POB: Parasites on Board

Reading

2011-08-12T23:41:00.001+08:00

I just finished reading keeping faith by Jodi picoult. It started of as an okay read. It was very heavy on religion and that sort of caused some disinterest for me.

But halfway through the book, they started developing a romance plot for the main characters and it was then that I got sucked into the book. So much so that it was partially to blame for my sleepless night last night.

Needless to say, I've finished reading the book and I now feel somewhat empty.

This is the problem with me unfortunately. Reading for me is both pleasurable and torturous all at the same time. The former because I usually really get into the story and start feeling as I am with the characters or I'm one of them. This is also exactly the reason for the latter.

I start imagining myself as being the one in love. As of right now, I'm missing Ian Fletcher. The love interest in the book. I even 'stalked' him in an appearance he made in one of Jodi Picoult's later books.

I have a feeling this is rather unhealthy. I have an urge to reread the book just to revisit Ian but at the same time I feel I shouldn't cause I need my mind to get back to real life. It's currently stuck in perfect romance mode. Smooth guy, always saying the right thing.

I wonder if anyone ever feels this way? I wouldn't be surprised if no one else didn't though. I know I'm a little weird.

I guess, it's the same thing with the many ladies swooning over the charms of Seth Tan couple of months back.

A few years back I read Bridget Jone's Diary and started behaving weird to my husband cause I was so 'into character'.

I just hope my mind returns soon. Till then, I'll just stay away from iBooks for a while.

Handmade iPad stylus

2011-05-29T22:38:00.011+08:00

My SigOth (significant other) gave me an iPad 2 for mother's day. It has been in my possession for about 4 days now. One of the apps I love for the iPad is penultimate. I love being able to sketch ideas. Unfortunately, I hate using my finger because it's hard to translate my drawings with my finger. So I was on the lookout for a stylus.

Yesterday, while at lowyat shopping for SigOth's computer bag, I spied a stylus from kensington, meant for the iPad. It was RM79.80. We decided a little too late that we should buy it, so we didn't. I did however make a mental note of it so we could get it some time in the future.

Fast forward to later that night, as I was lying awake in bed buzzed from too much coffee and bubble tea, I decided to ask google if he knew how to make a stylus for the iPad. Lo-behold, a slew of tutes came up. But most of it called for conductive foam, which can be found in computer chips packaging. Unfortunately, I don't have any lying around at home. I soon found out that what I needed was conductive surface to get my inputs to the iPad.

I tried various mediums, from aluminium foil to playdoh. They all worked but didn't work well enough. Then SigOth told me about using 3M sponges. It seemed like a good solution but that would mean having to get it from a shop as we didn't have any at home. Annoyed, but excited I went to bed at 5 a.m. Got my sponge today and made several styluses for use. They work great! So I decided to write a tutorial for my friends that want to make their own too.

The stylus I made for SigOth.

The stylus I made for myself.

Enough rambling. So are you ready to make your own? Well here goes!

To make the stylus you will need:

An empty pen/mechanical pencil barrel. It would be better if it was metal or aluminum
A scotchbrite 3M sponge. Blue or yellow.
Metal/copper wire
Scissors

Once you have gathered all your material, you're ready to start.

This is what the sponges look like. They can be found in the cleaning department of the supermarket. The top sponge is yellow in color. The bottom one is blue. They both work but I prefer the blue one. I explain why below. Please remember that you're only suppose to cut the soft spongy part. The green scouring pad is not used.

First thing you need to do is unscrew the pen to expose an opening so you can stuff the foam in. In the picture above, you'll notice 2 types of pens. One of them is a regular ballpoint pen. It has a metal barrel. The other is a shaffer (sp?) refill. Both worked fine. I decided to use the bottom half of the ballpoint pen as my stylus body. The black body with the little blue stub is my completed stylus. The beauty of this is that you can use both halves of the pen to make styluses. You can then give one to someone else!

If you don't have a conductive barrel, you can still make do with a plastic one. But there is an extra step you need to take to ensure that your stylus works.

You will need to wind some wire around one end of the foam before stuffing it into the pen opening. The wire then needs to be wound around the outer body of the barrel so that it comes in contact with your hand when you are holding the stylus.

The picture above shows the wire already wound on a piece of foam.

The next step is to push the foam into the pen opening. It would be best if the foam were bigger than the opening so that it will fit snugly into the pen and not shift as much.

If you're using a plastic barrel, you should then wind the wire around the pen like the picture above.

You can choose to trim the foam till it is nicely shaped or leave it as is. Either way, it'll work fine.

Your stylus is now ready to use!

Super easy and cheap too! Thank god I didn't buy the stylus yesterday. If the foam dries out, (I'm not sure if it will) just replace it with another piece.

Some personal notes: I bought two types of foam. Yellow and blue. I found that I prefer the blue one because it was less 'wet'. It seems the foam has some sort of liquid on it. I guess this is what makes the foam conductive.

I also would suggest that you go out and get yourself an aluminum mechanical pencil as a barrel cause it just makes the thing look better. The wire isn't really a pretty sight and it's a little wobbly when used.

That's all I can think of right now. I hope this has helped. Enjoy your new stylus!

Growing up

2011-05-22T02:46:00.003+08:00

It's 2:30 a.m. and I'm at the computer cleaning up iPhoto when I hear the boy stir and starts to cry. I head over to the bed to feed him. I then start to cry.

...

For the past couple of nights, my heart has been weighed down by thoughts of the kids growing up, and me missing how they are now. My heart starts to ache when I realize that these moments right now are fleeting and before I know it, they'll be adults, living their lives as they should.

It may seem strange to some people, how much it saddens me to see them grow up. A part of me wants to hold on to their childhood. I know growing up is part of life, but that part of me refuses to accept it. I wish there was a way to freeze time. Freeze moments in their life so that I could revisit them when they're all grown up. I find myself feeling melancholic and knowing that I'll miss the way the boy smells when he's sleeping next to me, the way the girl asks her thousands of questions, the way they play together.

I remember when Iliya was younger, how I wish she would grow up faster, so we could do things together. I couldn't wait for her to be bigger. These days, I find myself wishing the exact opposite. I am thankful however that the boy seems to be growing at a much slower pace. I seem to be experiencing more with him, than I ever remembered with Iliya. With Iliya, she seemed to grow up at blazing speed, and before I knew it, she's this smart, inquisitive, willful 4 year old.

I have no sane explanation for this odd behavior of mine. I hate thinking about the future, and the subject of death almost always brings tears to my eyes. I dread the day when my loved ones pass on. Even as I am typing this I have tears streaming down my face. Why am I such a mess?

I wonder if anyone out there feels the way I do. Or am I the odd one out? Either way, all I can do is pray to god to grant me the strength to accept such inevitability and not be so damn emotional about it. I pray that I can embrace their growing up instead of dreading it. I pray that I live everyday to its fullest and not miss out on their lives so that I won't regret it in the future.

Down time

2011-04-09T01:49:00.002+08:00

My little boy is sick again. If you were in the loop, you'd know that just a couple of weeks back, he had a fever due to teething. And now, here he is again, warm and sick. Poor baby.

I am refraining from telling my parents about this for number of reasons. First off, they'd probably exclaim how often he falls sick. Then I'd have to listen to them tell me tales from yesteryear of how my siblings and I hardly ever fell sick. They would then go on to the importance of proper nutrition and feeding them proper food.

Basically, I hate being told I'm not doing it right. I understand that they have their Grandkids best interest at heart and only want the best for them. But I don't see why they need to chew me up in the process.

I don't feed them processed food all the time. I make sure they eat their multivitamins, drink their milk and eat their vegetables. But that's life. If they're gonna fall sick, they will.

As I type this, I'm breathing through my mouth because my nose is congested. If you follow my tweets I'm sure you would know that I've been complaining about it. Naturally, the boy has caught the bug too.

We co-sleep because he is still being breastfed and wakes up several times at night to do so. As a result, he is close to all the coughing, hacking and throat clearing that I do. It's totally unavoidable. (I would be lying if I said I was hoping he'd not catch it though.) He was coughing this morning and immediately I knew he was falling sick. True enough, he started developing a mild temperature come evening time.

Gave him some paracatemol and that brought down the temperature. But it's back up again tonight. I'm hoping he won't need anymore meds come tomorrow.

Do I have a point to this post? Not really. Perhaps, a little more understanding from the parental units would be nice. I try my best to raise my kids the best that I can but sometimes, shit happens. The best I can do then is just clean up the mess. Asking more from me is just, too much.

I know I've been complaining about my stuffy nose, sore throat and headaches, but I'd trade getting better early for my boy's speedy recovery. I hate being sick but I hate my kids being sick even more.

Remedies for my ailment, there are aplenty, but there isn't any for a worried heart. Get well soon, baby boy.

We don't have goats!

