Mom's the word

I've just finished watching Stepmom on Star Movies and I cried the whole time! I'm a sucker for sappy love stories, mother-daughter bonding movies (Mom's sacrifice, dying of cancer etc) movies. But, I have to watch it alone, all by myself, not even with dearie. I know he would laugh or make fun of me, lol!

It was an old movie back in 98, seen it once before I was a mother myself and watching it the second time brings more emotional interpretation of mother-daughter relationship. I always have this perfect picture of a mother (ala Hollywood movies) and I wish I had that with my mom. To be honest,since 5 year old I realized that I'm always hunger for attention from my parents, especially my mom. It's not that I grew up being neglected or anything, but I envy the attention she gave to my siblings, well, that's what I always thought. I got a brother when I was 2 1/2. Back then he was sooo cute, being really fair, great skin and he's a BOY! I remember when he's only few months I hit him on the head when no one's looking, (ha!Evil lil' Zach) and when he's 3, I hit him with a broom and he got bruises all over. Papa was an army officer and he's been relocated like every 3-4 years but we never move with him(except for KK)as they wouldn't want us to keep on changing schools.
Mama works as a Head Dental Nurse and when I was 9 she was transferred to JB. So we only see her once a week.

Atuk raised me, she's technically my parents. So, I got really close with her. I'm practically her youngest daughter!Oh, she showers me with her unconditional love, she did all the houseworks (never asked me to help, hence I don't even bother to learn how to cook until I met Faizal) Only the last few months, I realized that mama's absence made me really independent. That was the most precious lesson she ever taught me. I took a public bus to school, and at 16 I'm already on a bus,from Kluang to KL travelling on my own to watch underground gigs @ Piccadilly,Damansara Jaya every month! (KS, you were so worried about me, thanks for being a great sis, your nagging kept me in school, haha)

This is where I met the most beautiful people in my life. I guess those were days where I learn true friendship which lasts 'til today. This is also the path that leads me to meet my beau. To cut the story short, I got acquainted with Man (of Sufferage circa 95-98, I hope I get it right) who introduced me to the world of IRC who happens to already know dearie and let's say that's how it all started. 1996-2000 were the best years of my life until Aresha came in '04.

I remember how furious my mom and dad when I brought home a long-haired guy, torned jeans and very much older than me! I've just finished SPM and she tried with all her might to end my relationship with him. (Now she loves him to bits,she knew the guy with that unforgettable ponytail, now spotting mohawk ;) will never break her eldest daughter's heart) Yeah, that's how much mama loves me, she wants what's best for her precious. I've made mistake once when I was 15 to fall in (stupid puppy)love and broke her heart when I didn't score 8A's in PMR. I should've listened to her back then, but what did I know? She was right, that so-called boyfriend is no good for me but I'm glad that I follow my heart when I met dearie, I know I'll never find someone who makes me laugh every single day, puts me above everything else, and works really hard so that I could care for Aresha 24-7.

I dream of having Anna and Jackie relationship where Me and mom could be really good friends like what she's doing with Fara now. I knew I broke her heart too many times
while growing up. I was a rebel, we had arguments on almost everything right until I got married. All of us a sudden she came to her senses that I'm no longer her baby girl, and belongs to dearie. However, our relationship is having a great headstart, we talk more, share experiences on child care, I come to her for advices, we cook together hey, we're practically walking on clouds now!

I guess I've always wanted to be a good mom since I was a kid. That's why I choose to stay-at-home and give my all to Aresha. I don't want to miss her any of her firsts, and I hate to share Aresha's love with babysitter/nanny. I hope I did it right.Seeing her gorgeous smile and her spontaneous act of wrapping her arms around my back is more than enough to make me stay, at least till she goes to kindergarten.I never thought I'd choose to live some called 'conservative' life over being a successful writer. Tho' I miss having my own money (and my shopaholic days), I love who I turn out to be now, I'm a better person and not so slf-centered anymore. The world did not evolve around me anymore,maybe in Aresha's ;)

I miss mama more than ever and she's coming home with my other mom, Atuk this Sunday. Really looking forward it!

Blame it on the referee

England lost 2-1 in penalty shoot out against Portugal
I have a feeling that it is not good a sign after Beckham limps off and has to sit on the bench, followed by referee Horacio Elizondo's outrageous decision to send off Rooney to the locker room.

I am as baffled as Shebby when history repeats itself, another failure in scoring penalty.

I'm sick of prediction that Brazil gonna take home the Golden Cup once again, Ribery, Zizu, Henry , I'm counting on you guys!

Shiny happy people

IMG_7539
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

I didn't realize it was 11.30 until Erie called telling me that he'd just test ride a Sportster which happens to be one of ex IMG and asked me to get ready as he's coming over in 45 mins! OMG that means I have to take a shower along with Aresha, lol! I guess I had an overdose of @ctifed, fell asleep instantly after drinking more than 10ml of the syrup.

Headed to bike shop cum service center @ Jln Pahang and surprised to found the ol' technician from 222 and Sunway HD the petite, always shiny Zailan working there. Haven't met him for a while, only to be more surprised that he'd just remarried last month! However the red 'Porter' wasn't really all that nice, spraying black wrinkle to the engine block is a no-no,unless if it's done professionally.

Ooohhh, dear just bought Bell & Ross M1 by Sinn for a bargain, @ Swiss Union Starhill. It is so military (it is a military model) and he's always wanted one. He used to dream of having a Porsche Design military watch but it's really hard to find. The M1 was meant to be his, if he's not working on M@xis' project he might not know that that particular shop has an exclusive preview sale for members. It's a discontinued model(Bell&Ross now made their own watches not manufactured by Sinn anymore) He couldn't stop smiling and looking at it the whole day!






And he bought me Vans slip-ons with skulls motifs all over, Andy said, just soooo dearie (He 's always inspired by skulls and bones)Lurve it and the best part, I don't have to tie shoelaces anymore!

It was a long day alright, and we end it with a rare eating out with Uncle Khir's family and Pak Usu with very soon-to-be wife, along with of course ma pere, Erie and his ol' buddy Erwin. We had so much fun, wish that mama and atuk are here with us :(

breaking news

Which one would you like to hear first? Good news or bad news?
I have both, well, since I haven't updated for a while I should start with something good to hear eh?

As a result of my previous entry, I'm now back to chirpy mode again, albeit living in my own private life, no need to elaborate more on that, enough to say that I'm now ignoring the elements that made me feel sad, mad and furious. Tho' my heart (and belly, of course) is aching for home made food, I'm satisfied with 'tapau' food for a while. This is dear's suggestion and I'm quite happy with it.

Last Thursday we went for a very short break to Genting with the whole of dear's family (minus the sight for sore eyes of course) and I can't believe how I could be so ecstatic, like a five year old jumping on every ride that I could. In fact, I enjoyed the theme park more than my 19 months baby girl! Check out my flickr for more pics.

Just received a letter from Fisher Price indicating that Aresha had won another Look-A-Like contest we entered before going off to Europe last year. Hey, it's a consolation price but,it's a new toy for Aresha!

what else, what else? Oohhh, 9 more days to watch Coldplay in action which means sorry to my good buddy Zaidi, I have to miss your wedding this Sunday since the date is too near to our Singapore trip :(

Germany has secured their place to the semis as they won penalty 4-2 against Argentina. Dear predicts that England and Germany will kick their way to the final.(He has his RM10 worth of money on these two, lol! He's always an England fan!) I, on the other hand would really want to see Zizu cast his magic in the final of World Cup, adding a wonderful end to his career in football.

I found this brilliant site while google'ing' for best tiramisu and cheesecake recipes. Micheal Chu is a genius, he's an engineer, mind you.

And the best news of all.... I've just got another freelance job from McK/i/n/s/e/y!
I'm not gonna screw up this time, who knows if this could be permanent. Gonna start early in the mornig, shouldn't take too long as it's only 2-3 pages of translation.

It's gonna be a full day tomorrow with scheduled work(aha! how I miss that word), footie @ 11pm and 3 am. Dinner with my uncle Khir's family all the way from Labuan plus squeezing here and there to MerryGoRound flea market for babies' stuff @ Bangsar Village, accompanying my bro to scrutinize (lol!) the Sportster he's about to buy, sending my Jakarta kebaya to a tailor, might be buying Bell & Ross' watch for a bargain...Wow, you can sit around do nothing for 5 days and have one day full of things to do!


Ok,now it's hard for me to start with the bad news :( but I really have to mention this as an Ambassador, I'm in disbelief when receiving an email from Casey Fenton saying thatCouchsurfing is no longer exists. I thought this is just another prank from a hacker whatsoever but in my horror, the website is gone what's left is a sad note from Casey. I lost lists of friends we've made thru CS. I don't even have their email addresses to tell you the truth :( CS changed our life and just when our dream of hosting CSers about to come true, they lost their precious database and left with nothing to recover. My heart goes out to Casey as he's done all his might to save his project from going down the drain but... I just hope we could build up this community again, rise up even if it takes another 2-3 years to get back to what we are now. With fingers crossed, even if they need some funds, we'll help in any way we could.

there goes the summary of my almost 14 days of what's up and down in my so-called less ordinary life. I shall blog more, later!

Over

Holiday is over, and I must say I had much needed rest while nestling @ mom's place. There's always someone watching over Aresha and mama never ask for help when she's cooking. AS if I'm on school hols, hehe.

