The Original Juice

It's 8am, Friday and i have an appointment at the polyclinic at 8:20am.


Both me and Z found it diff to wake up. i nagged and nagged at him to go and shower cos he takes like 30min in the bathroom.


I, on the other hand, was ready in 10min (ok maybe 15min). I hate to be late. esp for clinical appts and esp at polyclinics cos they'd make u wait if u missed ur slot. I dashed out (w/o Z), hailed a cab, paid $4.30 and reached there with 2 min to spare!

OK ... so i cheated a bit. I have never in my life, cut a queue before. This shall be the first. But you would too if you were me. See... At the registration line, there are 3 computer panels to scan your IC to get your number. One officer was attending to an elderly man helping him thru the procedure with 6 others behind him. What the?

I just walked up quickly to one machine, pressed English and scanned my appointment card and grabbed the Q ticket. Less than 8sec! At that, the pple behind in the Q also started going to the other machine.

BUt the nurse took a long time to call me. And then i took a long time to do my urine test in the toilet.





Guess what? i actually lost 1.5kg! The nurse was very worried bcos its not like i keep vomitting out my food or what. So i told her that im fasting and she, a malay muslim elderly lady, reprimanded me for doing so! She said something to this effect, "Fasting is not good for you.. Later, the baby won't grow." BULL!



Ok... not 100% BS... I know they are just trying to cover their backs but still... I read an article that whatever it is my body will prioritise nutritions to the baby FIRST. Anyways, I told her that if i felt that i couldn't take it, i broke my fast. Total now 5 days i missed.



The irony is that, normally i would even actually GAIN weight during fasting month because of the heavy morning meal and break fast... how come when i'm pregnant i lost weight? So funny.



So next was seeing the gynae herself. It's another Indian lady but not the one who was chatting on Skype. This one was very nice.


Firstly Z complained to her about me fasting and might be hampering the baby's growth. However, the doc said that she couldn't comment much on religious matter (that some believed that if a pregnant lady fasts would be much better for the baby and such). Did say that if i could do it some other time (ie qada') then better still but agree that if i felt i cldnt take it, should break the fast.


However, she was also against Z telling me i shldnt fast tmrw, said it would traumatise me. I so agree bcos im torn between what my family say and what my hub say. Traumatizing indeed! Hence, the compromise like what im doing presently.


Next, she explained about my blood test report. It was as i had feared. 3 readings were below the recommended range namely MCH and MCV and white blood cells are above the range if im not mistaken (wasn't given copy). Haemogoblin just managed to hit the lowest range.


I told her that when i was 12 yrs old, i was diagnosed with anaemia and was given iron tablets (which im sure i didnt take now that i think of it hahaha). She asked if any further tests were done if i had thalassemia. Nope there was not.


Fortunately, Zubair's blood was all peachy dandy. He was so proud of it. LOL. I hope that would balance it up for the baby. Hmmm i need to do research about this medical condition!!!


So she ordered me to do a further specific blood test for thalassemia, also gave me iron tablets. I complained to her of my constipation and that iron would make it worse. She said yeah indeed, just to take more fruits, vege n water. i decided i wld take it After Ramadhan ends.


NExt up was Scanning with the doppler to listen for baby's heart beat. I was sooo amazed at how she could locate the baby by just tapping her wrists lightly. But gosh it took a longggggggggg time to get the heart beat. ok maybe it was just over 3 - 4 min but it felt like a long time for an anxious parent. (WhAT? I'm actually gonna be a PARENT? *shivers*)


I hafta say the probing was VERY uncomfortable. The doc was poking me quite deeply searching for the baby. At one point the doc even said, "Where are you hiding, dear?" heheh so cute. then she also said, "If painful tell me ok." I said ok but in my heart i was saying, "Its ok, give it to me i'll bear with it, I just wanna hear the heart beat."


She explains to the nursing student / trainee that a baby's heartbeat is between 130 - 160, normal adult's is around 90(?).


Just as i thought i cldnt take the wait any longer, she said, "Ah there it is!" But it was there for just 2 seconds, really! She got in while probing near my belly button, facing down. She tried to get it again to let me hear, but baby's hiding again. Z proudly announced, "I heard it already. Cos im musician." Meaning he can easily recognise a beat of 160.


