Living Life To The Fullest

Daniel & Elisha

2012-02-06T14:40:00.001+08:00

It's just too cute not to take their picture sleeping together. This was taken on our journey from Ipoh to kampar during the recent Chinese new year break.

Elisha Is Already 3 Months Old

2012-02-06T14:34:00.001+08:00

How time flies. This little gal who was born just last Oct has now reached 3 1/2 months old already. Her smile is captivating, her laughter contagious and her cry, well, is super loud.

Thank you Lord for this wonderful gift of life.

iPhone 4s

2012-01-23T18:03:00.001+08:00

Did I mentioned that I finally bought one? Yeah.. My Xmas and new year gift.

Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-23T18:01:00.001+08:00

Yeah, it's the time of the year again - where mandarin oranges, drinks, cookies, dried meat and of course ang pow are plenty. This is also Elisha's first time staying at hotel. Had a great day today, waiting for the kids to wake up and take their bath before going over to my aunty's place for dinner.

Gong xi gong xi..

Daniel Goes To School

2012-01-13T15:57:00.001+08:00

2012 marks the first year of Daniel entering pre-school. The first day was a nightmare as he was transported to school (via transporter). I think that gave him a shock. A week had passed and slowly he is adapting to school life. This video was captured by Vivian, Aiden's mummy who was in the school. Aiden is Daniel's new best friend in school. Thank God for Aiden.

It Is True - Iphone 4S Finally Here

2011-12-02T13:09:00.001+08:00

16th December is the date. Wonder what the package will be like ? Can't wait to find out more... Syg, xmas present for me buli ka ? :)

I Am Free - Officially

2011-11-26T18:28:00.001+08:00

Yeah baby, you heard me right... I am officially free. Free from pantang, duh.... What were you thinking about ?

Which means, baby Elisha is officially 1 month old already. She is growing very well. Next week will be her first check-up (6 weeks after delivery). Wonder what her weight will be, coz a week after she was born, her weight went up by more than 500g.

Thank you Lord.

Iphone 4S In Malaysia

2011-11-22T14:16:00.001+08:00

Unofficial news slated 16 December 2011 as the day IPHONE 4S will be revealed in Malaysia. MalaysianWireless predicts the retail pricing of IPHONE 4S to be around :

iPhone 4S 16GB - RM2190

iPhone 4S 32GB - RM2590

iPhone 4S 64GB - RM2890/RM2990

I hope when telco announce the prices, it will be much lesser as it couples with whatever packages telcos are offering. Furthermore, we will have Maxis, Celcom and Digi offering Iphone 4S compared to last time where Maxis is the sole player in the market. As a consumer, I hope in the end, we will get the benefits of it - lower pricing and better package deal.

Confinement - My Second Experience

2011-11-22T13:39:00.001+08:00

My first confinement wasn't easy - I had post-partum blues, Daniel was admitted to the hospital for 4 days due to jaundice, I had difficulties eating the food my mum prepared and a long list of other issues.

Determined to have a better confinement this time, me and my mum made some slight changes to how things work. First, I dislike eating ginger, and you know for Chinese during confinement, ginger is a must. You practically eat, drink, bath with ginger - tons of eat. During my first time, my mum cut big pieces of ginger to cook with, and I was expected to eat that ginger, along with rice and others. Guess what I did - yup, I finished all the rice, and threw away those big pieces of ginger. This time, I asked my mum to slice the ginger and have it fried till golden brown. Its working coz I am finishing the entire plate - rice and ginger as well.

Second, during confinement, people normally cook using rice wine, which was what I had during my first time. And again, picky me, did not attempt to drink that rice wine that was cooked with the dishes, and into the dustbin those rice wine went. This time, my mum did not but any rice wine, but instead, she bought ginger wine, which I found taste better than rice wine. Again, this time, I finished all my food.

Thirdly, Chinse custom believed that we should avoid bathing as much as possible so that the "wind" won't be able to enter the body. Living in a hot and humid country with no bath was something unimaginable. But thanks to the advancement of technology, herbs that was needed to be picked are now readily available in simple packaging. One packet per day, with boiled water, was something which I looked forward to everyday.

