Saving for retirement

Yesterday, I attended a briefing on PRS (Private Retirement Scheme). Basically, it is unit trust investment for your retirement to supplement your EPF savings. It is new in Malaysia as it was just launched very recently and CIMB Principal is one of the eight providers available. In terms of risk return reward, it behaves more like a trust fund where your principal is not protected. But it is quite like EPF, where you can't withdraw from your account 1 (70% of your invesment) before retirement. You can withdraw from your account 2 but you will have to pay 8% tax penalty since you get RM3K tax relief from your annual contribution. That was not what I wanted to write about though so for more info, feel free to visit their website yourself http://www.cimb-principal.com.my/prs/

What I wanted to write actually was about saving for retirement in general. During the briefing introduction yesterday, the lady made a simple calculation of savings you need before you retire. Say you need RM3K per month after retirement for 25 years, assuming you live 25 years after retiring, you will need RM3K x 12 months x 25 years = RM 900K. Let's round it up to RM 1 mio. Sounds quite a lot. It sounds impossible to achieve but actually you can do that using ASB loan alone. Assuming you take a 200K loan, pay it consistently on a monthly basis, WITHOUT taking out the dividend and principal, receive on average of 8% annual return, you will get around 1.4mio after 25 years.

I am not working in PNB, I don't have a KPI to sell ASB loan or get commission from posting this. This is purely for sharing. So for bumiputera out there who hasn't taken advantage of this privilege, you better do so. The sooner the better. Money is never enough but having more money is always better, right. Whether I would invest in PRS? Maybe I will. I think it's time for me to start diversifying my savings.

Hari Raya Haji 2012 family trip

This is one belated post. Last raya haji, my parents-in-law suggested we go back to Penang since Friday was a public holiday. My mom was thinking of going back to Perlis so I combined these two plans together and brought my mom along to Penang and dropped her off in Perlis before we came back to KL.

That raya morning, hubby and I didn't wake up for raya prayers. When we woke up, everyone was downstairs having breakfast. After salam raya with the family, we quickly packed and made our move. The rest went straight to Penang. Hubby and I stopped by Bangi and then KL to pick mummy up. We only started our journey from KL nearly 3pm because Tricia vomitted just before we reached my mom's place. We arrived at Gurney Resort Hotel and Residence around 6.30pm and I would say I like it. The room and the bathroom in the master bedroom were really spacious. We freshen up for awhile and then we walked the long stretch to the other end of Gurney Drive to the hawkers area. Had pasembor and sotong bakar. Feeling very "Penang". Haha.

The next morning, after breakfast, we hang out at the swimming pool. I could see the whole family having so much fun. Even the fathers went on the kids slide again and again on the pretense of carrying a child, to the extend of "borrowing" a child! LOL. I bought a new muslimah swimwear, aprroved by hubby and went swimming a few laps. It felt really REALLY refreshing and GoOoOoOoddddd. I missed swimming.

 

Around 3pm, we went back to kampung Penang and had more food. Stayed for a few hours, went for a motorbike ride (Tricia's first!), talked to relatives and neighbours and then went for steamboat dinner before going back to the hotel. Hubby, Tricia and I went back out to Hard Rock Hotel. After buying a T-shirt from Hard Rock Cafe, hubby had to take us back because both of Tricia and I were sleeping already. Haha. Pity him.

The next morning, after breakfast, I had some alone time (with Tricia) in the bathtub and then, we started our journey back to Perlis. Hubby, kempunan sgt pulut Danok, went to the border, without passport and bought RM98 worth of puluts! We rested for a bit in Perlis and started our journey back around 7.30pm. We reached Penang around 10.00pm and because of the public holiday jam, hubby and abg mi decided to wait hoping that the traffic would ease. We started our journey again around 12am and reached KL around 6am! I slept all the way, thanks to my superhero hubby for driving, reached Nilai around 6.30am and straight away went to work after a quick shower. Did I regret not taking leave that Monday? Well, not really. It was such an adventure. I only pity my husband, who had no choice but to brave through the traffic so that I got home on time for work. All-in-all, it was such good family holiday... much needed quality family time.

Waiting for me

Last night, hubby wanted to go back to Bangi to do some work. I wanted to go back to Bangi to do some cleaning. Since hubby didn't mind sending Tricia back to Nilai in the morning, we decided that I would go straight back and hubby would pick up Tricia from Nilai. When hubby was ready to move with Tricia, she kept asking "mama? mama?". Hubby told her that we will see mama in Bangi but I guess he wasn't convincing enough because the further he drove, the louder she cried calling out for me. "Mamamamamama". She must have thought that hubby left me and I wouldn't be able to find her later. Sweet sgt okay.... Terharu!!!

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Three years ago, on this very day, we officially became husband and wife. I did not shed a tear when hubby selesai melafazkan akad. I was actually trying hard to not smile so wide, unsuccessfully. I was really REALLY happy, to be married to the one guy I love. The event was quite simple. Carried out in a mosque in Taman Melati. And after dinner, the crowd dispersed and we were left on our own. Just like any other nights. We didn't even have a bilik pengantin... Well, we did but just for show. The real bilik pengantin was my old room, which I didn't bother decorating or made it special for the occasion. But we fit right in... I knew at that moment, this is where I belong.

