Farewell 2010!

2010 has been a really fruitful and fulfilling year for Aces family.

This year in February, I started on my long timed dream job – work from home mom. My role is a Client Services Executive and as my office is in UK, I am able to work from home. This allows me to continue to tend after Anthea’s afterschool care.

Anders graduated from Kindergarten level in 2010 and he would be starting his formal primary education comes January 2011. It would be another challenging year for me, now that I have to look after both their afterschool needs.

Anthea did well in her Primary 2 academic results and we were proud of her achievement. Next year would be a more demanding year for her as she would be dealing with new subject in school – Science.

As for myself, I believe I would grow more in my role, both domestic and in work, and I hope I would have a better achievement for 2011 as well.

Adrian would be busy in his work and may likely be doing a Full time diploma course and so he would be looking at another milestone.

We have been blessed with love and care from our families and friends and we know we would not take all these for granted and we would cherish them more in the going years.

With this note, the aces family would like to wish all our families and friends a Happy New Year and all the best in 2011!!

Cheers!!

3 Days 2Nights WOW Penang Holiday, 9 – 11 December 2010

A few weeks back, my eldest brother invited us to join him and my parents for a short vacation to Malaysia. His initial destination was Langkawi. We went to the Silkair Road show to try to book our tour packages. However, we were told all the Langkawi packages were sold out. As we were flexible with the dates and destinations, the consultant finally managed to confirm us for a 3 Days WOW Penang holiday. With this confirmation, we were all ready and looking forward to another great holiday experienced.

Day 1: Thursday, 09 December

Singapore → Penang (MI 360) Dep: 1320 / Arr 1445

We met up with my eldest brother and my parents at Changi Airport Terminal 2. As Adrian just took his annual leaves for the Phuket trip, he was unable to get leaves for this Penang trip, so it was just Anthea, Anders and I.

We checked in our 1 luggage and went in to the Duty Free area for a quick snack before our flight. Refreshment was served on board the 1 hour flight from Singapore to Penang. As usual, the children had their child meal.

Upon arrival at the Penang airport, we were met by the local representative and he drove us to our hotel – G Hotel. This hotel was highly recommended by the consultant who booked us for this holiday.

We had booked 3 rooms for our party of 4 adults and 2 children. To our delight, we were all upgraded to the Executive rooms. The hotel rooms had the added value of FREE Mini Bar and FREE WIFI. The mini bar was replenished daily and both Anthea and Anders enjoyed the drinks and the kit kat bars.

It was almost 4pm by the time we checked in and the 1st activity would be swimming for the children. While we went to the pool, my brother and my parents went around the hotel and check out the vincity.

We met up around 6pm for dinner. Our 1st stop was the Esplanade area. We took a nice stroll by the Esplanade and managed to even visit Fort Cornwallis before dinner.

Dinner was at the Red Garden and we had a sumptuous dinner of sushi, Penang yong tau foo, 芽菜和海南鸡肉。 After dinner, we took a walk to their famous Eastern & Oriental hotel to admire the hotel architecture. Then we called it a night and went back to the hotel to rest as we had a full day of sightseeing the next day.

Day 2: Friday, 10 December

For this trip, my elder brother had done up a tour itinerary for us and he was our official tour guide.

We rented a chauffeur driven mini car for our party from the hotel tour and transport desk. The charge was MYR$50 per hour. The driver was Mr. Tan and he was a very nice, elderly man. We proposed our routing and he even added on a few other ad-hoc stops for us.

Our tour of the day included:

1. Penang hill – view the closed site area as they are now upgrading the cable car. According to Mr. Tan, it should be ready by New Year.

2. Kek Lok Si – visited the famous temple and saw the 观音 statue.

3. Coffee Tree – bought coffee and some chocolates. Highly recommend for coffee lovers.

4. Fishing Village – En Route to tropical farm, we stopped by a Fishing village and saw fisherman came in with their catch – lots of fishes of different type.

5. Tropical Fruit farm – located at the hill top, we paid about RM$28 for an adult and RM$20 for a child for a guided tour of the farm. The children had a great time listening to the growth of different kind of fruits. At the end of the tour, we were treated to a Fruit Buffet and a nice cup of fruit juices.

On our way back to the hotel, we had lunch at a local coffee shop. We ordered the Fried Kway Teow and 炒面 and to our greatest surprised, the 2 dishes tasted very good, even though it was a small shop and the “chef” was a very young lady.

On way back, we requested Mr. Tan to bring us to local product shop to buy some 土产。He brought us to a shop quite near to our hotel – 田园土产 (Tean Ean Local Products (M) Sdn Bhd) located at 90 Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 10050 Penang, MY.

The 豆沙饼和马蹄酥were very fresh and tasty. We were very happy with our purchase.

