Ian will be 9months old this coming Thursday.

I’m so happy. Yesterday hubby bought Parenthood magazine, and we were excited to see Ian’s picture in it.

While on the way to Gurney to meet up with Chiew Hsia who is visiting (funny we always gather whenever someone visits but never make it a point to organize one for PG ppl) I showed it to my friends who were car pooling with. Everyone was asking for him during dinner, but I told them it’s not very convenient to bring him. I’d rather he sleeps at home, and besides, it’s the 7^th Month afterall.

We had dinner there, spent time laughing about our past and present memories, and by the time we looked at the watch, 2hrs had already gone by. Time flies! Hubby and I went to OE to grab our rings (we sent it in to be cleaned right before dinner) and I swung by DP. I wished I had longer time to browse because I saw some pieces I would like to try on. Even Chiew Hsia’s a fan of DP. Haha! We were both giggling like school girls.

Anyways, found out that both Beejay and Yoke May had separately signed up for pre wedding shots with their respective other halves.

Happy news indeed! Wishing them both lotsa fun during photoshoot!

All I know was to wallow in self pity, and after a while of feeling sorry for myself, detach myself from the poisonous state of mind, open happy boxes which are labeled Hubby, or Ian, roll around in the warmth it exudes, but god forbid when someone accidently opens the black box, I fell again. This vicious cycle repeats itself. Sometimes on daily basis. Sometimes on weekly basis. But it’s evil because of its never ending nature. I tried to line the black box with mental pictures of Ian, and sometimes it helps, but as always in the end I always yielded to the black force. It’s tiring, closing and opening different boxes and it drains the energy out of me. But at the moment, it got me through. I intend to throw away the black boxes, one by one. Chuck them into the deep blue sea, never to see it again. That is exactly why I am building my raft now, so that I can bring the black boxes to the middle of the ocean to throw it. Tie to it a big anchor so that it stays at the bottom of the sea. Wish me luck.

Anyways, I am just glad I had persevered for so long. It has been a long, difficult ride, sometimes a tad lonely too. No, don’t get me wrong. Hubby has been extremely supportive, just that sometimes expressing alone in the mother’s room feels mechanical; an organ which was touted to be a symbol of sexuality which defines feminism, one that serves as a key to different plethora of heightened pleasures  now merely serves as a functional tool. And Did I worry about it sagging post BF? Of course! But the pros clearly outweighed the cons, so this is a journey I must continue. I admitted to hubby yesterday sometimes I do feel like throwing in the towel, because I am really tired. Each day, I had to plan my schedule around my expressing sessions. Each outings, right before leaving home I will make sure I squeeze in one session, and the first thing that came to mind whenever I reach home is to pump. I am not martyring myself, just admitting how I felt.  Of course all the tiredness is replaced with a sense of contentment each time I see Ian finishes his milk, and to watch that face brightens up my world whenever he smiles or grins. And the real reason which motivates me is that I can’t find it in my heart to feed him with formula when I am still able to do so. I did some top up feedings with formula, but that is as far as I can go at the moment because I believe (and it’s the truth anyway) that breast milk is far superior than cow’s milk.

After telling hubby how I tired I felt at times, he told me he really admired my effort. I feel so appreciated hearing those words. And he told me that he thinks Ian is old enough to be fed with formula. He doesn’t mind if I want to stop BF because he knows how tiring it can be by watching me at times. Tsk tsk… truth to be told, he got me teary eyed in the car. Haha!

I told him I am touched each time when he tries to stay up with me during my last session of the day to help me wash my breast pump. He admitted sometimes he can’t stay up due to tiredness too, and I told him I totally understand. The fact that he tries most of the time is enough for me. Thanks so much love.

Another 5 weeks to 10 months. Gambate!!

Ian wearing mommy's watch. hehe...

Ian sleeping after he got tired of being cranky ;p

Anyways, I sent hubby and email, and told him I have decided to dine in this place, and after that we can go home for me to pump first before proceeding to QB to settle Ian’s stuff, movie/window shop and probably dinner there too. I also told him that we can always go to Gurney tomorrow to window shop if we wanted to and bring Ian along.

Below is how he replied me:

Hubby’ email:

The last sentence: Pandai-nya!!!!!! (referring to the part to go Gurney tomorrow to window shop)

Hahaha

Ok la…whatever you wish my love!!

Muaks

Let me know what time you come back to puck me..muaks..

I saw his typo on the last sentence and couldn’t help replying:

 I’ll leave office at 1130am.

Ehem *ur last sentence, the typo was with a “f” or “I” ? ;p

 Hubby:

Hahhahhaha..cis..cis..:)

 Dear Sir or Madam,

Congratulations! Your baby is one of the winners for the “Candid Camera” contest in Parenthood magazine (issue September 2010). Your baby had won a Pigeon product.

