tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24061086377416205562024-03-05T16:14:53.644+00:00ryannabellaBellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.comBlogger680125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-43491128001588078582017-11-05T13:22:00.000+00:002017-11-05T13:22:17.807+00:00Parenting rant.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHHLKbGkWLh3ZAOezuPZ2tWZwg2y0Z66KQAAtKf8rOu0R5PAttQrpoOQNWUFAKBl18IGBAPB6W7b8MVQb6EETIqbkKuq8_ct6Rm1fRnx2xsWKpuyspESyBl_tWYYSBCcaC-0lo0k0sy_C/s1600/22893964_10155462753798301_7497014044121561144_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHHLKbGkWLh3ZAOezuPZ2tWZwg2y0Z66KQAAtKf8rOu0R5PAttQrpoOQNWUFAKBl18IGBAPB6W7b8MVQb6EETIqbkKuq8_ct6Rm1fRnx2xsWKpuyspESyBl_tWYYSBCcaC-0lo0k0sy_C/s400/22893964_10155462753798301_7497014044121561144_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thescarymommy/photos/pb.295199098300.-2207520000.1509851137./10155462753798301/?type=3" target="_blank">Facebook</a></div>
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Noah is nearly 6 months, and I still remember very clearly the first few weeks of his arrival.</div>
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It was hell, as clear as that.</div>
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The recovery post caesarean was straightforward, but my emotional state was not.</div>
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It was hard, it was crazy hard. I'm not entirely sure what exactly the hard part was, but everything seemed to be a blur of who's-doing-what, the baby needed changing, God knows why he cried, a whole lot of he just wouldn't sleep, and my favourite of all, I'm so exhausted.</div>
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You could argue that men aren't psychic. Their empathetic system isn't designed to be as automatic as most women's. The result, we have a creature whose innate nature isn't of "oh, I see that <i>x</i> happens, therefore I must <i>y</i>". It's more of a "you tell me when <i>x</i> happens so that I could y".</div>
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Let's say,</div>
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<i>x</i> = house chores</div>
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<i>y</i> = needs doing</div>
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Where <i>x</i> could be anything from piling laundry, messy toys, dishes in the sink, etc.</div>
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So men (I doubt I have many Mars readers here), when you see something not in place, e.g. laundry piling up overflowing the basket, just freaking throw them in the wash. You don't need your wife telling you, "Ooh hubby dearest, look, the laundry basket is full of dirty clothes, what about you help putting them in the wash?"</div>
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Maybe you Mars people expect this instead, "Honey, could you please do the laundry?"</div>
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Yes, we can definitely say the above. One sentence, job done. But where's the fun in marriage if that's always the case?</div>
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And don't get me started on who's doing what, as far as baby is concerned.</div>
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Granted, you don't have boobs (well, you do, just not very functional), but there's always other things. Babies don't just need milk. They need all sort of simple things like cuddles, playtimes, nappy changes, little human transporters, butt patters, everything that doesn't require boobs! More things baby-wise that don't involve boobs include their laundry (little clothes need special washing), toy-cleaning, and snot towel changing, to name a few.</div>
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And the most exhausting (yet so very noble!) thing about caring for a baby is.. You're doing everything for the little human. Sparing nothing for you. Yes, going to work 9-5pm, getting stuck in the traffic is hard, but you get lunch breaks, you get to choose your own food, when and where to eat them, heck, you get to <i>talk</i> to another being while eating them!</div>
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With a baby.. There's just not much options. You'd probably have better luck in negotiating with your bladder to increase its holding capacity rather than explaining to a little human dictator on why you need to disappear for 2 minutes as the nature calls.</div>
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Don't get me wrong, I love being a mother. It's so unbelievably.. Weird. One minute I was so eager for him to shut his eyes (yay me time!) and the next, I was getting pure joy of pulling silly faces as his eyes wide open and his mouth forming a big O shape, wondering why is this human transporter making all sort of funny sounds. And yes, the excitement of a poop explosion after a week of nothingness from their rear ends, sans the very smelly farts. Come on, who rejoice on poops on pees?</div>
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Weird.</div>
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People always talk about motherhood, maybe it's time to start discussing fatherhood too? </div>
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It's called parenting, btw. Not just mothering.</div>
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Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-14969052998765174412017-10-31T15:19:00.000+00:002017-10-31T15:19:15.041+00:006 years in boxes.<div style="text-align: center;">
Can we ship this back to where they come from?</div>
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On one hand a part of me is relieved - it's like I can now move on with my life. My whole stuff is here, my life is complete!</div>
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(I've been particularly desperate for a new toothbrush head, the current one has been used for more than 4 months, ew.)</div>
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On the other hand...... Who's going to unpack all this? And more importantly, where do we store them???!?</div>
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Guess we'll just keep them in boxes, just in case we're migrating again...... Hello Canada!</div>
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Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-25117134120848277402017-10-13T14:13:00.003+01:002017-10-13T14:16:33.243+01:00The Great Sleeper.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chuckling to myself as I wrote the title.</div>
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But *ahem*, good words are duas, right?</div>
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Okay, back to my great sleeper. He truly is, at night. And I'm not bluffing. The main reason why we don't have photos/videos of Noah at night is because, he's doing what he's supposed to do - sleep!</div>
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Bless my great little sleeper.</div>
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Daytime though.. Is a whole different story. He used to be a star napper (great sleeper, star napper, see what I did there?). Putting him down for naps was a breeze. I just had to put him down, secure his hands (secure is an understatement, trust me), put a pillow on top of him.. And leave. Oh wait he'd need his white noise, so that, too. He'd fall asleep by himself within minutes.</div>
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Then things happened. To be exact, "developmental milestone" happened.</div>
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He's starting to roll over. From his back onto his tummy.</div>
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It's super cute! He often forgets that he has this pair of rather chunky dangly squirmy legs.. So while he tries to shift his upper body to the side, his legs barely change their position. They move, a lot, like tiny little flippers. But again, like flippers, they move in one place. Kicking and swooshing around, without actually going anywhere. And don't get me started on his heavy bum..</div>
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Ah, my great little swimmer.</div>
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Anyways, as he recently discovered this new skill, naturally he'd want to practice it, all day, every day. I mean, we need to get that bum shifted, boy! So the moment we put him down for naps, he'd arch his body trying to roll over to the side. </div>
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Which only means one thing - it's not safe anymore.</div>
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Remember when I said we "secure" his hands? We actually "tie" them. Ugh I know I know. But it's the only way that he'll sleep, otherwise he'll claw his eyes out and we'd have to fix the mess of his eczema.. (another whole different story). </div>
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And it's a bit like swaddling - once they start to roll over, swaddling isn't safe anymore. They'll need their hands to support the weight of their body, should they decide to roll over at night.</div>
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And Noah sleeps in his own room - on a double bed. Yes, adult bed. Again, ugh, I know. It used to work so perfectly when he was rather immobile (talk about a cute little blob squirming around in one place, cute). But now I'm not so sure anymore. We'd have to think of something else, and we gotta think quick! </div>
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I'm not keen on cots because we'd be breaking our backs picking him up and putting him down - that little guy is 8kg, at least! And co-sleeping isn't really an option. When you put two light sleepers in the same bed (both myself and him), none of them is going to sleep much.</div>
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Also, my star napper seems to diminish with the newly acquired skill.. Noah now will not nap without being patted. It takes ages to put him to nap - often I fall asleep with him, just a matter of who's first. And when he does nap, it hardly ever be more than 1 hour..</div>
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He's still a great night sleeper though. Still sleeps well at night with 1-2 feeds in between, so I'll take whatever I can get.</div>
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But then if he <i>does</i> get moved to a cot.. Level up, biceps.</div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-3598109258364550962017-09-14T10:37:00.000+01:002017-09-14T10:38:45.051+01:00Motherhood is hard.Hey N,<br />
You were thrashing your head violently last night<br />
I tried to stop you with all my might<br />
And of course you just had to fight<br />
Do you know that it broke my heart<br />
Motherhood is hard. <br />
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Hey N,<br />
You cried for no reason yesterday<br />
You refused milk, didn't want cuddles, let alone play<br />
In the end you just wanted me to stay<br />
So I lied next to you wiping your tears away<br />
Do you know that it broke my heart?<br />
Motherhood is hard. <br />
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Hey N,<br />
You had a very short nap this afternoon<br />
Too short, you woke up a little too soon<br />
And cried so hard it's out of tune<br />
Do you know that it broke my heart?<br />
Motherhood is hard. <br />
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Hey N,<br />
You pooped your clothes just now<br />
Pretty sure it leaked elsewhere too, it smelled so foul <br />
It's a lot of cleaning, not that I don't know how<br />
But the antibiotics.. They make your bums red and raw<br />
Do you know that it broke my heart?<br />
Motherhood is hard.<br />
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Hey N, <br />
You're sound asleep as I write this<br />
Your little chest rises and falls, your hand in a fist<br />
Your eyelids flickered as I gave you a kiss<br />
This moment, this very moment, is such a bliss.<br />
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Hey N,<br />
You won't be small forever, and I won't always be here<br />
You'll stop being a baby, but I'm always going to be a mother.<br />
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Yes some days I really wanted out<br />
Just a little break, even if it's not worth a shout<br />
Of course it's not always possible, what are we talking about.<br />
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Still,</div>
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It doesn't matter how much it breaks my heart</div>
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Because we both know, motherhood <i>is</i> hard.</div>
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Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-64827632271180820862017-09-02T08:55:00.000+01:002017-09-02T08:55:31.982+01:00A love-hate relationship.<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have a love-hate relationship with breastfeeding.</div>
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You know how some people are really hard on #breastisbest? I stick to my guns - #fedisbest. Not breastfeeding doesn't make you less of a mother. If you google why breastfeeding is awesome, yo'll get million hits, so I'm not gonna go into that - but I'll tell you why it's quite a complex relationship in my case. </div>
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1. It's a whole lot of physical contact.</div>
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I'm a solitary person by nature. That didn't change when I got married, and that certainly didn't change once we had Noah. Having another tiny human physically attached to you feels slightly overwhelming. And it's mutual! Noah takes after me - he's not a cuddly baby much. So once he's had his meal, he'd fuss to be put down (or sit up!), not wanting to be cuddled. There goes mummy's boy!</div>
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2. It can be messy.</div>
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It used to be messy from all the milk dribbles (which sometimes is pretty cute, admittedly), now it's more of the fact that his eczema flare makes his head a weepy ball of mess. It's heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and, unfortunately, rather icky all the same.</div>
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3. It's automatically "he's hungry" every time he cries.</div>
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Every. Single. Time. Cry? Wants milk. Not falling asleep? Hungry for milk. Whiny? Maybe give more milk? My logic is this - if he's being bottle-fed, would you give another bottle if you know that he's had 3oz an hour ago? Probably not. So stop saying he's hungry whenever he cries. He's a baby, crying is the only way for him to communicate. And I will never hand him over to someone if I know he's hungry, what kind of mother would I be?</div>
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4. It's always my fault that I'm not careful with what I eat.</div>
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Breastfeeding itself is hard enough, now it's my fault that I'm not watching what I eat. Not pooping? You don't eat enough fibre. New rashes? That's why la, eat seafood some more. Cranky? You eat too spicy, now tummy ache. Baby always cranky (see above)? Eat so little where got enough milk.</div>
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5. It's unnerving to other people caring for him.</div>
