Photo credit: Super Mom by Kastner on Flickr

1. Insanely kiasu be it in FB games or haggling for a the best deal at the wet market
2. Wants in on everything i.e. hungry for discount coupons and deals regardless of the product/service. Point is just get the deals first, think later if she needs it.
3. Does not like to wait for anything be it lining up at the supermarket cashier or fast forwarding TV dramas just get to the end quickly
4. Lacks fashion sense but promotes it as being so trim to still fit into clothes from 2 decades ago
5. Super competitive in the circle of moms by holding on to the record of most number of tuition class + ballet class + piano class + mental arithmetic class + art class she sends the kids to.
6. Notice she does not send the kids for any classes with physical activity or sports…for fear of injuring themselves. Ballet’s ok cos it’s supposed to be “gentle”.
7. Very racist in her remarks and loves to comment “Indian/Malay ah?” Hello, we Chinese do bad shit too ok!
8. Always thinks she is right and reacts greatly to negative remarks about how she’s wrong
9. And when failure is inevitable, she blames others for her failure.
10. Loves to self praise.

Next post: Ten observations of super freak momzilla behaviour

I paid for my parking at the automated kiosk. Inserted RM 10 for a RM 2 payment (as i didn’t have small change). Instead of getting my change back, I was given a “refund receipt”, which instructed me to walk to the car park management office, and get my RM 8 back.

At this point, I was a bit concerned as I was alone, in a basement car park, and I had no idea where the heck the car park management office is at. Thankfully, it was a mere 20 meters from where the payment kiosk is located.

I walked over to the office and there was another couple in there and we realised that, THERE’S NO ONE THERE TO GIVE US OUR REFUND! I see phone numbers stuck on the wall, and I called one of the numbers. No answer.

Two minutes later, 2 of the parking management staff shows up, and takes the refund receipt from me and the couple. He asked me if I had RM 2, cos he only had RM 10. I looked at him and said, “If I had RM 2, I won’t have inserted RM 10 right?”. So you’d think he was using his brain after I said this but NO…he went on and asked the couple if they had RM 1 (cos their refund was RM 9). At this point, I almost fainted at his dumbness.

The couple managed to take out all of the coins they had and gave him RM 1.

Then, my turn. I decided to look for coins in my car and see if I had enough. Instead of the staff trying to get spare change, he asked me to exit the parking first, in case the 15 minute grace period was up (cos it’s like taking us forever to get my refund back right? wtf wtf)

I literally ran to my car, drove over to the management office, took out whatever coins I had and chucked it on the table. Instead of saying sorry for the inconvenience, he was pissed at me giving him 2 x 5 sen coins! WHAT THE F?

Maybe it was the sashimi that kept my cool cos I was surprised why I didn’t yell at that incompetent piece of nutjob. I made it out of the parking just in time but i guess the next time i come here, I’d probably not park in the basement.

Photo credit – Life is a journey, time is a stream by Photographer Poetry on Flickr

Just as we tucked Zachary to sleep last night, David said to me, “How our lives have changed forever with this little boy”.

The weight on our shoulders has just gotten heavier with his arrival.

Looking back, we never had anything to be worried about during our years dating. We had no commitments and responsibilities, and we could just do anything we wished—just so we’re having fun spending time with each other. Holidays, movie dates, dinners for two, recreational outings—everything we enjoyed was focused on us, us and us.

As years went by, it struck me that, gosh, I’m all grown up now—we got engaged, we bought our 1^st home, we got married and we started living our lives as husband and wife. Even more so now that we’re parents, the duty of responsibility cannot be any more real. We’re now responsible for this little child, so no matter how tough the journey gets, we can’t give up.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” – John F. Kennedy (1888 – 1969)

Encourage yourself with this quote every time you come to a difficult and challenging situation. Take God’s cue in the direction of your journey for He is in control. Most importantly, never give up, and trust that the joy of the Lord is your strength.

There are SO MANY choices to choose from in the market, you’ll be spoilt! From the ones that look like a backpack with shoulder straps, to huge X-shaped carriers to simple ring slings and cloth pouches—they all serve the same purpose—to help you ease the burden of carrying your little one around.

I was given a baby ring sling from my friend & make up artist extraordinaire (thanks Lee Kuen!) but I haven’t really figured out how to use it. It looked kinda big for Zack’s current size, so to start off my “baby wearing” journey I bought over Grace’s Pupsik pouch (thanks Grace!) which looked more fitted and to my surprise t’was really easy to use! *Hmm…I should also kick my butt and learn how to use the ring sling*

All baby carriers have their own unique features, so try them on (with your baby of course!) and see which one fits best! The baby sling was a great buy and is truly my arm’s lifesaver!