Managed to bake carrot cake, cookies and cheese cake as an added bonus :)

I kinda miss mama today :( She's already safely landed in Labuan (my uncle Khir's place)She maybe vocal, but at least she's being straight-in-yer-face. I don't mind her nagging and high pitched voice. I miss it, more than ever!

My biggest pet peeve is ppl being ultra super nice in front of me but behind my back they're talking bad about me. Please, I can take your criticism, and I rather be told about what I did wrong than knowing it from other sources. Don't get your drama in front of me cause I'm done being nice.
Sorry dear, I don't mean to put u torn in between but this is just who I am. I choose not to talk and just do whatever, as long as it doesn't concern anybody.
I'm on not-so-nice mode.

Home and away

I'm now @ mom's place for school hols since my baby sis is back. Dearie's such a sport (and very busy too, ;) ) he let me spend girlie time with my sis. Last nite he surprised me with taking me out for dinner and spent the night here, with me! Yay! (and a ride on his Springer, after months of not having a blast riding)
I love it when he made unexpected gestures like that :)

It's been a while that we didn't go out just the two of us like two lovebirds. The last time we did, watching Da Vinci Code. I never thought a couple time is such a big deal after having a baby. We used to go out every weekend, riding (up til a week before I gave birth)having the best time of our lives. No regrets of having Aresha in our life, she's such an angel but I'm sure once she gets older we'll have time for ourselves, again!

On the other hand we'll move out for sure maybe next month and we're looking for houses to rent around RM500 to 800. So, if you know any houses/apartment to let around that price and within Klang Valley area please let us know asap. Just found out the ugly truth and I guess some ppl just wouldn't stop bugging and stabbing us from the back till we move out of the house. N'mind, you don't know what you got til it's gone. Dearie's really hurt and I totally understand how he feels after what we both did, and not appreciated at all. Sometimes you just don't see what's under your nose. I rather have ppl being vocal and tell me that I did something wrong rather than acting like everything's cool and talk about me behind my back.

Well, enough of that, it's gonna be a bake week for me and so far I've successfully made carrot cake and tomorrow Hershey choc chip cookies, been thnking about baking cheese cake, hmm let's see how it goes.

Aresha's now mastering words like "No" (and knows how to use it, too) "Go", "Mimy" ( for MOmmy)Thank you and "Scheh" (bilingual) She's such a chatterbox and not so shy anymore.

it's 4.16 and I miss cuddling with my dearie :( Wish that he'll come tomorrow, miss you terribly dear.

Therapy

After a long day with two babies to take care of, nothing beats eye-feast on lingeries @ less than RM50 each! Yes,FJ Benj@min Warehouse sale is back! The best part is that now it's held @ Queen's Park which is literally 10 minutes walk from home! I went kiasu this time by taking advantage of dear's 'plastic' yesterday (cardholders preview sale) and bought two lace, see-thru ;) L@ Senz@ cami and pant set. With just RM54 dear's smiling from ear to ear, if you-know-what-I-mean. This afternoon I got myself a cotton nightie, and terry cloth capri, plus two nighties for mama and Farra.

Who would've thought everyone would flock the once-serene-and-oh-so-quiet Jalan Peel? I heard girls clad in office attire talk to each other, "Have you been here before?" quickly answered by of course, never. We got Esprit Outlet too, y'all. Last Wednesday, my MIL bought Aresha a tee for RM10 and matching pants for RM20!

Err, I'm going there again tomorrow,(without sounding like a shopaholic) with my sister as I promise to buy her a pair of jeans and maybe some tee/shit to go with it.
If we're going to move in the future, this is what I'm going to miss the most, retail therapy within your walking distance! Sweet!

Would you?

What would you do when you saw something you shouldn't be seeing and you can't use it against 'em yet they are going to use that incident to did something bad to you? As in damage your things and stuff?

This is crazy and it supposed to give a huge advantage to me but dear kept on saying I might be in danger. Damn! What am I supposed to do? Lock myself in?

A letter from Marcel

Marcel
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

This is what I've been looking forward to all weekend.


Hi, ooooh how fantastic to see Aresha on youtube :-)))
Excellent way to share it! She has grow so much. I
wonder what her first words will be when she starts
really talking....pc or mummy ;-))
I am shopping around at the moment to get myself a new
digital camera. One that is quick, makes nice little
movies and so on. Not made up my mind yet.

Good to hear you have a car now, it makes travelling
with aresha a lot easier indeed. Maybe you can install
a keyboard and screen to the back of a front seat. That
will keep her occupied and she can do your
administration while on the road hehehe.
How's the shoehunting going? Does Faizal still hunt for
specials?
Here life is quite busy having a few shops to do and
the private mansion of the shops owner at the same
time. Means 7 days a week work for the month to come.
That's just fine with me because it will give me extra
free time later this year to travel. I will probably go
back to Vietnam around December/January. At least I
hope.....

Have to get back to work now, let's stay in touch.
Love, Marcel

>He could make me smile just by reading his mails.
It's strange how can you bond with a stranger you've just met for few days.
The nicest, warmest host and most loved by Aresha. Just look at expression on Aresha's face. She adored Marcel. He even made a play area for her on our short stay @ lovely Amsterdam.
We couldn't thank you enough for making our visit unforgettable.
Oh, he's a big shot interior decorator too! Very humble and always put other ppl first. Visit Colourforkids to see his work with orphans in Vietnam and recently Kenya.

Soul Patrol!

Taylor HIcks is the new American Idol!
I looooooooooveeeeeeeeee it!
Tho' I honestly believe Chris Daughtry should've won but between him and Kath, he deserves it.
Who would've thought a grey hair 30 year old could win American hearts? Soul Patrol made it happen!

p/s: Did anybody notice that his song actually sounds so much like Bo Bice's? Must be from the same composer :)

Listen to this song carefully. It's an exclusive sneak preview of KRU's latest song Lagu Untuk Mamat for their new album diBawah Skala Richter (I hope i get it right, jangan marah yea abg2 KRU)

This is hillarious, ok ? KRU's witty approach to mock songwriters who always make songs for women, this is for all men out there. You guys are important too! LOL!
Thanks to Bob for sharing it with me and I hope I won't get sued by Edry!

The many faces of Aresha

Field trip
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Miss Piggy impersonation
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

How can you be mad at her when she's driving you crazy with her tantrums and making a mess all over the house? Everytime I look at her , she'll draw a cheeky smile on her face and sometimes did this spontaneously!

I feel like crying when I realized that I've gone too far yelling at her when I'm really exhausted and she spill another cuppa water on the floor. She's only 18months and I love her to bits! Sorry baby, mommy didn;t mean to make you cry xoxo

Fix you

Coldplay is coming to Singapore in July and we'll be seeing them for the second time. Yeayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

But,can I leave Aresha with my mom? I mean can she sleep without drinking mommy's milk all through the night? Hmm.. I gotta start giving her bottled milk (she refused to drink expressed milk in her bottle) or just warm the milk and give her in a cup, whichever way that works! I'm not gonna miss this. It's been almost 3 years that we didn't go to any concert. Managed to peep thru their lounge room window and saw Chris Martin last time, who knows if Mrs.Chris Martin came along with Apple and Moses?

Can't wait to see them live again. I even dream of bringing Aresha to the concert, haha! Too bad we can't bring her along as she's the biggest fan!

I'm a mom and proud of it!

Whoever thought being a stay-at-home mom is easy, you're absolutely wrong! I used to get headache with my boss' demand of everything to be done fast, sorting out his ridiculous bills and stuff but now I'm a personal assistant to dearie( just finished doing his taxes, sorting and listing bills to be paid), a cook who wakes up @ 7 religiously to prepare breakfast, a nanny who bathe her kid, feed her and put her back for day nap, and not to forget a lover at night, lol!
Multitasking, get it? And I'm actually good at it. hehe.
One quick question how can a woman be so good in multitasking whilst a man can only do one thing at a time? I'm not overgeneralizing, there are men who can, but can every man be a stay-at-home-DAD? My dearie, already surrendered, I mean he knew he couldn't possibly be doing what I've done now. Hey, I'm not implying that I'm a superwoman but from what I can see this is what our mothers, grandmas, great grandmas has been done for million years!

On another thought, Lauren our lovely soon-to-be a doctor host in London, is coming to Penang this summer! Yeay! And being half-MAlaysian Chinese, she can't wait for her inaugural visit to daddy's birthplace. We might catch her in Ferringghi this August. That's the least we can do when we can't offer her a couch. Oh, we're gonna be travelling so much this year July- Zaidi, my schoolmate/best friend's wedding, August- my Pak Usu's wedding both held in Kluang, and we might also be travelling in dearie's Suzy(not the car's name) to Penang the same month, and going back south for Man's wedding in November. Whoa! So much for a new ride ehh?

I'm leaving for USJ, mom's place tonite. Farra called she'll be teaching me how to make pastry. I'm looking forward to bake brownies and pie. Yeay, It's the baking weekend once again! Have a great weekend y'all. I know I'm gonna have a blast!

Pheever

Aresha is recovering from her fever, her Mommy plak sore throat. I hate sore throat + runny nose, so uneasy. @5amish she woke up crying,having a hard time to breathe, her nose, respiratory clogged with phlegm, even mommy's milk couldn't help.

