After so long..

Assalamualaikum fellow readers.. :)

Whoa.. cobwebs everywhere.. fuuhh fuhh. It's not that I'm not into writing anymore. Writing has always been one of my favorite pastimes but seriously, for the past 9+ months, I haven't really had the time. A lot of things happening, with DXB Bakers on the go, and Zara has started school, and yes, I have started my Master's degree last month. It's overwhelming really. But like I have always done before, I like to prioritize. And for now, apart from the kids and my husband, my postgraduate is of utmost importance.

These past one year has been a year of change. Change in our family location, change in my career, change in our daily routines, meeting new friends, etc. My cooking and baking skills have improved (haha!) and yeah, I hope to be able to cook effortlessly like Gordon Ramsey or Guy Fieri (no I don't like Giada de Laurentiis eghh). I need to brush up on cake decorating though. Watching Youtube everyday without hands on is kinda difficult to sharpen the skills. Well, anyway..

I bought.. well, my husband bought for me this new gadget called Fitbit Charge. I love it so much because it helps me to count every step I take, every stair I climb and how many calories I have burnt. I couldn't rely on my S Health app on my Galaxy Note 4 as it always missed the step count (and making me feel underachieving.. ughhh). I already have it for like 2 weeks now, and my average daily step count is about 12,000 steps. Amazing for a homemaker huh. Haha.

 My Fitbit Charge

Zara is happy to be in school and she has learnt to read! I'm so excited of her milestone. Her classmates are of diverse nationalities, and I really enjoy the company of the mothers I meet at the school. There is this sweet Japanese lady names Rieko Takahata (mom of Sara), and the talented Emirates stewardess Charmaine Bordallo (mom of Olivja), the bubbly Singaporean Leanne Ng (mom of Kayla) and the very interesting Singaporean Wann (mom of Aaron). She inspired me to get the Fitbit. I really love talking to her. Feels like a liberation of soul. Hahah. And yes, I really do like her class teacher Ms Lynch. Very accommodating and kids-friendly.

I should be going by now. Fahim has woken up. And after that Zuhur prayers before I leave to fetch Zara.

Till then peeps. Gday.

Lactation cookies recipe

Heyya readers! How's it going? My days aren't so bad, in fact every day is a fun day.. be it with my kids or my fellow housewives here..

When I got Fahim, I really wished that I could breastfeed him fully, as long as I want. Alhamdulillah until now he is on breast milk like 95% of the time (100% from birth to 10 months). Right now he is showing keen interest in finger food. So yeah, I give him occasionally baby biscuits and fruits that he doesn't really have to chew.

Okay, I wanna share something that I took for months when breastfeeding Fahim. This is a good kind of snack. Very healthy for the mom and the baby. It's called lactation cookies. This helped me a lot in getting enough milk for Fahim. I'm proud to say that I managed to donate my milk to 3 different babies too. Alhamdulillah this time around Allah made it easier for me.

Yeah, exactly we can always purchase. But 500 g of lactation cookies costs about RM50 RM60 in Kuala Lumpur, so it definitely burnt holes in my purse as I eat my cookies like munching peanuts, lol. I got this recipe after a lot of browsing and watching Youtube videos. I love this recipe as it is easy and crunchy for me :)

The main ingredients for lactation cookies are rolled oats, flaxseed meal and brewer’s yeast.. I bought the items online at:

www.littlegreenplanet.com.my

www.organic4u.com.my 

Group A 

• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons of butter (can substitute with low fat Vitalite margarine)
• 2.5 cups of brown sugar (the sweet toothed ones can add more if they like)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract 

Group B (mix all these ingredients together in a bowl)

• 2 cups of whole meal flour
• 4 tablespoons of flaxseed meal (increasing this will not affect the taste of the cookie)
• 3 tablespoons of brewer’s yeast
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of soda bicarbonate

Group C

• 3 cups of rolled oats, grounded
• Other GOOD ingredients of baker’s choice (pick any 2 or 3, or even better, all!)

a. 1 cup of Raisins

b. 1 cup of Almonds (Coarsely grounded)

c. 1 cup of Walnuts (dubbed as the brain food) (Coarsely grounded)

d. 1 cup of  Dates (chopped)

e. 1 cup of  Hazelnuts (Coarsely grounded)

