The endless list of 1001 things to do

2010-11-14T01:39:00.003+08:00

Peaceful and quiet...everyone's asleep except me. Feel so awake after a nice warm bath... The only sounds that are accompanying me right now are the clicking sound of my typing and the swinging wall fan right next to me. Hmm...

I had a great night. Attended my sis-in-law's wedding with family members. It was held in the beautiful mansion, named Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion at the corner of the busy town of Georgetown. Everything was perfect - the people, the music, the decor, the food...And all these were personally arranged by the groom and bride themselves. Awesome...!

Cool..many family members were dressed to the theme of the night - oriental. Liara (the bride) was dressed in beautiful red cheongsam and so was the groom - red "kung fu" shirt. Pa-in-law in white creme "kung fu" shirt. Hubby in black and Leia in colourful pink cheongsam. Well, as for me, I opted for black, red kebaya top. With 6 months into my pregnancy, you would imagine how big I've become. So, cheongsam is totally out. Anyway, I'm proud to wear kebaya as it identifies my to my true ethnicity - nyonya (a Straits woman).

Hubby was the part-time cameraman on that night. So, once I've got the photos from him, will post them here. Very beautiful, colourful night indeed. :)

He's alive...

2010-10-29T02:38:00.003+08:00

When I relax...
He stretches more inside me...
I can feel him almost every minute of the time...

Hmmm...
Just wonder what he's doing now...
Sucking his thumb?
Strectching his arms?
Adjusting his resting position inside me?

Dear baby,
Can't wait to have you here with us...
It seems like forever...
Eventhough it's just 4 months to go...
Before we can hold you in our arms...
Place a kiss on your delicate, soft cheek...

Dear God,
May you keep my precious little one...
Healthy and safe...
In the soft blanket of my body...

Get your child's milk powder at supplier's price

2010-08-20T11:09:00.002+08:00

My sis-in-law is selling baby and kid milk powder direct from suppliers. They are much cheaper than found in supermarkets. If you or your friends would like to buy milk of below brands, just drop me a note here. I'll connect you to her.

Price List:

*Similac (400g) RM 32.50
*Similac Gain (400g) RM 26.50
*Gain Plus (1.8kg) RM 89
(400g) RM 20
*Gain Kid (900g) RM 39
*Isomil Adv (400g) RM 25.50
*Isomil Plus (400g) RM 24.50
*Neo Sure (375g) RM 23.50
*Pedia Sure (400g) RM 27.50
*Collect 20 scoops and redeem from me RM10 voucher (Tesco/ Sunshine)

Mamex Gold 1 (650g) RM 47
(400g) RM 28.50
Mamex Gold 2 (1kg) RM 67
Mamil Gold 3 (1kg) RM 44
Mamil Gold 4 (600g) RM 24
Dupro (1kg) RM 23.50
Dugro (1-6yrs+) (1kg) RM 19.90
Snow 1 (900g) RM 44
Snow 2 (900g) RM 43
Snow 3 (900g) RM39
S26 Gold (200g) RM 11
Promil Gold (900g) RM 36
Progress Gold (200g) RM 6.50
Enfalac A+ (200g) RM 17.50
Enfagrow (40g) RM 1.40
Anmum 1 (200g) RM 12.50
Anmum 2 (200g) RM 11.50

My sis is missing!

2010-05-18T10:25:00.004+08:00

My aunt broke the news to me on last Friday when I picked up Leia from her house. My dear cousin sister (who used to babysit me when I was just an infant) is missing in Mauritius! I felt my heart dropped almost instantly! How could this happen???

She should have returned from her tour guide job stinct two weeks ago but till today, we haven't received any news from her at all. Her last phone text message home was when she first arrived Mauritius coming to 1 month ago.... What has happened to her? Her siblings have made a police report in KL and we've got a call from the police to verify her home address in Penang. But that's all the info we've got right now...

Nobody knew that she took up this job offer except her youngest sis. Apparently, she went for an interview with an agent in Batu Maung. But they didn't meet at the agent's office. Instead, they met somewhere on the road. Her daughter followed her. And all the info we've got about the so-called tour agent is that the person who interviewed her was a fat Chinese lady, seen by the daughter. My sis has not disclosed any other info to her youngest sis. The deal was that she's required to escort 3 tourists into the country and she'll be paid USD1000 per tourist. Her job is to negotiate with the customs officers should they face any difficulty in bringing the tourists into the country. Is there such job in this world??

Could my sis has fallen into a scam?? Oh God, please let my sis returns home soon...

The Brezza unit for Sale

2010-03-12T18:33:00.004+08:00

I'm letting go of my Brezza unit. Any interested buyers?

1250 sq ft in Block A, 12th floor, full seaview with 1 carpark and 2 air-conds. 3 bedrooms + 3 bathrooms.

My asking price is RM580K. It is expected to be completed by middle of this year. And the price will go up again once OC is obtained. With the upcoming Quayside project (the super condo by E&O) nearby, it will accelerate the value of Brezza. Up...up...up.

If you're interested, you can contact 012-415 8100

The Brezza Condominium - Service after sales

2009-10-18T15:31:00.004+08:00

One word - unreliable!!!

Come to think of it, it applies to before, pre and after sales service.

I first made the 1% downpayment on Aug 20th and finally last week, I managed to pay the remaining 9%. That was like after several reminders to the salesperson to provide me with their company acct no and full name. The salesperson gave empty promises. "I'll let you know this afternoon". And that afternoon never came until 1 week later.

Not only that, they backdated the S&P agreement date to the date I first made the 1% downpayment which was one month later!!! And if it wasn't for us following up on the case, neither the lawyers nor UDA bothered to call us up.

And now, we have had received numerous progressive bills (which was supposed to be sent to our banker...), again backdated ones..!! And yet, they have the guts to request us to make the payment within one month time!! Which had already expired even before it reached us!! %^"$%$!!! So, I certainly "look forward" to the time they tell us to pay the penalty charges due to late payment...!

Are they really that incompetent????!!!

Lazy weekend

2009-08-23T14:37:00.002+08:00

It's only 4.00pm on Sunday but seems like I've been sitting here in the living hall for hours.... Time certainly crawls at this moment.

Rainy day... It's been raining non-stop since yesterday morning. The positive points are the air is fresh and the weather's just nice. Good time to just relax and do nothing. That's exactly what I've been doing... Doing nothing. Light newspaper and Facebook reading. Till I get so bored....and lazy...

The whole neighbourhood seems to come to a standstill except for the on-going passing by cars in front of the house. At least that keeps me company. Leia's soundly asleep. Since 1.30pm... Hubby woke up not long ago and he's out now. Maid - probably still finding things to do to keep her occupied. Pa-in-law is still resting nicely in his room....

What's there interesting and productive for me to do right now? Think about what to cook again? Oh... not again, though I must admit that I like to cook. I'm putting on weight again, that's why! Hmmmph!

Anywhere nice to go around Penang in such weather? It's weekend, come on! It shouldn't be turned into hibernating days every end of the week... Why am I not creative anymore when it comes to planning outdoor activities? Have I fallen into the trap of momhood? I shudder to think of being one like my grandmother used to be. No way... it's just not me.

The Brezza Condominium

2009-08-16T17:17:00.007+08:00

We have verbally booked a unit last Thursday. Pretty excited and yet concerned. After all, it's our first property investment initiative. Quite nervous actually...

Have been eyeing and following the updates of property market in Penang for a while now. The theory is that if you see something good, you gotta do it fast. Otherwise, you'll lose out. Well, being a conservative and low-risk taker I am, many good opportunities have indeed slipped out of the hand. So, this time must let hubby handles this investment plan of ours. No more pulling him back...

The Brezza Condo is one of the upcoming non-landed properties in Penang. Its developer is Uda Land (semi-owned by the government).

Some write-up made available in the developer's website;

The Brezza at Desiran Tanjong is strategically located in the hub of Penang’s growing township of Tanjong Tokong and is within walking distance to the Island Plaza shopping mall and Prima Tanjung business centre and a short driving distance to the famous Gurney Drive and Georgetown city centre.
•
02 km to Persiaran Gurney
•
08 km to Georgetown
•
12 km to Ferry Terminal / Jetty
•
15 km to Penang Bridge
•
35 km to Bayan Lepas International Airport

The Brezza comprises 24-storey twin condominiums totalling 312 units. Its unique V-shaped tower offers panoramic view of the sea and the surrounding hills and greens.

The Brezza units offer spacious built up of 1,250 to 1,450 sq ft, complemented by elegant and contemporary finishes. Each unit consists of three bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, each master bathroom comes with shower screen. The living hall and master bedroom are linked directly to a private lanai.

V-Shape Design

View from ground infront block

Security is of essence at The Brezza whereby residents are provided with smart card access, 24-hour surveillance system and direct intercom connection to the security post.
A swimming pool, children’s pool, Jacuzzi, children’s playground and club house are among the recreational facilities offered at The Brezza . The swimming pool offers an infinity view of the sea line from its landscaped rooftop podium.

•

Jacuzzi

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Wading pool

•

Infinity swimming pool

•

Children playground

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Club House with gymnasium, lounge and changing room

•

Landscaped garden

•

Reflexology track

•

BBQ area

•

Broadband ready

•

Intercom connecting Condo to Guardhouse

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2 Tiers Security System

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Covered Car Park

Lift lobby

View from swimming pool

View inside swimming pool

View podium

View pool deck

Security 24-hour

Got to place a RM500 deposit to confirm the unit tomorrow. So now, am busy checking out the best home loan packages in town.

Headhunter

2009-08-14T17:20:00.002+08:00

Just got a call from headhunter for Shipping Manager position. Should I or should I not?

Second beach outing cum dinner

2009-07-24T12:36:00.004+08:00

Last Saturday, I finally managed to persuade hubby to take us all to the beach. I read in several websites like this and this that toddlers at Leia's age are interested in playing with sand and water. So, I thought we must grant this favour to Leia. And the last time we took her to a beach was several months back. But of course, the recent raining season has been a "good excuse" to hubby as to why we shouldn't... Hmmm, I think he's getting lazier and heavier each day.... No wonder!

And the recent haze enveloping major parts in Malaysia (Penang certainly not spared!) just adds salt to the wound. So, if you ask us what we have been doing lately? Home and shopping complex quarantined.

Getting all ready to go. Where is this papa?

What happened to her pony tail??

Have to wait for mommy to get ready... as usual...

Meantime, let's play outdoor with Mr.Giraffe!

Phoenix wants to join in the fun!

Ah Kong continues to water the plants while waiting for everyone to get ready...

Real hot weather. Itchy...

Mommy, wipe wipe....

There are so many beaches in Penang and since clock was showing 6pm plus by the time we got ready, we decided to go to the nearest beach at Tanjung Tokong area so that we could get good sunset view. The beach was located behind Naza Hotel.

Getting there soon....

The sea!

Going down the steps

Yay, we're here!

Tie hair. Hot, hot , hot!

Wear slippers, roll up the jeans

We first visited the beach with Leia when she was less than a year old. I could still remember that she was afraid of the sea wave appproaching her then. And last Saturday, she was afraid too. The wave was rough and it was high tide. And it was so hot! We could hardly open our eyes. Ah kong and the maid were smart to go hiding under a shady tree.

So, this mommy decided to take on the role model stand. I went near the sea and dipped my legs into the water. She was encouraged by the sight of me touching the sea water and took a few steps forward.... before retreating. An angry' wave was approaching, you see...

And before we knew it, the wave reached her violently and SPLASH!! Leia's offcially wet. From her chest all the way down. And what's the next reaction? Waaaaahhhhhh...!!! Official sign of protest from the 'lil princess.

Very, very sad....

And perhaps we (or should I say... "I") have taught her too much about the need to being clean, she regarded the sand stuck to her feet as "dirty". In between her cries, she couldn't stop complaining, "dirty..... dirty.....dirty.... mommy dirty...... papa dirty......". Both hubby and I didn't know whether to laugh and sympathise at her antics! Well, we did try to explain to her that it is sand and not dirt... but.... tough luck.

Showing us her 'dirty' foot...

Still, I wasn't ready to give up on our beach outing. So, we quickly took out her beach toys - spade, Maggi mee empty cups, container... and showed it to her on how we're supposed to play with sand... build sandcastles....collect sea shells..... bury our feet into the sand....

A one minute of non-crying scene. But still in her static pose....

Well, she did sat down on my lap and played with sand for a while before she remembered the 'dirt' still stuck on her feet. Then, the whole drama started again. Haih.... that officially ended our beach outing. Went for dinner instead. In wet clothes and no change.

Hmmm....we should do this beach outing more frequent. What say you?

What now?

2009-07-14T12:52:00.000+08:00

Okay, here I am trying to juggle a few tasks at one go. Well, not the first time, though...

Priorities, priorities! Set my priorities right, that's it! I think I have a serious problem with that.

So, what do I do first now? Prepare the listening text for my students (my least favourite task...) or search for some good classroom materials for my afternoon class later? Or even better, write a post in my blog now... hehehehe....

As I surf the net for ideas, I got information overload. One thing led to another and before long, I'm lost - once again....

Was trying to look for a great article for the listening test and ended up reading up Twitter. And since I haven't installed one in my blog yet, thought I could do a quick one. "Mana tau" I ended up wasting my half hour figuring out (still) how to fix it. And that took me a whole big process of reading, understanding and following the instructions. As you can see that there's still no twitter widget uploaded here, you can guess the outcome of my effort.... zero.

Why did I end up babbling here when I'm supposed to focus on my listening test preparation. Blame it on distractions!

Purpose in life

2009-07-10T17:15:00.000+08:00

This must be the best year ever in my life! I'm able to focus on my family-building, particularly. Also, I'm enjoying my new working life, qetting acquainted once more with my old school buddies and many others through Facebook and indulging into new hobbies like cooking, baking and recycling. All at one go! My house, my home has never been much a better place to live than now!

I never thought that letting go that once prized job could open up so many new opportunities to me... But it was not easy to let go. It took me about a year to discern and finally took that leap of faith. I'll never forget that one very important person who made me realised the need to walk the talk. That is, to put important things in my life FIRST. It's always been easy to announce to the world that 'my family comes first' but it's always been a struggle to many families or parents like me to really put that into action. If we do indeed give it a real serious thought, it's not that difficult to see that it's almost contradicting to believe that our family comes first when most of the time we're engaged in office or other activities around the clock.

Really, God has been good. Now I understand the purpose of God placing those not-so-comfortable situations in my life 1-2 years ago. Yes, it is good!

