年初三

Who would have guess that the Bottletree Park would be so pack on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year?

We had a 2nd reunion lunch as K is back. As we can't visit any relatives this year due to the passing of K's grandma, we are left with pretty much nothing to do. Thus the idea of bringing the kids to experience good old kampung life.

The kids had lotsa fun with the longkang fishing and I was surprised that J jump right into the pond and uses his hands to catch the fishes. M wanted to jump in too and we had to held him back as he is too young. But he enjoyed sitting on the wooden swing and enjoying the breeze.

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)

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!

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.

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.

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.

Longkang fishing

"Longkang" means "drain" in Malay. "Longkang fishing" is one of the activities you would have participated in if you have lived in a "kumpung" (village) in the good old days i.e. before high-rise flats came along. Just gather a few friends and go to a nearby longkang and simply start catching the fishes until you hear yr mum yelling for you to go home for dinner.

In modern day Singapore, this experience has to be created and you have to pay S$10 for it. You can catch as many fishes as you like but you can only bring home 5 of it. Welcome to "Bottle Tree Park" - Modern day kumpung.

If you think it is easy to catch these tiny fishes with a small net, you are wrong. It is both frustrating and back-breaking while these tiny creatures escape your every scoup with such ease and grace. In the good old day, you catch with your bare hands. After 45 minutes, I finally managed to reach my quota of 5 fishes for J to bring home. We will return again but the next time, K who is a true-blue kampung boy can go fishing with J (I am just a weekend kumpung girl who visits my grandparents every Sunday in their kumpung house)

Oh what a day(s)!

It is the 1st of October and Children's Day is celebrated in many parts of the world. It is also Hari Raya in Singapore and Independence Day in Hong Kong.

As my helper had the day off, so it is Family Day for the Toh family too. We decide to make an impromptu visit to the new Terminal 3 at the Changi Airport. Somehow, I like going to the airport as it is spacious and has free air-conditioning. It also brings back good memories of overseas trip even if it is for work.

On the way, both J and M fell asleep in the car which is good as they would be fresh when they arrive at the airport.

When we arrived, we headed towards Swensen in time for afternoon tea. As it was Children's Day, J gets a free kids meal but all he wants was french fries. The kind waitress acceded to exchange the kid’s meal for fries instead. He also had a scoop of ice-cream but he was more interested in the fried wanton skin in the salad buffet which came along with the main meal that K and I shared. M just ate off the table and I mean it literally. He sat in the baby chair and sucked the edge of the table. When I was reading the menu, he grabs it from me and sucks the edge too. Halfway through the meal, he decides to drink his milk and fell asleep.

After tea-time, we walked around the viewing gallery but there aren’t many planes. The whole place is quite deserted if not for the students studying there. After so many years, student still like to make the airport their “study room”.

We walked around the departure hall and took some pixs before heading off. On the way to the carpark, M woke up from his nap and started crying loudly. J started comforting him by saying “It’s ok, it’s alright didi. Kor kor is here. Didi don’t cry.” On the journey home, J said to M “Didi, are you tired? Let’s go home, ok?”

For me, I survived the day without my helper and it is great because I get to take care of M myself; feeding him and slinging him close to me. I think we should more “maid-less” days so that we can truly have a family day.

Outing to the Singapore Science Centre

K had the day off thus I suggested that they spend some together at the Singapore Science Centre.

It has been ages since I visited the Centre thus I am not sure what is being showcase there so I am looking forward to J having an educational trip.

The father and son duo set off at 10+am for the centre. When I called them at 12+, to my surprise, they are already having lunch at McDonalds.

According to K, the only exhibit that interest J are the dinosaurs.

J came back with a dino toy and helicopter. He spend the rest of the day mimicking a dino and chased us around the house; wanting to bite us and making roaring noises.

Maybe the next time I am off from work, I can bring him again and maybe give him a mummy's perspective of the centre. I guess Daddy is just good for the fun stuff like lazing in front of the TV. Hee hee.

Old MacDonald have a farm

It was again an impromptu decision to do something together as a family. As we have not gone to "The Animal Resort" for quite a while thus we decide to do that.

Of course we had to seek J's opinion first and thus when we asked him if he wants to go to a farm, his reply was "Old MacDonald has a farm, right?". What a silly boy. When we asked him what a farm is, he says "Farm has animals". I guess he does understand the nursery rhyme.

It was noon when we reached the farm but fortunately, it was not scorching hot yet.