Made Jamie Oliver's burger patties last night with

400g minced meat (I use Ramly's, the fresher the better)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt (4 condiments above, mashed together in a mortar)

1 tsp mustard
1 egg
1 onion (fry till brown/soft)

parmesan as much as you like (I'm a sucker for parmaggiano)

You can also add fresh herbs like dill/parsley(chopped)

Method:
Mix everything together and form into round patties (a pack of Ramly's could make 4-6 depending on how thick your patties are)

Put at least one hour in a fridge, if you want to eat it for breakfast, make a night ahead and store it on greaseproof paper, if you wanna stack 'em, sprinkle breadcrumbs or flour on top)

Chargrill, or bake in the oven (well,done, medium as you wish)

Serve with burger buns,sliced onions,tomatoes,and gherkins.

Voila! Burger ala Jamie Oliver!



10.15am, she's up and smiling, lying on the bed for a while before running around the room, dancing to MTV and play with her toys. I'm happy that albeit having a fever she's still able to make me run after her :)

im getting cranky

im getting cranky
Originally uploaded by screamingsonic.

I love this pic courtesy of pwetty Dr. Ain :)
Thanks babe, Aresha in the pic look so muchh like a big girl. Or am I gettin' older? lol

Couchsurf for life!

I'm now a Couchsurfing Ambassador and if you're willing to absorb the culture and meet great people who offer tehir couches for free check out

http://www.couchsurfing.com/ZACH

Happy Surfing y'all! Spread the word!

more picture of me?

more picture of me?
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Aresha spotting daddy's mohawk on our deux anniversaire.
She had her first free meal that nite. She loves munchin' chicken fingers

Wake up call

After a deep and very satisfactory conversation with my dearie just now i felt much better. I almost break down(err am I exaggerating? ;) when I realized that something went so wrong. I guess I have to be strong, and think that this is all just temporary. Everything happen for a reason and due to 'unnatural circumstances' it's time to move on and have a privacy of our own. Aresha needs her own space a too! Enough sharing with mommy and daddy.It's now so clear that when you have something right under your nose, you won't be able to see and appreciate it, but when it's gone, there's no turning back. we often take things for granted and I always remind myself to be grateful for what we have now.
What keeps me sane is the presence of my dearest who's always listening albeit Pages and MOnkey Say hectic schedule, and of course my lil' Funny Girl. Oh yeah and my 'day companion' sister-in-law. We'd talk, blurt everything out while watching soap and America's Next Top Model.

{Aresha was laughing, giggling while watching the Opening Night of Ice Age 2}
The new characters (squirrels) are so hillarious, she had never laughed that way.
And I hate to admit this but as this is also work as her development journal, she'd dance with her hands holding her shirt up ala belly dancer,perhaps? to Aduh Saliha.
No thanks to AF.

I should blog more, how many times did I promise myself to do that?Maybe someone should knock my head or yell "Start Blogging!" Write something!

Ok, no promise, I'll write when I feel like writing. Nitey!

One for the blog

classic pose
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Aresha 2 months ago. Now she's less chubby but extra active

Domestic goddess

I can't believe how I've become so obsessed with cooking. I surf for recipes most of the time apart from doing my duty as Couchsurfing Ambassador (replying emails to you and me)I cook like 3 times a day. Breakfast is a must as I'd devotedly wakes up at 7.15 to make a hearty meal for my dearest. We usually have heavy breakfast so my next meal would be around 3 or 4. I'm usually busy around 2.30 to 5.00 pm as I keep myself busy with Philipino soap ( a rerun, haha!) and then fixing up meals for Aresha and the whole family. I'm sooo into Chinese cooking or (fusion perhaps?) My ingredients are usually ginger,garlic,sesame oil, light and dark soy sauce, hoisin etc. And last night I've successfully made a sphagetti sauce with fresh basil and button mushroom to eat with meatballs and Warm Chicken Salad with homemade garlic dressing. Too bad I didn't take any pictures (too hungry/busy to take one)

For the past 30 days I've been stocking foodstuff/ingredients every week be it shopping at Jusco,Carrefour and markets. I'm head over heels for fresh herbs and organic veges. Jusco had great selection of organic vege and delicate fresh herbs like oregano, basil, thyme,dill,rosemary etc which really helps with my Italian dish.
And boy, Romaine lettuce, Butterhead lettuce, rockets can be easily found there!
I'm really worried that I'll gain pounds from cooking my favorite dishes but I guess since we've been eating nutritionous food, a few healthy pounds should be okay.

I promised my dear long-time friend KS, Aresha's pics and I realized that we didn't take so much pictures of her anymore. The last time we took it was on our 2nd Wedding Anniversary which is last month and it's in my dearie's removable hard disk so I'll post that later.

Once a bitch always a bitch

"A bitch could really ruin family ties"
Ever heard of that? If you haven't, well I may have just invented that. Some men would do anything, even foolish, stupid and mean things for their so-called significant other. So absurd that they're willing to break family ties when they're so blinded by love? Can love be sucha cruel thing? I don't know.

This bitch is so bad that she intentionally try to make me look so bad in my MIL eyes. Luckily my MIL is not easily fooled by her. You're not even a part of the family, yet!

Wait, your time will come and you'll know who exactly we are. You can suck up any way you want to, but you'll fail miserably. I'll pray that you won't become our FAMILY!

Blame it on ....ME!

My new year's resolution was to less procrastinate and start writing a travelogue about my recent couchsurfing around Europe. Well, it's still January right? I actually writes in my head, literally ;) usually while taking a shower but my laziness took over me as soon as the water dries off. There's no excuse for me not to update, but one thing for sure, Aresha made me really worn out after a long night, therefore I have to sleep more during the day. (What kind of excuse is that?)

Btw, she's walking now! After Aidiladha,(or was it Xmas? Blame it on not document it on this blog) and never stopped since! And boy! She's been circling around the house, wandering to every nook and cranny.

Last Monday on our 2nd Anniversary she started walking with shoes for the first time. (Okay, it may sound weird to some people, what's the big deal of it, right?)
See, I can't even figure out on which topic I should write on first, there' plenty!
And yeah, to those who thought that the guy with German military jacket and West Coast Chopper cap on Star Two yesterday seems familiar, that's my dearie. We'll talk about the interview later.

It's 4.43am and I should get my long-delayed sleep now.Keep your fingers crossed that I'll post more in the morning ;) Ta!

Home sweet home!

Touched down at KLIA from London yesterday 1730. NO jet lag but need to get a good rest since we are so worn out from the approximately one month travel.
BAdly need to buy a new buggy for Aresha. Heathrow cargo people are so bad, they broke and bruise her lil' carrier.
Aresha had a little fever as we board on the plane @ Heathrow. She were crying most of the time and refused to sleep on the bassinet.
So many things to write, a journal of our travel would be a great idea to compile everything. Soon I hope!
It's great to be home, met my mom, bro, beloved grandma before heading back to our tiny but sooooo comfy bed.
Ah, heaven! All in all we've seen the best of Europe and would always prefer MAlaysia no matter how hot the weather is! (Europe weather is cool, breezy and no wonder the people there don't shower as much!)
We miss MAlaysian food badly! Cheap, tasty, spicy everythinglah!
Will definitely put up more pics soon (as soon as I get enough sleep)
Happy Ramadhan!

vatican

IMG_1437
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

the opposite of vatican city. self taken pic. we haven't got the chance o explore rome. Can you believe that we didn;t get the chance to go to Colosseum? Tossed a coin at Fontana de Trevi. Will definitely come back soon!

Roma o Roma

Rome trip is so adventurous.
i'd say that most people in here are not as friendly as Britons.
They're so proud of their country and language.
It's hard to even ask for directions. You gotta master the art of map reading
But the food is GREAT!
We ate gelati twice a day and pizza whenever we feel hungry.
Been to the market fruits are cheap, and you'd be tempted to bring home Parmagiano, Pecorino everythinglah!

and guess what our rooms is right in front of the vatican museum entrance. The view is priceless!

Omigod! so many things to write! will write more later, promise!
In the meantime check out more pics at my flickr.

will depart to Barcelona for La Merce festival tomorrow night at 2309 hrs.
Already got a place to stay (for free) there..plus in Amsterdam and Berlin too. Yeay!

0157 hrs inLiverpool.
Afraid to sleep cause I don't wanna miss the 0705 flight to Rome tomorrow.


One word: Tired



Been walking, shopping like crazy the past few days . Tomorrow explore Rome.
Wil update along with some pics later.

My obsession- Cheshire Oak.


I wish we earn money in GBP. Everything is so cheap if you don't convert. hehe

Gotta rest, or I'l be draging my feet tomorrow
Ciao!

Sneakerpimp

Felt really good after my work out last evening. 49 floors of Stairmaster, cardio dance with Jimmy and a private workout session (specifically for waist, thigh basically the lo's) by the super friendly and nice instructor Badrul. It was really kind of him to actually spend 10-15 minutes on the mat guiding and pushing me to the limit(haha!)just because I desperately need to trim my waist. Please note that he's not my personal trainer (yet!), I must have put on my cutest face for him to go through all the trouble to help me. :P
I'm thinking of getting a personal trainer to get a six pack (very optimistic goal or dream?), maybe after we return from Europe, that is if dearie let me laa.. *finger crossed*
I'm slowly catching up with the dance class, still 'cheating' here and there, have to practice more body roll. I'm so stiff like kayu, even the guys in front of me can do it.
I had fun alright, albeit forgetting to bring padlock to he locker. Nasibla I kinda knew the kakak cleaner. She's so kind and trust me to keep the key to her locker.
Oh yeah, I told my dearie jokingly that I'll post an entry to the forum that 'you always get the rare, new sneakers whereas for me only 'bundle' 30 bucks Nikes'. He dare me not to. Haha! I'm trying to pull your leg only la sayang
can't wait to go to Berlin , London and Paris.. I know I have a Nike Stussy Blazer waiting for me in Berlin...Perhaps we could find rare, nice colourway COrtez, Dunk..anythinglah as long as it's in my size!
Now we collect sneakers. Dear always find new interesting stuff to collect and I'm highly influenced by him, obviously.He's my style guru. Hehe.