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Admittedly, breastfed babies tend to be more clingy to their mothers. Noah is pretty much the same, but he's actually quite chill and predictable. His life is really simple - milk, some play time, nap. Repeat the cycle. But since he's being breastfed, no one can really guess how much he takes in one serving, this makes people nervous just in case there's not enough milk (expressed) at home when I go out. Or simply to be left with him without me around, in general.</div>
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Note that I didn't put the night wakings in there - it's something that I have come to term with long ago. Especially now when he wakes up more from the itching and discomfort rather than actual hunger.</div>
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Having said all of the above, I love every single minute when he's gulping down all the milk he could get, usually no more than 7 minutes, ha! It's like our private little moment where nothing else matters to him, all he had in his mind is milk. And milk comes from mummy, therefore he needs mummy.</div>
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I also love the convenience of not having to lug hot water and bottles around when we go out, although this kinda backfires a little since I can hardly got out without him, haha.</div>
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Never mind, as long as he's growing big and healthy, (he sure is, weighing 7.4kg at 3.5 months, whoa!), it's all that matters. And I have no intention of stopping, just hoping that he will outgrow his eczema and allergies (if there's even one) soon enough so that I could eat everything again!</div>
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<br />Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-9317719326159159022017-07-18T16:51:00.002+01:002017-07-18T16:54:50.084+01:00First London trip.<div style="text-align: justify;">
As far as this space is concerned.. I feel like an ultimate loser!</div>
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I mean, look, I promised to get back last time and it's been more than 2 weeks!</div>
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Two weeks whaaatttt??</div>
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And that's only with one kid. ONE. Satu. Uno. Aaaannddd not working (which is awesome btw wuhoo!). I wonder how does other working mums with 2 toddlers and a baby manage to write consistently! I think discipline is key - which is what I'm lacking, like totally.</div>
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Anyway, Noah is a little over 2 months-old!</div>
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Apparently, it *does* get better, guys. I mean, he now sleeps through the night (sttn) - who would've thought, it's not a myth! Having said that though, sttn in babies is actually when they sleep at 5-hr stretch, so not quite the 12-hr that I initially thought. Hehe, but 5-hrs, for a sleep-deprived mama here, that's already heaven. Counting my blessings, Alhamdulillah!</div>
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Few weeks ago we went to London to get his passport done. We knew it would be convenient to have his passport photos ready so I flashed out my DSLR at him. Look at this. I so cannot!</div>
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Little grumpy gump at 7 weeks. THAT MIDDLE PICTURE THOUGH.</div>
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We chose this one just because it was the most symmetrical. Apparently he could pass as my parents' sixth child. Haha! I think it's the head..</div>
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Oh, we call it the "fat & furious" look. HAHAHA.</div>
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Anyway, on to London. </div>
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I was nervous.</div>
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Super nervous.</div>
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Especially because I have never breastfed in public.</div>
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What happens if he cries? Do I just whip my boobs out?</div>
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It turned out a huge success Alhamdulillah!</div>
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The initial plan was to carry him in a baby carrier. But Adam thought we should take the stroller as well. Which turned out as the best decision ever. Other than sushi buffet, of course.</div>
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We took the train from Northampton to London.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHemCo0E3AGL0lCP-FFrPsYjHIyWOrsMXX4y0xtQpMvFiX_l0UafG9IN7qhGkprKz4_XbENDCgNahQzt_CQSvT0VNZCPBsyiYiLLugCsOXSbcNlmkdSrp-2KzXcCVVE0b8kLtchD0UBCz0/s1600/IMG_0691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHemCo0E3AGL0lCP-FFrPsYjHIyWOrsMXX4y0xtQpMvFiX_l0UafG9IN7qhGkprKz4_XbENDCgNahQzt_CQSvT0VNZCPBsyiYiLLugCsOXSbcNlmkdSrp-2KzXcCVVE0b8kLtchD0UBCz0/s640/IMG_0691.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then the bus around London.</div>
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Daddy at work.</div>
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I had a nursing cover with me, so the first time I fed him was on the train. In front of strangers commuting to work. It felt pretty strange, but no one batted an eyelid. Such a liberating experience. Really, honestly. The whole trip, not just the nursing in public, lol. I never thought I would say that but it really was.</div>
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Parenting confidence level: 999</div>
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We met a nice family at Malaysian High Comm - apparently their baby shares the same birthday as Noah - 15/5/17 how crazy!</div>
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While waiting to collect his passport, we had our sushi fix.</div>
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And I'm officially an expert at eating single-handedly.</div>
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We also found out Noah isn't too impressed with sushi, haha.</div>
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The place is called Sushi Eatery, located in Soho area. The food is amazing. It's all-you-can-eat for just under £20pp. The sashimis are especially wonderful. It's Malaysian-owned, all the more reasons to love it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-rFnOYKiGbRAbGPaM8-maPPsXP8BaCORh9ezv0YthkTMn8BZ-mpNO4oPTYWrckwPOMPGbc3t3aSe__UxQaOMBvT6ZfCcvjDv-M_737SLynKiozyJhZOPnUJVtrUQ8TL4MWnVGmp1bH3R/s1600/IMG_0702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-rFnOYKiGbRAbGPaM8-maPPsXP8BaCORh9ezv0YthkTMn8BZ-mpNO4oPTYWrckwPOMPGbc3t3aSe__UxQaOMBvT6ZfCcvjDv-M_737SLynKiozyJhZOPnUJVtrUQ8TL4MWnVGmp1bH3R/s640/IMG_0702.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So that was it - his first trip to London.</div>
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You're officially a Malaysian citizen, young man!</div>
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Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-49268029357098305962017-07-01T20:25:00.000+01:002017-07-01T20:25:11.144+01:00Eid 2017.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm in the middle of writing up a blog post when the little man started screaming.. So I'll leave you with our family picture during Eid for now.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0K6UjHc-zkQxhCczflWb2tv_Sy-XLsYBvOSFAjF2Sdre0HN3qf-_d1WVRiY7QdEZlnu_jonSegc6gAlu79AH2-wqFRbat5ML2isdeadpfULJJVK36NlwjTF_iPLIqnOkjY6PL9GB_SER/s1600/IMG_3925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1280" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0K6UjHc-zkQxhCczflWb2tv_Sy-XLsYBvOSFAjF2Sdre0HN3qf-_d1WVRiY7QdEZlnu_jonSegc6gAlu79AH2-wqFRbat5ML2isdeadpfULJJVK36NlwjTF_iPLIqnOkjY6PL9GB_SER/s640/IMG_3925.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'll be back.. Promise! xx</div>
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<br />Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-46090755135607358662017-05-30T19:06:00.002+01:002017-05-30T19:07:57.502+01:00My son, Noah.<div style="text-align: justify;">
After 3 long days being cooped up on the ward, the day we got to meet Seed was finally there!</div>
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I remember feeling nervous the night before when midwife came in to remind me that I needed to be nil by mouth (fasting) and gave me the ranitidine (anti acid) tablet. The uncertainties were overwhelming! I told the midwife, if myself, a doctor, working at that very hospital, was feeling that way, imagine other patients. Future mums. Being at the receiving end of NHS couldn't feel weirder.</div>
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That Monday morning, I was up early. Not that I could sleep much anyway. Adam came, and I was told to change into the hospital gown and put the TED stockings on (they were horrible!) and make my way to labour ward. Specifically, the operating theatre. Not sure why, I wasn't particularly anxious anymore - Adam instead had this worried look all over his face, haha. The consultant did another scan. Seed was still breech, but wasn't footling anymore. Oh well not that it mattered at that time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYnQNRyzWc8O5Qim36vkTf-TQVd0vqM442mvplF7TKg2K2n5Rvz04e3P4Mh_cmB8kL13E8f5EOzA9tva5x95h3Oj1qW4Q3PhlFFiVen-oJoIxQPysgtK84pq41mabEDX2fbJlycaUp0HK/s1600/IMG_0239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1280" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYnQNRyzWc8O5Qim36vkTf-TQVd0vqM442mvplF7TKg2K2n5Rvz04e3P4Mh_cmB8kL13E8f5EOzA9tva5x95h3Oj1qW4Q3PhlFFiVen-oJoIxQPysgtK84pq41mabEDX2fbJlycaUp0HK/s640/IMG_0239.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Right before I popped!</div>
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After a whole lot of check by the obs gyn and anaesthetist, in I went.</div>
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The consultant anaesthetist was amazing. He was too kind - he put lidocaine (local anaesthetic) onto my hand before putting in a grey (largest possible) cannula! Yes, I judge kindness by how unlikely you're going to inflict pain on me, lol.</div>
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But no, really, Dr Salter (the cons) was just too sweet - when I said I was an FY1 - he asked which med school I was from, what I wanted to specialise in later (ha!) - and I suddenly felt like an FY1 again, it felt normal. Instead of the "paediatrician parents" the midwife have been referring us to! (so much pressure).</div>
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Aaandddd, the spinal kicked in, I was paralysed waist down. Again, another super strange feeling.</div>
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Aaaanddd Adam was called in.</div>
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Aaannddd less than 10 minutes later, we heard the loud strong cry.</div>
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Aaandddd the whole theatre was amazed at how chunky this baby was.</div>
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Aaaandddd even more amazed at his actual birth weight - 3.945kg.</div>
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Aaaanddd here's our little man, born 15th May 2017, at 1107 via elective caesarean.</div>
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My two boys.</div>
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I want to remember this look - fresh out of oven, covered with icky gooey stuff from the womb, with blotchy face and newborn rashes.</div>
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"Your first breath took mine away."</div>
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Meet my son, Noah.</div>
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Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-29837370945544696762017-05-15T18:20:00.000+01:002017-05-22T18:21:56.553+01:00Seed: 39 weeks.<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have to backdate this post as a lot of things happened in the last week but I'm so determined to finish this Seed series until he gets here!</div>
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First off, my mum arrived on Thursday at Heathrow, Alhamdulillah!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC94tOv-2K0GOAf6IIq1ROIRTQgv0qpmQru5w5IbFwVwtMRPtScMcsvpWW_ue7hqw8WTxKL6M9paROBhNsFOkT36bMhIaMtqmrwjvSCrZKzQvgieIQs2c2TLgz_kr6humOj9mKHtjx2h1k/s1600/IMG_0226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC94tOv-2K0GOAf6IIq1ROIRTQgv0qpmQru5w5IbFwVwtMRPtScMcsvpWW_ue7hqw8WTxKL6M9paROBhNsFOkT36bMhIaMtqmrwjvSCrZKzQvgieIQs2c2TLgz_kr6humOj9mKHtjx2h1k/s640/IMG_0226.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Man I was huge D:</div>
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39 weeks was quite a drama. We had the growth scan on Friday. I was having pretty bad backache and contractions (at least that's what I thought) at the clinic. Midwife did the scan..</div>
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And boom. Our world was turned upside down. And Seed took it quite literally.</div>
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He was breech! Like literally upright breech! You know when I said I could feel his bum stuck up in my ribs, it was actually his head. And we've been poking that head (haha, sorry buddy) all this while. Quite funny when I think about it.</div>
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Not funny for the midwife though. She had this worried look all over her face. Asked me how long have I had the pain, if it was changing, and all that jazz..</div>
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Apparently Seed was footling breech. That took breech to another level, ha!</div>
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Footling breech is when baby's feet inside the pelvis. Imagine the baby "floating" cross-legged in the tummy, that's how it looks like. Thing about footling breech is, it's the rarest form of breech with highest risk of complication, namely cord prolapse. And cord prolapse is when the umbilical cord gets squashed before baby is born, cutting the blood supply and oxygen to the baby. What happens is that baby's tiny foot pokes through the cervix, creating a vacuum, causing the cord to get "sucked" out as well. We're talking about vaginal delivery here. Which is pretty tricky in footling breech.</div>
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So I was hooked up to a CTG machine, and walla, they found some uterine activity, albeit irregular. Cervix was completely closed, so good thing I was not in labour. But since I was already 39w, the safest option was to be admitted. Yes, admitted straight from clinic. Over the weekend. With a semi-elective caesarean section planned on the next Monday.</div>
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Woha, did I say caesarean?</div>
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Wohaaa, wasn't I dead scared of being induced, and now we're talking caesarean?</div>
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So straight to the ward I went. They wouldn't even let me go home for an hour to get my stuff! *cries*</div>
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But good thing was.. We got a room to ourselves! By "we" I mean Seed and I, as Adam had to go home by 10pm, sads.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WrZkG-5h06p2M9ExIxZ4w81UW2GDXAI1GXOdUU_pOBQ-WpXlbaqgdTa7Ej_666SQ3q4xg5IK5JwP1hEkMXzpfuKlDKGMMomLppfn8ceOV1cr7yXnrtptDBZl1nRC0JfKiervWswYmqFu/s1600/IMG_0234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WrZkG-5h06p2M9ExIxZ4w81UW2GDXAI1GXOdUU_pOBQ-WpXlbaqgdTa7Ej_666SQ3q4xg5IK5JwP1hEkMXzpfuKlDKGMMomLppfn8ceOV1cr7yXnrtptDBZl1nRC0JfKiervWswYmqFu/s640/IMG_0234.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpF5UMsaU5rYPhvqVEXcbETUGs4nnhziaM6d4roNLoibDe7z8aUwBqK0MgR1PXN1atwRLpUjnpVeR-ON6mxCUA-Ei8NOWvE7x8rYe4ESF3uc-qDgGxPxvOEqD_UMcuqjpTGkRiikHFtL77/s1600/IMG_0231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpF5UMsaU5rYPhvqVEXcbETUGs4nnhziaM6d4roNLoibDe7z8aUwBqK0MgR1PXN1atwRLpUjnpVeR-ON6mxCUA-Ei8NOWvE7x8rYe4ESF3uc-qDgGxPxvOEqD_UMcuqjpTGkRiikHFtL77/s640/IMG_0231.jpg" width="640" /></a>Our own ensuite toilet, which Adam was clearly very excited about.</div>
