My Leaving Presentation and Surprise Baby Shower/ Birthday

** The ladies **

Feel totally blessed to have people around me who care and want to be a part of the biggest events in your life...

I finished work starting on the Feb 9th and before I broke up on the 8th, there was a surprise leaving presentation from my colleagues. Well, it was supposed to be a surprise but I saw a pop-up email notification at my colleague's PC when I was at her desk doing some knowledge transfers (as she will be taking over my role in my absence). It was a nice gesture and I was touched, the fact that not only my team was invited but also the whole BMS_Chester. People whom I rarely work with, they all came over to my desk and wished me well.

And also I got several great gifts during the presentation and a card - thanks to all! Got many advice from colleagues

Today, 18th Feb is also my 30th birthday (aiyakk! Old oledy!!). Dah seminggu dah my husband dok reka cerita about taking me out today. Mula2 cakap nak pi town jalan2, then another day he said don't plan anything today as he has football match to watch on TV, another day he would say he wanted to see the launch of new Man City's store in town and some famous Man City players would be there e.g. Mario Balotelli, etc and he wanted to see them in person. Then buat cerita pulak nak take me out to eat the best cupcakes at this little cupcake store in town. I was suspecting something is up but malas nak tanya banyak so I just went along with him la (though the day before he made me a bit upset and I threatened him I don't want to go out at all!).

So he took me to town, he said we are going to that little cupcake store (I didn't bother ask about Man City store nor the football match, etc). Kat depan pintu cupcake shop tu I can see some of my friends were there; Qama, Shaheeda, Aida and Mira seated at a table full of cute decos. Awww...

It was nice eating those comel little teatime desserts! And they taste sedap also, it was thoughtful of the girls to ask for custom-made decos to suit the tea-time baby shower theme. Too bad the kedai tutup awal so we were there for about an hour only...

Below are some of the pics...Sorry the pics are the inverse (terbalik) from the flow of this entry...

Gifts from the baby shower - opened

Still nicely wrapped up - the girls really did spend time to arrange this, not shop bought!

The cupcake store at Deansgate, Manchester "Hey Little Cupcake"

The baby hamper, on the left and right are gifts for each of the girls (bath fizzy)

Such effort they put in!

Cute cupcakes with baby shower theme - the pram one is too cute! The macaroons were just nice - not too sweet, almost as nice as L'aduree's I must say...

The sandwiches, scones licin ditelan yours truly, the clotted cream was heavenly...

Qama, Shaheeda and Mira - thanks girls!

The set-up from afar

The gifts from my colleagues for my leaving presentation - baby gym, musical cot mobile, hooded bath towel and some toiletries

Birth Plan

Sample of birth plan at hipp baby

Do you need a birth plan? A birth plan is a written record of what you would like to happen when you are in labour and after your baby's birth.

What to include in the birth plan? Below are some key areas to consider: -

• Where you would like to have your baby - hospital
• Who will be your birth partner(s) - husband
• How you would like your baby to be monitored (with a belt or with a hand-held device) - belt, but hopefully baby will be OK and not have to be monitored
• Whether or not you would like to stay mobile - would like to stay as mobile as possible
• What equipment you may like to use, such as beanbags or a birthing mat - birth ball
• What pain relief you would like to have - hopefully none, but if need be, for midwife to give options. For the time being, entonox (gas & air), birth pool
• Whether you want to labour and/or deliver your baby in water - if labour condition permits, yes
• How you feel about having an episiotomy (a cut to the skin between your vagina and anus) - if possible, not to have episiotomy. If need be, to be given local anaesthetic
• What positions you would like to use for labour and birth - kneel or side-lying....
• Whether you have any special needs, such as a special diet - vegetarian/ seafood
• Whether you would like to hold your baby as soon as they are born or let them be cleaned up first - cleaned up first
• Who will cut the cord - husband
• Whether you want a Syntometrine injection after the birth (this helps to prevent bleeding from the womb) - probably, midwife to explain side consequences
• Whether you want your baby to have vitamin K after the birth (to help with blood clotting) - yes
• How you want to feed your baby - breastfed

This can be used as a reference when you are in the labour suite/ room, and can be discussed with your midwife/ nurse/ gynae/ doctor etc whether what you have planned for is to be followed as close as possible.

