So Long, Sucker!

Eez recently said his final goodbye to a dear friend - his beloved pacifier, Ting. That little sucker has had many incarnations over the years and served Eez faithfully as a comfort companion over the past 2 ½ years. The last one, a clear teal blue plastic soother, finally got so raggedy and bitten and holey that Eez started saying, "Eeeewww Ting yucky!" every time he put it in his mouth. I didn't get him a new one on purpose on the advice of my mom and MIL 'cos we all thought it was high time he gave it up. He started asking for it less and less during the day and has survived two whole nights without it. I finally chucked it in the bin yesterday with a slight feeling of guilt at Ting's unceremonious funeral.

I had a love-hate relationship with my son's pacifiers. Yeah, people say they're gross and contribute towards orthodontic problems and kids end up depending on them and bla bla bla... but those people have never had a baby constantly "hanging" until your nips feel like they're about to fall off from all the sucking! I did my research and got so-called orthodontist approved (and probably the most expensive) ones from Av*nt, which Eez really loved. He liked the shape and texture kot and refused all other brands I bought. Ting was actually a real life-saver at times... especially at night when Eez just needed a little comfort. Some well-meaning people tried to get me to stop giving Eez the pacifier but I preferred to let Eez stop in his own good time. I mean, how do you expect a toddler to go cold turkey on something he's had all his life?

There are different schools of thought on pacifiers. Some experts say that babies don't really need pacifiers in the first place and get into the habit of having one once they've been introduced. They can effect the alignment of a toddler's teeth and impediment speech development. Others say that pacifiers are alright as long as the baby still has his milk teeth. I started to get worried after Eez developed a slight curvature in his teeth but his speech hasn't been effected so I didn't mind so much. Besides, he looked really cute when he "senyum belakang puting", as his Papa called it.

I'm soooo relieved Eez has finally kicked the habit. I can stop carting the little bugger around in my hand-bag when we go out and I don't have to worry about Eez misplacing or losing it anymore!!! Oh wait... Ray's got a pacifier, too. Dammit. Another 2½ years to go then!

There's No Place Like Home

Okay okay I'm updating my blog!! Due to a series of mishaps and malas episodes I've neglected my poor blog for a month. First of all one by one my family members succumbed to the flu virus that was going around recently. Eez got sick first - fever, snuffly runny nose, cough, the works. Then Ray started to cough suspiciously. He developed this little manja-manja cough which made us unsure whether he was really getting sick or he was just "testing" 'cos he laughed after every cough. Soon he started getting snuffly at night so I endured another 2½ hour wait at the paed's to set my mind at rest. Immediately after that, I got the flu and a cough. Then the virus jumped ship to my sister pulak. So at one point all 4 of us were on flu/cough medication, rolling around the house like a pack of drunks. Hahaha! My mom certainly had her hands full that week, let me tell you.

Aaaahh and the onset of February bought a spate of lovely public holidays which fell on Fridays. FT day was the first long weekend. Hubs managed to get cuti and came back for four days. The only blot was I had to come back to work for a few hours on FT day for the month-end closing. So I balanced my accounts at super-speed and left by noon before my boss could dump more work on me! The rest of the weekend was spent jalan-jalan, makan-makan, catching up with friends at KLCC (love love love the pizza at CPK).

Then we went down to be with hubs for CNY weekend. We drove down to JB with my Mak Uda who works in Shah Alam and my Mak Tok who was visiting for a while. While all my Mak Tok's other cicits call her "Nenek", my son has bestowed upon her the ultra-hip title of "Grandma". So all the way back to JB it was "Grandma, nak makan!" or "No, Grandma. My pillow!". Mak Tok loves being called Grandma, definitely the first in her kampung to be called that!