30 days and counting

30 days from today we'll be whisking our way off to our 'so-called' long-delayed honeymoon in Europe, AND I'm gonna meet up and travel together with my bestest friend ever, EVA!! Haven't seen her for almost a year now, all I know is that she's getting super-stylo, workaholic (just got a job @ Man U's stadium) but the same bubbly, 'manja' ol' Eva.
Just reserved our accomodation in London and Paris. We'll spend almost half of the trip there. There are just so many things to see, do and shop at these supercities. Might catch the Barcelona festival on the 24th. Can't believe that 'pejam celik, pejam celik' the most awaited month of our lifetime is just around the corner. The best part is that we'll celebrate dearie' birthday in Paris! On top of Le Tour d'Eiffel perhaps?
I've already preprared Aresha's clothes to be taken on the trip. New pants, jackets,pyjama, still we need to buy some stuffs to bring along. The funny thing is that the both of us haven't renew our passports yet. Aresha's all set since we've just made hers for the SIngapore trip.
Last night we went to Streetlab's swap meet. Being a sneakerholic, my dearie got a really good bargain on 'the chocolate' Airmax 97. Can't believe our luck. As expected we are the only Melayu there, but felt the warmth as all of us share the same passion for sneakers. Actually it felt like an IRC gathering as everybody introduce themselves with the forum nicknames. Cool peeps tho'. Lotsa cool kicks. It's all about the hook-ups, baby!

Wallpaper

Wallpaper
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

This is my latest wallpaper courtesy of my dearest the super AD haha!
Dearie's wearing face mask (HAZE) whilst Aresha donned her "classic" stare.
Merci beaucoup sayang!

My baby!!

Snob look
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

All grown up and ready to see the world!

Mommy's Dragon

Mommy's Dragon
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Aresha playing with my shades.

My baby and I

Awesome Twosome
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Wearing dearie's BWL, went to Tg. Malim for Mak Uteh and Pak Uteh 44th Anniversary. Wow! We sure want to last that long, still loving and cherish each other till death do us part. Amin!

Tiffs

Tiffs
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

The highly sought after "Tiffany" Diamond Dunk SB. Cool colourway.
1/2 hour queue+great hook-ups=6 Tiffs.
No hook-ups? Cry your heart out! Hehe

Lolly!

I have to cancel my going to the gym today. Aresha is now coughing and suddenly when I wake up in the morning, I don't feel so good anymore, runny nose and sore throat. This is not good. We stayed inside the house the whole time and still the hazy air penetrates through the window. Her temperature is sometimes up and down. But she's still active and happy as always. Starting new vocab last night "lolllilolllillo'. been practicing untill the wee hours. Hehe. I didn't realize when did she fell asleep last night. All I know is that she's been babbling those words. My little girl, never failed to amuse me. While I was writing, I heard her talking with toys...

Hazy bloody hazy

Haze attack in KL make us so worried. War of the World? Can all of you smell something burnt? Just don't bring your kids especially babies outside.
Taaa!! I have capoeira class @ 7.40. Should be exciting.

Discovery

Last weekend was a blast, apart from going out with Aresha 2 days in a row, we discovered her new skills (?) too! She actually talk in her sleep for the first time! My oh my! I can't believe how fast time flies. My girl, is BIG girl now. She slept quite early on Friday and being so active before that, she uttered her favorite word " Daaaag, daaag!" and went back to her la-la land shortly. I was talking with my dearie and we didn't have the chance to record the precious moment. I guess we never know when it will happen again.
Oh, did I tell you she's so chirpy the past few days? She knows how to call us, (not by saying mommy and daddy) but a casual "Eh!" It's kinda funny to hear our little baby trying to get our attention by saying it over and over again when we are not looking at her. Hmm, what else? Ok, I'm not just saying this, but she did llllllllooooooooveeeeeeeeee Coldplay's Speed of Sound!! Not just the video clip but the song it self! We were watching it on [v] when she suddenly turn her head excitedly. At first, we thought she's attracted to the lights movement but through our little experiment of playing the song on CD, she did turn her head, trying to find where the song came from! That's a first! She loves Coldplay as much as we do!
Since last Saturday, she loves it (she actually laughed so hard) when I read her POppy Cat and Peekaboo Pets books. Hearing her laughter, priceless!
Oh yeah, hey baby! You turned 8 months today! You are getting taller and smarter each day... Can't wait to see what you are up to next. I'm so lucky that I have the luxury to watch her grow and be there to guide her through.

Hyper !

Aresha really get on my nerves last night. I was so tired coming home from pilates and yoga class @ 10pm. She usually sleeps at 12.30am the most but last night she kept on demanding attention , play with her toys and kept on going to the restricted areas until 4am! Poor dear, he had to take over from 3am when I can't deal with it anymore. I'm so exhausted and Aresha's 'hyperactiveness' made my mood switch into 'cranky mode'. Dear totally understand how tired I was last night and asked me to sleep. I didn't even change into my slips or took a shower! Imagine how tired I was. Ask my dear, it is a rare for me not to take a bath before I sleep. No matter how late, shower is a MUST!
While I'm writing this, she actually sleeps soundly, nothing could wake her up. My oh my, she's also developing this annoying habit of 'pretending to cry' whenever she didn't get her way. I can't bear hearing her 'fake cry'. Last night was a great challenge for me. To tell you the truth, I feel like pinching her, but my conscious mind refrain me from doing so. She's just a baby, that's her way of getting attention from me, not that she's lacking of it but that's how she communicate. She couldn't say it in words, a smart girl like Aresha knows that mommy and daddy will come and get her IF she make shrieking noise or fake a cry. It made me realize how big she is now. She sleeps less and play more. I wonder where she gets her energy from? Must be from my yummylicious milk, hehe.
On the other note, my yoga instructor commented on how good my performance was for a beginner. Yeay! I love hatha yoga. never thought that I'd sweat a lot from stretching and light movements, not to forget breathing!

High on workouts

It's 4am and this is the only time that I can blog. Been busy the past few days. Went to my 2nd cardio dance class yesterday. Make 2 new friends, both Chinese- Sara and Carol. The instructor, Jimmy was so cool. He must be a professional dancer/choreographer. Last week we were dancing to Destiny's Child and last night R&B song that I'm not familiar with. I guess my moves are getting smoother but still it's hard for me to catch up. I tried to stay as close to Jimmy as possible. My body/movements looks stiff and funny in the mirror, so I just pretend it was somebody else, haha. I did almost trip and fell few times. Luckily there's nobody I knew or else I'll be so embarassed. I managed to talk to a fitness instructor who promised to give me a call for 'quickstart' session. He's so damn busy that I haven't started using the equipment yet. If he's so busy why don't he refer me to someone else? He must be good I suppose, I'll just wait, if I couldn't get my session tomorrow, I'll ask someone else.

Hmm, let's see what I've done las weekend. Saturday was 'Rock to Rock'. HRC and Concorde were full of Harleys parking at the driveway. There were like 60 of bikes altogether. Our friends, IMG Singapore Chapter came all the way from the Lion City. Wak Dol is now riding CVO Electra Glide, worth RM200k. Apai and Kak Rozy is now riding their new 2005 Dyna Super Glide. Gosh! I envy these Singaporeans, they can change/buy new bikes anytime they want to. The downpayment is so low that anybody could afford to buy a brand new bike. Of course if given the chance dear wants to own a West Coast Chopper rather than a new Harley, but with the currency and import duty, it will be just a dream. Ok, enuff of the bike talk..

The ladies commented on how skinny I am now. I didn't realize that I'm getting thinner each day. Maybe because I was really fat at the end of my pregnancy. It looks totally different now. My chubby cheeks are gone what makes me worried is the spare tyres. Mind you, I'm not on diet, I ate whatever I want but breastfeeding does help, A LOT! Some of them did say that I look thinner than I was before married. Is that true. Kak Rozy told me not to let myself get skinnier because it wouldn't make me look good. What should I do? Should I stop my workout? Let me get my goals and then we'll see.

5am!! Gotta wake up early to prepare breakfast for my dearie. Will post more later! Toodles!

leg u p!
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

doing the leg crunch. Aresha loves it!

Can you do that Aresha?

Can you do that Aresha?
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

An exercise for both mommy and baby, Aresha seems to enjoy it as much as I did. Debbie's baby talk seems to work magic on her.

what's up?
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Aresha close up, taken a month ago when we went to Fit for 2. We had fun!

Fit for 2

one for the album
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

The day we went for Mami & Baby's photoshoot. My dearie accidentally become the photographer.
This is us after working out.

Update!