Today, three years down the road, we are still as strong as ever. Of course, there are ups and downs but we will continue to fight the battle of life together. And now there are 3 of us! Tido malam, katil tak cukup sbb si kecik tu conquer katil okeh. There is no proper celebration for today as these past few days, we have been spending some relaxing time together and for me, that is enough. We travel a lot, we eat out at expensive places often so I don't need to mark the day with these kind of celebrations. I am simply happy to get to hug my hubby to sleep at night, despite our opposite body clock and crazy work schedule. So for the record, I just want to say, Mohd Hazmi Abdul Halim, Happy Anniversary. For a bright and happy future together. Cheers!

Darul Izzah and Gunung Angsi

The first week of October, my group of girlfriends went to an orphanage house in Bangi. It was nothing spectacular or big. It was just a simple event to have pizzas for lunch with them since the last time Irna went, one of the boys got so excited when he heard pizza but there were just bihun and kuih muih. It was a nice, humbling and joyful experience for me. A fulfilling reunion with my girls given everyone's tight schedule these days. We had all the intention to do more next round, find a less-well-to-do establishment to contribute to... insyaAllah, may Allah pave the way for us. Not to say this establishment is well taken care of but only after 10 minutes we finished eating our food, there was already food (nasi + ayam) outside the dining hall. MasyaAllah. Such a caring community we have. =)

The next day, Aizat, Irna, Shasha Id, Hubby and I followed Aizat's ex-colleagues to go hiking at Gunung Angsi. It is the 3rd highest peak in Negeri Sembilan and apparently has a tougher trail than Gunung Kinabalu. I was all excited and pumped-up before we started our climb since it had been a long time since I last hike a mountain. The last one must be Gunung Ledang in 2002, right after I left MMU. What happened to my vow in 2001 before I left TKC to never go hiking again?

We started our hike around 9.50am, nearly 2 hours delayed from the original plan. The hike up was not too bad. We talked and laughed and took a couple breaks. It was damn tiring and it made us really thirsty. Shasha and Aizat's shoes gave way but only Shasha was lucky enough to be given spare shoes from Mizi while Aizat had to tie the sole of the shoes to prevent them from falling off. The trail up was quite steep and there was this one place where we had to climb up using a rope ala2 rock-climbing gitu. We reached the peak in one piece around 2pm.

Climbing down was a nightmare. The first two hours was tough but manageable. I, as usual, climbed down very very slowly. Hubby waited for me and we walked together silently. We reached the 1st river crossing where Irna, Aizat, Mamat and was it Firdaus, stopped for prayer. I continued on knowing well enough how slow I am. However, at the 2nd river crossing, hubby wanted to stop for a quick dip in the water. By that time, half of my legs were in the water already, a result of being too lazy to balance myself on the slippery rocks to cross the river. But that was as far as I went. I sat on the rocks, waiting for hubby. Soon, Irna, Aizat, Mamat & Firdaus caught up with us so we moved together. It was 5pm.

By that time, I felt super drained and tired and dehydrated I felt like fainting. I moved very2 slowly. Hubby walked slowly in front of me. Occasionally offered to carry me but I insisted on walking on my own. Irna and Firdaus went ahead. Aizat and Mamat behind us given that Aizat shoes were in a very bad condition already. The path back seemed unusually long. I remembered it only took us one hour to the Kem Tangga Batu (near the river where hubby took his dip). We heard the first bell at 5.30pm. I was really frustrated that I was still in the jungle. I thought I could be done with all these by 3pm and go back to my baby girl. So I refused to stop. Must. Keep. Going. I was half walking, half crawling by then. Focusing my mind on something to make sure it would not be taken over by some other spirits since I was having my 1st day period that day. Keep on chanting "a little bit more... a little bit more". By 6pm, we heard the second bell. Hubby was getting worried. We should be out of the jungle by Maghrib. So he insisted on carrying me. He also didn't want me to slow Aizat down. I let him because I also want to get out as soon as I could but I was in no condition to run. I let him carry me THREE times. The third time, I got panicked halfway that I struggled to be let down while hubby was carrying me through a very narrow path, just by the slope. We could have fallen to our death at the waterfall below us. Lucky, Very Luckily, hubby could manage his balance for both of us... After that, I walked on my own. Aizat and Mamat nowhere to be seen. I guess, Aizat felt just as tired as I was since she didn't try to catch up.

We arrived at the picnic area around 6.15pm. Visitors there were starting to pack up their stuff. Hubby wanted to follow the trail we used that morning but I insisted to go by the river where there were many people around. We managed to reach the carpark around 6.30pm. Aizat came out around 6.45pm. That was a very close call and I cannot describe how glad I felt that everyone got out safely.