Fourthly, I managed to find a lady to come to the house for "urut" session on the 2nd week of confinement. In a way, it helps alot to dispel wind that was already in the body. During my first confinement, I never thought of seeking one in the first place. Only after confinement, my mum's neighbour saw that I was very pale that she asked me to go for urut.

All in all, the second time was definately much better, and I have 3 more days to go before I officially can go jalan-jalan outside.

D Day Has Come.... Finally

2011-11-04T13:38:00.001+08:00

The date is 24th October 2011, and I woke up with a feeling, "This is gonna be another long preggy day for me... " Received a message early in the morn from my colleague, asking me whether I'll be attending the training on vibration today. Thus I replied, "Yes, I'll be there" since I am not giving birth at any time.

Syg was abit jealous, coz I get to wake up later since my training venue was only a 5 mins drive away. This morning, syg decided to speak to the baby, telling the baby where to go out... It was kinda funny, but at the same time, I felt as though the baby heard the daddy's voice because I started feeling contraction there and then. So throughout the whole day of training, I was 1/3 listening, 1/3 replying office email, and 1/3 counting and timing my contraction.

I was lucky coz the training finished earlier. So, by 4pm, I reached home and continue to reply emails and settle some other issues. It was raining quite heavily when I had to make a run (in a car, of course) to the nearby shop to print out something. Brought Daniel back ealier and cooked dinner for all of us. The minute syg reached home, I told him, "Let's go hospital once we finished our dinner."

I have never seen an atmosphere where the two boys were absolutely in hyper mood. Was it because somehow they knew ? Anyway, we had to drop Daniel off with my mum, since we are not sure if I'll be sent back or admitted straight away. By this time, the contraction is pretty close - about 10mins per contraction, which lasts about 45 seconds to 1 minute.

By the time we reached hospital, I was brought to the labor room to be checked for the following: a) baby's heartbeat, b) contraction and its duration. The nurse was very nice and she told us the contraction is indeed about 7mins apart, but unfortunately, the opening was only 1cm. Long time more. So I asked them, "Does this mean we can go back to the house?" She said she will need to check with my gynae first. After giving a call to my gynae, the result was to have me admit to the wad awaiting delivery. While syg went and proceed with admission process, I was lying down, still counting my contractions. Finally, we have our room - Room 249. The last time, it was room 246. Hehehe...

Luckily, TV2 was airing Nujum Pak Belalang at that night, so we were watching the show, enjoying as though we were holidaying. As midnight is approaching, the contraction was getting more and more painful, until I had to ask syg to get the nurse in for a checkup. As the nurse checked me, she was in for a surprise. I had dilated and the opening is now 5cm. I was wheeled to the labor room at midnight, and in the labor room, the pain was getting worse till at one time I was almost screaming while being put on with the laughing gas. The nurse kept telling, "Don't push yet, don't push yet. Doc will be here soon,"

"Where the hell is the doctor", screamed my heart. I knew this baby is impatient to come out, as the baby was already trying to push her way down and out. Finally the doctor arrived and straight away they prepared me for delivery. It wasn't very long, by 2nd push the baby was out, and of course, it caused me quite a few stiches as well. All in all, 40mins in the labour room was all it took.

So, there you are - Elisha Egbert Adolf, borned on the 25th October 2011. Indeed God answered my prayer for a quick and short delivery, albeit no less painful than the first one. This time it was too quick till I didn't even have the time for painkiller injection and vacuum extract. Good sign, I guessed. But still doc has to burst my water bag first, and from my syg told me, the entire waterbag wanted to come out already, showing how impatient this baby girl was.

All I can say after the delivery ordeal was - "Praise the Lord, thank you Jesus."

Week 39 Going To 40

2011-10-27T13:23:00.001+08:00

Here I am still waiting for d day ! Still working, attending meetings and training. Wondering if baby really decide to come out early or will I be induce ? People around me was already asking when will I pop ? I wish I knew the answer, and frankly speaking, that question has started giving a toll on me... Maybe because I thought the 2nd pregnancy will follow like the first one, which was 2 weeks earlier. I guess I had no choice. Just have to wait for nature to take control.

Week 38 Going To 39

2011-10-17T16:04:00.000+08:00

Yes, I am still here.... My stomach has not pop yet. I am still pregnant. Don't ask me why, me too can't wait for the day to come....

Baby, o baby.... Mummy can't wait to see you already....