But try to be as reasonable as possible and don't be disappointed if things don't go as planned.

Good luck!

By the way, 38 weeks today!

Some Tips To Share

Hello...

Several people have been giving me tips for pregnancy...thought I'd list down some here to share with other moms-to-be. I got tips from my colleagues (something to talk about at the coffee machines in the morning!) whom are local so it's interesting to know what the mat salehs actually believe in and swear by, other than that I also got tips from my fellow Malaysian friends.

1. Drink raspberry leaf tea from 32wks onwards with one cup daily and gradually work your way up to a maximum of four cups daily. It apparently helps to tone the uterus muscles, making it work better in labour, some says it speeds up your labour, it also is meant to reduce the risk of you needing intervention with the likes of forceps. Also after birth, it is meant to help your uterus get back down to the normal size and help aid breastfeeding. Raspberry leaf tea is NOT the same as raspberry tea, and you can also take tablets instead of the tea. But, some people who had history of short labour, or bleeds in pregnancy might not be advisable to consume this.

2. Consume oil of evening primrose (2000mg p/day) as it helps soften/ripen the cervix.

3. Bouncing on an exercise ball helps your waters to break...swaying in circles on the ball might help with lower back pain...

4. Prenatal perineal massage is effective in preventing is effective in preventing the need for episiotomy and decrease amount of tearing a woman has during her birth. Particularly in women over age of 20 having their first baby. Can google up on ways to do perineal massage.

5. Drink up on coconut water (ayaq nyoq) so that your baby will have nice skin...as for me susah la nak dapat ayaq nyoq...maybe dalam tin ada juai tapi the sugar content might be high...

6. Minum air zam-zam - this one pun susah nak dapat kat UK

7. During contractions sway your hips in circles or figures of 8 while putting your palms on the wall/ holding bed rail

8. Suruh husband buatkan air doa, suh dia baca surah Yaasin and minta permudahkan delivery, and just drink up the water until delivery day...

Ada a few more...nanti lah tulis lagi...

Feet Up!

It's 2 days into my maternity leave today - you know what they say - time to put your feet up! Indeed I am, for I have been on the move like for almost a year ever since I started work.

Workload never ease up like we hoped to when we first started the team. Right up to my 36th week of pregnancy I've been doing late nights, definitely worse than when I was in practice back home. It is worse during the wintry days - snow, sleet, heavy fog, frost, subzero temperatures... you left the house in the morning and came home when it was pitch black outside.

Oh, winter is the worst if you have to go out and about. Last winter 2010 I was a housewife, the cold days made me dug deeper into the duvet, I even embraced the biting cold weather.

This year I repeatedly wish that I could stay longer in the duvet when the alarm ticked off in the morning, groaning at the thought of entering the cold bathroom, kitchen, and brace the rush of cold air to your face when you step out the door...

Worse, if your car is frozen in frost! To scrape the ice off the windscreen... only to find out you have to do it again in the evening in the dark at the office carpark. Painful times...

But yay - no more of those now! I declare everyday is duvet day from now on...

At least for the next 3 weeks or so - before the little one arrives!

Despite all that, I thank God that my pregnancy is an easy one, it did not hinder me to go through all the wintry challenges...

Throughout my pregnancy I did not throw up once, able to go for a road trip where most of the time I was on foot when I was 7 months, feet were never swollen, cramps are a rarity, never experienced heartburn, one of the lucky lots who has got no 'mommy marks' on the tummy, each midwife visit was very quick and satisfactory - midwife even asked if I am a sportswoman (you sure?!).

I just pray hard that labour will be as easy as my pregnancy insha Allah.

Reading up on hypnobirthing and gentle birth... one can always wish for a manageable and self-controlled labour.

