The Original Juice

Ok so i dont know anything about this as i've never bothered to before.

I only knew one should avoid taking pineapples if you're pregnant. And this is from a Chinese Drama from yesteryears where Zoe Tay's character was pregnant out of wedlock and was anxiously trying to abort it the "natural way"

I just gotta know a few days ago... from Sue's blog was it? that a pregnant mom should also avoid watching animal programmes. Likewise, our Night Safari's outing has been cancelled.

Also.. Mulut jangan Celupar. As in take care what you say and dont comment on stuffs unthinkingly. Eg: OMG So black this person. Lest ur child would be dark too even tho the parents are as bright as day.

Can you guys help me to think to anything else?

Or suggest what type of food is best to take when pregnant Eg: Milk (i dont really drink milk but can take strawberry or choc milk haha...)

And what food i should avoid. Eg: Pineapple and my lovely FAST FOODS!!!

The 5min exercise break in the office is happening again.

I was supposed to be with the rest of the rec club going floor by floor with the trainer. But i excused myself for the obvious reason. Although it may not be obvious to the rest of the company just yet. (I havent even told my colleagues in the same dept of my preggie state. Only told my HR cum Rec Club buddy) But early days yet.

Anyways, i promised that when they come to my floor, i will participate and i did. It was just a 3 min bouncing on the spot thing with some hand punching movements.

And now im panting. Maybe its just the Mutton Briyani i just had for lunch... I sure hope Belly dancing would be easier though.

I dont know whether im the dumb one or is it the CPF board's website that is not clear enough or is the Raffles Medical staff still clinging to old information?



I have been dying to know how much can we claim for Pre-delivery check ups under MediSave. For overseas friends, MediSave is sort of like a govt medical scheme where u and ur employer contribute a certain % of ur monthly salary to a pension fund that is divided into 3 categories, one of them being this MediSave.



So Anyway, yesterday i visited Raffles Women Centre at Causeway Point to ask what is their package like. its in the range of between $2,000 - $2,600. At that time, i had no benchmark to compare it with. But these are why i like their services:

1. SUPER NEAR and convenient


2. professional


3. one doctor at CW and 9 others at the hospital


4. i'd give birth at Raffles Hospital!! SUPER SHIOK (Great/nice) ok


5. the package includes supplements like Folic acids, Calcium and multi vitamins that i would certainly need


6. Also included are urine tests and 3 ultrasounds.

A call to CPF hotline says that i can claim up to $900 is its a normal delivery ie not C-sect. This conclusion was only reached after 10min on the phone! GRRR Even then Viloh or whatever her name was couldn't advise me what actually Medisave Maternity Package. I asked whether its the packages i can find at clinics or should i sign up with CPF themselves? Either im too thick to get her explaination right or she wasnt clear about it herself because she kept putting me on hold to check with her colleagues.

To verify the information as i perceived it, i called Raffles Womens Center. And SHE said that i could only claim up to $450. Now why is that so? ok The table from CPF website here did indicate its $450 but under the Package is $900. So which is which now???

Arghhh i just hope that they will announce a better, confusion-free package next month!

Now is the time to explore other alternatives. Sidek Clinic at Simei is offering a $450 package. Just nice to claim the medisave. But of course they:

1. are very far

2. dont include blood tests, medicine, CTG (whatever that is).

In any case, i wont be comfortable with a Muslim MALE Doctor as i imagine they have just the one.

A check with another friend said that Thomson Medical has a $350 package! Ok and im just researching now. Their hospital looks nice on the inside and they offer lotsa maternity lessons. It is also convenient to go from work or to get home from there. Hmmm should ask more in detail for this one lah.

But ultimately, yesterday, as planned, Zubair and i went to the polyclinic nearby to get myself checked.

To cut the story short, after 2hours + 1hr lunch of waiting, we are certified 6 weeks pregnant. i know i use the term WE. LOL. Of course the father should be as involved as the mother. I hafta add that me and Z had a lovely laughable time. We actually talked and teased each other. haha

The total bill for this first visit is just.............. $13.50!!!

Consultation $9 (that's $1 more than usual)

Folic Acid 1 month's supply @ $1.50!!!! (From Guardian Pharmacy like $10+)

Lab test @ $3

Zubair did the sweetest thing. He paid for the bill! He said, "I dont feel good lah if even for baby you hafta pay. I'm the father what." I can tell you i was melting then. Funny how u can still melt even when u've been married for sometime.

So that was what made me to decide i shall continue going to the Polyclinic.

PROS:

1. CHEAP

2. Pay as u visit and not lump sum as other clinics would have u do.

CONS:

1. No Air Con, just Fan. But at least since the renovation, the Fan is SUPER POWERFUL. So kinda make it up for it, really

2. Doctor rushed thru ur appt.

Really. All she did was ordered a urine test to be done. Asked my first day of last period and calculated that its 6 weeks. Granted, she said that its still much too early to do any other check up or even to see my abdomen... but she could have given me some advices, no? I had to do the questionings which im glad to anyways. But what if i didnt know WHAT to ask since im so blur about this topic? It doesnt help that she seemed very young and inexperienced, although very nice and gentle.

Polyclinic is actually ideal for subsequent babies and you're already an experienced mum. But its ok most of my ex colleague went to poly even for their first ones, so i can go thru it too.

Bought it from Best Denki End of Apr 08.


