Moments to Treasure & Reflect

Yay new little tikes 2 in 1 scooter

2012-01-14T14:31:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Huggies!!!! I just redeemed a free little tikes scooter from the redemption counter LeTrain, The Verge.

To get this, I accumulated 30 Huggies stamps over a few months. Normally each diaper pack comes with 2 stamps and last year, Kyle was a more frequent user of diapers so it was easy to collect the stamps. But then now, think no more chance liao.

Yay, free free. Hahahah. Think when the kids see it later, they will be thrilled, yet again.

幸运红包

2012-01-12T19:49:00.001+08:00

ANZ's sure win lucky dip promotion this CNY is to charge $168 in a single receipt to their credit card and head on to any Isetan stores for a chance to win $2, $8, $88 or $888.

Of course it really would be too good to be true if can strike the $888. But I am a positive person. Hehe.

So anyway I managed to chalk up a few draw chances and went to Wisma branch earlier to have my try. Max 2 dips per day. Fortunately it was very quiet at the mall. No queues and no hassle. Just showed the isetan staff my charge slips and credit card for verification and I was good to go.

The first try, I just put my hand in and took out the first ping pong ball my fingers wrapped around. The second time round, I knew what to look for, the Chinese words affixed on the ball (as stated at the front of the box) but out of the 10 or so balls that I tried drawing, all reflected the same as my 1st try. 恭. Boring!!! So in the end it's just $2 x 2.

So ah, I conclude they must have just one ball each for the other values and the rest of the balls must surely be for the $2 ones! Sigh.

I did see someone's name for the $88 in the drawn schedule and that lucky person must be damn lucky indeed.

Ok, never mind still can try again. Last day of draw is 6 Feb 2012.

Picturesque I say

2012-01-09T09:08:00.000+08:00

Handsome boy crawling atop the low divider overlooking Singapore River, nice.

Early evening of 7th Dec 2011; Kyle @ 2 yrs & 7mths old;

Aboard Hippo River Cruise

2012-01-05T11:55:00.000+08:00

Tickets were bought through one of those deals....either Groupon or Big Deal or atCrazy ...those sort....

Hippo River Cruise was bundled together with Singapore Flyer for $26.90 per person. We have yet to utilise the Flyer tickets......me havent been on it before but have heard mixed reviews about the place. Mostly, SLOW, BORING....but i guess the kids may be amused by the experience so no harm to give it a try bah.

Previously, i brought the kids to sit on the Singapore River Cruise (operated by another company) because Kate was rather keen and had requested for the ride. For the Hippo cruise, i feel they are similar. Well, what to expect right?? since both embarkation are pretty near to each other and there is just only that one river to set sail on.

The ferry kicked off very smoothly, (ie. not bumpy) the other passengers on board were all polite (no pushing and not too much crowding around for picture taking) and full of smiles, the weather was good, cool breeze so the half hour journey was pretty enjoyable. (I didnt realise that we could actually take unlimited rides for the day.....but then, hmmmn, take so many times for what??)

Kate with her friend - Jialin

Here's Min & Win together with Elmo

The kids snacked on tidbits to keep occupied whilst on the ferry.

Both Kate & Kyle were enjoying the wind blowing against their hair.

Unfortunately, we didnt capture a pic of all 5 kids together. Here they are sitting in a horizontal row, enjoying a different view on the ferry.

This was a final shot before the kids parted ways with Jialin. Min and Kyle seen here posing with their christmas presents.

As many many pics were taken, i have compiled into collages below. Enjoy.

Bottom pic: Kyle was trying to stop his hair from 'flying'.

Top Left pic: Kyle up to his mischievous antics again - Purposely shutting his eyes for the shot.

Kate and her many poses.

Its 2012

2012-01-03T17:59:00.000+08:00

Cheers to a new year!! I hope this year brings all of us, prosperity, clean bill of health, lots of love all round, smooth work relationships, more bonuses..........pass exam....slim down......okay...maybe the last two applies more to me....but still, may 2012 be better than last year.

So towards the end of December, somehow, many wasnt in the mood for work (me guilty) so i brought the kids out more....and of course, we also had to finish up some "coupons' which were expiring. Hence, coming entries should feature at least one, if not all, of the following:

Dec 7th - Kate's first dental visit
Dec 17th - Hotel stay at Fairmont
Dec 24th - Visit to the Zoo
Dec 26th - Hippo River Cruise
Dec 27th - My dinner at Kinki with Sixty & Kel
Dec 29th - Science Centre for Dino Live
Dec 31st - Duck Tour

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-25T23:07:00.001+08:00

I had planned for these to be out earlier in the morning but I got busy. Nevertheless still in time before 25th comes to an end!!!These 2 pics of Kate were spontaneous and she looks so happy and I am sure it brightens the festive season perfectly. It came about because during a "tug of war" or sort, they pulled too hard and the hat material came apart. Then Kate don it and she said oh like that wear also can. So there u go, Ingenious.

2012 is just days away. Are you excited? Again, I can't believe how fast time does fly past us. May the year brings us all more positive happenings and lead us to yet more fulfilling years...

Bye bye diapers

2011-12-08T11:16:00.001+08:00

I'm so proud to announce that Kyle has been off the diapers at night since last week. This little boy is pretty amazing...we didnt teach him but he was able to hold his urine throughout the night and only pee when he wakes up in the morning.

Judging that he is just a week shy of being 2.5yrs old, its incredible right? Not many kids are able to do this wor. I remember his cousin - Win Win, was off the diapers around 3 yrs old and Kate???, well, this girl still relies heavily on her diapers every night. At almost 4.5 yrs old, she still just cant hold her urine well....and sometimes, when she plays too much and forgets to head for the toilet, she might even wet her pants whilst rushing to relieve herself.

I am nevertheless thankful that i have a beautiful son.
> Kyle is just so adorable, observant, independent, smart, chatty, charming, sweet, enjoys singing, dancing and going out. His current favourite shows are Ice Age series, certain scenes from Gnomeo & Juliet. He likes animals and dinosaurs related toys, lego duplo toys, playing puzzles and hogging the ipad. Most nights, he will rattle off: "Good night mummy, good night papa, good night kate kate, good night kyle" (sweet right?? though of course, the actual fall asleep part could be like 30mins to an hour later.) And he has a habit of wanting me to scratch his back till he sleeps.....errmmmmmmm, ok, this one inherited from me. (^.^)

Even much earlier, Kyle would always attempt stuff on his own. Align stool > sofa > table > climb to window to view whats below (No worries...we have window grilles) and he would fetch the stool to aid him in switching on the lights, climb the main door to press door bell, reach for toys and food that we deliberately try to put away from him. He is a very hands-on boy!

However, he needs to improve on: Patience, no snatching, no hitting, no biting, learning to take turns.

He enjoys eating Soba, udon, porridge, ham, snacks and not forgetting, the most important staple - milk. (Nestle Nan 4) Otherwise, he is rather choosy - No sticky stuff, no eggs/cake/tofu...he is very cautious in trying out food too...he will look at it, sometimes attempt small bite and sometimes reject just because he doesnt like the look of it

He is also at the stage of choosing his own clothes. Normally, those with anpanman/astroboy/mickey mouse/animal prints and he will pick the pants he wants to wear too. But having mentioned these, when i dress him in other clothes, he puts up slight resistance but will still cooperate.

Though he likes to sleep late but at least he sleeps quite quickly. And when we are outside, no worries of him getting cranky....he will show the sleepy daze look, requests for me to carry him then he dozes off on my shoulder. Easy. Oh, he too has the habit of lazing on the bed...waking for a while, then tossing and turning on the bed for that extra few minutes of indulgence, before fully getting out from the bed. (Again, i must say he inherited this from me)

Kids can be attentive when they want to. Like i will call for Kate to bring me tissues...but she will, in my opinion, choose not to hear and Kyle will quickly run to fetch the tissues. Or when i shout to Kate, quick go toilet to pass urine, Kyle will immediately stop what he is doing and fights for the toilet with Kate and in that process, he sometimes get angry when he is not the first and plunges his teeth onto Kate's shoulder/leg.....that little barbarian. And i will smack his mouth and tells him to stand at a corner but all these are useless, he still behaves the same way the next time round. Sigh...any suggestions anyone?

Recent dining experiences

2011-12-07T15:08:00.001+08:00

UPDATED WITH PICTURES

Takumi: Used to frequent them regularly because their UOB Chef creation set is yummy and worth the $$. However, last week when we were there, promo was over and their ala-carte dishes only tasted average. The main-chef wasnt around so the serving standard also became substandard. (Teppan Asparagus sometimes come with egg and sometimes dont; Depends on which chef prepares!!)

The Executive Chef half-heartedly entertained us when we wanted to give some feedback on the food. Like the serving was pretty slow and that the appetiser was actually served later after the fish and....all the sequences were wrong. He gave us his namecard and said to look for him in future....yah right, as if he would remember us......

They seem to have had a change in staffing as well. The current waitresses were impatient (didnt listen fully to qns before answering), blur, a little rude and not attentive. Overall, they are losing edge!

Still, we might considering returning just to eat the cheese.
Cream Cheese Marinated with Saikyo Miso - Delicious. $7

Ember: They have been around for a while but i was only introduced to this fine place recently.
Simply awesome. The set lunches there (around $39++ & add $6 for foie gras dishes) are value for money....not cheap but its worth for the kind of food served. I was smiling from the appetiser all the way to the dessert...the food was THAT good. (Sun-dried tomato bread, excellent steak, ok fries, yummy dessert and tea) Reservations is a must because the place is small and fills up quickly. Go try. Must try.
(They put leek in their ice-water jug! Unique but need to get used to that taste)

Photo sequence a little jumbled up but you get the idea yah!The foie gras and steak left me wanting more. Even the mushrooms on the steak, i couldnt get enough of it. And needless to say, we had more than one serving of the freshly baked bread. The restaurant was also kind enough to accomodate to our request of changing the ice-cream to Bailey flavour. The chocolate oozing out was, wow...shiok!!

St Regis - Brasserie Les Saveurs: Just had lunch there today. Not too bad. Colleague has the St Regis card which entitles us to a 35% discount (Mon-Wed). Best buy!!!! Set lunch is $38++ and nett price after discount was just $29 for a 3 course meal. Fabulous. Just fabulous.

Example of their set menu

Ambience is good. Settings are pretty soothing. To start the lunch, we were served an appetitiser drink (cucumber soup and peppermint topped with some yoghurt - YUCKS). Bread was oh so delicious....the butter was very good too. Then for my set, i had Escargots, Risotto, Cream Brulee & Coffee. Will i head back soon? Definitely Will.

(They put cucumber and carrot in their ice-water jug. Not bad!! I warmed up to the taste quickly....should attempt that at home too...)

Fresh flowers are placed on every table and i think it does help to spice up the overall dining experience. Chandeliers on the high ceiling made the place looked really grand.
My set:
1. Sauteed snails with garlic & parsley, dried tomatoes & bread croutons
2. Black truffle risotto, parmesan cheese & cream sauce
3. Ginger & spices creme brulee & salted caramel ice-cream

Jumbo Seafood Gallery - Riverwalk

2011-12-07T14:53:00.001+08:00

Had dinner there last Monday with colleagues and it was disappointing. Our last experience in Jul 2011 was good so we thought we could relish that moment....dream on!

Food standard dropped pretty drastically. Ours was a table for 10. Given a room due to some exchange with another group who wanted to go alfresco. (For Rooms, min spending of $500 is required)

We ordered:
- Chilli Crab, Black Pepper Crab & Butter Crab: The meat were tasteless and the butter crab was sorely disappointing. Too deep-fried, not creamy and tasted very sickening. (jerlat instantly)
- Seafood & Beancurd soup: Lousy too....anyone can cook that. Plain ordinary soup.
- Golden Phoenix Chicken: Highly recommended but one bite is more than enough. Chicken skin wasnt crispy enough and it didnt make you want to eat again. (Though colleague says she has eaten much better ones in the past)
- Crispy baby squid and cereal prawn: Passable. Not much comments on those.
- Mee Goreng: I didnt try it though judging by the 80% left over in the bowl, i reckon it wasnt good too.
- Sambal kangkong: average dish
- Plus some desserts and drinks

Best of all, the waitress kept asking us to order a fish. After much persuasion, we decided to go for steam Soon Hock. I couldnt believe it when i checked the bill and realised that the bloody fish actually cost $152. Super overpriced!!! We werent shown the fish (i call it royalty fish) and werent expecting to pay this kind of price but well, what to do right?? The 3 crabs cost $181. Well, thats about the standard.

So all in all, we chalked $621 (After 10% discount). I am very sure we wont be returning to that outlet for a long long time.

Elephant parade comes to Singapore

2011-11-22T17:27:00.001+08:00

It is Elephant Parade's mission to be the world's largest financial support organization for the Asian elephant, threatened with extinction. The open air art exhibitions create worldwide attention, public awareness and support for the cause of elephant conservation: the elephant statues never go unnoticed by the wider public and mass media.

To see more of the elephants on display in Singapore, please click on the text above to be directed to the website.