1-I'm already a member of California FItness
2- Aresha has her first teeth showing
3- I'm getting thinner because my baby is soooooo hyper
4-I was away for a week, no updates since I went to mom's place for school holidays, now I'm back!
5- Aresha won the Look Alike contest (with her daddy la) We now have a room full of 6 months supply of Pampers!
6-Today, I was offered a freelance job, yeay! I'm not sure what I have to do this time.
7- I didn't have so much time to blog nowadays, when Aresha's awake I have to divert all my attention to her


will update more later!

Tantrum

Oh, I almost lost control earlier tonight! Aresha threw her tantrums (it's normal when she's too tired or sleepy whichever comes first) I was so exhausted and sleepy at the same time. Luckily dear was there to help. She wanted to sleep so bad that she cried and actually hinting for me to sleep with her on the bed. (I was lying on the floor that time)As soon as I latch her on the secret weapon she dozed off so easily. At this particular I wish she could talk and just tell me what she wants rather than both of us trying to be a psychic and figure out what was on her mind. Now, after the trouble, I couldn't sleep. Been surfing the net for home cooked baby food recipes. She probably had enough of her Carrot+Chicken+Asparagus+ Rice porridge. Time to switch to something else. I've already bought Farley's Rusk but I want to give her fresh food as long as I could, keep that for later, emergency use I guess. I have some asparagus left, steam and puree would be a good idea. She'll finish up her remaining porridge tomorrow. Her papaya puree is more than enough for another 2 days.
What should I do for the long weekend? We'll bring Aresha out on MOnday,I have an appointment with a personal trainer @California Fitness on SUnday 4.30pm and tomorrow I have a wedding to attend, it's my classmate in UPM, Ain, she's getting married in Malacca.
Dear seems so tired, he's having a slight fever. I hope everything goes well tomorrow. have a great weekend y'all!

III

Episode III was waaaaayyyy better than I and II. I love all the fight scene, a bit sad that Anakin lost his pretty face(ha!) and Amidala died tragically (of losing the one she truly love?)They really put a thought in every little details, like Amidala's bloating belly even tho' she'd just gave birth. This is the fact that most filmmaker often forget. When you gave birth, your tummy only lose few inches, not all of it! Been there, done that. It's funny when dear commented that Yoda reminded him of Aresha when he fell face down in fight scene with Lord Sidious. True to some points la, Aresha did look funny and Yoda-like when she's sleeping minus the pointy ears, of course!

Premier Class is so cool! It could only seat 40+ ppl and great for couples laa..as it's all 2 seater, spacious seat and you could order food in advance and they'll send it to you while watching the movie. For RM16, worth every penny. I'm watching for free, thanks to dear's colleague who couldn't make it. :)

Oh yeah, I'm planning to enrol myself in California Fitness, they are having this RM123 fee, the lowest price ever, and I'm on my way to their 7 day free trial. Gotta lose my spare tyre before the Europe trip. I'm not discipline enough to work out on my own, I'd rather lie down and sleep, I need motivation. Thanks dear for being so supportive, I know you want me to get back to my old figure (It's not that much, just the tummy)

On another update, Aresha is going with us to Europe. I don't have the heart to leave her. I don't think I'd enjoy myself without bringing her along with us. Eva, you have to be the babysitter when we are going to you-know-what laa. Hehe. It's gonna cost us RM919.00 because she did not acquire her own seat, just a bassinet will do.
Now my accomodation priority would be those with children-friendly. Oh, she's so lucky,she'll be 10 months and already going overseas. I have to be married before realizing my own dream.

This weekend, gotta buy new clothes and a pair of shoes for the lil' girl, the photoshoot will be on the 28th. Hmm I always wanted to buy her Adidas track suit but it was out of season in Singapore. Anybody know where can I find it here?

Revenge of the Sith

been busy exploring with Flickr until I forgot to blog about what's happening the past few days. ( Like anybody cares, eh?)
Aresha ate her solid food yesterday on her 6th month birthday. Me, being the kiasu mommy, cooked rice porridge with carrot,asparagus and bits of chicken. Blended everything together, voila! The best first meal Aresha ever had! Haha! Mestila best sbb she never teated anything before this. Even my MIL couldn't wait to feed my lil' girl. So early in the morning, wake Aresha up,,put on her bib tgh mamai2 asked her to eat. Why? because her daddy wants to be there and feed her while I'm recording every moment via camcorder. She seems to love it nevertheless. I'll try to give her homecooked food whenever I can, will try to avoid jar food. Since her first meal, she's been babbling "abababbabbababbaba" Isn't it supposed to be "Amamamammama"? I'm so jealous! The funny thing is that, she'll utter those words, all the time! It's her first and only word at the moment.
Today, she ate the same porridge but with blended papaya dessert. She loves everything that I cook for her. Alhamdulillah. Not a fussy eater.

Oh, I'm going to watch Star Wars at 5.30pm. It's unplanned but dear got an extra ticket for me. It's XM's fun outing, I just tag along. Premier class Some more. Can't wait, have to leave now. Taaa!!

up close and personal

Aresha Stand 171
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

This is my favorite, her chubby cheeks up close. :) She looks so much like her daddy right?

Aresha Stand 170
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Aresha Stand 164
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Stand

Aresha Stand 161
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Aresha i s now practising her standing skills, she would hold on to anything,(mostly our hands) to stand on her own, this girl has not master her crawling skills yet but already want to stand on her feet. She can be so "lasak" like her daddy when she sleeps and inherited my "tak sabar" skills( haha!) from me!

laugh!

laugh!
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

what so funny, baby?

smile!

smile!
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

i just love it, when she wakes up and smile at me

up!

up!
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

sitting up, balancing herself

hey mommy!

hey mommy!
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

oh, those round eyes!

hi mummy!

hi mummy!
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

very photogenic lil' girl. always intrigued by the camera

good morning aresha!

good morning aresha!
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

This is how Aresha looks when she wakes up early in the morning

the "season" couple

the "season" couple
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

7 years, from long hair to mohawk, from chubby cheeks to skinny face, from gf bfs becomes married, from the two of us become Aresha!

where's my food?

where's my food?
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Dear, waiting anxiously for his roast chicken

I'm on 7th heaven

DOn't know where to start, it's been a while, so many things to blog about.Had a new haircut last Tuesday. The shortest haircut I've ever had. Dear seems to love it, so much, he thought I look fresh, younger and so much different. I,on the other hand is trying to get used to it. Felt bald. It's between love and hate. So easy to manage tho'.

Oh, enough of that.

It's our 7th Anniversary of the fist time we become "us". Wow. [wanted to put exclamation mark here but the keyboard f Up] What would happen if dear didn't propose me to become his gf that day yeah? Hmm, will Aresha stil be here with us?
7 years of a rollercoaster ride, a very enjoyable one I must say. Feels so lucky to be lying together with our arms wrapped around each other, tonight and hopefully for eternity. Je t'aime, beaucoup.

Haircut 101

Haircut 038
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

This is how it started

Haircut 056
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

oh, i should've let it be like this!

Haircut 107
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

almost there, Kelvin doing the final touch ups. He actually said that "Wah u berani mati la potong pendek macam ni."

Haircut 130
Originally uploaded by zachreza.

Voila!! Kelvin's masterpiece. What do y'all think? Too short? or just nice?

Sing a pore!

Just came back from Singapore Monday night. DId a whole lotta shopping. very bulky items for Aresha, Finally got her sterilizer and warmer. And got another job coming up. The funny part was, all this while I was liasing with Kak Anne's sister! What a small world! So, off to work now. Will share our 4 days non-stop shopping madness as soon as I'm done with this presentation. Toodles!

Shoot!

It was Maulidur Rasul yesterday. Planned to go out, but I guess, I'm too exhausted to do so. Managed to finished only 3 interviews at 12 noon! Didn't sleep at all the previous nights. And guess what? Aresha refused to sleep too! Her eyes were so wide, she kept herself busy so that she could accompany me. Thanks to my dearest Reza for being so kind to take 100% care of our girl. He bathe, feed, change diaper, took care of Aresha the whole night! Luckily we have so much supply of frozen ebm, so that I don't have to stop and nurse her.
So, yesterday we spent the day sleeping! Both of us just have to stay in bed because we're so flat out. Last night I finally got my precious sleep, back! Nestled myself in between my loved ones. Oh, such a heavenly feeling that was! :) I'm supposed to get back to work but I don't want to miss having myself cuddled by dearie and our lil' Aresha.

Oh yeah, I'm gonna have a photo shoot of myself and Aresha, working out together @ Fit for 2, Bangsar this 6th May. I'm not sure when it will be published, most probably in July's Mami & baby. This is my first shoot and interview, luckily the writer is my ex-roomie Rozel,so it's gonna be fun!

On the other note, Mc Kinsey S'pore just called up and they want me to do another job for them! This time it's a 60 minutes presentation..Seems like I've secured a job as their freelancer. Yeay!

Great work!

Hi Zach,

We would like you to complete 2 more singaporean, 1 more australian and 2 more malaysian interviews by thursday 9am.

Hope that works for you!

Thanks for the great work!

That's how my client's email reads. I'm sooooooo overjoyed. can't wait to taste my fruits of labour tho'. Hehe. Totally worth it la I didn't sleep last night. I have to cope with Aresha waking up at 3am, nursing her,poo poo some more and asking for my attention all the time! Pity dear, he couldn't sleep because Aresha kicked his tummy and merengek asking for daddy's attention. It's been 4 days that she wakes up @ 3 am, wants us to play with her. Aiyo, you choose the wrong time la baby.

