Pix during my pregnancy

I was hideous during my pregnancy! (Not that I am beautiful to begin with, but I was uglier that time!) I had pimples exploding everywhere, my double-chin which I've managed to shed just before getting pregnant (with lotsa effort in controlling my diet & exercising I must add) made a huge come back and my nose! Can you see how bulbous it had become! Oh well... I wasn't aware of them until when I reviewed the pix... :-p I was in Cloud 9 at that time! I don't notice these things when I have greater things to look forward to...

I must say though that baby is very "co-operative" when he was snug in my womb. I've heard a lot about woman's cravings during pregnancy. I do have a number of them, but surprisingly despite the very strong cravings that can drive me crazy when I keep recalling the taste, smell and look of the stuff I crave, I managed to get around it. How? Well, one midnight, I had this strong crave for Chee Cheong Fun and it must be the Penang style with dark sweet sauce... not the KL Chee Cheong Fun which is normally in curry. I was salivating just picturing the plate of Chee Cheong Fun (and believe me, I wasn't even a Chee Cheong Fun fan to begin with, so I don't understand the craving) with no way of getting it. So I tried my luck by rubbing at my tummy and said "Baby... it's late and all the Chee Cheong Fun stalls are closed. Can we wait till tomorrow morning? Mummy promise, we'll get that Chee Cheong Fun first thing tomorrow morning! Deal?" After a while, my craving lessen and I can finally sleep peacefully without tossing and turning - craving after the CCF. Amazing isn't it? I negotiated with my baby even before he's out of the womb! Hehe...

So after that I've employed the same methods whenever I was hit with strong cravings. Craving for authentic thin crust pizza (not the fast food variety unfortunately... This baby has class... I tried Pizza Hut & Domino's... he's not sated). But I was in PD? Where do you get good pizza there? So again, I "negotiated" and it goes something like this - "Baby... Mummy is in PD with dede right now... There's no pizza like the ones you wanted... Can we wait till the weekend? I promise I'll get you that Pizza you wanted". So I was ok for a few days and even forgotten about it, but come weekend... The cravings came back! Then I remembered the promise. So hubby and I went to Marco's pizza in BV. That's the only pizzeria I can think of that's close to the ones we had in Rome and Milan during our honeymoon (cos' my cravings was really going for that very taste we had in Italy... but sorry... am not that cravy nor rich to fly all the way to Italy to soothe my cravings... pregnant or not...) - after that, I was satisfied and never wanted another pizza again!

Other than CCF and pizza, some of my other cravings are - Cempedak (and I want them fried... not raw... Boy that was tough... It was about nearly a month before I tracked down some cempedaks), Tau Fu Fah and... errr... can't remember... maybe that was it. I tell ya... All these cravings were postponed to a more convenient time thanks to a bit of negotiation with lil' un. Funny huh...

Happenings in 2010

Since I did not blog for the whole of 2010, here's some catch up on the happenings in 2010:
1) Another CNY with no baby in sight. It's getting more & more difficult especially when bump into insensitive relatives. The most difficult this year was of a distant cousin of my mother-in-law who initially tried to match make her daughter with hubby but it didn't materialize. The daughter married a few years after us & got a baby daughter soon after; with another bun in the oven (boasted to be a boy). She was so smug about her daughter having 2 kids already despite marrying later than my hubby & looked at me in disdain when she asked how come I've not had any yet & the fact that I'm not young anymore... That #@%$#*&!!

2) My maternal grandma passed away after 2010 CNY at the ripe age of 84. It was expected because she was diagnosed with cancer some time back, but her passing was still hard. She was so strong in comparison to her peers of the same age, that it never crosses my mind she'll leave so soon. I always marveled at her strength, dexterity (imagine a full squat & standing up without aid at her age!) & most importantly she can eat anything without "pantang". Most Asian old folks I know will shun foods like duck (aggravates rheumatism), cabbage (wind), iced drinks / cold food (cold), coffee (insomnia), cucumber (cold), yam (skin itch), prawns & eggs (cholesterol) etc. Not my grandma. She takes all of them & more. I was shocked when she even ate coleslaw (a definite no-no for others)!

3) 6th Jun - historic day where the doc took the first scan of baby. At that time he was just a black circle on the scan (refer to previous post for pix of scan). I wanted to shout out to that rude woman in (1), but what's the use... She'll just say, well good for you, but my son who just got married last year is already expecting a son soon... So? You're still very late in delivering your "KPI"... sigh... Save my strength for the coming baby!

