Dedicated specially for you

Hi there my Little One..


How are you? I hope you are always in the pink of health. I know that you are feeling a little bit uncomfortable inside since there is not much room for you to do somersault anymore.. but bear with me just for a little while.

Still remember the first time I knew about you? Please forgive me for what I've done. I'm in so much misery and not fully prepared for that. I threw away the pregnancy test kit immediately after I got the positive sign. I didn't even bother to keep it or atleast.. take a picture of it as a souvenir of 1 of the most historical moment in my life. (Yes, I do regret it now..) I didn't even record the date, but I guess it was on the 31st May 2008. I was so sick that time, pale and exhausted.. unable to get up from my bed for about 1 week.

I suffered for another 1 week before I finally got an appointment with the GP (General Practitioner). In UK, the process to get a treatment is completely different from Malaysia. Your Daddy have to prepare some documents before our registration accepted. Then, we have to wait another few days to meet the GP. Appointment have to be made few days in advance. The GP will check your condition and then give you drugs list that you will have to get or buy it yourself from the nearest pharmacy (eg: Guardian). We are very lucky here in Malaysia because there are a lot of hospitals/clinics that will accept patient 24/7. Just take a few simple registration process and on the spot there will be a doctor to attend you. That process somehow added my misery. I was having a major roller-coaster mood swings caused by hormonal changes in my body.

Everything change during the first time I met my midwife, the lovely Ms Allison Allen. I was treated nicely and feel great again. I was given a lot of advices and become more confident about myself. I guess, my low self-esteem of becoming a good mother did effect my emotions.

I will never forget the first time I saw you. You was 11 weeks old that time. The moment I saw you move your little fingers in my womb was so special.. I saw your tiny heart beating and you were moving around actively, giving the practitioner a hard time to capture your picture. It's a miracle of life and it's a blessed for me to share the moment with your Dad.


..........................................


Let's talk about the food we've shared since the last 9 months.


Within the first 3 months, I can hardly eat any nutritious food for you. My nausea really killing me! The smell of the foods, especially garlic will make me sick. I thought I will die from dehydration due to 6-10 trips a day to the toilet, vomiting everything I ate. I can only accept fresh fruits, especially banana. Poor Daddy. He has to prepare foods for us. He became a good cook because of you.

I was craving Malaysian dishes all the time. I guess, you are truly a Malaysian though you are 100% made in UK. Hehe.. That actually gave your Dad a lot of trouble since he have to search every Asian grocery stores in Norwich just to fulfill my wish. (The list include Curry Maggie, roti paratha, rendang, satay and etc. etc. etc. )

I was so happy when it's time to be back in our hometown in Malaysia. One of the main reason is of course - the food. I gained about 5-7 kg's of my weight just within a month we're here! Can you believe that, baby? Your weight added too.. right?


....................................................


About our journey..

It's my childhood dream to travel around Europe, especially London, Paris and Rome. I'm more than satisfied to have it all fulfilled and what made it more special is I get to share it with you.

I know, it's not fair for you since your face is not in the pictures. Insya allah, one day the 3 of us we will come back to Europe again, collecting every piece of memories we've made there..



My Little Teddy,


You will be in my arms anytime now.. It's been a wonderful time, sharing everything with you since the past 9 months. A beautiful bonding between us and an unforgettable experience to share with your Daddy.

It's not the end of our journey together, instead.. it will be the beginning of our adventures.


I'm exhausted and anticipated. I'm too tired, clumsier and feeling heavier each day. I'm tired of this pregnancy and want to end it as soon as possible.. At the same time, I'm too afraid to think about the all the pain I will have to endure during labor. I'm not so tough and easily cried for small reason. I just pray and hope that everything will be fine.

Don't worry about me. I'm going to be all right. You can decide whether to stay longer in there for another 1 or 2 weeks or come out to see the world now. I will welcome you with the warmest hugs and kisses.



Love,
Mommy.

The journey continues..

Who said my journey ended in England? Of course it will continue and getting more interesting day by day. It does not have to be an expensive trip or somewhere far far away, but as long as you are with your loved one to enjoy it.. the journey can be the sweetest thing to remember for a lifetime.

