How's your 2016 so far?

It's already end of May, only 6 months left to cap off this year. 2016 is definitely our busiest year yet, in terms of our married life. Let's see.

a) I'm entering third trimester in a month (insya Allah)

b) I've been transferred to Miri

Yes, a LOT to take on at one go, in a year indeed. I wanted to create a special post on (a) just like i did for Baby #1, but a series of planning and actual events did not permit me to do so. I'm so sorry, i will do a backdated one i hope. 

Being pregnant is one huge event any couple look forward to, and it's no different with us. It's such a joy, the whole 8 months (because the first month most people wouldn't realize they're expecting kan) of praying, hoping and eager awaiting for a new addition to a family.

But because of (b) we have had to prioritize and schedule checkups in between buying things, surveying things and the inevitable packing and moving. Needless to say, it involves a lot of tears (mostly from me) because ...  my husband is not moving with us.

How's that for pregnancy hormones huh?

Some of my friends tell me i'm strong but really i'm not. I took the news badly when i first knew, and til this day i am crying every other day. But on the other days i wasn't, it doesn't mean i'm not thinking of us. It just means we just had a lot on our plate (other family engagements and work).

Yeah, in between of those two huge events, my siblings in law (2 of em) are getting married. 

But despite every sadness we felt of being apart, i am extremely thankful of Allah's mercy on us.. our good health and this baby's in tip top condition so far. Alhamdulillah.

We were tested again, when i received news that my sister, who'd been expecting a baby within same week as me, had suffered miscarriage at 18 weeks. Yes, who'd have thought.. but that's Allah's will and fate. It was an emotionally charged weeks, as i had accompanied her much as i could in the hospital.

Can you just imagine, being pregnant while your sister is grieving over her loss? She is one optimistic and cheerful person, i kinda hated myself for being so weak in her presence.

But insya Allah her boy will be anak syurga, the one who'll be the guiding hand for his parents. Til then it serves as a lesson for us, a reminder of Allah's will and power.

Anyway

With 6 months left, and today incidentally the movers are coming to deliver our household items, we have a lot to handle:

a. Unpack and re-organize our stuff (including setting up fridge and washing machine)

b. Schedule upcoming pregnancy checkups (with each coming week and flying week, letters have to be issued by doctor)

c. Preparation for Raya (yes, we have yet to buy anything..i really wouldn't mind recycling, but i'm pregnant and our kid is growing)

d. Preparation for Baby #2 (i've made a list of to-do and to-buy)

May Allah have mercy on us, and ease this journey as a family. Amin.

Land of Kimchi - Part 3

The next day we had to travel to another state - Daegu. At that month, husband was already there for 3 months so most of his stuff had been packed in colleagues' luggages who had returned to KL. It was also done because he has to lug our bag, remember? 

In all of his work trips he never had to worry of timing because he's quite a punctual person when it comes to schedules. However, this time around, he has us to think about. And you know, babies and toddlers understand nothing about missing bullet trains :D

We took a bullet train (Korail) from Ansan to Daegu. It was me and Raihanna's first time, and in the freezing cold :D Generally, Korail costs a lot more than say, bus ticket and usual train. But since it is a lot faster (twice than normal train) and we really could use the time saved, Korail it is. We departed from Gyeoungmyeung (might have got it wrong) sometime later than scheduled because we missed the train we're supposed to get to!

To be fair, the station is huge. So poor husband had to settle our bags and get the tickets re-validated as each ticket purchased has exact seat number and coach printed, with timing! While we wait for the next train (wasn't that long, around 15 minutes), there is a convenience store (!!) at the platform, plus a warm-up waiting area. 

Once aboard, we finally got to rest. Well, i shut my eyes so quick my husband was quite annoyed :D 

We got to Daegu sometime 2 hours and 30 minutes later and we were famished. We chose a restaurant whereby husband had told the servers 'no pork, no chicken, no beef'. The lunch was delicious! Well, in the cold everything looks and tastes great. At this point, my daughter had started the i'm-hungry-but-i-don't-wanna-eat mode.

We took a cab to Daegu and reached our hotel. This time, the room comes with a tub (next to a breakfast counter). Later that night, husband took us to Homeplus.. Korean Tesco. Kat sini ada TOMS, Birkenstocks, even Stokke alright? 

We bought one huge pack of strawberries, prawns, salmon among other things. Okay gotta go.. will continue our 3 nights stay story later!