2011-03-28T22:38:00.003+08:00

The girl was disappointed that we couldn't go to the playground due to sudden rain. This was the conversation heard between her and her cousin:

Girl: Go away rain!!
Boy: We need the rain so the trees get water. If the trees die, then we won't have fruits.
Boy: The rain also makes the grass grow. If the grass dies then the goat can't eat.
Girl: But we don't have goats?!

Birth story: The boy

2011-02-02T15:50:00.004+08:00

Unlike his sister, whose arrival into this world was unplanned and chaotic, sid's delivery date was set 2 weeks in advance.

The doc started talking about the delivery months in advance, suggesting dates to us. We had to plan the c-sect around the husband's work schedule to ensure that he would be able to spend the longest amount of time with me as he was not entitled to any leave at that point in time.

After a lot of going back an forth, the date was set for Sept 12th, 2010. I was told to go to the hospital early in the morning to be checked in and prepped for surgery.

The night before, I started feeling very anxious and scared. This was new to me, as I didn't have any time to feel this way with iliya. Iliya's c-sect was an emergency one and when it happened I was already having mild contractions. My mind was focused on the pain instead of being anxious about the surgery that was about to happen. Needless to say, I it very little sleep that night. I was actually a little scared despite having gone through it once before.

The morning came soon enough and we hustled out of the door to get to the hospital. I was less anxious and a feeling of excitement was slowly creeping in on me.

When we got to the hospital, we checked in at the lobby. I was given my patient id tag and was wheeled to my room. There, I was instructed to get out of my clothes in into the hospital robe.

While waiting around for the nurse to come around and prep me, we entertained Iliya by snapping photos of her and with her. I was feeling rather sentimental because in a few hours she would no longer be our only child, our baby girl.

The nurses finally came and started prepping me for surgery. I was cleaned, purged, and the dreaded catheter was put in place. For some odd reason, I stupidly agreed to allow a trainee nurse to insert it. I was thinking, "I should let her cause it'll help her in her learning." It is safe to say that I regretted that decision later when she failed to get it in on the first try. It took her 2 tries to finally get it in. This is the worst part of a c-sect delivery for me. The catheter insertion. Hate it!

After some time, I was wheeled into OT. There I lay alone till it was my turn for surgery. My bed was right next to the nurses station so I could hear all the gossip that was going on. As it was close to Raya at that time, most conversations was about fireworks and rendang. There was this one nurse walking around taking orders for sparklers and noise makers.

It was finally my turn and I was moved to the operation table. Epidural was administered by a kind lady doctor who's name escapes me at this time. Soon I was feeling numb from the waist down. I started feeling cold, side effects of the epidural. My doc arrived, said hello and got to work. I could see what was going on as there was a cloth covering my bottom half.

After about 10 - 15 minutes, the doctor started pushing down on me to get baby out. Moments later, the wonderful sound of a newborns cry was heard. I did not cry this time, but that doesn't mean I was any less happy or grateful that my baby boy Ilyas Sid, was finally here.

Unlike his sister, who was born with very little hair, Sid was born with a full head of hair! That was the first thing the doctor exclaimed. "Banyaknya rambut dia nurul!" The nurse brought baby to my side, showed me his fingers, toes, and little birdy a little too close to my face. I was instructed to kiss him once and he was whisked away to nursery to be cleaned up.

After being closed up, I was wheeled into recovery where I slept for about an hour or two. I was then wheeled back to my room where the husband was already waiting for me. I was still under the effects of the epidural so I felt no pain. About an hour later though, the pain started. I didn't want to be a hero this time and asked for pain killers the moment people cleared the room.

Was able to see baby around 6-7p.m. I tried to nurse him but he was more interested in sleep. He hardly drank and when he did, it was only for a short while. I was a little worried but decided to chill and just go with his flow.

My parents arrived later that evening with my brother. They stayed a while and took the girl out to Ikea. Unfortunately, they couldn't stay over as there were some renovation being done to the house in JB, so they when back the same day.

I stayed in the hospital for two nights. The husband didn't sleep over this time as he had to be home with iliya. They visited me early morning and left before visiting hours were over. Iliya thoroughly enjoyed my stay in the hospital cause she got to eat in bed while watching tv! She even napped in my bed. Thankfully, the bed wasn't small.

Didn't get too many visit from the lactation consultant this time round but it was okay, because I already knew what to do. Breastfeeding was a breeze and I didn't suffer any sore nipples like the last time, thankfully.

The boy slept with me in the room and was only wheeled back to the nursery when he had to be weighed and checked. I even cleaned his icky black poop on my own! It was trying as I was in a lot of pain but I managed so I didn't have to send him back.

After being discharged, I stayed in shah alam for a couple of days more, to wait for Hari Raya. After having some lemang and spending some time with the family, we left for Johor where I spent the next 44 days in confinement.

And that concludes the birth story of my darling baby boy, Ilyas Sid.

The kids

2011-01-14T15:18:00.001+08:00

She loves: shoes. He loves: bags.

Reboot

2011-01-13T14:12:00.003+08:00

I have been pondering for the past couple of days whether to start blogging again or not. I reread my posts, tweaked my template and even posted a photo. Gingerly dipping my feet back into the world of blogging.

The main reason I stopped blogging was because it got to be impossible to sit at the computer to blog with an inquisitive 3 year old hogging my attention and a baby on the way.

It got to be even more impossible when the boy came along. My life became a zoo, a zoo with wild animals and crazy patrons. If you let your guard down, you'd be eaten alive by the animals in the zoo. *ehem* the bit about the zoo was added by the husband. I'll just leave it there for posterity.

Anyway, I finally decided I should in fact start blogging again because I realized that this blog is like my time machine. A time machine to my kids past. What they were like as wee ones. The hardships and craziness that is parenting. I blogged a lot about the girl's early years. Her first words, her milestones. Stuff I don't even recall anymore. It's all neatly tucked away in my digital archive. Rereading those entries made me realize why I started blogging in the first place.

I still don't have time to sit at a computer and blog because I now have a 5 yo AND a 1.4 yo to entertain, but I will try to make a conscious effort to blog when I can from my phone because my future self will most definitely appreciate it.

So here I am once more. Rebooting this little journal of mine, my very own time machine.

I sew!

2011-01-12T01:31:00.001+08:00

made a bag to go in my handbag to hold the misc Knick knacks and doodads.

Bug

2008-09-15T02:34:00.000+08:00

DDOB: My little BIG girl

2008-09-15T02:30:00.002+08:00

Birthday Photos

2008-09-02T00:23:00.002+08:00

It's Iliya's Birthday!!

2008-09-01T23:40:00.002+08:00

Well, she doesn't turn 2 till the 4th but we had an early party cause everyone was over.

This is the cake that I made for her. It's chocolate cake with chocolate chips iced with buttercream and love. (Haha!)

More photos to come.

2008-09-01T02:36:00.001+08:00

It's 2:20 in the morning. I really should be asleep but I'm not cause tomorrow, we'll be having a small get together with family to celebrate the first day of Ramadhan and also to celebrate the bug's birthday (She turns 2 on the 4th).

Instead, I'm illustrating teddy bears and bugs and robots for her favors tomorrow.

This is the first time she'll be celebrating her birthday so I want to make sure she has at least an o-kay birthday.

We didn't celebrate her 1st birthday because some of the family was away then the fasting month came and we sort of never got around to doing it.

This year, we're doing it.

The problem is, there are so many things I want to do in the short span of tomorrow. I guess I'm being over ambitious and should try to edit myself but this is the bug's first birthday party, I can't help myself.

Her cousins (almost) always have big birthday celebrations. I'm not trying to compete with them, I just want to give the bug the best.

She's my baby girl after all.

So my list of things for tomorrow:

- Make favor bags
- Print stickers
- Pack candy
- Make mini note-books
- Bake & decorate cake
- Sew totes for the bug and her auntie
(they share the same birthday)

That's a mighty long list of things. I do hope I manage to complete them all.

Some time last month, we bought the bug some toys for her birthday. Since she already got her birthday present, she technically shouldn't be getting anything else. But I feel kind of bad that she doesn't have anything to open at her party.

Am I spoiling her? I don't know. I just feel every kid should have gifts to open on their birthday. I know some might say it is unnecessary and wasteful, but that's just how I feel.

It's the one thing kids look forward to each year, their birthday! They count down the days, make lists, dream up cakes and parties and presents.

Hopefully, I'll be able to carry out my duty as a mommy and give the bug a wonderful 2nd birthday.

2008-08-29T16:49:00.001+08:00

Snippets of conversations with my 2 year old:

Me: Iliya, come give mummy a hug.
Iliya: Jap! Loading.

Me: Iliya, say hi to Ah yee (her auntie).
Iliya: Jap! May May poop.