I'm proud being a Malaysian (although sometimes I do complaint about rude Malaysian drivers or ignorant salesgirls). Malaysia is full with interesting places to visit with great sunny weather. You just have to prepare an umbrella or a cap in case it's too hot or raining.

Since our anniversary is on the 22nd of December, we plan to celebrate it every year during Christmas. Last year we manage to go to Singapore for our 1st honeymoon but this year we have to go somewhere nearer because my baby's due date is just around the corner.

Our destination this year - Malacca.. listed in 1 of the UNESCO's World Heritage Historical City. It's just a stone throw from my place and still can be considered as 'safe' for me. Lets support domestic tourism!



Day 1 - 25 December 2008


4.00pm - Check in hotel (Seri Costa).

7.30pm - began hunting for FOODS!! It's one of our main event there. Malacca is very popular with the famous grilled fish (Ikan Bakar), Malay style.

So, here we are! Perkampungan Ikan Bakar Terapung, Umbai Baru. We're not so sure either this is the best place to enjoy grilled fish but we decided just to go for it. So far, it's not recommended by locals since the famous place will be either Crystal Bay, Alai or Muara Sg. Duyong.


My review.. 3 out of 5 stars. Ermm.. good but not really satisfied my stomach. (Maybe we picked the wrong stall?) It's surrounded by water and there are a lot of grilled fish stalls to choose.



Day 2 - 26 December 2008

A bright and sunny day for a seight-seeing in Malacca. Samudera Museum, Malacca river cruise, riding the 'beca' or trishaw, A Famosa, Dataran Pahlawan and bought some souvenirs.


6.30 pm - Grilled fish (again)!! This time we head to Muara Sungai Duyong to try their famous dish. It was quite hard to find but thanks to Teddy's new gadget - GPS navigator, we managed to get there on time.



Recommended! 5 out of 5 stars. Hehe.. Delicious grilled fish added with pandan chicken and mouth watering nasi lemak. Great view and fast service. You need to go there earlier before night fall or else it will be very crowded there.

After that, we went for a ride on one of the biggest portable Ferris wheel, Eye on Malaysia at the scenic mouth of the Malacca River.



Day 3 - 27 December 2008


It's raining cats and dogs the whole morning. Had our buffet breakfast (not so grand and I really feel like going to the mamak restaurant in front of our hotel for roti canai) and check out.

We went straight to Mini Malaysia at Ayer Keroh. Enjoy the beautiful buildings of traditional Malay houses and dance performance there.

Ok, that's all for now. Will continue with another interesting journey later. A journey of becoming a mom, perhaps?


Happy new year 2009, Selamat menyambut awal Muharam 1430 and have a nice day, everyone!!

1st Anniversary & others

I hate to skip my stories but laziness seems like celebrating its victory. I don't want to forget any important details of my life, especially all the interesting journey through out this year. It's almost new year 2009 but my story is still 'hanging' around September 2008.

Let me just highlight some important details and summarize it into photo blogging. Easier for me to remember. Hey, photo speaks louder than words right?



15 September 2008

Our last day in the UK

16 September 2008








1 day transit in Dubai. Hot + burning + exhausting day since we're fasting that time.









1~4 October 2008.

Aidilfitri 2008

No new baju kurung for me. I'm having a hard time struggling to wear the clothes that fit my growing baby bump. I end up borrowing my mother's loose baju kurung.

Did you watch me in Majalah 3 for Raya edition? I didn't. It was aired on the 4th day of raya, 4th October 2008. Click here for online version. (Majalah 3/episode 39/4 Oktober 08 - part 3). Unfortunately, you have to register first to watch it. Don't click the link if you are not motivated to do so.

Not only that, our picture was also out in the paper, Utusan Malaysia for the 'Salam Perantauan' section. hahaha.. Gila glamour right? Click here to see it.



2, 11 and 18 October 2008





Congratulations to the newly wed couples..

My dear childhood friend ~ Yati & Jebid (2 October 2008). She was so gorgeous that day and have my eyes green with jealousy on her pretty wedding dress. With that slim figure, she can absolutely wears anything and still look amazing with or without make up.