• 2 cups of Chocolate chips (so far Hershey’s chocolate chips are the best)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven for 155 deg C (oven with fan) or 170 deg C (oven without fan)
2. Beat Group A together in a cake mixer, until all are mixed well 
3. Add in Group B bit by bit until the batter is even.
4. Pour in bit by bit the grounded rolled oats and your chosen good ingredients. Stir well with a large spoon.
5. Lastly, add in the chocolate chips. Mix well.
6. Scoop the mixture bit by bit onto the baking tray to form like a biscuit (size is up to you). 
7. Press the individual scoop with a fork to flatten it (if you like it to be flat)
8. Put the baking tray in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes (the smaller the cookie size the faster it will bake)

I so love these cookies.. only nowadays I don't really make them cuz I haven't found flaxseed meal and brewer's yeast here yet..

Do give it a try.. you won't be disappointed!

Happy baking, and happy breastfeeding!

Throwback: Mini holiday in Muscat

I guess 2014 can be aptly called the year of traveling for our little family. Fahim has broken Zara's record, in which he started to travel since he was 3 months old, compared to Zara who started at 6 months old. Fahim's first destination was London, definitely unbeatable for Zara whose first trip was to Miri.

I know this post is a little late, but I just like to share our recent trip to Muscat, Oman celebrating Eidul Adha.

The trip was for 4 days 3 nights. I have never been to Oman before. So I did some homework by of course googling and asking a friend of mine Wan Harizah who is currently residing in Muscat. We didn't know what to expect beyond the info that we got, but overall it was a good trip. Not the best though since the best human planner (read: my husband) wasn't the one who led the way (haha!) but yeah, it was enjoyable. Check out our journey.

 The journey to Muscat took us 12 long hours! About 4 hours of the time were spent at the immigration offices, and about 2 hours of lunching + praying + nature's call. Alhamdulillah the kids were alright (read: tak meragam!) and mama tak show tantrums. Lol :D

 Kudos to Mr. Hubs for the high stamina throughout the day. He couldn't really last the journey from Bangi to Muar (his grandma's house)  so 12 hours for him was a great achievement. Well, my record of longest driving was only 6 hours straight.

 

 Okay. So we were too tired to take a few shots on the night of our arrival in Muscat. Here's a glimpse of Muscat scenery from our room. The big building is the Opera House. Very beautiful indeed. But because the weather was still scorching hot at that time, we didn't stop to take photos around the area. But Muscat was beautiful and clean. No skyscraper to boast the uniqueness of the city. I love it. Not being a contributor to the signs of the End of Days is actually very cool. And the people were friendly.

 

Did I say we celebrated Eid here? Haha, so here we were, donning our 'ulang tayang' Eid attire. Picture taken at the lobby of Intercontinental Muscat. Very pricey during peak season. We paid AED1k per night hokeh!

 

The kids and I. The girl in black is my neighbor's daughter. Her name is Alya. Her family was on the trip as well.

 

 Went for a visit to a Malaysian friend who resides in Muscat. Seen in this picture are my travel companions and the 'tuan rumah', Kak Suria

We were on a long journey to see the Bimmah Sinkhole  (I forgot the name of the area) Just look at the view. Excited to see the clouds because clouds are like impossible to see in Dubai. Sigh. I was so dumbfounded by the view of the rocky mountains. It was just spectacular.

 This was the Bimmah Sinkhole. It was really really deep. Not just the water but the staircase leading to it also caused shivers to my spine. I am no fan of swimming though, but this creation by Mother Nature was definitely mind blowing. All praises to Allah.

Fahim and I. Although it was like unbearably hot, but Fahim was a champ. Bila tengok views like this, selalu terfikir how was it back then during Rasulullah SAW's time.. Must have been totally difficult for our Prophet to travel to convey his message.. just how big his Iman was.. incomparable at all.. SubhanAllah..

 

Zara enjoying herself in the hotel compounds.. As usual she always enjoyed her outings at hotels..

 Fahim got introduced to playing with sand.. haha. Bangun pagi terus kena angkut to the beach. Sand castle time! The beach behind Intercontinental Muscat is clean, not as many people as the other end of Qurm beach. Most importantly, it was kinda shaded, thanks to the trees. Haha.  Sorry la mama memang puteri lilin. Papa pun sama jer putera lilin. Lol.

