6th Trip To Cameron Highlands: Review By An Avid Chill Traveller

This will be the 6th time that me and the fam went to Cameron Highlands in 10 years. 

1st trip: 2012 when we just got married

2nd trip: 2013 when I was pregnant with Naila

3rd trip: 2014 when Naila was 6 months old

4th trip: 2016 when I was pregnant with Hassan

5th trip: 2018 when Hassan when 1 year old

6th trip: 2023 now. 

Although covid was the only reason we didn't return from 2020-2022. 

So this is a dedication to Cameron Highlands, a place that we love so much. Alot of people wonder why do we go back time and time again. Some even comment "what to do in Cameron Highlands?" 

First of all, you have to understand what kind of family we are :D We love going to the park every week. We've been to almost all the parks in KL/Selangor. We also love Penang Botanical Gardens & Taiping Botanical Gardens. Our kids idea of adventure is hiking sunrise hill and they get excited whenever we mention hiking. 

So our idea of holiday in Cameron Highlands is a slow paced, enjoying the hilly town scenery and cold weather, eating fresh veggies & fruits from the farm, walking but never getting sweaty and playing with fluffy animals. 

Normally, we'd spend 2 or 3 days staying in Cameron Highlands. 

This time, we spent 3 days and 2 nights, choosing to stay in Snooze Hotel, Brinchang. Two reasons, because this holiday isn't supposed to be stressful. Second, it's not supposed to cost alot. 

Brinchang Town

Staying in Brinchang gave us the freedom to walk to many places. As you would hear from many accounts, Cameron Highlands is JAM CITY with capital J on weekends. A simple 3km drive would take one hour at peak jam. We are a family of 5, therefore it's the car or walking. 

So for those wondering, this is our itinerary: 

Saturday

12.00pm   drive to Cameron Highlands from KL

4.00pm     arrive in Cameron Highlands 

4.30pm     arrive at Agro Technology Park MARDI, Tanah Rata

6.00pm     dinner at Restoran Ferm Nyonya (Steamboat)

7.30pm     night market

Sunday

8.00am     Kea Farm morning market/breakfast 

9.00am     Sheep Sanctuary

11.30am   Back to hotel, R&R 

3.00pm    Lunch/Dinner at Pizzarella Misokimchi Brinchang

4.00pm    Walk around Brinchang shops (rain heavily)

5.00pm    Ice Cream/Cake/Hot Chocolate break at Cado Cafe

6.30pm    Back at hotel

Monday

7.30am     Breakfast at food court Kea Farm

9.30am     Check out from hotel

10.00am   Cameron Highlands Flora Park

1.00pm     Head back to KL

So on the way up, we took the Tapah road. Hassan vomited at the very last minute when we're about 15 minutes to Tanah Rata. The rest were okay. I missed Cameron Highlands! We wind down the window the feel the fresh jungle smell and cold air. It wasn't too congested when we arrived at 4pm. Most of the people on day trip were already heading down.

When we arrived at MARDI Tanah Rata, first we had to wash off the vomit. MARDI had a nearby 

We did all the things we didn't do before in Cameron Highlands. Believe it or not, so much has changed since we last came 4 years ago! Also, the kids are a little bit older and they can enjoy the attractions more..

DAY 12 Movement Control Order Covid 19

The hardest part of the movement control order is to keep the kids occupied because if they're not, they'll be fighting like cats and dogs.

It's easy to be fixated on our lives within the small four walls everyday but I keep reminding myself that this catastrophe is bigger than all of us.

I cannot imagine running a business and having to close down for a month. Yet, still having to pay rent and workers wage. I know my previous business wouldn't have survived.

Me and hubs are bracing ourselves for a longer control order. We need to work on what we have now rather than thinking about going back to our normal. Otherwise it'll be depressing.

I've been throwing myself into analyzing stocks. When I'm obsessed, I'm obsessed.

I'm grateful for being in a position to help rather than be helped.

I'm grateful for my family
I'm grateful for my apartment
I'm grateful for cat
I'm grateful for my work
I'm grateful for my dryer
I'm grateful for my notebook
I'm grateful for the internet

I'm grateful to those working so hard on the front lines while we get to be safe and warm in our homes.
I'm grateful for our new rulers
I'm grateful for those working hard from home, teaching people their knowledge for free
I'm grateful for having food to eat.

Take care and stay safe everyone.
We can get through this! 

DAY 9 Movement Control Order Covid-19

3 days ago, hubs tested negative for covid19. That's a weight off my shoulder, especially when I started sniffling and coughing too.

Turns out its just a normal nasty cold.

The days are normalizing. I don't even have to think about what I'll do. It's now almost a routine. Either me or hubs will wake up to make the kids' milk. Then we'll do chore dance effortlessly. If he did the milk, then I start breakfast, feed the kids.

