I think my baby just found out that she has a tongue. She would stick it out like all the time, tak kira masa dan ketika...





Is "showing off their cute little tongue" one of babies' development thing?
It's just so cute!

Labels: Mommyhood and Baby

I didn't want to dress up my iPhone in any casings before bcoz the original look of it is already a beauty. But my heart nearly stopped when I clumsily dropped my iPhone on the floor (from my 1 1/4 foot dressing table)! :( Nothing bad happened to it tho, but I'd better be safe than sorry especially bcoz I can be a total klutz sometimes.


So the other day, my husband and I went in search for some cases to swaddle our iPhones. There are a few types of cases to choose from - silicone, plastic, leather, clear, metal and textile - in every color of the rainbow. Rambang mata dibuatnya! So after 2 days and 2 Machine stores, we finally found the ones we like.


Initially, I wanted a white or a see-through case to match the color of my iPhone. But all that instantly changed when my eyes landed on this: Griffin Elan Form.




It was love at first sight.


It's a hard-shell case made of delicious top-grain leather in my favorite color, I cannot resist! This case reminds me a lot of my MBMJ wallet; both the color and texture (the color is a little different from the picture above - it's a few shades darker).


So far I'm liking my fab leather case, but I had some problems with the screen protector that comes with it. One of them is the appearance of moisture bubbles bcoz it's stiff and doesn't stick onto the glass screen, and made my iPhone looks like it's sweating! I had no choice but to get the stick-on type, so now problem is solved.



My husband on the other hand, chose this white CapsuleNeo case which was recommended by the Sales Assistant for its triple layers of protection.



If I didn't see the pink Griffin case, I might have chosen this one as well.


Actually, a little part of me still wants a white one. I do love my pink leather case, but today I saw a lady with this cool see-through case on her iPhone from CapsuleRebel and my heart is itching for it...




...especially bcoz you can see the Apple logo! :)


I'm trying to tell myself that I don't need a second casing - at least not until something bad happened to my current one.

Labels: Gadgets

Are you one of those people who:


a) wants to own a designer bag but finds the in-store price is way over your budget
b) would like to purchase bags online but the online store doesn't ship internationally
c) can't seem to find the bag that you have been eyeing for bcoz it's sold out at the boutiques.


If you answer 'yes' to any one (or all) of the above, I have a great news for you!


Bagaholics United is a sales blog selling designer bags at lower than retail prices in Malaysia. I know, purchasing designer bags online from other than its official online stores or retailer stores is pretty risky especially in terms of authenticity, because there are a lot of knock-offs in the market nowadays. There's even "Grade A+++" that may look like the real thing - with dust bags, (forged) serial numbers, care cards and everything - so it's kind of hard to tell whether they are genuine or not, especially from the computer screen. But I can assure you that the bags at Bagaholics United are 100% authentic as the seller got them directly from outlets in the UK. How do I know this? Bcoz I got my beautiful Anya Hindmarch Jethro bag from them!


The brands range from Gucci, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Chloe, Miu Miu and yes, Anya Hindmarch. Prices starts from RM1000-ish, which is considered as affordable when it comes to designer bags (can you believe Anya Hindmarch bags at less than RM2k?! Kat Malaysia, AH bags are at least RM3k+, so this is an absolute bargain!). Bagaholics United also takes orders for other brands of bags and small leather goods that are not listed in the blog; all you need to do is just email them. The first 3 customers to purchase from them will get this Anya Hindmarch Travel Kit Purse each worth more than £100 for free!





So ladies, get your dream bags at Bagaholics United bcoz offers like this don't come everyday!




Just a note...
Starting from now, I will have to remove any form of "free advertising" that are left at my comment sections bcoz all advertisements/advertorials that are advertised in this blog does not come for free. Thank you!

Labels: Bags

...by switching off your lights for only an hour, this Saturday night!





Visit www.earthhour.org to find out more about Earth Hour.


p/s: I'm planning a quiet (if my baby is sleeping) candlelight dinner at home with my husband during that hour. I need to get some candles for that - or can I just use torchlight? ;p

Labels: Events/Activities

Both my hubby and baby are early sleepers. Their average bedtime is 9 o’clock... which can only mean one thing: looooonger “me time” for me (I am still a night owl, mommy or not)!