As we had a long day of tour, we decided to do dinner at the shopping centre next to the hotel. We had Manhattan Fish market and it turned out to be a very good choice. As none of us had eaten it in Singapore…haha.

We had ice cream after dinner and then went back to the rooms for a good night rest. It had been a very FRUITFUL day for us, especially the children.

Day 3: Saturday, 11 December

We had buffet breakfast at the café and then we checked out 2 rooms and kept our room for late checked out.

We had booked the mini car and again we had Mr. Tan as our driver cum guide.
Our day 2 itineraries were as follow:

6. Reclining Buddha temple along Lorong Burma Road.

7. Khoo Kongsi temple - This temple has rich historical value and learning about it gives me the interest to find out more about my own root too…hehe.

8. 水上人家 - seeing the houses built on such condition reminds me of those old kampong days.

We had a quick tea break stop at a local coffee shop in Little India and tried the roti canai (aka roti prata)

9. Our final tour stop was Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion). There was a guided tour at 11am and we were brought around the Mansion and given a very detailed introduction. It was really an awesome tour and to learn so much about the history of the Mansion.

We left the place around 12noon and went back to the hotel to get change and checked out. We had a quick lunch at 小南国 at the shopping mall before our transfer pick up to the airport for our flight to home sweet home.

It had really been an enjoyable tour for the family and we learnt so much about Penang in such a short span of time. There are so much more places to see and things to do and I know we would be going back again for the Durians and fried Kway Teow.

Till we meet again…Jumpa Lagi Penang!!

Penang → Singapore (MI 355) 1805/1930

Our 11th Year together..

4 December always bring fond memories as I remembered how we had walked together for so many wonderful years.

We have been lucky to have so many supports along this road that we walked together. Not only thankful to our families, we also had great friends whom had seen us growth as a family and shared with us all the joy and happiness.

On Saturday, 4 December 2010 - it was our 11th year anniversary and knowing that Adrian had always wanted to see River dance performance. We decided to watch the 8pm show. Before we went to book the tickets, we asked for some logistic help in taking care of Anthea and Anders.

When all were settled, we went to the Sistics Counter and bought the tickets for our evening show.

As this was the 1st time we were watching a Live Performance at the Sands Theatre @ the Marina Bay Sands, we decided to go earlier to check out the venue and had a quick before show dinner.

It was also Adrian 1st visit to MBS area and he was impressed at how big the place was and how exquisite some of the Celebrities chef restaurants were. We had a simple dinner at the Rasaputra Masters (aka Food court )..haha.

The 2 hour show was mesmerizing and we truly enjoyed the world class performance. We were also surprised and honored to see PM Lee and Madam Hoy Ching at the same performance.

The song and the dances are closed to our daily lives as we are playing so many different roles very day.

May our years ahead be strong just like the Dance as every step we move; it would be full of energy and power.

Happy 11th Year to us !!

4 Day 3Nights Phuket Rest & Relax Families Trip, 26 – 29 Nov 2010

This was the Tan Clan inaugural families trip and I must say – it was a successful trip. We were a party of 8 adults, 2 children, 1 toddle and 2 infants. First time we managed to go on a short vacation with all of us included.

Day 1: Friday, 26 November

Singapore → Phuket (MI 754 )Dep: 1320 / Arr 1405

It was a 1hour and 45 minutes flight from Singapore to Phuket. We were seated all near to one another. It was the 1st flight experience for my youngest niece – Taeia Tan. She took it really well.

Upon arrival at the Phuket airport, we were met by the Holiday Inn resort representative and we had 2 minivans for our families transfer.

We checked into the hotel and was given a Superior king-sized bed for our family. The other families had queen sized bedroom. My 2nd brother in law booked a family suite for his family.

As usual the 1st activity was swimming. Yeah, the children were all very excited and had great fun at the resort’s kid’s pool. Even the 2 infants also came in for a quick water play.

In the evening, we had dinner at the Hard Rock café and then adjourned to the hotel lobby for the welcome drinks. Then we called it a night and had good rest.

Day 2: Saturday, 27 November

We had an enjoyable buffet breakfast and then the children went to the kid’s club and had some fun at the club.

Then we headed to the poolside again and they played for some time before we went back to the room to change.

Lunch was arranged at Jungceylon shopping centre. This shopping mall was huge and it housed many familiar brands – Robinson and Carrefour can be found in this mall. It’s very close to home shopping. We had lunch and then explored the shopping mall. After that, some of us took the Tuk Tuk back to the hotel and we decided to walk back. It was about 10minutes walk to the hotel and along the streets, there were plenty of street shopping and amazing discoveries.

In the evening, we went by to the beachfront and we negotiated a deal for a Banana Boat ride. Together with my 3rd brother in law, his wife and my Father in law, Anthea tried her 1st ride on the Banana Boat. The ride was very fun and they were overthrown at the end of the ride when they were near the beachside. She enjoyed the ride so much and kept telling us about the fun of it.

