2013: It's a wrap

2013 will bid farewell in a day's time. Memang tahun ni rasa sekejaaaap sangat kan?

Fahim pun dah 19 days today. I'm recovering well from my delivery. That Tanamera postnatal care set is so good I'm enjoying every day of using the components included in it. Yep, and I highly recommend it to other mothers too!

Pengalaman bersalin kali ni is very different from my 1st. Fahim was overdued by 4 days from his EDD (mama ingat Fahim da taknak keluar2 dah.. lol. Rupa-rupanya dia nak keluar on 12/12) and he weighed 500 grams more than Zara did. This time around I would say I am better informed about natural way of delivery, all thanks to my colleagues especially Caah, being an advocate of natural delivery (that means no medical intervention during the  delivery at any stage). I thought I wouldn't be able to do it; that I would again depend on epidurals.  But I was wrong. I made it! I managed to give birth to Fahim through SVD (my impian throughout the pregnancy ok!). It felt great. I thought it would hurt like hell. But after all that I have been through, all I can say is that the pain is absolutely bearable. Not that I'm saying it's not painful; kena ketuk kepala pun sakit kan.. it's just.. bearable.  Bearable as in I can endure it again.

Besides the natural delivery I had, I think it wouldn't be possible without the understanding of my best-in-the-world gynae Dr. Idora. I gave her my birth plan at week 37 without much hope of exactly following every point that I requested (e.g. no epidurals, requesting to walk around before delivery, no episiotomy,  etc.).  When I got into the labour room, I lied down on the bed (not my preferred position. Sakit belakang gue!) and the nurses placed the baby heartbeat and contraction monitors on my belly. Dr. Idora came in and she said it was ok for me to remove the monitors and walk around. I came to the hospital with 4 cm dilation. And I gave birth in less than 3 hours after that. Yep, it was fast! What was even more flattering, one of the nurses asked me if I went to the hypnobirthing class, because I didn't utter a single word nor shout nor breathing heavily when I was pushing.  Kembaang seyhh :D

To mothers yang berimpian nak deliver naturally, I recommend you to see Dr. Idora. Not many gynaes I hear who would as best as possible try to adhere to the birth plan. Actually bukan tu je sebabnya why I like her very much. Nak cerita panjang pun tak guna kan. Just make an appointment with her and you'll know what I mean.

Pantai Hospital KL pun best. Well, maybe not the car park la kan, but the nurses made me feel comfy and taken care of.  We stayed at the hospital for 3 nights, in waiting for Fahim's jaundice report to come out.  Thank Allah he was alright.

Maybe giving birth to Fahim was the highlight for me this year (my highlight came a little late don't you think?) or should I call 2013 is my year of 'perut buncit'? Lol!

Zara, papa and I spent our 1st Jan 2013 in Yokohama, shopping. 1st Jan 2014, we will just be at my parents' home. My confinement's not over yet, remember?  Maybe we'll wait for the news on 31st December rally? Haha.

Hopefully in 2014 I'll have the chance to visit Japan again (I dunno why I like Japan so much) Haven't planned for our 2014 vacation yet. But trust me, 2014 is gonna be gloomy for Malaysians. I hope it's gonna be gloomier for those who voted in the name of stupidity and ignorance.

Ok, so here are a few happenings in 2013 that I will not forget:

1. Twice visiting Japan with my husband and Zara.
2. My husband caught fever during our summer visit to Japan.
3. Zara contracted scarlet fever during our family holiday in Bangkok. She was treated at Bumrungrad Hospital.  Thank Allah she wasn't admitted. We purchased new tickets to head back to KL the next day.
4. Fahim stayed in my tummy for extra 4 days, much in contradiction with my anticipation for his early arrival.
5. I missed my ACD this year. They postponed my assessment 5 times this year due to the reason of no assessor. The final date given is too near to my EDD. I have already requested for MC on my 38th week. I hate ACD. I really do.

I do look forward to the new year. I wanna promise myself that 2014 will be a year of rigorous travelling, more energy to accomplish the things I need to achieve, and that I will never lose sight of what is important.

And oh.. I look forward to holding our house warming (finally!!!) and many more vacations with my darling husband and 2 little ones.

