Ivy: Kini & selamanya

Beauty in Chaos

2016-12-21T10:02:00.000+08:00

End of the year, and *facepalm* can't believe my last post was in June!

But if I were to fill in the gap between June to December, let me tell you it's filled with boring routine mumster, mid-life stories.

I think life have become pretty standard (ZzzZzzzZz): Come back from office, pick cheeky-boo Daniel up from the nanny's, stuck in traffic, rendam the vegetables, defrost the meat, feed Daniel his dinner porridge while watching TVB drama, wash him up, cook the rice and cuts up the dishes while watching my son delightfully open-close-open-close-open-close the washing machine before pressing on all the buttons on the (read: destroying), and many times goes inside the washing machine to see if papa's sock or mum's panties still stuck in the roof (my machine is side-loading). Then, I feed my boy some fruits puree, read him some fire engine and old Macdonald's farm animals, while letting him watch some BabyTV (Billy Bam Bam is my son's favourite). When papa's back, I will dump my son to him, run straight to the kitchen to cook a bunch of chinese delicious (subjective) cuisine for 2 pax.

His favourite grand-uncle and grand-aunty aka babysitter's family.

I will go upstairs and get a shower while my son watches me happily playing peekaboo at the bathroom door with his naked mama. Daniel will be saying "chak, chak", squinting his eye signaling (hurrying) me for a feedback of chakkks, smiling widely. He dare not go into the bathroom (kena scold before, and he knows he shouldn't), but will surely cry if I had to have a peekaboo intermittent because you tell me lahh how to chakkk with shampoo on my face ok. He absolutely hates peekaboo intermittent, and I must do this chak-chak-chak thingy in my whole 10 min in the shower. Papa will be left alone at the kitchen doing all the dirty dishes and then makes his fruits/vege juice with the juicer. Then, when my son sleeps at exacly 9.30pm, I will handwash all his clothes. If you are asking, yes, I still handwash my baby's clothes every damn blardy night since he was born. I can be such an OCD piece of shit sometimes.

Peekaboo!

As a mum, I don't know how to compare (btw, we shouldn't compare our kids), but Daniel is definitely a textbook baby. Meaning, his developmental milestones are exactly as what you google month-after-month in BabyCentre or WebMD. He is quite predictable and easy to take care! My mum said arr, not me.

He has been speaking a few words which are meaningful - put, take, give, "tit tit tit" when he holds the Astro remote controls and points it to the tv, "mai" (Hokkien for 'No'), "puyaoo" (Mandarin for 'No'), "yallooooo" when he puts the phone to his ears, "cat-cat" when he sees a cat in the book, or real cat. "Nennen"&"Mam mam", if he wants milk/food and "Papa" are his first ever words.

He still can't say "mummy" yet to his kiasu mummy although he's with me all the time, manja and playing with me. Sux wei. And of course, he has been getting more and more talkative bablebablellele babbles baa booo goo gaga aiyooh sumida all day, and I believe my son was a Korean guy reincarnate.

He is already holding his own milk bottle himself to drink, and I swear I was delighted because less one task for the parents with an independent child. LOL! Can marry him off already lah. Can. Hahaha.

After work, I try to take him to the playground nearby.

After 14 months, I realised how my son has changed me. I am born like this: over-dominating, big headed career woman, ever the high achiever at whatever I try/do even though I am not talented in it, reads 4 books a month, perfectionist-bitch, and quite kiasu. But when my son is born (also when I met my husband), I find it easier to let go of certain things. I find it easier to let go of perfection. I let people take care of my son and close one-eye in many things, while I catch a movie alone, go for a facial, takes 1 year to finish 3 books, not making the bed, living in a untidy hall, bedroom, etc. This is because I don't want to be trapped in the cycle of woman-doing-every-thing-in-the-house-and-takes-care-of-children-too-and-earns-a-bunch-of-salary-back-home. I don't want to do everything for the household or my family. And want people to help me. I allow my hubby to help me out in anything he can (no matter what tasks), not caring about the outcome, let my son fall down and bump his head, let my son eat hair, food he picked up from the floor, let my son eat junk food and kacang puteh, loads of sugary vitagen (vitagen keeps him quiet in the car and when I watch TVB drama), let my floor be dusty for a week, forgot to wash the vegetable and cook it, simply cut the vege, the eggs are hangus, the meat is hancur, Really, nevermind, Because I feel quite happy being imperfect!

His coconut hair-do. It makes him look cute, but I cut the unruly hair off to be ready for CNY..

He can be quite a good boy. Often listens to us and afraid of scolding. A bit sensitive (like Papa)/

Going kai-kai is his favourite past time.

He loves flipping books, but also enjoys his BabyTV and unexpectedly, loves to watch Berita (the RTM version)

Sorry, but bash me all you want you breastfeeding advocates, but the KEY to my current happiness was: Stop breastfeeding. There!

Gosh, I felt so liberated once I stopped bf because I hate that my son keep latching to me and I have absolutely no farking time to do any farking thing. I honestly hate the pumping regime both at home and at work, and I can't focus on my work or meetings. When I want to do some work/experiment, suddenly I need to pump. Soooo mah fun! After 6 months of essential breastfeeding, and when my son seemed to love solids more than breasts, I was extremely happy to quit the pump and that fugly bra. He was unhappy too because he kept getting scolded for biting my boob tits when he latches (6 months already got 4 teeth ok). He frustrated, I also frustrated. Without breastfeeding, Papa also get to play a role in feeding his son, and at least this empowers the man to hold the feeding bottle and do the feeding. More than 3/4 of Daniel's feeding now is Papa's job. And I have sooo much time after that. Sleeping also felt sooo good for 8 months already. I wake up a happier person each morning because I have good sleep every night with my son sleeping through without waking up hungry. I don't like that feeding goes exclusively to the mother. Don't like. Period. Btw, my son holds the feeding bottle himself and feeds all 7 ounces already! Both papa and mummy are proud of his independence, plans to marry him off soon). :-P

Semakin kaypoh

Fell from the bed and got his first manhood bruise.

His favourite Thor hammer. He fought well <--bruises everywhere.="" td="">

Truth: I wished I was a high-milk-supply-mum, so then I can pump like 100 bottles a day and leave them to the dad/nanny to feed. But obviously I am not. I am a low-supply-kais-pagi-makan-pagi milk supply mum and my son is a big eater and cries every time after breastmilk because still so hungry, so that's why it's not conducive for me to continue breastfeeding. Again, it's all in the mind(!), and when I purportedly tell myself that I hated breastfeeding cause it wasted a lot of my goddamn time, milk definitely didn't come anymore (yay! no more leaky breast). However, when I wanted to quit, I went to upset to depression because people that idk (the internet, forums) trying to throw such formula milk mums down as a "bad mums". Perfectionist, high-achiever you may think I am, but this is one thing I am willing to give up for the love of MYSELF. No breast milk after 6 months, but my son is still alive and kicking and cuter than ever....but that is because I have great genes, kan....

Manja boy. Always golek around me, hug and kisses me frequently. I miss him daily when I am work.

Well, blink blink eye, it's Christmas:

My 5-foot Christmas tree is up, my son dare not touch it after I warned him once only. Good ~~dog~~ boy. He was such a menace initially, but now will just say out loud: "WAHHHHhhhhHH" if I point him to any Christmas tree in the mall or at home, and absolutely dare not touch any ornaments on our tree. Because perfectionist mummy here doesn't like heterogeneous placing of ornaments; the OCD me loves exact spatial placing of ornaments and symmetry. :-P

This year 2016 is awesome in many ways. I am optimistic about next year: career-wise: I hope the crude oil price will bounce up further; the ringgit will strengthen so that I can go more overseas holiday with my two boys, and I hope that my family and friends will be happier and achieve what they aim for. And lose weight.

<--still can="" p="" t.="">

Happy holidays and Happy New Year!

Doing naughty cheek face to his cousin sister, Amanda.

Love you both!

Mid-30s

2016-06-21T14:30:00.004+08:00

I just hit mid-thirties.

If you are going to enter a marathon race, you will be placed in the Veteran category. No shit! Means old lah. Hahaha.

My relatives say I have this motherly look. What that means is that with just a glance, people will know that I have kid(s). To me, motherly look literally means - I have panda eyes, and my face looks puffy and wrinkly, and I pandai bargain in the wet market, I suddenly got very interested in cooking-ware, and love sharing recipes. Basically, like an Ah Sou.

Nevertheless, there is nothing I love more about myself than achieving mid-30s. I feel mature, I feel empowered at work, I feel I am in control of my household. I am happy with my relationships at home with my hubby, siblings, with in-laws, and my own parents and relatives. I am happy with my job and being a career woman. I have some assets (properties, investments, not body assets). I am not bragging, but I am grateful to be given various opportunities in life to see and experience so many things in this world:

1. I drank good coffee before
2. I drank bad coffee before
3. I got a many degrees - biology, Ph.D. and recently - chemistry.
4. I have obtained a Scholarship before.
5. I have been an exchanged student before overseas.
6. I have completed a triathlon and a duathlon. I swam in the open-ocean before.
7. I have 40 open water dives logged around SEA - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia
8. I have completed 6 full marathons.
9. I have lived overseas - China, Netherlands, Singapore
10. I have experienced blind dating, meeting a guy online and regretted it because he's so not like his Friendster profile
11. I have gotten drunk and drove drunk for 10 km (only if I remembered).
12. I bribed a cop before.
13. Got caught for DUI before.
14. I have sung on the stage in public before
15. I studied a foreign language before - Japanese
16. I have traveled to many countries around the world before
17. I have kissed a complete stranger before
18. I have been embarrassed in public before - usually involving clothing malfunction
19. I raced up KL Tower before. *proud*
20. The highest I've been in Twin Towers is 74th floor.
21. I own a luxury bag before (relatively expensive)
22. I have helped a stranger before by giving him/her my money, and not asking it back.
23. I almost died due to a medical condition before.
24. ....and came back alive and became a motherfarter
25. I stayed in a dorm before with total strangers.
26. I acted like a bitch before, throwing tantrums and not giving in.
27. I have experienced both bloody childbirth and c-sect. The pain!
28. I must have had 6-7 dates including boyfriends, before I found my hubby. Wait, maybe 10.
29. I met with 2 major car accidents before.
31. My car got stolen before.
32. I have been baptized a Christian.
33. I am a landlady
34. I am a wife
35. I am a mother.

Glad to announce:
I have not smoked before.
I have not taken drugs before.
I have not experienced studying overseas before (I really wish)
I have not done plastic surgery before.
I have not ate weird foods before and will never try - reptiles, fried insects, live octopus, raw herring, blue cheese, etc.
I have not seen the death of a human being before.

I know can never (but never say never!) be a stay-at-home-mum as my brains are constantly churning chemistry reactions for the development of new chemicals, thus I kinda think nobody at home would appreciate my brilliant, scientific (ahem!) mind. And tell you, I hate managing my home and my son 24 hours, 365 days a year. He can be so cute that I wanna kiss him all the time, but that's just it. Otherwise, my son can be quite annoying because consciously I enjoy my freedom as an individual, hence I hope to just see him at night (kidding, but 50% truth) (I am a good mother ok but I need my ME-time back). I love my kid, but I also love the office, the laboratory, my colleagues, the rat race, and I like to get my brains work out hard...and most importantly: I get to bring back a chunk of salary.

To say I am an accomplished woman, nope. But to say I have hit some good milestones in life, then yes. I still think I have a long way to go to achieve -

1. financial freedom

2. having successful kids (though you have to define success)

3. leave a good legacy in this world (e.g. breakthrough in scientific discoveries, charity, save tigers, :-P ).

4. sleep without anyone disturbing me.<--never br="" never="" say="">

Ivy-out!

Milestones. Check.

2016-05-09T15:09:00.000+08:00

So this is what motherhood does to you eh. No time to even blog. My last post was like what..3 months ago?!

Truth: I really miss blogging (=leisure writing) besides writing work-related reports. Being a working-mum and without any help from own mum, MIL, a maid or not even a part time maid actually does sucks. I have NO TIME. When I say I have no time, I really mean no time for myself.

Note: Hubby is my biggest helper and supporter at home. My hubby is not like what you expect from any popular urban myth that describes husband as coming back home from work, puts up his legs on the table, reads the paper, waiting for your warm, home-cooked dinner and TV remote on his hands. Nope, nope. When he returns from work, he helps me wipe my son's butt, bath him, feeds him, boils water, sterilizes, makes pear, apple and vegetable puree and freezes them, takes out the garbage, cuts fruits for me, does the dirty dishes, and brings me out for dinner if I burn my meals. [Check] (for choosing the right hubby).

And since today's Mother's Day with my active baby who don't give a shit about what it is, it's okay: my hubby celebrated with me by bringing us out to eat wanton mee! Ok watt....this wanton mee shop got aircon ok. Nevertheless, our Mother's Day festive mood was (expectedly) destroyed by my son's urge to scream (happy, joyful kinda screaming) and pee pee out of his diapers (don't ask me how his dick can escape his diaper) in the middle of slurping my yummy wantan soup.

Truth: the wanton mee is really delicious ok. First Mother's Day 2016: [Check].

In the wanton mee shop. Don't know want to scold or not, shout happily like sakai. The more we say "Shhhh sshhh", the more he happy and scream again. Malu oi...

Daniel just turned 7 months old. And I am still alive to witness his milestones aplenty. I mean, I thought I would have turned into a zombie by then, but hallelujah, my brains are still functional, I can walk straight, and still like eating wanton mee (and not human brains). [Check].

He absolutely loves solids of any form. Mummy makes porridge with vege (e.g. pumpkin, spinach, carrots, sweet potato, etc.) every evening and he gobbles them up all for 2 meals a day like a velociraptor. He is a velociraptor since young anyways. Pear puree is his absolute favourite. [Check].

