Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Europe trip preparation ~ edisi tertunda

Haih.. lama sungguh nak ada chance nak update pasal Europe vacation ni.. sampaikan dah 2 bulan kat Malaysia pun masih tak menyempat.. sebelum lupa lebih banyak, betterlah jot something about that trip, at least for my own keepsake.. kan?

Our preparation starts with booking for cheap flights, trains and accomodation.. at first nak start dengan pilih country mana nak pergi dulu, but then since we had tight budget and time, haruslah pilih mana yg murah and fit our time. So, after days and days of scouting, we opted for Venice (Italy), Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France) and of course, Disneyland Paris! In terms of tempat mana nak visit, biasanya bila sampai kat town tu, dapatkan peta & pamplet baru kitorang decide nak pergi mana. sebabnya, tak cukup masa nak plan - planner sibuk mentelaah oke..

In terms of transportations, here's what we took and the cost incurred:

  • Coventry to London ~ train (local) - 16pound
  • London to Venice ~ flight (Ryanair) - 63pound
  • Venice to Brussels ~ flight (Ryanair) - 65pound
  • Brussels to Paris ~ train (Eurostar) - 72pound
  • Paris to London ~ train (Eurostar) - 125pound
  • London to Coventry ~ train (local) - 16pound

In terms of accomodation, here's the cost incurred:
  • Venice - Hotel Piave - 125pound (2 nights)
  • Brussles - apartment - 250pound (3 nights)
  • Paris - Hotel des Olympiades - 160pound (2 nights)
  • Paris Disneyland - 280pound (2 nights + 3days all park tickets)

In overall, kami habis dalam 1200pound for travelling and accomodation, which is equivalent to RM6k. altogether dengan souvenir, makan2 luar, groceries, tiket2 metro, habisla in total dalam 2000pound, equivalent to RM10k. Murah kan utk vacation 10hari?

And in conclusion, we preferred train than flight kalau travel cross country. Sebabnya, flight ni tak reliable, suka sangat delay. Then kena pergi awal utk check in. Then, nak kena go through immigration bagai. Sangat2 tak best especially bila beg kena selongkar, adoila.. tapi train ni biasanya lagi mahal la, sebab train lagi best dari flight. boleh makan suka hati, seat pon luas. nak buat bising pon takde hal. and location main train station dekat tgh2 town, mcm KL Sentral.. easy peasy sgtlah nak pergi..

In terms of luggage, we brought 2 hand luggages and 2 backpack. Here's the list of things we put sumbat in the bags:
  • rice cooker (3pots)
  • mini kettle (sgt mini, nnt i tunjuk gambar)
  • extension
  • europe adapter (sbb europe tak guna 3-pin plug)
  • food (beras, spaghetti, maggi, maggi goreng, perencah nasi goreng, dried spaghetti sauce, 3 in 1, sugar, chicken cubes, bilis cubes, sardine, tuna, and many more hehehe)
  • baju utk 7 hari
  • pampers & toiletries
  • sejadah
  • quran/yassin
  • kompas kiblat 
  • socks & sweaters
  • tupperware and botol air
  • botol susu
  • dictionary (we brought french only)

apa lagi ek? rasanya yg paling penting itu jer. and mmg sangat2 berguna semua gadjet yg dibawa.. dlm back pack kitorang taruk brg2 yg handy nak ambik, macam sweater, baju persalinan budak2, sejadah, roti, and all the tickets..bab food, kami sgt2 take note sbb selalu org ingat senang nak cari. memangla halal food tu boleh cari, tapi it takes some time to get familiarize with tempat org. kat UK, memang senang gile cari halal food. but in Italy for instance, dengan org dia tak cakap English, susah woo nak communicate. label barang2 pon semua in allien language. nak pilih cheese mana yg bleh makan pon susah sbb diorang tak guna label V (for suitable for vegetarian) mcm kat UK. Since makanan dah banyak bawa sendiri, everytime we arrive at our hotel/apartment, we ols just pergi beli telur, susu and roti. dat's it!