Okay. I vow to never to do this AGAIN. I should remember this experience before I drag my ass up Gunung Kinabalu and slow everyone else down. MUST REMEMBER! One good thing that came out of this experience was the renewed feeling I have for my husband. 10 years of togetherness... made me rethink the feelings we have for each other. I kept thinking whether we still feel the same, whether the love is still as strong, whether we could live with each other for the rest of our lives.  After what we went through that evening, I know his love for me is just as strong, if not stronger, given the responsibility he has as my husband. I know I can put my lives in his hand and he will protect me till his last breath. And I would definitely do the same for him.

Papa's birthday weekend

Hi, everyone. It seems like I'm so in the mood to blog these days, hehe, although I still have a few more posts delayed. So what have everyone been doing this weekend? I started my Saturday with Tica's swimming class. It should be every Sunday but I was going to meet my papa this morning so we went to yesterday's one instead. I woke up just on time so I just brushed my teeth and packed both my sleeping babies into the car, wearing the clothes I slept in i.e. my working clothes from Friday. Thought I would go straight home after breakfast, but oh boy, how wrong I was. Hubby detoured to Subang Parade to get my rings and bracelet cleaned at Diamond Platinum. We also got my Blackberry's casing changed since my keypad lost not one or two, but three letters and installed new OS. 

Then, hubby took me to Kia's showroom in Bangsar to let me test drive his current dream car, Kia Optima K5. Hoho. I am solddd!!! It was such a NICE car that we conveniently forgot how expensive the car is and put in our booking. *gulp* Okay. The booking is refundable so we can still dream. This discussion is being revisited since my husband's friend suddenly wanted to buy my our Inspira. Odd...

Source: Paultan.org

This morning (Sunday) I woke up quite early but started getting ready so much later that I was nearly late to see my father. One thing you need to know about my father is: HE IS NEVER LATE. And he can really scold me if I am so ape lagi, kalut laaa this morning. Hubby pressed the pedal hard that once the ABS kicked in when hubby did an almost emergency brake. Thankfully, we reached KJ just on time. Thank you so much, Inspira. You did such a good job. I love you. =p

Apart from that, I bought TWO malay movies on Astro First this weekend. Untuk Tiga Hari and 29 Februari. I would say both movies are not bad at all. The first one is quite light while the latter is slightly heavier. Different concept and nice storyline. See... I can be supportive to our local movie industry if the movies are worth watching. 

Also currently trying to finish the second book from the fifty shades Trilogy. Hubby said I'm reading porn... Okay, it was my comment that made him say that. Bought the second book from The Hunger Games trilogy but that book is currently with the owner of fifty shades book I'm currently reading. Swap books so that I don't own too many of them since I rarely read any book twice. On top of that, I also bought a Malay novel, Adam dan Hawa. The teledrama of Adam and Hawa shown on TV is such a hit that I feel like getting on the bandwagon too. Sounds interesting so why not while I still have the time. That's all then. Enjoy what's left of your weekend, everyone!

UK & Italy trip (part 3)

15 September 2012: Woke up early for our trip to Capri! I bought this tour via Viator.com. Bus from Rome took 3 hours and then we boarded a medium-sized ship at Napoli Beverello to Capri. Capri was SO BeAuTiFuL. The water was clear blue and the view of houses build on the hill looked like Greece to me. The road to Anacapri, the top part of the island was very very narrow, it was quite a scary bus-ride climbing up. People here mostly walk or ride a bicycle/motorcycle. Lunch was provided and it was quite filling. A lot of handmade stuff on sale but just a bit too pricey for me. The ladies handmade sandals were quite pretty though, cost at least 60 euros per pair. The nicer once cost around 130-160 euros or so. If they were cheaper, I might have bought one pair for myself.

Hubby and abg went up this hanging-cable-chair but mummy and I stayed down with Batrisyia. They said the view up there was postcard worthy, obviously! Going back, we missed our boat back to Napoli by 2 minutes!!! Oh Italy. Why you always do that to us.

16 September 2012: We had a tight schedule to walk around Rome this day because we had a flight to catch at 5:50pm. Most important place to go to was the Vatican City because hubby specifically requested it and that was why we went to Rome in the first place. He really wanted to go visit the smallest country in the world. Since it was a Sunday, there was a mass going on that time but tourist were still allowed to come in. Mummy waited outside since she was already tired from all the walking we had done. Had a drink at cafe by the roadside before heading to Castel Sant'angelo and Fontana di Neptuno, Piazza Navona (appeared in one of Angels and Demons scenes). Took a cab to Colleseum and rushed back to our Hotel to check-out.

17 September 2012: This is a historical date because exactly 10 years ago, Hazmi and I started dating. And we were celebrating our 10 years of togetherness in London! We stayed in Tune Hotel, Kings Cross on the last day. At this moment, there are actually 4 Tune Hotels in London alone! Must be really good business over there. It cost us around 50pounds per room so around 100+pounds that night. The last day was free and easy. I wanted to leave around 9am+ but turned out I woke up late. Haha. Checked out around 10.30am, left our luggages there. Went to Hard Rock London and we were done. Mom wanted to do some last minute shopping and I BEGGED my brother to take her while we waited at Hyde Park. It was a chill afternoon and it was really relaxing and fun. After that, we had our late lunch cum belated birthday celebration for abang at a briyani shop in King's Cross. Picked up our bags, went to Paddington Station, where abang took his train to Bristol and we took our train to Heathrow.
All-in-all, it was a good trip. We settled abang down and had a good, fun break, albeit a tiring one that I felt like I needed another break from this break! Hehe. I was so thankful I bought a new Sony camera in time for this trip. The Olympus camera I bought last year was so bluergh, wasted my money only. Till next year then! Abang, hope you study well and take full advantage of this opportunity.