He is always, always happy. Check. Don't ask me why he's always happy but he really, really is happy. I don't like to praise my child (some people say pantang), but sometimes I do wonder why he smiles and laughs all the time (a good thing, right?). Little bit, little bit also laugh. I say something not funny with a straight face also he laughs. Grandma say he gives away his smiles too easily, so now very cheap di. LOL. But hello, mind you, if he ever cries, the cry can be heard up 'til the next street.

I do nothing also he can laugh. Tak paham lah, mummy.

Laugh laugh laugh all day long, dunno why. Cheap laughs. :-P

He is very active, and his limbs are particularly strong. His legs always give one hell of a powerful kick on tables, on chairs, and anywhere his feet touches. He yanks up and jumps all the time! I think he wants to stand more than crawl *sweat*. He was born with sturdy bones and not the flimsy, soft type you expect of a baby. He fell down also don't cry wan. I do hope one day he is a sportsman (ahem: triathlete) and hope the sun can make him darker. He's a bit too fair for a boy. lol. [Check].

"My legs are so strong, I need to jump around and stand up all the time. I hate sitting."

BTW, he likes sitting on babysit in the car. Makes mummy's life easier when going to babysitter's place every weekday. That baby car seat also like macam kena spike with some kind of sleep potion. He SLEEPS every single time I put him on that carseat! Daniel loves his babysitter and family. On many occasions he didn't want to get into mummy's car after work. Boo huhuhu. Nevertheless, I actually do want him to love his babysitter and this indirectly proves that his babysitter takes good care of him. [Check].

As a working mum and no helper at home, my daily routine now makes me so damn bloody tired. Everyday after work around 5.30 pm, corporate mummy becomes stinky, sweaty mummy: Fetch Daniel from babysitter - cook adult's dinner (almost daily!)-cook baby's porridge-bath baby-feed baby-play with baby-switch on BabyTV on Astro-handwash baby's clothes-make baby nap-etc.

Thank God he has a 'schedule', therefore his behaviour is easy to predict - time to eat, time to sleep, time to play.

I sometimes cry inside on why my life is so bad - no money to hire maid, no helper, no one to clean my house; I am fat and can only exercise once a week now, and why my life not mewah, Why didn't I choose and married a rich hubby? Soo poor thing this Ivy Chai, made poor decisions in life, now suffer like mad. My life is so difficult with a house and son she can't manage by herself. My son sometimes roll on his pee pee, I pick up toys that has drop onto the oily restaurant or kitchen floor and forgot to clean it for a week. I pick up porridge that fell onto the floor but shove it with a spoon back to my son's mouth cause don't want to waste. I no money to buy nice toys for him, so his favourite toys are my remote control, and waste papers, crispy old receipts, golf ball. I no money to buy organic food for him to eat. Chia seed...what?!, *rant rant rant rant*

Truth: I say this ONLY when I can't handle my child and dinner. Mummy sometimes needs to vent marr and reflect on life. The Larger truth: No regrets marrying my hubby. He is a man that I dare say, of highest integrity (pantang say. hehehe). He is my helper and never complain once (really never, a polar opposite of myself). He loves my son to the moon and back. He does his own ironing(!) and laundry *phew* and see Paragraph 3 for more info. Middle class people in Klang Valley is like dat lah. With our salaries combined, we are both captain planets of our home.

Thank God also for MIL and my mum that always gives me meat and homegrown vegetables for a month's worth of home-cooked dinner.

Thank you my Mum, my MIL, my Hubby and my son that makes my 'suffering' all worth it.

Baby here 6 months old with the best hubby in the world, really. Sorry I always complain and mang chang.

Ivy-out.

Staycation & Chambers Bar and Grill at Hilton KL

2016-03-16T08:41:00.001+08:00

Sneaking in a food post which is way past due.

This is about our date at Chambers Bar and Grill at Hilton KL.

In December 2015, we decided to book a room for a night at Hilton KL for our staycation. I had accumulated some points in my HHonors card due to my extended stay at Hilton whilst in Netherlands, and thought it would be great to use up some points. After an bitter, eventful check in (room not ready even at 4 pm(!), and Daniel crying at the reception), we finally got an upgrade to our deluxe room. I also made a booking earlier on to dine at its infamous Chambers Bar and Grill.

2.5 months old baby Daniel didn't want his pre-requested babycot. Only wants fluffy pillows and white sheets.

Though not as famous and therefore (probably) less expensive than Prime at Le Meridien right next door, we decided to go for the steakhouse at Hilton because I wanted to use my HHonors for further discount. Smart consumerism ok.

The steak did make a statement. 300 g Porterhouse T-bone steak from NZ sounded small, but when the waiter brought it in, I was like"WAHH ZAHH, huge gilerrr!!" I had it medium-well because my erythrocytes-phobic hubby will not have a share of my gigantic steak if he sees blood. See see, when I cut open the steak, still quite pink inside. Opps. He and I know it's silly to eat premium steak above the medium-rare temperature, but oh well.

We knew one beef steak was enough, so hubby ordered fish: black cod steak. Our mains came with fragrant baked garlic and that garlic did make a lot of difference. Who knew baked garlic goes well with both been and fish steaks!

FYI, the mains does not come with sides, so we ordered sides. I had the grilled asparagus while hubby ordered the usual suspects - simple grilled vegetables - turned out to be surprisingly yummy. I also ordered the sauce to come with the mains - trio of mustards. Well, not all mustard suited well with my tastes nor goes well with steak, although technically mustard would be 'smartest' sauce to choose from the various sauces. In a very Malaysian way, I secretly wished I had Kimball chili sauce with my steak. :-P Honorable mention are the array Himalayan salts provided at each table, but did wonder in which part of my dish would I sprinkle salts on, as the steak was perfect enough.

Try eating steak with a sticky baby on one hand and a knife on the other

Pefectly grilled cod for hubs. Melts

Back to the T-bone steak: it was absolutely yummy. Maybe I was hungry, but I managed to gobble the steak up within an hour and hubby just had a bite or two of my steak (because he sees pink). Had a bite of his black cod and it was so juicy. I thought a steak house serves perfect T-bones, but didn't know they could make a fish meat melt in my mouth. Wah,...I secretly wished I had that fish instead (of beef) when I had that bite.

Mind you, I am never a foodie, so you know that I have limited vocabulary when describing good food. What I can write is that service was brisk, the ambiance was great albeit rather dark but romantic (and definitely not Instagram-friendly), food and sides were made skillfully, and I didn't feel a pinch when I foot the bill (=worth the money). The staff also found us a table where I can dock my gigantic stroller. With such classy service and restaurant, you wouldn't think eating here would be a challenge, but with a baby in one hand and a knife in another, the dining experience was still amazing.

My son would not have remembered that day at 2.5 months old. I shall bring him back here but only when I see my son is old enough to tell me he would share a medium-rare steak with his mummy (and not papa).

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

2015-12-29T09:47:00.000+08:00

It's December.

Time flies by me swiftly in 2015.

But there was this one month that I felt that time stood still: it was the month of October following the birth of Daniel. It felt long because I got very hormonal and pretty stressed out because of my son's jaundice and my breastfeeding issues. Five days in the hospital does take a toll on myself and my hubby. At that time, I felt I should have chosen a nearer hospital because of my hubby's frequent travels from home/office to hospital, but can swear that the service and facilities (i.e. doctors, nurses, staff, rooms) in Prince Court is pretty amazing, so it was a tradeoff.

Maybe I have not embraced motherhood yet, but many things didn't feel right on the first week, and nothing went as planned upon my son's birth. Funny, but it wasn't really love at first sight with my son. In week-2, I had my C-sec wound broken and was admitted to Sunway MC. It made me so mad (at myself) because this incident has devastatingly troubled my mum, my MIL, my hubby, my dad and more so, my newborn son. I was still under confinement period; my mum had to cook confinement food and bring it to the hospital. I couldn't see my son to latch; a day less of bonding with my son felt instinctively strange, like I've abandon my son.

Time crawled too during the rest of the confinement period in Ipoh. I couldn't bath all that much which made me feel really icky. I have always loved ginger but after 1 month of gingery foods, all food tasted so one dimensional, I did hate ginger at one point. What was worse, something triggered hives and itchy spots all over my body (exactly like the one I had last year in Chiang Mai). This allergy(?) worsens after direct intake of DOM or YOMEISHU. The alcohol must have aggravated the hives and itchiness further. I have yet to pinpoint the allergen. Blame it on hormones?

Daniel at exactly 1 month-old.

Papa doesn't want to miss any of his growth!

November 2015 was intimidating nevertheless. After the default 1-month-confinement, I extended my confinement to 40 days at my MIL's house in Ipoh. And hubby felt terribly left-out because he missed a lot of baby's development milestone when he was in KL. The terrifying thing was that after confinement, I decided to return to KL and take care of my son all by myself without help of my own parents nor in-laws. I was terrified because I fear I was not able to juggle between baby and house chores. But guess what, as of now, it's been 6 weeks since I last took care of my son all alone during the day. For that, I have to give myself a pat in the back - for raising my child who put on ample weight/height and having witness first hand his development milestones, AND still didn't burn the house down :-) Well done, Ivy.

Hao-kong-chai pose

By now, time flies by me a bit too quickly! My son turns 12-weeks old today. One thing I am thankful for was that he doesn't wail like a newborn anymore. His cries have 'meaning', like a language (=short cries, long cries, angry cries, complaining cries etc.) telling you whether he's hungry, he has pooped or he is not happy with my nipples. These development makes things so much easier for me. He socially interacts with me and papa: cooing, laughing, smiling, talking, ang gugu me, loving Christmas lights and music. He can sleep through the night too. Now I am so in love with my son! Only now I appreciate motherhood and my newborn son antics (not so newborn anymore eh?). He is such a happy kiddo and quite cheeky, with new development milestones achieved day after day, I now am terrified to send him to the babysitter in January. All because I am afraid to miss his milestones and yes, it's termed: separation anxiety.

Work is about to begin. Now I feel that time flies way too quickly. I was relieved to have found a 1-to-1 babysitter in Puchong but on the other hand, I fear I might have separation anxiety at office. Thank God Daniel loves sitting on the car seat which makes my life a notch much easier when I want to run errands and sending him to babysitter. Also, he loves going kai-kai. I think the first week at office after my 3-month maternity leave would be the hardest.

Daniel loves the car seat and kai-kai

Anyways, cutting the story short - I feel awesome as a mum now. It took me 1.5 months to embrace motherhood as a first-time mum. So much more for me and papa to learn, but for me, it's all about being PATIENT.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Fongs.

Thank you for an awesome Year 2015.

Til Next Year 2016. Ivy-out.

Intervention

2015-10-27T12:35:00.000+08:00

It was week 39.

I was already on leave for a 4 days before the bloody show on Friday. I was still reluctant to go to the hospital because it's just like pink spots. However I did call my mum to confirm if pink spotting indicates a bloody show. She confirms yes. So, I grabbed my clothes bag, and called my hubby at work. He drove me straight PCMC and at the labour room, the nurse cilok in (gosh, terribly uncomfortable!) and confirmed I was 3-4 cm opened. I was at first stage labour.

But the opening of 3-4 cm remained stagnant for probably 12 hours. I've got mild contractions going on in the night but at that time I chose to go on without medical intervention. The contractions were far apart and still bearable. The nurses came in to ask if I wanted epidural as I must decide soon because if contractions comes in closer and closer, the anesthetician will have a hard time injecting the epidural to my back (because I need to be very, very still). I got confused. I looked at my husband, and he didn't say a thing, because it's really up to me. It's entirely my decision. I am the one who understand myself and how much pain I could endure. The pain is manageable for now, but I knew it will get worse. I finally said yes to the nurse for epidural.

Got jabbed in the back. After that the pain seems to have gone away, and I got to rest for 4-5 hours at night. On Saturday early morning, the nurses cilok again, and still 4-5 cm?!?!?!?! Little progress. Then out of no where, I felt stronger contractions. PAIN became real. But I asked the nurses "Why is there still so much pain?!?!? I cringed, held on hard to the bedding's rail and breath in-out deeply every single time a contraction sets in. Wow, that was painful. Wait, even with epidural?!?!?! I was so in pain that I scolded the nurses "Are you sure you injected the correct dose of epidural? If yes, why still sooooo painful?" The nurses explained that (slight?!?) pain is required for pushing out the baby. I screamed "Whatever la, just top up the dose, ok?!! NOW!!!". As if I were a medical doctor.

It was a cold, hazy, long day at Labour room

Not a single tear from my eyes. I made sure every contraction (5 minutes apart!) I tahan and tahan (I don't want to be that sissy girl, crying, screaming, as I knew pain endurance was my forte from my burst appendix, and marathons. LOL). Cringing and almost tearing down the bed's railing was all I did. Was making conversations with my hubby whenever I could catch a breath. I was particularly glad that my hubby was supportive beside me all this while and not like those panicky/worried ones. It was around 10 am where they cilok me again: Oh, 8 cm dilated. Yippee. They broke my water, and bb should come out soon. Kan? Kan? But nope, baby's heart beat still sooo strong and blood pressure still cantik, and refused to leave my tummy. I was now angry. With everyone and everything.

At 2.45 pm, the bidan cilok me and said: you still at 8 cm despite so many intervention - water broke, bloody flow like a murder scene, they felt the baby's head stuck for 5 hours at my pelvic bone and my pelvic wouldn't open to 10 cm. The bidan trying to calm me by saying: it's nobody's fault. And I could murder that somebody who once mentioned that I have a huge pelvic and that childbirth was easy-peasy for big as* people like me, haa? At that time, the contractions were soooo close and pain was very intense. My hubby checked the machine measuring my contractions and let me know that the highest intensity I endured was 70++ (whatever unit that is) and that number was already off the charts for me in terms of pain. Tell you, even that intensity hasn't made me cry. YET. (Later my hubby told me that without epidural, the pain intensity could have doubled - 150 whatever unit, so thank God I had epidural).

