The long haul bus ride....

Consider this story basi..it happened last friday..but due to my workload n my flu..i kept delaying n delaying trying to squeeze time...so now that i've finally managed..hope i can finish it before my boss calls me in..

Since hubbs had to be in JB for work assignments last thursday..i told him to take my bam bam n his guardian along..coz i had a meeting friday morning, that i can't skip..we were planning to go back to JB even before hubbs mentioned he had work there...it was my cuzzies wedding..so perfect timing..paid trip..business plus pleasure..


nevertheless...because hubbs confirm quite late the flight price was on the unreasonable side..plus if i took Air asia i had to stay another nite..n someone had to send me to LCCT, if i took Firefly..flight was at 5.15pm..n i anticipated the meeting shud b adjourned before 12pm..plus the price quoted was quite ridiculous..MAS..oso the same problem ..expensive..have to go to KLIA....

thinking about it..traveling by plane to JB time wise is equivalent to time spent going there by bus..n its cheaper..(if its adhoc) well basically u have to get ur butt to the airport 45 mins before check in..going to the likes of KLIA n LCCT will take like another 30 to 45 mins..thats like 2 hrs gone easily...not to mention the cost of petrol n toll return for the person sending u..then from Senai..u have to get someone to fetch u...or u hail a cab which will cost u another RM30 plus it takes like 30 -45minutes to get to JB from Senai..n u have to incorporate the basic time spent waiting to unboard the plane..walking to get ur bags..that's another 20-30 minutes......KL-JB non stop bus 4 hrs tops...

But anyway...i guess u guys know i opted to go back by bus..its been years since i got on an express coach to JB..can't even remember my last time..i think 2006 or was it 2005...the price of the ticket had also increased within time..its now like RM31 one way... i reached PUDURAYA by 12.20pm..i looked around for buses that were to depart ASAP..(inside i couldn't wait to be reunited with my bam bam) i rang my brother before hand..asking which buses were non stop ones...so at the ticket counter..this guy came up and said.."JB 12.30pm"..i was like ye ke...
he guided me to the counter..which wasn't very far..i did asked..was the bus there..n the lady at the counter smiled n said yes..its at platform 20..she gave me the plate number n off i scooted..in fear that i wud be late..TRANS STAR waS the express bus name...i did asked the lady ..is this a non stop bus...she informed me it was..4 hrs to JB..

At the platform i texted hubbs n my parents saying that insyallah by 430pm id be in JB..I think i only got to board the bus at aorund 1240pm...long story short..did u guys know wat time the bus left PUDURAYA...2.20pm..i was turning blue n green..turns out that they wanted atleast 20 passengers for that trip..just to cover thier trip...i don't usually tell people off in thier face..but i couldn't stand it anymore..the guy who ushered me to his counter was on the bus..i just told him off..in front off everyone on the bus..(i didn't know where i had the courage..) but hey seriously he was a big fat liar... i can be reasonable if its just half an hour n if outside of PUDURAYA was congested..but no it wsn't..he was like..erm..ok...ok..we're gonna depart now...

N so we did...thank god!!!!..i was stupid..i shud have just got off the bus n requested a refund..silly me..so the journey started..we stopped at ESSO before Sg Besi Toll plaza for gas..the driver said
"sapa mau pegi toilet...sekarang ye..lepas ni takda stop-stop lagi..."(the driver was Chinese)


i thot alhamdulillah...i can reach JB by 6pm....but hell was i wrong...
Dahlah the bus bawak cam siput...I couldn't sleep althou i only had 4 hrs sleep the nite before...n suddenly the bus stopped again at Tangkak R&R area..for another toilet rendezvous...my heart was churning...the stop was like for 15 minutes....the we resumed our journey..just as i was talking to my bro on the phone..n he asked..

"is the bus going to stop again??..to which i replied i don't think so..