2008-08-29T02:07:00.001+08:00

Me: I better put my bra on.
Aznin: Why?
Me: Well, I'm going down to do some work. Nanti ayah masuk dapur tengok saya excited.
Me: Cause my nipples are all erect.
Me: Wait, let me rephrase. Nanti ayah masuk dapur, ingat saya tengah excited. Cause excited people have erect nipples.
Aznin: That is so wrong dear.

Because I can

2008-08-27T15:03:00.001+08:00

Every time I want to post a twitter, I see this widget and it makes me want to blog. Hah! I may end up being a compulsive blogger.

But it is good no? This means my blog won't be collecting dust.

Today I'm making toppers. 10 only though, so easy peasy.

The bug is all well now. No more diarrhea or fever. She's back to her old chatty self. I'm thinking it also has something to do with the fact that her cousins are back from Jakarta. She's been so lonely all week that she probably fell ill from all the loneliness. Just a guess though.

Life in general has been okay. Not great, but not bad either so I can't complain.

I'm still being bitten by some sort of annoying biting thing. (Have yet to identify what's been biting me)

We tried shifting rooms but that doesn't help much. Still got bitten. Damn.

My left boob feels kind of tender. I'm not really sure what's up. Maybe a plugged duct.

I'm trying to be nicer to my younger niece because I read somewhere (she had written after a bad day) that she didn't like me that day. And that she doesn't like me most days. I felt really bad after reading that. A little annoyed as well.

I am trying to be a better auntie though so I've not blown up at her recently and I'm trying very hard to be more patient and understanding with her. (She has some attitude issues) Perhaps, if I'm nicer with her, she'll be a better person too?

Who knows. I've got nothing to lose anyway. So, good luck to me!

It works!

2008-08-26T14:46:00.003+08:00

Okay. The widget works. Cool. I shall blog more from now on.

My life has been hectic. We now have orders on a regular basis leaving me with little time to myself. I do try to squeeze in a little 'self-therapy' to make sure I don't go insane though.

Since I don't have the resources to regularly go on retail therapy, I sew. It's enjoyable and I feel proud of the items I produce. So far I've made 3 bags. 1 for me, and another 2 for the nieces. They really like their bags. Even my cousins like the bags that they're egging me to make them a few. I do it because it's something other than baking, or taking care of an almost 2 year old.

Speaking of my almost 2 year old. She's turning 2 in 9 days! She's getting to be such a big girl now. She talks a lot, loves dancing, loves to sing, and loves watching youtube. I'm thankful that she's not a difficult little girl. She will listen to you (most of the time) and she doesn't throw tantrums.

So loves clothes and shoes. Absolutely loves them. She can't walk pass a shoe shop without wanting to go in. Oh, she also loves bags. Which reminds me, I have to sew a bag for her. Every time she sees me making a bag, she'll go, "may may nya bag?". Poor kid. Her mummy keeps making bags for other people but not for her.

She prefers jeans over dresses but she will wear skirts. But she doesn't protest as much anymore when I try to put a dress over her head. I was hoping my girl would be a girly-girl. Oh well. Jeans and t-shirts are cute too, I guess.

She likes playing with babydolls and teddy bears and will bring 1 of her 3 teddy bears out with her whenever we go out. She doesn't like to play with dolls though. I wanted to buy her a doll for her birthday but she would have non of that. She wanted another 'baby'. We didn't get her one though cause there are 3 babies at home as it is. I don't want the house being over run with plastic babies. Maybe I can 'sneak in' the doll. Hmmm..

She's getting used to being photographed but like her father and her god-ma, she will almost always make a face. Why can't you people just smile for the camera?

Oh, anyone know where I can buy velour? Was thinking of sewing a doll for the bug. Would probably be cheaper than buying one. But lets just say I want to sew one so that it's one of a kind and special and not because I'm cheap. Haha!

I told you she made faces.

Widget Testing

2008-08-26T14:07:00.001+08:00

Testing a widget to see if it actually works. If it does, maybe I'll blog semi-regularly from now on.

It's my birthday!

2008-07-15T03:36:00.003+08:00

Happy birthday to me!

Incase you're wondering, no I don't feel old. I don't feel different either. I spent most of the evening cleaning my room. It is now clean and 'almost' spotless. I'm happy.

I don't have any wise words to pen down. I also do not wish to contemplate the last 28 years of my life. (I have my parents to do that for me!)

I will say that I am thankful to be blessed with loving family, and wonderful husband, an adorable lovely, lovable darling daughter and fantastic friends. I know I have said this so many times, but it bears repeating, I do not have that many friends, but what little I have, I hold dear to my heart and I would not trade for anything else in this world.

For my birthday, the wonderful husband got me a handbag. Not just any handbag, he got me a handbag! I was so happy when the bug handed me the bag. It's a beautiful blue and is just the right size for me. I can fit all my essentials in my bag and look good carrying it.

I fell in love with Radley bags the first time I saw them at Robinsons. I never dreamt of asking the husband to buy one for me because they were so pricey that I couldn't justify having one. So I forgot about them.

Then last Monday, the bug came in after dinner and handed me a bag. I thought she was carrying my MIL's or my SIL's bag. But then the husband said it was mine. Needless to say, I couldn't stop smiling. But I had to ask him, how much was it? Not too much I hope? He said he got it on discount due to the sale and that it was 2 seasons old. I felt much better.

So that's what I got for my birthday. I will photograph it once I get the chance. I've been slightly busy of late with the business and such that I haven't gotten around to taking a photo of the bag.

I'm not one to make resolutions but I did promise myself that I'd try to be a better muslim from now on. Stop missing my prayers (especially subuh), be a better mummy to the bug, be a better wife to the husband, have more patience, and be a better person overall.

Here's to a fresh start!

DDoB: Smile?

2008-07-04T00:13:00.001+08:00

DDoB: Mummy's Angel

2008-07-03T15:00:00.001+08:00

On Ferringhi Beach

Topiary

2008-07-03T03:51:00.000+08:00

Each 'rose' is individually rolled and placed on the topiary.

Penang, in Photos: Part 2

2008-07-02T15:00:00.000+08:00

On day 2, we decided to go hiking at Taman Perbandaran. It was a tiring trip because we had to carry Iliya most of the way up. But despite that, I have to say that she was very well behaved through out.

All in all, it was an enjoyable trip. Tiring, but enjoyable. I loved going to the park and look forward to going back again.

Morning Beach Walk

Before the hike up the mountain

And the hike begins!

Halfway up; Really exhausted.

Was told these were poisonous

On our way down

Yay! We survived the hike!

We left for Kedah around 2 p.m. to visit our grandfather in Kedah and to eat yummy Prawn Mee at Pulau Sayak. If you're ever in the area, you MUST drop by the stall to have a plate. I promise you, you won't regret it.

We left kedah around 5 and reached KL around 9 p.m. Had lunch at uptown and arrived home at 11 p.m.

Rainbow Connection

2008-07-02T03:46:00.000+08:00

Rainbow Connection
(Kermit The Frog)

Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that
and someone believed it,
and look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell,
we know that it's probably magic....

Have you been half asleep
and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
It's something that I'm supposed to be.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me.

Scream for Ice Cream

2008-07-01T17:04:00.000+08:00

Penang, in Photos.

2008-07-01T15:00:00.000+08:00

We spent the weekend in Penang, eating. Here are the photos.

Before we left

The reason for the trip, Taman Perbandaran, Pulau Pinang

Lots of durian were eaten

The bug enjoying the playground

Monkeys!
Tired

Knocked out
And that's the end of day one.

DDoB: Pout; Part Deux

2008-07-01T03:54:00.001+08:00

Just a Girl

2008-07-01T03:25:00.001+08:00

Shutter-happy

2008-06-24T03:54:00.002+08:00

Happiness: In a cup

DDoB: She means business

2008-06-24T02:16:00.001+08:00

I made dinner

2008-06-17T23:36:00.001+08:00

Recipe coming soon.

DDoB: Pout

2008-06-17T23:00:00.000+08:00

DDoB*3: Canteen lady

2008-06-03T02:44:00.001+08:00

Exhale

2008-06-02T00:30:00.002+08:00

Big sigh of relief

Boy am I glad the weekend is over. It's probably one of the longer weekends to-date. I was working almost non-stop since friday. I only slept for 2 hours on Friday and was up from 7:30 a.m. - 11.00 p.m. on Saturday. You can imagine my exhaustion.

We had some big orders to complete for Saturday so sleeping was not an option. We had 300 cupcakes to bake, and 800 cookies to ice. 200 of those cupcakes were for a wedding on Saturday so they needed fondant roses on them. The 800 cookies were also for a wedding.

It didn't help that we were shorthanded and both my MIL and my SIL left around lunch time, so I was left at home alone to man the fort. It was hard. I wanted to cry and hide in my room because I was so overwhelmed by the amount of work that had to be done. It didn't help that I was sleep deprived and hungry.

