We have a nanny

I wish!

Since EJ started to form words, it's been exciting and a delight to hear them. Some words are clear but most of the time it's just babble.

So one day, I was at the kitchen cooking. I heard EJ say "Nanny". Wow, I thought to myself, another word. He's growing up really fast! Then he went to me, arms extended and he kept on saying "nanny, nany, nanny". Perplexed I picked him up. He hugged me and patted my shoulder and said "nanny". Well, I told him I am not "nanny" (I might as well be..hehe), I am your mommy. He said, "No, Nannyyyy".

I'm happy EJ's learning new words everyday but to hear him say nanny to me everyday gets really irritating. He sometimes call me mommy but those times are rare. He usually addresses me as nanny. Why oh why? He always call his daddy as daddy. Or so we thought.

While we were inside a mall and EJ was walking in between me and hubby, we saw a throng of teenagers and it scared him. He shouted "nanny" and looked up to my hubby. Hubby said, "no, I'm daddy". But EJ still said, "nanny". I laughed hard! Now both of us are nanny.

End of the story? No. We only found out that what he really meant when he say nanny is that he means "honey". You see, my husband and I call each other "honey" as endearment. He always hears this. So we guessed he gets it from us. How did we find this out?

EJ was playing on a side table beside my hubby. Hubby was busy watching TV while I was on the laptop. When I looked, EJ was on the edge of the table already. I shouted "honeyyyy, EJ might fall". Then EJ shouted "nanny!!!"

I guess we really need to be more careful now with what we say in front of him. He's picking up words everywhere.

Four Things

Got tagged by Cas (otherwise known as Edge in the blogging world) again. It looks fun, here it is:

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD
1) Trainee Manager
2) Center Supervisor
3) Guest Services Officer
4) SAHM

FOUR MOVIES I WATCHED OVER & OVER
1) Jerry Maguire
2) Coming to America
3) I am Sam
4) Pretty Woman

FOUR SHOWS I WATCH
1) American Idol
2) America's Next Top Model
3) Grey's Anatomy
4) Tennis Game Shows

FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN (recently)
1) Colombo
2) Male
3) Manila
4) KL

FOUR PEOPLE WHO EMAILED ME (recently)
1) Kuya Jed
2) Hubby
3) Rose
4) Andrea

FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE LIVING
1) Madrid, Surigao del Sur
2) Pasig
3) New York (I wish)
4) Paris (I wish din)

FOUR THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR
1) EJ's 2nd birthday
2) My 30th birthday (yes, am actually looking forward to this..hehe)
3) Holiday in Penang
4) Holiday in Davao or Boracay

FOUR PEOPLE TO TAG
1) Francesca in France
2) Expressions and Thoughts
3) wala na eh...sorry

Cost of living in Malaysia

We've been here in KL for more than a month now. And I am surprised we're spending more than what we used to spend in Maldives. My hubby said it's because we've been buying some little items and it's added up. And I guess we've been eating out more since we arrived here. Still excited to check out local cuisine and still trying to find the best grocery store too.

We thought we'd be able to save more living here in KL than in Maldives. Our reasons:

1) Hubby's salary is a bit bigger compared in Maldives.

2) Hubby's company pays for the apartment including electricity and water. In Maldives, he has a housing allowance but it wasn't sufficient.

3) Food and other commodities are cheaper here in KL.

4) Less transportation expense because hubby's office is on the same building we're staying. Malls are walking distance too (I have to include that! haha).

But at the rate we're going, I don't think we'd be able to save more. Because...

1) We have been eating out most of the time. I only cook during breakfast and sometimes dinner.

2) We have been shopping more. Hubby bought some new office wardrobes, EJ wanted to have more cars and balls and I have to buy new clothes also because it's been depressing to look in the mirror and see all the different bulges in the wrong places of my body (haha!).

3) We're paying somebody to clean our apartment 2x a month.

4) We bring our laundry to the laundry service area. And it's quite expensive, compared to laundry service in Philippines.

I complained to hubby and said maybe the move here in KL wasn't a wise decision after all. But he reminded me that we were already bored in Maldives (we've been there for 3 years). There was nothing to do back there, no shopping malls, no decent movie theater and just a couple of good restos, no Starbucks even (Maldives should have one because the people are coffee lovers). He said at least here, we would have lots of choices to do and eat. Life is not just about work. Hmmm...okay!