Wefie sket berdua. Macam gambar masa honeymoon kat Bali pulak, lol

Ok, we stopped here at Sultan Al Qaboos Mosque on our final day in Muscat before we head home. The architecture was superb, but the same thing with giant mosques, it was not women and children friendly. Ablution room is located far from the praying hall, in which if we farted then you know what I mean.. either terkentut-jelah-malas-nak-repeat-wuduk-solat-ajelah (sila gauge tahap keimanan sendiri la kan..) or guna-air-mineral-amik-je-wuduk-sambil-siram-air-kat-pokok-tepi-tu (dapat jugak pahala siram pokok kan..) Furthermore, there was no shaded area to connect the ablution area and the praying hall. In short, memang tak human-friendly la.. kalau hujan.. confirm basah.

Kekadang pelik dengan the way buildings are designed.. design la ikut cara manusia function.. bukan nak cantik aje.. duhh

And the worst part is, kids of Zara's age were not allowed to enter. Confirm la mama Zara taknak masuk kalau Zara tak boleh masuk kan.. The condition was Zara had to wear a scarf to enter. I was like nak terkeluar ayat 'wtf!!???' dah tapi memandangkan ni masjid and demi menjaga nama baik Malaysia di mata dunia, ai batalkan sahaja niat itewww. So, sudahnya..

 Sudahnya mama solat je in front of the door of the praying hall! Ada aku kesahh?? Haha. Sayang kan masjid patutnya terbuka jer untuk muslimin muslimat tapi dek kerana restriction yang tak masuk akal terpaksa la mama meng-kempunan-kan diri bersolat dalam dewan masjid yang gah ini demi keselamatan anak-anak.. cewah. Bukannya Zara dah hit puberty and tak reti nak tutup aurat ke apa kan.. Look at the door. Sikit punya lawa but hmmhh.. tiada erti..

Haha.. banyak pulak membebel pasal masjid ni.

Ok so after that, we headed back to home aka Dubai..

The journey back home was made beautiful by the momentary drizzles.. lama sangat tak merasa hujan di bumi Middle East ni.. kekadang terfikir bila kurang hujan adakah berkurangan rahmat dan rezeki daripada Allah.. I'll keep this question in my head..

Ada a few more places that we went to but the pics are in my hub's phone and the camera. Interesting places like The Palace, Zubayr Museum and sightseeing around Muscat. 

In short, Muscat is an interesting place to visit. We would go here again I think so.. but definitely not by car, haha. The looonnngg and weary hours of waiting at the borders is an experience not to be repeated. Naik flight lagi senang. Fly sejam je sampai la Muscat.

Dubai kitchen: Jom masak nasi lemak!

Ha, dah namanya homemaker kan.. what is the fun of being a homemaker without some noise in the kitchen, haha.

Ok today I wanna share with you nasi lemak recipe. I've been cooking several times already, but I think this one I'm sharing is my fave way of doing it.

Nasi lemak comes with a few condiments. They are really simple to make, really. Trust me :) 

Let's prepare the rice first. We will need:

• Rice (depends on how much you wanna cook.. for more people, cook more rice)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 centimeters of ginger, chopped
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, finely chopped (some just like to hit it and directly put it into the cooker. Well, lemongrass is one of the most effective herbs to prevent cancer. So, please, eat it!)
• Coconut milk; amount will be of the same level as the rice in the cooker (if you like the rice to be softer, add in coconut milk slightly more)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2-3 pandan leaves, tied together

Some may prefer diluted coconut milk, and some may prefer it to be more 'milky'. I like it to be a little diluted.

Method: Put all ingredients in the rice cooker. Give them a stir. Then turn on the cooker and just let the rice cook.

Ok. Next let's prepare the 'sambal' or chilli gravy. We will need:

• 3 red onions + 2 cloves of garlic + some anchovies + some water (grind them together in the blender)
• 4 tablespoons of chilli paste (or chilli boh as they usually call it). If you like hotter sambal, you can add in more chilli paste
• 2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup (you can replace this with tamarind extract) Tomato also has the sour taste so using it kinda meets the same purpose of using tamarind extract. Oh, my husband doesn't like it when I use tamarind extract. That's why I use tomato ketchup instead.
• Some fried anchovies
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (use it because it's anti-cancerous and anti-inflammatory!)
• Salt and sugar to preferred taste
• You may add 'belacan' (anchovies paste) if you like. I don't because husband doesn't like it. Oh well..