The doc attributed the difficulty in finding the heartbeat to age and position of baby... and then she added, "i think its fatty tummy lah." LOL! Most importantly, i felt a huge sense of RELIEF. My baby's alive! I was having bouts of paranoia that with my constant depression and weepiness as well as crankiness, it might affect baby's health or something...


Anyways, She sent me to the lab for blood test telling me to come back in another 4 weeks = 18th week then she will refer me to KK for my scanning!!! *dance around*


Next Appt: 24th October 08 @ 3pm. Hmmm i do believe that is the date i first msg Z on Love Happens! he he he.


Cost:

Consultation = $9
Antenatal package = $17.50
Thalassemia Screening Prog Stage 2 = $35.70!!!!
Folic Acid & Iron = $3

TOTAL : $65.20


*faint*

Met Z At Little India for Break Fast.


Had to cancel with my sis on our further cookies making date at home. LOL.


I was jumping for joy when he told me he's gonna give me a TREAT! Oh i felt so pampered! It's been a long time since.


We surveyed the restaurants along Race Course Road and finally settled for this.

Pappadom is a must! A platter of fruits for this Ramadhan season.

We've ordered already but still feel like adding something more.

Also note how we were given banana leaves instead of plates to eat on.

To give you a glimpse of the ambience

It's not exactly coffee shop but not eactly restaurant either. But mind, there are chandeliers scattered on the ceiling

Our Order : Mutton Samosa (below) and that green thingy is Saag Gosht (Spinach Mutton) along with 2 sets of 2 chappatis and 1 cheese naan for me.

Very little huh? I actually wanted to order Paper Thosai for myself but only available at their Little India Arcade branch. Then i wanted to order Fish Finger and fries kid's meal. Same answer.

All of the extra items on the menu are only available at Little India Arcade branch. But they claimed on the menu that the one at Race Course Road is their MAIN branch. So heart pain.

So we ordered a mini cup Cookies & cream to soothe our aches.

Total damage: $44.60

Thank you my darling honey bunny cushy wushy. *ALL SMILES*

Only glitch to this amazing night was that, i had to go home alone!! He didnt even tell me in advance. I think he suspect that if i knew, i wouldn't come at all! He had to go to TOFA for practice. Oh well... I was home in less than 45min!

Granted only 9 could make it last night. 1 is staying in Melbourne at the moment while another is up studying in KL, M'sia and cldn't get back at the alotted time.



Even then, it's no easy feat to get everybody together esp because one of the husbands work shift while another one is "shared with the community", He's a popular Ustaz (religious teacher), you see, in extreme high demand esp in Ramadhan.



I didnt take any pictures cos i know even if i take, dont think the rest would like their faces up in my now geographically widely read blog.



The location is the extreme west end of the island, Jurong West. One of our friend's own abode. Me and Z just realised that the last time we were in Jurong was for their wedding in Nov last yr! LOL

Food were aplenty. But not really overflowing. So that's good. Host made Shepherd's pie. Somebody called in Pizza which came much earlier before the owner. There were also Banana Fritters and Apam Balik. Another Mummy friend cooked Fried macaroni.

Me? I promised to bring them beloved Keropok Lekor and Otak2. This is where the complication starts. The bazaar im familiar with is at Woodlands of course, but its not convenient to go up north from my office then travel to the west. Esp when Z was also coming from East. Its more direct to go east to west on the Green Line.

I even thought it's easier to go to Geylang Bazaar first! But after confirming exact location of a bazaar in Jurong itself, i was finally confident to go there. Plan is to alight at Lakeside, take the bus to the bazaar about 4 stops away. then take the cab to the hostess place and possibly pick up Z at nearby mrt station.

Mixed feelings when i arrived at the Bazaar. NO OTAK2 NO LEKOR! = disappointment. SO MANY KUIHS / SWEETS = Happiness!! I didnt wanna buy kuih though as i tot others mentioned about buying them also so i ended up getting Char kway (Yummyyy!!) and Roti Boyan. I dont know why i went and bought rice + 3 dishes of Squid, beef lung and chicken. Costed me $7. but still havent eaten till today!

Me and Z reached there like almost 7:30pm. But only half had arrived anyways.

