Lord I Offer My Life to You

I was touched by a song sung at church last Sunday and I broke down. It was a good thing that my husband was there with me. He just held my hand tightly. I guess I'm going through a lot now that I couldn't control my emotion.

All that I am, All that I have,

I lay them down before you, O Lord;

All my regrets, All my acclaim,

The joy and the pain,

I'm making them yours.

Lord I offer my life to you,

Everything I've been through,

Use it for your glory.

Lord I offer my days to you,

Lifting my praise to you.

As a pleasing sacrifice,

Lord I offer you my life.

I thank you Lord for being with me through this tough times.

How to conceive - Week 4

Are we pregnant yet?

I've suddenly gained a lot of weight. My tummy is abnormally bloated. My husband even asked me whether I've been eating too much. (I wasn't!)


My husband was worried that I may have some health issue. (Well, he's known me for more than 5 years and he has never seen my belly this big! I'm surprised by the size of my belly too.)

I went to see the Dr just to be safe. I gained 3kgs in a span of 2weeks! I was shocked by it. The Dr asked if I've ever been in such a situation. I told him "NO!". So he gave me a couple of digestive pills and he's just suspecting that it's "wind" in the intestine.

After 2 days of not seeing any blood stain, we were anxiously waiting. I even bought a "stick" just in case. After a while, my husband & I decided that we should not be so anxious about it. (In case of any disappointment.)

After 4 days.. we decided to just test it. (Yes, we were still quite anxious.)
So.. are we pregnant yet?

You are pregnant only if you see 2 clear blue lines.

I guess not. :)

How to conceive - Week 3

Folic Acid for those who are trying. :)

A colleague of mine introduced "Folic Acid" to me, way before I tied the knot. She told me that it's recommended to take Folic Acid 3-6months before you plan to conceive.

I've also read about it but just didn't pursue my hunt for folic acids. :P

My gynae gave me a bottle of it and I was instructed to take it once a day. It help keep the "egg" healthy and also prevent miscarriage, which is very common in this generation.

So, for those who are trying to conceive, do consider taking Folic Acid. :)

How to conceive-Week 2

I got my Thin-prep test results. As predicted by my gynae, everything is normal. :)

Well, I know I was being too paranoid but having someone hinting the "C" word is just not a great feeling.

I shared my gynae's "strategy" with my family, some friends & colleagues. There were mixed response to it. Some told me that it's too "stressful" for my husband since he is not around all the time. Some told me just go on a holiday! Some told me another method which I couldn't understand the logical side of it. Just so many "ideas" that I decided to just follow my gynae's advice.

We did our research on what would cause infertility. There are a number of factors that contributes to it and it's not only from the female side. (Men, do understand that you have your "flaws" too.)

So we made sure to try to avoid factors that would cause infertility.

Don't give me crap!

As a person working in the service industry and preach excellent customer service, I can't tolerate horrible customer service.

My sister & I went to Dave's Deli, Subang Parade for dinner. We were having difficulty choosing what to eat and I thought, since we have not dined at Dave's Deli for years, perhaps we should go there. (I remember being fond of their Chicken Schnitzel.)

The concept to order food did not change since we last came. You have to order it at the counter and then take your seat and wait to be served.

When we were at the counter, we were not greeted. A waiter at the counter was just standing there, doing his paper work. So we figured, we should wait til he finishes. Another waitress came to the counter and asked if we have ordered, we told her politely, "No. we are still waiting for someone to take our order."

Then the waiter looked up and said "Ya." then continued with his paper work. My sister and I just looked at each other. My temper was already boiling by then. So we placed our order in a very fierce tone. Then he turned around without acknowledging our order and walked away! At that time, I only felt like screaming at him.

I told him off loudly and said "How are we suppose to place our order when no one is listening?" He continued to walk away.

My sister wanted a Mixed fruit Lassi but the waitress told us that they ran out of Lassi. I told her that I want Orange juice, no orange juice as well.

Then the waiter came with Lassi and I saw the waitress whispering to the waiter telling him that she told us there isn't any Lassi. I could also hear him asking her "Why did you say there isn't any Lassi?"
Well, I wanted to answer "Because she is lazy to make one!"

