The More Things Change, the more they Stay the Same....

It took me a week to settle down in the office. I feel that I am so out of practice, out of touch and everything seems so far away.... I had to pause, think hard and try to remember where I left things off. But getting back into the groove I think was quite easy - I just need to start juggling again and at times be a clown. The difficult part is catching up with what's going on out there in this dynamic industry.

I must admit that it was difficult to leave my little prince with my mom. Yes I know he is in good hands but I cannot help missing him... I had him to myself for 2 full months! I miss his smiles, his coos, singing to him and I have such short time to play with him after work. Plus, I have to share him with his uncles, cousins and grandparents! I am being selfish I know.

I shall not lie.... it does feel good to be back in office and I thought with all the changes, things would be different... well, most of it stays the same...

The 2 main difference that I noticed are 1) some of my makcik.com friends picked up cooking - beginners level( at this age!) and ambitious too with the dishes that they want to prepare and 2) they have lunch together - makan berdamai. I thought it was kinda odd initially. Odd in a good way.

Well.. it's good to be back!

Mission Accompolished

I'm going back to office next week. How time flies.

I told myself that I would do the following during my maternity leave:

1) Morning walks along the beach with the little one - I did the walks with the little one. Not along the beach but around my neighbourhood in the evenings. Well... at least I still walk. I can always imagine that I am at the beach. And I live in Bukit Panjang... lots of foliage and its windy - so in my mind I am at the beach.

2) Get my hair done - I did it

3) Meet up with g/fs - i did it - without the boy

4) Watch Korean dramas - I did it and even ignored Nash, Love Hunters on RTM 1

5) Become a Housewife - I did it and don't think I can do it everyday

6) Do marketing with the little one - I did it, complete with my marketing bag. Hubby say very makcik. Aiyoh... but a cool one because now hair very nice

7) And finally, I went shopping with the little one - just the 2 of us. He was such a doll. He did not cry his lungs out when he sat by himself in the back seat and let his mama drive safely from one place to another. Yahoo! There'll be a next time for sure!

Nostalgia Top 10

These are some of my fav songs in the 80's. I'm sure my closetted friends do remember them...

1) Terbanglah Kau Burung - Mazuin Hamzah (*wink*)

Always loved this song. I remembered buying her album (casette tape) from my own pocket money. I spent some days singing to this song. I also thought she was very pretty and I like her teeth! hahaha.. yes, I am a teeth person.

2) Jangan Pisahkan - TT Dores and Someone

I'm not 100% sure of the song title. This song is really really sad. Thinking of it, this song is perfect for all the Korean dramas that I have been watching.

3) Hetty Koes Endang - Kuda Hitam

I used to sing this song to my elder brother and he would run after me annoyed. Ironically, his friends today call him "Black"

4) Balik Kampung - Sudirman

Loved this song. Reminds me of the long ride from Singapore to Butterworth. My late father's hometown. That's when I geo to hear him speak with the Penang accent and I did not understand a single word my cousins said. Also, had to remember my Mak/Pak Long, Mak/ Pak Ndak, Pak Teh, Mak/Pak Cik, Mak/Pak Jang, Mak/ Pak Lang, Mak/ Pak Tam, in order.... was quite stressful at one stage. And yes, that does not include the Mak Tok, Tok Abah, Tok Lang and more....

5) Kau Lilin Cintaku - Francesca Peters

Just loved her voice... I think I copied the way she dressed too! Hey! That was in the 80's!

6) Dulu Dan Sekarang - Black Dog Bones

In fact, I love most BDB songs....

7) Mengapa Perpisahan Yang Kau Pinta - Flybaits

This song is very sad. How come most songs in the 80's all about love...

8) Apa Yang Ku Cari - Endang S. Taurina

I spent my pocket money buying this album. Like the first song, I spent my afternoons sometimes singing this song in front of the mirror! Pretending to be in talentime....

9) Jangan Talipon Lagi - AlleyCat

Jangan Talipon Lagi, Leha Tak Boleh Pergi! This song is funny!

10) Boneka Dari India - Dlloyd

This one got good memories! Hubby sang this song to me!

