(One of the Many) Trip(s) to Lumut

Lumut is where most of my outstation trips are... To most it is just a small town connecting the Peninsular to the more famous Pangkor Island. Truth is, I quite enjoy Lumut if not for its hot weather, being very close to the sea. Seafood is cheap and in abundance. It boasts many beautiful places too. And I get my fresh supply of dried ikan bilis (anchovies) and udang kering (dried prawn) from Lumut as well as the occasional petai and fruits from the small town of Bidor en route KL. Dinners in Lumut would always be fish, squid, prawn, crab (if in season) but by the third night, I would usually order room service or have KFC Take Aways (hahahah!!). The only 2 hotels which I have stayed at in Lumut are Bluebay Hotel & Resort and more often these days the Orient Star.

Susu Ibu (Mommy's Milk)

I have been meaning to post something on this since Millie was 3 months old.... and now even her baby sister is approaching her eighth month..... oh well, better late than never..... I have been writing notes on this on other people's blog though.

I am all for breastmilk and in my opinion, formula milk should only be allowed after the baby reaching its 6 months of life and prior to that a doctor's prescription is required where it should only be given to babies where the natural mother has died or is suffering from some illness which can be transmitted to the baby through breastmilk.

There is absolutely no excuse for not exclusively breastfeeding our babies for its first 6 months (or at least for the first 4 months, or worst case, during confinement). Working mothers should not use "working" as a reason for not feeding them with mothers' (I mean, human mothers) milk. Breastmilk can be stored and the more you give your baby, the more productive the milk factory shall be. By experience, I have successfully breastfed my firstborn Haakem (exclusively for 6 months) and non exclusive until he was 2 years old. The secondborn Millie was exclusively breastfed for 7 months and continued until she was 2 years and 4 months old, well during my pregnancy (of her sister) and until her baby sister is 3 months old. And with this new baby Zara, I have exclusively breastfed her for 6 months and continue to do so until now...

After reaching 6 months, Millie refused formula altogether, choosing cereal, pureed foods (rice, veg, fish) and fruit juice instead, whereas Haakem preferred formula to food. Zara seems to want everything.... breastmilk, direct from the source, stored & warmed breastmilk, formula (I have been using dumex products for my kids), nestum (rice with milk/honey/fruits) and biscuits.

Back to breastfeeding, expressing and storing should not be a problem at all. I only need six bottles (12 oz size or 6 oz size), one feeding bottle, a small round container (taufufa container also can), towel/wet tissues and fingers. Breast pumps do not work for me. Either the battery operated or electicity powered or manual... Fingers work best. On normal working days (in the early weeks I try to be away only from 8am to 6pm, just to establish routine) preparing my body by drinking at least a glass of soy/milk and having oats for breakfast. At work, I replenish water constantly not forgetting lotsa vegetables and fish during lunch and fruits & crackers as snacks.

First collection is usually around 10-10.30 am and I would spend 20 minutes the most, second collection is after lunch at around 1pm and third is at around 4pm. Breastmilk can be kept at room temperature for 4-8 hours (depending on the temperature of the room). I keep the expressed milks in the office fridge and take them home with me in normal bag. No need any special containers as I arrive home within 30 minutes, an hour tops. Once at home, I would put them all in the fridge. Breastmilk collected within 24 hours and of the same temperature can be combined in one bottle. My normal collection for the day while at work would be 15-20 oz. One hint, do put a container to collect the dribbling milk from the other breast while you are expressing from one. Otherwise you would waste even up to 5 precious oz!!

When I am at home (or rather when the baby is with me whether home or away), it is always direct from the source and I would breastfeed her whenever she asks for it. Just like when I am expressing milk, I would collect the milk from the other breast, when my baby is feeding from one. This way, I can collect another few ounces to add to my collection!!

Expressed milk is only for when Mama is away... most days I would have enough for the next day's feed plus a few ounces to be frozen for future use (when I am on outstation duties, although I try to avoid overnight outstation duties until baby is at least 4 months old).

