Paper Princesses

Do you remember the paperdolls that kedai runcit used to sell when we were small? Yes, the cardboard dolls with beberapa set of outfits tu. I used to play with them and even bring them to school to play with my friends. I don't see them in the market anymore but a week ago I went to the bookstore with Audrene and we found two books of princess paperdolls - with the princes too! My little Audrene pun apa lagi..excited sampai nak tercabut her eyeballs from her tiny head and terus ambik le!

There are 2 of those books, 3 princesses in a book. Last week Audrene bought one and today she bought the other one. Here are some of the paperprincesses and their paperdresses. Aren't they so so SO CUTE?!





Ermmm... Audrene dah start main "kawin kawin" with these paperdolls... should I be alarmed? She's only FOUR!

Btw, as expected, I had a VERY TIRING day but am so glad that I completed ALL my tasks. I can sleep well tonight... weehee.. Besok pagi2 nak bangun pegi pasar. I plan to cook for my family as we have 2 celebrations overdue. Hehe you know how terrer I am in the kitchen right? I hope everything will turn out ok. Eheh.. am actually planning to grill je. Kalau tak lepas jugak, tak tahu lah. Hehehehe!

Owh this was taken just now at DSH while waiting for Baby Maira's turn. Maira's alright now (yippee!). She only needs to continue with her nose spray and inhaler for another 2 weeks. Dr said her lungs are all fine. Here are the girls with their "Mak" - my mom!



Ok, sleepyyyy sgt already.. Goodnite! Zzzzzzzzz..

I Rasa Pelik

...why do people choose to be rude and unpleasant when it is so much easier to be nice and polite? Don't they feel that being angry and awful consume more energy and raise more stress hence increasing their risk to get scary and deadly illnesses like cancer and heart attack?

Smiling on the other hand releases endorphins hence making the "smilers" feel happy and upbeat. Less energy consumed too when smiling thus can spare more energy on something more worthwhile like... err... buat cupcake? Also, I bet you'll sleep better at night if you smile more and frump less.

Muka pun lebih cantik and manis.

I am writing this because I seem to be interacting with more angry people lately. Usually I will grit my teeth and still speak to them nicely but this morning I lost my cool. Ada terkeluar sikit geram while answering a really rude remark. So now I can't sleep. Grrrrr!

I wish I am the type who can lose my temper gracefully and utter just the right sarcastic replies. Unfortunately I am not. Bila I marah, teramatlah buruknya so I can't afford to lose my cool in public. Because if I do, it means lepas tu I have to wear a brown paperbag to cover my face sebab tersangat malu. So I think I am getting myself a stress ball jadi whenever I speak to rude sarcastic people I will squeeze the darn ball with hope I tak lose my temper. What do you think? Ok tak?

Erghhh.. I've done it again!! I REALLY have to get back to work!!!!

Busy Busy Busy

What a busy week and still another day to go!

But great news is I'll be on leave tomorrow. Yay! I still have lotsa work stuff to do but I'll do it at home, right after this (promise!). Gotta take leave to bring Baby Maira for follow up at the dr's (I foresee hours of waiting here), nak kena renew passport and buat passport for Maira, then have to settle my car insurance and road tax. Hmm ada lagi ke things to do? I hope not! I really hope I can siapkan semua in a day.. boleh kot *pray* :)

I have just realised that I have been so busy lately that I don't watch TV anymore. I have been missing my favourite American Idol, Desperate Housewives, 90210 (ada lagi ke cerita ni?), Friends, etc. However, the other day when Maira was warded, I did manage to watch lotsa CNN (highlight was Ashton Kutcher & Larry King's twitter race) and a lil bit of AF.. ermm.. I think I'm done la with that show. To me, the only interesting part of this season is the principle's outfit. But oh well, I do remember watching the first three seasons religiously and even voted for some of the students (and my company paid for my phone bill! Shhhhh ;p).

