The Household COO

Today was a rather productive day that worked out remarkably well.

After making a blunder on the Air Asia tickets I booked for my MIL and FIL (I made a typo with my MIL’s name, dropping off the “n”), I tried to make the change online only to discover that I had to call the hotline. When I called the hotline, they redirected me to the “packages” department because the tickets I bought were packaged with hotel stay and apparently the staff manning the hotline had no authority to make any changes.

Just in case you’re wondering - no, you are not charged for making changes if you make a spelling error when booking tickets online. The charges only apply if you want to change the passenger so if you do make a mistake like I did, don’t get your knickers in a knot - although getting it corrected it tedious, at least you don’t have to pay for this mistake.

I tried unsuccessfully to call the Air Asia “packages” department, either receiving an engaged tone or no one would pick up until the phone line cut. Finally, I decided that the only way I was going to get things resolved was to go into one of their offices to see them personally. Luckily their customer service office is located at KL Sentral and not at Sepang.

Since Gavin was also due for his MMR booster shot at Pantai Medical Center (which is near KL Sentral), hubby suggested I kill two birds with one stone and get them both done today. When you’ve got a toddler in tow, trying to get too many errands done in one day can sometimes be a mistake, but today, it worked out to a tea.

We stopped by Pantai and picked a number for Gavin’s appointment (all paediatric appointments are on a first come first served basis), then we went over to KL Sentral to correct the e-ticket details. Located next to McDonald’s, the Air Asia office is rather small, but the service was great (which was a refreshing change to the usual poor service I’ve come to expect from businesses in this part of the world). Although my number was about forty away from the number being served, the customer service staff worked pretty quickly.

My SIL and I went for lunch at Subway which was just a few shops down and by the time we came back, my number had just been called. The customer service representative was polite and efficient and it took a matter of minutes before we were on our way back to the hospital for Gavin’s injection appointment.  When we arrived at the hospital, I discovered we were the next in queue to go in. 

By the time we were done at the hospital, it was nearly 2pm - just in time for Gavin to go home for a nap.  This was just one of those days when the timing was just perfect and everything ran smoothly.  I realise that we often remember the days when everything goes wrong but we rarely remember the days when everything worked out really well.  Hence, I decided to write this post to remind myself that sometimes, everything does go my way.

February 22 - Gavin and I went to visit Chloe who is now much better, although still on aspirin for Kawasaki’s.  In the evening, Gavin attended his second wedding and he was handled it so well (except for one part where he got a little frightened by the MC and the clapping).

February 23 - My grandparents recently came back from Sydney with a couple of my aunts so Gavin, hubby and I went over to visit.  My grandparents adore Gavin and they were so happy to see him.  It was good to see that they are still doing really well.  Later that night, hubby went for another wedding dinner, but we decided to give Gavin a break.  We figured too much excitement over two days was probably pushing it a little.  We ended up going to Great Eastern Mall for dinner and some grocery shopping.  I also managed to get through half of a new exercise DVD I bought from Speedy on Yogalates.

February 24 - We caught up with Gavin’s godparents for lunch and did a bit of shopping after.  I finally managed to buy a zip purse so Gavin can’t get into my cards and money.  Lately, he’s taken to pulling out all my cards and throwing them on the car floor so I thought it was high time to baby-proof my wallet.  Well, it’ll only be baby-proof so long as Gavin can’t get into a zip.  Hopefully, by the time he learns how to open a zip, he’ll be so over cards and my wallet.  We also managed to catch up with A and K, whom we haven’t seen since their CNY house warming.  Dinner was a simple one at TTL.

February 25 - My SIL and I went to Bangsar Village to buy some groceries because I decided it was high time I tried that recipe book I bought by Annabel Karmel.  I didn’t get around to cooking because Gavin was really tired and wanted me to sleep next to him.  I did managed to squeeze in a little bit of exercise though.  I tried the new DVD I bought by Denise Austin on Pilates.

February 26 - I did a couple more modules from the Pilates DVD by Denise Austin.  Boy is it a good workout.  I can feel my abs feeling a little tight after that short workout.  I also managed to make one recipe for Gavin, which he nibbled and then he squashed the rest of it and refused to eat.  The good news was that he ate an entire bun after dinner (with me chasing him around, but at least he ate).  It was a quiet day indoors since we were busy cooking out in the kitchen.

