Happy Monday

Happy Monday Peeps!
Strange, huh... having "Happy" and "Monday" in the same sentence? It's a norm for people to recover from a long week of 9-5 office hours with a relaxing and mostly fun weekend. But for me, its the other way around this week. I'm recovering from a harrowing and emotional weekend this working week, and it started out with a pretty positive outlook. 

Remember the TM Career Fair I blogged about in my previous entry? Well this morning, I received this in my mailbox:

The email that made me smile today :)

I know, it's probably nothing. But the fact that it came from somebody working from one of the departments I sent my CV to means, at the very least, that they have seen and read my CV. Its not just lying around collecting dust somewhere or became somebody's scrap paper. Even sweeter is the fact that this department was the one that had glanced at my CV in disdain. It was pretty humbling, lemme tell ya. 

Don't get me wrong boys and girls, this entry is not meant to brag. It was, after all, just an email. Not a job offer. But the point I'm trying to put across here is that if you put yourself out there, try your level best and be persistent about chasing your goals, then you just might get noticed. And that's the first step of moving forward, I think. If nothing else, it was enough to lift my spirits today. :)

So here's to a good monday, and hopefully a great week ahead!

TM Career Fair 2012

Hello All!

It's been awhile since my last entry, and its all because I was just too swamped to even have a few hours to myself to blog. Piles of work kept finding its way to my desk, family events to attend, cakes to bake and freelance work just added itself to my to-do list this week. I'm not complaining, coz it does mean extra moolah for me... but I do miss just laying back and spending a lazy evening with my kids. From the looks of things, that might have to wait till end of the month...

Anyhoo, to those who aren't in the know, I'm currently looking for a career upgrade. So apart from sending my CV left, right and center, I've even joined my lil sister in attending career fairs and such. I was quite reluctant to go to be honest, coz I had this misconception that these fairs mostly cater to fresh grads and undergrads. But when I heard that Telekom Malaysia was having their first Career Day, I figured why not have a go at it... check things out. If nothing else, it'll give me something to blog about, right?

TM Career & Education Fair 2012

So there I was, clad in my the most formal-like outfit, armed with a stack of CVs and my job-seeker game face, going through the throngs of people headed towards Menara TM in Bangsar at 10am last April 7th. It was a balmy Saturday morning, and looking at the queue of hopefuls waiting to get in gave me a slight anxiety attack. The queue was massive to say the least! There were people queueing towards the expo hall at the TM Convention Centre, people queueing for registration in the main Menara TM lobby, people queueing to attend the talks held at the TM multi-purpose hall. I literally felt like I was queueing for an audition for Akademi Fantasia or something. Thank goodness I went with my sister, at least crowd-watching with her would help pass the time and relieve my nerves... :)

The Venue

pic courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Since we were preddy clueless as to where to start queueing, we went straight to the source, the entrance of the convention centre. The security was tight, but we managed to sneak into the lobby, only to be turned away by the event staff who shooed us to the main office lobby to get registered and obtain the TM Career Fair Passport. So off we went to get registered. Luckily Mr.Hubster told us to register online the day before so we went straight up to the express lane for our passports. Once we got our "papers", we trotted back to the convention centre entrance only to be turned away AGAIN by the security personnel. Apparently we had to attend at least one talk first, obtain a stamp in our passports, THEN only we would be admitted into the expo hall. I guess this was their way of managing the massive crowd. I reckon if they simply let people in the roof might fall in!

So we went back the way we came, speed-walking as fast as we could so we wouldn't end up at the back of the long line (yet again!) that's snaking its way from the multi-purpose hall all the way to the main office lobby. This was officially queue-you-legs-off day. After queueing for the umpteenth time in the heat and crowd, I'm so glad that I didnt wear a blazer and 3-inch heels that day. We finally made it into the hall and waited for the talk by TM's Group CEO, Dato' Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa. I went in thinking it will be just another run-of-the-mill motivational talk about TM's success and growth, but it turned out to be a pretty inspiring and enlightening story about Dato' Zam's humble beginnings and his rise to success. Of course, he also talked about TM's history, current and present plans :)

