After good 6 months!

3rd April 2012

October, November, December, January, February, March..6 months and thats like half a year now since I last blogged.  Now, where do I start from? What about? So many things happened and I can't even keep track of most of them. My bad. No, am not gonna put the blame on my little one this time as he has given me all the time I needed. A piece of wooden spoon and nice baby-friendly plastic pans and saucers are all that he needs to keep himself entertained in his wooden crib.

My last blog was about me starting up my new skincare business right, so I shall start from where I left. SacReDsea, that was what I named that little skincare business which I started in Oct 2011. I wanted my son's initial to be apart of the brand name, hence the capital R and D which stand for Raoull and Darshan. This means my second one has to bear the same letters or I will have to open up another business under his/her name, can you imagine.

How is business so far? Honestly, I am happy with the growth and looking forward to more. I have taken back most of the cost we pumped in and looking at profit hereafter. Thank you God, I wouldn't have done it without Your blessings. Back to business, I wouldn't say it's easy running a business when you have a 1 year old toddler under your care 24/7.  My time management gets messed up all the time and the little time that I have is often wasted with lots and lots of beauty-sleep :D. Yes I still love to zzzzzzz and I have a little mate to join me these days. Peacefully we spend our days sleeping and dreaming big. Lol. But to be honest, I get very tired these days...ill tell you why shortly. Well, whenever I need more business, then I'll lock myself in front of my iPad to do some catchy advertisements in FB. Orders get locked  in every month and as long as I have money to cover my expenses, I'm happy. Like someone dear told me,

 "...at least you have started something on your own at this age Vaani. Its ok to struggle a little now. By the time your son hits his teenage years, your business will be earning millions for you!"
How motivating can some beautiful souls be. Customer satisfaction? No I can't quote 100% :( . 92% maybe, but definitely nothing less than that la. Hope the percentage increases from time to time...let's see.

Raoull Darshan, my garden of hope, dream and happiness! This little one turned ONE last December and gonna turn 16 months in few days time. How gracefully time flew right in front of all our eyes. It feels like only yesterday I took my first glimpse at this little child who greeted the world with his loud cry in the labor room. Now, he's up running, climbing, dancing, singing, laughing, chatting and occupying most of my time. He made our little  world so beautiful.  He keeps me sane. He keeps me on my toes. His thoughts make me smile all the time. His milestones? He can say more that 30 words and that include the sounds of nearly 10 animals.

He loves balls. The moment you scream "goal" when he kicks the ball, his hidung will automatically kembang and he will start running faster towards the ball to score more "auta" goals. And I'm always there to cheer and clap hard even when the ball hits right on my face. He enjoys dancing and loves Vijay, just like his mummy. He calls his dad "Drew" or "bi". In short, he's a parrot and he imitates whatever I do. He's the only soul who enjoys all my nursery rhymes, so am trying so hard to get better in it. I love him with all my heart as I  always do.

News news news! Well this news is gonna hold me from publishing this post for time being. Yes, I'm carrying my second child :). I'm 12 weeks now and my due will be sometime in October this year. I don't know why but my heart is not letting me to broadcast this to the public yet. Perhaps because its still too early. Or maybe because I like this new feeling of being a little secretive when I need to. Or it's just my age, am I getting there? Well, all I know is I'll publish this when I'm prepared, mentally and physically. Truly I wasn't prepared to have my second one this soon. Well, Raoull just turned 13 months when I knew I conceived. It was an ACCIDENT, and you have to believe me!This is how it happened...no no, am not gonna explain how his sperm met my ovum, but how a wish became a spontaneous reality.

Being a Feng Shui freak, I hardly missed any of Lilian Too's monthly magazines. As I was going through the magazine issued in January this year, I caught this one interesting article. Now, let me share this with you.

Being a kiasu rooster myself I told Andrew that I'm gonna try for a Dragon baby. I laughed out loud at his muka terkejut and told him that we have another 4 months to think and consider, and that is till the first week of May. Life went on as per normal after that while this rooster's mind was all stuck to that one article. How auspicious can a Dragon baby be? Can the Dragon baby make mummy's business bloom? Will mummy buy a landed house after the arrival of the baby? So many exciting dreams were already residing in my mind. But at the other end of my head, I had this set of questions. Will I be able to cope with 2 young babies all by myself? Will Raoull be ready to share our attentions and love with his new sibling at this young age? Am I really ready to go through all the sleepless nights all over again? Am I ready? Arghhhhh feelings were mixed up in a bowl of excitement and fear. I couldn't make up my mind and the least that I know, I was already carrying at that point of time.  A Dragon baby was already in the making while I was reading that Dragon baby article. This is how fast sincere dreams and wishes can come true..don't pray pray wor.

