apprehension

err... welcome to 2 new readers.

i will personally make your lives a living hell if you let out my secrets.

thank you for reading :D.

lots of love,
tila member.

grievances

i should be finishing up my never-ending minutes, but since the minutes are never-ending, i dont think think i'll ever finish them up. by the time the current batch is completed, the new batch comes in.

i cannot believe why people need to talk so much during meetings. why they need to have so many meetings to talk about the same thing especially. geez.

can you tell i'm a disgruntled employee?

i know, get a new job. ok ok... i will... i hope... here comes the excuses --> but its already almost the end of the year and that means my bonus will also be coming hopefully in the 1st quarter of 2010. so, i should wait for that shouldnt i?

sigh.

busy bee

it was a busy busy weekend. it started with a day off on friday that was spent at the consumer tribunal in kl. which ended unfavorably for us. long story short, we paid rm8k for a maid that ran away, we asked the agency for a refund, they refused, so we took the agency to the consumer tribunal court. unfortunately, the tribunal only agreed to refund us 44% of what we had paid to the agency. which basically is just the maid's advanced salary LESS the number of days the silly girl "worked" (and i use the term very very very loosely) with us. i is so hangryyy... with the agency, with the judge, with the silly maid... oh well... thats rm4.6k down the drain and i have nothing to show for it. eff lah.

on to chirpier things. on saturday i visited 2 homes: my sister and another girlfriend who are both in puchong (and managed to have meals in both homes in the span of 2 hours... glutton!), i zoomed back to kepong so my son could have a rest and i could do my nails and later feed and bathe him, zoomed into kl to get the husband and then we zoomed to another party. so tired. but i also felt so productive. imagine, i could even fit in a mani and pedi session. of course, my little boy was kacau-ing me the whole time. thank God for playpens and fun song factory dvds... ok ok... and for pacifiers (kills me to say it though).

on sunday, treat of all treats, the husband didnt have to go in to work. yippee! so we all went for another birthday party in the afternoon and got back home with lots of time for some much needed lazing in front of the tv. in the evening we went to a nearby pasar malam and i had my fill of durians. sadly, the husband and my son were running away from me. in my sons case, he was running away screaming --no joke!

so now, back to work and boy do i have a lot of work. bosan work some more.

have i mentioned that i anger with the stupid maid agency?

the long raya break (well not so long for me)

once again, eid mubarak / selamat hari raya to all my muslim friends.

thank God for long weekends. i was so looking forward to this year's raya break. although i didnt really take any extra days off so i had saturday through tuesday off.

we spent the weekend here in kl as we had a birthday function to attend but we wanted to take etha*n to the beach and so we drove down to seremban on sunday evening & spent the night in an uncle's home. my gmil, mil, niece, nephew and their maid came along as well. we all got up early on monday morning and drove to a nice private, quiet & clean beach in PD. we brought our tikar & snacks & plastic pails for the kids to play.

etha*n was a bit afraid of the water & waves. probably because it was a bit mendung that day & the water was chilly. luckily i had enough sense to dress him in those diver-type suits instead of just swimming trunks so he wasnt too exposed to the chilliness. luckily also my mil had brought along swimming diapers for the toddlers. i kinda forgot about that. actually, even if i had remembered, i dont know where to get them. where do you get them? they look like pull-up pants but they dont seem to soak water the way normal diapers do. mental note to self: find swimming diapers.

ok so, he was a bit takut of the water & waves, but eventually warmed up enough to enjoy it. got into the sea with his father & waited for the waves to come crashing at them. farnee. after a while, i took him to the beach to play with the sand & the plastic thingies. he seemed to enjoy both the sea & the sand.

my niece whos also my godchild is only 6 months older to etha*n, and i had a good time irritating her. she doesnt like the sand & so i kept rubbing the stuff all over her. of course in the end, i was on the losing end cos i had to take her into the sea to wash it all off again. but it was funny.

unfortunately, they were only able to play for about an hour before the black clouds came threatening to rain. lo & behold, just as i told everyone to finish up & get dressed it started to drizzle. luckily by then etha*n was already dressed & had a hat on & was sitting under a tree with his jijima (great-grandma).

so that was our beach escapade. short. but we came back to kl & took him swimming in the pool again the next day. so he got to spend some more time swimming again.

& now we're all back at work. but everyone else in the country is probably still on leave cos the roads are so clear. thank God. & though i'm in the office, i can still relax & do my own things since none of the bosses are here. yeehaww!

methinks a shopping session is up this afternoon :-p.

my christmas wish list ;p

christmas is coming (ok fine, AFTER raya & deepavali, but it IS coming). & i’ve got my heart set on some things. we had planned to paint our walls. but then we ventured into planning for other things in the home too haha. ok lah, maybe we wont be able to do everything all together. But hopefully, we’ll get to each one at some point in our lives :D.

so the big-ticket items i wish for are:

newly painted walls

new doors for the bedrooms

new floors for the bedrooms

a second car

~***~

and for myself personally:

the ultimate lift from levis

killer shoes

a christmas dress

plush towels

good skin

long lashes

i wish i was a jackpot winner. since i'm not, i guess i’ll just have to depend on my personal ingenuity and look for cheaper gratifications. hmmm…

oh ya, i almost forgot. a belated selamat hari raya to all my muslim friends. i hope it was a good one!