Welcoming myself to the 3-series club. LOL!

Most valuable gift for 2013. Mirfahim Zuhri ^_^

Things lately..

I'm now in my 31st week of pregnancy, woohoo! Time sure does fly. And being in beyond 7 months means that I can't fly anymore.. so no more traveling for me. Sebenarnya bosan to be encumbered at the office and to finish out all the necessary KPIs. Just waiting for the time to take annual leave and focus on the arrival of the new baby.

Ok, so how different is this pregnancy compared to when I was carrying Zara?

Well, not much. Just that the habit during 1st trimester came back: bread-and-cheese based diet. I dunno why but the idea of eating rice is just a no-no for me right now. Bukan berlagak mat salleh ye. Ladies yang pernah pregnant sure tahu apa rasanya when it comes to refusing and favoring certain food.

Yesterday's check up, my baby is already 1.3 kg. I guess he'll come out about Zara's size.

The thing I'll do differently this time, I don't think I will wanna have vaccinations for my baby. I guess Zara was just lucky despite having a full vaccination. I know there are many opposing parents to this idea, but if you were to think (even just logically!), looking at the ingredients of the vaccines is enough to stop us stop vaccinating our babies. Like hey, say I am feverish, and I am introduced to this medicine. The contraindications say I would likely get an asthma attack (if I were a sufferer, which I am!), a sudden whooping cough and possible migraine. I would say 'to hell with that medicine'!

As parents, are we even told of the vaccines brands that enter our hopeless babies' bodies? No. No doctors even bother to tell us. Not even how to administer the babies after the shots. Have we ever wondered why?

I would strongly recommend parents out there to do their research on this. Taking my words only is not sufficient; it can only induce your inquisitive mind. But trust me, the hard facts are out there; tonnes of them! Check them out. Be an informed parent.

 

The only thing undone right now is to secure cord blood banking for the baby. I did it for Zara with Cryocord. I am still unsure whether to do it with Cryocord again this time (no problem on the service, they are just fine). It's just that I wanna know if there's new technology or new benefits introduced by either Cryocord or other competitiors like Stemlife, so that I can make the most out of my investment.

 

  

 Which to choose.. Cryocord or Stemlife?

What about Zara? Zara is progressing well in reading ABCs and 123s.. and the fact that she recognizes colors, being able to construct simple sentences and distinguishing the alphabets correctly simply awed me. I mean, yeah I know she can sing the ABC song really well, but to the extent of recognizing the individual letters.. that's a wow for me. Just that, lately she likes to play at the children playground in front of the house, which is much to my disliking. Yeah I know playing is a normal work for children. But the fact that the playground is always swarmed with big boys and aggressive children (and not to forget mosquitoes!) I rather distract her doing something else.

 Haih, Zara.. Zara.. you're going to be a sister soon!

Oh yeah, did I mention that she even calls herself 'kakak' now. Well, not really 'kakak'.. more like 'tatak'.. haha. Pelat K.

Soon we're gonna get our new set of curtain for the living hall.. and we're soo excited! Yeap, home improvement at its best ehh.. haha. 

 We feel bored of the striped curtain. Haih.. housewarming pun belum buat lagi okay!

HomeDec at KL Convention Center's gonna arrive soon. From 17th - 20th Oct (Part 1) and 24th - 27th Oct (Part 2). Kalau rajin jom la check it out!

Bijak Malaysia.. yang tak bijak sangat kot?

Today I was approached by an insurance agent from CIMB,  promoting Insurans Bijak Malaysia.

I spared some time listening (like I always do!) and yeah.. gradually I became interested. . Huhu. Benci betul weakness yang satu ni.

But seperti biasa, before making any decision, I consulted my hubby-know-it-all to ask for his opinion. He asked if we could talk about it after we got back home. 

So.. I spared some time in the office to find out about this insurance scheme. So I bumped into this blog. Nasib baik jumpa this blog, seriously. Kerana, if I were to sign up for the Bijak Malaysia insurance policy,  berkecailah my endeavor to ensure my money goes into syariah-compliant channels.