I only cried when my doctor came in and told me I needed an Emergency c-sec. I suddenly cried out loud because:

1. "Wah lau, 27-28 hours of labour pain, now u said it's ALL going to be over in 45 minutes?!?!?!"

2. "This 27-28 hours of waiting finally end up bearing no 'fruits'. Nothing is coming out after all this suffering? Not fair to me lah".

An emergency c-sec was not what I expected. My baby was measuring small leading to the weeks of my full-term pregnancy, therefore I thought I could give birth naturally w/o medical intervention. I thought all the exercises during pregnancy - swimming and walking in Holland and my big as* would have made delivery easy, but nope.

In 45 minutes, it was over. My O&G doctor in the OT said: "Your baby is really, really cute" as he was pulled out from my broken body. I was like "I know, right?" :-P First thing I noticed while still in OT was that my baby was white like albino, and had chinky eyes. Oh well, all babies looked the same when they first come into this world - water-bloated and chinky eyes and loud mouths crying. The paed doctor held him close to me, I got to kiss him, and then I cried again: The whole childbirth process, is finally OVER (though the shivering didn't).

Just pushed bb into my ward

I said a little prayer when baby was first pushed into my ward. Hubby said looks like mummy; I say look like papa. Whatever it is, I felt so blessed and glad that baby Daniel has finally arrived in style, gobbling/chewing up my entire nipple ever since until both nipples cracked and super painful. But no pain could beat the pain of childbirth, so what the heck, bring the nipple sore!!

Ivy-out

Week-3 Log

2015-10-21T10:51:00.001+08:00

This is Daniel.

You can call me Yang Yang.

Baby Daniel at 2.5 weeks

He is going to be 3 weeks old on Saturday.

He has both mummy and daddy features:

1. Born botak like mummy

2. Curly hair like daddy

3. Eyes like daddy

4. Obvious double eye lid and lashes - unlike mummy or daddy

5. Nose like daddy

6. Sexy lips like mummy

7. Sweet smiles and cute like mummy

8. Very boyish, cho-lou (rough!) and playful like daddy

9. Blood type A+ like daddy

10. Screamer and bad temperament like mummy

11. Ears like mummy

12. Fingers and feet - long and huge like mummy

His mummy is in confinement and haggard-looking at home - with broken sutures and blood clot on C-sect wound a week before. Mummy tries to limit movement and not carry Daniel too much (how sad!), but still can blog :-P

Daniel's growth milestone has been tremendous eventhough less than 3 weeks old:

1. Each feeding is 3++ ounces already

2. Suckling on mummy's breast until sore. Latches like a velociraptor.

3. Play with himself after feeding i.e. talking! "Ang-gu-gu"

4. Super screamer when hungry

5. Does not get annoyed by loud noises (sleeps thru' loud TV, radio, crowds, people talking, etc.)

6. Developed double chin

7. Kicker and boxer without mittens. Daniel hates mittens

8. Loves bathing and swimming in bathtub (which baby doesn't?)

9. Has strong and long neck, unlike mummy and papa.

He makes mummy and papa smile everyday. And because Baby Daniel loves to smile too.

Daniel makes me wake up at least twice at night time to pump and latch, but all the lost sleep are worth it. Mummy lost 13 kg in 2 weeks. Left 5 kg to pre-pregnancy weight.

Mummy feels kinda sad because not much BM produced but tries her best to eat supplement for increased in BM - dishes such as Ikan Yu (=shark meat), hot Holicks, papaya soup, etc.

Mummy feels the pain when admitted to hospital for C-sect bleeding at sutures. Mummy cries so much more than during contraction/labour pain - cause can't get to see baby to BF him.

Daniel is very kind to mummy and papa - gives shit and pee to us to process everyday. But somehow seeing his yellow poo2 and pee2 makes mummy and papa very happy because this means Daniel is growing well.

Papa will come see baby Daniel every weekend. We both miss papa very much!

2.5 weeks

At 37th Week

2015-09-17T09:08:00.000+08:00

My baby is kam bing soon. (pun intended). He will be born in the Year of the Goat.

What did I learnt so far of being pregnant (FTM)? :-

- I learnt that you can eat anything you want (just like before you were pregnant) but in moderation e.g. cold drinks i.e. teh ais, pineapple, seafood, sushi, sashimi, coffee, tea and even half-boiled eggs.

- I learnt that everybody is happy for you when you announce it for the first time to the world, but when the and old-wives tales / advises begin to come in, you wished you told no one about it.

- I learnt that you don't put on that much weight and don't show until your 7th month. Mine only showed at 32nd week (8 month). My Head of Department did not notice my pregnancy just until she asked me if I did gained some weight from Holland biz trip due to the cheeses.

- I learnt that some people do treat you like OKU, and you must be grateful because no other time in the world you get such amazing treatment. It made you believe in people once again:

You will start seeing crowds of people opening up a lane just for you to pass, like the opening of the Red Sea and Moses seems to be on the other end;
Copyright: http://aquarianradio.com/

The waiter will give you the best table and view in the restaurant you patronize; You don't have to wait long in queues because people let you cut queue;
Taxi driver open the door for you to enter and alight from the car;
The air-hostess kept asking me if I need more snacks;
My boss frequently asked me if I need to go home for being so pale-looking every day (I don't have the pregnancy glow);
I get to walk around the office with my Havaiana slippers and allowed to do so by the HSE even inside the laboratory!! How about that for getting to break rules!

- This thing called 'Baby-Luck' is real: I get parkings all the time in peak periods at shopping malls and banks; I get documents approved by big bosses, and project endorsed by people I do not know; I get to close more gaps in the recent technical assessment tests, unlike previous years; I get food orders at the hawker stalls faster than everyone else.

- I learnt to ask more (stupid) questions to my doctor. Because I start wondering why some many people can be with their O&G for consultation >20 minutes, while I went in and came out in only 5 minutes.

- You can still swim and jog, but when comes to the 35th week, your feet look like a those of a hobbit (minus the hairyness) that waddle like a duck on land. What's worse: you feel like you will never get to run a marathon again.

- Just realised I don't have to wear a seat belt while driving if preggers. Good one there, as the seat belt has recently has a life of its own and starts to strangle my tummy.

- People starts giving you suggestions on baby's names. And you then you end up with your baby's name nothing like any of those people have suggested. Reverse psychology.

- People asked you if you had a boy or girl. And if you say you are having a boy, they will be like: "Good for you!!" "Boy will make you parents happy". Thus I did wonder if I told them I had girl, what would these say or will they still be happy for me? I think in the lines of: "Oh, for your second baby, no worries, you will get a boy" or "Nevermind, girls are easier to take care and smarter", etc. WTF!

- I learnt that my mental state does not sync with my physical state. Rest/sleep = back/pelvic pain. Now I am in a zombie / insomnia state despite wanting to sleep so badly.

- I learnt that it is not entirely a joy to be pregnant. Tell you, I don't have the pregnancy glow at all. If glow means fatness, then yes, I have that.

- My fear is not on the pain of giving birth. My greatest fear is giving birth to a baby sooo adorable, I will have to quit my job (I hope not as I really love being in the corporate world).

It's 37th week yo! Excited that little notti baby could pop out anytime soon. Til then, Ivy-out.

Moist Butter Cake

2015-08-27T23:55:00.004+08:00

I know myself that I can't bake as well as I cook. Even so, my cooking is average. This I rate myself, as hubby has always given me "okay lah" comment every time I ask him how my dishes are. Occasionally I get a "WOW, very good" - for most of my Italian and European cuisine (i.e. my secret recipe salmon steak). I only cook; and why I don't bake is because I hate recipes like they are company's SOPs which have little room for 'playing' around and innovate. To bake something out successfully, many would agree one should not stray far from the ingredients, amount stated and ratios.

I have not baked for a long time. As far as I can remember, the last butter cake (that is not from a 3-in-1 cake mixture) was 8-9 years back. My guinea pig (i.e. my mum) frankly told me that my butter 'stone' cake could have killed anyone instantly if I threw it out from the balcony. Tasted good but hard like diamond. I was demotivated and that was the last cake I remember baking.

I am grateful to have worked with a colleague who is caring and soft spoken as a person. She's leaving after a decade in the company and I thought of baking a cake for her farewell. I daringly volunteer to bake something (as everyone else is cooking). As being the only Chinese in a Malay-dominated department, I usually refrain myself from sharing my home-cooked food nor even letting anyone know I brought any foods from home. Now you know potlucks are easy-peasy for me as I come empty-handed, and but you felt rather left-out after "aunty" colleagues talked about how they prepared their gulai and assam pedas. I dare not cook for potluck, but I believe baking should work as baking ingredients are usually halal.

Best butter cake in town? After a homemaker friend's facebook review of having the best full-proof (warning: only if you follow the recipe accurately) buttercake she's ever made, I got hold of the recipe. This buttercake recipe has been highly recommended because it doesn't crack on the top upon baking, and it's like so moist. I believe the secret is separating the egg yolks from the whites and only fold-in the well-beaten whites at the end. Go to: http://wendyinkk.blogspot.com/2012/05/mrs-ngsks-butter-cake-butter-cake-3.html

and,

I definitely need a refresher course and demo online, and YouTube of the same recipe should work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxJZ3rouKpA

For a start, I need to buy a whole set of baking instruments as I misplaced my previous baking barang at my previous apartment. I don't want to be overly enthusiastic about baking (yet!) hence I bought inexpensive instruments and baking stuff for my first try-out in almost a decade.

I was thinking Kitchen Aid for my cake mixer, but let's not be too enthusiastic yet!

Wish me luck! And if the cake does go wrong, blame it on the oven!! LOL!

Or just bring a bunch of Buntong's kacang putih to the potluck if all else fails.

UNIV360

2015-07-23T11:35:00.000+08:00

I bought a service condo unit at Serdang 3-4 years back for stay/investment. At that time, I knew I wanted to have a place of my own and not to rely on my parents' family apartment in Puchong. I was 30 years old that time, ok, so no good to always rely on parents. Nevertheless, I got married and then my amazing hubby got ourselves a landed house for our new chapter in life. So all thoughts of the solo me living in a condo has dissipated, and I now hope to rent or to sell my unit at UNIV360.

When my parents first saw this condo (that time it was just an empty secondary bush land), they weren't too impressed. The condo is located next to some old, rundown, low-cost flats, Block B was facing the noisy KL-Seremban highway, whilst Block A was facing Serdang industrial area. The land adjacent to it was a sewage pond (but has since been redeveloped to be another condo and commercial area). On second thought, the location is very strategic - ample access roads in and out of KL, near Seri Kembangan food areas, Putrajaya, SKVE, LEKAS, and easy to access to IOI City Mall. It is also easy to rent out - looking at to students from nearby UPM. And the showunit was well-presented (my parents are in love immediately), and we absolutely adore the huge swimming pool with waterfalls, roof-top gym and sky garden. And all these got my conservative parents suddenly interested with the concept. Plus, if you see now, UNIV360 gave incentive to our neighbouring old flats some fresh new paint(!) to its entire building. How generous of our developer. Even the old flats now looks pretty new and decent! The roads in front of our condo has been widened and a new traffic lights has been installed.

What's better, I bought the unit at Block A which is facing the swimming pool! I just went to check my unit out last week - and what a great view from the balcony from the 9th floor! Actually, I purportedly spend extra $$$$ for that facing-swimming-pool unit, which is limited edition, and slightly larger than the conventional units. The best part is that my lot is not facing the noisy highway nor the industrial area.

: The layout of my apartment.

In my 10 year in-out Serdang area (from BSc. to Ph.D. in UPM), I know that area damn well as we ate there all the time (read: Ket Thong). Until today, since my office is near UNITEN Bangi, colleagues and I still have our have lunch breaks near Serdang. So, I pass by UNIV360 development almost daily, and saw in anticipation the progress of the building of the condo up to 3 years. Oh well, sometime I am just praying and hoping that the project would not stall half-way due to economic slowdown, or what-ifs e.g. developers run away with our deposits. To cut the story short - my parents supported my move to buy this condo, and voila...it's here today.

And yes, I am promoting my condo to people - for rent. Let me do some slight renovation first to our unit before I can rent for sure.

If it weren't for my current Kinrara house, marriage, and soon-to-be additional member to the Fong family (Baby!), I would have moved here. For real.

Ivy-out.

Our Baby

2015-07-15T14:56:00.002+08:00

Finally did get to see how my little notti Baby looks like.

We opt for a 3D/4D ultrasound at 24++ weeks upon my return from Holland. I have not seen my baby since April 2015 as that was my last ultrasound visit at PCMC. I had a GP doctor's having my tummy checked in May before leaving for Holland, but Dr. Gill of Klinik Gill, Ipoh did not print out an ultrasound for me! Walamak, his machine damn kuno wei - cannot print wan. Despite having no print out of my baby (sorry, but I am spoilt by PCMC's technology), Dr Gill said my baby was growing normally (paid him RM40.00 cash for just saying that), and said I have nothing to worry about going to Holland on the 2nd trimester, whilst The Netherlands has probably much better medical/health system.

Many didn't know I cut my Holland trip short because I was damn worried about baby. As a going-to-be first-time-mom , I was really wondering what the hell is going on with baby and myself - with the kicking. flutters, constipation, and itch/pain going around me, so I needed 'confirmation' from my O&G. No way I can't afford Netherlands health service as my insurance does not cover me if it isn't emergency.

So, here is baby. Obviously I don't have a name for my baby boy (yet). It's now simply called "Baby". Baby was facing sideways and probably sleeping so this was the best image and angle we could get.

: Looks like hubby from this 4D angle. :-)

3D/4D ultrasound so damn canggih wei. I am suaku when I saw the scans on the screen. Can detect blood flow of heart and kidneys (hence, 4D scan) some more.

: 4D Ultrasound shows chambers of heart and blood flow.

