My pregnancy chronology (First Trimester)

I've hit week 39 of my pregnancy and am playing the waiting game with my little one now. Feels like a milestone achievement for my first pregnancy. After all i've been through these 9 months, i thought i might as well pen down my thoughts and experiences and lessons learned during this life-changing phase.

Starting off with my first semester of pregnancy whilst working was incredibly difficult. Thinking back, when people asked me if i had planned this pregnancy i should have replied "no". Reason being there is actually so much information available on the web nowadays and unless you are always surrounded by other moms or soon-to-be moms who are willing to share their experience and life knowledge, i doubt an exhausted working mom would have the energy and motivation to study up on all pregnancy related issues on a daily basis.

The mass media works a little too well in bombarding us with information of various accessories to purchase, and according to stages of pregnancy - multiple supplements to take, exercises, daily activities to stick to, and food and drinks for consumption, pre and post pregnancy insurance and medical plannings, etc, and this is even before we receive the wisdom from our elders on the do's and don'ts of being pregnant.

Consumption intake/ outtake pattern

In the first few weeks of my early pregnancy, things were relatively normal. Appetite was normal, and i had no particular aversion to any kinds of food. Starting week 4, slight aversion and light nausea kicked in. Things peaked at week 5, with full day nausea and strong aversions to almost every food i could see or smell, which pretty much carried on throughout until the end of my 4th month of pregnancy.

High for the period - Was discovering that liquid cereal drinks, yakult, berries (all types, especially blueberries), cream crackers, soya bean drinks, citrus fruits such as golden kiwis, lemon juice, tomatoes and oranges, all lightly cooked vegetables, cold cooked foods (chap fan with tofu and vege), nothing spicy, were gentle enough on my stomach and could encourage my appetite, which was generally 1 meal a day and snacks in between.

Low for the period - Heavily relying on citrus foods caused me to experience frequent gastrointestinal reflux, and discovering too late that processed tomatoes such as carton tomato juices or canned tomato puree in itself would drastically escalate the acidity level in my intestines. Learned the hard way as well that pineapple and sugar cane water was a big no-no during pregnancy. Also, it seemed like junk food was the other alternative food i could stomach down - maggi goreng (lunctime at work, almost 3 times a week), potato chips and gatorade (for all meals for 2 full days).

Other challenges during this period

• Breaking the news to my family, friends and colleagues at week 5 day 5. Reason: Had to take an ultrasound to check on status of the fetus due to unexpected bleeding from breakdown of a section of the uterine wall. Diagnosed with threatened pregnancy and told to take 2 days MC. Not a good way to start of on the probation period of my new job.
• The fact that my nausea would peak generally at lunchtime daily, and that drinking water would in itself induce me to throw up anything and everything in my tummy, supplements of hormonal medicine and Obimin + included. The next "cycle" would be generally be once in the evening and once later after 10pm. This being the minimal number of times daily with the maximum being 6 times a day, everyday. 
• Add in weekly constipation for an exhausting experience ahead. 
• Educating my parents on the foods i could and could not and should not take during this pregnancy, considering that mom served me pineapple lychee konyakku jelly on 1 occasion as dessert.
• Got the flu, fever and cough for 2 weeks due to exposure within the family. Horribly difficult  to recover considering there is so much medication that we cannot take during pregnancy. 
• Constant sleepless nights from nightmares, and fear of loss arising from this sudden transition, coupled with the thoughts of the choices i may need to make if things do not improve - my baby or my job.
• The fear of throwing up each time constantly causing strong uterine contractions may actually harm and evict my little one. 
• Difficulty memorizing things and focusing at work. Near impossible to socialize at work too especially since everyone unwinds only during lunchtime. Constant exhaustion and tendency to need a nap during lunctime to be able to last throughout the day, even if it meant sleeping in the car in the parking basement since the office air-conditioning was pretty cold.

"Memorable" moments

• Discovering the tiny life form swimming about inside of me and hearing its steady heartbeat for the first time. The mixture of emotions was in between fear, confusion, concern, delight, and awe.
• The 2 instances where i had cold canned sardine in tomato sauce for breakfast. Yeap, fresh from the Ayamas can in the pantry, no heating required. For a person that barely ate more than half a cooked sardine on the rare occasions it is served pre-pregnancy, this was something unexplainable to me.
• Thankfully, i discovered that the cure to my never-ending phlegm and headache during my flu period was due to heatiness of the body from trying to follow tradition too strictly and having avoided all cooling foods/drinks. Immediately cured within 3 days after taking the necessary herbs and drinks to balance back my body.
• Best way to stimulate my appetite - take a bite from whatever hubby is having. Somehow, his food choices always seem more delectable, be it fried rice or curry chicken. Well, at least hubby can't blame me for fattening him up by ordering food and not finishing them instead!
• Managed to "hijack" hubby's FoFi whilst he drove my Viva to work instead as i needed a more comfortable ride to and from office.
• Cleared of the "threatened pregnancy" status after week 10 of visiting the O&G, Dr Pauline Pue, at SJMC.
• Discovering i lost 2kg during this period, but managed to steadily gain back that weight and that baby was growing fine inside me despite the constant struggles i was having.

