Sunday, October 30, 2016

Nexus Resort & Spa Karambunai, Sabah

As an avid stay-cationer, I have my bucket list of hotels and resorts to stay in Malaysia. One of them is the Nexus Resort & Spa Karambunai, Kota Kinabalu Sabah.

Located just 30 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu city, the resort boasts stunning view of the South China Sea, sprawling beach and garden, golf course and 3 outdoor pools.

Our stay-cation this time was sponsored by my dear sister who booked us a family room. We reached the hotel at night and for a renowned resort, surprisingly the road leading to the resort was extremely dark with no lighting at all. Even when we reached the resort compound, it was quite difficult to determine the entrance to the hotel lobby due to the dim lighting and lack of road signs.

Checking in was a breeze and the valet even offered to park our car for us as the parking ground is quite far from the hotel lobby. Our room was located at fourth floor and it was probably 100m away from the lift, so it feels like! It was a huge relief to finally reached our room.

The family room is pleasantly spacious - basically family room are two rooms with a connecting door. The master room is fitted with a king-sized bed while the other room is appointed with two single beds. 

The master bedroom

The other room

In summary, these are the plus points of the resort:

1. All rooms are facing the sea - imagine falling asleep and waking up to the soothing sound of the waves crashing on the beach... We loved watching the sun rise and set from our balconies, and watching the blue, blue ocean from the comfort of our room. Bliss!

2. Spacious room - The room size is just right for our family. I love the ample space and the massive bathroom complete with vanity table, sink area, separate toilet (with hand bidet), bathtub and shower areas. 

3. The location - the resort is located by the beach and what a magnificent beach they have! White sands and blue ocean. It only takes five minutes to reach the beach and the sprawling beach ensured that everyone gets their space without ending up feeling crowded. I had the most relaxing time reading a book while enjoying the sea breeze by the sea. 

4. Entertainment - plenty of activities are offered at the resort for guests, from in-door games to cultural performance. For some fees, guests can also enjoy beach sports (beach volleyball, kayak, banana boat etc.) and horse-riding by the beach, while other amenities such as swimming pool and golf course is free for guests to enjoy. Other activities on the menu includes nature visits (guests have to sign up for the package) to see the wondrous of nature in Sabah. The resort does not leave out young guests when it comes to entertainment and even provided kids' activities at their Nexus Kids Club. The club offer packages of which at RM40++, parents can let their kids to explore a range of specially tailored activities (such as finger painting, fish feeding and other crafts making activities) while the adults get to enjoy their kind of activities.

5. Spa - My sister convinced me to try out the Borneo Spa and it was something that I did not regret. While not exactly the best massage I had experienced so far, it was quite decent and left me feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. The ambience in the spa is also impressive and promotes a sense of serenity with soothing water sounds to calm frayed nerves.

However, I also noted some areas for improvement at the resort:

1. Breakfast at Penyu Restaurant - For a five-star resort, the buffet spread is something that falls short of my expectation. The egg station is limited in choice of ingredients and runs out fast, and not much variety of menu spread offered. We had to call the restaurant staff several times to have our coffee and tea served because they never seem to come to our table!

2. Despite having numerous activities on the ground, the promotion is very poor that maybe some guests are not aware of the various entertainment available.

3. In this Internet age, being connected is extremely important. Thus, it's really disappointing to find out that WiFi is not available in the room.

4. The room decor and furniture are quite dated (when I sit on the bed, I can feel the mattress spring poking through the thinning mattress) while the table lamp didn't work. It's time for East Malaysia resort operators to step up their game and refurbish the hotel rooms because this seems to be the general complaints when it comes to major hotels and resorts over here.

