tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51136705725734129112024-03-06T15:21:23.547+08:00❤❤❤Wonderful memories worth keeping. Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-44724297023304963322018-01-11T15:02:00.000+08:002018-01-11T19:39:52.585+08:00Norway & Sweden a RecapSince work is still not hectic yet, thought I should update about our Norway and Sweden trip. By far, the best trip of my life! Hahaha. Our honeymoon to London, Paris, Switzerland and Amsterdam held the #1 spot for quite a while until this Norway and Sweden trip came along. Even Santorini couldn't be on top. See how much I love Norway and Sweden especially Norway. I'll talk about the individual cities in a separate post but now, just to recap the whole trip.<br />
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<b><u>Flight</u></b><br />
Let me clarify my previous post about all the things I bought and plan to bring to occupy the boys during the flights. I ended up not bringing or using most of the things I planned to keep them busy with. Hah. Why? Firstly, I didn't want to carry a lot of things in the end and secondly, my boys slept half of the time and would rather watch a cartoon movie or play with that one or two toy cars we brought or just flip through the flight's magazines or just play with whatever they could lay their hands on. :D<br />
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<b><u>Tips and tricks:</u></b><br />
These are just what helped us 'survive' the trip with two toddlers so, it may or may not be relevant to you! :)<br />
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1. If you have toddlers with you and you plan to get a taxi in both Norway and Sweden (and probably some other Scandinavian countries), please call in advance so that they can search for a taxi which has car seats for your toddlers. I missed the train in Oslo and ended up walking in the rain in Bergen because we couldn't get a taxi with car seats.<br />
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2. With toddlers, we tried to end the day early on most days or start the day later on some days. Not because the boys were tired but because we were also also very tired from carrying either of them and walking for hours. Our bodies started to ache towards the end of the trip so imagine if we didn't get enough rest from the start. Our bodies would probably ache by the third day.<br />
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3. I know this trip is mainly catered to us parents, but we slotted in some outdoor play time for the boys just so that they would enjoy the trip as much as we did. So I actually planned to go to at least one playground in every city so that the boys would have a chance playing outdoors every few days. Norway and Sweden have a lot of playgrounds around so it was easy to find one in every city.<br />
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4. Lower your expectations to see everything within a few days. It won't be possible with toddlers around. So I planned my itinerary with only a few places to go to each day. Prepare to not even go to the places you had initially planned on going. :/<br />
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5. I actually don't really buy or wear thermal wears before this but for this trip, I invested in them because I wanted the boys to be warmly comfortable. (Except that it wasn’t really an investment when they could only fit into it for two winters max if I’m lucky.) And bring two sets for them because shit happens, literally haha. A 100% merino wool one from Icebreaker can last more than a week without washing because they won’t smell at all so by right one should be enough but we got another extra set from Winter Wear (which is cheaper) for the boys just in case.<br />
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6. Don't have to bring a lot of cash because almost everything is cashless there. Even the public toilets use card for payment.<br />
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7. Are the northern light chases possible with the toddlers? Well, it depends on how your toddlers are but we did it! Not all companies allow toddlers to be on them so check first. Since the chases were all at night, ours slept through so they didn't leave the bus much and didn't cry much. Wasn't too cold for them either because the bus was heated and they were only outside the bus for like 15 mins the most before they continued sleeping in the bus. We were worried they would scream and cry so we prepared some milk, snacks and toys but turns out they rather sleep.<br />
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8. Download their public transport app. You can get all the train, bus and tram tickets through the app at a cheaper price than paying cash upfront. BUT we didn't get to enjoy this despite downloading the app because Zai and I don't carry credit cards and debit cards just won't work. :/<br />
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9. Buy train tickets in advance. I paid 5 times cheaper!<br />
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10. Is Norway expensive? Yes! But kids below a certain age don't have to pay for the trains, bus, trams and even museums so yay! And some tourist attractions are free for all too.<br />
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11. Don't bother driving if you're going to stay in the cities because a lot of things are within walking distance and the snow will make driving hard. Plus, the public transports are great and parking is crazy expensive. If you want to drive and chase the northern lights yourself, I suggest not because the guides will have a better idea on where to find the lights. They know the weather best and they know where to find clear dark skies. Driving in an unfamiliar country, with snow and in the dark may not be a good combo. BUT, if you’re adventurous, I say go for it!<br />
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12. We rented thermal suits for the boys in Tromso but then realised that we shouldn't have because our winter wear was sufficient to keep them warm. But then again, I invested so much money in their winter wear so it better keep them warm. Haha. The coldest we encountered was like probably -9 degree Celsius during the light chase, which was very cold but bearable because we could hop on the heated bus any time.<br />
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13. Tromso, Norway will be good for northern light chases because it's relatively warmer than other northern light 'places' which can go as low as -20 degree Celsius. Plus Norway is big so the guides can just keep driving to chase the light, unlike Iceland which is smaller and an island. Norway has a lot of companies and guides doing the chase but of course, not so cheap la. :/ Tromso is not so ulu and also quite populated so there are many convenient facilities like shops (even a halal groceries store) and a library.<br />
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Had to wake them up for this once in a life time shot haha.</div>
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I can't think of anything for now so, just ask if you want to know more!</div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-34404093812299994232017-11-13T15:53:00.000+08:002017-11-15T08:21:57.032+08:003 Weeks More!Less than 3 weeks to our trip (!!!) and I have been religiously updating and editing our trip's 'information document' on Microsoft Word. Zai left all the planning to me so I have been busy researching on how to get to places, what activities to do, which places to go and forgo, the opening hours of certain places, how many daylight hours we have and more. Basically, everything to do with the trip because I am too free like that. Heh.<br />
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I don't know if I'm being paranoid or what, but I actually bought and plan to buy these things for the kids to occupy themselves with in the plane.<br />
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<b><u>Things to keep the kids occupied in the plane:</u></b><br />
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<b>1. Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pad</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoXcUOE2ycwf9OU-aJYE6aSscVWxyb05TUwQXjgJvG_UH7wb9Yku37jAXDSoNBpYe0Akpr58TeB9tr3OtfPPtatEpgieZZ_DP0BHzxGy-09Cc7HZnUucJCUBw5NIi1NOufMmOwrKnZlo/s1600/004196_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="561" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoXcUOE2ycwf9OU-aJYE6aSscVWxyb05TUwQXjgJvG_UH7wb9Yku37jAXDSoNBpYe0Akpr58TeB9tr3OtfPPtatEpgieZZ_DP0BHzxGy-09Cc7HZnUucJCUBw5NIi1NOufMmOwrKnZlo/s320/004196_1.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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The idea is for them to stick the themed stickers on the matching background pad provided. It's reusable so they can keep changing the position and placement of the stickers. There are 5 different background pads so I hope this will keep Maliq occupied for a while. Maqil will probably chew (yeap) on the stickers so I'll probably get him a set of cheapo stickers to play with. </div>
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<b>2. Surprise Eggs </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSCgizfhJN-eGXYiv_DyRYS9o2wRSyL9_nsj1IcFWmSKjHEGKZ4mE0gT2U5TYJUmhR5AMqOtCGZI1cqOB-fIfW80wevSdWaHGX8Iwn3685b2p8qd_vbLmTwjgxfdbrJ9gwgQQhaUybB4/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSCgizfhJN-eGXYiv_DyRYS9o2wRSyL9_nsj1IcFWmSKjHEGKZ4mE0gT2U5TYJUmhR5AMqOtCGZI1cqOB-fIfW80wevSdWaHGX8Iwn3685b2p8qd_vbLmTwjgxfdbrJ9gwgQQhaUybB4/s200/maxresdefault.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Maliq always asks for surprise eggs. Not this one exactly but I got one with a robot and without candies inside. I got for both because I don't want them to fight over it, which they are very capable of. </div>
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<b>3. Magnetic Doodle Boards</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yORukkzopN65HhQviEGOlfzFibYJRUFbPrD35PfYbrMSKM7OEOKKyIdKkZAa0K3ALE5m_JsDaeQ9WSGkMxOqjMIUpLJkZuIDy5zSdWS5cul-EWJ6jff2DY-gnE-yAv7ot0-SmQ_6ypU/s1600/71C39zpncCL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yORukkzopN65HhQviEGOlfzFibYJRUFbPrD35PfYbrMSKM7OEOKKyIdKkZAa0K3ALE5m_JsDaeQ9WSGkMxOqjMIUpLJkZuIDy5zSdWS5cul-EWJ6jff2DY-gnE-yAv7ot0-SmQ_6ypU/s200/71C39zpncCL._SL1500_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I got them one each too because, same reason as above, I don't want them to fight over it and cause drama in the plane haha. </div>
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<b>4. Hot Wheels Cars</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gPuRbobN-B75P3QBh10wWoIhRRN5XXkVYDQZPWFYU1rh8h9zbm34Sd9XNJYMej7ZhPZNJvT2b9iK9M5-VE1hNxljqH1aqHTWs2i5r4Z6oIor0pUYak2gqCoeV3Q8kSii-lpG66uz230/s1600/10pcs-lot-hot-wheels-classic-cars-toys-original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gPuRbobN-B75P3QBh10wWoIhRRN5XXkVYDQZPWFYU1rh8h9zbm34Sd9XNJYMej7ZhPZNJvT2b9iK9M5-VE1hNxljqH1aqHTWs2i5r4Z6oIor0pUYak2gqCoeV3Q8kSii-lpG66uz230/s200/10pcs-lot-hot-wheels-classic-cars-toys-original.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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This is a must have because Maliq LOVES cars. They hate to share and I don't think I want to have a lecture on why sharing is caring in the plane so Maqil got his own set too. </div>
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<b>5. Usborne Wind Up Fire Engine Book</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGx3tf4lQRoeNATxLbjN1qJu1M_KrU4gC2Htb6Ykx3957a7OtaOWdG37Z_LhhO-i5QeP707F_OxfJ87rPjFXzM6wnUoMmfZ7_sgSHW7wN4YatCt7PZitYaNWgpGrle3eh_XbfwCbfvAM/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGx3tf4lQRoeNATxLbjN1qJu1M_KrU4gC2Htb6Ykx3957a7OtaOWdG37Z_LhhO-i5QeP707F_OxfJ87rPjFXzM6wnUoMmfZ7_sgSHW7wN4YatCt7PZitYaNWgpGrle3eh_XbfwCbfvAM/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I wanted the car version but it was out of stock so I got the fire engine one. This is like a book and a toy in one cause the book has tracks on some pages where the fire engine can move along on so I think Maliq will enjoy this. I got an Usborne lift-the-flap book and a baby rattle cloth book for Maqil though.</div>
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<b>6. A random small toy</b> </div>
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I will just get one cheap random toy for them, preferably with buttons to press, one of these days cause Maqil loves pressing buttons. </div>
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<b>7. Screen Time</b></div>
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If all else fails, there's always the screen which of course I am willing to be flexible about during the trip. Our plane will take off at 11 p.m. so we're hoping they will sleep as soon as the plane takes off *prays hard*. Then hopefully we don't have to worry about how to keep them occupied so much. </div>
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They are all new because I figured their old toys won't keep them engaged for very long. And with all those toys I have to bring on the plane, tell me I am not paranoid. Moving on to the serious stuff here's a list of medication I will bring for the trip:</div>
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<b><u>Medication related items for the trip:</u></b></div>
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1. Flu medicine</div>
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2. Cough syrup</div>
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3. Vapour Rub</div>
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4. Tummy Rub</div>
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5. KoolFever</div>
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6. Thermometer</div>
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7. Paracetemol</div>
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8. Syringe</div>
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9. Nasal Spray</div>
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10. Teething Gel (Still considering)</div>
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11. Plaster</div>
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12. Headache Relief Roller (For me)</div>
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13. <i>Koyok</i> (For Zai)</div>
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I've worked on the possible itinerary but nothing is confirmed until we're there ourselves. So this is the tentative plan.</div>
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<b><u>Oslo</u></b></div>
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Oslo will be a bit rushing because even though we have three days there, we only one full day there. Don't think we can go anywhere much on our arrival day and we definitely cannot go anywhere on the day we leave for Bergen. So we only have our second day to make full use of and to save time, I've shortlisted some touristy places worth going and will try slot in something kiddy for the kids.</div>
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<b><u>Bergen</u></b></div>
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Bergen will be quite relaxing for us so I am planning to slot in some playground time for the kids. Yeah I even went to check the public playgrounds at the places we're going hahah but it'll be freezing so you think they will want to go to the playground? We'll see! But I hope the cold doesn't stop them from enjoying which is why I really spent on their winter wear and plan to dress them very warmly because I really want them to be comfortable. I plan to book a free and easy tour (not following a guide) when we're there. It's a 12 hour tour so hoping we don't faint at the end of it haha. But I think it'll be bearable cause there won't be too much walking.</div>
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<b><u>Tromso</u></b></div>
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Ahh, I feel like I am being a little too ambitious here because I booked tours in advance. I seldom book tours in advance but it seems that they run out of slots quite fast so I decided to take the risk and booked 4 tours in advance. So almost every day we're out on tours. Seems that I can explore Tromso better with a guide cause they can drive us to places. If not, I don't know how else to get to places there. Don't know how we'll survive?! Quite worried but just do it la. </div>
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<b><u>Stockholm</u></b></div>
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This will be a lot of free and easy. Noted down some places to go and we'll probably do quite a bit of walking. Not gonna book any tours in advance until we're there and see how things are. </div>