So like that la. I am curious to know the gender. Although I love to have another boy, Andrew wants a girl..and I wanna close shop after this. 2 is more than enough. Phewwwwww. So I'm silently hoping for a girl coz if its gonna be another boy, another accident will take place in a few years time and I'll  look more like a baby-making machine then.

And you know what, am tired of membebeling. I'll catch you all at some other good time once my morning sickness dies off completely k. Till then, let the good force be with you guys.

Ta,
God's favorite

...as pretty as you are!

Being the youngest girl to the most beautiful woman I'd ever known has injected a lot of vanity into me. I grew up listening to stories about how beautiful my mom used to be as a young woman and if I remember clearly, at the age of 6 I used to sit at one corner inside her room to secretly admire all her photos. Oh how I used to parade around the house wearing all her house coats, just to look like her. She was beautiful and all I wanted at that age was to look like her when I grow up. 

My Mummy..

Pimples started popping out when I reached puberty and they built a nice home on my skin, creating marks and blemishes. Just like any other young gal out there, I wanted flawless skin; I didn’t like black marks; I was tired of saying NO to nuts, chocolates, caffeine; my skin became dull. Media diverted my admiration from my mom to Hollywood and Bollywood stars. I went out searching for skin care to heal my skin and cosmetics to hide all my marks. I tried everything in the market, from Clinique to cheap peeling products. Name them, I’d tried them all.

“Vaani, what’s wrong with your skin? What’s with the thick layer of foundation and patches on your face? So ugly ok, be natural la..” 5 years ago. That was a hard-slap and a loud alarm for me. And the worse part of all, it came from a GUY! Double triple slaps I call.

At that moment I knew I wasn’t on the right track. My skin needed help. I looked ugly. I couldn’t march out from my house without layers of foundation and powder.  In desperation, again I jumped into the wrong lane. With a friend’s recommendation, I started using a very high-level peeling product. I paid RM 450 a month just for the morning and night creams. My skin became flawless and I walked with my nose and chin high up on the sky once again.  

2 months prior to my engagement, the production of the so called high-end-brandless-peeling-product came to a stop due to the high dosage of acid hydroquinone. My long-lost acnes made a come-back. Skin became dark, uneven and dull. I went “kuku” I cried and prayed so hard that my product will be back in the illegal-market. It didn’t!

My engagement came and I walked in with layers of concealer and foundation again. I hated my skin. I hated my face. Confidence was nowhere to be found. I searched for products again.

October 2010. A beautiful, well-hearted lady walk passed my work station. How pretty, I whispered to myself. Least that I knew, she was a God sent.

During my break time, I told her how depressed I was with my skin. I needed help and I was not shy to seek advice from her. She shared with me what she fed her skin with and in no time, I found myself bringing the products back home.

I stopped all my cosmetics. I stopped using other skin-care. I religiously did what I was told. With a blink of an eye, 4 months passed. My Big day came. My complexion cleared. My skin glowed. I was glued...to the product and my groom! :)

11 months later, my son was born. As I welcomed my son and visitors, I also welcomed compliments.

“You are glowing after your delivery woman! How strange!”

I was in pain after my C section and wasn’t in the right mood to share the secret with the people around me. My skin continued glowing.

I made decision to quit my job 5 months after my delivery. I wanted to take care of my son.  That also means, I have to stay at home; I can’t be putting on any cosmetic on my face; I have to be natural; I have to look pretty for my husband and son.  I bought more boosters from the same salon and became a total make-up free person. My husband loved my complexion. I became a natural like my mom.

Along the way, I started helping ladies around me. I recommended the product so they can look pretty without cosmetics too. No chemical; no peeling; full of dead-sea minerals and plant extracts; beautiful end results. The product didn’t fail anyone. *touchwood* They are happy and so I am.