Oooops, past mignight already. I have to prepare a document for next week's press interview. So goodnite people, sleep tight!

p/s.. I am currently sooooo addicted to Subway. I have to have it EVERYDAY. I LOVE the turkey melt with lettuce and tomatoes, and full of messy mustard, thousand island and chili sauce... yummmmm! Ok, I'm hungry!

Home Sweet Home

After spending 4 days and 3 nights at DSH, we were discharged at 9pm last night tapi paperwork took another 2 hours so we were FINALLY out of the hospital at 11pm. Kesian Audrene cos she was waiting patiently for us to pick her up from grandparents' since 7pm. By the time we sampai rumah Tok Mak, she was already fast asleep.

Back to Baby Maira, she's still coughing so dr gave her a big plastic bag full of meds. Maira doesn't like taking her ubat, puffs and nose drops. Everytime nak bagi ubat she'll cry and cry but what to do sweetheart, we want you to be in the pink of health so boleh main2 dengan kakak.

Anyway, I am soooo happy to be back at home. I hope both Kakak and Adik will stay healthy. It's no fun staying at the hospital. I was so bored that I sempat shopping2 at the pharmacy at the lobby, check out all the booths which were selling insurance, honey, etc, borak2 will the rest of the bored mommies at the ward and even one ex-minister and his wife who were at the hospital to visit their friend.

Alright everyone. Have a great week ahead. I am super busy at the office but I am liking it. Goodnite!

Still Here

Am still at DSH, Baby cannot be discharged today. Will have to go for at least another day of meds.

Oh dear.. Lotsa pending stuff at the office... How aaa??

But most of all, I miss my little Audrene :(

At The Ward Today

Here are photos of Maira at the ward today. Mula2 muka serious and then excited to see the grandparents, aunt and big sister :)







I am keeping my fingers crossed. I hope dr will discharge her tomorrow cos I really wanna go home. She looks ok now, and I think her lungs have improved. The playroom at the hospital is closed so Maira has no place to play and crawl. Dia teramatlah bosan so Mummy kena dukung, dukung and dukung :(

Alright all, nak baca buku - The Making Of Mia. My friend recommended this book about a year ago and at that time it was out of stock. It took the bookstores a year to get them. Lamakan?

p/s.. I think hospitals should have reflexlogists or tukang urut lah for mommies who are taking care of their kids. Am so bored, so at least can kill time and at the same time can relax. Or mebbe a hairsalon kat bawah? I think I'll bring this up to Maira's dr later and see what he'll say ;)

Warded

Baby Maira is down with bronkilitis and she has to be warded :(

I hope she recovers soon and can play play macam biasa.

Goodnite.. Am VERY tired.. Yawnnn!

Kerja oh Kerja

Today marks the beginning of my fourth month at my new office. So far it has been alright. True, not every day ended perfectly (well, not even close to being perfect sebenarnya) but I do my best. After a decade of working, I have been through really, really tough situations that help me with whatever I am facing now.

I don't know why but of late I find myself thinking of the things that I went through during my decade-long working life. The many people I met, the many bosses I reported to, the many penyanyi, pelakon I terpaksa layan (elk), the many outstations and the oh so many late nights. Macam2! I was once an executive at a TV station and biasalah bila executive tu they won't allow to naik aeroplane masa outstaion (terukkan?). Only managers naik aeroplane so when we traveled within Peninsular Malaysia, we had to naik really buruk punya van. No radio, aircon pun selalu rosak. But I never complained because I had so much fun. The people was most of the time great. Everyone was happy-go-lucky. Most were a bunch of singletons, creative and vibrant. So all we would be doing were gelak2, ketawa2 and makan2. Gosh, that was aeons ago but never will I ever forget the fun memories.