The house is very nice and modern. But the hostess kept apologising for it not being properly done yet. Alahhh as long as it's comfy lah Fit.

At first i was afraid that Z would be terribly bored. But he showed a lot of initiatives in starting a conversation with the other guys. I suppose the presence of 3 babies also help to reduce tension / boredom. But at one point, he got sleepy lah.

We girls are.... a whirlwind as usual when we get together. So many things to talk about to so many pple. So many distractions and this time MAJOR ones too. The mothers had to change the babies' nappies lah feed them rock them. We ended up lounging in one of the rooms for privacy. Really cannot imagine how it would have been if we had met OUTSIDE instead of somebody's place. And cannot imagine how it would be when it's my turn to nurse baby. Hmmmm Stressed already!

Tho Nan wasnt around, we managed to talk to her online via webcam! So she got to see the babies all at one go.

We also managed to confirm our Group Eid Visiting for Sat, 18th Oct and/or Sun 26th Oct.

So funny lah the scene. 3 mothers, 3 fathers, 3 babies and 2 preggers. I wonder how the scene would look like next year's IFtar? Toddlers running around? two infants. Maybe more husbands? heh heh hehhhh :D

88 words

Speed test

I got this from reading Night Time Journal

Had to try it three times because the first time the net lagged, i typed already but the thing never moved. Second i couldn't figure out how it works. Third is the right one.

Basically, wait for the thing to load first then type with spaces. Note: Please observe the capitalisations.

C'mon YOU try it.

After a bout of Constipation in my early pregnancy, it suddenly cleared up without me doing anything. But the timing changed from every morning to every evening.

With the fasting month here, i only go maybe once in 2 days.

I dont remember going to the loo last Sat.

Sun night i tried to go but very little came out.

Mon i spent 20min in the office toilet. I felt like crying. I tried washing that worked the last time but to no avail. Funnily when i took off my jacket, it worked somehow. BUT still very little. I kept the rest in and didnt wanna think about it.

Tuesday I still didnt think about it so didn't go.

Now this morning i spent 30 freaking minutes in the toilet!!! I tried washing, took off my jacket. NONE worked! Now my back hurts from straining so much. I managed to produce quite a number of "marbles" but it still felt very full inside!!

1. i didnt wanna spend another 30min in the toilet lest my boss tot i curi tulang (literally means steal bone)

2. I dont wanna get piles

3. Dont wanna hurt my back some more


So i pushed pushed everything back inside but everytime i tried, they yelled to come out! But the door is very small, the whole group cannot go out together. ERGH!! I gave up. I really gave up. I dont care i WANT TO GO TO THE DOCTOR!


And i did. When i requested for the medical chit, my also pregnant office mgr advised me to avoid taking any medicine even panadol. Now im not really a panadol person anyways so i'm good. But for this constipation, i really want something FAST cos i cannot tahan (take it) anymore.


The doctor said that fasting, iron tablets and multi vitamins may cause constipation. But i was given neither pills for my pregnancy only folic acid (which i've stopped taking anyway). And even tho im fasting i drink 1ltr of water and a serving of fruit for sahur / sehri / morning meal and another ltr of water for break fast.


Oh yes milk, esp powdered milk can make the bowels hard also. But i only drink FRESH chocolate milk (Made in Thailand) like a small cup (200ml) every other day. haha.


The doctor asked if i'd prefer to take syrup or tablet medication. But i answered anal. I was expecting to be given a bullet up the back alley and things would get peachy like i had once when i was...7yrs old? But nothing doing.


She gave me the syrup to soften stools and told me to get FLEET ENEMA - children's dosage from the pharmacy as they dont have stock at the moment. What The! Meaning i hafta pay it for myself??? Erghhh ok lah anything to put me out of this misery! She DID say that it will take effect within 10 - 15min! Yeahoooo


The sad part is, she asked me, "Would you like to rest at home or are you ok?" Damn! I'd sure like to rest at home and shit to my heart's content! But nay... "I have no more MC lah..." So she said, "Oh ok nevermind.. u can insert the liquid at night lah no problem> just bear with it for awhile. Otherwise, it'd be unpaid leave, right?" Right.


The next feat was having to walk - w a full rectum and all - all the way to the other end of the street to the freaking pharmacy only to find out they dont have stock of children's size. ARGHHH ok ok MEGA adult size the better @ $4.30.


