Should I go?

Yesterday FIL smsed to say that he saw my name as one of the invited guests to the 50th anniversary celebration of some sports event here. He asked if I was going and said that I should since it should be fun.

It's going to be held in the middle of the week and it's all the way in Putrajaya. I'm not sure if I'll be able to bring guests or I have to go alone. I definitely won't be keen to drive all the way there alone, especially when the event will probably end late. If I am able to bring Ray and baby, it might also be too late for baby to stay up for.

I'm in a dilemma...should I or should I not? On one hand, it'll be quite fun to meet up with old friends. On the other hand, I'm lazy to go and I'm not even sure what the event entails. I guess there's only one way to find out - to call and ask. But before I do, I should decide how serious I am about going. It's not nice to call and ask, only to turn it down, right?

Time to cut back on cards

Over the years I've collected a lot of cards - credit cards, that is. I collected them either because I liked the features and benefits, or I was attracted to the free gifts that were given upon application of those cards!

With so many cards in my purse, I find that I would be in for a lot of trouble if my bag goes missing one day (touch wood, though!). I would only be putting myself through a lot of credit card fraud should these cards land in wrong hands. And if this were to happen, I'm not sure that the banks would be kind enough to let me off the hook on fraudulent transactions.

So that's when I decided it's time to cut back on these cards. Besides, I don't make use of half of them, so I definitely don't need them all. It's best for me to start being smart and consolidate my spending on just one or two cards so that I get the most out of my point collection and start to redeem some great gifts instead of spreading all my points out too thin amongst so many others.

Lately I've also preferred to shop with cash instead. With the latest change of ruling about the interest-free period, it's sometimes not worth swiping the card and get charged additional interests. In such times when things are getting more expensive, it's wiser to spend smart.

So upset with workmanship

It's been a long time since I've been up to my empty apartment that hasn't been let out nor sold. Recently I thought of having it done up and when I saw some nice shower faucets going on sale, I thought of installing them there. So that brought me up to the apartment and when I stepped in there, I was so disappointed to see how bad a condition my apartment has become! I suspect the bad workmanship has contributed to the quickly detereorating condition. I don't know what to do now...I think I'm already over my defect period :(

Appearance counts

My pregnant friend is desperately searching for acne products as she's breaking out terribly. She normally has quite good complexion and has never experienced such bad break outs prior to her getting pregnant. She suspects it's got to do with a change of hormones in her body system. She's quite depressed over this and is all out to find whatever that can help get her out of this problem quickly. You see, even though we women are pregnant, we still want to look our best!

The pressure to be a slim, hot momma

Some of my friends who were pregnant around the same time I was are now in the same boat as me - we're all complaining about how the tummy just wouldn't go back to pre-pregnancy state. Many of them have tried many ways to slim down the waistline but to no avail. Many brands of slimming creams that burn fats have been tried and tested but nothing have worked so far. Then one of them did a thorough research and shared within our group a list of best diet pills in the market. However, to date none of us have tried any because we've heard too much about the possible side effects of such pills. Better to have that tummy bulge than to risk our health and life altogether.

A good quality luggage is important

Last year when we were preparing for a vacation, we decided to buy a new luggage bag as our old one was giving way. We shopped around and found a shop called Travel for All in 1 Utama offering between 50% to 70% discounts. We ended up buying a canvas Polo luggage bag for 70% off the normal price and was very happy with the purchase. However, the satisfaction was shortlived because on the day we left for the airport, the handle on the bag came off! We had no time to switch luggages so we just had to carry it around the hard way throughout the trip. Imagine what a big inconvenience it was!

When we got back from the trip, we brought it back to the shop but we were told that all they were willing to do was a repair and on top of that, we were charged RM10 for it! That incident taught me a lesson. Sometimes cheap luggages just aren't worth it! The next time we look for one, I'm making sure it's of high quality even if it costs more. Something the likes of a Zero Halliburton would serve us very well although it costs a lot. But at least you know that you're paying good money for good quality.

Help me pick out photos for baby contest, please!

I'm terribly excited about a baby contest that I'm planning to submit baby's photos for. I need to send in 2 pictures per entry, a close-up on the face and a full-body shot. I have from now until end of next month to send in the entry so there's still time to take photos of baby incessantly. But baby shots are not easy to take because he can't stay still for a good shot to be captured.

In the meantime, I've also compiled some existing photos to see if I can use them. It would be great if you could help me out by voting which photos you think I should send in. The voting buttons are at the right side of the menu, and each option corresponds to the photographs below. You are welcomed to vote more than once! :)

Thanks for voting!

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 7

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Photo 9

Back to nature

It's been years since the last time I stepped into a zoo. I would've no reason to visit one if not for the baby boy. He seems to have a liking towards animals judging from the interaction we see between him with cats and dogs. So we thought it'll be a good idea to show him more of nature. But truth be told, the 10-month old didn't really care much for the zoo! Instead, a bunch of 30-somethings were more taken in by the 4-leggeds.

Isn't this a beautiful eye-catching parrot?

A sun bear relaxing on his back

Elephants can stand cross-legged too, you know

This little fella has a really cute face

You must be wondering where our little 10-month old star is throughout the zoo tour...well we pushed him along and he looked at whatever we tried to show him but I bet he must've been quite bored.

A relaxing end

The weekend has been a good family break. Spiritually, I needed time away and do something different to take away the stress at work and some recent happenings. I did enjoy myself although it was physically tiring. When we finally returned home and I realised that my break-away weekend was coming to an end, that I'm back in my real world, I felt quite down. Why can't weekends last longer than just two days a week? If only we had a hammock chair installed in our garden...I know it would pick me up a little. Just like how a swing would cheer up a little girl. Anyway, I need to shake myself out of this mood and face it - it's back to work tomorrow! Boohoo!!!

I'm such an exercise buff, not!

Three months ago we were offered a chance to sign up for some healthy workouts at work for a fraction of what it would cost out there. I wanted to sign up for yoga, body combat and line dancing classes. But since my schedule does not permit, I signed up only for yoga. I immediately purchased a yoga matt and even bought some clothes I thought would be suitable for it. The classes have been going on for 2 months now, once and week and I've NOT set foot into a single one! I know, I know...I'm terribly lazy. Thank goodness I decided not to sign up for the special gym rate we were offered. The thought of working out on a threadmill or an elliptical sounded good to me but I bet if I did sign up, I would probably not set foot into the gym as well!