While on overnight outstation duties, I usually could only express milk once during the day (during lunch or tea break for I don't want to make such a big hooh hahs about it in front of everybody in the meeting/visit). But when I am back at the hotel room, it would be milk collection sessions almost every 2 hours!!!

I can vouch for the benefits to my children (and me as well as the savings!). Millie especially is seldom unwell although she was once hospitalised for suffering from bronchopneumonia but that was due to her stubbornness to take her medication, but apart from that she hardly ever fall sick, Alhamdulillah!! As for Zara, she recovered totally from her jaundice through breastfeeding and recovered very quickly if ever she has a cold or mild fever. Allergies are definitely minimised if not eliminated altogether.

There is no need for expensive apparatus, no need for special carriers/containers. Normal milk bottles would suffice. The most important thing is your unconditional love for you babies. It should come naturally... not forced and considered a chore!

As for the husbands, please encourage breastfeeding. But it all goes back to the mother hereself. I have not come across of any father who is against breastfeeding but most husbands do not encourage the wives enough and would usually be content with whatever the wives wish. No, the breasts will not sag and think of all the savings which could go to other needs like good diapers, books, insurance policies.... it would add on considering the lesser clinic visits and requirements of special formulas due to allergies.

Perhaps mothers are not aware of their duties, stated in the Holy Quran itself. Being breastfed is a birthright of every baby!! Read more about benefits of breastfeeding and listen to people who do breastfeed.

Go on, feed your baby your milk!! I still do and intend to do so until Zara is 2 years old!!

EARTH HOUR

We had the lights off for an hour last night..... My two and a half year old daughter is all game for blackouts.... she's totally excited about the darkness. My baby is content with Mama by her side with the breasts all for her to feed from......

In the darkness, I relayed to my 9 year old son about global warming, thinning ozone layer, the sun, the heat, the energy, the future of the earth and what this one hour of lights off can do in whatever its very little ways to help save the earth...... all in BM......

Most of the units in our apartments observed the Earth Hour and I could see KL in (almost total) darkness. While energy saving from having the lights off is not very significant, I salute the KLites especially the main buildings' operators/owners for putting the effort.

Perhaps next time Earth Hour would extend to switching off the air-conditioners, stopping the use of all motor vehicles except public transportation and other more energy consuming/Co2 emitting activities.... (except for breathing, of course).

Pic courtesy of Bernama news online.

Bday Celebration

28th May 2009 is our department clerk's 24th bday and since 2 of our members will not be around tomorrow, we decided to surprise her a day in advance.... we had fun as usual.... simple food but enough to tickle our taste buds and fill our tummy.... Nasi beringin, rojak ayam, secret recipe's cheese slice, hot tea and lots of laughs!!

Moving Or Not? Part I

Why is moving office such a difficult decision to make?

Argh!!!!!! And why do we have some stupid ideas like the whole department moves office but the bboss stays behind with one assistant?

And why does a department as sensitive as Legal have to share a new office with admin staff the likes of drivers, despatch and tea ladies?

And why does a department who is the custodian of all legal documents have to move office leaving the very documents that they are guarding, behind?

When the new office is a self contained unit, just enough and comfortable to accomodate the eight member Legal Department, head and all plus all the files and documents?

When you have an incompetent person who cannot decide and manage and involved in many hanky pankies........ things like these happen... DUH!!!!

COMPLACENT

I hate it when the boss starts to use certain "new-found" word to generalize things..... I hate it when I have to listen to the boss bickering about other staff to me, expecting me to put things right with that other staff...... I hate it when the boss is pissed of with one of the staff but starts scolding the rest of the department... I hate it when the boss have to pick someone to take the blame........