We forked out our own $$$ for this ultrasound since we saved on other genetic tests such as Down syndrome test, aminiotic tests(?), etc. We didn't opt for genetic testings as we trust that we will love Baby no matter what. Counted all the digits on Baby's hands and toes (5 each), and see if got big dick or not, the heart don't have anomalies, kidney good, etc. Ok. Settle. All normal.

Baby all normal, but is making mummy fat. Although it's the happy kinda fat, I've never been sooo fat before (you will be shock to see me so fat). And like my collar bone is no more there. Yikes! I am now at 26th week, heading towards the 3rd trimester. And hmmphhh....the nausea seemed to have returned a bit some how.

Til then, Ivy, Hubby & Baby out!

Hobbits in the real world

2015-06-24T13:36:00.000+08:00

I think I have been staying in The Netherlands long enough to experience many things, in fact, more than many touristy Malaysians. Having stayed at 5 different hotels and accommodations in The Netherlands throughout my business trip of 1.5 months and this has taught me one thing - I am not made for Europe.

Not surprising but somehow, I suffered 'discrimination' in Europe. Not the racism disparity that we hear of every day in the news e.g. foreigners being treated differently from the local/citizens. Nope. None of that. In fact, The Netherlands has been amazing to me in terms of equality and I felt really welcomed in all ways both as a tourist and worker.

The 'discrimination' I face daily in The Netherlands - is the prejudice against my height.

If you are great with general knowledge, who wouldn't know that the Dutch are the tallest people in the world. TALLEST, yes. It's cruel fact, and based on my personal experience with my Dutch counterparts that I stand only shoulder level to my Dutch female colleagues. For a Dutch male, 6 feet is slightly below average, while 5 ft 10" is average for a female. And I am like 5 ft flat.

5.0 - 5.5ft is normal for Asian females. If you jalan-jalan at the city, from afar, you can spot an Asian walking in the streets, and you can tell who are local and who is not - from their height.

I have seen 6 ft 5" Dutch guy, but so are 3 out of 10 Dutch surrounding him. Mind you,that even if they are tall, many are NOT overweight or obese. Many are tall and still fit (unlike the Americans eh)!!

I did ask why. First I googled, and then I did query my colleagues on their height and fit built.

This was how Dutch Lady milk look like in those 1980s when I was a kid. Mum fed me lots of this, but still.....short.

1. Milk and Cheese

Yes, that's about it. That's the ONLY reason why the Dutch are so astronomically tall and are actually taller than the Icelanders: dairy. Over several decades, people in NL has ample supply of local milk and has had the knowledge of processing cheese. Milk and cheese are protein-rich foods and the Dutch are somewhat evolutionary immune to all types of milk products (=lactose tolerant). To date, if I go out for lunch with my Dutch colleagues, cheese, yoghurt, cold meats and wheat are staple. You can't escape cheeses from your lunches. And the Dutch despises low-fat milk/skimmed milk. No one buys them in supermarket and you may notice that there's 80% disparity of favouring full-cream milk over low-fat milk on the supermarket shelves.

And so I observed that hobbits like the Asians in a NL supermarket will go for CHEAP and LOW-FAT (hmmph why are Asians sooo scared of fats?). Therefore, you'll see Asians stocking up on low-fat milk/skim in their carts because it's cheaper than whole/full-cream milk, and yes, we like everything low-fat. We Asians are blinded to the fact that skim milk contains less nutrients (i.e. proteins, vitamins) and has more sugar content in it to make up for lost taste.

It is also sad that many Asians are lactose intolerant. I was in China for a business trip and my Chinese counterparts had a very 'difficult time' after I bought them Starbucks latte. If you notice in Beijing, Starbucks are springing like mushrooms but most Chinese still order flavoured tea or Americano (from my observation), as many can't enjoy milk in their coffee.

Right...so enough of why we Asians are hobbits while the Dutch are not. Let's discuss the disparity and indirect 'discrimination' we as Asians face in The Netherlands. This is TOTALLY true as this is based on the multitude of incidences I experienced in a single country alone.

1. I can't get to the shower head:

Okay, so my mum advised that I am not supposed to lift my arms beyond my head to grab anything above me. It is an old wives' pantang because doing so may cause the baby in the womb to "drop" down and gets detached from my placenta, or intestines to curl around the baby's neck. To me, WHATEVER!! The problem is not the baby. The problem is I can't bring down the shower head to bathe my body. Two of the accommodations gave me a hard time as the room cleaners placed the shower head sooo damn high up, I can't bring it down for my kinda shower. Nope, tip toe won't do either. So, let it rain. There goes my wet hair everyday.

This damn Dutch cleaners!!! Why they place the adjustable shower head so high? Never think of hobbits like us meh?

2. I don't even have to sit on the toilet bowl:

You know, as a hobbit, I have to tip-toe (!) before I can properly position my beautiful buttocks on the the toilet bowl. I was thinking: my as well don't sit, and please go ahead doing your no. 1 and 2 standing. You freaking Dutch built the toilet bowls sooo damn high, never think for hobbits like me! Damn.

1. Can't see my face:

My father only could shave half of his mustache/stubble. I can't pop my pimples, while my mum can't see herself brushing her teeth. This is the consequence of the Dutch people placing their bathroom mirrors sooo high. Even tip-toeing can't help(!), and my dad didn't complete his shaving cause he can't see himself in the mirror.

WHY you put the mirror so damn high!?

4. Back out from the urinal:

This happened to my dad in a restaurant's toilet. There's urinal and there's a single toilet cubicle. Dad can't place his d*** to the urinal to pee because urinal was located at his waist-level. Not that my dad's d**k was not long enough; the urinals were placed sooo freaking high, he can't stand to pee. And at the same time, the cubicle was occupied at that time. Give up. Terus give up. And my dad is not that short, ok.

Why you Dutch sooo tall and place the male urinal soo high lah!?

5. Trouble signing my credit card for purchases:
Again, the table counters are so high (e.g. in museums, restaurants), I have to tip-toe to sign my credit card upon purchase. In The Hague, the Dutch lady behind the ticketing counter had a hard time hiding her giggles when she just saw my eyes and nose, but not my mouth. I had to tip-toe and sign my purchases, when she blurted: "Well, this place was built with ONLY the Dutch in mind",
Sucks.

Okay, end of my rant. Now I know why Dutch people are so great in many sports and dominates world arena - hockey, squash, soccer, swimming: they are tall. In sports, being tall beats talent/skills in many ways. I see our soccer team like looney tiny cartoon in the field against the Europeans.

Nevertheless, if you do notice, Asians are slowly becoming taller. We have access to meat (protein), our kids are genetically more tolerant to dairy, and eating less rice (carbs) compared to our grandfathers and forefathers. Keep up the proteins, people!

Babymoon in The Netherlands

2015-05-25T04:23:00.001+08:00

My office is somewhere here

I got a job-attachment for 1.5 months to Leiden, South Holland. I am delighted that my work as a research chemist does not confine me to the laboratory (which I initially feared) but also beyond the four chemical-laden walls. I am now doing computer simulations and modeling of chemical structures, so basically there's a lot of software/programming work to learn for a dead-wood-in-computing like myself. Oh well, gotta survive in this industry by learning new knowledge every time.

Hi from Amsterdam!

De Valk windmill in Leiden

One mustn't miss the Leiden market on Weds and Sats.

Al fresco is what everyone here does. It's summer!

One thing I felt blessed is that this job attachment-cum-training coincides with the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy. If you didn't know, this trimester is the most comfortable for a pregnant woman to travel because of decreasing morning sickness and stabilization of the womb inherently associated with this trimester. And another blessing: the appetite has escalated these few weeks!

Mum and I in the apartment

Leiden is located approximately 35 km south of Amsterdam. It's a large university town (like Serdang), and here lies the oldest university in The Netherlands, of course: Leiden University. Leiden is also the birthplace of Rembrandt van Rijn, the world's most famous painter. Personally, his painting makes more sense than Van Gogh's (but that's just me). Leiden town is basically sustained by its locals and university students alike. It's so much cleaner and fresher than hectic Amsterdam, and it's just a 15-min bus ride to the beautiful tulip gardens of Keukenhof. Leiden is peaceful; it's not that small nor large that you can't enjoy the entire town by foot, having very considerate drivers and cyclists and has some established Asian restaurants here for my baby just in case he craves for some gu lou yok rice (well, that did happened ok. See pic below).

This is gu lou yok rice my little baby craved. Ordered for 1 pax, but came a portion for three (no wonder Dutch people are tallest in the world).

My baby is good boy, I guess. Although the nausea is still here some times, my baby allows me to walk between 2-10 km around Leiden town and its vicinity. He does not complain because somehow baby knows that mummy here was a marathon runner and wouldn't let him complain anyway, because I want to walk as exercise. A walk from the my accommodation to my workplace within the university is approximately 2.1 km (one way), and if I feel tired after work or when the temperature drops to below 10C, I will take the bus. But of course, I would prefer to walk back to my accommodation to clock in another 2.1 km, but somehow the weather is still erratic. I am not impressed that summer temperatures can range from 7-23 degC. It’s sunny in the afternoon, and bamm, you get rain (the drizzle type) in the night. Some rain has got me into shivers and some had me run for shelter.

Chow mien, and tasted authentic.

Parents are here but only for 3 weeks. They make full use of the apartment by cooking chinese dishes for me. Yes, WARM dishes is what I deserve: ABC soup, bakkutteh, ginger chicken with rice, stir-fried (not broiled) broccoli with garlic, etc. The Dutch eats bread and sandwiches every single day - breakfast, dinner, lunch, and I wasn't complaining in the first week as I love bread and dairy products such as Dutch gouda cheeses and milk, but I think I have had it too much. Sandwiches here are frequently served with cold-cut meats; it looked and tasted raw. Doubt there's any bad bacteria in there but I think better avoid for pregnancy-sake.

Went to Amsterdam but was not impressed with the crowd. Amsterdam was very crowded on that particular holiday weekend, but more so, the people, cyclist here are less considerate and looked angry. Think KL vs. Ipoh drivers :-) In spite of that, Amsterdam is still worth a visit and has pretty with nice churches, architecture, and great museums. Made some milestone here: Walked 20 km(!) in total around Amsterdam, managed the famous Dutch pancake pannenkoek, went to eat at an Argentinian steakhouse, raked in some (free) cheeses, picnic by the park, and was part of the 500m queue to museums, not!

Dutch pancake with strawberries and syrup in Amsterdam - pannenkoek

Rijksmuseum featuring most of Rembrandt's work.

500 m queue to Rijksmuseum. Also same length at Van Gogh Museum

Park in front of the Rijksmuseum having a picnic of a time!

Bitterballen is a Dutch snack

Steak and pasta, for a change

I was also in The Hague, which is this the administration capital of The Netherlands. Just 15 min by train from Leiden, it offers much better supermarkets and shopping escapades. Of course, it is a very very much larger city compared to Leiden - with an established China Town there. There's an asian supermarket there but was ultimately disappointed there wasn't bak kut teh mix sold. I am happy I made a quick trip to The Hague as initially I was just thinking of lazying in the hotel, reading some journal articles. Milestones in The Hague: Maruitshuis Museum containing Rembrandt's self portrait and Vermeer's Girl in a Pearl Earrings, Parliament house (Binnenhof), ChinaTown, Grote Market, Chinese restaurant (Fat Kee) and Primark to buy some quality baby clothing.

The Maritshuis

Like Mona Lisa, everyone wants to see her. But I am not quite sure why.

Got near to the very famous Vermeer's Girl in a Pearl Earring.

Rembrandt's last self-potrait before he died the same year he painted this.

Dutch Parliamentary area

Babymoon, it is.
I will be alone once again when they return to Malaysia very soon. But I am not quite lonely because for 2 weeks already, I started feeling my boy kicking. At one point, he kicked me so damn hard to request for me to rest from the over-walking around The Hague. I am so enjoying the freshest of air and good quality of life here, but this is not home. Where's the teh tarik and nasi lemak in the morning? Where's my bakkutteh and Sentul hokkien noodles? My heart is still back home, and my heart is now where my hubby is who could be lying there reading his economic book, or maybe ironing his own clothes, or giggling at some funny Cantonese movie. Miss you much, hubby!

Here are some photos of me and my parents Keukenhof, four days before it closes for the rest of the year.

The tulips has bloomed, indicating end of the season.

Can you believe the various colours of lilies here. I thought they only come in white and pink.

Another Milestone

2015-03-22T23:16:00.001+08:00

Yes, I am pregnant.

Not a surprise to many because I was caught NOT drinking coffee and tea anymore. I was caught NOT going for runs and races. And I was caught nauseating and sleeping on the job.

How about that for not announcing until after 1st trimester, eh....FAIL terus!

So when people at work asked, just tell them the truth. Especially my manager because as of now, I must reduce my duration and exposure to the many chemicals in the laboratory. As a chemist (nama pun chemist, susah), there's no way to avoid the laboratory. So I told my bosses early to so they understand I will be delegating most of the hazardous jobs to other colleagues. I learnt to let go for 3 months di, and it felt great! Because my priorities of changed okay. Baby comes first.

While writing this, I do feel like a piece of useless person - lying on the sofa whole day cause I just feel tired WHOLE damn day, stealing a nap every moment I can, and having super bad nausea if I smell something weird from any place or foods. Belacan (no asam laksa please!), any form of fish dish, milk and seafood are big no-nos. But I have no complains because my dear mother and mother-in-law got it worse (e.g. bed-ridden for 4-7 months), so I am relatively grateful that my morning(and night) sickness is not as bad as many that's I've known. But it sure didn't subside yet!

My mum said it's already a blessing that I could still eat and not puke any thing I put on my mouth. But still, at my current standards, I felt: effing useless. Fatigue is so real!!! Every time I sit down, I just want to sleep -be it at work or at home. I must move. When I move, I feel slightly less nauseous, but not too much because then I would feel soo tired. *you tell me confusing boh?*

People said that NOW is the time to rest and sleep all you want. Because you won't have sleep anymore when the baby pops out. That's true, right. I've seen it in my friends and relatives. Why am I resisting sleep/rest? Because it's just so me to NOT to feel useless. I am such a go-getter and still want to do everything even during pregnant.

