Christmas 2009

This year, Christmas is a low-key affair as K's grandma had passed away and we are in the middle of the wake. Thus, our annual Christmas party was cancelled too.

Nontheless, the pressies has been bought and needs to be given out. When the boys woke up, they were given their presents because they have been nice throughout the year.

J's present from us was a musical instrument set and M received a Mickey Mouse (what else?!) puppet book.They were also rewarded with presents from their Aunt and Uncle.

M's favourite slippers

M loves this pair of slippers that we took back from Disneyland Hotel. It is really cute as it is in kid's size.

Despite being too big for him, he still wears it and walk all over the house. He even insisted that I take a picture of it for him.

Family Trip 2009 - Hong Kong

Day 1 - 5 Dec
K’s work will be taking him to US for a good 6 months. This actually crystallize our plan to have a family vacation before he leaves. Thus the last min scramble to book flights and hotels.

The day arrives and the excitement woke me up at 5.30am. At 6pm, J was up. The challenge was waking M up as he has never been up that early. I gently rouse M by telling him that his favorite cartoon character, Mickey is waiting for him. That does the trick.

Our flight is scheduled at 10.10am but we are at the airport by 8.30am. That gives us some time to while away in the airport so we headed for breakfast at Burger King where there is a children’s play corner. I secretly hope to wear them out so that it gives me some R&R time on the 3.5hrs flight.

J is an experienced traveler when it comes to taking the plane while it is M’s first experience. We even bought M his own seat so that we can travel comfortably (try carrying a 13kg for 3.5 hrs). The flight was relatively smooth sailing as M took a short nap but towards the last hour, both the boys start fidgeting and I wish for the pilot to accelerate and arrive sooner because the plane departed 1 hour late, making us coop up in the plane for 4.5hrs instead!

Our accommodation for the next 2 nights is at Holiday Inn Golden Mile in Tsim Tsai Tsui. We had 2 rooms because we used K’s Priority Club points. For HK’s standard, the rooms are considered big! I am very happy with the choice of this hotel as there are many amenities nearby. After puting down our luggage, we went out to check the vicinity as well as have a bowl of Wanton noodles HK style. The boys must be hungry as they gobble up the noodles. Having filled our stomachs, we headed back to the hotel for a longer rest before we head out to HK island to meet some of my colleagues for dinner.

Today is also the opening of the East Asian Games thus the roads in the vicinity are closed. My plan was to take the Star Ferry over to Wan Chai and from there take the taxi to meet my friends. After walking for 15 mins, we were told that the ferry isn’t operating as there will be fireworks display that night for the games opening. Arrgghhh!!! Now we have to lug the 2 boys and travel by MRT.

Despite HK’s efficiencies, its MRT system is not child-friendly as it is a old system. The lift to the platform is very slow and we end up carrying the pram down the flight of staircases to reach the platform. After 1 hour, we finally reach our dinner destination but by then, we were too exhausted to enjoy the dinner. What a way to start the vacation!

After dinner, we had to take the train back to TST and arrived just in time for the fireworks. I missed it as I went to buy dinner for the boys since we didn’t eat much earlier on. After washing up, we retire for the night.

Day 2 - 6 Dec 2009

We are awaken by M’s crying. It was 8 am. The plan is to go for yum cha, my favorite activity in HK. So far, I have not found any restaurants in Singapore that can duplicate the yum cha culture in HK much less the taste and flavor. It took us forever to get ready and by the time we reach the restaurant, it was time for brunch. Prince Restaurant @ One Peking Road came highly recommended by my friends.

The restaurant is relatively quiet for a Sunday morning but I quite enjoy the tranquility. The restaurants oversee the Victoria Harbor and the boys could see cruise ships & ferries passing by the harbor. B and SP drop us a surprise at the restaurant and they came bearing Xmas presents for us!

After brunch, J insist on taking the Star Ferry and so we did the touristy thingy and did the one hour cruise. The cruise would have been better in the night as the skyline of HK is mesmerizing at night. But well, in our house, I guess you know who calls the shot.

After the cruise, we walk around the TST shopping area before heading back to the hotel for a short rest. No trip to HK is complete without eating from my favorite Chinese fast food restaurant, Café De Coral. While K takes the kids up to the hotel room, I paid my pilgrimage and bought snacks back for an afternoon feast. Yum yum.

Our plan for tonight is to visit Ladies Market and then head to Lei Yu Mun for seafood dinner. All went well until it was time to go for dinner and that is where the nightmare begins – M’s tantrum. He started crying and being difficult. This thwarted our dinner plan. The only way is to head back to the hotel and rely on good old Café de Coral again. When we reached the hotel, M refuse to go into the room. In the room, he would insist on going out. When outside, he would insist on something else. As it has been a long day, it is a test on our patience. As it is drawing late, K have to take over pacifying M while I feed J his dinner. J is a gem and finished his dinner quickly and played by himself while M was crying throughout and refuse to eat dinner or milk. After a few hours, exhaustion overtook him and finally fell asleep.

Day 3 - 7 Dec
Today is suppose to be a Magical Day because we are heading to Disneyland. Matt woke up grouchy and refuse to be pacified. He is also cold and hungry as he was trembling all over. It was after his milk feed that he becomes more co-operative. After washing up and checking out, we headed for Disneyland, hoping that it can instill some magic into this holiday.