I wish I have the courage to try for home birth... maybe next time round!

Too Big but Too Small

At 18 weeks precise

Too big for normal pants, too small for maternity pants...

Buh getah ja la dulu.... Huhu

Found an interesting website which shows womens with different sizes of bumps at different weeks... Those who are worried too much about their bump size, rest assured...there is no one size fits all... http://www.maternitygallery.com/

(Great for people like me who look like they just carry a fat blob rather than sporting a cute bump!)

Red-Blooded

Pic googled

I hate having my blood sample taken. I am such a wuss and such a scaredy-cat. I had my blood sample taken for the first time few years ago and half of my arm went blue. I have nasty veins and I never donated any blood because I don't like the sight of it.

And now I have to have my blood samples taken many times by the midwife. The first time the midwife took my blood sample there were 4 bottles she had to fill in, she was swaying my arm up and down to increase the flow into the ugly bottles! At first I showed her my almost non-existent vein and she said 'my that was a tough one, we will make a few tries on the vein if not we will refer you to the Blood Department they are the experts'. You can imagine my horrific face.

But she was quite an elderly midwife and must have thousands of blood samples taken throughout her career, she got it the first try *phew*.

She was also very comforting and consoling too. I looked away the minute I rolled up my sleeve, my husband was laughing away the whole time joking about my situation with another male intern present at that time. The midwife was the only one with the kind heart *killer stare at husband*. Throughout the whole time she was saying 'Darling you are doing great' and 'Here is our supergirl' and 'Well done supergirl we are proud of you'. I feel like a 6-year old *shy* but it did help, those words :D

Even so, not looking forward for more blood tests...

*How la want to beranak later?* :-S

Nub Theory or Skull Theory?

My 12 + 6 week scan pic

In the UK, the frequency of ultrasound scan does not come too often. Majority of the pregnant moms in the UK get only 2 scans in the whole of their pregnancy period, one is at 12 to 13 weeks (dating scan - to estimate your EDD by the size of your foetus) and another is at 20th week (anomaly scan - to see if the baby is developing normally).

Unlike in Malaysia, the private clinics and hospitals charge you a bomb if you want to have a private scan, ranging from GBP99 to GBP299 (you can get a good travel system for your baby for that price!)

I know some people at my stage back home who already had 3 or more scans...at the price of RM50 per session, I would have a scan every 2 weeks myself just to put my mind at ease, that the baby is well. Cos right now you just don't feel the baby moving yet... Some people might feel 'flutters' but if this is your first pregnancy you normally would not realize these 'flutters'.

Anyway, when the scans come rare you try all the different ways to know that your baby inside is safe. And whether it is a boy or a girl? Some hospitals just don't offer to tell you the sex of your baby during the 20th week scan while on the other hand some hospitals do tell you.

Well who can wait until 20th week scan to find out?! And to find out that the hospital refused to reveal the gender...

By the way there is this new ruling (still in draft resolution) from the Council of Europe Committee suggesting doctors should not reveal the sex of unborn babies, in a bid to stop gender selective abortions. What the....I think it is a right for all parents to know the gender of their babies don't you think!

That is when I found out of the 2 theories to predict the gender of your baby from the dating scan pic.

Nub Theory

At around the 11/12 week scan at the end of the baby's body you can see a little bump (nub). The girl nub angle is less than 30deg and for a boy the angle is 30deg and over. Not 100% as some scan pics are hard to see a nub on (but is more accurate than those Chinese predictions). Click here if you want to understand the difference between a girl and a boy's nub.

My scan pic that I got the nub is not clear, at that time I wasn't aware of this theory so I did not ask the sonographer to get a clear view of the nub... but from the pic you can make a real wild guess I suppose...

Skull Theory

A male skull is longer and the forehead slants much more. Also, the chin of a female is pointier than that of a male. You can read on here for better understanding on skull theory.

Now...back to the scan pic...any guesses anyone?! :D

I Love Freebies!

