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Rarely have I ever bought a book that is SO VERY VERY VERY BAD. And to make things worse, I bought two from the same author!

I was in Times awhile back, and having run out of books to read (most of my older books are packed up in a box collecting dust in my parent’s store room coz we just don’t have enough storage space in our condo), I thought these two books would be an interesting read as I love stories about family dynasties even though I’ve never read any books by Barbara Taylor Bradford before.

[Actually, it's so bad that I don't even know how to begin to describe how bad it is... ]

The story is a somewhat modern fiction based on the life of King Edward IV. The thing that irked me was that it felt as if the author had just taken a history book, changed everything that sounded medieval to something more modern and that was it. Half of each chapter was practically spent on describing what the protagonist wore and how he looked, and the characters were all bland and boring.

I persevered through half of the first book (The Ravenscar Dynasty) before flipping all the way to the end, and spent most of my time flipping through The Heir before reaching the ending, which was a horrible replication of the Anne Boleyn/King Henry story…it was so badly written that I stopped reading and closed the book in disgust.

Sorry if I’ve offended any fans of this author, but after reading those two books, I’m steering clear of any books written by her, forever!

Lots of new restaurants and here are a couple that we’ve had the chance to try…

1. Ole Ole Bali - so far, it looks like one of the more popular restaurants around since it opened. Food is kinda Balinese, HUGE portions, pretty reasonable prices. The restaurant also sells some Balinese furniture and cute knick knacks.

2. Providore - an Aussie inspired restaurant. Some of the items on the menu are slightly on the pricey side, but the quality of the food is good. I absolutely love the Mesclun Salad which comes with sun-dried tomatoes and tangy vinaigrette. Recently, hubby and I tried their all day breakfast and pork burger respectively…two thumbs up, very yummy! The only thing I would say that’s lacking from their menu is some really hearty soup! Oh oh…and the hot chocolate is seriously to-die-for…not too milky, just the way I like it!

3. Michelangelo’s Ristorante & Bar M - Italian, obviously. The Bruschetta was just so-so…not garlicky enough, methinks. Mushroom soup was good, and so was the pasta. My dad had the sizzling spaghetti marinara which he said was very nice. I had angel hair aglio olio which was perfectly cooked. No chance to try the desserts though…was so very full!

4. Shyet-Li - a kopitiam styled restaurant serving local fare like nasi lemak, fried rice, etc. I found the nasi lemak to be mediocre, and I didn’t care too much for the kaya toast which was swimming in butter. Hubby has tried other dishes on the menu though and he seems to like the place coz he’s always going there for lunch!

5. Shin Chan Ramen - a Japanese ramen shop that has decently priced set dinners. Food’s ok, expect to find the usual Japanese fare like saba shioyaki (grilled mackeral), chicken teriyaki, etc. here.

6. Tseng’s Chicken Rice - obviously a chicken rice shop! It’s abit pricey, but the serving size is quite large. The butter rice is fragrant and although I didn’t try the steamed chicken, the siew yoke is not too bad (of course, don’t expect it to be of the same standard as the one at Jln Pudu!).

These are just some of the restaurants and cafes that have opened at Solaris Mont Kiara. Some looks like it’s gonna close down soon coz it’s always empty, even on weekends, and some I just don’t feel like trying because the menu doesn’t look too appetizing.

There’s also the usual franchises…Nasi Kandar Bestari (they’re everywhere! Why doesn’t Kayu expand?!?), Coffee Bean, Starbucks, Sushi King, Kenny Rogers & O’Brians. For dessert, there’s Haagen-Daz and Dessert’s Bar…however, I have yet to step foot into Dessert’s Bar again. Reason is, I tried the one at Shoplex Mont Kiara and it bombed big time. If a dedicated dessert place can’t even make decent crêpes (soggy, rubbery), I don’t think I want to waste my money trying other things on the menu.

Parking is not great as people are starting to double park so do pay the RM2 to park below Cold Storage if you want to avoid the hassle of getting stuck coz some inconsiderate idiot parked his/her car behind yours.

So there you go, a quick rundown of some of the places at Solaris Mont Kiara. Do give it a try if you’re in the area.

PS: Wendy’s opening at Mont Kiara Banyan!

…baby weighs 5 ounces this week — about as much as a turnip. (Length: 5 inches, head to bottom.)

Photo and info from: Baby Center.

While doing the routine ultrasound scan two days ago, doctor said…

“Looks like you guys can expect a little…….

Hahah…we’re not telling yet! Why? Coz doctor himself was abit reluctant to confirm. He said he’s quite sure, but that he’ll do another scan during the next visit (hopefully baby cooperates!) and told us not to rush out to buy baby clothes yet! So I guess baby clothes shopping will have to wait another 4 weeks…

Between the last visit and this one, baby has grown to about 10cm…that’s practically double in length! We could see the spine, heart, fingers and toes clearly too…boy oh boy, I can’t wait till we get the CD of all the ultrasound pics so that I can upload it here!

