Remembering 4/4/2020

We are already in our 3rd week on Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia due to Covid-19. Another 1 week to go.

This morning, I saw few of my FB friends shared a post to remember today’s date, i.e 4/4/2020.

Why?

Just so I NEVER forget ….. April 4, 2020 | Saturday

– Petrol price is down to RM1.30 per liter.

– Our offices throughout Malaysia will remain closed throughout the Movement Control Order period and will continue to operate fully on a work-from-home.

– All schools abruptly moved online.

– Self-distancing measures on the rise.

– Tape on the floors at stores to help distance customers (1 metre) from each other.

– Restaurants closed, take out only.Limited number of people inside stores.

– Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.

– Entire sports seasons cancelled.

– Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events – cancelled.

– Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings – cancelled

– No masses, mosque, churches are closed.

– No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 10 or less.

– Children’s outdoor play parks are closed.

– Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.

– Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.

– Panic buying sets in no disinfecting supplies, no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.

– Shelves are bare.

– Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.

– Government has check points in every province and is closed to all non-essential travel.

– Airline tickets are cheap but we can’t travel.

– Press conferences daily from Ministry of Health.

– Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.

– Barely anyone on the roads.

– People wearing masks and gloves outside.

– Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.

– Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

– “Flatten the curve” is a daily saying, along with “We are in this together,” and “We heal as one”.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 18, 2020

Why, you ask, do I write this status? One day it will show up in my memory feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that life is precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted.We have so much! Be thankful. Be grateful. Be kind to each other – love one another – support everyone.

We are all one!

We can all do this. Stay safe everyone!

Starting fresh

Hello.

I started writing again.

After I renewed my domain.

But this time, for real. Because, we finally have our own personal laptop after for so many years not owning one. It is so hard to blog from phone.

And last weekend, husband and me re-arrange our bedroom. So we have extra space for a working desk. I used this working desk for my mengaji session, and now, to update my blog. Yeay!

SO every year, when it is time for me to renew my blog, I always have the thought of just not keeping this blog anymore. But Enchek Kedek insisted me to keep it because, I shared a lot about Ariana and our life before marriage, after marriage and after anak satu.

Oh just to recap, Binikedek sudah ada 3 orang anak.

And this blog just turned 11 years old today.

10 years

hellooowwww…

Blog ini sudah berumur lebih dari 10 years uols..

Because i started writting since before kahwin. And last Wednesday was my 10th wedding anniversary with Enchek Kedek.

And i just renewed my domain, just to keep this blog up and running.

And typical me, posting a new entry just because i baru renewed the domain.

Btw, gambar sekadar hiasan ketika sis excited dan terperanjat menerima bunga rose dan balloons di office.

 

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Child Safety

Orang bilang anak tu amanah yang Allah bagi. Jadi, semua benda2 yang bagus kita buat untuk anak supaya anak dapat yang terbaik. So, safety pun salah satu daripada nya lah.

Car seats memang start pakai dari Mai lagi. Tapi, pakai yang sampai cukup syarat ja. Rear facing, front facing dont care. Tapi itu dulu. 

Brand pun beli mana-mana ikut kemampuan. Kadang2 yang murah, kadang2 yang mahal. Tapi itu dulu.

Start dari Sofea, kesedaran tu ada pertambahan sikit, tapi masih tidak strict. Kadang-kadang Sofea berjaya melepaskan tangannya dari belt car seat tu. Dalm hati, asalkan sudah strap, cukup lah. Tapi itu dulu.

Sejak saya join FB group Malaysia Car Seat Support Group, rajin juga lah baca-baca post orang and komen2 dari para admins yang memang tahu pasal car seat. Dan dari situ jugak lah, saya kenal pasti kesilapan yang banyak kami buat. Cara pemasangan & pemakaian. Saya tidak akan share di sini info sebab banyak. Seeloknya, tuan-tuan dan puan-puan follow lah group FB yang saya nyatakan tadi dan bersama-sama lah kita sedar.

Enchek Kedek bilang saya poyo, tapi masih jugak ikut/dengar penjelasan poyo saya itu.

Dengan menambahan ahli keluarga, tiada satu pun kereta kami yang menepati kriteria untuk memenuhi keperluan keselamatan anak-anak kami. Maka kami beli kereta baru. Tapi itu nanti cerita sebab, proses pemilihan kereta pun agak menarik (bagi saya).