Me a Housewife?

I really salute women who give up their careers to be a fulltime mom/ housewife. I don't think I can be one. While I love the idea of being with my son 24/7, I don't like the idea of having to do all the household chores, being indoors on most days and doing other errands daily. Don't get me wrong, I do find time to read, surf the net and watch DVDs but I do need "Me" time and at the moment, I don't get that often. I also need to be around people/ friends to laugh out loud at silly things. Laughing alone is not that fun.

My life is somewhat a routine these past few weeks. Everyday, after feeding and playing with my boy, I will have to quickly do the household chores and prepare dinner. While I love to cook, I find it very tiring having to think of what dishes to prepare for the day. Imagine our mothers doing that daily! Whatever spare time I have, I spent it online reading news or reading up on child's development. If I do have some time before my little one wakes up, I window shop online or go to gossip pages for some latest news. When I leave the house to go for walks with the little one, I feel like a bird... free

On weekends when we go out, I always opt for shopping malls as that's the only time I get to see, touch and feel the clothes, the shoes, the bags, etc. And I always look forward to the weekend. I did try to go shopping with my boy once but I did not go far. At the moment I can handle him on my own but without the pram, the diaper bag and the boy cyring in the back seat of the car. It can be pretty stressful.

To all women who give up your career to be a stay home mom, I really admire the choice you've made.

SS vs SM

Who would have thought I would call her a friend? I met her, SS 7 years ago. My first impression of her, she was sloppy, abrupt and rude. When I found out that she is from Germany, I thought my impression was right. Then one day we started working together - boy it was horrible initially. Firstly, she's very long-winded. Ask her a question and she does not know when to stop talking. Secondly, she always seek for more info and that infuriated me - its not as if she'd use all the info in the end. She wanted the system to be perfect, orderly - which means more work for all of us and I swear then I would have kicked her. She is too oblivious with whatever that happened around her. Definitely not someone I could go to for any gossip! When we travelled together for work, she was always late and made me wait - each time I would tell her off. SS said I am very stubborn and direct. I told her she is just as stubborn and direct. At one stage I felt we tried hard not to offend each other. Then one day, one of our distributors wanted to take us to lunch and he asked if it was ok for the three of us to have lunch together. We said yes and asked why. He thought we were enemies! Wow... we did not realize the impression we left on others.

Over time, we become fast friends. Deep down I know she is kind, values her friends and she has a pure heart. I know she will leave Singapore eventually but when she told me last week, it came as a surprise. We met for coffee before she left and I told her I would miss her. I never thought I would say such things to her. We promised to keep in touch and knowing her, we will.

Touched By A ....

I had my hair done yesterday - a hair cut and a rebond. It was done by a new hairstylist - I cannot figure out whether the hairstylist is a he or a she. I spent the entire time observing her... him..... err....
She has very sharp nose - at one stage I was tempted to tell her... but I did not want her to think that I was hitting on her. Her eyebrows was nicely plucked and her make up was perfect. Her hair was long, silky smooth and beautiful but her voice was very hoarse. I caught her looking at herself in the mirror several times and each time she pouts. I thought it was quite sexy. She has quite nice lips and I thought I saw some stubbles at her chin... her hands are manly. She does not have a nice body but hey she has nice boobs. And at that time I came to a conclusion that he is a she. Afterall, I couldn't find her Adam's apple - but then again, her neck was quite short and fat.

4 gals and a Guy

Friends. They keep you sane. My group of galfriends err-- make that girlfriends and guy friend email each other everyday. We talk about everything - pimples, our fears, our hubbys, our kids, you get the picture. I think if anyone of us were to keep all our emails, we could publish a book already... or better still create a series of it.

We've been friends for 13 years now - we met in uni. I remembered hanging out at their home almost every day - I should have just moved in with them and stopped paying rent at my own apartment. I've seen them at their best and worst. I also remembered seeing how flustered our guy friend was when every girl in the house got the PMS...

From being single to getting hitched to becoming a mom, we've been together. I've learnt from each and everyone of them.

