Breastfeeding is still the best for babies by Dahlia (Daphne) Iking

I am a failure! These four words kept playing in my mind when I made the decision to switch to formula instead of sticking to breastmilk seven weeks after the birth of my firstborn.

When I told my mummy friends this, the wagging of their fingers began without them really trying to explain how I could benefit. Perhaps if someone had shown some understanding then, I might have listened more.

Fast forward to my second pregnancy, I am now more aware of the benefits of breastfeeding. In fact, the goodness of providing breast milk is so established that the World Health Organisation says all babies should be exclusively breastfed for at least sis months. Breast milk is believed to be packed with all the nutrients your baby needs during these months, as well as antibodies so he or she can better fight off infection.

It also prepares the baby for a healthy life. Research shows that adults who were breastfed have lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, as well as some protection against being overweight and developing Type 2 diabetes.

Mothers benefit from breastfeeding, too. It reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, as well as being a natural aid to getting back to the mother’s pre-pregnancy weight and trust me, after a few months of not seeing your own toes while standing up, you’d be more than delighted to lose the extra pounds gained as soon as possible!

And good news for those who are frugal — breastfeeding costs nothing and can help develop that mother and baby bond. And hey, traveling is so much easier when you are breastfeeding. Just whip out God’s gifts — and voila — instant milk at just the right temperature, so there is no need to lug around luggage for bottles and stuff.

So with all the pros, why then, is the rate of breastfeeding still quite low in some parts of the world, even in Malaysia?

Back then, I don’t think formula milk was readily accessible as it is today. I am pretty sure Eve had only her mammary glands to offer Cain as his source of food instead of a tin of milk in the Garden of Eden. So breastfeeding should be a natural process, right? Well, not exactly.

Though nursing does come naturally, it comes naturally a little later for some mothers and babies than for others. Sometimes, there are physical factors like engorged breasts and sore nipples that foil those first attempts; at other times it’s just a simple lack of experience on the part of both participants.

I was the epitome of this malady. There was fumbling and bungled efforts and tears from both Isobel and I. I gave up and switched to cow’s milk.

This is not the only reason why some mothers retire from breastfeeding before the six-month mark. Some find it cumbersome to breastfeed once they start work a month or two after confinement. There is the need for pumping during the baby’s ‘feeding time’ to ensure the breasts are stimulated for a constant supply of milk. This gets harder if the mother has a hectic job and worst, no condusive spot to pump or breastfeed.

Aishah Sinclair, TV host and mother to one-year-old Soraya is frustrated with the lack of baby friendly care rooms in public areas.

“I hate it that in Malaysia, they don’t have nursing rooms especially in malls. In Jakarta, most malls have a nursing room on every level!”

Actress and founder of Dynas Nursing Attire (DnA), Dynas Mokthar searched high and low for a place to breastfeed her daughter in a mall one day, and settled for a surau. She was unceremoniously chased out. This also happened on a public bench at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur even though she had a poncho on top of the baby.

“We are encouraged to breastfeed as it’s not just good for mother and baby, but in my religion, mothers receive pahala for breastfeeding. It’s frustrating that there are not enough public facilities or areas for favorable feeding and pumping.”

Sazzy Falak, celebrity newbie mum to twins Imaan and Tiara agrees with both Aishah and Dynas.

“Breastfeeding requires a comfortable, quiet location. I find it disturbing that the nursing rooms are inside toilets that are quite often smelly, dirty and cold.”

I went to check out a few popular malls in the Klang Valley to see how true this was — and sadly, my celeb friends were right.

I am surprised that although breastfeeding is given the thumbs up — the act of breastfeeding in public is frowned upon in some cases. I recall a mother scowling at me when I first breastfed Isobel in public (mind you, breast and baby were covered under a nursing shawl) and scowling mum said to her son, “Ish! Tengkok nak… tak senonah nak menyusu dikhayalak ramai!” (See son… how disgusting that she is breastfeeding in public!)

Unfortunately, despite knowing the benefits of breastfeeding, the rates are not going to change overnight, particularly in deprived places. Hence the important need for breastfeeding in public to be accepted with the proper amenities provided. Working mothers should also be granted flexibility from the workforce to allow them to express their milk accordingly.