Price: $300 w Warranty Card unfilled


Including accesories:
1. Ez Flash (to enable more games to be played. Bought at $120)
2. 1GB Storage Card ($15)
3. Pink Bag
4. 2 Original Games: Spider Man 3 and Shrek the Third.
5. Of course the stylus
6. Protective screen from Day 1 ($15)


Reasons for selling:
1. Raising money for baby
2. Dont really know how to play the free games
3. Dont know how to figure out the Ez Flash


I havent got around to snap the actual picture. But it is still in perfect condition! eMail me

Yesterday was the first time in my 2yrs career at this current employment that i get to go to a client's office.

Me and S were listening to PM's presentation on our online ceritificate system.

We reached High Street at about 10:45am and it lasted till 12:20pm.

I rejoiced. It's Lunch time!!! Think about ALL the places you can go to eat at City Hall! McDonalds, KFC, Sakura, LJS, and of course, KOMALAS!!!!!

But can you believe it? The rest of the gang wanted to go back to the damned office!!! OMG! I totally can't believe it tau. What the hell do they wanna go back to office for?? It's lunch time for god's sake! It's totally boring to be restricted to eat the food 1km radius from ur office. Gosh i really dont understand!

I voiced out my intention of going to have lunch at City Hall like twice. But they all like turn a deaf ear on me! And then i remembered i dont have my book with me and that if i were to lunch on my own would be oh so boring!

But i ended up bored anyway with 1 sausage roll and 4 small pieces of jemput2 (banana balls) for lunch in the office.

IM BAWLING MY EYES OUT!!! My poor Batthura is missing me... and I it.

Actually it's a bit too early to be writing this... but so far this is how i feel...


SILLY!


Bcos... i keep rubbing my belly... and im more conscious when i walk. Like walking the Pregnant Lady Walk, if there is ever such a thing as that. But really i can already feel something there inside. a Bit crampy but always comes like for 30sec and then gone... Scary lah Sooo scared!!!


Other facts and figures:

1. There is now TWO pregnant ladies in our dept alone!

2. This is how i told my mother, "Mummy, Do you think polyclinic is open tmrw?" It was a Sat and i am fully aware polyclinics do not open on Sun. She said No, for what? I said to do check up. and gave a weird sheepish facial expression and she asked how late was i and i said 8 days. Her reaction, "Only 8 days"

3. My MIL's reaction? If its a son, to name him Ghulam Ali.

I started to object to Zubair cos we agreed that our first son will be called Tufeil after his maternal grandfather. But he GLARED at me for daring to deny my MIL's request =( I feel we can still discuss this issue.

4. I just told my boss. said that if i really am pregnant, high chance it is a Sentosa Baby. Then he fielded his eyes and said, "Dont Tell me!" But later he said, "Must name the baby Sentosa." And afterwards when i was leaving his office, instead of the usual congratulations, he said, "Well Done!" OMG my boss! *faint* I could feel my cheeks burning!

5. Im wondering if its wise for me to go to Pak in my pregnant state. N if we could afford it at all with the impending medical bills! However, that is so much better than after delivery cos surely i hafta bring baby along and i hafta pay 70% of an adult fare for an infant who wont appreciate the journey at all!! Ok ok the Pak family WOULD love to see B.

See! see! I think too much. MerepeQ sey.

6. The news just this morning said that the Govt will be announcing a new improved maternity package of sorts in the National Day Rally next month. I'm already imagining another 1 more month off to make it 4months PLUS 1 mth of Paternity leave. hahaha

7. Does this mean i cant go for my belly dancing classes which will start in 2 weeks' time and will go on for 6 weeks? Sheesh. Such a wasted opportunity. To think i've endured all those silly Afro-Latin cardio classes in the hope that belly dancing would come soon. oh God!


Ya Allah. I am grateful for all the blessings you have showered us. I am shameful to ask for a smooth pregnancy and delivery as well as supportive family and friends. But to whom shall i ask if not Thee the Merciful, The Rich, The Generous One?

You have been gone for 2 days now and i feel sooo lonely without you...

Why do you hafta go to Bangkok?

Just remember to buy me those t shirts ok?

Dont forget, you'll always be my.....
.
.
.
.
KAK LONG! hehehe
(First sis)

Just yesterday i went to an Assertiveness course and i still got talked into buying something i dont really NEED.

Last Dec I bought a $140 pedicure package. for 6 sessions. and i had my 5th Session just now.

Sales: Your sessions are finishing. You want to buy another package not?

Me: Er...

Sales: Bcos you dont need to paint your nails right... so i can give you 2 free making a total of 7 sessions for $140

Me: Maybe wait for Dec lah

Sales: Our prices are changing soon lah.

Me: OH I dont know

Sales: (some more gibberish)

Me: Oh alright.



and *poof!* $140 gone from my NETS card. Sighhh

To think that i put off buying 6 boxes of lenses for $220 bcos i tot i should save money. Suddenly i spent 2/3 of that on something that was totally unnecessary. I had regretted buying the package last year. And i still hadnt learnt my lessons!

I like to go to the pedicurist bcos i have super hard heels sometimes which i like to peel a lot (just like my lips) and then it will hurt to walk. But i've bought the File and the scrub and the cream to be able to do it at home. I even intend to buy the tool that looks like a potato peeler. LOL. that i saw at mustafa.

Aiyah i ramble here also no point. I wasted the money already.

That's it I'm gonna sell my never-been-used Nintendo DS. Watch this space.

A conversation with my cousin yesterday.