Lo and behold, it turns out to be a wet and cold day as it was raining. We had to pay exorbitant price for some ponchos which in the end, M ends up refusing to wear it. My saving grace is J who is super co-operative throughout the trip. Despite the weather, I am determined to make this a wonderful experience for the boys.

Even though this is the 3rd time I’ve been to HK’s Disneyland, this is the 1st time I’m enjoying myself so much!

When we headed back to the Disneyland Hollywood Hotel, it was in the evening. After checking into the room, we had some difficulties getting the boys out for dinner because they like the room so much. J was glued to the Disney channel while M explores all the Mickey motifs he can find. When we finally coax them out of the room, we treated ourselves to a nice international buffet which the boys enjoyed too.

Day 4 - 8 Dec

Today marks the last day of our vacation. Secretly I am looking forward to going home as K and I are totally worn out and our patience severely tested. But since we still have ½ day left, we headed back for Disneyland once again. After a few hours, J actually said “OK, enough. Let’s go back!”. I think this is the 1^st time a child has enough of Disneyland!

At the airport, Mr Menace acted up again. He refused lunch and glass cutlery was being thrown everywhere in the restaurant. At this point, I am immune to the dirty looks given to me. While on board, he slept for about an hour but once awake, he cried non-stop throughout. I’ve to pull out all sorts of tricks to pacify him. We ended up standing at the gallery for almost 2 hours! Fortunately when nearer to landing time, he is placid and fortunately was not charged for being a nuisance. Phew!

I do have some afterthoughts which I am having some difficulty organizing it into concise thoughts. I have mixed feelings about this trip. One one hand, I lament about the holiday but on the other, I know that is another holiday chance surface, I would jump at it again. People say that pregnancy makes a woman becomes forgetful. I guess it is true as very soon, these hardship would be forgotten ad you would be reading another holiday post.

Where does Santa works?

While having afternoon tea with J at Coffee Club in Takashimaya, he asked:

J: Mum, where does Santa works? Where is his office?
Mum: He works in Finland. He has a toy factory there.
J: Mmm...I don't think so, Mum.
Mum: What makes you say that?
J: Santa works in town.
Mum: Why do you think he works in town?
J: Because Santa Claus is coming to town.

Does this boy have a sense of humour or what??!!

Year end concert

It is end of term for J's playgroup and it is celebrated with concert cum graduation ceremony for those in K2 moving onto primary school next year.

As his school is really small, a total of less than 50 students, the concert was a simple affair with simple props. The concert was held at a lecture theatre in Republic Polytechnic.

Can you spot J? He is the 3rd from right in the 1st row.

My favourite act is the "chicken song". If you see the video trembling, that is because I was laughing very hard.

The little boy wearing a yellow hat is his best friend. Throughout the videos, you can see how J keeps interacting with his best friend.

J dominated the mic from start to beginning. His partner hasn't got a chance at all!

He is so nervous that he keeps fidgitting.

Family bonding time

It has become a routine that on every Saturday morning, K and I would take the boys out for breakfast. One of the places that we like to go to is Jalan Kayu for prata. Today is the first time that M gets to go there.

K has his usual “one egg, one kosong” pratas while I opted for nasi lemak. I suggested ice cream prata for J as it is a nice change from his usual mushroom and cheese. I thought that it would simply be a piece of prata with a scoop of ice cream. Little would I expect that this suggestion would cost me $6! That amt could have bought us a tub of ice cream. What we see in front of us was 3 scoops of ice cream wrapped by piece of prata surrounded by whipped cream and top off with chocolate sprinkles and fudge. This could have easily been a dessert for 2 adults and is too heavy for a pre-schooler’s breakfast. Halfway thru, J gave up. (Take a look at his expression in the picture)

M on the other hand was enjoying feeding himself with bits of prata and spoonfuls of nasi (rice).

After the hearty breakfast, we drove to the nearby mushroom farm to buy some fresh mushrooms that J and I love. We also got to tour the farm and were introduced to how mushrooms are grown commercially in a controlled climate.

Done with the shopping and “sight seeing”, we proceed to the Animal Resort which is one of J’s favorite places because he is an animal lover. (When he grows up, he wants to be a vet and an astronaut.)

This is M’s first time interacting with animals up close and he was very determined in wanting to feed them. In the past few months, this gutsy little fella has become more vocal, demanding and insistent. When he wants something, he must get it, otherwise he will cry as loudly as he can but the minute you give it to him, he stops. His vocabulary is also very commanding and he can say things like:

• "Stop, Mummy!” (When he wants me to stop working and focus on him)


• “Mummy go out!” (Asking me to get out of the room when it is his bedtime)


• “I want, I want!” (Nowadays, he wants everything his brother wants)


• "Kick you out” (He learnt this from his brother)


• "No! No! No!” (When he doesn’t want to do what we tell him to)


• "Mummy, sit here!” (When he wants me to sit and watch TV with him)


• "Is not!” (When is not what he wants)

After all the running around in the farm, on the way back, M, the Menace fell asleep. (A few months ago, he was Mr Sonshine. Now he is M the Menace, haha)

Mum turns 70

It is hard to imagine my mum being 70 years old. If not for her arthritis, she is fitter than most grandmas and still holds a full time job as an office cleaner.

I organized a simple birthday celebration for her at Ling Zhi Vegetarian Restaurant @ Novena Square and secretly invited her godson, A and goddaughter, G. My 1's uncle who is my mum’s most ardent supporter also came to join in the celebration.