The bus made an exit to YOng Peng....i could not explain my how furious i was ...my heart almost stopped..WTF????? i thot this was supposed to be a non stop bus..at Yong Peng stop for like 25minutes..n upon everyone boarding back the bus..i overheard this makcik telling the driver she wanted to stop at KULAI.....I swore i could have killed both the driver n makcik at that time....I was screaming inside...

My brother was laughing in fits...told me off....like

" i told u..y lah u must take unreliable bus..u don't want transnasional coz it stops for half an hour..but now ur losing hours n hours...!!!"


But i had my own laugh..upon Kulai exit...the bus stopped..but we didn't enter Kulai..the bus stopped at the emergency lane besides the ext lane to Kulai toll..the driver said
Driver: "ok makcik Kulai.."
Makcik: "hah..berenti sini je?? igtkan masuk..."
Driver: "oo tak masuk..tak masuk..sini je..makcik jalan sikit (which looked to me like 500 metres) ..sampai toll Kulai"
Makcik:"%&^%(*6986)*)

Me: nak gelak pon ada..kesian pon ada..makcik tu taklah tua sgt still fit an all...but kesian gak lah..

I basically reached UDA at 6.45 pm my brothers rescued me there..coz i was having fits being angry..we drove strait to my Inlaws to be reunited back with bam..bam...

My mum also called me during my BUS EXPEDITION..i was cursing like mad..she in between laughter told me to be patient...sekali skala je naik bus..dugaan lah..bla..bla..bla..lah..but she had me at one point..

"u just get one the taste of others hardship.. u complain like mad...(i even vowed not to take the bus anymore..next time flight all the way..) u get soo worked up because u have a choice..other people go thru it everytime.. however bad their experiences are.. its their only choice..if u didn't have a choice..u wud just go with the flow n not whine n complain..."


Which made me think...life's like that..we complain because we have choices..but if that was my only means of transportation..would i get so worked up?? sure i was late by almost 2hrs plus but i arrived safely..n i get to be reunited with bam..bam...(at that point of time..communications with hubbs had been put off..bcause he was soo caught up with work..n i was soooo into furious fits..= not a good time to b having a decent conversation..he joined us after work n i had cooled off from the incident...

Moral of the story: if u take the bus..buy form a reliable bus company..n stop complaining..others face these kinds of hardship everyday...



HAppy Birthday To The BOSS of my life..


I wanted to type this entry as soon as i got to the office this morning..however i kept gazing n gazing at my screen my fingers would not dance to any rhythm like it usually did...

i tried hard to find the most beautiful words to convey it on screen as today marks another point in life for my man..adding a number to his age...I soo wanted to blow his mind by what i write as that is the best gift i can afford as of now...As i search n search my heart for the very best way to wish u...i find it hard..n i guess its because u mean sooo much to me that it hurts..n by writing..i think this blog would have to close just to stop me from continuing on n on...so sayang for ur birthday..ill try to wish u in the best possible way..n i hope u will read it by tonite as we're cities away now..i really wish i could be there with u..but we have work commitments to abide...i thank god for giving me a brief moment to be with u this morning on ur birthday...

So sayang here goes..


12 years is how long we've known each other...
10 years back was our first date..or shall i call it our first meet up...
but only after 2005 did we decide to walk down that aisle..or best put..
it was u who initiated the plan...

Some mite say..y it took us that long...but i guess only u n i know the real answer..
yes ive been hurt by you..a hurt that cut soo deep..
n there was a point i tried to move on without u..
but we just can plan our life..the decision is still from above..
n i guess..though we threw each other out of our lifes for that period..
fate destined us to be together again...

I knew life won't be a bed of roses with u..
but i did'nt care..i just followed my heart ...
n alhamdulillah..though i may not b in my paradise rite know..
im thankful that we r blessed..
we have harris to lighten up our grogy days....

I don't know who can ever replace the place u set in my heart...
yes u have ur way in things..n i guess as a wife..i have to obey..
im sorry for not being able to be ur dream wife..
but rest assure that i will try with all that i have to give u the best..