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This room doesn't come cheap though. While my condition didn't warrant me for having a side room, (I was perfectly healthy!) it was given because I work with the NHS. And my husband too. And since we were both (Adam still is) in paediatrics, they call us the paediatricians. HAHAHAHA. Too cute I cannot.</div>
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#perksofbeingadoctor #savetheNHS</div>
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So yes, I was admitted for 5 days including the operation itself.. It wasn't too bad if I'm honest. I've had nothing bad to say about the service, cewah, but it could be due to the known fact that I'm a doctor at the hospital. Although I'm sure the standard of care wouldn't vary that much. Maybe no side room, but hey, if someone else needed it for clinical reasons, I'm sure I would be evicted too. #patientsafety </div>
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Next up, we finally get to meet Seed!</div>
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Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-64311939272362894792017-05-04T20:36:00.003+01:002017-05-05T21:20:32.272+01:00Seed: 38 weeks. <div style="text-align: justify;">
38 weeks in one word: Painful.</div>
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It's not uncomfortable anymore - it's getting to a point where it's painful. Literally, pain. Every now and then I try to remind myself that someone, somewhere out there, is praying to have what I'm having now, a growing healthy baby cooking up nicely. A textbook pregnancy - says the midwife.</div>
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But I can't deny that it's not all rainbows and roses. I said it before, pregnancy is a whole new level of normal. And this, is a whole new level of pain.</div>
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Rainbow <i>sans</i> roses on our recent trip to Milton Keynes</div>
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And I'm only talking about irregular, pre-labour (if it's even that?!?) contraction kind of pain. And backache. Not even the 3:10 contraction when you're officially in labour. Not even the real deal. Who am I to talk about pain again?</div>
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Remember when I said I was feeling heavy pressure in my pelvis and crampy period-pain like backache when I made the trip to Nottingham and Leicester last time? I genuinely, hopefully thought that would be the start of things. How naive I was. The pain, they're staying, yes, but not actually starting anything.</div>
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As I'm typing this, my tummy is rock hard, Seed's squirming around against the confined space that already is. I have to lean back to make some space for those tiny little legs and arms to flail around, otherwise I'll get a jammed foot somewhere underneath my ribs.</div>
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My back hurts. And you're talking about someone who lives on monthly ibuprofen for period pain. Yes, I do get really bad period cramps and backache, up to the point I could be paralysed by them. But this, is a whole new level of backache. And ibuprofen is a no-no in pregnancy. Paracetamol? We can all laugh now, thank you very much.</div>
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Pain is worse in the evening and at night. That's when I wake up and look at Adam fast asleep wondering if it's worth waking him up for I'm-not-sure-what. I mean, I know I'm not in labour. And he can't really do anything. But the pain.. Maybe it's worth waking someone up for?</div>
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(I never did, though).</div>
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Salute to mums of 5. (Heck, even mums of 2. Or 1. ALL mums).</div>
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On the bright side, (there's always a bright side, you just have to look for it and <i>acknowledge</i> it!), 1st May has come and gone, so my OCD can now chill. It doesn't matter much when Seed's going to come out now, apart from the pain of course. I've accepted that he can stay as long as he likes, although please please I sure hope induction is not going to be part of it!</div>
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We've got a midwife appointment tomorrow, and although I doubt it's going to change anything, maybe it'll bring some good news! Oh well, here's to wishing.<br />
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<b>Update on Friday 5/5/2017, post midwife appointment.</b><br />
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Apparently my bump is now measuring at 90th centile, when previously it's been consistent at 50th centile. It's a really steep jump from being average to being, umm, massive. (Midwife didn't say that, I did). So we're booked in for a growth scan next week, in which I really do hope that by then Seed would've already been here. Again, here's to wishing.<br />
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Also, we've been told that Seed might just be occipital-posterior (OP), which means that his back is against my back (back-to-back baby). Again, previously his back has always been on my right side, I could almost always feel the smooth curvature of his spine there. While most back-to-back babies rotate spontaneously to occipital-anterior (OA) position while in labour, some just won't. And they can take longer to be delivered, and more painful too. Ouch.<br />
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Tell-tale signs are quite obvious in my case. I suspect he turned some time around last week, as I started having this backache at that time. OP babies can cause more backache than others as their back/spine, which is the heaviest part of their body, put in a significant pressure on mums' back. I could also feel wiggly movements just above my pubic bone, which might just mean that his hands/fingers are facing forward (baby's thumb-sucking!). The other thing is a dip/flattened shape of the tummy around the belly-button. Yup, definitely there.<br />
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While these news are not the most exciting to some, they definitely give me something to think about. 90th centile could mean anything from baby's just packing up fat at the very last minute to polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid) for whatever reason. Or maybe baby's positioning at time of measurement was slightly off resulting in weird numbers, who knows. But now the possibility of induction is there.<br />
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And being back-to-back.. (I prefer sunny side up, btw!). I have to start thinking about optimal foetal positioning (OFP) more seriously now. Basically it's the movements/postures that can encourage babies to turn/rotate to OA before labour. Not sure if there's any scientific evidence behind this, but there's no harm in trying, I suppose.<br />
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Anyways, I'm thankful that my midwife picked these up, so I can at least (sort of) prepare for it. Even more thankful that Adam was there for the appointment (he couldn't always be, talk about marrying a doctor). Not that he had a lot to say, but it's nice to have him around. I mean, who would've thought we're getting a growth scan at the very end of this pregnancy? And the fear of labour and induction.. That just magnified to another level.<br />
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This pregnancy is (literally) taking a whole new turn.</div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-20826757368030626762017-04-30T12:17:00.004+01:002017-04-30T12:20:14.140+01:00Seed: 36-37 weeks.<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let's be completely honest. Me at 36 weeks.. Was totally unproductive. So ironic considering my previous post is about increasing productivity, hey?</div>
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I've only managed to pack the 'baby' aspect of hospital bag. In which I once made a point to blog about, but now am totally exhausted (and not bothered) to unpack everything, lay them out nicely and take a picture of each and every one of them. I really should, though. One for the memory, and two, for future me. Did I over or under-pack? God only knows until I actually write them down here or somewhere. Well I guess baby number two will have to make do then. (Baby number two already??!?)</div>
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If there's one thing that's worth shouting about, it's my recent trip to Nottingham all by myself (and Seed, obviously) on the bus and train. Nadd was in Nottingham for a short while, so I thought maybe I should make a quick trip there and see her, stopping by at Leicester to 'pick' Lin up. You see, Northampton and Nottingham, although they share deceivingly similar name and look deceivingly near (they quite are, actually), the public transport says otherwise. </div>
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Nottingham is directly up north of Northampton, after Leicester. If I were to take the train all the way, I'd have to change at Birmingham, which is more towards the west, and the journey alone is about just under 3 hours. The quickest/easiest way is to take the bus from Northampton to Leicester, then hop on the train from Leicester to Nottingham.</div>
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With a nearly 37w bump with me.</div>
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Grasmere reunited!</div>
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It was a successful trip though, Alhamdulillah! Although I did wake up aching all over, and the pressure in my pelvis felt heavier than ever. Could it be the walking encouraging labour? Baby descending down, engaging already? I don't know. But now that we're full term (yay Alhamdulillah!) I cannot wait to have him out. Well, I want him out when he's ready and healthy, obviously, but Seed, can we make it on 1st May, please? Nothing fancy, just because both your mum and dad were born on 1st of the month, and mum is a bit of an OCD, and by 1st May you're nearly 38 weeks so we should be okay. Deal?</div>
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#psychomum<br />
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Well at 37 weeks I also made another bus trip up to Leicester, just 2 days after the initial one! (You can tell I'm pretty desperate to get things going at this point). Adam had a whole-day course in Derby but I didn't think I'd manage spending 8 hours on my own lugging a 10kg bump around doing nothing. At the same time I wanted to meet him somewhere for a nice meal. So we settled for Leicester, instead. Actually the whole day I was having pretty bad back pain and cramps, almost like a period pain. I was so convinced that things were finally starting.. When.. Nope. As of today I'm still very pregnant.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaS6VD6fVIYQRc0f94ZI1-JZMt_Kj-0n_1cbhXyi8s43Ml882Yve5IgRaX0HbGwI6NZq0_MYg98gwuJlRhLD5oWkY36CYNQgZOVutinB54XXmvgMcsQDNcIIARTNrG_EY2cUSoinuSGfob/s1600/IMG_0175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaS6VD6fVIYQRc0f94ZI1-JZMt_Kj-0n_1cbhXyi8s43Ml882Yve5IgRaX0HbGwI6NZq0_MYg98gwuJlRhLD5oWkY36CYNQgZOVutinB54XXmvgMcsQDNcIIARTNrG_EY2cUSoinuSGfob/s640/IMG_0175.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We had a very nice fulfilling meal at Karamay Chinese Restaurant. Highly recommended when you're in Leicester. Not your typical eatery - you can find plenty of steakhouses or Indian/Asian food around, but this, is completely different. It's on London Road, if anyone's interested. </div>
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And then we met Lin again for an unfinished business. Talk about overly-attached housemate, hmm.</div>
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So that's it, the story of my super unproductive life for the past 2 weeks, apart from riding buses and trains. So far there's no signs of labour just yet, I'm guessing Seed's just getting too comfy in there..</div>
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#thismumneedstochill</div>
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<br />Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-75252675719901377232017-04-19T14:56:00.000+01:002017-04-19T14:56:57.308+01:00Increasing productivity.<div style="text-align: justify;">
Staying at home with no fixed routine.. It's really easy to lose track of what I did/have been doing the whole day. By the time Adam comes home from work he usually asks, so what have you been up to?</div>
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Most answers will usually begin with, hmm.. t<i>hink!</i></div>
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I have to, since then, find a way to keep track of things - be it what I want to do, or what I <i>should</i> do. So I came up with this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1RPbspmc77FfQpOsAQSyAgVle7qbaEsru9JGNIE0E3aOkK0wDbggu-zvIa0B_R2vhpPJscojDP6BG8dpcOVwrQgAsHtYZK4yy6wSJeZZHxexmWzBruCAiQAoIUhzHJSIcZAf_6wpPf6k/s1600/IMG_0139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1RPbspmc77FfQpOsAQSyAgVle7qbaEsru9JGNIE0E3aOkK0wDbggu-zvIa0B_R2vhpPJscojDP6BG8dpcOVwrQgAsHtYZK4yy6wSJeZZHxexmWzBruCAiQAoIUhzHJSIcZAf_6wpPf6k/s640/IMG_0139.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My own personal planner/organiser.</div>
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Inspired by <i>bullet journaling,</i> except that I still can't seem to get my head around the concept. Given that I'm partially OCD to things, I like to have a bit of structure with my planner. Not so carefree, after all. So I came up with a layout that I thought suits me best for now. You can see on the right side things are still a little bit all over the place - I'm working on how best to tackle it. But the main focus is on the weekly spread/layout.</div>
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Note that tasks are not arranged in order of importance or time of the day. Also, I just <i>have</i> to break down tasks into small chunks, especially when it comes to daunting things. In my case it's always the laundry. So to make it less painful, I often break laundry to 3 things - <i>angkat, lipat, kemas</i>.</div>
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You can argue that they all fall into the same chore of <i>laundry</i>, but since I really dread doing them, I often take my own time with it. (Sometimes, too much time). Often I <i>angkat</i> dried clothes and dump them on the ironing board next to drying rack and leave them overnight. Or I <i>lipat</i> them, and leave them on the bed, alternating between bed and chair, before I finally <i>simpan</i> them nicely into the clothes drawer. Now that's the <i>whole </i>of laundry done.</div>
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Another thing that I find really useful is this little tracker.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLIJtx-TPN3o2lj_qDSf-sioDgJTY3_7qWfuGyMEPdFRuP3QcWpB2slYIQJy2S8U7_OphBr6wtelIGOvFEa8SblC5jrCTT1fakgZLLJG2QIYjq-izFdGKFI1buxtBetsgv1eVvs8g9W3h/s1600/IMG_0140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLIJtx-TPN3o2lj_qDSf-sioDgJTY3_7qWfuGyMEPdFRuP3QcWpB2slYIQJy2S8U7_OphBr6wtelIGOvFEa8SblC5jrCTT1fakgZLLJG2QIYjq-izFdGKFI1buxtBetsgv1eVvs8g9W3h/s640/IMG_0140.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This tracker is specific for my spiritual daily habits. Before I went on maternity leave, I was so determined to up my <i>iman</i> game. Work got in the way all these while and I just couldn't seem to adjust these into my daily life. So this weekly tracker helps me to get back on track.</div>