Weight-wise, I’m putting on an average of 1kg every 4 weeks. Doctor predicted that I’ll probably put on a total of 12kg by the end of my pregnancy at the rate I’m going. Since baby is growing at a normal rate based on the number of weeks in gestation, looks like hubby and my parents were worrying unnecessarily about me gaining too little weight.

The most exciting development thus far has still got to be feeling the tiny fluttering movements in my belly. It’s been getting stronger, and although I haven’t felt any distinct kicks yet, I’ve sure felt what appears to be tiny little pokes a couple of times! Hubby felt it too when we were lying in bed last night!

All in all, I’m totally in love with being pregnant! I love the new curve of my belly and love showing it off. I love the fact that our precious baby is growing inside…it feels like there’s something to look forward to every day…a new development, the first kick, the next ultrasound scan! I enjoy talking to baby whenever I get some time alone, be it in the toilet cubicle at work, or in the car on the way home. I love that hubby sometimes asks baby what he/she feels like eating…haha…and says goodnight to baby before I go to sleep.

And while I do look forward to Feb next year when we can hold our precious baby in our arms, I really must say that I do cherish these 9 months of pregnancy. How do I explain the utter joy of feeling a baby growing in your tummy? The overwhelming happiness I felt when I saw the positive test result on the pregnancy test kit? The deep feeling of contentment whenever I rest my hand on my growing belly? Like I told hubby…this is definitely my best birthday present ever.

It’s definitely an incredible journey, and one that I feel so very very blessed to experience.

Belly wise…baby’s presence is very apparent. I’m sporting a definite baby bump now, and I can feel a hard mass below my belly button especially when I lie down. It’s still too early to feel baby kick, but sometimes, if I place a gentle hand on my tummy and breathe slowly, I can feel very very slight movements…I suppose this is what the books call quickening (tiny flutters that feel like champagne fizzling)? Also, at different times in the night…before I go to sleep, when I get up to go pee, when I wake up early in the morning, that hard mass appears to be at slightly different locations so looks like baby’s shifting around!

I guess it’s really true that the second trimester is the honeymoon period. Nausea only rears it’s ugly head when I’m feeling particularly tired…I noticed this usually happens on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings when I get up to go to work. I still need afternoon naps on weekends, but 1-2 hours is more than sufficient to recharge. I do start yawning away earlier in the night though, but then I suppose it’s my body telling me to get more rest.

Skin has been getting a little dry, so I’ve been using up my stash of L’occitane moisturizing creams. I’m also deathly afraid of those dratted stretch marks, and after reading some pregnancy forums and hearing recommendations from friends, I’ve started using Clarins’s Tonic Body Treatment Oil. It’s supposed to help prevent stretch marks…although all the pregnancy books that I’ve read thus far have said that there’s practically no way in heaven or hell one can avoid stretch marks - 90% of pregnant women will get them due to the breaking down of elastin and collagen fibers in the skin…so, if you’re gonna get it, you’ll get it…

The oil smells nice, very spa-like, and the sales assistant at Clarins told me to apply it on damp skin after showering by massaging it into my abdomen and thighs, and then rinsing off with cold water. I did that for about 1 week before realizing that my skin was totally absorbing the oil, so now I just dispense with the cold water part. Any difference in skin texture since I started using it? Most definitely…my skin feels really soft and very moisturized, so maybe there’s some hope in that tiny bottle after all! That, and my weight gain, which seems to have slowed down ever since I entered the second trimester…not a bad thing since rapid weight gain aggravates the occurrence of stretch marks.

Digestive system has definitely slowed down and doing a number two is becoming a slight problem now despite drinking a cup of prune juice every night (yes, I’ve increased it from half a cup to one cup!). Gotta ask the doctor this Tuesday if there’s anything else I can do to alleviate the problem. One of my biggest concerns is hemorrhoids/piles. It’s one of the common problems pregnant women suffer due to constipation as well as the additional pressure from the uterus. Both my parents strongly believe in practicing good bowel habits daily, and that’s one of the things that I’ve picked up from them, so this is the one aspect that I’d hope would bypass me. Well, I’ll just eat more prunes and hope things improve from there.

We’re going for another checkup this coming Tuesday, and I’m so extremely excited as I can’t wait to see how much baby has grown! And maybe maybe if we’re extremely lucky, the doctor will be able to tell us if baby’s a boy or girl so I can start going clothes shopping!! Pretty unlikely though as people usually find out their baby’s gender around 20 weeks, and some even later.

Just two more days, precious baby…! Can’t wait!