We had dinner at the Thai restaurant in the hotel. Then we headed back to the rooms for a good night rest.

Day 3: Sunday, 28 November

During our last trip to Phuket in 2008, we did Safari tour. So this time round, we decided to try something different. We booked our family of 2 adults and 2 children for the ATV (all terrain vehicles) tour. It was a 2 hours of thrilling ride in the mountainous terrain.

As it was drizzling in the morning, it made the slopes very slippery and muddy and these add on the excitement of the rides.

After the 2 hours, we were all dirty and tired. We headed back to the hotel for a quick bath. Then had our cup noodles lunch in our rest before resting for the afternoon to regain the energy.

For dinner, we headed out the beachside for some seafood dinner. It was a simple and nice meal by the beach. After dinner, we took a stroll back to the hotel. On the way, we even stopped for Haagen Das Ice cream.

Day 4: Monday, 29 November

Phuket → Singapore (MI 753) 1455/1740

We woke up to a nice and relaxing buffet breakfast. After that, we started to pack and got ready for our home going flight.

We took a minivan from the hotel to the airport it cost us THB 1200. Then it was checked in time and home sweet home.

Overall, the 4D3N had passed by very quickly. We had so much fun and great families bonding time with the extended families. So it was a really good experienced for the Ace family.

For now…we look forward to our next families travel, would this be Beijing 2011?? To be continue….

毕业典礼- Anders K2 Graduation Ceremony 2010

19 November 2010 was a BIG Day for me. Yes, finally, Anders is graduating from his kindergarten stage and would be going to Primary 1 in 2011.

This time round, my first Skool had decided to do the ceremony as individual centre based rather than a combined concert with other centers.

The concert was much smaller in scale but the importance and significance of the celebration remained HUGE in meaning.

The graduation was scheduled to start in the evening at 6.30pm. Around 6.15pm, Anthea and I took a slow walk to the centre. When we arrived at the centre, we realized that the Guest of Honor – Dr.S Vasoo was already making his speech. We entered the centre discreetly and quite luckily, we managed to be seated in the 1st row of the concert.

After his speech, the graduation began. The K2 graduands marched in with pride. They were all wearing the graduation gowns and mortarboard. It was a very special MOMENT for all the parents when they saw their children and cameras were busy flashing away.

Dr. S Vasoo presented each one of them with their graduation certification. After that, they took a group photo with the centre Principal and Teachers in charge.

Then the concert began – the program was well lined up and we had great fun and were well entertained throughout the 2 hours.

Finally when the show was over, we were treated to some light refreshment prepared by the centre aunties. The food was simple and delicious. The children were having a great time, eating their food and chatting with their friends.

For some of them, this would be the last month attending the childcare as some would be going on the next stage in their life.

This was my 2nd time attending a graduation ceremony and I found it to be much more meaning than those big scale show. It really allowed the parents to see the talents in their own child.

Once again, I am a PROUD mother for the day!

亲爱的勇学，

终于毕业了。这是新的开始。。路会很长不过妈妈会陪着你！希望你会勇敢的学习。

爱您的妈妈。

Double UP…

The children had been feeling a lot of excitement since the day we ordered the Double Decker bed for them.

Yes, after some consideration that we would be staying put in our home for the few years ahead, we decided to do some adjustment to the “hardware” of the home.

The children had been bugging us to get them a double decker bed. Each time when we went to the furniture showrooms, they would take the opportunity to try the different types of children double decker beds.

As our bedrooms are all installed with a ceiling fans, we were concerned about the safety issue, especially with the fan’s blade going fast and furious. A few months back, we decided to change the children room fan as it was having some technical problem. After some researched, we bought a new TDK Ceiling Oscillation fan.

Once the fan was changed, we went to Rozel furniture showroom and checked out their double decker beds. To our luck, they were having some promotion on one particular bed and we decided to go with that promotional item.

This week on Monday, they delivered the bed and it’s now the new novelty of the home. The children enjoyed the “Tree house” in the room.

忙碌的十一月..

Just came back from another fruitful working trip in Shanghai. Weather is very cooling now in China and truly enjoys the walk in the cool evenings.

November had arrived and it’s going to be a very busy month for our family.

Work wise – I have loads of upcoming meetings and I hope to gain more out from these meetings.

Children – Anthea had completed her semestral exam and now we are waiting eagerly for her final results. So far, she had done very well for all her papers and we are very happy with her performance.

Anders will be having his K2 graduation ceremony on 19 November and now they are busy with the rehearsal. After that we will be attending his Primary 1 orientation. I am really looking forward to seeing him starting his formal primary school education in 2011.

Holidays – yes, we are going for our augural families holiday with our extended families in November. It’s going to be quite an experience for all of us.

