Jakarta Trip

28th January 2006

Took Garuda Airline at 7:30 am to Jakarta with hubby and Syuaib. I booked the flight from Zuji online. It's S$239 for me and Shafik each and $S202 for Syuaib, including airport tax. We stayed at Hyatt the first day. The room which has a room rate of S$280 is not worth the money. The room decor is quite cold, not welcoming. However, Syuaib's cot is really nice. The bumpers and baby blanket is thick is really comfortable. After checking in, we rest for a while in the hotel room as it is still quite early. Jakarta is an hour early than Singapore. Anyway, Shafik has to meet his distributor for lunch. Lunch was ok at an Indonesian restaurant. It's speciality is Gurame, a kind of fish and serve

After lunch, we went to Mangga Dua. There I borong Shahid's stuff. Baby's clothes are a bargain. I bought 6 sets of tops and bottoms for home wear and they cost only 120 000 rupiah which is approximately $20. I bought 2 bags $10 each and also invest in a top and bottom undergarments for body shaping. Sigh.... only two kids and my body is out of proportion. Anyway...this time round my plan on getting back to my old shape and weight is to run at least twice a week, to reduce my calorie intake and to firm up using girdles for upper and lower body. Mangga Dua is the place to get cheap replicas of branded bags and shoes. It consists of many many small shops selling undergarments, casual clothes, pyjamas, towels, shoes. The clothes are quite old fashioned though.

After Mangga Dua, we had dinner at Plaza Senayan. The salad at Bakerzinn was yummy. The strawberry smoothie was refreshing...a tad too sweet though. Syuaib as per normal, his diet for the whole trip was french fries and his milk. Plaza Senayan is the Takashimaya of Jakarta. Even their department store's cloths are expensive. seriously...nothing for me here except for Boots. I bought a Botanic body scrub from myself costs 95000, S$ 17.

29th January 2006

Shafik swam with Syuaib while I scanned the breakfast menu in the morning. After settling for Nasi Goreng, I waited by the poolside for them to finish. We checked in at Hotel Mulia very late. Hotel Mulia although is much cheaper than Hyatt is excellent. It's lobby, coffee lounge, reception and even the room is very nicely decorated. They all have somekind of majestic feel to them and extremely cozy. Our room is on the 37th floor. The view from the room is fantastic. We ordered room service and ate while overlooking the city. By the time we left the hotel, it was already late evening. We decided to check out Kemang. Kemang is basically like Holland Village in Singapore 10 years back where they have all the boutique shops which sell books, furniture, baby stuff and the prices are quite steep. We chanced upon a restaurant serving organic food. We ordered dory fish, fried mushroom and laksa. They were all extremely delicious. I'll definitely come back if I visit Jakarta again.

30th January

Went to Bandung. It was a bad choice to go to Bandung. We didn't know that there will be a bad jam. The hotel staff at Mulia told us it would take approx 2 hrs to reach Bandung by using the new expressway. Unfortunately for us, the new expressway was closed and the taxi driver had to use the small road. We reached Bandung only after 4 hours. The Bandung trip was quite ridiculous. We set off at 11 am, reached Bandung at 3.30 pm, stopped at a shopping mall for two hours, the drive back took another 4 hours. Worst of all, the cost for the car and driver is $240.

All in all, the trip was great and i'll definitely visit jakarta again and that time round, I'll make sure I visit Bandung again.

My Tiffany Collection

I couldn't really remember who introduced me to Tiffany but what I do remember is that I had my first one when I was still working in Borders. My first one is the open heart pendant. My hubby who was then my bf gave me $100 for my birthday. I took the cash and topped up another $50 to buy it. That was 6 year ago. Now, the same open heart pendant costs $245. The price increase is really ridiculous...i must say.

The most recent one was a gift from my four good friends. It was the snake pendant with the silk cord. Actually.. all ot them are gifts. he he he. Lucky me!!

What's Next?

wow! how time flies. It's already past mid January. I have to make my 'Things to achieve list' or i'll end up wasting the year 2006 away. ok....so finding a full-time job is definitely out at the moment coz then i'll have to send my 2 kids to childcare. Guess I'll have to find things to do that can be squeezed between my tuition twice a week and caring for the kids. I think i can do this:

- Completing reading the Quran by end of year (can try having the readings once or twice a week in the evenings. Must start in Feb)

- Get a radiant skin for my face. Am currently trying out NUSKIN. Must use the pdts regularly (Have already invested on washer, toner, moisturizer....will get the mask in Feb)

- Buy and learn the software on how to edit self made movie. I have to really get the software soon or 2006 will pass with all the recorded mini videotape lying around unedited and not transferred to dvds)

- put aside time at least once a week to read informative reading materials to increase my knowledge of the outside world as i am now a stay home mom.

that's enough for now. Will think of more stuff to do. really hope i can get all these started or the only thing that i'll achieve this year is to see my two sons grow a year older.