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Okay I'm pretty much ready for the trip except for a few more things to buy and a few more places to research on. I'll make a 'trip report' when I'm back k so if you guys wanna go to Norway and Sweden with kids, you can always refer here. :D</div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-88399009512695492732017-09-28T14:07:00.004+08:002017-09-28T14:13:26.970+08:00Firsts<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Maliq Arrayyan's First Sports Day! Nope he wasn't perspiring but he was running and playing under the water sprinkler spray in the field.</div>
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Look at the concentration on his face. </div>
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Maliq didn't win anything though but I did, surprisingly hahah. I didn't sign up for any parents event but they asked me last minute on that day itself whether I wanted to join in the mothers' event and Zai sort of made me agree so yeah. Haha. </div>
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Maqil Arrazi is <b>ONE</b> today! 💕</div>
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Picture taken last weekend at my parents' place in JB. Oversized tee, tight pants and mismatched shoes because he pooped and stained everything (even the stroller) while we were having dinner and we sort of just grabbed whatever clothes we could find in our bag. Very obvious we packed our diaper bag anyhow-ly. 😝</div>
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So, since this will be Maqil's first birthday, I ordered some balloons for a mini celebration later cause we will have a bigger celebration on Saturday celebrating Maliq's third birthday as well. Wee~!</div>
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And remember I was contemplating whether to get a bag, specifically the YSL Lou Camera bag, when my sister went to Italy last month? Well I didn't and, don't know if it's a loss? Haha. But I told her to get me the Prada loafers cause, cheap! But she didn't too cause don't have my exact size in the colour I want. Ho well. I don't know if there's YSL or Prada in Norway or Sweden but I doubt it'll be as cheap as Italy. Will it even be cheaper than Singapore? Do they even have YSL or Prada there? Should I even get or not??? Hmm. Maybe not la huh. </div>
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Speaking of the trip, I finally booked our train ride from Oslo to Bergen as soon as the date we wanted was open for booking, so we managed to get them at a super discounted price, yay! Which worked out to be about SGD35 per adult for a 6 hours train ride with amazing views. That is cheap considering everything in Norway is expensive (their parking fees can be like SGD30 an hour). Plus both our boys travel for free and they have a children's cabin with kids stuff (toys, films, books) and facilities (food and bottle warmer etc.). Very kids friendly! So with that, we settled our transportation (2 plane rides and 1 train ride) between the different cities. </div>
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By the way, it's only September but I'm already looking out for my 2018 planner. Heh. I love the one I'm using this year by The Paper Bunny, but this year's designs are similar to last year's so don't know if I should stick to them or try something new. Let me know if there are any nice ones out there!</div>
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Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-78748381007290048522017-08-01T11:32:00.003+08:002017-08-01T22:07:13.367+08:00First Post in 2017It's been a while. Anybody happens to be reading this right now say hi please, so I won't feel like I'm talking to myself. My last post was from November last year. That was 8 months ago. Wow, so much had happened since then. Work and family took too much of my time, not that I am complaining (well sometimes I do complain when things get a little too overwhelming). Anyway, suddenly I feel like sharing things here so here I am typing away. Let me talk about a few things today.<br>
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<b><u>1. Being a Mom of 2 Boys</u></b><br>
Before our second baby (Maqil, please don't be confuse with my first born, Maliq, haha) was born, I mentally prepared myself to wake up at least 3 times in the middle of the night, every night, to a baby crying for milk and to put up with a wailing baby every time he is being left alone for longer than hmm, 5 seconds? Things which happened when Maliq was a baby. Haha. Surprisingly though, Maqil slept through the night right from the start. I know every baby is different and I shouldn't compare the two but yup, I just did. Hahaha. It was really a pleasant surprise for us as their parents. Maliq was relatively easy to care for as he gets older cause he was not clingy at all and not afraid of anyone so I could just pass him to anybody while I rest or did my work, but Maqil was easier. He could stay in the cot for very long just minding his own business. Ask me again next year and I'll update you how being a Mom of <b>two toddler boys</b> will be like. The thought is already scaring me.<br>
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<b><u>2. Temporary Househusband</u></b><br>
Zai went for a knee surgery back in April. It's August now and he is <i>still </i>on medical leave, probably longer than my maternity leave (he'll start work next week, finally). Initially I was super exhausted caring for a baby, a toddler and a man who couldn't even walk, so it was as good as caring for another baby. Although my mom looked after the boys while I was working, but as soon as I reached home from work, I had to do almost everything as I try not to tire her. That was quite a madness until he started walking normally again two months later which was in June. So from June till now in August I have extra hands to help me at home. I got him to do some housework, oversee Maliq's school stuff, make baby's food and more heheh. We really got to spend more time as a family and I really enjoyed the little extra time I got, to rest when I reached home. But he can't be a househusband forever la unless he goes for another knee surgery which I hope he doesn't have to. So it's back to work for him next week which means lesser rest time for me and lesser play time and outings for the boys.<br>
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<b><u>3. Year End Holiday</u></b><br>
For a long time I avoided talking about this openly because I know people will give me the "WHAT?!" look and I really don't feel like facing that. After much research and contemplation, we decided to go to Scandinavia/Nordic region for our winter holiday. Specifically Norway and Sweden. Yes during winter in December with my toddlers. I can already imagine all of you going "WHAT?!". I don't know if leaving them behind is selfish or bringing them is selfish, but either way, people will still say we're selfish I guess.<br>
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<u>So my plan is:</u><br>
- To really, really dress them warmly. I'm not taking any chances here. I'm really investing in quality winter wear for them even for gloves and scarves (which cost a bomb, my heart ached each time I buy a winter wear, which they will probably outgrow by the next winter).<br>
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- To limit going outdoors for too long. Which means our accommodation has to be near the train station. We'll go on one or two outdoor activities but I'll stay on the heated bus or boat if I know that they can't stand the cold. Not going on those dog sledding or snow mobile thingy.<br>
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- I also checked and confirmed that the activities that I'm going are safe for toddlers.<br>
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- Apart from the stroller, we plan to baby wear Maqil and recently Zai bought the Deuter backpack for him to carry while Maliq sits at the back so hopefully it'll keep them warmer against our bodies. They both perspire easily but we're talking about below zero temperatures here.<br>
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- I also plan to keep our days short while we're there since the day light hours are also shorter anyway. I don't want to be too ambitious by planning so many things to do in a day.<br>
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I'll be lying if I say that I am not worried about the trip. It'll be Maqil's first long flight. It'll be our first time handling two toddlers on a long flight. It'll be super cold. But after much research and talking to those who ever brought their toddlers there before, I just felt that we can do this. We may face some difficulties along the way but I hope we will enjoy the trip nonetheless. I must admit that when I expressed my interest in going there with the two boys and when some discouraged me, I just felt like giving up the idea. I get their concerns but in the end I don't know why I was still so stubborn to book the trip. Now that I booked the trip, I'm quite reluctant to share this with anyone in case they'll judge me and make me feel like cancelling the trip though I know that I won't.<br>
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But I'm sharing it here cause I know not many reads this and those few who read this, I trust that you guys are nice people. I promise to really keep them warm and their safety will be our priority. The last thing I want is for anything bad to happen to them.<br>
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Also, this might be our last long distance travel for the next few years because priorities. Hah. With Maqil going to school next two years, and now that we have a car, I think we should cut back on our holidays a bit. Raising two school-going children who are taking the school bus will increase our expenses by quite a lot. What more bringing two kids on a plane after they turned two, no more cheap air fares. :( So yeap, really taking advantage of the discounted air fares before Maqil turns two. Other than the worries, we're pretty excited for the trip! :)<br>
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Speaking of trips my sister will be in Italy next week and I am so tempted to ask her to get me something. But I just don't know if I should?! Since I am already spending on the year end trip maybe I should just save the money, yes? But it's Italy! Where leather goods are cheaper than here in Singapore. But then again, I bought two tote bags from Gucci and YSL within the last 8 months so...<br>
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Maybe I should just save or get something small eh? :P (Why do I even need two tote bags? But never mind. Oh yeah I remember now. One was on sale at Johor Premium Outlet and the other one was on impulse which thankfully I have no regrets yet so far. :P) </div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-29372352164978982122016-11-27T22:33:00.000+08:002016-11-28T00:23:59.983+08:00Can't Wait for HolidaysMaliq's at his grandparents' house in JB so I can actually blog in peace now heh. He went for his school's orientation with Zai yesterday (I didn't because it was too early haha, and it was easier if I just stayed home with baby). Zai said Maliq immediately left him to start drawing at the tables prepared by the teachers and awhile later started talking (not exactly proper talking though) to the teachers, parents and friends there.<br />
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Okay, I know everyone who knows Maliq told me that I will have no problem sending Maliq to school because he won't cry. He is usually not scared of people, not shy and super friendly. That's the thing, he can misbehave because he is not scared. He can do whatever he likes because he is not shy. He can talk non stop because he is super friendly. Ahhhh he is only entering N1 and I am already freaking out over his behaviour in school because I know how 'naughty' he can be. Trying not to worry so much now though, not until January 2017.<br />
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Anyway, Zai and I decided to go on a last minute trip to KL next month and we're staying just 5 minutes walking distance away from my grandmother's house there, yay! I used to stay at her house every time I go KL but with two babies I think it's easier if we just book a hotel room. We're staying at Capri by Fraser and it's quite new. There's an infinity pool, a playground and even a kitchenette in the room so I'm pretty excited! I won't say it's a prime location la, but there are major restaurants in the next building and sooo near my grandmother's house I can just walk over any time.<br />
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We're also going to Vietnam after KL. Like, straight away the next day. I don't know if that's even possible but we'll find out. We wanted to go KL earlier so that we don't have to be tired doing back to back trips but my parents wanted to follow us to KL and can only go on the dates just before our Vietnam trip. I wanted a laid back trip actually. You know, breakfast in bed, private pool, served dinner. But Zai decided to plan the whole trip and I reluctantly trusted him, hahah.<br />
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It was supposed to be a surprise trip, but he couldn't wait to tell me. So now I know we're heading to Vietnam. If you ask me, it's not really a laid back trip la right... I mean where's my private pool sey?! But he got us a driver to drive us around Hanoi and Sapa and I really wanted to go Sapa but decided not to at first because the trip to Sapa takes like 5 hours from Hanoi by car or something. Since he got us a driver and the driver knows where the halal hotels and restaurants are, I guess it's something to look forward to. I heard there are hardly any halal food there. :/ And Sapa will be cold in December so can feeling feeling winter holiday hahaha. Plus he booked us a night stay on Halong Bay, yes we'll be sleeping on the cruise ship on Halong Bay itself, so I'll look forward to that too!<br />
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Some photos of Sapa and Halong Bay, not sure if they really look like that in real life though I really hope so!<br />
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Rice Terraces in Sapa</div>
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Misty Sapa, looking forward to the cool weather!</div>
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Halong Bay. Can't believe we'll be spending a night on the waters.</div>
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I know Vietnam is not a popular choice to bring babies and toddlers but we'll give it a try and I'll update on how it goes. We shortlisted Krabi, Koh Samui, Langkawi or somewhere in Malaysia but I guess Zai decided to go out of our comfort zone this time.</div>
<br />Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-10256206906331863972016-10-30T14:21:00.002+08:002016-10-31T19:34:27.914+08:00My Second<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Finally some free time cause Maliq is at my parents' place in JB for the weekend and Maqil's asleep, for now. As some of you already know, I gave birth last month and is now a mother of two. Heh.</div>
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I fell sick often during this pregnancy but the labour was way faster than my first one. 6am I felt contractions and Zai started timing them. Didn't have this experience with Maliq as I only felt contractions after the doctor broke my waterbag in the delivery suite. It was painful but bearable still. We decided to go NUH and once we arrived at the delivery suite, I was immediately admitted. I had checkup the day before and was already 3cm dilated. Waited in the delivery suite for 2 hours before I started begging for epidural hahaha by then I was already 6cm dilated and the nurses and my gynae, Dr. Citra were hoping I could just bear the pain without epidural since I survived 6cm of pain and only had 4cm to go, but no. Just give me the pain relief. By 12 plus pm I was already 10cm and ready to push. Pushed a few times before the nurses told me to stop and called for Dr. Citra. Amazingly, I only had to push for like 10 minutes before baby was out at 1.11pm. Amazing because it took me 2 long hours to push Maliq out. :/<br>