I have never complained about work, let alone the boss in this blog..... truth be told, the boss is someone on my hit list a few years back but when she left the department (more like abandoning the staff and the workload), we were under the supervision of a much less competent person and when that person left (for greener pastures!!??), the boss came back to run our department in September 2007..... and she was a changed person..... no longer in my hit list...... she was still clumsy, loudmouth, fickle minded and bitchy but at least she was no longer blaming people, no longer insensitive to the staff's problems and started to show appreciation in the staff's works...... but lo and behold!!!! The old self is seeping back... real quick too!!!!

She gives incomplete instructions, expecting people to read her mind or have another person read her mind..... her expections towards her staff are too high... she simply do not know how to delegate and disctibute works among the staff.... most of the times she doesn't know what she wants done and when she wants them done..... she would say one thing and when the document is produced according to that instruction, she would scold the staff for not being creative and not being able to think...... and changes her mind about what is required......

And she is a real apple polisher too!! She would talk bad things about the bigeer bosses but in front of them, she says they are God!! And she is really showing bad examples to the staff in terms on doing things in office times and her claims... her travelling, subsistence, entertainment claims are mainly fabrication!!!

Okay... enuff said... it is no good to say/write bad things about others but some times I just cannot take it anymore..... the junior staff's morale are really down....

And the new chosen word the boss is using for over 3 weeks now, to describe us in the department is COMPLACENT.... she probably doesn't know the meaning of the word anyway........

Bibik (Update)

Tuesday when we got home from office, Bibik bagitau husband dia izin kan dia sambung kerja and cuti "terserah kamu"..... Alhamdulillah..... so, I gave hubby RM450, suruh buat work permit Bibik..... Allah dah tentukan it's convenient for him to go to immigration kat D'sara, dkt tempat kerja baru dia.... I have promised Bibik that she can go home for Lebaran for 10 days.... so dia agree la cuti yang balik this time, sebulan jer (jer? aku dah pening dah!!)
Rabu pergi Tabung Haji.... dengan Mak Yah....keluarkan duit..... hmmmm.... byk gak la keuntungan..... Alhamdulillah.... byk dah/nak guna duit bulan ni.....
Tengahari, dengan Haakem, dtg opis kejap nak beli tiket Bibik balik sini online.... Hubby called kata permit dah settled.. Haakem lepak kat warung Kak Rock sementara aku setelkan tiket etc), sempat solat dulu and then from office pergi Jusco, tukarkan duit Bibik RM2300, dapat Rp7,300,000.00. Pengurup tu bagi duit 50k and 100k, so sikit jer la kepingnyer.... pastu pergi beli blender utk Bibik bawak balik... last month dah beli satu, pastu kakak dia nak jugak..... pastu pergi supermarket beli ikan, sayur, daging and susu Zara. And also gula and ayamas 3 bungkus utk Bibik bw balik..... lepas tu pergi pharmacy belikan ubat2 utk dia on the flight and kat Indonesia nanti.....