It would also be great to have a stronger and more prominent breastfeeding support group here in Malaysia, too — to help mothers like myself to not give up on giving their child — the best nature has to offer.

* Daphne Iking is looking forward to breastfeeding her baby exclusively for at least a year. Email her your thoughts at daphne@daphneiking.com.

Jalan - Jalan Cari Makan Ibu!

2hb April baru - baru ni... family Pak Su budak2 ni ajak makan sama-sama sempena meraikan Pak Su dapat bonus dari Celcom... :) so, memandangkan kami ni jenis tak suka jalan jauh2, Mak Su suggest kami pergi Cafe De'Manggis kat Kuang... Cafe ni menyediakan steamboat, barbeque and pakej ala-carte and set dinner.. Environment not bad, ada live band menyanyi... pilihan steamboat campur ice-cream, and kuih-muih. Ada juga ala-carte, pilihan ikan bakar... so, kami amik set steamboat n barbeque utk 4 dewasa... dan budak2 kami order ala-carte.. nasi ayam and nasi goreng cina... kami tambah gak 3 ekor ikan cencaru bakar utk puaskan hati ibu yg suka makan ikan bakar... ;) mmg sedap aa ikan bakar dia... cicah lak ngan sambal kicap, isk superb...

Alhamdulillah, not bad la servis makanan... harga pun berpatutan rm 20/sekepala utk steamboat and barbeque.

tu je la... tak tau nak citer apa dah... enjoy the photos...

sambal kicap... pedas n sedap

environment sekitar... budak2 kecik ni berlari tgk pilihan ikan

ikan bakar cencaru... sambal atas ikan tu sedap!

Mak Su, Harith and Abg Iman

Steamnboat tomyam and barbeque

Ayam dari set Nasi ayam... sedap gak sos kicap dia...

Adik asyik makan nasi ayam... kakak as usual ngan kerenah dia

Pak Su melayan Hanis and Hadee terbalik kan daging barbeque

Si kecik 2 org yg notty... !

;) the end~

Buang Tabiat...

tetibe je mengubahsuai blog...

;)

rupa-rupanya dah byk gadget baru yg dioffer oleh blogspot.

bole link with twitter ibu lagi... cool!..

nanti nak experiment ngan background lain lak...

this week mood ... merah !

next....?

food blogger plus something else !!

Assalamualaikum semua!. today 26th June 2010.. ibu baru balik dr Giant, Kota d'sara...hehehe, nurin request ayah utk singgah after kami keluar lunch 'Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa Kpg Baru' di Kota D'sara... nyam2.. tgk gambar atas tu... ibu makan nasi lemak lauk ayam goreng kampung... Pas ni nak try kedai KEDONDONG pulak ..milik Datuk Noraini (YB Batu Pahat) kat Kota dsara lak.. nampak mcm sedap je..ahaks,. pas tu nak drop by spa milik dia kat 1st floor.. (bole tak ayah?.. hehehe, berangan je.. mcm ayah bagi pegi je spa... mkn mungkin ok kut)..

Anyway, kami saje keluar mkn, sebab ibu dah lambat nak masak since pagi tadi tunggu consultant langsir dtg ukur tingkap... Finally, akhirnya ayah setuju tukar langsir...utk raya selepas 4 tahun tak bertukar... huhuhu..terbongkar rahsia..so.. since bincang punya bincang colour n design, pukul 1.30 baru selesai.. so ..siap2 pukul 2 keluar cari mkn.. ibu ajak ayah mkn nasi lemak... since nak pi kampung baru cam jauh gile... kami pegi cawangan kat kota dsara je.. lepas la gian lama tak pegi mkn.

kakak n adik di background....mkn nasi lemak

Kat giant, kami nampak durian... ayah beli... so balik ibu masak kuah durian.. hmmm sedap bila cicah ngan roti.. nak buat minum ptg.. ibu mengada amik gambar kuah durian mendidih atas dapur... konon2 nak jadi food blogger la... bole la.