My beloved friend, Ayuni & Zaki (used to be my ex. hurmm?? hehe..) on the 11th of October 2008. Yes, we have a very unique and special relationship. We were big-time enemies at first but then became closer as we knew each other. How can you hate a person with a lovely character like hers? Trust me, you can't.

My cute panda lovers friend, Rudiah & partner (sorry dear, I didn't remember your hubby's name) on 18 October 2008. She needs to believe me that she looks sweeter without the specs and no dear.. your face didn't look 'tembam' at all without them.



15 November 2008


Finally, a new home! We rent a small apartment somewhere in Puchong. At first we plan to buy a perfect & cozy house for our small family but after considering the downtime of the world economy now, we postpone it for next time.

Thanks to A'an, Angah & Lily for visiting us at our new home. (20 December 2008)







......



..Other important updates..



The nyanyaw(s)

They are more happier and healthy under my mom's supervision. My mom really loves them and they have become a part of our family.





Our little one




It's time for a countdown.. We are doing well. I'm lucky that I don't have any swollen feet or waddling my way through out the street. Back pain is common but not so torturing. I can still bear with it. Itchiness and stretch mark are the biggest problems. I have used up bottles of lotions, cocoa butters and baby oils but still can't really solve the problems. I just have to pray for God to have more mercy on my skin.

Pregnancy is a beautiful moment in life. It might occurs few times for the lucky ones but we will never know when or how. Since I can't freeze the time, I want to do something to capture this moment as a part of my journey through life's souvenir. I wanted to do a 3D or 4D scan but it's already too late. It must been done before week 32 or it will be almost impossible to view the baby since it's got too big and cramping your tummy. Another choice is making a belly casting but I'm not sure about this idea since I will find it disturbing and catching dust at home. I prefer a simple, modern home with less deco. No flowers or big, carved furniture.

The perfect solution is doing home made pregnancy portraits. Home studio. No DSLR or any special lighting effect. I'm more than satisfied and happy with the results.




..The Marriage..

Yesterday was our 1st Anniversary!

We have a romantic candle light dinner at home and Teddy bought a lovely bouquet of flowers for me.

(22 December '07~22 December '08)

To my beloved hubby @ Teddy..

Thank you for always being there for me

.. and always telling me how beautiful I am
.. and telling me the girl next to our table is fatter than me
(even though I know mostly it's a lie)
.. and open up the car's window quickly when you fart
.. and comfort me with your smiles
.. and hug me when I'm cold
.. and stand up my cooking
.. and laugh at my stupid jokes
.. and picking up the rubbish
.. and do the laundry
.. and kiss me at my forehead every night before I fall asleep
.. and make me happy everyday
.. and etc. etc. etc.

.. and I'm glad you are my husband. I love you so much!!

Happy 1st Anniversary..

Updates

Hi there my dear diary.. It's been almost 3 months since the last update. I'm sorry but I can't help myself from being too excited for being home and too busy to adapt with the surrounding here. (Plus, I have no internet connection except gprs from my phone. I hope that will explain everything.)

Not sure where to start. Maybe within 8 days from my last countdown?

12th September 2008

Last view of my favorite little town, Norwich city center. We took a walk around the town and enjoyed every moments there, breathing the fresh cold air.. Snapping every pictures and little details there in our memory, hoping that it will stay fresh forever in our mind.




(Left) Cafe Nero. Our life-saver during cold, rainy spring (First outing in town last March 2008)




(Right) Chappelfield Garden. I used to ignore the brutal wind and cold weather just to sit there on that bench, enjoying the free wireless connection. Not to forget, the fresh air and colorful flowers around me during spring.. plus, our first snow experience there!











14th September 2008

1 day before our journey ended. It's Lotus open day. I was excited to see the place where Teddy has been working for the last 6 months. It was one of his biggest achievement. I wanted to see the final product of his 'Eagle project'.

Here I present you, the stylish Lotus Evora! I'm proud of my Teddy..





.. to be continue ..

Journey completed!!

8 more days to go..

Our journey here almost come to an end.