Method: 

Pour the olive oil in the pan and heat up the pan

Pour in the blended ingredients and stir. Wait for the oil to surface

Add in the chilli paste. Stir well. Again, wait for the oil to surface again

Put in the fried anchovies and tomato ketchup. Stir. If you think that the mixture is kinda thick, add in some water.

Put in salt and sugar according to your liking. I like it to be a bit sweet.

The condiments:

Eggs: You can choose sunny side up or hard-boiled eggs. I like hard-boiled eggs. Less fat.

Fried groundnuts

Fried anchovies

A few slices of fresh cucumber

Easy peasy, don't you think?

 Macam nak bawa bekal pergi sekolah pulak kan.. haha

Missing is..

Missing them. Badly.

My preliminary perspectives of Dubai

Hye uolls. How is life treating you? Mine not so bad. Not so hectic either. Only feels hectic when both kids are crying at the same time, lol. Oh well, life goes on. Nothing is too big to be worried about every day, isn't it?

It has been 2 and a half months here in Dubai. Weather's getting better. It's a lot less hotter than it was when I arrived in August. Every friends here are eager for winter to come. Me? I dunno what to expect. Just play along and see what's so nice and fun about Dubai in the cooler temperatures. I haven't loved Dubai so far. It's a city of modernization and money in short. It's a city of modern-day caste too, but nobody seems be bothered with it. For me, to rank Dubai out from experience, it would fall below London, Reading and Yokohama for sure. It's not a city for people who appreciate history (like me) or origins of stories (like me) But I have not missed Malaysia that much either (except for the families and my friends back home though).

So what have I been up to in Dubai this coupla months? Well, I made new friends here. I guess it's more fun listing them down. I'll list those whom I more familiar with (cuz the ladies group here is quite a crowd!)

Sal

She's my neighbor, living at the apartment in front of ours. She's an electrical engineer with an Ir title. Now she's on unpaid leave, and I suppose her hobbies now are cooking, baking and sewing, haha. She cooks A LOT! A mother of 3 cute kids.

Aisyah

She lives a few floors below mine. Ex SLB engineer who ventured into children development, which explains her love for teaching. She usually leads the playdate for our kids (since she has all the good ideas!) and she has the talent of sewing. One thing I admire her for is the way she likes to remind us of Allah. And she always says Alhamdulillah, Subhanallah, Masha Allah.. very good practice to keep praising Allah. A mom of 3 too! Currently pregnant.

Nadia

The guru for sewing! Haha. She likes to don her daughter Maira in her self-tailored skirts. Really cute cuz they have this bohemian style look. Sal is very keen to learn sewing from Nadia and Aisyah that I feel drawn too! Lol. Also pregnant with her 4th child. She lives in the apartment across the road.

Kak Zaida

This lady loves cooking too! And she doesn't cook simple stuff okay. Nasi kerabu, laksa johor.. huh you name it. She lives near the beach so it's kinda fun going to her house, haha. A mom of 3.

Kay

A new member of our playdate group. An ex staff of Petronas, has already been here like 3 years. So when I meet a Petronas counterpart, it's easier to connect kann.. haha. 

Well I definitely have a lot to learn from my new friends. It's good to have friends who can be role models to me.

Zara and Fahim are doing good here. Healthy with good appetite and improved social skills. Zara is learning many new things here, thank you to the outings and playdates. Fahim, well, he's learning to walk now.. and I just started to give him solids on a daily basis. Yep, 10 months of exclusive breastfeeding.. woohoo.

So how's being a stay at home mom feel like? Haha. Well, it feels like I am on a loonnggg leave. I was usually not in the office pun kan (Group Travel Selalu kan hehe) so it doesn't really feel weird. Only that I don't do my KLCC outing alone anymore la tu je, haha. I don't really miss Bangi. It's a lot less stressful here. But time sure does fly realllyyy fast in Dubai.

Okay, I got to go. Blogging on a frequent basis still doesn't look feasible to me as yet. Not that I have lost the passion for writing, but most of the time, things are quite complicated to explain here on a blog. Furthermore, there is Instagram that is so easy for me to update my newest up-tos. Well, I am always on Instagram, FYI :D

Hello from Zara and Fahim :D Our new home in Dubai

Surat cinta pertama daripada Dubai

Salaam namaste from Dubai!