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And so Maqil Arrazi was born! One day before my EDD. I was hoping that Maliq and Maqil would end up having the same birthday (so I can save on birthday parties and celebrations hahah) but Maqil decided to appear 4 days before Maliq's second birthday. Dr. Citra said my baby was small during the last month of pregnancy and I was a little disappointed? Because Maliq was 3.395kg and I 'aimed' for my second baby to at least hit 3kg. I know as long as they're healthy the weight doesn't matter but it's just personal preference on my part. So the last few weeks of pregnancy I tried to eat salmon, nuts and a lot of food with healthy fats (non healthy fats too which is why I gained almost 20kg again). Between the day I gave birth and now, one month later, a lot happened but I let the pictures to the talking!<br>
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Maqil Arrazi </div>
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28 September 2016</div>
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1.11 pm</div>
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This time we managed to get A class ward, unlike the first time, where all A class wards were occupied. But it was okay cause we got an isolation room in B class so it was still single bedder but we paid B class price heh. This time we almost couldn't get A class ward again but another room was vacant at the last minute. So yay, Zai could bunk in and help me with baby.</div>
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Feeling ala ala fine dining. Zai was laughing before this cause he finds it a little over the top haha.</div>
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My second boy!</div>
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One of the few times both fell asleep at the same time. Lasted 20 minutes probably. :/</div>
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Ordered balloons and cake way before I gave birth for Maliq's second birthday. Just a small affair with close families.</div>
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First family photo. :)</div>
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Maqil's passport photo. Heheh.</div>
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Ah well at 8 days old, I panicked cause Maqil got fever. It was midnight and I was alone with him cause Zai went JB. I waited for Zai to reach home, took his temperature and panicked even more when I realised his fever was quite high. Zai went to KKH Children's Emergency and, baby had to spend 5 days there. I didn't take it well, seeing needles and wires on him. Broke down a few times but the doctors were actually nice to make me feel better. Turns out he had a virus which lead to meningitis and affected his brain. Could affect his future developments so, I could only pray that won't happen. :'(</div>
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I am exclusively pumping again. I tried breastfeeding but failed, again. My nipples were so sore and they cracked and bled. I just couldn't latch without screaming and groaning in pain. Decided to keep pumping instead but I won't be pumping as much as before cause I think I need my sanity back haha. </div>
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This was 2 days ago.</div>
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In other news, I just had my last two wisdom teeth plucked out yesterday because one was biting and cutting my cheek and I'm now on anti-biotics. Doctor advised me to pump and dump my milk so that made me upset a little. I pumped and dumped for longer during Maliq's time and I remember hating it. I mean, it's not that I can't give formula, I'm totally okay with supplementing with formula but it's just a waste of time to pump only to throw it down the sink. Just can't wait to finish off the anti-biotics.</div>
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I'm already looking at where to travel in December '16. It'll be our first trip with Maqil and honestly, I am more afraid this time round because of Maqil's medical history. But so far he's okay so, we'll probably go ahead. Thinking of Krabi for now.</div>
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Also I'm already thinking about December 17's trip hahhh. Don't be shocked but I'm looking at Norway plus another county (any suggestions???). Yeah the northern light's all the rage now but I won't be going all the way there just for the lights. I don't want to be disappointed in case I don't get to see. Also I checked with the locals on TripAdvisor and realised that the lights will be around no matter what year so going next year would give me a chance to see the lights too. That'll be bonus but I also want to see what the country has to offer. Still researching the feasibility of going with two toddlers and I must admit, the idea, scares me a little so who knows I chicken out haha.</div>
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Lastly, just something random I must state here. I'm not a TV kinda person but lately I started watching Suri Hati Mr. Pilot because I find the lead actor quite good looking hahah so superficial. Okay that's all.</div>
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Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-30464963270440351042016-06-29T14:18:00.005+08:002016-06-29T17:00:29.484+08:00Happy News<div>
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As some of you have already seen or heard or guessed, I am expecting baby number 2! Hehehe. Maliq will be a big brother soon ya'll, Insya'Allah. I'm more than halfway through and I have to admit, I made the second pregnancy seem like less important than the first. Although, I'm sure that's not the case.<br>
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- I don't really keep track how many weeks along I am.<br>
- I don't download all those pregnancy apps.<br>
- I skipped taking supplements more times than the first one.<br>
- I don't avoid caffeine as much as I would like to, unlike the first one.<br>
- I don't apply the stretch marks cream, I hope I won't regret this.<br>
- I don't read/listen to 'pregnancy surahs' as much as I would like to.<br>
- I don't eat as healthy as I should.<br>
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I'm feeling a little guilty for being complacent. :(<br>
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With the second one on the way, we had to pause our travel plans for now. Not sure until when though. Air tickets for us will be 4 times in 2 years. It's already going to be 3 times soon. The horror.<br>
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<b><u>2016 plans:</u></b><br>
March - KL trip<br>
June - Fasting month and Zai couldn't get leave anyway.<br>
September - Giving birth any time.<br>
December - Not sure about bringing a baby (+ a toddler) anywhere far when he/she is only 2 months.<br>
January '17 (during maternity leave) - Maliq will start school by then, but we'll see.<br>
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I may consider December or January for somewhere near, depending on how life will be with two kids. Haha. I am already thinking of which far country to go next and it'll probably be more than a year from now. Ho well. Give me some ideas on where to go with a 1 year old and a 3 year old. But then again maybe by then I'll be dead tired to even go anywhere eh? This thought of having two kids scares me quite a bit. Like I said we'll probably go somewhere near first, just to 'test' our endurance level haha. I still want to go Scandinavian and Nordic region but it probably won't be so soon because the kids need to be at least a few years old? And we need to save up? :/ That'll take a few more years. Maldives sound doable though pricey for just one week of stay and not sure if it's safe to bring a running toddler to a water villa.<br>
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With the news of the second pregnancy out, I must blog about this other thing because it's been a part of my life for over one year to actually pump 4 to 6 times a day until I stopped recently when I conceived the second one. The plan was to stop gradually over a few months but my pregnancy really decreased my supply significantly so it was quite a fast and painless (thankfully) process to stop pumping fully. Half of me was happy that I got my freedom back (yay!). It was kind of dreadful to lug my heavy pump and bottles whenever I had to be out of the house for more than 6 hours. I never get to carry my smaller bags just because I needed to fit my pumps and bottles in. Not to mention, some places don't even have any proper place for me to pump, I resorted to toilets a number of times. Zai would have to wait 20 minutes for me to be done. It was quite a hassle but I did it without complaints anyway because I rather go through the inconveniences than to battle with mastitis, engorgement and fever. Been through all that and really not pleasant. However, all these may start again soon if I choose to exclusive pump again for the second one. Which I have yet to decide.<br>
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Although I got my freedom back, we now have to spend quite a lot on milk powder (Zai is handling the buying part hehe). Maliq relies on milk still cause he doesn't really eat as much as I think he should.<br>
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Since I didn't go anywhere during the June break, I felt very productive spring cleaning the house! Like finally I can just spend hours clearing the wardrobe, store room, shelves, shoe racks. When else can I have the luxury of time to sleep late and do just that. The previous few holiday breaks were all spent on going on trips that by the time we were back, it was time to go back to work.<br>
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Also, I renovated both bathrooms during the June break and survived the noise and dust during the entire bathroom renovation process! The bathrooms are done now and I love them so much more than before because on top of being meh looking (ugly beige floor tiles what do you think?), the HDB tiles really do stain easily.<br>
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It wasn't an easy process looking for suitable tiles. We went to Hafary, Soon Bee Huat and White Horse Ceramics. I thought it would be easy cause I already knew what I wanted. But whatever I wanted turned out to be the smooth and a little slippery kind. I realised all those nice pictures of bathrooms I see on Pinterest are actually bathrooms with wet and dry area. Since I don't really have a dry area except for a very small area in the master bedroom bathroom as I have a glass partition there, it was quite a challenge to find a nice looking with rough surface tile.<br>
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I really liked this but the hefty price tag made me not get this. This was like 5 times more expensive than the plain white one. Now I'm kinda regretting because this would stand out and look so much better next to the white tiles instead of the plain white one I chose in the end.</div>
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I liked this too. Best part was, this was not slippery so perfect! But it went out of stock. -.-</div>
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I managed to get two types of tiles for both bathroom floors at Soon Bee Huat after much thought of whether they'll end up nice. HOWEVER, one of them (pictured above) went out of stock a day before the reno was supposed to start. I didn't want to delay the reno because I really wanted everything to finish during the two weeks that I was not working. So I went online to search for anything that I could find, called a few tile shops then I remembered my sister worked in a construction and design company. I got her to check if the company has the kinda tiles I wanted and she came back with a sample! Okay, the tiles turned out to be the slippery kind but I was desperate so I just went ahead with it thinking that I'll just treat the floor with an anti slip treatment to make it less slippery. But when the tiles were done, the grouting made it less slippery so I decided not to do the anti-slip treatment in the end. Yay!</div>
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Subway tiles for master bedroom bathroom walls. Changed the mirror too. The basin, cabinet and hanging lamp were already there since last year's reno though.</div>
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Herringbone pattern for master bedroom bathroom floor. Despite warnings from the contractors that the water won't be able to flow to the drain properly with this grouting pattern, I went ahead and had no regrets! Been using for two weeks now and no problems with water pooling at all.</div>
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Also changed my shower head to the rain shower at a steal cause this was on sale. Only $100+ for one whole set when the rest averages about $300+.<br>
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Honeycomb tiles for common bathroom floor. This is the last minute one I got via my sister. Turned out okay in the end though it's grey just like the other bathroom. Wanted something very different for both but it's okay.</div>
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Honeycomb tiles for a small strip of wall in the common bathroom. Out of all the tiles we got, I like this the least cause it just didn't turn out as nice. I got this to replace a strip of green mosaic tiles from HDB. Like I said, the 5 times more pricey one would probably look better.</div>
<div><br></div>I think I got a good deal paying about $4k for the bathrooms. I asked around and most charged me $5k to $6k. I saved a bit too cause I didn't change my main wall tiles in the common toilet.<br>
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Raya's in a week and I am looking forward to the long weekend thanks to Youth Day, to actually run errands and clean the house. Not like there will be anyone coming except probably a few cousins and some friends in the second or third week maybe. But it'll be nice to 'dress up' the house once in a while. Got a few things from KMart Australia via a third party but they'll only reach after raya. And I am patiently waiting for Smeg small electricals like the kettle and toaster to reach Singapore cause they're oh so cute. Heh.</div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-5817642665689350342016-05-26T12:33:00.000+08:002016-05-26T20:37:07.718+08:00Hey So Black<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
So since we have no plans to travel far this year (you'll know why soon), I have decided to treat myself to a Chanel So Black Chevron in Medium (!!!). Okay well, I didn't really want to get it. I mean, I wanted to but I didn't think I should. Plus it's no longer selling at the boutiques and I don't usually buy things from a third party store because of the authenticity issues and the preference of wanting to get something brand new myself.</div>
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Then Zai found the So Black selling on Reebonz Closet, the buy-sell platform on Reebonz where I could purchase from other sellers instead of from Reebonz direct. Well this person was selling it brand new (the protective sticker still on the CC logo), so tempting yes? I thought for days before deciding that I should NOT get it but Zai said he'll sponsor me almost half. So tempting yes?! So it's like a push gift, birthday gift, anniversary gift and Mother's Day gift all in one. I don't mind one present for all the special days if the present is this big la. Hehehhaha. Anyway, I would have preferred the Jumbo that was also selling by another seller but the Jumbo was not brand new (I just have a thing for brand new things). So I settled for the medium.<br>
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I was super paranoid over the authenticity issue what with the "super fakes" around. I got Reebonz to authenticate the bag although it cost me a few hundred bucks. Still not entirely convinced (because I read and from my sister's experience Reebonz authentication services cannot be 100% trusted), I made several calls to Chanel boutiques to compare the style number on the receipt with the bag's actual style number, just to make sure. And well they matched. The seller even gave me the whole set of paper bag, camellia flower, dust bag, cleaning cloth, and even the sales assistant name card from Chanel MBS where she got the bag from last year. So I am finally convinced it is authentic, hah.<br>
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The chevron version is slightly different from the diamond quilted version. The chevron's black hardware is shiny whereas the diamond quilted is matte. I would prefer the matte but I prefer chevron to the diamond quilted anyway. I'm just worried I won't be able to maintain the leather well.<br>
