Friday, December 28, 2018

My 2018 In Review

I reviewed my 2017 by the end of Jan 2018 wtf hahaha. It's on the 28th of Jan, 2018, to be exact. So as to not to repeat it again, Imma pen down my 2018 in review before the year ends.

Everything started out pretty well this year. With a new job and a few exciting plans in sight, 2018 seems to be promising. I did have a lot of great moments and good times of course, but I guess it's only normal for the road to be a little bumpy along the way before reaching the end.

So this year, what happened?


1. Charlotte started attending kindergarten


I have to say, I am so so so proud of her and her progress this year. From dashing into her classroom without looking back on her first day of school to her nagging she wants to go to school every. single. day. This girl is just simply amazing. She has also learned a lot and her ability to learn amazed me. During teacher-parents-meeting, the teacher commented that she's a bright and independent student. I could not be any prouder.

2. I became one of Dove DermaSeries Ambassadors


Somewhere early this year, I stumbled upon a post on Facebook. The poster was posting on behalf on her undisclosed client, looking for "real women with real skin problem". I submitted a few pictures of my right hand with cracked skin. A few weeks later, I was called for casting and was being interviewed. The next thing I know, I was shortlisted as one of the ambassadors for Dove's new product - Dove DermaSeries. You can read more here.

It was definitely an unforgettable experience, doing photo shoots and video ad. It gave me a taste of what goes behind the scene of a short 1 minute video. There's definitely a lot of hard work just to catch that one photo and that few scenes that made the cut into the video. You can watch the ad here.

3. I became a breastfeeding counselor.


I remember when I started breastfeeding as a new mom, I hit every corner and suffered for 60 days. Luckily, "Grit" is my middle name wtf. And thanks to Gina, I got every help I ever needed. After I got it right, it has been a smooth-sailing journey ever since. If only I could be more resourceful and understand the importance of attending a breastfeeding course before the baby arrives, that sorrowful 60 days would not even happened. So when Gina announced the opening of TBAN Breastfeeding Counselor Course, I quickly sign myself up.

I've completed the course and all the compulsory assignments and I'm happy to say that I'm now a certified TBAN Breastfeeding Counselor.




4. I went on 2 (semi) solo vacations.


Not entirely solo la but was rather just with Emmett, without Charlotte and the husband. The first trip was to Pulau Redang to surprise Peggy and to celebrate her engagement. It was really just a surprise trip as we were there for only 2 days 1 night. It didn't went really well for me because Emmett was down with RSV. But the surprise was successful so ok la mission accomplished. The second one was with Peggy and Joan to Bangkok. I blogged about it here → Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3.

I am honestly really grateful to my husband for allowing me to do these 2 semi-solo trips. These trips gave me a little breather, though still doing mummy duty.

5. Emmett was admitted to hospital. Twice!


Like I said, he was already not feeling well before we headed to Pulau Redang. Turns out he contacted RSV. I blogged about our first encounter here. The second time was in October due to accute bronchiolitis. Sigh what to do. Both Charlotte and Emmett have weak lungs just like me. Emmett had it worse than Charlotte, though. I got better from all the respiratory sickness around 9~10 years old so the doctor said that my kids will probably be the same. I hope they grow out of it sooner, though.

6. I learned how to put my foot down and walk away from unfair circumstances.


You see, I had 2 young adult students who've been attending my class for close to 3 years. I charged them below market rate and I've not increase my fee throughout the time they engage me. Lately, I felt being taken for granted. They would cancel class without prior notice and expect replacement. Let me show you an example.

Last minute cancel class and ask for replacement without seeking for my permission or at least discuss with me first. I was mad because it's not the first time they've done so.

To be fair, I did not implement on them what I'd usually do when students cancel class and I've been offering replacement out of courtesy because when they first came to me, they were only 19 and they looked keen in learning as they also pay out of their own pocket. So they thought they're entitled to a replacement for every class they cancel. Once, they accumulated 4 absences, and decided among themselves to not pay me the following month's fee as my compensation for them without discussing with me.

I got so so upset and told them off, questioning their courtesy and if they've ever thought of the bills I need to pay for my kids.

What happened last week ticked me off and I decided that enough is enough.

After almost 3 years, their England is still Error 404 sigh.

They told me that they decided to go to a learning center that provides "linguistic examination and certificate" to continue learning English. I gladly let them go.

Best of luck to them.

7. I've learned to accept and do what I feel is comfortable for myself.


For the longest time, I've been shadowed by this huge green monster named Jealousy. I would be envious when I see people going on trips, afford to buy expensive things, and do simple things that I myself wish to do, like eating nice Japanese food (read: sashimi and burnt cheesecake). Somehow this year, I sorta kinda made peace with it and feel less bad about myself. Maybe it's because as a mother of 2, I don't have time for that kind of shitty feelings anymore. Or maybe, I have a couple of goals to hit in 2019 and 2020, hence, I've shifted my focus to somewhere else. I do still feel it when that monster is trying to take over me but the feeling is more subtle now. Whatever it is, I hope to be fully at peace with myself. I'll take it easy, one day at a time.