At first, time seem to drag so slowly... Especially when waiting to:

a) know if it's a boy or a girl (that took forever!!) - though I don't mind if it's a boy / a girl cos' being my first, I'm happy just to have a healthy baby; but hubby's family is anxious for a grandson. I told my friends, if it's a girl, I'll tell my mum-in-law, don't blame the "postman" (or in this case woman). I just deliver... your son determines the sex! ;-)

b) get the results of my blood test & baby's scans to determine if he's healthy

After that? It just zooms past so fast that I was "sorry" when it was time to head for the delivery room!! Maybe because I had such a good & smooth pregnancy with none of the morning sickness etc etc, I just love being pregnant! Especially to feel every kick, knee-jerks, elbow-jerks and even the somersaults! At first I was anticipating a very uncomfortable last month where mothers normally complaint to me as being among the difficult months because the baby is so huge that you can hardly sleep... Well, I admit he did kick me a lot, but when I talked to him and asked him to be a good boy & let mummy sleep at night, the kicks stopped!! ... but continued again bright and early the next morning.

Finally baby was born on 11th January 2011 at 10+am. Weighing at 3.25kg. Here's his first pix after coming out of the delivery room:

Updates After 1 Year MIA

I was Missing In Action for more than 1 year now. Those who follow my blog may be wondering what's going on? Well, in summary:

Firstly, I went for a minor op towards the end of January 2010 (Ovarian drilling to treat PCOS - Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) and I ended up being on MC for 10-days.

After recovering from the op & hectic CNY period, hubby & I continued our effort to have a baby. Every month that my menses arrived, I was crushed yet again (despite the fact that the operation has helped me to stay off hormone pills & as a result I lost quite a bit of weight).

Then I suddenly found out that my gmail was barred & so was my blog! I can't access them at all! The strangest thing of all, I keep getting notifications of comments posted on my blog; which worryingly are advertising sex sites, but I can't access the blog at all. I was so unhappy cos' there were so many posts that recorded stuff I wanted to remember & I'm losing all of them! What's worse my friends may be wondering what's with all the sexual comments / sex sites recommendations. I'd like to declare here and now that I have no idea how that was posted & in no way do I condone to lewd postings made under my name / in this blog in 2010.

Then... in late May 2010, I was late by 4-days! I was hopeful & ecstatic! I immediately called my gynae to arrange for a visit, but was told to calm down & wait until I was late by 7-8 days. On the 5th day, I had some spotting & I almost cried in the office toilet cubicle when I saw it. I was a zombie for the rest of the day as the now familiar disappointment came crashing down. Surprisingly the next day the spotting stopped. I dare not place too much hope again for fear of greater disappointment, so I tried to maintain "coolness", but you can't imagine how agonizingly slow it was, waiting for another 2-days to reach the 8th day before I see the doc.

On the morning of the 8th day (it was a Saturday), 6am... I immediately rushed to the toilet, a pregnancy test kit in one hand and the manual in the other - being read & re-read to ensure I got it right. Then the obligatory wait for the strip to indicate the disappointing 1-line or dare I hope that it'll show 2 lines? The control line appeared... then... then... then...

OMG! OMG! OMG! YES! YES! YES! I have 2 lines!!!! "Babe! It's positive!!", I practically shouted at my husband who was still fast asleep. I can't belief my eyes & shoved the stick under his nose to confirm (regardless that it just got dipped in you-know-what). He opened half an eye & said "Hmm... yea there's 2 lines..." & promptly went back to sleep! Huh! How anti-climatic.

I immediately hyper-ventilated & shoved my hubby awake to quickly send me to the gynae's clinic to confirm ASAP! Now! Pronto! I need a professional confirmation or I'll go crazy! (notice how many exclamation marks I've used so far? But that was really how I felt & the scene that historic day on 6th June 2010). We arrived at the clinic at 8am but she's only open at 9, and hubby was giving me the look that says "I told you we're early"... hehe... thinking back again, it was rather comical...

As I waited for my turn to see doc, I was so nervous & worried. All the doc's previous warnings that I have higher chance of ectopic pregnancy even if I do get pregnant kept coming into mind. When I finally met the doc, she laughed that I'm too excited & it's still early days for a scan. Of which I justified that I just wanted to confirm that the embryo is safely in the right place. So, she scanned me & this is what we saw:
Don't know what you're seeing? See that perfect circle surrounded by an oval black space to our left? That's the start of a life inside me! That's our baby! That was the most beautiful picture I've ever seen & my eyes filled with tears & felt a huge lump in my throat that I can't say anything but nod / shake my head to the doc's questions / explanations. The embryo has safely made its way down the fallopian tube! What a relieve!