During this 3 months i had pretty much no time at all to read up on pregnancy related materials or seek support from groups or forums on such matters. Weekends were spent doing trial-and-error on foods and trying to catch back up on sleep from the exhausted week. Although my office was filled with moms and dads, asking them pregnancy related questions seemed to sometimes turn them off and they would direct me to google instead of sharing their own experiences eventhough they offered assistance in the first place. 

Truth be told, despite the support my hubby and family were giving me, it really felt like i was taking on this challenge alone, with no better alternative in sight and constantly just trying to desperately stay positive and hope for the best. I know everyone's pregnancy is different but constantly being judged and assumed that i was actually well informed but yet made such mistakes was depressing to say the least. In the end, it really felt like the weight of all blames shifted to me and the feeling of being cornered got stronger everyday, especially when there are also people out there aiming for the opportunities to "nail" you down already.

On the flip side, i received encouragement that things normally do improve by the second trimester, although it may vary from pregnancy to pregnancy. So by the end of my 3rd month, here's to hoping for a better turnaround in my second trimester.

Searching for the right O&G

Finding the right O&G for me due to my sudden circumstances  at 5 weeks pregnant was rather rushed and head-spinning. As the facilities at SJMC were recommended, me and hubby decided to check it out for our first check-up at week 5 day 6 of my pregnancy. Many recommendations came in for Dr Delilah of SJMC. Unfortunately, she had stopped her services a few years back and as we urgently needed to see an available O&G the next morning, we settled for Dr Pauline Pue.

Having no idea what to expect from our visit, we went in, did an ultrasound, and left paying everything in a blur. I had no idea what to ask and it felt like we were guided to just carry on with our daily lives as usual until the next check-up. I had thought maybe the lack of communication between us and the doctor was because it was our intial first visit. Only much later after reading up on experiences from other moms did i understand that i was not alone in facing this confusion and what i should be looking out for in an O&G in accordance to my gut and maternal instincts.

By the end of the 4th month of my pregnancy, i had developed a nauseating reaction towards my pregnancy supplement, Obimin +, and was advised by my O&G to switch to Pharmaton Matruelle. Only by the end of my 5th month check-up did she highlight to me the need to consider calcium supplements since Pharmaton did not contain any. Only then did it hit me that the reason why i had been so exhausted before was probably due to the lack of iron and calcium in my diet! However, the way she suggested it to me nonchalantly made me kind of upset, especially since i had already informed her earlier on i was lactose-intolerant and generally did not drink milk daily as part of my diet.

Another point that irked me was the lack of proper communication between the nurses and the doctor. One such instance was where my blood test results which were carried out in the 4th month of my pregnancy which was supposed to be handed to me at my next visit was only located by the hospital and given to me after i requested for it 2 months later of not having received it.

In addition, the clinic where the mid-pregnancy ultrasound known as the Fetal Anomaly Scan ("FAS") was to be carried out during week 20 of my pregnancy, Subang Women's Scan Centre, which had been recommended by my O&G, was located just across SJMC and costs RM300 one-off, did not pass on a copy of the scan results to my O&G and at my next appointment with her a week later, i had to give her my copy of the results pending receipt of their copy. Good news was a found at that our baby was a boy! His unashamed positioning of his little asset made that pretty certain when he flashed it on the screen monitor for all in the room, including mom-in-law, to see.

Starting to feel uncomfortable with her service and considering the premium rate we were paying of RM160++ per visit, excluding parking, toll and petrol, we tried to see another Dr. Christina Tan within SJMC itself to see if things would be better. Personally, nope. The waiting line was longer, our appointment time was shorter and rushed, her prescribed supplements and fee rate was heart-poppingly higher, almost double of what we'd normally pay, and finally, she does not do labor deliveries.

That said, hubby and I began sourcing for alternative hospital/clinics nearby with recommended O&Gs present. That was when we came across Dr. Ng and Dr. Raja Juhaidah from Columbia Asia, Puchong. Already at 22 weeks pregnant, hubby and I decided that it would be best to just stick with this hospital to ensure that we could build up a proper medical record for our baby, as jumping round "testing" other doctors now would only make my patient profile confusing.

My first visit at Columbia Asia, Puchong was unfortunately on week 22 day 2, due to the reason that i had missed the last step on the stairs 2 nights ago thanks to our toy poodle sleeping in the middle of the step and throwing me off-balance when i failed to notice her there. Fortunately, i managed to instinctively balance myself and landed on my legs folded japanese style, with my belly, pelvis and tailbone not hitting anything hard. 