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Also, we plan to do up our toilets' tiles before raya and I'm quite excited. When we renovated our BTO a year plus back, we didn't really do much to do the toilets. We wanted to save cost cause we didn't want to take up renovation loan. Now the floor tiles that HDB gave us is an eyesore because the stains are so hard to get rid of, so I decided to change the tiles!<div><br></div><div>Zai didn't agree at first but I managed to psycho him to agree. Haha! So now I'm looking at all the nice pictures of toilets online, going for the Scandinavian look to match the rest of my not so Scandinavian home. But you know la, it may not turn out as Scandinavian as it should be also. Design wise, I'm leaning towards the honeycomb or subway tiles in herringbone patterns. Practicality wise, still have no idea what kind of tiles are low maintenance, not slippery, won't stain easily and best for toilets. :/ I realised that the subway and honeycomb tiles mostly have a smooth finish which are slippery. The rough surfaces ones are all quite ugly. Some people don't mind the floor to be a little slippery but I don't want to risk it and I don't want to be responsible for anyone's injury in future. So, more window shopping for tiles soon!<br>
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Some inspirations:<br>
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Totally digging the black hardware look in the toilet too not just on my bag haha.</div>
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Lastly, Maliq had completed his first term with MyGym. We signed up two terms for him so we have one more term to go! Some days he cooperated and there were days he didn't. But I myself enjoy his MyGym sessions so I don't mind going another term. I just signed him up for PlayDate SG story telling sessions after his MyGym is over so, I hope he'll look forward to that!<br>
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</div>Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-46240098161857260902016-04-29T09:58:00.003+08:002016-04-29T12:05:34.836+08:00Eat, Talk and Play<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">realised I have a few saved drafts which never got published. Here's an attempt to revive this space.</span></div>
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Between the last entry and now, a few significant things have happened but right now, we're surveying schools for Maliq and we have somewhat decided on our school of choice. Yay. We only considered a few schools and went to two schools before deciding on one. I'm not that worried about the separation anxiety (he doesn't seem to mind if I'm not around -.-), but I'm worried about his short attention span and the need for things to go his way. He won't start until next year January though and we've also not registered yet. Soon. By the time January 2017 comes, he'll be 2 years and 2 months. Too young for school I think but nowadays, kids go to school at an even younger age. :/ Plus, I need to give my mom a break for a few hours every day. Haha.<br>
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He's attending MyGym now though and I guess it's a good platform for him to learn to follow instructions although at times he still won't but he's not the only one. Thinking if I should continue with it after the two terms we signed up for is over. I'm also planning to register him for a reading class with PlayDate after MyGym is over. Just some story telling fun not that he'll learn how to read in case you think I'm such a tiger mom haha. I'm not. I think I have a lot to do before I can call myself one. Though hopefully he'll learn something from it.<br>
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Maliq's still not really talking at almost 19 months. He can say a few words but I'm not that worried yet because I know some of his peers are also still not talking. The thing that makes me worried every time is that he always refuses to eat. Haish, until when wanna drink milk and just eat biscuits Maliq? I'm hoping this phase will be over soon. <div><br></div><div>Also, to those people who assured me that he would sleep through the night at 6 months onwards, I'm still waiting for that day now and he's almost 19 months already. Every night he'll still cry for milk at least twice. I'm still wondering when will we ever get uninterrupted sleep. <br>
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Oh yeah, he's still afraid to walk barefoot on the sand the last time we went to the beach. :P Maybe we should bring him to the beach more? KL trip with our good friend was good! We enjoyed ourselves at this indoor playground at Mid Valley, Kids E World. Meant for toddlers but made us adults happy too haha. The playground caters to toddlers more than to big kids so our toddlers really had a great time. The fact that we could enter and exit as many times as we wish<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> during the entire day, made it so worth it! But then, we got tired after a few hours anyway.</span><div>
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Okay some photos for memories sake!<br>
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He managed to walk on the sand in the end but can see he was cringing haha.</div>
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The indoor playground at Mid Valley I was saying.</div>
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We tried Makisan and I couldn't resist a fried sushi!</div>
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Overrun for Chendol ice cream was good on a hot day.</div>
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Yesterday during his usual playground session.</div>
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MyGym session!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ghala5w6oTxC9-l_H9QvmAEA7ComgTzCLPY3qdsSFE03UvjAi0HHaKb1wNgNj6PoBtPnp_0jL258tDU9s9sJkfYIJf86-9a2ZJwAXwSxwsvrhJfHMmyps7LSOoZmEh6gUdobHAVS7G4/s1600/d56e7bb207e5a4525b68b58195cd7858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ghala5w6oTxC9-l_H9QvmAEA7ComgTzCLPY3qdsSFE03UvjAi0HHaKb1wNgNj6PoBtPnp_0jL258tDU9s9sJkfYIJf86-9a2ZJwAXwSxwsvrhJfHMmyps7LSOoZmEh6gUdobHAVS7G4/s320/d56e7bb207e5a4525b68b58195cd7858.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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This is random but I find Hermes Lindy casual and nice but for some reason, I probably won't get it. Hmm...</div>
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</div></div>Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-69914547749485989182016-01-21T11:12:00.001+08:002016-01-27T08:48:20.601+08:00Dubai with a BabyDubai felt just like Singapore so Dubai with a baby was quite easy although anywhere with baby will never be as easy as without. The shopping centres had nursing rooms and almost everywhere was stroller friendly. I didn't wanna go Dubai because the only thing that attracted me was the desert and variety of halal food. But Zai insisted on going to one more city after Greece. We had 5 more days to go somewhere not too cold for baby so we decided on Dubai. We could have chosen Turkey but 5 days wouldn't be enough. It was pretty much a laid back trip with lots of food!<br />
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We stayed at Ibis next to the Mall of the Emirates so we went there every day. It was so big they had almost all the brands I could think of there but of course Dubai Mall was even bigger.<br />
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Basically we went to:<br />
- Dubai Mall<br />
- Mall of the Emirates<br />
- Jumeira Beach<br />
- Gold and Spice Souks<br />
- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi<br />
- Desert Safari<br />
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And some other places in Abu Dhabi when we followed the tour group. Didn't take many photos but here are some:<br />
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Our decent hotel room. They allowed us to check in early but no double bed was available.</div>
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First on the list, Shake Shack! Yum but expensive.</div>
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Public toilet all clean and nice.</div>
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Wish we could just keep walking to nowhere but our driver was waiting haha.</div>
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Not that interested in the performances and dinner but it was part of the package. Though the belly dancing was not bad heh.</div>
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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi</div>
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Trying out saffron ice cream in hot winter.</div>
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Crossing the creek on the abra.</div>
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Won't say they're super cheap but you gotta know how to bargain.</div>
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Jumeira Beach on the last day.</div>
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Was initially afraid the dune bashing would be too dangerous with Maliq but the hotel guy told us it was quite safe so we gave it a go and got upgraded to the Hummer (I think because it's more stable with a baby on board). There were 6 of us in the Hummer including 4 other Hungarians who were nice. I was hoping Maliq wouldn't make a scene during the dune bashing, thankfully he didn't! He even fell asleep so yeah it was indeed safe for the baby. I guess it also depends on the driver? Part of me felt bad the Hungarians won't get to enjoy the dune bashing with a baby but it was not totally boring la I mean there were some parts we felt like the Hummer would tip over. I must admit it gave me headaches though.<br />
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We ate a lot there, something which we looked forward to after endless seafood and bread in Greece.<br />
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We tried:<br />
- Shake Shack<br />
- Din Tai Fung<br />
- Outback Steakhouse<br />
- P.F. Chang China Bistro<br />
- Cheesecake Factory<br />
- International House of Pancakes (IHOP)<br />
- Some other random and food court food.<br />
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All was nice but the Outback Steakhouse was quite meh. Think we spent the bulk of our money on food alone hah. Some boutiques were on 40% off so I got myself the Bermuda jelly flats from Salvatore at a steal! Was tempted by the Ginny bag which was on 40% off too but it'll probably be under utilized. I need a Ju Ju Be more haha.Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-41959103928784623292016-01-14T09:25:00.001+08:002016-01-14T09:25:29.127+08:00Athens with a BabyAfter our<strike> romantic</strike> relaxing trip in Santorini, we moved to Athens. Think we spent quite a number of days there cause we had a lot of free time to window shop and just walk around the tourist area. I actually planned for us to go to more places in Athens but decided not to go to a few of them because with a baby, we wanted to take it slow. We didn't mind since we're not so much of a Greek history fan anyway.<br />
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We stayed in Plaka, a very popular and touristy area but hotel rate was not expensive still, maybe because there were a lot of hotels there. Our hotel was spacious and had a view of the Parthenon from the rooftop bar. It was a great choice cause it was a walking distance to almost every where we needed to go that we didn't even have to take the Metro. Every day we would walk pass shops like Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear, Pandora, Adidas, Nike, Birkenstock, H&M, Mango, Tiger (a cute shop I first went in Amsterdam) and more so sometimes we ended up buying more than we should BUT it was still lesser than our honeymoon trip where we spent on really baseless things. Heh. Lucky the luxury brands were situated somewhere further so it was quite a walk away and we didn't have to walk past them every day (so the temptation was lesser). Our hotel was also near rows of street shops selling no-brand stuff like souvenirs, clothes and shoes so we walked a lot there and bought some stuff too. It was also near the Parthenon, but it was quite a walk so we covered that during our hop-on-hop-off bus tour.<br />
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This was our initial plan:<br />
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Day 1: Island Hop<br />
Day 2: Day Trip<br />
Day 3: Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour<br />
Day 4: Walk and Shop<br />
Day 5: Half a Day Trip + Walk and Shop<br />
Day 6: Free and Easy<br />
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But we decided not to go to the day trips and ended up replacing both day trips with just walking and shopping. Nothing much to shop though, not like in London or Paris, or even Amsterdam. So we always ended up in the hotel early to rest, change Maliq's diaper, express milk and out again for dinner. It was really laid back. Hopefully I won't regret missing out on the day trips. :/ So far, no regrets yet haha.<br />
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We went to three islands, Hydra, Poros and Aegina during the island hop. They sold the cruise tickets every where with those exact same islands but we got our tickets from our hotel. Being in a ferry with a baby was bearable since there it was spacious and he could roam around. The staff also loved him so he was carried every where, even crying and throwing tantrums when they passed him back to us, his parents. My son sometimes forget that he's our son. -.- After the island hopping, we realised Maliq just wouldn't sit still so being in a bus for three hours plus would be too much for him and we didn't want to endure that. We did take the bus for an hour when we were in Aegina island but he fell asleep so that was easy for us to handle.<br />
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The islands were somewhere between nice and okay. I think because they were not as pretty as Santorini (of course). Hydra was the prettiest with no vehicles on the island at all (except for an ambulance). Poros was small and just okay. Aegina was nice because they had more shops and the Temple of Aphaia there (somehow related to the Parthenon).<br />
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Took train from airport to hotel which made us quite tired after lugging the heavy luggage.</div>
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Our decent hotel room, even comes with a bathtub. </div>
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Shopping street we walked past every day. </div>
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Island of Hydra.</div>
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Island of Poros.</div>
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Island of Aegina.</div>
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We decided to see the other attractions in Athens on the hop-on-hop-off bus. We didn't stop at every stop, only chose those we were interested in. We got another day for free so we did this over two days at our own sweet time.</div>
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On the bus! Cold so we moved down after this haha.</div>
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The Parthenon.</div>
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View from the Acropolis.</div>
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Arch of Hadrian.</div>
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Temple of Zeus.</div>
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Panathenaic Stadium.</div>
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Look who's number 1!</div>
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We didn't go anywhere else much. As usual, every where we went we would always go to that country's Hard Rock Cafe. They didn't have one in Santorini but we went to one in Athens which happened to be so near our hotel, yay. Hmm what else? The luxury brands didn't carry an extensive variety of things and some don't even have their own store, but have authorised sellers instead. Food wise, no halal food in the touristy area. There are a few halal restaurants quite far away though. BUT! We ate at this Indian restaurant for a few times cause their food was oh so yummy, nicer than the ones in Singapore. I was told it is partial halal, such that only the lamb is halal so we had butter lamb, lamb masala, prawn briyani, lamb tikka. Sedap okay! </div>
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Hard Rock Cafe Athens</div>