Then comes the "advices". From every part of the universe and this earth. Can really die ok hearing people telling me this and that cause it gets you freaking confuse:- Eat this not that, do this not that, don't eat cold things, don't eat too hot things, don't drink caffeine, tea also kenot, don't drink Chinese herbs at all, drink ginseng (but don't drink this whatever Chinese name), don't squat, don't watch ugly movies like my fav. Walking Dead, don't go to lab at all, don't even go to office cause our office got chemicals in ventilation (wtf, quit job meh), don't drink Bird's nest, please drink Bird's nest (getting more confused), don't eat tofu, don't drink soya bean, don't eat banana, don't eat apple too cooling (I have cravings for green apples and I am piling up on them), don't run, but jog (wtf), swim but not butterfly (wtf advice), don't use phone, nanti kena cancer otak,...............etc. Haiyorr, can die ok, although they are for my good (but no phone, hello??!).

BEST IS MY OWN MUM. She only advice me 4 things:
1. Don't eat pineapple
2. Don't take Cincau
3. Don't take Chinese herbs because I am still super healthy and not weak. (Take only if I am super weak and like no energy and bed-ridden).
4. Don't overeat and get too fat, cause I look terrible when I am fat (but what if I can't help it?). LOL mum!?

Otherwise, eat whatever you want in moderate amounts. I am lucky to be able to still eat and not puke (just nauseous) and my mum said I should be grateful. Alhamdulillah. People tell me to take this herb and that but because I don't know Chinese and don't remember Chinese herbs names, so I neglect all advice if there's any Chinese herb name on that 'advice'.

When hubby first knew, he was super delighted - told my MIL, FIL. I called my parents after telling hubby. Not surprising, the news spread (in Ipoh) as quick as wild fire because my mum's mouth is wild fire. lol. In KL, news was slower to spread, but colleagues got to know first because...what else...caught sleeping on job watt.

I don't know what to expect at this point, but sorry to say, I have had quite enough of the many advices. I research myself is better cause I myself is researcher/chemist and judge myself. The other day I drank Teh Ais also kenot; kena reprimanded from friend. But that's like okay, right? My Malay colleague drank Teh Ais day in day out during pregnant, 5 bijik baby already pun no problem.

Just go through day after day, trying not to listen to too many advice. I hear only, but tak masuk dalam telinga. I am also NOT trying to read too many pregnant articles and forums cause sometimes they suck for giving you anxiety and panic for no reason. Now I just trying to relax and enjoy doing NOTHING the whole day. Currently reading a book on Stephen Hawking called The Grand Design on how the universe is being modeled and perceived by normal people like you and me. How about that for baby's reading session, eh? Hehehe.

Ivy-out.

P/S: If you are thinking this baby was the product of our honeymoon in Turkey, no it isn't! I am so glad it wasn't Made In Turkey cause Fong will sure name my baby Mustapha or Constantinople Fong.

Childhood 80s & 90s

2015-03-17T15:55:00.004+08:00

Sometimes I do think back the times where I was a kid growing up in Ipoh. I mean, like a 6 years-18 years old kid (as far as my memory can backtrack). Although my mother was confirmed a tiger stayed-home mum, she allows us to do whatever we want after school hours (but studies comes first, of course). Despite being strict, she was the kampung-type, so she knew her kids needed some good old' childhood.

What I meant was that we had a lot of (outdoor) freedom back then in the 80s-90s compared to kids growing up in this 21st century. Those days wasn't e-economy, everything was k-economy, and therefore had less foreign workers at that era; people around my taman were mostly medium class; trust was REALLY trust (between parents and kids, neighbours with neighbours); there were no mobile phones; neither did the word social media existed yet (do ICQ and IRC count?). So kids were relatively 'dumb' due to the lack of access to information of the world compared to kids today.

Here's what I went through knowing that the current generation are 'missing-out' (or are not):

1. Connecting to my first ever internet via Jaring dial-up. Oh mann, it has this dial-tone (the damn tune!) that I could remember to this very day. Dial 1511 and you get to look at internet some pages (using Netscape) which are bombarded with prompts of pornography ads. My computer processor was a 486, and I was so happy my friend Yeong (15 years old, probably) who is a self-made IT genius at his age, taught me to play games on DOS (e.g. Paperboy, Prince of Persia, Dune, etc.), and I taught me to write scripts on DOS. And that is already like damn genius. Worth mentioning is my house phone which was a orange rotary dial-phone and you need to pusing-pusing the entire phone numbers one-by-one clockwise before making calls.

2. My first mobile phone was at age 20 (!) where I was given my brother's Ericsson BLUE(!) flip phone (no Sony that time, ok). I got this mobile phone all because I needed to go university in KL for the first time in my life. And that time, the trend was to see: WHO COULD TYPE SMS the fastest amongst us all, using ABC, DEF, keyboards.

3. I will cycle alone the whole of Ipoh Garden East with my BMX. Alone was nothing to be afraid of at that time because many girls around 14 years old also do that. We girls have this biking gang at Ipoh Garden East. My bike was the coolest because it was my brother's bike and it is NOT a girly bike with pink bells and basket in front. I felt like the king of the road and I wore baseball shirt and cap every time I ride on the bike. I bike by my own sometimes to as far as Wooley foodcourt. Last time, there was a game arcade up the first floor of Wooley and I would go see people play arcade games such as Street Fighter 1 and played a game of Tetris on my own. My mum let me because she trusted me to not talk to strangers and there was no such thing as: Indonesia/Bangladesh workers will kidnap you, etc.....NONE. But she said this: Thai people kidnap you to be handicap child beggar at Thailand (that does scare me, ok).

This was the arcade tetris interface way back then

4. I will also bike to tuition at Canning Garden, yes, all alone. I have some girlfriends who could roller blade (I could not) and will drag the back of my bicycle for a free ride on their blades. We girl friends just roam the whole Taman ourselves with no fear whatsoever.

5. On some evening, I will walk/bike all the way to the padang at the end of Persiaran Perajurit 2, near Taman Kemuncak. I will go meet my playmate, Liza Oh to play masak-masak at the playground or climb the monkey bars and swings and claim them our own 'territory'. We will also go play at each other's homes. Without any adult supervision. There was no clock in sight so, we just make sure we are home by 7 pm (we can see that when the sunsets, it's already late). Mom doesn't care if I go to playground, but she will scream crazy when I come back late.

6. I will force my mum to buy me cloth and made her make batu seremban out of rice. And made her buy a box of rubberbands or stole those she has collected in the kitchen to make jumping ropes. Those were my muses. Also, I would buy cardboards of japanese ladies and cut-out clothings where I will dress my my 2D paper dolls. My mum loves to buy those cardboard dolls for me from Kampung Simee market.

I remembered I can't get enough of this. Mom approves.

7. There was a point in my life, 7 years old, where I go up the then on-going North South Highway which was yet to be completed. It was just piles of sand that time. My friend Pei Jet and I will bring our bikes and hike up the sand dune and slide down the slope! We will bring up our bicycle to the top of the sand dune (now the infamous NS-Hiway) and cycled up to Tambun interchange (which didn't look much of an interchange at that time).

8. Those were the days where it took 4 hours from Ipoh to KL. My father, who was a KL-ite, would drop by at Tanjung Malim to eat pau curry/kacang at Yik Mun corner shop. Also, gone were those times where people will use the coastal highway to KL.

9. When I sat on my first MAS flight ever (from Ipoh to KL), my dad said I should dress well. No shorts/jeans because people who gets on the plane are privileged people. wth. Those times, if you can go on a airplane, you are like the luckiest person one earth ok. You must appreciate this privilege by being well dressed on board. Those days, no everyone could fly.

10. Mechanical pencils was an unknown invention until I was 7 years old, til I brought one mechanical pencil from Rashid Mini Market (my brother bought it for me) and I brought it to school at Standard 1. Because no one has seen a mechanical pencil nor how was this going to work better than a staedtler, so I demoed by clicking several times on the pencil top and then new lead pops up. Every dumb friend in my class was wowing as if I was its founder of the most amazing creation on earth. *clap*clap*

11. I remembered walking alone to school (SRK Mahkota Sari) from home in the wee hours of the morning when I was living in Gerik, Hulu Perak . At age 12, I walked 1 km(!), through a lane that farms pigs (sty), to the main roads of Gerik, and straight to school during some mornings and no one kidnap me pun. Like no fear pun. I still wonder why those days are so safe and parents are sooo trusting of their kids.

I did primary 5 & 6 (1992-1993) here in the once awarded "Cleanest school in Malaysia". SRK Mahkota Sari Gerik.

12. Most of us girls are shorter than the current generation at the same age. You can attribute it to genetics, but I believe it was the previous formula milk powder that lack of DHA, EPA, etc. LOL! We girls get menses only at 13-14 years of age on average (that's late compared to average 10-11 years old these days). We were late bloomers with small boobs. Nowadays, if you see the 12-13 years old girls, they talk mature like they are 20s and have large boobs hovering over their chest.

13. We are exposed to nursery rhymes and movies like Sound of Music. But today I see no kids know about a single nursery rhyme that I mentioned (maybe I was child genius in English nursery rhymes and Aesop Fables). Nope, dunno Humpty Dumpty, Nope, dunno Jack and Jill. Nope, dunno Jack and the Beanstalk. Nope, dunno who what how a mirror can speak of beauty. Nor do they know what the hell I was talking when I mentioned Do Re Mi from Sound of Music. Hello, what happen to early-school education lately? I see kids being taught the toughest vocabularies and grammar as well as chinese characters as young as the age of 5 with a bunch of meaningless homework.

Oh well, maybe kids learnt different things now compared to my time. Like how to dance like SNSD, identify suave hair like Lee Min Ho's, how to protect yourself from the Walking Dead, and how to hack into your parent's iTunes password. Lol.

I am just reminiscing the times we had and what our child is exposed to these days. How to give them the best of both worlds: the pre-globalization and the post-globalization times. The time will come and we shall see.

Ivy-out!

Times have changed

2015-02-09T12:45:00.000+08:00

My first post of year 2015 is on February. I know I am getting lazier by the days on blogging because updating a blogpost is actually a lot of hassle relative to microblogging platforms such as FB, Twitter, etc. January was also busy for many people because well, it's early of the year and everyone seemed busy with something new. Second, I was given the task as project leader for a particular project, and that got me a bit jittery and 'busy'. This is my first role as PL, and now engaged in management role that has crept in and I have to give up a bit of my comfort as a hermit in the laboratory. It's a refreshing transition though, but that just means I've got extra responsibilities in the near future.

I am also going into a project that has elements of quantum mechanics and computational chemistry, which means, what I have got to learnt up on stuffs that has nothing to do with chemistry: computer scripts (oh dear!), and physics. And I thought chemistry was all that was needed in my career after studying super hard to be a Certified Chemist. Now this? But again, it's all marvelous for the forever-want-to-learn-everything-in-this-world me. Call me jack of all trades (an insult, actually). ut because of this new computational element in chemistry, or whatever that means, I would have to be attached to a company in The Netherlands to learn up these computer scripting. I am delighted to be, for once, not in China. Lol!! So, Leiden Holland, which turns out to be the birthplace of Rembrandt....here I come!

: Self-potrait of Rembrandt: a well-remembered painter that was born in the little town of Leiden, Netherlands.

: Keukenhof, the infamous tulips farm and park is located just 15 min from Leiden.

This February would be the first Chinese New Year for me to give out angpows in doubles to relatives, family and friends. Also comes the responsibility to buy all the CNY visiting ('pai-lin') stuffs for relatives/family when going visiting during CNY, ranging from abalone, clams, 'kei-chi', red dates, fish maw, cookies, peanuts, etc, etc. that is somewhat obligatory and part of the Chinese culture. Married life has changed me rather in this sort of context: making sure I am a good wife, to be a good daughter-in-law, and at the same time still the same 'interesting', talkative, fierce daughter to my own parents. Quite a tough job, but I am not complaining; in fact, I am the one who wants to follow back these traditions which is set for thousands of years for our own good, and for good karma (not that I believe in karma, hehehe)

: 'Pai-lin' stuffs for CNY 2015 for various family members and relatives

I am also reducing running to ZERO (yes, not bluffing you), because I am trying for a kid just recently. Hormone testosterone rages in my body each time I run long distances, so it's natural to give up some heavy running/sports to maintain my beautiful estrogen and still-pretty-amazing menstrual cycle. Yes, people said that's a myth that one must stop doing heavy exercises to get preggers, but old wives tales are something you'd like to know when it comes to pregnancy. I am a scientific person, so, this testosterone vs. estrogen is pretty true, you know. I am willing to give up something to gain something else.

As a woman, we have many limitations but we cannot deny natural demands, and the childbirth ability that deteriorates drastically over time. Many people said I am at a critical age for childbirth which is undeniably true. This instinct to have a kid just crop up all of a sudden. Tell you, this feeling of wanting a baby has never crossed my mind until just recently (after I've nothing to study anymore, bored). And hello, it's not like I've not achieve a milestone of running and sports, kan? I have completed over 40++ races throughout my 6 years of running career, so I've missed absolutely nothing if I quit. Let's just say I have done competitive swimming, marathons, triathlons, duathlon, badminton, climbed up Mt Kinabalu, Aikido, traveled some cool places around the world, meet many people. So yes, I have a whole bunch of things in my bucket crossed out: next is having a child.

Nobody can have it all. But a silver-lining always, always appear even if you think you are in a grey cloud of uncertainty. Hanging up my shoes for good may be something drastic to many, but knowing me, I might go running after having a kid or two.

Til then, Ivy-out.

Farewell 2014 and Happy New Year

2014-12-31T08:21:00.003+08:00

Dear Readers of Ivy-Kini dan selamanya,

Thank you for your support for year 2014, and I hope to write more in 2015.