Hmm wanna know what kind of freelance job that I'm doing right now? It's called transcibing interviews. basically I have to listen to the interviews and transcribe everything I heard. Pretty easy eh? But, very time consuming. The pay? RM300 per interview. There's 16 interviews altogether. You do the math, hehe.

Oh,I gotta start working immediately, no more last minute... my neck and back hurts. haven't got enough rest yet. it's not easy to juggle doing freelance and being a full time breastfeeding mommy. Hehe. No complaints, at least I could stop working for a while, play with Aresha and resume work whenever I wish.
Felt so lucky.. Hmm kena belanja Bob makan kat Friday's la macam ni. Owe him big time! i hope this gonna be a long term thingy.

I don't think i could resume work, right now, maybe get a rest and resume tonight.

Oh, Borders biggest store in the world is opening @ Berjaya Times Square! Gonna check it out this Thursday. No need to go to Singapore, we have our own Borders!!
They even have Starbucks inside! How cool is that? This is gonna be our favorite place.

Sit, baby, sit ;)

Aresha can sit without back support for the first time!!She's trying to balance herself. Showing off her new ability/skill to her Tok Ma and Tok Pa. Looks funny but I'm impressed with her development. It definitely would help when I'm introducing her to solid food right after we came back from the Singapore trip.Can't wait to take her for our first family vacation!
Spend the day at my mom's place. Obviously, Aresha had already recognized familiar faces. She seems to forgot her grandparents' faces already. She didn't cry but her facial expression shows that she's scared. She would scrutinized them,avoid eye contact or just show a blank face. This is not good, I have to bring her to their place more often. It's prety sad that after only a month she had forgotten their faces.
I wish I could spend more time with them, but I really have to go home to finish up my work. On school holidays perhaps. I know Farra misses talking, chit chatting with her big sis.I'm glad that she could adapt herself @ Sek. Teknik Rembau.Who would've thought this manja girl could be so independent, live in the hostel pulak tu! You go girl!

SUperstar! That's what you are!

I'm a proud owner of my 2nd Adidas Superstar 35th Anniversary! This time, it's Nooooooooo York, in my REAL size, not 7, but 5 1/2. Dear bought himself a Berlin (finally!) and the white baby for me! How thoughtful of him! :) Love him for always thinking of me first, above anything else. If there's a baby size for these, I'm sure he'll get it for Aresha!

I would really want to get my feet on RHCP's Music series, but to get my size would be impossible. If we have a nice display shelf, we would definitely have them one display. getting our hands on Andy Warhol, Tate, Underworld-Tomato, Ian Brown,Adicolour would be really really great! Provided that we're willing to spend RM800 for each shoes la..Oh, who would've thought Adidas could be sucha luxurious sneakers eh?

We woke up @6am this morning, going to the Immigration Office @ Kompleks Wilayah
to make Aresha's passport.. Today, we realized that she'd already recognized familiar faces, our lil' almost cried when that poor uncled wanted to take her pics.
But hey, on the oher hand, the process of registration and payment only took us an hour because they have special counter for Kids. it costs us RM150. And I have to give 2 thumbs up for Robert the officer who serve us. He is very helpful and everything the slogan says "Khidmat Dengan Senyuman". He looks like a Malay but speaks Cantonese, oh so fluently. Must be a Chindian I suppose. This is what every front desk staffs/officers should be, friendly, smiling, and very helpful! Way to go!

Back to work!

3.15 am already! Still up trying so hard to transcribe as much as I could this interview thingy. Thanks to Bob, I finally got my first freelance gig. I have to finish a total of 6 interviews transcription by the end of today. Each interviews were conducted for 35 minutes!Luckily the pay is damn good or else I'd surrender. There's no easy money eh? You gotta work hard for it. I'm planning to save this up for our trip. My pocket money la.. I suppose. Should stop blogging now and resume right after finishing my tasks. I need sleep!

S'pore vs Phuket

Okay, I've been so lazy to switch on the pc for the past week. I also wonder why? What I did the whole week was playing and entertaining(more like she entertained me) with my baby Aresha. I dozed off so easily in the morning until I realize (it happened on Thursday) that Aresha was playing quietly under the bed. This girl, moves so fast,in split seconds she could be just about anywhere. She haven't started crawling yet but sometimes I just couldn't cope with her! Felt guilty but I'm sure she fell on her hands and feet 'cause she cried only when she saw my frantic, blur face. So sneaky..if I'm not mistaken, she was holding onto something before she saw me.
Kak Anne called from S'pore asking me whether I'm going to Phuket or not.Since the bomb thingy@ Hatyai I chickened out. The IMG boys KL-S'pore are planning to go by plane but dear rather not go than flying. Nama pun Bike Week kan? We decided to cancel the Phuket trip. We're spending 4 days in Singapore at the end of the month, instead. Planning to take Aresha along, gotta get her passport ready.If it's darn cheap, might as well get her sterilizer.
Oh yeah we got back from hanging out with IMG around 2.30am. Guess what? Aresha's still wide awake waiting for us! She fell asleep on daddy's lap, just like that. So little , yet so attached to both of us. So we're thinking... should we take her on our Europe trip? Another dilemma eh?

Put your arms around me, baby

Aresha hugs me for the first time while I was feeding her and fell asleep then and there with her arms still wrap around me. Oh, what a great feeling that was!
I wish I could freeze that moment or dear were here with me to capture it on our camera.
It feels so hard to let go of her hand but I just gotta write this up , so I wouldn’t miss every detail!
She never had her own bolster, not even a pillow!(I need not explain why)
That’s why this is so important to me. She started to sleep on her side while she’s only two weeks and on the 14th week, she could sleep face down. Felt silly that I tried so hard to make her sleep like that before it's time. It will come naturally; you just have to let her take her own sweet time.
Sometimes, as a mother, I feel like I’m pushing her too hard. Well, not literally, but maybe all I need is a little patience and accept the fact that every baby has her own way, and their development is different from others.
They’re individuals, just look at it that way.

And yeah the walker thingy…I’ve come across some first time mommy’s blogs regarding this controversial issue. I’ve read about it in my reference book, magazines and on the internet. Just couldn’t remember which website and magazine tho’ cause it’s been a while. (During my pregnancy). Moreover, my mom told me that, I shouldn’t put my baby in the walker ‘cause my sister used to tip-off and fell to the floor. Sounds pretty dangerous right? The more logical/concrete reason is that my pediatrician Dr Christopher Lim from Ampang Puteri Medical Center stressed out to us that we should never put Aresha in the walker is it will not encourage the natural process of walking. The baby is walking because it has wheels, not because she already knew how to walk.
See,I don’t talk cock, ok? Luckily, we have the answers beforehand when my mil suggested to put our lil’ girl in it.

Caring for an infant is not easy even when the fact that you’ve done research and read a lot before having one. I’m always scared that my parents would say,
“Eh, kau baru anak satu dah nak tunjuk pandai,” can be translated as
“You’ve just had a baby, whaddaya know?” or something like that..

That’s why I choose to take care of my baby myself. I’ve received mixed reactions from relatives and friends.

Some said, “ Good laaa , you can make sure your baby is in a good hand,”

“ I envy you, I wish I could do the same,”


Others would say, “Rugilaa, belajar tinggi-tinggi duduk rumah je,”

“You really don’t trust other people, eh,”

Sometimes it hurts to hear their commentary. Some people just don’t know how to mind their own business.
This is my life. I choose what I want to do with it. As long as my dearest is behind me, I’m in a good hand. :)

Tricks

I haven't made up my mind yet. To go or not to go? Dearie seems to have confirmed that it's a YES. I hate these weird thoughts in my mind. To tell you the truth, I had it all in my mind each time we're going for a long ride.Sometimes I don't know whether to believe that it's my inner instinct or just tricks that my mind is playing on me.

quake!

It was 12.49am last night, we both found it while surfing the net. Living in a double-storey terrace, we didn't feel anything. Not even hearing dogs barking and stuffs like that.
I'm sure most of the people living/working in high rise buildings in Klang Valley felt it. It's a real shock to us. Flipping thru the tv channels none of 'em has breaking news on the earthquake outbreak. Slowwww btolll tv Malaysia ni.
We rely solely on the internet.

"A major earthquake -- with a magnitude 8.7 -- struck off the west coast of Indonesia late Monday, killing hundreds on the island of Nias, but fears of another tsunami like those that devastated the region in late December faded early Tuesday."
read more of this @www.cnn.com


Phuket Bike Week is just shy from 14 days away. We pray that our friends there are not affected in any away by the earthquake. As for us, we'll wait for any warning signs, to cancel the ride. Am keeping my fingers crossed.

DEvirginized...(haha!)

I’m smiling from ear to ear today…Why? For two obvious reasons.
1: Only dear knows why
2: I got myself a pair of Adidas Superstar 35th Anniversary Cities Series TOKYO!!

Waking up early in the morning is well worth it!! Err actually, I couldn’t sleep last night, so afraid that we’d overslept and missed it. So end I up doze off only for ten minutes, from 8.40 to 8.50 ok!
I can be a supermom if I want to…I just knew it today., haha! Bathe Aresha for 10 minutes in her tub not just wash her off (when I’m so damn lazy), nursing her, sterilizing the bottle and pump, thaw her frozen ebm, Voila! Off we go to queue for the Adidas Anniversary shoes!

