Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Sarong

YC lent us the "sarong", which is an old-fashioned way of containing the baby while he sleeps.
Supposedly the position lets the baby curl up like how he curls when in the mommy's womb, so it's something familiar. I remember I used to bounce my sis in the sarong and this is some 30 years ago. (!!!) Some trends are evergreens.







Eating Out







This is the last dinning voucher I have from the "Eat @ Mandarin" membership. This time, I brought Pam to Ristorante Bologna at Marina Mandarin (Tel 65 6845 1113) My membership was under-utilised, there were soooooooooo many 1-for-1 drinks voucher that were unused =( I am in no true fashion a foodie, had I been one, the membership would have been worth. ($498 - one night hotel accommodation plus numerous dinning vouchers and discounts). Nevertheless, I do enjoy Italian although I can't name the variety of cheeses or pastas, I appreciate all the tastes. This buffet costs about $40+++, although the spread was minimum, the quality was good, and it's not just me saying.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Short Trip

Pamela bought a tour package to Batam via Groupon and treated me to a short holiday. It is just two-day-one-night and we both enjoyed the no frills trip.
The cost of it is $68, ++ taxes = $100. per person.
It includes ferry ride, return.
City Tour (which in my opinion was uninteresting and mainly for the tour guide to earn his commission. but it was non-optional so we just stuck to it) - stops at Keropok shops, fake-goods shops, real-goods shops, and then Seafood lunch which was not too bad. Had Gong-gongs. And a 60-min oil massage (top up $5 for a 90-min session)
Hotel accommodation including International buffet breakfast at Harmoni One Hotel, which was a very grand hotel!
The only drawback is the time spent on City Tour which I would have skipped. Other than that, it was a very good deal.

A sunny day.




The hotel's driveway.



Endless space at the hotel's lobby.



Does this look familiar?



The waiting space at our room level is so huge you can play badminton. (I didn't take a picture as it is just,,,,, space.)






Note: on day one, there was a street protest where many workers (like 200 workers) rode on their motorbikes and tooted their horns "peeeeeeeeeeeeepeeeeeeepeeeee" like that, and rode through the streets. they want their government to pressure the investors / employers to practise a "minimum wage". on day two- the shopping centres were closed. (luckily i've made my shoppings the day before). our tour guide was very worried and made us all go to the ferry terminal two hours ahead of schedule. she was afraid the roads to the ferry terminal might be blocked, already, the main access there was blocked and she used another smaller but longer route to get us there. Hence, the place may not be for the faint-hearted and children. In Singapore, we have no such problems because it is illegal to riot and we're too faint-hearted for that.

Short Trip

I had this very delicious, authentic, beehoon soto at the ferry terminal.
If you can see on the top right of this photo- green chilli, it is potently blazing. Of course I'm not mad to eat it in volume but if you are those who love to set your tougue ablaze, then this is for you. Whatever the case, its soup base and beehoon are already very good. I can almost never get this in Singapore.







Both the signature dishes were very good. Gado-gado and the Ayam Penyat.

(Shop name RIA at the MegaMall- Batam City Square)



Short Trip

I've totally forgot about this place called Batam. I mean, I had forgotten about the mega sale they have during year end and some festive seasons. The last time I was there was before I started my current job, and that is surely six years ago. Gosh, the memory is still fresh in my mind. In fact, Anna & Johnny went there too (after hearing my raved purchases). I've completely settled Colin's & Bren's CNY clothing, totally. Surprisingly, there wasn't much to buy for Kiki & myself. Well, at least I'm 80% done buying.











Short Trip

The blue T-shirt says - Be The Change You Want To See In The World. (in short, Be the Change.)


A striped T for Ryan =)



Shorts, Glorious Shorts! These baby apparels drove me crazy. Utterly cute.


Especially this!


A Batik Dress

Short Trip

For Papa and ..... I couldn't fit!


For Kiki & Didi Colin



For Yiyi & Kiki


Checkered pumps

Pong-Tang

(Showing me a "Mama" sign) She was signing "Mama, I love you."
Last Tuesday, she refused to go to school. It's just one of those days. Ever since she has learnt the word "Later", she has used it to defer any activity she doesn't want. She holds up her hand and shows you a "stop" sign and say "Later! Later!" I said, "later? no later. any later your teacher will be home!" but it doesn't quite work with her.