Salam namaste? Dubai ni ramai orang india.. So kalau cakap salaam namaste sure ramai yang faham, betul tak? Hehe. Anyway, baru rasa2 nak settle down kat sini. All the packages and luggages dah habis unpacked. So, life's back to normal. 

(Ramai orang india ehh.. sebenarnya berharapan nak jumpa Aamir Khan ke, Shahid Kapoor ke, Kareena ke buat filming sini.. lol. Neil Nitin Mukesh tu.. paling hensem lah. haha)

Sure ramai yang tertanya, ok ke duduk rumah after 7 years of working? Boleh tahan ke? Soalan ini selalunya ditanya oleh mereka yang bajet careerwoman la kan.. atau nak ada anak tapi malas jaga sendiri. I know that feeling, haha. Walau lepas ada anak dah tak berapa nak bajet careerwoman, tapi kerana tuntutan bekerja and peer pressures tu, gaya mesti maintain, betul tak?

Ahh, melalut pulak aku.

Honestly stress kat rumah and stress at work adalah 2 perkara yang berbeza. Tapi I guess stress at home adalah lebih seronok daripada stress at work. Stress at work (setelah menganalisa diri sendiri dan whatsapp conversations from my colleagues) adalah amat tak best kerana merasa kebergantungan terhadap manusia lain, yang selalunya mengecewakan. Be them your beloved colleagues ke, your most hated boss ke, or just this lady from department lain yang takde kena mengena tetiba minta something that takes away your time from your pile of work (I would love to write down their names mannnn...), for now adalah lebih baik stress di rumah. Seriously I'm not kidding.

Well, at least, when habis masak (and stressed kalau Fahim tetiba terbangun melalak sebab mama takde), Zara will eat and look at me and say "mmm.. delicious, thank you mama.." Boss ada nak cakap selalu "Good job..!" ? Haraamm.. lagi bagi kerja on top of my already full plate ada la. In a way, the sense of accomplishment I can obtain more easily (and mmg akan dapat pun!) at home. Sense of accomplishment at work.. hmm.. the last real one was masa dapat TUV certification kot. That was 3 years ago!

Anyway, I don't know how long I will be staying at home of course. Tapi for now rasa nak kerja tu belum ada la lagi. Perasaan nak ambil masters tu memang membuak2. And the course has already been identified. Cuma I already missed the semester for this year because it started before I left Petronas. So tahun ni tak dapat la kan. It's alright. I'm more eager about my sister's wedding planned at the end of this year. So yep, really looking forward to that occasion. Mana taknya, kakak pengantin lagi bersedia daripada pengantinnya, haha. 3 pasang baju dah siap dah. And kasut sekali!

Dubai, presently it's hot here. Tapi tak lama lagi nak cuaca sejuk dah. These few weeks my life is about home, cooking, shopping malls and taxis. Lol. Belum beli kereta lagi. Pun tengah fikir2 nak beli kereta apa. But our new home is very near to restaurants and groceries, so it's really convenient. Baru nak kenal jiran2.. hehe. Slowly2..

Hello from Zara & Fahim! You lucky lots.

Oklah, sebenarnya banyak nak tulis lagi. Tapi masa tak mengizinkan (teruna dan dara di rumah memerlukan perhatian mama, hehe). Ada hutang post lagi kan.. hutang dengan FSI girls, and hutang nak bercerita macam mana saya berjaya menjual kereta Honda City saya. Pengalaman yang berharga tu.. hehe. 

Alright. See you in the next post. Adios from Burj Khalifa!

Au revoir Petronas!

What.. my last post was in January?? Seriously I thought I last wrote in March. Duh, how can I forget..? Well it's not so surprising cuz after having Fahim, it seems there are too many clouds in my head. Asyik lupa je. I know I should be taking supplements to help myself.. but I'm not that religious in keeping up with the doses everyday.. (-_-!)

So.. Ok.. let's start writing again..

I really didn't know that I do have readers amongst my officemates (wait, WHAT!!) If I knew, I would've written more, haha! Oh well, I have more time at home now; perhaps I should continue writing.

