Lazy Daisy

Just 15 minutes, snap snap, click click… and wallah, my nonsense in published. Is that so hard? Umm… yes, too much work to do, my boss is on my tail, my house needs sanitizing and this and that blah, blah, blah…

 Okay, so u figured out that i’m talking about myself and my excuses for not blogging for the past…..6 mths?? I really don’t know, couldn’t be bothered. Don’t even have the time to go sebok other people’s blog.

2007 ended with no bang this time, pretty lame for me… I used to love the celebrations, not the booze, people but the thought of welcoming the new year. Maybe age caugth up with me and the year end seemed mundane and unexciting. Maybe it was because so much has not happened – the durian did not runtuh? no news from the 3 wise men? Or maybe, too much has happened and i just needed time to reflect. I hate it.

 Lets see, things that made me smile in 2007… (in no specific order of course) 1. I’m a better mom. 2. Lost some weight (important) 3. Learnt to blog  4. Renewed my website www.klmom.com ownership (for whatever reason)  5. Seeing my parents enjoy their only grandchild  6. Changing my work attitude  7. Having new colleagues  8. Singing & learning with my daughter  9. Family member walopping food that i prepare 

Things that could have been different… 1. Uncle Henry’s death  2. Going back to the gym  3. Losing contact with friends 4. Losing my valuables to shitty snatch theft  5. Going on more holidays  6. Remembering birthdays  7. Giving rather than receiving  8. Doing more charitable stuff  9. Family gatherings (non-immediate)  10. Promotions and better incentives at work.

 I’m sure i can think of a thousand more but remember i’ve only 15 minutes which ended about close to 30 mins now. 2007 wasn’t bad, really. No financial crisis, no major tragedy cept for Uncle’s death… i can’t complain.

We complain that we have no shoes to wear, but think about the person who has no feet.

Good night, everyone!

U Look Better, Fat!

It was not put into so little words but it meant the same, technically. Have u had anyone say to you that you actually look better with more fats? Well, I have.

Let me put it down on record that it’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard of from some auntie-in-law. More insulting is that it was conveyed to me through to my hubby. It’s like stab first then twist the knife for the full effect… Oouch!

Yes, I’ve put on a fair amount of weight since my pregnancy days and it is all my doing. I’ve quit gym after freezing my membership for eons, finding no time to go back. Demotivated, with no hope of reforming (pun intended), I’ve let myself slip. Not a lot, 4-5 kgs max, but enough to start the ball rolling.

I spent most of my life controlling my weight, thought about it constantly but today, at thirty plus, I’ve decided to be more lenient on myself. It’s a tough battle which I am not going to sweat out …well, yet. You see, a certain lady at the gym used to get my attention. Now, don’t get any strange ideas, I’m straight. Yet, she inspires me a great deal. She’s probably in her forties, and her body is magnificently fit. I would say, better than most of the young cikus there.

So yeah, I’d like to head that way too. I believe I can do it especially when it comes to regimes like these. Diets are not listed in my vocabulary but thanks anyway.

How do you shed your pounds, anyway?

Parenting Room

Did I tell you that Subang Parade has a smacking ‘baby room’ since their reno to upgrade the whole building? They call it ‘Mother’s Room’ and it’s really clean with all the convenience from breastfeeding rooms to the microwave oven. I love it all except one thing….

All was going well until one day a cleaner lady shooed my hubby out from the room. I was filled with awe and disgust that my baby’s father wasn’t allowed in the room with us. My immediate reflex was to give the lady a hard cold stare and told my hubby to ignore the bitch.

On our next few visits, it was the same and I had to go in alone. What bothered me was, what if my hubby was alone with our daughter and he needed to change her? Will he be denied access for the BIG emergencies just because he’s a man, a good father? Where is he to go then, the men’s room? (Hmm… do they even have baby changing tables at the men’s room?) Or what if he was a single parent? Still cannot, ah? Hiyo…

It’s so gender bias. No wonder a majority of our Malaysian men are hopeless in childcare simply because our society has shaped them that way. Everything is so ‘mother’ dependant… and I wonder if every wife / woman take that in her stride without hesitation or question.