The kids will then shower for 10-15 minutes, usually a bubble bath request.
It's a simple mark in the day. Shower in the morning to start the day. Shower in the evening to end the day.

Yesterday I decided to start making more video content. I don't usually know how to ramble on for a long time because my monologue is in my head. However, no time is better than now to learn rambling about nothing!

I'm starting to form this routine in my house:

wake up, solat
make milk
read quran
make breakfast & feed kids while watching Property brothers or anything on HGTV
shower
give kids shower
Hubs start work via video conference
tidy up house
exercise with kid's video choice
Whatsapp time with friends/ family/ clients


===== 10.30am by this time

Do some kind of activity with kids,
usually to give them a choice.. artwork or toy rotation
sneak away after playing with them for 30 minutes
Start my work - more content creation & breaks in between to handle kids
Kids watch TV or play games on the ipad

===== 2pm

The boys nap for an hour
I'll read a book/latest news browsing during this quiet time
Order food or cook food
Obsessively browse latest world happenings
Whatsapp time with friends/ family/ clients
Let kids active play, jump run, physical activity

=====7pm

dinner
kids shower
final kids tv show
make milk
brush kids teeth
Kids bedtime

======8.30-9pm

By day 9, the situation is getting bad out there but I'm very confident with the way the government is handling things. It's starting to make me feel safe. BNM just announced a 6 month automatic moratorium on all loans which is huge for the country. 

DAY 4 Movement Control Order Covid 19

I cooked breakfast as usual today. Bread is finished. We bought two loaves before MCO and it's gone because my kids constantly munches on bread at home. Online Tesco order is full for the next week, so I have to go out get it by myself.

I went to the first 99speedmart but bread is out of stock. Okay, very convenient. So I went to another 99 speedmart. Also gone. One of the shopkeepers told me people fight over bread when the lorry sends them in the morning. I asked, "EVERY MORNING?" "Yup."

Un-be-lie-vable.

If it doesn't feel like an apocalypse already, that seals it. We rely on bread. I rely on bread. More than rice because rice is everywhere but bread is scarce.

So I went home with a plastic full of buns, cake and biscuits. I still have fish meat and fruits at home.

Had a covid19 gossip session with friends over whatsapp.

The kids made a mess, today is no exception but I let them. What else are they supposed to do?

I did some paperwork in the morning and completely forgot that it's saturday. 

It started raining at 2pm all the way to 5pm and the whole family nap together. It's been awhile since we did that because we are hardly ever home during weekends.

So far, I've been consistent on exercise this week, I think I need it to keep myself going. I did abs, legs and full body the past 3 days and the kids joined too.

Before the whole MCO, I have to admit that I didn't read any updates on the virus, only preferring to listen to the official sources. Funny when you're on restriction order, you simply gobble up every piece of coronavirus news fake or genuine and completely psyche yourself up.

There are moments that I simply take a step back and tell myself grounding statements. This too shall pass. covid 19 is like any virus out there. Be healthy and take care of your mental well-being.

Towards the end of day 4, I miss freedom ultimately but at the same time, it isn't too bad because I'm forced sloww dowwn. Everyday is gift and I'm taking it.

DAY 2 Movement Control Order COVID19

I don't think I'm the only one thrown by the sudden movement restriction order. It came suddenly as the Covid 19 spread like wildfire out of nowhere. In January, we decided to plan a holiday in March with another family.

The news of a new coronavirus appeared one week after we've booked our flights and accommodation. So we were very 50-50 on that turning into a reality. However, near the end of March, the cases remained stagnant below 100. I decided to tell Naila that we're going ahead and we started counting down the days on the calendar.

The cases then spiked to 30, 41 then 190 a day. I knew we had to cancel then. In the midst of cancelling, our new PM announced that we're having a movement restriction order for two weeks with only one day to prepare.

At the moment of announcement it felt like our lives were upended. I never do things half-heartedly. This mama is staying in with her family indoors for 2 weeks. Yes it's happening. Basically everything must be closed down except for essential services. So our week sitting in begins, and we're not supposed to even leave the house to go to the playground downstairs.

At times like these, I WISHED we're staying at a landed home. So I could at least let the children out to play in the compound.

Let's be real, 3 small hyper active kids under house arrest is not ideal.

Plus husband & I are supposed to work. One day before MCO, hubs came back and said his colleague sitting beside him was suspected of covid19. Then hubs started feeling unwell. I called the covid 19 hotline but was greeted by a really sleepy officer who told me that they will not do testing unless his friend is a confirmed suspect.