15th March - 15th September 2008.
Norwich, UK


"Too many to remember
All the sweet and unforgettable memories
will be kept forever
in our heart.."


Love,
Isa Yassir Arafat & Ilyana

I will always cherish every moments here as a part of my journey through life. More than satisfied with a fulfilled childhood dream. It's more than what I have asked for. A perfect little life with my beloved Teddy, exploring this world together. We have conquered some part of Europe (Paris & Rome).. and almost all part of England.. including Scotland and more to come, soon. Insya Allah..

I'm excited to be back home in Malaysia.. to smell the fresh hot air in my beloved hometown.. to eat everything that I've craved for without having any difficulties to make them.. to meet my families and friends (including my nyanyaws) that I miss everyday.. and to begin a new family life with a new home and environment. It won't be easy, but hopefully everything will be doing smoothly according to plan.

At the same time, I'm sure will be missing this place. A fine city called Norwich somewhere in East England. Unthank Road, Chappelfield Garden, Castle Mall, Bowthorpe, etc. etc. etc. I will never forget our first snow experience, last Spring.. 22nd March 2008. It's amazing to wake up early in a cold morning and open up the window blind to see everything white in colour. Still fresh in my mind how we shivered with cold during our walk in town and a cup of hot chocolate at Cafe Nero was our life saver!

What I love most about Britain are the people here. British people are always warm and friendly. It's hard to find anyone rude to you (except when you are driving) and shopping experience will never be better here. It doesn't really matter how little you spend because you will be treated properly as a customer. Strangers will smile back at you and sometime say hi to you with a friendly face. You will hardly (or can I say, never??) find that in Malaysia. If you do that, people will react with a weird face with 'Do I know you?' impression.

British weather is just nice, but my body still can't really cope with the strong, heavy wind. I love cold weather but it will be nicer without the wind (and with some sunny spells, of course). The weather here is unpredictable and sometimes you have to depend on the weather forecast to plan for a holiday or even for BBQ in the garden. Mostly it will be cold and windy and during summer, a lot of rain.. Back in Malaysia, you just have to expect either it's going to be a hot or rainy day. You can plan for your holiday anytime, except during rainy season (Musim tengkujuh) in some part of Malaysia. You will see the sun almost 12 hours a day and that's why you can find a lot of Malaysian HATE the sun. The idea of 'sun bathing' on the beach can be define as 'crazy' unless if you want to be burnt red like a lobster if you do that on Malaysian beach. We don't have to do that because we always have a tan.. and yes, we want to be fairer.

Enough mumbling. I want to share about our Euro Trip in Paris & Rome. Not to forget, journey to The South England too.


Dear Diary, Please remember this..



24th August 2008 (It's our 3rd Anniversary before we got married)


Departure : 19.25pm

Flight to Paris with EasyJet. My first experience using Airbus (Just like Air Asia in Malaysia). Almost 1 hour journey from Luton Airport to Charlles de Gaulle Airport in France. Free seating and don't expect to find anything fancy like a LCD screen for movies. The landing experience was horrible since we can obviously feel the heavy force when the tyres meet the ground. I was shouting "O mak ko!!" (sempat melatah tu..) and few passengers did shout a bit.. then, burst out with laughter when the plane finally surf safely on the ground. Maybe it's normal, but I didn't prepare mentally and physically for that.


Arrival : 21.45pm

Took a cab straight to the hotel, Premiere Classe Roissy. €22 for the cab fares.



25th August 2008


Bonjour, Paris! We started our journey early in the morning using a 'Gare' (pronounce as Gahr, means Train). There's a RER station (something like LRT or STAR in Malaysia) near our hotel, station 'Gare du Parc des Exposition'.

Dear diary, it's important to remember things like this because we might come here again some other time, right? It was so convenient because it's just a walking distance from the Hotel and can go straight to the Airport using B3 RER line.