Anyways, the other night after putting my baby to sleep, I decided to spend my “me time” by watching the TV. I was flicking through the channels when I came across a funny TV ad on Astro. Tok Wan the cute nenek is back, and the new ad is a continuation of the previous one that featured Tok Wan singing Hindustan song with her family.

This time around, Tok Wan runs her own warung and the main thing that attracted me was the weird lady with a beehive hair. Everything about her is so funny, from the way she walks to the way she talks....

The funniest part was when she misheard Fettuccine as chilli. I actually laughed at that one – what with her facial expression and everything! It reminded me of the time when my husband and I were at California Pizza Kitchen, and the waiter asked if we would like to have “tobacco” sauce instead of Tabasco sauce. LOL.

Anyway, the message that this ad wants to point out is that even tho Tok Wan lives in kampung, she knows about Italian food - like Spaghetti and Fettuccine. When the beehived-hair lady sprayed her hair with a hair spray, Tok Wan knows it could cause the thinning of ozone layer. She knows that before fixing any electrical stuff, the main fuse should be switched off, and she also keeps herself abreast with football terms and jargons - she even mentioned Manchester United football player, Tevez! In other words, Tok Wan gains a lot of knowledge and information by watching the programmes on Astro, be it news, entertainment and even sports. Astro kan macam-macam ada!


Speaking of which, my husband’s cousin’s son – a 5 year old boy – watches almost all the programmes on Astro Ceria (Geng Bas Sekolah, Hikayat Putera Syazlan, Tom Tom Bak, etc) and as a result, cara dia cakap is so “format buku teks”. I’m not kidding! His family came to visit me and my baby during my confinement, so my mom served them tea and some kuih. The little boy reached for his cup and said...


“Wah, air teh ini sungguh panas!”.


Everyone laughed. SPM dia sure dapat A1 for BM!

Labels: Advertorials, Nuffnang

Finally, iPhone 3G has officially landed on Malaysian shore. My husband and I couldn't be more excited! Since we're Maxis users and our monthly phone bills are about the same as the cheapest iValue plan rate, my husband decided to get our iPhones from Maxis (his iPhone is sponsored by his company; my iPhone is sponsored by him ;p). Another reason would be bcoz of the warranty.

The invitation-only launching event took place at KL Convention Centre last Friday, hosted by Maxis. My husband and I arrived at 6.30pm - pukul 8.30 baru sampai turn kitorang to collect our iPhones! But we had fun; played some magic trick games, makan-makan sambil testing out iPhone.

I'm gonna let the pictures to do the rest of the talking about the event...









p/s: I am so addicted to my iPhone. I literally can't get my hands off it! I don't really bother with my laptop anymore bcoz iPhone is like a mini computer. And the best thing about it is the downloadable applications! There's an application for just about anything. I could spend hours just browsing them....

Labels: Events/Activities

My husband got me an early birthday present - a present which he insisted to give bcoz he wants me to like it as much as he does, and didn't care if I wasn't really into it (before). But thanks to the ladies of Lipstick Jungle, I am now so into it.




He got himself a black one. We are now the iPhone couple :)

Labels: Gadgets

Here are some of the things that I learned from the eLawyer conference the other day:

• There is freedom of speech in blogosphere. You can write whatever you want (doesn't matter whether you are a Blogger or a commenter) but you have to be responsible of the stuff you wrote. There's liability for speech. Think before you write.

• Everything that you produced yourself - be it the entries/articles you wrote, or photographs that you took, or graphics/songs/artistic works that you created - are considered Intellectual Property, and are automatically protected by copyright laws, with or without the copyright trademark.
  

• Anyone who copies copyrighted materials without consent is infringing the copyright laws and can be prosecuted in court. It's that illegal!

• If you want to copy or post articles, pictures, videos, etc that doesn't belong to you, give credit to source or ask owner's permission.