As soon as the talk was over, people started to rush out of the hall, causing massive congestion at the doors. Clearly all the education in the world could never teach some people how to queue properly without proper guidance... huhu. We got our passports stamped and followed the stream of young hopefuls headed towards the expo hall. Again, a queue. I took the time to take in the "competition". Apart from the occasional experienced-looking hopefuls (some came with their kids & babies!), about 80% of the attendees were fresh grads or undergrads.. and I was feeling extra conspicuous and a tad "aged" at that moment. But I kept thinking positive thoughts and started to plan what to say to the executives manning the department booths in the hall. First impression is everything after all.

The 4th time we had to queue.

(This was how it looked like after about half an hour of waiting...)

When we finally entered the hall, we were greeted by a sea of applicants. Imagine a mini Wall Street stock market scenario with alot less hands in the air if you will. There were so many people that you almost missed the beauty of the Kristal Hall where the whole shindig was held. The booths were lined up against the walls, and each booth was swarmed by hopefuls. Initially, I only targeted 3 booths, but in the end managed to hand out more CVs to other department booths as well. Most of the departments were really just collecting handed out CVs, but some actually did take the time to look through my resume and chatted with me. You see, a piece of paper (the CV) shouldn't be the make or break of an applicant. On paper, all that's apparent is my not-so-flattering CGPA from 9 years ago. But if you took the time to actually TALK to me, then maybe you can see something more than just those numbers. And its those executives who did "chat" with me that handed out an approved stamp on my form and led me to the next step: Assessment.

So I was led up to the 2nd floor of the convention centre for the Assessment test. At this point, it was already almost 3pm, and I was exhausted from all the queueing, and famished from missing lunch. We had to wait to be called for the test, but at least it was in a well-conditioned, seated hall. Each department has a different set of assessment tests, unique to each job vacancy. After finally being called for the test and completing it, I was asked to come for an interview the next day. A part of me was relieved, as I get to take a break from all the waiting and can go fill up my growling tummy. But in the back of my mind I knew that that night would be a nerve-racking ordeal of anticipation and anxiety. Who doesn't have pre-interview jitters, right? And this would be my first interview in 4 long years. How would I handle it?

The next day, I returned to Menara TM for the interview. I was taken to the waiting room to wait with a group of applicants. I was number 46. 46!! And there were more filing in. An executive appeared and called about 15 of us to follow him. Off we marched to the corridor of interview rooms to await our turn to face the firing squad  (or should I say hiring squad?) Haha. The whole corridor was thick with nervous anticipation. Some, like me, managed it with some light-hearted banter. Some was busy reading and re-reading their CVs, hands white-knuckled and shaking. When my turn came, I was quite surprised that they called me by name and not by number. Hoping against hope that that was a good sign, I walked in with as much confidence as I could muster. The interview went well, I think. I just hope I made a good enough impression to stand out from the rest.

So that was my first career fair experience. All things considered, I must say that the TM Career Fair was a runaway success. The concept (passport and step-by-step filtering) was simple, effective and systematic. TM might have underestimated the amount of people who would be coming and applying for jobs, though. The event staff looked just as harrassed as the applicants haha. I just hope the next time TM decides to hold another event of this magnitude, they'd be more prepared for huge crowds and have more "crowd-wranglers" to help smooth things along. As for me... I just hope I get a callback. Do wish me luck my lovelies... :)

 

World-Class Parenting Room Review

Hello Dearies!

As you all know, I'm a mom of 2 little princesses, and being girly girls, we do love shopping, even though its just to window shop and try out clothes and never buy them haha (much to the chagrin of Mr. Hubster :P). One of the joys of having girls is you get to doll them up, your very own live little dolls you get to play dress up with. I'm preddy sure I wont feel the same way when they're older and have their own tastes on what's cool and what's not, but for now... its preddy much dress-me-Barbie all over again!

But today's blog isn't about dressing up my DeeDees... No, today, I wanna talk about something all you moms out there must have experienced at least once while shopping with your family. Have you ever gotten a big headache when you're in a mall and suddenly you need to change your child's diaper, nurse your baby or your pre-schooler needs to go to the loo, but there is no baby room or parenting room in sight? I know I have! One too many times to be exact huhu.

