Waking up contentedly

Since the little boy came into our lives, I think we can count the number of times we've actually slept through the night without being woken up just by the 10 fingers we have. But I find that each night when we get woken up, we do willingly and contentedly go about attending to his needs.

Whether it's him wanting milk and water, or insisting on switching on the bathroom lights and going back to sleep, or needing to have a quick wash because his diaper leaked, we've never once felt angry at having to disrupt our sleep.

I guess that's what we call unconditional love, isn't it?

I think most of my friends are now at this stage of life where we understand the true meaning of giving without receiving and what true and unconditional love is all about...isn't it just wonderful? :)

Love the internet!

There is really nothing quite as great at the invention of internet, don't you think? Most of us can't live without it these days. Kids grow up not knowing a world without the computer and internet. How different the world is now compared to the one that we grew up in.

How do you use the internet to your convenience? I love online banking. Hate going to the banks so that technology made available to us is really God-sent. Can't complain about the use of blogging tools too these days. Most people have blogs nowadays too.

Now I even apply for insurance policies online, like my home and car insurances. Yes, these services have come a long way from being agent-led to technology-led. I'm also eyeing a life insurance online site as I think I may sign up for one via this channel too.

Simply love the internet...if I can hug it, I will! :D

Turning point

Been really upset for the last 2 days and am seriously contemplating a big turning point in life. I am all for it, but of course the fear of change comes in. Not to mention the fear of not having financial security the moment I decide to take this step too.

But the feeling is so strong that I sometimes wonder if it's out of impulse or is it a great desire to really go for what I want.

It does cause me quite a bit of sleepless night and stress. And if I don't get to the bottom of this, well, decision wise at least, it's going to continue to stress me out and make me lose more weight with all that stress hovering about me. Hmm...does seem like this dilemma is the best weight loss pills anyone could ask for!

I shall see what I can do about it. Will be talking to AC later in the day and let's hear what she thinks about my thoughts and plans.

How many water filter systems do you need?!

I know water quality isn't the best that we have here, and so a lot of homes install their own water filters. We've used a few different brands and types but still I find the water not really that clean. What about you?

That leads me to wonder if we actually should install more filters at different points leading up to the kitchen where we need clean water for consumption. Don't know which is the truly recommended brand to use either as everyone claims theirs is the best around.

Any tips, anyone?

Holiday bug

It's almost approaching year end and I'm bitten by the holiday bug. It's not like we always travel far and away for year end holidays but we do go away for a short break when we "balik kampung" during Christmas time.

But this time around I do feel like maybe we should do something different. I was checking out Air Asia and since it's been a long time since I've checked them out, I was pleasantly surprised to find so many more destinations that they're now flying to.

I think in time to come it would be okay for me to check out cheap myrtle beach hotels because Air Asia may just fly there some day :)

But for now, at least for this year end, I don't think we're going to go as far. Maybe just within the country or just a neighbouring country. Perhaps I can plan for something in the very near future.

Who says holidays only happen at the end of the year huh?

Looking for a laptop sleeve

These days I have started lugging my own notebook to work on some days because I use my lunch time to do some of my own things which require my notebook. Since I don't like to carry around a laptop back, I've been carrying it in my hands instead of in a bag. That's when I realise it's probably safer to keep it in a sleeve when carrying around like that.

But these laptop sleeves don't come cheap. I saw some that cost some 3-digit price tag and some which cost only about RM30 or so. Of course I would have to admit that the more expensive ones are nicer in design and feel better in quality. I'm just not so willing so spend too much on a sleeve. Anyone has any better options for me that won't set me back more than 50 bucks?

Now that I have to lug this 14-inch laptop around quite a bit, I've started to appreciate netbooks more than ever. It's really a lot lighter and smaller in size to carry which also makes me look better since I'm rather petite!

But again, I'm not willing to invest in a new gadget just yet. So have to make do with my faithful laptop...

Weekend with friends

I hardly have time to catch up with friends these days but I do try harder nowadays. It's easier when my son is already 2 years old, versus the time when he was just a couple month old baby. Having said that, it's also not easy handling a Terrible-Two when out in public. You just never know when he decides to act up and be a Terrible-Two!

Anyway, we caught up with a friend whom we've not seen for a year. It was a pretty short session at an ice cream shop but we had a good time chatting and just catching up with each other's lives. After having shared our updates, I feel like we've all come such a long way and we have changed in terms of what we prioritise in our lives. I guess that's bound to happen as you move from one stage of life to another.

It was all very serious conversation, about our jobs, our plans for the future, what we dream for and all. But it all took a turn to be a laughing matter when we touched on the topic of someone's tummy looking a lot larger than before. Since we're good friends, there's really no offence in talking straight to each other. See this is the kind of friendship I enjoy, where you know the person so well and you can just have straight talks without worrying too much. We can even go at length talking about top rated weight loss pills to take for that someone to get rid of that unsightly layer on the tummy!

My point is that having close friends is such a blessing and comfort in life when all around us can be quite scary. I do want to meet up more with friends and have more feel-good sessions just talking and laughing. Maybe I should make it a new year resolution to do this.

Glad for a short working week

Boy am I glad that we had a long break last weekend. Working just 3 days a week definitely agrees very well with me! :) Unfortunately this is a luxury that comes by rarely for most people.