Money off and free product vouchers, many free samples, books, magazines, etc. And more to come in the mail!

Ramadhan Foodie Pics

Hello... Been quite some time since I last put some food pics. These food were prepared throughout the fasting month, that time I was not so well due to morning sickness... I mostly crave for Malaysian food, which is susah la kan cos you can't just buy them kat UK ni kan unlike M'sia boleh pi ja ke pasar Ramadhan. And I was too lazy to cook plus I can't go into the kitchen and cook or I'll get nauseous...

Nasik kerabu, murtabak, kuih2 including buah melaka, masalodeh and cara berlauk etc... Ni bukan masak sendiri, ni beli kat Pasar Ramadhan kat UK ni ya... (dia buat 3 kali ja sepanjang Ramadhan ). Food was not that cheap, spent more than GBP20 for the above...

Baked mushrooms, the mushrooms are as big as your palm

Nothing new, roast chicken with stuffed rice

Murtabak maggi... LOL

Karipap (ignore the kelim yang besar duit syiling tu)

Seri muka (this one my husband yang buat dia yg teringin sgt but the green color is too artificially bright)

Nasik daging utara...with daging rebus and air asam...

Tu ja. Masa bulan puasa tinggal puasa banyak hari jugak, because I got hungry all the time! If I don't eat I feel nauseous, I got to munch something every 2 hours. Plus it was summertime, we fasted from 4am to 9pm almost. But good thing I never vomited not even once, alhamdulillah. Nevertheless it was a difficult time for me :( banyak nak kena ganti ni nanti...

13 + 5

Me on Hari Raya 30th August.

Mind you, perut tu...sebab makan banyak sangat ye...

But, I suppose can always blame on the baby bump =)

Dry Season

Bismillahirrahmaanirraheem....

Pic googled.

Hope my dry skin condition will significantly improve after consuming this! Heard too many good reviews from my close friends. Mmg mempengaruhi betul! Too bad they are only sold in South-East Asia. Takpa try dulu, tah2 no effect on me pun. But these things aren't cheap!

Hate the dry skin, regardless how many glasses of water I've consumed. I've just changed skin care range as well.

Any other tips?

Madness

March went by without any entries!

Thanks to those who enquired and requested for an update hu hu tak sangka ada orang rindu >.<

Yes! I have been very busy... I started my new job early March and things get on full swing from then on. From the day I start I got to move, move, move I haven't even got the time to understand the Company's background and yet I have to manage a team doing things I'm not quite familiar myself... Nightmare? Yes. So I have to learn like really quickly. Just that I have one tiny little problem. My brain has stopped functioning since last August. I haven't done any heavy-duty thinking and problem-solving since then. That's a good 6 months of brain inactivity! My daily conversation that took place in my head over the past 6 months are "harini nak makan apa?" or "apa nak masak harini?" or "cerita apa syok kat TV tah, nak check TV program sat la" or things similar to that.

It took me a while to get my brain to function like a normal working adult (not yet 100% functioning though). There are times when I stare blackly at the laptop screen...or find myself doodling during daily meetings...or yawning more than 10 times in the span of 20minutes of a teleconference...Despite all that, I seriously enjoy what I am doing. The whole exercise is very interesting, really...

Not to mention the long daily commute to work! Where I work it's 42miles (approx. 65km) from where I live. Bought a used car at the last minute and the first few weeks was a gamble really, as we do not know the service history of the car. Anything could happen on the road (they drive like mad people here), and I would not know who to call if anything should happen, for we are in a foreign country. I'm sure my husband too would not know what to do if I call him. Takkan dia nak naik bus mai kat I kat motorway pulak kan... So far it's been a month alhamdulillah nothing bad had happened. We got to get the car serviced soon, I noticed there is a problem with the fuel injector...sometimes tekan fuel pedal minyak tak masuk...scary!

