Health Challenge: Week 1

Yesterday was mind blowing. The sweat, the grime, the stickyness melekit lekit - it was all very satisfying. First day of training for Health Challenge...

I chose my attire carefully. Dress to win. I desperately wanted to wear my ultra shocking pink tracksuit. The one with the word BeBe in sequins on the butt. It used to be cool when I bought it two years ago. Unfortunately, as a Mummy, I can no longer be seen displaying words on my butt. I don’t think Aiden would be tickled pink with the image of his Mummy running around the KLCC park, butt fat jiggling the word BeBe. Therefore, I rummaged through my closet for a long baby-T.

I arrived in KLCC an hour earlier than training time. I wanted to “warm up” at the Marks & Spencer sale. Mothercare was having a sale as well. I didn’t want to get Aiden anymore clothes, as I had splurged on him a few days back while getting a present for Widya’s new baby girl, Suri.

Oh ya, congratulations Widya & Rizal. Zara would be so pleased to have a baby sister, especially one with such a glamorous name. Suri. Wow. Suri Rizal. Wow.

As I was queuing up to pay for a hanging mobile for Aiden’s stroller in Mothercare, the guy in front of me was paying for an Avent sterilizer. He didn’t have a Mothercare VIP card, which would give him an extra 10% off the discounted price. I offered him my card, but the darn cashier wouldn’t allow it! Uurrgghh... I felt like telling her off “you think by doing this to save RM35 for Mothercare Malaysia, they would put it in your next pay cheque??” I mean, what is wrong with trying to help someone out using your VIP card? Not everyone can spend RM800 in 3 months in Mothercare to qualify for your bloody VIP card! I once helped a lady out using my Isetan card, for her to get a discount. I once gave a person an extra 20% off her pair of sandals using my Padini card. Never rejected! Bugger!

I was determined to burn off my frustration by running faster during my training. Haha, yeah right. That did not materialise. By the time I walked to the designated assembly area in front of Exxon Mobil, I was already feeling tired. Out of the 6 participants from the Red Team, only 4 of us turned up. And boy oh boy, did Aidil the personal trainer grill us to the ground! We started by running around the KLCC park (no shortcuts allowed – even after I explained my warm up shopping in KLCC). Three quarters of the way, I cheated and started to walk very slowly. I picked up speed as soon as I could see Aidil – must not let him down! Then he told us to try short distance sprinting. Back and forth, back and forth we went, until we could do no more. He did not even give us a breather, because after that he forced us through a series of lunges, squats, sit ups, push ups and dead lifts. Not one set, not two sets, but three sets. Unfortunately, by the second set, I felt dizzy, felt like vomiting, so I had to sit out for ten minutes! *very malu*

As Sanjeev said, “we finally saw light at the end of the tunnel”. After an hour of gruelling exercise, Aidil finally ended our misery. My arms and thighs were sore! But I walked back to KLCC, jiggling fat and all, satisfied and contented.

Second training on Wednesday, 5pm. Go, Red Team, Go!

N.B: I had grilled lamb chops and salad for dinner. No rice! But I think the mushroom sauce kinda spoiled the diet. Haha.

Primordialisme

Yesterday, I was still Laskar Pelangi-less. I went to my tailor in Pertama Complex to alter (read: besarkan, increase size) my baju kebayas for Raya 2009 and vowed to stop by the Melayu bookstore on the ground floor to find the book.

Hummpphh... not only did I NOT manage to alter my baju kebayas (tailor: “ey.. ini mana boleh alter, 5,6 inci mana boleh? You kurus dulu baru you datang balik. Baju kebaya ini you tinggal sini la, bawa balik rumah pun you tarak boleh pakai!”), the Melayu bookstore owner did NOT have the book as well (bookstore owner: “Laskar Pelangi? Waahh itu sold out la, susah carik woo!”).

But today, I am the proud owner of my first Indonesian book. *kembang semangkuk*

Started the day by giving Aiden his morning, erm... mid noon bath. After giving Aiden his meal, I got ready for another shopping spree. This time, it is the Metrojaya VIP sale! Unfortunately, I was not the only one anxious for retail therapy – proven by my failure to secure a parking spot in MidValley, and I was too lazy to tawaf the whole building to find the Gardens parking entrance. And I did not want to waste precious shopping time, thus I gave the car to the Gardens valet. Hah! *mengada*

Had lunch with a friend of mine at Italianese. He was on his way to my house to visit Aiden but because I already had a date with Metrojaya, he decided to pass Aiden’s gift to me by joining me for lunch. Malek has been my friend since I was shipped off to the Pipeline camp (subsequently to the Onshore Processing Facility) in Sakhalin by the Dutch oil company. Back in 2006, it was minus 7degC when I arrived in subzero Sakhalin as a graduate engineer, all bright eyed and raring to go. Malek was my first Malaysian friend. Okay, second Malaysian friend, but forget about the first – because the first was more interested in making me his third wife. Haha. Despite the 17 years of difference in age, we ‘clicked’. And amazingly, we can still talk about anything and everything. And as he is the last Malaysian to leave the Sakhalin II project, there shall be no more gossips about the latest Sakhalin hick-up, the bimbo secretaries and the harsh winter. Damn, after spending 2 years in Sakhalin, I never thought I would actually say this, but I miss Sakhalin!