We were down south the previous weekend visiting some relatives. It's been so long since we caught up. When we met, most of the time the topic we talked about was health. It's something close to our hearts as most of my relatives have some form of health issues to deal with. My uncle was generously sharing with us on his colon cleanse reviews with the many centers he went to try out. After hearing how it's done, I don't ever want to do any sessions!

Anyway, we got back into town on Monday and I ran some errands on Tuesday. Going back to work on Wednesday was such a mood killer, especially when everyone had everything to dump on you. I was so glad by the time Friday evening came. But time passes by too quickly when you're not at work...it's already more than half the Saturday gone. Tomorrow I would be busy all day and wouldn't have much family time. And then it's back to a full week of 5-day work. How sad that is for me!

All sorts of donation drives out there

The other day I was in a coffee shop with a friend when I overheard some guy going around asking for donations for the building of a drug rehab. Honestly, I am quite skeptical of people who go around collecting donations for any kind of purposes because there are so many scams around.

I thought it was a new one to have a donation drive for drug rehabilitation. If I were to donate to such a cause, I would prefer to do it through some proper drug rehabilitation association instead.

I guess there are all kinds of donation drives these days for anything you can think of. Unfortunately, it makes it even more dubious for me!

How much are you willing to spend on a vacuum cleaner?

Some years back when I was heavily pregnant, someone recommended me to listen to his friend talk about some super good vacuum cleaner. Apparently it has some superior central vacuum system that helps cleaning and purifying the air in the rooms.

We took about half an hour to be introduced to it, with a demo included. We were impressed for sure, but we didn't buy it although the sales pitch focused on how good it will be to keep the air and rooms clean for a new addition in the family.

The reason we didn't buy is because the vacuum cleaner costs some RM5,000. No matter how much I would love to keep everything clean and purified for my family, I'm not willing to part with that money.

How much are you willing to spend on a vacuum cleaner?

Selamat Hari Raya

To friends of mine who are celebrating the festive season, Selamat Hari Raya to you. To everyone else, happy holidays and enjoy the long break. I definitely am :)

This holiday I'm back to visit relatives whom I do not get to see often. The last time we caught up was during the busy period of Chinese New Year where house visiting wasn't for a long period since we have to cover many relatives' houses. So this is a great time to catch up.

However, not everyone is around. Some of my cousins have taken the opportunity of this long break to go on a holiday. I didn't even know until very recently. No wonder some of them were asking for info on cheap hotels in Las Vegas. I guess they didn't bother telling me or even inviting me to join the trip because they know I simply can't travel so far now that I'm a mummy of a toddler.

Nevertheless this trip has been very fruitful in many ways. Am enjoying every minute and feeling contented.

Oops moment

It was quite funny at work the other day. Someone asked this lady who was a tad on the overweight side whether she has looked into taking some weight loss supplement to help her condition. The lady looked a bit uneasy when she was put on a spot like that but she calmly smiled and said no.

Who on earth asks such a silly and insensitive question anyway? And not in front of so many other people too, for crying out loud!

Okay I just had to get that funny story documented here...hehe. Now back to offline work...

In spring cleaning mood

Lately we've been in our spring cleaning mode. It started with having to clean out my apartment because I have to make it ready for tenants to move in. We do have quite a bit of stuff stored there so it is quite a lot of work to shift them out. It's even harder work to have to find the space for all those stuff in our home! I honestly don't know how we're going to do this.

But at least we've cleared off quite a lot of things here, so we've got a bit more space to temporarily store those other stuff first.

What I do want to do is to visit the light fixture store to pick up some lighting items to fix at the apartment before letting it out. One of the lighting unit is faulty already. I have to find a hot water heater to fix in there too. Seems like quite a bit of money to spend just to have it rented out!

But I do feel good that at least it's going to be helpful in cutting down my expenses when it gets rented out. I guess I don't really mind doing the spring cleaning for it. It's also helped me to unearth a lot of my hidden gems that I'd forgotten all about all these years. Brings back some memories close to my heart.

Anyway, before the boy wakes up from his nap, I better go do a bit more spring cleaning. And see what else I can discover from the cleaning session.

My boy turns 2

Today marks my little boy's 2nd birthday. I am more excited about his birthday than he is. We've been telling him the simple plans we have for his birthday and we're looking forward to celebrating his special day.

When I look back at all the glorious 2 years that have gone pass, I can't help but feel that time has so quickly passes us all by. We've been such proud parents all the way through and I've enjoyed every bit of motherhood.

At this juncture I'm always being asked when the second will come along. It's inevitable, isn't it? But since we also would like to have a companion for our now 2-year old, I guess we don't mind being asked. I guess it's just a matter of time.

If you ask me if I'm afraid to start all over, I would have to admit that I'm not fearless. I suppose that's normal too. It's every woman's nightmare to think of the morning sickness during pregnancy, the labour pain, the confinement period, sleepless nights due to night feeds and losing the post-pregnancy weight (hopefully not with the use of diet pills), the finances to support the family not to mention the well-being of the children.

It's overwhelming, needless to say. But for all the double or triple joy we get in return with each new addition in the family, I suppose it'll all be worth while.

Anyway, it's time for bed now. We're all looking forward to celebrating the day filled with love.