I Miss You Popo

It's been 3 months since you've left us. I still think of you from time to time. Now with the baby boy coming along.. I really do wish that you can be a part of us to witness this joyous occasion. But I do know that you are in a much better place, in Jesus' arms - happy, healthy, and strong. 

Until we meet again.

Love Your Grand-daughter;

Geri 

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Will be going off for a holiday .. until then .. chiows~! :)

Pregnancy Update : Week 28 - Officially Entered into the Third Trimester

Baby Bump @ 7 months

Can't believe it that I'm officially entering into my last trimester of the pregnancy. It didn't really occur to me because I am excited about my Sydney trip until my last checkup with Dr Delaila that she mentioned that from now onward, my checkup will be more frequent at every 2 weeks instead of monthly. 0_o

So far Thank God everything has been going in accordance to plan and there has been no major issues. My pregnancy journey has been an enjoyable one except for my first trimester, which in all honesty when I looked back was pretty mild compared to those stories which I have heard before. (I felt like doomsday [pardon my language] shit at that time ok and was questioning what have I gotten myself into). 

Here is a brief update so far:

Tummy:

I now have a nickname for it - it's called "The Expendables". Seriously, week after week my tummy has grown so much in size it's scary amazing! 

Weight:

Ballooned up by adding on an additional of 5kg - of which 1.44kg is the baby's weight. And mind you, I don't stuff my face with food ok. Dr Delilah said it's still within the normal range. :)

Belly-button:

Gotten deeper but not protruding out yet. 

Cravings/Appetite:

Definitely has increased but I still don't binge in-between food. And no, I don't usually give in to my cravings. Heh ~ super vain mum who wanna look hot still! 

Backache:

Am beginning to feel the pressure especially when I am sleeping or has been sitting down for too long. The pressure is mostly on my lower back. Thank God for pre-natal massages.

Stamina: 

Has reduced significantly. I am unable to walk or stand for long without ending up panting of feeling "fainty". Thank God most of my baby stuff has been purchased. Really tak larat wanna go jalan in the mall anymore. Wonder how am I gonna survive walking around in Sydney?

Fatigue:

I tend to get sleepy and tired more in the day time now. Not so good especially if you are a full-time working mum.

Stretch-Mark:

Non-existence so far. Hallelujah for good genes! :D

Leg Cramps: 

Non-existence so far. Probably is because my sleep position is correct i.e. at the side and not on my back. 

Breast:

Starting to leak (ok ... sorry too much of information) :p

Baby Boy:

Has been kicking Mummy non-stop at odd hours especially when I am trying to sleep. -.-" The movements are definitely more frequent and stronger now. 

Well, I guess that's all the update that I have for now.

Love;
Mummy Geri

Review : We came, We Saw, & We Wallop Pork Burgers in SS2

I've heard about Wallop Pork Burger in SS2 (Chow Yang area) for some time now but never got around to really trying them out until recently when me and a few of us decided to go on a burger hunt for dinner on one of those Saturdays. The thing about Wallop's pork burger is that it is grilled, oil-free, no preservatives or coloring added, and is made with fresh premium meat. Can't say no to a healthy porky burger right? :)

The menu is pretty simple and straightforward, there are only 4 types of burgers; namely :

- Mama Wallop : Single Patty (RM6.00)

- Papa Wallop : Double Patty (RM9.80)

- Sergeant Wallop : Triple Patty (RM12.80)

- Hot Boy : Double Spicy Patty (RM10.80)

There are two sets available; i.e. Mama Wallop (RM9.50) and Papa Wallop (RM12.80) which comes with fries and aerated drinks or mineral water.

Alternatively, you can opt to build your own burger or top-up ingredients if you wish to do so.

For me, I ordered the Papa Wallop set and I gotta say, the pork patty is sooooooooooooo delicious and succulent! The buns that they used is soft bun. All in, it was a perfect porky burger! Yummylicious~ :)

Do note that the size of the burger is a little small so some may need to go for a second helping, which was what Bear did. He whacked the Papa Wallop set and the Hot Boy burger. In his opinion, the Hot Boy burger's patty is a little too spicy that it overpowered the taste of the patty itself.