altogether, the trip took 10 exhausting memorable days! sangat2 berbaloi & i like! budak2 pon sampai sekarang masih terasa keseronokannya, especially si kakak sbb boleh pakai gown and ambik gambar dengan princesses! mama pon jeles oke :P

Since ni nak citer pasal preparation jer, all the details will be story later.. gambar also later lah.. chalos dulu!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

short hols

i'm now in Lunas Kedah at my in law's. actually nyaris terlupa yg i ada wedding nak kena attend in Penang yesterday dek kebizian melampau last week. but Alhamdulillah, hubby sanggup nak drive after kerja on Friday, and semalam kami selamat makan nasi briyani yg lazat amat di kenduri my UK fren, Shina & Izwar. Congrats guys! semoga cepat2 dapat baby ;)

yg sedihnya, sejam lagi dah nak bertolak balik ke S.Alam. tak sempat i nak berpoya2 kat Penang huh. hanya sempat shopping kain2 nak buat baju utk myself, hubby and kiddos. maklumlah, raya lepas kami kan takde baju baru. so, tiba2la teringin nak berbaju sedondon, utk event apa nak pakai tu blakang kira. yg penting sedondon. hihi

disamping kain, ada juga sempat merembat 3 blouse dalam masa 1/2 jam. mana bleh tahan, kalau kat kl blouse cotton yg labuh & tangan panjang, surely rm50 ke atas. yg beli kat nichii bulan lepas 2 pasang pon dah seratus lebih. i plak dah bertukar size, so baju2 lama semua jadi seksi gitttew. tak sanggup i nak pakai.. justified kan reason i nak shopping baju baru? :)

oklah, nak mandikan budak2 sebelum bapa budak ready dulu.. karang kena marah hehe.. chalos!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

i fenatlah

baru kerja sebulan setengah, dah 3 kali i kena outstation. 1st ke Penang, then turun je JB, pastu naik balik ke Ipoh, and next week ke Sabah plak. dgn selang seli kena gi specialist/physio utk follow-up slipped disc, i rasa sgtlah penat. end up weekend dok rumah jer lepak2 sambil tgk movie2 disney dgn kekanak, dan slowly mengemas kotak2. alhamdulillah brg2 yg setimbun kat living hall dah berjaya dikemas. so, i sekarang dah boleh menerima tetamu, kot2 la ada org sudi nak datang jalan rumah i kan.. ;)

back to the topic, i found that keje baru ni banyak sungguh meeting, dah mcm jadi one of KPI plak. weekly meeting, fortnightly meeting, monthly meeting, tu baru yg wajib. yg sunat pon banyak juga. tambah2 i ni baru nak blaja semua benda, so time meetingla masa yg sesuai nak absorb. nasib baik ramai kawan2 yg pandai2 sudi kongsi ilmu. kalau nak harap i blajar sendiri, sure tak sempat..

kalau nak banding dgn kerja lama, yg lama tu i lebih suka, sbb i rasa yg dulu lebih banyak berfikir secara technical. yg baru ni challenge nyer lain sket, basically project monitoring & buat report utk present to management. so, faham2 jela kan cabarannya, banyak nak menjawab 'why' questions.. kadang2 i buat muka tebal jer bila tak dapat jawab soalan2 cepumas. nak buat camner, banyak lagi i tak tahu & still learning..

apa2 pun, i'm trying to love my job and the surroundings. yela kan, 1/2 of my day is at work. kalau tak suka, tak ke stress gitu? apa2 pun, thanks to hubby sbb memahami kerja i yg kena outstation selalu ni. kadang2 kesian hubby bila budak2 buat drama sedih di pagi hari bila tahu mama nak pergi jauh. sabar tau yang. insyallah lepas 2 tahun, i cari kerja lain. kalau tak dapat tukar unit, i try tukar kerja ok.

i lapar la. jom gi makan dulu okeh

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

November rain..