That should flush the bugger out.

As requested, here are the recipes:

1. Honey Cornflakes available at this entry


2. Biskut Nestum. Biskut = biscuit / cookies....


My 1st sister and i finally got around to do some baking Monday night. We made a mistake of not thawing the butter earlier so we could only start at 9pm... then the blender refused to work so we had to pull out the old one... we finished everything by 12:30am!!!


This recipe is courtesy of my dear sister... who actually got it from our aunty but she adjusted the nestum : flour ratio a bit to get a nice texture. Makes about 4.5 trays full. Usually would be enough for whole of Eid celebration for us... well we dont really receive so many guests.

400gm Butter

2 Eggs

1 cup Caster Sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

3 cups Nestum (estimated)

4 cups Plain Flour (estimated)

Enough Egg Yolk

Topping of choice

STEPS:

1. Thaw Butter!!!

2. Mix butter, egg, sugar, vanilla essence together one at a time.

3. Add nestum and mix bit by bit. Then the flour.

We started to mix by hand when the mixture got heavy to be blended by the machine. Plus we got to feel the texture directly. This is the part where you hafta make a judgement and add either nestum or flour so the dough will hold. Flour will make it harder while Nestum gives more taste and weight but not so hard.

4. Roll the dough to about 1cm thick and press against your favourite metal/steel hmm... what u call it.... shape? LOL Our pattern of choice is the crescent.

5. Spread egg yolk on top and sprinkle your desired topping. Thousand and Ones or Chocolate rice or some stars even!


6. We baked for 12 - 15min in 150 degree celcius.

7. Cool and store!

8. MUNCH!!!

Just wanna say the weekend had been turbulent. Very high and Very Low.

So much so that i almost dumped the idea of baking them Honey Cornflakes.

Thankfully, things turned around when it did. So on Sunday at 4pm, i scrambled 2 batched of HOney Cornflakes. Burnt the second batch tho cos i left it in the oven. By the time too tired to move from the bed!

Gonna make another 2 or 3 batches this week. We were already warned not to make anymore cookies this weekend as the Ketupat Weaving ceremony shall start.

This time around, with Syifaa' coming to 2 years of age, had more distraction. She loves to climb the chair on the dining table. What i did was push them all to the wall so even if she is on the chair, she cant reach the table.

even tho i gave her some of the paper cups for her to "help" me with.. she managed to crumple a few of my "opened" / separated cups.

But to distract or appease her a bit... i had to give her one flake after flakes that's already covered with honey but before baking.

Because pple have been googling for KETUPAT and Honey cornflakes! I'm so tickled by this.

Even my sister said my site was listed as the 2nd result when she wanted to get a picture of Ketupat.

Well.. these are the fruits of my labour! and I'm loving it!

Amidst the drama of non-action, i totally forgot that as of last Tues, i'm officially in my 2nd trimester!!!

Ok round up of the first trimester:


1. Didnt even vomit a single time
2. Did feel giddy 2 - 3 times. (one being after reading in the train)
3. i cried ALL THE TIME!!
4. Missed Folic acid quite a lot, like a total of 15 days? Now also i stopped eating. Lazy & tired of popping pills.
5. Havent done any scans nor heard heartbeat.
6. Havent gained nor lost any weight.
7. Sometimes felt like my heart stopped when i sujud / procrastinate in prayer.
8. Disliked fish esp steamed ones and anything bland / non-spicy.


Now i read that this is time of rapid growth of the baby, the cervix will move higher up in the tummy and will begin to portrude and show itself.

Im torn between feeling embarassed if the tummy shows during Eid visits and between actually WANTING pple to know im pregnant. Esp bcos this will be the stage where pple think, "Is she pregnant or is she just fat?"


Zubair told me to get hmm some maternity wear. But im not so keen actually. Well maybe bcos Eid is coming and expenses will be high this month. Also the fact that i would only be wearing it for a few months turn me off. Esp since maternity clothes cost a bomb! Remember that maternity pants i bought at $70 during an emergency back then?

