I hear you, I hear you not

The top 3 questions we never fail to receive from parents, relatives, friends, acquaintances and basically, everyone right after the bulge on my tummy is visible enough to the world.

No. 3
People: When are you due?
Me: EDD is 23rd June but I'm opting for scheduled cesarean so it's brought forward to 14th.
(everyone with the curious look on their face)
People: "But why c-sec?"
Me: "Because..... (giving my reasons)"
People: "But c-sec is.... (trying to give me their 2 cents on why c-sec is bad)"

No. 2
People: Is it a boy or a girl?
Me: It's a girl.
People: "Oh, a girl is always better than a boy. A girl is more obedient and .....etc (giving me a 30 minutes long explanation on all the benefits for having a daughter).

No. 1
People: Have you chosen the name yet?
Me: Oh, I leave it to my husband.
(heads turned and everyone's eyes on Dear Hubby, eagerly waiting for an answer)
Hubby: "Not yet."
People: "Huh?" (with a 'you-must-be-kidding-me' look on their face, they proceed to ask...)
"You don't have a name yet? Why?"

These are the standard questions you'll get when you're pregnant. Sometimes I feel like sticking the answers on my forehead so that I don't have to answer them over and over again. Trust me, it can get pretty frustrating after months of answering those questions, especially when you don't have an answer and people immediately gives you that how-can-you-not-know look or worse still, an unsupportive response like "Why do you opt for c-sec? Don't you think going natural is better? You know, I have a friend who went for c-sec and she can still feel the pain after 2 years, blah3x.... I think you should try natural birth."

Yes, thank you. Thank you for your concern and also thank you for growing the fear in me even more. By the way, did I mention that I'm a trypanophobic?

Wesak, Weekends & Etc

Oh weekends! I love weekends especially long weekends. Not that it makes any difference to me now that I'm not working but still, it's the feeling of being on weekends when everyone is not rushing to work and no school buses madness.

So, what are my plans this weekend?

Wesak Day's tomorrow. Although I'm a Buddhist, it's not a norm for me to go to temples on Wesak Day. Why? Because I believe praying is supposed to be a daily affair, not just on Wesak. I love peaceful and quiet temples where I pray for well being, not jam packed temples where I can't even stop worrying about people accidentally poking me with their lit joss sticks.

Wesak also means it's a holiday! Dear Hubby's coming back for the weekend. Time for some last minute baby stuffs shopping, setting up the baby's crib, gynae's check up, hospital pre-admission registration and dinner with parents-in-law who're back from Cambodia last week. No, they are not Cambodians. They're Malaysian Christians who're there for missionary works.

By the way, Dear Hubby has finally moved to the new condominium just now with the help of 3 other staffs. While blogging, I received his Blackberry chat message that says, "There're 61 tv channels and every rooms are able to access different channels at the same time. And there're 2 fridges!"
>_<

Happy Wesak Day to all Buddhists out there. Don't forget the donations to the poor and needy.

Hello, I'm 36 weeks old

19 more days to go before baby bids hello to the world.

A lot of 'what if.....(something negative happens)' questions have been running through my mind lately and I'm trying hard to brush it off.

I am feeling...

excited

anxious

scared

bored

lost

disappointed

worried

irritated

Ghost of the past

I walked down a street today. Not just any street but a street that held significant memories of the past.

It took me back to that year when I was barely 18. So many things had since changed. Majority of the shops were no longer there. As I walked down the corridor of shops, I remembered how I used to stop by at the bakery after class to buy some freshly baked buns before heading home. Then there was this small little cafe that served good English breakfast for $9.90. Towards the end of the block, there's a huge McDonald outlet which opens 24 hours a day. I used to lunch there every day for the sake of collecting the limited edition Sesame Street dollies which cost $3 each.

My rented room was merely down the other end of the block, in an old low rise apartment. It was small but cosy, just enough to fit in a single bed, a small desk and bookshelf and a portable wardrobe made out of steel and plastic, leaving the room barely any space for walking. I also remembered how hot and humid the weather was after class and there was no air-condition in my room and thus making revision after class quite impossible. My best companion at that time was a silver colour CD & cassette player with an eye catching blue display screen, which I bought for less than $400, repetitively playing hits by Mariah Carey and Suede.

Funny how memories like these are firmly etched in me, making it a ghost of my past. A ghost that'll forever hunt me every time I walked down that particular street, creating a wave of nostalgia..... although it's 10 years later.

Motherhood is the new MBA

An excerpt:

"The world needs capable women to run our companies and bolster our economy. The world needs talented women to raise our children and produce the next generation. After all, it is the next generation who will take care of the world when we are too tired to do it anymore. Right now, I am doing both. And if purple Play-Doh under my fingernails and the scent of baby puke on my blouse distracts you, well then, step away from the executive table. You aren't ready to play with the big girls."

".....but there are no other mothers at my level. There are some working fathers in the top ranks, but being a working dad isn't the same. (And anyone who thinks it is has never had a boob leak in the boardroom.)"