That's why I make a point to find out what facilities are available in the malls I intend to go to, and to those who have excellent amenities for moms like me are the malls I frequent for our little family excursions. So here I am, on a quest to reveal the very few gems of a mall that is Baby/Kid-friendly.  Today, I will review:

Parents' Room @ Citta Mall, Petaling Jaya

To those who aren't familiar with Citta Mall, its this neighbourhood open-air strip mall located within the Ara Damansara locale, right along the Subang Airport Highway in PJ. The mall mostly consists of F&B outlets, ranging from the popular Chillis to the quaint Kay's Riches and several coffee joints in between (my Achilles heel apparently :P). The rest of the mall are occupied by a supermarket as well as various retail and specialty shops that cater to the neighbourhood needs.

From the first time I set foot in Citta mall, I could tell its a family oriented mall. Wide unobstructed walkways peppered with benches to rest on and dustbins aplenty. The information counter is located literally on the front steps of the main entrance, and they offer guest services that include directories, baby strollers for hire and wheelchairs for the elderly. Even the washroom were nice and spacious, not like the usual cramped toilets in alot of the major malls nowadays.

The first few times I've been there, I've handled Delea's little nature calls in the disabled washroom cum changing room, where there's a changing table you could use. I never realized that there was a proper parenting room just one floor up! So one fine day, after browsing Harvey Norman's latest gadgets for sale, we came across what must be the coolest parenting room we have EVER encountered. Here's why:

Reason #1: Wide & Open Spaces

The Entrance

No more going through a maze of narrow passages towards the loo to find the baby room. Citta Mall's Parents' Room is right smack off the main walkway of the first floor, not too far from the elevators. There's a bench outside the room for some dads who shy away from diaper duty. And the door is a clear automatic sliding door that both allows easy access as well as visibility in case your adventurous one decide to venture outside while you're changing the youngest's soiled diaper.

Reason #2: Playtime, Happy Times!

The Ossum Play Area

None of the miniscule table with a lego collection the size of your kid's kiddy plate in this parenting room. No broken and disfigured hand-me-down toys. Just oodles of colourful, climbing-sliding-crawling-roleplay fun! Suffice to say Deena refused to budge when we said we were leaving for home... :P

Reason #3: Itty Bitty Kiddy Loos! 

Teenie Weenie Toilets

Wash Area

One of my favourite features in this parenting room. Don't you just HATE it when your pre-schooler needs to go to the toilet (which they normally fail to tell us till the very last minute and they're thisss close to wetting their pants), and when you get to the washroom, there's this absurdly long queue waiting ahead of you? Oh the stress! Well, this lil' kiddy loo is a gem, lemme tell ya! The answer to all that public toilet queue dilemma. First off, there's this big sign that says the Kiddy Loo is restricted to kids aged 6 and below ONLY (see pic)The little water closets come in 2 sizes (small & tiny), complete with bidet and toilet paper (which is more than I can say about MOST adult toilets out there huhu). And the stalls are spacious enough for mommies and daddys to accompany their tots while they do their business.

To top it all off, there's a big wash basin with chic lighted mirrors, a soap dispenser and tissue paper, complete with a wooden step stool to help the little tots to wash up by themselves. Its all about independence in this place. I think I made my eldest go to the toilet just so she can test the facilities out. My sister thinks I'm obsessed with the loo. I think she might be a wee bit right! hahaha

Reason #4: The Nursing "Suite"

The Nursing Suites

For Nursing Comfort

I'm sure all breastfeeding moms out there agree with me: The nursing rooms in most malls out there leave much to be desired! Super cramped rooms (if you can even call them that... some are more like closets or shower stalls IMHO), tattered chairs, rubbish everywhere, and the occasional soiled diaper left to rot in the room. Comparatively, the nursing rooms at Citta Mall are like suites! Each spacious, clean room offers 3 comfy armchairs, a coffee table, tissues and electric sockets for moms who want to express milk for storage. And there's 3 rooms to be used! Outside each room there's a sign you can use to indicate that the room is occupied. Very cool!

