experience with international friends so far.

ehh, apahal rajin semacam pulak type blog selang sehari nihh? hehehe... i'm waiting for my students to come to my office at this moment.. bosan pulak mengadap kerja yang tak habis2.. stop lah sat kan.

today i will share the experience i have with my international friends who have now becoming very good friends already. in fact, we had arranged some private makan2 during last hari raya just us and the kids. well, i must say that i have learn a lot of things by having 2 good friends who are from Jordan and Iraq respectively. occasionally we had palestinian students in our classes who i actually made friends too. but the two ladies who are now become close to me are just wonderful people sent by Allah. ;) and pretty soon these two friends are going back to their country or to another country to start their work. most probably last raya was the first and last makan2 gathering that we had ever done because they are going back home by next Ramadhan, Inshaa Allah.

previously i have heard stories how arab women won't be involved in any social gathering with the presence of men. but, my interpretation was that, well, maybe only in the arab country that these people will practice it. but, to my surprise, even though they are thousands away from their motherland, they do keep their culture and belief in tact. at lest with these 2 best friends i have now. i had the oportunity to join the makan2 events at their homes where they would send their husbands out ( bukan halau la..hahaaa) for a few hours and we would be in their house having fun, makan2 and chit chatting. 

the hospitality, Mashaa Allah... so nice... the foods and everything was fabulous. i got to taste some authentic arab foods which not known to many. and the best part lepas tu boleh tapau. hahahha... minah2 arab ni tak makan pedas, tapi herannya, cili depa lagi pedas gila kot dr cili kita. berasap telinga skali kena.hahaha... but it was fantastic though. truly enjoyed the experience. i secretly wish they would extend their studies so we get to do the mak2 and anak2 gatherings more...hahahha... memang tak lah kan.. orang nak balik negara masing2 dah pon...

yang baby tu lahir kat Penang, mak dia Jordanian, yang dah besar2 tu mak dia dari Iraq. yang budak mata tak tengok kamera tu mak dia orang Malaysia. hahahaha...

contrary to what many people said that arabs are arrogant etc, etc, i find my two friends are very humble and down to earth people. very helpful, very generous and very religious people. i mean i do have concerns regarding certain things related to being a muslim and they would always have good answer for me. Mashaa Allah, how they preserve Islam so dearly in their lives. not even an inch would they tolarate to anything that not put Islam first. malu i dengan cara pakaian i yang masih kurang sempurna ni walaupun berhijab. as compared to them, they are fashionable too. but they only be fashionable in front of their husband at home. they wear branded clothes too, but only at home. nampak tahap tawaduk depa ni lain dari kita. kita ni kalau pakaian branded inagt nak ka pakai kat rumah sambil memasak?? *pengsan*

they are truly sexy in their home. seriously wey... baju ketat, sluar ketat, rambut mayang megurai..make up etc.. complete! but they are very modest outside their houses.in fact, pintu pagar apartment depa pon depa cover dengan kain curtain so that anytime ada ousider ketuk pintu at least tak nampak lah aurat. they are covered and look normal without any make up on ouside their homes. berapa ramai antara kita mampu camtu, i always wonder. a lot of times, they would try to tell me that i need to improve my dressing. we should impress Allah first and not people. well, very true. harap2 boleh lah i improve seperti yang depa bagitau dulu. and they even checked me on my reading of the holy Quran. they would offer help. Subhanallah... sangat terasa that they are sent by Allah to me. to help me actually. ;)

selain tu, and a lot tips i got from these two sisters on how to take care of my hair so it would shine bright just like theirs. .hahahha... i kalau tanya tahap i siasat habis ok. huhu..segala tip kecantikan i tanya.

ok lah.. tu ja teringat nak update. hihi... ;))
 

LET'S READ SOMETHING~

For someone with absolutely zero knowledge about handling a baby, this is just what i need. Love Heidi Murkoff's books. Previously bought her book entitled "What To Expect When You're Expecting" and found it very interesting & full of info. So today, i went out and bought another her bestselling. 

i have just started my reading an hour ago but had to stop cos my Maryam nak susu...terbantut seketika. So i thought of sharing this book with all moms & moms-2b out there. seriously worth buying sebab i got very very excited walaupun baru start baca. Also if u have no clue about being a first time parent like me. YES, i admit i only know how to push a 2.55kg baby out into the world but very little knowledge about taking care of her...*Pathetic!*

Hopefully, this would improve my knowledge! ;)

It's a comprehensive packed with down-to-earth,reassuraing and practical advice.an invaluable aid for all parents of new babies! ( ni i baca kat kulit belakang..ngehehe..)