Ok maybe for tops, ill just buy the extra loose ones that can be unconscpicuously worn while not pregnant. But one thing's for sure, i'll be needing at least another 3 pairs of pants. cos some feels tight already!!! my favourite ones too! Boohoohoo... Alternative will be drawstring pants where waist is adjustable so can be worn after giving birth as well. But Giordano's cutting for drawstring pants are rather narrow in the hips lah. I'm BIG and am just gonna get BIGGER. GRRRR

I'm also hoping that weekly check ups wont start till in the new year bcos I DONT HAVE ANYMORE MEDICAL LEAVE!!! not even a single day and i hafta take my annual leave of balance 2 days taken in halves for the rest of the year. HUMPH! I soooo begrudge somebody for putting me on medical leave for 10 solid days.

I sooo wanna start going to the gym again. Must stay Fit in pregnancy. But but but..... the gym is soooooooooooooooooooooo far away now and the walk to Chinatown involves A LOT of construction i can't be bothered. I hope Boss will change gym soon!!

I will leave this entry with:

SMOKERS STAY AWAY FROM ME!

to 4pcs of Keropok Lekor (Fish Cracker) @ $1

To 10pcs for $3 Otak-otak (Grilled Fish paste in Leaves)

To assortments of Malay Sweet Kuihs mostly 6 items for $2.

hahah I went a bit off course there. Sorry but i simply LOVE food! LOL

Anyways... I was ready to face the impending gloom of not being able to afford to go bazaar for the next two days.

Then, just for the fun of it, i checked my account balance via PhoneBanking but the balance didnt sound like what it's supposed to. I quickly logged on to Internet Banking and noticed that i've received $73 from NTUC!

But ... what is it for? Shares? If im not wrong their shares are normally worth just a few dollars between $10 - $20. Plus i havent received any letters to reflect this which i normally would. Rebates from buying groceries at the supermarket? Usually they would need a formal submission to cash out rebates.

Coincidentally, my dad gave me some money also so now i can breathe much easier Alhamdulillah.

Anyways, the Question is... Should i call NTUC and ask what's the money for? Or do i just use it in the sly? What if i ask and its not mine? I'd hafta return it na? No No No... That's not good. LOL

Then should i feel guilty for breaking fast outside (not at home)? But but but... baby wants to eat that popiah at QI JI!!! He he heeee... :D *wink*

Got the car to go to Geylang bazaar!!!



A bit apprehensive on the outlook of the road conditions there. Im pretty sure it'd be crowded as its Friday Night and the bazaar is on full swing but at the same time, its early Ramadhan still.



Nevertheless, very grateful mummy allowed me to take the car. I decided to park at Singpost and walk the whole stretch of Geylang.


Glad that traffic wasn't as bad as it could get. BUT parking was bit hellish, esp when i missed the turn to go underground but went straight to the open space car park. I saw a slot and tot i was damn lucky. Just as i was reversing to a straight position i saw a handicap sign on the rearview mirror. Silly me when out again in the opp direction further inside to dead end just a few metres away. Z told me to reverse back into the slot then go out the right way.

By this time, i panicked bcos cars keep coming behind me... No other choice but to reverse straight to the back... i started slowly when i tot that the cars behind me were stationary. It was dark and scary! I cldnt depend on my rearview mirror alone cos there might be cars coming from the other side... so i had to physically turn my neck round to the back. By doing so, i got my alignment confused and distorted.. i steered a bit to the left, got scared then a bit to the right.. ARGHH i wanted to give up. Thankfully, by the time, i reached a good enough distance to turn right to the exit. Phew! I was very sure the other drivers were cursing me up and down but at least they didnt honk!


The agenda for going to the bazaar is to look for some traditional malay sweet dishes.. some kind of jelly (agar2 gudil) and to get Deng deng as well as to window shop for Z's First Day of Eid's outfit. Theme is Black.


We didn't even bother to check around the stalls at Singpost. It was soo dismal. Poor them. Just under the train tracks there was somebody selling illegal cigarettes!! How i know its illegal? they were all in plastic bags, ready to move in case a police comes by! If i wasn't in a hurry, i should have tipped off the police. I sooo hate these peddlers who are endangering the lives of pple by selling it dirt cheap cos they've avoided tax!


I called Fara to ask where's her shop. She only managed to tell me that hers is near the wet market and next to Tourism Malaysia. Er.. knowing how clueless i can be with directions, i doubt i can find her shop and told her straight if we're fated to meet, then we will..