Hmmm... sure pelikkan tgk gambar keta unique ni.. keta ni dah 2-3 hari parking depan umah kami... milik jiran 'Datuk Suhaimi .. yg wife dia pengasas produk Natasya'.. bukan nak cerita pasal jiran tp... nak cerita pasal keta... masyaallah... panjang betul la keta ni.. kalau ibu la yg bwk..alamatnya langgar tiang lampu la setiap kali u-turn atau corner baring... wawawawa... mcm mana nak parking hah kalau pegi shopping mall... hehehe !... takpela tak dpt beli keta ni pun (sebenarnya tak teringin pun), dpt amik gambar n tumpang tgk jadi la... hehehehe...

alang2 bercerita... our neighbour ni baru pindah umah... after renovation.. seminggu sebelum majlis pertunangan anak perempuan nya dengan pengacara ' Jimmy Shanley'... hehehe.. syoknya ibu dapat jiran glamer.. kami pun dijemput sebenarnya waktu 11 jun hari tu... sebelum kami pi s'pore... fuhhh... ibu pun lagi.. siap sedia ngan hp nak snap gambar jimmy.. dptla sket... baik giler... alhamdulillah.. jiran2 ibu semuanya baik2 belaka... walaupun semuanya high profile.. 'kami je yg rasa tersisih...hehehe' .. kadang2 rasa pelik jugak.. kami yg salah pilih rumah... ataupun mmg semua org suka duduk dlm community Sunway Rahman Putra ni, sampai ramai betul yg beli area ni... :) tp mmg seronok pun stay sini.. nyaman je.. anak2 bole keluar main tanpa takut... kawasan rumah tenang... org2 semua baik... hilang rasa penat ibu duk commute pi keja kat Perodua hari2 keluar gelap balik pun gelap..

hmm... ok tu je la... tak tau dah nak cerita apa...ooo... ada lagi satu , pada hari ahad 20Jun ari tu birthday Ayah n also Father's Day dan pada 21 Jun ari tu birthday Ibu... so.. ayah beli kek 'Chocolate Indulgence' from Secret Recipe and KFC...for our small family celebration.. tp as usual, Nurin yg tiup lilin... hehehe...

anyway, enjoy gambar yg disnap ketika majlis pertunangan Jimmy Shanley and Suhaila using Ibu nya BBerry... :)

Nurin mkn buah tembikai ketika majlis pertunangan jiran

Jimmy n Suhaila... cute couple

Jimmy pose utk Ibu... hehehe.. muka selamba ibu mintak gambar

oo.. satu lagi.. ibu dikejutkan dgn berita buruk semalam bila baca harian metro bila terbaca mengenai pasangan yg mati lemas di pantai tengah Langkawi. Allahyarham share the same hari birthday ngan ibu.. and tujuan dia pegi Langkawi was to celebrate his birthday with his family tapi Allah lebih sayangkan dia. Ibu dgn ni ucapkan takziah kepada keluarga 'Allahyarham Yuhin Azlan dan isteri' .. kawan sekelas ibu di UNITEN dan juga rakan sekerja ibu satu masa dahulu di Peps-JV.
...AlFatihah..

Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat pasangan ini... dan semoga anakanda mereka yang berusia 2 tahun tabah menghadapi ujian Allah ini..

sesungguhnya berat memandang berat lagi bahu yg memikul.

~Amin ya Rabbal Al-Amin ~

Korean Food Festival @ Prince Hotel & Residence

Last Saturday, after class... ayah dtg ambil ibu kat kelas and bawak pegi Prince Hotel & Residence for a special dinner yang telah diarrange oleh one of the Korean advisor, Mr Hong di company ayah... dia niat nak belanja kami makan makanan Korea sempena Korean Food Festival kat situ...masya allah, ramai betul org korea yang dtg makan.

Mrs Hong main ngan adik n kakak...adik terkejut

The last time ibu pegi Prince Hotel ni waktu QC retreat last year. ;) anyway, banyak aa makanan, lain dari makanan yang ibu penah makan waktu oversea trip dekat Korea 2-3 kali waktu pregnant kakak n adik dulu.... It was an enjoyable dinner... ada Beef rib stew.... BiBIMbap... not forgetting kimchi... ;) at first risau gak nak bg makan apa bebudak ni ..so ayah amik drastic measure singgah McD dulu beli nugget, milo n bubur kosong utk adik... last2 tak mkn... adik seronok mkn salmon... sedap gila... mengunyah la dia dgn gigi yang baru tumbuh full sebatg di bwh dan 2 lagi sipi2 tumbuh di bahagian atas..