My papa's 61st birthday celebration May this year.

Bz mommy's back!

2009-06-23T17:29:00.000+08:00

Phew...! Just came back to my office from a 2-day workshop. Tiring... but am happy that we achieved the objectives.

Hmmm, not too sure how many times I'm going to say this...but I'm surprised that this blog has been left un-updated for more than a month now! Yeah, yeah... I gotta discipline myself in my time management so that all tasks get done. With new responsibilities, priorities have changed once again... Can't help it but if it's gotta be done that way, then that's the way it is gonna be....

What am I mumbling about? Probably just need an avenue to clear out all the thoughts lingering in my head right now...

As expected, I have missed out updating so many latest happenings in my and Leia's lives. Thanks to my long silence but will try to catch up. I promise.

Leia has been growing up very fast. She's in her baby talk phase right now - "go ga tha di dum tha...", "ma cha si di na...". Incomprehensible but it's been fun reacting to her verbalisation. *Is there such word??* Also, she's now trying very hard to build sentences in her conversation with us. For example, " Papa wake up" (when she's been asked by yours truly to wake up her lazy daddy from his slumber...), "Mommy keep" (when she wants me to keep her books for her after reading), "Kakak (sister in Malay) makan".... Oh yes, she's learning Malay language too with her "kakak" (our new maid). Yup, you see it right... we've got a maid too!!! It's another long story to share... Will do it in another post, I promise. Oh god, it's the second promise I made within the same post!!

But one thing good for sure, I can now cook almost everyday for the family. Thanks to kakak's ever ready assistance.

Talking about that, I better think of what to cook for tonight now...!

Move over Swine flu, it's Coxsackie time

2009-05-01T23:02:00.002+08:00

With so much news on swine flu in the media lately, who would have thought that it's Coxsackie virus which managed to be the center of attention in our family?

Just got a call from mom about half an hour ago, my niece - Cassandra was admitted to the hospital this late evening for this C virus. I was shocked to hear the unwelcomed news. As quick as lightning, my mind raced to flash back any past incidents that could possibly lead me to suspect Leia may be in danger as well. She has just met and played with her cousin last Sun. That was 5 days ago.

So, as kiasu as I can be, I'm now stuck in front of the pc (for the last 1 and a half hour) refreshing my memory on C virus facts. The time now 12 midnight.

Surfed up a few websites and here's one (FAQ) from the New York State Health Department,

What is hand, foot and mouth disease?

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a viral infection caused by a strain of Coxsackie virus. It causes a blister-like rash that, as the name implies, involves the hands, feet and mouth. (Hand, foot and mouth disease is different than foot-and-mouth disease, which is an infection of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and deer and is caused by a different virus.)

Who gets hand, foot and mouth disease?

Usually this occurs in children under 10 years old, but occasionally can occur in young adults.

How is it spread?

The virus is spread by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, blisters and feces of infected people.

What are the symptoms and when do they start?

Symptoms of fever, poor appetite, runny nose and sore throat can appear three to five days after exposure. A blister-like rash on the hands, feet and in the mouth usually develops one to two days after the initial symptoms.

When and how long can someone spread the disease?

A person is contagious when the first symptoms appear and may continue until the blister-like skin lesions disappear. The virus has been known to be shed in the stool for up to several weeks.

How is hand, foot and mouth disease diagnosed?

The diagnosis is generally suspected on the appearance of blister-like rash on hands and feet and mouth in a child with a mild febrile illness. Although specific viral tests are available to confirm the diagnosis, they are rarely performed due to expense and length of time needed to complete the tests.

Does a prior infection with Coxsackie virus make a person immune?

Specific immunity can occur, but a second episode is possible from a different strain of Coxsackie virus.

What is the treatment?

There is no specific treatment. Treatment is aimed at fever control and maintaining good oral hydration.

Can there be complications associated with hand, foot and mouth disease?

The illness is typically mild, complications are rare. More serious infections have been seen recently with a certain strain of Coxsackie viral infection in Indonesia.

What can be done to prevent the spread of this disease?

Children who feel ill or have a fever should be excluded from group settings until the fever is gone and the child feels well. Thorough handwashing and care with diaper changing practices is important as well.

Is there a risk for pregnant women?

There is debate as to any congenital disorders related to Coxsackie viral infections and pregnancy. Pregnant women should consult their obstetrician for further information. (source from Communicable Diseases)

So the conclusion is, there's no vaccine nor cure to this illness. To prevent - stay hygienic and to speed up the healing process - good oral hydration and fever control...

I'm now 99% sure that Leia is not infected coz she has not shown any cited symptoms so far... Except mild flu for 1.5 days more than a week ago. But nah....

Accident!

2009-03-04T18:05:00.004+08:00

Leia had a rather terrible fall this morning. As both hubby and I were busy getting ready for work, Leia ran across the dining hall and tripped. Her head knocked the edge of the fridge and in and instant, we heard a loud scream....!

It must have been the worst fall she had so far. Well, I could sort of guessed it coz her cry was unstoppable and the bruise was swelling so quickly.

Still not happy... Ouch, my forehead...

It took us almost 15 minutes to console and assure her that it was alright then. Usually, her cry will immediately stop once we pick her up if the fall is minor. Poor baby...

No teeth still?? Part 3

2009-03-02T15:51:00.003+08:00

Yes, finally made it to the clinic! Well, guess I had overly-rated my expectations prior to the visit coz it was nothing exciting nor eye-opening! I have no one to be blamed but myself!

"What is it?, what is it?", you may ask... But oh well... nothing extraordinary happened. Reached the clinic almost 9am and for the first time, couldn't get a parking lot there. Why did every parents decide to bring their 'lil ones there on the same day..?? So, being the responsible road user I always am, I politely parked next to the motorcycle park illegally but made sure that I didn't obstruct the traffic. Very thoughtful, wasn't I? Thankfully, I managed to persuade the security guard to let me go. Not surprising, right? Who on earth will not sympathise to a helpless, semi-incompetent-looking mom with a toddler strapped on the car seat - without any other human being at sight to assist her, right? "Cheh eh ho liao ha?" ("Just for a short while, ok?" in Hokkien), requested the security guard.

The visit lasted about one and a half hours. I do hope it is considered "short" for the kind security guard...

Anyway, it was just another regular check-up. Checked her weight - 9.5kg. She only gained 100g since her last 2 months visit. It's considered a low increase... But nothing to worry about as long as she's still gaining weight progressively. She was measured height for the first time, though.. 77.4cm. Oh, another first time - dental check, the moment I've been waiting for!

"Buka mulut, Leia..." ("open your mouth" in Malay), the nurse asked her. "Mai..." ("no" in Hokkien), she retorted. This happened for a few times until everyone gave up. So, I explained her progress to the nurse. According to her, some babies are late bloomers. *Duh.... They will usually refer the late bloomers to doctors if there's still no sign of teeth by the age of 2. So, Leia "failed the test" to get the chance to meet the doc. Remember I told you earlier, one tooth on the upper gum is showing...

So, there we were... listening to some dental care advise given by the nurse. I find it hard to believe that I need to start cleaning her hardly visible tooth! and gum. No more pacifier. Fact or myth?? That babies may develop imperfect teeth if they continue chewing on their pacifiers.

Want to know our progress thus far? Well, Leia has successfully lived her last 2 days without pacifier. Easy-peasy. No violent protest required. But....but... as for cleaning her tooth and gum, no action has been taken yet. Blame it on my lack of urgency. Hmmm... maybe tonight.

No teeth still?? Part 2

2009-02-25T00:06:00.004+08:00

Hehehe.... I see something in there....!

Yup! I'm seeing sign of teething! Leia's first tooth is struggling to pierce through her toughen gum. Counted. 1/4 tooth is out. Meaning, the first one is not totally out yet. But, it's ok. I can heave a sigh of relief now...hai..... :)

Hubby's right. We've not heard of cases of toothless child, right? And I'm pretty sure Leia will not place her name in Guinness World Records...if you know what I mean....

Nevertheless, I can't wait to visit her doctor this coming Thursday. Counting down!

One more day to go...

2009-02-24T22:26:00.004+08:00

Though I'm loving it..!, but I'm also looking forward to a beauty sleep - desperately. It feels like my whole body system is going to give up on me anytime soon unless I give it a deserving rest.

As I write now, I have just had tightening of muscle near my right chest. Ouch! My eyes are heavy and my right wrist aches due to sitting extremely long in front of my laptop. I know... these are signs that I need to rest... but this will be the lastnight. Hang on there, "boddy".

It's been 4 nights in a row now that I've been sleeping around 2-4am. Just couldn't take a rest when I still have more to work on the training materials at the back of my head. Luckily, I have hubby and pa-in-law to look after Leia while I stare at this feelingless, square, "intelligent" box everynight. Leia has been behaving quite well and went to bed early. Thank God...

Despite feeling delighted to be the chosen as the trainer for workplace communication course for our Penang State Secretariat employees, I was a bit disheartened to discover that the existing training materials could actually be placed in the museum as artifacts! And that discovery was on last Thursday. And the training was scheduled on the following Monday till Wednesday! How would you feel if you were in my shoes??

Well, I almost exploded! In fact, I felt more amused than disappointed. As a consolation to me, there was basically coming to zero expectations from the organiser. So, I could have chosen to stick to the old materials and don't have to improvise them at all. But my conscience told me otherwise. So, here I am now... still struggling to complete the final piece of tomorrow's materials.

Ok, gotta get back to work after whining it all out to all of you...!

Maid chapter

2009-02-11T16:42:00.002+08:00

I have not shared this concern before in my blog. But I think I'll share now. Anxiety has been the key feeling of mine for the last few days. Not surprising especially when it concerns this matter, don't you think so?

Hmmm, where shall I start? Well, let's just put it this way - the need of having a maid to run the household with this semi-efficient wife cum mommy has cropped up again. In fact, hubby and I are giving it a very serious thought about having one now. It is with the hope that both of us will be released from doing the petty housework (which needs to be done on a regular basis in order to have a healthy home environment) and focus on other more important matters like spending quality time with Leia, spending more time with just the two of us, working on our investment matters, getting more sleep, having more time for leisure activities, etc, etc.

Yeah, very ironic situation, I know. Here I am quitting my high paid job for a not-so high paid job so that I can have more time for the family... and yet this yours truly still fail to keep the house in tip top condition. It's to the extent that we need to resort to a maid...??? Mind-boggling, isn't it?

Having a maid will cost us a total average of RM650-800 per month! Not a small sum, indeed. Plus all the maid horror stories that we're hearing everyday, it seems like a unwise move. But.... but....but if we do the mathematics right which is to include all the intangible costs (plus benefits) incurred, we should still be able to afford one.

When we have one, we won't have to send Leia to my aunty's place (her baby-sitter) on everyday basis. Leia can stay at home with my pa-in-law and maid for a few weekdays and the rest of the weekdays with my aunt. With that sort of arrangement, we would save some on car petrol, energy and equally important - time which then translates into expenditure for maid's salary. We can then cut down on unnecessary stress gained from getting caught in traffic jams everyday.

Then, I would have more time in brushing up my cooking skills too! Hahaha...let's see.

No teeth still??

2009-02-11T16:34:00.002+08:00

Ok, ok, ok...there I go again... getting all paranoid with Leia's teething issue. Just great! I just got a weekly baby update from one of the baby's website that I subscribed to - Babycenter.com this afternoon... And guess what I've been informed..?

Quote
If your child still doesn't have any teeth by 15 to 18 months, schedule a visit with a pediatric dentist
Unquote

Haha! See, I knew something is not alright...! Leia's 14 months old now. Pretty close to the age range given above, don't you think?

Ok, should I get panic now? Her next regular medical check-up is in next 2 weeks time. So, I think I'll stay sane till that d-day (she'll turn 15 then!) and interrogate the doctor!

Leia's milestones

2009-02-09T23:36:00.004+08:00

Physical development
Yay!! She could walk on her own d! She took her first successful independant step just right a day before Chinese New Year (that is 25th Jan, right?). Hooray! You bet, she's everywhere now. Good for this mommy. No more excuses to run along!

And now she's into going up and down the steps. Don't ever let her catch the sight of steps. She'll either run towards it on her own or drag us along. And then be prepared for non-stop "exercising" for the next 10-20 mins.... "Up!" and "down!"

And you better believe it.... yup, no sign of teeth yet. How old is she now? 14 months... What?? Yeah, yeah, yeah... you are not the first person to emphatise and say nice things to us...like, "it's good to sprout teeth late. Then her teeth won't spoil so soon...., etc, etc"

Well, many doctors and baby websites have said that it's normal... Ok, then it's normal. Not going to worry about it. * yeah, right!* You know, each time Leia developed fever, the common prediction was "oh, perhaps her teeth are coming out..." Well, they were false alarms alright. My heart has just decided to stop guessing... Well, the teeth will come out when it's time, I guess. Have faith!

Speech
She's at her peak right now, I think. She's learning words and memorizes the relation between a picture and word very fast. At times, all we need is to tell her one time and she remembers.

Some of the words that she has been using frequently;
Ah mie (mommy)
Ah pa/ Papa (daddy)
Ah kong (grandpa)
Ah ma (grandma)
Koh koh (brother)
Ah ku (uncle)
Bye....
Bb... (baby)
hi
phak! (beat you!)
mai (no)
ai (i want/ yes)
woh woh (dog)
bird
yugh.... yugh... (hot)
piggy
fish
bike
mam mam/ eat
up
down
sit
shoe
book

she can recognise;
lantern
fan
socks
sponge bob (her favourite bolster cum soft toy)
cup
thermos (her porridge container)
giraffe (her assisted walking toy)
chair
flowers
cat
handphone/phone
etc, etc

Oh yeah, she loves to "dance"! Play any kind of music, she'll happily shake her body for you, be it in standing or sitting position. So, this could be our life saviour when it comes to handling her tantrum throwing moments.

Oh, it's so true that babies grow up so fast. It's simply amazing to see a toddler who's just been living in this world for merely a year could handle so much in a day!

It's miracle!

Happy New Year!

2009-02-02T22:19:00.004+08:00

Yes, I'm finally back online... Wow, it's been a month since I last put up a post. How time flies!

Oh, by the way, Happy New Year all!

No, I was not in hiatus. In fact, I was drowned with many new expectations as I have just started teaching in university. Yeah... back in the workforce but with different personal expectations and goals.

It's a different ball game altogether. But I'm happy and my family is happy.