UK and Italy trip 2012 (part 2)

12 September 2012: We decided to sleep in a little that day but Batrisyia refused to sit quietly. When I picked her up and put her down at the corridor between our rooms, she cried loudly. Amazingly when TokMa asked her what's wrong, she said it loud and clear "mamaaa". Oh mengadu eh. We did our laundry before we left. (One of the things we love about this apartment was the washing machine! and wifi connection IN the apartment, of course. The one in London, Hyde Park Exec Apartment, could only get connection downstairs at the reception.) That day we went out with 2 missions: to take abg's accommodation key and open his bank account. Managed to settle the 1st one but on campus NatWest was closed on Wednesdays as the term hadn't started yet. Since it was still quite early, I decided to bring the whole family to see the suspension bridge at the opposite side of town. However, I wasn't quite sure where to stop so we ended up going round and round in the bus for more than 2 hours!!! Oh precious time wasted. When we finally got down, it was getting dark and then while we were running to catch the sunset at the bridge, it started raining. T_T Mummy wasn't up with the running anymore and I was carrying Batrisyia so in the end, we gave up and took a cab back to town. Most shops were already closed. Luckily, the Halal KFC we were looking for was still opened. So we had dinner there. I ordered their Nacho's Stackos menu, which was not available in Malaysia but it was not as nice as I expected. After that, we went back, feeling rather disappointed.

 

13 September 2012: Started the day at Cabot Circus. Bought abg's duvet and duvet covers at Argos. Had breakfast at Costa. Bought a pair of high-heeled boots at Debenhams for 35pounds to replace the sportshoes I was wearing. =p Went back to our accommodation to pick up abg's luggages, sent it to his room in Glenside, went to Frenchey campus to open his bank account but unfortunately, we need a confirmation letter from the university to do that and it would only be ready the day after. Sigh, if only we knew about that the day before. Hubby was craving for rice since he thought we won't be finding any in Rome. Faiz, a Malaysian student in UWE we met the day before suggested we go to Tampopo in Cabot Circus, which serves Halal Oriental food. Perfect! We went there for early dinner, shopped at Primark for a bit and settled in early that night.

 

 

14 September 2012: We were quite rushing that morning to catch our flight to Rome and we couldn't find any taxi available from there so we took a bus to town. Taxi to Bristol International Airport didn't take too long.. about 20 minutes or so and it cost us 39pounds, which I think was quite reasonable. Everything was smooth except we had to wait over an hour for immigration to clear us. Not that there were too many people, there was just no one manning the booth. With my new-heeled-boots and Batrisyia on my hand, the wait was really killing me and my legs. Missed our Terravision bus to town by 2 minutes! so we had to wait for 40 minutes for the next bus to come. Had to cancel my plan to go to Colloseum that evening. Checked-in at Hotel Everest near Termini Station. It's a 2-star accommodation, small but clean and neat. I read online they just refurbished the place. Wifi connection in the room! Haha. Only small problem, the toilet's water hose was leaking that it flowed out of the room when we didn't turn it off. Left our luggage and went out to have dinner across the accommodation. Halal place which serves rice. Pfftt... So much for worrying about food. Then we rushed to Hard Rock Cafe, Rome to buy some souveniers. Walked to the nearest tourist attraction place, Trevi Fountain. By then, I couldn't tolerate the pain any longer that I took my boots off and walked barefooted around Rome. Haha. Memories. It was surprising to see SO MANY PEOPLE there at that hour. Took a few pictures, found a shop which sells slippers!!! and took a cab back. Had the most relaxing drink across our hotel before we called it a night.

Batrisyia's first step

I know I'm supposed to be excited to continue writing/updating about my UK trip but that takes too long and I cannot wait to update about this. Yesterday, Abby told me that Tricia took her first few steps. Being a working mom, I expected not to be the first one witnessing her firsts so I just acknowledged the fact, making a quick mental note to record it somewhere. When hubby came back, we told him about it and he seemed pretty upset that he did not get to see it. Why did I say that? He looked at me and asked whether I had seen it. When I shook my head, he seemed satisfied. Haha. Then he went to pick up Batrisyia, made her stand on her own and extended his hand to her, gesturing her to walk towards him. First attempt, she quickly sat down. Second attempt, she did it... she walked 3 steps towards hubby. We were over-joyed! Our baby growing up so fast. First steps: 2 days to 11 months.

UK & Italy trip 2012 (part 1)

Early last month my whole family (mummy, hubby, baby and myself) went to send my younger brother (abg) to Bristol for his 3rd year degree in UWE. It was a hectic, hectic, most tiring trip ever. Tiring mostly because we had to carry Batrisyia and her bag during the whole trip but it was a conscious collective decision not to bring a stroller considering the amount of travelling we had to do so I don't know whether I can regret that decision.