2nd baby....now what?

one month and a half has passed after giving birth and i'm still 4 kg more than my original weight. hmmm..if i can get back on the treadmill now then i can definitely lose the 4 extra kilos. The thing is i'm scared to rupture my stitches. Liquid diet this i can't do coz i'm too much of a food lover. Aiyah.this is all in the mind. ALL those stupid magazines say eat a sensible diet. Sensible diet my foot. Being home most of the time looking after my two sons definitely does not burn enough calories as much as i want even if i fast everyday. I need to do something more streneous to lose my fat. i can wear my old tops but my bottom is still big. I can see that the 4 kilos has defintely settled on my thighs and butt.

i have started giving tuition and realise how much i enjoy tutoring the kids. Sigh...should i look for a full-time job where i'll spend longer hours away from my 2 kiddos or should i just stick to what i'm doing now and do away with all the stress of working life. i think i'll wait after this year has passed.

Music for the Broken-Hearted

Currently listening to James Blunt (Back to Bedlam).

All the songs are great. Should check out the lyrics. Blunt's voice is very distinctive. For those who are out of love or just got dumped...please refrain from listening to this. Coz you will most prob commit suicide after that. Ha Ha.

28th Birthday

My twenty-eighth birthday today. No plans coz i'm still in confinement. So guess what I did today. My mom-in-law brought Syuaib to JB so I went to Nisha's place across the street to watch Kal Ho Naa Ho. It's another one of those hindustani movie that makes your tears flow non stop. This Sharukh Khan is really talented in making one cry. It's like the second Khabi Kushi Khabi Gham. I watched I am Sam after that. Another sad movie..... and guess what..i couldn't watch the ending coz Nisha did not record the last ten minutes of the movie. I was like ..What the F____? it was such a good movie and no ending?

Anyway..back to my birthday.. I was aiming for an LV purse present from hubby. We went to the LV boutique at Taka. So many people...It was like a fish market. I wanted to check out the price of the zipped purse with the cherries. I learned from the salesperson that the series are limited edition and they no longer carry the stock. Sigh.... i went around the whole store to see if I fancied the other patterns. They are either too loud, too small, too big or the compartments are all wrong. I went out of the store and popped by Bvlgary. Nothing I like. ...but the salesman was very nice and professional. He even recommended me Gucci..apparently, Gucci was having a sale. There was a queue outside the Gucci boutique. Gucci's not bad either. As such... i ended up with a Gucci purse. Haa Haa.

Confinement Days

My confinement days are filled with many 'feel-good-movies'. Cousin Nisha is so sweet to bring a whole box of vcds for me to watch while I nurse my infant. Till this morning, I've actually managed to catch
- A Few Good Men
- Love Actually
- A Walk to Remember
- Two Week's Notice
- Mean girls

Not bad since they are all movies that I've missed. Hugh Grant is extremely cute in a nerdy sort of way. I didn't know Mandy Moore can actually act. Lindsay Lohan is actually quite pretty.

The pain of my C section cut is barely there. I can cough as often as I like without flinching with pain. Going up and down the stairs no longer is a pain in the neck. After the post-natal massage, my tummy has reduced is size quite a bit. But of course... I still have a buldge on my tummy which i need to work at. After it's only nineteen days after the delivery. Can't even go on the treadmill now.

Body Scrub anyone?

i had the best scrub of my life. A full one and a half hour and I bet there is no spas in Singapore that can topped that. All the scrubs that I've read in brochures and experienced are the thirty minutes ones. The one I tried at Lagunita Spa feels like someone going through their hands over your body ...not even thorough....with cream containing some kind of grains.

My post-natal urut lady this time round is superb. I just finished my seven days course with her today. She brought with her nice smelling leaves for my bath, slimming cream for my tummy, jamu pills to cleanse my blood and prepared a drink that taste extremely yucky for the first three days. That's to replenish my blood that has lost...she said. Back to the scrub...every inch of my body was covered. She concentrated on the darker and rough patches even my armpits. After the scrub, i can feel the difference... skin so smooth...hmmm will definitely get her to come again.

I had a small surgery today finally to remove this very weird small growth that looks really gross at the back of my head. Luckily i have long hair to cover it. Anyway, I had it for more than a month and it kept growing. I had consulted Dr. Hamid last month about it. Couldn't remove it coz i was pregnant then. I was given a local anesthesia on my scalp. After slicing the lump, he stitched me up and bandaged my head. I look weird well whatever at least the gross looking lump is off my head now.