Nevertheless it's a nice drive to work, the view is sooo pretty especially now that it's spring. That 1-hour drive is the time of the day when I'm lost in my thoughts or singing off-key to my favorite songs or listen to some motivational ceramah or update myself with current news or simply treat my eyes to the swanky flashy cars UK people drive... Unlike M'sia where you mostly see Protons and Peroduas... Here more like convertible Audis and BMWs and Porsches *heart melts*. Mesti syok kan drive convertible car pi balik kerja...*alamat 2 jam baru sampai ofis, mesti kena bawak slow 30mph takkan nak bawak laju2 habih melayang telekung semua LOL*

Oh yeah...I wake up early too these days...to make allowance for the 1-hour drive, and another hour to get ready *yawns* So balik rumah in the evening tu you can imagine la...mmg tumbang awal la. Nowadays I only cook express or simple meals. So, please don't be disappointed if I don't tempt you with my foodie pics ha ha ha (mcm la byk sgt masak pun). And hubby has been really sweet to cook as often as he could.

Enough updates! Here is a pic of us both enjoying spring!

Walaupun isteri dah jarang masak makanan menggemukkan, suami tetap bulat comel he he he.

Spring Awakening

Hi guys,

So what does it feel like being in the last year of your twenties? Hmm...quite stressed, really, as I have not achieved several things that I have envisioned. Such as? Well, I'd rather keep it to myself. And best to believe that things happened for a reason. Good things come to people who wait...

2000 seemed not that very long ago...still remembered what I did the whole year. While waiting for SPM result me and & my good friend applied to work as waitresses at Pizza Hut Komtar (back then Komtar was still hip). So much fun we had back then working for the first time and earning own money. And spend the money of course. Not to mention the free pizzas we got, including those yang customers tak habis makan...errr OK I better not dwell into that. Wahahahahah.

Then got an offer into UIA, spent 6 months there, not happy, quitted and got into UiTM...thinking that I would be much happier, but no. Not in some remote campus off in the middle of rubber estate of Semeling. Errr...where? Yeah, you got me.

That was 2000 in a nutshell.

Oh, enough reminiscing of the past. Let's live up the future, and work hard for the benefit of it.

A serene office area...reminds me of Putrajaya, no? Putrajaya lagi cantik lah of course!

Snowdrops! A sign that spring is here :) Yehuuu, ku mau kepanasan!

More snowdrops yet to bloom

Moon in the daylight. It was a sunny weekend, but come Monday, mendung suda...

Suddenly find myself craving for lemang jepun, but they are expensive here, cheaper and more economical if you make them yourself. Sini takdak Jaya Jusco nak juai murah :( Anyway these are the raw mats for lemang jepun.

2 pot nasik of Japanese rice can make about 40pcs lemang if you cut into sizes above.

Zoom dekat sikit hehe. Only put egg, crabstick and salmon je, can't afford other fillings :S

Last one for the road...bread pudding. I now find a way to use up expired or almost-expiring bread - make them into bread pudding! (daripada tengok sebuku roti yang berkulat kehijauan dengan perasaan geli sambil menguti bahagian yang dijangkiti kulat lantas toast pehtu makan dengan butter dan jem). It's nice if you add in cinnamon powder and eat with custard (the custard was bought off the shelves but I found out its just as easy if you make if yourself)

My entries of late are more to foody entries...what to do...not much to update. Nothing interesting happens to me. We don't really travel or watch movies. Is this how it's going to be for the rest of the year? Wuarghttt what a way to end my twenties :S

Young Old Me

Happy Birthday to myself! Here's to a great year ahead...before the big three-oh! -.-"

A dear friend aptly put it, "As we less worry about pimples, we start worrying about wrinkles".

So sad to celebrate this day alone (other than hub, that is), away from my family :(

Hope to achieve many milestones this year, and make more people happy! Ding ding!

Comforting Winter Food

It's been a while...

Actually I am still around...pretty busy stuffing myself with food! Blame it on the weather!! Grrr...I always think of something to eat even when I'm asleep...not good...not good...