Seen below, are pics taken at Somerset 313

Kyle's haircut session

2011-11-16T07:07:00.001+08:00

I thought i wrote about Kyle's haircut session in the past but then i couldnt find the entries....so maybe i didnt??? (Perhaps only on Facebook!)

I still recall the 1st time he had his haircut, he was fidgeting badly. Given that it was his first experience, fear of the unknown got the better of him. 2nd time round, he behaved much better.

Subsequently, he was just amazing. He was asked to sit on the plank and he just sat there quietly whilst the hairstylist 'shaved' and cut and did her stuff. All were in disbelief at how well he behaved too.

I must say that i was darn proud of this little fella.

Art - Star Fish & Andy Mouse

2011-11-16T06:56:00.000+08:00

This starfish was completed over a few art lessons. They should have began painting the sand and water colour, then moulding the starfish shape using newspaper?, leaving it to harden, then painted the starfish, affixed it to the board, and finally pasted those shapes...which Kate couldnt remember what it represented. Probably just patterns?? Still, nice right??

Win Win did this as well but i didnt capture a still of it.

Min Min depicting Andy Mouse.

Gallery (along the corridor that leads up to their art class) showing works done by the other children.

How long will it take to renew my Singapore Passport?

2011-11-15T11:28:00.001+08:00

In case anyone is curious, i have the answer!!

Its easy nowadays to just snap your own picture using your digital camera. (Ideally against white background and with no shadows otherwise your photo may be rejected)

Submitting a picture

Go on to ICA website and load up your picture. If your picture is raw, ie, not edited/cropped and the file size is huge, fret not. Make use of the Image editing tool available on the ICA site. Its a breeze. Picture will be auto-resized to ICA's requirements.

After submitting application, what happens?

Upon submission, payment of $70 via eNets/Credit, it will take around 5 working days and you will then receive an email (provided that you stated your email address in your application) from ICA notifying you that the passport is ready for collection.

Should i make an appointment?

Ideally, make an appointment with ICA and the waiting time will be greatly reduced!!! Otherwise, potentially, it can be a 2 hours wait!!

I must collect my passport by?

You must collect your passport within a month from receiving the email notification.
Bring along the notification, IC and current passport.

What if ICA rejects my photo?

You will receive an email notification stating the reasons for rejection. And will be given a chance to resubmit through a link which they will provide you.

Alternatively, you can also go directly to ICA's passport section and give the photo. They will process your passport on the spot and about an hour later, the passport will be ready for collection.

Hope the above helps!

Birthday cakes in August

2011-11-15T11:19:00.001+08:00

MMM (Min Min's mum & also Win Win) celebrated her birthday in mid-August.

Win Win celebrated her 4th birthday in end-August.

Coincidentally, Kate is missing in the 2 pics....cant remember what she was up to!

Kyle is very happy when it comes to singing the song and blowing the candles but he is not keen on eating cakes.

A Morning spent at Lower Seletar Reservoir

2011-11-04T16:07:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, i woke up to a pretty quiet house. Mum could have been away at the market. Not too surprising....but then, i didnt hear a lot of children noise. Which was funny because i knew the kids were already up so i guessed they must have gone down to the playground. Kyle was left alone pacing about the house, playing his toys in the room whilst i lazed on the bed to enjoy the peace at home.

Later on, the kids returned. Happy. And WET. It turned out that they had gone to the newly revamped Lower Seletar Reservoir, which is located at the intersection of Yishun Avenue 1 & Lentor Avenue. I myself havent been to this place though on the many visits that we have passed by the park, it does look so much more inviting now. Water play for the kids, beautiful views, there are people who go fishing, kayaking, dragon boating, jogging....etc. For more info on the water sports, click here.

My 2 sisters, (Min & Win's mum & their aunt) bought them McDonald breakfast and they had a little picnic before exploring the park. Below are the visuals. I love the pictures and believe you will too.

Leading to Ballet Showcase - Part 2

2011-11-02T11:06:00.000+08:00

Here's the video and stills from the Performance.
Children entered in from two doors and unfortunately, the kids were in the back row hence we werent able to get really good shots of them. They were moving to the Lion King song - "Oh I just cant wait to be King"

The video is shaky at some parts because i was trying to find a good spot to video them.
Had to 'nudge' the other parents.

See the throng of parents armed with cameras from the mirror reflection?

Leading to Ballet Showcase - Part 1

2011-11-01T15:21:00.003+08:00

The kids have been attending Ballet Classes at Toa Payoh South CC - Kavanagh Dance for about 9 months. And the school recently held a mini-showcase for parents to see what their kids have been up to during the weekly 45 mins session.

Both Kate and Win Win were excited because (1) They would be performing in front of many people and (2) They get to put on make-up!!! Now thats a big thing for them. Which kid doesnt love the chance to add colours to their face like adults???
(Min couldnt join in because she had her Primary School orientation.)

Posing before getting into the car.

These series of shots here are after their short 3 mins performance. Will try to load up the video sometime soon.

Kate looks really sweet in this pic. Win and Jialin posing with biscuits in their hands.

Making funny faces

Still making funny faces.

The 'height' rides of Deepavali holiday

2011-10-28T14:47:00.000+08:00

Hubby had 2 free adult tickets for the Cable car ride which expires this month so we went on the recent Public Holiday - Deepavali - 26 Oct 2011.

It was the children's first experience sitting on the cable car. They were, needless to mention, excited. Kate kept saying "Mummy i like this leh. I want to sit again and again".

Our return journey was:
Harbourfront ==> Pass Mt Faber ==> Alight at Sentosa ==> Board for return to Harboufront

*Child ticket costs $13.50

Onboard the cable car. It was stuffy initially but once in the open, cool air rushed in and then we began to relax. Best to avoid sitting when its raining. Rain will pelt in but if you close the window, it gets a bit unbearable.

There is a museum at the Sentosa Cable car station and there, we can see the past generations of cable cars. Pretty interesting for the kids so good to pop by for a short visit.

Bought this snapshot at $20.

Sentosa is teeming with halloween 'spirit'. They have many decorations near the Imbiah Garden/Walk/Station. Kyle and Kate were amused with many of the skeletons!

And they love getting wet from the mist coming from the ground.

Super difficult to snap the two with the Merlion. Eh actually, more of Kyle not co-operating. He just couldnt stay still or look at the camera timely.

Had a hard time getting Kate to sit here with her papa. She says it looked a bit scary.

Kyle is seen here making a 'scary' face.

So we finally tried this!!! FUN.
*Adult: $18 for 2 rides. Child sits together: Add $2.

The skyride was an experience. A slight adrenalin rush. Surprisingly both of them were not scared and attempted to stand up which scared the hell out of us two adults.

Made them show the 'stamp' on their hand. We have to do LUGE again!!

More snapshots purchased:
Left - Posed with the parrots and decided to buy the pics for memories. Buy 1 get 1 free. Total: $30.
Right - Taken mid-air but super lousy quality though. And we purposely timed our LUGE so that we were snapped in one shot. $12 x 2

Females in the family

2011-10-27T18:09:00.000+08:00

Whilst arranging the pics on my portable HDD, i came across this pic which was taken last May.

Somehow, i cant recall which restaurant this is. But the occasion was to celebrate my birthday.

Coincidentally, all females in this pic. We dominate the house!!!!! (Ratio at home: 7:3)

*The kids look so adorable!
Min (5 yrs), Kate &Win (3 yrs)

Port Dickson Road Trip 13 - 15 Sep 2011

2011-10-27T16:19:00.000+08:00

It took me a bloody long time to figure out how to load up this excel table onto this entry and even after its showing now, i'm still dissatisfied with how it looks. (loads of extra space on the right and below) argh...but i'm going to stop figuring out already. (waste my time)

This table shows the expenses we incurred on this 3D2N trip. What do you think?
Bulk of the expenditure went to Accomodation (33%) then the Car Rental & Petrol (31.5%) and the rest are pretty decent

So, we did a family thingy; Just the 4 of us. Rented a car, hubby drove the 3 hours into Malaysia, Port Dickson and i must say it was quite an enjoyable trip overall. The kids didnt give us much trouble whilst on the road, in fact, they were very co-operative (well, armed with an iPad and lots of snacks and toys to play, how can they still misbehave badly? *winks*)

Here they are inside the car. Cheeky right?

So here's where we stayed. They recently changed their name to Grand Lexis.

When checking out the hotel website, the pics posted looked pretty impressive. But in order not to set too high an expectation (then be disappointed), i pictured the place to be just average.

However, i must say, i was wrong. The place looked pretty good. The furnishings are good; no unsightly pests and no mosquitoes!

We had initially booked the cheaper Deluxe Room Villa online but during checking in, itchy backside me requested to view the Executive room villa as well for comparison. The former (MYR405) being more cosy and having just 1 king bed. The latter (MYR491) of course looked more appealing...more running space.

I was quite peeved about something though. In the website, they had this written: Surcharge of RM150nett is required for guaranteed full sea view for room Executive,Premium & Grand Pool Villa and subject to room availability.
So my understanding is, if the Sea-View rooms are available upon check in, then they can be given without any extra charge. The period that i went was a non-peak, very very few people were staying and yet the hotel staff insisted that we would need to pay the extra MYR150/night for a miserable small window sea view. (I was a bit peeved also because hubby's colleagues too stayed there before and they were given free upgrade....so really just our luck.)

So then, this is our MYR569.60/night room. (Inclusive of taxes & charges)

The highlight: Private swimming pool that's attached to every villa. The kids were thrilled beyond words. So much so that Kyle stripped himself and dashed into the pool immediately upon seeing the pool.

Left: Kate is posing in her papa's sunglasses. She is standing on a 'see-through' hole in the room. Unfortunately, not much view since high tide and water are dirty.
Right: They are more interested with the TV program than to look at the camera properly and smile.

Hubby bought crab trap and chicken heads as baits the morning before we set off for Port Dickson. He was the happiest whenever there were any catch. And we did bring back some flower crabs too.
(Note: Crabs must be bought/brought back alive but Flower Crabs are normally sold dead!!)

Malaysia has Jusco. This, i am very envious. Seeing the Amusement "land" makes me feel as if we are back in Japan. (just for that short while).

Both of them screamed happily when they saw the rides and lots of Anpanman. And the rides were cheap too. Just MYR1/ride. Given of course, these rides had seen better days but in children eyes' they hardly care.

Itchy hand Kyle went to tamper with the KFC drinks, spilled one then received a scolding from me. Cheeky chap then make "monkey face" and sulked at that corner.

Food at the Resort was lousy. We were given a Complimentary dinner and daily breakfast.

I was not expecting much but the selections were not impressive and even the simplest possible food tasted either too bland, texture too hard or just 'cannot make it'. Service was non-existence too. Hence with such an experience (we only stayed for about 15mins) and decided we wont lose out even if gave the breakfast a miss.

Here's Kate posing at the Restaurant.
(And if i remembered correctly, its priced like MYR55/person)

For a safe choice, we opted for Old Town White Coffee breakfast. Cheap and tasted okay.

Not much of view here....basically a quiet town. Very laid back. Lots of vacant business unit spaces, flies and just open land / grass.

Over the course of this trip, we also drove to Seremban, KL-Mid valley Megamall and eventually stopped over at Johor-Tebrau City.

At one of the Japanese restaurant - Sushi King.
Their food standard is either on par or slightly lower than Sakae Sushi here.

Here they are, helping themselves to the Udon.

Resort's swimming pool.

I think Kate looks really pretty in this pic.

Parading their swimsuits.

Rather difficult to get pics of them together.....because their attention span is short and they dont often look into the camera simultaneously.

One of those times when Kyle gets confused with making the 'peace' sign.

Their joy is infectious! I'm smiling just by looking at the pics.

Kate is able to pose whilst sliding. I thought she's quite good. So even when she dips inside the pool, she will quickly stand up and pose too.

Another nice pic of the trio.

Hmmn, i cant remember what was exchanged between the two of them...but probably along the line of
"didi, lets play the slide again?

This is how the villas look like and at low tide.

Walking back to the Villa to pack up and check out. During our stay, we could call for the Buggy services or we could also do a short walk to the Reception. Pretty convenient and most of the staff were able to speak fair English and were helpful.

Malaysia imposed a rule wef June 2011 which states that Singapore registered cars are only allowed to pump the more expensive petrol MYR2.8/litre compared to MYR1.9/litre. But its still much cheaper than what we pay here so dont complain too much bah.

And lastly, here's a happy family pic.

Takumi Restaurant - Fresh sashimi, Beautiful Presentation

2011-10-25T11:28:00.001+08:00

As my colleagues love Japanese food as well, we normally are adventurous in wanting to try out different japanese restaurants and shortlisting the favourites for more regular visits.

Takumi has maintained at one of the tops in our list for a while. The list also include Kuriya Penthouse, Kuriya Dining and Akashi..etc.

Personally, i like the ambience at Takumi. Food quality is also maintained thereby offering fresh sashimi, interesting desserts and the presentation just whets your appetite before even eating the food. You might want to give the lunch a try!! (Dinner also can...but more $$$ needed.)

http://www.takumirestaurants.com/

One of their Lunch set.