Something To Consider For Those Planning To Purchase Toyota Prius or Any Hybrid Car For That Matter

2011-10-14T12:20:00.002+08:00

I found an article which I think is worth sharing around. This article is aimed at those who are planning to change their normal, conventional, petrol car to a hybrid car.

Toyota Prius. Worth The Fuel Savings?

By: Kerry Plowright

With today's petrol prices not appearing to be heading south any time soon, it is little wonder that more and more hybrid cars are coming onto the market. These cars use a combination of petrol and electrical power so that you save at the service station. And if you have a social conscience, they'll also help save the planet through reduced emissions. While Honda was first to introduce a hybrid into the Australian market, it was the Toyota Prius that made hybrid motoring a real option for fuel conscious motorists.

The Toyota Prius has a small petrol motor and a small electrical motor that work in unison to propel the car along. To the driver, there probably isn't much difference between driving the Prius or any other smallish car. The engine switches from the petrol to electrical motor without any need for the driver to do anything, so in that respect, it's business as usual for the driver. The electrical motor recharges its batteries during deceleration. All these actions are performed automatically thanks to the on board computer under the bonnet of the Prius.

If you enjoy a little power under the bonnet, then the Prius is obviously not for you. The small motors push the car along respectably but the acceleration is not what you would describe as being exhilarating.

The Toyota Prius comes with power mirrors and windows, a CD player and remote central locking as standard equipment. It also comes with dual front air bags and anti-lock brakes.

So, how much fuel will you save by driving a Toyota Prius? Well, you can expect to go through five or six litres for every 100 kilometres you drive. This figure is pretty much the same regardless of whether you are driving about town or on the freeway. As the Prius is not a particularly cheap car, you'd need to be spending quite a bit on fuel around town before it really became economical for you. If your driving is mainly on the freeway or in the bush, then it's probably not going to be such a viable option.

One important aspect to check if you are in the market for a used Prius is to check the log books for regular servicing. As these engines are rather complicated, you'll be best avoiding any car serviced by anyone other than a Toyota dealer. Also remember that the batteries, when they do need replacing, will not be cheap. So make sure you check the condition of the batteries first in earlier models.

If you're worried about the spiraling prices of fuel at the petrol pump, and if most of your driving is about town, then a Toyota Prius may be right for you. But remember, if you're only buying one in order to save money on fuel, do some calculations first. With the higher price of the Prius compared with other comparable non-hybrid cars, it may take a long time before you start saving any real money.

(Article Source: www.ArticlesBase.com)

Daniel's Favourite Cartoon

2011-10-13T12:02:00.001+08:00

Like any other toddlers, Daniel likes to watch cartoon. Basically, his fav channels are Disney Junior (used to be Playhouse Disney) and Disney Channel.

I prefer letting him watching cartoons on Disney Junior. I found that these cartoons in fact help a lot in promoting good values.

His fav one is of course - Timmy Time. Once the cartoon starts, he was able to sit quietly, eyes glued, mouth open and sometimes laugh on his own. And we, the parents, can manage some quiet moments... Hahahaha...

I am now trying to download the entire episode of Timmy Time. Who knows it might help during my confinement. Hehehehe....

Satisfying My Craving Finally

2011-10-13T09:53:00.003+08:00

Every morning I drove to work using "jalan kampung" and will end up in Jenjarom before joining the main road heading towards Banting.

This morning, I finally stopped at the junction near Jenjarom traffice lights to go and buy 2 pieces of roti kosong. I had always watch customers patronizing this Indian stall selling roti canai but I never had the chance to really go and try it out myself. Basically it was because I don't have much time to spare.

This morning I was able to reach that junction before 8am. So, made a quick decision, drove in, park right in front of the stall, alighted from my car, walked up to the workers and ordered two pieces of roti kosong.

To my delight, they cooked on the spot, not the usual precook-take-out-from-container kind (which normally what other restaurants will do since it is the most ordered food). Though I had to wait for a while, but I say the wait is worthwhile. I get to eat it hot and freshly cook. Certainly a wise choice made this morning.

Hopefully, baby, you will decide to come out now since mummy has finally eaten roti canai from that stall.... (no harm for a wishful thinking, right ?)