Let me tell you, this is one book every women should read. I got this at a small bookstore in Jakarta airport on my last trip back. The ideas presented are so practical whether you're with or without a child. Funny, witty and informative. I simply adore it!

Monday

9.35am - I woke up to an empty bed. Sent BB chat to Dear Hubby in Jakarta to ensure he doesn't forget to water my plant before he leaves for work.

10.00am - Nasi lemak for breakfast.

12.30pm - Lunch at Purple Cane restaurant. How does green tea steamed rice, stir-fry bitter gourd with salted egg & tea or almond beancurd in black tea sounds to you? Strictly for tea lovers only!

3.30pm - Window shopping. I love the feel of neighbourhood mall which is smaller and cosier.

4.00pm - Met up with Jennifer for drinks at Dome cafe. She lost 14kgs in 2 months post delivery. Now you know why she's my role model.

6.25pm - Ordered take-away at Kenny Roger Roasters for dinner.

8.30pm - BB chat with Dear Hubby while playing Restaurant City, Cafe World, Mall World and Mafia Wars. I've turned into a Facebook junkie since I joined tai-tai-dom.

9.25pm - Snack.

10.57pm - Snack.

12.20am - Snack. (Blame it on the baby)

1.11am - Blogging.

1.20am - Time to shut up and go to bed.

A beautiful Sunday but my rant mode is on

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Dear Hubby decided to have brunch at Tom, Dick & Harry's @ TTDI, while waiting for his daughter. It's a routine that Dear Hubby spend time with his daughter whenever we are back from Jakarta. We ordered the big breakfast set that comes with a glass of fruit juice and a mug of either coffee or tea. And as usual, Dear Hubby ordered a pint of cider beer.

After waiting for an hour or so, a Silver Proton Perdana stopped right in front of the place and out came the daughter to join us before the car drove off again in a speed of light. In less than 15 minutes into our 'get-together', (TAA-DAA!) the ex-wife, her husband and their barely 2 year-old son in the arms of the maid walked in... so casually as if they didn't see us. Seing this, of course we invited them to sit at an empty table, like 20cm right next to us. Due to the previous incident, I've to admit that I still harbour some ill feelings (okay, maybe a lot!) towards her but decided to be as cordial as possible for the sake of Dear Hubby. Otherwise I wouldn't even think twice of giving her a piece of my mind right in front of her husband.

*taking in a deep breath*

Anyway, she started off her conversation by giving her reason they decided to lunch here. Apparently her son cried and screamed non-stop, wanting to get down the car. Next, she was blabbering non-stop about getting a new laptop for work (asking us which is more suitable for presentations and storing tons of pictures besides being lightweight). Then the conversation topic continues into Dear Hubby's life in Jakarta and etc for more than an hour.

Finally, she has the guts to ask us whether it's possible for them to bunk-in at our condo if they happened to go over to Jakarta in future. I turned to her and said, "Sure..." with a smile. Unknowingly the unfinished sentence was, "... come on over. Then we can all watch It's Complicated together, ya?"

What an idiot.

I spent my last 48 hours in Jakarta.....

 ..... enjoying rich Northern Indian cuisine for lunch, with the hope of easing my blocked up nose with all those herbs and spices. It didn't help much though.

..... looking at the heavy downpour and congested traffic.

..... having dinner at Penang Bistro. I had hokkien mee while Dear Hubby ordered asam laksa and his must-have... BEER. Asam laksa + beer = natural laxative.
It sure did sent him visiting the loo many, many times. lol.

..... packing, packing and still packing! 

Flu, flu.... please go away

I absolutely hate it when I'm down with flu. This is the 4th time since the beginning of my pregnancy. Flu coupled with the effect of pregnancy, now my nose looks like a red, ripe tomato ready for harvest. And with no medication allowed, I'm solely depending on my body immune system and lots of vitamin C to recover. Not good when I still have lots of packing to do before I leave for K.L in 3 days time.

+_+

Capellini alla Carbonara

I found half a packet of Capellini while clearing the kitchen cabinets and decided to cook it alla carbonara since I have all the ingredients needed lying in my fridge.

Ingredients

• 200g of Capellini / Fettuccine / Spaghetti (serves 2 to 3 person)
• 4 to 5 pieces of bacon ( I also use meat cubes), sliced into smaller strips
• 200ml of cooking cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Some onions, coarsely diced
• 1 tbsp of virgin olive oil
• Coarse black pepper and salt (to taste)

1. Boil a pot of water with some salt. Put in your choice of pasta, spreading the pasta out to avoid them sticking together. Boil for 5 to 8 minutes or until al-dente. 
2. Drain the pasta, then immediately pour cold water onto it. Set aside.
3. Heat up the pan with the olive oil for 1 minute on medium heat. Saute the crushed garlics, diced onions, bacons (and meat cubes - optional) until brown. Discard the garlics. Sprinkle some black pepper and toss.
4. In a small pot, heat up the cooking cream on low heat. Slowly add in the egg yolks and Parmesan cheese, while stirring it continuously. Add in some salt to taste and bring it to simmer. Note: If the cream is too thick, add in some water.
5. Transfer some pasta and sauteed bacons into a mixing bowl. Pour some cream onto them and toss until the pasta is entirely coated with cream. Transfer the pasta onto a serving plate, seasoned with more black pepper (optional) and serve with fresh green salad at side.