By the way, it's RM49.95 can be found at Popular,MPH and Border.

p.s: at first nak beli buku resepi tajuk 1 Hari 1 Resepi tu, sebab tgh hot semcam buku tu kan..(maybe sebab para bloggers sekalian dok promote).tapi tengok beg duit ada rm60 saja...heheheh...tapi dok teringat nih buku resepi tu sebab selain tak tau jaga baby, i jugak tak tau masak. *AGAIN,pathetic isn't it??*

Me & My Pumps : Warning, it's not about shoe!

Yeah, i wish i could write about pumps as in shoes but too bad, i am not that fashionista~ hahaha...

Hello folks! today i would like to do a bit of review on a few breast pumps that i am currently using through my perspective only ya!

For information, i am one of a few mothers who actually INDIRECT BREAST FEED my baby Maryam..phew,long story later la i cita in other entry, tak sedia lg nak cita *sedey*

As mother or mother to be i would really suggest anybody to buy a brest pump at the early stage of preparing your baby's stuffs before the baby arrives.do a bit of RESEARCH before actually go out to get a breast pum. and PLEASE DO NOT BE A CHEAPSKATES! orang kedekut  dan tidak berfikiran positive sila jangan baca entry ini,sekian terima kaseh! ;)

Invest in a good quality pump as it will actually do u a lot of favour.trust me...sebab? well, bukan semua ibu yang melahirkan berjaya menghasilkan susu at the first few hours upon the baby arriving. without enough stimulations susu tak keluar kot.sometimes u might encounter stuffs like:

1. you are put to sleep by your doctor just after you safely delivered your baby and u don't have a direct contact with the baby for more than 12 hours ( cam kes i la)
2. your baby might have a bit of difficulty to straight away suck your nipple,but then u already have breast milk to feed the baby.,
3. baby takdak skill or kurang skill menyusu di awal kelahiran. (hmm, ni pun kes i jugak ni)
4. your baby refuses to direct feeding. after a few days of trying and u don't feel like forcing the baby to your breast anymore (kesian tau), and u cannot bear to see the baby cries of hunger and so, u resolved to bottle feeding. (again, my kes jugak ni)
5. your baby dah diberi susu dalam bottle awal dia celik mata lepas lahir ( ohh,my kes ni)
6. your baby diberi minum through syringe once he/she was admitted into hospital just 3 days after birth. (laaa..kes i jugak!)

SEMUA INI ADALAH MY OWN EXPERINECE, so different people different story la kan. ;) that is why we need breast pump!!!

Okay, so dengan kekecewaan hatinya, i have to resolve to indirect feeding because i so want my baby Maryam to have my milk at the early stage of her development cos i know susu ibu yg terbaik no matter what. if i have to go the toughest way in order to feed my baby, so be it. i rela pump and put it in a bottle for her. i don't mind.

Okay, stop sekejap cita emosi i tadi tu, la ni i nk cita a few pumps yang i guna.

First of all, introducing my oldest gadget (hahahaha, old kah??) MEDELA HARMONY. this pump i bought at baby fair during my 32 weeks of pregnancy. it came with a lot of free gifts time tu, macam2 la dapat, nursing bra, 10 storage bottle from autumz,breast pads,cooler bag,ice packs dan banyak lg..because it worth my monye so i got it at rm320.berbaloi sebab free gifts dia terlalu banyak and i have calculated kalau amik pum saja rm246. nk beli benda2 cam i senarai kat atas tu might cost me more than rm320. so we got the pump. at baby fair semua barang rasa murah kan! ;)

The first time i used it, memang me n hubs had no clue on how to assamble benda alah ni, seriously tak paham instructions, hahah..so kami bedal saja pasang and wallaaaa! boleh ja pump susu right away..

So it became a routine for me to pump the milk as often as i could masa 3 hari pertama berpantang tu. sebab Maryam was admitted into hospital sebab jaundice. at KPJ Hospital, rupanya depa tak kesah pun baby jaundice minum susu ibu or not sebab depa bg susu depa. mak aiii..sangat laa slamber.tp as advised by Maryam Paeditrician, i dengan gigihnya mengepam susu to send to her at hospital and  i did go to visit her and breast feed her every 3 hours or so sebab rumah mak i dekat dgn hospital. tapi selalu ja missed her feeding time sebab asal pi dia dh minum susu though the syringe. so i kena serahkan saja susu i asal dia minum sudah.