As it was a Sunday, I proceed to visit my mum as usual and casually informed her that I would be taking the family out for dinner to celebrate her birthday. When we reached Novena Square, A and his family was already there and my mum innocently asked “Hey, why are you here?” All we could do was laugh. I guess my mum caught on the surprise when the waitress led us to 2 tables that sits about 18 guests. My uncle & aunty and G’s family soon arrived and we tucked in to our dinner.

Towards the end of the dinner, the waitress took out the cake and lighted the candles. The grandchildren gathered around the birthday lady and sang the birthday song. When the candles were blown out, you can see the smile on my mum face, having all her loved ones with her on her special day.

3 is a crowd? Don't think so.

It is K’s birthday and I had wanted to check out Sage after reading rave review about it but Mohamed Sultan seems so far away. (Strange that it didn’t seems so during my wild partying days) Finally decided on my all-time favorite restaurant, Mezza9 at Hyatt Hotel.

My plan was to sneak out for a dinner without the kids. But somehow, my plan was thwarted by a 3rd party – my elder son, J. For some reason, he ended up going with us.

At the restaurant, J was treated like royalty with the waiter attending to his needs first. The waiter recommended that we order J’s dinner first and J chose chicken fried rice of all things. K and I chose to share the roast duck (my favorite) and kurobuta pork with mash potatoes and steam vegetables as sides. When J’s fried rice was served, the portion was big enough for an adult. The fragrance was very alluring and is definitely a 5-star hotel fried rice with the right amount of “wok-hei”.

While waiting for the rice to cool down a bit, J and I went to the cake section to select 2 slices of cakes for dessert. We walked pass the de-crowned Miss Singapore, Miss Ris “Boomz” Low dining with an ang moh. Haha, I guess that was the juicy highlight of the night.

While J savors his 5-star fried rice, our much awaited dinner arrives (it was a quiet restaurant but yet the dishes took longer than expected to be served). Once again, the roast duck proves worthy to be my favorite. As for the pork, it was quite disappointing as it was too dry. The version at Astons is definitely much better

After dinner, J the gourmet chose sherbet instead of ice cream for dessert. The waiter brought over the cakes we chose earlier and discretely lighted a candle for K. J wished his dad happy birthday and helped blew out the candle.

It was a simple but heart-warming affair, even though it was a party of 3. If you are wondering why M is not involved, well, when I have the time, let me write abt the terrible 2s phase he is in now and you would understand.

How different can they get?

One uses the paper as his canvas, the other uses his face and body.

Mid-Autumn Festival 2009

Organized an impromptu Mid-Autumn Festival celebration for neighborhood kids.

Apart from the 2 gals who are our immediate neighbors, the 2 boys from upstairs joined us as well. We covered up the public lights in the corridor to create a darken atmosphere and the children had lots of fun playing with the lanterns, eating snacks and mooncakes. J had his first taste of snow-skin mooncake and I can tell from his face that he doesn't really like it but yet, he politely swallowed it down. M had a ball drinking Yakult and trying all the snacks laid out on the table.

The next party would be during Christmas and I’m sure the children will enjoy it just as much.

Strike a pose

Told the boys to stand still so that I can get an updated picture of them. Instead, J took the lead to strike some silly poses and M simply followed what his big brother was doing.

Well, I have to admit that J is quite creative in his poses and I especially like M's smile at the bottom left.

Looks like I have 2 models in the making minus the mis-match clothes and diaper pant.

Happy Children's Day, boys! May you always be striking happy poses.

Beach club party

It wasn’t too long ago that Baby A was borne. Forward to today and she turns 1. At times, I can’t believe that J and M are turning 4 and 2 as well!

We got invited to A’s 1 year old party at a beach club on East Coast. We went slightly earlier to roam the beach but since we are dressed up, it is hard to do any beach activities. Instead, we headed early to the party. When we arrived, we bump into the birthday girl at the entrance!

The beach club was conveniently located beside the Lagoon Food Market and YN had booked a private pavilion so we had the whole place to ourselves. The place is actually quite windy for a hot and sunny day. Very soon the guests trickled in and the lunch queue begin.

As it was the helper’s day off, I had to take on the task of taking care of M while K attends to J. For some reason, M refuse to eat the yummy food from the buffet line up where he is usually quite adventurous with food. Despite my coaxing, he refuse to take his lunch and thus I have to succumb to giving him milk instead. After his milk, he actually fell asleep and missed the cake cutting ceremony.

The cake was a 2 tiered Sesame Street theme cake and it is gorgeous! J patiently waited for his turn to choose his cupcake and despite having eaten a full meal, he managed to finish the cake. As M was asleep, we decided to leave the party early (my excuse as I don’t have any helper that day and is already quite tired)

Happy Birthday, A! Looking forward to your next birthday and by then, you may have a little brother or sister to play with!

1,2,3,4, Hi 5

It has been a long time since I took J to a live performance. The last one was to watch Barney 1-2 years back.

Surprisingly when J saw the Hi-5 commercial for their live show at the Indoor Stadium, he said that he wanted to go because he is not into any of these be it Bob the Builder or Thomas the Train. I hesitated in buying the tickets because I wasn’t sure if he can sustain his interest. As the show drew nearer, I finally purchased the tickets because his answer has been a consistent “Yes” whenever I asked him if he was seriously interested in the show.