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If anything, a tick alone is enough to become my motivation. For example, I've been feeling so sluggish after asr prayer that I just wanted to skip mathurat pm altogether. But comes maghrib, my mind starts to ponder.. If I sit another 5-7 minutes longer after prayer for mathurat.. I can get another tick.</div>
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Hopefully I'll get to a point where it becomes a habit, rather than merely a tick..</div>
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Anyways, this is one of the things that I do to increase my productivity, and so far it works brilliantly. I'm continuously trying to improve the layout, probably add another few things to it. But feel free to tweak things/add different kinds of tracker, e.g. healthy eating, less spending, exercise, whatever works for you!</div>
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And oh, I learnt the hard way - it doesn't have to be pretty to work. My OCD level is quite annoying in a sense that I won't do/write/plan things if it's not pretty. So I decided to go simple with black pen and a blank book. And like I said, it works. :)</div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-60262759091891167552017-04-14T18:54:00.000+01:002017-04-15T16:01:13.758+01:00Seed: 35 weeks.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
This week's been pretty odd, I have to say. It's an alternate between fasting and non-fasting days. I know, I know. I haven't actually finished my <i>ganti puasa</i> just yet. (Head hung down). I have a few days left and am so determined to finish it before giving birth, because there'll be another 30 days of fasting awaits once Seed pops out. He's due just before Ramadhan, so I'm pretty sure that's the whole month of no-fast for me (<i>nifas</i>, or lochia as they say here, gross, sorry). (Btw no-fast, <i>nifas</i>, geddit geddit?). Anyways, a little bit about fasting at the end of pregnancy.</div>
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I don't think it's entirely recommended, but I can imagine if you're actually pregnant in Ramadhan itself, you wouldn't want to just skip them altogether. There's no right or wrong to it, everyone's different. But here's what I've been doing.</div>
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1. <i>Fast on alternate days.</i> Maghrib here is now around 8pm, and fajr around 4am, therefore not much time to gulp down that 2 litres of water overnight. And even if I manage to, that means no sleep <i>at all</i> as I'll be on a conveyor belt between the bed and bathroom. So fasting on alternate days give me time to recover my fluid intake.</div>
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2. <i>Keep an eye on baby's movement.</i> This is <i>key.</i> I learnt it the hard way when I was dehydrated while working and had reduced foetal movement (baby not moving much). This time while fasting, although I don't feel particularly tired or hungry, I'm always alert whenever Seed moves. I even talk to him, reassuring him that we only have however-many-hours left to go. Baby pep-talk, anyone?</div>
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3. <i>Sahur</i>. Self-explanatory. Drink plenty of water. If you missed sahur, I honestly feel it might be safest to just skip fasting on that day.</div>
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4. <i>Or just ganti puasa awal-awal.</i> Take it from me. I had the chance to do it in winter time when maghrib is at 4pm but I was working like mad so didn't quite feel like it. Looking back, I really have should.</div>
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Anyways, on to baby things now. I managed to sort quite a few bits out. Productivity is catching up!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RVbWG-86bb9DvRwwuVP2UbOiq11gXel_bUXSWtGOKdzY4s8CU9IPJnOqrdneEGbAKeGd_K-LqhJjpF8di_MXkF4jxC6GP8_jTAC0Vrc9pJcv2JJPt8gy-0t-lJ7YemgfXo5Px3-UWacb/s1600/IMG_0106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RVbWG-86bb9DvRwwuVP2UbOiq11gXel_bUXSWtGOKdzY4s8CU9IPJnOqrdneEGbAKeGd_K-LqhJjpF8di_MXkF4jxC6GP8_jTAC0Vrc9pJcv2JJPt8gy-0t-lJ7YemgfXo5Px3-UWacb/s640/IMG_0106.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The view before. I always joked that we could've set up a baby garage sale in the living room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbD9T03svQdnD3IH6_yQd0kls5ps3gmf3fsAb1xSkhemuQW_61UpVEr6EjRIrVXWc80hsfx11qj3dSZf1esBpTiIe1IQS2JKlVzsjWgm-ReebCCue2ONFCjQ0NPPyg4t0QVZ8Suvk9fFS/s1600/IMG_0113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbD9T03svQdnD3IH6_yQd0kls5ps3gmf3fsAb1xSkhemuQW_61UpVEr6EjRIrVXWc80hsfx11qj3dSZf1esBpTiIe1IQS2JKlVzsjWgm-ReebCCue2ONFCjQ0NPPyg4t0QVZ8Suvk9fFS/s640/IMG_0113.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Managed to do some laundry of these tiny things. Still quite a few left, but I think if Seed comes out tomorrow (please don't!) we're good to go.</div>
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Wait, we haven't bought nappies yet (!!).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp0bEwmauyRTkxw4jwKwNRNxz7V4Q9hXuRkowbe3orr2UTOp9RXQ_DHL2v4HdkVsM2rMDXM9TjVeQNHZeDg4K11vYQZhyphenhyphenzvUte7-aAQVRDGZPUuH4yQmx3anjj6IkTadG6RJzz02TNJVV/s1600/IMG_0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp0bEwmauyRTkxw4jwKwNRNxz7V4Q9hXuRkowbe3orr2UTOp9RXQ_DHL2v4HdkVsM2rMDXM9TjVeQNHZeDg4K11vYQZhyphenhyphenzvUte7-aAQVRDGZPUuH4yQmx3anjj6IkTadG6RJzz02TNJVV/s640/IMG_0118.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tiny socks for tiny feet. Adam thought my socks are annoying enough (I have 5 pairs of identical grey socks), so when he was hanging these up.. My heart goes out to him.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYl7U084J_BIgauXjVg4EM6muEXzW2bjeolPIAHPV1WakO56nRXGzGPqBRLWiGygZ1rDF0VV9EMYfaZjKm8OeGCn115eSVulleJp6Tr0wllqmTKfLaxmtgr_336R_iZoycWJVIBLANIIe/s1600/IMG_0128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYl7U084J_BIgauXjVg4EM6muEXzW2bjeolPIAHPV1WakO56nRXGzGPqBRLWiGygZ1rDF0VV9EMYfaZjKm8OeGCn115eSVulleJp6Tr0wllqmTKfLaxmtgr_336R_iZoycWJVIBLANIIe/s640/IMG_0128.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Even managed to sort out a little corner for Seed!</div>
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Here's the tricky thing about preparing for this little one's arrival. We're going home for good in around August, inshaAllah. (I'll go into that some other day.) So we want to really limit on things to buy, given that we then would have to think about shipping later. I'm desperate to focus on necessities - what babies <i>really need</i>, but at the same time I'm trying to be well-prepared too. It <i>is</i> hard. For example, how would you know if you're gonna need that breast pump later? What if baby latches perfectly fine so we won't be needing it at all? And pumping means bottles. Do we buy them now, or should we wait? Hint: we <i>didn't</i> wait.</div>
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Another thing worth mentioning is that, most of Seed's stuff are second-hand. Being thrifty is one thing, but for the most part, I don't see why babies need brand new things (especially clothes) since they grow up so fast. This is, of course, each to their own. If you have the capacity for it, by all means. We, on the other hands, are rather tight on space, mainly. We can afford them if we want, Alhamdulillah, but we'd rather save up, especially given that we're going home soon, and that means no income for a while until we figure something out.</div>
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So most of the clothes that you see are all second-hands, bought from Gumtree, at a total cost of £15. I appreciate some would disagree, what more with this as our first-born and we're both earning pretty good amount, so why not just splurge a little bit. It's more of a personal choice, really.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjat0dfVd1Ymw1xFdyoRoIIB-kqDd-wWIjHxtXsYboFXsm0RBlnt7R1aRYq9SNmqyHrwRJHvSaEK3Nbwlre8TsQa-i85odTYTER_-z6rnboHAW1njMT67b0vwpLwNZCDymzHtBMgKgjoX9j/s1600/IMG_0129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjat0dfVd1Ymw1xFdyoRoIIB-kqDd-wWIjHxtXsYboFXsm0RBlnt7R1aRYq9SNmqyHrwRJHvSaEK3Nbwlre8TsQa-i85odTYTER_-z6rnboHAW1njMT67b0vwpLwNZCDymzHtBMgKgjoX9j/s640/IMG_0129.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The real challenge is not resisting to buy new, but how to make do with what we already have. So here's part of the solution - little boxes! There's absolutely no point in buying new rack or wardrobe, so I figure these shoe and Amazon boxes work pretty neat. </div>
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So.. The boxes you see on the shelves.. Yup, they're practically Seed's wardrobe. Not sure how long they'll stay organised in this way, but I do hope at least until August!</div>
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Also the highlight of this week..</div>
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We had an adorable little surprise in the mail!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPYCCfPk1AhXh1Bki3XDI9Gvmmu3ese_z8cCF3vsIa8iwcAACzGLKCryipEn1CpBkcfS0tgNSQG6ncjAsWWiV0ITvyzpW-zaVjDqAQ-Fd9bddACn3wML-cYKX-bepyYPoZ_GcuI0ZMutL/s1600/IMG_0124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPYCCfPk1AhXh1Bki3XDI9Gvmmu3ese_z8cCF3vsIa8iwcAACzGLKCryipEn1CpBkcfS0tgNSQG6ncjAsWWiV0ITvyzpW-zaVjDqAQ-Fd9bddACn3wML-cYKX-bepyYPoZ_GcuI0ZMutL/s640/IMG_0124.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This came while Adam was at work. Since it's addressed to <i>S. Adam,</i> I thought I'd let Adam open it (his name is vaguely there, how mysterious). Apparently he was just as clueless as I was. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgpwWDpvnTWYoIpZ2jyjdawWgzPxV-5PE8BCXgQTHgJqUcLGedoiNzT4HlNtVBXxzW-Gn9vDwchXcB-ZSlTS18AJvzJNyjpfnl67u92HTbGKKzokkhY3LmontOAaUqmZqR6e8SC5CrjdC/s1600/IMG_0125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgpwWDpvnTWYoIpZ2jyjdawWgzPxV-5PE8BCXgQTHgJqUcLGedoiNzT4HlNtVBXxzW-Gn9vDwchXcB-ZSlTS18AJvzJNyjpfnl67u92HTbGKKzokkhY3LmontOAaUqmZqR6e8SC5CrjdC/s640/IMG_0125.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But then.. Mystery solved! This came from Nadd. And the "S" stands for Seed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXZPbZoCb8Wqrbukrv1yUjPaAwnYqEFj7-dWry9nga0huqz6Ozti04_pYqqop2wGS-W57gMlisXs9vJ9fqUJnNAP-Z5lKsjjGqqRE6dpf1jnOXEGEm67rE3ZS1hFQrIX9udv2Msh4NFzE/s1600/IMG_0126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXZPbZoCb8Wqrbukrv1yUjPaAwnYqEFj7-dWry9nga0huqz6Ozti04_pYqqop2wGS-W57gMlisXs9vJ9fqUJnNAP-Z5lKsjjGqqRE6dpf1jnOXEGEm67rE3ZS1hFQrIX9udv2Msh4NFzE/s640/IMG_0126.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well this thing is just too cute. You know how we always say "I don't want to adult anymore"? This is just the thing for tiny humans.</div>
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I call it the "How to Baby" guide book.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wfGuMGIOKctHFoQCk9AcpQZGJ9Y9J7rAOLd7kYBr5T-nt_rM_nNyiFYnkAbTuO86frxvhI0lrWvoIAiTapMryAxxAYE3aZ5jPRiHoz_pOErcz9_4MlOeg_aj17Idk-1OzaISLq7R5pGD/s1600/IMG_0127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wfGuMGIOKctHFoQCk9AcpQZGJ9Y9J7rAOLd7kYBr5T-nt_rM_nNyiFYnkAbTuO86frxvhI0lrWvoIAiTapMryAxxAYE3aZ5jPRiHoz_pOErcz9_4MlOeg_aj17Idk-1OzaISLq7R5pGD/s640/IMG_0127.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Look at that. The one on the left? Thanks Nadd, I foresee myself watching/rehearsing word by word of whatever cartoon there is in future.</div>
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So yes, I still have plenty to go through - haven't washed the towels and beddings just yet. And I need to think of what to put into the hospital bags. But I'm already pleased with this week's achievement so I'm just going to put my feet up a bit and chill!</div>
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Also, it might be worth saying this now as a reminder for future me - one whole week into maternity leave, and it already feels AWESOME. Adam comes home to nicely cooked food every time, his clothes laundered and ironed.. It's a satisfaction on its own. I mean, is this what the stay-at-home-mums feel? Pretty awesome I'd say.</div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-61540332565170310752017-04-05T17:08:00.000+01:002017-04-15T16:01:13.763+01:00Seed: 34 weeks.<div style="text-align: center;">
Hitting 34 weeks feels like taking this pregnancy to a whole new level. No joke.</div>
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I AM OFFICIALLY ON MATERNITY LEAVE!</div>
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Look. At. That. <strike>Bump</strike>. Smile.</div>
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If I'm honest there were times when I doubted myself if I really could do it - doctoring while being heavily pregnant. The tiredness, the stress, the lack of sleep.. Everything! I even wondered what would happen if I took the last 2 days off because I was in so much discomfort over the weekend that by Monday I was just exhausted.</div>
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But I made it through, Alhamdulillah!</div>
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Speaking of the weekend, here's what happened. Braxton Hicks. Yes, Braxton Hicks was what happened. I've had them before, so it's not like I didn't know what was coming. But over the weekend they were so strong and frequent and lasted for what felt like hours! My bump could go rock solid for a very long time, that sometimes I found myself doing the deep slow breathing just to ease it off. </div>
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Btw Braxton Hicks are false contractions in preparation for the actual labour. They're often irregular without any pattern. Not particularly painful, but CAN be very very, very, uncomfortable.</div>
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I rang the midwife on Monday just to check if what I had was normal - first pregnancy, not a clue. She advised that it did sound like my tummy was just practicing for the actual day, so nothing to be worried about. And Seed's been moving fine too, not that I'm overly worried anyway. I think I was just so exhausted from the discomfort, more than anything. It's easing off now, thank God.</div>
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Speaking of Seed, we can often feel his feet sticking out just under my ribs a lot of the times. It's pretty funny because I like to poke them and he would then kick back in annoyance (I imagine). Haha.</div>
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Adam and I also went to an antenatal class aimed for first time parents last week. Free on NHS, so why not. </div>
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And the class was.. Okay. I was hoping for more practical advice, like real-life solution for things. But it was a lot of medical facts, e.g. stages of labour, pain relief ladder.. Most of them I already knew. I guess it'd be more useful for laypersons, not quite for those who are well-acquainted with hospital and medical stuff.</div>
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I am now sitting in bed typing this while thinking of the amount of chores to tackle while I'm off. It's very tempting to think that I've got all the time in the world to do them, but so far my only achievement are cooking lunch and doing one load of laundry.</div>
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Hoping for a more productive me soon. Phew.</div>