February 19

I went to KLCC to get some books for C’s birthday present.  I couldn’t decide what to get so in the end I bought similar books to the ones that Gavin enjoys.  I figure that if Gavin likes them, maybe C will like them, too.  I also bought another Annabel Karmel recipe book - yes, I know, it’s time to start cooking instead of letting my cookbooks collect dust on the shelves.

February 20

My SIL and I took her friend shopping at 1Utama.  Boy was it a great workout for me carrying Gavin around for a few hours.  Lucky I wore my Merrell shoes.  Even then the balls of my feet and my legs were aching by the time we got home.  I managed to buy my Yogilates and Pilates DVDs for cheaps - luckily I didn’t get them the day before otherwise I would have paid so much more for them!  I also managed to get some yellow felt to make new bumblebee wings for Gavin’s bumblebee costume - I figured I should let him wear it more often so he can get some used out of them.  I also got some wrapping paper for C’s present.  All in all, a pretty productive day.

For dinner, we went to Saisake again.  My SIL’s friend treated us as a “thank you”.  It’s always nice to be treated to dinner.

February 21

My SIL and I did a bit of grocery shopping at Great Eastern Mall.  The Cold Storage there has Reese Peanut Butter ice cream!  I think SIL2 will die for a taste of this when she gets back from the States.  Must remember to get some for her to try when she’s back…  Gavin’s also back on food again - he was extremely hard to feed the last couple of days - but today, he’s eating all the stuff he normally likes to eat.

Okay, okay, so I fell a little behind in my daily gratitude blog posts because we were down in Singapore over the weekend so here’s a brief updat on what’s been happening. 

February 15 - Hubby and I had lunch with PS and W and their Daughter A.  Although I know PS through Multiply, this is the first time I’ve met her and her daughter.  They were visiting for Chinese New Year.  W had to go back to work in Beijing, but PS and A will be staying on until March.  We’re supposed to try and catch up at Fitfor2 again before she leaves so now I have a new Mummy friend.

February 16 - Hubby, my SIL, her friend, Gavin and I drove down to Singapore.  We left at about 6:45am and managed to move Gavin into the car without waking him.  I’m amazed at how flawlessly our departure went.  The drive down was pretty smooth and Gavin did really well.  We had lunch with C and J, then Gavin and J played together at C’s house.  It was sweet to see the boys having fun together again.  Dinner was at Carnivore - the hubby’s favourite restaurant.  We did a spot of browsing at Vivo City and caught up briefly with W and X after dinner.

February 17 - last minute shopping and lunch before heading back to KL via Melacca so that A could see a little more of the local sights before she left for Perth on Thursday.  It was a very long journey back and poor Gav was a little tired and I a little nauseated after watching him scramble around the car while playing with his toys.  On the whole, though, I think Gavin did exceptionally well.  This trip has certainly reinforced my conviction that regulated sleeping hours for Gavin does wonders for his mood and his ability to sleep peacefully through the night.

February 18 - A quiet day in while Gavin and I recovered from a hectic weekend.  We played with his toys in the morning, he ate well during dinner, had two naps during the day and was in bed before 10:30pm.  I think he’s back into his regular routine again.

I’m also grateful to hear that C will be out of the hospital tomorrow and that she’s making a good recovery.

Gavin had lunch with his girlfriend today. They were so sweet together.  Her Mum and I had a terrific gas-bag session at The Gardens in Midvalley.  It’s been ages since we caught up and it’s always nice to see the two of them back in Malaysia for a holiday.  C is simply gorgeous.  I hope I have a little girl as gorgeous as she is.

Dinner was at Restaurant Six Happiness.  Apparently it is Everyone’s Birthday today - some festive event on the Chinese Calendar.  As usual, I didn’t know anything about it until the hubby called me halfway through lunch to tell me.  I didn’t even realise that tomorrow is the eighth day of Chinese New Year, which is the official New Year’s Day for the Hokkiens.  According to the tradition, we were hiding out in the bamboo fields because some god was trying to wipe us out and so we missed the actual New Year’s Day.  It wasn’t until the eighth day that we came out of hiding, hence the Hokkiens celebrate Chinese New Year on the eighth day.  And it was C’s hubby to related this story to me several years ago.

My Dad is Hokkien and by Chinese Tradition, which means I am, too, although I’m afraid I have never followed any of the traditions (not that I ever knew anything about them until recently).  The hubby is Hokkien as well, hence my in laws celebrate CNY on the eighth day.  What confuses me is that if Hokkiens are supposed to celebrate on the eighth day, then why do we also celebrate on the first day?