And I hardly do any exercises due to the weather - imagine running with layers of clothes on and bulky sweater, gloves, earmuff, etc!! Hope spring will be better, 2 months to go!

Here are some of the food that I had to whip up to kill my never-ending craves...

Sausage rolls - ate this at a birthday party but did not get enough, had to make them!

Agar-agar santan, huh kalau kat M'sia mmg cheq tak pandang langsung, mai sini teringin!

Chicken fritters

Chicken salad

Banana cake (dulu selalu beli dekat Giant, sedap!)

Capati, dalca, sambal ikan bilis. Lenguh tangan gelek tepung capati :(

Asam pedas - not even a fan when I'm in M'sia, yeah weather changes you

Sekaya...will never buy one again! So easy to make and you can control the ingredients e.g. sugar and most importantly, free of additives!

Don't waste any of the sekaya! Lol.

Tomorrow I thought of making vanilla cupcakes a la Hummingbird Bakery, kalau jadi I post the pics here. Hehe. Trying to find out how they apply the frosting on the cuppies by using knife...

Attempts on Baking

Check out my new baking set! :D

Jangan la gelak wei. I know la macam Barbie main masak-masak ja rupa dia, but trust me it's not one of those dumb blonde moments when I bought this!!! OK la OK la I bought this set cos it's cute, and er....in pink colour. But hey it's part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign tau, kan ada tulih kat kotak tu! Hihihi.

Plus they are made of silicone! OMG, silicone & breasts, so not right!!! Eh silicone bakeware ada ka kat M'sia? Tak pernah nampak la, but kalau nampak pun I must have put on my "I look but I did not see" self. Haha. Almaklumla, kat M'sia tak pernah, eh, jarang masak! :P Dah kat UK ni la baru terhegeh2 nak belajaq dan try itu ini.

With silicone it's non-sticky, so easy to remove your bread loaf, muffins, cupcakes, etc cos you can bend2 dia kan. It can also withstand high temperature. Initially I was a bit hesitant to buy cos I bought a set of plastic senduk, sudip semua tu tapi bila masak the edges melted into the food sometimes. Racun kan kalau termakan plastik? Silicone on the other hand isn't toxic. You can actually eat a few pieces and it will pass through you undigested, it won't break down in your gut.

I bought these during the winter sale, about GBP21 (abt RM110). Kalau beli satu2 yang metal ka tin tu lagi mahal kot. Also bought silicone spatula and honey-dipper yang merah tu. Cute kan!

OK la tak mau la cerita panjang macam Discovery Channel, let's look at some baking output! Hehe.

Tadaaa...

Super yummy vanilla cupcakes with strawberry-jam filling....

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...yang kubeli kat Marks & Spencers. Wahahahaha.

Sorry la kami belum try baking lagi la....mixer pon belum ada lagi :P Nanti kami pi beli na...Jgn maraaaa :D

Next Trip Shopping Lalaland

*Warning, this entry is loaded with pics! Best viewed with Streamyx Unifi heh*

Since hubby's aunt & uncle who lives 2 mins away from our house are going back to M'sia for good tomorrow, they invited us to join them to go to Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet in Chester (abt 45mins drive away, tak jauh) untuk beli barang-barang yg org2 M'sia kirim dan sebagai buah tangan untuk sedara mara, etc. So off we go last Saturday.

Yay, felt like doing somersault when they suggested the trip. Huhu. What's the best way to enjoy the winter sale in the UK if not at these designer outlets (actually, the sale in the shops in the city are quite good as well).

But don't worry...I did not shop that much, more to look see-look see and survey-survey. And to exercise (walking is exercise also kan! Hehe) cos the outlet is sooo huge memang tak larat at the end of the day mmg super lembik, my bahu lenguh sampai harini sebab galas/pegang beg. Kat Bicester Village haritu sat ja dah habis tawaf 1round tapi yang ni lamaaa sgt, 3 or 4 kali lagi besar kot? Agak2 ja.