Sekarang, dengan kereta MPV 6- seater, kami sekeluarga dapat duduk dengan selesa serta InsyAllah selamat dengan usaha yang sudah di buat.

Ariana, 9 tahun, 140cm, tidak perlu menggunakan booster seat. Dia boleh memakai tali keledar sama seperti kita.

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Sofea, 4 tahun, masih menggunakan booster seat. Kami menggunakan jenama/model Snapkis & Joie Elevate.

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Umar, baby, kami menggunakan Koopers Flamenco convertible car seat with isofix dan Maxi Cosi baby carrier. Sebenarnya, certain isofix hanya dapat menanggung keberatan sehingga 22kg. Jadi, pemilihan car seat yang ada isofix tu, tidak lah perlu sangat sebab tali keledar lebih reliable, menanggung keberatan sehingga 100kg, dengan syarat, pemasangan yang betul.

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Di Kota Kinabalu ni ada banyak kedai yang menjual car seat. Kalau orang tanya, di mana mau beli, saya akan rekomen Baby Wonderland di Metro Town. 

Kenapa?

Sebab, kedai itu ada seorang certified carseat technician. Dia dapat membantu kita dalam pemilihan car seat yang sesuai dengan anak dan kereta, serta tolong install kan terus. Senangkan?

Kalau pasal car seat ni, memang tidak pandai habis. Saya minat, sama seperti minat dengan breastfeeding. 

Saya harap, ibu bapa di luar sana jugak dapat kesedaran tentang penggunaan carseat serta keselamatan anak di dalam kereta. Usaha. 

Ok. Itu sahaja. Bye!

Welcoming Baby #3

Latest addition to our little family. Masih consider little lah kan.

Umar Bin Zainuddin.

Birth story. Tidak menarik lah because kalau csec memang semuanya ikut prosedur. So every csec birth story, jalan ceritanya sama. 

Tapi sebab saya ialah Binikedek, saya bikin drama sikit.

16th April 2018 : 

Went for my usual weekly check up. I had GDM in this 3rd pregnancy so my gynae wanted to admit me immediately on this day because it is 2 days because the choosen date and they need to inject me with Dexa, a steroid to mature baby’s lungs. Tapi sis belum puas makan-makan lagi tapi sudah kena tahan. Mau nda mau, kena jugak lah mau sebab berani nda mau dengar cakap doctor?

Ok lah. Their justification behind it was because, kalau mommy ada GDM, baby kena lahir ngam2 to prevent any complications. So, kena lahir ngam2 atau lebih sikit dari 37 weeks. Lepas tu, kalau 37 weeks, takut paru2 belum matang, hence the Dexxa.

The Dexxa injection was very painful. Tapi sebab saya ialah Wonder Woman, about 15 mins after the injection, me, husband & Sofea walked from Gleneagles to Imago to makan at Sushi Zan Mai. Hebat kan sis? Mostly my friends who commented on my instag about the Dexxa, semua cakap sakit lah.. nangis lah.. Tapi ternyata nafsu makan sis lebih kuat dari sakit kena inject.

18th June 2018:

The day. Scheduled csec at 10.30am sebab ada satu orang mommy dulu yang kena csec before me. Mixed feeling. Biasalah. Major operation kan. Macam2 dalam fikiran. Masa kena tolak masuk ke level operation rooms, saya sudah start drama mengalir air mata. Tapi, sendiri2 baring atas katil, keluar2 air mata lap pakai selimut. 

Dresser : Kenapa menangis? First time kah?.

Saya : Tidak.. ini kali ke-3 suda.

Dresser : Kalau sudah 3 kali, kenapa masih nangis? (Sayu2 betul suara dresser ni).

So di jadikan cerita, semua lah diorang dalam bilik pembedahan tu yg perasan saya menangis, terus memujuk. Siap kasi lap air mata lagi. Over kan?. Tukang bius pun sempat pujuk.

Bila laki masuk, baru lah ada ok sikit perasaan. Pembedahan di lakukan oleh Dr. Shima.

Umar pun keluar. Nangis sikit then sambung tidur. Satu orang nurse kasi skin to skin sekejap then kasi try breastfeed. Actually kalau Csec, nda payah lah menaruh harapan yang tinggi untuk skin to skin to skin yang lama & breastfeed sepanjang di jahit. Sebab? Ruang yang limited boss. Start dari bawah breast ialah kawasan ‘work in progress’. 