Adik muka blur...bgn2 tido sampai hotel





Ibu susah nak communicate ngan Mrs Hong...English dia tak seberapa



BiBIMBap

Makanan Korea yang popular...nasi sejemput dikelilingi oleh sayur2 yg pelbagai...telur mata di atas nasi...dan sos merah serta soy sauce with bijan di tuang di atas... cara makan kena gaul semua dulu...baru bole suap... wahahah...mula geli gak, sebab telur kuning cair...tp sedap sebenarnya...mentaliti ibu je lemah






Kami semua... Ayah n us, Mr Hong & wife... En Shahirul & Family..
Kira 3 org tu antara working top management kat EP..


;)

Kakak tak nak balik...dia kata kat ayah..nak tido hotel... ahhaha...ayah! dah tanda lama tak bercuti la tu... Peace!

tadaaaa!!

hehehe...the last time i updated was in July...

tada!!....yatie ibrahim is back blogging

masya allah...hampir terlupa ada blog...wawawa

Frankly speaking...been very busy...

with 2 kids, work...hey! Perodua ALZA is out on the street people!!!...

sibuk pasal ALZA la.... and busy with studies...

alhamdulillah... masih bole maintain > 3.5 CGPA.. ahaks...mcm real je ;)

ok la...kejap lagi add another post...nak add latest photos of the girls..

makin cute gitu!!..ahaks...ibu yg perasan

maid, anyone?

i need assistance.......could anyone suggest a good and reliable maid....kalau boleh tak nak dah indonesian....serik ..wawawa....cambodia muslim? filiPina pun tak kisah la....tolong!

Saje-saje

Kakak dlm kereta...balik dari Cameron Highland

Ibu & Baby....di ladang teh Boh

My precious Hana...

Anak baru 2 org...wahahaha...keta dah penuh macam ni.

Gambar2 ni di-snap waktu on the way balik dari kampung ke Sg Buloh...drop by Cameron Highland beli sayur and minum teh....don't worry...ibu and anak dah abis pantang...wawawawa
ENJOY!!

Pregnancy Q&A

I was tagged by a 'mummy' friend to anwer these questionnaires which i found very interesting... so here goes...(by the way, i answered both for my Nurin & Hana experiences)...

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Nurin - nope...not planned...alhamdulillah...2 months after tying the knot, Allah beri rezeki
Hana - yes, planned...

2. WHAT was your 2nd choice name or your opposite gender name?
Nurin Zahirah 2nd choice name was Nurin Aina (tp hubby nak at least ada huruf Z...)
Hana Najihah 2nd choice name was Hana Maisarah (tp hubby kata takde huruf N..hehehe)
Opposite gender name - rahsia....but it starts with F

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Mixed reaction....extremely excited n happy but nervous as well...

4. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
with Nurin - 25 years and 1 month old
with Hana - 27 years and 1 month old

5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
pregnancy test kit...

6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
my hubby of course

7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
with Nurin -definitely!
with Hana - not really...bersyukur with whatever yang Allah beri

8. DUE DATE?
Nurin - 28th April 2007
Hana - 1st May 2009

9.DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
nope....i had night sickness... hehehe... hubby tension je...(dia kata time keja active, balik rumah je buat hal)
tapi alhamdulillah with both girls...it was once in a while 'sickness'....

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
with Nurin - ais kepal...hahaha (teringat zaman mengaji dolu2 , abis kelas je, beli ais kepal ngan mamak jual cendol)...penat hubby cari...
with Hana - chinese food and teh tarik.....

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
nope...no one

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
it's a girl, of course !!

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX ?
with Nurin - nope...i wish for a girl....but hubby nak a boy...(dia kata kalau sulung boy, bole take care of ibu n adik2 nanti)
with Hana - wish for a boy at first...nak la sepasang...tapi...half way through pregnancy, tak kisah whatever sex, janji sihat ...

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
with Nurin - 15 kg... berjaya turun kan 12 kg je...tensen
with Hana - 12 kg ....berjaya turunkan 13 kg....yeaaah!!

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
takdela....kita org melayu....hehehe

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?-

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
with Nurin - alhamdulillah, everything was good
with Hana - had a small cyst (mcm ketumbuhan dlm rahim) from the first to 4th month...planned to remove it by operation, tp alhamdulillah the cyst mengecut ngan sendirinya as the baby membesar.