The only drawback is the product was soooo expensive. The salon was making so much of money from the consumers. I found it unfair. Being a resourceful person myself, I hunted high and low for a way. God was indeed kind to me once again, He showed me a path. I found what I was looking for and we invested.

Looking beautiful without layers of foundation or powder is all that I wanted. My idol, my mom was a natural. I wanted to be like her. I don’t want to look “cakey”. I don’t want to look “white” in photos. I want to look beautiful when I wake up in the morning. I want to feed my skin with “good food”. I want natural glow. I want my husband and son to kiss my cheeks but the powder. I want my face to look like “skin” and I love being comfortable in my own skin. I don’t want people to think that make-up has made me into who I am today, no...it was my mom. I’m blessed.

My products, mainly boosters like sebum, serum and essence for oily and dry skin will be down in Oct 2011.  If you would like to explore this with me, please feel free to PING me ok, I don’t eat people :p I’m doing this out of passion. I love to share...let me help you. You are pretty so let the world see you for who you really are!

Ta...

Fathers' Day!

12th June 2011, one week more for Fathers' Day and I've done nothing. Panic mode was on. My sister-in-law was back for a short break, so her brother's car became her's. Since Andrew was driving the Vios around, I became immobile. I hate being dependent.

"What do I get for the 3 fathers?"
" How can I do it without Andrew's knowledge?"

Tadaaa! A brilliant idea came to me. Shaubashini aka Shubie! A very close buddy of mine, all the way from  Penang. A queen of all crafts. A loving soul. A happening mother! I raced to my lappy. Typed out http://shubiemohan.blogspot.com/. I found what I was looking for..pretty hand-made cards!

I grabbed my phone and sent her a text message, although I knew chances were very slim because she was at the midst of preparing stuff for her daughter's 3rd year birthday, which fell on Fathers' Day too. I wrote to her telling that I was just testing my luck and I'll be completely fine to take on any rejection coz I knew how busy she was at that point of time! Luck was on my side. I jumped out of joy when I saw her reply. Told you she's one loving soul :) Didn't want to miss the chance, I placed my orders right away. 3 cards: 1 for Papa; 1 for FIL; 1 for Raoull's Daddy.

Within the same hour, I received sample cards from her. I picked and selected 2. I wanted something different for Andrew. Something fun. Something very baby'ish. I told her.

Thursday morning came, and my cards were delivered to my doorstep.

Papa's card

Card made for FIL

Raoull's Daddy's

Very pretty right? I loved Andrew's card the most although I couldn't stop staring at the rest of them. I was overjoyed. All cards came with her very own signature OK, don't pray pray! So buy original friends :) If you see any of it without this little signature thingy, then you know I pirated it *evil laugh*

All the cards were left empty inside, so that I can bla bla bla in it. I let Andrew write both my Papa's and his Dad's cards simply because he has this very unique hand-writing. But I did the inner part of Andrew's card. Wanna see? 

Btw, RD stands for Raoull Darshan :)

Yeah, I donated a pair of Raoull's mittens to his dad. I can be creative too OK, although I am no where to be compared to that crafty Siamesecatz. So if you are lazy and immobile as me but want something nice and customized for your loved ones, you know where to go. http://shubiemohan.blogspot.com Not only hand-made cards, she has many more interesting stuff inside there.Price is very reasonable, and guess what I got as a complimentary from her? Please be jealous!

Thank you Shubie. I love it! 

Saturday came, a day prior to Father's Day. I had a prayer to attend in the evening so I rushed out to the saloon leaving Raoull behind with his dad. I can hardly manage my own hair nowadays. I stopped by at Jusco to get a gift for Andrew. Andrew got my papa's and his dad's gifts ready, so it was my turn to get him one. These are some of the little things he does which makes me fall for him over and over again. I can definitely count on him for anything and everything! 

Fathers' Day! Andrew and I took turns to tidy up the house while keeping both our eyes on our little one. By 7pm, all was done. Presents were all wrapped; dinner was ordered - Dominos Spicy Sambal set and KFC; cake was baked by my very own sister *we missed you ka*; pretty party lights were switched on; Raoull got dressed and finally guests came pouring in. 

I had to take off my photographer hat and put on the hat of a host. So this was the only picture I could capture that night *sigh*. Nevertheless, the party was GOOD and hope everyone had a good time with us, although it was a very simple one. 