5. Inadequate umbrella and deck chairs at the beach for the beach-goers.

'Living area' in the master room

LCD TV are available in both rooms

Bathtub in the master bathroom

Master bathroom

Shower area in the master bathroom

Hotel toiletries

Mini fridge and tea-making facilities are also available in the room

Amenities in the cupboard

Overall, it is a rather overpriced resort considering the obsolete amenities and the poor food quality served. I think staying here once is enough since there isn't much exciting factor for a repeat visit. Thankfully, the beach, entertainment facilities and the soothing spa services made the redeeming qualities of this resort & spa.

Verdict: 7/10

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Sunday, September 04, 2016

Tentang pendidikan anak-anak

Salam kawan2. Lama betul rasanya tak menjengah blog ni. Makin lama, makin ketandusan idea nak menulis ditambah dgn life yang busy sokmo.

Actually kali ni aku nak cerita pasal education. Aku memang big fan of education. Bagi aku, biar berhabis duit untuk upgrade knowledge or skill sebab mungkin satu hari nanti pengetahuan tu akan digunapakai.

Cita2 aku suatu hari nanti aku nak sambung ke tahap PhD, tapi memandangkan kesibukan kerja sekarang, Insya Allah aku akan pursue bila aku dah pencen kelak. Tu life goal aku la.

Tapi cerita ni bukan pasal education aku, tapi berkisar education anak2. Masa kat KL, aku sanggup la berhabis duit menghantar Khayla ke taska Cina/English. Aku bercita2 anak2 aku boleh menguasai bahasa asing, so seawal umur 2.5 tahun aku dah dedahkan dia dengan environment macam tu. Memang tak boleh lupa Khayla balik dari sekolah menyanyi lagu Cina, kadang2 dia tersasul sebut perkataan Cina! 

Tup2 pindah ke Bintulu. Jadi single parent most of the time, so aku terpaksa lupakan hasrat aku nak hantar dieorg ke sekolah Cina/English medium disebabkan tak banyak option yang ada kat area aku duduk sekarang. Kalau ada pun, dah penuh atau terlalu jauh.

Tapi sejak Suami Terchenta resign dan balik ke sini, aku terfikir balik nak hantar  ke tadika Cina. Tadika sekarang memang ok, cuma kalau nak register ke SJK (C) nanti, syaratnya kena hantar ke tadika Cina dulu.

En Suami pulak ada pandangan berbeza. Dia nak maintain je tadika sekarang sebab convenient. Dekat pun dekat, lepas tadika ada perkhidmatan pusat asuhan jugak. So dia agak berat menerima idea aku ni.

Tapi bagi aku, biarlah susah dulu, nanti pasti ada kebaikannya. Lagipun tak besar mana pun Bintulu ni. Paling lama pun 20 minit nak hantar ke tadika Cina tu. Cuma kakak je tak sempat nak enrol ke tadika tu, and semestinya tak layak register ke sekolah rendah Cina.

Lagi satu, aku nak expose anak2 dengan aktiviti tambahan supaya dieorang ada extra skills. Dua tahun lepas aku dah try hantar ke kelas arts. Tapi anak2 aku tak menunjukkan minat sangat. Lagi pun aktiviti kelas tu tak memberangsangkan langsung - setakat latihan mewarna je. Last2 tak jadi enrol.

Kali ni, aku try pulak enrol kelas piano. Hari ni first day Khayla belajar piano - so far dia nampak seronok belajar. Adik Khadeeja pulak try sekali tapi bila tanya dia nak ke belajar, cepat2 dia geleng kepala. Mungkin adik prefer aktiviti lasak macam belajar taekwando atau aikido. Lagi pun dia kecik sangat nak faham instruction cikgu muzik tu.

Dari sudut agama, aku carikan jugak cikgu mengaji untuk dieorang. Last2 jumpa seorang ustazah yang nak datang rumah mengaji. Harap2 nak la budak dua org tu belajar mengaji di rumah lebih2 lagi si adik yang manja tu. Kalau dia dah kata tak nak, memang tak boleh paksa. Kalau paksa jugak, mengamuk la jawabnya!