After passing Aiden’s present and the oh-so-adorable Matryoshka Russian Doll blankie that Malek got for me, to the valet for safe keeping (and because I wanted my hands free for Metrojaya) *very mengada*, I walked over to MidValley. Decided to stop by MPH to look for the elusive Laskar Pelangi. Was very disappointed when the MPH guy checked his computer and told me that the book wasn’t available. Dejected, I walked slowly towards the exit. Then suddenly, I saw it! Stacks and stacks of Laskar Pelangi on a shelf near the exit! Now very disappointed with MPH workers. Hummpphh!

I shall spare you the gory details of my shopping spree: the wait for fitting rooms, the displeasure of finding out that I am now one size bigger - thanks to Aiden, the aching legs, the slow nak mampus cashier, the thin wallet, my pestering Aunty on the phone who was making me feel very guilty for leaving Aiden at home, the Datuk who tried to chat me up while waiting for the valet to deliver our cars, the traffic jam, and the bugger with the besi tong biskut car who tried to sodok masuk my lane. Oh, I just gave you the summary of the gory details. Haha.

I am now at page 3 of Laskar Pelangi. Why page 3? Because my Aunty was making me laugh my head off when she tried to read it as well, and couldn’t understand the word meneduhi. And she claims that keringat is an Indonesian word. My oh my, how much the Bahasa Melayu/Malaysia/Melayu has evolved since she left school 40 years back!

Wish me luck! Because I am having trouble with the word primordialisme. Aacckk!!

N.B: Remember to keep your book receipts for tax deduction purposes!

Of Rainbows and Dead Fish

While browsing through the Times warehouse book sale last week, a thought crossed my mind. I wanted to find a copy of Laskar Pelangi. After reading about it on my friend’s blog here, I was quite curious on how an Indonesian bestseller novel could inspire her to write such a post (she was ready to take a flight out to Indonesia to find the writer to give him a hug... yes very dramatic!).

Unfortunately, my mind was on the Raoul sale downstairs, to actually spend the time rummaging through stacks and stacks of unorganized books. So, no Laskar Pelangi just yet.

Then a few days ago, the song Laskar Pelangi by Nidji was playing on the car CD player. I decided to tell hubby on my latest reading conquest. Considering how I am always reading English books (ala ala Melayu tak sedar diri), I wanted his opinion on my first attempt at a Melayu book.


Me: Yang, you tau tak Laskar Pelangi is actually the name of a bestseller Indonesian book, and after reading about it dari my friend’s blog, I think I nak baca jugak lah.

Him: Hahahahahahaha... you nie Bahasa Indonesia pun tak faham, nak baca buku Indonesia pulak. Do you even know what Laskar Pelangi means?

Me: YES!!!! *temper rising* Laskar means askar, and Pelangi means rainbow lah!

Him: Hahahahahahaha... Laskar is Askar? Hahahahahaha!!!

Me: Betul lah!!! *bloody angry* Kawan I tulis macam tuh! She said Laskar Pelangi is Soldiers of the Rainbow!

Him: Hahahahaha!!!!! (while clutching his perut in an effort to contain his laughter)

Me: *^%*%*$*$*^%$*^ Malas layan you!


So... again, no Laskar Pelangi just yet.

Then yesterday, I was reading this blog – and his latest entry was on the same book! Again, heaping praises on the book. Life changing apparently. And when he wrote, in his humble opinion, that the Laskar Pelangi movie fared way better than the latest Transformers movie, I felt like forcing hubby to drive me to the nearest bookstore to get the book! Bistra bistra!!

Unfortunately, hubby was down in the dumps. A disease had ravaged the life of someone close to him. Yes – some disease has infected his beloved koi pond, subsequently killing 3 of his 5 newly bought ‘fishys’. And claimed the life of one ‘resident fishy’ (a name we give to any fish that has resided in the pond for more than a month).

Fishy... may you rest in peace. We mourn for you, and may you have a happier life in heaven without cats and diseases and everything that makes you sad.

The koi pond hubby so meticulously tends to every weekend. Full of mold which hubby claims “makes the kolam look authentic!”. Whatever lah darling!!!

So again... no Laskar Pelangi just yet. Soon... Soon...................

Unbelievable, Nuby!

Unbelievable! That was what I said to Bibik when she said Aiden refused to drink from the Nuby bottle, brand new from the recent shopping spree at Robinsons. The Nuby Soft Air Natural Nurser Breast Size Nipple – to be exact! Despite the Nuby’s promise of easing the transition from breast to bottle with its silicone nipple with a natural soft feel and shape which closely mimic’s a mother’s breast, I was again deceived and left bewildered at Aiden’s choice of teats.

I am actually quite lucky. I bought an Avent newborn starter set way back when Aiden was still called by his female name. Oh, didn’t I tell you that dear Dr Aziz told me on my birthday that I was carrying a girl? And the excited Mummy and Daddy went shopping for frilly skirts and painted the nursery pink, only to be told a month later that our baby was spouting an elephant trunk. Oh I’m being nasty.

Anyway, Aiden accepted the Avent bottles during his first 2 weeks of life, but started to reject it soon after. Upon advise from Iza and her experience with Ayesha, I sent hubby to the nearest baby store to get a MAM bottle. And thankfully, he drinks from it. The Avent bottles are currently banned to the world of collecting expressed breast milk, never to touch Aiden’s lips again.

I have a friend who had to go through 7 types of bottles. She stopped at lucky number 7 because her baby girl decided that bottle number 7 was the one for her. So yes, I am lucky.

Now why did I get that Nuby’s bottle again? Shopaholic, that’s what I am.