Camembert cheese; Unfortunately this just tasted average.

They had this UOB chef set. Not sure whether it has ended but definitely a good deal.

Introducing my niece - Joie Lim

2011-10-25T11:14:00.000+08:00

My brother-in-law is now a proud father of a girl whom they have named - Joie Lim.

This means Kate and Kyle has another cousin!! And Kyle has upgraded status to being older 'brother'. ahahaha.

Some stats:

Born on 31 Aug 2011

Length: 49cm

Weight: 3.8kg

Short Getaway - Water Homes

2011-10-25T10:16:00.002+08:00

(Wrote this in Aug 2011 but forgot to post! duh.)

THE LEGEND INTERNATIONAL WATER HOMES renamed in Aug 2011 to
GRAND LEXIS PORT DICKSON

Instead of doing a hotel stay (did too many times already) and since we do not have any spare cash to travel far, we decided to settle for a drive into Malaysia come Sep.

The initial alternatives included Bintan and Batam.
(1) Bintan, i did the maths.
- For a 3D2N, accomodation would be about $400. Ferry another $210. If add meals, total should amount to $1k for our family of 4.

(2) Batam - Heard from many that there will at least be shopping, massages and relatively cheaper than Bintan.

However, Hubby is still rather keen on giving water homes (he had colleagues who went before) and to be honest, i'm also interested to stay in a villa which comes attached with a private pool.

Kate & Kyle's birthday 2011 - Part 4. RWS - USS

2011-08-22T17:09:00.000+08:00

I cant quite recall how many times we have visited Universal Studio Singapore. Probably 3 - 4 times. Its usually for the kids....they are so happy. But i think i hadnt posted up any if not much pics over here before.

This time round, we stayed for 2 nights at the hotel...much much better. At least no need to rush and we can take our time to explore around and with a relaxed feeling, who wont be happy.

Can read this past entry about the hotel promo back then.
http://traveltreasure.blogspot.com/2011/05/june-birthday-celebration-planning.html?authuser=0

There will be a total of 27 pics in this entry. Click to read on please.

It was a very very hot Friday. So cant blame the two for being so stone!

Funny....most of the time, we enter and will be greeted with Woodpecker only. Oh well, better than none.

First time trying the Madagascar ride. Super long queue and the wait was like an hour plus....so naturally, both of them got bored and we let them stomp about on the crate for a while. Breath of fresh air!

Just to show we were on the boat.

Height comparison?? Boat ride after thoughts??? No idea.

Kyle loves shopping...he went screaming for joy at the merchandise. But being rational adults, of course, didnt buy him anything.

Checking out the next destination. Stand tall to see far.

Expensive and not too delicious food. Sigh....such are expected of tourist attractions. Killer food!

Here we are sitting at the Shrek 4D statue. Kate didnt want to watch, having watched it once before....so we just strike a pose here.

Okay, this one she quite enjoy.

Daddy's girl. Super duper hot...hence the glasses were a nust.

How sweet right? Just the two of them.

I had to persuade Kate to give this a try. Welcoming respite from the hot sun.

Then of course, we had to snap a picture with the customary "peace" sign.

Here she is after that, complaining, "you see lah, now i'm so wet"

They were snatching snacks hence playing catching at the same time.

Kyle was happy to see Mr Panda. Dont i blend in with the kids!!

Another rare family shoot. Okay, can anyone tell me who this lady is??? I just call her the tavern lady...and i'm sure thats not it.

Tavern lady kissed Kate!!! Ahahahaha and we laughed at the mark on Kate's face.

This frankestein can often be seen too! Both Kate and Kyle arent afraid and even hi-5ed with him.

Under the sweltering sun. Darn obvious right.....One covering eyes another trying to cover his head.

One of the must-take rides for children. Kate never get sick of these but Kyle decided no-no after one round. Kate is the one who always go "Papa, i want again. Mama, again."

Here's my little monkey on the monkey.

This is one of Kate's fav ride. Short...probably within a min but me, the thrill averse one, cannot take this type of kiddo ride too...So scary!!! In this visit, think Kate sat more than 5 times. Previous visit, she only was able to sit for 4 times before park closed and she got super upset.

And i still remembered, the first time i sat with her, i said to her, "Kate dont need to be scared. Mummy here." To which she replied she not scared and when i told her i actually was, she said "mummy its okay, i take care of you." Mind you, this is a 4 years old speaking. She didnt even need to scream on the ride! Duh....need i tell you what i was doing...

Yay, another family shot. Kyle is too engrossed with his eye-level view.

Cat with the kids. I dont get why those ushers are always hurrying pple with just one shot only. Lucky for us, those we encountered were more accomodating and allowed us a few shots. Mind you, we act quick so dont really hold up the queue much.

Wonder what was going through Kyle's mind at the sight of this giant green monster!!

Kate & Kyle's birthday 2011 - Part 3. School

2011-08-22T15:28:00.000+08:00

Kate and Kyle's child care centre allows birthday celebrations only on the 15th of each month.
Since i had exam on that day and wasnt able to make it, i asked hubby to celebrate with them. These are the pics he sent me.

Bengawan Solo is not halal so the cakes were ordered from Prima Deli.

Kyle's cake with Hazelnut filling - $40.90. They both chose their own cake designs.

Kate's cake with strawberry filling - $42.90
Kyle didnt bother to eat his so hubby pulled him over to join Kate. And my princess looked really happy that day.

Here they are, sitting together and enjoying the cake. Cute hor!

Kate & Kyle's birthday 2011 - Part 2. Goodie Packs.

2011-08-22T15:23:00.001+08:00

Instead of just giving out loads of snacks like before, this time round, i wanted Kate to give some 'play' stuff to her friends. So i joined a PartyCity spree on SMH forum and got a bunch of goodies (below) for about $110.

Stickers, Markers, Glasses, Activity books, Note Books, Eraser boards, a Tiara, Mini Harmonicas

These are goodie bags for Kyle's classmates. Cost me about $1.70 per packet.

Kate with the goodie packs for her friends. Cost around $3/pack.

Close-up.

I had fun planning and packing....duh...i think i really enjoy doing such stuff. I should find a job in some party planning company!!!

Kate & Kyle's birthday 2011 - Part 1. Cake.

2011-08-22T11:55:00.001+08:00

In June, Kate and Kyle celebrated their 4th and 2nd birthday respectively.

Last year, 7th manna was closed for vacation during their birthday week...this year it was the same as well...but as i really missed their cake, i brought forward the collection date by 2 days and so we managed to get a Yo Gabba Gabba chocolate cake for them.

$140 (2kg cake) + $15 delivery charge

See how excited Kyle is!

This year, he could hum a little to the birthday song.

Here we are! Happy family.....Kyle was too busy with dunno what too.

And they cut the cake together!! Notice the dent on the cake near to Kyle? He couldnt wait to try it. (But seriously, he isnt a cake fan still....always just one mouth and thats it.)

Didnt snap a picture of their presents but this year, i went crazy.
They had about 8 or more presents between them - Red-packets, Clothes, An Elmo gloves toy, Chugginton mini-computer, Yo Gabba Gabba blankets, some more toys i'm sure...coz i cant recall exactly what now...and also an IPad to be shared by the two of them - engraved with their names too.

Here's a pic of the blanket which hubby bought online. Think, ebay.

We did a 3D2N hotel stay at RWS-HRC as well....a $598 nett promo. Will write more on their birthday celebration when there's time. Next up, is on the goodie bags for their friends.

Majestic Restaurant - Chinese cuisine

2011-07-29T11:50:00.009+08:00

My first time at Majestic....though i heard that they are a rather popular dining restaurant with evenings being packed full house over the weekends!

I must say that i was impressed with their food presentations.....not really of mine but of those whom i saw the waiters serving. Must be the set menu!!! (They have buy 3 get 1 free promo!!)

Fried shrimp dumplings are one of my favourite dim-sums...other than the regular siew mai and har gao....but i didnt try the latter 2 because i couldnt find anyone to share with.

I opted for the soup of the day. It had a refreshing combination of chicken coupled with light seafood (because of the scallop) taste. Not bad. Colleagues went for the restaurant's signature sharks bone with fish maw & beijing cabbage....not my kind.

Then for mains, i decided to try the mee sua with oysters. Colleagues went for the same noodle but with mini-abalone. Oysters were very generous and for that, i was very happy. But perhaps, it might be better to share the dish and order another to fill the tummy because i found that, after eating too much of the mee sua, it could get a little sickening.

Another signature dish is the crispy durian ice-cream which i didnt get to try...because we were already full. So, next visit yah...then me will try it.....oooh...durian....just cant resist!

**15% discount for payments using POSB/DBS card. Perfect.

Hokkaido Sushi at M Hotel - Fresh!!

2011-07-29T11:38:00.000+08:00

It was through the Groupon deal that i became aware of Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant.
Deal was at 50% off so we paid $35 nett for each of the Sushi Gozen set.
Bought 2 coupons for myself so that i could eat once with colleagues and another with friends.
(Best!!!)

Utilised one of the coupons last week. We didnt know what to expect (because i read some bad reviews on the net) but were pleasantly surprised and satisfied with the whole meal.

We were served green tea and also salad in thousand island dressing to start off the lunch. Subsequently, sashimi was served. Fat and chunky and oh so fresh!!!!! Off to a really good start.

Next up was the tempura. Light and not very oily. Makes you crave for more with every bite!

Miso soup was just average to me.

The restaurant's signature dish - Hokkaido Ikura Chawanmushi was alright....it didnt really wow me but they were indeed very generous with the roe.

Finally, sushi. We were told to eat in that order starting from the tuna. Each bite again was just fantastic....we were literally doing the oooh, ahhh, shiok....all the time.
So it was a fabulous deal and a great lunch....i'm super glad that i will be heading back there to eat the set again in 2 weeks time.

Good morning!

2011-07-26T16:04:00.000+08:00

This morning, when i saw Kate and Kyle, i thought to myself, "Kate looks pretty and Kyle looks so adorable".....awwww....i'm so fortunate to have such lovely kids...so need to capture the moment.

Kate was very happy to put on the hairband so early in the morning and because she fidgeted so much, i couldnt snap really good pics and told her off then she requested to make funny faces so here they are in this collage. My funny princess.

Notebook from Daiso

2011-07-26T15:51:00.000+08:00

Shopping at Daiso is always enjoyable. I can while so much time in the store looking at stuff that i need and also checking out stuff which i might just need.

Yesterday, at Plaza Singapura branch, i saw many cute notebooks so decided to get some for the kids. (me have a soft spot for books...always buying because they are just sooo cute and neat then planning what to write in it.) So back to Kate, she chosed this design. And then i said she has to practice writing in it...write ABC lah, sentences lah....and also another book for drawing...which she says she wasnt interested. *sticks tongue*

Before we slept, i went to check the book and saw that Kate has written her name on the back cover and inside the book on the first page. See the close up and you can tell, she cant write her name well yet....despite practicing so many times...sigh....slow progress.....but at least got effort.

School Series - 2

2011-07-22T11:50:00.001+08:00

Fetched the kids again.
Kyle simply loves running!

Mimicking Kate, he too insists on walking on this brick paving (correct me if the term is wrong) now.

Video of Kyle running after birds.

School Series - 1

2011-07-22T11:46:00.001+08:00

Kate says she is posing a "so scared' look. ahahhahaha looks more like a tortoise to me.

Pic 1: Embrace to show i love my brother. Pic 2: Super funny pose. Pic 3: No particular caption.

Daring Kyle takes the small plunge....could have scratched his hands/legs a little...but he is very brave.

Sun with Moon (Wheelock place)

2011-07-22T10:27:00.001+08:00

Haven't eaten here for a long long time. A colleague was going on half day (for a hair cut!!! How envious) so we decided to come by Wheelock Place with her yesterday.

Choice was either Skinny Pizza (SP) or Sun with Moon. Itacho was also one of the options initially but it slipped our minds in our quest to quickly enter the lift to head up to 3rd floor. As another colleague has a SP voucher lying somewhere in office, we decided on Japanese fairly quickly.

The selections on the Lunch menu looks very appetizing. So much so that we took a while to contemplate our choice. Loads of salmon dishes.

Me opt for the lunch set which is reasonably priced at $16.80. I chose tempura as my side dish. Other alternatives included salad, chicken, beef udon ... Seriously I forgot the rest because anytime there's tempura, I'm sold.)

Super satisfied with my lunch today. The salmon, sashimi and sushi was delicious. The ebi tempura was light and the coating was just right. 口感很好. The tofu was okay.

We also applied for their membership too. $20.

- 10% discount off total bill instantly and on subsequent bills

- 20% discount during birthday month

- $20 dining voucher for future use

- $1 spent = 1 point (Accumulate 200 points to exchange for a $10 voucher)

Japanese Buffet - Irodori

2011-07-22T10:18:00.001+08:00

Irodori at River View Hotel

Buffet is priced at $35.

Many credit cards tie with the restaurant to offer 25% discount so nett payable is just $31. Perfect for us consumers.

For such a wonderful spread too!!!

They used to serve hotate sashimi (scallops) too unfortunately no more. Still the others are just as worth it for the amount spent.