Ada jugak faedah bila dah pindah ke Bintulu. Boleh lebih fokus untuk mendidik anak2. Kalau kat KL, mungkin susah nak cari kelas mengaji, belajar piano atau taekwando yang dekat dengan rumah. Tapi pada masa yang sama, kalau di KL mesti banyak lagi aktiviti yang dieorg boleh join (baking, arts, nature etc.) asalkan rajin mencari je.

Sekarang pun aku dah kurangkan waktu bermain iPad. Caranya aku tak charge iPad langsung so dieorg tak boleh nak main game atau tengok YouTube. Sejak tu dieorg dah kurang bergaduh dan lebih kerap spend time main toys sama-sama. Yang paling aku suka ialah bila dieorang buat dialog ikut imaginasi sendiri. Aku sanggup temankan dieorg pegi taman permainan, main bubbles kat Pantai Tg. Batu atau even main kat indoor playground yang berbayar tu asalkan dieorg tak menghadap iPad. Biar dieorg menikmati masa kanak2 dengan bermain. Barulah balanced.

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Sunday, June 12, 2016

Salam Ramadhan...

Tahun ni, Ramadhan jatuh sehari lepas birthday aku yang ke-34. 3 hari pertama, aku tak dapat nak berpuasa dengan umat Islam yang lain, adatlah jadi perempuan ni. 

2 tahun kebelakangan ni, aku berpuasa sendiri lagi ditemani anak2 (yang tak berpuasa semestinya) so tak de lah aku beriya-iya nak memasak bagai. To be honest, sejak aku pindah sini, jarang bebenor dapur berasap melainkan bila En Suami Terchenta balik. So skill masakan aku tu dah berkurangan dengan sadisnya. Sampai masak kek instant pun boleh hangus, kau! Punya la teruk. Huhu.

Aku masak stok banyak-banyak lepas tu aku simpan dalam freezer untuk berbuka puasa (kalau tak berbuka puasa di rumah mak). Nikmatnya memang confirm kurang bila berbuka sorang-sorang, tapi aku take it positively. Hopefully boleh la aku kurus sikit bulan puasa ni kan!

Untuk sahur pulak, aku just buat shake (protein shake + oat) dengan jus epal hijau. Ada beberapa sebab aku tak makan nasi masa sahur. Pertama, aku takut nak turun ke dapur kat tingkat bawah pagi-pagi buta. Takut terserempak dgn cik Ti, Cik Li, atau Encik P (nauzubillah!). Bila husband jauh ni, aku memang akan kunci, double-lock pintu bilik tidur malam-malam. Tak berani nak turun sorang-sorang!

Kedua, aku risau sebab baru bulan lepas aku kena kencing kotor. Doktor cakap mungkin tak cukup minum air atau mungkin aku ada batu karang. So kena minum air banyak-banyak dan amalkan minum jus epal hijau. Bulan puasa ni, memang time nak amalkan minum air banyak dan jus epal hijau tu, terhad. Bila berbuka puasa, aku tak suka minum air banyak-banyak sebab lepas tu nak terawih asyik nak terkencing je bila bawak berdiri, duduk beberapa rakaat tu. So aku akan minum banyak-banyak masa sahur.

Ketiga, time sahur aku memang tak makan berat. Cukup minum shake, minum jus. Lepas tu aku akan sambung tidur sampai la dekat-dekat nak habis waktu Subuh (buruk bebenor perangai kan?)! Sebab biasanya anak-anak aku tidur lewat, so aku pun tidur lewat (mana boleh tidur kalau asyik kena hempap je dengan si adik!).

So cenggitu lah puasa aku sejak 2 tahun lepas. Mungkin ada yang tanya apasal aku tak berbuka puasa kat rumah mak je. Hmm. Tahun lepas mak aku suka berbuka puasa di masjid sebab dia salah seorang AJK yang sediakan lauk berbuka puasa. Tahun ni pulak, ikut mood la. Kadang-kadang prefer buka puasa kat rumah sendiri sebab lepas tu tak de la penat nak angkut budak-budak balik ke rumah.