Toyota Prius Hybrid Car - My Next Aim ?

2011-10-12T11:22:00.000+08:00

The recent announcement of Budget 2012 has seen the Government extending the examption on the import duties and excise duty to a whopping 100% and will remain until 31 Dec 2013. The previous year was also 100% examption on import duties and 100% on excise duties. And the price for the Toyota Prius was lowered from RM175K to RM135K, slightly higher than in Langkawi due to the 10% sales tax.

I thought previous year was only 50% examption, and this year was total 100% examption and I should be expecting the Prius to drop to around RM100K. Looks like I mislead myself this time. Huhuhu, no new car for me, I guess. RM135K is too much of a sum to pay....

Bye bye Prius... :(

Update on Daniel

2011-10-12T11:11:00.000+08:00

Daniel is now 2 years and 9 months already. How quick the time flies. He is getting chubbier now - always wanting to munch on something. He has a big appetite (thank god), so not much of a problem feeding him.

Here are some recent pictures of him ...

Getting Ready For Baby No. 2

2011-10-10T11:02:00.000+08:00

Unlike the excitement of getting ready for first baby, this time, is mainly down to washing and cleaning. Basically, we bought all the necessary items like pampers, the first pair of new born clothe for baby upon discharge from the hospital, baby bath, milk bottles, clothes for 1 year old (don't ask me why, but is just that we did it for Daniel, so we are doing it again for the 2nd baby), mittens, and towels.

While the rest of the clothing will be those hand-me-downs. Mum believed that baby will grow faster wearing these hand-me-down clothing. I am ok with it, since Daniel also wore the same. Save our budget actually. Baby cot is there, pillows and bolsters for baby are also hand-me-down but it was brand new since it was actually a gift for Daniel but we never got around opening it for him.

We bought a new mobile cabinet for the two of them. Can't fit into our cabinet already. Let see, what else we have prepared - new blanket, new air-cond (more for mummy's comfort and to save electrical bill actually).

I am praying this time I would be able to breastfeed my baby immediately after birth. I still remembered the distress I had with Daniel for the 1st month. He practically closes his mouth and not willing to breastfeed at all. I do not know whether to cry or to laugh at that time. Hopefully this time, the baby will be more receptive. Hehehe...

So, all in all, we are ready for you, baby. Mummy is praying that you will come out soon, k....

RIP Steve Jobs

2011-10-10T10:44:00.001+08:00

Ironically, Steve Jobs passed away the day after the IPHONE 4S was revealed. Some said it was as though he can finally rest in peace knowing that Apple will be in a good hand, now helmed by Tim Cooks, the man that Steve Jobs personnally chose to lead Apple.

Though I am not a user of Apple products, I can't help but notice how this man's vision and ideas had helped to change the world's view on technology. No longer the word tech is only associated with tech geeks. Through Steve, all generation, be it young and old had come forward to embrace the technology. No longer are they fearful of it, but instead, delighting in every single step they made.

Thanks to you, Steve for not giving up on us, on yourself ....

I am sure your legend, your story, your inspiration will continue to live on. May your soul rests in peace and the Lord comforts those who mourn for you.

Baby In Breech Position at 36 Weeks

2011-10-10T09:52:00.000+08:00

It was a nightmare to me to hear that my baby suddenly decide to do sommersault and be in a "breech position" on the Week 36, approaching 37.

Imagined my surprise when all this while the baby was resting nicely in a vertex position, and suddenly 2-weeks ago, the head was at the top. I did felt the baby movement was slightly peculiar that week coz I noticed the "punching" at the bottom of my stomach was rather forceful. Looks like it was actually the leg kicking forcefully. Doc asked me not to worry as the baby still has time and room to turn about, but need to bear in mind, as the time goes by, the room will be getting smaller and smaller as the baby grows bigger and bigger and may end up not having enough room to turn back. And I may have to be ready for a C-Sec.

The following week, I was doing some reasearch on how to encourage my baby to be back at the Vertex position. The safest way was by placing music at the bottom of my stomach to encourage the baby to "swim" to the sound. So I did just that. I put on the music, I placed one pair of earphone at the bottom of my stomach and another pair on my ear (coz mummy also wants to listen to music ma...) and prayed that the baby will be guided to where the sound came from.