I love the cold dish greentea tofu starter. And the complimentary Ebi Mentai Mayo. Its very very tasty.

Other must haves for me would include the dobinmushi pot, sashimi, tempura and grilled mushrooms!!!!!

Kyle's home activities

2011-07-21T11:40:00.000+08:00

These set of pics were taken before Kyle began lessons at child care centre.

So likely to be between Mar-Apr 2011 period.

He loves to check out the fridge - likely for the coolness. And now, he helps himself to the stuff in the fridge - fresh milk, yakult ....etc

Being a very hands on fella, he waits for no one and lines up chairs to table or what nots, to get to his goal. Independent boy likes to switch between dvds and he figured out the player just by observing us adults. Its never surprising to see him advance from chair to table to reach the player, or from sofa to table to window to climb the grilles.....my little terror.

Of the 4 kids at home, i'm most impressed with Kyle in that he learns to keep his stuff after playing. (most of the time). Like when we say, time to go for shower. He would quickly put back stuff that he was playing or he would ask an adult to help him to clean up before running up. And say he is watching tv and we tells him, time to go out...he would quickly run up to switch off the tv (despite others who might still be watching) and then with that done, he would then run to put on his shoes.....a lot of small gestures which are really sweet...like recognising our shoes and bringing it to us whenever we say its time to go out.

Sushi Tei - Sea Urchin (Uni)

2011-07-20T17:38:00.000+08:00

Oooh...my latest must-eat when dining at Sushi Tei is the Sea Urchin. Its available in two sizes - Medium ($35) and Large ($65). I love eating Uni but then the price-tag would always make me hesitate and think thrice......

It doesnt help too that each time i'm at Meidiya supermarket and i go check out the sashimi section, i would salivate at the sight of the Uni (priced around $200 and above)

So, come to think about it, at $35, this uni is pretty affordable right??
You know you want to have it melted in your mouth right this instant yes???

The ones at Sushi-Tei tastes okay...no 'foul' smell but instead, a creamy and slight sweet taste to it. Yummy. If you havent tried it before, dont wait.....go check it out. (I have tasted lousy Uni before so it makes a huge difference when you finally eat those of some standards.)

Sushi-Tei is running a Summer Promotion now.....loads of Ebi, Unagi plus seasonal fish items. Today, at the Vivocity outlet, we tried the Aji sashimi - good....and not in this pic, is their regular mekajiki, which tastes super duper fresh today (texture just perfect and the cut was generous)....argh...i'm hungry whilst thinking of it again.

Uni that we ordered today was presented in another case (plain, no company name on it). Nevertheless, still delicious. At the sight of the picture below, need i say more?

Kuriya Dining

2011-07-20T17:06:00.002+08:00

This is a fine dining branch of the RE & S chain of restaurants which prohibits children under the age of 6 from entering. I never quite like the idea because I'm the pro-family type of person. Still, I understand that there are people who are easily irritated/disturbed by the presence of kids and prefers to enjoy their meals/business dining in a more 'quiet' setting.

Kuriya dining is located at Great World City. A corner near to the office lifts. My colleagues enjoy the food there so occasionally we have our Japanese cuisine fix at Kuriya.

Every month, they will introduce a seasonal set lunch which are reasonably priced considering the quality of food that they serve.
Typically, a set will contain:
- salad
- main inclusive of chawanmushi
- dessert and coffee/tea

This is the abalone set which I had on Tues. The soup base was delicious but the abalone to me, tasted like any average 'seafood'. The sashimi never fails and the dessert presentation brings the meal to a sweet ending.

Above are some pics from my previous visits.
- Tempura don with udon;
- Wagyu beef sukiyaki.

Sweetens any day

2011-07-19T18:24:00.000+08:00

Charlie Brown Cafe

I'm sure the look of this crepe whets your appetite already, doesnt it?

**Now if only the cafe is air-conditioned....would have added another star for ambience.

Butter cookies

2011-07-18T18:34:00.001+08:00

After attending the Madeline and Quiche class by Sugar-Inc two weeks ago, i rekindled my interest in baking. Dabbled in some mini-muffins and for the past weekend, I set my hands on butter cookies.

Surfed and copied the recipe from Karen Cheng.

The 2 car moulds were bought at a Hello Kitty shop at Central - $9.90

Ingredients used were simply:
- butter, flour, milk, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla essence

Preparation time took a while because I did everything manually. The dough was very soft still so I cooled it in the fridge instead of adding more flour. Didn't help much so I ended up cutting out the shapes on the trays direct and clearing out the excess from the sides.

Baking time took a while too because I did single trays and checked regularly for fear of over-browning.

However taste wise has been very satisfactory. Will be doing it again and attempting with my Mickey mouse mould next.

View from Marina Bay Residences

2011-07-18T18:10:00.000+08:00

Min celebrated her 6th birthday at MBR's function room on the 27th floor yesterday.

Here is the view that I took from the room. Unobstructed. Good place to see fireworks. Windy. Convenient access to the link mall.

Sigh, if only we can afford a unit in this vicinity. Next life I guess.

Anpanman pillowcase

2011-07-18T18:06:00.001+08:00

Elmo bought the cloth in Japan and it was just left in the room for the longest time possible. One day, I came across the cloths and told Mum that she should do a pillow for Kyle as birthday present. He would be thrilled.

Little did I know that 2 months later, mum really sewed a pillowcase for him.

Needless to add that Kyle was of course soooooo happy to see it. And he now has 3 pillows. Two small ones plus this. And the silly boy does 'stock' counts every night.

His nightly routine involves calling out "babies" if he can't find all 3 and will need to enlist Kate or my help to search for him. Only then, with all 3 tucked neatly under his arms will he then head off to slumberland.

And here he is posing for the camera. How not to adore right? So charming.

Recently I taught him how to say my name. My smart aleck actually remembered after teaching him thrice within 2 days. And now he proudly says it whenever I asks, what is mama's name.

Can u see me beaming?

Lunch at Mariners Corner (Western)

2011-06-01T17:20:00.000+08:00

Nestled in Maritime building, i read that they were pretty famous years back. Nowadays, they seem to be mostly frequented by executives who works around there, or families who go back to reminiscence old times or just there for the cozy feel.

Somehow, i am tempted to compare this place to Jack's Place and Hans (maybe). But I'm glad to say that Mariners Corners is still a notch above them.

They do daily set lunches and the prices are very reasonable.

Below is an example of Tuesday's.

For me, i always go for Sirloin Steak...no surprise there.

Their lobster bisque soup is very nice so an upgrade to that would cost an additional $3.50.

Dessert was coffee cream cake which, honestly, is just so-so. On other days, desserts could be puddings and that tastes much better.

Nevertheless, its an affordable set lunch, in cosy and air-conditioned "vintage" feel setting. Good.
I know of a similar style restaurant at Novena Ville - The Vines Seafood and Steak but havent had the chance to try their food yet...till then.

Total cost: $16.80

Lunch at Oso Ristorante (Italian)

2011-06-01T16:57:00.000+08:00

I was recently introduced to Oso Ristorante for Italian cuisine. Upon stepping into the restaurant, we were greeted by the handsome chef! And then when the waitress led us up the stairs to the main dining hall, i was pretty surprised to see that the restaurant was rather crowded.....you would never have guessed when looking in from the outside!

So, we studied the menu. Then after much deliberation, we all settled for the set lunch - $32++

Choice 1:

- Sliced buffalo mozzarella cheese and marinated anchovies with spinach salad in oregano-lemon dressing

- Cooked ham mousse in timbale style with Marsala wine sauce

- Classic mixed vegetables soup with basil pesto

Choice 2:

- "Paccheri" pasta, braised beef with rosemary "brasato" and fresh ricotta cheese dumplings

- Roasted salmon with almond served with celery puree and potato

- Mushroom platter with: Porcini cake, grilled Portobello, pan fried with garlic and parsley and braised bottom with milk

- OR, 200 gram of 200 days grain feed grilled beef "Fiorentina" with mixed vegetables in gremolata sauce (Additional $18)

Choice 3:

- Pumpkin and amaretto timbale with cinnamon served with white chocolate sauce

- Blueberries platter in cake, frozen parfait and slowly cooked in compote style

- The watermelon served classic as fruit and in granite with vintage Balsamico reduction

And i chose this:

The sundried tomato bread is good. It is fresh and the bread texture is just nice.

The buffalo cheese is not too overpowering and the anchovies eaten by itself is salty but mix all 3 up, it becomes a delicacy.

The pasta tasted a bit hard but i think its meant to be that way. Again, the dish gets better with each mouth and needless to say, i finished all of it.

Pumpkin dish was surprisingly good too.....it didnt taste too sickening nor too sweet.

I must say the dish presentation probably played a big part too...it made the food looks so appealing.

Below are additional pics taken of colleague's choices. Plan a visit there yah and do your own food assessment.

Lunch at Ma Maison (Fusion)

2011-05-31T10:14:00.013+08:00

Another of my favourite place which i have not visited in a while.

Ma Maison @ Central.
===> They now serve just LUNCH SETS during lunch hour...though they did accede to our request of 2 more side dishes, which you will see below.

Beef Stroganoff tasted just okay. I think its me though...tried it a few times before but the sauce just dont interest me much. This set cost $16.50 ++. (I also opted for ice-cream instead of coffee/tea/ice tea)

In case anyone is interested to see what other mains are served during lunch, here's 2 more pics.

The dory fish was that day's daily special so it cost $12.90++ and the Hamburger was at $16.50++Typically, sets come with salad, soup, main and coffee/tea/ice tea/ice cream.

And i'm a big fan of their cheese fritters so it was fortuntate that they were wiling to prepare it for us.

Then we ordered a dozen of escargots.....to share amongst us 4 hungry ladies.....SMILE......another satisfying meal.

Buffet at Ikoi (Japanese)

2011-05-31T10:05:00.000+08:00

I'm sure this needs no introduction! With a sudden longing for Ikoi, we made our way there for lunch last Friday. Just the two of us.

Some visible differences were that they now serve the potato salad and pickles to start you off....of course, the salmon starter still taste as delicious as ever. The dobinmushi, which we had refilled twice more, still tasted good albeit slightly not the same...maybe short of the chicken. Once again, i was pleased with my meal.....ooh, the thought of the 'soup' whets my appetite now.....argh...sashimi.....i need my sashimi fix....SOON.

The Soup Spoon

2011-05-31T09:58:00.000+08:00

This is Simon Garfunkel soup (L - $8.80). It's a mixture of veg, chicken, carrot, potato and an optional dollop of sour cream to top it off.

Yummy. I normally have it whenever I go for class and yesterday was the last lesson for the term. This time, I'm re-attempting P1 and also taking P3. Super stressed up because I haven't been studying much. Tired. Not enough time. Busy with kids and all. I have tons of excuses. Yah yah I know.
Stop. Procrastinating. Argh.

It's a financial drain. It is. I know it too and i'm trying to tell myself to get up my act and be determined. Just get it over with. But easier said than done. Duh. Nevermind, I'll persevere. Even if it means I'll be old and wrinkly and cranky and have more white hair on my head, I will still strive on!!!

May 2011 Birthday

2011-05-30T17:28:00.000+08:00

So I'm another year older. Never mind...i can live with that. Age is just a number! (yah right, who am i kidding!)

- Kyle is excited with the candle blowing but not the cake. Somehow, he hasnt acquired a liking for it just yet.

Kate was at her usual cuteness...singing Birthday song in her super loud voice...and even without audio, i'm sure you can imagine it. Cheers!

*Family lunch was held at Grand Shanghai but unfortunately, no pics.

Movie - Kung Fu Panda 2

2011-05-30T10:16:00.000+08:00

The famous quote "My fist hungers for justice"

It's the hot show now and cinema seats filled up fast over the weekend with Yishun GV even running out of those movie premiums popcorn combo with figurines.

For the adults, the silly conversations that Po (played by Jack Black) had with the other characters in the show are probably the most entertaining. Honestly some parts were a bit lame but we gotta give credits to the animation team for making Po so akin to Jack's onscreen personality. It was just, every expression was so him.

I like the bad peacock - Lord Shen, as well. Thought the graphics for that was done up rather nicely.

Overall the movie was entertaining and with that ending, I guess they are leaving more room for a sequel again. And i kick myself for not checking who is doing which voice-overs first.....would have paid more attention....to say, Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Soothsayer the Advisor (Michelle Yeoh).

For the kids, this is the first time that they sat through a movie without dozing off midway.
- Kate actually sat through without a toilet break. I was so impressed judging that she seems to have a weak bladder.
- Kyle got distracted midway and wanted to disturb the patrons sitting behind us. But he too got into the mood occasionally and kept shouting "panda panda there"

*Tickets were purchased online with admin fee of $1 using DBS Live card. ($8.50/ticket on weekends instead of $10.50)

Music books

2011-05-26T11:40:00.000+08:00

I love shopping at Kinokuniya bookstores because

1. We have the membercard so there's this 10% discount.

2. Thats one place where i can get my magazines with free pouches/bags/cute stuff.

InRed, Steady, Sweet, Nonno, Bathing Ape, Suzy Zoo.....etc

3. Thats also where we can get Anpanman, and of course, other children books for the kids

Kino often have "sales" throughout the year. Come Holidays or Anniversary and members will be entitled to 20% discounts and very often, the prices then for the japanese books doesnt differ too much from the original retail price.