Singapore was quite dead during the 1st two days of the lunar new year since most of the major shopping malls were closed. I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I saw how empty Orchard St was. A complete opposite from KL where even though half the city is away balik kampung, the malls and shopping spots are still open full swing! The malls being closed was a good thing actually since I wasn't able to shop! Hubs was relieved at that.. hahaha. We did manage to go to Sentosa Island for an afternoon to indulge Eez in his favourite past time of fish watching at Underwater World. Not too sure about the value for money there 'cos it wasn't as big as I'd expected and the crowds (mostly tourists and foreign workers on leave) was horrendous.. then again I've been spoilt by Aquaria and our own Underwater World at Langkawi. We also managed to catch the Song of the Sea light and water show for a fantastic price of $6! A great ½ hour show which really took our breaths away. Eez was totally awed by the whole thing while Ray... well, Ray slept through the whole thing since it was way past his regular bed-time. Before heading back to JB on Saturday I managed to squeeze in a trip to Orchard St and bag a pair of Itti & Otto heels (my new favourite brand of shoes) which was on sale at R*binsons.

We headed back up to KL on Sunday. What's a trip back to the nation's capital without a traffic jam or two thrown in? OMG the whole of the N9 stretch of the highway was so jammed up. Over-heated cars and two buses lay forlornly by the side of the road as we inched our way along. The whole trip took 6 freakin' hours. Ray was out of sorts for a while but soon settled down to sleep. Eez was safely strapped into his car seat and was on good behaviour the whole time. As long as he got his milk and Friend he was perfectly happy, entertaining us with his whole reportoire of nursery rhymes and his own made-up song of every single word he knows from family members to animals to food to everything in the world. Have to tape that one some day, could be a hit!

So there you have it, folks.. what I've been up to lately. Now it's back to the daily grind.. I missed 2 weeks of yoga due to being sick and the holidays, so I really really should go today. I can just feel that Hershey Sundae Pie adding inches to my waist.....

Happy New Year Again...

I just dropped hubs off at the Aeroline terminal at OU this morning.. so ends another short visit. This time hubs managed 2 nights in KL by taking a 2.30pm bus straight from work on Tuesday. Oh when will S*pore finally implement a 5-day work week? Hubs had originally planned to take three days annual leave but had to shorten it at the last minute due to inevitable office politics. Ada je orang nak buat hal and have to get kicked out from the concierge team.. this time not just one, but two!

In anticipation of hubs leave I'd already applied for AL yesterday and Friday. Miracle of miracles, my leave was granted. Usually my work-place has this warped view on taking ALs.. apparently you can't take leave before and after a public holiday. And you can't take leave around a festival season that you aren't celebrating. Even if you're the only one celebrating the festival in your effing unit! And you can't take leave during school hols if you don't have school-going kids. Isn't that weird? Anyway, rupa-rupanya my boss approved my leave because he had a hidden agenda. He applied for leave starting from the last week of January right up till CNY!!! Unfair or what? Not only is he taking leave before AND after a PH (Hari Wilayah on 1st Feb), but he's also on leave on CNY week which he is definitely NOT celebrating. So, me being the immediate officer under him will have to man the unit for 2 weeks. Freaky or what... if this guarantees me a huge pay rise and super-duper bonus takpe jugak.

So, well... after hubs came back on Tues evening we packed up the kids and went to spend a nite at the IL's in M*wati. It was already quite late by then so we managed to escape the horrible after-work-raining-buckets traffic jam. Since it was raining, we had to forgo our planned midnite supper while getting the car washed so my car is still super dirty. Wed morning woke up late. Ray was already up bright and early, babbling non-stop to everyone and the ceiling fans. After bathing and feeding him (Eez was still asleep), we left the kids in the care of MIL and SIL and headed here on Jln Yap Kwan Seng for brunch and also to tapau some chicken hor fun for our dear family friends whom we would be visiting later at HKL. The parking at the hospital was horrendous, as always. We circled the entire complex twice before a kindly security guard let us into a parking bay marked for employees only.