Anyway I only bought those which I think are reallyyyy cheap and which I'm really gonna use. Cos I'm here for only 1+ year insha Allah, the winter clothes are really lovely but I'd rather spend on those which you can bring back to M'sia and wear. Nanti bila dah nak balik M'sia boleh singgah sini beli2 lagi, sesapa nak pesan jgn malu2 habaq mai tau!! Don't worry kita ship2 semua barang2 hehe.

OK la let's look at the pics dan ulasan sikit-sikit sebagai panduan.

Samsonite, Moltol Brown, Timberland - Samsonite bags the sale quite OK but not really looking for any trolley bags in particular maybe before balik M'sia boleh beli luggage bag kat sini. Timberland - got lots of clearance stuffs, men's pants for GBP9.90 (darab 5 abt RM50) each, kasut-kasut lelaki pun very cheap, daripada kat M'sia yg beratus2 RM.

Samsonite store.

GAP - I saw this skinny jeans for GBP 9.90 (abt RM50) nak beli tapi ermm nanti dulu la, in fact in GAP store in the city can get the same price as well so OK la kan takyah nak travel jauh2 pun kalau asyik teringat hehe. But other jeans the most expensive are GBP33.90 (abt RM165), again I think is way cheaper than M'sia, is it? In M'sia at least RM300 ka? Sorry kat M'sia mmg tak masuk kedai2 camni sebab I know is so overpriced.

Superdry Japan - suka these shirts! Esp yg tengah kaler kunin tu! :(

Sapa ingat time kecik2 orang dok sibuk kasut penguin? Ha ni la dia, tak lawa sgt pun (tak ingat lak dulu camna rupa kasut penguin tapi ingat2 lupa la orang dok sibuk2 mention kasut penguin ni)

Kedai Penguin.

Suka cari barang rumah! Comei kan these frying pans! Lupa pulak nak tengok harga.

Cool kan polka dot teapots tu, tak silap dalam GBP9.90 (abt RM50).

EasiVase - plastic vases kalau beli dia leper (mcm kat bawah shelf tu, kembungkan dia dan isi air). Murah ja ni, dlm GBP2.99 (RM15) nak beli tapi pikiaq tunggu sat balik mai beli sekali lupa laa... :S

La Senza - all on the rails are GBP 5 (RM25). Dari sebesar2 saiz (LOL cuba teka yang mana) to sekecik2 saiz hehehe. Even the white corset on the table pun GBP5. Nak beli tapi malaih nak pi try sebab nak kena buka coat dan baju pakai berlayer2. Tunggu summer pakai baju selapis kita mai singgah balik kedai ni OK!

Huhu I tried on a pair of maryjanes/walking shoes at Nike. Very comfy dalam dia cushiony and tapak dia yang mcm boing-boing mcm Nike Boing trainers tu...(kat UK me size 6! Rasa mcm kuwwus! Kat M'sia tanya amoi kedai kasut kalau size paling besar ialah saiz 7 mmg terus keluaq kedai dan pangkah kedai tu tak masuk dah!

Teka kasut tadi tu berapa? GBP8 jer! (abt RM40). From GBP60 tau. Yang ni cheq beli hehe. Bleh pakai pi keja (kalo kerja laa)! Jalan-jalan pun bulih. Boing boing!

Ni semua mmg on clearance. Nike, for your so-called child labor and low manufacturing cost, you should sell these at cheap price! Murah2 mcm ni boleh la nak beli tapi kalau premium prices like in M'sia I never buy esp for running or other sports, for jalan2 dalam shopping mall boleh la kot huhu.

Nike store.

From afar - I can see Ted Baker, Bench. Tell you this place is huge!

We're lucky cos it's a sunny weekend, lifted up ppl's mood to shop, kalau gloomy rasa mcm nak berkurung dalam rumah ja.

Some random poster kat traffic light masa nak lintas jalan.

Next destination is Next Clearance store. To be honest, not really a fan of this brand tapi kalau murah apa salahnya huhu.