Unfortunately, a half hour later my whole abdomen started tensing up and cramping up pretty bad and baby started moving around alot, as if struggling and kicking. This carried on for at least another half hour and then baby suddenly went quiet, and stayed quiet until the next day late afternoon. Talk about a scare! It was also that very Saturday morning i had just visited Dr Pauline Pue and now having to visit Dr Ng on Monday for an ultrasound checkup to be safe was like paying for 2 checkups in that 1 month span. In addition, first time visits for any specialists are always the most expensive. OUCH!

It was pleasant to speak with Dr Ng and he could tell that as a first time mom i was still very knew to this experience and nervous. He shared a number of reading materials with me and recommended i do the Modified Glucose Tolerance Test as my grandfather had a history of diabetics before, something which i wondered by SJMC did not recommend me to do eventhough i had highlighted the same to them before. Personally, i was comfortable with Dr Ng but this being my first pregnancy and the fact that i still felt somewhat shy about a male doctor assisting with my delivery, i decided that my next visit would be to see Dr. Raja Juhaidah after she returns from her Raya holidays.

I began seeing Dr Raja Juhaidah since week 26 day 3 of my pregnancy and since then, have grown rather comfortable with her and her nurse. Hubby and I would try our best to be the first few patients on Saturday morning 8:00am, as this will result in our waiting time to be as short as 15 minutes, and the whole appointment, registration, urine test and payment included, would be done by/before 9:00am.

Another plus point for us was how upfront they were on their fee rates for check-ups and delivery, as well as general medical advisory and contact information as we were provided an information sheet on these immediately after our first visit with her. Information within the hospital was well managed and a patient's history records are usually updated into their system promptly to enable instant retrieval (even by another doctor) upon the next visit.

The ultrasound scans results were clearly printed for us each time and provided to us in accordance to whether a decent photo of the baby could be seen. This was definitely something i treasured every visit as i would be able to read the basic statistics of how well our baby was doing, not to mention the clear 3D photograph shots of him were just adorable! Compared to our earlier visits at SJMC where most of the photos were blurry/dark and in instances we did not voice out for a copy, none would be given to us. Yet the rates charged at both hospitals were nearly the same!

As of week 39 of my pregnancy, i have visited Dr Raja Juhaidah a total of 6 times for check-ups so far, and i noticed that the more frequent i visited, the lower the doctor's fees would be. As at my 6th visit, without the ultrasound pic and only statistics provided, my bill is almost half of what i paid during my first visit to her clinic! Both visits exclude any supplements or medications too. I guess this is the same for recurring patients of other clinics/ hospitals, but what surprised me most was the fact that they were willing to reduce the fee for my ultrasound to RM15.90 excluding GST because no picture could be taken with baby having moved quite down into my pelvic area. 

Thus far, Dr Raja Juhaidah has also done a wonderful job at easing some of my pregnancy worries such as my earlier low-lying placenta concern, if my baby could suddenly rotate to be in breech position or if natural birth could be possible with my ever larger growing baby. She also introduced the concept of perineal massage to me in hopes it would help to ease labor later.

During the times i had been seeing Dr Raja Juhaidah i had received very positive feedback from other moms of another visiting doctor in the area, namely Dr Chia from Chia & Loo Women Specialist. Although the check-up rates with supplements provided would be cheaper than Columbia Asia, the slight cause for concern would be how much their labor rates would be when they were to borrow the facilities of the patient's chosen hospital for their delivery, as resident doctor and visiting doctor rates are definitely not the same. Guess i'll need to follow-up on this if this alternative can be considered later on for my second pregnancy?

The final stretch of my home-run is nearing now, and my abdomen is now constantly cramping up (literally!) from all this anticipation. When the time comes, even with my birth plan ready and having briefed hubby on it, guess i'll just play things by ear and hope for the best then.

A summary of factors i have compiled for consideration on choosing the right O&G for you can be found in my linked post here.

Poise Organic Wellness Studio (OKR branch) Pre-Natal Massage review (Part 2)

Subsequent to my earlier review of Poise Organic Wellness Studio (OKR branch) on 7 September 2016, i was contacted by their outlet manager Ms Gillian that afternoon who addressed my few concerns and apologised for the uncomfortable experience at their outlet, including the messed up timing and massage arrangements for 3 instead of 2, and my experience of being made to lie on my back. However, there were 2 issues in her explanation that irked me:

1. Although she had apologised for Siti's management of our appointments, she reiterated that it was difficult to find "good staff" nowadays for hire. 
   
   
   "Good staff"? Really? Her staff had recommended a 1 hour extension massage to me despite me already clearly mentioning i do not want the massage done on my front or back. If she really is the "good staff" she is made out to be, management should fess up and take responsibility for their staff's incorrect recommendation that put me in this discomforting situation in the first place. This is aside from the mismanagement of our appointment schedule as mentioned in my earlier review.
   