So do give Wallop Pork Burger a try if you haven't - at least in my opinion not so much for dinner (because of the portion) but it makes great snacks for supper.

Love;
Mummy Geri

Review : Elianto Natural Mineral Loose Powder

I've been seeing Elianto kiosk everywhere I go. So it was another one of those random days that I was walking around in Paradigm Mall and decided to drop by the kiosk. And bought myself a Natural Mineral Loose Powder in Rose Beige.

Not impulse buying but I felt that the Silky Girl White Lightening Pressed Powder doesn't sit very well with my skin tone (to be fair probably I bought the wrong shade of color). Further, Bear has been complaining that I put on "too much of make-up" when I don't actually, my guess is that it is due to the Silky Girl Pressed Powder. It gives my face and neck two-tones (face darker, neck fairer with my original skin color) which looks very awful.

What I like about Elianto Natural Mineral Loose Powder:
- Gets the job done i.e. sets my make-up.
- Very light and natural.
- Pairs very well with my Garnier BB Cream.
- Perfect for touch-ups without looking too cakey.
- Value for money @ RM15.50 (50% off RM31)

However, what I don't like about the product is the application - somehow I find pressed powder much easier and hassle-free to apply. Just dab on my face and I am good to go as oppose to loose powder. Probably need more practice, huh?

Secondly, I feel that the powder puff is harsh - it is not fluffy and soft. So everytime when I apply on my face in a circular motion, it can be quite uncomfortable.

Loose Powder vs. Pressed Powder

In my opinion for the price you pay, it is no harm trying out the product. Well at least for me it works. Here is my au naturale everyday work-makeup. Notice how dewy and fresh-looking I looked using the Elianto Natural Mineral Loose Powder. Goes very well with my Garnier BB Cream as base make-up. :)

Not very flattering I know ... it was early in
the morning before work *yawns*

Love;
Mummy Geri

Perfect Gift for a Bookworm

WTF Moment : I've actually saved and written this post before... but accidentally deleted it again two days later. Now have to re-write again ...  wtf ... -.-"

I was thinking hard of what to get for Sue for her quarter century old birthday and was toying with the idea of custom-made charm bracelets. Had actually asked Kelvin to curi-curi korek some information like what sort of charms she likes and her wrist measurement. On the measurement, he secretly took her watch to measure and said it's the same size as me. Impossible lo... my wrist is smaller than the average Asian wrist size leh. Plan failed. -.-"

Then as I was thinking further, I doubt she is into accessories as much as I do. But I do know for a fact that she loves to read, and that was when I had a light bulb moment.

I decided to engaged in Pinky Craft to custom-make a bookmark for her. Previously when I've asked for Leena (founder of Pinky Craft) to make key-chains for my collegues, she did a pretty good job.

Why bookmark? Because I've seen her using pieces of recycle papers, receipts, bus tickets, tissue papers, old reload cards etc as bookmarks. So it's high time she gets a proper one. :)

Again, I had to do a private detective role and asked her what's her favourite food - because aside from reading, her other "passion" is food. :p

And she answered ais kacang. -.-"

So I asked Leena to make a clay charm ais kacang. I've also requested to add a "made with love" charm and to further personalised a tag with her name.

Besides that, I've also asked to add a bubble tea clay charm because she is a HUGE fan of Gong Cha and Chatime as well. :p

Here are the clay charms of the ais kacang and bubble tea. So cute and realistic!

And here's the final product :

I've also bought another simpler bookmark from Ellie's Charms in case if she starts reading two book simultenously 0_o". That makes two bookmarks for the bookworm. :)

To top it all off, there are gift vouchers from Book Xcess for her to purchase any books that she fancies. Truly this is a perfect combination for a bookworm, don't you think so?

Blessed Birthday Sue!

Hope you like your presents~!

Love;

Mummy Geri

Review : Completely Under the Charm of the Diary of a Miniature Enthusiast

Note: All pictures are taken from Diary of a Miniature Enthusiast and it's Facebook Account. Please give them due credit should the pictures are to be duplicated or copied.

As mentioned before, I've engaged in the services of Wendy from Diary of a Miniature Enthusiast to  custom-make two charm bracelets for myself. She is a very nice person to work with and her reply to emails are prompt and fast. Not only that, she is also a very patient and accomodating person (are all creative people like that?). 