We headed towards the feeding station and bought some carrots for the rabbits and hamsters. They seem to be extremely hungry and finished up 3 slices of carrots very quickly.

Next we headed to the grooming school and a few days were getting their fur groomed. There was even a chow chow which somehow reminds me of M. :-P

K and J wandered further into the farm where there was a big man-made pond. When I caught up with them, both father and son was standing in front of the pond and I took a pix of this lovely moment.

We headed back towards the feeding area and started feeding the geese. One of it even come so close to J that it nearly peck on him. We jokingly told J that the goose had kissed him so that he will not be afraid.

As it was getting sunny, we had to leave and before we left, J said "Bye bye Old MacDonald".

Family day at the beach

The night before, we made an impromptu decision to go to the beach the next day. Can you believe it? The last time we went to the beach was May 07! That's more than a year ago.

K dig a crater in the sand and J just sat in it for almost an hour playing with the sand. Here's a pix of J 1 year ago and now. He has definitely grown much taller and his face is no longer babyish. My little boy has grown up.

While K spent time with J, I took M for a stroll along the beach and simply enjoying the cool breeze. This is M's 1st time at the beach and initially he was hype up by the noisy surrounding and was slightly fussy and refuse to take his nap. However, he was soon lure to sleep by the slight rocking of the stroller over the rocky beach path and the sea breeze. We stroll (or rather I stroll while M sleeps) for almost an hour before we headed back to join K and J.

The day at the beach ended with a wonderful meal of ramen at Waruku Japanese Restaurant near to the beach.

It is indeed time well spent and I hope we can do this more often.

The Purple Dinosaur

Never in my life did I ever imagine (no pun intended) that I will be attending a Barney concert. But when the advertisment for the show came on and R sms me if I were interested, I duely did what a mother of a 2 yrs old would - I bought the tickets.


After a month's wait, the day finally arrived. The plan was to take the train to City Hall and then walk to Suntec but the dark clouds threaten to break anytime. J insisted that we take the train but we ended up on a cab.

When we reach the event hall, I resisted the temptation to buy J a goody bag that cost S$33. Afterall, he is going through a "Bob the Builder' phase now and Barney is just another dinosaur.

Soon, R arrived with her son Ryan. Ryan shares the same birthday as J. These 2 fellas have not seen each other for quite a while.

When the show started, J was dazed with the lightning and sounds but he soon realized what was going on. Did he dance and sing to the songs? Of course.....not. He is an introvert, what do you expect?

Did he enjoy it? In J's own words, "Yes".

Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

Tks to Jas for oranising another outing and this time round, we are going to Jacob Ballas Children's Garden.

It is Asia's first children's garden. Dedicated to all children of Singapore, it is designed to provide unique discovery and learning experiences in a garden setting.

As usual, we are the 1st to arrive at the garden despite not being able to find the way initially. I immediately took a liking to the entrance to the garden as it has a breezy sitting area, just what I needed.


Jas was kind enough to lead the whole group round the garden and kept a lookout for J who was with my helper. Finally, they came back to the waterplay area and started the highlight of the day....getting the kids wet.


Although I could not get involved in playing with J, I can see that he enjoyed himself. K also did a great job with the cameras. I think he is a better photographer than I am!

Go Go Bambini

Seems like Go Go Bambini is the in thing for children nowadays. It is a indoor children’s entertainment centre offering active play in an air-conditioned environment for children.

R decides to organise an outing for the April's mummy so I decide to join in. Afterall, it's been a while since I last met up with her and the other mummies. Furthermore, it was a public holiday in HK so I don't have to work.

"Wow! Look at this place! Coolz..."

"Helpppppp! I can't get out of this balls pit!"

The minute we step into the play area, J was fascinated. There are so many things to explore. He can climb and play all over the 3-storey high playscape while I kick back and relax over lunch and a cup of coffee. In between, I did try to join in the fun but seems like it takes a lot of energy to keep up with this little fella.

"Yikes....these allies have such sharp teeth. I better climb onto this tree truck so that it can't bite me. Shoo shoo...go away!"

"It just refuse to go away....then let me run away instead"

J had fun but he was exhausted after playing for abt 2 hours. This is definitely a place that I would return. Btw, they have great coffee too.

"Neh neh neh neh neh, you cannot catch me"

The Animal Resort

As Hong Kong celebrates 1st Jul, I get to enjoy the extra public holiday! It is too much of a waste to be hiding at home thus we decide to get out and have some family time. Thus, we head towards "The Animal Resort" at Seletar Farmway 5.