Reason #5: Turning Tables on Diaper Changing

Changing Tables

Not 1.. not 2.. but 4 changing tables! And these are no run-of-the-mill trolley-like tables padded with the thinnest possible changing mat ever created, moms and dads... these tables are fitted with PVC mattresses not unlike those examination beds you find in clinics. Soft and comfy, easy to clean, bright-green changing tables to ease the most dreaded chore of parenthood. Oh and if you forgot to pack your young'uns lotions and talcum powder, fret not! This parenting room even provides you with that, and then some. Paper tissues are neatly supplied in little green trays, and there's 2 big sinks for you to clean up with.

Reason #6: Safe & Sound

Security Notice

This state-of-the-art parenting room is finally completed with safety measures -- CCTV and the occasional patrol by the mall's security personnel. With all the missing kids cases, one cannot be too careful, so this extra measure surely helps put us parents' minds at ease...

So that's one of the best parenting room for ya, reviewed,dissected and raved about. Quite simply a haven for both parent and child. If I had to complain about anything at all, it would be the lack of a hot water dispenser for parents to make formula with, but then again, that's just me being nitpicky. To parents who're headed to Citta Mall, go and chk out this facility. To other mall management, I think its high time you upgraded your most forgotten facility into something that is a joy to use, and not a health-hazard.

As for me, I'm looking forward to find another parenting room that could be in the same league as this one. Till then, happy parenting!

Visiting Mars with John Carter

Wa-Hey Peeps!

Guess what? I'm on a movie-roll here hehe. Managed to get tickets to watch John Carter last Sunday, so the whole clan minus lil' Delea (she's too young for now) went to Tropicana City Mall's GSC to watch Disney's latest offering.

Now, I dunno about you guys, but judging from the movie trailer and posters, I expected it to be a gladiator-ish movie with a half-naked, muscle-flexing hero slaying strange, ugly CGI-created creatures.. not unlike Clash of the Titans. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was an interesting storyline that stands out from the typical monster-slaying hero.

Pic courtesy of movieposter.com

[SPOILER ALERT!!! Those who do not want to find out how the story goes can skip this part]

First off, I never knew that the story was based on a novel (or chronicles to be exact) by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Trivia: He also created "Tarzan"), so I went in thinking this was just another epic movie. After abit of googling after watching the movie, the interesting storyline that seemed more in depth than the usual run-of-the-mill movies finally made sense to me. And, as you all know, I'm a sucker for novel-based movies haha. 

The story started not in some foreign, barren wasteland I initially thought the scene took place, but in 19th century America circa The Civil War. The barren wasteland that we see in the movie trailers is actually Mars, so that explains all the dusty brick-red rocks and dirt. So as the story goes, John Carter (hunky Taylor Kitsch of Friday Night Lights fame) unwittingly and accidentally teleported himself to Mars, better known as Barsoom to the Martians. Now, if you expect to see little green martians, you'd be really disappointed, coz in this movie, the only green martians you'll see are these barbarian-ish lanky creatures standing a good 5 feet above normal human height called the Tharks. The rest of the Mars population preddy much look like us humans, with apache-ish tattoos and armour similar to Lord of The Rings' wardrobe. Oh and lets not forget the strange looking monsters and beasts that they treat as pets.

John Carter in a Gladiator ring with 2 White Apes

Pic courtesy of digitaltrends.com

So while John Carter was busy getting acquainted with the Tharks and their pets, the human-like Martians were at war for power. Princess Dejah of Helium (Lynn Collins) was forced to marry Prince Sab Than of Zodanga (Dominic West) to forge peace, but of course, the evil Sab Than, aided by an ethereal being with teleporting powers (Mark Strong) had ulterior motives. The Princess, an intelligent free-spirit, refused to go down without a fight and fled amidst a battle between the 2 clans, and as expected, rescued by John Carter. What ensues is pretty predictable -- John Carter helps the Princess save her people, and she helps him find a way home to earth. They fall in love in the process, which led John Carter to decide to stay at Mars with his Princess. A twist in their happy ending sent John Carter back to earth, right back where he had started. And so, he tries to get back to Barsoom, taking years to do so, but in the end... he does.. :) I'm guessing from the ending and depending on how well this movie does this year, there might just be a sequel... *wink wink*