Although she may not update her blog often, you can always opt to head to her FB page where updates on her work progress are being documented quite frequently in a day. It is very interesting to follow her development as she placed her arrangements for a customer and then a couple of hours later voila~ a pretty new customized bracelet is done!

It is even more kan cheong interesting if the progress is your own order. Because you can't wait to see how the final product will look like. I call them, the teaser shots. :)

If you could recall; I ordered two bracelets from her existing series with minor tweaks:

(i) Dainty & Demure No. 2 

Original design of the sweet Dainty & Demure No. 2

What I requested was to keep the original design but add in a personalized charm with my initial "G" in it. I've also asked for the ribbon charm to be changed to a butterfly charm. FYI I love butterflies!! 

And here is the final work taken from the FB page : 

The new addition :)

Don't you think my initial "G" is done so prettily??? It fits into the entire theme perfectly and the font is so vintage~y and classic! Perfect! Such a classy design! Thumbs up! Perfect if I want to go all frilly, sweet, and innocent. 

(ii) Old Chinese Cafe Charm Bracelet

Original design of the quaint Old Chinese Cafe Charm Bracelet

I've asked for Wendy to add some colors in black and maroon/dark red. My intention is to make it look more like a Shanghainese theme like The Bund. Antique and vintage. Classic and old school. Think of the 1920s era in Shanghai. That's the overall feel which I want to create.

And here is the outcome taken from the FB page:

Woah ... that's Shanghai Tang for you!

All I can do is gap at her masterpiece piece of artwork. It was exactly how I pictured it to be. The dark red and black combination is so va~va~vom! So slutty Chinese old school. Noticed the "girl in cheongsam" charm? It has been changed to black and white. Ohhh.. spooky like those old Chinese news print ad. So mysterious. Two thumbs up! It's perfect to be used for work especially on a gloomy Monday especially if I'm wearing something of a darker shade. 

Aside from the above two amazing and beautiful charm bracelets, I was so itchy hands have also added one more order. A purely customized order to celebrate my pregnancy. I named it, the Baby Boy Charm Bracelet.

(iii) Baby Boy Charm Bracelet.

There was not much of a reference. All was done from scratch in the sense that I have a rough idea on what I wanted. I pretty much choose the charms which was to be included and leave Wendy to come up with the creative part to string it all up together.

Basically, my request was as follows:

- Keep it simple with drops of blue hues.

- Customized a "It's a Boy" charm.

- Rocking horse, pacifier, and teddy bear (because my boy is a baby bear) charm. 

I've suggested that perhaps she can use the acrylic cabochon blue ribbon in her Alice in Wonderland Charm Bracelet or the blue flower cabochon in Dainty & Demure No.1. Or alternatively, she can use blue ribbons like the Keep Calm & Go Shopping series. 

The acrylic cabochon blue ribbon in Alice in Wonderland Charm Bracelet

The blue flower cabochon in Dainty & Demure No.1

Blue ribbons in Keep Calm & Go Shopping

Further I've also suggested that she could make a sapphire blue bead / Czech bead / Swavovski crystal to dangle from either one of the charms. I've also asked for her to add a faceted teardrop blue crystal as well. Why blue? It's because the baby is a boy and my birth stone is sapphire. :)

After sending out my elaborate request, I was a bit worried that Wendy would think I quite TTLY asking for so many things have a hard time trying to figure out exactly what I want. But no, in 15 minutes' time, came her reply and I quote a portion of it:

"It's no problem at all :) ..."  

And in my heart I went like.. seriously? 0_o"

Even with my TTLY many requests, she managed to churn out something within the next day that's exactly what I wanted. I couldn't help complimenting her with heaps of praises on the FB page! Look at all the pretty trinkets and the blue color beads and .. and.. the Swavovski sapphire heart crystal!!! *heart* The only thing that I've asked Wendy to add on in the arrangement is the acrylic blue cabochon ribbon. 

From the FB page : Teaser arrangement shot
before hooking them all up.

And so I was stalking waiting anxiously for her to update the final arrangement (refreshing the FB page every hour or so) and here it is .... 