Today my friends are everywhere. Thanks to daily emails, it keep us close. These days, they keep me sane with their emails, funny stories and parenting tips.

And here, with our husbands and children.

Time to Change

My little prince is 1 month old today - how time flies. These 4 weeks, he has taught me to be a lot more patient. He has also taught his mama that whatever plan she has, sometimes it may not necessarily go the way she wants it... she now has to work around his schedule :) For someone who is organized and follows a schedule diligently, I must now learn to let go and follow the flow.

It's a Matter of Preferences.... and it continues....

So some friends are not happy with my first entry. They questioned why do I go to Tekka Market to eat and not Simpang Bedok. As you can see, Simpang Bedok seem to be "THE" place they are trying hard to convince me to go to.

I eat at Tekka Market because a) there is only one shop that i frequent i.e. the stall that sells chapati. The food is being served on styrofoam plates and the stall in terms of cleanliness - it's graded B. The crowd is made up of makciks, pakciks, aci and baiya on Sunday mornings. They don't make that much noise, they are not attention seekers. They are there to just eat and leave.

Versus Simpang Bedok - the few times that I have been there, I saw a lot of Anak M,Bapak M and Mak M - not that I don't want to mix around with them but they make me uncomfortable. I like to eat in comfort, afterall as my blog title says it - It's all a matter of preferences.... aka also read - I DON'T WANT TO JOIN YOU GUYS AT SIMPANG BEDOK! There! I've spelt it out.

It's a Matter of Preferences

So I don't like to eat at some hawker centers and Simpang Bedok. Call me a SNOB, shoot me, be sarcastic... I'm not bothered. Yes, I am very particular when it comes to eating venues. I don't like certain hawker centers - e.g. Newton Circus because there are far too many tourists there and the food is not that great. I don't like the crowds either and i hate seeing too many beer bottles on the table. I don't like Simpang Bedok because I don't fancy the way the tables are being arranged, the crowd and I must admit I do see some "insects" and that turn me off. So friends, if you want to tease me - go ahead. If you want to organize a get together at Simpang Bedok despite the fact that I don't like that place - go ahead. I just won't attend. And friends, if there are other known celebrities who go there to eat - so be it - no big deal. Celebrities are human too - so what's so special about them?

Everyone has their own preferences as to where to eat, what to eat and how they eat. If you choose to eat spaghetti (Italian food) and finish it off with teh tarik - go for it... though I must admit I dont think that's a great combination... and that my friend is my preference :)

Snack Time!

I was looking through some pictures and came across the following. These pictures were taken a year ago when my colleagues and I were in Beijing to attend a conference. We were walking along one of the night streets towards Tiananmen Square and were offered to try these snacks. Would you?

any takers?

here's a selection....


And more...

Starfish anyone? This is too pretty and cruel!

And for desert, you can have these....

Time to Move On Again

This Friday we move back to our Orchard Road office. While I packed my office last night, I thought I'd be OK with this move... but looking at all the boxes and how clean my office was/is, I cannot believe myself when I felt a tear running down my cheeks. I cried. Yep, 6 months in Concorde Shopping Center and now we've been told to move back to Orchard.

I have been back to Orchard office of late for meetings and each time I leave the office, I feel so drained, tired and disappointed. The place is now so cramped, one can hardly move easily.... I guess the company is encouraging us to stay trim and lean - good no?

I'm already out of the office now. Chose to go on "leave" from today to Friday. No point in hanging around. I would rather spend the last few days in December shopping with mom, having coffee with girlfriends and being a Domestic Goddess - making sure that the house is clean - to welcome our little gem.

Resolution for the New Year - None. Just take things as it comes and continue to be a better person in life :)

It's a Season to be Notty.... lalala...

It's a season to be notty, lalalalala and that's what I did! It's just one of those days when you have just want to escape from the reality of work... what do you do? I went to the movies. I had it all planned out nicely. Little did I expect it to backfire on me and I had to confess.... nope... not to my boss but my hubby.