Apa pun, aku bersyukur sebab tahun ni masih lagi diberi kesempatan untuk menjalani ibadah puasa, diberi rezeki untuk bersahur dan berbuka puasa, dan diberi kekuatan untuk mengharungi Ramadhan seorang diri tanpa suami di sisi 24 jam sehari. Sedang menghitung hari Suami Terchenta akan balik ke sini untuk mencuba nasib di bumi sendiri. Dalam keadaan ekonomi sekarang, harap-harap rezeki kami sentiasa diluaskan. Doa aku pada bulan Ramadhan ni ialah supaya Allah tunjukkan kepada kami jalan yang terbaik untuk kami dan Allah permudahkan kami untuk pilih jalan tersebut (baik di Sarawak mahupun di KL).

Sebab truthfully, aku dah penat sebenarnya. Penat berjauhan dengan soulmate. Cewah.

Salam Ramadhan semua!

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Sunday, May 15, 2016

iPad Mini Keyboard Review - Logitech and ZAGG

We all know that Apple launched iPad Pro last year to compete with Microsoft Surface tablet that could do pretty much all personal computer functions (spreadsheet, emails, presentation slides etc.) sans the bulkiness of a traditional laptop. Yup, personal computer is now up against tablet PC as the latter is now designed to replace desktop / laptop to suit current mobile lifestyle.

Even before iPad Pro was launched, I have been bringing my iPad around to attend discussions and meetings in the office. Microsoft integration with iOS has brought so much convenience in my life because it allows me to remote my desktop from my iPad, sync my notes on MS OneNote and still get the work done.

So you can see that I am a heavy user of iPad simply because it's much more mobile than a laptop. The only difference from a laptop is, iPad doesn't come with a keyboard. The on-screen keyboard is not really favourable because it takes up the already small screen space on the iPad mini.

So to maximise my productivity when I use my iPad mini to take down meeting notes or amend spreadsheets, I invested in iPad casing that comes together with a keyboard. There's not much options of keyboard cases for iPad mini to choose from compared to the other iPad models, but I managed to get these models and tried them out.

1. Ultrathin Keyboard Folio for iPad Mini (Logitech)

Ultrathin Keyboard Folio for iPad Mini from Logitech

Logitech needs no introduction since is a household name for computer peripherals including tablet computer. I can see why. True to its name, the keyboard folio is ultra thin and weighs slightly above 10oz. 

Retailing at slightly more than RM300, the keyboard folio comes in limited colour - black, grey or turquoise/white (however, I noted that the newer version comes in black, purple and grey). Like all other keyboards, it connects with the iPad via Bluetooth. It's easy to pair the keyboard with my iPad and once connected, it stays connected until the keyboard juice runs out. It also has an auto-wake / auto-sleep function to preserve the battery's life. Opening the case will wake the iPad mini and the keyboard is ready to be used instantaneously.

The case outer layer has a velvety feel to it and at a glance, it's easy to mistaken it for a boring ol' paper notebook cover (if not for its vivid turquoise colour). When you flip it open, the keyboard has only one viewing angle while typing. You can however flip the keyboard to the back if you want to transform the iPad back to its tablet form. Just switch off the keyboard and you are ready to go.

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio for iPad mini

In terms of function, it is effortless to type on the keyboard and doesn't require me to exert strong pressure to type. It also includes iOS short-cut keys for copy, paste, undo, volume adjustment and more, which are very convenient and time-saving. Furthermore, the layout closely resembles the QWERTY keyboard and doesn't feel cramped at all despite its small size.

The keyboard layout

After recharging the keyboard for the first time, the battery can lasts up to 3 months. The keyboard will inform you when it needs recharging by yellow blinking light on the right, above. Since the keyboard sync with the iPad using bluetooth adapter, I expected that the iPad will drain its battery faster, but thankfully, the keyboard's bluetooth hardly affected the iPad battery usage. 