Secara umum, this pump is very good in terms of suctions memang tak sakit. ok sangat and production of milk pun memuaskan. i memang guna gila2 la benda ni SAMPAI ROSAK!! ya..betoi, i had no idea i dengan hubs tersilap pasang benda ni...after 2 weeks of using dia dah kaput. i memang bengang la..tp nk dah silap kami, the handle tu dh tak boleh pump lg. apa lagi? menggelabah cari pam baru sebab susu nak kena pam sebab dh memenuhi the entire breast. BENGKAK SUSU 1 hari sementara rizal keluar cari pam baru. but do not fret for those who bought this pump, just pasang elok2 ja, tengok betul2 cara dia k insyaAllah tak rosak. If rosak,Medela ada tempat utuk service pam. kat mana u beli, kat situ u hantar untuk service or baiki. no worries.

i love this pump so much and i really suggest new mom to buy this first before moving to an upgrade brast pump. sebab kita baru beranak, so our nipples need stimulations first to produce milk. i think if we sraight away use the electric pump for the first time, production susu tak meriah sangat. i have seen a few of my friends yang mcm tu. so lebih baik pakai yang manual dulu. susah sikit la tapi puas hati...susu keluar dengan banyak sebab this kind of pump it mimics the baby's suctions.

MEDELA HARMONY

So, setelah pam itu mengalami masalah yg tak dijangaka, Rizal got me this new pum TOMMEE TIPPE. it might not look as stylish as MADELA but i LOOOOOVEEE IT! sebab i think susu keluar dengan baik and banyak skali. till now, i am still using it. tak akan stop guna! lupa pulak, it costs me RM199.serious, best! dia punya breast shield luas and selesa sesuai for mommies with bigger boops. ( alamak!!) MEDELA punya breast sheild kecik la for my size, so i kena beli saiz besar sikit. baru comfortable. hehhh~

Tapi i sudah lengoh mengepam manually after 40 days. ;) seriously, my wrist dh silap urat and semala mak bidan urut badan i dia kata tangan i dh silap urat sikit. ya laa, i mengepam every 3 hours for Maryam mana tak silap urat oi??? 

TOMME TIPPEE FREEDOM BREAST PUMP

So, bila Rizal tengok kesusahan i, dia kata elok kita try electric pump pulak since susu i agak banyak and i am tired of manually pumped during the day sebab nak belek Maryam! heheh...malam i will use my manual pump...sebab keadaan lebih tenang. i boleh fokus pumping dengan aman.  So this is my latest gadget... TERIMA KASIH ENCIK RIZAL for this MEDELA SWING!!!

MEDELA SWING

Baru ja guna, so apa yang i boleh cakap, Madela memang ok. it is very cute. yang bulat kuning tu boleh sangkut kat baju or bawak jalan2 cos it has dual functions. guna bateri and guna electric. so kalau keluar jalan2, senang sikit, boleh pakai bateri ja. :)  

No need to pump teruk2 sebab it has decresed my pumpping time. in just 20 minutes i have managed to pump 4-5oz as compares to manually pump, it doubles the pumpping time. 40 minutes ++ baru dapat 5 oz cemtu. kalau rajin sikit lg, lebih kurang sejam i will get almost 9oz of milk. Alhamdulillah, cukup untuk Maryam minum. ;)

Ohh MEDELA SWING will cost RM799 and after less RM719. 10% ja less, kalau kat fair maybe murah lagi kot. what else ya? hmm,it's portbale and lightweight, senang nk bawak jalan la.i beli ni ssebab nk bawak jalan. tak mau miss my pumping time jugak.

TO ALL MOTHERS, KEEP PUMPING THOSE MILK BABEHHH!! WHOHOOOO... Kuatkan semangat demi baby ok! ;) susu ada, jangan kata tak ada...awal2 beranak memang susu 1-2oz ja  tapi akan meningkat. trust me.and banyak tu ja pun baby perlu awal2 kelahiran dia untuk dia minum.

makin kerap baby isap susu directly,makin banyak susu kan.tapi kalau jenis baby "istimewa" tak mau isap direct ni nak buat cemana?? SILA LA PUMP KERAP-KERAP...



p.s: kalau swing ni buat hal,pam apa lak nk try ya..? hehe

husband & wife having trouble - ALREADY?

i think i need a make over or something. my wordrobe also...since getting married, i have changed. i mean MY BODY changed. i'm still the sweet & bubbly person as always (poyo). seriously, i looked at the mirror yesterday and i was so frustrated looking at myself. i look sooo tired. i'm getting bigger too. i couldn't sqeeze myself into my favourite pants which i could easily fit in like 4 months ago...i found myself struggling to fit into the freaking jeans. OH MY GOD!

this morning, hubs complained in front of mirror too.