I'm feeling at peace...

Is my baby a picky eater?

2008-12-30T13:26:00.001+08:00

Since Leia has been refusing her "moi" (rice porridge) lately, I stopped giving it to her for the last 2 days. Instead I fed her something else like oats porridge, papayas, biscuits, rice grains and bread and milk. She took all these in small portions. Yesterday, I made rice porridge for her again after a few days of "abstinence". She has cut down on the word usage of "mai"("no" in Hokkien) and agreed to eat few spoonfuls. Half the size that she used to eat. I have alsocut the carrots and potatoes and other veges into cubes instead of mashed them all up. (Tried to give her a change in food texture in the hope that she'll like it better.) Well, she opened her mouth wide... A good sign to me.

If those baby websites like wholesomebabyfood.com and homemade-baby-food-recipes.com are right, I really hope this challenging stage will pass soon. As much I'd like to assure myself that it is not to be worried about, I can't stop feeling it - looking at the little amount of food she ate. I'm glad though... her appetite for milk is returning.

Will have to give her variety of foods. Working on a food menu for her now....

Padang Brown - Penang famous hawker center

2008-12-29T00:13:00.016+08:00

Our beauty sleep last Saturday was interrupted by a phone call from hubby's office. His boss needed him to be in office around 11am to review one assignment. Since it was coming to 10 when he received the request, he decided to wake the two of us up too. Brilliant idea indeed!

We hurriedly got dressed and let Leia drank her milk as hubby suggested that we should tag along. Since he promised taking us for a meal straight after work, I agreed. Hehehe....

So, by 11.40am, we were already at one of Penang famous eating places - Padang Brown. It is famous for its Yong Tau Foo, Poh piah, Lok Lok, Pasembur, Hokkien Mee, Coconut drink.......... and lots more. Hmmm, I like the place a lot as it has plenty of Penang popular hawker food I named above.

Satellite view of Padang Brown

But we were a bit too early. The hawkers have just arrived and was busy setting up their stalls. We were told to wait at least another half an hour. So, while waiting... we took Leia to the nearby children playground. Now that she is a bit older, we allowed her to explore more. She has been "promoted" to playing with metal play items. :)

Taking on the captain role once again!

"Ready?"

"Yay...!!!"

"Oh, where am I?"

"Hey, Leia...."

"Leia, mommy's here"

The view of the hawker center from the playground

Having enough of playtime with pants and shoes soiled with earth, we marched to the hawker center for a satisfying meal.

We - the early birds got to choose the best table

Assam Laksa for hubby. Tasty! (Yup, he let me tried)

Char koay teow for both of us. Good!

Hokkien mee for me! Super delicious!

Leia settled with playing with the stools while we enjoyed our meal...

First Christmas

2008-12-28T23:35:00.005+08:00

One person asked me in one of the Christmas parties, "Is this her first Christmas?" Well, technically "no" as she was born on Nov 30 2007. Rightfully, it should be her 2nd Christmas this year. But I'd like to think it as her first since we didn't celebrate one last year.

Why didn't we celebrate? You see... her papa (that's my hubby) was down with chicken pox when she was just 2 weeks old. So, we had no choice but to be separated. There I was with Leia in my parents' place while my hubby was quarantined in upstairs room of our house.

It was a sad moment for me. I missed being by my hubby's side on this special season. What more then that a newborn has just joined our family...

So, this year is Leia's "first" Christmas. We chose to celebrate it in a simple manner. What is important is that we're celebrating it together as a family...

"Open the presents, girls...."

Singing session

Spilled the drinking water all over her dress

She's losing her appetite

2008-12-25T00:40:00.000+08:00

Hmmm... it's coming to a week now - Leia seems to be losing her appetite. She refused to finish her "moi" (porridge) and milk almost on her every meal. She used to drink at least 7 ounces of milk in 2.5 hours time but now... she couldn't even finish her 6 ounce milk.

I'm getting a bit concerned. Could it be due to teething? She's coming to 13 months old and yet, there's no sign of sprouting teeth.

Tried giving her other new type of foods like bread, biscuit, oats, pears but she doesn't seem to be able to eat a lot. That includes her favourite biscuit - Jacob's Weetameal. She could only finish quarter or maximum half of the biscuit when previously, she could finish one whole at one go.

Blessed Christmas!

2008-12-25T00:29:00.003+08:00

Chingay procession in Penang

2008-12-22T22:37:00.009+08:00

There was a Chingay procession in town last night. It was yearly event held on Christmas day. But this time around, it was moved to an earlier date to avoid traffic chaos during the festive. Oh, I've not been to one for a few years now. So, I thought it would great to go downtown to join in the fun - with Leia around this time. Well, it was not easy to persuade hubby to take us there. "What's there to see but a few people trying to juggle a long thick pole on their heads without much skill shown?" But I did it. He finally agreed later in the evening. Great!

As anticipated, traffic came to a snarl at certain spots as the police blocked certain routes to make way for the procession. We decided to head to the final meeting point of the procession - Esplanade. We were lucky enough to find a car park lot nearby.

Boy, it felt so good to be out there and join in the fun. :) It felt like it's been ages since we last did that sort of thing. Leia was totally overwhelmed! She couldn't stop observing the antics of people around her, the street performances - lion dance, Bhangra dance, malay dance, etc, the bright colourful lights decorating the streets and the kids.

"Wah...."

A boy negotiating a balloon with the clown

Leia got a balloon too...

It was past 10pm and after more than 2 hours there, we decided to go "makan" (eat for Malay) at the nearby famous hawker centre while waiting for the traffic to ease. Look at we saw hung on the wall of court building.

"Buat kerja" (Do work in Malay) slogan? Hmmm...that's a bit tricky, isn't it? Do we really need a slogan to encourage the workers to work?? Give me that job that I'm not required to work!

My counsellors...

2008-12-20T00:03:00.002+08:00

I'm so glad that I had a chance to have a good, long discussion with hubby about my current state of mind and affairs yesterday evening. Everything become clearer again...

Who are your personal counsellor when you face roadblocks in your life? I have two. One is my hubby, of course and two is my best friend. They are the ones who seem to understand me most besides my parents, though both of them have a total opposite way of handling issues. One is a talker and the other is a listener. I'll let you guess who is who...

Being a sentimental person I am, I find talking and sharing my "sorrows" is a very effective way to de-stress. Ya, ya... poor two people mentioned above - having to bear with me like they have no other choice! Eventhough at times they couldn't help me much but it's very assuring and comforting to just have someone who cares to listen to me. It truly means a lot.

The cursed endless list

2008-12-17T14:02:00.003+08:00

I've been wanting to write these 2 days but... there were simply so many distractions that came along.

How have I been doing? How is Leia? What am I up to right now? How is Leia progressing? Hmmm... many things to share but....

Having 1001 things in mind to do is not exactly a healthy state of mind I should be in at all time. It's neither impressive to begin with. But why do I have this endless list in my thought all the time? Do you know why? I think I know the answer but I guess I have not settled with one great solution.

There are just 24 hours a day in our lives. Well, it rings truth that we can't possibly do everything that we want without prioritising them wisely. Am I setting my priorities right? If I do, why am I feeling so disillusioned? One part of me is insisting that I "slow down" in work related matter so that I can focus more on Leia.... and the other part of me is not allowing me to let go... Oh, I'm tired of pleasing both... the inner voices. Oh, what about the outer voices - the surrounding voices by the loved ones, friends...

Dear God, what about yours?

Feeding time

2008-12-15T01:27:00.006+08:00

Lately, Leia has started to like playing with her cutlery. During feeding times, she has tried to grab the spoon from my hand. So, you can imagine how messy it could be most of the time! I have to always get ready a bucket of water and wet cloth next to me. Just so that I can immediately wipe and clean up the mess once it happens. Sigh...

Solution? Look at the pictures below,

Her own cutlery set - minus the food

Hmmm...what's so yummy with the plastic spoon?

Not so full-proof still. I guess it will only happen when she turns adult, hopefully....

Weetameal - Jacob's

2008-12-15T00:51:00.005+08:00

What's your baby's favourite biscuit? Leia loves Jacob's Weetameal. I have started giving her this biscuit about 2 weeks ago for her to snack in between her meals. Tried giving her Rusk's baby teething biscuit a few times before but she didn't like it it all. Perhaps it was because of the very sweet taste and the sticky texture it has.

So, if at anytime Leia rejects her "moi" (porridge in Hokkien) or other solid foods, Weetameal comes to rescue.

Self-service

Half piece gone!

Finger licking good!

More...

I personally loves this biscuit. It's so yummy and easy to eat. I could gulp down an average of 4 pieces at any given time. Now, it has a new follower - my hubby! Hehehe...

A trip to the playground

2008-12-13T13:13:00.013+08:00

Yesterday, I took Leia and her young "ku ku" (uncles in Hokkien) to the playground near my ah ma's (grandma in Hokkien) house. Since her papa will only be coming home at dinner time, I decided to spend the time "wisely" and bring along her "ku ku" to have an exercise session with us. The older "ku ku" has mentioned several times of his wish to play at that playground earlier. So, I made his wish came true yesterday... :)

It was a 15 minutes walk from ah ma's house and very near to the new supermarket - Econsave. We had fun pushing Leia in her stroller to the place. We took turns. At one point of time, we even had to lift her up (together with her stroller) to avoid the uneven and rocky path. It was her moment of being a princess carried in her carriage... hahaha!

I let Leia sat on a swing with me. She didn't quite like it. Struggled to release herself from my grip. I think it was probably because she felt restrained. So, I let her tried standing while her both hands holding on the metal. Oh, she loved it! We could her "ki ki ka ka"! (laughters)

Then, I let her tried the slide. It was her first time. So, I guided her and sat her at the top of the slide before pushing her down gently. Initially it felt a bit awkward. But after a few tries, she got it and wanted to try it out on her own.

Slowly but surely

Reached the top!

Ready?

"Weeee......!!"

Older "ku ku", KW appreciating the view from the top

Balancing act by the younger "ku ku", KS

Despite the fun at the playground, I seriously could not stand the mosquitoes! I got bitten like more than 5 bites and Leia got 2! It must be the rainy season. There are mosquitoes everywhere! Even now, as I'm sitting down typing away, I think at least a mosquito is happily sucking out blood from me! Aarrggh! Itchy!

So, after half an hour there, I decided to lead the "rombongan" (group in Malay) home. Enough of blood donation!

Leia and her "koh poh" (aunty in Hokkien)

KW - the camera-shy boy ducked as soon as I took out my camera

Anmum or Gain Plus?

2008-12-11T21:34:00.004+08:00

Selection of the "right" milk powder for our kids is another area of concern for those moms who have stopped breastfeeding like yours truly... There are so many well-known brands in the market with their own niche selling points which makes it even more complicated in the selection process. Some added extra content into the milk powder to help ease constipation and what-not. Sometimes, getting spoilt with choices is not a pleasurable experience, don't you agree?

Another challenge with this milk powder issue is the need to change the milk powder type so frequently. Many parents would have noticed that many brands classify their milk powder in various stages based on the age of the child. For example - Anmum has Step 1 (0-6 months old), Step 2 (6-12 months old) and Step 3 (1-3 year old). Whereas brands like Similac makes it less complicated by combining Anmum Step 1 & 2 into one (that is 0-12 months old).

So, expectantly with Leia being 1 year old now, I have to "upgrade" her milk powder to "1-3 years old" category. Nevertheless, glad to know that the next time we'll need to "upgrade" it again will be another 3 years time down the road!

I bought Anmum for Leia previously. Now that she is 1 year old, my milk powder supplier recommended me Gain Plus.

Yes, I don't buy the milk powder from supermarkets. I have a nurse friend who can supply me at discounted price. According to her, Gain Plus milk powder is more superior than Anmum as the nutrient content is greater than the latter. So, I listened to her advise. But similar like Similac (both Similac and Gain Plus are the products of Abbott group), it has a thick layer of froth formed once mixed with water and shaken in milk bottle. Now I have a small concern - won't our toddlers be sucking in too much air if that is the case?

I have checked with my supplier and she assured me that it's nothing to be worried about. The froth formation was caused by 1 missing ingredient in the milk powder. The ingredient (which acts like a stabiliser) is purportedly omitted out to preserve the high content of "natural" ingredients used. In fact, only Abbout milk products will have froth formation due to the fact mentioned above.

Wanting to believe her, I did a test. I mixed 1 ounce of Anmum milk powder into 6 ounce of Gain Plus into the boiled water. Then shook it. Surprisingly, no froth formed this time. Hmmm... what's your thoughts?

If you are in my shoes, which brand would you have chosen for Leia? Anmum or Gain Plus? (Let's not go further with other brands...)

Discipline my child

2008-12-10T23:54:00.003+08:00

My dreaded moments have arrived... Or should I say that it's confirmed that I lack of parenting skill?

Leia has been throwing tantrums quite often lately whenever she didn't get things done her way. It's especially embarrassing when she does it in the public. As much as we both tried very hard to reason with her and gently tell her "no" to avoid unsafe situations, she would just "flipped" and engaged into actions that at times may hurt herself. Things that she would do would include crying till we pick her up, pushing herself backward with all her might, raising both legs into the air and then bringing them down hard, throwing whatever items held in her hand...

Again, I feel panicky! Oh dear... what can I do better to discipline her? A couple who came to visit us last weekend gave us some advise - It is the time now to consider using "the rod" to discipline her. They have always been our role model for good parenting. They have raised 2 obedient, polite and well-mannered children and deep in my heart, I really hope I can be one as well.

We have never used the rod. The most we have done is to beat her hand and bottom with our hands. So, obviously the current method doesn't work. This sense of desperation lead me to read up more about the right method to disciplining Leia. But what is discipline to begin with? According to Dr Sears, discipline is based on building the right relationship with a child more than using the right techniques. Discipline is mostly what you do to encourage good behaviour. Certainly not reacting to bad behaviour as some parents would equate discipline with.

After reading this article about "DEVELOPMENTAL REASONS WHY TODDLERS CAN BE DIFFICULT TO DISCIPLINE", I begin to see Leia's temper tantrums in different light. I now understand that the drive that babies have to develop, is the same one that creates discipline challenges. For example, along with learning how to pick up things, a one-year-old toddler develops hand skills to manipulate what she gets. Doors are to be opened, knobs turned, drawers pulled, dangling cords yanked, and waste cans emptied. Everything within walking and grabbing distance is fair game, or so she figures. To the inquisitive adventurer like Leia, the whole house is an unexplored continent, and she intends to leave no stone unturned.