Alhamdulillah, akhirnya berjaya menempuh bulan pertama after come back to working life.. tajuk tu takde kaitan pon, cuma teringat kat lagu Nirvana sejuk2 petang2 ni hehe..

1st ~ the new placement.. walaupun pada mulanya agak tidak teruja dan tidak bersemangat utk bekerja di tempat baru atas sebab2 tertentu, i need to cubit myself sbb Alhamdulillah, saya masih punya kerja yg stabil.. tak baik banyak merungut ok.. bagusla kalau org masih perlukan kita walaupun dalam hati dup dap dup dap tiap kali meeting sbb semua perkara yg dibincangkan mcm alien sangat2.. but today, i've learnt a lot & i'm a happy chap! thanks to Allah for the hardworking and brilliant staffs that i have.. :)

2nd ~ the kiddos are coping well at Taska T*, walaupun 2 minggu pertama banyak sungguh drama pagi hari.. sekarang dah takde masalah tinggalkan diorang pagi2, they make friends and enjoy a lot.. Alhamdulillah, hilang pening kepala..

3rd ~ work nature kali ni memungkinkan saya outstation dengan jayanya.. kalau dulu, kerja saya hanyalah di sekitar central & northern, kali ni kena jaga the whole Malaysia.. so far last week dah outstation ke Penang (meeting on Ahad) dan JB (meeting on Khamis).. penat jugalah sbb dari Utara ke Selatan in a week. yang penting hubby sangat2 memahami, dan dia juga faham position ini bukan saya yg mintak.. thanks B!

4th ~ of the slipped disc.. so far i've done the MRI, 2 weeks physiotherapy, and smlm jumpa balik specialist.. yg tak bestnye, i'm still having numbness and weakness.. Doc suggest buat minor surgery (yg cucuk jarum tu jer) or open surgery.. 2-2 pon menggerunkan ok.. so now, i'm planning to go for 2nd opinion at Damansara Specialist or SDMC.. i tak nak jadi statistic, kalau statistic yg success takpela, takut yg sebaliknya je huhu

5th ~ new KPI is set for the family. tiap2 hari akan cuba sampai ofis before 8 agar takde siapa2 yg punch card lewat, and kalau boleh nak parking for free (jimat rm7/day = rm140/month).. and petang plak nak ambik kiddos latest by 6, and sampai rumah by 730.. setakat ni kitorang selalu dinner kat rumah jer, sbb malas nak mkn luar.. budak2 pon dah penat seharian kat school.. food range biasanya nasi & lauk sempoi (masak sendiri), atau tapau nasi lemak/kfc.. tak pun panaskan jer apa yg ada dlm peti.. hehe weekend pula nak balik kampung, lawat sanak sedara & kawan2, or just hang out watch movie dgn anak2.. tak pon jalan2 kat lake garden..

sekarang ni, quality time is our main priority.. pada saya, duit banyak pon tapi kalau hati tak tenang, anak2 tak gembira, family porak peranda, takde maknanya.. so, biarlah berwasatiah sahaja dengan apa yg ada.. yg penting, hati tenang, jiwa damai.. kan kan?

Thursday, November 18, 2010

slipped disc

Yes lovelies, i'm currently having a slipped disc, which caused my left leg to experience numbness, weakness, and sometimes pain.

It all happened last week on Tuesday, when I suddenly had a severe back pain when I got up from bed, which limited my physical activity especially rukuk during solat (bleh rukuk 2degree je kot). The back pain run through my buttock muscle, going down my left leg until it reach my left foot. On Monday I'm wearing highheels, but the next day I can only have Crocs. I went to Klinik Menara, attended by a woman doc (I was expecting Dr Rasool), and she prescribed me with pain killer and some kind of muscle cream, in which both were not helping much.