I am blessed for being able to continue writing my thoughts and upkeep this space since 2005.

Farewell and good riddance to an eventful Year 2014. Overall, it was a good year for me because I got married and honeymoon.

I wish you the best of health and lots of love in 2015. Also, pray for a better Malaysia.

Happy New Year!

Love,

Ivy

Also on: http://cchivy.wordpress.com

Turkey Honeymoon

2014-12-30T15:42:00.000+08:00

(Warning: A photo-rich post, very long read)

Turkey, our choice city for our honeymoon! We have planned this since March 2014 but because it's a group tour, there's not much real planning on our side of things. What we did before this trip was just to read up on the places of interest and Turkish foodstuffs!

We got booked with BesTours which offered us an amazing deal from Matta Fair. And mind you, in these kind of places where English language is not primary language and where places of interests is never in the reach of taxis, my advice (after returning from Turkey) is to NOT travel alone around Turkey, if it's your first time there. I am not saying it's not safe (it's safe alright). I am saying, most touristy places are inaccessible unless you join their ground tour.

Us and our new found (tour) friends at the Bosphorus cruise. Left of boat is Asia; Right is Europe. Turkey has the best of both worlds!

Turkey is the country that has the best of both worlds. Asia on your left, Europe on the right. My hubby was saying that if Istanbul has a full marathon, you can boast to your friends about running from Asia to Europe! Hahaha, good idea. Turkey has been a critical part of the Greek and Roman civilization for thousands of years, therefore the history is extensive. Imagine, Istanbul (formerly known as Constantinople) was a Christian city before the Ottoman took over in modern history making Islam its official religion and churches were converted into mosques. And then in 1900s, revolution led by Mustapha Kamal Ataturk made Turkey a republic, making it a secular country. (Disclaimer: My version of history may skew a bit, as I was always napping in the bus. Go and wiki if you are dissatisfied).

Thousand years of accumulated histories allows this country to be decorated by buildings of great architectures which leaves you in awe. Greek and Roman ruins around this countryside are evidence of thousands of years of war and peace. The ample natural resources allows for many great armies and governments to want to be conquer Turkey and own every grain of soil and (hot) springs it has. Even Virgin Mary, accompanied by the Apostle John, has a home near Ephesus, Izmir.

So many nice architecture building but don't ask me their names. This is one infamous mosque situated next to the Bosphorus river that separates Asia and Europe.

We took Etihad Airways where the from KLIA to ISTANBUL via Abu Dhabi. We were lucky, as we've got an upgrade to Business Class. Of course, that means, demand demand demand (no, I didn't ask my peanuts to be served on a plate), and more leg SPAAAACCE! The Business Class at Etihad is simply different from MAS flights in a way that the former is more personal, but less romantic. My hubby was sitted next to me, but separated by the aisle, and because this is a honeymoon trip, I felt, ya... "separated". But we both crave leg-space and so: leg-space, flat-bed and massaging-chair is what we got!

Transformers and my vodka with lime and peanuts served in a bowl. Phew! :-P

Weird, seat number says we sit next to each other, but it's actually separated. So unromantic, Etihad's Business Class sittings. Meh.

We visited many many many historical places. You may think historical places are boring. But no. Historical places here come with loads of great stories of mythical origins (these mad Greeks and Romans) and real facts. And historical places here come with scenic views. Major agriculture in this kinda wintry weather are olives and mandarin oranges. First time jakun see olive trees, thought it was grapes.

I would like to again emphasize why a tour is essential at Turkey because one great city to another takes between 4-6 hours by bus. The tour crosses farms, hills, agriculture area, hills overgrowned with (real) Christmas trees, and old cities that eerily resembles ghost cowboys towns. Our Turkish tour guide did tell us a lot of things about the country, its history and their way of live throughout the journey so we did learnt quite a lot (although I slept all the time)!

Preparing their land for the next harvest. Towards Pamukkale

You cannot escape the thought of food or beverages associated with any foreign land you visit. In Turkey, it's no wonder that the infamous Turkish black tea, apple tea, and their crazy thick brewed Turkish coffee was the first thing that comes to mind. I like the black tea a lot, which taste like Lipton anyway, but the turkish one has a little more 'kick' in it. Well, I would say, I LOT MORE kick. Cause I had a major heart palpitation for the first time in my life at a cafe at Acropolis with a cup of black tea! My heart beat profusely fast that I had nausea and held on to dear life in the bus.

Tea MUST be served in curvaceous glass; Turkish coffee MUST be served in a banyak pattern punya cup. Just tradition, I guess. Then of course, other food may sound familiar to us Malaysians: Kebab, and Baklava. The lamb kebab is so delicious I almost cried (also because it was pricey). The cheese here is different from that of NZ or Aussie, and will surely decorate each and every bread I had here. This is because most cheese here are processed from goat's milk. I never thought I would say this (because I am not a foodie), but I must return here for the cheese.

Enjoying our cup of Turkish black tea over the Aegean Sea

Turkish coffee is bleh!

Our lamb kebab near the Grand Bazaar. Pricey but worth every Lira.

Aegean Sea is the sea in Turkey associated with Greek mythology. Of course, crossing this sea to get from Istanbul to Bursa (west coast), and back, requires your vehicle to be ferried through this sea. The trip is 1 hour, and yes, felt like Penang ferry, but here's it has a scenic view of the coast, and it's realllllllly cold now. Don't you dare stand outside the ferry. Your face sure frozen. No, I didn't spot Hercules and Pegasus killing monsters from this sea.

At the ferry. Let's get in before our face freezes.

He daringly face the cold outside , but I relented. Everyone else relented., as you can see.

Sunrise over Istanbul from the ferry

Aegean Sea over the coastal land of Kusadasi (a summer rich-man's playground). View from our hotel balcony.

Animals are so fat here, we wonder if those strays are even strays. Maybe because it's a four season country, therefore they develop great amount of fur, as Darwin's natural selection precedes. Cats are everywhere, Dogs are everywhere. Dogs and cats hug each other. I don't know. Everywhere in Turkey is dogs and cats that never fights. And yah, also, we spot a 'horse' at Troy.

Must be a cat's gossiping ground. So many at Bursa vicinity.

Another black cat crossing me at Bursa.

At Acropolis, 3 dogs were playing near the ruins, and one of them approached Fong. I am jeles.

My bus driver offered food to the dog and cats. One cat was riding on the dog's back like horse at Troy.

You cannot miss this animal at Troy

Baa baaa.

This fat one I saw at Ephesus on top of the Goddess of Victory, Nike.

Like Malaysia, Turkey is a secular country. But people here are 60-70% Muslim, and others are: "..dan sebagainya". You can pray if you want, don't want also can. Because if you Sunni, you pray 5 times a day in a mosque. If you Shiite, you don't pray in the mosque because history says a Shiite leader was once killed inside a mosque (as I was told by history book), so mosque is not "clean". But almost every corner city of is filled with mosques, which is normal in Malaysia, but here, the mosque have super unique architecture: those oldy, moldy, Italian gothic type. Or Ottoman type(?). If they built a mosque in Turkey, they MUST follow back the same architecture or design. Cannot change. Like dat also can.

Several mosque are to be mentioned: Bursa Ulu Cami a.k.a. Grand Mosque (there's a ski resort nearby), where there's a beautiful fountain inside the mosque. The super famous Sultan Ahmet/Blue Mosque in Istanbul where it's khat and ceiling design is incomparable to any mosques in this world. The pope came here to pray too in November 2014. And the Hagia Sophia, which if you read Dan Brown's Inferno that describes this museum beautifully, is I dare say, one of its kind in this universe. Yes, Hagia Sophia is NOW a museum; no longer a mosque nor church it once was. Because Mustapha Kamal Ataturk said so.

Outside Bursa's Grand Mosque

Bursa's Grand mosque (Ulu Cami) in front of a fountain inside the mosque.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque at Istanbul

Design inside the Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Hagia Sophia featured in Dan Brown's Inferno. Read that book to get more precise description.

Turkish lamps that can be found at Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

At Topkapi Palace where the Ottomans once lived. Now a museum containing loads of jewellery exhibits. That includes a 84 karat diamond, really.

And what are the Fongs without some adventure, kannn?

Hierapolis at Pamukkale has 2 special elements: There's this natural wonder called Cotton Castle (a.k.a. Pamukkale) is only one of its kind in this planet. And because hot springs are associated with healing and cleanliness, the Romans (with bathing as their hobby), of course, made this place their home for hundreds of years. They create a city around the springs called Hierapolis, which includes Necropolis (for the dead). So, if you come to this place, it's like super huge. Like from 20 km square (I guess nia, ok), Terraces of white hot springs sprung from carbonate salts, and surrounding it the ruins of the Roman city of Hierapolis and Necropolis.

This is what I was looking fwd to, not the hot-air balloon ride.

Winter and hotspings are soo compatible. Felt so good, as the springs is not too hot nor cold: 38 degrees C

Apart from carbonate rock formations that what made Pamukkale it is today, there's also yellow sulfur deposits which is a healing element.

LONELY PATH. No one ones a hike up the crazy path, only Mr. and Mrs. Fong.

Me and hubby performing alone at a theatre ruin. Because no one likes history in our tour except us, apparently.

We hiked up to this theatre, and we are alone in this vast stage !!!!!

Empty theatre. I like, cause no one kacau our photos. Can be creepy.

ALONE. Just you and me, Mr. Ruins!

A 6-hour trip from Pamukkale, is the great Library of Ephesus, which again we are all alone to visit this place. Crowd are thin in winter. But no crowd is good!

Another library, this one at Acropolis, is larger than Ephesus. Must use cable car to get up here. That time was 1-2 degrees Celcius!

Selfies, oh Selfie! How can we not have couple pictures to end my already lengthy post:

At the Hippodrome where it was once a horse racing stadium. But Ottomans sais that horse racing is gambling (true lah), so banned. COLDDDD.

Overall, I had a blast. My husband had his dream come true to visit Turkey. Let me just say, you need to love history to come to Turkey, but even if you don't, you will surely like their tidbits, baklava, and tea. And the natural wonders too. No regrets of not going for something more "relaxing", because I don't want relaxing beach vacations anymore.

But say if I do come back to Turkey, I must try a couple of things: Aegean sun bathing in summer, Cave stay at Cappadocia, Pamukkale once again, Hagia Sophia, and Basilica Cistern/Medusa's head. (http://yerebatansarnici.com/)

Must go:
1. Hagia Sophia
2. Sultan Ahmed mosque/Blue mosque
3. Pamukkale, Hierapolis, Necropolis
4. Ephesus, Izmir
5. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

Skip:
1. Topkapi palace
2. Hippodrome
3. Kebab restaurant at Grand Bazaar (cheater!)

THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for a great year!

Thank you so much for reading through this lengthy post. You're a survivor.

Ivy-out.

Holidays Milestone in November

2014-12-06T14:25:00.001+08:00

Holiday milestone achieve all in one month! November.

But NOT forgetting my holiday trips to Bangkok in May and Chiang Mai in August.

Entering November, it started with a Beijing business trip which I missed-out because my Chinese visa has expired and I was not-in-time to renew it due to the absurd short-notice for the trip. I don't miss Beijing though. What I missed was the thousands of Enrich points that could be collected from this trip. Not entirely a loss, as I felt restless knowing that I will be going onto the equivalent of the doomed flight MH370 (albeit now a different flight code). And with MH17, who dare say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place?

1. Melaka over-night
Being denied Beijing, Melaka trip was next. I was excited because husband good friend from UM, Janice, was getting married. We were there over the weekend and were so lucky to have Siow Nee and the bride & groom themselves(!) to bring us around jalan-jalan cari makan. I love the chendol in Melaka more than that of Penang all because the santan at the former is more lemak. I had satay babi (just next to Melaka river), Donald and Lily's mee rebus (many fresh cockles) & rojak.The last makan stop was the longest queue ever coconut shake at Klebang,15 minutes car ride off Melaka city. Of course, hubby and I took our own time out roaming Jonker street to have lunch and coffee. Certainly a memorable trip.

Janice and Ivan

Mee Ketuk at Donald and Lily

Fresh cockles at Donald and Lily

The infamous satay babi near Melaka River

Klebang's infamous long-queue, sweaty but worthwhile coconut milk shake and other Malay delicacies.

2. Grand Lexis, Port Dickson
Just the next morning(!) after returning from Melaka, I had to board the company's bus to Grand Lexis, Port Dickson for a short team-building event there. The water villa was huge and unsuspectedly beautiful beyond words. The catch is that each villa has their own swimming pool! Yes, private swimming pool in your room. How about that for a Monday! My roommate ended up making a day trip (her baby's ill), so the entire king-size bed was mine. Mine!! I highly recommend this hotel to whoever wants to have a relaxing vacation with a family of maximum five.

One of the Water villa with a view of the ocean and from the floor.

Each room has its personalized pool and open shower.

Since this is a team-building, there were games and surprisingly, I had a marvelous time. They were all indoor team building games, and one of it was a Trading Game where we trade with other 'countries' based on commodities selling prices, information of the countries and collaboration, etc.

Another game was a Masterchef Black Box Challenge, where my team (out of 40 teams) got 2nd placing! We had access to a small kitchen, and just cook whatever was given to us, and we cooked a perfect Curry Chicken and Pengat Pisang (which I contributed the most) and Pineapple juice in 1 hour to win second placing. We were commended and honoured with a 4 star certificate by the real Head Chef of Grand Lexis. I was proud because it felt like you could even please the hellish Gordon Ramsay with your normal Pengat Pisang (I watch too much TV). Should I lose my chemist job in Petronas, I am pretty sure I could make it as a chef of Pengat Pisang and Curry Chicken :-P. Naturally, hubby don't quite believe my achievement.

This Cert means more to me than any sports achievement. Because it's rare that I get to show off cooking skills openly.