I try to look at this in their point of view. Really, I tried. It is probable that certain groups are afraid of male proximity in an enclosed area. But we’re not talking about strange men walking in alone unaccompanied by a child (haha… normally it’s the other way round, no?) but obvious father & child… and in my case, the mom is there too! So what’s the fuss?

The breastfeeding rooms have solid doors and there’s a small sitting area which my husband normally is with the stroller. There’s also a girl stationed in the room to secure the place and give advice. Is that not good enough?

Parenting is a two person’s job and there are fathers who want to be a part of their child’s development – yes, even changing diapers. Whilst we mothers can change our babies’ diaper alone, it would be much better with someone else’s support – morally or otherwise.

Perhaps, with all the crime happening in my country, it’s better to be safe than sorry? So if my girl poo-pooed and my hubby has no where to change her, don’t complain about our bad parenting or the nauseating smell. Didn’t you know, my hubby might hurt some mothers in the ‘Mother’s Room.’

So, here are some good & clean baby changing rooms which I like (and allow daddy’s to participate in the act of diaper changing):

· Ikano

· Ikea

· The Curve

· Jaya Jusco, 1U

My Mi Rocks!

Ohhh… I forgot to tell you that I finished the book. It’s fantastic, go read it if you are a working mom. I don’t think it’ll strike your cord if you’re not one…. And it might even deter you from planning to start a family??

The ending is kind of predictable but it makes Kate a heroin. A happily ever after kind of story… but not sure if us working moms can emulate such greatness in reality. Oh well… it’s fictional after all.

Anyway, this may be a little late, but happy mother’s day to every mom out there.

To my own Mi, who’s not going to know about this blog, thank you for sacrificing your job to take on the hardest job in the world. A great career move minus the perks. Love ya lots! *muaks*

My Catch 22

If you are not sure what that is, look it up. In my dictionary, Catch 22 is when u do something you’ll die and if you don’t you’ll also die. Like one of Bart Simpson’s fav phrases, “You do and you’re damned, you don’t and you’re damned.”

 I feel exactly like that some days… at work… at home… in life… aisey… *sigh*

 I think my lack of sleep is talking here. Anyhow, I have to go to a meeting to get shot now.

Yep, how does a corporate woman deal with family, kids, a husband and home chores? That’s what I plan to find out from this fictional book by Allison Pearson.

I’m only a quarter through the book and so far, it’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one who looks forward to going back to the office “to rest”. And yes, the brain does multi-task and skip from non-related thought to thought.

I cannot comment much of the book at the moment, as I am SLOW reading. Maybe 3-4 chapters in a week?!!! Really there are days when I do not want to torment my brain by feeding it more words to digest… and these days are known as TV days. Junk food for my brain.

So what are you reading at the moment? Do you even read? If you are Malaysian, your answer will most likely be ‘NO’ or something silly like ‘does CLEO count?’. Umm… Please, just say NO.

An Employee

This is a continuation of the series “Who Am I?” I’m quite reluctant to write about this topic because I may become all emo and start firing bullets to un-named bosses and colleagues. So, let’s make this fast and painless.

At work, I play the role of the ‘follower’ kowtowing to people demands and requests. Like u, I hate office politics, but I dwell in office secrets and do my fair share of gossiping about evil people. Well, working is life and life should be fun, right?!

I don’t think I am a bad employee neither do I get praises and awards. Whatever it is, I’ll stick to my policies and will not DIE for a company. Painful lesson learnt once. After all, the company that I am in does not appreciate good nor loyal staff.

So here I am grazing on my patch of …errr… the grass has long gone but there’s still some weed, thank gawd. My pay is below market rate for sure and the good people have all gone. Wonder why I still exist.

I get along well with my colleagues, even the evil ones… so, I guess I’m ok. Only need to develop more ‘positive thinking’ and see past ‘road blocks’… according to one boss some.