T_T *tears of joy*
Beautiful isn't it?

For those who wanna do a charm customization of bracelets/necklaces/keychains/bookmarks etc, please do contact Diary of a Miniature Enthusiast. Wendy is a breeze to work with and her creations are amazing! She is fast and efficient too!

Highly highly highly recommended! :)

Love;
Mummy Geri

Review : Book Xcess - One of My Favoritest Place in The World :)

I'm sure by now everyone knows about Book Xcess in Amcorp Mall. Such a haven for people like me who loves to read books. And mind you books in Malaysia are so darn expensive! I have been a customer of Book Xcess since years ago and I can't get enough of them. 

Prices of the books can be slashed up to 80%! That's HUGE savings!! You'll be surprised that the books that are brought in are relatively new titles like the two Sidney Sheldon's book I bought a couple of days back: 

(i) Mistress of the Game hardcover at (RM19.90 NP: RM102.70) 

(ii) After the Darkness softcover (RM17.90 NP: RM44.29)

Amazing value I tell you!! I was literally in book heaven! T_T Right now I am eyeing on the other two Hunger Games trilogy; Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Or is there anyone kind enough to sponsor me? :)

So there's no excuse for not reading when you have Book Xcess. So sit back, relax, have a good cup of tea and start flipping through your books. :)

Love;

Mummy Geri

Review : The Actual Clothes from Summer Glitz Fashion

Note: You may read my pre-review post on Summer Glitz Fashion here.

(i) The  Fitting: 

This won't be a long post as I have said my piece in the previous pre-review. The below 3 items are my favorites because it flatters me the most. The black dress and white top is wearable even after my pregnancy. All i need to do is pair it with a belt and I am good to go. Not the pink one though, cos it looks too "maternity-wear" to be worn as a normal work /casual wear. 

My least favorite is the one in grey in the middle as it makes me look damn fat. Being pregnant doesn't mean you have to look sloppy and not presentable. However the lacy one on the right and the white shirt on the left is really pretty. I can also pair it with a belt to look more sleek. :)

(2) The Quality:

Not too bad but definitely not as good as Whitesoot. You just have to be cautious when choosing from their site. That's my honest advise.

(3) Suitability:

Definitely can fit as maternity wear. Pretty stylish too. Some can even pass to be post-maternity wear. 

Well, end of the day, it is entirely up to you but I would suggest to buy 1 or 2 items first to try it out to see if you like it before going all out to make more purchases. Will I recommend? Probably. Just to add some color and style to your wardrobe. But for proper maternity clothes, I would suggest to scout around from those proper maternity shop (caution : prepare to spend a bomb ya).

Love;
Mummy Geri

My Surprise Baby Shower

Trust my girls to spring up with some surprises, props, and thoughtful gifts? Hah ... effortless I tell you! See my elaborate hen's lunch organised by them back in 2010.

My Hen's Lunch

We've been friends since secondary (that's more than 11 years ago!) and have been close ever since. Although we don't meet up as often as we possibly could, we would still keep each other up to date with the latest happenings and events in our lives. Occasionally, we do meet up for dinner/lunch or an all-girls trip just to catch up.

Our recent trip to Langkawi 

So it was just any other random August 11, where we decided to meet up because one of the girls is back for a couple of days from Singapore. As we were deciding on the venue, I suggested for them to come to my condo cos it's more convenient and comfortable.

August 11 came and what greeted me at the door was a whole bunch of them (they timed to come up together), a huge bunch of helium balloons, some props for me to wear, cupcakes, and a goodie bag.

Food was nothing fancy - just KFC and Pizza Hut, but we had loads of fun just to catch up! I love being in the company of these girls *heart*

They made me wear the handmade hideous gigantic bib and baby cap to pose with the camera. Just played along for the fun of it.

Then they brought out these board with random names and I was blindfolded and was asked to choose a name, which would then be my baby's name. The name chosen was Alejandro. -.-"

Being the considerate bunch that they always are, they didn't torture do much with games cos Mummy Geri was pretty tired that night. They proceeded straight with my goodie bag. Each girls bought a thing or two and I love every single one of them. Very very practical gifts which I and the baby can use. *hugs*

We then chatted till about midnight and call it a day. Simple - just how I like it. I am truly blessed to have friends like them. *emo*

Old picture of us

Love;

Mummy Geri

Review: Unique Gift Ideas by Pinky Craft

Note: Read here for part 1 on Pinky Craft.