Just waking up beside u..makes my day.
having u home everyday afterwork keeps my sanity...
just being able to scroll ur hp freely is a blessing..
as i wouldnt trade all that just to have an LV in my wardrobe...
just hearing u say I love u..n know u mean it...makes makes me flutter..
i know deep down inside u wanna give us the best..but maybe.maybe..god says its not ur turn yet..
rest assure that..wen i say im dreaming to have a designer bag..or another rock on my finger..
It doesnt mean it has to come from u..
Just as long us ull be with us..n love us for the rest of ur life..its ok..
N if i sigh..it does not mean im frustrated with my life with u..
As u always say..be patient..we never know wats in store for us..
some r lucky now..surely one day we will get to b the lucky ones also..
yes..i always believe in that tooo life is like a cycle..ive been at the top..when others we're at the bottom..so now is my turn to be at the bottom..insyallah..one fine day..we will b at the top again..

So sayang..know that my love for you goes beyond words n i know sometimes i seem to hurt u by my actions..
but i want u to know..that ur my rock..my world..n my journey to paradise..
i hope that i get to be the one to sing happy birthday when u turn 90..even if we're bounded to a wheelchair...


Happy Birthday sayang..


Love
-Shayang-


(yes it may be jiwang..but who cars..its my mans birthday..im allowed to do that..nak muntah sila ke blog lain)

Books n Dessert Galore..

I had a fairly good weekend...well actually it was a very good Saturday as we had lunch at Aji Don at Plaza Damas in Hartamas... i love dining there because they serve a number of Johor's specialty plus it was cheap..they have the likes of soto rempah, mee rebus (hj wahid style)..satay..tahu bakar to name some..it's been quite a while since we went there...so due to the fact that i declared to my better half that im on cooking leave that day n considering the fact that hubby hates malls specially during wkends.. that place cross my mind..

n we got to kill 2 birds with one stone (me actually..hubby was not aware at all till we were there..hehehhe) TIMES was having warehouse book sale...it was quite massive as it had rows n rows of books on sale..however best sellers only had 30% discounts...

But the best part is they had a section 3 books for RM10.00 soo we went crazy...(hheheh me n my brother only) ..



This is the photo of our catch that day..we bought all the above for RM149.85....i was sooo happy...hihi so if ur a bookworm... y not check it out..if im not mistaken its still on until the 18th Jan...

(p/s : i even bought 2 story books for my helper aka maid...heheh Cinta Lapan Segi n ntah wat was the other title...)


After that we had dessert at dessert bar....they also had a promotion... 50% on all items on the menu......so wat do u expect..we had a vast dessert galore...best..best this one also until 18th..so gurls y not hav a get together one of these days..n indulge..they have sandwiches n quick meals l...i couldn't resist the fondue n it was only RM11.00 after discount...




We left plaza Damas feeling happy..we were there for like almost 5hrs but we only paid RM1 for parking plus hubby was ok n not that cranky n all..mybe bcoz the place was really laid back n relaxing...

My frustrations....

Life at work has been very hectic lately n it has disrupted my booze to pump which effects my milk supply...but alhamdulillah i still managed to get 12 oz of EBM throughout the day for harris 's intake..however after much concern that my son mite not be getting enough milk..and as discussed with his paed..we decide to introduce a bottle of formula milk a day..which actually breaks my heart..(im sure exclusive bfeeding mothers know the feeling... im not saying that formula milk is not good enough)..as i was a result of formula milk n yes i managed to go to Uni n
all..but after much research, readings n discussion the iconic phrase we could conclude is the best gift that a mother can give her child is by breastfeeding them as it is complete for their physical and mental development....in actual fact in the Quran says...bfeed our child for atleast 2 years..but being a working mother in a not sooo encouriging environment i find it hard...ive pumped in the toilet..(yup its yucky but i always think positive that god knows of my intention)..ive heard sneers..had the look from others wen i carry a cool box on course..hav people talked about me...arghh...the perception that people give wen ur just trying do wats best. .ive embraced them all...there were numerous times that i cry alone because nobody would understand..i do vent my frustration to my better half but there comes a point that he's a guy..his level of understanding on this matter is not in depths..n soo the thoughts r better placed in my head.....i guess these r the challenges that god wants me to face..in hope that one day it will all be worth it... ...