Overall, 2018 has been pretty good. I'm looking forward to 2019 already!

Monday, December 24, 2018

3 Things I Always Look For in A Diaper

I remember when I was still pregnant with Charlotte, getting ready for the baby was something pretty overwhelming. Especially when it comes to choosing diapers. With so many options, it’s difficult to know where to start and what to buy.

But now, as a mother of 2, after exploring my fair share of diapers, I've concluded that these 3 things are the utmost important in a diaper.

1. No Leaking
That's like the No. 1 rule in a good diaper, isn't it? Charlotte and Emmett had their fair share of diaper leakage and it's really frustrating to have to wake up in the middle of the night to change the bed sheet. In order to avoid leakage, the diaper has to fit just right.

2. Comfortable
I like the diapers I buy to feel comfortable to my touch. That's probably the only way to make sure my baby will be as comfortable as possible. Besides that, the diaper has to have super absorption so that the baby's bum bum won't be sitting in moisture, making it easy on the skin as the skin stays dry and comfortable.

3. Price
To me, the price has to be on point. While safety and comfort are important, the cost of diapers is equally important to consider as well.


That being said, I'm glad that to introduce the New Rapid Absorb Huggies® Dry Pants, Malaysia's Fastest Absorbing Diaper Pants. It has all the criteria I look for in a diaper.


The New Rapid Absorb Huggies® Dry Pants' unique Rapid Absorb Technology incorporates 1,000 micro holes for instant absorption. Not only does it absorb faster than any other diaper pants in Malaysia, it locks wetness in to keep baby’s skin dry.

The New Rapid Absorb Huggies® Dry Pants also get the best fit for baby with enhanced stretch and elasticity. They’ve specially designed Huggies® Dry Pants to fit comfortably in 5 areas: waist at tummy, waist at back, both legs and crotch.

Watch the video below to see how fast absorbing Huggies® Dry Pants is as compared to other brand.


Now, you can get Huggies® Dry Pants from Lazada. Just click HERE to make your purchase now!

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Puteri Harbour Attractions Welcomes Families and Children for a Family Fun Weekend!



This school holidays, families can pack their bags and head over to Puteri Harbour Attractions, who plays host to Astro’s first-ever Fun Escapade event outside of the Klang Valley! This much-anticipated annual family event features two whole days of jam-packed concerts and meet-and-greet sessions with beloved characters such as Didi & Friends, Omar & Hana and Cam & Leon among others, as well as games for the whole family on Saturday and Sunday, 15 and 16 December 2018 at SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN and THOMAS TOWN!

“We are very excited to collaborate with Astro to bring the Fun Escapade-Johor Special Appearance to Puteri Harbour Attractions this year. Our goal at Puteri Harbour Attractions is to always create a line-up of engaging and experiential activities for the whole family to enjoy – and this event is the perfect fit. This is also in line with our “Come Out and Play” campaign which encourages kids to re-imagine fun and play, while spending quality time with their families,” said Philip Whittaker, Chief Executive Officer - Integrated Theme Parks & Attractions ("ITPA") of Themed Attractions Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd.

Those who purchase this special Family Fun weekend packages (Play4Fun Family Package at RM418 or Fun2Play Twin Package at RM269) from http://www.kidxy.com/puteriharbour can enjoy a wonderful variety of exclusive musical extravaganzas showcasing popular characters like Omar & Hana, XTY Tong Tong, Cam & Leon as well as Didi & Friends and receive special Fun Escapade Passports to participate in 15 brand new activities within SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN and THOMAS TOWN.

In addition to this, families will also be getting exciting limited edition Fun Escapade merchandise, retail, food and beverage, and photo print vouchers.

“We are excited that Fun Escapade is making its first special outstation appearance in Johor in collaboration with Puteri Harbour Attractions. Fun Escapade has been a great success since its debut in 2014. We are especially pleased that we are bringing this fun-filled family event to Johor, thanks to our valued partner Puteri Harbour Attractions. During this holiday season, this is a great way to spend quality family time with loved ones,” said TH Chong, Group Director of Media Sales of Astro.

Alternatively, tickets can also be purchased at Puteri Harbour on the day of the event. For more information, please visit www.kidxy.com/puteriharbour or call 1 300 88 FAMILY (326459).


# # #


About THEMED ATTRACTIONS RESORTS & HOTELS SDN BHD
Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn Bhd is an investment holding company incorporated to develop, manage and operate hospitality and attraction destinations. Established by the Malaysian Government’s strategic investment fund, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, TAR&H serves as a catalyst for the leisure and tourism industry by bringing premier world-class hotels, resorts, golf courses and attractions to the region.