It was a beautiful day. Bright, sunny day with small breeze and clear blue skies. Not much things to explore than to admire the great architecture of Eiffel Tower (1 of my childhood dream to witness the beauty live with my own eyes) and the beautiful Arc de Triomphe. Other than that, we just took a walk around Paris, holding hands together and enjoying the breathtaking view of one of the most romantic city in the world (Actually it doesn't really matter where you are, as long as you are with your loved ones, right?). I was sooo.. on top of the world to be there. It was just like what I have dreamt of. Blue skies, green grass, holding hands with my loved ones.. and there's Eiffel Tower standing proudly in front of us. I'm blessed!

Paris, here we are!!

We had a great time in Paris, although just for a very limited period of time. We have to hurry back and catch the Gare back to CDG (Charles de Gaulle) Airport. Another interesting journey await us ahead..


Departure : 18.05pm

2 hours flight from Paris, CDG Airport to Rome, FCO (Fiumicino) Airport using Vueling. The flight experience was better except for the heavy vibration during take off.


Arrival : 20.05pm

Took a cab to the hotel, Hotel Chopin. Surprisingly, we had to pay €65 (approximately RM300++) for the cab fares! It's just 5-10 minutes driving from the Airport. Not sure either we had been cheated or we took the luxury cab by mistake. (Not so luxury for me since it's an Alfa Romeo!) My advice, be more careful when you want to take a cab in Rome. From the FCO Airport to Rome city center should not cost more than €40 (Source, Faz). Ask her if you are interested to travel in Rome since she's a local there! hehehe...

Our room costs us €70 per night but I was relief to find that it really worth it. It was a big honeymoon suite and doesn't smell funny like most of the hotels in London ;p





26th August 2008

Buongiorno, Rome! We went back to the FCO Airport to take the non-stop train to the Termini Station (€11 per person).

We took a bus from Termini Station to Piaza Venezia. This square is located in the heart of Rome, at the end of the Via del Corso (it's the name for the road. Correct me if I'm wrong, Faz!). If you take a walk along Via del Corso, you can see some of the Rome's famous sight such as The Pantheon and Fontana de Trevi.

It was a very hot summer in Rome. We decided to head straight Via del Fori Imperiali to reach our main destination, the famous ancient amphitheater.. Roman Colosseum. We passed by a lot of well-preserved ancient ruins but sadly I can't identify them (obviously because I'm bad in my History subject in school and didn't do enough research about that). So, please.. be well-prepared with your history knowledge before you come here! hehe..

I was melting and exhausted when we finally reached the Colosseum. It's extremely hot and I can say it's hotter than 12 o'clock sun in Malaysia. I really can't stand the heat and decided to put off our plan to see Fontana de Trevi and other attractions in Rome. Hopefully we can come here again some other time, and I will make sure that it's not going to be during Summer!

The Colosseum was so huge and it felt amazing to be there, to witness another famous world center of attraction. This elliptical building was built for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles.

Did you see that? My bump started to show.. I guess, I can't hide it anymore. Hehehe..

Teddy was exhausted too..

Rome is a beautiful place with a lot of ancient buildings. You will definitely be amazed with all the architectures and statues, especially if you are an art lover. Don't forget to try the delicious pastas and pizzas here! (Try Penne all'arrabiata if you are a fan of spicy food + vegetarian).


27th August 2008

Back in London. Exhausted and head straight to the Hotel near Heathrow Airport for some rest.


28th August 2008

Gain enough energy to begin another journey to the South England. Our first destination, the Windsor Castle. South West London, just 10-15 minutes driving from Heathrow Airport. Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world.

It was so huge that we had to take about 20 minutes walk along 'The Long Walk' (a park opposite the South Wing part of the castle) to take a good view of the castle.



We drove more to the South to see the Stonehenge. It's one of the famous prehistoric monument in the world. Click here to find out more about Stonehenge.




Our journey to the South continue as we headed to Bournemouth.


29th August 2008

A beautiful day on the beach. It's Bournemouth Air Festival. The air show was quite boring except for the Red Arrows. The weather was fine and I enjoy walking along the white, sandy beach with Teddy. The sea water was as cold as our Malaysian waterfall and I wouldn't dare to bath there.


It's the end of our journey here. To complete it, we went back to London to take a last good view of London Tower Bridge.



Ok.. Journey completed!! It's time to go home.. ;)