<br />Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-74120648409786788942017-03-31T19:36:00.000+01:002017-04-15T16:01:13.771+01:00Seed: 33 weeks.<div style="text-align: justify;">
33 weeks! How time flies! Here in UK, when you register your pregnancy with your midwife/GP (wow that feels like aaages ago), they often give you a starter pack for pregnancy - depending on which organisation they partner with, e.g. Bounty or Emma's Diary. The starter pack often includes a booklet/magazine on pregnancy and gazilion leaflets of pregnancy/baby-related products - some of them might be useful, most of them are marketing works. </div>
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But the one thing that I love about the packs is that they often come with vouchers for freebies! So naturally the thrifty in me went through each and every one of the magazine, looking for vouchers that I could claim. And we spent the last week or so hunting these little goodies down. </div>
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<b>Bounty.com</b></div>
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The packs come in 3 types. Mum-to-be, Newborn, and Family Pack, depending on where you are at your pregnancy/motherhood. So I got the Mum-to-be one.</div>
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This one's got nappies from Boots own brand, Sudocrem nappy rash cream, Persil detergent wash and some pantyliners from Always. Always in UK is a bit like Kotex in Malaysia - they're pretty much the leading brand for sanitary towels, given that there's not a lot of choice as people often prefer tampons here!</div>
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<b>Emma's Diary</b></div>
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So far I've got the Bump to Baby and Mum to Be packs. They're quite okay, just that I don't really see the point of having a baby bunting. Maybe it's because we don't intend to convert the second room aka Adam's office to baby's room, perhaps? And we're not going crazy with this baby's stuff, so we're more focused on needs as opposed to wants.</div>
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I quite like the samples though.</div>
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Apart from the bunting, there are samples from Pampers, Metanium nappy rash cream (this is widely used in hospitals) and a bunch of Lansinoh products - baby wash, breastmilk storage bags and a pair of nursing pads. I've read that the nursing pads are really good for leaky boobs, but we'll see. </div>
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(I'd accept if you guys stop reading at this point, too mak-mak, lol).</div>
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Another pack contains more nappies from Boots, Palmer tummy butter, more Persil detergent (we have always used Persil anyway!) and more samples of pads and pantyliners for those accident-prone days. Or even normal days, who am I kidding.</div>
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All in all, it's still better than nothing! I still think nappies make the best samples, for obvious reasons. They are definitely needed - and purchasing one brand in one size in bulk without really knowing whether your baby will get on with them doesn't sound like a wise idea. </div>
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The same goes with bottles. If only I could get a sample of some of the brands.. How I wish! I ended up buying a starter set anyway - they're on sale, can't resist, don't judge. So hopefully Seed will get on fine with them.</div>
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Can't help but realise that I sound so mak-mak, haha. Well brace yourself, there's more to come.</div>
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Anyways, 2 days of work left, yay!</div>
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Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-2645220299760769692017-03-25T09:34:00.003+00:002017-04-15T16:01:13.744+01:00Seed: 28 weeks.<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've always wanted to write a whole post on being pregnant - this time not so much focusing on Seed, but rather, ME.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Of gaining weight.</span><br />
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One of my biggest fears of pregnancy is gaining weight. Yes, weight. Both my mum and sister are on the chunkier side - imagine the pressure. Yes, I never had any weight issues growing up, but man am I scared of gaining weight..</div>
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And my mum used to tell me that she weighed way less than I did pre-pregnancy. Lagi lah pressure kau. And to be veeery honest, I take pride of my figure. I did not just magically have toned abs (not six-packs!) - I planked, I ran, I did crunches for years. I even went on healthy diet at some point, ha! So yes, I can honestly say I was quite fit pre-pregnancy, despite being on the rather 'small' side.</div>
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I've not gained massive weight so far on this pregnancy just yet, but I really am scared. For someone who's never had any weight issue, my fear of gaining weight can be rather irrational..</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Of stretch marks.</span></div>
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Again, this one.. I did a whole lot of research at the early stages of pregnancy. Even considered buying high-end creams with a hefty price tag in an effort to 'prevent' them! But sooner than later I learned that stretch marks are mainly genetics. And luck. Some people never had one, some had it in first trimester. My mum definitely had them, although I'm sure having 5 children plays a role in that matter. I succumbed to the fact that there's not much that can be done about it, so mehh, let's just embrace it. I still, religiously put creams on my tummy - Diprobase emolient, no less, because we had a heck of 500g bottle of that stuff when Adam had some skin rash last year. Alhamdulillah, not a streak of line (apart from linea nigra, that's some serious strange business man!!).</div>
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To be fair I did have a habit of applying lotions on my skin after every shower pre-pregnancy, not sure if that contributes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Of uncomfortable sleeps.</span></div>
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Adam and I.. We're both independent sleepers (more so me than him). Which means we don't really cuddle to sleep with the exception of some midnight cuddles when we're both half-asleep. But man.. Do I crave to have the whole bed to myself.</div>
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There was a time when Adam did his night shift over the weekend, and I have to admit I loved the 3 nights that I got the whole bed to myself. It's just impossible to be comfortable with such growing bump - and having another person sharing the bed doesn't really help.</div>
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I feel bad saying this, but honestly, the thought of going to bed doesn't equate to being well-rested, no matter how tired I already am. And every now and then I end up sleeping in the lounge surrounded by a bunch of thick duvets on the floor - all the space I can get to roll around!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Of random twinges of pain and discomfort.</span></div>
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Getting up from the chair is uncomfortable. Peeing is uncomfortable. Putting on the socks can be a struggle. And worst of all, waking up from lying down, man, that's serious business.</div>
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Heck my tummy feels so stretched and tight even now as I'm typing this.</div>
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It's about 15-minute walk to hospital where I work, and it's an uphill walk. Not the most pleasant walk unfortunately.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Of drinking for England.</span></div>
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On one occasion, I couldn't feel Seed moving very much. Had to get myself checked out by the midwife, and I turned out to be very dehydrated. Since then I've been drinking for England. And peeing like a tap too.</div>
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I don't know what is it about pregnancy but I never seem to be getting enough fluid intake. The moment I felt good about my drinking habit, my pee was still dark yellow. I mean, come on, I've had 1.5L in already!</div>
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And yes, hello midnight bathroom trips. There was a time I was so knackered in the morning as I had to get up 4-5 times at night to pee just because I've been drinking a gallon during the evening. I kinda learn the trick now - drink like a champ during the day, even if that means going to the toilet after seeing each patient on ward round (can be hilarious), and then limit myself to one cup in the evening. Of course, the moment I wake up in the morning, the pee would still be dark, but heck, mommy need that 8-hr minimum sleep.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. Of loneliness.</span><br />
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They say motherhood can be a lonely journey. They never said anything about pregnancy. I cannot help but feel so alone sometimes. Unless you've been pregnant before, you would never know how it feels to carry a >5kg bump 24/7. I didn't. I used to think, ahh look at those pregnant ladies, all glowing and smiling. I always thought pregnant women are beautiful. But I don't feel like one, how come? I'm all puffed up, my eye bags alone might have contributed to 1kg of the weight gain. The loneliness.. Is real. They say pregnancy is not a disease. I agree, but it's "normal" to a whole new level. It's the strangest physiological thing that can ever happen to your body.<br />
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A lot of times.. It's between you and baby and God.<br />
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This was written when I was at 28w. Didn't get to finish it then (typical!). I'm waaay beyond that now, so you might want to multiply the above by 1.25 or something. I'm heavier, bumpier, slower - everything you can ever imagine.<br />
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BUT,<br />
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I'm more contented too. (Surprise!). Somehow knowing that the baby's growing nice and healthy.. And realising that we're going to meet him sooner than later.. That, my friends, is such an indescribable feeling. Every kick, every swish, every roll, every Braxon Hicks (!!), means we're a step closer. And that is always something to be grateful for.</div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-64472648858210258172017-03-03T10:45:00.000+00:002017-04-15T16:14:18.940+01:00"Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship."I have a small confession.<br />
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<i>I never really wanted to do Medicine.</i><br />
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Not news? Alright, how about.. <i>I'm still not sure if I want to.</i><br />
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Despite the nearly 7 months of doctoring.<br />
Despite the kind words from my colleagues and staff nurses.<br />
Despite the praises from my seniors.<br />
Despite the look of appreciation from my patients.<br />
Despite the glowing assessment by my team members.<br />
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<i>"You're a good doctor, you really are, but that's probably not what you wanted to hear."</i><br />
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I have another month or so to finish this rotation before going off on my maternity leave. The initial plan was to leave and never come back, ever (there, I said it), but I created a whole fuss in management department because I left my online portfolio completely untouched, apart from some team assessments and meetings with supervisors. They're not too happy, especially given that I would've completed 8 months of FY1 by the time I leave and not a single evidence of competencies. That's 2/3rd of becoming fully a registered/certified doctor!</div>
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<i>"Your lack of engagement with the portfolio is almost like your way of saying 'that's it, you've had enough.'"</i><br />
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An act of rebellion.</div>
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True, it's that one thing that I can (sort of) control within my power. I cannot choose to not go to work - professionalism. I cannot choose to not see sick patients - patient safety. I cannot choose to not do my job sloppily - heck, have some standard, will you? You're a flippin' doctor!</div>
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But I can choose to not do any of the online things, can I? </div>
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Well until I got caught anyway.</div>
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So I agreed to work on that bit - at least giving myself an option to return to medicine after 1 year of maternity leave, as my visa would still be running/ongoing throughout that period.</div>
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I have to say, it felt such a relief to finally be able to voice out how I've been feeling and finally be heard/taken seriously. For once, it didn't feel like everyone is on my back to complete this, ie continue medicine. I tried seeking help when I was in medical school, but all I got was "you have to finish this", or "you'll be fine", or "try working as a doctor first see how you feel". Well, I am a friggin' doctor and this is how I feel.</div>
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Unhappy.</div>
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There's a massive hikmah on me not working on my eportfolio. It's amazing how Allah always knows what's best for you.</div>
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A part of me feels that if only I sought help earlier at work.. Although I doubt it's going to change the outcome anyway, at least I won't struggle alone - hidden by a confident, chilled facade on everyday work.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.17000000178813934px;">"Find light in the beautiful sea</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.17000000178813934px;">I choose to be happy" - <i>Diamonds, Rihanna</i></span></blockquote>
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Happiness <i>is</i> a choice, indeed. And I choose to be happy.<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">We are currently presented with an opportunity to finally stop doctoring. </span><i style="text-align: justify;">We,</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> because Adam too, isn't really the biggest fan of doctoring. And </span><i style="text-align: justify;">opportunity</i><span style="text-align: justify;">, because I've learnt to see every difficulty as an opportunity since my epic fallout many years ago.</span><br />
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We've spent years of our lives following a path that's been carved right in front of us. It was challenging, but it's a rather straight path, nevertheless. All we had to do was follow the path, survive through the path, and it brought us here - by choice or not.</div>
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I feel that it's time for us to make an active decision and take charge of our life and not let <i>the path</i> decide for us. We've been at ease all these while, and somehow this speech by Denzel Washington came at a right time, hitting home.</div>
