Right after my marriage, 2 years ago, I didn't plan to have a baby. The plan was to travel around as husband and wife, get to know each other and do things together as halal partner. That was before. 2 years later, baby Isa was born. Truthfully, I wished that I had Isa 2 years ago. Meaning, no planning needed . It's actually nice to hear baby's cry in your house :-). Don't include the lack of sleep, by the way, the vomit on your bed, the poo and pee.

Since the birth of Isa, I have not had enough sleep. For someone like me, sleep is on top of everything else in the world. However I was prepared for that when I got pregnant. Sometimes, I lose my cool while taking care of my son due to sleep deprive. Well, I think it happens to everyone.

It was hard for the first 2 weeks because Isa was admitted to hospital due to his jaundice although it wasn't serious but doc didn't wanna take any risk. I was going up and down the hospital like mad woman. I didn't had proper pantang meal, let alone a proper rest. But I was determine. Determine to make sure that Isa's jaundice heal. So although I had to breastfeed him and pump every 2 to 3 hours, I did it. It was tired and I almost gave up. But the strength came out of no where although my body is shutting down but my mind was still going strong.

The birth of Isa has definitely gave an impact to me especially. Isa made me stronger than I was before. A strength that I thought I didn't have. I wasn't like this previously. My priority also changed. Nothing else matter except attending to Isa's need. Whatever I do, it goes back to him. He also make me realize that life is simple. All you have to do is be happy. Isa is a smile-baby. He's in the 'talking' phase now. So whenever you talk to him, he'll laugh or smile. When he wakes up, he smile too.

Now I look forward to see him end of the day. Although I had to travel to and fro on a weekly basis to Perlis, I don't mind doing it and I hope that God will give me the strength to do this for the next 1 year.

Truthfully, having a child really make a different, Your whole world changed. What you think not important, suddenly becomes important to you. Even your reading material changes -__-. That's how much of a changes. Your shopping habit also change. For Juan, his new hobby is collecting Star Wars clothes for his son. Soon our home will turn into a museum.

As I type this, #babyjedi is currently sleeping in front of the TV while my parents are away to visit the passing of our neighbor. So I'm all alone. I'm almost 2 months into motherhood but it has been nothing but amazing and a learning phase for me and Juan.

I'm very blessed to have a smooth pregnancy as well as delivery. Alhamdulillah.

It all started on the 16th Feb midnight around 11pm when me and Juan were about to head to bed. Since it was my first pregnancy, I couldn't differentiate between Brixton Hicks or a real contraction. I don't even know how Braxton Hicks feels like. I assume it was just a normal phase in a final trimester. I tried to switch position like how I normally do but this time, it didn't work. I rule out 50% that it was real labor because my expectation is that I would deliver after my DUE DATE. That's what normally happens to first time mother-to-be. I end up sitting on the couch till 4 am and that was when I felt a sharp pain, come and go, 15 to 20 minutes interval, below my abdomen. I woke Juan up and decided to head to the emergency department at the hospital.

Upon reaching the hospital, I was wheeled to a small room to check my cervix. The nurse told me that my cervix has soften, however there was no opening yet but there was mild contraction. I was hooked up onto a machine for 30 minutes to monitor the baby's heart beat. Juan was there the whole time. After that 30 minutes, the nurse confirmed that baby was in good condition and asked me if I want to be warded. I decided to go home since there was no opening.

Reaching home, I continue sitting down on the couch while Juan went back to bed. I didn't sleep till 8am when my contraction came so hard but bearable that I couldn't even close my eyes. This time, it was around 5 to 10 minutes interval. I woke Juan up and decided to head to the hospital.....AGAIN. This time, I decided to be warded.

It was 9am when I was wheeled into the labor room. It felt like forever before I was told to pushed the baby out. Everything was fine until around 12pm when the nurse came in to check on my progress. I was only 2cm dilated so they has to induced me further so that my cervix dilates faster since my water bag has broken earlier that morning without me realizing it. But I told the nurse that I felt a gush of water coming out while I was in the toilet doing my business earlier on. I thought it was my urine. So to avoid any complications, doctor decided to fasten the delivery process.

Within 15 minutes being induced, I felt as of my stomach was about to burst -__-. I told myself that this is going to be my first and last experience being pregnant. To make it worst, the nurse had to increase the dose. Within 2 hours I was dilated 7cm!!!. Woah!!!, That was the start of everything.....

I live in an apartment and nearby to the hills. So definitely the humidity level in my apartment is higher compared to those living on a flat ground. The perks I get living higher up is the cold breeze every morning and night. But it can be quite hot during the afternoon.

So why wardrobe dehumidifier is important for an apartment? Do you need a closet dehumidifier? Well, if preventing mold in your closets is important to you, you might. No one wants to store valuable things in a closet, only to find they've been damaged by mold or mildew.

You should consider a dehumidifier for your closet if:

• The closet is in a basement, bathroom, laundry room, or other area of the home that tends to be damp or have high humidity.
• You store items in the closet that could be easily damaged by high humidity, especially expensive items like designer or vintage clothing, important papers, musical instruments, or tools.
• You store food in the closet (like a kitchen pantry).
• The closet feels damp to you.
• The closet has a musty odor (that odor is often an indication of mold, so in addition to getting a dehumidifier, you should inspect carefully for mold).
• You had problems with mold in the closet in the past.

I know it's already February now and Christmas has longggg gone. But I couldn't find time to blog about Sephora 12 days Christmas giveaway that I won last December. I mean I was toooo lazy to blog. Blame on the pregnancy hormones please.

I won not samples but a full flush of products. How can I not be happy...Yeay, It came with 3 brands in a box. Glam Glow, Benefit and Color Me foundation applicator. I can't be more luckier than this.