Pastu pergi Laksa Shack, wa makan laksa nyonya... sodap.... Haakem mkn laksa Johor, sedap tapi muak sebab kuahnyer terlalu byk santan and kurang ikan.... kitorang ambik set, sirap bandung cincau, any one type of laksa and 2 keping otak2.
Lepas tu balik and kemas beg Bibik for the last time..... dia bawa balik Milo 8kg.... gula pasir 2kg (utk hidang kat org dtg masa dia baru balik, forward thinking gak la maid aku ni), blender 2, cili kering 1kg.... yang lelain tu pakaian2 utk kakak2 dia (yang family aku bagi), slippers rumah..... souvenirs yang aku bagi from Mekah, Penang, L'kawi, Lumut...... utk anak2 dia....
Mak Yah pun join sama...... aku rasa bibik temp tu sure dengki jer.... heheheheh..... semua2 benda Bibik letak kat bilik aku takut si bibik temp tu sebok nak tengok......
Pkl 5 pagi Khamis aku sudah bangun buat sandwich untuk bekal kami, gorengkan ayamas utk anak2 bibik and family yang fetch dia kat airport (Mak Yah kata, mana ada majikan buat macam ni) ..... yang sebungkus wa masukkan dlm aluminium foil, wrap elok2 supaya tak go bad..... pastu tolong dia pakai bengkung ikat duit.... heheheheheh...... dah siapkan anak2, dia buat jugak kerja2 rumah sebelum dia siap tu.... pastu dia pergi salam2 ngan jiran2 aku yang dia kenal..... Pukul 10.15 baru bertolak ke LCCT... subhanallah... jauhnyer nyer nyer... first time wa pergi actually... memang mcm Pudu Raya.... sampai pukul 11.40, check in.... dah beli luggage allowance for 25kg tapi since wa suruh dia bw handbag jer, sebab takut dia susah sorang2..... so, ada excess lagi 15kg, wa bayarlah RM300..... (hmmm... aku niat sedekah kat anak2 and family dia jer... se sen pun tak da hold duit dia... and bagi macam2 lagi... kalau dia tak balik semula kerja dengan aku, memang bukan rezeki aku la tu)....tunggu dia masuk pkl 12.10..... flight 12.40.... takde adegan nangis2... cuma dia nampak irritated dengan bibik baru yang bukan main memandai nasihat itu ini... contohnyer.. "kerudung jangan dibuka sehingga sampai dalam taksi....."... aku kata, "Bibik memang pakai kerudung kalau kat luar, bukan depan saya jer dia pakai...." and dia bukan main la tunjuk2 jalan la, mana nak pergi la.... hubby tarik Bibik aside and explained betul2.....
Lepas tu balik la kami... sampai rumah 2.15, wa masak, solat and then lunch, susukan Zara.... tepon anak Bibik, Bibik dah sampai on time..... happy jer suara Bibik.... wa tanya beg2 semua okay... makan okay cuma dia kene bayar harga drink (air Milo... how ironic... punya la byk dia bawak Milo, kene bayar lak bila nak minum sendiri), pastu dah masuk Asar... tertidur..... bangun pukul 5.30, solat...
Call anak Bibik, dah sampai rumah as scheduled (3hrs ++ from airport) Millie dah start tanya Bibik mana...... dia dah start kehilangan la.... tapi nak jugak la mandi dengan bibik baru...... lepas maghrib masak dinner plak..... penat betul la... malam Millie nangis...... tanya Bibik mana Ma? Kena lah re-explain... pujuk dia.... dia tertidur kat depan TV dengan Atuk.... then pindah kat bilik sampai pagi.... semalam dia okay .... malam tadi tidur awal walaupun petang dah nap....
28 days to go.... Bibik is coming back on 19th April 1835hrs...... insya Allah......

