Sunday, August 30, 2020

When in Mexico : Just arrived and reality check

 When I first step on the soil of Mexico in April 2018, precisely in the capital, Ciudad de Mexico (CDMX) my first impression is ' Wow, nice weather!' thanks to its high altitude location.And since we just completed a grueling 30+ hours flight journey with one transit (KUL-LHR-MEX) and 3 kids in tow including a 45 days old baby, we just skip the amusement later and focused to cure our jetlag..

Luckily the company provides a decent apartment in the heart of Polanco, a nice neighbourhood in CDMX... wikipedia describes Polanco as this :

Polanco is an affluent neighborhood in the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City. Polanco is an upscale community, famed for its luxury shopping on Avenida Presidente Masaryk, one of the most expensive streets in the Americas, as well as for the numerous prominent cultural institutions located within the neighborhood, such as the Museo Soumaya and the Colección Jumex. Polanco is often called the "Beverly Hills of Mexico", having one of the country's densest concentrations of luxury shopping, with the most Michelin star restaurants, high-net-worth individuals, upscale hotels, and diplomatic missions and embassies. Additionally, it is one of the most desirable real estate markets in Latin America.


Well, I must admit the neighborhood is pretty cool and most locals and expats living here are loaded with money (us excluded). I like the fact that there is a 24 hours supermarket located at ground floor of our apartment, a posh branded boutique mall beside our building and many green parks around us.. also I like the fact that most people walk or ride bicycles everywhere. They have an efficient public transports like buses and metro,but if you're a first timer and outsiders please be more aware of your belongings as you can be easily spotted - not by your looks though because our skin complexion might be quite similar with Mexican, but the fact that you cant speak their language and also if you wear tudung like me.

After few days, the reality hit me. As this is my first time actually living abroad, i just realized that visiting foreign countries is NOT the same as actually living in a foreign country.. I immediately realize the challenges - language barriers, security and safety issues, lack of halal food and muslim community, not many Malaysians around, different culture and high living cost..the list goes on and on. Additional challenge for me to adapt with my just habis pantang baby! Overall it took me 4 months to battle my emotional issues.. I settled down when my kids are safe in school, even the baby went to school when she was 5 months old, and this mommy joined the bandwagon of newly enrolled students! Yay! 

I enrolled for Spanish class mainly to talk to my kids' teachers and also for other domestic chores as well like buying groceries and ordering food. This was when I felt like human again, enjoying my me time before the chaos begin again when I fetched the kids from school at around 3pm. Good thing is the language centre, CEPE was also in the neighborhood, about 20 mins walking or 10 mins on bike.

As time goes by, more Malaysians were coming hence we made more friends, some even turned family. Our weekends were filled with jalan2 inside and outside the city.. or small gatherings among ourselves... i will furnish the jalan2 part more later...

After 2 years, we started to feel at ease with our routine here.. but of course never a day passed without me thinking about Malaysia, my families, the food and my job that I left temporarily... 

to be continued😎

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Breastpump comparison

 I've been using few breast pumps for the last 8 years and thought this comparison might be useful for new mommies out there.. well, actually the best breast pump for you should address all your priority needs.. so identify those first, then only choose. My priority features are double electric pump, compact and mobile.

1) Medela freestyle double electric pump

This was my first pump and obviously most expensive.. I bought this just because there were not many brands available 8 years ago.. the big names were just Medela and Spectra at that time. So I choose this since I need a double pump to pump at work. So far it is quite durable and reliable too.. however by the 5th year the battery was dead but I still can use it with power point.

Pros: Durable, double pump, sleek, pretty, good suction, has 2 funnel sizes to choose, long lasting battery time, comes with a chic bag n cooler bag, has hands free clip feature

Con: EXPENSiVE! Last i check the price is about RM2,000.Many parts so leceh to wash and assemble, quite noisy

2) Avent manual pump

I bought this as back up incase my Medela has issue.. but dont really like it coz produce low yield and need strength to pump it.. or maybe i just dont know the correct way to use it! guess manual is really not for me😛 But few of my friends really like this manual pump.

Pros: Sturdy, less parts hence easier to assemble and wash, cheap

Cons: its manual😂 and single pump

3) Cimilre F1 double electric pump

Since my Medela batteries were dead i need a new pump so i can mobilize and pump anywhere. Bought this for my 3rd kid in 2018.. I actually like it. With quarter of Medela price, I would say it match the performance and yield.

Pros: Easy to assemble, sturdy, less parts compared to medela, light weight, less noisy compared to Medela, cheaper of course, long lasting battery, has hands free feature

Cons: I dont have anything that I dont like about this pump.. the price is quite affordable, i think around RM500 now

4) Treenie Konvito double electric pump


I bought this since both my Medela and Cimilre were left in Mexico and i needed one quickly as my 4th baby was due soon! While naturally people upgrade, i downgraded my pump as I was curious why some breastpumps are too expensive while some are too cheap?? So i resorted to one of the cheapest in the market, Treenie Konvito. I bought at RM129 from FabulousMom recently.I was quite sceptical at first coz apsal murah sangattt.. consult hubby about it and he said try je la, kalo x best pun padan je dgn investment. So i tried. Amazingly it works wonders.. as currently I am a stay at home mom, i just used sparingly to keep some stocks when my baby is left at home for a short while, or to pump when I am out and about..so I just pumped about once per day..it works perfectly for me. With that price I totally satisfied! But if you're a working mom and looking for durable pump for pumping few times a day, perhaps you need to invest on a better priced one. 

Pros: Super cheap!!!! use usb port to charge, quietest compared to Medela and Cimilre, compact size, less parts, easy to wash and assemble

Cons: No timer, no LED screen, no hands free feature, short battery time hence need to charge every 3-4 times usage, only one standard funnel size available.

Hope this review will help those in need😃

All images from google.com

Simple and Easy Choc Chip Cookies Recipe

 I am an avid cookie monster, so do my kids! I've tried many recipes so far but this one is the easiest and most delicious for my palate, I must say. Whenever my kids beg to bake something, this is always my favourite choice :) Hence I'm sharing with you guys.

The best and easiest choc chip cookies recipe

Ingredients :

250g butter 

250g brown sugar

100g granulated sugar

500g flour

2 eggs

500g blended oatmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

200g chop chips (preferably Hersheys/Beryls)


Cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract - not too long. In a separate bowl, mix flour, blended oatmeal, baking powder and salt.

Then mix both mixture together and add in chocolate chips.

Chill the dough for 20 mins, or sometimes I cant wait and skip this part..

Arrange bite sized dough on a tray lined with baking sheet.

Heat oven and bake for 20 mins at 150degC.


Done!