There was no one around to give me a hug, pat my back and say, "there there, you'll get through this." I felt so alone and helpless. It was depressing. It's times like this that you feel the loneliest. I had 200 cookies to ice before nightfall and the kitchen was a mess from all the work that had been done the day before. As my SIL said, "this is the worst I've seen the house since we started business." No truer words were ever spoken.

Thankfully, my cousin came to help me out with the cookies. She's a live saver. I couldn't have completed my job without her. Okay, I would have completed it in the end, I guess. But there would've been a lot of tears, cursing and anger.

We managed to get all the packing done by 7 p.m. and I sent the cookies out after prayers. Thankfully, the bride was happy with them. All in all, I'm glad it's over and no one was killed in the process.

We have a wedding cake for this weekend and some cookies and cupcakes for a birthday party. I think I should be able to handle those. The next big order is for the 14th where we will have to deliver 720 wedding cupcakes. I shall have to start making roses now if I want to survive that weekend. Wish me luck!

Today, I went to Dira's wedding. It was nice to meet Julia again. *waves to Julia* Dira looked beautiful in her pale yellow ensemble. She's so thin now! Congrats Dira! Oh, and both Julia and I agree that Sham is a definitely looker. I wish the both of you nothing but happiness till the end of your days.

I also met Marissa and Jooli at the wedding. It almost felt like a blythe meet instead because Julia brought her Blythe Doll with her and we snapped photos of the doll, and us with the doll. Heh.

We talked and laughed and ate and talked some more for a good 2 hours. I also bought a bag from Julia somewhere in that 2 hours.

I left the wedding around 4 p.m. because it was about to rain. It did rain before we managed to leave the house so there was a lot of running involved. I covered the bug's head under my tudung so she wouldn't get wet but she thought we were having a game of peek-a-boo instead and went, a-boo! and come out from under my tudung.

We stopped by shah alam mall to have some ice-cream because the bug has been asking for ice-cream everyday with out fail. We had our ice-cream and people watched for a while. I couldn't hang around there for long because I had an order for cupcakes at 8 p.m.

It was raining when we wanted to leave so I had to hide the bug under my tudung again. She didn't play peek-a-boo this time but she sang the rain song instead. I would say "rain rain" and she would go "go away". This may sound biased but I think the bug is such a clever little girl. Clever and cheeky. God is she cheeky.

I'm free for now. But in two weeks time, It'll be frenzy again! Till then, I'll just put my feet up and enjoy my time. I leave you with the obligatory bug photo.

For Julia

2008-06-02T00:21:00.001+08:00

This video was recorded to cheer up Cik Julia. I hope it does.

If you love babycakes, say Aaaaaa!!!

2008-05-24T01:47:00.001+08:00

Aaaaaaaa!

Back!

2008-05-24T00:29:00.003+08:00

Brushes off dust

Sorry for the long absence. I've been swamped with work. Business has been good so that means, no free time for me. Although, I guess that shouldn't be an excuse for not updating my blog, right? Right.

So what's new? Hmm.. The bug has learned a whole lot in the past few weeks. I can't even keep up. She recognizes McDonald's. She calls it McDonos. Whenever we ask her what she wants to eat, she'll go McDonos.

Now, before you come banging on my door questioning my parenting skills, let me tell you that we do not feed her McDonald's that much. Occasionally we do go there, but it isn't so frequent to warrant her wanting it for every meal. So, I am just as puzzled as to why she would request it every time I ask her what she wants to eat.

Her new favorite food is, Char Hor Fun. Or, cantonese fried kuey teow. One day, she suddenly developed a taste for it and she never look back since. She calls it kuey shiow.

She recognizes trucks, busses, motorcycles, vans and cars and she will point them out while in the car. Her favorite is the bus. She just loves busses. Oh, she can also say plane, train and crane. I've been reading too many Dr. Seuss books, can you tell?

Yesterday, she came to me with a feeding bottle and asked for some water. Orange juice to be exact. I asked her twice, "are you sure you want to drink in this", "nak" was her reply. So I filled it up with some juice and gave it to her. She happily took it from me and walked away while drinking from the bottle. I found it both amusing and confusing. She never took to the bottle. When she was younger and I was experimenting with ways to feed her milk, she would cry/bawl/turn away at the sight of a bottle. So, you can see my confusion.

She walked around the house a bit with bottle in had, occasionally drinking from it and even went up to her grandma to show her bottle off. She patted herself on her chest and exclaimed, "baby!". Ahuh, my kid is in denial. She's barely two and she's already trying to act younger than she actually is. No one told me it starts this early. Why don't kids come with a manual?

She loves elmo. Loves loves loves elmo. She constantly asks for him, especially when the tv is on. Thankfully, we have youtube so she can watch elmo online, on demand. Her favorite elmo clip right now is this one.

Because she watches it so much, everyone else in the house sings it too now. It's quite addictive. How can you not love elmo?

We bought a potty for her recently from Ikea. We think it is about time to potty train her, but I have no idea how/where to start. Can someone point me in the right direction? Or even better, train her for me? Please? I'll pay you in cupcakes/cookies, whichever you prefer.

The other day, during her bath, I took her diaper off and put her on the potty. I went, shhh... shhh... for the longest time. Even the bug joined me. Nothing came out. Not even a trickle. So I figured, she must have just peed in her diaper and stood her up and I went to pee. She came up to me, and peed, standing up. I didn't know what to say.

This potty training is more complicated that I thought. Is there a way to not go through it? She'll learn on her own, eventually, right?

I've been knitting a bit here and there. I still have a few things I have to knit. I just need to find the time. I also have some knitted things that need to be put together. I just need to find the time. Starting to see a pattern here?

I haven't had time to do anything else. So most of my projects are on hold. Hopefully, I'll be freer after mid-june. Hopefully.

Till then, it'll be long silences and infrequent posts.

Photo

2008-05-09T09:54:00.000+08:00

Highway

DDoB

2008-05-09T09:51:00.001+08:00

Okay, I know I'm missing like 10 DDoB's but I've been quite busy so do forgive me.

DDoB: Owls

2008-04-25T00:11:00.000+08:00

You know you're a mommy when

2008-04-25T00:04:00.000+08:00

You're willing to stick your finger up your baby's bottom to dig out poop because she's constipated and she's crying non-stop because she can't pass motion.

And your hand ends up smelling like poop the rest of the day despite washing it several times with soap.

Meeting Alin

2008-04-22T00:51:00.002+08:00

Last Friday, I met Alin to deliver her the cupcakes she ordered from me. You can read more about it at her blog.

We just stood infront of my car and chatted a bit. She took a photo of me with her phone. I would have rather she didn't but, since I wanted to help her score her phone, I agreed anyway. You can go see the photo at her blog as well. Do yourself a favor and don't though.

Here's the 1 photo of her I did take.

Alin

The bug also wanted to do her bit in helping Alin win her phone.

What do you mean I can't keep it?

DDoB: Fiery

2008-04-22T00:30:00.001+08:00

DDoB: Sharing

2008-04-20T00:14:00.000+08:00

The bug sharing her banana fritter

DDoB

2008-04-20T00:13:00.000+08:00

Teaser

2008-04-11T14:45:00.001+08:00

There's some interesting going-ons in POB-land.

DDoB

2008-04-11T14:34:00.002+08:00

I think I want to make this a daily thing. 'Daily Dose of Bug'. Here's today's dose.

White streaks on face is buttercream

Bake!

2008-04-10T01:40:00.003+08:00

I seldom take photos of what I bake. (most of the time, I forget till after the fact) So Last Monday, while all was quite, I took some photos of the cupcakes I was baking at 1 a.m. I'll leave you with some visuals.

What's your flavor?

Tools of the trade

Best of both worlds

End product.

Daily dose of bug

2008-04-10T01:37:00.002+08:00

I actually have a couple of photos of the bug I wanted to post. But I've decided to post one a day. So here's number 1.

Horny Monkeh: Post-op

2008-04-10T01:33:00.002+08:00

Based on the poll results, it is clear that what Sam needed were some new eyechips. So did some minor surgery to him and he's looking much better I think? Here he is posing with his Monkeh Friend all the way from the states. Sam's friend is here to stay. He hasn't told me his name, yet.

I'm sure Sam is glad to know that he'll be leaving me in good hands.

April Blythe Meet: Plastics

2008-04-06T00:56:00.002+08:00

These are the plastics. 26 all together, I think? I touched a princess ala mode!! Aahh.. She's so pretty. I don't think I'll ever buy her though. Unless the husband becomes very very very rich. The guy bought her for RM1600.00!!

All the girls Dira's Saffy In the presence of royalty A custom Julia's EP. She's a beauty.TwinsTriplets Oh wait, make that quadruplets Spectators.
You can't imagine the amount of people that came to snap photos of the dolls. They kept coming. Some even came up and posed with the dolls. A lot of people came up and asked us whether we were selling them. Hehe.
Can you guess which doll this beauty is? Right guess gets a surprise!

