Ready for School, Aiden??

Aiden now knows how to sit. Though not that stable, it is strong enough to keep him occupied - sitting and chewing on a toy.

There's that adorable dimple!

Okay, dah lentok. This is a sign that he's bored of sitting.

Pictures taken from Hubby's iPhone. I simply love his outfit because Aiden looks like he's just about ready to go to school! And look at his hair. Side parting lagi! *sigh* In a blink of an eye Mummy's Boy will start running and the next thing I know he'll be leaving home for University.

Can't you just remain being this age Aiden???

A New Nursery for Aiden!

Aussino recently sent an email to all their Linen Lover members - an invitation to participate in a children's room makeover. It was a chance to get a new nursery for Aiden, and maybe Aiden will become famous over TV2 and be able to pay for his own university fees from baby modelling jobs! *wishful thinking*

Anywayyyyy... wishful thinking aside, I decided to give it a go. I mean, what harm can it do right? Print a couple of pictures, write a short essay, and Wallah! A new revamped nursery! So check out Aiden's current nursery and why I think it should get a makeover!

This is our first baby. And it is no surprise that parents get extremely excited over their first-born. So when I was 4 months pregnant, I literally begged the doctor to tell us whether I was carrying a girl or a boy. Incidentally, the doctor’s appointment fell on my birthday, so I gave him a bit of a guilt trip – requesting him to advise us on the gender as a birthday present. So he gave in – it was a girl. So he says.

After raiding the year end sale for pretty frocks and adorable dresses, we decided to paint the nursery pink. We also purchased flowery girly girl decorations and piled on the teddy bears and dolls. Fast forward 5 months later, Aiden came out – a boy. And repainting the nursery blue has been in the to-do list for the past 7 months. Even the nursery is a mix and match of pink and blue. There is a blue basketball rug, a Manchester United jersey, macho looking dinosaurs and multi-coloured numbers, in an effort to tone down the original theme of the room.

So Aiden deserves a nursery makeover because his parents did a big boo-hoo by assuming that the ultrascan was right. He deserves a new blue boyish nursery, and he is happy to accept any sporty theme, from basketball to football! Though only 7 months, Aiden enjoys watching footy on the telly for some quality time with Daddy. He enjoys the pace of the sport and spends so much time with avid football fans, that his sleep isn’t even disturbed when patrons of the local Mamak stall opposite our house yell “Goal!” in the wee hours of the morning.

Lovingly made by Daddy, even though the base was from Toys R' Us.

Don't you think it looks like a clash of pink and blue at the same time?


A Manchester United Jersey and a basketball rug to make the nursery look more boy-ish.


You may not be able to see it that clearly in the picture, but the walls are actually PINK!

Good thing the bathroom is blue. Because I loved blue when I was in school, so my Mum changed the bathroom to blue.

So? Do you think Aiden deserves a new nursery? If you do, pray hard that we'll win then!

Of Singaporean Bread

I'm all for the One Malaysia mindset (though not necessarily the reigning party). I sincerely believe that "hujan batu di negara sendiri, hujan emas di negara orang, lebih baik di negara sendiri". Translated literally to "raining rocks in your own country, raining gold in someone else's country, it is better in your own country".

Whenever I am away from Malaysia, I get terribly homesick. I miss the people, I miss the culture, I miss the traffic jam (I do!), I miss the pot holes, I miss the exorbitant parking rates, I miss the the food, okay you get my drift. I swear, the first time I travelled home after a month in someone else's country, my eyes watered when the MAS plane was touching down at home soil, due to the "Malaysia, Truly Asia" tune. Sappy, I know.

So, when hubby brought back a loaf of bread from Singapore for me to try, I was reluctant to admit that it was really good. I love bread. I love Gardenia bread. I used to think that Gardenia bread in Malaysia is really the most yummiest bread you can ever find in the whole wide world. So good you can even eat it on its own. In Paris, I disliked the Baguette. In Russia, I could only find some rock hard loaf of bread which did a lot of damage to my munching capabilities.

Now, I have fallen in love with the Singaporean Gardenia bread. *sigh*. Hubby must carry a loaf whenever he travels home. If not tak boleh masuk rumah!

Check out my comparison:

Plate is used only for display purposes. Not an advertorial piece. Purchased this plate when I was probably 14 years old. No wonder I have a lot of junk in my house.

This is our version of Gardenia you find anywhere and everywhere in Malaysia.

This is the Singaporean version. Wasn't such a great first impression.

From the top, the size is nearly the same. But look at the texture of the bread. So putih and gebu!