I did just that for the entire week, hoping and praying that it will do. I was kinda scared but anxious as well awaiting my next checkup, unsure if the baby is still in a breech position.

When it comes to the day of checkup, doc was asking me how I felt. I told him truthfully that I felt the movement much stronger at the top of my stomach, rather than at the bottom, but I was unsure if the baby has turn around or not. He said, "Let's check if the baby is behaving well or not." This was one time that I went up the bed with an anxious/scared feeling. What if what I felt was not correct and the baby was still in a breech position ?

As the doc did the ultrasound, he first went up on my stomach. As I looked with anxiety on the screen, I saw the leg bone. And immediately, I felt a sense of relief. That was my baby leg. To confirm, doc went to the bottom of my stomach and did the scan. Yes! My baby's head is there, in a vertex position. How very relief am I, knowing that I will have a natural birth, instead of a C-Sec.

So, here I am, on a week 37, approcahing 38 in few more days. Am hoping that my baby will be just like the elder brother who decides he wanna see the world earlier by 2 weeks. Hahahaha....

Thank you Lord, for listening to our prayer and to Mother Mary, for interceding for us...

Budget 2012 Goodies

2011-10-10T09:35:00.000+08:00

The recent announcement of the Bajet 2012 has finally seen some goodies for the "Penjawat Awam". We have :

Another 1/2 month bonus, with total bonus for this amounting to 1 month;
Yearly increment has been revised to between RM80 to RM320, depending on grade;
Retirement age increased to 60 years;
Pension scheme increased by 2%;
New evaluation system that will see better pay, if one performs.

So, now the ball is in our court. It is up to us to deliver. I am looking forward to the new evaluation system, the SBPA (Sistem Saraan Baru Penjawat Awam). WOndering when the Pekeliling will be released for viewing ?

What ? No Iphone 5 ?

2011-10-10T09:27:00.000+08:00

Yup .... The recent announcement of a new IPHONE was called IPHONE 4S, not 5, much to everyone's disspointment, including mine. I was looking forward for the IPHONE 5 to be announce, and am planning to get one for myself. But when IPHONE 4S was announced instead, I deliberated. Should I get one this year, or should I wait till next year perhaps?

Looking at the specifications, one could say that it is what IPHONE 5 would have actually. The only thing missing is the slimmer and larger screen version compared to IPHONE 4. Inside, it is full of goodies like dual processor, IOS 5, SIRI, 8MP camera, higher memory (up to 64GB), better battery life, etc. So, would I still buy one ? Um, maybe....

Wondering what is the price that Maxis is offering now ?

A Family of Three... Soon To Be Four

2011-08-14T21:23:00.000+08:00

Yes, I am expecting ....

In fact, our second baby will be due in another 10 weeks time... I continue to pray that it will be a smooth delivery and the baby will be a healthy baby... Please pray for us yeah...

Thanks.

God's Salvation Is For All

2011-08-14T21:20:00.000+08:00

Today's homily was indeed very enlighting, well at least to me. In the past, we may have heard that "Unless you are a Catholic/Protestant/Methodist/etc, you are not guarantee a place in heaven." Meaning to say, unless you are baptised, God's salvation is not for you.

Today, it is a new understanding. The Church now says that God's salvation is not only for you and me, but for all, Christians and non-Christians alike. God made ALL human being in His likeness, therefore, salvation is for all. The only thing that God will look at the end of the day is how had we lived our life. Have we lived according to God's command ? Treating one another with equal respect, doing good deeds towards all, and not just the selected few, being honest, etc...

Once again, this is a reminder to all of us. God's mercies is for all of us for He said, "I will accept offerings from all, as long as My covenant is kept."

Hurting Your Child In the Midst of Anger

2011-08-10T16:24:00.000+08:00

I read in the newspaper yesterday of how a lady (I would not even call her 'Mother' as she is not fit to be one) threw her 2-year old son towards the wall just because she had a quarrel with the husband. My God, the kid is only 2 years old and was subjected to such cruelty.

What makes it even worse was the mother only brought the baby to the hospital a week later after the baby cry continuously. The doctor found out that the baby's left leg was broken, as well as several other bruises on the body.

This woman should be sentenced to jail for hurting the baby. Sometimes I really don't understand how can you hurt your own flesh and blood ?