So there's that. Too much to process in a day. I think I thrive on routines. When the routine is disrupted I feel really lost. I know I'm supposed to wing it like many many others out there but it feels unnerving. I've never read so much covid 19 news as much as the past 2 days and it's easy to feel a little doomed.

Real estate and stock market are talking about a bear market. This is inevitable. This will be the first real recession I'll be going through as an adult. It's scary. My whatsapp hasn't stopped pinging from covid 19 updates from ALL groups. It's unnerving. I can't stop scrolling looking for answers from more experienced people in the industry and they're hopeful of a light at the end of the tunnel.

Yesterday was a somewhat productive day in terms of nurturing the kids. I distracted myself by cooking, cleaning up the house by mopping every few hours because you know, kids. I even finished editing a home tour video.

Hubs was literally out cold the whole day yesterday. Like he didn't wake up in the morning and continued sleeping until evening. I checked his temperature but it was fine. Last night he finally woke up and we ate instant noodles and watched the titans.

I woke up this morning in a blur. Like, what am I going to do today to entertain my family? I cannot let them watch tv all day. They've already finished the new puzzles and coloring books I've bought them. I'm supposed to get back to work.

I made pancakes for breakfast and announced that I don't want to cook anymore for the rest of the day. Hubs woke up this morning, announced that he's doing SO MUCH BETTER today. He took 2 pieces of pancakes and said your pancakes are good. And went straight to Skype meeting with his colleagues.

MEN.

He takes care of the kids and even housework but somehow I'm shouldering the responsibility in terms of activities, what to eat, kids well-being. And I panic if I don't work. As we go into MCO, I realize that my situation is vulnerable. I'm not supposed to go out for viewing. And if there's no viewing and meeting people, then there's no close. No close, no salary no money.

There's no guidelines as to what to do in a situation like this. That's why I'm going back to writing. When in doubt, write.

Today the covid 19 cases is at 110. No signs of going down yet. First 2 deaths happened yesterday. I hope everyone is finding solace that we're all going through this together. Stay safe & stay home guys! 

You Won't Be Able to Stop Time Even If You Want To

 


So this is the year that Naila starts her standard one. I can't believe I've been a mom for 6 years! 6 years since my life changed forever and having to be an adult. Before long, my two boys are going to follow suit. Oh please slow down time!

I'm going to miss my boys saying "I Loove Mommy! Love Mommy!" before going to sleep. I'm going to miss Naila say "I want 3 kisses." Yes! they do that every single day. And it makes me laugh that lately, Ibrahim's way of softening a blow when he wrecked something is by starting with "I loove mommy" out of a sudden.

Life is fleeting, kids are tiring but wonderful.

And though they're very young, I try to be as transparent with them as possible. Naila's starting to rationalize and is a keen observer, so I keep my explanations honest and simple. Sometimes she gives her own explanations and I get dumbfounded by how insightful she is. I'm like, I'm raising a smart kid... I have to buck up.

The other day, she asks, "why does Allah let good people die." It took me a second to answer that.

Where to enroll for standard one is one big question after preschool. She's had such head start by attending Brainy Bunch for 2 years and it's such a pity to not continue her studies in that direction. All the surah's, the ideology, the theories, stories, is something that I can never teach her alone. So this is the responsibility that me and hubs are taking for her. We enrolled her in a private islamic elementary school which I might share about later.

As of now, I'm enjoying the December slow down, cuti-cuti Malaysia and all that. Looking forward to a new year full of challenges and possibilities. 

KRABI FOR THE SECOND TIME

*This is a backdated post from March 2017*

We’ve actually been to Krabi twice since I first wrote about it. I can be considered a Krabi family holiday expert now.

I personally enjoyed the first time we went more because Naila was 2 years old and we get to do more things. The second time around, we also brought along 7 month old Ibrahim and I was 4 months pregnant. It was a bit tiring compared to last time.

But I think the most question I get asked is “why go to Krabi again?” To answer this, I have to tell a story about one guy me & hubs got to know about in Bali. The guy was from Germany. He was treated like an old friend at the villa. And we found out from the owner that he returns every single year. Because he loves it there. It was so simple and profound.

It was a mental shift both of us went through in our one month old marriage at the time. So the answer to that question we get so many times is because we love Krabi the first time we went.

This time we decided to go by flight. I’m not sure which one is more tiring because on one hand, we arrived in Krabi within 1.5 hours. But the waiting in the airport took a few hours.

Naila was excited about the plane ride but Ibrahim couldn’t be bothered. I think more than anything, he was annoyed that we disturbed his sleeping time.

We arrived early in the morning at 6 am. We went straight to our hotel because we’ve requested for an early check-in beforehand. That morning, we took a rest for a few hours before heading out to eat. We’re so happy to eat at May & Zin again. Love it. The food is as tasty as it was before.