April Blythe Meet

2008-04-06T00:43:00.001+08:00

Went to a blythe meet today. Finally got to meet the infamous Julia!! Hi! Julia!! *waves*

Yes, she really is that nice. She's as nice as she is on her blog. Maybe, even more so. hmm.. I am slightly disappointed that we didn't get to talk much. I must request that for the next blythe meet, it be made a some place where we can sit and have drinks and talk for hours. It is a bonding session after all.

First up, photos of humans.

L-R:Julia, me, Alin, Dira, Marissa and Allen.(No I wasn't sleeping)Me and Miss Julia. She's adorable, no?

The next post will contain the plastics.

Horny-Monkeh

2008-04-01T13:02:00.002+08:00

Allow me to introduce you to my latest creation. This is, Sam. (Is Sam a horny name?) He was created from a pair of Polo socks. He's going to live in Amsterdam after I send him off packing. The girls don't quite like him and is afraid of his wily ways.

seriously, though. What do you think of him? Everyone at home has something bad to say about him. 2 people said he just came out of prison, the rest said he looks scary. His ears are too big, his eyes are creepy, his tail is too long. What do you, dear esteemed blog readers think of him?

I have to send him off soon and I feel quite bad about sending him if he's not acceptable. So, I need your opinions people! Please select the best answer on the poll I have sent up at the side bar. Thanks!!

My first time..

2008-03-31T09:28:00.003+08:00

Get your head out of the gutter. This is my first tag. Was tagged by the wonderful Milkberry.

So lets get started.

10 things that make me happy
(not in order)

1. Being married to my hubby.
It's the best. He loves me a lot, he buys me dolls (instead of calling me nuts), he tolerates my manja-ness, he feeds me good food, he scratches my back. I can't imagine a life without him and I don't want to. I love my husband.

2. Being a mommy.
It's tough, yes. It gets trying quickly and you have to have a good control on your temper. But it's also very rewarding and most wonderful thing in the world. The bug is the cutest, cheekiest, smartest, & most adorable girl I know. (No I'm not biased) She fills my heart with so much love and pride. Its the best thing that's ever happened to me.

3. Blythes
I joined the bandwagon late but I'm glad I did. I am also glad my husband doesn't mind funding my obsession. Blythes make me happy. They're cute and lets me indulge my crafty side. I can sew clothes make clips and customize them. The possibilities are endless and they're a great outlet for the stress from work. They are also the reason I have some great new friends now. Without the blythes, I don't think I would have met Julia, Dira, Marissa and Milkberry.

3. Family
I love my family. In-laws and my own. They're a great bunch. The perfect mix of jelly-beans with a sprinkle or 2 of odd flavored ones. They're supportive and always have my back and for that, I'm grateful.

4. Friends
I don't have that many friends but the ones that I do have, I value a lot. They're funny, interesting and lovely people. I couldn't imagine my world without, Carrie, Mable, Gillian, Julia, Dira, Ida and Ikin. They're keepers.

5. Crafting
I enjoy crafting. It makes me happy. It's a great way to unwind after a long stretch of baking and working. If I didn't have my crafting, I would probably be a very cranky person. I love crafting because I can create something new and perhaps brighten someone's day. I love giving the things I make away. When I make someone happy, I'm happy.

6. Ho Yan Hor (herbal tea)
This is a herbal tea that can be found in most medicinal shops. It smells bad but it's fantastic for curing any illness related with heat. I don't like the smell but It's the one thing I turn to when I'm coming down with a sore throat or fever. It's never failed me before.

7. Being a housewife
I love being able to stay at home. I'm glad that my husband allows me to do that. I'm thankful that our situation permits me to be a housewife. I love being able to look after the bug myself and not leave her at the hands of a babysitter or nanny. I'm glad I get to teach her new things and I feel so proud when she does something new. I'm happy I've always been there to witness the new things that she does. I also think she is who she is because I'm a stay at home mommy.

8. Japanese fabric + craft stuff
I can just browse through their magazines all day. I love looking at all their crafty goodness. It's so pretty it makes me happy. It's sad that it's not readily available here. (maybe I'm just looking at the wrong place) I think I was born in the wrong country.

9. My gadgets
I love my gadgets. I value each and every one of them. Without them, life would be pretty boring. I love my MacBook, iPod, DS and phone. If I didn't have those, I probably wouldn't know what to do.

10. Shopping!!
I love shopping. It makes me happy. But not for clothes. I love shopping for gadgets, craft items, dolls and doll related items. Oh! and clothes for the bug. I don't buy clothes for me but I love dressing the babe up in pretty outfits. Seeing her look good makes me happy. I could possibly look like the bibik of a well off family. I think, that's what people think of me sometimes, especially when I carry her in my sarong sling.

I know It's suppose to be 10 things, but I have 1 more to add.

11. Swapping
I love swapping! I love love love getting mail. Even better if its filled with goodies just for me. I'm so glad I found swap-bot and there's no turning back. Everyone should join swap-bot.

People I'm tagging: Mabs, Gi, Adriana and Ida.

Little big girl

2008-03-27T00:50:00.002+08:00

This set is from a photo-shoot I was 'trying' to have with the bug. She wasn't co-operating much that day. Still, I these photos turned out quite nice, even if the product can't be seen clearly.

Pirate

2008-03-27T00:44:00.002+08:00

She stole some ice cream from her auntie and claimed it as her own. When she finally came to me, she was super messy. I just had to post these photos.

Sweet tooth

2008-03-26T23:24:00.002+08:00

I don't eat candy that much but there are some which I cannot resist. This is one of them. I started eating these when I was still a kid. Back then it was a much looked forward to treat whenever we went to a shopping mall. The mall became rundown and was taken over by xtra. Suffice to say, I couldn't find it anymore.

Until now! We were at The Gardens last Thursday and I asked the husband to go to Shojikiya. They had any japanese snack imaginable and it was so nice being surrounded by such cute packaging. Then I saw it. It was on a shelve lying with a mixture of candy and mints. The packaging had changed but I was sure it was the same candy that I used to love.

I immediately grabbed 2 tubes and handed them to the husband excitedly. The moment the husband paid for it, I opened one tube and popped one in my mouth. Sure enough, it was the same candy. I was super happy. I told the daughter she could only have one because 'these are mommy's'. (She's had more than one)

I'm so glad I finally found it again. Now I just hope the shop doesn't go out of business anytime soon.

Currently loving

2008-03-26T03:59:00.002+08:00

The scent of my passion fruit shower gel from The Bodyshop.

14 hours later

2008-03-22T17:04:00.002+08:00

So I survived. I survived the baking, the icing, the decorating and the delivering. I also survived the not sleeping. I'm still running on reserves and I'll probably go to bed early tonight. We left the house at 8.45 a.m. to make sure we made it there before 11 a.m. (as requested by the bride). Thankfully, we managed to arrive by 10 a.m. despite there being an accident on the vary narrow road that leads to Banting.

I am very pleased with how the cake turned out. There are some flaws that we have to try to avoid in the future but all in all I am very proud of this cake given that it is our very first commissioned wedding cake. (We've made wedding cakes before but they were all for family) I just hope the bride loves it too. (fingers and toes crossed)

I'll leave you with the photos. If you wish to see more, you may go to the official babycakes blog.

p.s. I love the birds. I made them. (Hah!) But don't you think they turned out uber cute? I have mad skillz. (end self-praising)

2008-03-22T03:08:00.003+08:00

It's 3 a.m. And I'm waiting for a cake to bake and I also have to be up by 4. Obviously there's a flaw in this plan. Tomorrow is the big day. Will have to deliver the wedding cake we've been worrying about all week.

I'm glad it's almost over. This cake has been challenging. From the flowers, to the birds, to the cake itself. Hopefully it will be well received tomorrow.

I'll post photos once it's all done.

Oh, you know what else is challenging? Blogging from your iPod Touch.

Rant

2008-03-20T00:30:00.002+08:00

I have a headache. Oh, and I'm angry. No, the headache is not the direct result of being angry. But the anger is aggravating the headache.

I have tools that help me work more efficiently. I like things that make my life easier. That's why I buy them. But when I want to use them and find them incomplete, missing pieces, completely missing it makes me angry.

My rotary cutter is missing its mat. I'm not blaming anyone but I think the kids played with it. They love playing with anything that isn't suppose to be played with.

I was instructed to cut stickers tonight to be used for packing tomorrow. Happily I packed my cutter and the stickers to be brought into the room. Just as I was about to start work, I noticed the cutter missing one vital piece, its mat.

I went downstairs in hopes of finding it, but no luck. So now, I'm stuck with manually cutting the stickers with either a scissors, or blade. Both of which seem unappealing to me.

There's nothing I can do about it now though, so I'll just have to make do with what I have. But trust me, I will find the culprit tomorrow and make the little worm pay for it.