Then later, after years of experience, I felt confident to venture out from the TV station for a bigger role. I was also tired of being in the entertainment industry. I felt that I couldn't learn anymore. Then just at the right time I was headhunted and almost immediately I said goodbye to my TV friends and started a job in a totally foreign industry to me (back then). After all the excitement at the TV station with all the craziness and lawak jenaka yang tiada hadnya (heheh!), I thought the new job was a bore. I felt everyone was so 'formal'. With the totally different culture for me to adapt to, I felt lost and homesick. I knew I didn't make a mistake for leaving the glitzy worklife but I couldn't help feeling disappointed with the new job so I started looking for something else :(

That was then when I stumbled upon my previous job which I thought was great. I liked the people, I liked the job (well, the job is usually the same everywhere - communications - but there I had a lot of freedom to do as I wish) and I extremely liked the industry cos I learnt SO many new things. The job opened my eyes to a whole new perspective in life and I got to work with people from many walks of life. From petani to the professors and even the minister. Indeed a great experience for me. From there too I met this really obnoxious, mean f*t a** who I labeled as the meanest and rudest person on earth. However, having met this person, though it was a BAD experience, it did add one point to my resume - that is working in an impossible situation (yes, impossible because this person could not speak, she only yelled and screamed, AND she made me sleep for only TWO HOURS for a WHOLE WEEK in the US - I will remember this forever).

Why did I leave? The team that I was in suddenly became smaller coz my colleagues left hence my annual leave was most of the time frozen. There was once when I couldn't go on leave for a good 7 months and was even called for work during public holidays. Many times my leave had to be canceled and this was during my pregnancy. Nasib baik I did yoga jadi I could manage my anger well and tak meletup. Thank God, I went through my pregnancy safely with no MC at all - at least for the first 6 months (well how to MC when there were so many things to do :p). After I delivered Baby Maira, I started thinking about looking for a new job. Main reason was because of the traveling. And second because I really didn't like the idea of my annual leave being frozen or canceled. I nak pegi holiday jugak. And like orang tua2 kata "rezeki anak", just at the right time (again!) I was headhunted and happily I left for this current job of mine :)

Wahh.. Can't believe I have written sooo panjang about my job. Ooops Audrene is already mad at me because she wants to check out her favourite cupcake sites. I'll go now then. I am not going to edit what I just rambled about. Ngantuk dah so excuse the typos ya. Goodnite!

TGIF!!

Seriously, people, TGIF!!

What a stressful, stressful week! Let me tell you what happened yesterday. Daddy had to go out of town early morning so I had to send both girls to their respective destinations - Audrene to her kindie and Maira to the nursery. As usual, I was running late. I have to reach the office by 9.15am or else parking will be tough to find. There will be slots in the building alright but the rate is RM30/day. Elk, sapa nak bayar that much!

So I rushed out, breaking a redlight or two, and honking my way through. If it were not for the girls, I would have scrolled down the window and flashed my finger to one car which drove at 25km/hr. Kenapa lah drive slow cam tu. Halfway through my "terrorizing other pedestrians" session, Audrene said "Erm Mummy, where's my homework book?"... Huaaa! Tertinggal! I was so tempted to just proceed to school but, sigh, kesian pulak. Don't want her to feel bad so I made a u-turn and drove back home. Along the way, Adik pooped in the car and started screaming. And when Adik screams, really, you don't want to be there!

Adik didn't stop screaming and kicking and crying when I stopped to pick up Audrene's book. Even Audrene's jokes didn't work. Of course I didn't have time to change her so she continued screaming and kicking and crying until we reached the nursery. I was so relieved when I got there and Adik, too, was happy for she immediately stopped crying and gave her kakak nursery a big wide grin. She, btw, adores her kakaks there.

So it was already 8.50am and I was still in Damansara. How la to sampai Pavilion (that's where my office is) by 9.15?? I was just about to zoom to Audrene's kindy when she said "Saya hungry la Mummy." Terpaksalah singgah kedai to buy her breakfast. When I finally sent her off, it was nearly 9.00am but luckily the traffic was fine. By 9.20am I managed to grab one of the last few parking spots and secured the RM7 flatrate. Phew!

