A few weeks ago, Saliheen and I went to the Singapore Zoo!

Our friends Nani and Poji had complimentary tickets and asked us along, so we packed our hot-dog rolls and jemput jemput bawang (Because, uh... priorities? Makanan at the zoo mahal gila ok) and off we went!

First order of the day - paid S$5.00 for a basket of carrot slices to be fed to a giraffe.

This is my favourite part of the day because Aisyah was such a hilarious kental ball of a baby! She kept wanting to feed the giraffe but every time the giraffe's huge and slimy tongue took a carrot slice off her chubby fingers, her face would scrunch up like she is geli and her body would shudder and wobble uncontrollably hahahahaha! Cutest thing I've ever seen. Apa yang tak cute is her wiping the giraffe's slimy air liur off her hands on my chest when it was all over TENKZ 

I know my mummy friends complain of baby spit all over their tudung and baju all the time but this is bringing it to another level sia. Come talk to me again when you have giraffe spit on your baju ok? HAHAHAHA

And yes, I walked around with giraffe spit on my baju for the rest of the day la. Abeh takkan aku nak cuci baju kat zoo tu jugak... mana aku nak dapat washing machine??? Belakang enclosure singa pe??? Kalau ada pun, buat seram je. Busy siol ada washing machine belakang enclosure singa hahahahaha

Kau try cui sikit, entah entah ada washing machine kat belakang hahahahaha

Teaching baby Aisyah how a snake looks like. Nanti you dah besar baru you tau snakes ni kadang kadang ada juga dalam bentuk manusia ye..... #lifelessons

Familiar scene happening now all over the world - husband excitedly attempts to mount his wife but his wife will have none of it so she waddles away and hides under some leaves LOL (Wait, what do you mean you don't hide under leaves when you don't feel like having any action tonight??? HAHAHAHA)

The zebra crossing that excited and tickled my husband - "B! B! Tengok! Their zebra crossing looks like zebra stripes! Hahahahahaha!" ..... I married a child, guys, we've established this a long time ago.

And this is a picture of said child holding our tubs of hot-dog rolls and jemput jemput bawang with an iron grip because #priorities HAHA

Anyway guys, I don't know whether it's because we're older now and have lost our sense of wonderment or because it was the heat and haze combined, but Saliheen and I thought the zoo wasn't as happy and as glorious as we remember :( 

Both of us have fond memories of our school excursions to the zoo when we were 5? 6? and somehow not even the familiar taste of homemade hot-dog rolls and jemput jemput bawang (masih ah) could bring us back to the good old days where the animals didn't look as miserable and the other zoo-goers weren't as rowdy, uncouth, uncivilized and perangai mengalahkan binatang... if you get what I mean. Sigh.

But it was still a fun little excursion with our friends and their baby Aisyah (I refuse! to! call! her! toddler!) because she was so stimulated by the sights and sounds and smells and reacted to them so adorably. We'll still probably return if we have our own baby one day so we'll see how we feel about it then. Mana tau betul betul dah ada washing machine kat belakang enclosure singa by that time ke HAHAHAHAHA MASIH AH

Mom-Shaming Is Not Fashionable

I was texting with Rina about mom-shaming the other day, then coincidentally, a mommy friend posted this link on Facebook a few hours later: 5 Mom-Shaming Trends That Need To Stop Now.

I thought it was a good read, although my first thought upon seeing the title was "Mom-shaming trends? Since when did shaming others become fashionable?"

Just the week before, a pregnant Twitter friend shared another good article: Pregnant and New Mothers Who Boast on Social Media - It's Time to Stop. I decided to retweet the article because I knew some of my mommy friends will be able to relate (and true enough, a few of them retweeted that link)

Like what I told Rina, I don't usually express my opinion out loud on this topic even though I feel strongly about it, mainly because I am not a mother yet, and I fear and resent being dismissed with the good old "Kau belum ada anak, belum jadi mak, mana kau tau" statement.

Which is an unfair statement, honestly. Because even though I am not yet a mother, I do have new mommy friends who have to undergo such societal pressures and share their stories with me, which in turn makes me dread for when and if I do become a mother someday (insya Allah) and having to endure and fear mom-shaming from militant mothers.

Also, so what if I am not yet a mother?

Why shouldn't I express disdain at this new sickening culture of new age mothers shaming others who do not subscribe to the same school of thought? Why shouldn't I disapprove of militant mothers dissing other mothers who can barely keep up with demands of motherhood, without having to worry that she will be called out for "bad" parenting?

Why are mothers judged for not being able to endure the pain of childbirth and opting for epidural?

Why should a mother insist on natural birth and endanger her baby's life if caesarean is the safer option for her case?

Why are mothers who give birth via caesarean regarded as "not real mothers"?

Just because she popped out a baby out of her tummy instead of her hoohaa? Did she not go through all the symptoms and aches of pregnancy? Did she not carry a real baby in her belly for 9 months? Is she not responsible for this little human being now that he/she has popped out into the real world via her belly?

Why can't a mother cut herself some slack and use a stroller instead if she is not enthusiastic about baby-wearing or not brilliant at it?

Why should a mother force herself to breastfeed if she just cannot express enough, no matter how hard she tries? 

Why are mothers who feed formula milk to their babies labelled as "bad mothers"?

I was fed formula milk as a baby, and I do not see my mother as anything less than a supermother because of it. She carried me in her belly for nine months, and she raised me up into the full-functioning human being that I am today. Fair and square. 

I am not contesting that breast (milk) is probably the best source of nourishment for babies. I am not contesting that baby-wearing is beneficial for both mother and baby. I am not contesting that giving birth naturally is probably one of the most significant moments a woman can ever experience in her life. But these things should not be the be all and end all! If a mother cannot do any of the above, she has her own good reasons. Don't penalize her for something she possibly has no control over.

The female body was designed to undergo childbirth and those women who say they cannot go through it "the proper way" are pussies, you say? Well, complicated pregnancies and difficult deliveries were designed to test the patience and strength of those who can endure them more than you ever can, okay? Not for you to poke fun or jeer at, okay?

We all have our struggles. Don't make each other's struggles much harder than it already is. 

I know this is a pretty intense topic so to balance that energy off, I thought I'd give you the laughs by sharing this site that I stumbled upon while on my random Internet trawlz: It's Like They Know Us. It's one of those hilarious things like My Friends Are Married that I absolutely love, and if you don't find these sites funny then you may want to take your funny bone out of your uptight ass.