And the best part about it, it is thicker by nearly double! Thick and soft!!! *drool*

Sorry Malaysia, Singapore wins this one hands down!

If you are ever in Singapore, and if you are a bread person, you simply have to try this out. Trust me, you will thank me for this.

Aiden's First Cookie

Aiden has been gnawing at his knuckles, at Bibik’s shoulder and my cheek for the past one week. I suspect he’s teething. So I decided to give him a biscuit for him to gnaw at to reduce the itching sensation.

And Aiden being Aiden, of course he relished the new food experience!

Aiden trying to shove the whole biscuit in his mouth. Tak muat-lah sayang oi!

"Mummy, this is nyummy!"

"I can eat with my hands!"

"So is this what hands are for? Nyummmm..."

"Delicious and scrumptious"

"Can I have another, pleaseee???" *cheeky smile*

Vroomm vroommmmm goes the jeep on Aiden's shirt. If he pops anymore of those cookies into his mouth, I don't think he'll fit into this anymore!

Comotnyer anak Mummy!

Okay now feast your eyes on my revamped dining hall. Well, minimal change actually. But more for hubby in Singapore who's freaking out: "You bought more flowers??? Cukup lah!" Can you tell how much he hates flowers? When he moved in 4 years ago, he simply could not stand the sight of the basket of flowers my late Mum had, and so we threw it all away. So its not a wonder that I never receive any flowers from him!

Replaced the old carpet with Aiden's original nursery carpet. Putih bersih to match the beige chairs.

My new vase (RM35) and Lillies (RM3 each), both from Day 3 of the Macy's sale.

My new pair of candles. Very unique. Was RM10 at the Macy's sale as well.

Aiden's First Movie

This actually happened a week ago, but with everything that has happened this week, I am simply pooped!

Last Tuesday, about an hour away from close of business, my sister called me to ask me to accompany her to a movie. I say accompany because I’m very shy shy to say that I actually wanted to see the movie. Haha! I was a bit reluctant about leaving Aiden at home with Bibik till late night, so my sister offered to pick them up to join us for the movie. I hesitated. I know I had wondered about the right age to bring Aiden to a movie in my previous post, but I didn’t think I was going to try it out anytime soon!

Well, my sister managed to convince me, and I was left waiting for the clock to tick to the right numbers for me to be able to leave the office. About 15 minutes to the much awaited time, my boss called me in! He wanted to discuss work *what else is new*.

Meanwhile, Aiden, Bibik and my two siblings were enjoying themselves in Chillis while waiting to enter the cinema. Hhmmpphh!

Aiden checking out the gurls and the social scene.

Awien posing with Aiden's sweater. Yeah, the one Mummy bought when she wasn't even preggers!

By the time the movie started, I was still stuck with my boss. So, I missed Aiden’s initial reaction! According to Awien, Aiden was really quiet when they entered the dark cinema. He sat in his stroller, watching the big screen, and was still exceptionally quiet. Awien was a bit puzzled by his reaction, so she took Aiden out of his stroller and onto her lap. As soon as she did that, he started “having a conversation” with the actors on screen! So cute!!!

Soon after, I arrived and Aiden was still behaving very well in the cinema. He sat on my lap, and whenever I kiss him, he would try to eat my cheek in return. I let him lick a couple of popcorn kernels (which he enjoyed immensely!), and in return, he started to poop! So in the middle of the movie, I had to bring him out and change his diaper! Phewwww it was smelly!

After pooping, he started blabbering to the screen again, so I gave him his bottle of milk. I didn’t want to bother the other movie patrons. Soon, Aiden was sleeping soundly.

Not to forget, it was Bibik's first movie too!

Mummy is so proud of you for behaving so well!

All in all, it was a great night out! All of us were very impressed with Aiden. He wasn’t scared, neither was he a nuisance to any of us.

Thanks to Aiden, we all got to watch the movie we’ve been anticipating for so long: Pisau Cukur *grin*

Aiden was in an extremely good mood after waking up from his nap.

Then we visited LV to check out GrandDaddy's 75th birthday gift. While Mummy prays hard for a particular something in the store to arrive in her hands for her 27th birthday!

Aiden with his favorite past time: taking off his shoes & socks and nibbling on his toes. Erm, isn't that an old wives tale which means that Aiden may be getting a sibling? Aacckk!!!