A(H1N1) Influenza

when the virus first hit malaysian shores, i quickly shot an email to my entire office requesting them to take care. takuts.

the spread has been so fast. today the papers reported 12 new cases making it a total of 80 cases todate. very efficient this virus.

i would like to ask everyone to be careful. take care of yourselves, your family, your community and finally, the general society. i feel so sad and afraid for those young kids who have contracted this flu.

i am so worried for my own 11mth old son. i also get angry with those who are taking it very lightly --these include my own family members too. some people think i'm just being a bit over-the-top. i dont think so. i too find it a challenge to be constantly conscious of what i do, where i go. but we should all try.

i'm sure everyone knows what the A(H1N1) virus is but just to reiterate what we already know, the following FAQ can also be found on: http://thestar.com.my/.

Influenza A (H1N1) FAQ

What is the A (H1N1) influenza?
It is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. It regularly causes high flu outbreaks in pigs but with low death rates. There are four main sub-types of the virus, but the most recent isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

How does it spread?
Influenza A (H1N1) viruses do not typically infect humans though they do occur through close proximity or contact with infected pigs or contaminated areas. Cases of human-to-human spread have been documented.

What are the symptoms?
The symptoms are similar to those of regular flu:
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Lack of appetite
- Vomiting and diarrhoea in some cases.

How common is the A (H1N1) flu infection in humans?
In the past reports of about one human A(H1N1) flu virus infection had been received every one to two years in the United States. From December 2005 till February 2009, 12 cases have been reported.

Has this strain of flu been seen before?
No. Flu mutates constantly, so it is common for new strains to emerge. Pigs can also be infected with both human and avian influenza, and the current circulating A (H1N1) flu strain appears to contain genetic elements from all three.

Can the A (H1N1) flu be treated with antiviral drugs and flu vaccine?
The A (H1N1) flu is resistant to two common drugs – Amantadine and Rimantadine. The A (H1N1) flu viruses are very different from human H1N1 viruses. Therefore, vaccines for human seasonal flu would not provide protection. However, a “seed vaccine” has been specifically tailored to this swine flu and will be manufactured if officials deem it necessary.

Can people catch A (H1N1) flu by eating pork?
No. The A (H1N1) influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 70ºC and above kills the swine flu virus.

How long is someone with the A (H1N1) flu considered contagious?
People with the A (H1N1) influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic; possibly for up to seven days following the onset of the illness. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What can I do to protect myself from the A (H1N1) flu?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against the A (H1N1) flu.
However, you can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza by:

- Covering your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or handkerchief when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the waste basket after you use it.

- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also helpful

- Try to avoid close contact with sick people. - If you get sick with influenza, stay at home and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

- Consult your nearest healthcare facility if you think you have any of the symptoms.

What precautions are in place in Malaysia?
- The Health Ministry’s operations room in Putrajaya has started a 24-hour monitoring of the situation. The public can call 03-8881 0200/300 for enquiries.

- Those returning from Latin American countries and found to have flu-like symptoms will be quarantined.

- Health Ministry officials are conducting health screenings on passengers arriving from the United States.

- Thermal scanners will be placed at international airports to speed up the screening process for A (H1N1) flu.

- Public and private medical practitioners have been instructed to report to the district health office any patient with influenza-like illnesses or severe pneumonia symptoms and who had travelled to the affected countries after April 17.

- Travel Advisory from the foreign ministry


Where can I get more information?
For more information, go to the Health Ministry (http://www.moh.gov.my/) or call the Ministry's hotline at (03) 8881-0200/300.

Useful Links:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.kln.gov.my/
World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/
Homeland Security Department: http://www.dhs.gov/
WHO A (H1N1) flu page: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

long hiatus

hello... err... audience... (so perasan)

it's been a while now since i posted an entry. my life has been a bit hectic with childcare logistics since april so excuse me for the very long absence :-)

some updates:

1) my mil's maid who was taking care of my son decided to leave earlier than expected
2) my son stayed in puchong (sister's house) with my mom as we had no one to take care of him
3) we applied for a maid from march but we'll only get her in july (4months arghhh)
4) i was pregnant but had a miscarriage in my 6th week :-( so sad
5) my son flew to sabah with my mom for 3 weeks because we had no one to take care of him :-(
6) i was so sad that first week that the husband took pity on me & bought me a return ticket to sabah so i could spend my 1st mother's day with my son :-)
7) my son & mom came back to kl in june so im happy again
8) we're waiting for the maid to come
9) etha*ns turning one in a couple more weeks so birthday planning is in progress
10) i'm getting itchy to try something new -thinking of baking cupcakes?
11) believe it or not i've started going to the gym but dont get too excited, i just started
12) my childhood home has been torn down to make way for a new house. quite sad also lah.
13) i'm updating my cv (since time immemorial)

my son is growing up just fine. hes got 8 gigi altogether & can walk but only a few steps. he can say mama but usually only when hes cranky. im now thinking what to get for him for his 1st bday. maybe a toy car? he seems to be fascinated with my steering wheel.

the husband is now also itchy to get a new job. me too lah for that matter. but i'll let him change first before i do since i think my situation is more bearable than his.

this swine flu thing is giving me the creeps. my bil is in australia now so when he comes back to kl, we'll be staying away from him for awhile. but, the husband pulak going to spore to watch the liverpool game. ishk. i got the flu jab already. only rm45 at my old gp in puchong. actually its rm50 but since the dr likes me so much, shes only charging rm45. i didnt fall sick after that, lucky me. but my sil did. apparently it happens right after you get the jab. dr says the jab is actually the flu virus which they introduce to your immune system for it to step up a notch and become stronger. i knew that :-).

cant think of what else to update at the moment. IF i get into this baking thing, i'll take a couple of pictures :-).