of person. But I love watching horror movies; or thriller. In the end, I could not sleep at night, or scared to be alone especially in the most-featured-places-in-scary-movies like the toilet. When I was in standard six, I even asked my sister to sit on the toilet bowl, while I took a bath (of course ada shower curtain to cover). Even now at my own house, or my parent's, I'm still afraid to go downstairs if it's dark or nobody's there. I'll drag someone to accompany me, or I just take whatever I want to take, and sprint upstairs. If I bertembung ngan husband in the mid of the staircase, he'll laugh his head off seeing me running like that. *LOL* Oh yeah did I tell you that I'd actually cover my eyes with pillow and cover my ears while watching horror movies? Like, lebih baik tak yah tengok!

5. Obsessed over soap operas
Some people find soap operas are a bunch of boring TV shows. But not me. What have I watched so far? Before entering uni, I'm a die-hard fan of "TheBoldAnd Beautiful". Then, during my uni years, I could not miss watching DaysOfOurLives. The thing is when I started following the TV series, I'd do anything not to miss even an episode. Sanggup tak makan, or sanggup tak keluar jalan. I even set my VCR to record the episode should I have to attend class at that time. Even masa dah balik Malaysia, I kept on visiting the website so that I could still follow the story. I can't figure out how glued I am to soap operas..in fact, I idiolise some of the actors and actresses. Now, I bukan sahaja tak tengok soap operas, but also any other TV shows. Memang dah tak tengok TV dah. Too busy being a wife and mother...chewah!

6. Pukul sana, sini..
I wouldn't have notice this behaviour of mine should no one pointed it out. When I'm too excited talking or laughing, I'd automatically terpukul orang disekeliling, or at least touch them (dengan lelaki takdelah). Sampai ada yang tetiba jerit "adoi!" bila kena pukul ngan I. So, be careful when you are near me and see me extremely excited over something...

Phewhhh!! Finally I managed to complete this meme. It took me quite some time to list down the six items above. I believed if you ask my family or close friends about me, they can surely come out with the answer faster than myself. It's easier to judge other people than our own self. Now, I want this people to crack their heads pulak - Nana, Izreen, Fina, Haariz's Mom and Chah. Please continue this meme, friends...