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!

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.

fw: hey

http://welkebanden.nl/bm/ruyfwtzcadilfdyaegfhdj











nadia ismail

















7/23/2013 7:38:16 AM

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

I Have My Hands Full

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.

It's Like Monica and Her Blue Cheese Fantasy

Credit: Planete Deco

My. Kinda. Home.

Sara Khanafiah, you wit me? 

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.

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.

One More Month and I'm Making a Comeback

5 months old today. Them nostrils keep flaring -_-'

Chubby Pea needs to learn separation anxiety management because Mommy will need to hit the weasel world (Dilbert, Adams, S., 2000s) again. As Aunty Bella puts it, "kerana duit tidak jatuh dari langit".
Mommy's version is probably "kerana duit tidak jatuh dari langit dan sudah melabur hampir RM30,000 untuk sambung belajar jadi takde sebab nak buat sijil jadi pekasam". As much as I love spending my days with you I need to make sure that I fulfill my ambitions and that I become a good role model for you.

I need you to understand that with hard work (God willing) you will achieve great things in life.

I need you to understand that you first need to work your ass off in school, because it will take you places and that having good education trumps money, inheritance and titles and a lot of other silly things in this silly world.

I need you to understand that as a girl you need to be very, very independent and that your family is just an anchor to support your journey towards success, not as a means to bail you out when you're stuck in the deep end, about to give up for the umpteenth time. And no, I'm not buying you private school education or buy your first car or first house or pay 100% of your wedding expenses or any of those things that will make you take us, your parents, for granted. Belajar dapat sesuatu dengan usaha sendiri, bukan dengan ASB/EPF withdrawal mak ayah.

I need you to understand that in life, we should only think about going forward and not hold on to failures of the past. Have faith that today is going to be better than yesterday and that tomorrow is going to be better than today. If you hit a road block, understand that God only wants to make your experience extra special and you will come out of it better off than before.

My darling Pea, I have strong reasons to name you "noble strength". No, I didn't know then that it's the same as an MTV reality show star. It doesn't matter - just don't go attempting the entertainment world when you grow up.

As you grow older you will realise that I am a strict, totally rigid mother but trust me it's because I want you to be the best person that you can be. You will hate me at times. You will want to run away from home. But you will hold back from doing anything stupid because I make you your favourite meals that you don't get elsewhere.

Now be a good girl and accept the fact that you're gonna spend your days, 5 in a week, with a gajillion other screaming kids at the daycare centre. Go learn how to kick boys in their nether regions. I might as well start you young.

And when friends/teachers ask you what your mom does, say she's a drill sergeant. Eheh.

Funny, We Have Never Even Met (for real) Despite Having Attended the Same School. Shame On YOU, Mak Odena!

Odens went to sleep at 1230hrs tonight. Hahhhh biar benar tido awallll????? 

So I checked my blog and somehow clicked on her profile pic and "bam!" discovered that she had long since wrote again. 

So that's how I spent the last 1.5 hours, of which, could have been utilised to savour my precious sleep time but no regrets, for I had fun catching up on the last 4 years.

You're on my bookmark list (again!) Bells, and my wish is that for you to have a paeds ward-free stories this year :)

Aside to the 5 people who follow this blog, go read this. It makes you understand now why you should appreciate SAHMs. Yes, because they/we see the lighter side of things among the throngs of snot/tantrum/goldfish crackers-on-the-floor/fever/poop/etc etc episodes. Because SAHMs don't deserve to be looked down upon as if they (we)'re living off what little dough the husbands bring home at month end by (as the Malays call it) "dangling our feet in mid air at home". << ahhh mungkin juga. Cuba buat scissors untuk ketatkan perut yang geleber2 lepas beranak ni, but hey, I'm only 49kg post-partum. Much thinner/lighter than those of you you haven't popped little earthlings out of your vajayjay.  Riak. Hah. Hah. Hah.

I still can't bring myself to bake the goddamnrainbowcake for the Annual Jimba Picnic (dari monthly selo selo dah jadi annually bila semua beranak pinak). Eeeee too much hassle. So I'll probably make this:

Now. Smile, people. Smile.

I Blame You, You Awesome Half Glass of Teh Tarik!

Can't sleep and munching on kaya pau. Yum.

Is that paper I'm chewing?

Pop Cultured

Hello, it's me again. Yes, the lady who's obsessed with her child. Oh goody goody for today what will it be?

Here's my 167th attempt to make her look more girlish. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say it's a level 6.5 failure. We need to understand our pinks better and in the meantime keep resorting to the foolproof giant flower headband.

On a side note, I am clueless about this whole sharifah-bawani fiasco. Call me ignorant but I have poop and spit to attend to (She's teething and this cheapo mom can only afford to give the baby her arm to soothe the itch. Gnaw away little one. I have more of those extra flesh in my mid section.)

Oh, did I mention that this is her intense look watching THS - Selena Gomez? And kid got so excited when I followed up with I Love You Like a Love Song on YouTube. No joke, man. She went "eeeeeeeeee!!!!!". I need to come to terms with the possibilities of my daughter coming home with a blonde mop top dude. Oh boy.

I really have no idea on how to conclude this entry cohesively or to decide whether writing about not wanting to have to pee on a stick in a few week's time is appropriate (it'snotandiknowit).

Erk.

Because I Have Flooded Instagram & Twitter Enough for People to Curse Me

My motivation is the clock striking 2 on Tuesday afternoon, meaning I will hence have a worry-free 4-week break where I won't have to go through my daily routines laced with guilt because at the back of my mind I kept thinking "school assignments" (read: major procrastination and blaming baby blues). Also motivating me is the vision of graduation day with my loved ones, especially with a toddler age Audrina carrying a huge bouquet of flowers for Mommy.

In one year and eight and a half months time.

HAH, KAU DAH HILANG AKAL KE BAJET TAHUN DEPAN BARU NAK CONVO?

NAK MUNTAH DARAH BUAT MASTERS LAMA-LAMA MACAM TU??

TAK BEST OKEH.

Okay. I think I need me some nasik lemak now. The anxiety is killing me. Tolonglah pass paper hari Selasa ni.

Uhuk. Uhuk.

The Wait

15 January 2013

ETA: 1800hrs

A perfect complement to a killer paper exam day.

Now I don't know whether to feel anxious or excited.