I'm not being picky or stingy. You can use my stuff, just make sure it's returned the way you got it.

Okay, I'll stop complaining now.

I feel like I don't have enough time in a day to do the things that needs to be done. And I have so many things that needs to be done. I'll be glad when this week is over and done with. But all at the same time, I dread as days move closer to deadlines.

Oxymoron, much?

I'm on a mini quest to make more money. Oh, wait, that's my life's agenda. Heh. Okay, let me rephrase, I'm expending my income sources. Hopefully, this new venture will bring in more moolah for me to spend.

Plenty of happenings going on at home as well. Nothing much to talk about. Will let know, when there's REAL updates to be made.

I want more time to play. Is that too much to ask? I don't have much time anymore to do anything else. But, like I always tell my MIL, this can only mean business is picking up. So, I'll stop complaining. (out loud)

Right, back to work.

Good night loves.

Weekend getaway

2008-03-17T00:01:00.002+08:00

The entire family went away for the weekend to Rompin. It was a wonderful and much looked forward to holiday.

All the baking and stressing over baking was getting to our heads and we were becoming desperate to get away from it all. So, the weekend trip was nice.

The getting to Rompin wasn't so nice though. The drive was long and winding (Kuala Pilah) and we got lost a couple of times. But the beach more than made up for it.

I'm not much of a beach person, but I enjoyed flying my kite on the beach and playing with sand with the bug. I even took her close to the sea to feel the splash. (much to the chagrin of the husband; The red flag was up) The bug got a bit freaked by the violent splashes and wanted to return to her sand playing.

I even rented a bicycle and cycled along the beach. The breeze was wonderful and cool and it was nice to be on a bicycle again. I am feeling the after effects of riding on bumpy paving though. My bottom hurts every time I sit down.

I rained quite a bit while we were there so we couldn't do much most of the time, but what little time we did spend outside was great and refreshing.

The bug even went into the swimming pool twice. She's now even darker despite there not being much sun.

We got back today at 5. The drive back was just as long but we're glad to be back home sleeping on our own mattress. (I removed my bed a long time ago) I'll leave you with photos.

The bug excited about her new surroundings

She found it amusing that everyone was snapping photos of her lying in the closet

It rained most of the afternoon

Brolly

My kite

The bug in her swimwear

Hornbill sighting

Is that an eagle?

Daybreak

Help needed

2008-03-11T00:17:00.002+08:00

Fellow readers, I need your help. Do any of you have any articles on the Angkasawan? I need them. I need prints. Not from the internet but printed material. Do you think you could help? Please? For those of you who help, I'll give you a beautifully handmade kanzashi barette. For the boys, I'll give you a handmade ninja boy. Oh, you'll need my address right? Well, drop me a comment if you can help.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thank you!!! *kiss kiss*

What's been keeping me on my feet

2008-03-05T23:04:00.002+08:00

Shopping for stuff.
The bug.
Baking:

Blythe Meet

2008-03-02T00:31:00.004+08:00

Today I went for my first blythe meet ever! Initially I was afraid/nervous that I wouldn't be able to mingle but those fears were irrational. The meet was great, the people were great and we had a jolly good time fiddling with dolls.

The only downside of it is that I have a majorly upset tummy from drinking too much coke.

Oh, and yes, people stared. A lot.

I'll leave you with photos.

The bug, Now with video!

2008-02-29T00:49:00.003+08:00

I told you I'd update you on the bug, didn't I?

The bug has been screaming a lot lately. She'll scream when she doesn't get her way. She'll scream when she's mad. She just loves screaming. It's very annoying. I don't know how to fix it. So today, I just covered her mouth with my hand. Then she started crying. Anyone has any ideas?

Another thing she likes to do is pull Afiq's hair. That's another thing I don't know how to fix. She knows that Afiq cries when she does it, so now, everytime afiq annoys her, her hand will immediately go for his hair. Afiq will then start to cry. That boy is a bit of a pansy so he cries when things are not in his favor.

Although, sometimes Afiq is asking to have his hair pulled because he loves provoking the bug. He'll intentionally take something from her when he's told not to. I still don't think it's right that May loves pulling his hair and I'm looking for ways and answers to fix this problem. I have told her several times to stop doing it and have stopped her just in time but I want her to stop doing it completely.

Oh, and yesterday, he bopped Afiq on the head with a metal object. Not hard though. But enough to cause the grandparents to go into a flurry. They were clearing out some stuff from the storeroom and the littlest ones were outside with them. They must have been looking elsewhere for a moment when the bug managed to secure herself something from the toolbox and proceeded to do some damage to Afiq. It wasn't hard I guess cause Afiq didn't cry or anything. It was only AFTER the grandparents made noise did he start to whimper. I quickly took the girl to the kitchen to give her a talkdown. Upon hearing me scold Iliya, my MIL stepped in and told me it wasn't her fault cause she didn't know what she was doing.

I have a feeling she does though.

I don't know what the bug has against Afiq. A lot I guess. He is really naughty and doesn't listen to you and will do all sorts of monkey stuff. He loves provoking the girl and will always want something that she has, whether its hers, his or someone else's. It really doesn't matter.

In less destructive news, the bug has been saying a slew of new words.

I miss you (I mih you), Octopus (Oh-pu-pus) Drum (Dum), Breast pad (Beh-pad/Eh-pad), Dog (Dog dog/wow wow), Giraffe (ruff), Turun (uyun), Dukung (Ukong), Off, Handphone, Mana, Ada, Please (peas), Thank you (Ten you (with a vigorous nod of the head)), Nite nite, nasi, doll, cheese (when she's holding a camera), Ten Long (Lantern in mandarin), Panda bear, sheep, owl.

As usual, I'm limited my how much I remember.

Have I ever talked about her teeth? No? I've been meaning to. The bug's teeth are rotting. The two front teeth. I have no idea why but they are. Initially, I though it was because of the sweets she gets but I stopped giving her sweets totally and stopped all the sweet drinks but her teeth didn't stop rotting. So I stopped not giving her sweets. I did however start brushing her teeth two times a day and made sure she got her teeth brushed even though she didn't want to. And on most days, she doesn't want to.

I think, the rotting has slowed down. It saddens me that her teeth aren't perfect but a friend said that a dentist told her that it's widespread among kids these days and he doesn't know what's the root of the problem.

My friend thinks its the water. Another friend thinks its the lack of calcium. I don't know what to think. I've been eating more cheese these days so hopefully, the bug gets extra calcium. It makes me feel slightly better, knowing that the bug isn't the only one with this problem. This means it isn't because I'm a bad mother, right? I hope so. Poor bug. *sigh*

I could cry thinking about it. On some days, I obsess over her teeth. The rest of the teeth seem alright though. So I really don't know what to do.

Her eating is still here and there. Somedays she eats a lot, somedays she doesn't eat at all. I don't know what to do. She's kind of flighty with food. She might love one thing today but will not eat it the next. It's a lot of guessing and hoping and coaxing. She does love bananas though. She'll eat it in any form. I also recently found out she loves oysters. Not the big ones you eat raw, but the tiny ones you eat in omelet's. O-chien, it's called. I love oysters too. My dad says the bug's appetite is a lot like mine. I guess it is. But I don't like eating raw bread dough, or sugar paste.

She has been referring to herself as baby. She'll pat her tummy and say, baby. It's cute. She also calls herself May May. I call her May May. I also call her Iliya, ILIYA MAY MOHD AZNIN!, brownie and ee-ya.

She also has been saying, "nak adik". Hmm.. I can't quite help with that, yet. Not yet. A little later maybe. (I thought I might be pregnant this month cause my period was 5 days late, but then it came.)

She does this cute thing with her lower lips whenever we say, "Iliya, listen to me." I don't know where she picked it up from but I'll try to record it when she does it again.

Okay. I think that's enough Iliya news for today. I'll leave you with 2 clips of Iliya the cute.

Swap-love

2008-02-29T00:42:00.002+08:00

I received some swap-love today and I'm over the moon. It's really, really nice to receive mail with stuff in it that has your name on the envelope. I can't say this enough. I LOVE IT.

So, without further ado, here's some photos. This is for the super quick pen swap.

The envelopes. They were quite big!

The loot!

This balloon was packed in this small package which I had to whack with my fist and it just started bloating! First time I've seen it. I know I know, jakun.

My partner even included a book for the bug! How sweet is that??

Deco Tape

2008-02-29T00:16:00.003+08:00

Today the whole lot of us went shopping for baking stuff. We have some major baking to do in the next couple of weeks so we needed to stock up on certain items. As I was looking around the shop, I saw a basket full of deco tape on the shelf. I was shocked and happy at the same time. I first saw these tapes at a stationery shop in Section 8 and the selection wasn't so great. Needless to say, I bought a pack.

for the uninitiated, deco tapes is basically cellophane tape with images on it. Why am I so excited over tape? If you don't get it, you never will. It's a crafting/swapping thing.