I didn't really pay attention on the second topic (about defamation) bcoz my mind was elsewhere (thinking about my baby to be exact), so I can't talk much about it. Perhaps you can ask my husband coz he seemed so into it (my sister could not make it btw).



p/s: I just found out quite recently about another copycat. Macam cendawan jer mereka nih...

Labels: Blogging

Oh dear.


I am at the stage where my hair is falling out like nobody's business. The postnatal hair loss. I know it's normal but it's still freaking me out. Whatever I do - shampooing, brushing, even lightly touching my hair would shed, not a few, but a handful strands of hair. Having a long hair only worsen it.


It's time to get a haircut.
And perhaps a new shampoo too.

Labels: Beauty/Skincare

My sister and I are going to attend this conference tomorrow.




I need to know my rights as a Blogger, and what I should do when cases like this happen.

Anyone else going?

Labels: Events/Activities

Besides those fabulous clothes and shoes and bags and accessories (I dig most of Nico's necklaces and rings btw), I also noticed that all the 3 ladies of Lipstick Jungle use iPhones. In fact, I started to notice that more than the bags they wore after watching the second season.






Now I feel like having one.

Labels: Gadgets

The only time I have for myself now is when my baby is sleeping and my husband is at work. It's great to be able to escape into my own little world, doing whatever it is to put myself at ease, even if it's just for a mere 10 minutes. Everybody needs a break, no? Even for a full-time breastfeeding mom.


I have been spending my "me time" on bed, enjoying a tub of chocolate ice-cream while watching Lipstick Jungle on my laptop these past few days. It's literally a guilty pleasure - spoiling my diet with ice-cream is a guilt, watching my favorite TV show is a pleasure.


Now after 2 complete seasons and an empty ice-cream tub, I'm planning to catch up on my readings. I haven't done any readings ever since I moved into our new house (reading 'The Wheels On The Bus' book to my baby does not count as one).


How do you spend your "me time", ladies?

Labels: Random Stuff

A part of me wants to roll on the floor laughing out loud. But another part of me feels sorry for her.
Seriously, what was she thinking?


Read this to find out what I'm talking about.

Labels: Random Stuff

A very good old friend of mine who just got back from the States, came for a visit quite recently with her adorable son... and she bought some presents for my little girl. One of them is a musical mobile from Fisher Price (actually, I asked her a favor to get it for me since it's cheaper over there; I was going to pay!).


So usually, when I put my baby in the cot and turned on the musical mobile, she would just lay quietly with her eyes glued to the dancing friends, mesmerized by the soothing sound of Mozart.


But today something different happened. I was in the bathroom having my shower, and as usual I put her in the baby cot with the musical mobile turned on to distract her for a while, when suddenly I heard something. It sounded like a cat, but of course it wasn't a cat. It was her, talking (squeaking, more like) to her Rainforest friends!








(I had to cut the video into two bcoz the size is a tad too big for YouTube)

Labels: Mommyhood and Baby

Just when I was thinking of getting a new pair of good jeans without breaking the bank, this great news came to my email:




I was elated! I have been having this problem of not having any jeans to wear - I've 2 pairs of Seven jeans (both new with tags), 3 pairs of worn Levi's jeans, Guess, Rock & Republic, MNG, Topshop - all that I CANNOT fit in bcoz I haven't totally slimmed down yet.


I wonder if I could donate more than a pair.


And err... do you think maternity jeans count as well? It's jeans too (and it's new and unworn!) ;p

Labels: Fashion

Would you believe me if I say I fly an airplane?



Yup, I was the co-pilot on a Boeing-747 flight from KL to London about 2 weeks ago. It only took 20 minutes to arrive in London, and I didn't get to go shopping there bcoz we flew back to KL the minute we touched down - bcoz it was a flight simulator! ;p


MAS was actually having a special session for Bloggers to experience a flight simulator program. It is an official flight simulator, where the same equipment is used by all MAS pilots for training purposes. I guess this program was like a crash course for us Bloggers.




It was tempting tho; I feel like pressing each and every button just to know what would happen. But I dare not bcoz even tho we were not really flying, the whole aircraft thing is similar to the real thing - the pressure and everything (it is after all, a simulator). I had to remind myself for a million times that this was not like Daytona racing arcade game.