Nur: So what did u have for lunch?

Me: Fruit Loops

Nur: Wahhh just fruit loops?

Me: Dont get the wrong idea, Fruit loops is my DESSERT

Nur: HAH?? Dessert? Then what did u actually have for lunch?

Me: Kway Teow Goreng (Fried noodle)

Nur: OMG! Parah! (terrible) So all your lunch time gym / exercises are gone to waste?

Me: But isnt it better that i exercise then if i dont AT ALL and STILL EAT this much?

Nur: But still! Parah!


LOL

So we went to watch this at Jade on Sat 10:30pm!!





The moment Zubair saw me at the arranged venue, he said, "Before we start our date, i want you to promise not to argue with me for the whole of tonight. We always end up arguing when we go to Jade."

The movie? It was ok i guess... but nothing, nothing can beat Khuda Ke Liye in my eye.

At first i thought Shahid Kapoor is such a looker... But at times, he looked so.... ordinary... So my infatuation didnt actually set in.

Now this new lady actress is rather cute in a very simple, clean way. I despise those who wear short skirts and display their top half playing their sexual cards to get to the top, but not this girl. At least, not in this movie. Her short hair is also something i find refreshing.

Movie finished at 1:30am. I groaned at the thought of walking all the way to Orchard. AGAIN! So i suggested, "Hey! Wanna eat satay at Lau Pa Sat?" And Boy was he game for it! But a tiny bit of regret for suggesting it cos it also took some 20 - 25min walk. and then after dinner, we walked another 10min to Clarke Quay to take our bus. Oh God. Just as well that we had satay. All the fats are burnt up!

Nope no arguments at all. Alhamdulillah.

That time French guy wrote, "You are a Star!" when i helped him finish analyzing a spreadsheet.

Then the English guy replied, "Excellent" when i composed that How to Increase our Trade SEctor email to the Class manager. He even followed up with some verbal astonishments as to how well i've grasped the concept.



But nothing can beat the feeling i had yesterday when my dance instructor picked me and 3 others to lead the dance bcos we showed the most potential, retro-ing, ago-going, bellying, hip hopping like we dont have a care in the world! LOL. The best part is that the other 3 had already performed a number in the previous D&D so by right they shouldn't be shy.







Before that, She had even told me to show the rest of the class how to shake and walk. When the rest of the class starting Wahhh-ing, i faltered, laughed and stopped at 3rd step. LOL but carol said most encouragingly, "You got it! You got it!" Weeeee :D

Lord, did i blush! Thankfully the two professional dancer colleagues were not there last week to make me feel inadequate.

The other best part is that when i told Zubair what my dance instructor said, he totally agreed! Bcos a few nights ago he caught me groocing to Jordin Sparks' ONe Step at a Time.

Ok now you can all go to the toilet and puke. I finished recalling all the praises already. haha

1. 5MP Camera
2. Windows Mobile platform 6.1 Professional
3. WI FI!!
4. GPS
5. Motion something something to auto change to Landscape view

I read the nice comprehensive review at hardwarezone, and the only thing that upset me is the lack of a stylus. Which im so ready to compromise given all the other features packed in this babe. or should i say dude? haha My sister's Samsung 3MP camera is already SO NICE! I can't imagine how 5MP will be like.

I am sooo happy to know that this model is already out in the market already!! Retail price is tagged at $1,098. Starhub (my one and only mobile service provider) is retailing the 16GB internal memory version at $598 for mid range line contract (that's mine) or $298 for highest tier plan between $85 - $100/mth!

Firstly I'm hoping the 8Gb version will at least be $100 less. Then i will trade in my K800i for another $100. Then i will pester Starhub to give me $100 voucher if they havent already when my contract expires in Sept. So that would amount to... $298!!

YES! can't wait can't wait!!

I was on urgent leave yesterday.

In the midst of my urgent situation, i got an sms @ 5.15pm from the boss who is in UK saying, "Jus, were you able to organise the transport for tomorrow? Thanks, Boss."

OMG What is he talking about? I hadnt receive a single email from him since he left for holiday last week. Maybe he emailed me this morning? Gosh out of all days! I replied, "Sorry i had to take urgent leave today. Let me see if P can help."

Unfortunately P is on afternoon half day!! The other ladies must have also gone home already... I had to resort to calling the French. I asked him to check my email and see what Boss asked me specifically. and told him to forward to my personal email and ill work from home.



When i eventually got home, i went to the Changi Airport website and go to the list of transportation to and from the airport.

1. I clicked on Limousine Taxi. The bugger who picked up says we dont take booking, hafta approach the counter. If you want you can call ComfortDelgro. When asked for the no, we dont have the telephone number at the moment. I was like, HUH?? Can't you check it for me? What poor service!!

But surely there are such pick up services from the airport!!

He had said bcos his wife has done a LOT of shopping, he didnt think all the luggages could fit into one taxi so could i arrange for a mini bus to pick them up instead. but what exactly does he mean by mini bus?? a 7 seater car? a van? Are there more than just the 3 of them??

I decided that 7 seater car would suffice to collect even if 5 pax with lotsa luggages and proceeded to call taxi companies.