Land of Kimchi - Part Two

Husband showed up 30 minutes later with a smile to an angry wife. He was of course startled to see me. He quickly asked me whether i'd got his texts.

"what texts?"

Then we figured it out: airport wifi didn't work (like it always do, whenever he got there he'll instantly text me) and yes he did tell me he'll be late around 30 minutes.

I apologized while he let me sit down and he took Raihanna to find portable modem to rent. Yes, that instant haha.

Travel tips from Malaysia - Incheon Airport: (derived from my own experiences and lesson learnt hard way)

a. Rent portable modem if you're staying quite a while, say a week plus. Myself and Raihanna was there for 12 days. Husband picked Olleh. Really useful because we were travelling from one state to another (5 states!!) and most of the days he's at work.

b. Keep a pen in your bag to fill in the forms

c. Download 'Subway' app for easy travelling if you're like us, always on the trains. Most Malaysians will agree when i say Korean transportation are highly reliable. Husband actually discovered new routes that wasn't ready during his last visit. 

d. I used milk dispenser for Raihanna's milk time. The flight took about 6 hours, so that's one feeding. Always prepare extra.

e. Bring one extra pair of outfit. I learnt this the hard way after she peed on me. Nice one my dear.

f. Pack light for hand luggage when travelling solo with a toddler. Yes, she wants her biscuits, milk, pampers, wipes, changing mat, toy as much as you need your makeup bag, wallet, passport etc. 

g. Take out all your discount cards/ Touch n go before you fly. That way you won't have to worry your kid will secretly chuck your card(s) under hotel bed.

Ok, husband then took me to Lotteria in the airport for a quick meal. We had shrimp burger, probably the only thing we could eat at that time. Raihanna had to settle with biscuits and milk. Lotteria is a fast food joint, comes under the huge Lotte brand. You can find it in major cities and malls (because i could easily spot em in all the places we went). 

We then took the trains to our destination - Ansan. On the way to the first train, i saw CGV (cinema halls) and ice skating rink. Inside the airport, okay.. 

There were about 4 train exchanges before we reached Ansan. The weather was around 10 degrees if i'm not mistaken. Raihanna slept soundly along the way, thank goodness. 

I'm not sure what are Ansan's tourist attractions (or any of the states i went) because, honestly i did not do much reading on the places. I googled a lot on Korean food, though ;) Also it's really impossible to ask husband to take off few days when he's extremely busy there. Just us coming there meant a lot to the three of us, honestly. I can't or did not ask for more :')

We stayed at Hivice Hotel, just across the train station. Oh yeah, in case anybody is wondering, nope i did not do any hotel booking. I only told husband to pick a decent hotel where we don't have to hear any amorous couples, you know? 

When we got to Ansan station, i was pleasantly surprised to see there are 2 Tous Les Jours bakery in one station. I told husband what a big deal this bakery is in Malaysia, mahal and all, and he was shocked. In Korea you can find TLJ on the roadsides (!!) so yeah, i now have no desire to visit the Malaysian outlets. But as far as renowned bakery goes, there are lots of bread varieties and i'm sure it is the same for Malaysian outlets i suppose.

As soon as we checked in, i dragged my husband to find the nearest supermarket as our daughter has yet to eat. And we found Lotte Mall. An upscale version of Lotte Mart, just next door to our hotel. We bought salmon, lemons and carrot. 

I think travelling in general, you just gotta make the best of what you've got.. you know? I mean you won't have everything you wanted (paying some price for comfort) and you'll always get few surprises along the way. This is just me saying cos:

a. I was not on a budget

b. My husband told me everything can be paid by card, hence i traveled to Korea without any Won. Yes. Raihanna had some cash given by my parents, though.

But although a & b applied throughout our stay, my husband knows i can be trusted not to go overboard with a card.. :) 

In our case we optimized what we could, but we also made sure it's comfortable enough for our daughter. Initially i wanted a hotel apartment / studio / anything with basic kitchenette, for example. Just because it's easier for me to cook for my daughter.

But like i said, life doesn't work out that way.. so i made do with cooking in hotel rooms (not sure if it's allowed, but hey, my child is starving) whichever is closer to the supermarket and husband's work place.

I have to say, this trip strengthen our bond because there were times when it was so easy to lose our patience over the smallest things. But we both truly understand the sacrifices we both had made to get here. 