Oil platform with Lego building blocks - one of the exciting Team Building game.

3. Penang
Upon retuning from Port Dickson, the same weekend itself, Hubby and I drove to Penang for his inaugural Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) at the Second Bridge. This is the first time PBIM is held at the new bridge. We stayed at Equatorial Hotel which room is soo comfortable, I didn't want to move out of the bed. Hubby and I loved the swimming pool, and we had a short dip to relax both our minds and body. I did not run, but since I played supporter this time, I need to wake up as early as 4am to wait at the finish line for my hubby, which I estimated would finish at 6.30 am sharp. So, there I was taking the shuttle to the finish line about 10km away, and spotted Ling Ling in the same bus! What got me surprised was that she is running 10km, like for real..

We did savour some Penang cuisines at Bayan Lepas, courtesy of hubby's bosses and managers which were also runners and doing various distances at PBIM. We joined them for some great chit-chat and at the end, went to bed early with stomachs full (even I carboloaded). Hubby woke up 11 pm to catch the 12.00am bus to the starting line for Full marathon. Crazy! I am so proud he did sub-5 hours this time. Guess what, I missed my husband at the finish line. Just tooo many people finishing the same time as him.

At the end, he found me instead at the supporters line. Hah!

Ohh-chien

Frantically looking for my hubby, I was already glad this nightMARE wasn't him.

4. Turkey Honeymoon
And then, not even 2 days later, we board an Etihad plane, on business class(!), to Abu Dhabi (transit), and then to Turkey for our honeymoon. That shall be a 8 days trip, which I shall describe in my next blogpost. Wait up!

Four holidays in a row. Who needs a breather when it comes to holidays. And nope, not tiring at all.

SCKLM 2014 - My 6th Full Marathon

2014-10-24T16:27:00.001+08:00

When I think back about the day I started doing my 1st full marathon in Singapore, I was afraid to the knees and butterflies because I had: 1. No strategy 2. Unfamiliar with route. This Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2014 is my 6th full marathon, but I am still stuck to ponder points no. 1 and 2 despite all the experiences gained from previous marathons.

SCKLM changed its 42.2km route completely this year. I watched the video recorded by the pacers and to my horror saw two 10 km-stretches along AKLEH and DUKE. That is a total of 20 km of nothing but the highway.

I felt dreadful days leading to SCKLM because the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the race was my Licentiate Chemistry Examination. It was a marathon exam on its own where 6 to 8 hours straight of exams for 3 consecutive days. On the Saturday, there was this practical exam which was itself was an ultra marathon: 3 experiments to be completed in 8 hours including a written report. I did not have lunch because I had no time, hence my carbo-loading was literally - zero.

Well, completing a FM is common, but whether you suffer during the race and post-race, is another question. Completing a FM for 9 hours and suffer? - that is exactly what I am trying to avoid.
My personal best for a FM is during the Borneo Marathon this year of 5 hours 20 minute under the dreaded sun. Read it all about it here.

After Tijani at Bukit Tunku. Thank you Sumer Heh.

I had not much training leading this race, so I did not even set ANY expectations on myself. I want to just complete it below 6 hours without any injury to the finish line. I woke up at 2.30am, took like 4 teaspoons of peanut butter onto 2 pieces of bread, drank like a tonne of water, and drove my hubby and I to the JKR building. Met my bunch of running friends, at the Dataran Merdeka, but got scattered up at the starting line.

At the beginning, the route was rather flat. I ran the first 10 km closely behind my hubby (he didn't know I was stalking him for 10 km). Finished 10 km around 1:05 and felt amazing. After that, I lost my hubby as he sped up totally. He trained like amazing hard for this year's SCKLM.

Then I met AKLEH hiway and the boringness starts. Steels and tar-roads are the only thing that meets your eyes. My hubby was way front, I guess, and I somehow gladly followed the 5:00 pacers (in white balloons) for a around half-hour before I lost them too. ZzzZzZzZzzZzZZzzzz...What kinda rubbish route is this?! At round 17 km, we were led down to MRR2, and then I saw......ta da!....the dreaded and boring DUKE at kilometer-21 for another 10km!. Wah lau, worse than AKLEH. When I arrived at Duke Highway, I saw my clock was 2:19, which is just about my timing for a regular 21 km race.

DUKE highway do sound like royalty, but it's one "pariah" piece of route to run. Yet again, I could only see tar and steel and apartment buildings left and right. No scenes, no trees, just nothingness. I only thanked God for the superb weather (no sunshine), and the slight haze was perhaps, helping. I also felt good leading towards the 30 km mark with zero problems on my legs, as yet. Nevertheless, I felt a sharp pain my neck and shoulders (rarely happens) which could be due to accumulated sleepless nights due to my Chemistry exam and studies.

33 km onwards, I felt a slight pain to my right knee and I had certain pain-indications of a cramp about to come. I lather up a blob of Sloan to my thighs and calf. To tell you the truth, those cream didn't work this time, why lah?! Went down to Tijani at KM 37 and then to the dreaded route near Bank Negara interchange where runners from 10, 21, and 42 km converged. Why dreaded, because that was where a huge crowd of runners and walkers (pasar malam like that) coverged and killed the momentum of "real" runners (i.e. like me who hates crowds). At that route towards Muzium Negara, my right leg was greatly in pain and I piled up on the Sloan cream, but to no avail.

I checked the time when I saw Muzium Negara. 5:05. Damn, I might not be able to finish in my PB, but well, that's not the point, right? When I saw Daya Bumi which was 500 m to the finish line, I ran soo hard, I almost fainted. I could amputate off my right leg that very instance, just that I wasn't given a saw.

200 m to the finish line di. The torture face.

Met Farah at the finish line. Not easy to meet her up!

100 metres to the finish line, I saw Vincent and we had a epic fail hi-five because some runner blocked our hands. Boo. Then, I saw my Hubby! Wee!! That motivates me to sprint albeit frantically to the finish line, and of course, it looks better on the official cameras when you do RUN to end.

So, with not much training, no carbo-loading, no sleep (mere 2 hours), I completed my full marathon in an ugly route in 5:25 gun time. I was so proud and happy because...most importantly...I did not suffer upon completion as much as I would thought (though I had a sadistic thought of purchasing an electric saw to saw off my right leg)

But tell you the truth, I could have done much better with some amount of training. Oh well, there's always another marathon, right?

Ivy-out.

Study-No-Enough

2014-10-19T16:48:00.000+08:00

Many people were asking why would I want to study (again?!) when I've a doctorate that comes with the "head-damage" title. Isn't it enough of studying? If you didn't know, I have taken a series of high-level chemistry course & examination that allows me to be a Licensed Chemist. The question that has been thrown to me a thousand times: "Why do I need to study for a Chemistry License after all the 10++ years of accumulated studies in my entire 20s?"

I graduated from a first degree called Bachelor's Degree Bioindustry with a major in Entomology. What that actually means is that I am a agriculture science graduate which does everything else, biology of plants, insect sciences, and how to kill insect pests. In a nutshell: I learnt the best ways to kill pests such as my little brother and caterpillars munching on your sawi. :-P

After my first degree, I received a scholarship from Kuok Foundation to do my Ph.D. to continue to find fancy methods of killing insect pests. Yes, best gilerrr to kill insects like cockroaches, mosquitoes, caterpillars, locusts, etc. But upon graduation of my doctorate degree, I was hired into a non-related industry - the Oil & Gas industry. Let me tell you, this studying is something personal that I want to do, without any coercing by my boss or company. It's entirely personal. Actually, my brains is already wired to do chemistry (I do a lot of chemistry work in my Ph.D. dissertation & in my current job), but it's more like ....if I don't get a Chemistry License, I can't sign off any chemistry reports at my workplace. Why? Simply because I am not from a chemistry background. Damn. That does frustrates me that even a Ph.D. is insufficient for the O&G industry! Btw, there's a governing Act for Chemistry that requires that only one from a Chemistry degree could be a Licensed Chemist.

So what I did was to take up a whole entire comprehensive course on chemistry - high level Analytical, Organic, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, and sat for their examination to obtain the so-called "chemistry background". It was very refreshing yet intimidating to study chemistry from zero (e.g. memorize the periodic table, again?!). You know, this is harder than STPM. Imagine fitting the entire STPM chemistry (and even harder) in 5 months, to then take the exam on month-6th. Total: 6 months to get a Chemistry degree.

#Wefie during the practical exam that took us 8 hours(!!) to complete 3 experiments, with the complete lab report.
And the next day, I went to run a full marathon 42km.

President of Institute Kimia Malaysia (IKM) handing me my Chemistry completion certificate.

I am old. Don't appease me by saying I am not. I have so much workload in my company. My hair is turning white literally. To juggle between studies and work is pretty difficult and therefore, am amazed by how some of my colleagues could find time between studies, work and family (kids!). And my handwriting too, or should I say: my penmanship has deteriorated, probably due to the reliance of keyboards to write reports.

I am old because I realised that I could not memorized reactions and mechanisms anymore. Being in the 30s compared to my Ph.D. years (in the 20s) is completely different (180 degrees). My brains couldn't store any information as easily as before. The only strategy was to study last-minute, where I packed all knowledge a week before and spill (read: vomit!) them all out on exam day. Well, to say the least, that strategy worked rather well for some papers.

I am now awaiting the results of this exam results, to which I have both my toes and finger's crossed. My worry basically lies on Organic Chemistry where memory is required the most.

Article on us by Dr. Sharon. My coursemates at the end of our 4 month chemistry course.

I do enjoy Chemistry because I can relate to my current jobscope. But the truth is, I still enjoy biology more than chemistry, although practically you can't independently separate 'em both. Again, some people JUST LOVE STUDYING. Nothing is more satisfying than solving a problem related to chemistry or biology both at work and in life (think: cooking!)

I thank God because He allows me gave me the thirst for knowledge (albeit all the time!), the ability to study well and handle stress alike. I thank God for his grace for getting me through this stressful/sleepless period with ample support for my husband (he is a fan of mine), and family members. I study because I am personally happy for myself for having the extra edge against others apart from my accumulating experiences at work. With all these in mind, I hope to climb up the career ladder and slowly accumulate more wealth for my family and to....errrr...errrr... buy myself a bungalow or a Mini Cooper or anything for that matter - without thinking twice! That's the whole point kan? Far-fetched objective for a cute little lady, many thinks?

For years, I have gained or am accumulating knowledge in:

1. Insect science (Entomology)

2. Agriculture

3. Microbiology

4. Pesticide science/formulation science

5. Analytical Chemistry

6. Environmental sciences

7. Oil and gas, EOR

Next knowledge to acquire based on my passion:

1. Management (MBA). Planning yah...

2. Psychology

3. History

4. etc.

For now, let's just find some time to finish a bunch of novels and fiction....bought from past two Big-Bad-Wolf ago. LOL!

Thinking forensics

2014-08-28T23:12:00.001+08:00

I was suffering from a bout of skin disease and boyy, I didn't know I was allergic to anything in this world (is it even an allergy?). Or bacterial/fungal attack?

I am in my early 30s and since I was a baby 'til now, as far as I am concerned, I wasn't allergic to any foods or environmental factors (e.g. pollen, sunlight, sweat). I once thought I was allergic to vegetables, but that surely wasn't true - was just an excuse to my mum not to eat them when I was in my primary school years. I was very lactic tolerant, no problems at all with any sort of seafoods, and no damn problems with gluten (I wish I did!).

Recalling back, I used to have occasional hives, or what Chinese people termed it: "fong mok" where red spots aggregate into large raised red & itchy surfaces that appear due to intolerant to some dust mites or maybe hyper-reaction of some antibiotics I took and then I went straight to some stressful physical workout like swimming. Nevertheless, I will encounter "fong mok" and usually it heals in 1 night after a jab of antihistamines into my ass. I have not had any skin conditions besides face acne (cause I am still young) for say.....15-20 years already.

Therefore, I was worried because I had this very bad itchiness on my entire legs (especially knees and elbows) just this Hari Raya 2014. I was worried because this was so not the "fong mok" symptoms like I've previously encountered. And what if I am suddenly allergic to some common ingredient like say eggs in my adulthood and not childhood, which would be unbecoming because...hei, eggs are common in any local dish!

Skin-thinning after continuous application of anti-itch creams - side effects of steroids-based topical creams.

So I decided to do a thinking-forensics examination, where what you do is track back your steps to what you ate, what you did, what you saw, and who you met, before the outbreak. Btw, thinking forensics is only in my own dictionary, so don't bother to Google:

1.
It was Raya eve this year when I went back Ipoh to celebrate my father-in-laws birthday at East Ocean. In the evening, we went swimming at the deplorable public pool at DBI, Ipoh bring my niece and nephew there for a splash. After 20 yrs of not stepping foot at DI pools, nothing has changed. 20 years and the changing/locker rooms were fungus-filled t the shower and tiles. Even if I am not OCD, I couldn't stand the sight of the lockers.

Hubby brought back really fresh (and expensive!) fish and sea-cucumber (lagi expensive!) from Sabah when we were there for our marathon. We let the restaurant cook it as our dinner - both fish and mollusks were steamed. I took a lot of fish, but just maybe 2 slices of sea-cucumber because not that big a portion. Share share marrr.

2.
After dinner, I went home, slept, and when I woke up the next day, my back and calf was itching. I spotted one red spot on my back, and one at my right calf. And it was super-itchy. The itch on this 2 spots didn't subside even till the next day because I continued scratching it. It's called the itch-scratch-itch cycle (this one is a term on Google), whereby, the more you scratch, the more the spots will itch (and spread), and you start scratching more.

3.
Then I came back to KL to work on Raya 3rd day. I spotted some new red spots on my legs (femur) and knee. Because I am the only one at office, I just roll up my pants and scratch...whole day. Well, no one looking and it was sooooo syiok to scratch.