On the day of the show, we decided to go on an adventure and took a train to TPY station. Throughout the 30mins journey, J keeps talking away, pointing out to anything that arouse his interest outside the train window. When we reached TPY, we got onto a cab and headed for the Indoor Stadium. By doing so, we actually saved $10 on the cab fare from our home.

When we got to the stadium, we were right on the dot and at the merchandise counter, we bumped into D and her family. But as we are in different price zone, we went our separate ways after saying hi. At that point, J asked me a sensitive question of why other children’s daddy are with them but his is not. I was quite sad to hear that because I do think that K should be spending more one-on-one time with the boys. I told J that we will meet his dad after the performance and he seems happy with that answer.

For the next 1.5 hrs, we are engrossed in all the singing and dancing. J who is usually shy about dancing in public even stood up to do the Monster Dance, the theme song. I think at the next performance, M should be old enough to join and participate in all the singing and dancing so I will definitely bring him. If it is a Disney performance with Mickey Mouse, he will definitely go ballistic!

After the performance, we met up with R and her kids and she kindly gave us a ride to Suntec to meet up with K. When J saw K, he excitedly showed him the merchandise we bought. Then off to lunch we went!

One eye Jack

It started out as an insect bite but by the next day, it actually caused his eye to swell. PD confirm that it is not an allergy though.

Nevertheless, even with a half-closed eye, he still uses it to watch his fav show - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

That's the way, my young man. Don't let anything hold you back!

What's for breakfast?

One of J's favourite food is roti prata. J loves to soak it in curry while M eats it plain. Every weekend, we will bring the 2 boys to the prata shop and enjoy this dish. The shop that is near to our place is as good or even better than those at Jalan Kayu, the prata street.

This week, they get to enjoy it twice because my FIL bought it for today's breakfast without knowing that we already had it the day before.

I'm hungry, mum

Before bedtime.

J: I'm hungry, mum.
Mum: Oh, would you like some milk?
J: I'm hungry, not thirsty.
Mum: #*&^%#$

Batteries not included

See how a mattress can evoke so much fun and laughters. Who needs toy?

福建歌王

Again, M, the backup dancer quits halfway thru but the show must go on!

Vroom vroom

At the end of the video, M tries to work the bicycle like a bike.

One year older and hopfully happier

The day didn’t start off well. It is another of those frustrating issues that I have to deal with. I won’t be surprise if this will be another unhappy happy birthday. Things are made worse when I realized at last min that there is no lunch and Macdonald’s delivery will take 90mins! (a hungry woman is an angry woman) While on the phone, cancelling my order, at the corner of my eyes, I saw K marching into the room with the 2 boys.

J presented to me a card while M was holding onto a little pink box (I think, too consumed by anger at that point). When I opened up the card, tears well up in my eyes. The message on it is the best present that I could ever asked for. I am even more touched because K picked up the card and I guess that represent how he felt towards me as the mother of his children. J innocently asked why I am crying. How do you explain "tears of joy" to a little child? I can only give him a hug and smile. As for that pink box, I already knew what it contains because I specifically requested for a MP3 player. I can use it to listen to music and block out all the noise while at work (esp if I am rushing a deadline and the kids are making a din); I can also use it to listen to my favorite songs at night aft J goes to bed (another of my "me" time). I am thankful that K took the time to find one that has USB and radio functions.

Throughout the day, greetings from friends came in via email, sms, IM and FB. All these help to block out the issues I am facing. I hope I can write of my next birthday in a more upbeat tone.

M's definition of jumping and dancing

Life of a WFM mum

When I tell people that I work-from-home (WFM), the most common reaction is one of envy. Yes, it is a wonderful privilege. However, it does come with a cost especially if you are a WFM mum as well.

When you are a WFM mum, you are actually playing 2 roles concurrently, both a worker and a mother. Apart from having to deal with deadlines, you also have to deal with the tantrums of your kids. And when both of it coincides at the same time, it can be quite frustrating.

As a mother, it is not possible to totally ignore the on-going of your child and look yourself in the home office to focus on work. When the child cries, you will worry. When you hear your child’s laughter, you would want to find out what is amusing him.

When you WFH, you tend to work beyond the 9-5 because it is so easy to access the computer. Thus it all comes down to 2 things – time management and discipline.

It has been 3 yrs that I have WFH. At times of frustration, I wish I have an office that I can “escape” to. I wish I have a decent lunch break so that I can have some “me” time. I wish I have colleagues that I can buddy with. I wish I have a few hours of child-free=noise free environment because it can be quite tiring that after fighting a “war” in your work, you have to being another “battle” with your child. My dear friend, E tells me that before she opens the door to her home after, she will take a deep breath. After that, she would say in her cheeriest voice “Children, Mummy is home!” Ding ding, round 2 begins.

Having said that, Mothers are like energizer rabbit. We go on and on and on……simply because our kids who drain us out, also recharges us just as fast. Despite the challenges I face having to be a WFH mum, I am still thankful for this privilege as I am there for every of my kids’ milestone, every fall, every tear, every laughter. As for "me" time, I can always count on lunch with my ex-colleagues from Intel; otherwise, I can always turn to blogging, right?

You don't say I don't love you ahh

I really enjoy the chats I have with J before bedtime. We would both lie down on the mattress and just talk about anything under the sun. (or should I say moon?)