 

8 September 2012: 11.40pm - Boarded our A380 flight to London. Hubby was so impressed with the size of the fleet. Take off was really smooth that my sleeping baby couldn't even feel it. She slept for a whole 9 hours. The balance 3 hours we fed her, changed her diapers, twice and had to play with her to keep her entertained. Above all, we were really thankful that she was such a good baby!

 

9 September 2012: 5.50am - Arrived in London Heathrow. Abg had to filled in forms at immigration. Went straight to our 1st accommodation, Hyde Park Executive Apartment (cost us 248pounds for 2 nights). Left our luggage there and off we went to London Marlyborne to take a train to Bichester Village via Bichester North. I think that trip was so not worth it. Paid 73pounds for the whole family train tickets and all we got was one pair of shoes for me. Met Azmir and Mimi there but we didn't stay long. Wanted to have dinner at Holiday Villa but opening time was 5pm so we went to Malaysian Student Department (MSD) canteen instead. Checked in, freshen up, prayed... Thought of going down to Tesco Express to buy some drinks and fruits but everyone just got hit by jetlag and off we went to sleep.

 

10 September 2012: The whole family woke up pretty early (considering we were still on Malaysia's timezone. It's Harry Potter Studio's day! Mimi joined us for breakfast at MSD (again!) and off we went to Paddington Station. From there we took London Overground to Watford Junction and took a shuttle bus to the studio. It was a very cool experience to see the real set where they shot the movies. After that, we (my family and I) were supposed to catch our 3.45pm session for Queen's royal jewel exhibition at Buckingham Palace. I initially thought of going back first but decided against it and decided to be early for the session. Turned out there was an closing Olympic Parade going on! The entrance to Buckingham Palace were closed so we had to make a VERY BIG round to the other side of the palace, running! Batrisyia was happily sleeping on my shoulder and mummy had to fast walk to catch up with me. Poor mummy. After Buckingham Palace, we went back to send mummy. Hubby, Abg and I went back out to Holiday Villa to buy her favourite Lobster Noodle.

11 September 2012: Checked out. Had breakfast at London Paddington and took train (First Great Western) to Bristol. Arrived early at our accommodation to store our luggages at Bristol Serviced Lettings (300pounds for 3 nights), but they let us in early because the place was ready. Very nice place and service! They not only provided a baby cot for us, they also installed a baby gate before the stairs. Took bus #13 (UWE3) to go to Glenside campus to pick up Abg's hostel keys but we missed the stop so we went to Frenchey campus instead. Since we were caught in after hours traffic, it was quite late already. Couldn't do any official stuff so we went to Cabot Circus instead. Bought abg's UK sim card (we chose 3), had light dinner, bought stuff from Sainsbury and back to rest.

Family portrait

I know Syawal already ended but this is our first raya picture as a family with Batrisyia. I initially wasn't really interested to buy new clothes and colour coordinate the whole family but at the very last minute, I changed my mind. I'm glad I did.

Batrisyia 9 months progress

While I am at it, might as well post 2 stories at one go. This is very important to document... my little Tricia's progress.

In July, she has started to make good progress to start crawling but was more comfortable "menyusur", pushing herself forward like a little commando. She could move around very fast but only tried to make attempt to push herself up once or twice before landing on the ground again.

At our family trip a week before Puasa started, crossing into 8 months, we realised her first two teeth were coming out! Another major milestone here. 

Around 9 months, she was finally confident enough to call me "mama" CLEARLY. The reason I emphasized on clearly was because it was not her first time to call me mama but before... her words were sort of muffled and sounded more like "wawa". Back then, she would NOT call me mama unless it was really really necessary and would not repeat it even when asked to. (Unlike the non-stop PaPpapapa-Papa)

On 4th of August, we took her for her first swimming class. It was held at Kompleks Sukan Negara (Panasonic) Shah Alam. A bit far from our house but that is the only swimming class I could find for a baby her age. She seemed to be enjoying herself, kicking in the water as papa pulled her towards him. First class was more of an introduction to the water and helped her practice to hold her breath. How? Pour a little bit of water on her face on the count of "READY, GO!". Repeat many2 times.

Since I got a lot of questions regarding the class, here are the details.

D Swim Academy Sdn Bhd (750654-V)
(Formerly known as Dolphin Sport Adventure Sdn Bhd)
D Scuba Academy Sdn Bhd (989259-W)
Kompleks Sukan Negara (Panasonic)
Lot 4, Persiaran Perkilangan Section 21,
40300 Shah Alam,
Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia.
Tel : +603 5549 3122
Email : info@dolphinsportadventure.com
Webpage : www.dolphinsportadventure.com

Currently, Tricia can crawl very well and has started standing up by hanging on to something. Sometimes she forgot she can't stand so well yet and often let go of her hands while at it and lose control. Falling down is part of the routine.

Happy Birthday Hubby and Selamat Hari Raya!

Hello people. OMG! Time flies so fast. I've been wanting to update my blog several times before but work got the better of me and when I reach home, Tricia gets all the attention that I don't have the energy to do anything else.