So, what are the discipline principles that I need to use to help Leia to have "good" behaviours? I trust the most important one is to understand and know her. Know her needs and capabilities at various ages. My discipline techniques should be different at each stage because Leia's needs change. A temper tantrum in a one-year-old calls for a different response than it does in an eight-year-old.

So, say no more to reacting to bad behaviours but start instilling good ones. Looks like I won't be able to doze off so easily tonight.... Lots of reflection going through my head now!

Let's go swimming...

2008-12-09T12:51:00.007+08:00

Wow... in less than 2 weeks, Leia has gone to the swimming pool 4 times! Since I'm not working now, I finally have all the reasons to swim again. It's been so long.... my last time was I was pregnant.

Every single swimming trip will require 3 bags full of clothes, swimming gadgets for the adults and the small one, drinking water, soap and shampoo, food, what else... So, for this mommy - it was a pretty stressful preparation. Well, at least for the first time. The list of "what need to bring along" seemed endless...

Gladly enough, Leia wasn't so afraid of water. Seeing her "papa" and "kong kong" swimming in the pool, she too wanted to go near. At first, she couldn't recognise them (as they were in their goggles) but after a while of convincing (taking off and putting on the goggles), she smiled and waved at them. That was the ice-breaker.

In her cute "hand-me-down" swimsuit from her cousin in US. Getting all ready

Naturally, she gets more comfortable dipping herself in the pool after a few trips. The last trip we went, she couldn't wait to get into the pool! As soon as I put her into her swim suit, she crawled towards the edge of the pool on her own.

Can't wait to go swimming again tomorrow. Hopefully I'll recover from my back pain by then. Was moving around like an old granny today...

Memories...

2008-12-06T15:33:00.013+08:00

So... you noticed I have started adding photos in my post?

Hahaha... managed to add another photo editing software called GIM P on this old desktop. Thanks to hubby! This works just fine with lots of features. Truly recommended.

As promised earlier, I'm sharing here some photos taken on my last day in Ceva.

Farewell lunch at KFC with my Penang CS team (except for the Security man sitting at the centre)

My two lovely CS

My whiteboard in my office?

A view from my office

As I searched and edited above photos, I can't help but to also look through all those old office photos taken with my Malaysia team - Penang, KL and Johor. Here are some of them...

My birthday celebration in the office in 2007. Notice the birthday gift my team gave me? :)

Lunch get-together for Penang and Johor CS teams in Bayan Baru, Penang

Penang and KL CS teams in company annual dinner last year

The one and only POM-POM team in company inter-department bowling competition

Organised the industry first Blood Donation and Organ Pledge Campaign when I was 6 months pregnant

Vaccinated!

2008-12-05T11:21:00.012+08:00

Thank God everything went smoothly and she didn't show any allergy reaction till now.

It was a half day affair yesterday. We (Leia, aunty and I) reached hospital coming to 9.30am. Yeah, this mommy took forever to get both of us ready... As usual, the car parking bays were all taken and I had no choice but to park my car so far far away - some nearby housing area. Man, it was such a hot sunny day! By the time I reached the hospital compound, I was drenched in sweat.

Funny - we were asked to register at the Emergency and Accidents area. I felt a bit uncomfortable having to see all the gory sights of bloody people and old grannies with oxygen masks covered half of their faces waiting to be examined. I tried very hard to keep Leia out of those sights by keeping her occupied with her books. Surprisingly, nothing much was done to Leia there except asking a bit of her particulars by a doctor. Then, we were taken to another counter (to register again) and to pay a RM10 deposit. Then, off to the Ward C1 we went.

As soon as we entered the ward area, we were greeted with cryings and groans of babies and toddlers. They were everywhere accompanied mostly by their mothers. Many of these kids had tubes attached to their noses and hands. They looked so sickly and scrawny. A very sad sight...

Leia then had her BP (blood pressure) checked and weight taken. That was the first time I saw a BP cloth wrapped on the leg instead of the arm. I didn't ask why. I figured her arm is too small and short to fit the wide cloth.

She was given a cot placed next to another baby who needed observation for the MMR vaccination. She was happy to meet a new friend. In fact, she was feeling happy the whole morning - singing, talking and clapping hands all the way to the hospital. I think that was because she didn't know....what's to come...

Her designated cot - out of place. Without a pillow - the hospital ran out of pillows

Look at the many cots at background

Yeh... Sponge Bob was there too!

View from her cot

Thank God, the vaccination wasn't that traumatic an experience for her. She willingly allowed me to hold her arm firmly before the nurse "cucuk" (poked in Malay) her. As expected, she yelled as soon as she realised it but quickly came a silence as well when I picked her up. Phew... No struggling and kicking and screaming this time. The experienced nurse saved the day!

A happy girl once again!

Her monitoring sheet

Finally... dozed off.... despite the noise and the very warm surrounding

She was given the jab around 11am. And the nurse advised that she be observed for the next 6 hours. If no symptoms shown, then she could be discharged. Wow....that were a lof of hot hours!

But thankfully, around 3pm, the practising docs and experienced ones who did a round check was happy with her progress. Thus, she was given the approval to discharge earlier. So, did was the other MMR vaccinated baby. Hooray!

Helping mommy to pack?

So, we left the hospital around 3.45pm after settling the bill and documentations. But will have to continue to monitor her progress overnight. Was given paracetamol syrup - just in case she develops fever at night. But as I said earlier, she's fine with no symptoms till now. Thank God...

Leia will have to be admitted this Thursday

2008-12-02T23:27:00.000+08:00

Leia couldn't get her MMR (Measles, mumps and Rubella) vaccination as per schedule - yesterday morning. It was because she has had egg allergy experience about 2 weeks ago. She developed rashes around her mouth area after taken a 1/8 egg. Thankfully, it wasn't severe and it went off about 15 mintes later.

As the MMR vaccine is made using a protein related to egg, the doctor is concerned that she may have allergy reaction towards the vaccination. Though most allergy cases reported are on the mild side, the doctor is serious enough not to take any risk. Therefore, Leia was recommended to be admitted to General Hospital this Thursday. She will be given the vaccination there and will be observed for a day.

According to the doctor, the more severe side effects to the vaccination are difficulty in breathing, swell on the eyes and mouth and whole body rashes.

Have been reading quite a bit on this vaccination and its side effects. Besides above 2 links, attached here is another article. Now that I'm more informed, I hope I'll be more prepared to face whatever situations arised this Thursday... Please pray for her.

I'm back!

2008-12-02T22:13:00.000+08:00

Yes, finally... after a few days of silence. Have been busy over the weekend with Leia's birthday party and all sorts of things.

But things are not getting any better with my blogging experience. I still can't figure out how to use this @#$*&@ Nero Photosnap to view and edit my JPEG pics and hubby is too tied up with his own things to lend a hand. Haih!

I'm so frustrated! With the laptop returned to the company, I now have to make do with an old desktop available at home. Oh gosh... the slow speed is driving me nuts!

With all these technical challenges I'm facing, I'm so de-motivated to blog.

I think I certainly need to get my own personal laptop soon. Can't wait for the coming PC Fair in PISA, Bayan Lepas on this weekend. Yes, I need to get one there!

It's the RIGHT choice!

2008-11-27T11:59:00.003+08:00

My last working day in Ceva Freight had finally come...! and gone....

Despite telling myself to pack up my stuff many days ago, I finally took the time to do it this morning. Well, I have no choice, haven't I? Nothing much to pack - just 3 medium size carton boxes. Mostly my training files, docs and books. And food... I snapped a few pictures of my room. Just as remembrance. Was thinking of sharing them here. But can't do it now. My old desktop with different photo editing software - Nero Photosnap is giving me problems!! It doesn't help that I'm a non-IT savvy person!

My team organised a farewell lunch for me at KFC in Giant Hypermarket, Bayan Baru. Near to my office and easy parking. As usual, I had great fun by simply watching their funny antics and listening to their jokes. Oh, I wish I can share here those photos that we took there now! But nevermind... will do so once I fixed this photo editing issue. The current photo sizes are too huge to be uploaded. Sigh... Patient...

Another incident on D-day worth mentioning. I was one of the few staff in the country that encountered server access issue the whole day today! Just great! I had not completed clearing up my emails and this had to happen just on the day I'm leaving the company! At that moment of discovery, I thought I could hear a soft whisper in my ear, "Served you right... You should have known that this is the consequence of doing things at the last minute..." When will I ever learn??!! So, no choice. I was forced to have 2 PCs right in front of my face to perform multi-tasking. My laptop to work on offline stuff and an old desktop to work online.

Hmmm... all of the "rojak" (mixture) feelings I had today, it was the feeling of happiness and sense of freedom that over-shadowed the rest. Towards the last 1 hour of my career in this company, I felt as if I was floating in the air. Wide smile on my face... I felt liberated!

There's no doubt - I have made the RIGHT choice!

Cultural Treasures: Zhuazhou

2008-11-26T12:42:00.007+08:00

I just thought of sharing this great article forwarded by a friend of mine about a traditional ceremony practised by certain Chinese on their babies' first birthday. It's called "Zhuazhou" (don't ask me how to pronounce it correctly coz I don't know either!) In English, it's defined as "Catch" (according to my Chinese literate friend...)

It's about letting your baby choose an item from the display in front of her. Whichever first item selected determines her future inclination and capabilities. Sounds fun, right...?

My friend shared with me that she has selected a pencil and ruler when she was 1 year old and today, she's in academic line! Amazing! I've never heard of this tradition before. None of my old relatives ever mentioned about it.

For those of us who are not superstitious, I find it's still a fun game to play with our babies on their first birthday. I will certainly let Leia play this "game" on her birthday.

In this little small way, we can help to keep the tradition and custom alive too! Read about it more here!

The modern version

P/S: I wonder what item would I have selected if I was given a chance to participate in this ceremony when I was 1 year old.... Looking at my career journey so far....hmmm, I would have selected several different items! Pencil... phone... sweets... radio cassette... a dollar bill...

To have or not to have?

2008-11-26T03:20:00.006+08:00

Leia will be turning one this coming Sunday and yet this mommy and papa are still fickle-minded as to whether to hold a birthday gathering for her or not.

Well, it's not that important really, I think. She's too young to know anything and to enjoy the company. But on the other hand, it would be nice to have one as certain close relatives and friends are expecting it. You see, we didn't organise her a full moon birthday celebration when she reached 1 month old earlier. If we were to follow the Chinese tradition strictly, it's a must-have occasion. The traditional Chinese will distribute a full moon food set as a gift to relatives and friends to herald the new addition to the family. This is also to thank them and show appreciation to those who joined in this special occasion one way or another. For those of you who do not know what I'm talking about, here is the picture of the gift set.

Penang famous full moon caterer - Eaton

Anyway, many modern Chinese parents don't practise giving this full moon set anymore. Too much a hassle. Many have started distributing KFC meal vouchers instead! Or organise a buffet dinner...

So, this time around.... should we or should we not? It's just around the corner and we are still contemplating! "Biasalah" (getting used to it in Malay)... It gives us that andrenalin rush perhaps...? Errr... on a second thought, I think my hubby would probably regard it as blood pressure killer!

Leia is on Youtube!

2008-11-25T17:22:00.004+08:00

Yup, she's there finally!

Have just uploaded 2 videos there. One of them is displayed on the top right side of this blog. Do check it out in youtube.com for the other video. Use keyword "annelimyp" to search.

Happy watching!!

Halal Certification (Part 2)

2008-11-25T07:59:00.000+08:00

Getting Halal certification is tough. I went to the Penang State Islam Department last week to find out more. Back to chicken and egg story. I need to have a license for my biz (from the state Municipal Council) before I consider this. And for me to have this license, I need to operate from a factory. A small shoplot at least. And to get a small shoplot, I will need to put in a few thousands and then wait for inspection and approval from the authority which will take another 6 months. Crap. I'm now currently operating it home-based. Will need to secure a substantial amount of market base before I start investing on those fixed overhead cost. So, I guess for now... I'll have to target those non-Halal buyers first. As the volume grows, I'll take those big steps. Headaches... A friend of mine has been kind enough to let me tag along to meet her customers. She's in food industry too. So, I have started penetrating hotels as well. Wish me luck!

May I borrow your tricycle?

2008-11-24T15:49:00.010+08:00

Nowadays, she wants to hop onto any toy vehicles on her own. Try assisting her to get into her walker and you'll be "thanked" with loud disapproved screams!! Hahaha... this is what we call, "buat baik dibalas jahat"! (thankless good deeds in Malay).

Getting into her walker

Oops! One-legged girl sitting on the wrong side....

Trying out cousin Cassandra's tricycle

Aiyoh...couldn't reach the pedals...

Adjust, adjust

Say.... "cousins"!

Outsource it!

2008-11-23T02:15:00.001+08:00

The hourly maid didn't turn up this morning! So, both hubby and I ended up cleaning the house on our own. Not the entire house, though... It would take us the whole day or more! Luckily, my dad-in-law was around to baby-sit Leia. She loves his company very much :)

This hourly maid home cleaning service has such great demand in Penang. I can expect the answer given by the agencies, "sorry but fully-booked" if I were to attempt to place booking for such service at the eleventh hour - a day before. They are not that pricey - I'd like to think. RM40 for 4 hours...

Frankly speaking, I have never thought that I would be one of those people who hire maids to clean houses. Being a person who cannot stand the sight of unsatisfactory cleaning job - stains that didn't come off after the job done just irks me. So, I would rather do it myself eventhough it means that I can expect an aching back and sore fingers later the day.

I still remember that one particular evening. I was 9 months pregnant. I assigned myself to cleaning up the living hall and the garden while my hubby took on other roles. It's been few days since we last swept the car porch and the garden. So, dried leaves and our dog's hair were everywhere! So, this "Madam Superclean" was very determined to do a great job. I made sure that all corners were swept and cleaned in whatever possible ways I could think of. So without a doubt, I was very satisfied with the end result...

Only to be waken up the next morning with terrible pain near my womb. I couldn't bend down and had difficulty walking. Doctor said I had over-stressed myself and thus, I was given 2 days rest. Thank God baby was alright.

Now that with this baby Leia around, I realise even more the importance of having enough time to spend with my family, what more quality time. So, as much as I would like to continue to have super-clean house throughout the year, I guess this needs to be compromised. "Outsource" it to a maid agency and let them do the "dirty" and time-consuming work while I spend quality time with Leia and hubby.

