Snippets

• On confinement: My confinement period ended last Sunday. Relieved, now that I can be out and about again. Being indoors is nice and comfy, but too long it’s starting to making me crazy… (Egad! It rhymes!)
• On spa holiday: It’s ending tomorrow. My last massage session with extra services; body scrub, flower bath, etc. As I see it, money well spent, insyaAllah. I feel healthier, fresher and more energetic. Alhamdulillah.
• On Mr. Hubby being away: I can’t belief it’s only been nine days! It feels like weeks already! How could this be? We chat every day. On Skype every day. On the phone every other day. But, of course it’s not enough! Missing him terribly. Last night when Baby Hana was restless going to sleep (she slept at almost 1 am! Only to wake an hour later for her night time feeding…), I really felt his non-presence. Usually when Baby Hana refuses to go to bed, Mr. Hubby will be the one comforting her. It was exhausting, but such an experience. Makes you treasure your spouse more!
• Yesterday, I went to JPN to replace my MyKad and collect Baby Hana’s birth certificate. Her birth cert was on-hold because my MyKad was in bad condition. Well, the part where my name and address are, that part of the sticker was torn. And it’s not of my doing! It’s because the card reader in JPN itself! And yet, I still had to pay RM10 for the replacement. :-p But I am not complaining, since Alhamdulillah, I managed to settle all things related to JPN within two hours! I am blessed for having helping hands around. By the way, I was surprised to see that birth cert these days are a huge A4 sized! Mine is one-third of that on landscape layout!
• My Spectra3 breast pump performed very well up to three times of usage. After that, the suction became weaker, and weaker. I was really disheartened and discouraged by it that I did not manage to stock-up the freezer. So yesterday, after a week of considering and mulling over it, I went to FabulousMom (same place I got the Spectra3) in TTDI and purchased Medela Freestyle. Yes, it is far more expensive, but I refused to be disappointed the second time. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… While I was there, a customer called to complain that her Ameda breast pump is failing. And Ameda is not a cheapo brand too! I like the fact that Freestyle has 2-phase expression, the soft silicon breast shield and easy-to-adjust suction level.
• Mr. Hubby mistakenly took my 550D battery charger to Sydney. So yesterday too, I went and bought a third party charger. Got it for RM80 from the original price of RM200. The best part: It has in-car adapter and a warranty of one year! Yeay! Mr. Hubby said it’s a good buy!
• I am going back to work in two weeks time. Can’t say that I’m looking forward to it. Well, I look forward getting back to work, but not to the same company. :-( In fact, I went to two interviews during my confinement. Didn’t get the first one because they are looking for a more senior person since they are setting up a new project office. As for the second, I’m still waiting for the news. Although I felt that I didn’t do very well because it was as if I was sitting for the PMP exam all over again! I hope I get it thought. But Allah SWT knows best, eh? So, if He says that it’s best for me, then I’ll get it, insyaAllah. If I don’t, I will not stop looking for a new place. Reason: the current place cannot give me career advancement because it will always be a support center and the job will always be the same. Sad, but true. So, if you know anywhere that needs a Project Manager, do let me know.
• I DID get a job offer during my confinement. And it was with the company that I hoped to join since I was in the university. However, I had to turn the offer down because it is based in the Phillipines. Again, sad, but true. I guess Allah is giving me the chance to find out what I really want and need, so He send me options and let me muhasabah on my decisions and choices.
• Overheard my parents talking today. My cousin who’s working with one of Malaysia’s leading newspaper was given ticket (for her and the husband) to perform Umrah. So lucky to be His guests! I hope The Hubby and I will get the opportunity too! InsyaAllah.

First Night Without Him 2

The Hubby has safely arrived in Sydney yesterday evening. Another 3 months away…

This time, on the first night without him, I brought Baby Hana to sleep with me on the bed. It’s more for my sake, than hers. I think she had a restless night last night. She’s always sleeping soundly in her own cot, but when she’s sleeping in the big bed, she will wake up every hour. I do not know if it is psychic or psychology of her subconscious mind that is telling her mother is very near. So for tonight, she’s in her own bed.

Him being away this time, seems a little harder to me. Maybe it’s because we just been given a daughter. Maybe because it’s thousands of miles away as compared to last time. And maybe because this time, I will not be seeing him as often as when he was in Brunei last year.

Friends are saying I will get use to him being away. But to be honest, even when he’s gone for one night for his photography job, I feel his absence. Even when he’s away for the whole day for an assignment, I feel empty. So, how is it possible that I will get use to him being away for weeks or months? And frankly, I don’t think I want to get use to him being away. As much as it pains (?) me or makes me sad that he’s away, I’d rather feel the sadness than not feeling anything at all. Does this mean I’m the clingy sort? Erks?!!

Anyway, on the bright side of the story, it’s a great opportunity for him, and insyaAllah more rezeki for us. And everytime I feel a little melancholic, I will remind myself on our promise that we will not make the other person lose opportunities just so that we don’t feel sad. We will not hold the other person back from achieving what we could in life, at work or personally. Of course, everything has its place and time, and whatever decision that we make, it’s for the better, insyaAllah.