In the meantime... there werent any good foodstuffs to buy at all! All the foods can be typically found on normal bazaars like Keropok Lekor, Burger Ramly n such. But i want kuih like kuih kochi ke... kuih lapis ke... onde2... Fuyohhh i want!! But to no avail.


When Z saw the Deng Deng stall, he said, "What is this? Is it like Bee Cheng Hiang BBQ pork?" hahaha i said yeah but this is halal meat of course and he eagerly said ok buy me some. I looked at him, are you sure? this is beef, you know. He made a face and said Ok no thank u. I bought $4 and had it all to myself.


We saw a Giant Songkok (Muslims cap) and a Giant Capal (male wooden sandals). Z even took photos of it but it looked normal in the picture bcos there wasnt any comparison. Haha next time babes.

We finally found a shop selling male Shalwar Kameezes. And i love these because they came with vests! And i like how Z chatted the salesperson up in Urdu. makes me feel like in Lahore. Ok.. more like makes me feel less guilty. Dont ask why.

I am sooo taken by how Pakistani the young man looked and talked in fluent Urdu w his father but i later heard him talking to a Malay friend in Malay just as fluent! I never tot that was possible before. To me its like you're either Urdu speaking or Malay speaking, period.


In any case, we lingered at the shop for quite some time, talking to the owner and such. Until at one moment, i saw somebody was waving at me! One glance, i thought it was Nisa! But couldn't be. I mean what are the odds! Then she approached me and i took closer look... Hmmm could it be my senior in school, Kak Fatimah? But why would she go all the way to approach me?

Then this lady opened her mouth, pointed to Z and said, "I recognised you first." OK CONFIRMED it's Nisa! (my senior wldnt recognise Z haha) then i confidently said to Z, "Darling, you know who this is not?!?!?! NISA!!!"

Haha we made that stall like our house chit chatting for some... 10min?? It was very nice lah. I told her fancy seeing her here when it's always soooooooooooo diff to arrange a time to go out and meet. Truthfully, i had a bit of a fear meeting an internet friend for the first time. I mean would we hit it off just as we did online? For her and me, it was no problem at all!

Next to meet is Sue. Sueeeee please tell us when we can come and visit you okkkkkkkkkkkkk... now you've GOT to reply me since i put special mention of u in my blog entry. hehehe


So we continued exploring Geylang till the other side of Malay Village. Guess what we found? CHICKEN Deng deng!! Z was DElirious. there were even TWO Flavours to choose from: Chilli or Honey. Cldn't decide so asked them to mix it. YUMMY i tell you. same price.


If i tot, meeting Nisa was a surprise, Meeting a 2nd friend on the same night is yet another bigger odd! When i walk, i dont normally look at pple's faces, maybe that's why i never meet any friends outside... tt's why this is such a big thing for me / us.

This 2nd person we met was Rabiah who treated us to a Hindi movie some time back. But she seemed to be in a hurry and we talked for only a while.

Then i received an sms from Fara giving me her stall no. KU ###. Er... I was at GS ## cant remember what... i didnt put at hope in meeting her at all. We traced back our route to the wet market and found KU 003. Er... looks like this is the other end of the bazaar. OK let's try to look for her...

Finally we saw one number less of hers and started walking to the stall on the other side anticipating to find her when we heard a guy calling, "Zubair! Zubair!" Sounds familiar.... Aslam! YAYYY we've found them!!! No wonder i cldnt find Fara, she was sitting on the floor sorting out some stuffs.

hehehe Luckily they have another staff to entertain the customers, cos we kept them in conversation for some 10 min also! It was then that i realise she wasnt selling Kuih Raya (Eid's sweets) like she told me she would but are selling Male Shalwar kameez + vest + Shawl!! Oh no i feel so guilty. If i knew i would have bought from her. But she very nicely said, "no no its ok... anywhere also can..." PLUS her collections are WAY NICER and the shawl! the shawl!

Oh what a fun night it was! I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy to have met 3 friends!! all in one night too! :D

Last weekend, i went to do my hair.


I was beaming to no end when the hairdresser kept complimenting on my hair. She said, "People would die to have such straight silky hair like yours. No need to do rebonding" Er... i replied, "Yeah lah People come here to rebond, i come here to perm."