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
both di Putra Medical Centre, Sg Buloh

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
with Nurin - overdue, baby's heart beat dropped so i didn't go thru labour, my water didn't break, no contractions.. emergency c-sect!
with Hana - 18 hours contractions, my water broke during that time, but also c-sect ...sob sob...laluan tak buka, baby's head cannot passed through....
tp alhamdulillah, both baby selamat

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
my darling hubby laa

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
of course dearest hubby....

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
both by c-sect.

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
kalau dah c-sect tu of course la ....

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
Nurin - 3.3 kg
Hana - 3.0 kg

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?
Nurin - 1st May 2007, 12.25 am (Labour day, kesian doc kena keja...hehehe)
Hana - 20th April 2009, 5.25 pm.

26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Nurin Zahirah & Hana Najihah

27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY?
Nurin - 2 years, 1 month and 3 days old
Hana - 45 days..

28. WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN?
of course....Insya Allah

it's 2009

it's the brand new 2009 year... decided to change my blog skin...had enough with the dark colours...

new year resolutions?!!..

hmm..to be a successful working mother and student.

alhamdulillah, my 1st semester results were good.

wohooo...the company gave 5months bonus...rezeki anak2.

Nurin pun dah pandai cakap, and ikut ibu solat.

hoping that economy improves and stabilizes..

oh...i'm 6 months preggy now.. wish me all the best.

~amin ya rabbal al-amin~

What's In Your 'Peti Sejuk'?

I'm tagging my sis, Hedaya and all my friends who are married and also those who are still single... to show what's in your 'peti sejuk'? Nak tau jugak org Jordan simpan apa dalam peti sejuk dia...wawawa

By the way, these are mine. You won't find lauk pauk basah a.k.a ayam, daging, ikan mentah, udang or even sotong here, because i have an additional small freezer just to keep bahan basah. Tak leh campur, hidung sensitive sket...nanti abis ice-cream & ice bau hanyir ikan..

By the way, yg kertas biru tampal kat peti sejuk tu konon-kononnya 'pengiraan kalori bg setiap makanan' ... almaklumlah...on-diet...(NoooT!!)

Takde la byk mana pun...tapi cukup makanlaa satu family.

Kemas kan simpan makanan dlm tupperware ;) tahan lama lagi

~chow~

Gorgeous~

Finally, Monday, 14th July 2008; 8.45 am... DiNg DoNg.. Posmen dtg hantar parcel. I received 2 gorgeous bag from my sis Hedaya, who went shopping in London during the semester break. Cantik. Love it.

Thanks ida..(Thank you mummy dearest...duit mak sebenarnya ;) )... Jangan jeles ye Nana!!

~hot tv series~

My fav top ten of THINGS to WATCH on TV...voted by me alone, of course. ( I will not going to tag anyone..but feel free to vote for you fav's anytime)

1) CSI (Vegas, Miami, NYC) - Eight seasons and two spinoffs, i am still addicted and hooked to all of the series.

2) House - Crazy, lunatic, psycho yet very brilliant doctor who drives his teammate insane every single case.

3) Grey's Anatomy - From Mc Dreamy, Mc Steamy, Mc Nazi to Mc Donald, who can ever resist?

4) Gossip Girl - The last time students look this hot, was when i watched Beverly Hills 90210 which was longggg time ago.

5) Private Practice - Addison honey...just leave McDreamy and Mc Steamy behind ..doctors in Oceanside Wellness Group is far more attractive..

6) Ugly Betty - Bad hair-do, weird sense of fashion, blue colour braces and nerdy spectacles...is enough to make me hooked every tuesday.

7) Damages - The legendary Glenn Close is the epitome of evil in this twisted drama. Superb & brilliant acting..

8) Desperate Housewives - Gorgeous housewives in the suburb area. Each life are full with drama and lies. There's something to everyone!

9) America's Next Top Model - Catfights have never looked this good...MEOW!!!

10) Amazing Race - Exciting challenges sets in beautiful and historical places around the world...make me want to go to every single place instantly...