Ok, so balik ni tak payah cerita langsung about thinking to get Bijak Malaysia insurance policy.  It is indeed a waste when we claim that we are a Muslim country,  but government tak berapa berusaha to make their investment products and plans for the rakyat all syariah compliant.

So, Sharifah,  sila berfikir lagi ke mana duit perlu dilaburkan.. haihhhh.. make sure syariah compliant ye!

Where to eat in Japan?

Actually, the thinking to blog about this post has been quite a while in my head. Tapi kerana masa yang mencemburui (cewah), maka hasrat itu sering terbantut.

Anyway, I dedicate this post to my colleague Alina who is going on her 3-weeks trip to Japan with her Mom and 2 kids. 

I shared the same anxiety like she does when I was about to leave for Japan. No idea about Japan apart from the ideas embedded in my head by my mom about her experience in Japan. Apprehensive about Papa taking care of Zara alone, apprehensive of what to eat there, concerned about the cold weather, etc. But when I was there for a couple of months, seriously I can't find anything to dislike about Japan (have I said it before? Haha!). In fact, Zara didn't have any coughing/ cold/ fever whatsoever when she was there. Perfectly healthy. Balik Malaysia je start.. batuk la, selsema la.. sampai mama pun berjangkit! Boleh rasa the difference in air quality. Cian anak mama.. Malaysia memang makin tak best kan..? (ok la habis la kena kutuk tak patriotik)

Ok. So, what to eat in Japan?

Seriously speaking, I have never suffered the scenario of "tak cukup makan" in Japan. Asyik nak makan ada la kot, haha! If we Malaysians think there is a huge abundance of food in Malaysia, in Japan it seems as twice as much. There are plenty of bakeries, a variety of Asian and European cuisine, lots of cafes to chill in, apart from their homegrown restaurant brands.

The easiest place to buy food (I think!) would be the convenience store. They are easily available wherever we go in Japan. And I always go for these 2 things:

 Egg sandwich. The best ever. Priced around 190-240 Yen. Takkan dapat la kat Malaysia egg sandwich of this quality. Eggs sold in the markets pun sangat bersih. No traces of najis ayam whatsoever. Japan is amazingly conscious about cleanliness. Another fact that made me feel Malaysia tak best.

Onigiri. This is tuna onigiri. It's actually a handful of sticky rice shaped into a triangle, stuffed with tuna. Of course there are other varieties but since we can't eat meat there, tuna is the easiest option. Very cheap.Zara loved this very much.

Other restaurants that we dined in:

 

 Shagorika, an Indian restaurant in Asakusa, Tokyo. 

The curry was heavenly. A must visit if you're nearby the temple area

Hubby, the co-star of my blog in front of the restaurant. Shagorika Asakusa.

Saizeriya chain restaurant. This one was in Asakusa. Very affordable western cuisine (compared to other restaurants offering about the same menu). Only that the portion of the meal is not that big. But we can always order more because it's very affordable.

 

At the cashier of my fave pizza place: Garlic Jo's Queens Shopping Mall, Yokohama

 And not only their pizza tasted great, this fried rice with prawn was a masterpiece too! Memang benchmark nasi goreng dah totally increased ni.

 A halal Nepali restaurant at Queens Shopping Mall too. Khazana. Loved the food and the staff cuz they are very friendly!

This is Delhi Dining, located at Nihon Odori/ Motomachi Chukagai area in Yokohama, which also offers halal food. I think the briyani here was the best among all mamak/ indian cuisine restaurant that I've been to. A bit pricey than Khazana, but it was worth it!

Dining at 105 yen sushi shop. Sounds cheap eh? But the taste wasn't. The salmon sushi with wasabi and avocado just melted in our mouth like mmmmm... heaven!

And, when we were totally clueless on what to eat, McDonald's Ebi (Prawn) Burger can do no wrong. 

Other places to try:

Ginza Tenkuni (Japanese food)
Vie de France (Bakery)
Pompadour (Bakery)
Stone Cold Creamery (Ice cream parlor)
Tully's Coffee (alike to Starbucks)

There are many more that I would like to list. But I guess when you're there, you can explore for yourself where to eat, maybe even better than we did. Anyway, we Muslims shouldn't worry much about food when traveling to Japan. Maybe we'll miss our nasi lemak and roti canai, but we definitely won't starve.

