Stressed out and needing to get away...

That's how I've felt these past few weeks.... I felt like screaming my head off under all the stress at work...

I am drained... physically and mentally... and yet I still force myself to go to work each day and push my body and my brain to do the work I have been assigned because I have to... the crazy deadline we've been given made everyone push themselves to the limits, and I'm seeing and feeling the toll on myself.

I finally had to see a doctor cos of this pain in my tummy... turned out to be gastric pains, I suspect induced by stress... couple that with a throbbing headache at the end of every working day, you'd see a very pale and drained person after hours...

How I wish I was due soon!!! November seems so far away... I doubt all the craziness at work is abating anytime soon... new President, new directions that keep changing, new new new... I am seriously considering taking unpaid leave after my maternity leave is up, extend my time with the new baby... I've earned it, I think, after all the stress I put on the baby in utero... nak tunggu menteri announce the change in law relating to maternity leave, I doubt that's happening soon even though she's supposed to have announced the results of the study and the decision by now... as usual, politics is all about making promises that sound great to the people, without actually making a real move to make those promises a reality... but I digress...

Planning a quick getaway with the kids right before Ramadan... I've already told my boss verbally that I'm gonna take a few days off soon, and she understands why... So now Hubby and I have this weekend and the next to finalize our plans... Any good recommendations for a preggy lady and 2 rambunctious kids that's not more than 3-4 hours' drive away from KL?

Cramps!!!

Leg cramps usually start later in the pregnancy for me, but this time around....

ARRRGGHHHH!!!!

22 weeks in, they're already bugging me... a couple of times in the middle of the night and in the morning, but today the pain is still bugging me, long past noon!!!

My left calf was a hard mass of knotted muscles when I woke up this morning, and I'm still limping a little now cos the pain hasn't fully eased off...

Helpppppppp..................

*sigh*

My Day at the Shop

My full-time job is very hectic right now, with a major restructuring happening within an unreasonably short timeline and me in the thick of all things on the back end... I am so very tired, both physically and mentally, but I try to hang in there... Luckily my morning sickness seems to have ebbed for now, but fatigue is ever-present...

So, am I crazy to hold on to my job, and at the same time run my new business? Maybe... but I gotta give it a shot anyway.... when I first planned this endeavour, it was supposed to take off during a relatively low period at work... we can only plan, The Big Guy Upstairs knows better anyhow...

Anyway, even with the crazy workload, I actually look forward to weekends, cos on Saturdays I get to go to the shop and help out... or do my part really, cos my mom's been doing the helping out on weekdays hehehe... So today, went to the shop with my mom and Kakak afte settling matters with the management office, and spent almost the whole day there...

Had some walk-ins inquiring about classes, and even had an order too!!! That really made my day :) In between entertaining inquiries, I learnt how to use a pleater (and did quite a fair number of pleating, I might add!) while my mom got started on cutting fabrics for baju kurungs and dresses... Kakak kept herself busy with her books, paper and scissors as well as the toys on display... Sabar je la mamanye kena kemas balik lepas tu...

Since I last took pics at the shop, there's been some physical changes, but I'll put new pics up next time...

I'm praying and hoping that the business picks up and sustains itself... I really really want this to work, insya-Allah...

All in all, I had a fun and busy day at the shop... here's hoping for more good days to come!

Beverly Collection is Open for Business!!!

Are you looking for any or all of the following:-

- designer high-quality American cotton fabrics for outfits and/or crafts?
- custom-made smocked dresses?
- custom-made children's baju kurung?
- beginner patchwork & quilting classes?
- smocking classes?
- pleating & smocking services?

Then make your way to Beverly Collection! We offer all of the above, and welcome any drop-ins :)

Ready-stock outfits are also in progress, so look out for those in the future as well :) More new fabrics to be updated soon...

Feel free to drop us a line at ciklynn@gmail.com, sms to 012-272 5578 or visit out little shop at Lot F16, 1st Floor, Centrepoint, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama...

Your support of our business venture is very much appreciated... feel free to forward the link to others! :)

Taking my first steps...

I did it... there's no turning back... taking my first steps into the unknown...

Paid the 50% downpayment today... now just need to finalize the legal documents, make the final arrangements, sign a new lease, meet the part-timers, etc etc and get it going!!!!

No more wishful thinking, no more wondering 'what-ifs', no more time for self-doubt... it's already pretty much a done deal... you'll never know whether you can make it unless you take the plunge... so here goes nothing!

Pray for me, friends... pray for our success, and pray that this is the path that leads to what I'm planning for our family's future... Amin...

Good riddance to SPAM!!!

What is it about this blog that attracts spam comments?!?!?!?

I've got the word verification thingie in place, supposedly to minimize spamming, and yet lately I'm noticing that almost every post I put up will have at least 1 spam comment! Since I rarely get comments (heheh, sad huh?), I had to do some digging around before I could find where/how to remove those crappy things...

Dah le they were not in English or even Malay... practically always in Chinese/Japanese-like characters (sorry, I can't distinguish between them, but you know what I mean...), and if you run your cursor above the contents, they'll usually turn out to be URLs to dodgy websites that hint of porn... sickening if you think about it.

So now I've had to turn on the comment moderator thing, which is honestly leceh for me cos I have limited access to edit this blog during weekdays... but I guess that's my only option for now...

13 Weeks Down... 27 More to Go!

Technically speaking I'm about to enter the 2nd trimester already... the morning sickness has toned down somewhat, but it still rears its ugly head almost every day. This is the first pregnancy I've had that has me retching so frequently and strongly that my saliva is tinged with blood almost every time. Scary wooo I tell you, when you see the bright red in the saliva! My gynae (Dr Idris) says it's normal though, considering I throw up so much... I should be thankful I'm not dehydrated right?

Constipation is another painful problem... since I found out I was pregnant, I had to stop taking my regular Nona Roguy jamu... so I knew I'd be facing my old adversary, constipation, very soon. True enough, despite eating lots of fruit (and some veggies) - since fruit is digested faster, sometimes that's the only thing that stays in my tummy pun! - each trip to the loo hurt like crazy and also tinged with blood (yeah, gross, I know.... sorry....) I envy those who pass motion daily and easily... it's an ordeal for me every time...

Makan-wise, my appetite is improving, but keeping the food down is another matter altogether la. I'm thinking about my upcoming date with Hubby next week - wonder if I can sit down in Chili's and eat my favorite meal??? Right now I'm feeling kinda peckish... lost my dinner tonight and refilled with fruit, tapi lapar lagi... huwaaaa.... maybe I should just go to sleep and dream about food....

27 more weeks to go... let's hope these symptoms improve soon...