A friend and I decided to watch a movie (The Holiday) at 4-ish at Bugis and I left her to arrange for tix. A few minutes later, a colleague came over and gave me 2 tix for an evening show at Lido (A Night at the Museum). I called hubby and asked if he was interested. He couldn't decide initially as he was required for some emergency at work. So I told gf to proceed and 5 mins later, hubby called to say OK. So I'm screwed. Hubby was not supposed to know I was watching a 4-ish movie. G/f said, don't worry, movie is only 1.5hrs long - yeah right - for someone who gives tuition, 135mins is equivalent to 2hrs 15mins long! I calculated my time and figured I could make it to Lido by 7pm. So doodle dee doo we went.... all happy and plan will work.

Just before 6, hubby called to say he was on his way to Lido! Damn, now what? Movie at Bugis has not ended and I was enjoying the warm, mushy feeling! I had to confess and sms hubby to let him know I was in Bugis.... obviously our friend not happy...

I did not even wait for the movie to end - left at 6-ish and drove to Lido. You know when you are in a hurry, you always end up being caught in traffic and I did not realize that some roads towards Orchard were closed. Damn! I had to detour and was later caught in another traffic...*sigh*

Long story short, we made it to the movie on time and enjoyed ourselves very much. For a preggie lady, I think not bad eh - my driving skills is pretty good though I now have to turn my head for blind spots, i sat through 2 movies back to back... and yes my back ached when I got home. Had to be on all fours to just relax... making me look like a sloth....

The good thing is, my g/f who used to say that she will NEVER eat alone or even watch a movie by herself, ended up on her own! hahaha... the kind of things she ends up doing when she spends time with me. One - she was forced to grow up *wink*, 2) watch a movie by herself - never say NEVER!

My Most Memorable Trip in 2006

It has to be the New York trip in February. It was still cold when I got there - freezing. I was as usual stopped at the immigration because I have a Muslim surname *sigh* but when I told them that I work for the Orange World, the immigration officer started talking about the sweepstakes that was happening that weekend. I listened, gave him my darlie smile and off I go.

I like being in big cities and if I have my way, I would go to all big cities for my hols. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I don't always get my way. Anyway!

The NY trip was a busy one - back to back meetings, conferences to attend, dinners with our colleagues in NY, shopping and absorbing city scenes. But that was not the highlight of my trip.

It was the snow storm that I experienced. Apparently it was the second biggest snow storm in NY. The snow was thigh high and it crippled the transporation system. It was also the same day that I was supposed to fly out. Everyone started talking about the snow storm and I thought, how bad could it be right? On our (my colleague and I) left early for the airport and by the time we got there, the roads were soon covered with snow and it was a beautiful sight. Deep down, I was wondering if it was safe for the flight to take off.

We got on the plane and stayed there for the next 6 hrs! The engine was de-iced 3 times and by the time the plane was ready to take off, the weather was so bad that we had to stay for another night in NY. We were sent to a nearby hotel at 4am and told to get ready the next morning at 8am for our flight. It did not happen. All the airports were closed, flights cancelled and that's when I also realized Americans cannot handle crisis and their service shucks big time.


Despite being tired and grouchy, my colleague and I became kids once again, we threw ourselves at the snow, played snow balls, built snow man, admiring the beautiful white fluff, got our ass, hands and ears frozen! It was just so awesome.


I woke up to this milk white morning... taken from my hotel room....






We walked around the hotel... no where else to go....

Check out the snow behind me!

My motto for the few weeks, months, years...

Everyday I do my best and to Allah I leave the rest. I know that I cannot do better than my best, so I'll do what I can and rest.....

My Little Gem....

I am 8 months preggie now and soon in Jan I will become a Mom - InsyaAllah! So exciting! Yep we have bought some baby stuff, mostly clothes and I have received some gifts from friends and distributors. Hubby can buy all the other stuff when the baby arrives.

We've been asked several times by friends, colleagues and relatives for our little gem's name. It has to be a simple name and yes, we have shortlisted a few. We went to PGL musical 2 weeks ago and I was tickled when I hear the actors/actresses spoke Bahasa Jawa. It has always been a joke between my hubby and I. I don't understand a single Javanese word until we got married and sometimes without realizing it, I used those words in my conversation... hahaha.. so one afternoon, a colleague asked for our little gem's name.... and I said Gusti Adipati SukarnoPutra! How's that?!