   
   
   
2. My 2-hr pre-natal massage had to be conducted in the manner where after the first hour, any subsequent massage time would need to be carried out on my back as doing the massage sideways for over an hour would be too strenuous on the masseur themself.
   
   
   Again, this issue points back to their staff's poor understanding of customer needs and how their massage services work. If Siti knew that any pre-natal massage conducted more than an hour would result in the customer having to lie on their backs and the customer has already voiced that they DO NOT want to lie on their back, how can you still even recommend the 1 hour extension to the customer?! The manager giving the above excuse to me is nothing more than trying to justify their service without considering the requests of their customers, eventhough operating a massage parlour is actually deemed as being involved in the service industry?

After all that had been said, Ms Gillian did understand that i had been shortchanged on my 1-hr extension massage and at least did offer to compensate me with a half-hr pre-natal massage replacement voucher, with no expiry date, which can be used at any of their Poise outlets around town.

That said, looks like if i wanted to make full use of the balance RM60++ paid for the extended massage time, i would have to do it soon whilst i could and was still pregnant. After considering for a month, i decided to make an appointment back with Ms Gillian to use the voucher for only that half hour at their Old Klang Road branch, no more top-ups.

Relying on what i have learned from my experience there thus far, i called Ms Gillian to check with her before making my appointment if it was possible to do the massage for only half an hour, as i wanted the massage only on my thighs and calves, and at most my hips, whilst lying sideways only again. I was lucky that my back and shoulder were not stiff from being 36 weeks pregnant, but my legs and hips were really feeling the brunt of it, and were aching from both water retention and having "wind" going in. 

Thankfully, Ms Gillian said it could be arranged and we agreed that i would call Siti to make the appointment thereafter. And true as expected, when i called Siti to make the appointment, she told me there was no such thing as a half hour massage and insisted i top-up to at least an hour. When i told her i had already spoken to Ms Gillian and she had said it could be done because of my requested circumstances, then only Siti obliged and proceeded to make the necessary booking. Looks like my case had not yet taught them and management to consider a more effective team communication and understanding of their services offered.

Anyways, my appointment was made at noon on 6 October 2016 and although i arrived 15 minutes earlier than scheduled (to avoid the lunch traffic in the area) i was serviced almost immediately and began my massage 5 minutes after stepping into their outlet.

Again before the start of the massage, i informed my masseur i was coming to 9 months pregnant, can only rest sideways, and wanted the massage for the lower half of my body (excluding soles of my feet as a precaution since there have been comments about how doing pressure point massage in late pregnancy could have an effect on the baby and uterus).

Thankfully for that half hour, things were very comfortable and relaxed and whilst i did not feel the bounce in my steps after the massage like i did a month ago, it was satisfactory and i was able to unwind for a bit then. I'll admit, taking a half-hour extension to make the massage an hour long was tempting at that point in time but i had purposely scheduled other plans after this massage to ensure i would stick to my plan.

All in all, i stand by my earlier review of the place, and yes, whilst the outlet's relaxing ambiance, friendly staff and pretty good massage services are plus points, the laid back attitude of management, lack of understanding of specific customer needs and poor response of negative customer feedback to improve their services would still give them a few minus points in my book.

Stretch Mark Prevention Cream & Oils Review (Part 2)

Time sure flies since i started my blog, and now i have reached 38 weeks of my pregnancy already. Spider veins are creeping up on me almost every few days when i check and my stretched skin has gotten really sensitive to clothing material that may brush against my skin's surface, regardless of how loose the clothing may be.

Subsequent to my last review on the subject matter above in my earlier post on 9 September 2016, there are a few new updates i would like to add in as follows:

Bud's Stretch Mark Prevention Cream (150ml)

Since i started using this cream beginning September 2016, where for around 2 weeks i had used it once a day at night whilst using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Soothing Oil in the day, i had changed my usage pattern in mid September 2016 to using Bud's twice daily as it was much more absorbent, less oily, and did quite well in keeping my skin moisturized and PPUD at bay.

However, this usage resulted in me finishing the cream by the 3rd week of October 2016 (probably due to the fact that my tummy was now bulged out at an alarmed rate of 40 inches in diameter around the belly button compared to an average of 36.7 inches diameter at the beginning of September 2016). 

My summary review after finishing 1 bottle of Bud's on top of my earlier review: 

1 bottle would last only about 1.5 months on a full pregnant belly of 38~40 inches if applied twice daily. It's light texture in my opinion might not be enough for the later stages of pregnancy where spider veins and varicose veins suddenly start popping up on my sides and back of the hips, which i had been massaging in previously but still remained unless i used a pretty decent amount for those places for over 3 days, where it then subside and return again once i let up on the amount applied.