So we had to change our drinks due to laziness.

When it came to payment, the waiter did not tell us how much we should pay and expect us to give him "small change". We didn't have any at that time and he kept asking us rudely for small change. I just slammed my handbag on the counter and told him "If we have it, we'll give it to you!"

He then reluctantly returned our balance.

As we were waiting for our food to be served, we observed that there are still quite a number of diners there. We didn't understand why. I told my sister that I would never dine here again.

Our food was served by another waitress who was more polite.

I have to say that maybe people are still dining here because of its food. The taste of their gravy is not bad. The portion is not too small. The salad is fresh and the meat are nicely done.

However, the lousy service spoiled our evening. We just quickly finish our meal and leave.

I think they only serve it with "magic" gravy but not magical service.


Here's the counter that I slammed my handbag.


My sister's choice: Mixed grill.


My choice: Meatballs.


The size of one meatball is only as big as a 20cents coin.

Lousy customer service don't deserve our money! Let's just say we did charity.

How to conceive-Week 1

After visiting my gynae, everything was normal. I didn't have any blood stain. Well, the next blood stain was the beginning of my menstrual cycle.

I was also advised by the gynae not to do a pap smear test just before my menses because at that time a woman's cervix is very sensitive. So when they perform a pap smear, they may "damage" the wall. Especially if you are trying to conceive, any sign of fresh blood would "kill" the sperm. So the best time to do a pap smear is just after your menses.

(FYI, women who are sexually active -not necessary married- are advised to do a pap smear test annually.The test is to detect potential pre-cancerous changes.)

Although everything seems to be back on track, I was still a little "concerned" (I am a little paranoid when it comes to health.) but thanks to the amount of support that I received from my family & friends, I was just calmly waiting for my thin-prep test result which would be out in a week.

Time to start counting! :)

How to conceive

Before we got married, my husband & I planned to start a family in 2010. Meaning we would only try to conceive after June 2009.

After we got married, our plans sort of diverted. After hearing so many cases of people wanting to conceive but yet they can't because they have been "avoiding" it. We both thought that we shouldn't wait.

So I went to do a Pap Smear test just to ensure that I'm healthy to conceive. I went to a normal clinic and the Dr performed a ThinPrep Pap Test instead. I bled after the test and the Dr was quite concerned. The nurse gave me a sanitary pad and the Dr told me to just wait outside to see if the blood would subside.

To my dismay, I didn't stop bleeding. Initially, I thought it was normal.The Dr mentioned that it should stop bleeding in 2-3hours. If it doesn't and your report comes out negative, I would have to refer you to a gynae that specializes in cervical cancer. The "C" word was very sensitive to me as my dad was recently diagnosed with cancer.

I was disturbed the whole day. Told my husband. He asked me to just be calm and wait for the results. I know that it disturbs him too but I guess one of us have to be calm.I was contemplating whether to break the news to my parents.

I finally told my parents and they were very supportive and told me not to worry too much.

The next morning, I woke up with fresh blood stain! I was very alarmed and immediately informed my parents. My mum suggest that I see my gynae immediately.

I followed her advise. Told my colleagues of my situation. My mum came with me to show "support".

My gynae was very calm when I told him about the whole procedure. He just checked my cervix, did an ultrasound and he told me that the bad news is "You are healthy!". The good news is "You are healthy to conceive!". I wish I could hug him but all I could say was, "That's not bad news!" He just smiled at me.

He told me to just wait for the report and he's 90% sure that the report won't find anything negative. :)

Since I told him that I'm trying to conceive, he gave me a few tips. He asked me a few questions:

1) Is your menstrual cycle regular? YES

2) Were you on any contraceptive pills? NO

3) Is your husband with you every day? NO

He continued to say that I don't "need" my husband every day. Since I have a regular menstrual cycle, it is very easy. He told me to have a habit to mark the first day of my menstrual on my calender. Then start counting. On the 11th day up to the 21st day, I'll "need" my husband every other day.

He was so confident that he said I'll see you within 6 months. If it doesn't work, it's probably something wrong with your husband.

Well, we'll see if the "strategy" works!