The battery can last for months after recharged

Over the one year of using the keyboard, I found Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio user-friendly, and thought that I will get to use the keyboard for many years to come. Sadly, my daughter dropped the keyboard case and this happened:

The low-profile clip that keep the corners of the iPad firmly fastened to the frame broke when my daughter dropped my iPad

The problem with this keyboard is finally revealed - the low-profile clips turned out to be not sturdy and once dropped, the clip can break and render the folio case useless! After it broke, I could no longer fasten my iPad mini to the case. Some of the keys are also not functioning and renders the keyboard useless... *heartbroken*

I had no choice but to search for a more durable keyboard case for my iPad mini since I depends heavily on the keyboard.

So the search brought me to:

2. ZAGG Cover with Blacklit Keyboard for iPad Mini

Since now my criteria is a hardy keyboard case, I opted for the clamshell keyboard model which look sturdier than Logitech Ultrathin Folio Keyboard case. Price-wise, it is slightly more expensive than the former (retailing at RM399), but it is one of the thinnest keyboards available which is what I have in mind.

At one glance, the keyboard layout seems quite packed - the keys are arranged in 6 rows unlike Logitech's 5 rows. However, after a while, I got used to the layout and only got annoyed with the small numeric '1' key (due to its irregular size compared to the rest of the numeric keys) since I always hit number '2' thinking it is number '1'.

Here's what I like about ZAGG keyboard:

1. The clamshell design makes it look and feel like using a good ol' laptop sans the mouse. Other people often get impressed when they look at it and some even thought I had a mini laptop!

It turns my iPad mini into a mini laptop

2. The leather-textured cover feels sturdy and offers maximum protection to the iPad. As the case entire frame holds the iPad in, the will take a horrendous drop to break the entire case! No more worries about broken clip.

iPad slips inside the frame and the entire case hold the iPad in its place

The case outer layer is sturdy and the leather-like texture offers good grip

3. I can use the keyboard even in low-light environment, thanks to its backlit function. I can select different backlit colour which I find comfortable for my eyesight - from neon blue, neon pink, neon green, red and yellow.

How the keyboard looks like

4. The battery is also long-lasting just like Logitech's keyboard. Once fully-charged, the keyboard can lasts for 3 months before it needs to be re-charged. I can check the battery status by holding down 'CMD' + 'ALT' (with the battery sign) keys. Green light means the battery is still full.

The power switch is on the lower side

Just like the Logitech keyboard, ZAGG keyboard also includes short-cut keys which are very helpful.

Now, the down side which I find is major annoyance and wish ZAGG will look into it (in descending order):

1. The keyboard constantly loses connection with the iPad if it goes to sleep for more than 5 minutes. Even when I hit the any keys repeatedly just as the manual suggested, the keyboard won't automatically connect. Eventually, I will have to go to Setting and 'disconnect' the keyboard, and then re-connect the Bluetooth before I can use the keyboard again.

It's really tiresome to keep connecting the keyboard to the iPad every time the iPad goes to sleep

2. Since using the keyboard, I find my iPad battery drains faster. I mean, A LOT faster. Imagine, after recharging the iPad battery, I will find that the battery will be down up to 50% 2 hours later. Even when I don't use the keyboard but leave both Bluetooth connections of the iPad and the keyboard 'ON'.

3. The viewing angle is just at 135 degrees just like a laptop. If I want to scribble on the iPad screen or show some data to another person, I have to take it off the case. In other words, I can't fold the keyboard backwards to use my iPad as a tablet.

Nevertheless, I hope this keyboard will last a lot longer than the Logitech Ultrathin Folio Keyboard case. There are pros and cons to both keyboards but I find that I prefer the Logitech keyboard better unless ZAGG is able to rectify the major problems with the Bluetooth connection issue.

If anyone else has experience with other models / brands of keyboard case for iPad mini, do share your experience in the 'Comments' column.

