Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Random post that may help some people out there

Cost of Giving Birth in UKM Special Centre (2012)

RM4,100 - natural delivery, episiotomy, epidural, pitocin induction, 3 days 2 night stay in a single bedded room, extra paeds visit because my baby wouldn't pee. I think it should be RM600 less had the second paeds visit didn't happen for we had to stay another night.

Room:
3/5. So-so. Not spacious, bathroom isn't as nice as the likes of gleneagles or sjmc (or even kpj, perhaps). Not to worry if you aren't fussy. After all it isn't like you're gonna camp out in the bathroom throughout your stay. Plastic accordion door. Heh. Oh and we had a stubborn mosquito the first night.

Food:
Spicy but generous portion. I walloped everything since i was starving all the time after the laborious birthing episode, bahahhh.

Consultant:
Prof Azurah. Very gentle but I was a bit bummed that she ignored my request to not be induced after my water broke. Natural birth isn't really practiced in Malaysia I suppose.

Hospital staff:
Awesome. Friendly and funny nurses in the labour room. One was like my pom pom girl without the poms.

Labour room:
No bigger than a chicken coop. Serious shit. My husband was sandwiched between the wall and my labour bed.

Verdict:
Will consider again if we find that other hospitals are potong leher.

Why am I posting this? I went through some unhappy time managing $$$ since our medical benefits do not cover maternity-related expenses. Yes, even the GLC bank my husband's working at. Kijam. I know that this info will be very helpful to many expecting mothers out there. Having kids are expensive man!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Pregnant, finished all 15 papers, and totally relieved

Yes, after 5 months of hiatus I am glad to provide a positive update.

Sekian terima kasih.

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Romancing the Stone

The only friend who shares my fetish for loud accessories has launched her own venture yeay!

Go here if your wardrobe is blah. All you need is a dose of bling (yes, ONE dose only unless you're attempting at making the Christmas tree feel naked). Even if you're not buying, her look books are worth taking notes from.




(Huh, nasib baik kau based kat Eindhoven. Kalau tak memang ke sini je duit first gaji aku.)




P/S: Cik Bella if you're reading this, one of my colleagues at this new place looks 98% like you. #irrelevantbutyeah

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Easy Peasy Potato Gratin

Pin this already if you have a husband who prefers you cooking even if it's burnt instant noodles. Also if there's a baby in the picture and ALL you have is 20 minutes to prepare a meal. This, my friend, is a super duper easy comfort food that zero cooking skill is required. I happened to feel a bit creative last night - you need to be when there's no real meat in the freezer.Oh but we do have a 5.5ft high larder that's filled to the brim with dry ingredients, to the point of it refusing 2 tubes of Pringles joining the party.

Long story short, make this already. I think I'm committing a sin if I don't share it with you.

Potato Gratin a la Nadia (heheh)
5 medium, waxy potatoes (the cheap kind would do)
Dried thyme
Ground black pepper
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
5 beef sausages (again, nothing fancy here I only used ones from Ramly Burger)
Mozzarella cheese (think "extra cheese")
Dried oregano

0. Preheat oven to 200C. Turn your dial to top and bottom grill.
1. Peel potatoes. Then slice them thinly, approx 2mm-ish each.
2. Place potatoes in an oven-proof glass dish. I think mine was about 7" sq.
3. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. I don't do measurements here because hmmmm....it's a throw-whatever-you-have-into-the-pan kinda dish. One trick that my mom taught me was to wash hands and dab a spot of the thing you're seasoning with a finger, then taste it. Alas as the pros always remind us "go easy on the salt cos you can always add more".
4. Toss some olive oil in.
5. Slice sausages and arrange them on top of the potatoes.
6. Cover dish with foil wrap and place it in the oven. This will ensure that the tatters will cook perfectly - it will steam in its own juice.
5. Bake for 1 hour. Try checking after 45mins. If the potato's soft and doesnt taste errr...raw, it's done. I was busy with the baby hence the 1 hour cooking time.
[OKAY, THIS IS THE TIME YOU PREP THE GRAVY AND THE APPLE SALAD]

[AFTER 45MINS-ONE HOUR]
6. Take the dish out of the oven. Grate a very unhealthy amount of mozzarella on top (mwahahahaaa).
7. Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of oregano.
8. Place the dish, uncovered, back into the oven. What we wanna do is broil the cheese to an awesome melt-crispy combo. Aaaaaaahhh.....
9. Depending on how you prefer your cheese to be, it should be ready in 15 minutes.