Selesai operation, kena tolak masuk balik ke bilik. 

Oh saya beranak di Gleneagles KK. Compare to other hospital yang saya pegi, saya paling suka di sini sebab:

  1. Spinal tidak sesakit dulu. Masa kena inject tu ok ja.
  2. Ada warm/heater blanket. Lepas operation memang bergegar kesejukkan. Dapat warm blanket ni, teda lah menggeletar.
  3. Ubat-ubatan tahan sakit yang memang betul2 kasi tahan sakit. Higher dose. Beranak dulu2 tiada.
  4. Recovery period tu pendek. 2nd boleh bangun sudah. Sakit memang lah sakit tapi, daya ketahanan badan atas bantuan painkiller sangat membantu.

The next day, Dr. Alagammai datang bawak cermin. Kasi tengok saya macam mana rupa stitches tu. Rupa-rupanya, sekarang ni, jahitan di buat masuk ke dalam, supaya cantik doktor bilang.. haha.. Tapi memang betul2 lah nampak kemas sebab jahitan ke dalam. Tiada kulit timbul2.

Nowadays, any csec, mesti kasi complete 7 days of heparin injection. Number of days tu I heard depends on berat badan orang tu. Nda tau lah. Tiada saya meng-google. So Heparin ni untuk mencairkan darah. Mengelakkan darah beku. Tapi, selama 7 hari tu, mesti nurse yang buat. I asked doctor, nda boleh kah inject sendiri di rumah? Leceh pulak hari2 mau keluar rumah pegi inject. Doctor bilang ada, tapi, ubat yang satu lagi tu mengandungi DNA babi. So the first 4 days inject di hospital. The remaining 3 days, pegi Klinik 1 Malaysia & Medisinar Clinic, minta inject sana. 

As usual, memang ada confinement lady yang saya hire throughout my 30 days of confinement untuk pengurusan ibu & anak.

Panjang cerita. Birth story x panjang. Before birth yang ada drama. 

Mau tengok Umar?

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Hello.

Mau recap bah of what had been going on since my last post in February.

Since February:

We moved into new house at the end of February.

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I gave birth on the 18th of April, to a baby boy, whom we named Umar. The name that we have choosen since I was pregnant with Ariana in 2009. Lepas 9 tahun, baru tercapai mendapat anak lelaki.

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Went out to vote (with Umar) and PH won! 

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Bought a new car due to safety for the kids, and also because we can no longer fit in a sedan car, with 2 car seats. 

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Celebrated Raya in KK in the new house. 

42534CF1-2AA2-44A0-9E1C-F72E4B914B8DOk.. after all these uploded photos, now I know why I was very lazy to update my blog. Upload gambar pun tertidur-tidur. How?. Baiklah. Sis berjanji akan coba untuk rajin update blog.

Jujube Bags!

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Ada apa dengan Jujube.

Honest opinion about the Jujube bags. I started off with a #hobobe and a #beset. 

The hobobe is a hobo bag, with many multifunctional compartments (slips-in) and pockets (mesh & zippered). Its adjustable messenger strap is wide enough so that you’ll feel comfortable carrying it, and also comes with an anti-slip pad for shoulder to prevent it from falling off your shoulder while you were trying to catch your running toddler in a mall. 

The Be Set is a set of three zippered bags in large, medium and small size. It comes with a sling strap and wristlet strap and convertable into a sling/wristlet bag. Your almost teenager girl can use it. Whenever your husband found your stash, or caught the innocent poslaju guy delivering your jujubes to your door step, you can use it as an excuse.

But why #jujube?

Things are properly packed and within your reach. You really have to agree with me if you have a toddler and a baby. Take my word for it. 

Apart from that, they come in beautiful prints, #tokidoki and of course #Sanrio, always and forever be my favourite prints.

The photo above is what I currently have when the picture was taken. A friend warned me that once you started, there will be no turning back, unless you wanted too.

Binikedek is back… (hopefully)

I spent certain amount of $$ to keep my blog up and yet, I didnt even have the time to update it. Pfft.

I didnt even managed to complete our Tokyo trip post and it has been a year already!