Our hotel has 2 pools and they’re empty most of the time. So we had fun playing at our ‘private pool’ that afternoon.

It was Ibrahim’s first time in a pool. He was 7 months old! He loves it!

One for the camera!

The second day, we decided to go island hopping. Just If you opt for the normal boat, there could easily be more than 15 people on the boat and you would have to follow their schedule.

Since we’re totting a 3 year old and a 7 month old, we decided that private boat is the way to go.

One of the stops was Hong Island. The kids loved playing in the sea. They enjoyed the sand. The limestone hills were magnificent. 

At Hong island is also where we swam with the fish. Naila was a bit spooked out by the fishes following and poking her. I think it was the flowery swimming suit that attracted the fish.

Ibrahim’s first boat ride. He was behaving so good. Totally enjoyed the wind blowing his hair. We spent the whole day outside on the boat. Luckily the boat was shaded and we brought some snacks on board.

Towards the end of the day, we were all so tired. Just going with a baby is a lot of work. Add that I was pregnant. I wouldn’t do it again under those circumstances. I really won’t. I’ll revisit the possibility when the kids aren’t in diapers anymore at least.

Here’s Naila really SLEEPING on the plank. Baby Ibrahim was also sleeping on our way back to shore.

On the third day, we hung out at the hotel. We ordered hotel food in the afternoon. Sunda Hotel food is good. The breakfast buffet is good, ala carte is also good. No complains there.

Hubs went on a diving trip to Koh Phi Phi island. This time around he said the water visibility is great, unlike the last time. It’s supposed to be one of the best times to dive when we went in March.

 

Ibrahim ready to spend the day in Krabi. That night, we went to the night market in Krabi Town riding a tuk tuk. The drive to Krabi Town took about 30 minutes. The tuk tuk was just a motorcycle connected with a contraption that allows 4 adult passengers to be seated. It was very windy to say the least.

Upon arriving at the market, I carried Ibrahim in the carrier and Naila was strapped in the stroller. The market had lots of interesting trinkets as should a Thailand market have. And tasty street food.

The best thing about being in Krabi is the HALAL FOOD. You can eat anything because they’re halal and cooked by muslims. Halal everywhere. I love it! One of the reasons we LOVE Krabi.

The market itself is small size. You can make a round within 30 minutes. We went back after having our snacks. (sweet potato balls yum. Come to think of it, I’m ganna make it for my kids)

So on the final days in Krabi, we strolled along the beach alot, enjoying the sea, sand and sun.

Krabi might be an annual thing for our family, because it’s just super friendly for us muslims. It’s different, you get to be in another country, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the food is superb. Last but not least, Krabi is very affordable. I guarantee it will not break your bank.

I think that’s the end of my 2nd trip to Krabi story! Thanks for reading! Till next time.

Getting Ma Babies To Sleep Early

Both my babies are sleeping while I'm writing this. They usually go to sleep around 8-8.30pm. It started before Naila was born and hubs gave me this one baby sleep book. So being the excited first time mom, I read like, 10 parenting books even before I delivered. I ate them up.

But one thing I really feel I need is my sleep. If that sounds selfish.. well you know they say that you have to take care of your self first, to become the best mom for your children. Because you gotta give and give and give. What happens if you're out of steam?

That's when you start becoming mommy monster. Not that I've never been.. but the key word here is 'trying' to take care of yourself.

So that's why I started putting my babies to sleep early.

I love my alone time.. I think I'm more of an introvert, I need my space. Even from my babies. ESPECIALLY from my babies after a looonngg day.

And I love having adult conversations at the end of the day with hubs, as opposed to baby talk the rest of the day.

Anyway according to the books that I've read.. babies are programmed to sleep early.. you just have to help them go to sleep! I've got friends who complained that their babies won't sleep way into midnight.. and I think the babies are just too overstimulated.

Naila is currently 3 years old and Ibrahim is 11 months old.. Both have NEVER slept past 9pm except during Raya or special times. We went on vacation and they slept at 8.30pm outside. So yeap we trained 'em good.

During Naila's time I was very methodical.. as in we had a sleep routine down to the minutes. When Ibrahim came along, I had to adjust for 2.. and I might skip a few things one day.. and do it another day. But it's really the same routine overall.

NUMBER 0: Last nap of the day ends at 5pm, or 3pm depending on their age. Let them play outside.. burn some energy, swim or do whatever that keeps them occupied.

NUMBER 1: Start bathing them around 6.30pm. Or sometimes they eat first.

NUMBER 2: Eat dinner. Around 7pm.