[End of Spoiler: Its safe to read now hehehe]

All in all, the movie is fast-paced, action packed and well developed. Sci-fi geeks and epic movie fans will find this their cuppa tea, although they will most definitely start to compare some bits to other sci-fi and epic movies. The script was no brain surgery, littered with some humour and gags. Nevertheless, it was a fun movie to watch, a good form of escapism for me. So if you crave for some alien-slaying action, this is a must watch for ya!

P/S: My Deena didn't quite like this movie though, coz as soon as the credits started to roll, she yelled (loudly i might add) "Ummi!! This story is BORINGGGG!!". Apparently any movie that doesn't have any cartoon character innit is boring to a 4-yr old.. :P

That's all for now... till next rambling entry then... ciao!

Movie Marathon

Hello All!

How's your weekend thus far? Hope everything's going on smoothly for ya... and if it didn't, fret not! Take it positively and who knows... better things may come your way...

As for me... my day started pretty great, spent the morning lazing about with my 2 girls... but it all went downhill from there. Even a big cuppa double chocolate coffee ice blended couldn't pick me up. Oh well, they say the depressed make the best poets/writers... so I figured I might as well let the creative juices flow... Create something positive out of all this negative energy... so here goes!

As you all know... I've pretty much got my hands full with a full time job, a part time property marketing course and 2 kids, one of them a 7-month old baby who's starting to put everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) she could possibly get a hold of into her mouth. I guess its pretty obvious that I haven't seen the inside of a cinema in over 7 months, and for a movie-addict like me, that's EONS! So I figured it was time to get a lil bit of ME time with hubby and some mates... and what better way to spend the day than a movie marathon, rite?

It so happened that I had some appointments to tend to in KL over a week ago, so me & hubby decided to go for a quick movie right after our appointment. And later that evening, me and a bunch of my blogger mates had cool invites to watch a premier screening of an Oscar-winning movie at Pavillion, KL. Here's a not-so-short take of my awesome day off...

Movie #1: This Means War

Hubby and I got to Pavillion and based on our very limited "date" time, we chose this romcom-action movie, starring Reese Witherspoon (Cruel Intentions), Chris Pine (Star Trek) & Tom Hardy (Inception). We were both Reese Witherspoon fans, so picking this movie was really a no-brainer for us.

War of the Spies!

Pic courtesy of filmofilia.com

So as per the norm for practically ALL romcoms, you get the same scenario -- boy meets girl, boy falls for said girl, some complications arise, but it all ends happily ever after. Now for this movie, there's a slight twist: TWO boys fall for the same girl, and what makes matters worse, they're best buds. Bro-mance aplenty, of course. OK, not that great of a twist, but 2 hunky guys in a movie is always a big plus for yours truly hehe ;) Oh and an added bonus, both hunks are secret agents! Ladies, think Jason Bourne x 2 (I'm using Bourne as an example coz he seems more like a real spy than the overly smooth Bond and... God forbid... Austin Powers... eek!)

Unfortunately, the movie is pretty much predictable. Both hunks fall for the same girl, best-mates-rivalry, hilarious sabotages... the works. Reese's acting was flawless, of course... she played the little kooky neurotic babe splendidly. Chris Pine's character was exactly like his embodiment of James T. Kirk... with better tailor-made suits. The real revelation, to me at least, is Tom Hardy. Aside from his semi-major role in Inception, I've never seen him in another movie thus far, and watching him act a lil' crazy in his pursuit of the coveted girl after his serious role in Inception is refreshing. I kinda favoured him over Chris Pine coz he's the obvious underdog... that, and his killer abs of course.. haha! Ok.. ok.. no need to judge me, I'm married, not dead! :P So who gets the girl? I wont spoil the movie for ya.. go and watch this!!