2. From COMFORT, i first called the number for Limousine Taxi but nobody picked up. so i called the main booking line and was told they couldn't process it for me bcos i want the 7 seater and bcos its from the airport. I should call the earlier no. I thought oh forget it

3. i tried SMRT. their website has a feature to book an Airport Transfer online. But the form is SOOO OUtdated. Appallingly, they didnt have the option of "arriving from TERMINAL 3" yet. PLUS they only have a 4 or 5 seater car. BODOH

4. time to test SMART taxi then. I straight away called the hotline and got the RUDEST reply, "Oh No no we cant book from airport. There are a lot of taxis there what, just join the queue" and she hung up without even saying goodbye!


This time, i got a bit smarter and googled for "Airport Transfer" instead. and got this company, Merzcab. For booking, i just had to call this certain hp no. Hmmm after the heartbreaking ordeal i just went thru, i was a bit skeptical about the ease of getting a car to pick my boss up. But yeah he said no problem. Just text some info to the said hp no and a driver will wait for my boss at the arrival with a signage bearing his name. Wow. i cldn't believe my luck then.


Time to rush to class now.

-----------

This morning, my hp alarm rang as usual at 6:34am and i clicked snooze. Wait. How come i could hear a distant male voice saying, "hello? hello?" I looked at the no. Seems familiar.... the my groggy mind woke up. SHIT! its the Merzcab company!


My boss' flight was supposed to have arrived Singapore 6.05am. Surely the driver cant be that impatient. Its only been 30min. He called again and said, "Your boss is nowhere to be seen."


OMG, sounds scary!


I hafta call my boss. Only to find if the dialtone is Singapore's. Using my private room line, i dialled. Normal tone. i hung up.

I called the cab company and told them to wait for awhile more cos my boss didnt pick up.

I smsed boss, "Have you touched down yet?"

The answer is as much as i had feared, "its not until tomorrow i am still in england in bed!"


Damn! I should have known! But it sooo didnt cross my mind when booking yesterday. It will be complicated to explain my train of thoughts. Suffice to say im an inept secretary!

Thank god the company said its ok, no cancellation fee but they will collect him tmrw morning.


To look at it in a more positive way, At least its a day earlier, than a day LATEr! LOL

A snippet from Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married:

14th July's the Day


After much thinking, we decided to have some French Language Lessons as a RecClub Activity. I even suggested to have voice clips added on the slide to be sent out to everybody this Mon.

Ahhh.... it feels so good to be praised. Haha... although its nothing miraculous that i've done lah.

Anyways, if you wanna hear how to pronounce it properly, email me to get a copy of the powerpoint~

Last thursday was our last Pilates / Dance Conditioning class. (Left 2 sessions of Groove Blast Dance class).

I find that i really cannot do the Table Top Stretch, Where u get to the above position, that lift up one leg without shifting your weight to the other side, then raise your opp hand as well. Not so much because im getting fatter... rather bcos of my hand injury.

However, im glad that i've stuck thru all the classes thus far, except once when i forgot, not out of laziness. Well $30 (the cost for the 12 lesson class) IS precious to me so can't be wasting it.

I've been religious going thru that obnoxious Afro Latin Cardio class... tiring as it is... only looking forward to the dinner treat w Zubair afterwards. Ha ha But after having gone for the 3rd time last Tues, im getting the hang of it. I think i might even miss it when its over!

But still... my left hand feels so... STIFF! While my right palm can twist and flick and whatever nonsense... my left looks .......

Anyways, i found out at the normal rate for a 12week Hip Hop lessons is $450!!! And they have 4 levels! I swear when i have money to spare i will do just that man!

How nice that i got my reply about Night Rider's feedback in the local's free daily newspaper, TODAY.



But its not nice that they are saying that they wont be looking at increasing frequencies not extend to PH nor Sun nights. Yeah yeah blame it all on the oil!

A long time ago, from the window of my office, i saw little kids playing at the playground on the roof of the opp building.

(Random picture)

And i thought, "Oh cool! There's a nursery in the middle of CBD (Central Business District) so u can drop off ur children then go to work. How convenient!"


A few months later, on the way to work, i saw a woman striding along the underpass from the MRT carrying a child's bag and hurrying / dragging her 4yr old or so son behind her. and i thought, "Poor child hafta wake up so early in the morning." but never thought about it until....




Yesterday, on the way home from work ie around 6pm, i saw a little girl in sch uniform crying and trying to grab hold of her mother's hand but the mother shooed it away twice. and then i thought, "Poor child.. hafta stay at the playschool centre the whole day?!?!??! Must be real tiring for them. Sure they can get a nap, be fed and what nots.. but surely a home is a home."


Then i started to wonder... How would it be like for me when Zubair and i have children?

I suppose it helps than i dont wear the ghostly white traditional gear called the Telekung:

I cant help feeling guilty and misusing the staircase.

Im afraid if one of them would complain sooner or later and we all would be banned from praying there.

I entertained a fantasy that the guards would offer an alternative, more proper place to pray.. but FAT CHANCE!

I dont know.. But somehow i felt my spirits a bit elated when i read Laila's Thoughts & Tips about how she prayed at her sch's Computer Lab

... is frustrating!!

My sister subscribes to Singnet Broadband prolly the 1gb Plan one. But after being shared by 3... or sometimes even 4 computers, the download rate nosedives to 10MBps? How is that possible?

I have long since gave up on trying to watch Malcolm in the Middle in sequence cos there would always be a missing episode and i lothe that. So i've switched to movies instead.

I find that its always better to watch the older movies that you've missed, rather than the new ones that's not even out yet. The former almost always have a better quality.

The claim that Firefox is better than IE is... only 20% true. It didnt load Drillbit Taylor much faster that IE would have.