Dear had his eye fixated on Berlin in a first place, we’ve been surfing in the net for a week. However, when we get there, found out that Tokyo is the most sought after.
Everybody wants to get their feet on the black Tokyo. We have no interest,or intention whatsoever, BUT.. when I saw it on display, I fell in love with the black beauty instantly! Talk about love at a first sight!

Thirty minutes seems forever for the shoe collectors/freaks waiting in front of the half-opened store. Watching them arranging ‘em neatly on the display makes my heart beat faster. Dah laa we were like the 12th on the line, luckily they have the policy one pair per person. .and first come first served. We could only watch one by one Tokyo, New York City and Berlin being taken away from our eyes. They have only 4 pairs per model. Nasiblaa.. if you’re size 10 or 9 you can only settle for what’s left. The guy in front of us is so damn lucky, he bought the last New York in size 8.

When it comes to our turn, London and Boston has only size 7 and 8 left. Pity dear, he lost the chance to own a pair of Cities. So he settled for PERFED. Whaddaya know, it’s a limited edition!! PERFED is made exclusively for Footlocker. How the hell did these guys managed to get it? We found out about it only after carefully looking at all the Anniversary Series on the back of the shoe box.

I usually wear size 6 but, I couldn’t help myself from trying the size 7 TOKYO. It’s ¾ inch bigger but when you tie the laces tightly, it actually fits quite well. I have the privilege to choose any model I want (No one bought size 7’s yet!) but I want Tokyo!!

Today in history I’m officially not an ADIDAS virgin no more. Got a pair of Superstar, TOKYO…I wish I had the Red Hot Chilli Peppers Limited Edition, but this is waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better than nothing, kan dear kan?

Thank you dear for being so kind, and pimped my ADIDAS. ;)

Return to innocence

Aresha now knows how to stretch out her arms when she wants to be lifted. That's the first time! Love seeing the sparkle in her eyes. It reminds me of how pure and innocence she is. Everything is fascinating in her eyes. Oh yeah, the past three days she's been making this monster like sound. Like Smeagol/Gollum in LOTR. Haha! So cute!
Will definitely record it on our video cam soon!All the tapes are full! Even our wedding tapes were not trasferred yet! Dear laa.. I thought I'm the REAL procrastinator, my dearie lagiilaaa.
Our little monster just slept in my arms.I wouldn't trade it with anything..the feeling is...so wonderful.

Feverish

Aresha couldn't sleep soundly last night.I thought it's just normal or maybe she overlslept during the day but she actually down with fever this morning. Her head is slightly warm but her body is ok. I slept with her during the day. Cuddling her, wishing it will make her better.She had to reposition, maybe feeling so uneasy or the warmth of her body make her uncomfortable. Despite the fever,she's actually not fussy,it's as if everything's just fine.

My roomie@UPM Rozel called me this evening with great news. She handpicked me to indulge in a workout package namely Fit for 2(For mommy and baby, yippee yeay!)Finally, I'm on my way to shed few pounds, doing it with Aresha and it's FOC!
Thanks babe I owe you one! Mommy and baby are on our way looking fabulous!Hehe.

Ask dear to buy Kool Fever for Aresha. This thing could last for 6 hours!A bit pricey tho' RM 15 for 6pcs but.. it really works! Her body temperature lowered after 4 hours and she seems to resume her turn-over-play routine.

We'll see tomorrow, if she's back to the pink of health, we'll ride to S'pore. If not, I wouldn't mind staying home with my baby.


*updated: 4.35am and I'm still up accompanying my dearie doing his mock-ups for MAS. We decided not to go tho' Aresha's status is pretty good. Dearie haven't got his rest /sleep, yet. I, myself wouldn't allow him to ride when he didn't get enough rest.
Dear would take me out for dinner tomorrow. I guess I can forget my diet for a while since I've already have an exercise regime waiting for me. Ha! ;)

Net shopping

Took Aresha to JJ. She's such a sweetie.So quiet, in her own world with Lamaze's knot block in her hands. She slept for a while waking up, gazing at bright colured objects. No fuss just enjoying her stroll.Mak bought her Peter Rabbit's cutleries. So cuuutee and it's on 70% discount too! Todays she's wearing a cream coloured long sleeved onesie and pink striped pants. Daddy said it makes you look thinner la baby.

I'm getting an Avent food warmer for $45, from S'pore. Went into a forum and it was on sale. It costs RM277 here. Crazy! So here I am finding bargains for baby stuffs now. Still boiling my pump and bottles..looking for cheaper sterilizer. You just gotta be smart. If you can find something cheaper on the net, buy it! Since we have so many friends in S'pore, and we're coming down to the Lion city this saturday, this is a great opportunity.

Another baby!

Ok.This is freaking me out. My best friend (she's my deskmate in high school) told me last week that she's already pregnant 2 months! Her baby girl is only 8 months, and she's gonna have a brother/sister soon! Another friend of mine (you're reading this, right?) just found out that she's not pregnant again..through the pregnancy test kit I suppose. Negative. Must be a sigh of relief eh? I thought I was just joking on your blog there, really! never thought that it was for real.
Mind you I didn't use/take any contraception at all. I'm too freak out to use IUCD (despite the testimonials from my mom and aunt,'You won't feel that it''s there') and I don't trust pills as it might interfere with my breastfeeding. So here we are, being as careful as we could.
I wouldn't mind carrying another baby in my womb but the fear of labour? I have to overcome that before having an other one. Albeit my labor is a very short one,I'm not ready to face it again. ;)
I wanna give Aresha everything I could before sharing my love for another child. I know how it feels being the eldest.
Bottomline, just be careful.Very careful. *note to myself*

Kisses

Aresha is still up, starting to cry because both of us are so glued to the computer.
She kissed her daddy for the first time! Isn't she supposed to kiss me first? So envy of you dear! Seems like at 4 months of age she's already attached to her daddy.
Now she turn over..asking for attention. Crawling almost! Lifting up her butt to move forward. In few months I have to be alert all the time. When she starts crawling, the adventure begins.

Daddy's girl

For the first time Aresha was introduced to pee-ka-boo. She like it so much that she giggled and laughed when we were playing the simple, yet fun game. She need so much attention today, slept only for few minutes. When she wakes up or while I'm nursing her she'll immediately put her fingers inside her mouth trying to sooth her gum. She's gonna have her first tooth very soon!Maybe that why she felt uneasy, it hurts so much for a baby like her. At the same time, wanting daddy to hug her and put her to sleep. MIss her daddy so much I guess.
Did I mention that Aresha is a carbon copy or template of her daddy?I love seeing the both of them bonding together. She has the same features of her daddy and smiles like her daddy too!All of dearie's genes runs in her tiny little body.Even tho' it's too early to tell, I could tell that she has daddy's feet and hairline.
Dearie felt asleep beside her girl..they look so cute together.

p/s: Now I have wi-fi @home.Blogging via Powerbook.How convenient!

Marital bliss

I'm in marital bliss. I have dearie who's not just my life partner but also the bestest friend I've ever had. He's the reason for me to live. He’s my LIFE!
The pinnacle of my life is being his wife and mommy to Aresha. I wouldn’t trade for anything else.
Dear, thanks for all you’ve done for me. I love you more each day :)

p/s: I’m leaving to mom’s place today, in fact in few minutes. Won’t be blogging for days I think..

Have a great weekend peeps!

If I could..

Watched Oprah just now(what stay-home mothers should watch!) and fell in love with this song by Celine Dion(Mind you,I'm NOT a fan)
It really touched me.This could be what every mother feels..


If I could
I'd protect you from the sadness in your eyes
Give you courage in a world of compromise
Yes, I would

If I could
I would teach you all the things I've never learned
And I'd help you cross the bridges that I've burned
Yes, I would

If I could
I would try to shield your innocence from time
But the part of life I gave you isn't mine
I've watched you grow
So I could let you go

If I could
I would help you make it through the hungry years
But I know that I can never cry your tears
But I would
If I could

If I live
In a time and place where you don't want to be
You don't have to walk along this road with me
My yesterday
Won't have to be your way

If I knew
I'd have tried to change the world I brought to you to
And there isn't very much that I can do
But I would
If I could...
Oh baby... mummy wants to protect you
And help my baby through the hungry years
It's part of me
And if you ever... ever need
Sad shoulder to cry on
I'm just someone to talk to
I'll be there... I'll be there
I didn't change your world
But I would
If I Could!

This is a quick post..must get back to Aresha.I just want to wrap my arms around
her tightly..if I could, forever!

Smiling angel

The past few days has been great. Being with my two precious is such a bliss. All this while..before Aresha came into our life, staying home on weekends were BORING. Now, waking up looking at her smiling face make our day complete. Yesterday, I'm almost teary-eyed when Aresha woke up, saw her mommmy's face and she smiled so sweetly.I'm not just her milk provider(haha), she recognizes so well that I'm her beloved mommy.. She did the same to her daddy too. It's hard for dear to leave her to work when at such early in the morning..she kick her legs, punch her fist with a big grin on her lips ...asking daddy to play with her..

Finally, managed chat with Eva on YM.I've been searching for her since I got the tickets. We have to plan the journey wisely. Should decide whether to fly, ride or drive. 'The' must go destinations are:
Amsterdam
Paris
Berlin
Venice
Rome
Monaco
Hmm any other places that I've missed?