It was definitely one of the coolest experience I've ever had. My husband was green with envy bcoz he wanted to experience it so badly (he stayed in the car, looking after Ayra while I was in there). We were each given a certificate for the completion of the program (does that mean I can fly a real airplane now? ;p).




Btw, many people might not know this but the MAS Flight Simulator is actually open to public. If I'm not mistaken, one has to pay RM500 for a 15-minute session.

Labels: Events/Activities

I was told by my parents that holding/lifting my baby too much would make her clingy. My confinement nanny said that it's okay to just let babies cry bcoz that's what they do - cry. A part of me thought they made sense; but a bigger part of me wondered, does being there for my baby and responding to her needs would have more negative effects on my baby than positive? So I did a little research on the Internet and found this article, and I thought of sharing it here:


Contrary to what we have been taught to believe, research shows that babies who are held and carried all the time and get their need for touch well-met in their first year do not become clingy and overly dependent. They cry much less and they grow to become happier, more intelligent, more independent, more loving and more social than babies who spend much of their infancy in infant seats, swings, cribs, and all the other plastic baby-holding gadgets that don't provide babies with human contact.


Slings are different than front carriers. A sling is like a hammock. From newborn to the sitting-up stage, babies' spines are best supported in slings because their weight is distributed along the length of the spine. Front carriers that hold the infant upright with their legs hanging down, can stress the spine because they put all the baby's weight at the base of the spine.


When we wear/carry a baby, we are providing more than the comfort of the sound of our heartbeat and voice and the touch and warmth of our body. According to research by James Prescott, a developmental neuropsychologist and cross cultural psychologist, "vestibular-cerebellar stimulation (which happens when we carry our babies) is the most important sensory system for the development of "basic trust" in the affectional bonding between mother and infant. It establishes the biological and psychological foundations for all other human relationships." We have learned that carrying infants is a vital part of nature's biological plan for mother-infant bonding, and that it is critical to the development of trust, empathy, compassion and conscience. Carrying or wearing an infant in a sling, keeping the infant in constant human contact, and breast feeding on demand are the biological design for optimal physical, intellectual and emotional human development. Research confirms that carrying human infants develops their intelligence and their capacity for trust, affection, intimacy, and love and happiness. Anthropologist Ashley Montagu refers to this carrying stage, or "in arms" period, as the "external gestation period" the infant needs to complete his/her development. There is even a brand of sling called "Womb with A View."


For decades, we have been taught to believe that holding babies too much "spoils" them, even though in much of the rest of the world, babies are and always have been carried or worn in a sling all day until they could walk. In cross-cultural studies of child rearing practices, James Prescott found that the countries that are the least violent are the countries where babies are constantly carried or worn on the body of the mother/caregiver. The United States has the highest rate of crime and violence in the world and it has the lowest number of constantly carried babies in the world. Is there a connection here?


Meeting our infant's biological need for human contact is not about following a particular parenting philosophy. It is about honoring and adhering to nature's biological plan for optimum human development. Keeping our infants in almost constant human contact for nine to twelve months may sound like an impossible goal in modern society. Sleeping with our infants provides that contact at night. Holding them or wearing them in a sling will give them more of the human contact they need. Now that research has shown that holding babies does not "spoil" them, but is, in fact, what they need most, we would be wise to listen to our hearts and "hold that baby all the time."


You can read the full version of the article here.

Labels: Mommyhood and Baby

Yay, I have now mastered the ways to get my baby in and out of my Hotsling without needing the bed! Senang jer rupanya. I should have watched the instructional DVD in the first place.


I now wear my baby whenever we go out. We rarely use the stroller now bcoz wearing her seems easier and I don't have to keep on checking her for like every minute bcoz she's just right under my nose. In fact, both me and my husband think she prefers being carried in the pouch rather than the baby carrier bcoz she's at ease when she's in there. I guess the snugness must've reminded her of being in the womb.







Little that I know carryring a baby in a pouch is attention-grabbing! It's like, every 1 in 5 people would look at us in astonishment and say things like "ala comelnya" and "cuba tengok baby tu". One pakcik even said, "nampak confident jer bawak baby macam tu".