So here's our fixed monthly expenses:
Apartment (Berjaya Times Square) - RM3,000 (but this is shouldered by hubby's company)
Cable (Astro) - RM120
Internet Connection (Izzi) - RM120
Laundry - RM320 (wash only)
Cleaning - RM150 (2x a month only)
Grocery - RM1000-1200 (excluding toiletries and EJ's milk and diapers)

Other stuff:
Cost of eating out - RM10-15/person (fastfood or food in stalls but yummy!)
Fancy dining for two - RM150-200
Starbucks Java Frapp - RM14
1 Kg Rice - RM6
Cheesecake - RM6.50 (my fave!)
McDo double cheeseburger - RM9.40 (large)
A Bag of small bread - RM2.10
Laundry - RM7/kilo (wash only)

When I look at our fixed monthly expenses it doesn't seem much. I think we just have to watch out for our shopping and other expenses in the incoming months.

I guess there is still hope to increase our monthly savings. We just have to cut down on unnecessary expenses like shopping and a constant trip to Starbucks. I should also look for a cheaper laundry service!

Our Easter celebration in KL

Last week I was scouting for an Easter outfit for EJ. I didn't find any. Well, maybe because we only went to two malls amidst the many malls here in KL, the Berjaya Times Square and the Pavillion. These malls are walking distance from our place and we were lazy to go to some other malls.

We were supposed to go to the Easter Brunch at Berjaya Hotel but since we didn't find an outfit for EJ we decided to go somewhere else. Why? There was a best dressed easter child contest in Berjaya Hotel. And I thought if we go, EJ might be the only one dressed casually. So we went to Hotel Nikko instead.

Admittedly this is our (me and my hubby) first time to celebrate Easter this way. Having grown up in the province, Easter was no big deal not even for kids. I didn't even hear about Easter egg hunting until I went to Manila for college. We're doing this celebration for EJ. I want him to experience Easter together with some kids having fun playing egg hunting and some other activities. He's still young to comprehend what Easter is. So for the mean time it's just all fun and excitement.

We arrived at around 12 noon at the Hotel. At the entrance, there was a bunny greeting everyone. EJ was petrified and he kept on saying "No, no". He was given an "egg" chocolate but refused to take it. Two clowns were milling around and giving kids twisted balloons. EJ didn't want to go near one of them. He was scared again.

There were plenty of food choices, and plenty of games for the kids. But EJ only wanted to play with the basketball. For some reason he's only addicted to balls and cars. He was so happy seeing lots of kids runnig around. He kept on pointing at all the kids and shouting "beybi" even if those kids were 10 years older than him..hehehe.

At around 1pm, EJ couldn't wait any longer. He was so sleepy that he slept on hubby's shoulder. The games and contest had just started but EJ was already in deep sleep. So after stuffing ourselves este eating we decided to leave. Anyway EJ had a good time already.

Happy Easter everyone!!!

Saturday fun

Lookie what we've got!

On our way to buy a pair of sneakers for me and hubby, we passed by a Nike store. And we saw a cute pair of baby sneakers. Hubby couldn't resist trying it on EJ and ended buying it. Tsk...tsk...So now, the three of us are proud owners of these shoes :)

~@~@~

After lunch today we went to see the F1 race at Sepang, Malaysia. From Berjaya Time Square we took the monorail to KL Sentral. From there we decided to take a bus (cheaper than taking a train) to the F1 circuit. We arrived at half past two. Hubby bought a shirt and we bought a pair of shirt and a shorts for EJ. By the time we decided to go inside and watch, people were going out already. We were too busy shopping and looking around. Sayang! Nevermind we still had fun. And as usual EJ was running around the place.

~@~@~

It was raining when we went back home. So we decided to take a taxi. And as expected the driver asked an exorbitant amount (100ringgit!). But we conceded because we have a baby and it was raining hard. When we reached our apartment, we were greeted by the clouds hanging so low. It was even below our apartment (we stay at 37th floor). I think if we went down to the 15th floor where the swimming pool is located we would have been able to touch it :)

A Saturday well spent.

Slow internet connection

I haven't written something for a while. Not for lack of interest, mind you. It's just frustrating because our internet connection is sooo slow. Well, what can I expect from a GPRS? Two weeks ago we bought a new laptop, one for me and one for hubby dearest. We were so excited to play and tinker with our new toys. Unfortunately we forgot one very important thing. We forgot to check if our laptops have a PCMCIA reader. But apparently new laptops now don't have one. Patay! That's where we insert the gadget for our wifi connection. So off we went to our internet provider (Izzi) to have it exchanged for a USB. We were told to wait for 3 days. Well fine. I could wait. The problem is it's been 8 days now and they haven't called us yet. All these time I have been using a GPRS from my phone. And it's torture. It is slow that sometimes I get to finish a spider solitaire before a window opens. Funny right?