When we were in Japan, we bought many such Music/Educational books for the kids. Could be in the form or a tambourine, drums, piano...etc. The range is pretty extensive and i am those who can stay ages in that section checking out the books.

Here's my most recent purchase:

Retails for $60

Retails for about $50

This is missing 2 "drum" sticks. And the cover is already torn too! Wear and Tear....no choice lah.

Brotzeit @ VivoCity

2011-05-25T13:58:00.001+08:00

My first try of German sausages was back when i was 16 and we were on a 1 day stop-over in Germany. Yes...unbelievable right??? Anyway, i didnt have that good an impression of the sausages.....so when colleagues suggested Brotzeit for lunch, i was like, they serve other food also right?? Because me no want to eat the sausages.

Surprise surprise...i ended up eating the sausages because anything with cheese always entices me. Their set lunch price at $15 was attractive but unfortunately, not the menu so i decided to pick a variety. It was an overall okay experience.

1. Onion soup - I kinda liked it. Having a chunk of cheese (bread like) to chew on besides the onion slices was good.

2. Mini Pork Cheese - Yummy. Taste just like those that i often eat in Japan (Crisp/Crunchy outer layer...inside is juicy)

3. Buttered Spatzle - This is very bland. I wont encourage anyone to try this.

4. Camembert with Cranberries sauce - Not too bad. The sauce is good. Can try only if you are a Camembert cheese fan.

5. Beer - Good. Smooth drink.

*Note: I was rather thirsty in the afternoon...Not sure what it could be due to....maybe too much msg in the soup??

*Prices indicated above are inclusive of taxes.

Kate poses with the crab

2011-05-25T11:11:00.001+08:00

The expiry date for my Feed @ Raffles card is drawing near (31 May), hence Iast Sat, we enjoyed our last complimentary (voucher) buffet at Ellenborough Market Cafe, Merchant Court hotel.

As it usually is, the place was packed with many diners. Their most popular dish is the durian (paste) which never fails to delight me. Other than that, I would say the weekend spread of $35++ is just average. The desserts seems to taste better than the main food.

Kyle was sleeping throughout luncheon which was of course good for us. So here's a collage of Kate posing with the crab before it ended up in our tummies.

The june birthday celebration - planning

2011-05-23T18:16:00.000+08:00

Kate and Kyle will be celebrating their birthdays next month.
I explored a few options - Mcdonald party, Gym party....but then the easiest would still be just to book a hotel stay and the kids can go swimming and relax.

MMM spotted the Tropical Special promo on the ANZ catalogue...and it is a good deal hence we booked it quickly. (though...Festive hotel is fully booked for the weekends...apparently, we arent that quick) And now that i'm checking up the details...actually ah, this is not limited to ANZ card...instead, any mastercard will do. ahahahha silly me but well, Details of the Hard Rock Hotel (They serve TWG tea packets!!!) stay is:

MasterCard GSS Promotion!!! This package costs S$598nett which includes:
- Two-nights stay
- Two Adult tickets to Universal Studios Singapore®
- Two Category 5 Voyage de la Vie™ tickets

Payment must be made with MasterCard.
All rates are inclusive of 7% Government Tax and 10% Service Charge.
(And i called them to ask for decorations - balloons etc? Thats chargeable at $80 so i said nevermind but there is a complimentary cake...so yes, i'm taking it.)

And through the motherhood forum, i joined a PartyCity spree and loots for kate's birthday party packs for her school friends are:
- Fun glasses, Stickers, Memo pads, Mini Harmonicas, Highlighter Stampers and additional Eraser boards and Mickey activity pad for her close close friends. Plus a tiara which she requested.
- Total spent = $106. ( i had an excel table done up to show unit costs...but dunno how to post it in here..so if anyone is remotely interested, i can actually email it to you.)

I also bought the inflatable balloons...but they are not in yet.
Pretty cheap....also through spree. Heard from a colleague that she went to florist shop to have them inflated with helium and it will cost about $6. All in all...these should still be cheaper than buying direct from stores here. There, i have one balloon for Kyle and one for Kate.

Celebrating Grandpa's birthday - 2011

2011-05-23T17:24:00.000+08:00

As with the regular birthday celebrations...i'm sure we had lunch somewhere...maybe Grand Shanghai...duh...not helping...i seriously cannot remember and too lazy to find out now. Wait a minute....did i give pa red packet??? oh yes oh yes...i did...phew. otherwise, wait labelled as unfilial daughter.

So here they are, both pa and ma with the 3 girls....Kyle was sleeping then hence not pictured.

Arent they just lovely?? They are always fighting for the chance to blow out the candles...sigh....children are such a joy.

This is the link to 2009....what happened to 2010? eh...cant quite remembered...must have forgotten to blog.

Kyle begins school

2011-05-06T11:46:00.001+08:00

Kyle, who will turn 2 come June 2011, attended his first day of Playgroup at the childcare centre (where kate is also at; just different block) yesterday.

The night before he refused to sleep and only ended up heading for bed at the stroke of midnight. The next morning, he was naturally a little grouchy.

So grandpa fetched him and his sister to school and so i've heard.
The first day went:
- Kyle cried and cried and vomited
- Grandpa and papa accompanied him for a short though at different timings
- he didn't play with his new classmates but chose to keep looking down at his feet (he often behaves like this with strangers)

- ate his rice but spat out long beans (which his papa agrees; this veg is not his fav too)
- after showering, Kyle was left naked (wriggled out of towel) standing for quite a while and his papa was mad at the teacher for neglecting him too long and went to tell her off
- Kyle refused his milk then napped till 3pm.

- Refused his bread with kaya tea break because teacher not aware that he likes plain bread only. (poor chap must have been starving till his milk feed at 4.30pm)
- then 5.15pm, home sweet home.

Cute: Principal popped by to check on him but he shut his eyes and refused to look at her.

5 May 2011 (2nd day)
- cried and vomited again but soon warmed up to class and teacher after grandpa left
- enjoyed the playground outdoor activity
- ate the beehoon that teacher fed him (newcomers will first be fed before their own hands on time)
- finished his 120ml milk, walks about then napped.
- everything seems fine. Phew.

Catching an insect

2011-05-03T12:06:00.001+08:00

From Alex Toys store at vivo city, I bought this bug container for kate to play with. $7.90

So earlier papa and Kate decided to catch the easiest possible first victim - black ant.
It's a novelty so kate was very excited at this new 'toy'.

Next up should be cockroaches, ladybug, spider...etc
(Provided the container doesnt spoil first when they keep throwing it about...kids.)

Capping the 2 ants.

Kate admiring her new catch.

Growing sideways

2011-03-17T02:14:00.000+08:00

Kate must have inherited my genes....she's chubby and cute.
She has grown taller but if compared to her cousin, Win Win or her friend, Jialin, who are both of the same age group with her, then she kinda has a bit to catch up.

Pics taken on 13 March 2011.
Age:
- Kate at 3 yrs and 9 mths old
- Win Win at 3 yrs and 6.5 mths old

Kate loves to make funny face and i thought both of them looks really cute in this spontaneous pic.

Chocolate Truffle Making

2011-03-17T01:48:00.000+08:00

Date: 15 Mar 2011
Venue: Toa Payoh South CC
Cost: $30 + $10 (materials)
Time: 1.5 hrs
Trainer: Ms Crystal & her mum as assistant

It seemed pretty simple to do it.
Basically, ingredients were as follows:
- 180 grams Chocolates: 55% cocoa, 70% cocoa and white chocolate (available at Phoon Huat, Pastry Mart..etc)
- 50 grams Dairy Cream
- 15 grams Butter (Salted or Unsalted are both fine)
- 300 grams Melted chocolates for coating

Part 1: Boil dairy cream in saucepan. Pour inside the chocolate mix. (the mini-bits of 55% & 70% mix)
Then stir to melt the chocolates. Add butter (to give smooth and glossy texture) and mix evenly. Add in hazelnuts or raisins at this juncture, if desired. (Double boil if mixture hasnt fully melt)

Part 2: Cool the mixture for a while then put it in piping bags and chill till its firm. (Approx 30 mins in the freezer)

Part 3: Pipe the chocolate onto trays. Roll into ball-like shapes by hand. Dip into melted dark/white chocolate as coating followed by second coating of peanuts, rainbow chocolates....etc.
In addition, can also place the melted chocolate into the piping and use it for decorations on the truffles.

Part 4: Chill for a while so that the chocolates wont melt that quickly and then pop into your mouth!!

Update of Kyle at 19 mths

2011-02-24T16:32:00.003+08:00

This was written during early Jan 2011.
Sometimes i forget that Kyle is still just, a little toddler! It never cease to amaze me how much he has grown and the skills that he has picked up at just 19 months old.
It is correct to say that, the 2nd child in the family indeed picks up a lot from his older sibling and its like, he has no time to lose.....CATCH UP.

As always, i gush whenever i think about Kyle. He is sooooooo cute....soooooooo charming! I just cant help it.....of course, as he is my son, i definitely sing his praises but i honestly do feel that he is one smart chap.

Rough weight: 10 kg
Rough height: 75cm

Occassionally, Kyle still wakes up and requests for milk in the middle of the night. One night, i felt him turning about and making some noise. Woke up, asked him whats wrong because he too sat up. Then he just raised his hand. And i went, "you want milk har?" and he nods his head. So each time, i would tell him, okay lie on the bed and wait, mummy will go make your milk. He would reply "okay".

Kyle started walking when he turned one and right now, he seems to have grasp running too....albeit still not very steady at times...judging by the way he bumps around at home.
Each morning when he wakes up, he would come down the stairs and immediately head for the living room where he will sweetly call out "Ah Gong" then followed with "Gabba Gabba" - His all-time favourite television show. Well, there's also Anpanman and he too likes Elmo and Hello Kitty. (He can say quite a lot of words actually!)

Kyle can be rather independent at times also. If he cant get Grandpa or his aunt's attention, he would do it himself. He is often seen, taking the DVDs and inserting (using palm, legs and even his butt) it into the player by himself. Then he will finger the remote and try to work some magic. Very observant too!!! Hubby witnessed once, Kyle sitting on the floor, attempting to clean the disc with a cloth and a bottle of cleaner. The right actions were enacted......then we figured he must have caught Grandpa in action and was copying him.

Another of his favourite activity, is FOOD. Kyle seems to be eating all the time!!!! Apart from milk, cereal, porridge, he would often help himself to the tidbits area....grabbing stuff within reach and for those not within, he would grab chairs to aid his climb. Pears and Oranges are on his favourite list too.

I have already mentioned before too right?? He likes to climb on chairs and tables and then will shout "gao gao" (high) to alert everyone to see his little achievement. Mum is usually frightened of his feats....because they simply are too dangerous.

Learning from all the "jie jie"s at home, he is getting quite good at the "scooter". Smooth!!! Just that he hasnt learned how to step on the brake yet.

He is very thoughtful as well - There were a few times when Kate was crying, this little boy would run to fetch tissue and clean his jiejie's (sister) face. How sweet right? Kate does the same for him too and its always very comforting to see the two kids caring for each other like this.
Kyle enjoys following after Kate and like me, when i shout for Kate, he becomes my echo. They hug often and likes to sleep close together too. Awwww....

Its very endearing too when we hear him greet all of us. Friendly kid smiles at most anyone - strangers, foreign workers that he sees...and when he sees fellow friends or posters, he would point and shout "baby". Plus, he enjoys waving bye bye. I'm glad that his social skills are good.

Right now, i havent planned when he should start at the child-care centre. Mum is quite reluctant to let him go though....so will just see how first.

25 Dec 2010 - At home; Morning.

25 Dec 2010 - Busy munching bread and watching cartoon

2 Jan 2011 - Snapped this onboard a taxi. Isnt he charming?

9 Jan 2011 - Fun at Jacob Ballas Park. Gungho boy just went in to play hence he was ALL wet.

CNY 3 Feb 2011 - Day 1. My boy in oversize Pumpkin Patch clothes.

13 Feb 2011 - Sometime in early Feb. After MIL visit, whilst waiting for a cab back.

Ah Beng look

2011-02-24T16:22:00.000+08:00

Venue: Ground floor of MIL's place
Age: 20 mths old

Character update: active, very active. Seems stubborn and a little spoilt. Mischievous and smart.

Likes: Anpanman, Thomas trains, Mickey mouse, Hello kitty, Elmo and Yo Gabba Gabba.

Enjoys eating, running around, playing with his sister and cousins, going on bicycle trip with grandpa.

Achievement: Managed to ditch his pacifier habit. (He accidentally dropped it into the toilet bowl and i didnt had any spare ones so after a few days, Kyle got the hang of sleeping without it.)

Raining still

2011-02-01T04:51:00.000+08:00

I woke up at 2am earlier...then went to paint my nails (this is to prevent them from breaking easily - my theory). At 2.30am, i went back to bed....but couldnt sleep...so decided to go through some pics - actually owe my domestic helper because i had promised her will develop some of her photos for her.