Some of the more popular baby slings and baby carriers are:

Baby Bjorn – A Swedish outfit producing baby carriers with lotsa designs and functionality. It’s available at most baby and mom specialty boutiques. I see a lot of manly men carrying this and it doesn’t make them look gay at all! LOL

Pupsik Studio – They make lovely pouches for the modern mom. Available in most Mothercare outlets in the Klang Valley

HANAMUGURI – This is the “X” shaped one. Available online from Ellymamashop & Mamayayazone. I’ve also seen it in Brands Outlet in Ikano Power Centre. Kinda too over-the-top in terms of design but it is one of the cheapest carriers in town. Not suitable for dads cos it’s kinda girly, IMHO.

SNUGGBaby – Proudly made in Ipoh, Malaysia, this baby carrier is super colourful and stylish. They make cloth pouches and ring slings too!

JumpSac – Awesome and funky ring slings, not for the faint hearted. I love the designs!

Zachary “protected” from all nasty insects!

Mosquitoes. Inevitably we have to live with them as much as we hate them. Even if you take all the precautions to put up mesh screens at all your windows/doors, they somehow find a way to get into your house. Regardless if you live in an apartment or a bungalow, these annoying insects just love to be around us.

When we brought Zachary home from the hospital, I didn’t think a mosquito net was necessary, hence I didn’t have one. My confinement nanny immediately asked us to get one—it sounded like an emergency to be honest! Thing is, it never came to mind that although us adults can swing and bat any insect in close proximity (cockroaches included!), helpless 2 day old babies just lie on the bed with an open invitation for them bloodsuckers to come have a feast.

My oh my these food cover (or tudung saji) inspired mosquito nets were a life saver! Even though there is only an occasional 2 or 3 mosquitoes hanging out in our house, it’s never too much to take precautions. These nets are so versatile; I even use it when Zachary’s sleeping in his cot. The metal frame is flexible and bends to the size of our crib.

Possibly the most utilized item in our household, you can buy these mosquito nets from hypermarkets, departmental stores and specialty baby boutiques. The price ranges from RM 20 and up and available from popular brands such as Babylove and Pureen. Truly a lifesaver!

P/S: Now that Zachary has started to roll over, I’m not too sure about the safety of using these during nap time. He has mischievously rolled over as soon as he wakes up, and loves grabbing anything in sight. Considering the net to be relatively light and easily picked up even with his small hands, I would recommend this to be used only for newborn – 4 months.

Double P/S: I may also have to start considering kid-safe mosquito repellents. Moms, any recommended product to use?

Photo credit – Frustration by music2work2 on Flickr

We’ve all had one of those days where

• You have a flat tire
• Your can’t start your car because your car battery’s gone flat
• Your car battery’s gone flat because you forgot to switch off your headlights
• Your windscreen breaks
• You lock your keys inside your car

You get the drift…

For me, it’s plain getting stuck in an unusual traffic jam. Note the word, unusual. Having grown so used to making it to work in under 20 minutes; if I get stuck in a jam, it pretty much has ruined my morning. I know that accidents and vehicle breakdowns are beyond my control, but it sucks so much to be part of the crawl!

For the record, I am rarely late for work. If my boss can make it to the office on time, I should be able to too (considering he lives in KL and I in Shah Alam). I take pride in the fact that I can get up on time and stroll into the office before everyone else. Which . is . why . I’m . so . hard . on . myself . when . I . am . late!

So, to anticipate that I “may” get stuck in an unusual jam sometime in the near future, I guess I just need to wake up earlier and leave the house earlier too!

P/S: On a random note, I watch this video to de-stress. Love it at 0:43!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Everytime I watch this video, it puts a smile on my face. Ah, the simple things that make babies laugh!

I prepared dinner—roasting 2 chickens and served with sides of soup, salad and spuds. I slaved in the kitchen for a good 4 hours, proudly making everything from scratch. Yup, nothing from a can or a bag beh beh! Boy, nothing feels better than cooking for the people that you love! We closed the meal with a super amazing Blackforest cake ordered from Fatboybakes—gawd, it’s unlike any I’ve ever had! Very, very, very tasteh.

The celebrations continued on to yesterday as I took the day off to spend time with David and Zachary. Dave’s big 29th birthday surprise started off with breakfast in bed and then onto a 3-course lunch with ginger ale served in our crystal champagne glasses (hey, I would get the real thing IF only I could figure out how to hide it from the husband ok?)

Now you know why he is more *pui* than before he met me LOL.

Now you also know why it’s so damn hard for me to lose weight cos I just love cooking. And eating what I’ve cooked.

But I’m determined now, more than ever, to lose all that weight gained during pregnancy. GO AWAY! MAY YOU FATS BE GONE!

(sorry about that, t’was a random rant moment)

Anyhoo, sometimes we forget how these simple gestures suffice to put a smile on that special someone’s face. I’m grateful that despite the (somewhat) shabby effort I put in, I still managed to make David’s 29th birthday a memorable one. Read his recollection of his special day here.

Dear David, you are my best friend, my confidant, my soul mate, my partner in crime and my greatest treasure ever. I’m looking forward to more milestones in our journey together. Happy (belated) birthday, honey!

XOXO from Me and Muffin!