What I Still Miss About the States

If there's one more thing I miss about being in the states is the shopping at the factory outlets. I mean seriously, that was so much fun. Branded clothes for like 1/3 of the original prices (or less). Not that we don't have great warehouse sales here in Malaysia, but when it comes to branded clothes, not that much. Plus, they always bring out clothes that looked like they came from the 90's..really old stuff.

I used to love going shopping at The Gap. I loved their khaki pants and t-shirts. Sure, we have The Gap here in Malaysia too, but with the prices...somehow it doesn't feel like I'm getting the same deal.

I miss Victoria Secret too. Say what you want about these super skimpy lingerie, whenever I needed a pick-me-upper, nothing did it better than buying some sexy underwear. Not only did they look good (I'm not saying I have the best butt out there, but still), they were comfortable too. Now, all I do is go on to their website and droll. Hahaha...

In terms of food, I miss the pizza. Papa John's to be exact. There was just something in the sauce that made it soooo good! Thank god, they've finally opened Papa John's here in Malaysia. We went there for hubby's birthday. Not the original plan (I had tried to book a dinner cruise at the Putrajaya Lake) but we did have lots of fun. The girls loved the pizza, while hubby and I took the opportunity to reminiscent about our younger days. Heee..

The girls being cute while waiting for the pizzas to arrive.
The birthday boy and his princesses.
Everyone loving the pizza!!

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. The girls gave me a card they made at school and a single rose. It wasn't a real flower and I was the one who gave them the money to buy it in the 1st place, but it's the thought that counts.


Because of our late night last night, I woke up late. I decided to take my doctor's advice and do a bit of walking. What better place to walk about but a shopping mall, right? We set out from home around 6pm and decided to have an early dinner. I was craving for Chillies so that's where we went. We shopped around for a baby car seat but none were up to our satisfaction. Well, actually one was but it was damn expensive!! Like RM2,500. We went into this high-end baby store and they were selling Moses baskets for like RM350!! It's a basket, for crying out loud. It's not like it has a bottle holder or anything.


The girls had fun. I caved in to their demands for a new watch. Dina, of course picked one with pink flowers, while Dania picked a blue one with fishes on it. Each cost RM10, but I gave the girls strict instructions not to bring the watches to school or the playground. The last ones I bought them only lasted a week before the straps came off.


My mom and aunts have been calling me for updates. I told them I might get induced this Wednesday depending on the situation. My mom said she had a dream that I had already given birth. Hahaha, it seems like she's more anxious about this than I am.


I want to take this opportunity to wish every mother and mother-to-be a very Happy Mother's Day.


Quotes for Mother's Day

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. Honore de Balzac, author

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. Tenneva Jordan

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his. Oscar Wilde

Yep...Still Pregnant

I missed one day of blogging yesterday and got a few calls and sms's asking whether the Big Day had finally arrived. Alas, it hasn't still. Blehh!

I had my check up yesterday and even the doctor knew better than to crack any jokes about how pregnant I was. She assured me that everything was on schedule; the baby was in a good position, heartbeat going strong, amniotic fluid still ok. Other than wait it out, there wasn't much else she could advice me to do. She did suggest walking about more, which despite my bum leg, I'm trying to do. I ended up doing circles in my room last evening, in my underwear with the aircon on full blast. It was just too hot for me to walk about anywhere and anyhow else.

We recalculated my due date and it seems I'm due on the 13th instead of the 15th. Which is..woohoo!! So I have my next check up next Wednesday and the doctor said, if I'm already dilated 3cm or more, she'll put me on a drip to induce the labour. I told her that's what happened for both my previous children; the doctor had to put me on a drip and break my water bag before I could even felt any contractions.

We might be going out for dinner tonight, sort of a last eat-you-can thing for me before I start confinement. O man, confinement in this type of weather is not going to be fun. How I'm going to survive 40 days of it is anyone's guess.

39 Weeks..Still Pregnant

How is it that I'm actually looking forward to the labour pains, right now? I'm just tired of being so uncomfortable. Last night I hardly got any sleep, thanks to the baby playing Smells Like Teen Spirit on drums all night long. Just as I had fallen asleep, 30 minutes later I had to wake up to go to pee. It then took me another hour to fall back to sleep, which of course was interrupted with another toilet trip. Grrr...have I mentioned how tired I am being pregnant?!!

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I am totally hooked on watching The Biggest Loser. How is it watching overweight people lose weight become so emotional? Weird!

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I've been thinking about where to go for our year end holiday. I know the kids want to go to HK and see Disneyland. I'm a bit worried about this whole swine flu business. Maybe we should go to Australia again...Sydney this time. Listen to me plan, like we have so much money to spend in the 1st place. Haha, berangan. *Sigh*.