And right now, its 4.50am....freaking shit...i'm still up at this unearthly hour.....not doing homework (due this evening when i attend my class) - and sharks...class will end 9.45pm tonight...wanna bet how exhausted i will be by end of the day? dont even think about it.....

and its been raining and raining and still raining....maybe i should wear slippers to office later as well.....better that than wet (and smelly) feet

Kate's Class Picture

2011-02-01T04:46:00.000+08:00

Kate has been at the Child Care Centre since Apr 09 and she is currently in N2.

I realised that i didnt post up her previous class photos so here they are.

PG 2009

N1 2010

Conclusion

1. Apparently Kate doesnt look photogenic in 'official' photos.

2. She has many favourite friends.

Olay Total Effects - 126% discount?????

2011-01-13T14:07:00.000+08:00

Been getting this for mum all these while and usually I will go to Watson's or my toiletries.

NOT WISE!!

For Christmas, MMM and I both bought this Olay cream. (have since given it away as presents hence I was replacing the stock). I got mine as usual from Watsons @ $21.90. She bought from Cold Storage at a promo price of $18.90 (around there; less than $20)

Earlier, after finishing lunch at the Chinatown market, I decided to head up to the 3rd floor to check out the toiletries.

Major shock!!!! One of the shops is actually selling the same item at $13.50. I feel so ripped off. Imagine, the recommended retail price is stated at $26.90 in all major stores.

So anyway, bought that and a few other cheap, when compared to outside toiletries, and headed to another shop just round the corner. Naturally I needed to do a price comparison and #%%^^ this shop is only selling it at $11.90. (same manufacturing batch too)
Argh kill me. (i bought it anyway coz I was so upset). I even went back to the prev store to tell the auntie that her price is still high but no response from her lah.

From $26.90 to $11.90, that's a whopping 126% discount. Ok even if we just compare it to the price that will I usually pay for, $21.90, that's still a 84% price difference!!!!!

Ok pple, if you know of anyone using this product, you know where to advise them to buy from yah.

乱乱吃

2010-12-02T23:20:00.001+08:00

Kyl has been down with diarrhea (spelling right?) for the past few days.
Instead of the planned dentist visit with Kate, yesterday we changed plans and brought Kyle to the PD instead.
So as suspected, Kyle must have been eating too much rubbish, ie anything also put in mouth so ate too much dirt causing stomach to be upset. Poor fella would go "put put", "pain pain" all the time coz his butt became red as a result of too much poop action.
The clinic opens at 7pm but when hubby reached at 7.05pm, his queue number was already 12. PD's business has always been teeming with customers/patients. 超旺! though of course not a good thing that so many kids are sick.
Anyway after just a mere 5 mins or so of consultation, we exited the clinic at 8.20pm, $101.65 poorer.
Consultation - $40.00
Biogaia - $42.90
Himalayan salt - $4.80
Smecta - $12.00

Eating with my 17mth old

2010-11-22T16:37:00.000+08:00

21 Nov 2010 - Lunch at Paragon-Sushi Tei

It can sometimes be a very tiring affair dining out with this 17mth old.

I love this little kid to bits but he really tests our patience (many times) but then each time he flashes that cheeky grin, oh well....we smile warmly back.

Yesterday, during lunch, Kyle behaved in his usual manner.

Grabbing for stuff on the table, then when he saw utensils placed in front of him, he made a go for it and when we placed it out of his touch, he stretched to his max ability and also made those toddler grunting noises to show his annoyance for not being able to get the items.

The naughty side
He will refuse to eat by spitting the food once it touches his mouth; He spits the food onto his clothes or turns to his side, and attempts to spit onto the floor.

Halfway through, he gets bored and plays with his shoes. Then lifting it up onto the table.

Or, he insists on feeding himself and i face the risk of having oily fingers on my clothes and face and wherever he chooses to grab.

Or, of course, getting bored quickly and tries to reach for other stuff say cups, sauces, wet wipes...and throwing stuff.

Then comes the part when he feels he has had enough and wants to get out of the high-chair, where he kicks and agains grunts in protests and later on, crys in frustration.

The good sideArmed with the iphone, switched on to his favourite show - Yo Gabba Gabba, then he would let me feed him whilst he watched the show.

Fish, rice in soup, chawanmushi, chicken....all okay.

PTM 2010

2010-11-21T04:22:00.000+08:00

Parents teachers meeting.

Overall review is good. Kate is talkative, mostly attentive, likes to assume teacher role, eats well in school but still can't really control her urine during naps.

Well liked by friends and teachers ad is moving to N2 (focus more on writing, reading, phonics and speech & drama will also have outdoor trips also) from 15 Dec 2010. Her current teacher says that there will be a shuffle of teachers and class mix but can't reveal anything now.

On kate's progress, still can't really recognize many characters and numbers. She enjoys singing mandarin songs and actively participates in class activities.

She is seen below with one of her favorite classmate - Katherine.

Baking session

2010-11-21T04:03:00.000+08:00

I haven't baked anything since a really long time. In the past, I would occasionally make portugese tarts or cookies and once, chicken pie.

So after hearing about colleague's daughter's 'cooking' session in school, I decided to try baking with Kate too. Chance for her to make a mess she sure very happy.

Since I was planning in office, I googled for a simple recipe and found one on about.com. (it turns out to be the same recipe on the semi-sweet choc chips packing)

All 3 kids were excited and eager to help in anyway possible. Oil the tray, towel dry the utensils, subsequently mixing of flour, beating of eggs, adding choc chips..etc to eventually scooping the dough onto the trays. (Min, being older naturally was able to help more)

Even though I did add lesser sugar as instructed, it still taste a little sweet. And it's more of soft cookies rather than crispy but surprisingly the kids liked it. They brought some to share with their art class friends as well. Phew, and I had thought that it might not be popular.

Kate says she wants to do pancakes next time. Well, that should be easy.

Lucky week

2010-11-11T16:10:00.000+08:00

First, I received a letter from Young Parents saying that I had won in the April's issue contest - $100 voucher to be used for Birthday parties held at Sportball Singapore. (ok, if the party is costly, I may not take it but at least it's a gift)
Yesterday, I received an SMS from My Paper, informing me that I have won a pair of tickets to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Harrows next tues at The Cathay. How lucky yah? This, I had responded when reading the papers on my daily journey to office by texting my details - $0.30

Well anyway, I need to fetch Kate to her make-up Chinese class next tues so my sis is one happy person to have inherited the "email" for redemption.
I never get the big ticket draws, oh unless u consider my striking a prize during D&D this year - a netbook, still better such thrills than nothing right?

Just came back from a 2 day course in decision making. Kinda crap but attending courses, having the tea breaks are always good. Besides, I was able to eat this super tasty prawn mee near the training venue - The Verge (little India) for 2 days. Argh it's honestly delicious.

Tonight and tomorrow, I have my intensive revision course for the ACCA paper I will be attempting in dec. On sat and sun, it's another 6 hrs of course each day. Not sure how I will last, seeing that I will miss the kids crazy and also jealous that they will be out having fun whilst I slog at the papers but well, it's for the sake of a better future!!! I will survive.
And I have preempt that I will surely be exhausted on Monday, so mua have applied leave. Phew.

Styrofoam cup art

2010-11-01T14:49:00.002+08:00

Honestly, I'm pretty proud of my artwork. This was done whilst chatting with colleagues.

Started off with just a face. Then as I sculpted, it began to look more like a monkey. (I say so)

On the other side of the cup, I decided on a tree. I like it. So anytime when u feel bored, grab a cup and create some art too.

Zoo excursion

2010-10-31T08:00:00.000+08:00

Last entry posted was in Sep. How can!!! Me been too lazy to write about post japan and post Penang feelings. Argh.

Anyway, today we went to the Zoo. Since I joined my current company, the kids have gone to the zoo at least 3 times annually. And that's because I can apply for the corporate friends of zoo card from office!!

In the morning there was art class. Then supposedly it was just Kate Kyle me and hubby for zoo trip because MMM and Elmo was getting bored of the too frequent zoo visits. However, after driving us there, Min and Win was eager to go see animals too so off we all went.

Bought a child ticket for Min - $12. Super duper long wait because the people before me were tourists and had sooo many questions to ask the staff.

And this time round, we managed to rent the wagon. And TWO some more at $18 each. According to the staff, they have just added a new batch (comes with shade) of wagons to meet the ever increasing demand. But after renting it and before even stepping into the zoo proper, heavy downpour descended on us. What luck!! We were all upset because it was really heavy but the kids were still so hyper, other than Kyle who had dozed off during the ticket queuing.

Nevertheless, once the rain seemed to have abated, we began our tour. This time round, we decided to view some animals that we often bypassed.

So, it was off to to see reptiles. Crocodiles, Komodo dragon, big lizards.. and the kids were happy to see giant tortoises too. So big. We read that one has even hit more than 70 years old already. Impressive.

And we also watched a splashsafari show-sealion . Prior to that, had initially wanted to watch the 4.30pm animals show at kidzworld but was afraid we would run out of time and that they might get "stuck" at the waterplay area so off we went for the highlight of today's trip.

ELEPHANT RIDE. On one of our previous visits, we sat on the horse carriage. Rather fun experience. This time round we sat on the elephant's back. $8/person for age 3 and up.

Extremely short ride like just 2 mins but the kids were thrilled. All except for Win who hasn't overcome her fear in quite a bit of stuff. Then we purchased this picture at $20 for souvenir.

As were making our way back, heavy downpour resumed. Duh. Then whilst exiting the zoo, we came face to face with many people dressed up for halloween. Happening.
Next zoo trip has been scheduled on 18 Dec 2010. Until then..happy trick or treat.

Kyle at 15 months old

2010-09-20T09:07:00.000+08:00

Been wanting to write about Kyle's progress.
Checking back, this entry has been in draft mode for a month already. So that's how long I have dragged!

Just 2 days back, Kyle surprised me in two incidents.

1. I was in the kitchen. He carried the potty to me. Tugged at his shorts. I helped him out of his diaper and pants, sat him down. Then he pooped. How smart of him.

2. Min and Kate were dancing in the room. Kyle observed them for a few seconds then went to stood in front and started to sway to the music too.

When he was around 13 months old, he began to learn to walk. He occasionally would carry the potty to mum too, signaling his intention to pass urine.

During shower, I used to carry him in squatting position and get him to urine. (as with the other kids during this stage) His papa was worried when Kyle only urined in this manner but Kyle has recently decided to do it the man's way by simply standing. So now I'll just say, "didi xuxu" and he would pass urine immediately.

28 Aug 2010

So Kyle's an avid food lover too. He enjoys snacking on biscuits, bread, banana and other fruits, chocolate... And the cute thing is when he has had enough or doesn't like the item, he shakes his head or simply turns away.

.
22 Aug 10 - Near YT house

Like his sister and probably most kids, he loves watching cartoons. Gabba gabba, anpanman and Mickey mouse shows are his all time favorite. When he enters the room or MMM's car, he would point to the screen, way of telling us to switch it on for him.

21 Aug 10 @ Pearl's Hill Terrace

Raising his hand is sorta like his code answer to us too. Like I would ask him if he wants milk, wants to get out of the room, shower, poop, whether he has finished the dump,...etc, Kyle would actually raise his hand in answer to my questions. Real cooperative.

12 Sep 2010

\Sleeping has been pretty easy for him as well. Seldom do I get tantrums. Give him his pacifier and bolster and he turns into a happy toddler. Will try to stop his pacifier habit when he hits 2.

25 Aug 2010 - Home

At times he can be super clumsy. Walking and bumping on tables numerous times, or slipping but again thankfully, he would bawl for less than a minute and snap right into shape. You will just notice many bumps on his face!! (like war fight)

18 Sep 2010 @ Botanical Garden

And we wonder if it's just boys thing but Kyle really does seem too active. Constantly in action and we really have to watch him closely otherwise he is off to the toilet bowl "fishing" or helping to "clear stuff" by dumping everything in the bin or bringing all the books from the shelves, satisfied with the mess them scrams. No time to rest except when he takes his hour plus naps in the day and if lucky, twice a day. And if we are conscientious enough by not sleeping with him, by the time the mess get cleaned up, he would be up to recreate the scene one more time.

19 Sep 2010 @ Fitness Ground downstairs

Nevertheless, Kyle is still the youngest hence most doted on in the family.

Alrighty, entry finally finishing. We will be off to the land of the rising sun in less than 24 hrs. Yippee

2 May 2010

12 Sep 2010

Bumper Playmat for the kids

2010-09-19T07:43:00.000+08:00

Good stuff must share!!

For those of you with young children and hasnt seen such bumper playmats yet, dont miss out.

I personally find that they are well worth the money spent. In the market, there are some stores selling it at cheaper prices but the quality aint good and i doubt it would last for long.

During house-visting few years back, i chanced upon such mat at my cousin's place. It was comfortable to step on and she said, her kids have been taught to sit there to play when at home. (A designated corner). So this is already my 2nd mat purchased from SmallSmallWorld. (Discovered them from forums)

One mat at mum's place (Still in use after 2.5 years) and this 2nd mat, bought in May 2010 is bought for my own flat.