Its current key investment portfolio comprises Desaru Coast – a premium integrated destination resort, LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort - the sixth LEGOLAND in the world and the first in Asia, KidZania Kuala Lumpur & KidZania Singapore - an indoor family education and entertainment centre, Puteri Harbour Retail Precinct – a quay side lifestyle retail and family entertainment complex, SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN – the first of its kind outside of Japan, Thomas Town – an indoor theme park that features the famous Thomas & Friends® characters on multiple themed rides and Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour at the luxury waterfront of Puteri Harbour, Iskandar Puteri, along with the award winning The Datai Langkawi and the first Els Club in Southeast Asia – The Els Club Malaysia, located in two stunning destinations – The Els Club Teluk Datai and The Els Club Desaru Coast.

Working with renowned global and local partners and brands, TAR&H aims to be the leading Leisure & Tourism Group bringing world-class destinations to South East Asia, creating over 15,000 jobs.

About Astro
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro) is Malaysia’s leading content and consumer company in the TV, OTT, radio, digital and commerce space with growing ASEAN presence. The company serves 23 million individuals in 5.6 million households, or 76% of Malaysian households, 16.9 million weekly listeners on radio, 7 million unique visitors on our digital platforms and 1.5 million shoppers on Go Shop.

Astro Fun Escapade is a yearly event for families to enjoy engaging performances, activities and games during the school holidays. It brings families together where Parents & children have the privilege to meet & greet beloved cartoon characters such as Didi & Friends, Omar & Hana, Cam & Leon and many more characters live in person! Furthermore, they get to redeem exclusive limited edition premium merchandize.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

My Girls' Trip to Bangkok with One Child - Part 3

As you've read from Part 1 and Part 2, you could see that Emmett and I endured flight delays. Twice!

2 hours delayed when we depart to Bangkok and blardy 6 hours delayed when returning to Kuala Lumpur FOL. We're supposed to reach Bangkok around 8pm local time and I wanted to walk around exploring the place we stay for some much craved local food but unfortunately we only manage to touch down around 11pm local time. I didn't even get to take my in-flight meal cause Emmett was exhausted and still not feeling well then, so he was crying almost 60% of the time sigh. And can you imagine being stranded at the airport for 6 blardy hours!? Some more Don Muang airport is nothing like KLIA or KLIA 2. There's no restaurant or cafe to sit around and wait, no live entertainment, no Family Mart, nothing! This flight delay made me appreciate our airports a lot more now.

To be fair, the flight delays were due to the bad weather in KL as it was raining heavily. While I appreciate that they're doing it due to safety precautions but honestly, all those time spent on waiting could be put into doing something more productive, like eating good and cheap Thailand street food wtf.

Food is another issue for Emmett. If you've been to Bangkok, or any part of Thailand, you'd know that most of the food there are just not suitable for kids. They're either spicy, sourish or too sweet. Besides that, Bangkok is just basically not baby/ toddler friendly.

Joanne and Peggy with a chairless Emmett taking a wefie at a roadside stall while I erm went to buy more food lol.

I understand if there's no baby chair at food stalls on the street. But not even in a well-known shopping plaza's food court? There was also a restaurant that we visited that provides high chair, literally. That high chair, though, has no food tray and the openings on the sides are wide enough for a toddler to slip through and fall.


This is the said high chair. I had to hold on to him with one hand while eating with another. Motherhood is the mother in training to be a multitasking master wtf.

The glamorous reality of motherhood wtf.


So how did Emmett and I survive it all?

Baby-wearing & Breastfeeding.

I know I've said this too many times but baby-wearing and breastfeeding are life-savers for mothers (and babies).

By baby-wearing Emmett, I got to do a looooot of things.

I can start our day early even though the little one was still sleepy. 
走错路 under the hot sun wtf.
I can commute around in LRT (oh and climb up flights of stairs to reach the station).
Have our checklist checked without compromising his nap time.

Shop till we drop, literally. 

Selfie happily before knowing that we would be stranded at the airport for 6 farking hours.
And as for his food, well, he's either eating something non-spicy and non-sourish, sanwiches from 7evelen or got his tummy filled by visiting the breastaurant.

Said breastaurant a.k.a. walking-food-vending-machine lol.
With 2 kids now, I really cannot stress enough how baby-wearing and breastfeeding have helped me to survive it all while raising them. I mean, I know I can still enjoy my time in Bangkok even if I bring a stroller or bottle feeding Emmett. It's just that I know that it will take extra effort to get things done and be on the move.

That's the end of my posts for this remarkable Bangkok trip. Thanks again, Peggy and Joanne, for allowing me to tag along. And most importantly, thank you hubby, for agreeing to take care of Charlotte and allowing me to make this trip happened.