From left: Steven, my BIL, my Papa, my Fil, my Husband. Our little sunshine, Yoshan was the guest of honor. 

The clock was at half past 12 when everyone left. After cleaning and putting Raoull to sleep, the 2 of us crashed on the bed. We were tired but our eyes were filled with happiness alone.

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." ~Clarence Budington Kelland

Happy Fathers' Day All!

Ta...

Heels to Bedroom Slippers

Owh how I missed blogging :) 

You must be wondering what am I up to nowadays. No blogs for 2 weeks. No photos of me in FB, only Raoull's. Am I pigging on my bed 24/7 *I wish* and lying to my employer that I'm working very hard from home? Or am I carrying my second one? Jeng jeng jeng. 

Now let me take you to the NEWS of the year. I quit my job. Yes I did. 

Reaction 1:

"Oh no, you were earning so well!" 

Yes I was. With 6 years of hardcore experience, 5 figures in a single pay cheque is not something new for me. From admin clerks to CEOs, I recruited them all. Some think I'm a God who grants jobs to the jobless, while some toffee-nosed candidates think I'm a little sales girl, who sells high-ranked jobs. Monthly and yearly targets kept me on my toes while flower bouquets and chocolates from new hires crafted smiles on my crazy days! I loved and hated my job, all at the same time :) FYI, Information Technology is my forte.

Reaction 2:

"What are you doing now?"

I'm a FULL-TIME-MOM aka FTM! Isn't that fantastic? If you are already a mother, you will envy me. If you are not one, you will be thinking I'm out of my mind. My one reason for quitting my job, I feel my career as a FTM is more promising.

Reaction 3:

"When will you be going back to work?"

Perhaps when Raoull starts driving his mummy's "antic" VIOS. Or, when I get tired of seeing my husband's grey beard. Or when I start sensing that my 4 children are trying to place me in an old folks home, *celaka, think your mother bodoh meh? All properties will be under my name till I die*. Or, when the sky turns red, green,yellow I shall get myself prepared to switch from my bedroom slippers to the sophisticated high heels once again! In other words, I'm going to let time decide this for me. 

Reaction 4:

"Congratulations, I'm next in the line!" or "Congratulations, I'm jealous of you. Wish I were you!"

You ladies are definitely my Bestest Friend ever! I pray that all of you will be kicked out of your office jobs soon, and you can join me in the new "Gorgeous Desperate Housewives-buatan Malaysia" club soon. Meanwhile please continue going to work on time, especially on Mondays and please be jealous of ME, thank you! 

The next time you bump into me, just say "Hi, How are you..Your son is sooooooo cute!" Shaaadap after that OK. Don't ask me that "What are you doing now?" question and roll your eyes 360 degrees when I say "I'm a FTM!" I cant be explaining this whole thing in public toilets and neither I want the other ladies to eavesdrop and think that I never go to school and that's why I'm staying at home OK! And please don't be too happy thinking that I'll grow out of fashion just because I'm at home most of the time. My not-yet-a-millionaire husband gives me a cheque of 4 figures every month and if you want to know the exact amount, it will cost you a pay cheque of 6 figures please. So the moral of the story is, I will still look younger and more stylo than you, yes you! I'm already thinner than you remember! 

By the way, thanks for all your comments and I do welcome MORE! "Fathers' Day" coming up next, stay tuned for more stories and handsome pictures! 

Ta...

A fan of the Sears

Lack of reading during my pregnancy left me feeling empty after my son was born. Although the joy, excitement and happiness were definitely there, but I knew something else was missing. I realized then that I wasn't fully prepared to nurture my new born. When I was carrying, I was very much focused on fetus development. Baby-care topics were left aside. That made me a total stranger to motherhood, breastfeeding and parenting. As soon as I delivered, many people offered different advices and that confused me even more. I was lost. I wanted something concrete. Something "yesterday" and NOT "20, 30 years back". I wanted the BEST for my new born.

Being in the Indian community didn't help me much either. Till to-date majority of them fail to realize the importance of breastfeeding, sadly. Picking a baby up often is classified as spoiling. Fat babies are ranked highly while the lean ones are criticized. Comparison never ends.

"Ms Y is giving formula milk and her baby is so fat and healthy know. Look at your baby, so skinny."

"Why is the baby crying? I think her milk not enough know..ask her to give formula la.."