3rd Day of MC...Still Pregnant

That's right. Nothing to report from the pregnant front. Had a few Braxton Hicks, but that's about it. I've started reading on "things that may hasten your labour" but the thought of doing any of their suggestions just wears me out. Walking about more? Yeah, when you have a bum leg and 4kg packed up front, that's easier said than done. Caster oil? Yucks!! Nipple stimulation? Hahahaha. Sex? Even bigger HHAHAHAHAHA.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait this out. I'm still 9 days away from my EDD ( and birthday!!) so here's hoping I don't stay pregnant longer than that.

I thought I would take the time to blog about stuff that happened the last few months, that I didn't get a chance o blog about due to workload. I want to tell you guys about the trip we had to the KL Bird Park last school holidays (in March).

As I mentioned a few blog posts ago, we had fun at the KL Bird Park. I had read about it at J.A.D's blog and was looking for a relaxing, cheap family activity for us to do during the week long holiday. We had such fun at the park that I even wrote about it here at Tripadvisor.

We started out early from my parents place, around 10am. It only took us 30 minutes to get there. It was rather easy to find the place, thanks to the many signboards. Even parking was a breeze.

Entrance fee to the park is MYR15 for adults and MYR6 for children (for MyKad holders only). However, if you have a Jaya Jusco or Metrojaya card, adults get extra MYR5 off. What a deal!!

Now the birds are free range, meaning most of them are not locked up in cages and such. This does mean you have to be a bit careful where you sit, like under a tree coz you may end up with bird poo on you. Fortunately this didn't happen to either of us; I guess the birds were rather well behaved. I loved the fact that the peacocks wee allowed to roam freely. We got some amazing shots of them showing off their beautiful tail feathers.

We had timed our arrival so we got to see most, if not all of the feeding activities that were scheduled for that day. The girls particularly loved the feeding frenzy that went on at the World of Parrots. For only MYR2, you are given a cup of milk and sunflower seeds. All you had to do was to hold out your hand and the little birds would be literally feeding out of it. At one point, I had 6 small parrots feeding out of my hand!! What an experience. The worker there was even gracious enough to refill my sunflower supply for no extra charge, several times.

The bird show was fun too. I even got to volunteer to feed an eagle, by holding out a stick with a piece of meat on it. We then went to see the emus (I can never get over how big these birds are) ad the girls got a lesson in the many shapes and sizes of birds' eggs. We saw the flamingos and also got a chance to see some eagles in action. Magnificent birds, I must say!!

All in all, we spent nearly 5 hours at the park. Mostly because there was just so much to see but also because I was 7 months pregnant at the time. So there was a lot of resting during our tour. Fortunately the parks had many rest areas, plus it was shady for most parts. We were also allowed to bring in our own bottles of water (unlike some places), so it wasn't so tiring.

At first we wanted to eat at the Hornbill Restaurant & Cafe but then hubby wanted to try out a different restaurant. So I can't comment on the food but from what I've read online, it's supposed to be good and not so expensive.

Enjoy the pictures below. And remember, next time you're looking for a great, cheap family activity, look no further than the KL Bird Park. You won't be disappointed.

Hubby and the girls in front of a peacock having fruits for lunch.
The girls and I in front of a peacock showing off its tail feathers.
The peacock in all its glory.
Dina having fun feeding the Lories at the World of Parrots.
Dania feeding the Lories too.
One of the many birds at the bird show doing some tricks for the crowd.
The eagle that I fed with the meat on a stick. Why hubby didn't take a picture of me actually feeding the eagle is anyone's guess.

2nd Day of MC....Still Pregnant

This waiting game has gotten me all antsy. For one thing, I'm constantly feeling hot, like I'm baking in an oven. I'm thirsty 24/7, no matter how much I drink. Because the baby is already so big and constantly pushing against my bladder, my toilet trips are like every 10 minutes. I know that once the baby is here and I'm like waking up every 30 minutes to breastfeed, I'll be like all "how I wish I could get more sleep" but for now, I'm just so anxious for this pregnancy to be over.

Yesterday I had a bit of a scare. It wasn't until 3.30pm that I realised the baby hadn't moved much since the night before. I tried shaking my belly, scratching it, patting it, talking to the baby but got no movement. I was beginning to panic and was just about to call hubby when the baby suddenly moved. And then moved a bit more. And then some more. And then it was moving, moving, moving until late last night. Phew!! Eventhough it felt like the baby was trying out new Wushu moves, I didn't dare complain.

Oya, how do you guys like the new template? Rather fresh, don't you think? It took me a while to decide which one to go for since there are so many nice ones out there. I think I'll stick with this one for a while.

Yesterday hubby and I discussed names for the baby. I can't believe hubby doesn't have any lined up already. I think it's because he doesn't know the sex yet. I already have my names selected, for both boy and girl. Maybe I should be the one naming this baby for a change.

I'm going down to watch the rerun of last night's Amazing Race. I still can't believe one team lost a spot in the Final Three because they stopped to pee!! Crazy!!

1st Day of MC...Still Pregnant

I'm on my first day of leave today. Hubby asked me this morning what time did I intend to wake up.