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"Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship."</div>
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Link <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFPmyCTlxQw" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">In the end, Allah is the best planner, after all.</span></div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-32793920879771085862017-02-18T16:21:00.001+00:002017-04-15T15:41:01.829+01:00USA Day 1-2: JFK and New York.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Suddenly in the mood of travelling - the last time we went away was to Italy in October last year and it wasn't particularly great - what with me being unwell and all.</div>
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But USA was amaaaazing. No, like really, A-MAH-ZING. Tetiba USA hahaha.</div>
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We started off the journey from Birmingham International Airport.</div>
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[KLM]</div>
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Birmingham → Amsterdam Schiphol → John F. Kennedy Airport, New York</div>
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return</div>
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[Air France]</div>
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John F. Kennedy Airport, New York → Paris Charles de Goule → Birmingham</div>
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Our tickets costed about £550pp return. We could've saved more if we flew from London but Adam was working the day before the trip, so we decided not to get too stressed out on planning and just pay extra for the convenience. And I always prefer flying out from Birmingham as it's a smaller airport (despite being international) and it's easier to get to (about 1 hour plus by train from Leicester).<br />
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And I only learnt on our trip that KLM and Air France sort of like partner together. You can manage your KLM booking on Air France website and vice versa, although I personally find KLM website more user friendly.</div>
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A little note as well, I know most overseas students are aware of this, but I'm surprised that some of my friends in Malaysia don't. <b>Go to <a href="http://skyscanner.net/">skyscanner.net</a> to find and compare cheap flights.</b> It works most of the time, and Alhamdulillah so far I had no issues with the agents/companies listed. However it's quite tricky with domestic Malaysian flights. MAS, for example, doesn't display the total amount including tax on Skyscanner (not even on their website, I believe?). So while they appear cheap on Skyscanner, the total amount changes after you're directed to MAS website. I feel this is quite deceiving, especially having become used to the UK/EU system where they're obligated to include tax in their display price - what you see is what you pay. But it's nothing too major, just something to keep in mind.</div>
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Another tip - I'm one of those who religiously <b>key in my MH Enrich number</b> (MAS loyalty point) in whatever airline that I fly with, especially with the long-haul ones. I don't really check if the airline that I'm flying with actually partners with MAS, but since I have the number in hand anyway, I just put it in. This proves to be a smart move as I always have some magic Enrich points appearing on my account - which means, free flights, woohoo! Not really free since you do have to pay some fee and whatnot, but it's definitely cheaper and you're more flexible to book at the last minute with Enrich points, since the points required stay the same. </div>
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Anyways, we haven't gotten into the USA part yet, whaaatt?!??</div>
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Right, back to business.<br />
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While on this map the journey doesn't look particularly impressive, this one certainly does.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1JrgegwNtZwYLGbAEuNQUHJWdalaocGZitWvoIs_uWm7HVTcPJcM4HhjmtM1oonY-EBcTvNKLzjkjyHFDxSifuLa_szPjQXVmHJrtBFALxU5HmU6GU3KZs5VTlBaP0WggS4Wpglz3krb/s1600/IMG_7958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1JrgegwNtZwYLGbAEuNQUHJWdalaocGZitWvoIs_uWm7HVTcPJcM4HhjmtM1oonY-EBcTvNKLzjkjyHFDxSifuLa_szPjQXVmHJrtBFALxU5HmU6GU3KZs5VTlBaP0WggS4Wpglz3krb/s640/IMG_7958.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Talk about flying trans-Atlantic, woha! </div>
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The journey itself wasn't too long, probably around 7 hours. But bearing in mind that we had to transit in Amsterdam/Paris, total travelling time one way was around 16 hours, almost the same as going back to Malaysia including transit. If you manage to bag a direct flight UK/Ireland to USA, it would be around 7 hours max.</div>
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We spent around 10 days including travelling times around The States. We only went to New York City, Niagara (Buffalo), and Washington DC before heading back to New York JFK. Considering how maaaaasssive the country is, you can imagine how much time we spent on the road driving from one place to another.</div>
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On to New York.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Day 1: JFK Arrival</span></b></div>
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We arrived at JFK quite late at night. Having foreseen this, I decided to book a room via AirBnB nearby the airport. The host also offered pick-up for a little extra cost so that was a bonus. Unfortunately I didn't take any picture as we were super tired and the place wasn't very exciting either. It did the job for both of us - a double bed with shared bathroom. The pick-up was straightforward, I can highly recommend this place for a short night or quick transfer to/from JFK.</div>
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Link to AirBnB: <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1767037?wl_source=list&wl_id=119458198&role=wishlist_owner&adults=1&children=0&infants=0" target="_blank">Room with wifi near JFK</a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Day 2: New Yoooorrkkkk</span></b></div>
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Took the train into NYC rather early in the morning and started the day with this.</div>
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HAHAHA true New Yorker I tell you.</div>
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Not sure what got into Adam's mind when he ordered a dozen donuts.</div>
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Since we were staying at New Jersey (NJ), ie not in Manhattan, we had to carry our rucksacks around us. We found a place to leave our luggages, I think it cost around $10 per bag for the whole day. Google, and you shall find.</div>
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So onto NYC.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PaTY3EU4GQ3EB9wbXNIWvk-uQWuAtALVq30L0neW81-uGTXD7Na_T60hYR6eCka0u4giGx_3ZIiKlCRiKCuc1Y_Nfn4o-tVDmQPe5P6YgkYxTVeigXj9PqKQUcKP_YqAT6ves6WFhm-2/s1600/IMG_7974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PaTY3EU4GQ3EB9wbXNIWvk-uQWuAtALVq30L0neW81-uGTXD7Na_T60hYR6eCka0u4giGx_3ZIiKlCRiKCuc1Y_Nfn4o-tVDmQPe5P6YgkYxTVeigXj9PqKQUcKP_YqAT6ves6WFhm-2/s640/IMG_7974.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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New Yoooorrrrrrk, country jungle wet dreams tomaaahhtoooo. There's nothing you can't doooooo.</div>
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I. Could. Not. Get. That. Song. Out. Off. My. Head. (I made up the first part)</div>
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But really, there we were, in the middle of the busy Times Square, and mind you, it's The New York Times Square, NOT Berjaya Times Square *scoffs HAHAHA. I can still feel the excitement in my bones right now, honestly.</div>
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Being the city girl that I am, the experience was thrilling. Exhilarating. Growing up with American movies and dramas, everything felt so surreal. People (by that I mean, the Brits) used to comment on my American accent when I first came to England - THIS WAS IT, people. I grew up watching/listening to THIS. </div>
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Btw I sound more British now. *scoff some more</div>
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That day was basically spent walking around with our heads tilted up all day. </div>
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Like this, the Empire State Building. Now now, how could I get Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind our of my head, you tell me. New Yoooooorrkkkkk ---</div>
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Okay I should probably stop now.</div>
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But this building truly reminded me of Sleepless in Seattle movie, hopeless romantic I know.</div>
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A picture in front of Sephora because I promised Nadd I would take one, just because. And no, I did not get a single thing there.</div>
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Grand Central Terminal.</div>
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Inside Grand Central Terminal. </div>
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I grew up listening to it being called The Grand Central Station (blame the movies!). So imagine my disappointment (and rather, embarrassment of my own ignorance) when I found out that it is now called Grand Central Terminal. Again, there are few movies that were filmed here, but one that I remember most is from Step Up 3D. </div>
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Ahh my life in movies.</div>
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The Rockefeller Center. Notice Malaysian flag waving up there?!</div>
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Each place in NYC has its own story to tell, but you can do that from your own reading I guess. But anyways, this Rockefeller Center has a viewing deck where you can see New York from up above, including the Empire State Building. It doesn't come cheap though, although I couldn't really remember how much you'd have to pay to go in.</div>
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And here's the best part of New York City..</div>
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The Halal Guys!</div>
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I read about them A LOT before travelling to The States. And A LOT of the comments involved QUEUES. And they weren't joking about it either. The queue extended to the corner of the block, so imagine how we felt when we first saw them. But fret not, once you're in the queue, it was only for 10 minutes top. They only take cash, so have your 10 bucks notes ready. Meals are around $7 each, and the portions are huge. It's a simple menu, I think with 5-6 options depending whether you want rice or kebab with either lamb or chicken, or both. But man, the food was heavenly.</div>
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We had our food at the side walk like a true New Yorker (haha I doubt!), partly because we were starving and the smell was too tempting.</div>
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The you-think-I'm-gonna-share? look.</div>
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We walked around for a bit more before heading bag to the luggage storage as they closed at around 6pm.</div>
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Times Square in panoramic view.</div>
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Since we were staying in New Jersey, we had to take the bus from Port Authority Bus Station. Round trip was $3 pp if I remember correctly, but you could also purchase 10-tickets for better price. The journey itself took around 15-20 minutes one way from Port Authority to NJ.</div>
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And this was what greeted us once we got off the bus at NJ.</div>
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New York skyline!</div>
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To be completely honest, part of the reasons why I chose this AirBnb <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/8673340?wl_source=list&wl_id=119372377&role=wishlist_owner&adults=1&children=0&infants=0" target="_blank">(click for link)</a> was honestly for the view. It wasn't the cheapest option if I wanted to be truly calculative, but I thought it was worth the journey and view. And the whole stay was amazing! We stayed for 4d3n and honestly, I couldn't fault the host at all. We had pastries and freshly brewed coffee every morning - and THE Hazelnut Coffeemate - I blame them for introducing that to me!</div>
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I initially considered staying somewhere in Manhattan to save on transport cost, and some of them worked out pretty much the same as staying in NJ. You pay more for the accommodation, but less on transport. Problem is, these accommodations are usually the dingy ones - shared bathrooms, no breakfast etc. Nowhere near what we got with the AirBnB. Highly recommended.</div>
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Arrived here to the magic padlock with a secret code, ha!</div>
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And somehow I became Anabel during that stay. </div>
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They had 2 cats, which Adam wasn't particularly excited about. But me? CATS! Okay I can be quite scared of them but still, CATS!</div>
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So that sums up our first day around NYC. Hoping that I could keep up with this USA series as God knows how many pictures I have to scroll through, and the brain exercise to remember the details is just, bleghhh. But hey, it's NEW YORK!</div>
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Okay excitement over. Later.</div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-73830010049608925662017-02-11T11:38:00.001+00:002017-04-15T15:46:12.372+01:00Stonehenge - just, rocks.<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ayah has been wanting to visit Stonehenge since his last UK trip some time in July last year. But we were short of time and Adam was working so logistics were quite difficult. We went around Wales - which deserves a post on on its own (as usual), but not quite Stonehenge. So this time we had a weekend off with the family so I thought, why not.</div>
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The journey itself took about 2 hours according to Google map, but we had to detour for a very good reason (will share later!), so it felt like a very long never-ending drive. You know it's a long drive when there's this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHVSk9LadX-stGvDIS1DF-GgGn3ebeKsoddBTGKlsU3fjASeCHEM866APt6o2XokhuQgEAkWPR6EujBz85mz40Yj98MomPcs48EChuz234eQtmtHIOkeluTGxYSlkX7J2kvg1osZCvE1U/s1600/IMG_9959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHVSk9LadX-stGvDIS1DF-GgGn3ebeKsoddBTGKlsU3fjASeCHEM866APt6o2XokhuQgEAkWPR6EujBz85mz40Yj98MomPcs48EChuz234eQtmtHIOkeluTGxYSlkX7J2kvg1osZCvE1U/s640/IMG_9959.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Road trip selfie.</div>
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After what felt like an eternal journey into nothing-ness, we finally caught a glimpse of the magnificent..</div>
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Rocks.</div>