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Sunday, May 08, 2016

Happy Mother's Day... To Me.

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers and (ahem) Fathers who are playing the role of a mother for whatever reasons!

Being a mother is... indescribable. There are days when your heart just want to burst because it can't contain all the love in the world you feel towards your children. But there are also days when you cry on your own, thinking - what have I got myself into?

Seriously, motherhood is complicated. At least for me. From not wanting to breed, to needing to breed desperately to actually breeding (sorry if it sounds crude to you guys). That is how I describe my motherhood journey.

The lights of my life

Here are snippets of my thoughts on motherhood from the first year of marriage till I become a mom.

2006, December 15 - we got married.

Truth be told, I wasn't into my marriage wholeheartedly because I believed at 24 years old, I was too young to be carrying the responsibilities as a wife. What more to be a mother? So I told people - lay it off. I'm still trying to learn my rope and get my head wrapped around the idea of being married, so don't talk about kids yet!!

Those days when there were only two of us, we spent our weekends going on picnic dates

2007 (early of the year) - Still not ready for baby...

Along the way, I'm sure we will bring this marriage to the next level - having our own children. I like babies. I adore them that I want to pick up every babies that I met. I'm sure having my own one day would be a terrific experience. But I want to have one when I feel I am ready and matured enough to handle that tantamount experience.
For the moment, please don't check on my fertility rate and let us enjoy being lazy couple who like to wake up late and go off to wherever we want. Port Dickson as a start.

- How's The Baby WIP?

Baby?

2007 (end of the year) - toying with the idea...

Akhir-akhir ini, kami selalu berbincang soal yang serius. Soal anak.Atau sebenarnya. Aku selalu berbincang soal yang serius. Nama bakal anak. Malam semalam, lepas membaca bedtime story book (katalog IKEA!), kami berbual-bual sebelum berguling2 mendodoikan mata. Topik yang sama dibincangkan.

- Little Carneyz Will Be Named... 

The idea is planted. Yet the heart is not too sure. After all, we were barely one year into our marriage. By this stage, I was mulling over the thought lightly.

2008 (middle of the year) - ok, let's do it!

A few weeks ago, Suami Terchenta & I decided that we should definitely start a project together, and that is called the 'Baby #1 Project'. We have different opinions to the objective of the project though - Suami Terchenta couldn't wait to pass on his gene and I couldn't stand to go back home for Raya without 'the good news' as everyone in our families refer to it.

- The Million Dollar Project 

I guess after 1 and a half year of being together, we finally decided that our relationship is stable enough to bring a child into the love equation. Only... it wasn't as easy as we thought it was! Maybe I shouldn't be arrogant in the first place, telling other people that making babies can be put off until we want to. The truth is - although we want a baby now, it's not just up to us to decide his/her arrival. So we sought professional help and went on fertility treatment for our first attempt. 

We decided to bring a baby into our life journey

2008 (pregnant with first baby) - Yeay, pregnant at last!

This year, I still cook. Only most of the time, they are instant, pop-in-the-kuali and voila! Instant nasi goreng for breaking of fast. I have never been so thankful to instant food industry. Maggi, you're a marriage life saver! Of course, I still have to chop up veggies or poultry or anything to flavor the instant nasi goreng, but I can do that while sitting down and watching my favourite sinetron, 'Soleha'. The nasi goreng frying is then done by my Mr Yummylicious Hubby. Me? You can't expect me to slave over the kuali with a back-ache from carrying this grapefruit-sized baby!

- The Shortest Ever Raya Shopping Trip

Despite the fragile condition of my planned pregnancy, I was super excited of the prospect of having my own kid. Surprising, isn't it? I truly soaked up in the experience, asam craving and all. Maklumlah, first pregnancy. Memang mengada-ngada sikit.

2008 (12 weeks later) - ... but we lost the baby.