Movie #2: The Iron Lady

I got a special invitation from my friend Miu of Plus Size Kitten to watch this much-awaited Oscar-winning movie, starring one of my all-time favourite actors, Meryl Streep. This shindig is actually a charity event sponsored by The Body Shop (and several other big names such as Crown Relocations and O'Briens), and I was truly honoured to have the opportunity to watch this preview with some much-talked-about blogger friends. Among others who were invited to this soiree were Fatin, Traclyn & Vina whom I've just met at this movie preview... Oh the joy of making new friends at this age!! (OK I sound like I'm 100 years old :P)

[L-R]: Traclyn, Me, Tammy, Fatin & Vina.

Photo courtesy of Traclyn of La Vogue Femme.. cheers babe!

Now, back to the movie. The movie is an autobiographical story of Margaret Thatcher, the one and only female Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. Now, autobiographical movies tend to drag and could get a bit boring, but THIS movie was anything but. It preddy much got me glued to my seat and my eyes glued to the screen the whole 2 hours it was played.

First off, Meryl Streep bore an uncanny resemblance to Margaret Thatcher in this movie. Whoever did her makeup and costumes did an outstanding job. But clothes and makeup alone don't make the character believable, its the actor who plays it. And boy, did Meryl Streep deliver! She was so believable as the Iron Lady (a nickname Margaret Thatcher earned from her firm opposition of the Soviet Union) that I totally forgot what the real Margaret Thatcher looked like! She definitely deserved her Oscar for this!

The Iron Lady (check out the uncanny resemblance!)

Pic courtesy of en.mercopress.com

So basically, I got a very short and sweet lesson of world history through this movie. I have never been much into politics so I was abit worried I'd get lost in translation, but I understood perfectly. What matters most, is the message came across loud and clear: Women CAN be in power and be successful at it. Sure there will be loads of obstacles and sexist naysayers to bring you down, but what matters is how you handle and rise from such adversities. Watching The Iron Lady definitely brought out the Girl Power in me, especially with all the inspirational speeches Margaret Thatcher made. One of my favourite quotes was about the role of women:

“I will never be one of those women, who stay silent and pretty on the arm of her husband. Or remote and alone in the kitchen doing the washing up for that matter. One’s life must matter, beyond all the cooking and the cleaning and the children. One’s life must mean more than that. I cannot die washing up a teacup."

Margaret Thatcher, after one of her more inspirational speeches

Pic courtesy of popcornaddiction.com

And true to her word, she never became one of those women she refused to be. With ambition, perseverence, and a whole lotta male-ego-bashing, she became one of the most powerful women of our time. That said, Margaret Thatcher was not perfect, and all that ambition and success does have its price. I recommend you watch this movie to find out how the movie ends... *wink wink*

I think that's all for now... It's 3am already and I've got some winks to catch before baby Delea wakes up for her wee-hours-of-the-morning feeds... So toodles!



HaZe: 2012 Edition

Hello all!

[Dusts cobwebs & blows an inch-thick crust of dust]

Yeah, I know... It's been a while. A month short of a year since my last entry, hence the expected "cobwebs". Yes, I know I keep promising to update my blog as often as possible, but let's face it: Life Happens. And for the past 11 months, that was exactly what happened. LIFE. So here's the long and the short of the past months:

:: 27 July 2011 ::

Delea in the first few weeks of life... :)

We welcomed our 2nd princess into the world. We decided to name her Nurwafa Adelea, even before we found out we were expecting another girl. Although almost everyone predicted that the baby would be a boy (judging from my protruding tummy shape), in the end, my eldest's predictions came true -- she was getting a baby sister. In fact, I think she has a special connection to her sister from the get go: She told me I had a baby in my tummy BEFORE I even bought the pregnancy test kit, and when asked if the baby I was carrying is a brother or a sister, she would always, 100% confident and sure of herself, say: GIRL!