Or is it bcos youkou.com is lousy and tudou.com is better?

I used to frequent alluc.org to search for something to watch... But i find that its very messy and ugly looking. I much prefer xoxomovies.com now.

Sat, 5th July 08


So the initial plan was to wake up at 7am, eat our breakfast then go back to sleep till 12 and check out at 1pm then go to underwater world.


Of course we were too tired to wake up and finally scrambled to eat at 9:30am and Breakfast ends at 10:30am! Today, the breakfast was disappointing yet again. In place of hashbrowns were baked potato, and of mushrooms, tomatoes!


There were also fried noodle and fried rice... but i need something... that's NOT VEGE!! Alas, a check with the Muslim waiter, revealed that the chicken in siew mai and sausages are NOT halal cos they come in supermarket packets kind, as opposed to kitchen cooked item like the Indian meals. All the things that i liked from the previous day's breakfast were not there. Not even the sugary cinnamon roll!


Zubair just had a glass of milk, 1/2 a waffle + scrambled eggs and cereal with milk. I kept urging him to take some more cos its a god damn buffet! Such a waste if u dont eat! But he insisted he was full. Which always mean that he doesnt like the food. Again, i felt guilty for Z that he didnt get a good Breakfast spread.


We hung around the swimming pool. Z wanted to swim. I had even packed our swimming attires but felt too shy to do so.

Look at how big and open the pool is!

No intimacy like Amara's at all! Fri night was ideal time to swim but was afraid will get chased out by the staff. Besides! Only 1/5 of the pool is below 1.4m and both of us are not qualified swimmers.

At the lobby while waiting for the Yellow Line to come

To my bewilderment, i was asked to foot the bill for the room service as well as mini bar items which amounts to a whopping $92.99! I almost fainted. I tried to negotiate with them that Mike already agreed to cover these expenses but her argument is that, he wasnt there to verify the purchase. Thank god my CitiBank card got thru, otherwise we would be washing dishes instead of sight seeing!

The plan was to park our luggage at the hotel first before going to Underwater World. But now that i have 90% maxed the credit card, i dont think it can take another $22 x 2 for the entrance fee! But i do have some money in the bank. Enough to take the cable car ($10.90 x 2) and cab ($19) home (and still be able to last for another week).

So because we're going home straight, we hafta lug the bags with us: 1 trolley, 1 keyboard, 1 paper bag filled with projector, and my big side bag. Worse, we had to change bus from Yellow to the Red / Blue Line to go to the Cable Car station. I felt so embarassed with all the bags. Macam Makcik dgn pakcik balik pasar.

There was no queue at all for the way back. I got paranoid that our car was lopsided, heavy on one side with all the bags but Z told me not to worry. And i stopped worrying. I suppose there heavier pple who are seated on just one side of the car before and it turned out alright.

I love this picture! Zubair, on his own initiative, put it up on desktop. *HUGS*

Zubair said, "From below, it looked so far but when you're in it, so fast reached the end of the journey." I replied, "Good. I kinda prayed that it wont last long." Though i dont have a phobia of heights but i get paranoid. Its not like there's never been an accident before.


It was a nice feeling that when we came home, it was only Saturday. Like the clock got rewound (past tense of rewind??). We caught up on sleep then......


Again, i felt guilty for not fulfilling my hyped up promise to him to visit The Underwater World.


My darling, i hope u had enjoyed Sentosa even though the food was terrible, u were alone most of the time (w restricted funds) and we didnt really sight see much. I hope u won't regret coming with me. I suppose it IS much better than having to stay at home, na?


But something soothed my ear that will echo forever and ever. That is when he said in sheer excitement, "Dont quit this company ok?" after Mike said we could order anything.


Phew! I didnt think i could finish writing about it today! Now concentrate on work!

my 3rd dish of the day.

I totally LOVE the hashbrown and the Button mushrooms w herb, i had two servings of them!

Bcos 3 of the guys went to a leaving do of this surveyor and got roaring drunk and came back late (at midnight just as me and Z were going out), we started the actual Convention / Seminar a bit late.

That's me boss showing us a slide from His top level convention in Paris.

Remember about the presentation that me and my colleague hafta do until he bailed himself out? Thank god my boss was sympathetic on my situation and said he will guide me lah should i need his help. But i delivered what i needed. He even complimented on those 2 ideas (my own original thoughts!). However, he also added something that we didnt think possible. so 2 : 1 score.

Tea was FABULOUS! Imagine 18 different items! Alas... cant take the sandwiches. Its either with Ham or something or just tomato and cheese!

But there were nice Prawn balls on Sugar cane (looks like Old Chang Kee's Crab Claw) whichi gobbled 3. and the most heavenly LYCHEEssssssssssssss.... we even took 5 pkts each of Quaker's Cookies and Cream muesli bar. HA HA HAaaaaaaa

Peacocks set up their nests in the hotel. I counted 6 + 1 baby peacock. Alas that also meant that sandflies / fruitflies or some kind of insects are also in abundance.

Lunch? Such a disappointment, After the record breaking Breakfast. I wasnt alone in that thought. But i think i got most of the brunt of it... cos not many seafood item was available, not wanting to take the dubious chicken and others. Salad also very sad. They had about 6 different kinds of leaves and 3 diff kinds of croutons and biscuits and even anchovies but no chick peas!

I only had a plate of salad with some sides of fish + prawn noodle. Which, considering this is a hotel, is a very... SAD AFFAIR!