Let me tell you something, straight hair is BORING!!!! I'd DIE to have wavy THICK hair. Although it won't really go with my super BULAT (Round) face. HUmans! We will never be satisfied. hehe My friends who have wavy hair complain of their unruly behaviour and uncombable state! hehe ok everything comes with a package i suppose.


But wait, was the hairdresser just trying to capture my heart so i would come back often. You know... sales tactic and stuff? I dont know, if it was intended to be, it certainly is a new tactic to me. Hairdressers were always saying how unhealthy my hair is to get me to buy their products.


Which in a way this one did too. She was more specific and more gentle about it, though. She said my hair is a little brittle in the middle that it can easily snap. That's why i can see a few strands sticking out like new hair. She advised not to tie my hair too often. But HOW? we NEED to tie them when we wear scarves and we wear scarves when we go out which is like 12 hours in a day?! Sheesh


In any case, i really love being treated at Harem. The people are very nice. I didnt get Yati's young and creative hairdresser Kak Maya or something but got a Cik Fauziah. But she looks damn young for a 55 yr old! I overheard her talking to another pair of clients that she now works freelance ... bcos its soo boring to stay at home with nobody to talk to. Now work is like play to her. No customer close shop, things like that. So cool, huh?


Just two bad exp though:

1. I initially asked for layered cut then added that i don't want V shape but an inverted one. She said, like that cannot layer the hair :( Now i feel a bit funny with thicker straight hair butts

2. The journey to get to and from East Coast Road is HELLISH ok! I had to take the cab from Wlands cos i had no energy to even walk and it costed me $20. To go back, i took bus 40 to Bedok and waited 20 god damn min for 168 to come. After such a painstaking wait from the bus interchange to ensure i get a seat, the bus had to break down in Tampines (where all the crowd gathers!) and made us wait for the next one. Luckily, i still got a seat.


For anybody who lives in the east, or has easy means of transport, i highly recommend this place. It's beautifully decorated with Mediterranean taste but its far from Wayan Retreat's standard lah. But i can tell you the service is TIP TOP! The first time i was there, they even served me lunch! Free.

So there.

When Miss Sue blogged about her 7 weird facts, i was sooo astonished to have yet another similarity with her!


We both have missing incisor. But hers on the upper set, while mine below.






The dentist from like 10 yrs ago even did an X Ray on me when he realised that i had incomplete set of teeth. He wanted to know there might be a tooth stuck in the gum down there.


Fortunately or unfortunately, there was none. He concluded i just lack calcium. Which is understandable but at the same time illogical bcos two of my family members dont even drink milk nor eat cheese but they have their teeth alright. But in any case, i was wild about being different!


My most recent visit to the dentist merely 8 months after the last one, recorded a good progress on the upkeep of my precious limestones.... to-be lol While i brush twice a day, i still feel SUPER lazy to floss. Maybe i should transfer the unopened $10 box of floss from aeons ago to the toilet instead of my room.

(Copy cat my sis' blog title style a bit)

I think its the hormones but everybody seems to get on my nerve!!! ERGHH

I hate everyone and everyone hates me.

Don't know how long i will survive.


But one things for sure, i will certainly avenge myself. If you do bad to me, i will do bad to you. Its Qisas fair and square. You talk bad to me, You will get it.

Alhamdulillah, i have completed 3 days of Fast. But i hafta tell you it's not easy.

Every minute, im thinking about food. And then i summon imaginary stomach cramp to qualify for break fast. LOL

Oklah maybe im not so much hungry as im thirsty!! It's worst when my nose is blocked and i lose moisture when i hafta breathe thru my mouth. Yucks.

The most trying part is the lethargy. For the past 2 days, i've been taking 1hr nap during lunch, so i feel a bit energised when i wake up and forgot about the hunger pang that occurs from 10am. LOL When Asr comes, i would be jumping for joy already cos its almost knock off time = near reaching home time = near breaking fast time!! haha I've been counting down the hour with my sister online each time.

In the house, it is considered unlawful to not fast even when you have the perfect excuse not to ie pregnant. Of course lah its better to do it and gain the thawab also so i wont hafta repay so much later on but in islam, there are also .... i cant remember whats the Arabic term right now, but something to mean laws to ease the burden of Muslims. It's there to make our life simpler and not begrudge the practitioners into retaliation = sins. Besides, La Ikraha Fid Deen.