I never knew that i could manage exclusive breastfeeding for a year at least..before having harris i always thought.. id bfeed harris for atleast the first six months..had i known.... i wud have prepared myself earlier..n i.. like many stumbled upon experiences n gathered our knowledge thru books n dr. google..i thank n owe it to harris previous babysitter..makcik normah for encouraging me..without her i don't think i could ever have done it...

The guilt feeling of having to supplement hits beyond my deepest core..even if its just a bottle a day..call me paranoid..vain or watever..but it is a feeling that is hard to describe..i remember watching wardina being interviewed the other day on a baby show hosted by Daphne Iking n i quote "if u knew the benefits that bfeeding gives to ur child..u wud never want to touch formula...."..n though i dare not tell others in that way..but there is truth to what she claims...

My youngest brother was a product of exclusive bfeeding until 2 years..n for those who know him can straightly highlight the differences between him from me n imran..we're different in terms of empathy, stubbornness..n mb intelligence...mmg a lot of people wud say "sejuk perut mak mengandungkan idris" he has never created major drama nor hav i seen my mom been worried over him unlike me the drama queen or my 1st brother...

I really feel that the govt should really encourage breastfeeding n make it an act or something n that breastfeeding circle is cared for..we don't need to be treated as queens but sufficient enough that proper arrangements can be made in the office like having a breastfeeding room n most importantly understand that we need to pump frequently to ensure our milk supply sustains..after all it will benefit the employer by having their staff at bay n not always on MC or EL mode...to date alhamdulillah i only had to take one EL due to harris diarrhea n we referred him to SJMC..but other than that his fever n all cud be treated n not come to state of worrying....

Im just trying to give my son the best..like all of the mothers out there. n .maybe if u feel formula is the best option n it works for your child..it doesn't matter...but wen i face challenges from the outer circle it crushes me..because i will not do anything that will not be beneficial towards him...i know one fine day i will have to completely wean him..n i will dread that day..the bond that we share is what I'll carry with me as i know that from that day..comes the partial separation of a mother with her child..he will not need me as much..ill miss his cheeks againts my skin..his little hand playing with my shirt...ill miss that n for what its worth to harris... mama's sorry..i tried ever so hard to give u more..but i have to work n my working environment is not that encouraging..

And as i read n read about the fact that my baby mite not be getting adequate milk..i came across this ...most of the article i read states that by 18 months a child needs to be wean off from the bottle n be given milk from a cup...formula should be replaced by whole milk to ensure a balance diet n while most parents opt giving their child milk to replace his meal intakes because the child refuses to drink..it actually does more harm to toddlers/infants as it can lead to iron deficiency...

taken from http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/feed12yr.html

Iron Intake

It's important to watch out for iron deficiency after kids reaches 1 year of age. It can affect their physical, mental, and behavioral development, and also can lead to anemia.

To help prevent iron deficiency:

  • Limit your child's milk intake to 16 to 24 full ounces (480-720 milliliters) a day.
  • Increase iron-rich foods in your child's diet, like iron-fortified snacks, meat, poultry, fish, beans, and tofu.
  • Continue serving iron-fortified cereal until your child is 18 to 24 months old.
So watch out coz u don't feed on demand milk after the age of one n milk is to supplement his growth..but not to be treated as primary food...

Im sure u guys have 101 percetion..assumtions..comments on this issue specially those with children..so before i ur M16 hits me..just take note that this is what i gathered from my reading..observation..discussion with paed n lactation consultants..i don't simply pluck these ideas from the sky...