My Girls and Boy

Bibik's Going Home (For A Month)

I have been crying...... not just pooling tears in the eyes but serious sob sob, streaming waters from the eyes for hours on end... during the day, at night, at work and came Saturday 14th March I couldn't swallow it anymore, I burst to real sobs and real loud ones too in hubby's arms..... It was not about Bibik leaving but I was dead worried of how the girls will be taken care of in Bibik's absence.... would anybody else love my girls as much as Bibik.

We fetched the temporary replacement maid from the agent, while waiting for the new one whose biodata we had chosen. The girls were scared shit of her..... hubby thought (and rightly so) she is the mengada-ngada type but we were desperate, so we took her in for transfer of technology from our Bibik. She is a whiner....... and she cannot do anything right and 2 faced too. And oh so sensitive that she took the wrong end of the stick when I asked if she had taken her shower since I saw her in the same attire (on Saturday 4pm) since we fetched her on Friday 6.00pm...... Mak Yah had a tricky time supervising her mopping the tiles for 2 mornings in a row.... Bibik is also skeptical and suspicious of her..... she kept wearing Bibik's clothes until I told her not to but I later found out that she wears Bibik's undies and Bibik doesn't want it back... hahahahahah!!

But one positive thing came out of it, Bibik was so saddend by the whole thing that she agreed to come back (with new terms of service of course) when I asked to consider staying (continuing her service after amonth break). I had unstoppable tears in my eyes when I discussed the welfare of the girls (Millie and Zara) with Bibik.... I know Bibik is not perfect and I scolded her quite a bit especially when I was pregnant with Zara but I can trust her with the kids. She has a good heart, honest and kind to the kids.

So, Bibik shall come back, insya Allah. She will need to discuss how long she'll be at home with her husband but I have even offered her to go home for Eid this September, so most likely it will happen, after a month break...... we are renewing her permit right away, as she needs no FOMEMA medical checkup.

Meanwhile I have to make do with the useless maid at RM18 per day but we're also scouting around for a temp...

And I hope to get back most of my RM3k deposit I placed with the agent. If I cancel before the calling visa is issued, RM500 shall be forfeited. Otherwise RM2k shall be forfeited. But since I have not submitted any documents I believe that is quite safe.... insya Allah.....

Outside My Kitchen Window

Doing chores in my kitchen should not be a bore...... I think it has one of the best views anyone could ask for... it was such a lovely bright sunny day last Sunday.....
The same view can be enjoyed from the second bedroom..... and during New Year, Chinese New Year, Merdeka Day Celebration and any big celebrations, we get the best views of the firwworks display, usually from at least 3 locations (upclose - KLCC, Bukit Bintang & Dataran Merdeka).

Big Sister

I haven't been posting anything on Millie for a while now.... she's very talkative... has a mind of her own.... still bosses other people around, except me of course.... controls channel 611.....talks alot....... loves her baby sister dearly.... and adores abang very much.... AND I'M SO WORRIED ON HOW SHE WOULD COPE WITHOUT BIBIK starting 19th March 2009.. Thank God she only sleeps with me but during the days, it is always Bibik.......

My Best Outstation Duty

13th Feb to 4th March - dreading having to go.... especially with unpleasant company...

5th Feb 2009:

8.15 am - to KL Sentral, sent by hubby;

8.27 am - arrived at KL Sentra;, bought ERL ticket and board the train;

8.30 am - ERL started its journey;

9.12 am - check in using express kiosk, met up with feloow travellers;

9.30 am - at boarding gate B7 but was ushered to B2 (sengal betul la pepagi ni rasa nak balik jer!!);

9.40 am - waited at the boarding gate with not-so-pleasant company talking about unpleasant things about unpleasant people;

10.00am - boarded plane, thank God I sat together with the pleasant company;

10.10 am - left KLIA;

11.05 am - arrived at Pengakalan Chepa airport, met biz counterparts, shake hands and fake friendliness all around;

11.30 am - pushed off from airport in a rented Wira, driven by the pleasant company and the not-so-pleasant company in the front seat, for an hour journey to Gong Kedak;

12.10 pm - stopped for lunch at a shop by the roadside;

12.30 pm - resumed journey;

1.20 pm - arrived at RMAF Base, it was soooo quite, got our passes and proceeded to meet the CO, for our unofficial meeting and..................................

I TAKE BACK ALL MY EARLIER COMMENTS!!! THAT WAS DEFINITELY THE MOST WORTHWHILE TRIP EVER SINCE I WORKED WITH THIS COMPANY!!!!!!! AND I GOT TO SEE THE SUKHOI 30MKM (and later met the good looking pilot & co-pilot) DOING ITS TEST FLIGHT RIGHT ABOVE MY HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The rest was in haze............ (as it was really hot, probably nearing 40 degrees). It was quite peculiar, the base is built on 2 states divided by the main road, the runways are in Kelantan while accomodations and workshops are in Trengganu). No Sukhoi could be seen parked anywhere... it was like some NASA base... heheheheh watched too many American movies....

And compared to the other 2 types of servicemen (land and navy), the RMAF is the highest standard of gentlemen, in style and in IQ.... I want my son to join the RMAF....

I arrived home on the 2000 hrs flight from KB, KLIA at around 9, after my prayers at the surau... via airport limo.....

And I have 2 Sukhoi30mkm caps too!!!!