We finished our seminar at 3:30pm. Since our GameMaster was not there, we were left hanging what to do for the afternoon outdoor activity. Boss suggested The Luge... AGAIN. last yr we already played that and many weren't keen, favouring the pool instead. Boss said that he was prepared to approve any other activities as long as its done in a group of 3 or more. I should have suggested Underwater World or something but it just didnt cross my mind!

So me and Z just lounged around in the room. Cos i was so tired having slept at 2am. Thank God there was a good movie on StarMovies, Raise Your Voice starring Hillary Duff. Zubair LOVES this kind of artist / musician movie.

So finally, the family dinner dawned at 6:30pm.

A view of our room from the main walkway.

The beautifully set Dinner Trolley complete with Flowers.

And you can see my banana split there already.

Zubair's meal is hidden or kept hot in the "oven"! Genius! The trolley also has a semi-circle extension to be called a real Dinner table! God, im such a Country Bumpkin!

That's Naan and Murgh Makhni. Zubair was delighted to no end having to finally eat REAL TASTY INDIAN / PAKI meal!

Didnt even finish the Seafood Platter leftovers that we brought back from dinner.

Slept at 2am AGAIN!!

Dont be swayed by all those pillows. They are the kind that will sink with weight.

Hmmm bathroom is very small.

6pm i was at the ready to receive Z at the drop off point cos it may seem like he wont have enough cash with him. I waited 15min!! Turned out the driver didnt know where The Sentosa (which is previously known as Beaufort) is and brought him to Rasa Sentosa instead!

Apparently, when i spoke to the hotel's doorman, this happens FREQUENTLY. Rasa Sentosa (used to be Shangri-La) guests were also sent to The Sentosa. Why confuse your patrons just so you can get the name Sentosa for your hotel? Bodoh nak mampos!

Anyways.. when the cab finally arrived... its $37.00!!! i nearly fainted. The driver said he's NEVER been INSIDE sentosa before! It's bad enough that most Singaporeans only go to Sentosa every 5 to 10yrs... but to have NEVER been there?! Pity...

I think Z was the only family member that arrived as early as he did. So i sent him off to get his own dinner while i go to the hotel's bar for pre-dinner drinks. Afterwards, we got on the Yellow Line Bus to go to Siloso Beach for dinner and ... soo funny... Z was in the bus too!! HAHAHHA

Dinner was at Cafe Del Mar. This picture is actually a moving light from above so i prided myself to have captured it beautifully. haha

Inside was a cozy set up. But our table was al fresco....

But not relaxed enough to be sitting on the actual beach.

Prolly you guys have been here but i was totally astounded by the concept of a pool in a restaurant! (and not just in a hotel nor was it a pool with a restaurant) You can even swim up to the bar (ok ive seen this before on TV). The best part was its just right up the beach. Any closer and the restaurant will be drowned when the high tide comes in. Or maybe the BEST part is that you get to lounge, dine, suntan on the sand (that's the part after the pool) but you're actually IN the restaurant. ok ok enough.

I had a little trouble when it came to ordering food though. Looking at the menu, i almost plunged into despair when i saw the main menu doesnt have seafood... only lamb chop, Ribeye steak and King Prawn (which i think i wont be full with) and grilled Salmon (not a fish lover). Besides, they all seem to be cooked in wine, when i read the description.

So i had to look for Pasta & Rice. I was afraid to order seafood pasta cos i dont take mussels nor oysters and the like... so i ended up with something Paella: Saffron rice with prawn, scallop and of course, squid.

I was the only one who ordered this. 3 others ordered lamb chop and another 3 ordered prawn. and they all practically cooed when they saw my plate! Why not when it comes in a pot! i cant tell you how enticing it looks!

Oh yes. a good thing i confirmed with the waiter again, "No wine in this food right?" He replied, "Actually there is, but you can request for it to be cooked without..." As an after thought he added, "So i suppose u wanna order drinks also as i dont think you'll take the red & white wine?" I felt happy that he's.. you know concerned about my dietary restriction.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the 3 various servings of Tapas (esp the PRawn on toast) earlier, made me full already and cldnt even finish up the last 2 spoonfuls of my rice. but i totally enjoyed them. So enjoyable that i felt guilty. What is Zubair having for dinner, i wondered.

He was already in the room when i reached at 9:30pm. Z complained that the INdian food stall is not nice. Again, a pang of guilt hit me.

After watching some television and rested my eyes for like 30min, Z announced, at midnight, that he wants to go to the 7-11. Of course i felt obliged to follow, despite having an early start the next day. Firstly because i dont wanna be left alone in the room, secondly, i wanna go jalan2 (sight seeing) with him also.

We discovered the stairs down to the beach. and walked for another 15min leisurely to reach the next beach, Palawan Beach. I spent like $16 at 7-11 on 2 cartons of milk, 1 big bag of chips, 1 sandwich and 1 pkt of Curry Chicken w Rice (which is also not nice), a bar of Hershey's Cookies and cream and 1 small cup of Apple Slurpee.

It being a Thursday night, nothing happening was going on. I heard music banging from on secluded hut / bar. and saw only one couple at the bench. But about 4 other pple came to the 7-11 but dont know where they disappeared to.

The walk back seems shorter. But the 132-steps ascend was.... out of body (or rather, leg) experience! haha

It is now 10min to midnight. ANd we're at the e-Corner where they have two desktops with free internet access 24 hours!!