Since Ramadhan is leaving us very soon, I would firstly like to wish all of you Selamat Hari Raya and maaf zahir batin atas salah silap selama ini. Berayalah berpada2 dan ingat-ingatlah mereka yang kurang bernasib baik. I have been fairly lucky this year to be able to break fast and sahur at home quite often as my family members in Nilai cook regularly. I don't need to eat out that often, which suits me well as this year is my first time celebrating Ramadhan as a mother. It may not seem very significant since Tricia can't understand this yet but to me, it means less going out for berbuka and terawih. It is fine. My priority is different now. Menjaga anak juga satu ibadah. I am glad that she now understands that I need to pray. Throughout the month, she didn't cry for me to pick her up until I finished my prayer. Good girl. ^_^

So many happenings since I last updated but I am going to dedicate this post to my dearest husband.

Hubby celebrated his birthday last month and we are now the same age again =p Well, my birthday comes first so for more than a month every year, I am sort of a year older than him. Ngahaha.

We went to Morib Gold Coast for a quiet celebration just the 3 of us. It was not bad. I like the room and we LOVE the jacuzzi. Don't put high expectation though. It is not of Sepang Gold Coast standard. The corridors were not even carpeted or tiled... bare cement but the room was cosy and suitable for family with kids who enjoy water theme park. Dinner concept was very open... not only it was buffet-style, the tables were those big round tables fit for 10-people, which means you might have to share your table with other guests. But considering the price I paid, I think the trip was value-for-money.

Tricia fell asleep quite early that night, around 9pm so hubby and I made full use of our time together enjoying the jacuzzi for about an hour or so until Tricia realized we were gone and started crying. I went out the tub to attend to the little baby and when I turned back, my big baby was already covered in white bubbles!!! So much for growing up. Hehe. My little joys in life.

The "excitement" didn't end there. Tricia wouldn't stop crying and after awhile I realized she actually wanted to GO OUT! At freaking 11pm at night. Sigh my little girl. Picked up your daddy's habit a bit too early. Lucky we had a place to go to. There was this deck built by the beachside where you can have drinks while listening to live band and enjoying the night breeze. Quite nice.

We had a good time. Didn't wake up for sahur coz we were too tired trying to get Tricia to sleep. But we salute the hotel for providing sahur in the first place as not all hotels in Malaysia do. To my sayang, Happy Birthday dear. May you get everything you wish for in life. Lots and lots of happiness and LOVE from Tricia and I.

June 2012

Hello, peeps. June is here already, which means I am one year older.

Happy 2x Birthday to me. Hihi.

What update do I have for you? Hmm... let's see:

1) exam - CFA this year was the most straight-forward I have ever sat for but unfortunately I didn't finish covering the whole syallabus so expect to revisit the paper AGAIN next year.

2) money - signed S&P for our 2nd property purchase like finallyyy... With the tightening policy of new loan by BNM, it was SO difficult to get a loan given that I am so highly leveraged. In the end, took up my staff loan, which I had initially saved for the purchase of our dream home later.

3) Batrisyia - she crossed her 7th month last Sunday and is now starting to push her tushie up - the beginning of her crawling phase

pic taken at Abby's wedding

4) Games - Hubby and I were sooo addicted to this game Empire Defense 2 on his tab but unfortunately, after working our ass off to level up, collect crystal and upgrade our soldiers and equipment, the game decided to reset on us, Not Once but TWICE! We basically have to start all over again... Are you mad??? Do you know how many hours we had clocked in for that. That's it! -uninstalled-

Term Structure and Hedging

Hi all. It's lunch time and I am reporting from my new department. Supposed to be studying but my studies is not progressing anywhere. =_= Why do I keep wasting my money enrolling for exams when I don't even put enough effort to pass it... Anyway, our team consists of 4 people including my boss. I am the odd one out in many ways:

1) I am the only Malay here. 

2) I am the only one married.

3) Consequently, I am the only one with a child. 

I used to wonder how my former boss in CIMB-Principal survived being the only Malay in the office. Now that I am experiencing it myself, it is actually not bad at all, as long as you can get along with your teammates, your racial background does not really matter anymore. Sorry if anyone finds this statement racist. I have no racial issue. It is just that... I used to think I would only feel comfortable if I have at least someone with the same background around with me... a mixture instead of being the only one singled out. But I am happy to report, so far I don't quite feel out of place (except when they buy cakes containing alcohol or go out to non-halal place for lunch =p Haha. Okay. Not that often.)

On the 2nd and 3rd category, I am hoping and praying that my boss will get married and have a baby soon. Wakakaka. Okay. Maybe not so soon but at least in 2-3 years time? Motive? So that she would be more understanding when it comes to family issue. Not that she's not understanding now but I also don't have a pressing need to be at home YET. I hope, when the time comes, when I need to be with my baby, she would understand what it feels like. Hehe. After all, she IS 2 years older than me. =p 

Tricia 6 months today

My dearest baby girl is 6 months today! And to mark this date, I did what I have been waiting to do since the day she was born - open her ASB account. =p Excuse me for being too money-oriented but it is important to start saving from young.