NUMBER 3: Play... puzzles, books, colouring.. sometimes things get out of hand with 2 kids because they'll end up overexcited but I always try to get them to wind down. Maybe play with torchlight in the dark.. That's Naila's favorite. Until around 8.15pm. I'll squeeze in Maghrib prayers while the kids play & hubs take over for a few mins.

NUMBER 4: Lights off. By 8.30PM. Or earlier if I'm too tired.

They will doze off within 15 mins.

Rinse and repeat for the next 10 years! HAha.

I know it sounds simple but only if you start early. And as a parent, I had to stick to schedule every single day. I'm not ashamed to admit that I really love this part because once they're asleep, I'm FREEEEE.

I started training them since they're 1 month old.. before that newborns are just too little to care about routines. And newborns are adjusting to alot of things. They don't know the difference between napping in the morning and sleeping at night.

Everybody has a circadian rhythm or 'sleep wake body cycle' and in babies, they're not developed yet. So first thing is to teach them that we sleep at night.. starting 8pm, it's lights off for the baby. If the baby doesn't want to sleep, just let them lie there in the dark... with you of course.

If they wake up at 3am cooing and you smell poo.. just change their diapers as fast as possible and get back to bed. No playing, no making faces, no talking to them. I swear the baby will get it within a month. They'll poo and cry.. but they will be asleep when you change them.

The baby will be prepped by the time he's 2 months old. Some babies start sleeping through the night.. of course mine doesn't.. I bf my babies but I still manage to get them to sleep by 8.30pm and by 9 months, they're sleeping through the night.

I know, some people will be like, why do I need to put my kids to sleep early? I like having them around!

NUMBER 1: Babies need 14 hours sleep for their development. Some babies don't even like to nap...so getting them to sleep early is one way to fill up their sleep quota.

NUMBER 2: Good habits die hard. And I believe sleeping early is a good habit to have especially when they start school. And haven't you heard? Successful people wake up very early in the morning to start their day. Sleep early=wake up early. Subuh pun senang. Ehem.

NUMBER 3: Like I said... I get some alone time.. to zone out on my phone, to talk to hubs, to read, to clean up the mess etc etc etc. It does wonders on your mental health.. I promise!

So that's it! How I get my kids to sleep early.. I don't believe in having kids 'who don't want to sleep early'. It's probably because their not helped to sleep early.. They won't just miraculously fall asleep early. I Wish!

Just have to keep trying until eventually... they tell you when they're sleepy! I'm off to drink hot choc & read. In peace and quiet. Kids Free.

'Till then, TC.

Milestones & Parenting the Danish Way

Naila is having a 2 week holiday so naturally I've got my hands full. It's a blessing that she now knows how to play independently but at the same time, she still needs my company after 1 hour playing alone.. Ibrahim naps 2-3 times a day. 

This week it seems both had a milestone jump.. Naila suddenly started looking at her Lego Duplo in a new light. If she was building 4-5 block structures before, now she's suddenly interested in building mega structures.. finishing all the lego blocks in one go! 

One day she just came to me and said "Mommy! I need to show you something!!" 

So I went to her room.. low and behold... a behemoth structure by her previous standards. I felt so proud of her for figuring it out by herself! 

We played lego soo many times together. I tried showing her many ways to assemble the lego but she couldn't care less. Then she went on to discover stuff by herself! 

Major mind shift on my part.. 

Then I found out about Danish parenting.. which means that you don't have to actively play with your kids all the time. You can just let them learn to play by themselves sometimes. 

One more thing that Naila started doing is to scribble zig zags. It might not sound like much. I was even getting worried that she doesn't seem to have any drawing skills or even remotely interested in writing.  

If forced to draw, she'd be doing circles over and over again. She'll say its Olaf or something. I'm expecting her to draw like a stick man or something by now... but nope. So I'm pretty happy that she suddenly enjoys writing zig zags in the notebook.. And they're pretty nice zig zags too. 

Ibrahim on the hand started playing imitation games last week. He'd nod and shake his head. He would move his fingers when we sing twinkle-twinkle little star. Honestly, he's at such a fun age.

Giggly and funny. He'll be 11 months soon. Ahhh time flies by! 

Third

Just a short update since forever!

I'm ganna come out and just say it! I'm preggers again! Lolz. Alhamdulillah. There are a few things that I planned on doing this year.. and to be honest getting pregnant again is not one of it. You can say it's a surprise.. I went into shock the first few weeks of finding out. I cried at the doctor's. 

Very dramatic stuff...

Hubs? I guess we went into shock in different ways. That's what I can say. 

Right now, we're.. getting there. Ibrahim is only 9 months old so this will be like the case of the Irish twins.. only different year. 

But again, alhamdulillah we have a lot of support from our families.. my parents and in laws, from daycare and from my wonderful maid. 