Onion Mushroom Gravy
2tbs melted butter
Half an onion, sliced thinly
A handful of sliced button mushroom
1tbs flour
1 beef bouillon, diluted in 1 cup of water (or 1 cup of beef stock)

1. Sautee onion in melted butter till fragrant.
2. Throw in mushroom.
3. When the onion is soft and mushy, add flour. Give it a quick stir till you hear the crackling sound.
4. Add beef stock and make a reduction. You should get a smooth gravy consistency in a few minutes.

Apple and Lettuce Salad
1 cup thinly sliced lettuce
1 apple, cored and diced to small bits
Juice of half a lemon
Dash of honey
Salt to season

Well, this is a no-brainer. Toss everything together in a bowl/container and leave it in the fridge till serving time. It's oh, so, GOOD when paired with the steaming hot gratin.

Come eating time, everything goes into the plate to be enjoyed by your goodself and your loved ones. Ngeeeeee :D

Seriously, it took me longer to type the recipe out than to cook this meal. 30 minutes tops if you're shoooooo shlooooow in the kitchen. I mean, who doesn't have the skills to slice potatoes? Even faster if you have a mandoline.

Oh, this recipe is good 4, or 3 very hungry people.

You're welcome.


Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Give up the household cleaning solution already

Following a massive migraine attack, which I haven't had in years, I woke up realising that my body is 

just. too. exhausted.

...and I think I have now learnt that it is okay to:
  1. Not be a supermom.
  2. Not be a superwife.
  3. Not be a superdaughter.
  4. Not be a superfriend (alas I have since relaxed on this for quite a while now).
  5. Not be a - simply put, superanything.
You'd think that I enjoy being Type A but honestly, I could do away with some sloppy down time. Last night I saw (okay, more like heard, as I couldn't really open my eyes. oh the throbbing just won't go away for like seems indefinitely) how I could actually REALLY rely on my husband to help out with the chores and taking care of the baby. Honestly, he's great with the little crab and I perhaps had underestimated him all the while. He did dress her in daytime clothing though, but I guess I could pretend to not have noticed it.

See? No need to be a supermom/superanythingandeverything.

Little goal for the day: TO CAMP OUT IN FRONT OF THE TELLY WITH THE BABY AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THE DUSTY FLOOR.

You don't wanna know how dirty the floor is. Trust me.


Monday, February 18, 2013

Post Pendek Tidak Menyayat Hati

Jikalau belum mampu untuk mendapat zuriat, silalah cari anak kucing/hamster/mengkarung dan cuba jaga makan minum berak kencing sakit demam cirit sembelit dia dengan sepenuh hati. Selagi tak rasa jadi mak ayah (mak la especially kan) kita takkan tau rasa macam mana erti sayang orang lain selain diri kita kalau perlu mati tertonggeng pun tak apa asalkan anak sihat selamat semuanya okay. Dan semua ni mula dari saat kau nampak imej hitam putih sebesar beras kat screen tu.

Bila sampai masa kau terbongkok-bongkok kat tepi baby cot sambil mata dalam macro focus mode nak tengok anak bernafas ke tidak masa tido (lepas kau letak jari kat bawah hidung dia macam cerita polis zaman 80-an), seriously, give me a call.

Till then I'm gonna go worship my child at the altar I just built for her. Eheh.

To Be Blown Up For The Wall

When? Hahah don't ask. Being a stay-at-home momma doesn't mean I have all the time in the world.