baby shopping

we went baby shopping last weekend and boy do we really shop! no, i did not shop for babies, duhh. i shopped for baby stuffs, that is, at the 7th Parenthood Expo 2011 held at Midvalley Convention Center.

well, as we all know, Midvalley on a weekend is madness so imagine going there on a weekend, when an exhibition/expo is held. double the madness, i kid you not! traffic was crazy, as usual. it was literally a bumper to bumper crawl. wait, make that a standstill. most parking bays were full and we almost went to park at the Premier Zone at The Gardens but luckily there were a few bays available at Zone U, The Gardens. it took us almost an hour to get to parking, at 7th floor. luckily we had banana leaf rice for lunch earlier at Nirwana Maju.

we then went straight to the Exhibition Center and it was packed. there were all kinds of belly sizes, all kinds of strollers and it was near impossible to move around. however, we went from one booth to another but our main agenda is to get a cot, a stroller and a car seat for the baby.

along the way, i got distracted and bought several other items for the baby, like this bath cushion. it was the last piece and it only costs RM10. i don't know if it is really necessary but it's RM10 from RM69.90 for a freaking sponge cushion. how can i miss, right? we already have a bath tub, which we bought at IKEA for a mere RM19. but it is just a simple bath tub with no support or special features and whatnot unlike one brand selling at RM169.90. so i guess this sponge cushion is a bonus.

and then i saw a lot of people carrying this purple bag. some were carrying more than 1 bag so i just had to find out what it is.

it is a brand of disposable diaper, named WHOOPEE. i've never heard of it before and they told me it's a new brand. no wonder they are selling really cheap. unfortunately they don't have in newborn size so i bought a pack for S size and it only costs RM20. i don't know if it's good or not but it's worth a try. besides, it was really cheap for 78 pieces.

we went round and round and also bought a bedding set and a newborn pillow. i may need another bedding set, though. one is definitely not enough, right?

i regretted for not buying the nursing pillow. it was the cheapest among all. the salesperson was very clever, btw. there were about 5 pieces left and she went 'cepat2 tinggal 5 saja, sudah habis' yada3. hubby said to me, 'sekarang dia cakap la 5 pieces, jap lagi sure dia bawak keluar stok baru.' true enough. the 2nd time we passed by the booth, there were tons of it! but we did not buy it because we haven't done with our rounds yet. konon2 nak survey kot ada yang lagi best & murah. pffft. i got distracted very easily but hubby made sure that our main agenda is achieved so he dragged me to make sure i keep on track. we wanted to buy this particular car seat but unfortunately it was sold out. sob...sob...we've done our survey for these stuffs so we practically know what we wanted. it's just a matter of making sure that we get a good bargain out of it. we then managed to buy a car seat, of another brand, which is within our budget and it meets our requirement. it is for a newborn right up to 4 years old. lega! one item struck off the list. hubby then together with the salesperson went to send the car seat and the few items that i've bought earlier to the car. it sure was a long walk to the car all right.
in the meantime, i made more rounds at the expo. i bought a few items for myself too, like nursing bras, disposable breast pads, nursing tops and maternity panties.

benda2 dalam plastik ni tak payah la nak tunjuk, ye?

i only bought 2 nursing tops and 2 nursing sleep bras. cukup ke?

those small items were foc.

then we walked and started looking for a cot. we found one which is within our budget and it has additional features like changing table, mobile thingy, night light, music and vibrator. it is also portable. haruslah beli! we also bought a stroller at a really good price. however, the stroller was out of stock at the expo so we will have to collect it at their shop some time this week. basically we got everything covered. phew! it was a relief. other things that i need is a nursing pillow, another set of bedding and other miscellaneous items, which can be easily obtained anywhere else.
we were there from 4ish to 9pm, and they are already starting to close. hubby went first with the salesperson to send the cot to the car while i waddled slowly to The Gardens. by this time, my legs, feet, back and whole body ached like mad but it was worth every bit. i managed to buy a cooling bag at the very last minute too haha.