Baiklah, moving forward.. Enchek Kedek wanted Ariana to read my blog because I wrote a lot about her journey here. Btw, Ariana will be 9 years old this year.

As for Sofea, I captured most of her growing up journey/memories in my Instagram account @_binikedek_ .

And.. Jeng Jeng Jeng.. a new addition to the family coming soon somewhere in April this year. Yeap. I am currently pregnant with #3 and nothing much has change with the Gravidarum Hyperemesis. Hah!

Besides the new addition soon, I now have soo many ideas on what my next post will be. Till then!

 

Tokyo Trip : Accomodation & Transportation

Accomodation :

Our first 2 nights were at Sheraton Tokyo Grande. It is one of Disney Resort Ambassador and very nearby to the train station to Disneyland.

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The biggest Sheraton Hotel that I have ever been to. They have chapel, pool, garden and even am arcade inside the hotel. We used up Enchek Kedek’s SPG member points to stay here so I dont really know how much does 1 room cost.

After our 2 nights stay there, we moved into a homestay which I booked via airbnb.com. Here is the link to the house where we stayed :

https://airbnb.com/rooms/12117257s=41&user_id=92535329&ref_device_id=35564590efbab6d8f4e75c9f188101671488b40a

We spent 5 nights there for RM2300++. As you can see from the link, the house is equipped with kitchen with kitchen utensils for cooking, fridge, microwave and my most favourite, washing machine with dryer. So we dont have to go to the laundry shop and spend 1-2 hrs to do laundry.

Transportation :

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We fully utilised the public transport and our feet. Hehe. We bought a Suica card, and for the whole trip, we only used below 2000 yen. It depends on where your destination is. Since that we only covered Tokyo, it wont cost us much lah. Unless if one of you lost your Suica card somewhere after your husband recharged 1000yen. #nope #notme

In Tokyo Bay, the transportation arrangement was pretty easy. Sheraton is the nearest hitel to the Disney Resort train station, 3-5 mins walk only.

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For our Kawaguchi trip, we went there by bus from Shinjuku Station. My advice is, buy your tickets at least few days before the trip. We didnt. Luckily the Japanesse are very punctual. We were put on waiting list for the 9.15am bus. By 9.08, they announced our number, which means there are 4 passenger who didnt show up and their ticket was burned. Will blog more about Kawaguchi in different post.

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Till then.. more stories to share 🙂

Tokyo Trip : Food

So before our trip, i had been google-ing around to find tips on travelling with small kids in that big city. I know both my girls are easy to handle. Ariana is already 6 years old. Asal ada nasi, semua boleh jalan. While my 2 years old Sofea, suddenly have less interest with her susu kambing and now more to susu from kotak, makes my work easier.

So in term of food, my kids survived with rice and telur goreng for breakfast. There were times where I was not feeling really well (sajukk bah), i only cooked instant mee for them (guilty emoticon).

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In one of the sushi restaurant in Ikspiari Mall

We usually had our lunch & dinner at the local restaurant. In term of Halal, there are quite number of Halal restaurants in Tokyo. All we did was Google for it. Two Halal restaurants that we went to in Tokyo was Sekai Cafe (Asakusa & Oshiage) and Sumiyakiya (Roponggi).

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And in term of price, try to budget at least RM50/per head/per meal. Places like Omotesando, Roponggi and Ikspiari Mall (Tokyo Bay) are high end punya places. So having your meal here faham2 seja lah.

When in doubt, you can always ask the restaurant, or they themself will tell you like what happened to us in Kawaguchi. We went into one Tempura Restaurant which was recommended by google as a halal place. As soon as we got into the shop, they served us with water and immediately told us that they dont have any non-halal food there, but, all the tempuras are fried using lard and asked us whether lard is ok. How thoughtfull of them kan? Some other restaurants are also helpful sampai they took out their dictionary and translate things for us.

Alang-alang ke Tokyo, we went for streetfood hunting at Tsukiji Outer Market. Fresh tuna, salmon & mackerel! There are more interesting foods that looks soo tempting but we are not so sure of the ingredients. And since that it is a very busy market, it is not really easy to stop and ask them for information of the ingredients.
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Those who can take sushi (raw fish etc), definately can survive and eat happily here while those who cant, will surely enjoy rice, steamed ommelette & miso soup (cc: Maisara & Sofea) everyday! Hahaha