Progress so far 

- Tricia has started eating solid food since she was 5 months+. I could not wait until she reached 6 months because she was just too eager mimicking our action whenever she saw us eat. Been giving her Cerelacs and Heinz products (the semi liquid food and biscuit) so far.

- This baby girl is now able to recognise people and tell time! I effectively have a curfew now. If I come back past 10pm, she will start to cry. Remember this when you grow up, Batrisyia Hana. I have a curfew because of you so don't make so much fuss in the future when YOU have your own curfew. Hehe.

Tricia can meniarap and hold her head up

Hubby was home early last night. Around 11, we settled down and ready for bed. When we were lying down waiting to board the ship to dreamland, Batrisyia suddenly rolled to her side and was on her front (meniarap). She could actually do that soon after she crossed her 4th month but back then, it was a struggle to keep her head up and she would cry for help... for someone to turn her back to the normal facing-up position. Last night, however, she was very proud to show to us, both her parents, that she can now hold her head up for a considerable amount of time. Why did I say proud? When we acknowledged how clever she was for doing that, she smiled and kept looking left and right to mama and papa. When I turned her back and asked her to go to sleep, she did it again! And we had to clap and cheer her for a few minutes until she was satisfied and finally agreed to go to sleep. I am so touched that she made it a point to show her newly-acquired skill to us. Clever girl, sayang.

She also practised another skill last night i.e. grabbing. She was particularly uncomfortable during the night due to her cough. It didn't last the whole night but enough to wake her up and made her upset. Every time she woke up, she somehow felt the need to wake me and and how did she do that? By pulling my hair! Not once, okay. A few times! Adoi. Sakit la, manja.

Cameron Highlands

A couple of friends wanted to go to Cameron Highlands for the weekend and since hubby generally likes going to Cameron Highlands, I offered to arrange for accommodation. What should be a weekend with friends turned out to be a weekend with family as they all bailed out at the very last minute. Each with their own reason: sick, no mood, didn't get mom's permission. =_= Kinda ironic since the date was picked to accommodate everyone else. I would not have picked this date as my exam is just around the corner. Booking the place was a real headache as I was trying to keep the cost at a minimal. Hubby already said to let it be and absorb the cost if need be but me being me... I wanted to make it as cost effective as possible. And absorb the cost we did. Seriously, if there is a next time, I would make everyone commit to it by paying a non-refundable booking fee. 

 I came home Friday night feeling tired and not in the mood to go. Packing not done and baby was sick. But big thanks to hubby for taking the charge, rushed here and there to get baby's medicines and last minute supply and packed our stuff in a jiffy. Then off we went to KL to pick mummy and abang up, before meeting Zairie halfway for the climb. Alhamdullilah, everything went smoothly and we made it safely there. When I entered the unit, I was pleasantly surprised to see how big the unit really was. Everyone had enough space to gather in front of the TV in the living room as sofas were plenty. Why we picked Villa Dahlia in the first place was because of the kitchen. Hubby likes to eat fresh veges every time he comes here so we must be able to cook... so no hotels. You can get your pots and pans and towels from the reception. Even plates and utensils are available in the kitchen. So... naturally, first thing we did Saturday morning was shopping for veges before cooking our big vegetarian lunch! Plus, fried chicken as the side. Haha.

Uda in front of the signage

After lunch, everyone took a break by freshing up, taking a nap, praying etc etc but hubby was already excited to go to Boh's Sg Palas tea plantation. It had a breathtaking view and hubby pointed out that one of Ombak Rindu scenes was shot here. Not my first time here but it's good to be back. Ordered 2 chocolate rolls for myself =p and had Strawberry Rasberry infusion tea. Tasted like Ribena. Luckily, hubby insisted we went early as the place closed at 4.30pm so we had just enough time. After that, Uda and I split up. They went to the pasar tani by the roadside and we went to Taman Agro Tourist. Food and drinks here are all strawberry based. Very the berry. We made it just in time here too as the place closed at 6.30pm so we had just enough time to sit for a drink. Went back to our apartment right after and had steamboat dinner (thanks to Uda and Ebuzz) and nasi + sayur + telur dadar (thanks to mummy). I didn't cook much because I cut myself at my first attempt. =p Slept early that night as I was down with flu. Tricia also was uncomfortable because of her blocked nose. Pity us. Zairie left at around 8pm.

Next morning, had egg-based breakfast before we checked-out. Then Uda, Ebuzz and Nazwan left. My family stopped by the market for some last minute vege shopping and then took a breather at another tea plantation, Cameron Bharat. All in all, it was a good break. I didn't think I would enjoy it but I did. Special shout out to my hubby for making it such a fulfilling trip. And Uda, thanks for not ditching me!