i still need to buy some ice packs.

we reached home at 11ish and hubby got so excited that he assembled the cot there and then. i heard the noise coming from the room and wondered what the hell was he doing. i thought that we should wait because i don't want the cot to be dusty. but he said he wants to see how easy or not it is to assemble and he said that he was excited. he then asked me, 'you tak excited ke?' well of course i was excited but i was more tired than excited but seeing him all out in the room, it made my heart melt.

overall, we managed to get good bargains at the expo and it was worth it. now that the major stuffs can be struck off the list, i can now focus on our raya shopping and wait for the baby's arrival, insyaallah.

buy 1 free 1

don't we all just love the sales and now that the Malaysia Mega Sale is back, it is very hard to resist the shopping malls, shops and of course, the slashed price tags. yesterday when i read the newspaper, i saw a Guardian advertisement selling Olay Total Effects products. it is a BUY 1 FREE 1 offer. luckily i am an Olay Total Effects user and even though i am not blessed with porcelain-like and flawless skin, my skin is not much of a problem to me. alhamdulillah. but hey trust me, i've had my fair share of pimples, acnes and whatnot especially during my younger days. anyway, i've been using numerous skincare products but i have yet to find one that really suits my skin whereby it does not make my skin oily or give me breakouts or other problems. yes i still have blackheads, whiteheads and open pores but at least i can cover them up with a good foundation powder. i occassionally get the acnes during 'that time of the month' though.
when Olay came up with Total Effects range, i decided to give it a try. i only used its foaming facial wash and the moisturiser. that is all. i did not even use a toner and i did not use any night time products either. at night i merely put on some johnsons baby powder on my face or sometimes i just leave it bare to let it breathe after a whole day of make up. alhamdulillah so far my skin is relatively OK. i guess the products agree with my skin and i am gonna stick to it for as long as i can and for as long as they are in production. they are not that expensive as compared to other brands and they are easily available.
back to the BUY 1 FREE 1 deal. i just could not miss such a deal so i stopped by Guardian at Solaris Mont Kiara after work yesterday and bought myself the moisturiser and the foaming facial wash. the best part is, the 'free 1' tag. good timing that my moisturiser and facial wash are almost finished anyway. and now that i have an extra, i can easily put 1 at my parents' place and 1 at my home. i don't have to bring my moisturiser to my parents' place every time i go back.
the price for the moisturiser is RM48.90 (for two) and the facial wash is priced at RM14.50 (for two). with these kind of bargains, i can now save money for my raya shopping yeay!