The rest of the year 2010 was then filled with nurturing this little being that I didn't even bother to check if my blog is unbarred until now... I'm so happy I have access to my blog back. I'll update my journey to motherhood throughout 2010 in my subsequent posts & also updates on my baby now. They may not be chronological order since I'm catching up on 1-year's worth of news in this blog, but who cares! :)

Love, new mommy...

Recommendation: Nails Magic in SS2, PJ

Last Tuesday hubby had an appointment in SS2 & I not wanting to wait for him in a stuffy office, decided to walk around the block of shops / boutiques in SS2. I found a banner advertising manicure & pedicure, both for RM48 for first time customer. I decided to try since hubby would not be ready for another hour.

I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the good points about the place:
1. Comfortable solo sofa chairs with a running basin to soak your feet in
2. a huge LCD TV
3. rows after rows of O.P.I nail polish in every shade possible
4. Nail art designs tht are truly professional looking & not some lousy / cheesy looking nail art tht looks like the artwork of a 5-yr old drawing snowman / lop-sided snowflakes (though I do appreciate tht the "canvas" is truly small & may be a challeng for some - there's not much space you can paint on short nails)
5. Finally! A proper pedicure tht scrubs away your dead skin cells at the soles & the sides of the heels using pumice & followed by bath salts (the few I've tried so far only sticks your feet into some bubbly water with a bit of bath salt & wipe it dry, tht's all... and when asked to remove the dead skins, the generic answer is - need to add money... sigh...)

Not tht used to a guy doing pedicure & manicure though, but I must admit he's very good with the nailarts, so it doesn't really matter anymore. However if you're the type tht feels squimish abt having a guy handling your feet, there are women in their staff too. Just make sure you come prepared in open toed sandals & 1 - 1.5hrs to spare. If you go in pairs, I think the discount is even better.

Pullman Putrajaya

Last Christmas weekend, hubby & I stayed in Pullman Putrajaya using the free night stay voucher he got. Based on the name, I was expecting an ultra modern / minimalist / all straight lines & muted colours type of hotel. Boy was I way off the mark!

Not tht it wasn't beautiful. Far from it... It's majestic (in size) with traditional themes. It has several blocks named after different types of flowers... Let's see if I can remember most if not all of them...
1. Lotus (this is where the lobby, swimming pool, ballrooms, gym other than rooms are located) - in Chinese / Japanese theme
2. Raflesia (this is where we stayed) - in Sabah / Sarawak style with traditional motives on the pillars
3. Bunga Tanjung (this is where the 24-hour restaurant & also where we have breakfast is located. Of course it has rooms too) - Malay themed
4. Jasmine - Indian themed
These blocks surrounds a beautiful pillared clock tower, with a fountain at its base & overlooking a beautiful lake where a restaurant on stilts can be found. Beside the lake, there's an open air "amphitheatre", game rooms, children play room, bicycles for rent etc. There's also a Maritime centre next door (don't know wht's in a Maritime Centre; it's still empty at the moment).

It was a peaceful place to be in (but probably attributed to low number of occupants / the grounds is so big tht we didn't bump into many ppl). I think I see more cleaners & maintenance folks than guests; but it's no wonder considering the size of the hotel. It certainly needs an army to run / upkeep the place. The most surprising thing I found? dumbbells & yoga mats in the room's cupboard (no I didn't take them home... behave guys...).

Several down sides though:
1. I remembered I commented in Krabi tht Malaysian tourism's most successful area (better than our neighbours) is tht our staff has good command of English. The staff here (especially the night shift... Morning shift is much better) proved me wrong... They either take time to understand us / understand us but don't know how to reply / give us the wrong information (e.g. we wanted to know the room rates if we're a member of their chain of hotels & was told it's RM100++ but when we asked again in the morning, we were told tht it's actually abt RM250++!! Jeezz....)
2. It's a new hotel, yet the room had faulty security lock / things needing repair
3. Food is generally too salty. Other than tht, it's normal hotel fare with nothing to rave about. But hubby praised tht it's the first hotel he'd been so far tht managed to produce a proper half-boiled egg on the 2nd try! (other hotels keep giving him hard-boiled eggs because the chefs insisted the right time to cook a half-boiled egg is 3 mins & refuses to change the timing despite producing hard-boiled eggs everytime they cook it for 3 mins)
4. There's nowhere to go out for good food in Putajaya! Or maybe we don't know where to find them. We went to Alamanda Putrajaya mall & had our dinner there instead.