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My first thought, "I expect you to be bigger?!"</div>
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And now is the time that I bore you with this legendary Windows 97 screensaver/wallpaper.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3W9GuDa7wY94UW0uJYvqDW2Ka8Gnpn69O4Bd8sfJNN5gT1ZR8z31XesfZRBjCkTbO7iExEZQKOanHN3swwV9Np013D21_ojVZpvSUdEaLx057StVRquB37ejk3wAzMvcmetTTtJ7G_SeZ/s1600/IMG_6376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3W9GuDa7wY94UW0uJYvqDW2Ka8Gnpn69O4Bd8sfJNN5gT1ZR8z31XesfZRBjCkTbO7iExEZQKOanHN3swwV9Np013D21_ojVZpvSUdEaLx057StVRquB37ejk3wAzMvcmetTTtJ7G_SeZ/s640/IMG_6376.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But our photo, first.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJxilXqPlL1LtziaDxU5zNpUFOzA98kF_G2tYH5uOlYV_XARJLTTjNn-MJu7VLqNHzVTgbHbPm_iqD60SwIz1mRo6yfUia4EeAJeMd7fJyt1O0vgJKduXfWRguNQkdyiqvnzYmBXk0eHp/s1600/IMG_6379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJxilXqPlL1LtziaDxU5zNpUFOzA98kF_G2tYH5uOlYV_XARJLTTjNn-MJu7VLqNHzVTgbHbPm_iqD60SwIz1mRo6yfUia4EeAJeMd7fJyt1O0vgJKduXfWRguNQkdyiqvnzYmBXk0eHp/s640/IMG_6379.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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While this looks pretty majestic, it actually isn't. It's not even as big as I thought it would be. I mean, you look at Kaabah pictures and when you got there you're like, wow, I just cannot, like wow. But this one..</div>
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Obviously comparing it to our qiblat isn't the most appropriate thing, but just to tell you how disappointed I was..</div>
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I was properly disappointed. Heartbroken. Gutted. Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. The list goes on.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicS_CPUZCYNehC_PRrjAPs9eIJD-BFMcgrNyKa8HbvpsJ6fpQjr2JpFdqiLsYCyQZCe4-draTbVmLV7J3sCXfu6itsZ7Jlzug0034QS5o8R5e9wajZHIryiAl4hQA1BGs7ZdfpcRItkxda/s1600/IMG_9968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicS_CPUZCYNehC_PRrjAPs9eIJD-BFMcgrNyKa8HbvpsJ6fpQjr2JpFdqiLsYCyQZCe4-draTbVmLV7J3sCXfu6itsZ7Jlzug0034QS5o8R5e9wajZHIryiAl4hQA1BGs7ZdfpcRItkxda/s640/IMG_9968.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Putting a grainy picture of us from my cousin's phone - one for the memory.</div>
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Apart from the rocks, there's also other areas to explore. Like this,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXViPbjbox9ghxUWTEAOhVcV6WNQuHNx8Ly56FHpP004ttEelSbwrbEUF8gWDmSBDlCLuZci4N7c7xJ-1QrXLxK4RmtW0bmJGR9oScvMZn54lp7Twv39dWJE1QQp7hluuh18FCAvIFgYD4/s1600/IMG_6403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXViPbjbox9ghxUWTEAOhVcV6WNQuHNx8Ly56FHpP004ttEelSbwrbEUF8gWDmSBDlCLuZci4N7c7xJ-1QrXLxK4RmtW0bmJGR9oScvMZn54lp7Twv39dWJE1QQp7hluuh18FCAvIFgYD4/s640/IMG_6403.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tiny huts which are just about my height.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyVUR3-i0JXh-fc4CQHdk0Ocp7XCm0_HcyHxEnMbEZXexD7lMlvxS08OmDkFgajiNC4ym5Ro9OurgqjT0R_viziQd-lKMA6SbkjzwF38_MMwaZwJDIbYzDNm_NLibQx7w_M57A78rN7VA/s1600/IMG_6401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyVUR3-i0JXh-fc4CQHdk0Ocp7XCm0_HcyHxEnMbEZXexD7lMlvxS08OmDkFgajiNC4ym5Ro9OurgqjT0R_viziQd-lKMA6SbkjzwF38_MMwaZwJDIbYzDNm_NLibQx7w_M57A78rN7VA/s640/IMG_6401.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And this - where you can find out how many people of the same strength you need to recruit to build your own Stonehenge. I thought Adam did pretty great although the scale only lasted a few micro seconds. </div>
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Grow up strong ok Seed buddy.</div>
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I personally feel that our biggest mistake was not exploring the Information Centre first (didn't take any pictures inside because I was already too disappointed, ha!). We went straight to see the rocks despite the staff recommendation to start with the Information Centre first, which of course didn't make a lot of sense. </div>
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Once we've been inside the Info Centre only then things started to be more interesting. I mean, I now know that no one can actually be sure on why Stonehenge was built in the first place - it was thought to be a sacred burial place for the dead - but no one could truly confirm this.</div>
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Great.</div>
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But really, start with Info Centre first.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oo96-zLaGzJ1X5ruIgDnCjAhpHDDRiTl0LJ3DwK5VSvYdJFPFXHLgCb6ox0fPuRNjJNOD_d3VU4yYyaBdahIswAodLVo95egAdDY38pvKTUPTlJyQOfXI_1rbWnsex6IfV6YnBBFF4fn/s1600/IMG_6412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oo96-zLaGzJ1X5ruIgDnCjAhpHDDRiTl0LJ3DwK5VSvYdJFPFXHLgCb6ox0fPuRNjJNOD_d3VU4yYyaBdahIswAodLVo95egAdDY38pvKTUPTlJyQOfXI_1rbWnsex6IfV6YnBBFF4fn/s640/IMG_6412.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is how the entrance looks like, btw. </div>
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The actual site itself is about 1.5miles from the entrance, but they do provide free shuttles back and forth.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7Mx7GQ_lnyDM1gXxlJQ8037IWC7Ye30kuXd3Qfdr1i74IE_fPaOfjd2SUuJS1XcWqS4Qae8TcArmw-ZnDnvuhxEBj66E0_Ji3qaWgXr4mg-jTCIPsRWfcuV-kiG5fMfL-k7DpIpQ_gTF/s1600/IMG_6398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7Mx7GQ_lnyDM1gXxlJQ8037IWC7Ye30kuXd3Qfdr1i74IE_fPaOfjd2SUuJS1XcWqS4Qae8TcArmw-ZnDnvuhxEBj66E0_Ji3qaWgXr4mg-jTCIPsRWfcuV-kiG5fMfL-k7DpIpQ_gTF/s640/IMG_6398.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Not sure why I end this post with a picture of their shuttle, but there you go.</div>
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Some tips.</div>
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1. Book online to save money. The ticket itself is about £15.50 pp online but a quid or two more at the entrance. And you'd have to queue if you buy at the gate.</div>
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2. Bring snacks. Unless you want to be trapped in the overpriced cafe with very limited selections, bring some snacks with you. There's no eateries elsewhere within 3 miles radius (I made that one up) either.</div>
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3. If you're not a big fan of history, maybe give Stonehenge a miss. Unless you live nearby or going towards that direction anyway. Nothing personal, just not sure it was worth the long drive in our case.</div>
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4. Last but not least, if you <i>do</i> decide to go just because, go with an open mind!</div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-5949182616941513112017-01-29T12:58:00.000+00:002017-04-15T15:49:07.825+01:00Home, away from home.<div style="text-align: center;">
Here's to more blogposts in 2017!</div>
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I realised I haven't really posted any pictures around our not-so-new home. So here's one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLjbvEb85qljbzjfBIopKyHpjoM_TCHoD616p52338NTseIazlEf7ZJjxeUrlglxM4jUDltxeLunWjzScEPS-UxrHhBtj7eItOBaYJ-0-10CiWT9qyn1vfP7mPANAFIoQ_dEovzYBMZXa/s1600/IMG_9894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLjbvEb85qljbzjfBIopKyHpjoM_TCHoD616p52338NTseIazlEf7ZJjxeUrlglxM4jUDltxeLunWjzScEPS-UxrHhBtj7eItOBaYJ-0-10CiWT9qyn1vfP7mPANAFIoQ_dEovzYBMZXa/s640/IMG_9894.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hehehe.</div>
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We were doing a bit of cleaning around the house before my family arrived, and this was taken just after Adam vacuumed the rug. I thought it's pretty cute seeing his palm prints on there, probably because he couldn't resist having a little 'sketch' on it, haha.</div>
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Serious photo now.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAhXz3vQ5ev0TXTjZu2uDiUlA8fp87wm4YjWfcQNyNRzYfKEgUVGISxGQrOcP5ESPWEwW-O3U_FdJSozvXpvAT7Z31WmXn3ZF5zWM8Qkg6hBA7jkiojLHn2JM76S0_IGld2dfDdE00yE5/s1600/IMG_9895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAhXz3vQ5ev0TXTjZu2uDiUlA8fp87wm4YjWfcQNyNRzYfKEgUVGISxGQrOcP5ESPWEwW-O3U_FdJSozvXpvAT7Z31WmXn3ZF5zWM8Qkg6hBA7jkiojLHn2JM76S0_IGld2dfDdE00yE5/s640/IMG_9895.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our humble simple no-nonsense living room! </div>
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Having moved from a tiny 1-bed flat with very limited living space to a 2-bed flat with maaaassive living room (and bedroom too!), it was initially really tempting to fill in the space with more stuff to make it more homey. Maybe a couple of pictures here and there, and a small vase with plastic (or fresh) flowers? But we persevered. </div>
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Well more like <i>I</i> persevered, because Adam really couldn't be bothered. </div>
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I wanted the space to look a bit more homey and personal, but at the same time I don't want clutters. I never really appreciate flowers and small trinkets anyway, although I do adore them when I see them at others' places. So what we had back then is all that we have now. In fact if you look at the picture, we hardly ever buy things!</div>
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1. TV - free. It's from Adam's previous apartment in Belfast. (I don't know how he managed to get away inheriting the TV and not paying for it.)</div>
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2. TV stand - free. The previous tenant at our previous flat in Leicester left it for us. (I asked if they had anything to sell us before they moved out, and they gave it for free!)</div>
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3. Leather couch - free. My neighbour at Grasmere St where I used to live with my housemates left it outside their house with a sign saying "Help Yourself". And of course I <i>couldn't</i> help myself. It's friggin' free!</div>
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4. Purple couch cover - (sorta) free. It's actually a duvet cover from Adam's years in Belfast. I haaaate leather couch (freezing bums!) which is a bit ironic because I insisted to have this one, but at the same time couldn't justify spending £20 plus for a fabric cover. This did the job.</div>
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5. Rug - (sorta) free. From my years in Grasmere St, Leicester. The house had wooden floors.</div>
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6. Stand lamp - (sorta) free. Again, from Grasmere St.</div>
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So really, we didn't buy anything new since Adam moved in to Leicester last year, apart from the Xbox 360 - and even that is second-hand.</div>
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(My mom always wonders how is it that we're so thrifty given that both of us are doctors.)</div>
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Speaking of Xbox, I played Castle Crashers yesterday and this popped up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkHJkY-zBeH5Swqw-GbqS1RXhhJeak0pDX1H2gmqsy8nFvGuVt-HfzDkO_AiLJ17FY527mW3Eth4NYpj9C_0Bz-B7wpIwRriBLxd3RL2b8JNyPdNNFKSRvCu1WmJ_oVc7gKSulw5CIeuJ/s1600/IMG_9933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkHJkY-zBeH5Swqw-GbqS1RXhhJeak0pDX1H2gmqsy8nFvGuVt-HfzDkO_AiLJ17FY527mW3Eth4NYpj9C_0Bz-B7wpIwRriBLxd3RL2b8JNyPdNNFKSRvCu1WmJ_oVc7gKSulw5CIeuJ/s640/IMG_9933.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sent it to Adam because he was on a long day 13-hr shift, hehehe.</div>
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And I thought I'd share this picture as well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwtgfOp3TaDZi4ALhiAvBSGWLXsMmBiD14548WWReY48EJRE_WN5_daAbpb9QytBGtrOY3f0_z_Wt6qhEEruv71RrszaS7f3us_4oux0-R1FUfl1A0Yc__QSrHQK11HCE0bRZL6QA-laT/s1600/IMG_9940+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwtgfOp3TaDZi4ALhiAvBSGWLXsMmBiD14548WWReY48EJRE_WN5_daAbpb9QytBGtrOY3f0_z_Wt6qhEEruv71RrszaS7f3us_4oux0-R1FUfl1A0Yc__QSrHQK11HCE0bRZL6QA-laT/s640/IMG_9940+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was last night when Adam just got home from his shift having dinner, and I love how everyone was very fixated on the movie. Reminds me that yes, this flat is quite expensive for what it is, but nothing compares to having everyone in the same space comfortably. (We could never do this in Leicester.)</div>
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Anyways, my favourite space of this flat is actually the kitchen! Will probably share that one someday.</div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-30814528354097616132017-01-26T21:11:00.001+00:002017-04-15T16:08:03.357+01:00The longest January yet.January feels like it's dragging on foreeveeeerr. Let's see, I've done nights (8.30pm-9.30am), I've done lates (2pm-10pm), I've even done long days (8.30am-9.30pm). And I'm currently on day 8 of a 9-day stretch, yet it's not even February! There's something about this Paediatrics job that makes time go awfully selloowww I swear. <br /><br />On the bright side, I've actually been working for nearly 2 months on this job, nearly half way done!<br /><br /><div>
Anyway, on to my favourite topic - Seed.<br /><br />He's a big boy now! Fine, more like tummy's getting bigger and bigger. I can no longer sujud without feeling the pressure around the hip. Walking fast means holding my tummy for support (read: mums' instinctive mechanism). I just feel constantly heavy. <br /><br />Which brings us to the next point - I'm not exactly heavy, heavy. I've only gained a little over 4kgs over the last 6 months. I don't look terribly pregnant apart from the growing tummy. So I shouldn't really feel that 'heavy', if anything. <br /><br />In fact, I've hit my current weight once when I was home in Malaysia for nearly 2 months or so. So really, this isn't really heavy.<br /><br />It's a lie if I say I'm not worried about Seed not growing enough - after all people keep warning me about weight gain in pregnancy and I, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. I've been constantly tired and stressed on the job, and I well know it can affect baby's growth. <br /><br />But I keep reminding myself, as long as Seed's healthy, figures don't matter. He's been kicking up a storm, his favourites are handover time at work and just as I'm about to sleep. I have a feeling he's responding to voices (hence the handover dance!). Also, he sometimes kicks like mad when Adam's telling me things, and pauses when I tell Adam about this - what a cheeky bunny. <br /><br />I've been told that babies recognise the language spoken to them - as if, they pick up the accent and lingo. Obviously they might not understand just yet, but they're aware. And for this very reason, I reeeeally think Adam and I should speak more English at home. <br /><br />Yes, we often talk gibberish to each other - (rahsia kebahagiaan, kah!). How to speak English then?<br /><br />Craving-wise, I find myself in a bit of a sticky dark mess of coffee addiction. I cannot get the Hazelnut Coffeemate that we had in The States out of my mind. That. Is. Pure. Gold. I tell you. So I've been looking for alternatives here - Old Town's not one of them as they're too high in sugar, and the less sugar ones taste too artificial to my liking. So I ended up scouring through Amazon and found the Hazelnut Coffeemate, for a friggin' £7! Gaaahhhhhh. <br /><br />Although to be fair, it's not really the money I'm too concerned about, it's the potential exponential increment of coffee consumption that might come with it that's more worrying. <br /><br />(Word of caution: I might still end up buying it, lol.)<br /><br />So yeah, reeeally. Nothing too exciting going on right now. My family's now here, actually in Amsterdam to be exact, ha! Other than that, life's pretty much as what it is - work and sleep. I've also been posting from my iPhone instead of laptop, because, sleeeeeep. (I need at least 8-9hours of sleep to function properly the next day). <br /><br />Mad respect to pregnant doctors who work until right before they're due!<div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: ".sf ui text"; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