Therefore, after work we headed to Klinik Menara (at Bkt Jelutong) and I was still expecting Dr Rasool. I was not so lucky that day, his shift was on the next day. I managed to get Dr Alan, which is also an experienced doc. After diagnosing me, he suspected me having a slipped disc. 2 days mc given by Dr Alan really helped. The pain slowly go away, however the numbness became more apparent. I went to see him again for follow-up and he referred me to DEMC Orthopedic specialist. The cause of my pain - improper uplifting of boxes on Sunday, but I guess the pain has already developed before but I just ignore it. Being me, I have all strength and time to open the boxes that were shipped 1 month ago from UK (padan muka, sbb tak sabar sesangat :P)

To cut the story short, Dr Chang (DEMC) sent me for x-ray and MRI, and confirmed me for the slipped disc. Currently I'm on daily medication and physiotherapy (twice a week). Another alternative is minor surgery, which involves an injection to the slipped disc. The final solution is to go for open surgery, which really scares me to death. Takut la kan, kang terkena spine ke, kang lumpuh ke, nauzubillah. After a deep talk with hubby, I decided to go for physiotherapy for 2 weeks and monitor the condition. If it gets worse or remain the same, I think I might want to go for the minor surgery as the risk is low. Let's pray to Allah that I will be ok after 2 weeks of physio. I'm missing my heels and since I want to lose weight, I need to exercise. As of now, I can only do minimal activity such as walking and some stretching.

Doakan saya semoga cepat sembuh daripada dugaan kesihatan ini oke?

To read more about slipped disc, you can refer here: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/slipped_disk/article_em.htm

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

she's a BIG girl now..

**I should have posted this earlier but time is really killing me these days (erghhh!!)**

31st Oct 2010 remarked our beloved Aisya's 6 years of age. Alhamdulillah, with God bless, she's grown up as a healthy and brilliant girl today. She has never-ending questions in her mind which she never stop thinking and searching for answers. Lately she asked me questions like:

"Why Allah make thunder storm and banjir?"
"Why does blood coming out from people?" -> she found 'something' in the public toilet (yucks!)
"Why people get pregnant?"
"How do babies come out from your tummy? Is it from b**tot?"

and the list goes on... so many questions that need a good explanation from me and satisfy her doubts, plus it needsto suit her age too.. :)

She loves role-play and pretend to be anyone from a dancer, singer, presenter, emcee, teacher, doctor, and whatnots. She loves her brother and always allow him to sleep on her lap. She enjoys drawing, colouring and making cards for me, and sometimes love and hate notes too (when she's angry at me :):

"Dear Mama,
I am so cross at you because....blablabla"

"Dear Mama,
I love you because you cook for me..."

I bet next year when she starts her Std 1 schooling, there'll be more and more changes and suprises in the way she talk, think and behave.. I am sooo worried and afraid, but I pray to Allah that she'll grow up as a solehah girl, daughter, and khalifah of Allah.

Happy 6th Birthday my darling Aisya!
Mama and Papa want you to know that we love you sooo much and we will always do.
And we want you to know that you will always have our ears, and hearts and shoulders to cry on. Insyallah, we will always be there whenever you need a helping hand..


And last but not least, please allow me  to read your diary even when you grow older (as you promised :)

Love heart from us,
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Sunday, October 17, 2010

a warm welcome back :)

ini adalah post tertunda.. masuk hari ni, dah 11 hari kami cuti2 balik kampung.. sekarang location di Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu, rumah ayah tersayang.. seronok bersenang lenang kat rumah ni, banyak memori indah nak ditermenungkan, especially memories with my mum :) yg tak syioknyer, lagi berapa hari jer tinggal before masuk kerja.. tsskkkk malasnyeeeeerr... !