J: I love you, Mum. (J no longer calls me Mummy but the short form of Mum)
Mum: Huh? You don't love me ahh? (teasing)
J: No, you don't say I don't love you ahh! You cannot say. I say I love you ahh. I love you, Mum.

We are going to the beach

The last time we went to the beach was on 5 Jul 08. How time flies. M was only 3 months old and could only sit in his pram and soak in all the activities.

J was very excited the night before when we told him we will go to the beach tomorrow. When we woke up, to our dismay, it was cloudy. A quick check shows that it is raining at the eastern part of the island. We decide to call off the outing but I had 2nd thoughts when I see J prancing around the house; holding his beach bucket, singing "We are going to the beach!".

We decide to try our luck and on the way, the sky begin to lighten up. When we reach the beach, it was after the downpour so it was nice and breezy. I am glad we took the risk.

After breakfast at Burger King, we rented 2 bikes; one for J and the other for an adult to cycle M around. After cycling for a while, J feels that he still prefer to play on the beach than cycle thus we found a shady spot and he started digging away. Whereas for M, he refuse to put his feet down on the sand thus my helper took him on the bicycle and cycle round the park. They cycled past me a few times and every time, M was all relaxed and enjoying it. Tired of cycling, my helper took M back to the beach and try to coax him into sitting down but he would curl up whenever his feet touches the sandy beach thus we had to put his shoes on and finally he co-operated.

At about 1pm, we cleaned up, returned the bikes and headed for lunch. However, J was so tired that he fell asleep on my lap while waiting for the food to be served. He only woke up after we are done eating because we had to transfer him into his car seat. M on the other hand, was just glad that he don't have to eat his salt-free porridge today!

Overall, it was an enjoyable day especially seeing J looking all grown up cycling on a public cycling track.

An accidental picture

After J is done with his tantrums, he left tearmarks on the bedsheet.

It brought a smile to his face when he saw the picture he had "painted".

Cautious vs Carefree

幼儿园 Superstar

Another of K’s cousins is turning 21 and it is celebrated in a karaoke again.

J gamely went up the stage when it was his turn. He took the stage like a real professional and starts to sing along to the theme song from a Taiwanese soap opera that runs every weekend nights. But if you listen closely, he only knows 3 words to the Hokkien lyrics. The rest is being sung by his grandaunt. M, the backup dancer, had stage fright halfway thru and started crying. Thus he has to be removed from the stage. Undeterred, K continues to amuse the crowds.

When the song ended, he left the stage and walked towards me with this smug look on his face! My shy little boy has shed his shyness and is now a superstar in our family.

We had the intention to drop by for a short while as the boys are still nursing their cold. However, after his debut performance, J refuses to leave and was enjoying applauding the other singers after their song.

A walk in the park

There is a new feature in our neighborhood. It is a path that linked a few parks in the vicinity so that it forms a jogging and cycling path. Along the way, there are stations with some exercise equipments. It is quite a nice walk in the evening.

When I am free or in need for some fresh air (not much since the path is built beside the road and MRT tracks), I would take the boys for a walk.

J loves it as he gets to try out the exercise equipments. He would look at the demonstration pictures beside the equipments and tries to mimic it. However, the equipment are adult size and does not fit him but he still tries. I don’t stop him as it is good to get him interested in exercising as long as he does not get hurt.

Needless to say, gutsy M loves it just as much as he gets to run around. And I mean RUN. He would run so fast that I have to run after him too. J would get exasperated with M and tries to hold his hand. J would also give him a good scolding for running away (but not out of my sight). (Once I took the boys to the supermarket and when we got home, J complained immediately to his dad and said "This boy ahh, anyhow run. I so worried that he will run away ahh.")

I took the 2 brothers for a walk today and J was teaching M about the things they see along the way. J would point out the cat to M and tell him that there are caterpillars on the leaves. He would tell M to touch the leaves and there is nothing to be afraid of. J would also point out the colors of the flowers. While all these are happening, I would take a step back so that it gives J the opportunity to play the big brother role.

I took some beautiful pictures of the boys with the setting sun framing the background. Unfortunately I don’t have my digital camera with me thus the resolution taken from the mobile phone is not so good. However, in my heart, this is another Kodak moment that I will cherish forever.

Seeing seeing double double?

At times, I wonder if I had given birth to twins. They look so alike. But M's scream will bring me back to reality and reminds me that they are totally opposite when it comes to their characters. No wonder they say looks are deceiving. That phase sure takes on a whole new meaning in this household.

He ain't afraid of no ghost!

I just had this conversation with J.

J: Mum, I tell you something.
Mum: What, son?
J: I am afraid.
Mum: Afraid of what?
J: Afraid of ghost.
Mum: There is no such thing as ghost.
J: Will you protect me, mum?
Mum: Of course I will!
J: You have a cane to beat the ghost?
Mum: Err....yes.
J: Will Jesus protect me?
Mum: Yes, He will.
J: He has a cane to beat the ghost too?
Mum: ????

1. I don't know where/when he learn the word "ghost" as it is not an acceptable word in this family.
2. The cane does have an impact on him! It is the ghostbuster's weapon!
3. Is he afraid of ghost? Nah...I don't think so.

Look like Daddy or not?

That is the question J asked me when he return from the barber; whether he looks like his daddy or not.

With the intense heat during this period of the year, J is constantly drench in sweat. Unable to tolerate it any more, I told K to take him to the barber to have his hair cut short.

