Sunday, October 30, 2011

Life's Great, Thank You!

Bren & I rarely fight these days but The Pram was one odd subject that we fought over.
Originally I had wanted to get a "gungho" stroller, you know, those type that has a basket placed at a higher position so that you don't have to bend to carry the baby, but they cost an average of $1,200 and so he doesn't agree and I also couldn't bring myself to buy one although I do want one. So, I thought I would compromise and get a regular Combi that was on sale at Isetan but when I brought Bren to see it, he disagreed again (!) Probably due to the cost being $499 but we got into a cold war over this and didn't buy a pram at all. Eventually, I relented and told him to get the one we found at Giant Supermarket which was selling at ten cents below $100. I was not thrilled but relented because we need a pram. But due to the recent changes in our lives, we were both too busy to go to the store to get it. Miraculously, my friend YC asked us to collect the "Sarong Bouncer" that she is loaning to us and also gave us this mint condition pram. (wow!!!) Combi is a above-average, good performing make, I can tell you.


(Same colour theme as Kiki's very old pram. This could be a very old edition but it is as good as new and we, especially me, are thrilled and thankful that the Universe sent us this in kindness from our old friend)

@ The Beach

It was a beautiful day.
6.30 in the evening and it was still so bright, it's no wonder I'm still awake and energized at 11.30 now, it doesn't feel late.












I had forgotten to bring a rubber band for her hair. She reminds me of Violet from The Incredibles with shinny, black hair all over the face.

@ The Beach





Excavating with her bare hands, making a sand hill.






Today



Today











Ballet

Parents are not allowed to sit-in the class, so we just peeped from the gap on the torn paper that was covering the window.


Today











After breakfast.

Football Jersey



We said she's a football player, she said no, she was a basketball player. (ha ha)



Her teacher gave me a "scary" sticker for Halloween. (ha ha again)

Neighbours

What do you do when you keep getting cigarette-buds on your air-con compressor unit?
We had the HDB sent letters to no avail.
I went up to knock on the neighbour's door but no one was home.
I will ask him to fling the bud further so that it will be propelled outward and not downward.
(if you can't convince them, confuse them isn't it?)

Eating Out

It was I think 1.5 years ago that we ate at Pam's father stall.




"Mama, what's the name of the bird?"


"Err,,, I don't know, I have to Google for it."


"Is it "Parrot"?"


"No, these are not parrots but I don't know their names. Later we'll ask Papa ok?"

29th Oct 2011, Saturday

Climbing up and down a big step.










Gathering - 28th Oct 2011 Friday

My old hotel friends came.
Candy brought some Makis from her restaurant (Iresh, you missed it! hahaha. They were all saying how you would have loved it.)


Kiki got mixed-up with the Minnie Mouse shades. She mistakened that one that Jacyntha has is hers and cried the siren-type of cries for over ten minutes (which is a very long time if you are holding her). Later that night, she had nightmares over this. The one with red rims is Kiki's but she still thinks that the black rimmed one is hers. (she looks totally toot with the black specs).


Oh, ya.

Jas has so many interesting merchandise that I ended up ordering more.

The LeapPad is one (by Leap Frog)

The "Disco-LED-lit shoes" is another. In time for CNY.

Jas can source for many things, I shall recommend her whatever that I find may be a good use.

My Gym

Kiki's instructor forwarded her to a class with older children. She finds that Kiki is ready hence made the recommendation. Kiki attends the one-hour play by herself and when she sees me after an hour of absence, she calls out: "MA MA! MA MA!" (with a hint of tenderness), otherwise, she's fine.

Sleeping Beauties



(He is not keen in the pacifier although he has one)



(she uses pacifier for sleeping only)

44 Letters from the Liquid Modern World






It says "Fate sets the options, but Character makes the choices."




Other pointers:- about how in our liquid, fluid time, some teenagers use 3,000 text messages or more in a month, about how people these days are addicted to FB, how they tell their "friend-list" on intimate details like sex, and how Ex-President Bush's campaign message after 9-11 was to "Go Shopping" (meaning, let life go back to normal, but is Shopping really what you think is a normal life?). About how the medical field is calling every new virus deadly and creating antibiotics even before having the virus, fear mongering (swine flu) or prevention? And few other contrived topics along social-economic lines.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Colin (Baby)





















Eve of Deepavali Holiday

I met Steph for dinner on Tuesday as her birthday is approaching (1st Nov) and we normally meet at least twice a year. Could make it more often if time permits. Dinner was at Mandarin Court- Chinese, I hardly dine out at fancy restaurants unless there's an occasion. After dinner, we joined my sis & jan for some drinks and had few rounds of card game - Saboteur. And also met two ladies from England on a 36-day-holiday-cruise onboard "Diamond Princess" http://www.princess.com/ and they named over ten countries the crusie is on, including Japan, Dubai, China, Thailand, Korea, etc etc. It was rather interesting to have two grannies (them), two mommies (Steph & I) and two singles (my sis & Jan) all six of us sitting at a table over cigs (not all are smoking of course) and drinks, talking about what we do and of our social-domestic cultures. The tourists said that they are the "SYKI" class, meaning retirees who "Spend Your Kids' Inheritence". Ha ha! They go on holidays few times in a year, that's no wonder.


It was noteworthy that they said that women in our society are matriarchs (they said patriarchs but the correct term should be matriarchs if they are referring to women), and should continue to be respected by our children, our children's children and therefore the grandparents could take care of the grandchildren, to impart values, knowledge, wisdom and also knit the family together. Well, as Jan and I discussed, our grandmothers or mothers may not be empowered and may not be matriarchs (definition: "women who rules the family / tribe / clan /community", or "A highly respected woman who is a mother"), but we are getting there.