"Why is the baby shitting so many times? Ms X 's baby wasn't shitting that many times know.."
"Must give baby water. She is new, she doesn't know anything. I have taken care of so many babies all these years. Put some sugar in the water and feed him."

I took all that with a grain of salt. My sisters remained as my crying shoulders when hormones were driving me insane. Hubby didn't have a clue what baby blues was, but he didn't make it worse for me and I loved him even more for that. My tears stood strong by me and by then "post natal syndrome" was already knocking hard on my door.

I Googled every day and every other hour looking for materials to read. My shout-outs in Facebook were mostly about my new born, hoping that someone would furnish me with what i needed most at that time. Then there came a shed of light all the way from New Zealand.

 *Thank you Rathna. Owh, didn't I tell you that Rathna delivered? No? I'm sorry. Rathna delivered her princess last Saturday, 28th May 2011. Both mom and baby are doing great. I cant wait for the photos! And before I forget, welcome to Motherhood  Rathna, you are going to LOVE it despite the sleepless nights. I'm just a Skype away, so just PING me if you want to talk OK. Anytime..

Back! I've read about the Sears in the internet while looking for effective ways to make my baby sleep longer at night. I needed "good sleep"at that time. The method which was proposed by Dr William Sears was very humane and I became a fan of him immediately. After reading Rathna's comment on my wall, I felt like grabbing my car key and driving up to MPH to look for the book, but I was still on "pantang" mode. I hate waiting. Curiosity killed me, so I got Andrew to get me the book but he could find it no where. I was disappointed.

After talking to one of my aunt in law, I called up Kinokuniya. They too didn't have the book but promised to ship it down for me. I waited impatiently. My book arrived in less than 2 weeks. Thanks Kinokuniya. Thanks husband.

My baby-bible

I started reading. I found what I was looking for. I turned all my doctors into scapegoats, so I became friends with all the oldies once again. My system will automatically switch to "deaf mode" if anyone tries to pour in silly advises. The book made me a smart mother!

Some interesting facts from The Baby Book:

1.  Most pediatricians only know about sick babies. As a mother you definitely know more about your baby. Follow your "magic" instinct.
2. The reason that you can breastfeed your baby to sleep is that your milk contains a sleep-inducing substance. Meanwhile, as you suckle your baby, you produce more of the hormone prolactin, which has a tranquilizing effect on you. Its as if the mummy puts the baby to sleep, and the baby puts the mummy to sleep.
3. Infants separated from their mothers have higher levels of stress hormones and lower levels of growth hormones.
4. Breastfeeding does NOT cause breasts to lose shape. Pregnancy is what brings on the breast changes.
5. Pick up your baby when he cries. Newborns don't misbehave; they just communicate the only way nature allows them to.

It's definitely a good read, and its my BABY-BIBLE! *Don't ask me to pinjam you the book ar. Some of my good books which I lent others never came back. Calling me a "kedekut"?? Deaf mode ON!*

Raoull will be turning 6 months on 9th June. I knew that I have to intro him to solid soon. I was all excited! I started looking around for good cereals about a month ago. I bought Nestle rice cereal cause that is the most popular rice cereal for babies nowadays. But being a super Kiasu mother, I wasn't satisfied with what I bought. I surveyed further.

I contacted friends for advises and browsed through the internet to learn more about rice cereal. I requested my sisters to keep an eye on them too. Few days ago I got a call from my elder sister, Hema saying that she saw  this label on a tin of brown rice cereal "Dr Sears Recommended"! It was organic cereal. I double checked with Kamala, who's my sifu in breastfeeding. She gave me a go-ahead cause she feeds her son the same. BINGO! My second sister, Prema did me a favor by getting me a tin of Happy Bellies from a nearby organic store. What sisters are for?* On a separate note, I love the both of you although I don't say it often. So I got what I wanted. I gave the Nestle cereal to my maid who has a little grandson.

Happy Bellies Baby Cereal. Don't ask me where to buy the milk ar, slap you!

It has been 3 days since Raoull started on cereal. So far so good! Baby is happy and Kiasu mom is overjoyed. Want to see the latest photo of my baby, who was skinny, dark, not-so-cute when he was born?  Thanks to my magic milk...Thanks to the Sears! 

Raoull Darshan after his first plate of Happy Bellies

Ta..