But that was just by 9.20am. What I had to face at work is another story. And today, more *drama*. So that's why this week, I am really shouting "TGIF!!!"

Well, goodnite, everyone. I would like to continue "destressing" by surfing the net for great bargains. Have a great weekend cos I know I will ;)

Formula for Maira

After thinking for a couple of weeks, I decided to take a drive to the nearest supermarket and buy formula for Maira... Yup, finally after months of expressing my milk for Baby, I caved in. Maira's turning 8 months tomorrow and for the first time she will have to consume formula :(

Owh I will still express my milk in the office but only as much as I feel comfortable to for the day. If it's 3 bottles (of 4oz per bottle) then it's 3. Maira takes 5 bottles at the nursery so if it's not enough, she will need to top it up with formula. Usually I will keep on expressing until I produce enough supply but tomorrow onwards, I'll give myself a break. I feel sad but hey I've done my best (don't you think?). I have successfully breastfed Maira exclusively all these while so I should actually give myself a pat in the back but, sigh, why do I feel down?

I had the same feeling when I wanted to wean Audrene off breastmilk. She was 2.5 years old and still on nenen (yes, THAT long!), and I desperately wanted to stop but at the same time I felt bad and sad. She LOVED it so much to the extend that she was addicted to it. Everyone told me that she'd be ok. The dr said usually the mommy will feel sad but it'd be alright for the kid. But still, it was really difficult for me. Finally, after months of unsuccessful tries, I had to go off for 2weeks for work and it was then that Audrene stopped nenen and she was fine :)

I hope I can continue to breastfeed Maira until she's at least 2. I am all for breastfeeding. Sangat menyenangkan especially when traveling and when the baby's sick. It's really convenient at night too. I can't imagine having to wake up everynight to fix a bottle of milk for the kids. And of course, can eat and eat tapi tak gemuk :p

Ok, I should feel better now :)

Also to cheer myself up tadi, I watched Bride Wars. Okla, I like. Laughed a lot and cried a little. Anything with Kate Hudson is worth watching.

Oooh Baby nangis dah. Nak nenen kot :p

Pedicure Outing

Audrene woke up this morning and said to Daddy "Daddy, nak pedicure!". The last time she went for a pedicure was when I was pregnant so at least 8 months ago. Lama dah tu. So, as usual, since she has been a good girl this week, ok, it's pedicure for her today. I immediately called and made appointment for THREE - Audrene, Mummy and.... Daddy! Hehe!

We went to Strip at The Curve. I have been there a couple of times and I like it. The girls there are friendly and not pushy. Ya know, paksa-paksa suruh ambik the most expensive package. They don't do that so I like them ;)

Strip also has waxing service... ouchhh...Here are some of the squeeze toys that they sell to those who go there for waxing. They also have SOS cards. Those who are in pain can flash the cards! Creative huh?!



Kakak muka serious while having her session.



After she's done with her pedicure, she insisted for a manicure. In a mood to be pampered la tu. Here's Kakak while waiting for her nails to dry.



Haha... Baby Maira wanted to have her nails done too!



Yikes! NEVER will I go for this (see pix below). Dont care.. 80% off pun won't attract me to try :p



With the kind of service they offer, I think their rates are ok. They charge about 25% extra on guys but no discout for kids :( Some places have cheaper rates for children. I never stick to one place for a mani pedi, and boy, it is hard to find a place that you would be fully happy with. There was one at The Curve but unfortunately it closed down.

I am soooo enjoying a lazy Saturday. As we had our lunch outside, I plan to cook for dinner. Ayam sudah dikeluarkan from the freezer and sikit lagi I will go to the nearby shop for some vege. And tonight... NO SURFING TILL 2AM MUMMY! YOU ARE ALREADY SLEEP DEPRIVED, DARK CIRCLES ARE GETTING DARKER, 12MN MAX! (A little reminder to myself.. huhu).