I miss Yokohama.. very much!

Japan: I'm lovin' it!

Hi, happy 2013 everyone!

Japan is my mom's most frequently-visited country during her tenure with the ministry that she worked with many years back. Many good stories about Japan that my siblings and I heard from her; the cleanliness, the culture, the manners, etc. Being in Japan now feels like I am actually witnessing what mom narrated. And yep, I must say, I still can't find anything that makes me dislike Japan. Or simply, I love Japan!

(But of course, I still miss KL though.. hari-hari baca Beautifulnara and Malaysiakini dan berwhatsapp with my officemates, haha! Bengong..)

One of the things I like to do when I'm out to travel is observing the city's men and women. They like to dress up everyday wherever they go. Be it to the office (very contrary to us working in Dayabumi! haha), to the cafe, to meet up with friends (I know la sebab it's really nice to lepak at cafes here in Yokohama). In this cold season of winter, people here dress up in their smart (and not to mention, expensive looking!) coats and jackets, ladies complete with tights, high leather boots and designer handbags. Oh, did I mention that ladies here love LV? Yeah, they love LV until LV Neverfull Tote becomes a common eyesight everywhere I go. Ok ok, yeah I know LV Neverfull is not that expensive compared to other LV handbag models. But I'm not saying they only wear Neverfull. Spesis LV that I have not seen yet (but memang cantik gila!) are carried around too. And there are some who don Hermes leather bag too! Ok la, I haven't seen anyone showing off their Birkin bag yet, but hey, Hermes is expensive! Way more than LV I think.

Coach? Like everybody has a Coach bag here in Yokohama. Seriously. So macam tak payah bangga sangat la if you bring your Coach bag here.

But the bags prices are not cheap here in Japan you see. They cost like four times the price you can get in Malaysia. But since nearly everyone wears designer handbags, you can't help but to follow the trend.

So, in short, I think Japanese men and ladies invest a lot in taking care of their appearance. 

This lady in LV Neverfull Monogram. I prefer Damier Ebene better (wahh, kalau la boleh jawab soalan ACD macam ni punya hafal, sure lagi naik pangkat. Isk!)

Due to the fact that they are conscious about their appearances, that would mean they shop a lot! Yes, from what I see, no matter how many shopping malls there are, they will be swarmed by customers, even on off-sale time (kalau sale apatah lagi kan!) Well, pictures speak a thousand words, don't they?

This was during New Year's sale. Huge crowds swarmed the shopping complexes in Yokohama.  Depan tu lagi ramai.

Haha, Zara and I did our shopping as well! Sogo here is not like Sogo in Jalan TAR ok. This Sogo sells stuff like Suria KLCC does. But no matter which shopping mall I go, be it high end or not, the salesperson will always welcome you with a smile and a very courteous way of saying "Welcome". Bukan macam those in Suria KLCC! Selalu sakit hati with the gestures of Isetan salespeople. 

.. And I got myself this! Besides another Furla and a Longchamp :D

Of course, Japan will well known for their cleanliness. And it is NOT a myth. Addition to them being clean, is that they innovate to make life easier for their people. Take for example, the toilet control:

The toilet in my hotel room. Look at the controls they install. Free odor, warm seat (cool, huh), bidet water pressure. Memang innovative! The toilets at the office even have this gadget to give the sound of flushing if you don't want people hear you do your 'business'. Uber cool. Well, guess I'll miss this when I'm back in KL. Arghh.

Another things that I like about the Japanese, is that they like to bring their kids out. There are plenty of good places for family outings (the parks, the zoos, the museums, etc.) and even in this cold weather, they still enjoy the company of their children. Yep, moms here breastfeed alright, and it's hard to find moms who are flabby! Most I've seen have slender legs, very slim figure. Is it because of their diet, or is it because of their confinement discipline? I don't know, but I take it a s a good example for me to follow, haha.

In Disneyland Tokyo. Look behind me - strollers and kids and parents. They love going for outings.

What about the food? Well, not really a problem for a Muslim like me. But that will be another long post to write about. Well, I have to end here. Zara's about to wake up anytime soon. Better get ready before she starts crying looking for me.

Til another post~ Nytes :)