Sebamed Anti-Stretch Mark Cream (200 ml)

Just bought this yesterday to be used since my Bud's cream above has been finished. Will submit my updated review on this cream once i have finished this bottle, which i believe should be some time during my confinement?

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Soothing Oil (150 ml)

I've actually stopped using this oil daily in mid September 2016 as i felt the strong chocolaty sweet smell to be way overwhelming when applied everyday. So much so i actually felt nauseous and stayed clear of consuming any chocolate during the time i had applied this oil. There was also the slight uncomfortable feeling of my somewhat oily skin sticking/rubbing against my loose clothing, even though it would not stain. 

My summary review after prolonged usage of Palmer's on top of my earlier review: 

Would not re-purchase this oil in the near future. Whilst it is very cost effective, relying solely on it for a day application daily, it was still insufficient and heavier application of it would only make you feel uncomfortable throughout the day. On top of that, the strong sweet chocolaty scent i mentioned earlier is definitely not for everyone especially if applied daily.

Bud's Nurturing Nursing Cream (15 ml)

This cream has come in pretty handy around end September 2016 where my breasts and aerola have started expanding in anticipation of the nearing delivery of my little one. If the spider veins that pop out around my chest area aren't too many or if my aerola would feel dry/slightly rough after a bath, i would dab this cream on them and the marks and dryness would slowly fade over a few days.

My summary review after prolonged usage of Bud's on top of my earlier review: 

A gentle cream that does a pretty good job of moisturising the skin and aerola of minor irritations and marks. Slightly more oily texture compared to the stretch mark cream, but absorbs just as well over the small surface area. Been using it for almost 2 months now, and feels like it should be able to last at least another month more.

However, the spider veins started popping more noticeably 1.5 weeks later on my chest area and my aerola had started to itch, crack and had mini bumps swelling up (looked potentially like pregnancy eczema?) despite daily application of this cream twice. Hence, it seemed like as if daily rigorous application of this cream was starting to be insufficient, which leads me to consider and discover an additional supplement to my daily regime... Virgin Coconut Oil ("VCO")!

Country Farm's Certified Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

I've been reading reviews of how VCO had multiple uses for cooking, consuming and massaging to both moms and their newborns and although VCO can come in either in oil or cream form to be  warmed and melted before usage, the brand i decided to pick up was one that could be found in hypermarkets  quite commonly, Country Farm's Certified Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.

1 liter would cost just below RM68.90, and at the time of purchase, there was a promotion of free 120ml bottle at the said price. I love the whiff of coconut at the point of application which dissipates pretty quickly after  a few seconds and discovered that applying this on top of my stretch mark cream which has been absorbed did help to lock in the moisture longer. 

After half an hour of application though i would use some tissue to just dab around the areas which had been applied to gently remove any excess oil that had not been absorbed. This oil did wonders for my aerola itch outbreak as the first time i applied it was at night after a shower where the itch had been so bad i felt like taking a bite at myself, and the tiny bumps had started forming around the nipple, and not just on 1 side of it.

I had applied a generous amount of the oil on top of the nursing cream and placed a moistened tissue on each nipple to keep the area moisturized, and would water spray the tissue every 10-15 minutes once the tissue dried up. After 2 hours of repeated spraying, the itch subsided and i managed to get some sleep for the night. Voila! Next morning, my aerolas felt soft and bouncy, leaving me feeling more confident i can be ready to breastfeed my little one once he's born.

I have since followed the above regime every night as i noticed that whilst the eczema could be kept at bay with this regime, my aerola skin was now very sensitive to any material brushing against it for the rest of the day, including my padded bra. Hence, there may be instances where it would seem like by the end of the day the aerola skin might feel slightly flaky due to dryness or abrasions and after a cool shower (warning: warm showers will dry the skin and agitate it further, even if for a short while), i would now apply the VCO on top of my nursing cream for my nipple, and stretch mark cream for my other body parts for added moisture. 

Usually about 4-6 drops is all i need per application of the chest and body area and therefore, i had poured some of the VCO into a travel sized bottle for ease of dispensing and hygiene purposes.

Their benefits, which include the fact that it can still be used for topical application and massage post delivery, can be found in the facebook link herein. Another tip i read online was that VCO could also be used as a gentle moisturizer for the external perineum area, in hopes of being able to reduce perineal tear at the point of delivery. I have been trying out perineum massage for a few weeks now, but will share my opinions on it in another post at a later date.

So here's another interesting bit for both Bud's Stretch Mark Prevention Cream (150ml) and Sebamed Anti-Stretch Mark Cream (200 ml): Their normal prices in BIG Pharmacy in Taman Danau Desa, Kuala Lumpur is RM57.60 and RM65.03 respectively only! I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me but that's the price i paid at the counter, waaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than any other pharmacy outlet in KL/Selangor that i have visited and no, these were not old clearance stocks either. Compared to the surprisingly more expensive BIG Pharmacy outlet in Bandar Puteri Puchong, this outlet was also much more well stocked with pregnancy related products, with brands like QV and Cetaphil taking up 2 whole shelves for display.