So.. hmmh.. this week witnessed the beginning of my life as a home maker. Did I hear someone say I'm kidding?? No I'm not. I'm officially jobless now (well, I still have time to retract my resignation, but I don't think I will) but it seems that I'm still busy with my to-do list. Things to shop before I fly, selling off my Black Beauty (sedih betul di hujung hati ni..), attending to Fahim who seems more clingy than Zara was before, and a few more things that I can't seem to remember.. (see.. cloudy mind again..)

Oh well, the idea to exit Petronas didn't come in a wink; it started longer than a year ago.. when I was offered a better paying job outside. But then, suddenly I found out that I was pregnant.. so I didn't think it was a good idea to wave goodbye to Petronas as yet.. I continued to stay, telling myself I'll give myself another year..

Then, end of 2013 I had Fahim.. and went on MC+maternity leave+MC (again!)+ AL that totaled up to 3 months. Upon returning to the office for 2 weeks, we (myself+hubby+Zara+Fahim) flew to London for a job that I was assigned to. The thought of exiting Petronas came again.. and at that time a few headhunters called me up, asking if I was interested to venture outside of my comfort zone. I was sooo ready for it. So damn ready.

A couple of weeks after coming back from London, I was offered a position in a competitor consultancy firm for a position as a senior consultant, in the field of work that I love. I was soo looking forward for it. Told my husband my excitement. He was equally excited for me. One thing about my husband, he is always supportive of what I am doing - I love you, Yang :) (and I think he is also tired of listening to my rantings and complaints about my workplace.. the distorted system, the dysfunctional line of reporting.. and all that's in the list)

Little that we know.. Allah has other plans for us..

A day after I got the offer, my husband was offered a position in Dubai. I didn't really know what to feel at that time, as I was so mixed up. Couldn't really think it through.. again, the cloudy mind thingy. I consulted my friends and my parents too. Feeling frustrated, angry, helpless, trying to act I-could-be-the-supermom... I was actually so prepared to leave my job for another job..

..But He is the best planner of all..

I talked it though with my husband.. detailing our finances, our pros and cons, our visions, our wishes, our wants in life.. and looking at our kids, I know they can not stand their parents being apart. Zara is growing fonder of her Papa after seeing Fahim being so attached to Mama, and that when my husband left for Dubai, it is really apparent that she misses him so much. I really pity her.. but what to do. We'll just wait for the time to arrive.

So, on 22nd April 2014, I tendered my resignation.

Au Revoir Petronas..

It was much to my superiors' dismay.. my immediate superior asking me over and over again if I could change my decision. I might not leave if I was offered a non-traveling-just-stay-in-Dubai position, but that will not happen, since my work outfit is meant to be mobile. Family's interest comes first. I have to decline.

Oh well..

It is not easy leaving beloved friends behind. Friends who were there for you through thick and thin, through sweat and tears.. friends who were so supportive in each other's development as engineers and mothers and wives. But goodbyes are real.

Goodbye is such sweet sorrow. Even Shakespeare acknowledged.

Maybe a few of you might be wondering, what am I gonna do after being a home-maker? Well, that's not for anyone to wander yet. I'll choose. And for whatever I'll choose, I'm not answerable to anyone except Allah. I do have a few plans in mind.

This is my time to be excellent again :)

Oh ya, just follow my instagram for quicker updates. It's ladyrora. Heh.

My Version of 29 Awesome Things About Being 29

I'm gonna say goodbye to being in my 20s in a few days' time. Yeah, I really think being born in January is uncool.. contradictory to what I used to think when I was in school, haha. Saw this interesting list on buzzfeed about 29-year-olds.. thought I would just like to share it, from my point of view, lol.

So here is..

29 Awesome Things About Being 29

By Jessica Misener, Buzzfeed staff

1. You just generally give less of a shit.

Well, yeah, kinda. Like I don't care about how expensive your wedding is, or how much you can spend on your vacations, etc. I only care about the things that affect me. Like the government policies. Yep, we're talking serious here.

Credit: The Undisclosed Studio

2. 11 p.m. has become a socially acceptable bedtime.

Well, we are worse. We go to bed at 10 pm. or whenever we possibly can, 9.30 pm. Or else we'll end up like this:

 Credit: Drink and Be Merry

3. When you’re around younger people, you can still claim “being in your twenties,” but you can also hang around thirty-somethings with ease.

Well, yeah, I do this too. But I would prefer being around the early 30s. LOL. 

4. Craft beer is delicious.

Skip this. I dunno what the hell craft beer is.