I've been eyeing on Glam Glow brand ever since I stood my eyes on it in Sephora but never knew that it came in my mail. Rezeki anak kot.

First up is the Glam Glow Daily cleanser:

I just loveee the packaging. It comes in a bottle like shape silver linings box. So creative.

Purify the face daily with a revolutionary Mud to Foam™ cleanser that reduces visible skin imperfections and creates a clean complexion. It rinses away impurities and prevents pore-clogging fragments from collecting on the face. The mud transforms to gentle foam that leaves a matte finish and generally improves skin quality. Benefits? Based on the top-selling SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment, the Supercleanse is the natural next step in the SUPER family for problematic skin
Formulated without Parabens, Sulfates and Phthalates. Also suitable for Men and Women






Wipe off your makeup quickly at the end of the day. This gentle remover completely lifts away waterproof and long-wearing eye makeup without tugging your skin. It can also be used to correct mistakes or smudges without ruining the rest of your makeup. After cleansing, your skin will feel soft, clean and smooth. Benefits? Creamy gel formula, contains a cold cream texture and suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers (Oh I love this part)

Being a first time mother-to-be, you sure have thousands of questions to be thrown to your gynae or some none at all. Some mother-to-be only listen to their gynecologist advise. Not that I say it's not good. But a little knowledge from reading could be good for you. To prepare you on what to expect throughout your pregnancy journey. In my case, I asked a lot. Sometimes I think too much.

So I was invited by my Communication team in my company to contribute a short article on how is it like to be born and raised in a multicultural family background. To be honest, it was something that I have been waiting throughout my working experience to write something like this.

Well, growing up in a family of mix cultural background is no different with other families. The only thing different is that tolerant, understanding, respect, and patience are the key essentials. There are 2 different religion under one roof so logically you think that there'll be clash of interest or dispute on how should we celebrate Chinese New Year especially when it comes to reunion dinner. It wasn't an easy journey at first for my parents but patience was the only thing that came across my parent's mind at that time until I was born, everything changed. See, cucu can make a whole lot of different :-)

Simple. Previously we used to book halal restaurants or 8 course dining at hotels. As the price keeps increasing, we resulted in organizing our own bbq or hot pot at my uncles's place. Each bbq pit or hot pot will be divided into 2 parts. One is halal and another is non-halal. The halal part is definitely for me and my family, obviously kan. Duhhh. The ingredients were also halal. So it wasn't a problem for us.

I'm quite lucky compared to some families because my dad and his siblings were brought up in a Malay kampung. So understanding some of the basic dos and don'ts in Islam is not something we need to explain to them cause they already know. Even when there's death in the family, we visited too cause it was with pure intention because they're family regardless of which religion or race you come from.

A change of religion doesn't mean you disown your family. No, it's not. In my case, me and cousins were very close from young until most of us were married and have our own commitment but we still say Hi to each other once in a while or a family gathering during festive season. It's very interesting to have different culture in your family, you get to learn each other's culture especially when it comes to FOOD!

As I mentioned previously, RESPECT is important. Don't let your ego get in your way. I mean thinking that 'Why should I follow your way?'. It's about taking in the bad and the good. No one's perfect so best is to embrace and enjoy. It's a unique experience and I will definitely pass it down to my kids.

Many weeks before entering the month of February, I won a planner contest from Perky Preen and Co. I've been following them through a friend and thought of trying my luck. And luck was certainly on my side.

They have a wide selection of planners for you to choose from and they also can customize according to your preference. I believe these planners will make a great gift for your loved ones. Apart from fulfilling local orders, they also ship their planners worldwide. I used to have those plain black, boring planners back in university days where I jot down most of my meetings, classes, datelines.

With so many choices of planners today, they are not limited to only writing boring meeting dates but you can also add in stickers, colorful sticky pads. That's why this planner has.






They have stickers of all sorts for you to stick in your planner. Isn't it cool?






They also have games like below or Sudoku for you to past your time while writing your planner. Colorful and fun at the same time.

Now that I have this quirky planner, I have no more excuse to not jot down important events or occasion in my life. To view more of their planners, visit their official IG page Perky Preen and Co

I have been avoiding myself from using alcohol-based toner on my skin because I noticed that it dries up my skin and it felt harsh too. Although it is said to be useful on pimples and acne, in order to get rid of the bacteria contained in the pus.

There are few reasons on why you should start practicing alcohol-free toner/astringent based toner:

Less Irritation
The job of a good toner is to get rid of the damage that appears on the surface of your skin. However, a toner that contains alcohol will only further irritate your skin, resulting in redness and inflammation. An alcohol-free toner is much more gentle, and will allow the surface of your skin to heal.

Balance pH
If you use a bar of soap or foaming face wash that might dry out the skin due to their low PH balance, a toner will help counteract the dryness that occurs.

Enhance
Depending on the ingredients used in the toner, they can help calm, control oil, stimulate blood circulation, destroy acne-causing bacteria, provide anti-oxidant benefits and more.



Previously, I've been using a different brand for my toner. It was good but it doesn't help in terms of my aging concern. So I decided to give COSRX a try since I've been reading a lot of good reviews about it online.

Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner uses the ground-breaking Galactomyces fermentation techonology for maximum results which include nourishment, moisturization, renewal,and toning effects.

What I love about this toner is that, it doesn't contain perfume and colorless. It comes in a 150ml spritz bottle but I poured into a smaller bottler so that it's easier for my to pack it in my luggage and for daily use as I will know how much should I use on cotton face. I use it in my daily skin regime Wash > Tone> Serum > Moisturize

So far, Korea based products has not disappoint me. Although the effect takes longer time compared to Western brand, it doesn't leave any harsh residue or sensitive effect on my skin and they feel smoother as well.