Another Office Move...

Yes, you read it right. I am moving offices again... this time believe it or not back to the Orchard Road office.... I don't even know whether I want to cry or laugh...

After the restructuring and many unexplainable situations by the management, we are moving back to the Orchard office... 2 weeks from today. There are major constructions going on at the Orchard office to accommodate us and whoever that are left behind to work for this really brilliant company! I had lunch and dinner with my distributors today and they were all asking about the new office and you should have seen their faces when I told them I was moving back. Thank goodness, I will be out on maternity leave soon... so I am adopting the take and do it attitude.

Work has also been piling on my plate...a colleague called me "stupid" for taking on more responsibilities. You see, I don't mind doing more work and being exposed to different businesses - because i love to learn but one thing I cannot stand is stupidity and trust me, there are people in the team who are like that. I wish I could get them off! I also cannot stand people who worry for nothing and come up to me with all the "what ifs" question. For gosh sake, snap out of it and seize the situation, find your solution instead of giving me another white hair...

I just need to find my mojo for the next few weeks in the office and try to shield off all the negative energy around me. I really try hard not to bitch but since I've been back to the Orchard office these past few days, I am finding it very difficult to bite my tongue. The only thing that makes me happy right now is the thought of buying most baby stuff this weekend! We have our list ready and come Saturday, we are on a roll!

No smoking

I have nothing against smokers... hey my hubby and brothers smoke. They just don't smoke in the house and when I am around.

I welcomed all the No Smoking signs that you now see at hawker centers and other small eating establishments. Last night, we went to our usual eating place along Bukit Timah for dinner. While eating, there was a group of young adults behind us, smoking. Clearly, they must be blind to not see the No Smoking signs. Since we are regulars at the eating place, we told one of the waiters to tell that group to smoke some place else. Obviously, they were not happy and started staring at myself and hubby. I stared back. What made me really annoyed is that they were clearly in the wrong and yet they acted as if they were right! And what's worst, they are Malays! Why do they act that way? It's bad enough that Malays make up the most number of smokers in this country and there are some bodies educating our community to give up smoking. And over here we have a group of young idiots who are selfish and behaving as such.

Hey, smoke all you want, its your body, your health and your life, just be considerate and follow the rules! There are reasons why rules are put in place!

Hindi Pinoy!!

I'm exhausted and I think no matter how much my head tells me I can do it, my body is telling me otherwise....perhaps I am getting bigger and older... 7 months preggie next week! how time flies!

And speaking of flying, just got back from Manila last night. I was not at ease the whole time I was in that country. Well... I am never at ease when I have to leave for Manila but this time round, I was really paranoid and as much as I could, I stayed indoors. I don't know why... perhaps I have not been traveling as often, or because I am pregnant, or could it be everyone was questioning whether I was OK to travel or could it also be that I was on the 22nd floor of the hotel.... hey as woman traveling by yourself, you should always, ALWAYs request for a hotel room on the lower floors... in case anything happens and you need to run down and yes, a room close to the lift!

This time round, I saw several bomb squad trucks parked along the roads, the offices, malls and the hotels premises. On the second day, there was a demonstration right next to the hotel and usually, I would stay out to watch. Not this time. The next day I told myself to stop being paranoid and decided to go to Starbucks for a drink... while on my way there, I kept holding on tightly to my purse.... don't ask me why. Finally, when I got to Starbucks and they started asking me for my order in Tagalog, I snapped and said "Hindi Pinoy!". I must have sounded really pissed off or arrogant that the guy looked really surprised. I did apologize, got my coffee and quickly left the cafe... back to my hotel room.

Excuse Me, Did you Just Fart?

I met a 5 year old boy last night. Very chubby, talkative and cheeky. He was watching one of the kids channels (ahem) and he farted. So I asked him did he just fart? Without looking at me he said, "no, that was the motorbike..." and when I asked him about the smell, he said " Auntie Z... that was the SMOKE!" I burst out laughing!

I wonder as a parent, how do you react to that?!