Dearie came home at 2am today, only to find that I'm nursing Aresha to sleep. He had to finish his Maxis video job. His first challenge being an AD. He looks so exhausted..I should stop writing... giving him a body massage would be better ;)

Chillin'

A night well spent. Had dinner at our favorite TGIF as usual I just love their Strawberry Surprise and the food, marvellous!
Then we headed to Bangsar's H-D only to be told by Fendi that the boys were @Pharmacy, chillin'.This is something new, we usually hang out @H-D or Pelita. Since we're not the clubbin' type we could only be there for 10 minutes, max!

Tonight a history has been made, for the first time Independent MG, Violent Storm, Bandidos MC (ex-Ghostrider) and Head Hunter hang out together... even sat on the same table. If you know our history you'll understand what I mean. As Splatters even commented that I look 'berisi'. Haha! That means I have to shed few more pounds!Damn!

I had so much fun tonight..tho' I'm the only girl in the group. They never make me feel alienated. It's great to see 3 motorcycle clubs riding home together.If only it could stay this way forever....

51

I'm off to USJ aka my mom's place this afternoon. Papa and Fara gonna pick me up.
We're buying a cake for mama and going out for dinner tonight. It's mama's 51st birthday but she looks younger than her actual age.
Love ya ma, Bon Anniversaire!
May Allah bless you always!

A visit to remember

I made two appointments... One for Aresha and another one for me. I need advice on contraceptions. Aresha is too young to have a sister or brother. I have Implanon in mind, a second opinion is important. My gynae should know what's best for me. Got up early,bathe and preparing Aresha for her visit to a new paed.
We were going up and down the lift to find the paed that I've made the appointment with. She's no 5 in line, so I decided to go to meet my gynae first. I was told that I'm gonna have my pap smear today. Err.. that was totally uncalled for. Mind you, my gynae is a man. A very nice man indeed, but still I'm not comfortable.
After the catch up thingy and my 101 questions on birth control..I can't make up my mind..we'll go home and decide later,perhaps.Then,after scanning,and check-up..he told me that pap smear will be done on my next visit.Aiyah I have to go through the whole process again? Why can't it be done and get over with,today?
N'mind I'm sure I'll be prepared next month. Even he commented on how strong Aresha's head movements was.For her age,she's ahead of everybody she could turn everywhere she desired to, especially when the place is new to her.

Okay, now it's Aresha's turn.One thing about her, she hates it when people touch her head (macam pantanglah tu). So, when the nurse tried to measure the diametre of her head, she wriggled, screamed and cried loudly.She's getting five immunization including polio today.. all in one shot. This time she cried a little. Daddy worked his magic on her, and she's smiling again. The paedtrician asked whether I'm still breastfeeding. he told me to keep on breastfeeding until she's one or two..Why? Because formula milk is expensive! I swear that's what he said. :)
I asked for advice on weaning and found out that I could only give her rice cereals, for a start to avoid allergy.Fruit juices(non citrus) can only be given when she's 7 months.You gotta introduce new food to the baby slowly and Ribena, Vitagen are crap (high in sugar)So many things to remember. Need to do more research on this.

Back home, the three of us were so tired that we slept then and there on the sofa. Never thought it would be so tiring.

Tuan Director

Congrats to my dearie on becoming an AD. You deserve it dear.Like Shidin said, people are watching and like I always say to you, your work speak for itself.
It's true eh Aresha's birth is a blessing and 'rezeki' for us. I choose to stay home to take care of her and now you're making more than enough to support your two sayangs..hehe.
You're more than happy when you could navigate the art direction for Pages and Surf (available in May) and now a promotion? We've been so blessed since we got married kan?
I'm soooo proud of you. A truly gifted artist. You must be smiling from ear to ear today.Yippee yeay! We'll be having dinner very soon :)


On another note, we woke up this morning with sore throat. Don't you just hate it when you're having a sore throat? Everything tastes so dull. I have runny nose summore! What's the temperature out there, 42 degrees?

Fever

I'm down with bad fever since last night. I couldn't sleep, shivered the whole night through.
Dearie, such a darling, put on wet towel on my neck and took EL just to take care of me.
I'm actually worried about Aresha, she's having runny nose. Did she get it from me?
The best thing about her is that she never cried albeit her body is slightly warm and the cold.
Here's some pics that I took last Friday, very amateurish I must say.



Froggy, always by her side

Aresha's 2nd Day Out

Went to KLCC..bought birthday prezzie for mama's big day next Monday. Aresha's been so excited since dearie bathe her. She look so happy, maybe she knew that we're about to take her out. The last time we took her was 2 weeks ago, to IKANO. Really love seeing her kicking her legs, and move her hands frantically. She had a big smile on her face.
This time she slept only for a wink while I was browsing through Mambo clothes. Dearie's getting me a boardshort for our Phuket trip in April. Yeay! Been eyeing on Roxy's bikini but damn, after 50% it's still almost 100 bucks. N'mind, next time I guess.
Our shopping spree was a brief one, maybe because Aresha's awake, she hates it when her stroller didn't move, so dearie have to move around the boutique or store each time I'm buying/browsing. It wasn't enjoyable for us but hey anything that makes Aresha happy, makes my day!

F***in' Travel Fair

Before I go on the title above... I wanna just shout and say Wuhoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
YEayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!
We're going to Europe on a shoestring in September. Hehe
BOught the tickets yesterday.. will be leaving to Liverpool to meet up with my dearest friend Eva via Manchester on the 16th of September and be back home a month after that via London.
We will be celebrating dearie's birthday and fasting in Liverpool laa nampaknya.
I'll be busy surfin' the net onwards to find cheap accomodations, route and transport to travel around Europe... to those who've been there...please gimme a tips or two...
Would really appreciate ur help.

Why f***in' MAS travel fair? Ok, imagine this, the organizer's booth is divided between the Golden Holidays and Bookings and Deposit Payment. We came not to loiter around finding the best bargain but with a purpose buying the tix. As soon as we saw MAS booth with GOLDEN HOLIDAYS signage, we queue...for 2 hours. When we reach the counter, the staff told us it is for GOLDEN HOLIDAYS ONLY. Wtf is that? They assume everybody knew by just putting a sign DOMESTIC and INTERNATIONAL. Nobody told us it's for holiday packages ONLY!!
So there we go, wasted 2 freakin' hours and have to start queuing all over again. For bookings, the booth is separated by an escalator. What a strategic location. Heh. Luckily this line move faster. To make the matter worse, none of the staffs could do anything to help us. Is this what you call good service?

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Froggy and Lil' Aresha

Here's three snapshots of Aresha playing with her gym and Mr Froggy
Been trying so hard to make her smile.
Next time I guess



Aresha 2 months and 29 days


Looking at her beloved Froggy

Wondering what were Mommy doing

Oops she did it again!

12.30am, Aresha is shrieking, kicking her feet and move her hands frantically. She's so excited. Kicking her daddy's tummy for attention. False alarm. Earlier, around 11. she fell asleep while I'm feeding her. Half an hour later, she woke up, eyes open wide, ready to play.
Problem not solved, yet.

My spoilt lil' angel

Just came back from my mom's place last night. Spent a week with mi familia Aresha is so spoilt now, when we were there, mama, papa, Farra, Erie and atuk couldn't get their hands off my baby. The moment Aresha cried everybody would jump and picked her up. She's the apple of everyone's eyes. The first grand daughter of both sides. As I was on my way back from USJ, mak called, she misses Aresha so much.
Today,back to the same old routine, prepare breakfast for my dearie, beef salami and turkey sandwich, yummy! Bathe Aresha, feed and fell asleep with her, surf the net, sterilize her bottles, wash her clothes etc etc. To my surprise... Aresha wants me to be with her all the time. Couldn't left her alone( 30 mins max!)She wants me to play with her, cuddle and pick her up whenever she cries. She could scream on top of her lungs whenever she felt my presence weren't there by her side. Oh, I just wish she could be independent, not too attached to me, so that I could do the house chores.
But she's such an angel tonight....fell asleep @9pm. Only wakes up whenever she feels hungry. Love ya baby...I hope this pattern would stay forever. ;). Sleeping problem. Solved.For today.
Time to kick back, relax, watch Die Hard on Star Movies with my man.

the trouble with sleeping

It's 1am and I've just put Aresha inside her crib. Last nite it took me only half an hour to put her to sleep. Actually I fell asleep while feeding her.(heheh) Should I be worried that her sleeping pattern is not routine yet? One night she'll sleep early, the other night she'll stay awake until she's feeling tired . Just now she actually watch the tv with me and fell asleep on my lap.
Tomorrow we're getting sterilizer and some toys for Aresha. She's almost 3 months now..2 weeks to go!

Backache

Dear's on mc today and yesterday.. Poor dearie, he's getting backache each time he's home from long rides. I guess drag handlebar wouldn't work for him. Now changed to mini ape hanger ala Indian Larry. Way cool! Looks more 'outlaw', hehe. I hope this will be the cure to backaches.

I'm blogging while dearie's taking a nap and Aresha lying beside her daddy sucking her thumb. She's now so excited to roll over. It's funny to see her yawn loudly and trying so hard to wake her daddy up. Kicking daddy wouldn't help, baby... He's gone far away to his la-la land.