Trip to Bali - Day 5

I've finally found time to update my blog. To my dearest followers, my apologies for the lack of update. I was thinking what better way to "re-start" my blogging mood by completing my Trip to Bali "blog".

It's the last day, so we had to check out of the villa. Leaving this beautiful place was a little "sad" for me. So I convinced my hubby to walk around with me to take a few more photos of the villa. :)

Here's the entrance to the spa!

Before we left, Han received a message from Air Asia saying that our flight will be delayed. It was scheduled to take off at 8pm but delayed to 10pm.

Of course we had breakfast served before we check out.

Han chose something different. Chicken with egg porridge. He said it's nice!

I stuck to the American breakfast. Opting for scrambled eggs and bacon this time.

Gede picked us up from our villa and our tour begun! This time we took the Bedugul-Tanah Lot route.

As we were traveling, we could see clear blue skies and rice fields.

Our first stop on the way to Bedugul was a temple at Mengwi.

The entrance to the temple.

We spent about 20minutes at this temple. The weather was very hot that it bothered me a lot.

The "main entrance" to the temple. It is closed when there isn't any ceremony.

Part of the temple.

After Mengwi, we stopped at Pacung. It was slightly cold there and it felt like Cameron Highlands. We could see the rice fields and a resort that is located by the rice field. The scenery was very soothing. It is located very far from town, so if you wish to just chill in Bali and do nothing but just enjoy the cool breeze, you may want to stay at Pacung Mountain Resort.

We took some photos and enjoyed the scenery for a good 15minutes.

I think the tree was very outstanding.

Us at Pacung.

After Pacung, we headed to Bedugul. The journey to Bedugul is a little longer compared to our trip to Kintamani. It got colder as we headed towards Bedugul. When we arrived at Bedugul, I was already shivering. It was a good thing that I brought along my jacket.

The entrance fee was IRD 10,000 per person.

The entrance to Ulundanu Temple.

Ulundanu Temple

The temple on a lake. This exact image of the temple is printed on the 50,000 IRD.

The frogs around the temple is a symbol of Fertility. According to Balinese belief, frogs gives makes their rice fields more "fertile".

Gede & I posing in front of the temple.

He wears the cap only at Bedugul, to keep himself warm.

I couldn't resist taking photos of flowers.

After Bedugul, we went to Candi Kuning, fruits and flowers market. This place reminded me o Cameron Highlands only much bigger and their fruits look so much fresher! There were mountains of strawberries, passionfruit and just about any fruit & vegetable.

Part of the market.

We loved the passionfruit the villa gave us. So we bought 5 bunches of 6 passionfruit home! One bunch of six cost us IRD 8,000 (less than RM3). We gave Gede a bunch and a packet of strawberries for him to share it with his family.

Rabbit!

This poor rabbit is not sold as a pet. Gede told us that Balinese would buys them to make "satay"! Poor creatures. I just wish I could let them all run free!

Gede wanted to drop us off at Pacung to have lunch by the rice fields. It was buffet lunch. We decided that we wanted to try some local food. So we asked him if he could send us to a restaurant/stall that serves Babi Guling.

He said that he'll try his best to find one along the way. As it was post Nyepi Day, we may not be able to find it cause it takes them one day to marinate the pig.

After stopping at a few stalls, luck was on our side! We found a stall that sells Babi Guling! My initial thought of Babi Guling is roasted piglet. I'm not a fan of eating piglets (I find them too young and cute to be killed.) I was quite happy to know that it's actually an adult pig that they serve. :)

We invited Gede to join us for lunch since it's the only stall around that area.

It's HUGE!

Babi Guling Men Lari. (would men runaway after eating this?)

Han chatting with Gede.

The serving!

There's a few pig skin, pieces of pork jerky, one pork satay, some vegetable, rice and soup! The soup is made of banana leaf stem!

The other dishes served with the Babi Guling.

This meal costs us IRD 60,000 for 3 persons. Including drinks. It was very filling for me. Gede told us that they usually don't eat this when they are at work because the pork oil would make them sleepy. He promised that he won't fall asleep. Well, he fulfilled his promise! :)

After lunch we then headed to Tanah Lot temple to watch the sunset. The journey took almost 2 hours.