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They like to grill their fish whole with just salt and pepper and some other seasonings.</div>
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Flea market but I've been to better ones in other European cities though.</div>
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My baby bored waiting heh.</div>
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Scored a Celine Luggage in cobalt blue in Athens but not my first choice of colour to be honest. Was deciding between the micro and mini too, so hard to decide cause the price difference was not a lot. Ended up with micro against Zai's advice haha. Overall a laid back trip, probably because we skipped the day trips to the ancient ruins of some Greek history monuments and took our own sweet time to visit everything else. Next and last post for our winter holiday, will be of Dubai!</div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-41091617839820155082016-01-05T09:35:00.005+08:002016-01-06T08:40:28.190+08:00Santorini with a BabyFinally found some time to update. It's 11.39 p.m. now on new year's eve. That's 21 minutes till 2016! I'm sure by the time I'm done with this post, it'll be next year. Ha-ha, I'm so not funny.<br />
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Anyway, felt like I should update on my trip to Greece and Dubai. Let's start off with Greece. My plan was to go Santorini, because after some discussions, Zai and I realised it was the most doable with a baby in my Places-To-Go list which includes Italy, US, Maldives and Norway.<br />
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Italy - May be too cold and too much moving for baby's first trip.<br />
US - 20 over hours in the plane with a baby is nightmare, plus it'll be super cold.<br />
Maldives - Too short a trip for December and we wanted a winter holiday.<br />
Norway - Super duper cold. Period.<br />
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We had our qualms for Greece as well. After researching we found out that almost no one would recommend to go Santorini in winter. Shops, restaurants and cafes would be closed, it would be cold and may be too cloudy for nice photos and the beaches would be empty.<br />
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So to go or not to go? I began looking at photos of a local singer who went there during winter for their honeymoon the year before. I also came across photos of a friend who went there before during winter. Photos look nice what, not grey and cloudy at all. Ah, just go la.<br />
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Remember in my previous entry I said our flight to Santorini was cancelled so we had no choice but to wait 10 hours till the next flight to Santorini? We had another choice, which was the morning flight but didn't think we would have the time to get on that flight after we landed in Athens. When we reached Athens, we realised that we <i>could</i> catch that morning flight after all if we could just run. Yeah literally run. So we did just that. With our luggage, bags and a baby in tow we ran to the gate and asked whether we could get on that flight instead of our original flight 10 hours later. Our luggage went over the weight limit so after we sorted that out, we managed to get on that morning flight. Yay! An extra day to spend in Santorini!<br />
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I love our accommodation in Santorini I just cannot thank myself enough for stumbling upon that cave house online. Hahaha self praise level 724204. It had the view of the blue domes right at the doorstep. The cave house itself was entirely blue and white and had an indoor hot tub. They had 'room service' as well so every day someone would come over to clean the house and wash our clothes. The best part, we got it at a cheaper rate because it was winter. See, not bad to be going there in winter at all.<br />
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How is Santorini with a baby?<br />
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While there are smooth and flat surfaces for you to push your strollers, there are also many steps and stairs and hills so, better to be using a carrier. You won't want to keep folding and carrying the strollers. Because we went in winter where the frequency of buses were lower, we decided to rent a car for convenience sake. Best decision ever! We could dump our heavy diaper bag in the car and I could express milk with just a nursing cover. We could get to so many places where the bus didn't even go. Hardly no places catered to babies/toddlers/kids except for one indoor play area which we didn't go cause I was told it was very small anyway. There were beaches there but cold and empty in winter, probably full of suntan-ers in summer.<br />
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Food wise?<br />
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No halal food at all. So we ate seafood every day and cooked in the cave house on some days. Maliq hardly ate during the entire trip because he just won't accept jar food. :/ We did cook for him while in Santorini but he didn't eat a lot.<br />
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Are all the shops/restaurants/cafes really closed?<br />
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Yeah a lot of shops were closed, but there were some which were still open so it wasn't really a ghost town. There were tourists still, so it's not like you'll be lonely. Which was great cause I was told it could get crowded in summer, so much so that people would have to be an hour or more earlier just to get a good place to watch sunset.<br />
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Our home for 5 days and 4 nights.</div>
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Awesome view from our cave house.</div>
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Happy us!</div>
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One of the places I looked forward to. A quaint book store.</div>
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Love the inside too!</div>
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Blue doors and windows and pink flowers every where.</div>
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Perfect views every where we turned. </div>
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So hard to take pictures of this boy.</div>
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We walked a lot there.</div>
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Empty beach.</div>
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Clear waters at Amoudi Bay.</div>
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Dinner with a view and Maliq pretending to read hah.</div>
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We stayed in Oia although the main town is actually Fira. Less shops but so much more beautiful in my opinion. We basically walked the entire village in Oia and drove a bit around Fira. Didn't really spend much time in the other villages though. Just glad we managed to go on this trip against some people's concern that we may not enjoy Santorini in winter (it's a summer destination) what more with a baby. Heh but we did! Didn't manage to take as many photos as I would like though cause my hands were always full. :/ Our next stop was Athens so that'll be in the next entry! </div>
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Ended up posting this 4 days later than intended. -.-</div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-73315441346429071602015-10-27T09:35:00.000+08:002015-10-28T14:49:39.906+08:00Delays, Bag, LightsFew things on my mind today.<br />
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About 5 1/2 weeks to our vacation. Went to finalise some details when I realised that Aegean Airlines cancelled our flight from Athens to Santorini and put us on the next flight. It's quite a big deal to me because now, we have about 10 hours of transit time before our next flight to Santorini. We will reach Athens at 9am. Our original flight time to Santorini was at 3pm. That's about 6 hours of transit, which already quite long. But now that the 3pm flight is cancelled, our next flight will be at 7pm. Are you kidding me?! I'm supposed to already be in Santorini by then. Initially we wanted the 10am flight out of Athens but 1 hour to collect our luggage and get on the next flight is a little too rushing so we settled for the 3pm flight which is now going to be at 7pm. If only our flight can reach Athens by 8am then we can take the 10am flight to Santorini and spend the day in Santorini instead of forgoing the entire day to be in transit. Haish. Okay too many numbers but in short, I am wasting one day of Santorini by being in transit in Athens. Did some research and within that 10 hours in Athens, I should be able to travel to the city and visit some attractions in Athens. So that's what we'll do in order to make the best out of the situation. We'll have lesser time in Santorini but we should be able to cover the major attractions there, which is basically just a few sights here and there.<br />
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Also thinking if we should engage a photographer there because let's face it, the pictures we're going to take won't be as nice as the ones taken by professionals, yes? But Zai's not keen (he's just not into photos) and I'm 50-50 about it because the photographer I like is over my budget and the one who's within my budget is not what I really like although she's willing to listen to what my preferences are and follow them. Hmm.<br />
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And I got my first (and possibly only) Mansur Gavriel bag during the previous relaunch! I made sure I was already in front of the laptop 15 minutes before the relaunch haha. Got my bucket bag in the mini size and in calf leather. Zai said I should have gotten the regular size one instead. Not sure about the sizes until I see both live in front of me, I guess. Oh, I got it in Moss Green! :)<br />
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Took this off their website cause I didn't take a picture of mine. </div>
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But it looks pretty much the same except that when I got the bag,</div>
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I expected the leather to be shinier but it turned out to be more matte. </div>
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And the last thing that's lingering on my mind constantly is to see the Northern Lights one day. Ever since I came across this article: <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/travel/last-chance-to-see-the-northern-lights-before-they-040049538.html">Last Chance to See the Northern Lights Before They Dim for a Decade</a> (click to read), I am more determined to go in 2016, which is next year. But the thought of bringing a baby/toddler there, I don't know man. And what if (what if only k) I get pregnant and give birth next year, how to go with an infant? I know sometimes people leave their babies at home to go for holidays but I don't know if that can work out for us. I don't mind going 2017 onwards when the baby's older but will the chances of me seeing the lights really be significantly lower (like what the article claimed)?! I feel like I need to speak to an expert now haaah.</div>
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Okay I need to stop before I get too carried away. Sometimes I think, I think too much. Just that this thing about the northern lights dimming in the next few years is bothering me.</div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-69909422581664165502015-10-12T09:20:00.000+08:002015-10-12T09:47:13.070+08:00My First is OneHis party went a-okay! I'm surprised I managed to do up the dessert table complete with a background. The DIY level in making the whole set up was manageable. If the super cannot-make-it me could actually do it, I'm pretty sure most people can do it. I did the 'buildings' background few weeks before the party and just pasted the 'windows' the night before the party. Everything else like the table set up, making of tassels, pasting of posters, blowing of alphabet balloons etc were also done the night before with my sister's help. The table cloth was really done anyhow but I didn't think anyone would bother much la.<br />
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Us clad in our Batman outfit. The blue 'mountain' design at my dining area was covered by these 'buildings'. </div>
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Cheeky birthday boy. Here you can see a little bit of the hanging tassels which my sister helped to make.</div>
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Gotham city poster and the print on the goody bags designed by my sister! I just had to print the goody bag design on a yellow paper and pasted them on black paper bags. </div>
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Was actually very excited I could have a cake topper customised to his name. :D</div>
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What used to have a blue mountain, copper clock, and pastel posters.</div>
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Happy!</div>
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Thank you all for making Maliq happy. :)</div>
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I must give credit to By Butter Trade for the awesome desserts that my guests kept raving about. The Nutella Red Velvet, White Chocolate Mango, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Brownies and Nutella Mousse were all oh so yummy! To my colleague's friend mom, Cik Aishah for taking my last minute order and preparing the yummy food that my guests also raved about! Sedap! And I'm not trying to be bias here okay. She cooks for weddings too so if you want her contact number, let me know cause she doesn't have any online marketing to promote her business. To Farday Bakes for the pretty cake and yummy macarons and for delivering the cake and macarons last minute when I was actually supposed to collect them.</div>
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(But my dad lost his passport in JB which delayed my mom as well and required my sister to save them in JB and in the end nobody helped me collect the cake and I had no car to collect myself and Zai's cousin passed away which meant he couldn't help me collect either and he also couldn't help me prepare the house for the party and yes in the end my dad had to miss the entire party and he was pretty upset about it but ho well). </div>
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Now I'm actually already thinking about his 2nd birthday. Huahahah!</div>
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Also, we have booked everything that we need for our trip in December! I made sure we chose the bassinet seats because I'm pretty sure we need the extra space. Quite nervous about Maliq's behaviour on the plane. Thinking of how to make him sit still for a longer period of time. He's at the stage where walking and touching everything is fun. Which I don't mind him doing but I'm pretty sure other passengers won't like it la so, I need to think of activities for him now. Bought some winter clothing for him too. Bought online so one ended up with one big and one small. Argh. Maybe need to buy some more eh.</div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-5988115985004100332015-09-23T13:48:00.001+08:002015-09-23T13:48:33.656+08:001 Year Soon<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Baby's turning one year old soon which means, I am currently preparing his mini birthday celebration! Nothing much to prepare, really. Since it'll just be a small one. At first I thought of just inviting our immediate families (our parents + siblings only) and our common friends to our place for a makan session and a small cake cutting thingy. Then somehow we ended up with a bit more people. A few relatives and some more friends. Still we won't go beyond 50 pax.</div>
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It will be a small gathering, nothing fancy but looking forward to decorating the house for this little celebration. I think I am mostly excited over his cake and desserts I've ordered. Priorities all wrong haha. I just cannot help it when the cakes and desserts look oh so pretty and yummy! I am left with a few more things to buy and a few more things to do but most of which is just decorating our place the night before the day. And also a few more things I got for that day, still waiting to arrive in the mail.<br />