Sighh... In any case im trying my best lah. See until when i can cope.

I salute pple who look forward to Ramadhan and declare as much. Because for me, a person who LOVES food and sleep, its tough, esp the waking up at 5am part. Even then, i just wake up to eat, dont even hafta cook. Can't imagine how it is when i hafta do my own cooking. CRY CRY

But of course we look forward to the multiplying of virtues for every lil bit of good deeds u do. I also look forward to the $ saved from not having lunch. Altho i tend to spend almost $10 at the bazaar!!! Cannot go often!

Hahah my points are all over the place.

Oh yeah another thing is, every Ramadhan, i make it a point to clean my wardrobe for the impending Eid. Which doesnt make sense if i tire easily in this month, right? But it must be done! YEah! *psyching myself*

Can't wait for the weekend to go to Geylang! Food! Oh Glorious Food!

So on Fri was the official first antenatal check up at Woodlands Polyclinic.

I left office half at 1 to make the 2.40pm appt.

It was a breezeeeee with hardly any waiting time at all. this, i was told, is because all antenatal check ups must be done thru appt only. So even the nurse and doctor was sooo free...

When we entered the nurse's room, she even picked up her hp to answer a call. Somebody was needing some seasick pills. LOL

In the gynae's room, i saw she was chatting!!! on Skype or something! Gosh! Oklah maybe she's still single and need to "date" and "meet" people... kesian...

Anyways, the nurse explained that i will hafta do the urine dip stick test for each visit. And for today, we need to do blood test to check for Thalessemia (however its spelt), Anaemia (i think), HIV and something i just cant recall what at the moment. I think she mentioned hafta do it each visit also! Wah piang eh! And then she also said that Zubair hafta do Thalessaemia too, one time. And Z went all white.

Im a bit anxious about getting the result. Bcos when i was 12yrs old, i had a case of anaemia. Put on iron tablets for a few months. but its gone now. Seram lah pulak.

I asked the nurse if there is any ultrasound facilities in this clinic and she said no. But i can go to NUH to get the scan done. Can't go to any other hospitals like KKH cos they dont take patients just to do the scan only... need to sign the package with them. But when i think of it, Aiyahhh no need lah.. later it will be done also, no need to kanchiong yet... So i will save money and the hassle to go there (very far and not much leaves left). This will also bring down the odds of getting addicted to scans! *wink*


Now with the gynae, after getting to know some diabetes history, she labelled me as high risk and ordered the glucose test on week 20. This is where i would hafta drink a glass of glucose (Yucks) every hour x 3. and see if my kidney can still take it, i think. aiyoyooo.... so scary lah!!

Alamak, she was poking my tummy... then she also poked my abdomen! OUch!


She also told me that this is the crucial period, so no heavy lifting at all! Untill i passed the first trimester. O oh.. that would also include the lovely 10kg (or maybe less) Syifaa'. OKlah since its not dead weight, should be ok. A check with a friend, she said she also carried her niece a lot, but everything's still going on fine. So not too much worry there.

I told the doctor that i have missed my folic acid for about 12 days or so. She said oh its ok lah cos in ur everyday food still contains folic acid, but its best not to miss it from now on. Yay Another worry tick checked off.

Then the doc issued me the blood test form and told me to go there and come back in another 4 weeks.

When we reached the lab, we were told that the freaking despatch already collected the blood samples for the day! So they wont be drawing anymore blood as storing it over night won't make the result accurate. We were told to come back Sat or Mon! Sheesh!

Sat both me and Z are busy.

So Mon it is. Sighhh i already took leave for Mon (yesterday) but it was actually bcos i anticipated that i'd be tired from Zubair's Sunday's performance and then having to wake up for Sahur at 5am for the first time after that. And now it turns out to be a busy day Monday. GRRR (more stories later)

Zubair happy lah the impending injection got postponed. He said he's very nervous about it. He doesnt like hosp much either. Is there something about Paki guys and hosp or is it just guys in general?


Cost: $40 + $10.50 (Zubair's blood test on Non-Resident's rate)
Next Appt: 25th Sept 3pm.