At the gate, Gede initially told the "gate keepers" that we are locals from Jakarta. We didn't get why he said that. So we bought tickets to enter as local. When we entered the main entrance, the ticket officer asked if we were locals. We said "No, we are from Malaysia." Then it came to mind that we were suppose to say that we are locals from Jakarta. Our bad for not listening why Gede told them that. Lesson learnt! So we were asked to go back to the gate to purchase tickets as foreigners.

Along the way to the temple, there are many stalls, just like Ubud Market.

Foreigners strolling along the market.

The things here are much cheaper than Ubud Market. I bought a few more things that I've purchased at Ubud Market at a lower price! Should have known this better huh?

Here's the entrance that would lead you to the temple.

It was indeed a very hot day.

It's the "Holy Spring".

Tourists getting themselves blessed.

Me attempting to take a "dive". :P

The Tanah Lot temple was built by the sea. When it is high tide, it would look like a "floating temple".

Me presenting the Tanah Lot Temple!

ahhh... the sea!

We strolled by the beach. Taking funny photos of ourselves. See if we could find any sea creatures (we saw a number of live crab there). After a while, the weather was just too hot for us. We decided to go back to the market and have a drink. We went to a shop that sells coconuts! It was indeed very refreshing! :)

Han enjoying his coconut drink! :)

We saw a bat hanging on a pole.

The bat was not chained, he just kept fanning himself because the weather was very hot. We have no idea why this bat stays there.

After taking a short break, we decided to shop for "last minute" souvenirs. Once we completed our list of souvenirs we headed to another end of Tanah Lot. We saw another temple that was built by the sea. We had a good 3ominutes to watch the sunset. We just strolled around enjoying the sea breeze and the heat (the heat wasn't that enjoyable though).

Here's the other temple. Less people here. More peaceful! :)

As we were walking around we saw a couple taking their wedding shots.

We congratulated them when we walked passed them. :)

Sun is slowly saying "See you tomorrow!"

After watching the sun set, we headed to the airport. The journey took us nearly 1.5 hours to get there. When we arrived at the airport, we still have about 2.5hours to have dinner and look around.

Be warned! You need to prepare IRD 150,000 each person when you check in at the airport.(The Immigration part.) My sister warned me that it was IRD 200,000 per person. Well, luckily we prepared more than enough.

After walking around looking for food, we decided to have dinner at Prada Priority Restaurant 1 simply because there were more people dining there. (I was wondering why there was a "1" after the name of the restaurant, I soon realized that they have "2" and "3" at the inner side of the airport.

Han ordered the Nasi Campur which was so-so only.

I ordered the Nasi Ayam Panggang which was quite nice!

The sauce on top was a little different. It's made out of ginger and chilli.

The meal costs us IRD 194,250 including two drinks and Government Tax.

We walked around the Duty Free area. Bought two bottles of hard liquor and waited at our gate.

We were waiting at the gate until it was about 30minutes to our boarding time. We asked the ticket officer at the gate if there was a mistake. He just told us to wait.

We were just sitting in front of the gate until an officer came to us and ask if we were flying Air Asia to Kuala Lumpur. We told him YES! He informed us that it has changed to another gate and we only have 5minutes more!

We ran to the gate and was puzzled why we were not informed of the change of gate number. I got scolded by the Air Asia personnel who checked my ticket. She said "The whole airplane is waiting for you." I just couldn't help myself and shot back at her "If your announcement was clear and loud enough, we would have known!" and I just stomped off! (Hey! I am your customer after all! *(&*^^%)

We came up with the conclusion that it's not good to check in too early after all. The announcements at Denpasar International Airport can't be heard when you are in a restaurant or at the Duty Free area. Do double check with the proper counters before you decide to walk around. We were quite proud of our KLIA services after this experience. Well, we would say even LCCT, Malaysia provided better service.

That's how our trip ended. We arrived home at about 2am. It was a good thing that the next day was a weekend.

We had a great time at Bali. We are definitely going to make another trip there. The next time perhaps a more relaxed one since we covered the "famous" routes already. :)