It's been a long while since she's last put on a hat. This hat is passed down from Pam's niece. Recently, perhaps due to CNY spring cleaning, we've inherited many hand-me-downs. =)

Happy Birthday

(Happy Birthday - Part 2)

This is not my BD present, this is what we really need - a laundry dryer.
This saves us all the time sunning the clothes, bringing the "gala" (bamboos) in and out of the house (depending on the unpredictable weather), and this gives me crisp-dry clothes that I so desire. The downside is the surge in electricity usage, and the clothes may wear out faster. Whatever the case, for the fact that it saves us the much wanted time, we were all relieved that we bought this handy machine at last. (I didn't know dryers have become so cheap!)


Okay, I bought this for myself. Ionised hair brush for smooth and shiny hair. (I will let you know if it really works)



An impromptu dinner




Christmas 2011





Colin (Baby)

Aiyo! So cute!

Weighty Issue

For any woman who has been medium built, plump, chubby, fat or obese, the issue on weight and the social pressure of being lean and fit may all be too familiar. It is hard enough to fend off the stigma and doubly so after delivering a baby (or babies). Some women risk malnutrition to quickly downsize while some battle with mental anguish over self-esteem issues. Some even get the blues. Whatever the case, many of us could find little time to exercise but the young doctor who attended to me during the time I was in the hospital after delivery Colin insisted that it was a matter of prioritizing. He said even when he works a 30-hour shift, he would still hit the gym. (I might argue that 1. He is young. 2. He doesn't have young children he has to attend to. 3. He has more time at his disposal. But I didn't say that, after all, he meant good. In his opinion, exercising would prolong life.)
So anyway, I would not view the need to exercise as being the answer to loose weight although if one starts exercising, one may naturally loose excess fats (if one is fat to begin with) but the overall positive effects of exercising should be motivational enough to get going. I hope I will keep on moving, I shall put a tab about this under "weighty"and keep a track on myself.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Birthday

Two weeks back when I took a look at my FIL's appointment card, I thought to myself - "there's no way I'm spending my birthday loitering and waiting at the hospital" but here am I at the ChangiGeneral Hospital typing away with my fingers and thumbs and waiting for him to pee, which is a serious matter. So never say never. As I age, I become more selfless. Not that I'm a saint or anything close, randomly I'm still as foolish as the next person. Oh shit! Forgot my novel! Gosh, HOW TO KILL TIME? Sharks. Phone batt will be out if I carry on using the Net but what the heck. So yes, as I was saying, today is my birthday and I'm a bit erm,,, how you describe that tired/groggy/a-bit-lost feeling after a night of multiple disrupted sleep. Poor Kiki has stools so hard that they look like hand granites. She cried and sobbed as she pass motion at 2.34am while Bren and I consoled her. I must really get to the root of this. I prescribed fruits to Maricar to let Kiki eat daily but the fruits are mostly left to rot. Is it really she cannot squeeze the time to do it or is it of low priority in her opinion? I mustn't continue to observe and just consol Kiki but rather, it is time for action. Overdue. So as I was saying, multiple sleep disruption, - my FIL wakes up at whatever time he fancies, mostly between 2 to 5 AM to scavenge my fridge, we've since stopped buying and storing coke in the fridge as he drank more than I did, he could finish a one litre bottle in two sittings. Other disruptions include the use of the common toilet and also Bren's getting ready for work a.k.a shower at six AM. It takes a lot of getting used to because I'm a terribly light sleeper. So anyway, Kiki woke up and in her blurry state, came up to me and said in her soft voice- "happy birthday. Today your birthday already?" she asked. So sweet of her. So anyway, I am contented with life and there's nothing more I would ask for so from now, everything more are bonuses. All I want for my birthday is an ionized hairbrush dryer. To tame my tangled ends so that I stop snipping off my hair due to it being tangled like wool. That's how simple. I hope we can get out of here soon so that I can 1) go to the gym. 2) count my coins. 3) play with Kiki. 4) coo with Colin. 5) transfer money to Jas for my purchase on leap pad for Kiki. 6) go buy my hairbrush. 7) pack my bag for Batam trip for tomorrow. 8) wait for my mom, she's visiting. 9) downtime.

Monday, November 21, 2011

To Do

I've reserved the book at the library but I'm on queue. Meantime, perhaps I would watch the big screen first.


Hi-5 is coming to town. Kiki doesn't watch their videos as I am afraid they might be too hyped for her but she does have one book on them and she likes that book. She could remember the text - "Good night moon, good night stars." (it's about outdoor camping) I thought since they are in town, it would be nice to let Kiki meet them in persons.


Sherz-another chillout venue perhaps. (ice blend shakes & pizza) Selegie.



Bought these online from http://smoochiezz.com/ They sell cosmetics, nails & beauty products.



Are these Christmassie enough? They take getting used to though.