5. You can look back on your twenty-something heartbreaks as learning experiences, and not just soul-crushing acts of emotional sadism.

I never treat past heartbreaks as soul-crushing. They were just a waste of time and energy actually. I wish they weren't existent.

 Credit: Quiksilver

6. Gossip bothers you WAY less now.

Gossips about friends, nah.. not interested. But just to kill time while waiting for my thosai and hot milo, I read these :D

 .. for my daily dose of gossips to laugh at or to loathe about.

7. You’ve made the extremely wise decision of investing in a memory-foam pillow.

This statement is totally for my husband. LOL.

8. You don’t feel the need to join every single new social media network.

Nope, I don't have Twitter account. And am proud of it. 

9. All your friends are just as tired as you are.

I dunno. I don't think so. Many of them are busy joining marathons. Maybe they are just plain bored.

 This is me studying for ACD. Am honestly tired of it. Credit: Shutterstock

10. You have no problem telling people to go jump in a lake.

Yep. And I won't help you if you drown. Cuz I can't swim.

11. No one will judge you for ordering white wine at a bar.

I dunno if you can only order beer at a bar. I have no idea how bars operate.

12. You don’t have to care about knowing what an “Avicii” is.

I happen to know Avicii's an artiste from an annoying pop-up message on one of the gossip websites I went to.

 Exactly. Credit to GWPatriot

13. You’re old enough to remember Friends.

I love this episode. Ok, I'm OLD enough!

 LOL! Credit to Pinterest.

14. Getting ready now takes 5 minutes.

It's possible. Trust me. Thanks to Ruelala

15. You spend less money on stupid stuff.

This was (I think!) the last stupid thing that I got. It costed RM2k. And it wasn't so smart at all. Regretting of asking my husband to place it as one of the 'hantarans' until now. Credit to PhoneArena

16. You’ve stopped pretending that an ill-fated hookup can’t mess with your emotions in the same way as a failed relationship.

Ill-fated hookup? I didn't have that.

17. You wear what’s comfortable.

Yeah I guess so. 

There were days when I wore babies like this to lectures. Can you believe it? You'd better.

18. You can refer to “college kids” as such, because kids they are.

It's fun referring to them as 'kids'. I think they are an annoying lot. Korean contact lenses, hijabista-wannabes, color-blocking addict.. and all on their parents' money. Erghh yuck! Those born in the 90s and forward.

19. You’re willing to pay extra for a nice hotel room.

Yep yep. And it's not weird if the hotel is in KL. LOL.

Papa, let's go here again! Thanks to KL Photos

20. If you have a crush on someone, you just tell them.

Ok, I can never confess. But I can do this. LOL.

 Hehe.. Credit to 8tracks.

21. You recall your early twenties…and wonder what the hell you were thinking.

Ok I blame this entirely on Dr. Mohamad and Dr. Nordin (tak boleh tulis nama penuh kang orang google2 terjumpa pulak!)

Krohhh krohhh.. everytime. Memang super gila betul cuz their voices sounded like lullaby. Credit to Agefotostock.

22. You’ve stopped lying about having seen a certain movie or read a certain book.

I've stopped since upper form. Haha.

23. Vacations don’t have to involve any plans besides CHILLING TO THE MAX.

I wish! The realistic plan now is to get the KIDS to chill to the max. And that may mean an entire day spent at the swimming pool or the playground.

24. You’ve learned to take everything a lot less personally.

Maybe this also, will be ok someday, LOL. Credit to Quickmeme.

25. When one of your friends complains about their dating drama, you’re just glad you don’t put up with petty crap anymore.

That's because all of us are married!

LOL! Credit to rapgenius.

26. You remember watching actual music videos on MTV and VH1.

Yeah.. and MTV was a rare thing because we didn't have cable channels.

Can you recall this video/ song? I totally loved it. Picture source here.

27. You’ll go to a bar by yourself without feeling weird.

I don't go to bars.

28. The idea of having a kid — if you don’t have one already — doesn’t freak you out QUITE as much.

Aww.. who wouldn't want kids of their own.. Credit to Secretsofagoodgirl.

29. You’re not scared of turning 30, because you’re more confident in who you are than ever!

...OK, maybe you're a *teensy* bit scared.    

Oh well..

I AM a bit scared.. LOL. Thanks to cocreatingourreality.

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!