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Just last year I was all nervous about his arrival and right now, I am already busy preparing his first birthday. Seeing him grow so much within a year is a bitter sweet feeling. You want them to grow well and happy but at the same time you don't want them to grow so fast because you know you'll miss so many things that you can only do with them while they are still babies and toddlers but not when they're older. Ho well.<br />
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Anyway this also means that Zai and I have been in the parenthood business for almost a year now. I don't always say this but I seldom give credit to Zai for helping me so much with Maliq, of course my mother too since she's the main care taker. Sometimes I feel that I don't do enough for Maliq. In fact Maliq cried more when Zai or my parents and sisters left him than when I left him. If I were to really count how many times he cried when I left him, I say that I rank below Zai, my parents and maybe even my siblings. Worse, a few times he cried when some banglas from SingTel who came to our house to do up our Internet, left the house. Yes he cried for random banglas he just met. -.-<br />
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Some remarked how lucky I am that he's not too clingy to me and that he's okay with outsiders carrying him. I guess I can look at it in that way too. I can easily pass him around and have some me time. But still I make sure that every day I'll spend some time just being with him (although I am guilty of using my phone at the same time sometimes) and every night I'll be the one sleeping next to him.<br />
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Time for some photos for memories' sake!<br />
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My favourite two!</div>
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First zoo trip.</div>
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Lepak</div>
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One moment he's crying.</div>
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And the next moment he's acting cool haha.</div>
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Our dinner at Krave. Mine was nice! His was not bad.</div>
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After turning the room upside down, sleep.</div>
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When's the pool not in use, we put some balls in!</div>
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#Pergh is definitely not my idea.</div>
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Lastly, half naked and buncit.</div>
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Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-71556187981778744562015-08-31T08:42:00.001+08:002015-08-31T08:42:24.772+08:00My Baby the Swimmer - Not<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Baby has developed the fear of swimming. I don't know how, why, when it happened but yesterday when we decided to bring him for a swim after such a long time, we realised that he is now afraid of water. He was crying the whole time and towards the end he decided that he would only stand and do nothing else in the water. We couldn't even get him to float with his float on. His feet must be on the ground.</div>
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Then I started to wonder is it because we didn't bring him to swim for very long because he wasn't like this the last few times we brought him to swim. Thought of getting him that thermal swimsuit where he won't be shivering cold while swimming but I don't think it's just the temperature of the water because like I said, he was okay with the cold waters in the swimming pool the last time we brought him to swim. And even if we put him in a tub of warm water at home, he would cry. Tried and tested, hah.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOObYfhdkNw1e3ZuWI7QP67B5S2XhwTX1jCoe-HvQgAgO9oVZ7406__qW3N4zTyxsyX59dd7k5uslqsTU07sWf6HlNJgDaQyr-8yO2lXPLChD-l594mq2c0-au82W6GgJgFNQizpfWue8/s640/blogger-image-1567210804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOObYfhdkNw1e3ZuWI7QP67B5S2XhwTX1jCoe-HvQgAgO9oVZ7406__qW3N4zTyxsyX59dd7k5uslqsTU07sWf6HlNJgDaQyr-8yO2lXPLChD-l594mq2c0-au82W6GgJgFNQizpfWue8/s640/blogger-image-1567210804.jpg" /></a></div>
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Now the plan is to bring him to the swimming pool every weekend that we're not in JB. I hope we really follow the plan la cause I really don't want my baby to be so scared of the water when the father is a swimmer leh (not a national swimmer la but working in the coast guard requires him to be able to swim a bit la at least) hahah. And to think that we were considering of enrolling him in swimming classes. Now if he goes he'll just scream the whole time. Maybe we should just do it eh? Let the instructor handle him. But I also feel that we should be the first ones who would let him feel comfortable in the water before anyone else. Okay la too long winded of an entry on just my baby being afraid of the water. :/</div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-11172404808439853122015-08-12T13:37:00.000+08:002015-08-18T09:18:14.300+08:00Hi After So LongHaven't been here lately because when I'm free to blog, I'll be online shopping for baby or the house instead. If I'm not doing that, I'll be looking for inspirations to decorate the home (which includes Maliq's room). I love looking at the Instagrams of beautiful homes and pretty kids' rooms. Very bad for my pockets though but it's a good kinda retail therapy for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyPw6LP9-zy8Q5s_cXnxSXEZC0jPrCpZy7B_kbOa6J6Yw856Uy_REljFlhD0H5v_JXwtXTrNoe6ws9NdGKZLCuxtfT3IhOhiIXGjRjHq9opJgBlEYMWJVFd0Xw1PLECwolfE2Gh8jIkM/s640/blogger-image--1841308678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyPw6LP9-zy8Q5s_cXnxSXEZC0jPrCpZy7B_kbOa6J6Yw856Uy_REljFlhD0H5v_JXwtXTrNoe6ws9NdGKZLCuxtfT3IhOhiIXGjRjHq9opJgBlEYMWJVFd0Xw1PLECwolfE2Gh8jIkM/s400/blogger-image--1841308678.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Got our photo at Stonehenge printed on a stone. I love the outcome!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_52HgN_xg48HN6Ea4NiBiCQOGYeaUe27GafqMHkox5STCL-_Kxk3i1Vh2YxBr9SL4HCa0koErHCJBqjbeRWc2jKKYZOvpxOR4yn9rdHzczQkpJBIWkJNd59KhMnLSzLVAwP2GdTF2EI/s640/blogger-image--1139693124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_52HgN_xg48HN6Ea4NiBiCQOGYeaUe27GafqMHkox5STCL-_Kxk3i1Vh2YxBr9SL4HCa0koErHCJBqjbeRWc2jKKYZOvpxOR4yn9rdHzczQkpJBIWkJNd59KhMnLSzLVAwP2GdTF2EI/s400/blogger-image--1139693124.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Displayed it on this shadowbox or hanging shelf. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">This shelf looked so much better than before.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnxAYfgNzxlgNrpbWar7cu-9cBtaBAuiobVsdJOYxrcnJVDO7bzBwsEKbxs2v2FOnwWuYwh28_zu_yEaC3WMDy8mX7xgAydcs5WzmeV7pqfEa0p0Bx6BWl6_pBxxb7zV5eoyUkuAgWV0/s640/blogger-image--1561016241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnxAYfgNzxlgNrpbWar7cu-9cBtaBAuiobVsdJOYxrcnJVDO7bzBwsEKbxs2v2FOnwWuYwh28_zu_yEaC3WMDy8mX7xgAydcs5WzmeV7pqfEa0p0Bx6BWl6_pBxxb7zV5eoyUkuAgWV0/s640/blogger-image--1561016241.jpg" /></a></div>
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Every time I bring Maliq to his reading corner, he will smile widely. I<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> don't know why! It doesn't mean that he loves reading right?! </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Maybe he just loves looking at colourful books.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXtdi35KQfSqAQGGtA9t-bpKDca2MgYLMiv4MAEXkuv0-XlzXIFc5NJvfrpQP0nNXntPrDMJRU4hB7Q8J79L-PG4GxcPWRvnbBBO0wcaNLUBnjy-aHfxIoNeEEqcD4vUpasr-4A0WZXo/s640/blogger-image--1568827377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXtdi35KQfSqAQGGtA9t-bpKDca2MgYLMiv4MAEXkuv0-XlzXIFc5NJvfrpQP0nNXntPrDMJRU4hB7Q8J79L-PG4GxcPWRvnbBBO0wcaNLUBnjy-aHfxIoNeEEqcD4vUpasr-4A0WZXo/s400/blogger-image--1568827377.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Can you spot him?</div>
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Maliq's first raya was okay. He behaved quite well I must say. Then he started teething shortly after that and just wasn't quite his happy self anymore. I'm hoping this teething phase will be over soon. And I really hope he won't be teething during our December trip, please not!</div>
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My cheeky boy.</div>
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Speaking of the trip, we have not done the following:<br />
1) Book our accommodation for Athens.<br />
2) Book our accommodation for Dubai.<br />
3) Book flight tickets from Athens to Santorini.<br />
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Still don't know if we should book a hotel or an apartment for Athens, you think? I don't mind a hotel but I'm afraid I have to cook baby's food. I'm scared that he won't eat their kinda food and besides, their food are mostly not halal. How? :/<br />
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And as much as I am looking forward to the trip, I have my worry days as well. Worried that it's not a great time to visit Greece, what more with a baby in tow. And worried that Maliq will be screaming his head off during the flight. At 3 months, he was a well behaved baby on the plane, he didn't really cry. At 8 months, he started to be restless on the plane. He just wouldn't sit still for long. Right now at 10 months, he's at the stage where he can't even sit still for an entire car ride to anywhere.<br />
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Now imagine an 8-hour or more plane ride with a 14 month old baby. Doesn't help that colleagues who went on the plane with their 1 year olds actually shared with me how tiring it can be walking up and down the isles of the plane for 8 hours. But I hope all that will be worth it after we set foot on Santorini!<br />
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Moving on, we brought Maliq to Cool de Sac at Suntec over the weekend I think he was one of the youngest to be playing there.<br />
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Happy?</div>
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I'm still pumping and feeding him breast milk. Not sure till when will I be pumping but my target for now is 1 year. I've been feeding him fish and vege porridge too nowadays. He is not a big eater, in fact he does't really like to eat (seriously baby, my cooking of baby food cannot be that bad right?!). </div>
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This is getting too long. I'll end off with one of his latest smiley picture. Till the next update, which I hope will be soon! :)</div>
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Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-1649077546260108872015-06-04T17:28:00.000+08:002015-06-04T17:30:05.039+08:00Down the DrainSo sad now that I have to pump and dump 2 weeks worth of milk. Haish. Maliq fell sick 2 weeks ago with a fever of 40 degrees. Almost brought him to the hospital but we brought him to the pediatrician twice instead. Then he developed sore throat, cough, blocked nose and runny nose. He was in so much pain that I was telling Zai and others that I wish I could take his pain away.<br>
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Then my wish came true. I fell sick. So sick that the doctor at the clinic I went to scolded me for not taking care of my health sooner and wanted me to go A&E. The doctor told me right in the face that I was very stubborn and that if I refuse to take the medicines he prescribed, he will probably expect to see me in the hospital dying. I know, so blunt right. Hah.<br>
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Everything that Maliq had, I got but worse. I had no choice but to take the medicines and anti-biotics. I asked for nursing friendly meds of course but he refused to give me, saying I needed something stronger. He told me not to nurse Maliq for two weeks and with a heavy heart, I have been pumping and dumping my milk. Still ongoing now. A week and a half more to go. :( Maliq is also on formula for his night feeds now. Soon he will have to be on formula whole day and night when my stash runs out. Thankfully he can accept formula easily.<br>
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Then I realised I should increase his stash of frozen milk for instances like this. All along I will freeze only a few days worth of milk for him and will use the rest for his milk bath. I just don't have the space to store more of his milk. Although I ever thought of getting a freezer just for his milk, Zai didn't think we really need it so I dropped the idea after thinking that we don't have space for a freezer anyway. I guess after this I have to slowly build up his stash of milk from scratch again. Hoping my supply won't drop so much because of the meds. </div>
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Sick Maliq. </div>
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(Ya still got time to take his photo before wiping his mucus away.)</div>
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But we're both recovering now! Not fully well but much better than before. And, we're heading to KL in about two more weeks! A mini getaway to look forward to although, it'll be during the Ramadhan so what's the point of going KL right?! But because of SEA Games Zai couldn't take leave any time before the fasting month starts and I promised to visit my grandparents and relatives there. Lesser time to eat all the glorious food but it's okay, we'll just go ahead.</div>
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Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-7657870057783402632015-05-21T09:39:00.002+08:002015-05-21T10:50:51.531+08:007 Months LaterHow's life 7 months (plus) postpartum? While I finally got the hang of some things, I am still learning how to be a mother and I am sure it's an ongoing process.<br>
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Last month, baby fell off from the bed under my care. I was alone with him and decided to leave him on the bed while I prepare for his bath in the bathroom. And then I heard a thud followed by a loud cry. I felt so bad I cried too okay. I cried while telling Zai what happened over the phone. Cried some more after that and just kept crying. Haha drama!<br>
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Then a few weeks later, it happened again (yes I know, again!), while all of us were sleeping. 1 a.m. and he was crying from the cot so I moved him to our bed not realising that I did not put him in between us. I put him next to me with no one else on his other side. This fall was harder but I didn't cry as much as the first time though. I was hysterically shouting and looking for him instead cause although I could hear his cries, I couldn't locate him. He fell into this small space in between the bed and the wardrobe. I felt so bad I don't wish to remember that episode but I don't think I can ever forget that either. :( So writing this here, especially for all to see is actually a big deal to me. Whatever it is, never ever underestimate your child's capabilities to roll, turn, crawl or climb. Note to self.<br>
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There were times I got frustrated with Maliq, I snapped at him and asked him to stop crying. Then I realised that when I snapped at him, I wasn't exactly mad at him but I was actually mad at the situation I was in. Alone, helpless, mother not home to help, husband sleeping away. Particularly mad at the 'husband sleeping away' part, I'm sure. Hahaa.<br>
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There were many other instances I felt like I failed as a mother, I rather look at my phone than entertain him, I rather do the laundry than attend to him. Yet my son still bounces happily when he sees me at the door after work.<br>
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That's his shorts over his head. :P</div>
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I know this phase won't last forever. He will grow up. Won't be around me as much anymore. Won't want to play with me anymore. And for that, I am going to treasure this phase as much as I can before it's gone.<br>
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7 months postpartum and I am still pumping. I hope to continue for as long as the situation allows me to. I gave up latching the first few weeks because it was just too painful. I know the pain will go away but apparently it didn't for me. Then I decided to exclusively pump for him. Initially I needed to supplement with formula but after a while my supply caught up and now he's just on breast milk.<br>