the toilet fiasco

On saturday, after i was done with my check up, Hubby & I went to The Gardens and Midvalley Megamall to shop. we still have tons of things to buy for the baby. the thing about shopping on a saturday is that you have to bring your own bag, unless you don't mind paying 20sen for a plastic bag. We went from Isetan to Robinson to Jusco and Metrojaya. not to mention the stops we made at other shops. anyway, i brought two reusable bags and we bought a 2 liter baby detergent and 2 tubs of baby wipes, among other things at Jusco. we put these two things together in a bag and boy were they heavy! poor hubby had to carry the bag all the way to The Gardens since we parked our car at The Gardens.
Anyway, i don't get the toilets at The Gardens. they have a so-called premier/exclusive toilet where you have to pay RM5 per entry. to me, this is totally ridiculous. even KLCC charged only RM2 for the premier toilets, right? But then, if you have either Isetan or Robinson card, you can enter for free. well, I have both so why am I complaining? I think most people by now already have either, if not both cards. so, I think the toilet has lost its exclusivity. almost everybody can enter. I gave one card to Hubby and I took the other. both of us can enter.
While I was waiting for Hubby, along came a mother with 3 children in tow. she was carrying her toddler son and two girls, probably aged 4-6 years old followed her. they looked like they were in a rush to go to the toilet. the elder girl was coughing badly and the mother was scolding her. the mother wanted to enter the toilet but then she stopped abruptly, perhaps upon seeing that she had to pay RM5 per entry. suddenly, the elder girl started to vomit. there and then. on the floor. the mother had no plastic whatsoever but the other girl was holding a Chilli's plastic bag, which I assumed they had tapau-ed some food. the elder girl kept on vomiting and the mother, probably out of frustration and panic, started to scold the girl and asked her to stop vomiting. I mean, how can you stop vomiting, right? the younger girl also then started to cough and whined at her mother, which added to her frustration so she told the younger girl to stand far away from them. the girl went and stood near the elevator when she also suddenly vomited. the mother seemed helpless and people were looking (yours truly included). when the younger girl vomited, she then walked to her mother, only to vomit some more, leaving a trail of vomit behind her. poor thing. the mother then simply pull up the elder daughter's dress and wiped her off.
while all this chaos were happening, there are about 2-3 toilet staffs who were at the entrance of the toilet. they were busy talking to themselves, oblivious to what was happening in front of them. in my opinion, they should be more alert and perhaps give an exception to the mother and 3 kids to enter the toilet. if I were the mother, I'd be in difficult situation too. imagine there are four of you and imagine having to pay RM20 for a toilet fee. that is simply outrageous. but then again, if it was an emergency, what the heck, right? the staffs could have been more sympathetic and just let them in and probably just charge the mother. or at least they should offer her a plastic or the garbage can or some tissue paper. the mother could have just taken the Chilli's plastic bag and let the kids vomit in there too. too bad for the food, at least you don't make a mess there. to think of it, i could have done the same too. the least i can do is offer the mother some tissue papers but i did not. instead, i became the typical Malaysian who just 'watch & stare'. my bad. i felt sorry for the mother. i really do. i imagined myself if i were in her shoes. i hope i will never have to face such a situation.
i didn't know how the whole thing ended because by then, Hubby had already came out of the toilet. serves the toilet staffs right for not helping that they have to clean the floor.

a telephone call

this morning i received a phone call from an unknown number. i picked up the phone and it was a guy from hitz.fm or was it mix.fm. *pregger brain alert* i think it was from mix.fm. he asked whether he can ask me a question and record it. i asked what it's about. he said that Vanessa (i think it's from mix.fm because if i am not mistaken, this morning i heard Vanessa Chong (is she Vince's sister, the one who won Amazing Race Asia?) on mix.fm. anyway, to cut the story short, the guy (i still can't remember his name) said that they just wanna ask me what is my ideal & perfect holiday. i was like, uh ok but in my mind i thought, did i win something? please tell me i've won a contest or a holiday of some sort haha. to his question, i answered that my ideal holiday would be an all-expense paid trip to a destination of my choice. however the guy said, "no, what i mean is what would your ideal holiday be? is it sightseeing or lazing by the beach or shopping?" oh i see. but my answer is my answer lah, right? he said he will pass the phone to Vanessa and he asked me give my answer and elaborate. whatever.
so Vanessa asked me the same question to which i answered something like this, "my ideal holiday is sightseeing because i have paid so much for the trip so i would like to make use of it as much as i can and i want to see and go to places. i may not return to the place again so i want to visit as many places as i can. i don't want to spend the whole day in my hotel room or by the beach. i want to explore the place and go shopping, of course." then Vanessa said, "thank you so much. we appreciate your time and have a good day."
ermmm...is that it? then it occurred to me that it is probably a 'test' for Vanessa because she's probably new to being a radio dj? i don't know. but how and why did they pick my number? and at least explain lah why they're doing it, right? luckily i was in a good mood this morning that i just played along and cooperated with them.

foodie

i think it has been a while since i last talked about foods in my blog. now that Ramadhan is just around the corner, surely people will start looking for nice places to break fast. i am looking forward to the fasting month but i don't know whether i will be fasting or not. it will all depend on my condition, whether larat or not. looking at the court diary, there won't be many court cases in August so i guess most days will be spent in the office. if i larat, i will fast but we shall see how. of course i wish i could fast the whole month of Ramadhan. tak payah penat nak ganti nanti, kan?