Hmm, just realized, my blog is so colorful these days huh? I have stories of my bug, really. Soonish!

Swap-ping good time

2008-02-29T00:11:00.003+08:00

Here's the stuff I put in a swap for my partner. It's for the Surprise surprise surprise! swap. I got mine a long time ago so I kind of felt bad for sending out so late. But I already have and I do hope it arrives all right. (I have a fear of my packages not arriving and getting lost)

The package consists of a cow pencil topper, 4 pencils, a chocolate straw (I wanted to give 2, but my nephew and nieces got to it before I did), a dotee dolly, a knitted cow, a polymer clay cow, a pack of calender stickers, a pack of assorted local candies (coconut candy from Jonker Street, tamarind candy and peanut candy both from Jakarta) and finally a coin purse. Most items are handmade by me.

I do hope she'll like the items. I am still new at this swapping thing and I just realized today that I should be a better swapper.

Live and learn.

My weekend in color

2008-02-29T00:06:00.002+08:00

The last Malacca weekend was slightly different than the rest in that the husband and I went out together to shop. We seldom go out when we're back in Malacca. We normally just stay at home and vegetate.

Here are the spoils from over the weekend! So colorful! Needless to say, I was very happy with what I bought. It really doesn't take much to make me happy. Just buy me some yarn or buttons or ribbons and I'll be smiling like a child.

The yarn + buttons were bought at a shop in Bunga Raya. The mini clips were bought at Jonker Street. The shiny embellishments were bought at a stationery shop in Kelana Jaya when I went to class on Sunday. Some buttons and floss were also bought at Ikano after class.

High Hopes

2008-02-29T00:02:00.002+08:00

I bought this at Jonker Street last weekend when I was back in Malacca. I had high hopes for it. Helping me sew and stuff. But, I was disappointed cause the bloody thing can't even be depressed. I am determined to make it work. I spent RM10 on that thing! It will be worth every penny! (okay, I know I sounded cheap saying that, but still.)

I'm going to return it when I go back to Malacca next weekend. The apek did say I could. I do hope he doesn't disappear.

Oh, I also ordered a pair of really pretty clogs. I'll post photos once I get them. It takes a month to make. They are so pretty, you're going to be jealous.

I know, I'm evil.

The results of toothpicks and yarn

2008-02-22T22:38:00.001+08:00

Here's the end product, being modeled by Andy.

Priorities gone wrong

2008-02-22T02:42:00.005+08:00

I really should be asleep. But as you can plainly see, I'm not. Not that I don't want to sleep, I do. But I also want to do other things as well. Things I can't do during the day. i.e. Craft.

During the day, I have to fight with the bug for time. She's a time hog. She takes up all my time leaving me with little to non. And when I do try to craft, she'll want to 'help' too. I could do with less help from her, really.

So what is a girl to do? Craft at night! When little people are asleep. I have a couple of swaps to complete. All due end of this month.

Why I picked up a new hobby I will never know. Not that I have any free time on my hands. This new hobby is quite addictive though. I just love getting mail. Getting stuff in mail is even better. I was trying to figure out whether this new hobby is expensive and I've come to the conclusion that it isn't. It's basically a hobby where everyone just buys more stuff. Because when you buy stuff to send to people, you get the same type of stuff back. So, you're getting your money back, in a form of something different. If you're not careful however, you'll end up with a whole lot more stuff than when you started!

Does anyone other than me know what I'm rambling on about? No? Do yourself a favor and click that link above then.

I also have a really busy day tomorrow. I have a lunch meeting with a client to discuss her wedding cake and let her taste the cake I chose for her. I have to bake cream puffs and burger buns and cupcakes as well. And still I choose to craft. This would be the perfect time for my mother to say, "you've got to set your priorities right!".

Mommy dearest isn't here, however. Therefore I'm spared of the lecture. I do feel that my decision to NOT sleep is going to bite me in the derrière. I'm not that worried though. I'm more the live in the moment kind of person.

My table is awfully messy from all this crafting. I took some photos to show you the current state of it. It's pretty, but messy.

And lastly, I'll leave you with a photo of why I hate and love polymer clay.

Nicely baked cow. So cute!Burnt cow from over baking

Graffiti

2008-02-22T02:35:00.001+08:00

The many faces of Iliya

2008-02-22T02:30:00.002+08:00

Okay, so you can't see her face in the last one, but I like that shot a lot so I'm putting it there anyway.

A game of peek-a-boo

2008-02-22T02:29:00.000+08:00

Having the naughty shaken out of her

2008-02-22T02:27:00.000+08:00

My favorite thing to do

2008-02-22T02:25:00.001+08:00

Smelling my baby's feet

TGIF

2008-02-20T00:48:00.003+08:00

I love eating. Have I ever mentioned that? I had steak for dinner tonight at TGI. A 12 oz New York strip steak. It was good. I ate every last bit on my plate save for the tendons.

Right now, I'm craving for fried rice. Well, I've been craving for fried rice since this evening actually. Not just any fried rice, chinese style fried rice. I'm not even pregnant.

I'll now leave you with a photo of my very cheeky daughter.

Toothpicks + Yarn = Pain

2008-02-15T00:25:00.002+08:00

I'm hungry. I'm knitting on toothpicks. My feet have been ambushed by a(-a) mosquito(es).

I ate dinner. A lot. Yet, I'm hungry. Must be the smell of the serai wangi. It's making me hungry. Serai wangi smell is coming from the mosquito repellant that I sprayed on my feet to repel that (those) darn mosquito(es).

I've been on a crafting binge of late. I've been knitting, sculpting, okay, not sculpting, more like moulding and baking (the clay).

I love playing with polymer clay. I hate baking them. It's such a pain in the butt because I don't have a dedicated oven to bake them in. I use a toaster oven, which is so unreliable because it doesn't have a thermostat. So I basically have to sit in front of the toaster oven and watch the heat, for 1/2 an hour. Trust me it's not fun. And when I decide NOT to waste my youth watching a toaster, my creations burn.

So now I have a duck with a burnt bottom, and a bo-bomb without any legs or winder because they both melted off. I painted the duck with some paint. Pink paint no less. Looks kinda quirky now. I shall snap a photo of it when i get the chance.

I finally managed to get me some fine grit sandpaper and magnets and zippers. Did I mention I'm on a crafting binge?

I hate it when people use 'irregardless'. There's no such thing as irregardless. That's a double negative, a reason to be smacked.

Good night.

Whine-infested

2008-02-14T02:45:00.002+08:00

I feel sick. SICK. I thought I was getting better, but now I feel SICK.

It started this evening. After I got back from 1U around 4-ish and I decided it was okay to drink the cup of water I had left in the kitchen this morning. It all went south from there.

I know, I know, stupid me. Lets move along now.

I've taken the necessary steps to bring this sickness to a grinding halt. I've drank Ho Yan Hor, taken cough mixture and have been drinking lots of unexposed water. I also ate a lozenge for good measure. Hopefully, I have kicked this sorethroat back to where it came from.

The bug is getting better, s-l-o-w-l-y. Very slowly. She still has a fever and I still have to give her the meds ever so often but she's getting there. Her nose is not so runny anymore and she hasn't been coughing too much. Hopefully, she'll make a speedy recovery.

The husband is still sick. Not SICK sick but not completely well either. He's sleeping on the floor today. No, he's not protesting anything. His back hurts and he said sleeping on the floor helps. Which means more room for the bug to roll around while sleeping. She's a restless sleeper.

I have this icky taste in my throat. It's very annoying and makes me clear my throat every few minutes which is bad for my throat but I can't help myself.

God I hate sorethroats.

Meeting Mr. Gavin

2008-02-13T14:54:00.001+08:00

Had dinner with Gi, Mabs and her better half yesterday at Ole Ole Bali. It was the first time the husband and I were meeting Gavin.

He's a nice guy. Not sure if he thinks the same about us though? After hearing all our crude jokes, he must think we're a bunch of perverts. Well, if he does, then he's spot on! haha.

I sure hope we didn't scare him away. But then again, if he can be with Mable, then nothing can scare him. hehe.. *waves to Mable*

Anyway, here's some photos of the night, especially for Chic. There weren't that many chic, cause Mable is a pain in the butt to photograph. You know how she is right? Always making monkey faces.

See what I mean about the monkey face?

Mable attempting to photograph nicely after Gavin twisted her arm

Sick monkey

What was left of the food

We forgot t0 photograph the food before we ate it, Chic. So, I took the 'after' shot instead. That's Ayam Bertutu.

Daily reads

2008-02-12T15:59:00.000+08:00

Everyday, the bug will request for me to read one of the books from this stack here. Sometimes, she'll get me to read each and everyone of them.

The books aren't stack in order of her favorite ones. She likes all of them equally I think. Although, her first love is the I see you, you see me book. That's the first one we read to her.