the scene: i was in the other room. just woke up & in front of the mirror checking myself. hubs came rushing into the room half (ehemm) naked.

hubs: macam badak!!
me: did u just call me badak?? ( pushing his arms)
hubs: bukan2... tengok nihh! sy dah rupa badak. dulu boleh lagi tangok cermin and perut tak sebuncit ni.
me: hmm... (no comments)
hubs: ni mesti sebab dok makan malam2 ni...dah la, lepas ni tak payah la masak apa dah. kita makan roti dah..
me: amboi, baru masak 3 malam berturut la boleh sebuncit ni...hari tu tak masak, tanya masak tak? konpius...
hubs: takpa2, kita jangan makan.kita makan megi & roti.
me: baru nak ajak keluar makan kat secret recipe mlm ni.
hubs: takpa2...kita makan kek sudah...

aiyakkkkkk!!

hmm, i think, my husband has no idea what a good diet means. as far as he concerns, the dinner that makes him buncit!!

as for myself, i gained weight straight after i miscarrige. i think it's a hormonal thing that i need to pay attention to. cos i don't eat much but i still gain some weight.

ohh, i wish i could turn back the time when i was slimmer. so, from now on, i pleadge to practice a healthy diets AGAIN! hopefully, hubs learns something along the way. hard to make him understand that it's not about rice or dinner that makes him buncit...he just eats a lot if it's homecook meals!! *sigh*

p.s. i love the pic above. i think i look cute.it helps to think that i could look cute all the time, just need some adjustments..ahahhaha...

where the heck have i been???

Salam...
not sure whether i have people visiting this blog anymore or not...i have been very very quite since the last entry. well, as the matter of fact, i didn't even check my blog at all. BUSY?? nehhh...
life has been tremendoulsly great and full of blessing since we have been married. syukur Alhamdululillah...i coulnd't be more happier. ;)

a lot had been saying, when a person gets married, the rezeki from Allah will be opened as wide as the sky...and it was and is very true indeed. mr. hubster and i could feel the rahmat Allah since we tied the knot! ;) life has been very very peaceful and with the amount of rezeki that granted, we couldn't thank the Power above more..

well, the biggest rezeki of all - last november, i recieved a very happy news after a visit to a clinic... that i was 5 weeks pregnant. well, after a month of getting married, maybe this was what expected laa kan? heheh..

i was shocked & didn't expect that at all...cos i was having light spotting on the day i was supposed to get my period. the long awaited period never came but only light spotting for almost 12 days and i was nausious all the time after i ate. a short trip to a clinic confirmed the pregnancy.

bad news, because i was having spottings the doctor couldn't promise that thepregnancy would survive as she wanted to "clean" my womb. at that moment, i was so damn worried. the very next day, mr.bubster took me to the specialist. and he scanned my tummy and gave me a very positive advice from medical perspective. he said the baby sack looked great and everything was perfect and nothing to be worried about just that i should limit my movements and be very cautious all the time and i had to come for regular check up weekly cos they wanted to monitor the pregnancy. i was so damn relieved. that was the first ultrasound and for the first time the hubster and i were very happy to recieve the best news, ever - the bundle of joy is on its way! ;)

so as the week progressed, i was not feeling so well. i puked all the time. you name it - in the kitchen, in the car, in the office, in the lab & class while i was finishing my lecture. even in a plate while i was eating. without any warning signs. i was really week and there were times i couldn't get up and sleeping were the only medicine to cure the sickness.

poor hubster, he had to take over the job of a housewife. he did all the chores around the house and took great care of me.

the puch card at the office was always blank and i had to explain myself why i was always on leave or MC.

the friends from the office were stating to avoid me. i also isolated myself from the crowd because i didn't feel like talking much. i could feel a very negative energy around me as if they thought i was being lazy, and because i got pregnant, i didn't come to work. what the #*@* - i was so sad. serioulsly, a friend whom i consider a good friend was not so nice to me. i never judged her despite the fact she stabbed me from the back. i forgave her. i could feel a sense of jealosy from her. but never mind~

so as i entered the 8 weeks of my pregnancy i had to undergo the check up procedure like a normal mom-to-be. things were looking great from 2 doctors i visited. just to get 2nd opinions of my spotting condition. both said it would stop when i entered my 12 weeks of pregnancy. the ligt spotting finally stopped at 9 weeks. but the morning sickness were getting worst every day. i couldn't eat. i lost 3 kg in a week. people started to notice that i was losing weight fast. i felt offended a bit. i remembered when i was excited if people said i look slimmer. but it was before i got married. but when i was pregnant, that was the last thing i wanted to hear, i guess. ;p

as i entered my 10 weeks, i was ok a bit. i could eat. and all i did was eating to gain back my weight. for the whole of the week i was eating and eating. ... finally~

but last tuesday, i woke up to have my shower, i notice the spotting was back and it was almost black in color but i didn't feel any pain. i freaked out a bit.