anyway, hubby & i went to a place called Citrus. it is located at 2nd floor, Bangsar Village 2. hubby learned of this place from his friend and he wanted to try it out. so we went there last Friday, the night before the Bersih rally, before heading back to my parents' place.

it has a nice and cozy ambiance. the place is rather small but just nice enough for a quiet dining experience. not too many people like Delicious but it may be different on other nights or lunch hour. and it could also due to the Bersih rally.

hubby ate the lamb briyani as his friend told him that the briyani here is delicious. it was indeed delicious.

i had the beef burger and it was very nice! the beef patty was thick and juicy and the beef patty is well seasoned. i didn't even put tomato ketchup on my burger because the burger tasted nice as it is.

we were stuffed but i could not resist the desserts and i ordered a slice of red velvet cake to takeaway. i brought home and had the cake while watching dvd. i even gave mum & dad a taste. mum loved it but dad, not so much of a cake person, said 'eeeksss!' when he looked at the colour of the cake. he took one small bite though. the cake was soft, fluffy & spongy, unlike some red velvet cakes that i have tried where the cake is very padat. however, you can't hardly taste the cream cheese. the icing was more buttery than cheesy but it is definitely to die for.
i would give this restaurant a 7/10 as we were satisfied with the food. pricing was just like any other cafe. my burger costs less than RM20 so it's not too expensive considering the location of the restaurant. we will definitely go back and this time, i want to try other desserts.
if you happen to be at Bangsar Village 2, go check it out.

i am one happy customer. *burp*

the number 7

Today is 07.07.2011.

I got married exactly 7 months ago, which is on 07.01.2011.

And ironically, today marks another milestone in my pregnancy whereby according to the pregnancy ticker, today I am 28 weeks pregnant, which means today I officially entered the 3rd trimester, or 7 months in gestation.

This means I have more or less 3 months to go before the Estimated/Expected Date of Delivery (EDD).

The EDD may or may not be accurate since I did not remember the first date of my last menses. Well, I was busy and stressed out preparing for my wedding back then in December 2010 and to be honest, I never kept track of my menstrual dates. As long as it comes visiting every month, I am fine with it. At least it is regular. Allah willing, I conceived right after I got married, which at first came in as a bit of a surprise to both me and Hubby but we welcomed this gift with open hearts. Since I did not remember the exact date of the first day of my last menstrual, the EDD was made based on the size of the foetus at the 1st check-up. It could be accurate, it could be not. After all, it is just an estimation.

Anyway where the hell did time go? Time is flying by so fast. It feels like we just got married and now here we are 7 months along. And yes, I am nervous as hell. Btw, go and google if you want to know how the EDD is calculated.

the show must go on

I was down with fever and flu last week and got an MC. My temperature was quite high so after Court, I immediately went to one of the clinics at Solaris Mont Kiara and took an MC. Due to the fever and flu, my nose was runny and stuffy all the time that I can barely sleep, especially at night. That, plus a severe case of coughing too. It was terrible but I was lucky that Hubby was always on my side and he even cooked chicken soup for me and made fresh orange juice for me. however, since I got the fever and flu, I kinda lost my appetite in food. I just don't feel like eating anything and foods just turn me off. I know that I have to eat but I just can't swallow any type of food that it is worrying me. I cooked rice porridge and only managed to eat a few spoonfuls only. However, as of now, I have slowly gained my appetite back and I hope it will stay.