A night at GTower

Hubby and I wanted to spend some quality time together over the weekend and was looking for a place to stay. His friend, Zam, suggested GTower. I browsed through www.agoda.com and got the room for RM330 a night (inc tax) without breakfast. Zam sounded SO enthusiastic about the place, the room, the sky bar and especially the pillows! True enough, they actually have a special menu for pillows! That was quite unusual but awesome. We settled with what we have though. It was actually more than enough. And we had the most comfortable sleep ever. The whole family slept from 6.30pm until 10pm! =_= bad bad... Blame Batrisyia for not waking us up. We then had dinner by the pool side before relaxing in the room again (and ordered dessert for supper).
We generally had a good time except a bit frustrated that they had shower instead of bathtub. =p We were also informed by Aienn earlier that kids are not allowed at the Bridge Bar and Sky Bar so it was good that breakfast were not included or we would have to go separately, taking turns to take care of the baby. Hubby said we will come back here one day for the sky bar, without the baby, since we missed out on that opportunity this time. That shouldn't be too difficult since it's only in the middle of KL.

The King Size Bed (with Tricia in the middle of it), the room and view from the room.

Dinner by the pool side.

Master Chin at Central Market

I'm moving to a new desk effective next month. This whole month is my transitional period. Morning I will be with Money Sales. Afternoon, I will go one floor up to Term Structure Hedging. I have been unhappy with my work performance for awhile but I stayed on because 1) I feel the need to "give back" to the department for helping me getting my PKMC licence and accepting me into Treasury. I was told by a senior to stay for at least 2 years, which I did. 2) I wanted to move out last year but couldn't find any internal vacancy (by internal, I mean Treasury only) AND I got pregnant. So when I came back from maternity leave, I straight away made an appointment with our career advisor and got my transfer. Yeay to that!

I know this is the best decision for now. I want to learn more technical stuff and this desk offers just that. I got to learn about FTP pricing, IRS, hedge accounting and a lot more which are very2 technical. One guy there was from the same batch as me but he is a level higher than me already. I know I am at least as good if not better so sometimes I wonder why didn't I joined this department earlier like he did. Fate, I suppose. At least I have my Batrisyia Hana now so I must strive harder to be better at work. 

Back to the point, with all the uncertainties in the future, I feel like going to Master Chin to see what lies ahead in my career. I thought of going to him after Abby went to see him earlier this year. Just for fun. I will believe what I want to believe anyway so it is not really "fortune telling". More like stating the current situation to your face. It costs RM90 to "read" about yourself and one subject of Tarot card reading. I gave him RM100 and instead of giving me RM10 back, he asked me to pick two subjects instead. Haha, okay. 

First, I had to write my name and my date of birth. Apparently, in my past life, I had a loved one, and a happy family but they all died so I was very very sad. When I came to this world, I sometimes got very sad too. Then I had to put both my fists on the table, thumbs up. Looking at my face, he said my first child is a daughter. (Isn't it obvious? Hubby was feeding Tricia beside me that time. LOL) I will have maybe 3 children. At least 2. I will have a boy too. I have a lot of siblings (really???) but they stayed far from me (oh. I forgot my dad's children. Haha.) Referring to my cheek/cheekbone, I have power/leadership skills. My lips shows long life.. at least 80 years old. Then I had to clasp my hands together before putting my hands on the table facing down, showing all my fingers. Same thing, power, leadership, good at marketing (Hah? I doubt it. If not, I would have done really well where I am), can talk to people. Then he flexed my fingers a bit and said that I'm very close to my siblings. (Maybe one) Next was palm reading. I like to help people, can work as Dr, nurse etc. (Heard this from Abby), marriage, children, long life, emotional but easily contented - got car, got house, happy already. I like to change my mind that I might have missed a lot of opportunities because of that. (Hmm? Job wise?) Tarot card reading, I chose work/career and luck/money. I had to shuffle the cards with my left hand and then split the stacks into 3 before putting them back together. Work/Career - First card was death. (Okay, I was scared.) But apparently it means rebirth - people will help me when I need it. I have been unhappy at work. I prayed to my Allah. Someone is being unfair to me. People not treating me right. People are jealous of me. (Huh? Jealous for what? I have no achievement whatsoever yet.) All the cards are bad. I might be moving in a few months or so if I continue to be unhappy. (Hmm.. Is this referring to my new department or old one. I'm so confuse.) Luck/Money - Again with the death card. This year is okay. I have money but is not enough. (Yes, it is not enough. I'm going to travel overseas and I have no extra income to spend!!! Well, money is never enough anyway.) I am good with money. When I have no money I stayed at home and when I do have money, I know how to spend them well. I guess that's it about me.

Hubby's story - He was a soldier. He killed many people in his past life. So he has to pay back karma in this life. What he has to do is talk to a river (???), any river, to dispel the karma away. He had many siblings. He got married in his twenties. (Duhhh.. obviously. He is still in his twenties.) He will have 3 children, but quite difficult to get boy, will only have one. (Good to hear the same prediction, ey? Haha.) He has strong fingers, has power and leadership, long life. His tarot card reading - own business - already stable, looking for something new to do, received a lot of support from family, father helped him set-up the business in the beginning. Money wise - same as mine - when he has money he knows how to spend and enjoy but when he has no money, he will just stay at home. Health - Generally no problem but he worries about it too much. Just a little headache once in awhile. That's all I could hear and remember coz I was busy with Tricia that time.

Was the money worth it? Not for the facts, no. But it was quite fun to do something different once in awhile so yeah... I didn't regret it.