Both Kate and Kyle loves it. Because its not only comfy, but also colourful. Both sides are printed in different designs.

Differing sizes and thicknesses plus designs of the mats are available with range hitting above $300.

Fisher Price (Earth) - 1900 x 1300 x 12mm

$150

Posing with a 'celebrity'

2010-09-19T07:28:00.000+08:00

Earlier this month, at Paragon, we chanced upon Mister Maker at the shopping mall so the kids (who pulled their aunt - Elmo) got excited and wanted to snap a pic with him.

TODAYonline | Singapore | Life has to go on, says MM Lee

2010-09-13T08:23:00.001+08:00

Please read the article.

TODAYonline | Singapore | Life has to go on, says MM Lee

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/11/world/asia/11lee.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

EmailPrint
Life has to go on, says MM Lee
by clement mesenas 05:55 AM Sep 13, 2010
SINGAPORE - It has been two years and four months since his wife of six decades was bed-bound by a series of strokes, unable to speak.

"What to do? What else can I do? I can't break down. Life has got to go on," said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, in an unusually personal and reflective interview with The New York Times, in which he spoke at length on religion, meditation and caring for Mdm Kwa Geok Choo, 89.

Describing her as "inert but still cognitive", Mr Lee said: "She understands when I talk to her, which I do every night. She keeps awake for me; I tell her about my day's work, read her favourite poems."

These include Shakespeare's sonnets and anthologies of poetry where she had flagged her favourite pieces. Recently, he ticked off a list of audio books he thought his wife, an English literature major, would find interesting.

"She was into literature, from Alice in Wonderland, to Adventures with a Looking Glass, to Jane Austen's Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. Jane Austen was her favourite writer ... Also Chaucer's Canterbury Tales."

Mr Lee added: "I try to busy myself but from time to time in idle moments, my mind goes back to the happy days we were up and about together."

When he looked at old photographs, he said: "I thought how lucky I was. I had 61 years of happiness."

An agnostic, Mr Lee said: "I'm not sure who's going first, whether she or me. So I told her, I've been looking at the marriage vows of the Christians.

"The best I read was: 'To love, to hold and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, till death do us part.' I told her I would try and keep you company for as long as I can. She understood."

At home, he sleeps in the next room and hears her groans when she's uncomfortable from a dry throat. He described how the nurses had to suck the phlegm out. "It's very distressing but that's life," he said - a phrase he repeats several times.

"How do I comfort myself? Well, I say life is just like that."

He compared the stress of her condition to the political stress he faced when Singapore was kicked out of Malaysia. "That's intense stress and it's over but this is stress which goes on."

He finds a measure of solace through meditation which he learnt from a friend whose wife later died from cancer.

His views on the afterlife? "Well, what is next, I do not know. Nobody ever came back."

Tokyo Disneyland Ticket pricing

2010-09-09T11:43:00.001+08:00

I first read from the newspapers that there will be a Singapore Exclusive Passport to Tokyo Disneyland.
Then from the website, it turns out that the special is we can actually pre-purchase the tickets from the designated ticketing agencies here.

1. Buy in Singapore.
2. Need not decide on visit date now as tickets are valid from Sep to Dec 2010.
3. On the day, if you decide to go Disney Sea instead, you can do so too.
4. Present the tickets at admission. No queues!!
5. Even if tickets for the day have been sold out, admission is still guaranteed with these Singapore bought tickets.

So i called up the agencies this morning to confirm the prices.

**Follow Me Japan says they calculate base on current exchange rate. And for today, it is 1.7.
Then for CTC, they gave me this ridiculously high quote and even said theirs is base on exchange rate conversion. When i said but its too high, he said, in Japan, its about this price also.
This would mean that the rate they use is actually 100yen = 2.24?? Its crap. I reckon they factor in admin charges $40 and $30 respectively.

I better get my tickets from HIS quick. Lest they decide to up their prices.

At the playground downstairs

2010-09-02T14:29:00.000+08:00

These were taken on 8 July 2010.

I came home to find the kids all downstairs at the fitness ground fooling around.

Ever-daring Kate was the first to start jumping in pic shown below. Gradually, Min and Win joined in to jump as well. Okay, i need to state upfront that this is not encouraged!! And adult supervision is necessary!

They did enjoyed themselves though.

And i like the part where all 3 of them pushed Kyle about in the stroller. He is like the King and his 'servants/guards' are pushing him about.

Children derive joy from simple stuff.

Drooling

2010-09-02T14:02:00.001+08:00

Kyle's been drooling lately hence the need to wear a bib again.

Teething? Actually I'm not sure too. Most of his teeth seems to be out. Maybe inner inner ones?

He is 14.5 months old now and weighs 9.4kg. Maybe a little on the petite size but definitely advantageous in terms of moving about. This boy is super active...constantly walking about in the house.

Carnival Fun

2010-08-30T13:37:00.001+08:00

17 July 2010

AIA's roadshow at Tampines.

The kids had a great time running and jumping on the "bouncer". Kate was her usual daring self and after a while, she started to perform stunts. On the slide, she first came down the traditional way, then soon, she was running down it and later on, she decided to slide down head first.

Kyle played as well and he was all smiles.

In the "battle", hubby first asked if she wanted to play. She wasnt keen but later on changed her mind. She asked Min to play together with her but Min was scared so Kate asked her papa to play with her instead. Loads of fun and it was a sight as well. Soon, Min's interest got piqued and she too played and as you can tell from the pics, they enjoyed the fight though they had to expend a lot of energy just to carry the "cushion"

On the whole, though it was a hot day, this bouncer, coupled with other activities, small gifts, drinks and fruits were more than enough to make our afternoon.

"You are not stupid"

2010-08-27T16:58:00.000+08:00

On Tuesday, Kate came up to me and said "Mummy, my friend say I stupid"

On Wednesday, Kate said "Mummy, my friend call me 大便 (shit)"

On Thursday, I followed up on this and said so anything happened today? She said, have another friend also call her 大便 (shit).

I told her that her good friend is being naughty and she should stop playing with her until she becomes a good girl. And tell her friend that it is not nice to say such words. Plus tell teacher next time it happens.

Kate did tell me that she smiled and walk away when her friend called her this. She said she walk about, came back, walk about again and they still called her that. Asked her who else did they say it to she replied "its only me".

Sigh, part and parcel of school life. Anyway, spoke to her teacher about something else today and mentioned this. She said the stupid part she wasn't aware. Next time it happens, they are going to be put on the thinking chair.

Rush-Me-Not September workshop

2010-08-25T14:14:00.000+08:00

The school where Kate is currently taking art classes from has a workshop coming up.

Take a look, call the school to get more info if you are interested.

Photoshoot - End Product

2010-08-25T09:45:00.000+08:00

I have been busy...(well who isnt) and it upsets me that i havent been able to update about the latest happenings on a timely basis....sigh....very often, when i'm home after work, i'm too busy with the kids and then too tired to even sit and type away at the computer.

So well, one thing at a time.

We did the photoshoot at Schnap Studio early this month, over a span for 2 full hours and collected the final-edited pics (in a disc) last weekend.

During the viewing, i had only 'Excellent' in mind...though of course, i might have been overwhelmed then.

Looking back at the 68 pics, i have selected a few of my favourite and representative shots of us.

Pity that our FAMILY shot, which was our primary purpose of the photoshoot, werent too ideal....but well, we can only expect so much from kids...especially cranky ones!

Memories!

Science Centre

2010-08-11T13:08:00.000+08:00

4 August 2010

Visiting Science Centre feels like revisiting the past. Back in the old school days, i always look forward to such trips purely because no need to study!!! wahahahahah...outings are fun.

Ticketing - Admission & IMAX Movie - Adult ($15); Child ($8)

After a gap of more than 10 years, this time round, i brought the kids for their first experience.

But emmm, i think they are really too young to fully enjoy the exhibits. Guess if you ask Kate what she enjoyed the most, it will definitely be the waterplay area. And oh, the buggy. Both Kate and Kyle loves to sit in it.

Crowd - There were many many kids in there. Children from about 4 schools visited the place. Good lah, we are boosting our local attraction.

IMAX Movie - They were showing a story on Beaver. I like the show but Kate kept saying she wanted to leave because she was too excited to play water. Due to its nice setting, it was rather conducive for sleep too so Kyle fell asleep after a while. Hubby and I got a bit sleepy towards the end. (He said, the guy sitting beside him even snored). Elmo too got sleepy.

Cafe - Not too sure if its the only eatery available inside but they sure are super expensive. Bought a packet of Ribena ($2.50), Nachos ($4; Chips were too hard), a stick of fishball ($2.50; Not fresh and seems fried for many times) and a Hotdog wrapped in pancake (2.50). I would suggest for all to please go prepared with snacks. Alternatively, buy from Macdonalds which is just right outside.

Below are some pics that were taken at the Science Centre.

Polliwink Elmo Slippers

2010-08-11T09:07:00.000+08:00

We spent the National Day Holiday at the ZOO. Extremely crowded and it was hot too.

Bought Kyle this footwear because it is so irresistible. Agree? $39.60 from kiosk at Amphitheatre.

Roller skates/blades

2010-08-07T11:51:00.000+08:00

Last evening, Elmo brought Kate to join me for shopping at Orchard.

Mission was to buy presents for Kate's friend who is celebrating her 3rd birthday today.

I already had some stuff in mind so shopping wasn't too difficult. Bought clothes, a book, a box of biscuit and a pillow. Of which the latter 2, Kate has for herself as well. If she likes it, sure her friend will like it too. So all 4 kids will have something to give to J later.

Then at Toys R Us, Elmo showed Kate a bag of skates and gears. Initially she wasn't very keen but after trying she said she wanted to bring it home. And so we purchased it in the end - $89.95

This morning, the kids were all busy staking their claims on this new interest. And it's in pink too, even better. Will see when they can master skating.

Family Photoshoot

2010-08-01T17:21:00.000+08:00

After planning for about 2 months, we finally did our photoshoot today.

From 12pm to 2.30pm.
Initiated by Elmo, who sourced Schnap Studio from facebook, we went to their cozy little studio at Pearl's Hill (chinatown) for the children's first shooting.

Hair and makeup for us women took about 30mins,$80/person. The makeup artist was recommended by Schnap. Face makeup was alright but I felt that hair setting was just average.

Duo team who was in charge of this shoot is friendly. They were patient with the kids and with us noisy group.

Started with the kids doing individual shots, then together, then my family, MMM's family, then mum dad, and them with the kids then us 3 sisters, followed with mum and eventually the whole 11 of us - 7 adults and 4 children.

We woke Kyle up for the shot and he wasn't happy. And the kids were starting to become rather cranky too so unfortunately, that section, which was actually our main focus, probably didn't turn out great.

I didn't snap much on phone so can only share this 2 pics. Will post up Schnap's when it's ready.

TCM - Eu Yan Sang Clinic

2010-07-29T15:52:00.001+08:00

At home, we have this chinese medicine powder which MMM bought from a medicine hall at Tampines area. It helps to cure cough for the kids (adults can take it as well) and also helps in some way to strengthen their body.

As it contains high grade of some famous chinese ingredients, it costs about $250 for a bottle.

** Price is largely dependent on the ingredients to be mixed.

Kids at home enjoys drinking this. Maybe because it has a tinge of sweetness and mild typical chinese medicine taste. (Difficult to describe)

(Will get name of medicine hall and ingredients listing when i'm home, in case there might be anyone who is interested)

So lately, Kate and I have been plagued by runny nose and cough.

Okay, how shall i put this:

Generally, western medicine kinda treats just the surface problem. It surpresses the condition. You have cough, you will take the cough syrup, then gets cured. Two months later, cough may come back, you repeat this process and it goes away too. But there might be a root cause to this which may go undetected. Without solving the root, the sickness tends to recur.

For eg, my colleague says her kid falls sick almost every month. Will be down with fever and cough. After taking western medication, it recovers but the following month, it comes back and she has to visit the clinic again - we always jokingly say that this type of subscription fees are unavoidable. Then one day, after her kid has consistently said that she is very very tired, colleague decided to bring her kid to a chinese sinseh. (This was at the recommendation of another colleague whose daughter and brother ever experienced the same kind of symptoms) Then it was discovered that she was actually suffering from this sickness called - Mo3 Dan1. This cannot be detected by our Western doctors or pds. Well, unless they are quite experienced in this area. So the chinese sinseh prescribed some medicine and instructed that her kid is only allowed to drink and eat certain food during the 3 days of treatment and nowadays, it does seem that her daughter is better. No longer constantly falling sick.

So well, as chinese, i cannot disregard that TCM may just be the answer to some of our illnesses, if not all. (just that they dont taste so great.....bitter is the general agreed taste)

Yesterday, i took half day leave and brought Kate to Eu Yan Sang Clinic at Khoo Teck Puat branch.

Being newly shifted from the previous location at Blk 200+, there werent any other patients at the clinic when i reached. Good, no need to wait.