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There are pros and cons for both latching and exclusively pumping (and even formula feeding), but right now I feel most comfortable just pumping. It was super tiring during the first few months because I had to pump every 2 hours including middle of the night, but once my supply increased, I slowly cut back on the pumping frequency. So right now, I'm pumping every 6 hours (even at work). It was so much better than to do it every 2 hours round the clock! Lesser engorgements and swollen breasts too. No more fever due to mastitis as well. I used to get anxious whenever I was late for my pumping, afraid that if I didn't pump on time, I was going to suffer mastitis and blocked ducts again. It's not easy but it's a demand and supply curve you see. The more you pump, the more you'll produce, they say.<br>
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Lastly, 7 months postpartum and I'm glad I have Maliq. So much so that I find joy in shopping for him than for myself now. Not that I'm complaining because babies have nice things to shop for too it seems. :/<br>
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Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-43121857672404863132015-05-13T15:43:00.002+08:002015-05-13T16:51:29.541+08:00Oh White and BlueSome time to kill before I make my way back home. Finally a change of colours for this blog! Anyway so far we have done the following for our trip.<br>
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1) Booked flight for Greece and Dubai.<br>
2) Booked cave house for Santorini.<br>
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We have not done the following though:<br>
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1) Book flight for Santorini.<br>
2) Book apartment in Athens.<br>
3) Book hotel in Dubai.<br>
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We have booked our stay in Santorini so fast because I am very sure I want to stay in this cave house! Not many choices in winter anyway so it was easy to decide.<br>
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How not to fall in love with the cave house you tell me?! We chose that also because we wanted a fully equipped kitchen and not just a kitchenette to cook, since halal food is limited there. The other villas/hotels/cave houses we checked out were nice too but they were either too pricey or not as pretty as this. And this has 100% 'excellent' reviews (not even one 'very good') on Trip Advisor (except for one 'average' but apparently that one was actually written for another cave house but ended up on that page) and they have about 100 plus reviews. How can it be that they are that good?! It seems that the owner is a super nice lady. </div>
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And, we are finally open to try out Airbnb. We're probably looking for one in Athens because apartments are bigger, cheaper and have fully equipped kitchens! Before this I was quite scared to try out Airbnb cause the thought of staying at someone else's apartment just didn't sit well with me. :/ But looking at reviews I think I am willing to give it a try. </div>
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Anyway, last weekend Zai kindly surprised me with a Mother's Day dinner at Aquamarine. How sweet. :D They even prepared some utensils for Maliq but obviously he couldn't eat anything at all from there.<br>
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Maliq was trying to reach for the plates and refused his toys. So we let him play with the plastic utensils they provided him, but most of the time they ended on the ground. He also screamed a few times but I'm glad we were seated outside where there were still people, but lesser. And I heard a few people commented on his batman headgear, haha. He also pooed too much and stained my top a little, but that's okay! We had an awesome dinner nonetheless. :D<br>
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<br>Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-37755691602705503602015-05-04T11:12:00.000+08:002015-05-04T15:05:52.586+08:00Looking ForwardAnd so we have decided on our year end vacation. After weighing the pros and cons of each shortlisted destination in the previous post, we have finally decided on...<br>
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GREECE! </div>
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I googled an image of Greece and for obvious reasons it mostly showed pictures of their ever so popular island Santorini, instead of mainland Greece or Athens. Although Santorini will be super off peak (not even low season but it's literally OFF season) during winter in December, we (mainly me, not Zai haha) decided to go ahead with our decision. Despite knowing that most (which means almost all but not all) shops, restaurants and hotels will be closed on the island, I decided to just go ahead because of a few reasons.</div>
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<b><u>1) No Crowds</u></b></div>
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Santorini is a romantic, summer destination. So you can expect it to be quite crowded in summer. There will be mostly romantic couples on honeymoon. If we go in winter, we won't have to face the crowd. If my baby ever screams in the middle of nowhere, I won't get stares from couples who are trying to enjoy their honeymoon. </div>
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<b><u>2) Bearable Winter</u></b></div>
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While Greece will still be cold in winter, quick check online tells me that it won't be as cold as the other winter cities I shortlisted. I don't mind the cold at all but I don't want baby's first winter to be a bitter one for him. </div>
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<b><u>3) Hotels Which Accept Babies</u></b></div>
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Some hotels don't accept babies in summer because it's a honeymoon destination and crying babies are no-no. So if we go in winter, those few hotels that are open, will actually accept babies because they won't have that many customers anyway. They know our crying babies won't really affect anyone. </div>
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<b><u>4) There's Also Athens</u></b></div>
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Although Santorini is a summer destination, Athens is fine all year round. Athens is lively during winter and most of it's attractions are open during that time. Santorini is only less than half of our entire vacation. There are other things to see in Athens other than go to Santorini alone. </div>
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<b><u>5) Cheaper!</u></b></div>
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Off season means cheap hotel rates by as much as 50%. Only in Santorini not Athens though. Like I said, Athens is busy all year round, but that's enough to save us some money.</div>
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<b><u>6) Closed Restaurants/Shops Won't Affect Us</u></b></div>
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Closed restaurants (not all) won't really affect us because Santorini doesn't have halal food, sadly. But we don't mind being a vegetarian for a few days, and we got a hotel with a small kitchen for us to cook while we are there. We don't mind the closed shops too because there's nothing much to buy except souvenirs which we can easily get in Athens. </div>
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But of course if you have the luxury to go Santorini between May and October that will be best! I won't say there are no disadvantages of going there in winter with a baby but I can only take long vacations in December so I really don't have a choice. :( Given a choice I probably won't go in December. Many times I came across articles and forums discouraging tourists from visiting Santorini in December or even if you must visit Greece, just stay in Athens the whole time instead of going to that island. But I guess I sort of found the 6 reasons above good enough for me to visit Greece (including Santorini) in December. In fact I know of people who went there in December and it was a good experience for them. We'll see how it goes</div>
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Apart from Greece, we're dropping by Dubai on the way back, heh. I am not interested in Dubai honestly and I rather save the money for another vacation, another time. But Zai wanted to maximise his 2 and a half weeks leave badly. Italy and Turkey are very near to Greece but there's no way we can really cover them in less than a week. So, Dubai it is!</div>
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Suggestions on where to go in Athens and Dubai are most welcomed! :)</div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-39467443550753516262015-04-07T10:15:00.001+08:002015-05-04T13:56:54.042+08:00Where To?I'm pretty bumped that my holiday destination choices this December are pretty limited. I wanted any of the places in my wish list which is (in no particular order):<br />
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1. Greece<br />
2. Italy<br />
3. US<br />
4. Maldives<br />
5. Norway<br />
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Let me tell you why I probably can't go to any of the places above.<br />
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<b><u>1. Greece</u></b><br />
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I don't want to go Greece yet, before I see the other places. Besides the beautiful scenery, I am not sure if I'll appreciate what Greece has to offer in December? It'll be winter in December and Greece will probably look greyer than the usual blue I reckon? I read that ferry rides will also be limited and there will be lesser tours during winter so, I am not sure if I'll appreciate Greece in December.<br />
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<b><u>2. Italy</u></b><br />
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We wanted to fit in Italy into our honeymoon in Europe but couldn't. So we told ourselves back then that we will go Italy one day. But after going to Europe, we prefer to see the other parts of the world more before going back to that part of Europe for Italy. Hmm, is that even a valid reason? Haha. But won't be as cold as New York so good for baby though.<br />
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<b><u>3. US</u></b><br />
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We're looking at New York, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles. They're all far from each other except for maybe San Fran and LA which are closer. From talking to those who have been to NY, it will be super cold in December with chances of blizzards and flights being cancelled. All of them (about 5 of them) also said no when I asked if the weather will be okay for baby. The other cities however, won't be as cold. But I am wondering if I should even go US when I can't even go NY and I really want to see NY more than the other cities? I'm assuming that I won't go there again if I've been there once. Plus, the flight is super long for a year old to handle, no?<br />
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<b><u>4. Maldives</u></b><br />
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The most that I will go Maldives for is one week and I don't to spend my four weeks break on a one week holiday. I rather go there in June. I also know that things there are not cheap so one week is too short to be spending a lot on for now. :/<br />
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<b><u>5. Norway</u></b><br />
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Or any of the Scandinavia countries for me to see auroras actually. But same as NY, it will be too cold for baby. I got to drive out just to see auroras and it can get very, very cold. Colder than Italy kinda cold. Things are super expensive too I heard.<br />
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So how you think? Zai suggested Korea but it doesn't really interest me at the moment. :(Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-47814780160154524242015-03-10T08:46:00.000+08:002015-03-10T08:46:24.955+08:00DecisionsI have a few drafts on the reno and my motherhood journey not published. But here I am composing a new post because my reno story <i>basi</i> ready la. As you can tell, I have no time to blog now that I have a baby already. SO many things have been happening but I'll just show some pictures on the home and some pictures of Maliq for today.<br />
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Some photos of our home which you probably have seen before if you're on my Instagram or Facebook but I'll probably talk more about them here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UFxw0YoDFH-lE1goCko_5_79Uf4DH_RBm-_0XZnJ3ZMOpxn7HumgbqenKPjGxWjXlOOFCgom81nYTmHWTX4kkgpg-WbHBgNQeCXyCtCiNnY3zfwZM0oQlxdIECXH_4Pp9RNKVKjy-hs/s1600/IMG_0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UFxw0YoDFH-lE1goCko_5_79Uf4DH_RBm-_0XZnJ3ZMOpxn7HumgbqenKPjGxWjXlOOFCgom81nYTmHWTX4kkgpg-WbHBgNQeCXyCtCiNnY3zfwZM0oQlxdIECXH_4Pp9RNKVKjy-hs/s1600/IMG_0689.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I actually got the rocking chair online without even trying it out or seeing it live. I'm that lazy hahaha. But I was elated when I found out this Eames inspired chair have the cushioned version, in grey to match my sofa. :D I am thinking of buying a mini version for baby's room. But please discourage me from spending on baby again. He can't even sit yet! :/</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGTarcVL2h85do0bSebO9zMmgk6wjvQlbjVDaJU3Br8aFM9ExtNMfY0dbzj899m9N-JBPKcse1rKK4YtGwWd_7USmHks2nhl3qFBHXkmQKsAeHhbNwyiz3Ce4RiV9G1dhPkur8QyEWcc/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGTarcVL2h85do0bSebO9zMmgk6wjvQlbjVDaJU3Br8aFM9ExtNMfY0dbzj899m9N-JBPKcse1rKK4YtGwWd_7USmHks2nhl3qFBHXkmQKsAeHhbNwyiz3Ce4RiV9G1dhPkur8QyEWcc/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm not a plants kinda person but I got attracted to some vases and cute plants that I got some pots and plants to put around the home. They are all easy to maintain! I water them like once every two or three days only, sometimes I forgot to water for 4 or 5 days straight. So far they're still alive. Though the flowers are dead la cause cut flowers cannot last long anyway. I try to buy fresh flowers every few weeks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcY1X-Rsah7_nDEGqG9BFbFCuoyHHA_3EvbzJEsynhRZbNmY6G-q9O4ekEdwUP6-YDPwqor-2wQM5RR4UND6lqfbWwBLfw_3WVSlPmMx3QtbScCrmmO28nSH9qm6Pvot9bQ1kBtwho_Y/s1600/IMG_0988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcY1X-Rsah7_nDEGqG9BFbFCuoyHHA_3EvbzJEsynhRZbNmY6G-q9O4ekEdwUP6-YDPwqor-2wQM5RR4UND6lqfbWwBLfw_3WVSlPmMx3QtbScCrmmO28nSH9qm6Pvot9bQ1kBtwho_Y/s1600/IMG_0988.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I got the clock when I went to Phuket during my maternity leave. In the home ware section in a department store. I can only purchase it only if I spend a certain amount in the shopping centre, which I thankfully did before that. :D I got it at less than $20! I love the rose gold metal. Heh.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nZAkjycnaKDbSF9BsItH4RX1Mw5e-KUFilenHx2YZTxoh9DCAR9OFJgaedpdFHN2t4jeuyOuplmOgS7piFNhbK5jv1TSnqiP3h2N04VZCSd6ftEjVmddjAEUKl0ugZwUPU_0gLsSKxU/s1600/IMG_0989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nZAkjycnaKDbSF9BsItH4RX1Mw5e-KUFilenHx2YZTxoh9DCAR9OFJgaedpdFHN2t4jeuyOuplmOgS7piFNhbK5jv1TSnqiP3h2N04VZCSd6ftEjVmddjAEUKl0ugZwUPU_0gLsSKxU/s1600/IMG_0989.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I actually got both the poster and banner customised and I love the outcome of both! I wanted to hang more posters around the house but Zai was giving me this 'no way' look. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtES7Cw21diZPydqTKc1re94rEva_Uo_RezxQvKoUET3XZMKMEAYYTzNi3Cf3LB4NSqw2P7CJ8SZK2ZW9tOBFB0MFbaFBuarrA0OJ_zu3zcEvoprldUzEqr05_Cd6Sn7W83_lqqyvScL4/s1600/IMG_2120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtES7Cw21diZPydqTKc1re94rEva_Uo_RezxQvKoUET3XZMKMEAYYTzNi3Cf3LB4NSqw2P7CJ8SZK2ZW9tOBFB0MFbaFBuarrA0OJ_zu3zcEvoprldUzEqr05_Cd6Sn7W83_lqqyvScL4/s1600/IMG_2120.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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The latest addition in Maliq's room. The hexagonal shelves. The blue one was actually pink but I painted it over. My family and Zai think that the pink looks okay in a boy's room but I still prefer blue.</div>