I love his new hairstyle. Way better than his previous "mushroom head"!

Gutsy little fella

As a prelude to Father’s Day dinner with my parents, I took the boys to the playground.

Once we reach the playground, I was surprised to see how agile M is. At only 14 months, he is able to climb up the stairs and could even go down the slide by himself. He saw another boy playing with some balls and when the boy’s grandpa offered it to him, he went up to take the ball; totally unafraid of the stranger.

He sure is one gutsy fella!

Monsters vs Aliens

I promised J that I would take him to the movie to watch “Monsters vs Aliens”. This is not the 1st time he is going to the movies so he knows what to expect.

We decide that we will watch the 3D movie at AMK Hub. As he took a long time to get ready, we are unable to take the MRT as he has requested.

Upon arriving at AMK Hub via cab, it took us some effort to locate the cinema as it is our first time there. After locating it, we collected the tickets which I had booked online. Next we bought some popcorns and drink. When the hall number started flashing, J was very excited and at the entrance, we collected the 3D glasses. As it was adult-sized, I need to use a rubber-band to tie the ends of the glasses so that it fit nicely on J’s head.

We the show started, I noticed J sitting comfortably and munching away on the popcorns. I check on him a few times to make sure that he is enjoying the movie and he was too pre-occupied and just gave me a nod. After that I sit back and focus on the movie.

The 3D effects of the movie were very good and there was not a dull moment. This is the 1st time I am watching a 3D movie and I am totally amazed by how realistic the effects was.

After the movie, J finally got to take the MRT back and when we reach the station, we went to 7-Eleven to get his favorite snack.

It is a good day for both of us.

Big Breakfast

Underprivileged M has his first Macdonald’s experience. Although not the 1st time in a Macdonald’s restaurant but this is the 1st time he is awake.

As usual, when it comes to food, M gets excited. When we came back with our order, he can’t wait to get his hands on the food and keeps saying “mum mum, mum mum”. The scramble egg couldn’t cool down fast enough to meet his insistent demand. When it finally did, it disappears into his tummy in a few seconds!

I think he got impatient with us because he grabbed the fork to pierce the egg and fed himself. And he executed it perfectly. His self-feeding performance has won him enough credits for his next Big Breakfast.

As for J, well, he just takes his own sweet time to smell the coffee and enjoy the sausage.

Mega-watt smile

His smile says it all.

Open House

Today, we have many guests visiting us.

As it is the school holidays, J's cousins, C, D and E decides to visit us. I was more than glad to have them visit us and went to the supermarket to buy some snacks to fill their tummy after their swim.

Upon arrival, they checked out our temp home and couldn't wait to take a dip in the pool. With K in lead, all of them went to the pool for their afternoon swim while I prepare sotong ball and longan almond jelly for their snacks.

When M woke up from his nap, I took him down to join his cousins. When I arrived at the pool, they were all gathered at the jacuzzi pool. I left M with K and went back to work.

In the evening, they all return and dinner was ready for them. After dinner, they huddle in one of the rooms while I await the arrival of my other guests.

Van was in town so it was a good opportunity to have her come over for dinner. Naturally, that means it is another gathering of the VEMY sistahood - Van, Elanie, Yen Nee and yours truly. We also have the privilege of our little princess, A gracing our presence.

Dinner was a simple affair of home-cooked food - Winter melon soup, tomato prawn, black pepper prawn and a vegetable dish. Dessert was compliments of YN and E who made a batch of yummy cookies! It taste even better than Famous Amos! You know it is good when J ask for a second helping as he is not into sweet stuff.

When it was time for the cousins to go home, they decided that they want to stay for the night as they want to continue to swim the next day. J was thrilled by the decision as he was fussing himself over his cousins, wanting them to play with him and even wanted to take some pictures of them using my camera.

While the children (and teenagers) play in the bedroom, I continue my "adult entertainment" with my friends. As a WFHM, I don't have any colleagues to yak with. Thus it is always a welcomed change to have some adult conversations about what is going on in the outside world.

Time seems to pass by quickly when you are having fun. Soon it was A's bedtime and time to see our guests out.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, the kids was having fun and J was reluctant to go to bed despite being "chased" out by his cousins.

Oh boy! What a fun day.

Play date with J's cousins

G needed help with baby-sitting her kids as her ILs took the week off for vacation and she was unable to take time off from work. I was more than glad to help as J has always enjoyed playing with G's son, S. J and I waited at the lobby for their arrival and while waiting, J would ask “Are they here yet?” whenever a car pulls up on the porch.

After they arrived, the 2 cousins, S1 and S2 took a while to warm up as this is the 1st time they are spending the day with us.

Very soon, the 2 boys, S1 and J were having fun. S1 was very well-behaved while it was J who was naughty by snatching toys away from S1. I think there was a point when S1 had enough of J.

As for the little princess, S2, her “siren” will go off the minute she can’t find the helper and there was no chance for me to get close to her. Sigh. But she amazed me with her appetite! She was constantly snacking the whole morning. M has found his match and she wins hands down.

After lunch, all the children took a nap and in the early evening, K took them for a swim. After the swim, all 4 cousins was once again playing and soon, evening came and G and her hb came for dinner before fetching the kids home.

I survived the day as S1 and S2 was very well behaved and I think once you have crossed the threshold of having 2 boys, having 2 or more kids don’t make much difference. But that does not mean I will have more!