We went to the office.  It was a short one.  For some reason there was no Lion dance this year.  We got home and Gavin slept for nearly three hours.  He rarely sleeps that long in the afternoon at one stretch.  Heck, if he even gets three hours of sleep all combined, it’s a great day! 

By the time we woke up, it was too late to go to the Curve, so we ended up at Jaya Jusco in the Alpha Angle.  It was a productive shopping excursion - a few more accessories for Gav as we encourage him to take Milo since we discovered that he actually likes my Starbucks Hot Chocolate (by accident).  Funnily, he doesn’t seem to be as keen on the Milo.  We even got Formula to add to the Milo.  We ended up buying Similac by Abbott which looked to be the best one on the market after we made a nutrient comparison.  Gavin’s still on breastmilk before nap time and bed time, though.

Dinner was Nasi Lemak, made by my MIL.  Now this is how Nasi Lemak should be like.  The only thing missing is the Rendang, but since we can’t eat beef at home, I’ll just have to wait until I’m visiting my parents again to have it.

I am happy and grateful:

• for a very productive day - we visited my MIL’s family, went for satay lunch and went shopping at the Pavillion.
• that Gavin again proved to be very keen to try new foods - he ate Udon, fish fingers, chicken, soba noodles, garlic bread, ice cream, and drank Crysanthemum tea and my Starbucks Hot Chocolate.  Okay, I didn’t intend for him to drink my Hot Chocolate but he was whining for my cup so I brought it nearer to his face only to discover he was opening his mouth.  Thinking he wouldn’t be able to suck the liquid through the stirrer, I let him put it into his mouth.  Imagine my surprise to see the liquid moving up the straw!
• that I managed to get my Puma pants that I’ve been dying to get since I saw the lady holding a pair that she was going to dress the dummy in.  Okay, so it wasn’t on sale, but it was the last pair that was in XL.
• for a very delicious dinner made by my SIL’s friend, who is staying with us for a holiday.
• that Gavin managed to nap in the evening and go down for the night without too much of a struggle.

I am happy and grateful:

• for an enjoyable open house party at A and K’s house.  It was fun catching up with the old gang - or rather what’s left of it.
• that luck was on my side when I played Black Jack.  I came away from the table $14 up.  Although the hubby likes to think I’m a closet gambler, I honestly don’t enjoy gambling.  I enjoy playing Black Jack and Mah Jong for the game itself but not the money component and that is the major difference.
• that Gavin managed to fall asleep and take a nap during the party before my arm was about to give way.
• that we made it to Gavin’s godparents house so Gavin could wish his godparents a Happy New Year after.
• that we didn’t go to An Soon with my in laws because they were caught in a major traffic jam all the way back to town.  I’m sure we would all have gone crazy with Gavin fussing in a barely moving car.

I am happy and grateful:

• for the opportunity to catch up with PL and family after a long time.  E has become such a little cutie.  She fed Gavin food and he ate.  It was so adorable watching the two kids together.
• that we were able to visit my grandfather for New Year.  He’s really smittened by his great grand children.  I think it makes him really happy every time he sees any one of them.  Note to self: must make more trips to see grandpa this year.
• that we were able to catch up with Charlie’s grandmother.  Likewise, she was also really delighted to see Gavin.  Her short-term memory may be fading but she still remembers Gavin, even if she doesn’t always remember his name.
• that I finally managed to find my sports bras - my chest hasn’t shrunk yet so I need size XL which a lot of stores don’t seem to want to keep stock of.  I guess they don’t think that larger people want to exercise.  Since I can’t find any bras without underwire, I figured a sports bra would be the next best thing. 
• that Gavin made it through the whole day despite having very little sleep.  All through Chinese New Year, his sleep patterns have been quite disrupted but he’s managed to take it in stride (well, most of the time) - I’m really proud of him.

I am happy and grateful:

• that my MIL and I taken another step towards cementing a stronger and closer relationship.
• that Gavin again continued to try a lot more new foods today in addition to his usual tried and tested foods.
• that Gavin willingly went into the highchair without complaint during dinner and sat extremely well for a long period of time in his highchair during lunch.
• that Gavin handled the trip up to Genting really well.
• that the morning skirmish was quickly resolved so we could get on to a happier day.