Err memang murah! Mula2 masuk mmg nampak byk baju2 GBP2 (RM10) and GBP3 (RM15), etc tapi mcm malaih nak belek, masa nak balik saja masuk balik cos my aunt cakap byk baju murah2 ni yang OK2. I just cari the one yang GBP2 and below, and surprisingly mmg betul, byk yang cantik2 jugak la so amik la beberapa. Even got yang GBP1 (RM5)! Hubby nak beli this knitted tie for GBP5 (RM25), and I was like, eee mahainya...tapi bila bayar harga dia GBP1 ja. Huhu.

Childrens' clothes pun byk murah2.

Oasis punya baju-baju pun not bad jugak.

French Connection, Clarks. I don't remember entering French Connection, maybe sebab excited nak masuk Clarks kot hehe.

Erk, massive clearance! Kat Clarks ni byk sgt jenis kasut, unlike Clarks kat M'sia yg more to office shoes and walking shoes yg design ala2 untuk makcik2. Erm jarang masuk kat M'sia jugak sebab tau mahai :(

I thought yang from GBP10 (RM50) tu yang tak lawa tapi surprisingly banyak yang cantik2. And comfy too! Seperti biasa I looked for those which I can wear in M'sia. Banyak yang berkenan! But takkan nak beli sekarang, awal lagi...KIV dulu la, beli 1 ja dulu :D

Clarks store.

Cheshire Oaks.

Krispy Kreme, tak singgah pun cos I rasa KK kat sini mahal la compared to M'sia, glazed donut here is GBP1.20 each (RM6), rasanya kat M'sia RM2.20 ja kan.

Kat CK saw some cheap bras also, buy 2 free 1 tapi KIV la dulu.

Break for lunch at Harry Ramsden's fish & chips. Mmg sedap la, this is size XS pun quite big the fish kan.

Hubby in action.

Mulberry - OK la murah la dlm GBP100-GBP200 from high street prices but I still can't afford :'( berkenan yang warna brown kat tingkap tuuu

Cadbury! Chocs in the UK are generally murah so tak heran sgt la Cadbury ni plus byk lagi chocs sedap kat sini selain Cadbury heh heh.

Chocs 1

Chocs 2

Burberry - nasib baik the beg that I liked masa dtg in last November dah takda. Kalau tak mesti asyik pegang2 tak mau lepas walaupun tak mampu :P but quite cheap la the bags, tak amik gambar pulak. Nanti la next trip OK! But rata-rata the bags are from GBP99 (RM495) to GBP300 (RM1,500). Imagine you kerja data entry clerk kat sini pun gaji dah GBP1000 then hujung bulan dpt gaji dpt beli designer bag siap ckp elee GBP99 jerrr hahaha (saja bagi contoh)

M&S - OK la not bad. More to knitwear, tak berkenan sgt baju2 dia kat factory store ni more to aunty2 type.

Akhirnya setelah tak dpt masuk Polo Ralph Lauren store kat Bicester haritu, dapat jugak masuk kat Cheshire Oaks ni huhu. Takyah queue pun! Lengang ja. Tak la murah sgt, ada jugak casual berkenan casual shirts dia tapi KIV dulu laa.

Lacoste - OK la not so bad the sales.

Was at Lindt store, saw these weird choco flavours. I bought the dessert choco range, creme brulee. Sedap jugak. Murah la jugak abt GBP1.83 (RM9.70).

Random shot.

Folli Follie - masuk tapi I don't remember seeing any yg I berkenan, tak pay attention sgt sebab tak suka sgt brand ni (tapi kalau ada yg nak suruh survey next time I perati habis2 OK!)

Cornish pasty stall, tak try but love the van.

Tu ja. In the end masa balik I told hubby like eh ni ja ka beli. Huhu. Penat2 berjalan seharian sikit ja shopping beg bawak balik rumah. It's OK, ada rejeki lebih bulih visit lagi, after all it's just 45mins drive away.

So how's the Dec Year End Sale in M'sia? Must be pretty good also, I believe!