End of Term 2 2009

Yesterday marks the end of 2nd term for J. Today, we had a Parents/Teacher meeting. Although it seems strange that one is needed for nursery but I do appreciate the school’s effort for organizing it.

We first met with J’s English teacher who gave very good comments about J. She mentioned that she has no issues with teaching J as he is able to grasp the knowledge quickly. At times, she may think that he is unable to understand certain teachings today but the next day he is able to apply the knowledge. She also mentioned that J is very helpful in class and is always the one volunteering to help with some chores. This really caught me by surprise as he is such a baby at home and I have to nag at him to get some chores done. She went on to say “I have nothing bad to say about him and you should be very proud of him”. But she also noticed that J is more mischievous in the 2nd term. She also told us that J has a good friend by the name of E and they are always yakking away in class and at times, she has to separate them. However, J will still go to E and instigate some mischievous acts. Yes, you read it correctly, it is my J that instigate others. Unbelievable, right? Haha.

Next we met with the Chinese teacher who gave us an insight to her teaching materials which is a good learning for me as I have no clue what materials I can use to teach J at home. As for J’s performance, she says that he is lacking as J would constantly converse and reply in English. It is made worse as his best friend also comes from English speaking family and both of them would be conversing in English during Chinese lessons. With that, I need to make a conscious effort to include more Mandarin influence in our day to day.

For the month ahead, J would be able to wake up late and play till his heart’s content but woe is me as I would have to think of activities to fill his days. I can’t wait for the next term to start!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

M's fav show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He would dance to the theme song and every morning, he would insist on having us turn it on for him.

In fact, one of his first words was "Mickey" instead of "Mummy". Sob sob.

Home-cooked meal

During my secondary school's days, my favourite class is the Home Economics class. Class usually starts with the teacher giving a brief of the theme for that day's class. Then she would demostrate the cooking technique. Then with our partner, we will start to practice the techniques by cooking up a storm. After washing up, we will sit down and do food-tasting by sharing our food. If there is excess, we will share it with other classmates and the male classmates will always be gobbling it down.

During exam, we have to plan the meal based on the theme and I enjoy planning the meal, listing out the ingredients and cooking methods. Of all the classes, this is the one that is easiest as we don't have to study as we can bring our receipe books into class. When eating out in restaurants, I would observe how a dish is prepared and the ingredients that goes into it.

Recently, I had the opportunity of preparing some home-cooked meal for K and the boys. I made the shrimp wantons and plan for the week's dinner. It is nice to be able to sit down for dinner and chat with K. It is also nice to see J enjoying the soup and have him making comments like "What soup is this, Mummy?" or "Mmm...what is that smell?...It's curry, I like it!".

J's 1st field trip

J went on his first field trip organized by his school. K accompanied him on the trip as I could not get the day off.

When he reached home, he showed me the map excitedly and "commanded" that I look at the map. As I look at the photos that K took, J would tell me what he was doing in each picture.

There is a new waterplay area and boat ride which seems quite interesting. Will check it out the next time we go to the zoo again.

Fluttering heart

Today, K and I celebrated our 5th anniversary.

When the doorbell rang, I was expecting delivery from my office but I was surprised by a very lovely bouquet that has everything in it - flowers, a teddy bear, chocolates and balloon in a straw basket.

This is the most beautiful bouquet I have received to-date. Most importantly, this bouquet brought back all the loving feelings that I have not felt in a long long time and it was quite overwhelming.

Afternoon delight

Father and son enjoying a swim in the afternoon.

Painful but necessary decision

As an only child, I do not have to be accountable to anyone. My parents leave it to me to make my own decision and is often supportive of what I did. Thus I am used to making my own decisions.

I made a decision that has brought inconvenience to my family, especially to K and the children. It is also through this action that I truly learnt that when 2 person gets married, we are not only marrying that person but the whole family.

Is this decision right or wrong? I don't know but I truly feel that this decision must be made in order to move on. I have been stuck in this rut for a long time. This decision is necessary and critical in order to salvage something that means a lot to me. Only time will tell if I have made the right decision. I will let time reveal the decision I have made as I am still struggling over it.

Through this incident, the respect I have for my FIL has increased even more. He has all along been my "idol". Even before I married K, I am already amazed that my FIL does not ever complaint about having to do housework on the weekend, washing the toilet, getting up early to go marketing with my MIL. He also does not complain when he has to help my MIL with her family eg when my MIL's mum passed away, he was at the wake everyday. As my MIL's legs are not strong, he sends her to the doc and even to the hair salon. He also has an ever-ready smile.

Through this incident, I have also learnt to be a better person and allowed me to understand K's family better.

What is kor kor eating?

Charlie

Whenever I watch Fighting Spiders, I can't help but laugh whenever I see the character, Charlie. The character of Charlie is really very cute and comical.

Also, I feel that M looks like a younger version of the child actor who plays this role. I think it is due to the crew cut, the physical built, the double chin as well as the smile!

The other day, while watching the trailer, J said "Look! He (Charlie) look like di di, right? Fat fat."

A tribute to my mother

I always thought that my mum is a superwoman; one with everlasting strength and never get tired. Etched in my mind forever, is the mother that wakes my cousins and I up at 5am to go jogging (she jogged, we walked) but that was almost 30 years ago. My mum is now 70 years old.