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And here are some photos of our Phuket trip! Bringing a 3 month old baby was quite scary but we survived! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCXJ1tThPnICw-E5hu3Y-iXEweYm4UrTrhsYG0KIRnVkao5jNjYCH3Fpxq29R-f6CIOtXkWb4uEWnCMRHNRhqZlcg16AcMPgIJvw62BRQbsKrsvD2PHxjM5OBBhy0ICdTnjnvVwj4U90/s1600/IMG_0718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCXJ1tThPnICw-E5hu3Y-iXEweYm4UrTrhsYG0KIRnVkao5jNjYCH3Fpxq29R-f6CIOtXkWb4uEWnCMRHNRhqZlcg16AcMPgIJvw62BRQbsKrsvD2PHxjM5OBBhy0ICdTnjnvVwj4U90/s1600/IMG_0718.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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We got a pool access room so that Maliq can have his first swim conveniently haha. All's great with the hotel just that there were some mozzies but we were prepared and got some mosquitoes patch for Maliq before the trip.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju794PwXhNwkJp553uEjxzUY_AtCMHmMPFArHSjiT9FCJo1Zr5-lBN1hsSGmD9gvX2xnWSnSJVn16eacddfNDEyPq4fkyzX7ePOosFMLvFwdePZaTo3tnHl3s_Uqb1XoSp8FzedzRiTNQ/s1600/IMG_0725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju794PwXhNwkJp553uEjxzUY_AtCMHmMPFArHSjiT9FCJo1Zr5-lBN1hsSGmD9gvX2xnWSnSJVn16eacddfNDEyPq4fkyzX7ePOosFMLvFwdePZaTo3tnHl3s_Uqb1XoSp8FzedzRiTNQ/s1600/IMG_0725.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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His first ever swim! He cried as soon as he entered the water cause it was so cold. Then he got used to the temperature. I won't say he loves swimming but I won't say he hates it either. </div>
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He gave that face because we were at this makan stall for dinner and the food blender gave him a shock. Hahaha.</div>
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We rented the car to go around Phuket which was the best thing to do! Cause we got to go to many beaches and not only Patong beach, and I can express milk and change Maliq's diaper in the car without having to look for any nursing room (which was nowhere to be found).</div>
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Half naked Maliq. Lol.</div>
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I love Thai food! Their so-so Tom Yum and fried rice were good enough for me.</div>
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The view from one of the many viewpoints there and that was one of the beaches we went.</div>
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At one of the cafe. It was nice, just not halal so we just got drinks instead. We wanted to just rest in an aircon place after walking at the flea market.</div>
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This beach was where Zai spotted a naked Ang Moh lady suntanning. </div>
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Sunset on top of a hill.</div>
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Happy Maliq at Phuket's airport.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjughc7rtB460fO4iwCF-PB315W-YDMy5sRs7zHoqmWZ8QMeoyQIIEiHiynA8SJho3wjc02DFL3_83SFyJap1u3ZKeSkAjM7Pb4wg92j60It_aILrS3Bo-DuX4cnPNBRp9hlDoezXh9jv8/s1600/IMG_0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjughc7rtB460fO4iwCF-PB315W-YDMy5sRs7zHoqmWZ8QMeoyQIIEiHiynA8SJho3wjc02DFL3_83SFyJap1u3ZKeSkAjM7Pb4wg92j60It_aILrS3Bo-DuX4cnPNBRp9hlDoezXh9jv8/s1600/IMG_0884.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Curious Maliq in the plane. No he didn't get his own seat. That was Zai's seat. </div>
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Overall, Phuket was super hot when we went. I don't know how the <i>Mat Sallehs</i> can just lie on the beach under the hot sun. Things are not as cheap as Bangkok I feel. Other than the beaches and markets, there were nothing much for us to do since we were not interested on their nightlife activities. Halal food easily available. Somehow I wished we went to Krabi instead since Ezdi mentioned somewhere that Krabi was nicer. :/</div>
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Travelling with a newborn was bearable surprisingly. I think because they sleep more at this age than when they become toddlers and know how to throw tantrums. Only downside was we had to bring so many things including his steriliser and bottler warmer. Lots of diapers too. So our luggage for that 5 days trip looks like our luggage when we went to Europe for 21 days during our honeymoon haha. Okay maybe slightly lesser than that.</div>
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Now, where shall we go in December? I am somehow attracted to Norway because of the auroras but Zai has been wanting to go New York. But I have a feeling both won't happen because I thought of just saving the money after spending a lot on the reno and now that we have a kid to raise. And the thought of bringing a one year old with us on the trip is quite scary. But you know a winter holiday is so tempting so we'll see how. </div>
Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-28439519838782637822014-12-31T16:29:00.000+08:002014-12-31T16:29:09.506+08:00Travelator Okay, no time to blog nowadays because my baby is like the boss now and controls my time. :/ Right now my mom is home so I get some free time to myself. So many things to talk about like my breastfeeding journey and our home! Maybe I'll just post photos of our home once I'm done putting up the little decor stuff I bought (and keep buying).<br />
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Let me do this questionnaire by Ezdi first k? :P<br />
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<br /><b>What made you start traveling?</b><br /><br /><div>
I didn't travel much with my family when I was young except to places in Malaysia and neither do they allow me to travel with friends (although I have 'sneaked out'of the country a few times to somewhere near with friends for holidays without my parents knowing the truth =x). So by the time I got married, I have kept in me the feeling of longing to travel for years! Thankfully Zai loves travelling too. That made me start traveling (and I'm looking forward to more). :D</div>
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<br /><b>Where was your first plane ride to?</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>To Gold Coast Australia at the age of 12 with my primary school. Then no more till I was 24 to Bandung, Indonesia with my family and Zai.<br /><br /><b>Where have you traveled to that you would love to visit again?</b><br /><br />I've not been to many countries but I've visited KL many times. I don't intend to visit cities that I've been to more than once cause I rather spend the money on a totally new city but if money and time are not issues then I would love to visit Amsterdam and Switzerland again.<br /><br /><b>What are 3 of your must have travel items?</b></div>
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Camera, phone, money.</div>
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<br /><b>Window, isle or middle seat?</b><br /> </div>
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Window cause I like to look out the window and it's cosier to be sitting inside. Unfortunately Zai feels the same but he gives in most of the time haha.<br /><br /><b>What place is on your ‘places to visit next’ list?</b></div>
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<br />Probably about the same places as Ezdi! US (have not decided on any particular cities though), Italy (we wanted this for our honeymoon initially but didn't have enough time), Norway (for Auroras!), Greece and Maldives (for the beautiful scenery).</div>
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<b>Where would you travel just for the weather?</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>Since Singapore is sunny all the time and I've experienced winter, I would love to go anywhere during fall and spring. Maybe Japan for the cherry blossoms in Spring.<br /><br /><b>Do you have an interesting ‘I’m lost’ story?</b><br /><br />Got lost a few times in Europe. While looking for our hotel in Interlaken, Zurich and Amsterdam. We had to walk a whole lot with our backpacks and luggage before we found the hotels. I won't say they're interesting though.<br /><br /><b>Where would you travel to just to eat the food?</b><br /><br />KL for the halal food everywhere and Thailand for the yummy Tom Yum!<br /><br /><b>Is there a place you would never go again?</b><br /><br />I can't think of any right now since all the places I went are pretty decent. </div>
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<br /><b>If you could take one person with you to travel who would it be?</b><br /><br />Zai! We have about the same taste and can agree on most things when it comes to travelling. And we complement each other such that he's the alert one and I'm the blur one (at times) so he will always ask me to zip my bag, check my belongings, pay attention whenever we travel. He's also the spontaneous one and I'm the planner so I will plan everything (like hotels and flights) before the trip and he will be the one looking at the map and deciding how to go to places during the trip.</div>
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<b>How do you pass the time on the airplane?</b><br /><br />Watch movies or sleep. :D<br /><br /><b>Are there other people whom you think would do this? </b></div>
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Not sure if anyone is still reading this but if you're reading this you're welcome to do this and let me know! So I can read. :D</div>
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Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113670572573412911.post-26578557137825138472014-11-07T14:03:00.001+08:002014-11-07T14:13:35.293+08:00HomeyAs soon as I gave birth, we moved into the new home. The major renovations were already done, just a few minor things left so we decided to move in first.<br />
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<u>Some details on renovation:</u><br />
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<b>Interior Designer Co</b>.- 9 Creations<br />
<b>Duration</b> - 6 weeks<br />
<b>Theme </b>- Scandinavian<br />
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We decided not to take up any loan so we had to compromise on quite a few things. Let's start with the living room first. But before that, you will see one or two speck of stains in my pictures because of my lousy phone camera which has stains on it and I couldn't remove them. :/<br />
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<b><u>Living Room</u></b><br />
I was really contemplating on whether or not to have the brick wall. I didn't want to have it at first because it's almost everywhere now. But I decided to have it in the end because I just couldn't find a better feature wall that fits into my Scandinavian theme.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgKC10onY7jHckshAYKnIIdHJtieIZAhWVTvEayQmAq4cjkOD2VKzcAbu0DYpooKPKVvwd6KnFYht7AQzh6_7MuKs0VNQhrpo85SVCXWkSLmGDbQwMVuqPNvAqsNxEK8HfPaYt-IDVtQ/s1600/photo+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgKC10onY7jHckshAYKnIIdHJtieIZAhWVTvEayQmAq4cjkOD2VKzcAbu0DYpooKPKVvwd6KnFYht7AQzh6_7MuKs0VNQhrpo85SVCXWkSLmGDbQwMVuqPNvAqsNxEK8HfPaYt-IDVtQ/s1600/photo+(4).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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(That stain on the white drawer, that's from my camera. :/)</div>
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I got the wall that I wanted and Zai got his TV console the way he wanted it to be, curved corners and all. Although it was me who decided on the white and wooden laminates. The ID thought we wanted the curved corners so that it'll be baby friendly with no sharp edges but no, it was purely aesthetics hahah.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBav1QzLx9DKYYEAzuFcDvbfxWFYu9cv1-7XKLPyVVRQvsQPvOB_Ab5Y9UrccWlXuDwOAaDgGa7VT_k-1GfisDUVgcTayHa2kkAXCFhLCWVPPZlqb2iH7EZgbfU0tqmHe7XjaOT7L3eE/s1600/photo+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBav1QzLx9DKYYEAzuFcDvbfxWFYu9cv1-7XKLPyVVRQvsQPvOB_Ab5Y9UrccWlXuDwOAaDgGa7VT_k-1GfisDUVgcTayHa2kkAXCFhLCWVPPZlqb2iH7EZgbfU0tqmHe7XjaOT7L3eE/s1600/photo+(5).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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This is the wall across the feature and TV wall. Zai saw the the framed 'Allah' and 'Muhammad' being sold on Facebook and coincidentally, the white and wooden frames match our home's theme. Didn't want everything to look dull and grey so we threw in a few cushions to brighten up the sofa.<br />
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We didn't plan to have a coffee table with wheels but it turned out to be a good decision in the end. We can easily move it away when we want space in front of the sofa and Zai will move it to wherever he sits on the sofa so that he can eat while watching TV. I still prefer to have my meals at the dining table.<br />
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<u>Things we considered:</u><br />
To get a sofa that's easy to maintain. We got something dark with removable fabric. As it is, Maliq has already vomited on it. :/<br />
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<u>Things we compromised:</u><br />
In built settee/bench by the windows. It'll probably take up more space and we can just get a bench or an arm chair in future.<br />
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<u>Things we might do in future:</u><br />
More seats! Probably an arm chair or something.<br />
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<b><u>Dining Area</u></b><br />
A very small area. The three hanging Edison bulbs are more for decoration cause I prefer white lights. So we also have white cove lights at the dining area. Didn't want the area to look too white so we painted one of the walls. I wanted a peachy colour but our painter gave us this aquamarine colour instead and we were too lazy to get it changed. I thought that looks not bad after all.<br />
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<u>Things we considered:</u><br />
Not to incur additional electric works charges by having more than one electrical point. So what we did was use one electrical point for all three bulbs. We used that black casing to cover the wires for the three bulbs.<br />
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<u>Things we compromised:</u><br />
DIY-ing one of the walls instead of getting a professional to do it. The ID charged us more for such a simple design. So if you take a closer look, you can see that the lines are not perfectly straight.<br />
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<u>Things we might do in future:</u><br />
Frames, vase, flowers, chalkboard wall?<br />
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<b><u>Passageway to Bedrooms</u></b><br />
We don't think we need much light here so we didn't go with my preferred white lights and got these two cage lights in copper with Edison bulbs.<br />
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(Again, ignore the speck of stains from my camera.)</div>
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<u>Things we considered:</u><br />
Same thing here, Not to incur additional electric works charges by having more than one electrical point. So used one electrical point for the two lights. My parents find the dangling exposed wire an eyesore though.<br />
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<u>Things we compromised:</u><br />
Didn't compromise anything much here.<br />
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<u>Things we might do in future:</u><br />
Frames or chalkboard wall?<br />
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If you noticed, I painted the whole of the areas above white. And as for the flooring, we chose the lightest colour for the living room. There's another area which I left out, which is the area in front of our main door. We got the contractor to build a floor-to-ceiling shoe rack cum shelves for storage there and the laminates are the same as the TV console.</div>
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As for the lights in these areas, we got downlights for living room, cove lights and hanging bulbs for dining area, cage lights for passageway. I suggest doing track lights if you want to save more. Doing the ceiling works for downlights and cove lights cost us quite a bit. We didn't go for track lights cause I just don't think it'll be bright enough. </div>
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Okay, kitchen, bedrooms and maybe bathrooms next entry!</div>
<br />Minhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12931473089895034448noreply@blogger.com8