Overall it was a good & relaxing retreat. If you can afford the price, it's a good place to relax & do nothing! :-)

Book Review: The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes

This is a LBD (Little Black Dress) Book, written by Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart. It's about 3 sisters with magical powers (Dee, Lizzie & Mare Fortunes - yes, tht's why the title "Miss Fortunes") whose parents were killed when they were still teenagers. Dee, the eldest, knew tht their parents were killed by their Aunt - Xan; who's also a powerful witch. Xan becomes powerful by "sucking" magical power out other witches / sorcerers.

Dee at the age of 16, packed her sisters & went in hiding to avoid Xan from killing them when sucking their powers too. Their latest hiding place is Salem Fork where Dee worked as a Bank Officer, Mare an employee in Value Video!!, while Lizzie stayed at home to experiment on turning straw to gold using magic (tht way, the sisters will not need to worry about money & pawning off their mother's jewelry to survive).

Somehow Xan found them in Salem Fork & even sent their "True Love" with hope tht the girls will sacrifice / willingly give away their magical powers in return for a "normal" life with their soul mates. Dee is paired with Danny James - who happen to hate witches / rather ppl who claim they have magical powers due to some tragedy in the past (but found out tht he's a psychic himself!). Lizzie with Elric, a powerful wizard who ended up teaching her how to control & make use of her magical powers effectively by proper channeling. Mare with Christopher Duncan aka Crash (go figure! a bike loving, rich mechanic with such a nickname...).

Unfortunately for Xan, the 3 sisters refused to remain in hiding any longer & decided to collectively fight against Xan. Naturally in the end, good triumphed over evil & everyone lived happily ever after (not without some sex scene thrown in).

You may think tht I gave the story away, but there's actually much more twists & turns not mentioned here. A good light read.

Movie Review: Avatar

First the synopsis. People have discovered an expensive & energy producing element in the planet Pandora tht's inhabited by the Na'vi. The Na'vi has similar characteristics as the humans except tht its skin is blue & they are much larger in size. Planet Pandora's air is toxic to the humans & hence people can't survive on the planet without oxygen masks.

To better able to communicate with the Na'vi to ease the tension when humans set up mines around their planet for the precious ore (to the corporate miners) & the chance to study this new being in the interest of Botany / science; humans have developed a hybrid of Na'vi + human using the DNA combination of both species. The hybrid would be controlled via some brain wave connected to the hybrids - called Avatars.

Before the "hero" of the show appears on Pandora, there's a group of scientists who have set up a "school" where the scientist in their Avatars teaches the children of the Na'vi to communicate in English. However this school was shut down when the Na'vis lost their trust on the human race. They are nature loving creatures & can't bear to see the mines destructing their planet.

The hero's Avatar somehow stumbled into the Na'vis settlement under their great & sacred tree & through miracle / mother nature's guidance, he was accepted in the settlement to learn their way of life. At first his intention was to learn as much as possible to find ways to persuade the Na'vi in leaving their sacred tree because right under tht tree is a large deposit of the precious ore tht the corporation wanted. However as he learnt more abt the Na'vi, he began to love the nature loving race & the lines between reality vs. life through his Avatar blurred. He began to feel more like a Na'vi than human.

Driven by impatience to rid the Na'vi, force was used instead of the originally planned method of diplomacy. The Na'vi began to shun the hero lika a plaque for he has caused the distruction of their sacred grounds. However, he fought hard beside the Na'vis & in the end they triumphed.

In summary, I felt tht there are some moral msgs behind Avatar. It's a reflection of how we're destroying our own planet for corporate gains vs. the struggles of the few who protects Mother Nature fiercely. The cinematography is beautiful; but some may complain tht some of the scenes are too cartoony (especially when the trees lighted on its own... it looked a bit like Nemo scene with the jellyfish). I liked it... Hubby didn't.... So mixed reaction there.

p/s: I saw a movie review over some entertainment programme (can't recall the name) & they raised an interesting question - the movie is not showing the right demography... It consists of only "whites". What happened to the "blacks"? When this question was posed to the director, he said "In my movies they're 'Blue'...." :-p

Susan Boyle - Debut Album

I bought the Debut Album of Susan Boyle last Wednesday (16/12). I loved it. I asked hubby to guess, based on the voice, how old is the singer. He analysed "considering it's very youthful sounding but had a slight maturity especially on the lower notes, reckon the singer can't be teenage, so should be easily 25-28 years of age"... hehe.... boy how off the mark he was, but yes, I'd agree with him... She has such a youthful voice, no wonder there are parties who accused her of miming to someone else's voice. I chose to belief it's her real voice.

Verdict: Go get the album!