Somehow I knew that I wanted to give two of my psycho colleagues an appreciation gift in view of my upcoming 3 months maternity in November, simply because they will have a handful of stuff to take care of.

I also knew that I wanted to give something meaningful and thoughtful - not your usual photo frame, mug, fountain pen etc. That's just too boring. I wanted something that represents them and represents the situation and of course to represent me (ahem~ narcissism alert!).

With the two crazy gals.

Of course, naturally charm bracelets/necklaces was one of the first choices (since I was in the midst of custom-making for myself, I might as well make theirs as well). But then halfway through it suddenly occurs to me that they are not really that into accessories as much as I do. Don't want to waste the money on something they don't need.

And so I was stuck again. -.-"

So started my Googling quest on custom-made stuff and came across Pinky Craft which specialises in handmade miniature clay. It fits what I want which is special, unique, represents that particular person, within budget, and most importantly no duplicates. :D

Promptly emailed Pinky Craft and after much emails flying back and forth, the owner Leena and me came up with the idea of mixing clay charms and silver charms to be made into a keychain. I was toying with the idea of keychain or a bag charm - in the end I settled for the earlier.

What I had in mind was something very simple and fuss-free. Something that is not too childish as well. After finalising on the details and payment has been made (within a short span of two days), Leena created two amazing pieces for me. It was beautiful and fits exactly to what I wanted.  

May I present to you (I really hope my colleagues don't read my blog!!), the custom handmade clay creation by Pinky Craft ....

TADA~!!!!

To the left, it is for one of my colleague Miss N
and to the right is for another colleague Miss R.

Come on you have to agree with me .. the keychains are so adorable and not too over-the-top. I trusted Leena with the colour coordination and she did it perfectly. For both, I standardised them in the sense that the baby silver charms and "made with love" silver charms are the same. Leena was the one who came up with the idea of the lace to jazz up the keychain a little.

I also wanted to have their name stamped to the keychain to further personalised it, and Leena came up with the simple idea to make a round clay with a baby face in the center. You can't really see the wordings but at the top it says "Thank U" and at the bottom is their respective names. :)

Significance :

Baby charm - Means I am going off for my maternity leave.

"Made with love" charm - Means I heart them a lot. :)

"Thank U" clay charm - Means I appreciate them a lot. :) :)

And let me elaborate the story behind the other two clay charms, which represents them individually.

Story #1 : Miss N.

Why I chose to make the coffee clay charm (initially wanted a Starbucks clay charm but it was out of stock) was that throughout my pregnancy, I had these occasional craving to drink coffee (also to help with the sleepiness after a heavy lunch), and our Miss N here would head to the pantry and make me a cup of coffee.

Coffee made with love

The funny thing is the coffee is really sedap and aromatic but she refuse to let me know what brand it is. So everytime all I need to do is pick my phone and call her extension and voila~ coffee is served! Just like my personal tea-lady. p/s: Until now, I still don't know what "special" coffee is that.

Story #2 : Miss R.

In case if you are blur, the fish is Dory from Finding Nemo. Why Dory? It's because our Miss R here is blur-blur like Dory. In fact her nickname is Dory. We even say that she has a "Dory memory".

She looks like this most of the time :p

Yes, she is that blur. 0_o

So what better way to represent her than to make a Dory fish for her?

So yup, I am extremely pleased with the service, efficiency, and the creativity of Leena. For awesome and unique gift ideas, I strongly recommend for you to drop by Pinky Craft. You won't regret it. I promise. :)

Love;

Mummy Geri

Selamat Hari Raya :)

To those Muslim who are celebrating, I would like to wish you

SELAMAT HARI RAYA ~!

Drive safe if you travelling.

Feast your heart out on the lemang, lontong, serunding, and rendang

- you deserve it!

And for those who are not celebrating ...

HAPPY LONG WEEK-END HOLIDAY!!!

woot~ woot~!

Lots of Love;

Mummy Geri