I worry about how would I balance my work & being a mom of three..... with 2 under the age of 2? There's breastfeeding involved. The time and effort needed is just wow. 

Ya Allah please give me strength to become the mother you want me to be. 

It's a process everyday.. some days are tough, some days are wonderful. I always remind myself that the babies will grow bigger so I better buck up. Actually since we found out about the baby many wonderful things happened.. we went to Krabi AGAIN. I LOVE my real estate work. Many many things that I can't express how grateful I am. 

My pregnancy is easy, again. No nausea or morning sickness.. I climbed Broga with Hubs & Naila when I was 3 months along.. 

I'm already 7 months along now and at most I get hungry alot. Alhamdulillah again. 

Ibrahim is 9 months old and thriving. Eating and playing lots. We're going to start sleep training him soon. 

I hope I can keep writing regularly. There's so many things unspoken that only makes sense when written down. 

Till then. 

Moving

It’s May, and guess where I’m writing this. In the new apartment.

So we decided to move again sometime in April. It’s a BIG RUSH, but we had to do it…considering a new baby is coming in July. The decision is actually sort of like a family restructuring. Lots of companies are restructuring.. my businesses are too and we personally needed to restructure our finances to brace the current economy.

I feel really sad about leaving our comfortable nest but when things get tough, the tough has to get going.. I don’t feel like it but that’s what they say anyway.

The move was a brutal 5 days. We had so many furniture to shift around because of the size constraint.. We moved into an apartment almost half the size of our current apartment! It used to be 1450 sqft of running space and now we’re one room less.

I decided to sacrifice my beautiful office. *CRY* Hopefully the pressure of working in a tight space makes me work harder.

One month before moving I started googling tips about small apartment décor, organizing tips and zen living.

I got rid of some of my clothes & hubs.

I got rid of things I kept from our wedding and school days.

I wept and tore and said goodbye to my printed memories. We gave away a bunch of stuff at the FREEMARKET. We stored sooOoo much junk. The big space we had just swallowed up a lot of stuff, it didn’t look like we had any.

Before moving, hubs actually said,

I said, “did you forget the last time we moved?”

Yes, he forgot. Because when it came for time to move, we had to hire the lorry for TWO days. Imagine TWO days. One day just to get rid of things. The other day to move to the apartment. We even borrowed his dad’s pickup truck to move loose items ourselves.

I wasn’t supposed to carry heavy stuff but caught myself arranging racks and drawers. Carrying many many boxes, baskets, plastics. Carrying Naila & the cat. Carrying carpets. Okay you name it, I did it.

And now, on to DAY 5. This is what we’ve got.

No 2

If you had followed me on Instagram, then you'll know that I'm currently carrying a second baby. It'll be 18 weeks soon. Time flies by so quickly. I'll be as big as a watermelon by the time it's Raya. Blessings as big as a baby is hard to ignore, it makes you feel humbled that you've been chosen to bring up another human being.

The other day, I said to my mom, "maa it's ganna get crayzay in the house!! I don't know how I'm ganna manage it." My mom just said, "don't say that. You've got help, you'll learn to manage. Although yes, it'll be tough sometimes."

Okay. It'll be tough sometimes. I survived bringing up Naila until now, I'll manage a second one! I have doubts about how I'm ganna BF my next one. During Naila's time she was direct BF 99.9% of the time, it meant a lot of sacrifices on time and effort. I didn't leave the house at night until Naila was 9 months old!

Maybe I'll settle with being a pumping BF mommy. Maybe that's more manageable. I do hope and pray that I'll be able to BF the next one for the next 2 years. It's a 2 year commitment man! The underwears, the clothing, the gadgets, the heavy top if you know what I mean. Nothing says commitment like breastfeeding does.

That aside, we're looking forward and already planning the future of this 2nd one. Where is he/she going to school, what he/she will be when they grow up. How we'll go on African Safari trips together to see lions when they're teenagers. How we'll go to Disneyland on their 7th birthday.

Whatever it is, I'm truly grateful for my life and this little bub.

No TV Lifestyle

At first it started out as just as a temporary thing when we just got married. It didn’t really matter. I have my laptop, and hubs got his. UNIFI was much more important back then. So that’s how we lived without a tv for the first year. In our second year, an aunt gave us her unwanted tv. You know, just something laying around. We enjoyed that for some time. I think it was like 6 months.

We started a homestay shortly after. Not wanting the homestay to be 18th century, we decided to give up our own tv. So the homestay has a tv, but we don’t. To be honest, it didn’t really matter. We went to the movies, and we had our laptops. Life was good.