4.
The 4th day of Raya, my boss came back and knew that I was studying to be a certified chemist. He dug out a very, very, very super brown old text book on Organic Chemistry from his office cupboard and said that he used to use this textbook for his studies 30 years ago. Hmmphh...I said I would really love to borrow it. When I opened the book, it has this super-dusty-old-hapak smell, and the paper was crisp. Guess what, I took the book home, opened it on my lap and read the book with full enthusiasm whole evening and night and made it my bedtime storybook.

More like chicken pox, but I've got chicken pox when young di. I've got immunity.

5.
My itch worsened on Saturday morning. I was supposed to go Chiang Mai with my bff on the same evening, but I felt like ripping off my jeans because there's this one spot on my knee that was super itchy, but I just can't scratch beyond my thick jeans. On the plane, I boh care already and start scratching the knee because whattodo, damn syiok weiii!

6.
Reaching Chiang Mai just in time for dinner, we had tomyam kai, a coconut drink, and paku-pakis in garlic sauce. That's when the itch became unbearable: one spot became 100 raised red spots and aggregating as I keep scratching them. Luckily I traveled with my pharmacist bff (yay!), and she took me to this drugstore and recommended me some oral antihistamines and topical ones too. At night, the itch was unbearable, and even with antihistamines in my system, I woke up in the middle of the night to top-up on the antihis cream.

Back in Malaysia, the doctor commanded like Caesar: "Take steroids, and be gone is your urticaria!" But I refused to take steroids and willing to bare the itch with spreading Tiger Balm menthol cream. Tiger Balm burns my spots and causes me to temporary to forget about my itch. I somehow think I need antibiotics/antifungal (bacteria spores attack?/ fungal attack?) and not steroids. Never listen to doctor advice is like dat lu.

The itchiest spots are in this feet area!!

Old spots has since turned into pustules. Pustules are painful, but I felt super great with them around because pustules means that the whatever "foreign thing" in my body is in the process of being eliminated out from the body in the form of nanah fluids. And these pustules are no longer itchy! (yes!) Let's see, I have 20-30 pustules all around my legs and heels which no longer itches, but I look terrible in my shorts or miniskirts. People asked if I had Chicken pox or...Ebola. Like what, Ebola!?! (Do you even freaking know what Ebola's symptoms are?!)

4th week into this disease, it just got completely healed (no itch and no new spots, but scarred!).

Based on my thinking forensics, the culprit could be:
1. Fungal infection from public pool or changing rooms.
2. Fish, prawns and/or seacucumber from Sabah.
3. Mites on my Ipoh bed or sofa. Bed bugs are likely.
4. Dust mites or dust bacteria on the vintage organic chemistry textbook of 30 years.
5. Unwashed jeans of 1 year.
6. Tom yam chicken in Chiang Mai
7. Stir fry Paku Pakis with garlic dish in Chiang Mai
8. Coconut juice in Chiang Mai
9. Stress. No way jose, I am not stressful lately. I swear :-)
10. Genetic predisposal. My family especially Dad has very bad skin sensitivity problems - to ants, to spiders, to caterpillar, while Mum can't eat too much beef. Elder brother has eczema problems on and off.

My forensic findings: No.1, 2 or 4 are likely primary factors that led me to my ugly scars. Then, the elevation of severity (or seriousness) is caused by consumption of "toxic" foods such as tomyam and paku-pakis vege, while in Totality: genetics played a huge role in causing the sensitivity.

**Just pray I am not allergic to anything as I get all, especially not to common ingredients. Some people's sensitivity to things change as they grow older. I have a friend that was never allergic to pineapple when young, but now can't take pineapples in any form. She had allergies to squid (only!) and is now no longer allergic to any seafood, not even squid. I have another friend who was allergic to eggs, but could now take them as adults.

Your thoughts?

What is your Louis Vuitton

2014-08-19T20:35:00.002+08:00

When it comes to luxury, I am the last to rave about it. I fairly know about luxury brands and goods but to get them for myself is like me breaking a concrete barrier between me and my purse. I am not boasting; my salary allows me much luxury, but there's always this thought that poisons(really?) me to thinking that so much more important/worthy stuffs can be acquired with that amount $$$$$. The angel and devil argument appears on my shoulders each time I had the urge to get branded goods. People say: it's upbringing to think like that vs. peer pressure.

I have a fair share of luxury items, but having said that, the word 'luxury' has to be defined. In my dictionary: nothing lower than a Coach for bags (No, Guess? is not luxury), and for clothings nothing below MNG or Zara, and for shoes, nothing below Nine West. That's my dictionary. Yours may differ. Like how I love Nescafe 3-in-1 more than some artisan brew: it's personal.

: Sigh, why don't people understand that Nescafe is my choice of coffee?! I am not talking about health here, I am talking about taste and caffeine (it's yummy!). That makes me a REAL coffee addict that drinks anything, coffee.

versus

: Starbuck's coffee is great too (albeit the stupid plastic-layered paper cup), but it can never give me the same satisfaction as a Nescafe beans.

And then you have to define luxury vs. quality. Though many would swear that luxury goods are of highest quality, it is not always true. Well, 90% true, however there are shoes that are expensive but never has given me comfort. I had this Aldo heels but bruised my pinky toe within 10 minutes of walking. Some bags are expensive to the point of I-could-just-put-a-deposit-for-a-house, but is flimsy and un-structured (but if flimsy bag is what you want, I have no comment then). Some luxury are pre-loved prestine condition, yet left so much to desire. My first expensive (my standard during those younger days where money comes harder), was a pink Coach faux leather tote I bought from Coach, Pavillion. Mind you the tote was discounted but I love it so much. It was classy, structured and I had it 'til today with amazing condition (albeit the fading colour). this is what I identify as Quality.

: The instantly sold-out (worldwide!) Jimmy Choo's featured in "My Lover from the Stars'.

versus

: See, I can get-about-the-same luxurious pair from Zang Toi. I wore this pair for my ROM.

And then you have to define taste vs. trend. Think about my size: I am exactly 5 feet, medium built and muscular on the legs, ass. It's genetics (and running). So if the trend gives you a Victoria Secret model sizing, you are definitely not-on-trend. It's not your fault though. For not being able to keep up with the trends (btw, bell-bottom trousers are back!), do compensate with some amount of some taste. Taste means simplicity and fit, which not necessarily from Dior or Versace. Looking through fashion mags may exhaust your taste and blurred the line between trend vs. taste, but never, never ever listen to nasty Joan Rivers on Fashion Police. Do request feedbacks from close friends with similar salary(<--true and="" br="" super="" true="" worldview="">

Worth of an item lies on the upbringing, world-view and monetary ability of the individual. I have an uncle who always say and believe this phrase like a religion: "Good things not cheap; Cheap things not good". Though that is 90% true, the 10% still stands and in statistics, and 10% is still a number. Do you know many items are RIP-OFFS, meaning, you over-pay for what it is actually worth/valued. See, even Kanye West agrees with me = HERE (must read).

I have not gone to the extent of Jimmy Choo's or a Hermes Birkin that puts you at the league of our PM's wife. Maybe one day I will or have the will to: to use my disposable income for something as luxurious like a cute Mini Cooper.

My colleague claimed: When you own a branded good, it is as such that you can never turn back. I have a Balenciaga which means I can't hold a Coach bag anymore? What loads of cr*p. For me, there can be no end to luxury, and you will keep buying because trends (they are called 'trends' for a reason) does not end. Remember, there's always someone better than you out there. And you will keep buying until...well, you have that internal empowered self-confidence to say that a LV bag or a Jimmy Choo is not your confidence-giver. You can still stand head held high with a cr*p bag. That's is true luxury.

: The most expensive brand (besides my smartphone) I've ever bought to this day are 2 items from Ferragamo.

Remembering MH17

2014-07-25T10:41:00.002+08:00

I am shocked once again by the tragedy of Flight MH17. The whole Malaysia are. Though it is little over a week after the incident, I still feel the 'heat' looking at the endless headlines glued in all front pages all over the world on #MH17. The 'heat' meant that on the day the plane was said to be shot down by a missile, all my food and coffee tasted bad, I had stomachache for no reason; maybe I was thinking of how it felt like to die in a plane crash, and felt the urge to write my own obituary just in case I do die in similar incident, or wondering watching on-board flight movie would I be watching, or would the death be quick, and what would be my family, friends and relatives reaction to my death in a plane crash, and at the end of the day I did screw my homecooked meal with too much salt (to the wound, pun unintended). My mental state was badly affected and my motor neurons had temporary paralysis.

What bothers me most is the likelihood of plane crashes, loss and other related incidents such as fire and bad landing of airplanes lately. We were once given the statistics that dying from a lightning strike in a tropican country is more likely than dying in a plane crash anywhere in the world. That is why we, as Malaysians, cannot accept that how could 2 plane tragedies happened in a span of 4 months, with the first plane incident (lost?) had still no closure. Being the scientific person I am, worrying on the statistics, would rather drive interstate within Malaysia than to take a flight.

Then, it is MAS. I am saddened because MAS was my first flight ever when I was 12. I still remember my cousin was an air-hostess for MAS and she booked me a flight from Ipoh to KL (yes, those were the days where Ipoh airport was pretty busy like Subang airport wann ok). I had two relatives as air-hostess that time and was sooo proud of them, but of course my mum wishfully 'killed' my dreams because she told me I was born a hobbit and no way I could be like them. MAS, why MAS again? I adore their in-flight services of the crew AND first class lounge at KLIA. I was in an MH370 from KL to Beijing in January 2014 before the incident happened, when I remembered the head crew who served me well - he is gone now, when I saw the papers showing images of those lost in the flight. Surreal.

MAS needs a revamp. I don't know how, I am not from McKinsey...but a change of name or logo would be great. Please change the colour, as it was thought that the boeing MH17 had same colour stripes of the Russian flag, which cause for mistaken identity and probably lead to the crash of MH17.

All those who were on board MH17 and lest we forget MH370, may peace be upon all your souls. Too soon to say this, but you have affected us in a good way, bringing us Malaysians together as one voice, one heart, and allow for some quietness and stillness in our turbulent, but beloved country.

No symmetry.

2014-06-10T00:05:00.000+08:00

So my hubby cuts me mangoes. See photo already can see he so meticulous and symmetrical. Gosh, I can do the same actually but in lesser symmetry and proudly - uglier.

He cuts me fruits cantek-cantek all the time. Mango, starfruits, jambu, grapes.

My hubby cooks me spaghetti bolognese with grilled chicken as sides after work. I could do the same, but in higher grease and salt content.

He climbs the roof to fix it DIY while his emo wife screams and screams for him to come down and ask some other pro to do it. After that, he cleans the toilets of my entire house, and still have time to make me tea and buys me seedless grapes to eat.

He buys me a Swiss watch because he cannot tahan his corporate wife wearing an Adidas digital watch to work.

He bought me a Swiss, but not Federer.

He scolds the gangster neighbour for me at the front gate of my neighbour because his wife got mad of the neighbour's parking antics. I horn horn horn and my hubby, full of guts, scolded da gangster. Now hubby more gangster than I have ever knew. I strictly believe he would go prison because of me.

He does the gangsta behaviour in public occasionally.

He explains to me historical facts of China before I went Beijing, and tells me in details about the Nascar Lines and how it is connected to the Egyptian pyramids. He explains the SAS (that army thingy) to me, while I mind flies off blankly and eyes fixed on this month's Harper's Bazaar.

He plays Napolean Blownapart here.

He translates Chinese movies to English (real time) and re-explains the story line/scene because that movie don't have English/Malay subtitles. He's expert in chow sing chi movie.

He runs with me every weekend slower than his usual pace like slow snail like dat...because of scared his wife kena kidnap. Mosquitoes also faster.

Things he does for me. Makes me a spoilt princess.

I am never a drop-dead romantic person. I told (more like warned) my hubby since day one we met that I would never(?) do lovey-dovey things with him. PDA is fine, flowers and fine jewelry are fine (of course they are fine! haha), but I told him: NO wearing same shirts around, NO matchy-matchy colours, utter respect for my big laughs, NO sharing of DNA in any form unless his well-done steak looks better than my medium-rare chicken, NO ending a race together holding hands, Don't expect this girl to bake a cake or cookie for you, You eat all my homecooked food without complains, etc. So this is how it was, how it is today. Pity him. Hahaha.

Then things start to wean as time goes by and I realised he is not that romantic actually. Ok, let me rephrase: I realised that he is romantic in a way women is not likely to identify with. As time goes by he is giving me less flowers and cards and jewelry, but he is getting more affectionate and responsible of me and my life. He cares. He makes time for me every single day. He make me laugh everyday. He laughs at my jokes even not funny just to please me, I know. So stupid.

My hubby is a latte art destroyer and this particular act always breaks my heart....

....but I close one eye.

Why am I documenting all these hubby antics? I really don't know. Maybe anniversaries does make me go emo. One day probably I'll look back (knowing that relationship ages with time and if I get Alzheimer), I can smile back and remember, yes, remember this good old days and read them like bedtime stories to my cucu-cicit.

One year ago, yesterday. Bliss.

(Disclaimer: Again, I am no relationship expert)

Most important we don't change each other and accept each other. What he doesn't like, he close one eye; what I don't like, I don't go changing him. I close my eye too. We don't go tolerating each other but accepting each other's traits. Things can change, we change it by our own merits without force; if we start to go into changing things that we CAN'T change, that will be the horrific term called: controlling. And nothing more confusing than giving you 1 more good advice: Discuss with each other before doing/deciding anything huge. I am an independent girl and he is an independent man, but we are hubby-wifey, needs 100% discussion. No golden ratio in relationships. Weird, we do fight but lesser and lesser and lesser (amen!) this past year, but when argument happens, I will start crying, then he cannot tahan wan...sure he gives in (secret strategy). That's our fighting rhythm. Hahahaha. I know he knows.

He's not only my Napolean, but my Legolas. Only shorter.

Happy Anniversary Hubster! Aren't you lucky to have found me 4 years back?!