We like to move it, move it!

It's my last week in Jakarta and I'm clearing out the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. There're so much food lying around, and either I've to use it up or throw it away by end of the week. We (or rather Dear Hubby) will be moving out of this condo by end of the month. He found a better (and bigger) place for us and our new baby when we come back in July. 

The new condo has 3 bedrooms + 4 bathrooms, all fully furnished and it comes with flatscreen HDTV in each and every room including a 46" in the living area. Best of all, they're equipped with 60 channels for me to glue my arse in front of it the whole day! And not to mention the whole condominium is fully air-conditioned. It also has a huge swimming pool, a church, day care centre, and two gyms, one is open to residents and another for paying members. There're shopping mall, restaurants and bars all located within walking distance. 

Our unit is located on 26th floor, high enough to avoid the sound of mosque prayers that are perform 5 times a day. I'm not against Muslims prayers or anything. In fact in Malaysia, there're also mosques that do prayers on loud speakers which can be heard all over the place. However, the difference is, the mosques in Malaysia is sparsely located. Whereas here, one can find at least 1 mosque within 1 to 2 km radius. My current condo has at least 5 to 6 mosques surrounding it. We're staying on the 2nd floor so can you imagine the noise when all loud speakers go off together at the same time during prayers? Moreover, one of the prayers is perform at 4 a.m daily. When looking for accomodation in Jakarta, this should be seriously taken into consideration.

Happy Mother's Day

I missed celebrating Mother's Day today since my daughter's going to be born next month. Good thing she'll be born right before Father's Day... so Dear Hubby has two daughters to celebrate Father's Day with him this year.

x

To all mothers out there...

Happy Mother's Day! Only God knows how many things a woman has to endure and sacrifice in order to bring a child into this world.

Hugs,





"A mother loves her children even when they least deserve to be loved." - Kate Samperi

ATTN: All Shopaholics & Credit Cards Addicts!

If there's one good reason (or excuse) for you to use credit cards, it should be the discounts that your plastics can get you. And I mean real mega discounts, i.e. 50% off; not some 10% discount offers like those you've seen in Malaysia.

Since Dear Hubby is out of town today, I thought of doing some grocery shopping to stock up food items for that 2 months I'm away and have an early dinner at my favourite Sushi Mori. I went in, took a seat & saw it: Kartu Bank Mega diskon 30%. Here I am, with Rp2 million in my handbag but no discount for me. The bill came up to almost Rp250k. I paid the bill with a heavy heart knowing that I could've gotten 30% off if I have Bank Mega's credit card. Then on the way home, I asked Pak Sopir (means chauffeur in Indonesian) to drop me off at Haagen Dazs.

Me: "Satu (one) pint strawberry & satu pint chocolate chips, please."

Sales person: "Maaf, ibu. Ada kartu Bank Mandiri?" (Excuse me, ma'am. Do you own any credit cards by Bank Mandiri?)

Me: "Enggak" (No, I don't)

Sales person: "Kalau ibu ada kartunya, bisa dapat satu pint gratis. Jadi ibu hanya perlu bayar untuk satu pint aja." (We have 'buy one, get one pint free' for Bank Mandiri credit card holders.)

Me: *speechless*

I ended up joining their membership which entitles me to a discount of 25% on the spot. Well, it's better than nothing, right?

Being cash-rich in Jakarta makes you cry because you know those people sitting next table is getting 50% off the bill and you're idiotically paying full price... for using cash! Time to get Dear Hubby to apply one (or maybe a few more with different banks). *GRIN*

10 more days to go

.....before I'm back to Kuala Lumpur.

Most airlines restrict carriage of women who are 35 weeks and above in their pregnancies. That means I'm not allowed to travel anymore and since I'll be delivering on the 39th week via cesarean, I've to be home in K.L till post delivery. Add in 1 month of confinement, I'll be back to Jakarta only in July.

After 5 months of living in Jakarta, I'm starting to like it here. There're two things that I'm going to miss most about Jakarta: The self-service frozen yogurt bar called Yogulicious and Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. Yogulicious serve varieties of yogurt flavours, from plain to unusual flavours such as pistachio and green tea, with over 40 types of toppings to choose from. They even sell alcoholic yogurt. It's self service so I get to load as much toppings as I want! For none fat-free days, I'll go for Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. My favourite is the rich matcha (green tea) ice cream mixed with chocolate chips or Oreo cookies. Their 'mixing counter' looks like a thick layer of frozen stone which explains the name Cold Stone Creamery.

Besides, the fact that Dear Hubby will still be in Jakarta alone makes it harder for me. Before I leave, I'll be stocking up breakfast cereals, boxes of milk, fruit juices, biscuits, instant noodles and frozen food for days he doesn't feel like eating out.

33 weeks & still counting.....