Three weeks ago, I turned down an opportunity, a possibly lucrative opportunity just after one phone call. But money is not everything in life. And with the new addition, my priorities have to be set correctly. Any opportunities, however promising and money-making, The Hubby and Baby Hana will have to come first. It’s not because I’m becoming less driven professionally, I just don’t believe in being driven at the expense of my loved ones. I’m still driven professionally, obviously, or I wouldn’t be actively looking for new position as I am now! He he he…

Well, I think I’m digressing. I am missing my soul mate. Thank God for Skype. Although it’s not the same, at least we can still look at each other and make faces! Okay, I make the faces… :-p I love you Boochi Boo!! Take care, mate!

The Forgotten Nursery Rhymes – Chapter 2

Are you familiar with this nursery rhyme? Sing a Song of Six Pence

Now, listen to the version in Malay… Lagu Tiga Kupang

Although, as I know it “Sagu Penuh Tepung” is actually “Saku Penuh Tepung”…

This is one of the old rhymes that we used to sing when we were little. We will act out the song too. It was so much fun. Now that we have a little girl in the house, all these songs are coming back to us. Sometimes, Mak will sing one. Other times it will be Abah.

What other nursery rhymes you remember?

My Confinement Story

CONFINEMENT. The very word suggests immobility, trapped, caged, etc. If you googled the word and look at the images returned, 90% of them are really, really sad.

I am almost through my third week of confinement. Today is the 20th day. In the first week, I was still weak from the hard work on the 11th, the idea of total rest and inactivity is totally welcomed. Starting from Monday, 14th of February, I began my massage therapy session. For the first week, I am a body that needs recuperating.

Second week came, and it started to get tough. Though we had our first taste of outdoor after twelve days of “house-arrest” it just left me with wanting for more of the polluted air! Ha ha ha… How exhilarating it was to be able to be out there, and feel normal again! Within this week, I got a little bit emotional, especially when people started to criticising that I’m cheating on my confinement.

The rule was, to wear socks day and night, to cover the head day and night, to wear sweater day and night. Initially I was okay with it, but the weather got too warm and I started to feel suffocated. I am eating meals with black pepper every day, day and night, combined with the humid weather it got too much. I didn’t realise I kicked off the socks while I was sleeping or let the head scarf loosen. I was supposed to block my ears with garlic, but I didn’t get around to doing that; it is said that it will expel wind from the body and to avoid post partum depression, or meroyan as known amongst the Malays. I had to sleep with 4 pillows under my head for the same reason. I tried, oh, I did my best, but my coccyx started to ache and the pressure was too much for my back. So, I took it upon myself to only use two pillows earlier than prescribed.

Into the third week, I started to make myself comfortable, and I believe Mak does not want to put too much pressure on me. For I have been eating right all the time, with few exception where I asked her permission to eat a little sambal goreng… I do my berganggang (sauna) every morning, I do the hot stone therapy (bertungku) every day even when Cik Yati does not come for massage session. Instead of wearing socks I use a pair of hotel slippers. I have decided that for me to get through this confinement period, I need to feel comfortable and relaxed. So, I’m changing my mindset; My confinement period is my spa holiday and the time to bond with my beautiful daughter. It is working well so far.

What’s also helping is my massage sessions, which are continuous throughout the confinement period. I have 18 sessions altogether and have completed nine sessions so far. I’m also taking herbal drink at every meal; akar kayu that taste like tea without sugar. Luckily I’ve been sugarless tea drinker for quite some time (green tea, chinese tea, floral tea) so this herbal tea is just like one of those. I’m taking herbal pills too, three times a day. And every morning, I drink a shot of turmeric juice with a dollop of honey. Yummehhh!!! My tummy, hands and legs are also covered with herbal concoction in the morning, not to mention pilis for the forehead. I am allowed to remove the residue once they are dried. A plus, coz need to kiss my hubby before he goes to work, kan?

When I weighed myself at the doctor’s office last week, I have actually lost 8kg! 6kg more and I’ll be at my pre-pregnancy weight! When I look at my pictures during the first week, my face was so pale. But now, I can see the difference, my lips are getting redder (surprise!) and my skin is brighter. My tummy, is getting smaller and smaller every day, I know for sure because the corset (bengkung) I’m wearing is getting narrower every day. Mak has to alter the bengkung to make it smaller. And this is only after 15 days! So, whoever says that pantang is an old wives’ tale, they better get their facts checked.

All in all, my confinement is not so bad, as long as I don’t entertain the need to be out and about. The food, I’m loving it. I have baked fish, baked chicken, poached fish, all served with sour sauce. They are all cooked with black pepper, ginger and garlic. All my favourites! Only thing is, I miss eating spicy food, but apparently I can still eat curry (cooked with milk, not coconut milk), so seriously, confinement food, they are not bad at all! I’m following the rules where I cannot eat beans, potato, anything watery or windy, etc. So the only vege that I can take is sawi, pak choy, and their siblings.

I have 25 days left. 25 because I delivered Baby Hana at night. I’m determined to loose all the pregnancy weight, at least. Get healthier and be more vibrant. So I can take care of The Hubby and Baby Hana. :-)