Then we had Naila and I officially became a work at home mom. Man, thinking back I don’t know how did I survive the first year without a tv. I was probably too busy and too tired to even care that I didn’t have a tv. It would’ve been a good distraction tool for the baby. Whatever.

I don’t know how, but we ended up not having a tv until now! 4 years! It sounds so draconian.

I promise it wasn’t intentional. Just that we got used to not having a tv at home. I didn’t think it’s weird until people coming to our house started commenting, “NO TV??”. “Oh yeah I forgot to mention. Sorry. Now you would have to use your imagination to survive.”

Even my grandma says my house is quiet(?!?). I think she meant that as a compliment.

Yeah there are many times I almost caved and demand a tv. But to think of all the positive things happening because we had no tv. Naila doesn’t demand for a tv at all, same goes to both of us.

We read books a lot.

We do motor sensory activities.

Hubs have his fish aquarium hobby.

We play with Chanel our cat.

We do fair amounts of outdoor activities maybe 4-5 times a week.

Besides, there’s a lot competing for our attention even without tv. Like phones, and laptops. I’ve read somewhere that people have greater quality life without looking at screens. I hope so. I just feel like it’s a positive thing at the moment--this not having a tv.

Who knows what happens in the future? We might get a 60” inch tv to compensate all the years without it. Haha. Really I don’t know, but right now, this feels good. It’s effortless and we don’t think too much about it.

Everytime I fantasize having a tv, I’ll picture all three of us sitting on the sofa for 2 hours without moving or going anywhere. Or I’ll picture watching a tv series marathon on weekdays, while eating cookies and ice cream and ignoring Naila. No I really don’t want that. I was once a couch potato many many years ago. That ain’t pretty. So, no thank you.

I’m sticking to the no-tv diet for the moment!

On a side note, the other day, we hung out at ioi mall in Putrajaya. I underestimated this mall because the first time we got there, I wasn’t that impressed. It felt like any other big malls. Fast forward a year, we went for a family weekend outing of bowling, ice skating and dinner. I was amazed that the mall was so alive! There’s a lot of things to do with kids or on a date. By that I mean halal date. With the hubs.

We ate at the magnum place for the first time. My verdict? The price is exorbitant for a ‘Magnum’ ice-cream eaten with pricey biscuits. We ordered something that costs RM30, and I expected more.


Well, maybe the view of the water fountain justifies it. But I’m still sticking to Haagen Dazs for a dessert treat after this!

Weekend Getaway: Port Dickson

Once upon a time, I did not believe in short vacations. Then reality kicked in. Between family, work and other commitments, we just ran out of time! So much to do, so little time!

Last weekend, I posted about packing for the beach. We went to Port Dickson for one night only! We stayed at a homestay in Corus Paradise together with our friends and their 3 year old. Our unit was facing the sea. It was perfect!

That night we had barbeque on the balcony. Yummy.

Early next morning, we went to the beach. Our favorite beach in Port Dickson is in front of the Regency. The water is really shallow, so the little ones get to enjoy the sea as well. When I was little, my parents used to take me and my brother there. Awww good old times. Can’t believe it’s been more than 20 years!

The getaway was short and sweet. Just nice to escape the city for a short while. For now, this is our getaway style. Close to the city, affordable and short. Us parents enjoyed the chill out time, the kids enjoyed each other’s company and everything else!

All’s good.

Turning 2

So last week, I took out the old birthday banner. I said, “happy birthday Naila!!!!” Now she thinks happy birthday means the stinkin ol’ banner!  

So far we’ve celebrated with 2 birthday cakes at two different locations. All before her birthday. I’m expecting a few more cakes in the next couple of days.

Apologies for the messy room.

I can’t believe my little baby is now 2 years old! She loves to jump and dance. Sometimes she says the most surprising things. The other day she bumped into me, she said, “sorry mommy.” And she claims everything she holds is “Naila’s”. She’s also a lot nicer to Chanel. Such a big girl already.

Then you know when your baby turns 2, people start asking about when is the next baby coming. I guess we’ll just wait and see for now. Naila is old enough, and she would really appreciate a sibling. So yeah, who knows? Please doa for me!

Officially two!

The Active Life of a Toddler

 

What happens if I mix blue and red and brown?

I thought I’d share what me & Naila are up to during the week. Now that I think about it, we actually do the same thing every week! We love to paint. At least I know I do. Naila loves to mix paint until it turns into the color of mud.

Look at me go!

This next activity is Naila’s favorite since she was a few months old. It never gets old for her. On the other hand, every time I find her like this, surrounded by a cloud of tissue, I feel a tear coming on. Do you know how much tissue has been turned into unusable shreds?

If only you knew.

I guess some people never learn to keep things out of a toddler’s grasp (rolls eye at hubs).