Even though I was down with fever, I already got two tickets to see the Magical Musical, A West End Production at Sunway Lagoon Amphitheatre on 22 June 2011. I won the tickets from AllMalaysiaInfo and I had to collect the tickets from The Star Office. So in the midst of not feeling too well, I just couldn't let go of the show, could I? After all, they are free!

tickets had to be collected from The Star Office

the tickets. price: RM0.00=awesome.

the show

showtime printed on the tickets were 7pm. i thought, come on, 7pm show on a weekday? went home from work, got ready in a jiffy and rushed to Sunway Lagoon. there was a buggy waiting to take us to the Amphitheatre.

by the time we reached, it was about 740pm and the show has already started. we were told that it started at 7.30pm.

i guess we did not miss much.

the show was interesting but to be honest, it was nothing to shout about. there were a lot of empty seats probably because it's a wednesday.

go watch if you are a fan of West End musical.

after the show, which ended at about 930pm, we waited for a train ride back to the main entrance.


choo choo train

ASTRO under fire

Recently there has been a lot of outcry about ASTRO. The issues are, among others, the increase in its monthly fees and also bad services. Being the only satellite TV in Malaysia, ASTRO has been dominating the service because there are no other competitors. I am glad that the ministry and the parliament has been talking about the ASTRO issue and several NGOs are also boycotting and asking the public to boycott ASTRO. It’s about time, huh? Hubby and I did not subscribe to ASTRO at our house. We did have a plan to do so but to date, we have yet to sign up. This is simply because the more we live without ASTRO, the more we don’t see the need to have it.
At night, we would watch whatever is available on channels 1, 2, 3, NTV7, 8TV and TV9. I must say that these channels have quite a wide selection of watchable programs. For example, when I got home from work, I would watch Upin Ipin on TV9 and currently TV9 is playing Tazmania cartoon. I was an avid fan of the famous TV series on TV3, Nora Elena and I was glued to it. Now that it has ended, I did not follow the new series, Dewa Cinta as I don’t fancy the casts and the synopsis does not appeal much to me. At night, we would watch news and sometimes we would watch Nanny 911, Chris Angel magic show thingy or Amazing Race: China Rush on NTV7. AS for 8TV, I must say that I quite like the programs that they have to offer. On Monday nights, I would be glued to Pretty Little Liars and on Tuesdays, I love to watch Hellcats and Desperate Housewives. On Wednesday, I don’t like to watch Showdown 2011 so we would tune in to TV2 for its movie. 8TV plays movies on Thursday nights now. Alternatively, if we do not have anything interesting to watch, Hubby would go out and get some DVDs.
However, I must admit that I do miss watching Kimora Life In The Fab Lane, The Kardashians, Courtney & Chloe Take Miami, Giullana & Bill, E! News (all these are rancangan tak membina minda, as per my dad but I don’t care), those yummy cooking shows on AFC, travel shows on TLC, the sitcoms on Star World and the occasional movies on HBO and STAR MOVIES plus some cartoons on Disney Channel, Cartoon Network and Nickleodeon.
To think of it, having ASTRO is a matter of choice, really. If you want it, subscribe to it. If you feel that their services are not up to par, then by all means, do not subscribe to it. It is simple. Nobody forces you to sign up anyway. But then again, ASTRO, being a service provider must also ensure that their services are justified with what people are paying. I notice that they keep on repeating the shows over and over again and every time it rains (sometimes it doesn't even rain), service will be interrupted. ASTRO also always has this new channels to subscribe and what not, which I think is ridiculous. Why do we need to pay more just to see a particular show?
So now if I want to watch ASTRO, I can always go back to my parents' house. I don't know how long Hubby and I can live without ASTRO but for now, we are doing just fine. Perhaps if ASTRO improves their services at a minimal rate, we will consider signing up.

just saying...

1. I hate the roads in Hartamas, Dutamas and Solaris area. The roads are an uneven mess with holes, patches, roadworks, constant digging and patching and the list goes on. I tried to evade as many holes as possible but at the same time I have to be aware of the traffic. I won't be surprised if one day my car engine just dropped in one of those nasty holes! (touch wood)
   
2. Re: FB. Is it necessary to tag oneself on one's own photos? If i upload the photos, in my profile, in my album, why should I tag myself on my own pics, right? Just wondering...
3. Motorbikes think that the traffic lights don't apply to them. So does the cyclists.
   
4. Taxis and buses stop wherever, whenever they want. Especially taxis. I know driving a taxi is your source of income but do you mind being a bit more courteous on the road? Just because you see someone stopping you, doesn't mean you can stop without considering the other road users.
   