at noon, the hubster came home to take me to our OBGYN, and he scanned my tummy and i was so worried i even closed my eyes. i didn't want to see it. then he calmly said that the baby is gone. and i was misscarried at 11 weeks almost approahing 12 weeks in a few more days..

i was numbed. i couldn't think straight and mr. hubster did all the talking and the decision of what most appropriate. which was to undergo the D&C procedure.

we checked ourseleves in at Putra Medical Center at 3 pm and i was brought to the labor room. the next thing i knew, everything was done. i woke up at almost 10 pm.. i was having a bit of complication at first as my womb was tightly closed. the doctor had to insert some sort of medication to soften the womb and 2 hours later i was in so much pain. it was horrible feelings and mr. hubster was there the whole time comforting me. after maghrib the doctor came to finish the business. i passed out during the procedure. Alhamdulillah, everything is okay now.

i'm in my home sweet home penang now - resting and recovering. i will start teaching again after CNY. i accept my loss and redha with what Allah has determined to me. i feel so bless of having a great family and a few great friends whom i love and treasure. and the best husband ever! this experience has been the biggest so far and i hope the rahmat Allah will come our way again. amin..

as for now, i just want to focus on being a good wife to him as i never got the chance to ever since i got pregnant. so now, it's time to give the hubster more attention and love like he always deserves!~

life's great! Alhamdulillah...

approching 2 months of happiness!

Huyooo, it’s almost 2 month of becoming a wife??? Soooo soooo sorry,TAK UPDATE BLOG. I’ve already received some alarming comments by friends to start writing again..seriously, I was in no mood. And lazy to be exact…and having a blog we should hold the responsibility to keep it updated kan? .and so I give in to some of friends' comments, I will write again, insyaAllah.

Anyways, time flies.. ;) ramai orang bertanya, how is married life compared to single life? Well, totally different kan! And totally happening life I must say.. also completely tiring new life…penat weyhhh! 2 weeks after we got married I had a terrible fever…demam baru kawen orang kata. Because I was at the adjusting stage, well, still adjusting stage lagi actually. I was so tired because I guess I was very laid back type of person during my singlehood years. Baju n rumah semua I biar tungganglanggang ja. Only did the chores during the weekend. I never cooked at all. Buying foods outside was part of my daily routine after work. If I ever got hungry. Usually I would skip my dinner and stop eating after 7pm.


Well, nowadays…very different! Well, I still dindn’t cook though, I would buy the foods everyday after work and eat like there’s no tomorrow. Hahaha…YES! I gain weight and NO it’s not baby bump like many suspected,.hehhh~


So when is the baby will be in the picture?? This is the most FAQ and I find it a bit irritating cause some people couldn’t just accept that this kind of rezeki is not determined by us but Allah. And I was a lil’ bengang with a few people who expect us to get pregnant as soon as possible. Ada yg paling extreme siap SMS I while I was in the class “ SALAM KAK, CEMANA DAH PERIOD KA?” what the fish? Tak ka gila Tanya orang soalan so straight to the point cemtu?? Aduhhhh~ SENTAP!but, thankfully, my own family has not giving me that pressure just yet and they even said that we should take sometimes and enjoy being together for a few months. insyaAllah, when the time comes rezeki tu akan datang jugak kan. We’re not planning or anything. We are living it to Allah to decide. And yeah, we do want babies..lots of babies! ;p


Iike I was saying, I’m still in a big adjusting periods. Having a partner to come home to after work is great! Lonely no more. But sometimes, having this so called new roommate can sometimes be challenge. Imagine if u are used to sleeping peacefully before and now, no more? Why? Ehhh, tak baik oke fikir benda lain haaa… MY HUBS SNORES SO LOUD, THE WHOLE HOUSE IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE! Now, I’m trying to find a cure to this snorring matter. If anyone has some tips, do share. Heheh…

well, in a nutshell, all i could say is that, being married is great and annoying at the same time. annoying?? hahah...ya la, kena buat keja umah everyday okay. i pulak jenis laid back..but now, if i keep on my laid back attitude, maka rumah akan jadi tunggang langgang la kan... and being a worker and a housewife and possibly a mother next, we do have to multi task! skang baru i mula faham what's the true multitasking means....fuhhh! so tired...

i pray to Allah to give me all the strengths that i need to be a good wife to him, Amin...