The bond between my 2 girls continue to amaze me. To this day, even when Baby Delea fusses or cries, whenever her sister comes along and talks, sing or dance to her (yeah my eldest is the "entertainer" of the family ;P), she would automatically stop fussing and smile. Deena basically trumps me in terms of grabbing Delea's attention, except for feeding time at least. I admit, sometimes I get abit jealous, but I am truly thankful that Deena is taking the elder-sisterhood in stride and loves her little sister to bits. You can just tell from looking at them play together, how much they love each other. I just hope it stays that way till they're old and gray, especially when hubby & I are no longer on this earth for them.

OK enough sappy stuff. Talking about my girls always gets me all emotional.. hehe. Onwards then!

:: August 2011 ::

Ah.. the dreaded confinement period. What's not to dread? Daily intakes of ginger-infused fish dishes and raw leafy ulams sans the much-needed sambal (yeah I'm a hardcore chilli-addict :P) after a full 9 months of yummy, rich food bingeing... Not fun, lemme tell ya. But honestly, it wasn't as horrible this time around. For one thing, I already know what to expect from past experience, so I was mentally prepared for the worst of sleepless nights and physical discomfort. Secondly, Baby Delea wasn't as fussy as Deena was as a baby. Don't get me wrong, she cries, nay, screams just as loud as her big sister did but I guess she's alot more calmer in comparison. Or perhaps, I'm the one who is calmer this time around. :P

Last, but certainly not least, was the fact that for 90% of the first 2 most crucial weeks within the confinement period, my hubby took care of me and the kids. He cooked my confinement dishes himself, from scratch (which tasted better than all the confinement ladies' & makcik2s' dishes put together) just because he knew my tastes THAT well. Sure, they might not be Jamie Oliver-esque or anything, but its the thought and effort that makes it all the more delish. He distracted Deena when it mattered the most -- when I had to fully concentrate on Baby Delea's needs. And on rare occasions, when the constant disrupted sleep at night got the best of me, he pitched in. I know not many women can brag about this, and so I feel very privileged to have had this great experience. No pressure on all the dads out there, ya!

Grilled black pepper tenggiri & baked asparagus in lemon butter sauce by Chef Hubby

That being said, Allah is great and just. He gave me a chance to repay my hubby's kindness and love within the same month. Halfway through my confinement period, Hubby suddenly experienced some serious abdominal pain. He was literally rolling around on the floor in agony, and I was equally miserable coz I didn't know how to help him, and I couldn't take him to the hospital. Indefinitely, he was admitted in KJMC, and had to undergo an open cholecystectomy. So there I was, semi-healed from childbirth and fully garbed in thick socks and warm clothes, lugging around a newborn and a hyper 3 -yr old to the hospital and back. I think I nearly gave my parents and in-laws a coronary when I told them I'd be driving myself to and fro... haha :P Even Hubby gave up trying to tell me to stay home, I was THAT stubborn. Alhamdulillah he recovered quickly, and so did I. I'd like to think this trying time brought us closer together, and we are more appreciative towards each other since then.

 

:: October 2011 ::

Alas, my R&R time ended, and duties at the office beckoned. 60 days maternity leave flew by in a blink of an eye, and there I was, looking at 3 months' worth of backdated research work AND the added task of pumping milk for my babe. Make no mistake, it IS a full-time job, and it takes full commitment (and loads of storage space in your freezer :P) to commit to this, but I'm determined to fully breastfeed Delea for at least a year, or at the very least, till it's sufficient for her needs. Breastmilk is, after all, the best food for your baby and despite the odds, I want the best for my girl, even if it means stuffing lunch down my throat in 15 minutes everyday. Hey, it might even help me lose weight faster haha. Idealism or wishful thinking? Only those who've seen me in the flesh can tell ;)

One happy and a wee bit unorthodox family... we wouldn't want it any other way!

So that's preddy much the major life-altering moments that went down the past year, in a huge, gigantic nutshell. Hopefully I'll be able to update more in future, without relapsing into my annual-blogging-habit :P So till next time, ciao!

In the Pursuit of Happy-ness

Heyya!