As for the stains, I'll close one eye...

Countdown

2008-11-20T12:07:00.003+08:00

Countdown begins...! Next Thursday - 27th Nov will be my last working day. How do I feel? Mixed feelings actually. Excited, can't wait, anxious, "gabra", worried, happy.....

Hmmm... I have yet to pack my things. It has been the usual day-to-day work till now. Meeting customers, replying emails, managing service KPIs (key performance index), solving issues, staff counselling, etc... etc. I have done my official hand-over. So, I guess it's just time to clear up the final pieces and pack my stuff.

I looked around my office room. What will I leave behind? What sort of impact have I made to the company and my team? It's been more than 2 years since I joined this company. My third official company after my graduation. I served the longest in my second company - Maersk Line. It was more than 5 years. If it was not for our decision to settle down in my hometown after our wedding, I would have probably still working in Maersk.

My hubby found it absurd to feel sentimental about a company - an abstract with buildings, equipments and people. But I choose to defer in opinion. It is like my second home with real people living in it. Those fond and not-so fond memories that we accumulated in our years of service. How can we just erase them and not have any feeling towards it?

I have the tendency to call everything and everyone that I associate with the word, "my" or "our". My "Maersk", our "Ceva", my "Karen", our "Heng".... Crazy you may call me but that's how strong a bond I can build for something/ relationship over time...

Food experiment - Fried anchovies

2008-11-20T11:48:00.010+08:00

Ever since we started adding the fried and then blended anchovies into her porridge last weekend, she has loved her mealtime again! That's great!

It's very simple. Just sprinkle a pinch of the anchovies powder onto her porridge at every mealtime.

Prior to this, I have used different method to include anchovies (a good source of iron) into her food. I boiled them overnight in a pot of water. Then the next morning, drain them and put in the rest of other ingredients like rice, potato, carrot, spinach and meat into the slow cooker to cook.

I have heard of mommies who fry and then blend anchovies but never really wanted to try it earlier for 1. i do not know how 2. she was loving her porridge the way it was cooked then

But when she started refusing her food lately, I have to start thinking again of ways to get her to eat "enough". So, decided to give it a try - though still not knowing how. Take a look at how I have "produced" it;

A big handful of dried anchovies

Stir...stir....stir...look the thickening carbon on the surface of the wok

Turning brown. Smelled like "belacan"!

The broken pieces of bones and parts...

Done! Crispy!

Before I can blend them, I need to sieve them first. Separating the carbon and broken pieces from the well-done ones. Then, blend.

1 area of improvement for me : Stir fry under low fire... Ok, ok, will improve next time!

More Penang factories taking steps to cushion the economic turmoil impact

2008-11-18T18:29:00.003+08:00

I just received an email from a friend of mine who works in one of the factories in Bayan Lepas, Penang on this. More factories taking drastic actions!

Flextronics 4 days week for Month Nov and Dec.

AMD Penang announced this morning VSS lay off 500 employees.

Spansion force to take leave (5 days in this quarter)

Jabil planned shut down from Dec 24 to Jan 4, will be 6 days leave.

Agilent planned shut down from Dec 24 to Jan 4, will be 6 days leave.
Jan09 might have another shutdown. No increment 2008 review.

Avago no plan shutdown as no more in house production, hiring freeze.

ASE shut down every fortnightly on Monday starting from Nov 3.

Fairchild planned 'Mass Vacation' for 9 days leave in FY08

INTEL - No increment 2008 review, VSS for those under perform and
massive cut cost/travel 2009, no shutdown plan yet

Motorola, Penang- Still hiring+profit, suspect got government 'look after',
Singapore cellphone plant cut 800 job and now waiting for sale.

Siltera, kulim - Propose close down this Malaysian 1st Fab company, loss RM4billion in 2008

SENSATA Plant shutdown from 22 DEC 2008 to 02 JAN 2009; NO increment in 2009;
NO Profit Sharing in 2009!

What about the company you're working with? What action plans have been announced? For those who are self-employed, what's your plan? For full-time mommies, what are you doing to help to cushion the impact on your family? Or there's no need to worry at all?

Well as for myself, I always believe in the philosophy that "Tough times create more winners"!

Halal Certification

2008-11-18T18:05:00.000+08:00

Gosh... what a busy day today! Met up with a customer this morning and then followed by my food biz sales call during lunch break. This time I met a food caterer cum factories canteen operator cum restaurants owner. A rather huge company with many branches.

Again, my openness to share with him my intention and plan of promoting this food product received another positive feedback. Once again, the man was kind enough to give me some biz penetration advise. Major concern when it comes to food biz is the Halal certification. To reach out to those food operators which cater to Muslim customers, it is necessary to have this certification, though none of the ingredients used are considered non-Halal.

What is "Halal" by the way? As a non-Muslim, I have never really paid attention to this matter. As long as our eating place together with our Muslim friends are Muslim-owned, then we are safe. But now that I'm in the food biz where Halal certification is a much-needed requirement in our country, it opened up my eyes to this whole aspect.

Take a look at the Halal defination I found in our Halal Industry Development Corporation website:

a) Neither is nor consist of or contains any part or matter of an animal that a Muslim is prohibited by Hukum Syarak to consume or that has not been slaughtered in accordance with Hukum Syarak.

b) Does not contain anything which is considered to be impure according to Hukum Syarak.

c) Has not been prepared, processed or manufactured using instrument that was not free from anything impure according to Hukum Syarak; and

d) has not in the course of preparation, processing or storage been in contact with or close proximity to any food that fails to satisfy paragraph (a) (b) or (c) or anything that is considered to be impure according to Hukum Syarak.

Still not clear? Me either! It helps to get a clearer idea if we start talking to those experienced biz owners, not minus-ing the need to talk the authority directly. So, you know where I'm heading to next!

So, what is the procedure to apply for one? The Penang State Government website provides a pretty clear guideline. But it is certainly better for first-timers like yours truly to drop by at the Penang State Department of Islam to find out more...

Who says operating food biz is easy?!

Hair cut!

2008-11-16T01:06:00.014+08:00

Don't you think Leia's hair is a bit too long? Her fringe especially. Almost touching her eyes.

So, I finally decided to give her a haircut after her lunch last Saturday. Covered her with her "lampin" (cloth diaper in Malay) and clipped it with a cloth peg on her back to keep it in place.

Not much success though...

Comb, comb...

All set!

A tiny scissors was in my hand when her "papa" came back from work. Looking at his adorable baby sitting in her high chair all ready, he offered to be the hairstylist of the day!

Combing her hair again....?

As soon as papa combed her fringe with his fingers, she screamed, yelled and resisted his action.

Can you see her teary eyes?

So, we tried many ways to make it a not-so-bad experience for her. That included giving her things to keep her occupied and talked to her.

Since she liked the comb that papa was using for the haircut, I have to get her my favourite purple one.

Anyway, that was not her first time. Perhaps, it was a bit too hot that day. There was no fan nearby and she was covered half top body with the cloth. Yeah, what a bad location I've chosen...

Guess where was the location this "hair salon"? Hint: Find for clues from the photo background

Her latest favourite chew item : Her ABC rubber mat! Oh dear!

Lots of hair was cut, almost an inch in length. Didn't have the time to snap the "after" haircut shot. She had "poo"ed! Do check out her new hairstyle in coming posts.

New found toy

2008-11-15T23:57:00.010+08:00

What a great appetite she had today! Thank God! Both of us had fun at meal time. I made the "moi" (porridge) a bit diluted (as recommended by my aunty) and I think she likes it better this way. She was slurping in the "moi" most of the time. And since, I don't have my feeding team at home here, I'm all - the 3-in-1 role: feeding, playing with her and keeping her sit still.

So, how did I do all that? I find strapping her down in her high chair works well. She wouldn't have a chance to get up. Unlike in kopitiams (coffee shops) where most of the high chair strap buckles were spoilt. Thus, she's let free most of the time. Then, I stuck a balloon that we got from the government agencies roadshow in Queensbay Shopping Mall recently on her high chair. Well, it has shrunk in size since it has been more than 2 weeks we got it. So, it became more baby-friendly. Leia was happy that she could pinch and squeeze the balloon much easily now.

Yeah, pinched and squeezed the balloon until it popped! Burst. Instead of crying for losing a toy to play with, the rubber remains of the burst balloon became a new toy to her!

Pulled and strectched

New found joy!

Tore into two....

Oopsss... there was more on the floor

"Nevermind, continue"

So, the rule of thumb to a successful feeding - keep the girl entertained!

Almost ready to walk

2008-11-15T23:24:00.008+08:00

For the past few days, I have tried guiding her to walk by holding her hands, only to receive resentment from her. Instead of walking, she jumped up and down signing "no". Well, guess she's still not ready then.

However, last night as I was busy making her fried anchovies in the kitchen... she "did it" on her own! Not exactly actually. She held on to her walker. But that's a good start nevertheless. I was very excited for her. I clapped hands and gave her words of encouragement. She turned and smiled at me and walked a few more steps before she stopped and crawled to her "papa". Didn't make it for some photo shots.

But later, again she went back to her walker and pulled herself up.

She didn't "walk" the second time though...

I certainly look forward to the coming days when she'll be readier to try her "legs" on walking... :)

Feeding time...

2008-11-15T11:28:00.011+08:00

Feeding time... She has 2 solid meals a day. As I managed to arrive my aunty's place earlier than usual to pick her home, I had the chance to be a part of her "feeding team" yesterday evening.

I was given the honour to keep her sittting still

"Ammm...."

We can't expect our babies at this age to sit still for long to "makan" ("eat" in Malay) her meal. Their curiosity to explore will make them feel bored easily. The same applies to Leia. So, after a while we have to be creative of how to keep her amused.

She was then contented with a cloth peg in her hand

Okay, "ah mah" ("grandma" in Hokkien) said we had to move to another place to feed her. Sitting at one place for too long can make her feel restless and thus, more difficult to complete the feeding mission. So, we moved to the tv hall. "Ah mah" and I switched roles. I became the person who plays with her.

"Leia, mam...mam..."

Ok, in the play mood now that her tummy was filled.

Alas, she didn't finish her "moi" ("porridege" in Hokkien). She insisted that she wanted to play then. No problem... but we should change her dirty clothes first.

Waving her diaper cream - Drapolone to the photographer - my 13-year-old cousin brother

Going for the handphone

Consequences for not giving her what she wanted...

Given. "Hmmm... I'm stil angry!"

I was crossing my fingers while her putting her own her car seat that she will behave this time in our journey home. However, my relief was short-lived when half the distance, she started again - crying and throwing her tantrum. And we were caught in the Friday traffic jam. Just great!

Wwwwwwuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaa........!!!!!!!!

2008-11-14T00:57:00.006+08:00

Wah... beh tahan!! (cannot stand it) It's been several days now that Leia has been getting so cranky and cry like there's no tomorrow to get things done her way.

And I tell you... her cry is unbelievably loud. It is the type of cry you'll let out when in pain. A long moment of silence before wwwwwwuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaa........!!!!!!!! And the pattern repeats until a person picks her up! That means, if no one picks her up for the last 5 minutes, then she would have cried for the last 5 minutes. So, to end her crying, we'll just have to pick her up. Almost instantaneously, her crying will stop. Please tell me - what do you understand about this type of crying? Could it be any other reasons besides using this tactic to get things done her way?

It's driving everyone who care for her going crazy! Tonight itself, she has had her series of loud crying within 5-15 minutes gap. For example:

1. Sat her on my aunty's lap, she cried. Aunty had no choice but to stand up again and walked and then she would stop crying.
2. She was playing happily with bunch of keys in her hand but as soon as I passed by, she went into hysterical crying and kicked her legs.
3. Sat her on the car seat (going back home from my aunty's place) and smiled at her, she started to cry.
4. Dropped by at my mom's place to pick up some stuff. The maid said "hi" to her and she smiled so sweetly. But as soon as the maid disappeared from her sight, she screamed!
5. So, along our journey back home which took around 15 minutes - she cried non-stop. Tried to let her suck her pacifier - only ended up making situation worse. She cried even louder and pushed it away.

Stressed out. Face turned red

Sweat trickling down from her head

As soon as I took her out from her car seat, she stopped crying. And started communicating. Pointing her finger at our dog and blurted out "whou whou" sound. As soon as we entered the house, she pointed at the fan, the hanging paper lantern, the spoon that fell on the floor....

Does it sound like what a spoilt child would do? Or am I missing something here?

Vaccination

2008-11-13T12:10:00.006+08:00

On this coming 30 November, Leia will turn 1 year old. That also means, she will have to go for her next jab soon. Oh, another painful experience for her....

Ever since she was born, I have taken her to a government clinic for her periodic check-up and the scheduled vaccinations. Even if she falls ill, my trust is in the government doctors. After the horrible experience we had to go through when she first had a fever a months back with a private doctor, we have basically decided that medical assistance from government doctors will be our first choice from then onwards.

Call me bias but in my personal opinion, the chances of receiving sincere service is greater when monetary reward is not the main objective. This applies to many other aspects in life.

Anyway, back to Leia's vaccination schedule. She will be receiving her MMR (measles, mumps and rubella vaccines). Other optional vaccines which are made available in private hospitals for this age are chicken pox vaccine and pneumococcal C vaccine. Here is the attached link to Malaysia mandatory and recommended vaccination schedule for our children.

Our children have to be free from illnesses during the vaccination period. This is to ensure that they'll be better able to handle the vaccination when they are healthy.

It was unfortunate that I couldn't send Leia for the optional ones like Rotavirus and Pneumococcal vaccines earlier as she was not well when the right time came. Now that she's more than 8 months old, she no longer needs Rotavirus vaccine because there's not enough evidence to show how well it works in older babies. Thank God she passed the testing time!

As for Pneumococcal vaccine, I can still get her vaccinated. According to the expert, for children aged 12 to 23 months, two doses should be administered at least two months apart.

Will seek the doctor's advise when I send her for MMR vaccination this coming 1st Dec...

Business ideas

2008-11-13T12:00:00.000+08:00

I'm so happy to receive a call from a good friend of mine this morning. She came to know about my new business plan after reading my blog. And as a "seasoned" person in this food industry, she gave me few more ideas on my target market.

Yup, I've jotted them down in my list.

And last weekend in my friend's wedding, another good friend who has built her many millions ringgit on her own effort gave me valuable business tips too.