After moving out, I visit my mum on weekly basis. It is only in the past 2 years that I hear my mum complaining more about her ailments. All of a sudden, I felt that my mum has aged and is no longer a superwoman.

When I was young, my mum will always bring food back from her office annual X’mas party. There will always be a piece of cake and I would happily eat it without the knowledge that it was her share. (In the 70s, a cake was a luxury and a BIG deal!) When I grew slightly older, it dawn upon me the sacrifice my mum has made (when you are a child, giving up a cake is a huge sacrifice too) but still, I cannot comprehend the reason why. But now, I do.

My mother has a big heart and goes all her way out to serve her family and friends. When my maternal grandmother (外婆) was dying, my mother would visit her weekly without fail; cleaning up for my bed-ridden grandma. At the same time, my paternal grandma (奶奶) who was suffering from dementia had to be placed in a nursing home. My mother would also make it a point to visit her; stretching herself at both ends. That was the only time that I see my mum being worn out.

A few years ago, my parents had a fall (not at the same time). My mum was badly hurt and was bleeding in her leg, yet she kept her promise to visit me and never said a word about her fall. For my dad, while walking home at night after work, he missed a step on the stairs and fell and bruised his face badly that it was swollen. Again, they hid it from me because they do not want me to worry. It was only during my weekly visit that I saw how badly my dad was injured. I cried when I saw him in such a state and felt bad that even though I was a phone call away, I seem so far away. Furthermore, they have no one else to depend on except me; their only child.

There are many stories I could tell of my parents and I am sure that goes the same for most parents.

Today I pay tribute to my mother. A tribute that she deserves long ago.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers reading this.

天下的妈妈都是一样的
哦~ 天下的妈妈都是一样的
天下的妈妈都是一样的
哦~ 天下的妈妈都是一样的

不管风吹雨打，不管星期或列假
我的妈妈从来不放假，她工作为了家
厨房是她的天下 狮子头还有红烧鸭
样样她都精通不会假 她是我妈妈

从小常常挨骂 那是因为我不听话
不要以为这是种惩罚 她只要我长大
妈妈我感谢你 没有把我跟大毛比
虽然我考试没有得第一 她说只要你尽了力

不管太阳升起 不管夕阳它又落西
为了我们你牺牲了自己 我永远不会忘记
将来有那么一天 我把太阳高高升起
挂在你永远满足的笑意里 妈妈我爱你

天下的妈妈都是一样的
哦 天下的妈妈都是一样的
天下的妈妈都是一样的
哦 天下的妈妈都是一样的

Cards for Grandmas

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and we create some handmade cards for J and M's 奶奶 and 外婆.

I searched the web for some nice pictures and printed it out for so that J could fill it with colors. After that, we stick it onto colored papers.

While shopping in the supermarket, we saw a shop selling carnations and thus bought 2 stalks for each grandma.

J held the flowers on the way home and couldn't wait to give it to his 奶奶. He also specifically mentioned that he will give the pink flower to his 外婆 when we visit her tomorrow.

When I asked what he what present would he gave me, he said "A tow-truck!". Darn, and I was hoping for flower and kisses.

Football, Horses and Monkeys

Today, J and his friend, R had a free trial class at Soccatots. The class started with simple warm up exercises and they were taught simple skills of handling the football. Initially both boys refuse to join the class but after a while, they were soon enjoying themselves. I think the class is interesting as it teaches good physical co-ordination skills but J is reluctant to go for future classes.

After the class, we had brunch at the Bukit Timah Saddle Club. One of the riders graciously allowed R and J to pet her horse. I think that is the highlight for J as he loves animals. We proceeded to the restaurant. The ambience and service of the restaurant is great but the food took a while to come. Rach (R’s mum) and I were both presented a strawberry cake each as it is Mother’s Day weekend.

After brunch, we parted ways with Rach & R and made our way home.

After J’s afternoon nap, we took him to look at the monkeys. There is a family of monkeys that lives in the forest near the causeway to JB.

Many people would go there to watch and feed them (feeding them is an offence though). Some of them will come up close to us humans to get their food while some stay away.

Today, we saw them playing as one by one dive into the shallow river. There is this particular baby monkey who dare not dive in and was hanging for its dear life but finally lost his grip and fell into the river as well.

Today is a great day as J has been sick for a long time and has finally recovered and could enjoy himself in the outdoors.

Mr Sonshine 1st kiss

While watching M's favourite "Mickey Mouse Club House" this morning, I turned to M and said "Didi, kiss Mummy". (more of a command than a request)

Spontaneously, M lean forward and planted his lips onto mine. Then he lean back and gave me a “I’m so full of myself” smile.

That’s how I stole M’s 1st kiss.

Meeting Baby Lloyd

We finally celebrated Baby Lloyd’s 1st month. This addition to the family is celebrated at my uncle’s house (Lloyd’s grandpa). This is also the 1st time we are meeting him since his birth. He is an adorable boy with a feisty temper.

As M was ill, we only brought J to the celebration. The person whom he look forward to meeting is his cousin, S. Whenever we go to my uncle’s house, the 2 boys would go about their usual activity of visiting Bobby, the neighbor’s dog; going to the roof garden to look for millipede and going to the playground. Today, my uncle took both of them to ride on the LRT.

During those few hours, J has forgotten about my existence as he is enjoying all these activities. It is nice to see the 2 cousins enjoying each other’s company.

In a few years, baby Lloyd will be able to join in all these activities.