Anyway we went to Izzi again this afternoon determined to return the gadget so we can apply at another company. But they told us they'd fix the problem and give us an extension on the term. I was hesitant but I said ok. This evening somebody from the company called and said they're coming tomorrow! Wow! Even on a holiday! I am impressed.

So hopefully I will have a better and faster internet connection tomorrow. Yey!


~@~


Thank goodness EJ's taking a bath again with no fuss. I don't know what happened then. My brother suggested maybe EJ has accidentally swallowed some water in the pool or in the tub making him scared for a while. I don't know about that but I am just so glad and relieved he's having fun taking a bath and brushing his teeth again (yes, he also didn't want to brush his teeth then).



~@~


EJ's vocabulary is growing by the minute. Though the last syllable of the words are usually missing. Everyday is an interesting day. New words, new discoveries. He's quite a big boy now.

Smoking in a No Smoking Place

As a mother I am concerned with my baby's health and environment. In our house, no one smokes. Or if my hubby does (which is very rare) he knows that he has to do it outside of the house.

Fast forward to Malaysia. I noticed that people here in KL smoke inside an airconditioned room even with a "No Smoking" sign. Last Sunday we went to Plaza Low Yat to buy a new laptop. Of course we brought our baby with us because we don't have a nanny. Upon entering I immediately smelled a cigarette smoke. I thought it came from the outside. But when we got to the 4th floor, the smell of the cigarette smoke was stronger. I asked Eric if he also smelled it. He said he did too. To my horror, I saw a couple of guys puffing a cigarette! I told Eric we have to hurry because I don't want EJ inhaling second hand smoke. We got out there as soon as we bought what we came for. But I forgot to check if there was a "No Smoking" sign in that building.

Today while walking inside the Berjaya Times Square mall, I saw again a couple of guys
smoking!!! It was bad because right in front of them, there was a "No Smoking" sign. I didn't have the guts to point them the sign. Who am I anyway? We just got here a month ago. Maybe smoking IS really tolerated inside the mall.

I thought to myself, we'll just have to go somewhere else to avoid inhaling this second hand smoke. Anyway, he is free from smoke in our house. Or so I thought. I was talking to Eric while waiting for the lift to open. When it opened, Eric hesitated to go inside the lift. Before I could ask him what's wrong. I immediately smelled a smoke of cigarette. What???? Inside the lift! I couldn't believe it. Eric said he saw the man going out of the lift with a cigarette in his hand. It was horrible.

I think I have to ask the management if smoking is ok inside the premises of the building before I can take any action.

My baby's vocabulary

A week ago while playing with his favorite toy car, EJ pointed to our table and said "buli". I looked at the table and found nothing that would remotely mean "buli". Yet he kept on pointing and saying "buli". I gave the bottle of ketchup to him and asked "Is this buli?" After all, bottle almost sounds as "buli"...hehehe. He shook his head vehemently and said "buli". Confused, I picked another bottle and this time it is the maggi seasoning. I again asked him if that was the "buli". Again he shook his head, now on the verge of tears. Frustrated, I said to him "here, have a banana, EJ". I know he loves bananas. He seemed pacified and went back playing while eating the banana.

One day after, he again pointed to our table and said "buli". When I looked at the table nothing was there but a bunch of bananas. Hmmmm...I picked one banana and asked "Would you like a banana?" He nodded his head eagerly. And that's the story of buli este banana...hehehe.

At 18 months EJ's vocabulary has gotten interesting, challenging and funny. Some words are pronounced clearly, some more are understandable but most of it are babble of words only himself can comprehend. Here are the words according to him:

Hi - Hi. This one he can say clearly with a matching wave of hand.
Bye - He can also say this clearly with a matching wave of hand as well.
Cah - Car
Bah - Ball
Bah - Bus
Pom - Pacifier
Pee - Sleep =)
Ju - Juice
Go - Go
No - No
Buli - Banana
Aw-aw - Dog
Baga - Balloon
Tee - Teeth
Shu - Shoes
Beybi/Bibi - Baby
Haa - Hot
Wee - Play slide
Boow - Boat
Mooo - Moon
Booo - Book
Daddy - Daddy
Mimi/Mama/Mam-mi - Mommy :))

Amazing, right? But what is more amazing is that sometimes EJ becomes the teacher and my dearest hubby becomes EJ's student. Example "EJ, let's go to bed and pee". And he means, sleep!!! Or sometimes, "EJ, would you like some buli?" Heaven help us!