5. Signals/car indicators are not necessary to most, if not all people. I think they see it as a mere accessory. Why bother using it, right? After all, it is 'your father's road'!
6. I hate going to the Shah Alam Court Complex because parking is always a problem. The guard would stand at the gate and his hand would signal 'no parking' and would not allow us to go up the hill. At least let us go and check and if there are no parking, obviously we'll park elsewhere. Most of the time I would end up parking very far and I would lose my breath when i walk up the stairs. The next time I go to the Shah Alam Court, I am so gonna use the 'I am pregnant' excuse with the hope that he would allow me to go up. I know exercise is good at this point but imagine having to walk up the stairs with file(s) or your briefcase.
   
7. I think that parking tokens should be banned. I prefer tickets anytime. They can always use recyclable papers to produce the tickets. Tokens are easily misplaced. Not that I've lost my parking token before (touch wood) but I just find that keeping a parking token is more difficult than a ticket.
8. Buying a baby stroller is like buying a car. There are tons of brands and models in the market with different specifications and style and of course, varying prices. Practicality comes first but at the same time one needs to think about the price, function, durability etc.
9. Why is it that the traffic lights in KL are always faulty/not working especially after a heavy downpour? This just goes to show how poor the maintenance/quality of the traffic lights are.
10. I have ants issue at home. And here I thought that condos don't have ants. I was wrong. The ants are small and red in colour. At least they are odourless. What frustrates me most is that the ants always went into the water jug and the water kettle. What the eff? I would totally understand if they go to the biscuit tin or the sugar jar, which, btw, are tightly closed, but plain drinking water?? Both hubby & I have checked and made sure that no jars are not tightly closed, no packets of foods or whatever left untied, no food crumbs (duh, we are not kids) whatsoever but the ants keep coming back and we have no idea what exactly that they are into that they are driving us up the wall!
11. Online shopping is addictive. Once you start, it is hard to stop. I buy stuffs and I would get it delivered to the office and I like it when I come in from Court, a parcel is already waiting for me. It feels like Christmas.
12. I notice that people who have the foursquare app of the check-in app would only 'check-in' at 'cool' places like some bar or posh cafe. Never have I seen a check-in at some mamak restaurant or at Giant/Tesco/Carrefour and the like. Not even McDonald's. Well, at least not that I noticed anyway.
13. Re: FB. I hate it when people tagged me on pictures of stuffs they sell. I know it is a way of promoting their goods but I just don't like it. I'm sorry.
14. I hate contests where the results are determined based on how many 'likes' you have. I think it is unfair. I still prefer the old school way where a panel of judges will decide on the winner.

That is all that I feel like getting out of my chest. For now.

glitter-graphics.com

vent

i encountered rudeness at its best today. i wanted to buy some fresh cut fruits at MBG fresh fruits and there were two other persons buying as well so naturally there was sort of a line formed. i went to the back of the line. when the guy in front of me was purchasing his fruits, along came a woman and waited beside him, wanting to buy fruits as well. there was an auntie behind me and then joined by a few others, who naturally went in line. the woman simply cut the line and proceeded to buy her fruits. i can't help but said, 'excuse me, there's a line here. you should queue.' to which she rudely replied, 'i didn't see any line so there's nothing i can do.' WHAT THE EFF?? i said to her, 'you can't simply cut a line ok!' then she nonchalantly replied, 'there's nothing i can do,' without even a bit of guilt or sorry in her face or tone. i then said, 'whatever!' she then paid her fruits and left. i then turned to the auntie behind me who shook her head in disbelief and she said, 'so rude!' i said, 'yeah. who does she think she is?' the auntie then said 'she didn't even say sorry huh?'
i wish i have said more to that woman. why on earth didn't i scold her or at least give her a piece of my mind? this is so not me. what the hell happened to me? i wish that her fruits were really sour or at least busuk, just like her heart. she's lucky that i did not create a scene there. hmppphhh.