I just found out about it this morning when i passed by it to go to the conference room. Otherwise, i would have told Z about it much earlier so he can spend time with his 2nd LOVE, the Internet. haha

ANyways, for now i hafta say that i sooooo much prefer AMARA Sanctuary that we went last year. OUr room was bigger and it was very near to the palawan beach! Over here in Sentosa Resort, the room is small, toilet is made of... TILES?? (you know very bathroom-y type) and Tanjong Beach has nothing interesting and we hafta walk a good 15min to get to 7-11 at Palawan Beach. Not to mention having to climb up 132 steps back to the hotel.


BUt the again, i think ALL of my colleagues much prefer it here at The Sentosa Resort, A Beaufort hotel. THEY said the rooms are much bigger here!!! (we were like... HUH??) and because some of them had bad "Casper" experience, if you get my gist, over at the Amara. Me and Z didnt notice anything.

What else is good at the Sentosa? Breakfast was great but lunch was a total disappointment. But staff are fabulous. THe moment i stepped in the BReakfast room, unprompted, one of them quickly advised me which things are hiddenly pork-ish.

And being an older hotel, they have 3 or maybe even more restaurants.. and we were just back from listening to the 3-piece band or is it 2 piece + Singer arrangement. We even requested for Love Me Tender to be sung.

Oh the best thing is that, Boss said, "Julissa. If you're hungry in the middle of the night, then just order anything that you like from Room Service."

ANd i said, "Yeah, on you."

Boss " OH yes yes no prob. Just order anything. No need to go all the way to Palawan Beach like you did last night."

Me: Or even rummage thru the fridge

Boss : Yes feel free to do that too

Me in my thoughts: OH thank god you say that. So i dont hafta pay for those 2 tins of pringles and a bar of mars that we ate yesterday!! Haha V, too bad u didnt take those snacks in the room bar cos u were too afraid you'd hafta pay.

Me stopping myself from saying out loud : Yeah just dont forget you told me all these when you come back to office cos you are slightly drunk already.

Well i suspect that he feels guilty splurging on the alcohol on the rest of the team but we didnt get any so that's why he went all the way to assure us anything WE order will be covered by him. Or rather the company.

Ok going back to the room now. Will update with more stories on... Mon?

Love,
Jus

Tonight we will be checking in to The Sentosa Resort & Spa (previously known as the Beaufort) for our annual Asian Marine Seminar (which is just a good excuse for a retreat).

I had a bit of heart attack trying to arrange how Zubair would meet me. First Ayah said that he is going to the mosque tonight but if Z needs a lift, he can meet him at Novena at 9pm. So i decided to bring the luggage to the office cos i dont wanna wait till past 10pm then i can wash up.

Then i realised that i need a car pass coupon to let my parents enter Sentosa for Free. Its a hard copy coupon and i cant email it thru. Neither do i have no way to pass it to him also. Heart pumping faster now.


So its a relief when i heard that we can claim taxi fare, i decided Z should just come thru cab and Ayah can continue with his program.


Then, i got a panic attack. I havent finished doing a presentation for the seminar! Albeit a 5min one, still i wanna give a good impression lah.


Me and a colleague, an underwriter (the person who assesses risks and decide to insure them at what rate), have been assigned to churn up ideas on how to grow the business within the newly arranged trade sectors, and we got the Remover Trade Sector.

Then He, my colleague, had gone unexpectedly on leave yesterday and asked ME to do up the powerpoint presentation. That's absolutely fine by me.... IF there is any material! Ok there are points already that we come up with but i cant seem to integrate it to HIS presentation template.

Now guess what? He's done a runner on me! He came in this morning. Thank god i've caught him by the neck and ran thru what to put down for the presentation. After lunch, he smsed the mgr saying he's sick and got 2 days of MC, sorry he can't go to the seminar in Sentosa!! So that means i hafta do it all on my own!


He's on ROD mood, you see. (He's moving back for the UK office end of this month!) No wonder he replied, "Excellent" to my suggestion email to the Class Manager for his opinion on our ideas. He was gearing me up to do the presentation on my own!


Lunch was another hectic affair. First i had to rush to my dance class. which was horrible bcos the usual instructor lost her voice and got replaced by a guy and he was god damn cheeky! I wish he was gay instead. GRRRRRR But most of us felt disappointed that we didnt get to do any routine steps. Instead he was guiding us SUPER SLOWLY to LA Walk, UPbeat downbeat (to add to the groove to simple side steps) bla bla bla...


Next i dashed all the way to International Plaza for my pedicure appointment. I reached there 15min earlier than my 1.30pm appointment in the hope that they could finish up with me pronto so i could get back to the office before the cut off time 2pm. (My does this sound like Amazing Race or what) But did they start any earlier? No. My feet got soaked up for the good part of 12min and she started trimming my nails at 1.33pm. I know its only 3min off the stipulated time, but im so pressed not to be late. Thank god she's very experienced and finished it by 2:08pm.


I almost smsed my boss to say that i'd be a bit late. Thank god i didnt cos it turned out i wasnt VERY late. Just 15min. and as i anticipated, he's gone for a lunch meeting and was back even later than me. And my mgr already headed down to the hotel to "settle stuff".


In the midst of these rush, settling into my desk... helping my HK colleagues who are here for the seminar with the computer... I was suddenly called in to the office, "Can we have our review now?"