Great! I gain new ideas, experiences and knowledge everyday! Thank God for these great people whom have been so supportive :)

Amen

2008-11-12T08:00:00.004+08:00

Couldn't blog yesterday. My body struggled hard to fight off the bacteria/virus that has been "bermaharajalela" (Malay word for rampaging) in my immune system for the past few days. Felt so weak that I couldn't do much on my 2nd year Wedding Anniversary. Yeah, it was yesterday - 11 November...

Instead of having candlelight dinner with my other half, we had to do a quick one at a coffeeshop near our house - our usual dinner place. How boring, isn't it? Furthermore, with Leia tagging along almost everywhere...hmmm, not too sure how the candlelight dinner would turn out to be if it were to happen. Probably... instead of holding hands and looking into each other eyes, pledging our marrige vows once again, we'll need to hold Leia's arms and legs and demand her not to get up from her high chair!

Hai...but we managed to steal some time before sleep (yup, Leia was asleep by then) to watch again our wedding day video. Hahaha... a tradition that I initiated on last year anniversary. I personally like it, though my hubby finds it a bit too draggy - it's more than 3 hours video! It reminded us of a lot of the silly things that we did. Ie: the "chi mui" (Cantonese word for bride's "sisters") time where the groom and his men got bullied. They were asked to do many silly and funny acts before they were allowed into the house to get the bride. Also, few clips of my dearest mom having a great time at the wedding dinner - she was the star among the crowd with her "interesting" antics and her let-it-go cha cha dance! Hahaha, for those of you who were there, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about...

The video-watching brought back many fond memories of the meaningful events that both my hubby and I shared together. The church wedding ceremony particularly was the most important event of the day for the both of us. It was where we both took our vows of marriage - "to love and care and honour each other till death do us part..."

2 years passed now and we're very grateful that God has never forsaken us and He has blessed us with this beautiful bundle of joy.

Praise the Lord for all plans that He has for us. He is with us all the time!

Our Father in heaven,
Holy be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as well as in heaven,
Give us this day our daily bread,
Forgive us our sins,
As we forgive those who sin against us,
Do not bring us to the test,
But deliver us from evil
For the kingdom, the glory and the power
Are yours,
Now and Forever.

Amen

Registration of business

2008-11-10T13:15:00.008+08:00

Hooray! I registered a business name for my family food product last Friday at Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (Companies Commission of Malaysia) located in Seberang Jaya, Penang! It's called Treelah Gourmet Enterprise. Strange name but I have my long-term plan why it's named such. Haha.

Wait....

The registration process was simple and quite hassle-free. The officers were friendly and very helpful. The signboard says that the process will take approximately 1-2 hours but I was done in less than an hour. And that includes getting the form from the office, filling up the form, lining up to wait for my turn to meet with Customer Service office to search the availability of my business name proposed, filling up the confirmed business name by another officer, lining up to take a number for payment, waiting time, paying the registration fee, waiting time and collecting my business registration certificate.

For now, I registered it under Sole Proprietorship. And it only cost me RM70 per annum!

So, want to start your own business and get it registered too?

How many teeth does Leia have?

2008-11-10T12:34:00.003+08:00

None!

She's going to be 1 year old by this end month and yet... "takda" (Malay word for none). I can see her bottom 2 middle teeth showing in her gum already. In fact, they have been there for a few months now and yet still not willing to come out!

The proof - shot taken a few days ago

Everyone have been asking and some couldn't comprehend why. Some had having negative thoughts in their heads. Abnormal baby? Of course, not! According to experts, baby's milestones vary from one individual to the other. Some babies could have their teeth sprouting out as early as 3-4 months. Some late bloomers will insist that it will only happen pass their 1 year old. I guess Leia will join the latter group.

The older generations from the Hokkien clan even have their own version of baby's milestones. It goes like this;

Chit chieh (7 - sit)
Peihk peh (8 - crawl)
Kow huat geh (9 - sprout teeth)

* 7, 8, and 9 refers to specific month

So, obviously Leia is out of the league. Hahaha... well, nothing much can be done. Just have to wait and see. Look at the bright side. I don't have to start worrying still about how to care for her gums and emerging teeth, the best way to brush her teeth, when to take her to the dentist, which brand has babies best toothbrush technology, etc, etc...

Horror story

2008-11-09T23:50:00.005+08:00

Oh...it's so good to be back home! We picked up Leia from my aunty's place on our way home. Before we could enter her house, we heard Leia screaming away.

As soon as she saw me, she hurriedly leaned her body forward - expecting me to hold her. Oh, what a nice feeling to hold her in my arms once again. Indeed, absence makes the heart grow fonder...

It has not been a comfortable experience for Leia. (As usual, this overly worried mom called aunty everyday from outstation to check on her.) On her first night alone there, she couldn't put herself to sleep. Though aunty tried her best to follow my advise of what to do whenever Leia show any of the 3 signs (as per my earlier post), she resisted and slept only at 11pm (way over her usual bedtime which is around 9 plus). Only to wake up again around 1 plus and kicked up a big fuss. She was wailing and struggling and kept on pointing finger towards the door. It was as if she was asking to take her home. My aunty struggled to put her back to sleep. Her incessant crying woke up my grandma too and she helped to manage her but without much success. It was almost 3 in the morning, when she stopped crying and by then, my cousin has woken up from her slumber too and chipped in to help. Out of desperation, my grandma dialled 911 for help. Eh no-lah. She dialled my parents' home number.

My mom and dad came rushing to check on her. Leia then followed them home. Luckily, after feeding her with milk, she finally dozed off on my parents' bed. So, my dad was kicked out of the room and has to make do with sleeping upright on the sofa...

Leia's second night was a bit better. Though she slept past 11pm, she didn't wake up middle of the night this time. What a great relief for my aunty and the whole family. And a great relief to me too knowing that Leia was feeling a bit better and getting enough rest.

There are many contributing factors as to why she has behaved such;
1. Changed of place
2. Separation anxiety
3. My aunty's place is hot - she's developing rashes again which lead to greater discomfort
4. Over-stimulation through play and stress

Even during the day, nothing that my aunt did pleased her. It took 4 people to feed her - my aunty held the spoon, my grandma sat at the side to make sure she sits still all the time and my little cousin brothers entertained her by playing with her.

When my aunty put her in her cot, she made a fuss. She "cried" (minus the tears). Took her out from her cot, she cried again. Gave her favourite toys, she pushed them away. My aunty almost went bonkers, I think.

I'm glad that she is now back at home now. She slept like a sleeping beauty lastnight. And that was at 9 plus. Nothing out of ordinary behaviours shown. Back to her routine....

Oh Leia, I'm so sorry that I have put you through all these. I think I better find better solutions fast!

Watch out, supermarts... (Part 2)

2008-11-07T00:31:00.006+08:00

Good news! The buyer is interested to list my food product in their supermarket! Unbelievable! I was overjoyed!

He gave me a lot of insight into this retail biz and few tips on how I can penetrate into this market deeper.

As soon as I get the re-packaging done, he will proceed with the necessary arrangement. Not difficult to fulfill. So, you bet that I immediately called up several people to get it executed.

Now that I have started the ball rolling, I better complete my solid business plan fast...!

I'll write more on how it all began in my separate blog. Will advise once available k!

p/s: My hubby always like to tease me, "So, 1001 things to do mom - what are you up to now?"

"No, Leia... you're not going home tonight..."

2008-11-06T23:42:00.006+08:00

Went to visit Leia at aunty's place. That was coming to 9pm. She was drinking her milk. Shhhhh.... shouldn't speak too loud. Distraction. She may not want to continue drinking.

Since she will be sleeping there for the next 3 nights, I brought her favourite "going-to-bed" toys for her - Sponge Bob and counting book.

Oh, missing her already... As soon as her papa picked her up, she started waving "bye-bye" to my aunty and grandma. "No, Leia... you're not going home tonight...", I told her. :(

We spent some time playing with her before I put her to sleep.

Out of town

2008-11-06T18:18:00.001+08:00

We won't be in town this weekend. We certainly shouldn't miss our good friend's wedding! And no, we won't be dragging Leia into it this time. "Takut" (Malay word for scared) already. The last time we brought her along for a week long holiday, she fell sick - for the whole duration! She had cold. Probably due to improper sleeping time and hours, thus lacked of rest. Furthermore, the unpredictable weather - the scorching sun during the day and the freezing cold during the night made it even more uncomfortable for her.

So, Leia will stay with aunty this weekend. Sad.... gonna miss her a lot. It's the same feeling I had when I had to travel outstation for work for a few days duration...

Not too sure how I'll be coping - spending the weekend without her around. In fact, I'm already feeling a sense of emptiness.... Haiyah, what an emotional woman I am..

Sleeping time

2008-11-05T23:16:00.011+08:00

Who usually put your baby to sleep? You or your partner? Or maid? If it's you, how do you feel about this given "honour"?

Well, in my case, most of the time it will be me. There may be 1 or 2 occasions my hubby would have to do it but I personally rather handle it myself. Why? Coz I can easily put her to sleep without having to tear the whole house down!

You see, Leia has 3 types of sleeping signs that we can identify easily -

1. The blank stares. No matter how much we want to entertain her through stimulations like play, making funny faces, sing songs, etc, she will not react as we expected her to be. She will just give you the blank stare. For this case, putting her to sleep is easy-peasy. Just put her down in her cot and plug in her "chut chut" (pacifier) and within seconds, she'll be in dreamland...

2. The screamings and strugglings (must be due to over-stimulation earlier). Hooyoh... hubby certainly wouldn't want to offer help in such situations. And I certainly wouldn't make to make a fuss out of it. Coz, if he couldn't settle her down within 15 minutes, I would have to come to rescue. So, I'd rather handle her from the beginning to avoid unnecessary, prolonged stress for all - Leia, hubby and I!

3. The "play-by-myself" act. Easy. Put her down in her cot and give her a book or her favourite toy, Sponge Bob, she will happily play on her own for a while before slowly lying on her side/back and zzzzzz......

So, guess which sign she showed tonight?

Oh, she loves interacting through the cot net. Stick my face there and she will do the same...Mom and daughter bonding

She loves lying down at the corners too

Aik! Get up again?

Playing with her hanky

Lying down at opposite corner. Meddling with her book

Yeh....sleep d...

No leh...

Finally....

So, what's your guess?

Let me know your answer in the Comments and I will let you know whether you are right or wrong..k? ;)

How is she today?

2008-11-05T22:14:00.006+08:00

2nd day of her stay at my aunty's place...

And I have called up my aunty for the 4th time this evening to check on her. Twice a day. 1 in the late morning and 1 in the late afternoon before fetching her home with me. And each call was always greeted by an excited aunty telling me everything about Leia - her antics, activities, food intake, sleep duration, "poo poo", etc, etc... I'm extremely glad that Leia still remember her and love to be taken care by her.

On my way to my aunty's house this evening, I can't help but to feel grateful. Oh, how blessed are we to have a loving aunty who's willing to care for Leia unconditionally...

Climbing everywhere on her "chor chor"'s (Hokkien word for great-grandmother) lazy chair

Watch out, supermarts...

2008-11-05T17:07:00.006+08:00

Tomorrow after work, I'll have to rush to meet a buyer of a supermarket chain. He would like to see the food product that I can offer!! Wow, that's a good start!!

I'm still very green in this food retail business or should I say that I have no idea at all! But that will not deter me from not finding out. For the last few weeks, I have been so busy finding out from many resources to learn the trick of the trade. Yup... I've been burning midnight oil. And I can tell you, it's not easy at all. I've faced roadblocks many times and I'm sure I will face more... but I have that little hope in me that keeps me going.

I'm not too sure if I'm ready for supermarts yet but I will take the opportunity given tomorrow to find out more and make it happen!

One step at a time...

1001 things to do for Leia

2008-11-04T18:04:00.006+08:00

As I continue to surf the net for more infos on parenting, the more overwhelmed I feel...!

It seems to me that I have not done enough for my girl! There are more than 1001 things that I can do for her now and later. Geez...so many wide aspects to look into urgently - her food intake (need to consider the type, texture, cooking methods, equipments used, which part of the day, etc), her play/ learning items (type of toys - development toys, bath toys, arts and supplies, puzzles, outdoor toys and the list goes on....), her sleeping routine, babyproofing.... and what else???

And all these require immediate attention, it seems! She's growing up fast and this mommy needs to catch up fast too!!

Adoi...I need system!

Relocation

2008-11-04T07:12:00.010+08:00

Today is the "first" day of Leia staying with her "koh poh" (maternal aunty) once again during the daytime while I'm at work.

Her "ah ma" (grandma) was released from this task officially yesterday evening. Great relief as it was really taxing on my mom who has been caring for her for the last 3 months when aunty was in Australia. You see , my mom is not a full-time home-maker. She runs her own business at night with my father. So you can imagine how many hours of sleep my mom had each day... With her hypertension soaring high, thank God that aunty is back!

So yesterday evening, we moved Leia's "second home" - again.

All readily packed by "ah ma"

"Leia, let's go now"

"Papa, can I help?"

The cot is set up!

A close-up shot taken by my 11-year old cousin - his first-time

The distance between my aunty's house and our house and working places are quite far. During peak hours, ie: before and after office hours, it could take me an average of minimum 1 hour to get to her place from my office. Oh, I certainly don't enjoy getting caught in bumper-to-bumper jam everyday. Unnecessary stress...! The good news is... it will be over soon! To be exact, 27th November will be the last day! Phew....!

Evening walk at Air Itam Dam

2008-11-03T13:02:00.019+08:00

It was 5 in the evening on last Saturday. The weather was good. So, hubby agreed to take us to Penang Air Itam Dam (water reservoir) for a walk. It's a popular place for jogging or even just sight-seeing. We personally prefer this place than Botanical Garden or Youth Park for our light exercise as it has cleaner air and it is so much less crowded. So...we get to enjoy the beautiful scenery without having to worry about avoiding the heavy human traffic.

Leia seemed to know that we're going out for some adventure. She was feeling so excited, rocking herself in her car seat, singing, dancing and talking all the way there! I was amused. hehehe...

Sticking out her tongue while waving to papa happily. On our way to pick up my little cousin brother...

Nice, breezy ride...

"We have reached!"

Get ready for the adventure?

Greens everywhere. Papa taking the lead

Look at the tortoises...

Breathtaking view...

"Careful, Leia. Sit still"

"Wheeeee...!"

Leia and papa taking a break

Overlooking the city

Very nice place. I felt a great sense of peace - taking in the clean, fresh air... and enjoying the beautiful, green scenery.