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks after I came back from the hospital without the baby. I am doing better now. I stopped having urges to stuff something in my mouth because I felt empty inside. I stopped crying on my pillow at night. And I stopped dreaming about babies every night - I only dream of babies occasionally. I am coming to terms with our loss.

- The Aftermath

Even years later, I still remember the pain of losing my firstborn. It was like a dream crushed, like having a gaping hole in my heart and I carried the pain for months to come until the day I held Khayla in my arms. 

Thinking of you, my little angel.

2009 - still no baby. I became obsessed with the idea of being pregnant.

Still, life moves on. Still. Something is bugging me at the back of my mind.
Still the little one is not coming. He who was to be the ultimate birthday gift to Suami Terchenta this month, or so I thought 9 months ago.
Be at peace, my son.

- This is My Life..

2010 (early of the year) - ... to the point I got depressed when people asked how come we are still not pregnant?

Kalau anak tu buat dalam oven Panasonic kami, dah lama kami buat ok. Tapi zuriat itu datangnya dari Allah maka haruslah bersabar dan berdoa dgn kami supaya dapat anak kembar (erk. Apakah??)

 - Merepeks Bila Tidak Boleh Tido

So we decided to keep our minds occupied so we don't have to think about baby anymore and get all depressed. We signed up for MBA together. Then I contracted chicken pox for the first time ever in my life, lost my weight and boom! I was expecting without knowing it!

Days before I was down with chicken pox after visiting a hotspring resort

2010 (end of year) - and then we found ourselves with the rainbow baby.

Thirdly, ini ialah official announcement. Tahun ini juga, kami sangat produktif. Dalam keterujaan nak sambung study, tup-tup dapat tau. Akhirnya, En Suami akan bergelar seorang ayah. At first, rasa nak baling test kit dalam mangkuk toilet dan flush. Bukan sebab tak suka, tapi sebab tak percaya. Tapi, percubaan kali kedua dengan test kit yang lebih mahal akhirnya meng 'convince' kan kami untuk berjumpa doktor dan 'confirm'. Syukur alhamdulillah, rezeki itu datang jugak. Tak payah buat treatment. Tak payah gi jumpa specialist. Ini dinamakan kuasa Tuhan.

- 2010 - Better Than Ever

This time around, the pregnancy was kept a secret and the whole time, it felt like riding a roller-coaster with specific instructions not to make a sound throughout the ride! One moment our joy of carrying a viable pregnancy escalated high enough to reach the sky, but suddenly I found myself bleeding and our emotions plunged down at horrifying speed and we constantly found ourselves bracing for impact of hearing the news that the baby didn't make it. Phew. Pregnancy is a roller-coaster ride of emotions, I kid you not.

Just as the caption says - 2010 marks a turn towards the better.

2010 (3 days before our girl Khayla arrived) - saying goodbye to couplehood, bracing myself for motherhood.

I know this may sound weird considering that we are over the moon about this pregnancy, but I know I shall miss the world of two-some.
No more before sleep cuddles.
No more on the spur of the moment dates.
No more fancy-schmancy trips.
BUT.
I know that there is no way we will trade this chance with all that.

- 3 Days Before the Birth of Khayla

The morning before we gave up couplehood and embraced parenthood

2010, December 15 - A mom at last!

Terima kasih ya Allah, sebab mengurniakan anak secantik dan sebaik dia :)

- Here Comes Baby Khayla (Part 2) 

She is our rainbow baby.

The subsequent journey is filled with joy (going on outing with my baby to watching her sleep), guilt  (of scolding them to leaving them for the sake of finishing up my studies) and weariness of being a mother to the point where I went into hiding from my children.

Yet, I know I can't bear to lose them for they have stolen my heart from the day they were conceived. They became my rock, my world and my everything, despite everything that I had to go through for them (c-sec, diabetes and getting induced among others).

Without them, I would never know the depth of my love, nor would I know true strength as only a mother knows. 

Happy Mother's Day, Carneyz. It's been a wonderful journey into motherhood so far :)

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