Kate - Was acting as usual and said she was scared....didnt want to see the doctor....

So, he checked me first. Checked mouth, felt pulse. He asked about the colour, texture (sticky?) of the phlegm, the frequency of coughing - whether once or twice, short coughs or non-stop coughing at one time, and whether any vomiting, fever......etc. Anyway, in short, i do know that mine is heaty cough. (there are a few variations of cough - dry, cold...)

When i was done, Kate had also started to warm up so doctor checked her mouth and finger. Then he wrote out our prescriptions.

So to end my long long entry, our prescription is for 5 days - 3 times each; a packet each time.

Me, like Kate, will drink in this manner - spoonful and it takes about 10 spoonfuls to finish up one packet of the medicine.

Costs:
Child consultation - $12; Medication - $5/day x 5 days = $25.
Adult consultation - $12; Medication - $7/day x 5 days = $35.

Kyle's passport application

2010-07-29T11:57:00.001+08:00

This is of course, a pre-requisite for the upcoming trip.

Always a challenge to snap 'formal' pics of the shot but we, i should say, hubby, was pretty lucky to be able to capture such a good shot of Kyle - Looking straight into the camera and still giving a slight smile.

Just submitted his passport application; Fee of $70. Hopefully it will pass their checks and then, passport should be ready for collection from Aug 2010. Wait and see now.

歌词 - 超人不会飞

2010-07-27T11:35:00.001+08:00

I recently attended Jay Chou's concert at Indoor Stadium - 2nd night. (He performed for 3 nights)
System sound quality had some flaws but where music accompaniment is low and we can hear his vocals without much disturbance, it wasnt too bad.

From his latest ERA album, i actually love Songs 2 (說了再見) and 5 (好久不見)
He didnt sing Song 5 that day. Sigh....During the concert, lyrics were displayed for fans to sing along and thats when i noticed the lyrics to this song. Normally, i only concentrate on the melody! Certain songs, i will then pay attention to the lyrics. 雨下一整晩 is not bad too.

I find that its apt and describes his feelings towards this entertainment circle to the point.
If you can read chinese, take the time to read through the lyrics.

Concert visuals hopefully to be up soon....*cross fingers*...(you know me lah...always cannot find time to write...and difficult to load videos too...)

超人不会飞歌词 (Click on title to be directed to English translation site)

妈妈说很多事别太计较

只是使命感找到了我我睡不着

如果说骂人要有点技巧

我会加点旋律你会觉得超屌

我的枪不会装弹药

所以放心不会有人倒

我拍青蜂侠不需要替身

因为这些事我会绘画的颜料

我做很多事背后的意义有你们想象

打开电视就为了眼睛一瞬间的梦想

收视率再高也难看看我的伟大理想

因为我的人生无需再多一笔那奖项

我不知道何时变成了所谓的那榜样

被狗仔拍无奈被撞也要有道歉模样怎样

我唱的歌词要有点文化

因为随时会被当教材

CNN能不能等英文好一点再访

时代杂志封面能不能重拍

随时随地注意形象

要控制饮食不然就跟杜莎夫人蜡像的我不像

好莱坞的中国戏院地上有很多手印脚印

何时才能看见我的脚

噢

如果超人会飞

那就让我在空中停一停歇

再次俯瞰这个世界

会让我觉得好一些

哦

拯救地球好累

虽然有些疲惫但我还是会

不要问我哭过了没

因为超人不能有眼泪

唱歌要拿最佳男歌手

拍电影也不能只拿个最佳新人

你不参加颁奖典礼就是没礼貌

你去参加就是代表你很在乎

得奖时你感动落泪

人家就会觉得你夸张做作

你没表情别人就会说太嚣张

如果你天生这表情那些人甚至会怪你妈妈

结果最后是别人在得奖

你也要给别人充分的掌声与微笑

开的车不能太好

住的楼不能太高

我到底是一个创作歌手还是好人好事代表

专辑一出就必须是冠军

怕了电影就必须大卖

只能说当超人真的好难

如果超人会飞

那就让我在空中停一停歇

再次俯瞰这个世界

会让我觉得好一些

哦~~~拯救地球好累

虽然有些疲惫但我还是会

不要问我哭过了没

因为超人不能有眼泪

Happy mood....vacation confirmed.

2010-07-27T10:23:00.000+08:00

Last night, we finally confirmed our flight for the September vacation; This is Kyle's first trip.

I'm excited that we are now travelling in a family of 4.

- Did price comparison on SQ ($2,946.50) , ANA ($2,621.50) and JAL ($2,336).

- So i opted for the cheapest even though SQ would be ideal.

Breakdown:

- Adult ticket $600 + $211 = $811

- Child ticket $450 + $195 = $645

- Infant ticket $60 + $9 = $69

Have just called JAL to confirm food for the kids and bassinet for Kyle. Yeah, settled.

For Hotel accomodation:

- Have booked first 7 nights with Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku - A very popular hotel in central Tokyo, through Agoda (Based in Thailand)

[After 30% discount - $180/night for Twin Room - 23sq metres]

- Yokohama & Atami hotels havent sourced.

- Last 3 nights at Tokyo, likely to return to Hotel Sunroute but havent booked yet.

Itinerary - Hubby will be planning. We are likely to go all out on shopping, disneyland, anpanman land, ultraman club, sightseeing, onsen and ....what else har?

Back to my original entry, here is a pic of me taken onboard an escalator enroute to work.
I thought the angle looks rather flattering and i like the way i tied my stole/scarf too.
Now you know why i'm in a happy mood. But the runny nose and cough is almost 'killing' me. Sigh....i need to get well quick.

Snapped many times but couldnt settle on a nice shot of my shoes. Heck yah. Anyway, another purchase from Gripz debuting today. Pretty simple beige shoes with lace lined around it. Well...understated elegance can?

This month alone, already bought 3 pairs of shoes - 2 from Gripz and a boots from Topshop. Hmmnnn......enough already.

Kate and ATM card

2010-07-23T16:37:00.000+08:00

Fetched Kate from school yesterday and dropped by the ATM to draw money.

Asked her to pose. Pretty cute yah?

My 14.4kg Ah Bui.

Have signed her up for Act3 Drama Taster class this Sunday - Enormous Turnip.
Hope she has truckloads of fun in the class!!

Haircut

2010-07-23T16:34:00.002+08:00

Wanted to go back to previous hairdresser but she wasnt able to slot me in at the last minute so this was done at Shunji Matsuo, Wisma Isetan.

- Opted for Director - Korean, Mr Gerard Lee (a very pleasant man)
- Cut $60, Colour $90 and Treatment solution $45 - Total damage after taxes - $208.65
It looked pretty good after the blow. As usual. But now, not so great. Hair curling at the fringe and ends.

**My nose looks enlarged in this pic. Hmmnnnn...not nice.

Meet Mr Caterpillar

2010-07-19T12:00:00.000+08:00

Following our recent art and craft craze at home (better than letting the kids watch tv), here's another completed craft from AlexToys.

The kids first explored Paper Puppets (entry coming up soon) then we did Tissue Art (havent complete) and these being the latest - Paper Plate Bugs. Materials are all provided so its a matter of just following the box, sticking and pasting which are relatively manageable for the 3 years old at home. Min had a fun time too and most importantly, they are proud of their work. So, it only took about 30 mins to complete this and being able to see results so quickly made Kate one happy girl.

In addition, this colorful caterpillar makes a wonderful display on the wall too. (thanks to Elmo for sticking it up). And it does seem as if he is walking right?

Below is another pic of Kate posing with the work. It's not all too clear here but Kate actually has makeup on her eyes and cheeks. She was testing out Min's pre-birthday present - Princess makeup purchased during our weeked shopping at Tampines Mall.

Alextoys outlet at Vivo City (2nd floor opp Burger King) will be ending their month long 15% discount on 25th July 2010. So go check out the store and get some stuff - Not just for kids, if you are into crafts, you might find something you like too. Say, sewing kit, sticker kit, painting..etc

Scrapbook - Jacob Ballas

2010-07-18T22:21:00.001+08:00

Kids went to Jacob Ballas garden last Saturday. Prior to that, they had a major workout at the gym at Dempsey - GoGoBambini. (Lifetime membership at $5; Per visit - $13 unlimited play ($17 for non-members). Beautiful memories were captured and Elmo featured the following in her latest scrapbook work.

Ice flop

2010-07-15T11:25:00.000+08:00

Bought ice-cream mould from Daiso and eagerly tried it out on Tues evening. Didn't have orange juice at home so made Milo and together with Kate, we excitedly poured it into the containers then freezed it.

Earlier, when home after work, we tried our fruits of labor. Well, I think I need to add more than just the standard mix. Maybe cream or some thickening element or ma says milk powder or something. Otherwise, though it looked pretty nice, the Milo sticks started to melt darn quickly.

I gave the kids bowls to collect the Milo drink; Min was happy to slurp it up but clumsy kid earned a lot of scoldings from grandma too as she dripped A LOT all over the house. And of course, mum scolded me for causing unnecessary house-chores.

Duh, it was fun mah. Anyway, it has been ages since mum made ice-cream. She used to make durian flavored ones (left overs of durians during the season) and it was yummy. Maybe this might inspire her to make ice creams again.

Art - Food

2010-07-13T23:12:00.002+08:00

When we went to fetch the kids after their art class last sat, their teacher, Chris (female), handed the finished art pieces to us.

It took me a while to figure what they had drawn. (different when viewing it directly than as snapped below)

So are you impressed with it?

Can guess what it is at one glance?

Look carefully and you should be able to spot the fork in Kate's drawing.

Berries @ Woodlands

2010-07-11T13:03:00.005+08:00

Kate went on trial class ($15++) last week and she liked it very much so decided to sign her up for a term. (12 lessons per term-Chinese lessons)

Whilst she was attending class earlier, I parked Kyle and myself at Canadian pizza, which is the only eatery at the community centre.

After picking her up, I asked if we should go for lunch. She said yes. However when nearing the mall, she started to doze off. So we are on our way home now. Hubby unfortunately contracted mites so he is resting at home.

Seen here with new school bag

Kyle oblivious to sleeping Kate. He is engross with the train and views.

This is pretty Kate in deep sleep.

Singapore Art Museum (SAM)

2010-07-09T18:28:00.004+08:00

Kate had her first museum visit last weekend. We checked out the neighboring art garden first, meant for children. Was a hit. All 4 kids were thrilled. More pics to follow soon.

Then we went to main SAM since was included in our adult admission fees- $10.

Overall experience, good. Kate was excited too and talked loudly at times. Will definitely do another museum trip again.

Kyle caught viral fever

2010-07-09T18:19:00.001+08:00

I wanted to say A Picture tells a thousand words. Well, not quite applicable here but it's just in my mind. (coz I recently snapped many pics but hadn't had time to write; then no dates stamped so I can't recall when too) *sticks out tongue*

So this pic was taken at the clinic, yesterday. Kyle was very cooperative. Smiled at doctor, held his position when being checked, urined when I needed him to.

Viral fever was what the doctor concluded. Phew, nothing too serious. As I check back previous medical claims, he last got this around end May.

This turning 13mths old next week baby still clocks at 8.8kg. Comfy size. He is currently growing 8 upper and 7 lower teeth.

Learning to walk as well. Most incredibly, he advanced from a mere 4 steps to 9 steps on a certain night. Though that must have been pure jackpot occurrence.

Zhap Chai Burng

2010-06-25T17:23:00.007+08:00

This was my lunch last Wednesday.
When I say I eat a lot, you can tell I'm not joking.

Couldn't resist the selection - $4.50 at Canteen near office.

Then the next day - late lunch and too lazy to walk far so we settled for O'Briens.

About $10.

Then on Friday, i initially suggested beef then another suggested buffet so off we went.

Kuru Kuru @ Valleypoint. $26++ per person.

$30.60 spread.

Have gone and done it

2010-06-24T10:54:00.003+08:00

Hurhur...doesnt sound as bad as it may seem!

Well, i have signed up for ACCA-P1 Professional Accountants class with FTMS, Raffles Place.
It's a super hard decision because i need to juggle family time and work time and i need all the determination i can muster. Sigh...and its just 1/5 papers to be attempted.

So well, class will commence on 5th July, every Monday evening with alternate weeks seeing me attending classes twice weekly - Mon & Thurs. Not the best timing of all because Ah Pa goes for his taiji classes on this 2 days and i'm always expected to be home to take care of my kids. Well, hubby says he will try to take over so i'm hoping he fulfills his promises.

$912 for the 20 lessons + 6 sessions of Intensive Revision course.
Sure hope Mr Marty (good reviews from Sixty) can pull me through!!

Class schedule

July
Time: 6.45pm to 9.45pm
Mon - 5, 12, 19, 26th
Thu - 15, 29th

August
Time: 6.45pm to 9.45pm
Mon - 16 & 23rd
Tue - 3rd
Thu - 19th

September
Time: 6.45pm to 9.45pm
Mon - 6th, 20th

Time: 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Mon - 13th
Thu - 30th

October
Time: 6.45pm to 9.45pm
Mon - 4, 18th
Thu - 14, 28th

Time: 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Mon - 25th