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One not-terribly-pregnant doctor counting hours to finish her 13-hour shift. </div>
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Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-72068071009243059962017-01-22T20:13:00.001+00:002017-01-22T20:13:09.674+00:00Something warm and fuzzy.<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">There's something about living abroad thousands of miles away from home, just the two of you - just him, and you. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It can be pretty lonely, it can seem like an endless journey with no definite destination, and at times, it can be really frustrating. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">But it's mostly amazing. The love that you have for each other, is a different kind of love. It's the tenderness, the affection, the morning snuggles on a frosty Sunday morning when you have to work for a 13-hour shift, knowing full well that none of us really wants to do that. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It's knowing that we're in this together, lonely or not. Alone, we can be lonely together, can't we?</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Adam was about to snuggle up to me one night, when I suddenly shoved a bolster into him and turned the other way. I was half-asleep (with somehow very good reflex) so of course I didn't remember anything. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">So when he told me this the next morning, we laughed. He even acted out the whole thing again - there we were, two perfectly grown adults on a foreign land far far away from home - jumping in bed, re-enacting the scene that wouldn't even mean much to others. But at that moment, at that very moment, it felt like we belong here. We belong together, and that's all that matters.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It's just warmth and fuzziness. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I have a habit of tickling his feet in the morning when they stick out of the duvet (he's just got really long legs!), and he would shuffle, sometimes even wiggle his toes, half-asleep. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The same as how he likes to snuggle up to me at night, and hold me close when I'm </span><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">asleep. I don't think he even realises doing it, especially in the middle of the night - I'm a light sleeper, he's the complete opposite, totally comatosed. Still, he'd give me soft pats as if trying to put me back to sleep.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">(Basically we really like each other when one of us is asleep.)</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I suppose that's the thing about the togetherness in us. Lonely or not, we're in this, together. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Always.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-52785080368110712017-01-04T20:47:00.001+00:002017-01-04T20:47:19.679+00:00Sugar talks.I want cakes. I know I usually just tweet about it but this time I might as well write. <div><br></div><div>Cakes. The way of life. </div><div><br></div><div>Speaking of, last time when we went back to Malaysia, we had a deep discussion about sugar, health and all sweet things. </div><div><br></div><div>What you must know is that Adam selaaaaalu bantai I sebab suka makan cake and ice cream. And unhealthy things in general. Dulu kat KMB dia siap sorokkan air tin Nescafe sebab I suka sangat minum coffee. Ada sekali tu dia bagitau our other classmate suruh pesan kat I jangan makan banyak sangat. Kemain.</div><div><br></div><div>So sama lah lepas kawen pun. Kadang2 risau sebab Bella suuuuuka makan cake. Adam takberapa sangat sweet things. Dia suka anything cold, rather. Particularly yogurt.</div><div><br></div><div>Anyways, kitorang balik Malaysia check blood sugar masing2. Curious. Alang2 ada test strip kat rumah Umi. </div><div><br></div><div>And guess what? My fasting sugar was 4.7! For someone yang memang sweet tooth, that's pretty impressive. Adam? 5.9, amek ha. To be fair dia makan kerepek pisang just before testing, but still..</div><div><br></div><div>So we agreed, I memang suka benda manis, tapi I sangat particular pasal sugar intake on things that I can control. Eg, 3in1 drinks. Especially coffee ones. They're loaded with sugar sebab nak counter pahit coffee tu supaya jadi lemak2 berkrim. </div><div><br></div><div>I stop herbalife dulu pun sebab conscious dengan sugar dia :( </div><div><br></div><div>Ada sekali at some point I quit sugar cold turkey. Kalau boleh memang aim less than 4 teaspoon per day - including makanan dalam packet. Note that I memang jaaaaaarang letak gula dalam minuman macam coffee (again), so most of my sugar intake dari packet/prepared food je. </div><div><br></div><div>Simple tips yang I practice bila nak beli makanan kat kedai dalam packet/bungkusan untuk tengok kandungan gula. </div><div><br></div><div>1. Tengok under "carbohydrate, of which sugar" dia berapa per 100 gram. As a ground rule, 4g sama dengan satu sudu kecik gula. Anything less than 4g is considered low sugar, anything above 20g is high in sugar. 5 sudu kecik bak hang. And kalau fikir balik, 20g sugar per 100g, 1/5 kandungan makanan tu ialah gula semata!</div><div><br></div><div>2. Tengok order of ingredients. It's a regulation rasanya, that manufacturer kena letak ingredients in order of significance. So kadang2 tu kalau beli juice atau kordial, tengok ingredients list, contohnya - Water, sugar, blackcurrant extract, etc.. Maksudnya gula dia lagi significant dari actual juice. Sama dengan coffee 3in1 (lagi, sebab I memang suka minum kopi), ada satu produk tu ingredients in order dia adalah - Creamer, sugar, coffee..... Last2 baru dia letak herba ke apa entah. Kat laaaaast sekali! (Ni brand kopi yang market untuk kesihatan). Hm, maksudnya herba atau bahan2 untuk sihat dalam kopi tu sikit sangat. Instead dia hanyalah kopi, creamer campur gula. Harga pun boleh tahan. </div><div><br></div><div>I have nothing against these health products, cuma 3in1 meeeemang kena be careful with. Haritu masa buat elektif kat klinik kesihatan, ada new diagnosis of diabetes, umur baru 27. Puncanya suuuuka minum 3in1, siap tambah susu pekat lagi. Minum kopi sihat ok, bukan Nescafe biasa2 tu. </div><div><br></div><div>Rakyat Malaysia makan kat kedai dah la minum air manis (teh ais sedap please!), kat rumah pun nak tambah lagi manis. And makanan ruji kita nasi, which is carbohydrate yang akan bertukar kepada gula kalau tak convert jadi tenaga (exercise). Simple but often overlooked. Semua menyumbang ke arah kencing manis.</div><div><br></div><div>Ke arah 2017 yang lebih sihat, marilah lebih conscious dengan apa yang kita beli/makan. Slow2, lama2 terbiasalah. Take it from someone yang hantu cake ni :)</div><div><br></div><div>Dr. Bella.</div>Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-34077752709485137272017-01-01T22:41:00.001+00:002017-04-15T16:01:13.753+01:00SeedBoy.<div style="text-align: center;">
Good gosh it's been a year since I last blogged!</div>
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#lamenewyearjokealert</div>
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It's been a month, precisely. And I miss this space more than anything! I feel like I'm slowly detaching from the online world (my blog!) and it's really bugging me!</div>
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I should probably make a wrap of 2016 like normal people do when it gets to new year, but sadly my reflecting skill has gone down steeply after I started, urm, doctoring. Every day is a blur. Suddenly it's like, woah, 2017 already?</div>
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But I can tell you what happened since 1st December 2016..</div>
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This.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtw7oVbEg6iSKHjIilgVh-GTL8Po0RUzDECqJXTNNfV_qlVTW8riJDOYzzyFjVuIF4bkHexrQ0e3JqVHdtU29zSsIN5E7VQYPSx9qMuNJJxWml9-i6iOtI114sNUKz7Exl5zvxeJIbpM4N/s1600/IMG_9856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtw7oVbEg6iSKHjIilgVh-GTL8Po0RUzDECqJXTNNfV_qlVTW8riJDOYzzyFjVuIF4bkHexrQ0e3JqVHdtU29zSsIN5E7VQYPSx9qMuNJJxWml9-i6iOtI114sNUKz7Exl5zvxeJIbpM4N/s640/IMG_9856.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This little one has grown so much since last time!</div>
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Aanddd...</div>
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It's a SeedBoy!</div>
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Yeap, it's a <i>he</i>. And this little guy has been kicking around more than ever. It's the funniest feeling because whenever Adam comes near my tummy to say hi, he remains quiet. And I often make random remarks like "Seed says hi", "Seed just wakes up", etc when he goes on a kicking spree. Oh well I guess Adam can wait a bit longer to feel those.</div>
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Pregnancy-wise, I can no longer sleep on my back without waking up ache-free the next day. And I can no longer fit into regular trousers - yes I'm currently wearing one of those hideous maternity trousers, at 20 weeks - cringe! I get nauseated very easily on car rides, not so much on a plane. And the scariest thing is that I forget things and do silly mistakes all the time - not sure if it's the pregnancy or just me. :(</div>
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Work-wise, I'm currently doing Paediatrics (kids!). It's a lot less taxing than Surgery, but of course, I still want to quit. Let's leave it at that.</div>
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Life-wise, I realised that Adam and I are still the loving couple that we are. We've been married for more than 4 years, yet we're still as clingy to each other. We always joke about how both of us don't really have best friends apart from each other, but I'm not saying this lightly - be each other's best friend. Love might come in waves, but the friendship always remains. And with friendship, there's always love in it.</div>
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So yes, 2017 is going to bring a pretty big change, inshaAllah. </div>
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Game on, baby. (quite literally)</div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2406108637741620556.post-64426484666452393052016-12-01T00:30:00.000+00:002017-04-15T16:01:13.767+01:00Double lines.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was an ordinary day off for both of us.
I was going through a lot of random (and some, expired) things in my vanity
drawer. A couple of pregnancy tests included.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">They were actually dated back in 2014!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So truth is, we decided to take the plunge
about a month earlier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWikXBUqH5QMVWKsDfVdDuw53JsZLN2hnEYgmFlavZLIzDjA-U1ImvUdzlUSZiX75G-1ivE215hKqoK1pD_yrzWIQAdmNwXf-zc_vYy4vHLTq9AVz6ugAS29hCX8p_UXgI1PjEeBPkRA6I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-20+at+13.11.51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWikXBUqH5QMVWKsDfVdDuw53JsZLN2hnEYgmFlavZLIzDjA-U1ImvUdzlUSZiX75G-1ivE215hKqoK1pD_yrzWIQAdmNwXf-zc_vYy4vHLTq9AVz6ugAS29hCX8p_UXgI1PjEeBPkRA6I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-20+at+13.11.51.png" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">This was the game-changing night. I
actually did a serious research on maternity leave for junior doctors on NHS –
very honestly –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>because I wanted to find
a legit reason to stay on my current visa but not work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">A baby is a much welcomed bonus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I figured out a plan, calculated the risks
and all, and decided we should just do it. So the next morning I spilled
everything to Adam, in which he thought it was actually a good plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Now note this, I have been on contraception, IUD (copper coil) for most of our married life. Hence why the question “Where’s
the baby?” didn’t really affect us all that much. We knew we couldn’t really
afford to have them too, what with the long-distance marriage and all. In fact,
the initial plan was to wait for another year until I finish my FY1 and be
fully registered with GMC (i.e. fully licensed doctor). That would mean conceiving
sometime around December-January. But work proves to be tough, that I couldn’t
justify putting off having something that we’ve been wanting for so long, for
some career plan that I’m not even passionate about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Babies – yes, that I’m <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> much interested in, thank you.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So on to the day when I tested positive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The night before, I toyed with the idea of
testing with the expired stick with Adam. He wasn’t too keen with the idea, I
mean, it’s expired, it wouldn’t mean much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">But girl don’t care.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Both sticks turned positive the next
morning. Ahh, this is something!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Adam was still asleep in bed when I teased
him, “Guess who’s going to be daddy?”. And guess what’s his first response?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">“Did you use the expired tests?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Such anti-climax this guy. Of course la, he
knew that’s the only tests that we had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">“Should we go to Morrisons now to get a new
test?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Haha this guy too cute! Well to be honest
if you ask me, I had a feeling that I’ve been pregnant quite a while before
that. It’s something that I just, well, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">knew.</i>
So this positive test, albeit expired, pretty much confirmed it. But Adam is a
man of logic. The only way to confirm it is by doing another test – a valid
one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">And that, too, showed positive result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Over the moon? Yes. But more like super
duper ultimately grateful. We are so eternally grateful for this little one
growing in my tummy, Alhamdulillah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">And to me, personally, things finally make
sense. It has been a wonderful four years together – travelling, graduating,
becoming a doctor, that now, having a little one feels only right. It's still a long way to go, just like the long list of baby names we have been accumulating over the last couple of years (without even actually trying, ha!), but inshaAllah it's going to be an amazing one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">*rubs tummy* (actually full of Nando's, more than anything).</span></div>
Bellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10491914576036617168noreply@blogger.com3