It never fails to bring back good old memories of my younger days adventures here - picnic and hiking trips with my schoolmates, exercising-cum-dating experiences, exercising-cum-listening to good advises from my aunties....

Will certainly go back again. Another added page of memory down the lane...

No "moi" but what about cereal?

2008-11-01T22:23:00.006+08:00

Haiyah... she didn't want cereal too! Look at how little portion I made for her this afternoon...

And instead, she went for this non-edible item! Her teether

"Mommy, do you want to bite this too?"

Hmmm.... it's been several days now that she didn't want her "moi". Probably she's bored d. So, we thought we will make different food for her. Yesterday, I made her steamed sweet potatoes. She didn't want it either though I personally think that it was very tasty. Yup, I ate it in the end... And today, cereal "pun tak mau" (don't want too)...

Let's try "moi" again tomorrow. Will make it a smaller portion so that it didn't go to waste if she again doesn't want to eat it... *so pessimistic*

Hai... challenge................

First Deepavali celebration for Leia

2008-10-31T23:34:00.019+08:00

We all had so much fun! It was a full day celebration!

We had a real early start...

Dressed!

"Leia, comb hair now..."

"Mommy, are you done?"

Our first program of the day was to visit Leia's "ammama" (Tamil word for great-grandmother). "Kong kong" (grandfather) joined us too. No early notification given to her "ammama" as we wanted to surprise her!

"Ammama" stays in a chinese pre-war house in town. Spacious and airy...It has never ceased to bring back great old memories to both my hubby and pa-in-law. So, it was pa-in-law who did most of the talking, reminiscing the good old times...

Sight-seeing...

"Ammama" has a big mango tree in front of her house. With her very ripe age - 90 years old, she could no longer pluck the fruits on her own. So, a brilliant idea came up. Pa-in-law suggested that we'll help!

2 men busy at work with "ammama" providing "the back-up" support - making sure the right equipments are provided

While Leia and mommy enjoying the swing...

Wow...! Nice, plump mangoes...!

Very good harvest!

Pa-in-law ended up helping "awa" (Tamil word for grandmother) to prune the tree...

While her "kong kong" pruned the tree out there, Leia had a jolly time playing with "ammama"'s rattan chairs... At this stage, you just can't stop them from being inquisitive and wanting to explore everything. They get extremely curious to explore especially those things that you say "no". Hmmm...guess, forbidden fruit always seem to taste better.

"I want to sit on this chair..."

Leia was "singing"!

We didn't leave Leia's "ammama"'s place empty-handed. The smaller bag of mangoes that you saw earlier was given to us! Thoughts of dipping these mangoes with my dad's home-made, tasty rojak sauce can make us all salivate...yum, yum....

So, did we head home straight away? Absolutely not! Next was pa-in-law's friend's house. More Indian food savoured! And Another ang pow (red packet) collected for Leia! Or it is called cheh pow (green packet)? No? That's for Hari Raya? Then? Purple pow???

It's simply unbelievable that any pow-giving has been so commercialised nowadays that it has become a must-have for our major festivals - Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and now Deepavali. What's next? Pek pow (white packet) for Christmas? I really hope not...

Deepavali money collection. Think it's about time we open a savings account for this little girl...

Later that night, we introduced fireworks to Leia. Hehehe...

"No more..."

Truly a beautiful, memorable Festival of Light celebration for all of us... :)

Leia can hold her milk bottle steadily d!

2008-10-30T18:19:00.010+08:00

I always wonder when will Leia be able to hold her giant milk bottle steadily. A friend of mine shared with me before that her daughter is capable of handling hers at the age of 6 months old? When I looked at the size of her palms... hmmm. Tough.

I'm glad I had a nice surprise few nights ago when the papa decided to let her try. Despite feeling drowsy and being half asleep, she managed to handle this act pretty well...

"Huh? Why am I holding the milk bottle by myself?"

Scratching her head. A sign that she's very tired and sleepy

One hand...

Is giving medication to our babies the answer...?

2008-10-30T13:26:00.010+08:00

It's been a few days now that Leia rejects her "moi" (porridge). The best she could eat was just a few spoonfuls. But she's fine with drinking milk.

This is the usual symptom for babies when they are not well. Loss of appetite. Well, adults encounter the same too, no doubt.

Since my last post of her having fever, she has not fully recovered from cold till today. Fever went off 3 days later but cough and runny nose stay. Now, more than 1 week later, cough is gone but runny nose stays. No, she's not taking any medicine except Panadol syrup when she had high fever. Took her to a doctor earlier but her advise was that babies shouldn't be given any medicine to treat these common illnesses. Medicine only suppresses the symptoms but does not cure. We should allow our baby's own immune system to work and fight against those bacterias and germs. Babies will eventually get better with time. Which I agree.

It's very worrying to see the increasing trend of parents and doctors prescribing medicine and antibiotics to treat cough and cold. This quick-fix may cause more harm to our babies well-being.

Earlier this year, the US FDA warned parents that cold and cough medicines are too risky for babies and toddlers. Some of these cold medications can actually cause serious life-threatening side effects (difficulty breathing, unconsciousness) in children under age 2. As a matter of fact, the US FDA suggested that all cold and cough medications should be kept out of the mouths of any child under the age of two years. It went further to state that the medications don't help kids under 6 years old.

As a parent, I know how worried and heart-broken we may be - seeing our children not being their usual, bubbly selves - the unbearable pain and discomfort that our children have to go through... Like this afternoon when my mom told me that Leia is not interested in her "moi" again and the non-stop runny nose. But having learnt the great danger of medication intake for "immediate recovery" from these illnesses, I decided to be patient and consider other options to make her feel better while allowing her own body immune system taking care of it.

What we can do;
1. Let our children drink more water to flush out the toxins from their body & to reduce dehydration
2. Allow enough rest, which includes enough sleep
3. Try a tender touch - hold her hand and sing her a song
4. Lots more

Take note though. It is not advisable to rub our child's chest with a strong-smelling over-the-counter ointment containing menthol, oil of wintergreen or eucalyptus. These give parents something to do, but they really don't improve air flow. And in babies and very young children, these ingredients can be absorbed into the bloodstream, where they might have toxic effects.

Playhouse

2008-10-29T23:08:00.013+08:00

Based on my observations, most playhouses (in Penang) available for public use are catered to older group of kids. I'm referring to the materials used, the size and height of the equipments, etc. I could hardly find any that are safe and user-friendly to babies.. until last Saturday...

"Hey....!" Showing off her signature pose again (finger-pointing)

We were doing our shopping in Island Plaza (the shopping complex in Tanjung Bungah) when we stumbled upon this big playhouse located on the 3rd floor (if I remember correctly) next to the escalator. In seconds, Leia was all ready to play on her own!

"Oh, I want to sit on the slide"

The playhouse is made of soft plastic and no metal pieces used. No sharp edges found too. The height is just right for learning-to-walk babies. Perfect!

"Uhhh..."

Coming for the wheel...

So engrossed...

"Hehehe..."

"Hi mommy...!"

"Oops!"

Oh how we wish we could get a similar one for her to play at home... Then, we can invite other babies and mommies to come and play with us too! Don't have to travel so far. Also, cleanliness of the playhouse can be maintained all the time by yours truly personally...

Cassandra's 2-year old birthday party

2008-10-28T13:47:00.003+08:00

Cassandra (Leia's cousin/ my brother's daughter) turned 2 years old on last 23rd October! And we celebrated in KFC Batu Lanchang. It's my niece favourite KFC joint as it has a nice play area.

As my bro didn't book the place earlier (the initial plan was to have it in KFC at Jalan Larut in town - the biggest KFC joint in Penang with outdoor play area. But as dark clouds covered the sky by 6pm,the plan was scrapped), we weren't given a "private area" with balloons. But surprise... surprise... look at what we got here...

Balloons!

More balloons!!

Leia, look!

What does it tell you? If we don't ask, we won't get, that's for sure! After all, who would have the heart to turn away those adorable kids' request, right?

"I can't run and play like my "cheh cheh" (big sister) yet but I certainly had fun too!"

"Hehe...ice-cream cake"

So, if we are seriously thinking of throwing our kids a party, do consider organising it at a place that they will enjoy. That's the utmost importance. A lot of time, many parents tend to get carried away with the preparations that many of them ended up becoming the adults' event. Poor birthday kid...

Baby costumes

2008-10-28T13:39:00.010+08:00

Wore her the ladybird jumpsuit that we bought before she was born. Oh, luckily it could still fit.

Babies look so cute and adorable in costumes. But it's very hard to find wide varieties in Penang. As a matter of fact, we bought this at one of the kiosks in hypermarkets.

Back pose

Anyone know where else I can find more in this island?

Food experiment - Pumpkin pancake

2008-10-26T23:30:00.021+08:00

Yesterday, I made a new dish for Leia based on the recipe given by www.wholesomebabyfood.com. It was supposed to be Sweet Potato Pancake but in the end, it turned out to be Pumpkin Pancake instead. Let me share with you why...

Due to hectic work in the office for the past few days, I couldn't go out and get the sweet potatoes from Giant, the nearest hypermarket to my office. Instead, I got up very early on Saturday morning and went to pick up one big Thai (according to the seller's maid) sweet potato from the grocery shop near my house. Man, was I glad or what that I could still carry on with my food experiment now that I have my sweet potato...

Washed it and ready to cut

Yikes!!! Look at what I found!! Rotten sweet potato with live worms squirming inside...!!!!

Gosh, it was so gross!! I snapped a few more close-up pictures but decided not to publish them. Believe me, the yucky sight is too much to handle...

I was devastated. My weekend food experiment was ruined... Then, I had a better idea. Not willing to give up by this unforeseen disaster, I decided to go ahead and used pumpkin instead.

So, my project continued..

Freshly cut pumpkin...

The recipe given by the website is;

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1 egg
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (use graham flour for a nice taste!)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk (or more)

But I decided to modify it. I have made many plain pancakes for my brother, granny and I when I was still schooling. So, it should be "sap sap sui" (cantonese word for easy-peasy) this time.

So, this is my modified pumpkin recipe;

olive oil
1 slice of pumpkin, mashed
1 egg
wheat flour (tepung gandum)
Leia's milk powder

Put them all in. Flour, egg and milk powder

Stir and add in a bit of water. According to the website, the mixture should have the consistency of thick, lumpy sauce like an "instant" pancake mix. But I like mine thin and crispy. So, I made a more diluted mixture.

Steamed pumpkin with fork holes mark - to test its softness

Mashed the pumpkin and added into the mixture

So then, ready to cook. Heat up the wok (couldn't use my non-stick pan as I have just discovered that it has turned rusty at certain places...yeah, more surprises...) and put in some oil. Spooned batter into the wok and cooked until bubbles rised to the surface of the pancake and broke. Approximately 1-2 minutes. Flipped the pancake and cooked for another 2 minutes.

Treng...teng...teng...! Pretty tasty despite made without sugar

"Whoa! Mommy, that's a lot of pancakes..."

Leia helped herself with the pancakes, though not much. She was more excited playing with them! So, it was mommy who had to finish them up. I like them a bit sweeter. So, I ate them with honey. Not that bad after all...

Maaaaaaaaaa................

2008-10-26T22:30:00.004+08:00

"Maaaaaa..........", Leia said. "Is she calling me?", I asked my hubby who was in the room with Leia while I prepared milk for her.

"Yeah, she calls you lah". Though I did not immediately rushed in to get her and screamed "yeah!"... my heart leapt with joy. I was smiling to myself from ear to ear... hehehe.

That was yesterday morning. Her first time. And today, she has been calling me, "ma................" and "ma ma" non-stop! I'm so overjoyed!

"Leia is in the basket..."

2008-10-25T18:08:00.001+08:00

Playtime...!! This time it was in a basket. Yes, another opportunity for Leia to learn more about space. Hehehe... she showed some resistance and fear initially but after a bit of assurance given, she seemed to be comfortable with her new space found.

She was standing up, kneeling down, cruising, peeping through the holes and kicking happily within that confined space. Well, I guess babies at this age are a very curious lot. So, it is a good time to expose them to many things as they learn very fast. As parents, we just need to ensure that we provide them with a safe environment for their unlimited exploration exercise.

" Yo!" Her favourite act - finger-pointing to bring across her message.

She didn't want to get out of the basket when we announced playtime was over. "No worries, we'll play again another day" :)

Busy... busy... busy

2008-10-24T13:18:00.001+08:00

I'm multi-tasking like there's no tomorrow! Oh, my brain is so-overworked with multiple projects that I'm working on concurrently. "Plan, plan and plan. Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise..." I have to keep reminding myself that.

One of them is building a blog on a food business that has been my dream since university years...

Oh gosh... so much research to be done for my content creation. Pening... pening... pening...(headache)

Will announce once it is ready ya!

My job resignation announcement

2008-10-23T18:01:00.005+08:00

The letter of acceptance finally came from HR about 3.30 this afternoon. That was coming to 3 weeks when I first tendered my resignation. That also means that I will have to serve for another 5 weeks... My official last day is 1st Dec 2008.

With that, I called my Penang customer service team into my room to make a personal announcement to them. It was supposed to be a 5 minutes talk but it lasted almost an hour. Personally, it was a very emotional announcement. I almost couldn't control my tears when I explained them the reasons. But they understand... Yes, family certainly comes first.

Tomorrow morning, I will have to make the same announcement to my KL and Johor teams.

Leia's milestones

2008-10-23T14:10:00.012+08:00

I was browsing through a mom's website, called Mum Centre when an interesting article caught my eyes. It is about a babychild milestones.

Hmmm... It got me started thinking about Leia's own milestones. For the last few months, Leia has been developing new skills non-stop and she seems to be enjoying herself a lot. As of lastnight, I noticed again a new act that she does - stepping on things that lie near her legs. Look at these.

"Eh! What's that?"

"My teether! Step. Step. It feels like...?"

"Look! Mommy. I can stand without holding on to the settee!"

"This book is hard"

As a first-time parent, sometimes it's very hard to comprehend why Leia behaves certain ways or why she doesn't or why she hasn't. So, going through the "common milestones checklist" for babies at her age helps a bit. Besides using other methods like observing at other babies' behaviours similar to her age, listening to advise from other parents, etc.

So, this is the milestone checklist I found online for babies between 10-12 months old. Let's see how Leia fares...