 Woohoo! So excited! Can’t wait to buy the magazine next month!! :D:D:D:D:D

I forgot which photo I submitted, I’ll upload it here once I can confirm after buying the magazine next month. Teeheee…. The exhilaration is not about what products he had won, more to the fact that he is one of the winners. Hahahaha!

It wasn’t in the car either. I thought I had lost it for good. So I left office earlier after letting my boss know, and went to JPN with hubby. Made a new IC, and paid an exorbitant fine of RM110 ( hey it’s a big amount for me) because we have no stamp from any community leader/penghulu kampong. The guy actually asked whether we would like find the community leader to get a stamp first so he can reduce rm50 from the fine, but both hubby and I knew no one. So I just paid the fine and got a temporary IC.

In a sickened twist of event, late afternoon around 6pm I received a phone call from HW, my colleague. She told me my IC was with her. In fact it was with the Perdana security guard, and they approached and asked her whether she knew me. She had no details where they found my IC, which I am going to ask her later on when I get it from her although I doubt she knew. Sigh…

After I hung up on her, I told hubby I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t take the fact that I had paid for a new one and my old IC suddenly materialized out of thin air. I wonder who picked it up.

Why did not they tell me earlier? They could have just search for me on the office IM right? Sigh.. it did not cross my mind too to check with Perdana post before making a new one. Damn!

I told hubby I’d rather the old IC stayed lost. That way I would not feel so cheated. There and then I broke down. I felt like as if my luck has gone downstream lately. Even hubby admitted that he sometimes do think that I have some problem with luck in my life. We can choose to go to a place to dine, and most of the time the shop will be closed. We can choose to go to a new hair salon to cut hair, and the shop closes on a Wednesday! And many more other small incidents which added up to this conclusion.

I feel like an emotional train wreck this week. Not sure whether it is because I am PMS-ing. Maybe I might finally get my period? Which I actually dreaded because I had read and heard from the mommies in office that it will impact the milk production. Huhuuu…

So next time I will go back to him for my trim after 3months. Damn long of a wait. Argghh!!

Why I want to grow my hair long? Well, I got bored of bob cut. Haha!

Anyways, I had rambled off from the real reason on why I want to blog about this. Hubby and I have the same hair dresser. So after this guy cut his hair yesterday, he told the shampoo gal (must be a new one cause I did not see her before 2months back) to give hubby a good rinse. And guess what the girl did?

She just simply rinsed hubby’s head with a dark scowl on her face. No effort on her side to do what the hairdresser had instructed. Hubby nearly wanted to complain about her to the bosses, but in the end he did not do it. the fact I don’t understand is how can she blatantly showed such a face to customer when her bosses were all very friendly and smiley. They probably should do a better job in training her. Because in the future if I were to get her, and she gives me crappy service, I’ll make sure I tell it to her boss so she can improve. Because I am very particular when it comes to service industry especially if I don’t feel like I am getting what I had paid for.

 The girl who answered my call when I called to complain after 1hr is a little retarded and have very bad habit of not following up with customer. At first she was defensive; she asked me which number I called to order my pizza when I told her my pizza was late. It has already been 1hr. don’t you think that’s retarded question to ask? If I had called another number to order my pizza, why would I call their number to complain? So I explained and told her, when I called previously, they told me they do deliver to BJ area. And then she put me on hold, shouted to god knows who in the background and then told me she will call me back in 5mins time after checking with her rider. After 10mins, she did not call and I tried calling her again, but the line was engaged. Damn her til kingdom come!

My pizza came 15mins later after I called her to complain. I felt the least she could do is called me up (as she promised), and apologized and explain herself. And as a bonus to show her apology and admit their mistake, give me a voucher or something to compensate the lateness and the cold pizza. WTH! They did nothing.  Only the rider apologized to hubby, and hubby was too tired and hungry to kick up a fuss. I was in the room expressing milk, and that was the reason why I did not barge out and eat the guy alive. =.=

Never again will I order pizza from US pizza. It is ok to dine in, but their delivery sucks to the core. Very bad customer service and no accountability.

Regarding this, I give Domino’s 2 thumbs up. They always answered my calls with friendly tone, repeated my orders to double confirm, always apologized when they are late and give a voucher for a free regular pizza for the next order. The most important part is, when the rider was late, the person who took my order will call me up to inform me that he is running late, and apologized on HIS behalf, and assured me he will give a voucher to me. And after awhile, called me up again to check whether the pizza had indeed arrived and apologized again.

THIS, is what I call excellent customer service. I am not after the free voucher, because it comes in 2^nd to the first and foremost rule of customer service. US Pizza Penang can really take get their employees to learn how to be a better service person, because in this industry, service is what counts. I don’t go to places which have bad customer service for 2^nd time because it is totally not worth it.