She goes crazy in bookstores. If she's in her carrier, she'll demand to be let loose to roam free and thumb all the books, get them off their shelves, rearrange them, flip through them and generally make a mess.

So, either the husband or I will be busy chasing after her, putting books back, and keeping up with her. It's no longer safe to just let her walk about what with the kidnappings nowadays.

We bought a couple of the Dr. Seuss books while the bug was still an infant. Only now has she grown a liking to it. Mainly because the graphics in those books aren't very conventional or colorful. But she enjoys them for the stories, these days. I still have a couple more Dr. Seuss books stored way up on the book shelve, waiting to be introduced to her, when the time is right.

I'm glad she has such a love for reading, and books. Hopefully, it's an everlasting one.

Back

2008-02-11T03:20:00.000+08:00

Just got back from Malacca about 2 hours ago. The roads were jammed like nobodies business so the trip back took much longer than expected.

The one thing I missed the most about Shah Alam was the Internet connection. We don't have any back in Malacca cause my parents don't live there all of the time. The only way to use the Internet is to mooch of any wifi connections around, which there were none or going to starbucks at Pahlawan Square. Which I didn't.

The husband, baby and I was sick most of the time we were there. Infact, we're still sick. What a way to spend the New Year's holiday. The husband had fever for 2 days. I on the other hand, was luckier in that my fever only lasted 1 day but I was coughing and my chest felt congested most of the time.

The bug had a low grade fever and was coughing. Thankfully, her temperature didn't go up that high so it was nothing to worry about. She was just a little bit more whiney than usual.

So, all in all, we didn't do much this year other than drink lots of Ho Yan Hor and panadol.

We did go down to tangkak on the first day of CNY to visit my eldest auntie and her family. We sat around eating while my dad talked to his sister in a dialect I don't understand.

On Saturday, we had some people over for lunch. My mom did most of the cooking. As usual, there was plenty of food leftover. The food was good but I didn't enjoy it that much because of my condition.

All in all, the bug managed to collect RM30 in hong pau money. Not much, but we didn't do much visiting anyway.

I did manage to finish knitting the sleeves of the bug's bolero. So hopefully, I'll be able to piece them together soon. I also knitted a cow for a swap I'm doing. Having trouble thinking of what to give to my swap buddy. :s

I also watched a whole lot of tv while I was there. Finished watching Grey's. Well, the third season anyway.

I guess it's safe to say I had a very low key CNY. Didn't even snap that many photos. I leave you with a few that we did.

My auntie and my mom.

Malacca town, in all its splendor.

New girl in town

2008-02-03T00:38:00.000+08:00

Lets not question my obsession or the need for me to seek help and admire the photos.

Bug updates.

2008-02-03T00:13:00.000+08:00

It's been a really long while since I posted about the bug so here's a bug related post for posterity.

The bug has been talking quite a bit lately. She's been picking up new words like a sponge and can even speak in sentences. The bug's list of words so far:

- sit / dodok (duduk), tak mo, jangan, no! no! no!, tak nak, turn, butterfly (fufferfly), elephant (ephaphant), tiger (iger), cat (cat cat), duck (duck duck), zebra (bra *snickers*), air, susu, milk, bread, nasi, ayam, banana (nana), ball, balloon, shoes, doll, bear, fish, sweet, I love you (I yo you), mummy (ami), daddy (didi), kakak, adik, abang, aznin, jo, bukak, eyes, ears, mouth (mouf), nose, hair (air), yen jin, pi ji and tutup

That's all I can remember so far. :p She's very cheeky and mischievous, She's also a darling all at the same time. So you can imagine how my day to day is like.

Either way, I don't think I can imagine my life without her. She may tire me out but I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, maybe she could sleep earlier. Hehe.

She's having the flu now. The bug caught a bug. So she's having a runny nose. Thankfully, no fever though. Which is a good thing. CNY is coming up. Can't have a sick baby during the festivities. She needs to get a groove on!

Random things

2008-02-02T23:43:00.000+08:00

- I have no idea which way I should 'position' myself when using the squatting toilet. -_-"
- I cry very easily.
- I am very much a child at heart.
- I love to eat petai, rebung and siput. (not all at once)
- I love manggis and cempedak the most.
- I sometimes don't know how to spell certain words.
- I have a bad temper.
- I have been known to hit people.
- I used to swear a lot.
- I'm very much a daddy's girl.
- I'm sometimes a mummy's girl.
- I am UTI prone.
- I have low blood pressure.
- I lost all of my pregnancy weight, and then some solely by breastfeeding my baby exclusively.
- I love looking at baby clothes.
- I've bought more clothes for my baby than I have for myself ever since I had a kid.
- I don't know how to wear make-up.
- My left eye is obviously smaller than my right.
- I prefer drinking cold water to room temperature water.
- I love listening to J-pop, K-pop and Indo-pop. Heh.
- Fake accents make my skin crawl.
- Bad grammar makes my skin crawl.
- I look stuck-up but I'm really friendly and chatty once I get to know you.

Okay. How many was that? I didn't bother to count. Can't be bothered now. So that's a few random facts about me. Since I've been getting some new visitors thought they'd like to know a bit about me.

So, If you're new here, HI! and come back soon. :)

Reflection

2008-02-01T00:46:00.000+08:00

31%

2008-01-23T03:50:00.000+08:00

..of our photos in our library are of Iliya. That's not too much is it?

Nah. There can never be too many!

A few of my favorite things

2008-01-23T03:40:00.000+08:00

Girly stuff

Gadgets

Wallets/Money

Cute as dim sum

2008-01-23T03:37:00.000+08:00

Taken during my mom's birthday brunch.

Graduate

2008-01-23T03:34:00.000+08:00

From my sister's graduation a month back.

Flower girl

2008-01-23T03:32:00.000+08:00

Because there hasn't been any photos.

Fireworks!

2008-01-22T13:24:00.000+08:00

Did you know that you can't heat aluminum foil in the microwave? Well, I didn't. I did it yesterday and was treated to a fireworks display of the scary kind. I half expected the microwave to go up in flames or explode.

Thankfully, non of that happened. *phew*

As I was wrecking the microwave, the MIL walked by. She asked me what was that. She saw for herself and said, Oh, you can't heat foil in the microwave and walked away. Luckily I didn't get an earful. Hehe..

My heart was unsteady after all that excitement. I have low blood pressure you see. No fainting though.

So, that's the lesson for today boys and girls. Microwave + foil = fireworks.

They didn't tell me it was THIS slippery!

2008-01-10T04:21:00.000+08:00

Is it bad that every time I update my blog I post about a new doll I just bought? Hmmm... Nah.. Don't think so. It just because I don't update often enough. Right?? Right.

So yes, I bought a new doll. Well, the darling husband did. He's so nice to me. He gets me and my weird obsessions. He feeds my weird obsessions, no questions asked.

She was cheap. I had to get her. And she's oh so pretty!! Lovely hair, lovely stock clothes. Such a dream. I think having a physical store that sells Blythe is bad for me. Being able to see a blythe up close just makes me want to buy them even more. Well, maybe that isn't true all the time since the Enchanted Petal does nothing for me. So maybe I am safe. (I hope)

Without further ado, here's Julie. Named after Claire Danes character in the Mod Squad. The husband named all the dolls. Isn't it nice that he share my weird obsession for Blythes?

And here she is with her sister Eva.

August

2007-12-06T00:02:00.000+08:00

This is August. Another dolly. Yes, slippery slope, I know. I've been working today so, it's okay. (I think)

Crummy

2007-11-19T02:08:00.000+08:00

Feeling rather low and have much to do. Not a great combination but what can I do?

Got back from Malacca 2 hours ago. Have and order to deliver on Thursday. Hopefully, things will get better then. Matters of the heart mostly.

Then again, isn't it always?

Can you say, naughty?

2007-11-06T23:57:00.001+08:00

She's got 4 teeth at the bottom now.

Mays' mei tai

2007-11-06T19:31:00.000+08:00

I finally finished sewing it. It took be about 1 week to complete it but it is done. If you don't know what a mei tai is, read about it here. They didn't have the definition on wiki so that's the best that I could find.

The cumulative time is probably about less than half a day. The reason I took so long was because of the bug. She doesn't like me doing anything that doesn't involve her. I can only work in spurts, before she comes looking for attention. Sometimes, all she wants is for me to sit next to her and read to her. She's a demanding one.

It's basically a chinese baby carrier. I didn't have any chinese silk on hand so stripes it is. It turned out quite nice I think. The material is from Ikea. I bought a pair of Ikea kitchen towels cause I liked the color. The size was just nice so I decided to use it for the mei tai. The straps are from an old bedsheet that I cut up cause I didn't have anything long enough to use.

Finally the photo. Here's me testing out the mei tai with my unwilling participant. The photographer is my niece.

I'll take a better photo when I have the chance.