At night we had dinner with his boss at one Indonesian restaurant. It was OK, good enough for starving tekak Melayu like us haha. The deco was quite creepy though. 

So, that's day 1 out of 12 :) Next up: Ansan - Daegu

That Surprise Trip - Part One

Earlier in 2015 we did not plan for any holiday apart from the quick SG date. I'm not quite sure why.. but we did entertain some thoughts to come visit my husband, who had some work there starting September.

Months go by and we were too busy with our work. When he wasn't travelling, i was. Then it came to the part we were both travelling. That, and we spent few days in Johor for Raya was good enough for us.

He surprised us with tickets, causing me to move my schedule and made few trips to Immigration to renew our passports. I said few, because we had to come twice just to settle Raihanna's passport alone. Sheesh.

Anyway, being a mom, naturally i was very worried about flying alone with a toddler. What to carry, what to bring, what NOT to bring.. i spent (limited) free time i could find to seek for tips from other moms online. 

Well, let's cut to the chase -- yes, everything that could go wrong DID go wrong. Mostly, anyway. But this is not to say i regret or hated the flying solo part.. this is the tired mom part in me who couldn't wait to land in Incheon. I had been up early that day but i was working half day. That's really non-negotiable though, because i did finish up my annual leave.

What i shouldn't do was to watch Star Wars right after --- should have taken a nap. But hey, OSCAR ISAAC!!

Coming back to the post, this is my first post and i hope i'll have the time to have 4-5 posts for this trip. To start off, our adventure began 10.00 pm Friday night. Just after my family waved goodbye, there was I, carrying Raihanna with a bagpack and shoulder bag.

Yes, that is one thing i will never ever do. I did it because my dad told me to, and it was one thing i wished i could throw away from KLIA. That shoulder bag had baby carrier and Coco Crunch. Long story.

Once we got to the gate, my toddler's water bottle was almost empty. Yet she's most energized. I had red eyes :D i sang songs and played with her with hopes i'll tire her out.

Who am i kidding?

The flight took off between 30-45 minutes later than scheduled. Yes, it felt like an hour or maybe two. I was not the biggest fan of anything Korean that moment. I felt like getting off and go back to my bed and sleep.

Once it took off i could smile and breathe in easier. By that time i had given everything my toddler asked (milk, biscuits, water, magazines) as i know she's sleepy. But she's so used to sleep in the dark and obviously bigger space so that's where the fuss begins.

Well, i can't exactly splurge on Business seats and she had outgrown bassinets..

I nursed her patiently while citing zikir and selawat. When she slept i think i had tears in my eyes. But i quickly gained composure and slept as well. Throughout the flight to Seoul i did not enjoy the entertainment as I shut my eye so tight. Every few hours i woke up and see we were nowhere near landing. 

My daughter slept on my lap and across her seat. I wished the seats were bigger but i hope she understood our constraints haha. I think it's also worthwhile to mention how thankful i am that husband bought us MAS tickets, because AA's bigger boarding area would be the cause of my tears, really.

Once it was announced we'd land shortly my daughter woke up pretty much refreshed. It was around 6-7 degrees that day, Saturday morning. As we exited the plane i could feel my smiles getting bigger. It wasn't until i felt my daughter pants were already wet.

Yes, naturally i did not bring a spare because i was so sure she's wearing normal sized diaper. Ofcourse i wasn't informed she wasn't. 

Steady, steady smile now.. 

We got through their customs and immigration declaration smoothly alhamdulillah. My eyes and facial composure absolutely looked like i had jetted from Mauritannia or other 18 hour flight, very much unlike other families excited finally arriving in Korea, land of Kimchi.

Just to refresh my mind, i had one huge luggage with me, a daughter, a bagpack AND a shoulder bag. No one in my family has had to travel with that much, and i will make damn sure I will never go through such amount. EVER.

Before i forget, there are two forms given in the plane. Naturally, i got the Korean version one. The steward asked me if i could read in Korean, right AFTER i asked him for the English copy.

Would i ask if i knew?

It was a health declaration form, and thankfully Immigration officers did not ask for that. I was so scared because I did not see the English copy in the tables nearby. Later on, after unloading my bag off the carousel, i saw the forms. Syukur ya Allah.

Malay girls were so excited seeing my toddler laughing about, had no idea she had wet her pants HAHA.

Once we got to the arrival area, of course there's another surprise waiting:

My husband didn't show up.