Just 2 weeks away from delivery now (if my little one decides to be come out no sooner than the expected due date), will see how well these oil massage tips i picked up in the last month of my pregnancy pans out in the process of labor and minimizing stretch marks.

2D1N Trip to Penang (Part 2/2)

We woke up around 7.00a.m. to the sound of loudspeakers and crowd cheers mixed with the sound of raindrops on our window. Crawling up to take a look I was surprised to see that a huge group of uniformed people had gathered and were walking down Jalan Dato’ Keramat despite the rain. Upon checking Facebook that’s when I discovered that the Penang Starwalk 2016 was underway that morning, 11 September 2016, with the starting point at Penang Times Square until the end stretch of Jalan Dato’Keramat.

Participants of the Penang Starwalk 2016

Road blocks had been set up by the police and as the event lasted well into 8.30a.m. before the road block in front of the hotel was removed, we tried to get some shut-eye until then, but to not much avail. Sound-proofing the room was not a strong point of this hotel, and hubby quipped that he could even hear the loud motorbike noises late at night. I tried to boil water using their kettle but it was really loud in a small quiet room, plus in the end, I think the water from the water dispenser downstairs was cleaner so not really much use for the kettle unless you really wanted to make yourself a hot cuppa.

We had originally planned for 2 events that morning, the first being to visit the Lorong Kulit Flea Market further down Jalan Dato’ Keramat to check out their antiques and second hand goods on sale, followed by a visit to the Occupy Beach Street festival along Lebuh Pantai, on top of trying to check out the local penang food delicacies available.

However we had to change our plans as the walkathon resulted in the road blocks lasting in certain areas till well past 10.00 a.m., jamming up many one-way roads. In the end, we opted to go straight for the Occupy Beach Street festival and left the hotel at 9.20 a.m., after purchasing our parking ticket for the day, which thankfully was just on time as a traffic policeman had just stopped his bike in front of our car and was getting ready to write us a summons. Yikes, talk about being efficient!

Project Occupy Beach Street

This event held only on Sundays with the support of the local government aims to promote itself as a local tourist attraction featuring local arts and crafts, cultural heritages, and small scale F&B entrepreneurs. For this event most of Lebuh Pantai will be blocked off and will only be accessible by bikes, bicycles and pedestrians.

Red tents mark the event at the end of Beach Street a.k.a. Lebuh Pantai

The tents/booths are set up at the end of Lebuh Pantai after the Ambank building but road blocks start out as far out in front as the pin location of google map on their facebook page. This is a crucial point to remember when planning your parking and walking to the venue. And here we thought getting a parking along Gat Lebuh Melayu was a decent enough distance. Were we in for a tiring surprise!

Reason being that from there out there are “family-sized bicycles” for rent for you to cycle around the area and towards the booths. Works well if you have any children or elderly and want to save them the trouble of walking whilst taking a brisk cycle along the street. We didn’t approach them to ask for a price as we didn’t intend to rent one, but we noticed that they were all from differing companies.

Cycles for rent

As we hadn’t had breakfast yet out focus was more on the food booths present. There were mini burgers, toasted sandwiches, peanut and cashewnut spreads, cold-pressed juices, popcorn, coconut jelly and ice cream booths to name a few. Our choice pick to get us going for that short boost was the BreakTime cold-pressed juices. Hubby had The Green Hornet whilst I opted for the Grab & Go.

BreakTime's Grab & Go

Our second stop (which we wished we had actually purchased double of what we actually purchased after bringing them back and letting our families try it) was Everlyn Popcorn. On sale was their original flavour, caramel flavour, and seaweed wasabi flavour. After tasting them, we purchased 1 tub of original, and 1 bucket each of caramel and seaweed wasabi. Our families loved the original and seaweed wasabi, and those with a sweeter tooth like me adored the caramel. Sadly her popcorn sales can only be found in Penang, where she would set up booths 6 days a week at night markets and every Sunday morning here at this event. A month later and I’m missing it already.

Everlyn Popcorn. Seaweed wasabi - Bucket (Left) and Original - Tub (Right)

Aside from the food booths there were other booths set up selling handicraft jewellery and accessories, hand-made soaps, clothes, a huge play tent for kids, and even a small exhibit and gathering area for pet lovers, where dog treats and some pet friendly cafes were introduced. Almost all pet dogs brought out for a walk were very well trained and would sit at their owner’s command for photoshoots and petting.

Cute well-trained pooches grouped together for photoshot

Small exhibit of feathered friends

Pigeons on display

We stayed for about 45 minutes in this area and whilst there were other activities planned later around noon and 2pm, including from what we understand a get together dance workout session, we decided to head back to get ready for our hotel check-out at 12 noon.