"Maybe around 10am", I said with a smile.

Hehehhe..

Last night, I tried to update my boring looking blog template. As a result, I not only made myself dizzy checking out all the available templates online but I also lost my blogroll list. Grrr...I tried to recall a few from memory but I know I've missed out a few. I still intend to change the layout. Maybe I should list down my blogroll list in Notepad or something before I start tweaking again.

Joe mentioned since we had bought so much Anakku stuff, he wouldn't have to buy me anything else. Haha..actually there are a few more items on my shopping list. BIG items. Items Joe can buy for me. Hehehehe..

1. A baby bath tub. This was actually my mom's request. She's been having some pain in the arms so she's worried she wouldn't be able to hold the baby during bath time. She asked whether we could buy the kind of baby tub where you can just the baby sitting upright without having to hold it. I think this is what she meant.

I saw a tub like this when we were in Parkson yesterday. I think it cost like RM85. Rather expensive.

2. A car seat. The old car seat is not suitable for a newborn. Plus all the padding is nearly gone. When we first got it for Dania, it was 2nd hand anyway, so I think we need to get a new one for this baby. I want one that we can use from birth up to 4-5 years old. I know these cost more but in the long run, it would make more sense than buying a carrier now AND a car seat later on. Hubby and I have looked at a few and depending on the brand, a new car seat would cost us between RM400 to RM2000.

Other than those two things, I think we're pretty set for the baby's arrival. Now if it would just hurry up and get here already!!

Still Waiting for the Big Day

Yesterday I had my doctor's checkup. Alas, she didn't announce any dilation news (hmmm) but everything looks ok. I lost a bit of weight (0.4kg) but the baby gained 0.1kg. It now weighs 3.3kg. Hmmm. Just waiting for the day to come (soon!!!). I asked her whether the baby's head had engaged and she said "Oh, it's different for your 3rd baby. You don't have to wait for the baby to engage. Most probably your water will break first."


Hmmm...thing is my water has never broke by itself. Now I'm like a bit paranoid, everytime I go to the loo, I think I'm breaking water. Hahaha..


Oya, Heather asked me what the hell a snakehead fish was. I've posted some images below.

Yeah, nasty right? Believe me, the taste isn't anything to hoot about either. The smell...goodness..bau longkang!! What does it do? It helps heal the birth wound and helps build back protein molecules in your body for cell regeneration. So, the suffering doesn't stop after giving birth. 40 days of confinement is so much fun too.


We went shopping again today. Hubby cashed in his Bonuslink points and got like RM500 worth of Parkson coupons. So naturally we used that to buy more baby stuff, like the stuff I listed down in my previous points. I bought most of the stuff from the Anakku section, mostly because their stuff was slightly cheaper than the other brands but also because Anakku was having a contest. The grand prize is a Grand Livina!! If we win, we'll have an MPV. Hahahah...yet another wishful thinking. But one can dream, right?

Getting Ready for the Big Day

Yesterday was my last day at work. Most probably. I mean I think so. We'll see. If I haven't exploded by Wednesday and I'm bored out of my mind, I might drag myself to work. If it wasn't for my bum left leg, I probably would have stuck it out for another week. Hmmm, like I said, we'll see.

As the big day draws nearer, I find myself thinking up of more and more things to buy for the baby. Like baby bath and shampoo. Hmmm, you'd think I would have stocked up on those things sooner but I kept putting it off. I've made a list of other things to buy too.

1. Breast pads
2. Maternity pads.
3. Changing/travelling mat.
4. Bath mat.
5. Baby butt cream.
6. Baby washing powder.
7. Snakehead fish drink (pati ikan haruan).
Luckily I've already bought my jamu (confinement herbs). I found this site online selling them at a much cheaper price than at the shops. The items arrived yesterday.

My SIL brought back my baby cot she borrowed like a thousand years ago yesterday. All the baby clothes have been washed and folded.

I have my next checkup tomorrow. Hopefully the doctor will have good news like congratulations, you're 8cm dilated!! Hah..yeah right.


Oh my god! I think I just had a contraction!! Was that a contraction?!! They say if you need to ask, then most probably it wasn't. Damn it, maybe I just need to poop.

Apartment for Rent

The students that are currently staying at my parents' apartment will be graduating this May. Therefore my parents are looking for new tenants. Anyone interested? The apartment will be available starting 1st of June 2009.

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Perdana Apartment, Shah Alam. 4th floor, with lifts

850 sq.ft. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms.

Ready to stay with built in cabinets in kitchen and master bedroom plus built-in utility cabinet in hallway. Air conditioner in master bedroom. Water heater in common bathroom

Opposite the Giant supermarket. Near the Macro supermarket, Shah Alam Stadium, Federal Highway & Elite Highway.

RM1200 (negotiable), including maintenance fees.

Interested or need more info? Please contact 03-78457333, 013-3367333 (Nor Ainee) or you can leave comments here.