But hell, don’t tell me how to fcking think and feel. I hate that. I hate that from the bottom of my income tax, EPF and SOCSO files.

I feel a missile coming, better go…

My girl is a toddler!

So much time has passed and i didn’t even realise it until recenlty that my little princess is now a toddler. No more that tomato shaped face baby…

Almost 13 mths old, it’s really amazing how much they grow within that short time. (Although, for us parents it has been a tough long one.) Soon, she’ll be going to school and later dating boys. Gulp, i better hold back my eyelids and not blink so that time won’t fly.

The cake picture is her first custom made one. Cookie Monster is her fav. Sesame Street character. She calls him ” Coo.. coo” and says “C” when u ask her what Cookie Monster says (after the song “C is for Cookie” – go download it.)

Blue icing is hideous to eat… remember that!

Who am I?

All this while I’ve been thinking of subjects and thoughts to share but i’ve forgotten the most important one. Who I am.

Lets see, since my blog name, klmom, carries a small part of my identity, i will start describing myself as a mother.

I am mother of one darling daughter who turns 1 tomorrow. Being a mom is a whole career on its own. After getting off work, upon entering my house i dawn on a different role like superman changing into his super suit only my undies are not outside. My functions and responsibilities are worlds apart from my day job. But my point is, it is a job.

Maybe not many will agree with me or even call it fair to call motherhood a ‘job’. It doesn’t sound humane but consider the responsibilities and function of a mother. But really, just because you have a kid it doesn’t mean u don’t have a bad day. We have bad hair days, don’t we?

So my task entails washing, cleaning, cooking, playing, guarding, transporting, singing, teaching, pacifying, reading, feeding, changing… the list goes on. It’s a job where getting your hands dirty and i mean disgustingly dirty is a must. Experience is not necessary but an advantage if you have some.

The perks? Well, there are many cherished moments that cannot be bought or replaced. These are the good times which I wish to remember and use as a motivator to keep smiling through bad days. To have a mini ‘me’ hug and kiss me just makes me warm all over and increases my guilt for all those boiling moments i’ve had.

It’s a tiring job. I salute all stay-home moms, it’s takes a lot to leave the work force and face screaming rascals who throws up just to make a point.

Better yet, how do they maintain their warm smiles and look like cream cakes after a whole day? Why do i look like i came out from the washing machine?

For this title, “mother”, the more patience you have the better. I fair somewhere in the middle, i think. Another thing that u MUST have in order to survive is not parental skills, it’s the love for children. With it, you’ll sail. It’s ok if you don’t like children or feel like they’re as strange as aliens. The earlier months did feel like i was nursing an alien.

With all that said, i must say being a mother is more than what i have expected. When people say your life will change, no one told you about the specifics. I know now…

Another child? Erm… i have to get back to you on that another time. It’s a scary thought though…

So, that’s me. A mother.

 

New Job

I feel like I am working else where in another company. That’s the reason why I have been err…missing all this while. New processes, new reporting, new boss and altered functions, all the things you normally get when u begin in a new company. Unfortunately, I’m still in the same one facing the same white walls.

I don’t like change as much as anyone else. It interrupts my equilibrium – how i function, the speed i move and above all, my expectations. I feel like I’m surfing on a layer of molten lava, waiting for it to cool and harden and pray that it will not burn me to ashes in the process.

The company is striving one last time to survive. So, how do I play my part? First option is to abandon ship and reject all new ideas. Runaway before we all get killed together. The other is to give it one last go… every last drop of blood we have and make it to safer grounds if not greener pastures. I chose option two.

Interrupting my equilibrium is a definite must whichever option I choose. Getting a new boss is also part of it. While the second choice does not force me to move out from my environment, it only toughens me .

It doesn’t matter to me if it will work or not, at least we will learn something from all this. But, with the new directions, I’m feeling quite confident that we will pull out from where we are. It is possible.

But if I am wrong… well, I guess I’d have more time to blog then and start my pet project. Wish me luck.