PS: Little India is located nearby so for those keen to grab their banana leaf breakfast/lunch, it’s also within walking distances.

Ambience: 4.3/5.0

Security and Staff Friendliness: 4.4/5.0

Location: 3.5/5.0

Variety & Activity: 3.5/5.0

Value for Money: 3.8/5.0

Overall Review: 4.0/5.0

Ghee Hiang (Beach Street Retail Boutique)

Another point of interest on our way back to the car was this famous non-halal outlet located along Lebuh Pantai. Originally I had planned to visit the one along Jalan McAlister as it was closer to our hotel but since they had an outlet here, why not?

Famous for their pastries, cookies and sesame oils, we decided quickly what we wanted and made our purchase. The lady clerk guided us on the type of sesame oils they had for sale: The original pure roasted sesame oil (red label) was light and perfect for my confinement, the blended sesame oil which was a mix of sesame and palm oil (blue label) was good for cooking, and the pure sesame oil (black label) which had a much heavier texture was recommended for dishes that required a heavier sesame presence.

In the end, we purchased 1 unit each of their famous Tau Sar Pneah, Oriental Almond Cookies, Sesame Crisps, Matcha Crisps, Blended Sesame Oil (680ml) and Pure Premium Sesame Oil (700ml) before making our way back to our parked car.

Ambience: 4.0/5.0

Staff Friendliness and Efficiency: 4.5/5.0

Location: 4.0/5.0

Old Penang Hotel (Day 2)

Upon arriving back at our hotel, it took us about 10 minutes to get a parking nearby as Jalan Dato’ Keramat was experiencing heavy traffic and traffic was at a standstill for a while. Luckily we found a spot not too far away and once back at the hotel room, we took a quick shower and started packing our stuff for checkout.

At the reception counter, the staff service was ok and our 1 night stay reservation made through Booking.com amounted to RM132.00, inclusive of 6% GST and hotel service charges. Our deposit of RM50.00 was refunded and we then bid adieu to our accommodation.

From my experience on Day 1 and subsequent reviews above, I have surmised our stay here for a 2-3 star hotel as follows:

Location: 3.5/5.0. Easy to locate and find a nearby parking, but gets quiet and there aren’t any surrounding shops or attractions after 10pm. If given the choice staying at the accommodations closer to the UNESCO heritage sites in town would have been cheaper and nearer to more foodie and tourist attractions.

Value for money: 3.0/5.0. Worth it for a quick 1 nights budget stay. But anything more than 2 nights might not be worth it.

Comfort/Ambience: 2.5/5.0. Sound proofing is poor, there was a crack on the wall and air-con makes the air dry. Water pressure in the shower was strong though. No slippers or robes provided and toiletry was very limited.

Staff Service: 3.5/5.0. Helpful, and somewhat friendly. You’ll have to initiate all conversations first though.

Cleanliness: 3.5/5.0. Bedsheets and pillowcases feel abit old from excessive usage & washing. Towels were fresh, crisp and clean though.

Jalan Kimberly

Next stop was to find our brunch. Not really having an idea which specific shop to go to, we headed over to Jalan Kimberly to check out which local food shops were still open. Unfortunately by lunchtime, most of them closed down or were starting to clean up for closing. After walking around for a bit, we decided to stop for….

Wen Chang Hainanese Chicken Rice

Located along Lebuh Cintra, I was surprised to find a Food Advisor sticker stuck on its stall along with quite a number of newspaper articles on the success of this brothers-owned shop. Specialising in roasted chicken, hubby and I ordered a servings each and were pleased with its serving portion and taste.

Although roasted, the chicken meat had a soft juicy texture to it and did not feel dry, and their complimentary vegetable soup was a clear simple chicken broth without the taste of MSG. Best of all, 1 normal but rather filling serving only costs RM5.00, or RM6.00 if mixed with Char Siew. As were too hungry at that point in time, we chowed it all down pretty fast and apologies, did not take any photos of the dish.

Using Google map will assist you to locate the shop easily, and roadside parking is available, but limited. Wouldn’t mind going back there for a second helping next time we’re in town.

Visible road signage

Front entrance of shop

Location: 4.0/5.0

Value for money: 4.5/5.0

Comfort/Ambience: 3.8/5.0

Staff Service: 4.0/5.0

Cleanliness: 3.8/5.0

Ng Kee Cake Shop

Located right next to Wen Chang is this traditional cake shop that has been in operations for around 60 years now. This was an unexpected gem that we stumbled upon as I was fascinated by the variety of mooncakes sold there. Whilst dining at Wen Chang I noticed that a constant steady flow of customers would go in and walk out with at least 2 bags of mooncakes in tow. This definitely piqued my interest, and hubby was wondering why during our whole “makan” session I kept looking outside the shop.