Seventh Heaven

For my birthday, Sothys rewarded me with a free aromatherapy massage worth RM298, and a 15% discount on any one Sothys product. After making sure that this wasn’t a marketing gimmick, I relented. So, after spending 4 days straight at the Macy’s sale I decided to reward myself with the free massage. Besides the massage, I topped it up with a whole body scrub and a slimming blanket treatment. After consuming Herbalife for a month, I have seen a bit of result in my weight, but it obviously isn’t enough!

So yesterday, after returning from the last day of the Macy’s sale, I drove straight to Pavillion. Sothys is located on the seventh floor. There is only one set of lifts serving this floor, which is filled with spas, slimming sanctuaries and other (so called) healthcare providers designed to burn a hole in your pocket.

But really, Sothys is a good choice for facials. I love their service, the staff knows me by name, I like how they pamper me and the back pulse point massage that comes with the facial is absolutely to die for!

The cosy waiting area.

Ensuite.

My own private wash basin and bathroom.

The massage table, and the feet soaking thingy.

After the treatment, as usual my beautician, Celine would talk me into buying their products. Usually, I would not give in. And I had made up my mind to only replenish my stock of face cream during this visit, utilizing the discount voucher. But this time, because it was my first try at the full body treatment, Celine kept convincing me that I needed a stretch mark and firming cream. And apparently they had a promotion – spend above a certain amount and you get to buy their cleansing milk and toner for a special price.

Out off all the good things about Sothys, this is the only thing that I hate. It is not in their nature to give things out for free. For instance, in order to get this, you have to purchase with purchase (PWP). Or buy a cash card. And you can’t use a birthday discount voucher over a PWP promotion.

I don’t know why but I let my guard down this time around. Celine managed to convince me to buy a few items. Kononnya I will need to replenish my toner and cleansing milk stock anyway, so why not buy it now. “It’s equivalent to purchasing 4 bottles at the price of 2!” So she says.

My latest loot.

The damage was… erm… I’ll keep it to myself. And I wasn’t happy with the fact that I could not use my 15% discount voucher, since it shall expire at the end of the year. (Anyone wants this voucher, please let me know.) I was grumbling at Celine to let me use the discount with the PWP thingy, but to no avail.

Suddenly, Celine said “Wait, I’ve got something that will cheer you up! A special treat especially and only for our Platinum members for their birthday!” And she came out with a bouquet of flowers, and a cake that says - Happy Birthday Liz. Terus sejuk hati. Damn.

Layers and layers of nyummy tiramisu. *drool*

Even Aiden had a bite (of the cream, not the coffee!)

One candle only? I am only one year old! *denial*

But when I got home, I got to thinking, how much is a cake and a bouquet of flowers, in relative to what I’ve just spent?

Oh well, I can’t turn back time, can I? *sigh*

Aiden laughing his heart out at Mummy's gullible-ness :(

Macy's Clearance Warehouse Sale

It is close to 2am, and I am still up, uploading pictures and typing this - the story about how I (nearly) wiped out the shelves at Macy.

Apologies beforehand, this post is short and snappy. Cos I need to sleep ASAP to regain my energy for another day (read: third day in a row) at the Macy's Warehouse Sale.

Noris and I had planned to take the day off on Thursday to shop. So on Thursday morning, we met at the Palace of the Golden Horses, and drove to the sale. We nearly got lost, but thankfully there were clear signages once near Balakong. We arrived just minutes after 10am (opening time), and immediately went to look for sofas. Not a full seater sofa or anything since I am planning to angkut my existing sofa to the new house. I was just aiming for a sofa bed for the living hall upstairs. Untuk golek golek sambil tengok TV...

The first hall we visited. This is just one of the two halls that housed sofas.

The sofa bed. From 1K plus, discounted to RM399. Matches my existing brown arm chair.

We also managed to be among the first 50 to RSVP to the sale, thus entitled for free delivery for anything we purchase. Can you see my name?

A closer look. Can you see my name now?

Second stop, mattresses! Purchased an extra queen size bed for the guest bedroom in the new house.

My bar stools for my breakfast bar. The fabric is velvet. Due to the fact that they only had two of these, I had to sit on these chairs to book them, while they wrote the sales order! This was going at RM145 each.

Aiden's study chair table. Noris laughed when I told her this. I know Aiden is only 7 months old, but I should be well prepared right??? This was going at RM99. A bit pricey, but I like the unique modern design. Ah tutup sebelah mata, and bayar!

My shopping partner in crime.

No more pictures of the sale. Why? Because my hands were full. There were so many people. We had to make three trips to the car to offload stuff. I did not have breakfast. There was only laksa for lunch. I was thirsty, hot and tired. There were only fans to provide air circulation in the halls. It was raining cats and dogs at one point. Get the drift?