Along the way, we passed by JL's house and I realized I am not the only one stuck in the ulu part of Spore. So does JL!

"Come and 'mum mum'. My mama says carrots are good for me so i guess it must be good for you too."

"Aiyoh, this creature takes so long to even finish 1 stick of carrot. I'm just gonna wedge it in the fence and let him self-feed and come check on him later."

Simon says "Look 2 the front!"

Simon says "Look at the floor!"










Simon says "Face off"




J had so much fun feeding the bunnies and hamsters, chasing the black swan, looking at the fishes in the pond and even got up close with a real live dog!

At ECP with Papa and Mama

Arrgghhhh! I shouldn't have told you we are going to the beach today. Is that the reason why you woke up at 5am today? Oh gosh, J, pls catch some sleep so that you will have energy later. Mama is gonna ignore you, I'm sure you'll fall asleep at some time. Zzzzzzz.......

What?? It is 9am already? And seems like it is a good day to hit the beach. OK, let's begin "Operation Super-fast". Let's get changed and prepare to conquer East Coast Park in 1/2 an hour.

The park is desserted today as it is a Thursday. Had it not be a public holiday in Hong Kong today, Mama would be working.

Let's go back to our favourite spot where there is great shade. Hey J, did you realized that this is the 3rd time this month that we came to the beach? You are fast becoming a beach boy huh? But do you know what is the difference this time? That's right, Papa is with us this time round! Hurray!

We stayed on the beach for almost 1 hr when J started feeling restless. We walked around the beach for another 1/2 hr. When J started to cling onto me, I knew it's time for his mid morning nap which he missed earlier on. We washed up quickly at the nearest public toilet and shortly after we walked out of the toilet, J has already fell asleep in the arms of our helper.

With K being out of town so often, this is indeed a rare opportunity for us to spend some time together as a family. It is wonderful to see K having so much fun playing with J.

Saturday's Night Out

The exams are over and J's cousins are coming over. It is almost a month since they last saw their 宝贝.

J's 姑姑 and cousins are thrilled that J is able to "walk" by holding onto one's hand.

S suggested taking parents out for a simple dinner in celebration of Mother's Day. Thus, we went to Jack's Place. As it's Mother's Day, they have a set meal and limited ala-carte.

Wow, there's so much to eat huh? No wonder you are not paying attention to your home-made porridge that 阿嬷 made. Mmmm...seems like Mama has to resort to my limited repertoire of "Baby Signing Time" and excerpts from "Wheels on the Bus" to make you eat...."baby, baby, baby signing time....."

Err...why are you eyeing the seafood spaghetti? You want some? Well...on the account that you have finish almost all your porridge and endured my out-of-tune singing, I shall give you some. How do you like it, J? What?? You want more? Mmmm...I knew that was coming.

After dinner, we went for a walk in the mall and J saw a kiddy ride and insisted on climing on it. I've had 2 experiences of letting him on the rides only to have him "run" away from it once we slotted in the money (So far I've spent $1.20 on this experiment).

J, you want to sit on the kiddy ride? Sure, no problemo. Here's one with Garfield on it. Why don't you sit beside him? You can hold onto the wheel and pretend that you are driving taking Garfield for a ride. Cool huh?

Haha, I don't have to spend a single cent but yet managed to keep J entertained. Btw, the kiddy ride is....err...out of service.

Outing with April babies

J and T have organized an outing today to the East Coast beach for all the April babies. It has been a long time since we met up with R, I, K and L so I'm making it a point to bring J to meet up with them.

J is co-operative by waking up early. In fact, he has been waking up quite early recently to my dismay. We reached the beach at 9.45am and had breakfast at BK but J was too excited to hit the beach and refuse the yummy scramble egg.

Hello R, I, K and L! Long time no see. Hey, we have a new friend, S. Welcome to this playgroup.

The weather was great and we have a spot under the shade. Let's get the beach toys out and have some sandy fun!

For some of the babies, it is the 1st time on the beach and thus didn't quite enjoyed themselves. But J sure did! Well done J, we should do this more often ya?

Hey J, let's go down to the water and enjoy the waves splashing against our feets ok. You want to sit on the beach for a while? Shall we do that to cool off the heat?

Wish your Papa was here so that we can spend some time together as a family.

When Papa return, let's ask him to bring us to the beach again ok?