Well, as predicted, i've managed to lapse into my own little world and forgot to update this dusty old blog. But fate has a way of putting things back in perspective, apparently. A few days ago, i watched Julie & Julia on Astro. Though i was sleepy beyond reason, i told myself to pay attention because this movie was an Oscar-nominated movie (or was it an Oscar-winning movie? i forget) and the fact that it stars Meryl Streep is just something that would be incredibly stupid for me to miss.

It's basically a story about a down and out woman who seems to have lost herself and her zest for life being stuck in a dead-end job and having friends living her dreams with loads of money at their disposal (hello, sounds familiar??). She then found out one of those friends of hers, a journalist who shared her childhood dreams of being a writer and actually achieved that dream while she didn't, was writing a blog about herself and her adventures of singlehood. Jealous, she raved about it to her husband, who suggested she do the same. The question is, what would she write about??

Finally, she decided to write about what makes her happiest the most -- cooking. She came up with a brilliant plan, to cook each and every recipe in her idol chef's cookbook, Julia Child, in just one year. Now, this was no easy task, given that the book has about 500+ recipes and there's only 365 days in a year, not to mention having to keep a full-time job and a marriage.

In the end, by sticking to her resolve, she reached her target, learned to master french cooking, received countless book offers and writing jobs and even made it as a small-time celebrity in the newspapers. But most of all, she discovered herself, and ultimately her happiness. Now, isn't that the most wondrous thing? To find happiness within yourself and the life you have? I know plenty of friends who are still trying to achieve that. In fact, I am one of them. How many times have we actually come home from work, exhausted, and whining about what a lousy day we had? How many of us can actually admit to ourselves, that we are happy just the way we are, and with what we have?

It is basic human nature to want more things, better life, more money. It's ambition. It's drive. It's sometimes called greed. But i think this is part and parcel of being human. Wanting. But at some point, we've got to stop and say: Hey... i AM happy. I DONT need more stuff in my life. I just need ME to be happy. Isn't that just the best kind of happiness we can achieve, really?

Anyhoo, i'm rambling. All i'm saying is, i was inspired by that movie. In fact, i was inpired with the search of happiness even before watching Julie & Julia that night. A few months ago, I was reading this book called Eat, Pray, Love.... OK, i'll be honest. I saw the movie about to be launched in KL and i went helter skelter trying to find the book and finish it before catching it at the cinema. I just LOVE books that make it to the big screen. There's something about reading it and watching it on the silver screen that gives me a certain satisfaction -- as if i'm part of the story too. Not to mention the perk of being a know-it-all by saying: Hey, the movie was good, but the book was WAY better. It normally is.

So back to the book/movie Eat, Pray, Love. It's actually an autobiography, and a damn good one too. I guess that fact kinda makes it even more interesting, reading somebody's life in a book, their decisions and misadventures along the way and learning from their mistakes. I wont tell u what the book/movie is about, because that will make this entry just wayyyy to dragging. But what i've learned from it is, you need to have courage to make decisions in your life, because you are responsible for each and every one of them, and hence, your own happiness. No one and nothing in this world can make YOU happy. That job and luxury, my friends... is yours and yours ALONE.

Oh and for the record... the book WAS way better than the movie.. haha. But i do love the fact that it tried as much as possible to stick to the actual story of Elizabeth Gilbert's life. And could Javier Bardem BE any hotter? What is it about Spanish men that makes women swoon??Seriously.

Well, i think that's enough self-indulgent rambling for today. My eyes are starting to water, and its not from sleepiness, but a case of conjunctivitis, on a weekend no less. Go figure! I had all these plans and things to do this weekend that went down the drain because of this eye thing. Oh well, I guess God has better plans for me, and keeping to the spirit of being happy with what I have, it turns out this eye infection had been for a good reason after all. I got to sleep in the evening (which i never get to do, having a spirited 3-year old and a 1001 things to do) and have some actual REST after a hard week at work and just before the final sprint to finish a report that's due next friday (God help me! huhu). That, and having a real gem of a husband that actually lets me get the rest i need. I'm looking for my silver lining, even with blurry vision, wherever i can. At least, that's what i can do for myself for now.

I hope you find yours too... Have a good weekend, peeps!