Next list?.... hmmm...check it out next time ...O:

Sunway Rahman Putra 'Stepford' Wives

Since my knee injury and my 6 weeks medical leave, i've been so bored staying at home, that i had to improvise my daily schedule and become a Stepford Wife. Woohooo..i cleaned, i cooked, i organized, and i home-schooled my girl...yeah right. Biase laa ..perasan. Usually, during my working days, i sent Nurin to her Taska and picked her up in the evening, and by the time we reached home, it was already after 7pm, that i had to cook dinner for the family. So, it was sort-of a 'cincai' meal, (ikan goreng, sayur-air, sardin and sometimes drummet Ayamas). Well, since i had lots of free time, and my knee has improved/healed so much, that i did the usual house-wives job/task except for the mopping & vaccumming. hehe ..here are some of the items that i did while i'm at home ;)

Cooking

I tried so many recipes over the 6 weeks; and this meal was the best : Sup Tulang ; Tauhu Sumbat and Sayur Campur... slurpp... I think my hubby had gained more weight this 6 weeks since i cooked variety (and also healthy meals) every single day. hehehe. nasib baik dia tak dpt idea lagi suruh jadi full-time housewives.

Playing

In the evening, i took Nurin to the playground for her evening walks. I drove there, since i hurt my knees climbing the steep road even though i'm using my magic tongkat...we made few friends there; i met more Stepford Wives and Nurin played happily with her new found friends...

As you can see, I also did some re-organizing my drawers and cabinets ... ;) (nampak sangat dah takde keje)

Organizing

Nurin's closet...banyaknya baju; half of it tak penah pakai lagi... banyak baju yang her grandma bought during her overseas trip were mostly one size larger than her actual size. Bagus jugak, tahan lama....bole simpan untuk Hari Raya...

My 'Tupperware' closet...hehehe... as you know..i'm an authorized 'Tupperware' dealer.. So evertime i successfully sold and achieve my target monthly sales; i'm entitiled to get free gifts or entitled to buy a set of Tupperware for a very good and LOW price. I've used some of it and some are still in their plastic wrap. The colours are beautiful; aren't they?. Anyway, for anyone who is interested to buy the 'Tupperware' brand, feel free to browse through the latest catalogues which is in one of the links in this blog.. and contact me... No problem..

Hehehe...sempat lagi promosi... Anyway, that's what I did during my so-called free time.. A bit bored but enjoying every minute that i spend with the little one. Will start to work next week ...hopefully... CHow..Ta Ta..

Yippie...................

Yeah......................
David Cook WINS American Idol.......
woohooo................
enough said..........
;)

Finale!!

The best show ever is going to end this Thursday...

(blah la akademi fantasia...no offense for those who are into it but AF is sooooooooooo lame and it 100% does not produce world-class superstar....)

I was hooked again in front of the TV yesterday to catch up the Season Marathon (macam la tak pernah tengok) for the American Idol latest season on Starworld....and i again and again salute David Cook and i knew i had to write something about him in this blog............

I had enough of those lovey mushy dooey pop ballads. No offense to David Archuletta...he has a good voice though ...but the world does not need additional pop ballads vocals.. ..(see where Rueben Studdard and Clay Aiken now.....not that very famous huh!!).... I was very excited to see people like Bo Bice or Daughtry joining American Idol previous seasons....although they loss to Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks respectively... but they prove that quality and brilliant artist like them can also dominate U.S top charts.....

So for this season, lets's hope that brilliant musician just like David Cook would win the competition this coming Thursday (live on Starworld)...and start cookin' , not only the American but also the world music industry...

His brilliant and brave entry like 'Always be my baby' by Mariah Carey; 'All i really need is you' by Neil Diamond as well as 'I don't want to miss a thing' by Aerosmith....proves that he is really...really talented. He can change pop ballads by Mariah Carey and country and old songs by Neil Diamond to a new hip and trendy songs...as if the songs were his, and like were written this year.... Like Randy Jackson always say......'If you can sing baby......you can sing anything'.

wohooooooo........ even Simon Cowell (huhuhu), acknowledged that he is a brave and talented person each week...

Well...i enclosed a link (shortcut) to some of his hits on American Idol...and i hope that you enjoy it as much as i do...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knAhLXk6cA8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDzPCKmxS0c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20MWYIqfHR4

Let's hope that American's vote wisely this wednesday and put this man in a place that he deserve to be ( well...eventhough he looses...nothing will stop this gifted person and i know that we'll see more of him sooner than ever..).......Rock on dude............

-just me-