Oo oohh mommy is here to take me out of the pool. Better pretend to be busy.

One of the perks of living in an apartment is that you have a swimming pool an elevator ride away! We make it a point to go swimming at least once a week. I do my halfhearted ‘laps’.. meanwhile… Naila cheers me on and try hard not to succumb to the temptations of drinking the pool water!

I want ice-creammm!

The park is a perfect place to let Naila burn away her excess energy. She runs around the park. By the time we get to the car, she’ll be all drowsy. Doesn’t take long for her to doze off into dreamland.

*flips page*

We read one or two books before bedtime and a few more during the day. She’s got her favorite books that she chooses to read over and over again. She’s stopped tearing books to my relief! That’s Naila’s typical weekly activities. On some days that I’m extra pumped up, we’ll do mega projects like cooking together or doing artworks from felt and stuff!

Have a good week ahead everybody <3

Favorite Pastime

Our favorite pastime as a family has got to be going to the park. It keeps you healthy, and it’s free! We go to the park around twice a week. Sometimes less, sometimes more. Thankfully we’ve got a park 5 minutes away from home.

During the weekends we prefer to find bigger parks in the city like FRIM. But last week, we went to Taman Tasik Perdana for the first time in like, 15 years! I remember going there as a kid, and so does hubs. It’s in the middle of the city, the opposite side of KL Sentral.

I gotta be honest, nothing’s changed. It’s still very well-maintained and bustling with activity.

Bubble play for kiddies.

Hugeee playground area. This was one tiny section. I didn’t take a photo of the whole area.

I don’t know why we didn’t visit this park earlier. It’s pretty awesome actually. Very big, wide pathways perfect for strollers. We no longer use strollers though, since Naila prefers to run!

What are your favorite pastimes as a family?

Cat & Baby

Hi there, I’m just chillin’ with my homie!

Now that Naila is almost two, we’ve kinda got the hang of balancing the cat and baby living situation. Last week I came across so many adverts for cats, namely, people letting go of their cats. The reason? Because their wife was pregnant. Naturally I was shocked! I started complaining to hubs about it.

Apparently people think that just because they’re about to have a baby, they have to get rid of their pet cat? Didn’t they think about it before they got the cat? It got me thinking about how many people simply abandon their cats for this reason. It’s inhumane.

There are plenty of ways to accommodate both baby and cat. I’m talking about normal living arrangements. This isn’t for the special cases---babies are allergic to cats and stuff. 

Favorite sleeping position.

What did I do different when I got pregnant? I stopped cleaning Chanel’s litter box. The cleaning duty was taken over by hubs, shameless to say, until now! I think number one reason people got rid of their cats are because of toxoplasmosis virus.

That’s what people are most scared about. But if you clean the litter box yourselves, just make sure to wash your hands properly. Indoor cats rarely have the virus anyway. If you have an outdoor cat, then you better keep extra clean. Did you know that toxoplasmosis can be spread by eating uncooked meat too?

Some people just oversimplify the problem by blaming cats!

 

Really what did I do wrong?

Second reason why people get rid of their cats is because of their fear of their baby getting asthma or allergic to the cat. Again, back to what I was saying earlier. Cats aren’t a 2-3 year commitment. They are life-long. My grandma’s cat lived for 17 years so it’s not supposed to be spur of the moment decision to have a cat. Getting rid of the cat for some reason such as a baby is coming is so selfish and very poorly thought out!

That said, when a baby arrives, do make extra effort to reduce the fur shedding by vacuuming everyday or by confining the cat to a space of its own, until you figure out living arrangements. Keep the litter box away from the baby, obviously.

Let your cat see the changes that are about to happen—the crib, the new bedding, stroller whatnot. When the baby arrives, let them smell the baby’s clothing. Introduce them gently to the baby because they actually feel alarmed by the new presence.

If you think that it’s hard work, well, remember that you want both in your life. Believe me, when they get along well, everything is bliss. You’ve got the cat at one corner, the baby in another corner.

When Naila grew into a toddler, Chanel unfortunately turned into her favorite thing to bully. How do I manage it? That’s another story to tell.

 

Toink toink!

Throwback to Perhentian Island

Last February, we decided to take our first island vacation with Naila! At first we were a bit apprehensive because to get to the island, we had to take a motorboat for an hour with a little toddler on board.
We decided to buy a toddler sized life vest to be safe. Those boat operators never have children sizes. The boat ride turned out well.
This time, the vacation is super laid back and with a toddler on hand, you can’t really expect anything. I didn’t go snorkeling and hubs didn’t dive or anything. We just spent time with each other, walking down the beach, play with sand, take a short swim in the ocean and basically drink in the island. It was bliss.
Enjoy the photos.















So beautiful.