My 2nd Warrior

Picture below taken approx 30 min before surgery

Had my last antenatal check up on Monday, 21st November. Feeling confident that everything was going well, me and hubby was taken aback when Dr. Kee informed us that i will not be able to have a natural birth. Again!!!! Reason.... the baby's head is above my placenta...OK since I'm waiting for quite a while for baby's birth, we wanted the delivery done asap.

We checked into our single bedded room on Thursday, 24th Nov at 9 am. I was wheeled out on a stretcher at 11 am and Dr. C.C. Loo, the anesthetist injected me at 11.20. Md. Syahid is born at 11:42 am. Hubby was with me., He watched the whole operation. I was awake all the while joking with the 2 doctors. No pain at all.

Stayed at TMC from 24th Nov to 27th Nov. All the nurses and health assistants were friendly, helpful and very experienced. I'll definitely return for my next child birth. It was like a zoo at the ward with friends and relatives.

Unlike the last child birth with Syuaib, (GA) where I was totally unconscious, this time I was wide awake after the operation. My mind is all geared up to recieve the baby and also am full of determination to breastfeed successfully. With Syuaib, I only managed to fully breastfed him for two weeks. It was a disaster. My breasts was so huge... a 'D' cup, extremely hard and throbbing. I couldn't sleep, my nipples were blocked and sore. I was so depressed....

This time round I had my electric breast pump all ready. Hubby even brought it to the ward. Today I am happily breast feeding Syahid. Of course.... it's exremely tiring but well ....anything that's good comes with a price. Syahid sleeps during the day and wakes up at night. So i have to reverse my sleeping time too. Hmmmm, with the pain on my tummy, waking up at night and the sore nipples and throbbing breasts, all these are worth it. When I look into my new born's face, I still couldn't believe he was inside me for the last 38 weeks . No wonder i felt so heavy...carrying the whole of 3.22 kg with me every where i go.

LASIK anyone?

I was clearing the junks in my drawer when i came across all my LASIK bills. Better to jot down the monies that I have spent before I threw the bills away so that i appreciate my eyes better and will look after them.

SNEC
Doctor: Sharifah Zainah
First Consultation: 30th Sept 04, 8:30 am at Refractive Surgery Centre
-No contact lenses for one week before the above date
-Have to bring along my most recent eyeglasses
-Consultation takes almost 3 hrs

Shafik drove me to SNEC and that's when I received a call from my sis. He husband was in the ICU at NUH. I was at first very shocked thinking that he might have got into a car accident but later calmed down as sister told me that he has been vomitting throughout the previous night.
I told her to update me on his condition and will visit him after my consultation

Halfway through one of the tests, Kak Zana, my cousin called me. My sister's hubby has passed away. I couldn't believe my ears and broke down there and then. I immediately left SNEC and took a cab to NUH. This is it.... oh god...i'm supposed to note down my LASIK procedures....

SNEC billed me $60 for the first 2 tests that i had on the 30th of September. $55 for Corneal Topography and $5 for the Excimer Laser Handbk. I was such in a hurry, I didn't clear the first bill. I got it in the mail and paid at Singapore Post.

2nd appointment: 14th October 04
Cost of Bill: Paid $85 for some other tests.
After the tests, I made an appointment for the surgical operation. Had to to do one eye at a time. I was given a consent form that states all the side effects, risks and complications that can happen.

3rd appointment: 2nd November 05
The procedure lasted less that 5 minutes. No pain at all
Cost of Bill: $1350.70
I was given Tobradex, an antibiotic, every 2 hourly on the operated eye till bedtime. No rubbing of the eye, avoid getting water or anything to the eye. No swimming or any sports for a month. Use sunglasses while in the outdoors. I experience blur vision and tearing on the first day.

4th appointment: 3rd November 05
Cost of bill: $1320
Did another eye.

5th appointment: 4th November 05
Cost of Bill: $40
Follow up with Doc

6th appointment: 10th November 05
Cost of Bill: $40
Follow up with Doc
I have prefect vision for both eyes after LASIK.

I bought many tubes of Allegran Refresh Plus artificial tears as i experienced eye dryness for the first two months after the op. Monies spent in total approx $3k and am very satisfied with the end product. No hassles with contact lenses that are always uncomfortable and i donated all my eyeglasses. No need for prescibed goggles for snorkelling or swimming and no eyeglasses sliding down my nose when jogging or playing badminton.

LASIK..... one of the good choices that I've made in my life