The couple that we were visiting are actually long-time family friends of my ILs and are honorary family members. Three weeks ago they suffered a terrible accident in Kuantan when their car was hit by a some Mat Salleh guy. Drunk or what, tak tau la. Their front passenger, Auntie's father passed away on the spot due to massive injuries. Uncle and Auntie suffered broken arms and legs while their daughter also sustained severe facial injuries besides broken limbs. All three are currently warded back at HKL. Uncle still has some operations to go through to correct his legs while the daughter still has corrective surgery scheduled. Hubs was almost crying while talking to Uncle (thank God for the masks we had to wear to prevent infection). Even after suffering such terrible injuries Auntie and Uncle remained upbeat as always and still asked after every member of our respective families as if we were chatting in their living room instead of a sterile hospital room. What really humbled me was seeing Auntie performing her prayers in bed with her broken arm and leg in casts. The phrase "Alhamdulillah" frequently peppered her speech and she was so calm and serene it touched my heart.

After the hospital visit we headed to Pavillion to catch a movie and "dating", as my PIL put it. A phone call confirmed that the babies were doing fine with MIL so I didn't feel too guilty about leaving them behind. The movie was reasonably good which was surprising since normally I don't like Nicholas Cage. Then we lined up for twenty minutes to get JCO donuts (yes, they ARE that good). We bought two dozen of the little buggers for IL's and my family. RM35 on donuts! But totally worth it.

So.. hubs has gone back and my long weekend stretches out in front of me. Luckily I have Ms M's tea party to look forward to tomorrow (what to get as a gift????). There's also a birthday party of the grand-daughter of one of MIL's friends on Saturday but I don't think I have the energy to endure another society party so Eez is going alone with MIL. I think I'll just laze around the house and bug my sisters to accompany me on illicit trips to McDonald's...

Growing Up

Once in a while I tend to get a tad morbid and start obsessing about the future. Maybe it's due to my new status as a temporary single mother to two baby boys and being in charge of the family finances. Or it could be my parents reaching retirement age with two of my adiks still in uni/college and the youngest still in high school. Then again, it could be the fact that I will be turning 30 next year!!! Whatever the reason, I've started worrying about money, my future, my kids futures and then back to money again.

Despite being a banker for about 7 years, I am practically clueless about my own money. Totally like Becky Bloomwood in the Shopaholics books! Seriously, when I was single I had a straight forward approach to handling my personal finances. My salary went in my account, I'd withdraw said salary and spend spend spend. After my parents generously forked out the down-payment for my first car (a dinky little Kancil my brother subsequently inherited from me), part of my salary went towards car payments, petrol and the general up-keep of my car. I did open an ASB account where I managed to park a few hundred RMs but failed to maintain regular deposits 'cos I lacked the self-discipline. Then I was introduced to the bane of young urbanites every where - credit cards. So another chunk of my cash went towards credit card payments. Nothing towards savings, I'd frequently find myself broke by the end of the month.

A few years down the line after getting married, I've diversified my cash out-flow. My mom has always stressed the importance of financial independence on her daughters. Basically not to depend 100% on our husbands (or father) for money and to make and save our own money. So, upon her advice, I obtained an ASB loan as a form of forced savings. I also got me some life insurance upon the insistence of my dad. Then my kids came into the picture. We've gotten both of them their own education insurance and bank accounts which we try to maintain as regularly as our finances permit. I would like to put more money away towards the boys' futures but truthfully what we're spending now is about all we can afford. Still, sikit-sikit lama-lama jadi bukit, right?

Now that R's working in Singapore, we're going to be a bit more well off than before. I've totally committed myself to the proper handling of the hard-earned money he'll be sending back. I'll be able to put more money towards paying off our credit card debts (when will it end????) and pay off our various bills with a comfortable balance left over. I plan to invest part of it in ASB and Tabung Haji (though I have yet to open an account, classic procrastinating) and sock another part of it away in a savings account for emergencies.

In another unprecedented move, I've started thinking about investing in unit trusts, a totally new area for me. You know, make my money work for me and all that. There's so many types to chose from - syariah compliant or conventional, equities, bonds, growth funds... maybe I'll just get me a nice, patient fund manager who'll kindly explain all the details to me. Gosh, just thinking about it all makes my head spin.

Oh, and one of my New Year's resolutions is to pay for everything with cash and stop depending on my credit cards, a move totally supported by dear hubs. It's time for me to finally stop fooling around and get down to business. You know, the business of raising my family and providing a reasonably brighter future for my boys. This growing up stuff is for the birds, but we all gotta do it sooner or later.