A few disappointments as well. I failed to secure two beautiful solid wood bookcases, selling at RM175 each. It was definitely a steal! The other disappointment was when I tertinggal a queen size bedsheet set which I had paid for. Aarrgghh!!!

But overall I was happy with all my purchases and savings. I bought 3 pairs of night curtains at RM45 per pair. 2 pairs of day curtains also at RM45 per pair. These curtains are odd sized curtains, and we didn't have the time to measure. Like most of the other patrons, we adopted the just-grab-and-hope-it-fits mindset.

I also purchased a whole lot of other knick knacks. Bear with me, i'll explain in greater detail further down this entry. If you can't wait, just scroll down........

First up, I decided to try the maroon curtains. Fabric is velvet. Really thick. Looks expensive. Length was just right. Unfortunately, width did not fit.

(Please forgive the mess. Rumah macam tongkang pecah lepas angkut semua barang yang dibeli masuk rumah!)

Next up, the beige curtains. Length was perfect. Unfortunately same case as the maroon ones, insufficient width. I was nearly screaming in frustration at this point. Told Bibik to take it down and tried to adjust the gap between each curtain hook to make it longer.

Finally, we MADE the curtain fit. Yes, I know. The gap between the curtain hooks are massive. Oh well, not so noticeable right? Right?

The finished product, a newly revamped living room!

Clear glass bowl, RM27. Three stalks of orchids, ~RM50.

Side table lamp, RM69. Only one was available. Hancurlah niat sebenar to use it as a bedside table lamp. *sigh*

Stand lamp, RM114. Throw pillows, RM20 each (each throw pillow = cushion and pillow case)

I slept well that night. Very satisfied.

Second day.

A part of me wanted to go to the sale again. I was frustrated at the fact that I only managed to purchase one side table lamp. I wanted another!

And I wanted to look for more curtains. Another curtain (black) I purchased was missing one panel! I also wanted to see whether they had any more bookcases to sell.

So off I went during lunch. Okay tipu. I left the office a bitttttt earlier than lunch.

The crowd wasn't as bad as the day before. Maybe because it was slightly raining. As I was rummaging through the mountain of curtains, suddenly they announced that they were having an auction for sofas. Part of me was reluctant to leave the unpaid curtains I had set aside. But a part of me was curious to witness the auction.

So off to the auction. The first item they auctioned was a two seater black sofa, going at RM500. No one even tried to bid for it. Kesian Macy.

Second item was a 2 1/2 seater maroon sofa, also going at RM500. I didn't know why, but my hand shot up to bid for it!!! Padahal I had already purchased the sofa bed the day before!

I was the only person who placed a bid. So duhhh... I got it for RM500! Needless to say, I was the catalyst for the auction. People started to become more confident, and subsequent sofas were auctioned in a flash! I even had a few people approach me to pujuk me to sell my sofa to them.

My auction sofa. Removable and washable cover. Very comfy. Love it! Long enough to be able to baring while tengok TV!

And I bought it at only RM500!!!

The best part was that I was able to get a refund for the sofa bed I purchased earlier. So all I needed to do was top up the diference! I was so happy that I cancelled the idea of buying more curtains. The leftover curtains weren't that great anyway!

Back home, tried the maroon curtains in the master bedroom. Again, I had to MAKE it fit. But all worth it!

Another look at the living room. Now you can see the sheer day curtains. And I purchased new throw pillows for the sofa.

A closer look at the stand lamp. 70% off making it only RM114.

A closer look at the desk lamp. 70% off making it only RM69.

Both lamps are height adjustable.

Outer layer of the lamps are made of strings.

Earlier mentioned throw pillows, RM20 each.

Always a necessary item in a new house. New pillows. RM27 each.

Candles. RM10

Baking trays, RM 10 each. The Dutch Oil Company should be really proud of me for buying a shell shaped baking tray.

Each pack of paper plates, RM3. If you attend Aiden's 1st birthday party and see this, please don't scream out loud "Oh, so this is the three ringgit plates!" *grin*

Carpet for Aiden's future room. Basketball inspired. Hopefully Aiden membesar jadi tinggi to be able to play basketball! RM59.

Pinjam carpet Aiden kejap. This is a table lamp.

This is the base.

This is how you assemble it.

I like the shape. Very modern. Each was going at RM50.

Okay cukuplah tu. I need to sleep. Tomorrow is another day. Shall update with more bargains from the sale tomorrow!

P.S: I purchased a lot of small knick knacks which is not reflected in here. And they are really cheap. My advise, go before its too late!!!