MOUTH WIDE OPEN!! HAH NOW?!?!? But its so chaotic now... aloud i said, "Er... can i go to the loo first?"

MORE STORIES OF MY APPRAISAL TO BE CONTINUED! BECAUSE BOSS JUST TOLD US WE CAN LEAVE WHENEVER WE'RE READY AND WE ARE SOOOOO GOING NOW!!!

HANG IN THERE BABES. and dudes.

He thinks this type of shoes with those little little dots of pattern is VILLAGE looking. Ok maybe the one i showed him was with the dots and a REAL POINTY front. But that's sooo... classic... Like something Rhett Butler from Gone with the Winds would wear! (I couldn't get the right picture) not suitable for daily wear but i wouldnt go as far as calling it VILLAGE! Furthermore, the price tag was like.... $100??? *shrug*



What do YOU think about this style?


But oklah... last night, we just happened to walk past Bata at Causeway Point and like FINALLY! They have something sensible that Zubair likes and in his size. PLUS we got it for just $39.90! Yayyyy!! I tried to push my luck to get Z to put on the $30 one but nope he doesnt like.


But what a relief that we finally got Z a new pair of shoes. I can't stand looking at brown shoes (even mine).

Saturday went past just like that because we slept super late... we woke up DUPER late.

I was nice lazing around in bed till 3pm.

and then we NAPPED some more!! 7:30 to 11:30pm!

One thing touched my heart that day. Zubair was talking to Ammi. And then later said to me, "Give me baby lah!! I'm old already (coming to 28 this Oct)... Men my age already got 3 yr old baby"

Me growing up reading fictions from the west, am used to the idealogy that guys in general are afraid of commitment and are baby-phobic.

But that is not the case for Z. He's the one who can't wait for a baby or rather babies. He suggested to go see a doctor for it but i told him, "Let's wait till Jan 2009"

Why? Because i only got off the pill last Dec. And it might take up to 6 months for the condition to normalise. Then i reckon it will take another 6 months to beat the odds of 50-50 to conceive(since most of my friends got hitched at 3rd month). So there.

In a way i regretted taking those pills. But in many ways i am grateful that i did. Well, If i had gotten pregnant a year ago, i think i'll be dead with the stress since one year later, Z still hasnt got a job. Imagine being pregnant and the sole breadwinner! No no no.. im strong but NOT that strong.

But really, i am afraid of the challenges that will accompany the arrival of our own baby. Mainly, im concern about the finances. Hoping against hope that Z will already get a job then, we will still be struggling cos then we need our own house. Cos my parents already told me that my mum can't take care of another baby, which is just as well cos i want to call Ammi ji to look after the baby. But of course we need to house Ammi properly. ie need to buy our own house. With that, not only do we hafta think about the baby expenses, also the new house purchase and household expenditure. ARGHHHH

Sometimes i think, its better not to think.

That i have postponed restarting my Saturday classes.



Fri night. My initial plan was to let Zubair watch Madu Tiga (A Malay B&W film by the legandary P Ramlee) since National Museum was having a free outdoor screening.



But first thing first. Dinner at Sakura. It was nice how, unplanned, we met with Colour coordinated clothes. Ok not that it was hard because we both were wearing all black but still! like ESP! And it was even Nicer when he came up to me (i was first to reach the restaurant) and said, "Wah. so Beautiful today." I suppose it HAD been quite some time since i wore make up. My heart LEAPT giant leaps at that. :D



By the time we finished eating, we seemed to have so many errands. I wanted to get my POpiah from Qi Ji at Bugis first and Zubair wants to get his tea from ToastBox also at Bugis.



So we walked there. On the way, We passed by the Central Library and stopped to pick up 2 books. And then i insisted on finishing the last 10+ pages of the current book i'm reading so i could return the book and reduce the weight of my bag. Z suggested i finish reading while he's having tea.



And then suddenly i felt overwhelmed by the so many things we wanted to do and felt couldn't make it to the 8pm show at the National Museum which was a good 10min walk away. So i cancelled that plan and ended up watching Thora Magic Thora Pyar instead at, none other than Jade Cinema.



Disappointment No 1 for that night: Qi Ji was closed! I dont know why! I was there like 8:45pm!



Bought the tickets and walked back to the library to drop the book before they close and walked back just in time for the movie to start.



MOVIE REVIEW: Very nice, heartwarming family-genre movie. Of course the ending is quite predictable but its nice anyway. Though Z thought that the songs suck, I found them otherwise. And Lazy Lamhe kept resounding in my mind for the rest of the night.





I dont know what's wrong with me, but i really thought NR2 serves the bus stop directly in front of Shaw Towers. When i looked again that night, there's no indication on the sign.


On we walked to Orchard like that night. Same route all the way. Of course, we being us, our walk was peppered with argument. But the good part is, he was quick to console me. Indeed he had to cos i was only joking and he took things seriously! However, i also got his point. That HE also wanted to be consoled by ME when i saw that he got offended by my joke.


Disappointment Part 3: We had to stand all the way home from Orchard in the bus. But that's not all. There was a SUPER LONG traffic jam leading towards the Causeway (the bridge between Singapore and Malaysia) that prolonged till like 1km of the expressway! We were inching so slowly forward and journey time doubled to 1 freaking hour!

I had a mind to tell these 2 White guys sitting down, "Would you like to offer your seat to me? I'm 3 months pregnant (not true)" knowing that they are gentleman enough to give in. But i resisted and stood all the way.

Reached home 2am.