Stepping inside the first thing that caught my attention was the huge mooncake the diameter size of a 1kg cake at the front of the shop on display. Accordingly to the lady boss, the special mooncake was made to order by a customer for a special birthday occasion and contained 7 salted egg yolks inside. Still, you don’t just get to see this everyday.

Special made-to-order mooncakes

Unfortunately, their egg tarts were sold out by the time we went in. The mooncakes however were selling like hot cakes with numerous varieties present, from the usual red bean, lotus paste and black sesame, to the more unique ones like coconut and durian to name a few. Honestly we were so spoilt for choice, thank goodness the lady boss was kind and patient enough to wait for us to decide. Prices were reasonable too, with the small egg yolkless mooncakes going for an average of RM5.00 each, whilst those with egg yolks would range between RM14.80 – RMRM25.00 each. Mooncake biscuits were sold in packs of 16, ranging from plain ones (RM13.00 per pack) to ones with red bean and coconut (RM16.00 per pack).

The plain biscuits were just fresh baked from the oven and smelt oh sooooo good. The lady boss helped us get a fresh batch and advised us to open the bag and expose the biscuits to allow the natural oils inside the biscuits to seep out and flavour them. In the end, we got 1 pack of plain mooncake biscuits, 1 pack of coconut filled mooncake biscuits, 1 plain durian mooncake, and 2 coconut filled single yolk mooncakes.

The highlight of this purchase was the coconut filled mooncakes and biscuits as both our families were very surprised to find such a soft, succulent fresh coconut taste in the mooncakes when we brought them home for sharing. Although the staff advised us to finish off the coconut mooncakes and biscuits within 2 weeks, both our families finished their share each within a week. Yummy!

Front entrance of shop

Visible Road signage

Location: 4.0/5.0

Value for money: 4.5/5.0

Comfort/Ambience: 3.8/5.0

Staff Service: 4.5/5.0

Cleanliness: 3.8/5.0

Unfortunately upon returning to our car we noticed that it had been clamped as we had not parked within the designated yellow parking lot. Bummer. We had been circling the area which was experiencing a heavy traffic flow and were getting pretty hungry and worried about the closing shops so hubby and parked the car where there was some space available. Upon calling the number on our windscreen, the traffic police showed up in a van within a matter of minutes and for a fee of RM50.00, unclamped our car. 

Straits Quay Marina Mall (Part 1)

After all that shopping and rushing and the ending surprise, we decided to head over to the Straits Quay Marina Mall to relax in the hot afternoon. From online searches I found that they had a weekend arts & crafts market there as well, and that very weekend they were having a Pokemon Go event and children’s mooncake making workshop.

View of the bay from the mall

Traffic and parking was easy, but sad to say the mall was pretty quiet throughout our time there. The weekend market was indoors and quite a number of jewellery works caught my eye, but thankfully not my purse. Walking around, we spotted a coffee specialty café and decided to head on in.

Full of Beans

Coffee Accessories on display at entrance of shop

Menu

The shop displayed various coffee bags and utensils to create a very cozy coffee shop atmosphere. The staffs were helpful and knowledgeable about their coffee beans and brewing method. I ordered a pot of apple tea (with chia seeds) and a slice of their Pecan Butterscotch crepe. Hubby had 2 servings of pour over coffee using different bean varieties, as he was pretty pleased with its taste.

Apple Tea + Chia Seeds

Pecan Butterscotch Crepe

We relaxed there for over 45 minutes, which gave me ample time to catch quite a number of pokemons with the 2 Pokestops nearby, before walking around to check out the nearby grocer.

Ambience: 3.8/5.0

Price: 3.5/5.0

Coffee: 3.9/5.0

Staff Service: 3.8/5.0

Straits Quay Marina Mall (Part 2)

After our coffee break though there wasn’t much to see/ do left in the area. The nearby grocery was well stocked, but pretty much everything is similar to what we have in KL as well. The mooncake workshop for kids was just starting up and we were approached by a few secondary students selling their handmade piggy mooncakes for charity at RM10.00 each. After taking 1 box, we decided it was time to take a slow drive back home.

Overall Mall Review: 3.0/5.0

Traffic was really smooth that day when we left Penang around 3.00p.m. using the old bridge to cross back to the mainland. We took a leisurely drive and managed to reach home that night by 8.20p.m. for dinner. From the amount of tourists and traffic congestion entering town and present in town these 2 days, it would seem that we weren’t the only ones who intended to enjoy this long weekend holiday out of town.

Smooth traffic on the Old Penang bridge

All in all it was quite the experience for me as it was honestly my first time taking a road trip to Penang. Although we missed out on the local hawker foods and it was kind of rushed, it was a fun babymoon side-trip and I am thankful hubby went to such lengths to give me such an experience whilst trying to ensure my comfort during this stage of my pregnancy. 

Our goodies from this trip. Yummy!