ni saja nak tempek gambar2 di KLIA masa we all sampai last 2weeks.. mmg dah bagitahu family hubby and ayah, tak datang pun takpe sbb nanti kitorang nak balik kampung juga.. but they insisted to fetch us at the airport.. terasa mcm jemaah balik haji la pulak.. hehe

with Makcik, my mum's sister. the kids are soooo excited!

mak, hubby, abah, ayah & pakcik 

Faris, Aisya & Yuyu yg tak sabar nak jumpa anak buah!

it feels so great to be back.. despite the heat of the weather, we are so glad we are finally home :) next task before masuk kerja ~ kemas rumah to allocate space for brg2 yg bakal sampai end of the month.. nampak gaya, kena shopping almari ni, otherwise surely rumah akan semak gile dgn kotak2 bertambun later.. huhu (fulus mahu terbang lagi..)

Monday, October 11, 2010

overweight mode :(

i'm now thinking of ways on how to shed those extra weight i gained while i was in UK. at least, i can go back to my previous weight, walaupun itu bukan berat ideal.. semua org ingat dok sana bleh kurus sbb susah makan. but the fact is, food is sooo easily obtained and plus, i cooked everyday.. tahu2 jela kalau sendiri masak and tak mahu membazir.. and bila semua jenis makanan pon rasa nak masak.. huhuhu..

sampai jer kat klia, semua pon tegur badan makin berisi.. teguran yg subtle ada, yg pedas pon ada.. muahahaha.. padan dengan muka siapa suruh tak control makan.. antara sebab kegemukan bertambah selama setahun:

sweet drinks and cola
dairy product ~ cheese, full cream milk, eggs
carbohidrate ~ pasta, roti canai, nasi, pastry, bread
lack of exercise
lack of water intake

nak join slimming center buat masa ni masih belum mampu.. rasanya lebih afdhal kalau join fitness center, but need to find time for that because i will lose some precious time with my kiddos.. yerla kan, for sure nak gi gym tu paling sesuai lepas time kerja, walhal tu jela time nak spend time dgn anak2, tgk homework, dinner sama2, mengajar ngaji dsbgnya.. takut nanti balik jer dari gym, budak2 dah tido.. :(

now, my main mission is to overcome those 5 contributors to my extra weight! plus nak cuba makan phytonatal utk lancarkan sistem badan.. urat2 pon sakit2 sbb badan lama tak service.. stresslah jugak bile try baju2 lama semua sendat2.. risau ni, cemana nak pregnant lagi kalau berat tak turun? adoii.. i need to take this personal issue seriously as nobody else can help me except myself..

wish me luck!

Saturday, October 09, 2010

i'm back and i'm lemau

alhamdulillah dah selamat pulang ke tanahair tercinta! tapi sgt malas nak update apa2, sbb badan sgt lemau, penat.. tambah2 perubahan cuaca yg mendadak dari 10-13 degree di UK ke 30 degree di Malaysia.. budak2 mandi 5 kali sehari kot, dah mcm solat pulak.. hehehe

will update on our europe trip very soon.. sgt best dan penat! tapi sgt2 berbaloi! kena gaks buat travelog kat sini, otherwise sure lupa semua benda nanti huhuhu..

chow chin chow! (harumnya gulai lemak ketam yg mak tgh masak hehe)

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Medela Freestyle Offer!

Salam Eidulfitri to all!

I am busy berhari raya and packing things to ship back to Malaysia. sangat2 kalut!

But still, siapa2 nak order Medela Freestyle, sila email saya segera (julie.yaacob@gmail.com)!! sbbnya saya pun nak beli 1 untuk future baby (^^) so, boleh order sekaligus!

My offer price = rm1330
(self collect at TM Annexe 1/Denai Alam. other delivery can be arranged at actual delivery cost)
Retail price = rm1500-rm2000+

 Last date to order from me is on Monday, 13 September (midnight)

Will be available in Malaysia = mid November (estimation)
(shipping from UK to Malaysia takes 6-8 weeks)

Don't miss this opportunity ladies!

regards,
Julie