Milestone	Started? (Yes/No)	Leia's progress

• Anticipates favourite moments, e.g. clapping parts in a song	Y	She starts moving her butt and body too whenever a song is played
• Remembers certain gestures and outcomes associated with them e.g. picking up keys indicates going out	Y	She trys to get out of her car seat whenever I un-buckle her seat belt
• Perceives depth, e.g. may not be willing to crawl down stairs head first	Y	She will stop crawling when nearing the edge of the bed/sofa
• Walks while holding on to furniture	Y	She loves this! And now, she's learning to stand by letting go both hands
• May walk while holding onto your hands (let baby go barefoot at home but consider getting soft shoes for outings)	Y	Starting now…
• Communicates wishes by pointing	Y	Oh yes…! Pointing to everything! Try asking her "where's the fish?". She will immediately shift her body and point towards the aquarium.
• Responds to one or two familiar commands	Y	"Wave your hand" and she will…
• May try to imitate a barking dog or passing car	Y	"woh woh!"
• Shows stronger separation anxiety	Y	Only when she's tired or restless. Other time, she's fine playing on her own
It takes time for babies to use a cup without making a mess. Once your baby drinks more than she spills, try giving him/ her breastmilk in the cup.	Y	She seems to prefer drinking from a cup than her "sip sip" cup. Yes, drinking more than spills
At this age, babies typically sleep for 10 to 12 hours a night and take two daytime naps averaging about an hour and a half each.	Y	Sleeping time at night becomes more eratic (ranging from 7 plus to 10 plus) depending how active she has been in the afternoons. She sleeps through out the night without waking up to ask for milk anymore.

Never ever shake a baby!

2008-10-23T13:19:00.001+08:00

Overwhelming sad emotion enveloped my heart as I read a forwarded email by my friend about a 3 month-old baby girl who passed away due to parental negligence/abuse. Her life was cut short by SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome)...

Her name is London Marie Sherwood. This innocent, beautiful baby girl was left in the custody of her young dad by the mom. Out of frustration in managing first time helpless baby, he shook her so roughly that it has caused severe internal organs damage to her. I have enclosed an url here that links you to a website that explained the details.

On December 4th, 2007, Jessica Sherwood had to do something no mother should ever have to do. At 2:29 pm Jessica made a very tough decision to take her little 3 month old daughter off life support

This is what Jessica said:
'If anyone has kids, make sure that you keep them with you the whole time. Don't give them to anyone that you don't trust. Trust me, I thought that I trusted Josh (the father).

But now as of December 4, 2007 at 2:29 AM, she is gone. My one & only baby . & He is going to pay FOREVER, even if he gets out of jail scott free, he will be dead no matter what.

& To all my friends that know London , I am very angry & upset that I lost the love of my life, my babygirl. She died on her three month birthday . London had six fractured ribs, both of her legs were fracture, & her brain was so damaged that if she were to live she would be a vegetable. So I did what was right & what was best for her & took her off life support.

That's what you call Shaken Baby Sydrome [SBS]

Parents, please take some time to reflect - our own parenting journey thus far and how best can we give to our children? Especially our time and our attention which money can't buy...

Stand up...

2008-10-22T13:20:00.001+08:00

Leia has been real busy practising her standing skill. Nowadays, she won't sit still quietly for more than 3 minutes!

Lastnight, we visited her "cho cho" (great-grandmother) from Parit Buntar at "koh-poh"(aunty)'s home near our house. It was such great fun for her. Many aunties and cousins were waiting to play with her. This girl hardly cries when she sees unfamiliar faces. Instead, she stares. So, after the warm-up or staring session was over, she began to feel more comfortable to explore her surroundings.

Within seconds, she's crawling and climbing everywhere.

Her "kong kong"(grandpa) has to be the bodyguard while mommy snapped her pictures.

"Yippee! I reached to the top!"

My customised blog header!

2008-10-22T07:46:00.001+08:00

Yahooooo.....!! I finally have my personalised blog header! That's a good start. Thanks to my the other half who's an expert in this area.

2 evenings ago, I messed up my blog by uploading a very sophisticated public blog template to replace the limited and standard templates offered by blogspot. Not foreseeing the complicated technical aspect that I'll be facing, I excitedly uploaded it successfully after several persistent attempts. Then later it struck me that I couldn't comprehend the "step-by-step"configuration guideline in order for the template to function in my blog properly. My world started to spin as I started to panic and force myself to read over and over again the guideline text. Only to be disappointed by my incapability. Man, that was tough for an IT not-so-savvy person like me!

Oh...that's the over-confident me. But now I learnt my lesson....(not so hard way...hehehe...I still managed to "save" my blog. thanks to the assistance given to me)

So, ground rules for uploading blog template that I'll never break again;

1. Always make sure a copy of the existing template is saved as my back-up plan. Just in case I don't like my blog new look or just in case another disaster happens

2. Never ever perform the customisation on my existing blog. Instead, set up a new blog within Blogger to test out the new template before really start using it. All I need to do is to go to my Blogger dashboard and "create new blog".

3. Do not be shy to seek advise from the experts - not only to save my time to get it done but to save me from unforeseen disasters I might have created!

eblogtemplates.com offers great, professional-looking blog templates for both blogspot and wordpress. Don't say I don't warn you though... try to follow above ground rules. Don't learn the hard way like I did... Not so smart.

I can't download pictures!!

2008-10-22T00:41:00.001+08:00

Loading... loading... loading... Oh, it's so frustrating..! I've tried downloading pictures several times for my post but it's taking forever! This is my 3rd night in a row that I'm facing this challenge. It can't be the picture size, can it? They are lesser than 200kb per picture.

I guess no new post in this blog for tonight again. Will try in the morning tomorrow.

Why Make Homemade Baby Food Recipes for Your Baby?

2008-10-20T12:40:00.006+08:00

A Few Good Reasons Why You Should Make Your Baby Fresh & Delicious Natural Homemade Baby Food

Gives you total control over what is put into your baby’s food; you know it's free of additives that a tiny tummy simply does not need! If your baby is prone to food allergies, Homemade Baby Food will help You ensure that no foods that are allergenic are hidden!
You take extra steps to ensure only high quality foods are selected for your baby. Do the commercial baby food companies put this much love and care into their jars?

All the tools you need to make homemade wholesome baby food are probably already in your kitchen.

Your baby is exposed to a greater variety of tastes and textures making the transition to table foods less stressful for your baby.
You feed your baby according to his/her needs and cues. As you are controlling the texture and ingredients of your baby's food, you know what foods are best suited for YOUR baby.

Healthy eating habits develop earlier as your involvement is dedicated to making only high quality, healthy baby foods and snacks. Your baby will benefit from these healthy eating habits long after that college diploma is in hand.

Extra benefit - You save money when you make homemade baby food! Not only in the cost of the actual homemade baby food, but in the nutrient ratio as well. You get more nutrients for you dollar and your baby gets more nutrients for his growing body!

Baby Food

2008-10-20T12:03:00.005+08:00

A few months back I was searching high and low for a good website that can give me some tips on the right food type for my baby's age when I stumbled upon this pretty good website.

I find I can look up many of the recommended baby food types in our local market. But of course, it also goes back to individual taste of what should be fed to our babies as many of us coming from different background, religion and culture will have our own "pantang larang" (can have's and can't have's).

It also has home-made baby food recipes that we can try out. I haven't started that yet but let's set the target this coming weekend. I'll post the outcome of the "experiment" in my blog next week. :)

As for now, I'm content of getting the right food type for Leia and putting them all in the slow cooker to cook a wholesome meal for her. Twice a day.

This is the ingredient list of her nutrient-packed "moi" (porridge):

1. 4-5 scoops of white rice (baby spoon)
2. a handful of anchovies (10-15 nos)
3. a piece of lean meat/ half cooked egg
4. half stick of sweet corn
5. 1 medium size potato
6. 1 medium size carrot
7. a small bundle of spinach/broccoli
8. a cube of pumpkin

Yummy!

Take note that we only need the essence of anchovies, meat and sweet corn. So, remember to take them out before feeding your baby. These are hardy food. Not advisable to be given to babies below 1 year-old. They may not be able to chew properly and this may increase the risk our babies' choking.

The 8th Habit

2008-10-19T00:58:00.009+08:00

Lately I've been reading quite a bit on self-enrichment related books. My recent ones are Stephen Covey's, "The 8th Habit" and Robert Kiyosaki's, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". To own my surprise, I actually enjoyed reading them a lot! I used to think that self-enrichment books are boring and they are merely theories that I can learn in my own life. Don't waste money.

Well, due to above reason... it was certainly not me who got those 2 books for my own self. It was my hubby. He has always felt that I don't read enough, especially good books that can help me widen my knowledge and perspectives of life. Despite this "push" given by him, I was still not excited to start reading the first book borrowed, "The 8th Habit". Believe me, I did make the effort though. I brought the book to my office - an attempt to read it during my lunch break. Unfortunately, it was displayed on my desk for more than 2 weeks untouched. Blame it to the availability of fast internet access at office. You see, I'm more interested to do info or life-skill tips searching over the internet... The information is endless...

So, when did I manage to read "The 8th Habit" after all? Due recognition has to be given to my hubby's tireless encouragement. I finally followed his advise and checked out a short movie made available in Stephen Covey's website. It's very interesting. To gain access to his movies, I just need to register in his website. I'm pretty impressed with the website that he has. It has also a "Ask Dr.Covey" column that gives individuals an opportunity to learn first-hand as he personally teaches them the principles of setting, tracking and achieving personal goals.

So now, my learning journey with Stephen Covey does not end with the book. The follow-up will be online :)

Leia's favourite new toy

2008-10-18T23:43:00.012+08:00

This is her favourite new toy - her "make-shift home" converted from a cardboard box.

Look at how happy she is!

Leia's and grandma's highlight of the day!

2008-10-16T18:52:00.001+08:00

Can you believe that this cheerful-looking baby has had a fever this early afternoon? Highest temperature recorded was 37.8 degree celcius.

Based on my past 2 experiences (yes, thank God that this baby hardly falls sick), this is not considered high. Her first time fever reached 42! (Yeah, you can bet this mom newbie was worried sick then) Doctors and nurses have assured me before that it is only considered high fever when the temperature hits 40. Anything below 37 is normal. So, at 37.8 - I diagnosed it as slight fever. But she was grumpy though. Refused her "moi" (hokkien word for porridge) - unusual sign that confirms she was not well.

And my mom - being the panicky person over small, trivial matters got extremely worried. Especially when Leia rejected her favourite drink - milk though still feeling hungry. A double confirmation. And to make matters worse, Leia's incessant crying (triple confirmation) sent my mom frantically looking for help.

So, there I was - working in my office when my phone rang. Not one time but many, many times. It was mom.

I almost wanted to pack my laptop and rush home to rescue, both Leia and mom. The sick baby and the panic-stricken mom. But then I managed to stop myself. Relax... give my mom a chance to manage the situation. Besides, I was sure that my sis-in-law was already at her side helping her out. So, I called home to check on both a bit later. And you know what I found out?

Everything turned out fine. Mom handled the "crisis" pretty well. Leia was given panadol syrup (as per my approval...) and went to sleep. She drank her milk later. Within less than a minute thereafter... she's being her old self again - happily running around in her walker and "talking" loudly to her "kong kong" (hokkien word for grandpa), "ah ma" (grandma) and "kim kim" (aunty).

The moral of the story is...

Where is the light at the end of the tunnel?

2008-10-15T22:06:00.005+08:00

My decision to resign from my present job is certainly not well-received by my family members, close relatives and certain friends. To them - it was a very dumb move considering the fact that I'm taking home quite a big paycheck every month and recession is showing its strong sign...what a timing, right? I know they are concern of my financial welfare but is that the only thing that really matters?

Believe me, it was a very hard decision to make. It took me months of serious discerning before I took the plunge. But we must do it for only the right purposes. For me - as a mother and wife, the purpose is very clear. It breaks my heart every single time I can't take my daughter home from my baby-sitter's place at night on the weekdays. Sometimes, even the weekends are not spared. I'm either away traveling for business or work till late night. An exhausted woman can't play good roles as a mother and wife...

Nevertheless, with my hubby's support, I took the brave step and threw in the towel. And you know what, God really understands the anxieties and fears corporate women like us feel when our career hit rockbottom.

I'm amazed by the turn of events in my life right now. I can only believe that God asks me to continue to surrender to Him and allow Him to guide me to the right direction. The better plan has yet to arrive, perhaps?

As the saying goes, "one door closes, many doors open".

Have faith!

Would like to share with you this very good speech by CEO of Apple - Steve Jobs in Stanford University Graduation Day. reflect on his experiences

New haircut for the mommy!

2008-10-15T18:35:00.001+08:00

I am going to cut my hair again! Yup, it was only about 2 months ago when I had my last cut. Wow, so soon I'm at a hair salon again? Well, it is soon at least for me - the person who's too stingy to invest on a good haircut. One haircut in 1-2 years time seems logical to me. After all, there's not much styling required for long hair, right? So, why spend money. No one has really complained about my hairstyle. On a good hair day - I'll just let down my hair. On a bad hair day - just tie it up. Done!

But things changed now, I guess. Feeling ugly with my new body shape after delivering Leia, I just feel the need to pamper myself a little bit more. Yeah, vain pot!

So, here I am... writing this post while the shampoo lady puts the shampoo on my head...

Oh, how nice it is to be pampered this way once in a while...blessing!

I finally get my hands on my first blog "career"!

2008-10-15T15:47:00.007+08:00

Yes, I have finally made time to create this blog - an important task which I've been putting on hold for so long...

As a first-time parent, I nevertheless have faced and am still facing the untested ups and downs of parenting. The nerve-wrecking experience when my Baby Leia was found down with jaundice - just 1 day after she has been brought home from the hospital. Then the hospital nurses announced that she contracted oral thrush the next few days. Then, constipation followed... inconsolable crying... latenight sleep, challenging breastfeeding experiences... bla...bla...bla... I really wished then that I have very strong support around me to go through those difficult times.

Now that Leia is a bit older (she's 10 months now) , her behaviours become more predictable and understandable. Well, it takes a lot of patience and hands-on experience. And I'm glad I have been able to do that despite my demanding corporate job...thanks to my supportive hubby - a very hands-on dad too.

So, here I am now. Putting up a mom's blog with the intention to share, discuss and learn from other mothers the tips of parenting. It is a also a good mean of communication with all my loved ones, relatives and friends to keeping them updated on the happenings in the Heah's family, especially Leia's progress.

I look forward to having an active interaction here with all of you who takes the time to read and follow my blog :)