I am a proud baby-wearer! :)




**UPDATED**


Since some of you have been asking where I purchased my Hotslings, I purchased mine at The Lil Caliph Online Store (TLC). Just so you know, TLC is the sole distributor of Hotslings in Malaysia so that's the only place you can get those hot pouches.


And here's a good news to my fellow readers. Just enter the promo code: thepinkstilettos under Discount Coupon at checkout and you can get 10% discount on your Hotslings! (promotion starts after midnight tonight)

Labels: Mommyhood and Baby

I got this info from a booklet that was given during my antenatal class when I was pregnant some time ago.
Each baby has a particular style of feeding. See if you can recognize your baby's dining behavior:


Barracudas - Get right down to business. As soon as they are put to the breasts they grasp the nipple and suck energetically for 10-20 minutes. In their enthusiasm they sometimes bite down too hard, which can be painful for you.


Excited - Become frantic at the sight of the breast. In a frenzied cycle they grasp it, lose it and start screaming in frustration. They must be calmed down several times during each feeding. The key is to feed him as he wakes up, before he gets desperately hungry. Also, if milk tends to spray as the baby struggles, it may help to manually express some to slow down the flow.


Procrastinators - Cannot be bothered with nursing until the milk comes in. They're not interested and it's no use trying to force them. Do not give them bottle of formula. The best solution is to wait until they are ready, they do well once they finally get started. Express the breasts manually or with a pump to stimulate milk production. Don't give up.


Gourmets - Playing with the nipple, tasting the milk first and smacking their lips before digging in. If hurried or prodded they become furious and scream in protest. The best solution is tolerance. After a few minutes of playing they do settle down and nurse well.


Resters - Prefer to nurse for a few minutes, rest a few minutes and resume nursing. Some fall asleep on the breast, nap for half an hour or so, then awake ready for dessert. This pattern can be agonizing and tiring for the mother. It's best to schedule extra time for feedings and remain as flexible as possible.


So which one is your baby?


My baby is a rester most of the time. She would suck for 5 minutes, stop to gaze at me or the ceiling or the curtain behind me for 3 minutes, continue sucking for awhile, stop again to smile and grin at me, continue sucking, and then "talk" to me before continue to suck again. It's almost like she's hanging out at a cafe enjoying ice-blended drink or something. Sometimes she even falls asleep on my breast for awhile. And when she wakes up, she would finish off her drink in a hurry like the cafe is about to close! It's so cute and I enjoy watching her behaviors, altho it can be tiresome especially when I'm sleepy.




But early in the morning (at around 4ish am when she first woke up), she would turn into a Barracuda. She would suck vigorously for 10-15 minutes before falling asleep. She only wakes up 2-3 hours later to be fed again.


Either way, it's good to know that I have finally learn her feeding pattern. It takes a lot of effort and patience especially during the first few weeks after giving birth when my milk supply was not that much, but it's all worthwhile :)

Labels: Mommyhood and Baby

Altho making your own lip scrub can save money, it does have a few cons. Messy is one thing, leceh is another. Now that I am a mommy to a soon-to-be 3 months old baby, I rarely have time for myself. My baby's need is my number one priority than my own, so everything I want to do, I have to do it in a jiffy - especially when it comes to grooming. I don't totally ditch all the routines; I just spend less time doing it. Which is why I find making my own lip scrub is somewhat cumbersome.


So instead, I opt for over-the-counter alternative (or in my case, over-the-Internet) - The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ. It works just as great as my DIY lip scrub but it saves my time, easier, not messy and it's a lot yummier. The lip scrub comes in 6 delectable flavors - Vanilla Bean, Almond Creme, Cinnamon Sugar, Cocoa, Brown Sugar and Peppermint. I chose Vanilla Bean and upon applying it on my lips, I could almost taste maple syrup drizzled over fluffy pancakes, with vanilla ice-cream, slices of bananas and chopped nuts. Mmm mmmhhh...




The packaging is another thing to lust for. With a white ribbon tied on the little brown box, it looks just like a gourmet chocolate. It's totally a splurge! And it lasts foreverrrr....

Labels: Beauty/Skincare