A few months back Anthea felt ill and was pale from her illness. Then we decided to let her try Brand Essence for children. After the first few bottles, I noticed a slight improvement in her health. From then onward, she becomes a Brand Essence fan and she drinks 1 bottle everyday during her SA.

With some connection, I managed to get bulk purchase of the Brand Essence at a good rate and now we had stocked up on them. We will make sure the children drink them regularly to maintain their energy and health.

Looking forward to all the upcoming events and fun time ahead.

Happy Birthday to Terence !

On Sunday, 24 October, we celebrated my 3rd brother in law birthday. As my MIL is an Ala Carte Member, she has meals vouchers which we could use at the Millennium Group. As usual, one of our favorite dinner place is Café Brio’s @ Grand Copthrone Waterfront and yes, its buffet spread is something that the families simply adore…: )

Usually for special occassion, we would dined at this cafe and like what my FIL comment :"it's an annual affair to eat here". Anthea & Anders were very excited about the Buffet dinner.

The spread was as usually good – the cold dishes even had Japanese Abalone with the usual fresh serving of sashimi, fresh oysters, cold crabs. The hot counters have mixture of western cuisine and some of our local favorites – hokkien noodle, chilli crab and seasonal vegetables dishes.

The favorite counter is none other than the Grilled counter – they have grills beef/mutton/prawns/cuttlefish ring and otah. Most of them were grilled to perfection by the chef in charge except for a few odd ones...: )

The children enjoy the food from all the different counters and the adults were also much busied going in and out of the main café to the grills.

We had an enjoyable dinner and when it was so called cake cutting time, I realized that there was no cake for the birthday boy…hehe.

Adrian said probably it was a buffet so no one thought of getting a cake…haha..: P

Anyway, both Anthea and Anders bought a birthday card for him and Adrian also gave him a birthday ang pow.

We wished Terence a very Happy Birthday and a good year ahead…!!

Discovering Melbourne, 9 - 13 Oct 2010

The company had scheduled a Roundtable meeting in Melbourne on 11 – 12 October. Originally it was planned that my Manager would be travelling to Singapore for local meetings and then to Melbourne for the Roundtable meeting. However, due to some medical reason, she had to change her travel plan. As such, the company had requested for me to travel for the meeting.

I was delighted and definitely happy to accept the task as every travel is a great learning opportunity for me and also a good chance to meet the clients.

So I booked myself on Qantas flights from Singapore to Melbourne.

Day 1: 9 October, Sat – QF 9 Singapore – Melbourne.

Qantas fly the Airbus A380 on weekend and thus I was lucky to get my 2nd visit on the A380. Flight was smooth and service was great.

Day 2: 10 October, Sunday

Arrival in Melbourne at 6am in the morning. I took the Sky bus from the airport to the city station (Southern Cross Station) and then got a taxi from there to my hotel. I was booked into the Amora Melbourne located at 649 Bridge Road, Richmond, Vic 2131. It was located outside of CDB but very near to the factory outlets.

As it was still too early for me to check into the hotel room, so I decided to do my shopping first. Yes, I had a short list of shopping items to get from Melbourne. My family’s members are great supporter of Jurlique products. It is very costly to buy them in Singapore but in Australia, they cost ½ the price of Singapore. Each time when we visit Australia, we are surely to stock them up.

So my 1st stop was the Chinatown Duty Free shop which is located in Little Bourke Street.

I took the Tram services from the hotel to Swanton Street. It was very fast and easily accessible. I took the opportunity to explore all the shops along Swanston Street. They have everything and anything – from souvenirs, branded goods and essential needs.

At the Duty Free shop, I bought the Jurlique Essential oils and also some nougat for the families.

After a fulfilling trip, I went back to the hotel for the check in and prepared the meeting items.

In the evening, I had dinner with my Australia colleague and the 2 facilitators for the meeting. It was a good introductory dinner.

Day 3: 11 October, Monday

The meeting was scheduled to start at 9am and there was coffee and tea at 8.45am for the delegates. I had the chance to meet up with all my Australia’s clients and greeting them in person made the difference than on the phone. Some of them even mistaken that I was based in Sydney…: )

The meeting went very well throughout the day and lunch was a good time for networking too.

In the evening, we hosted a dinner at Boheme café which was about 10minutes walk from the hotel. Dinner was delicious and the atmosphere was relaxing. We talked and chatted about different topics and it ended on a happy note.

Day 4: 12 October, Tuesday

2nd day of the meeting also went smoothly, no major hiccups. The meeting was closed around 3pm and we bade goodbyes to each other and promised to keep in contact via emails/phones.

In the evening, it started raining, so I packed back dinner and ate in the hotel room.

Day 5: 13 October, Wednesday

Had a morning meeting with one of my new subscribers. It was my 1st solo meeting and I was glad that it went well and took note of area to improve for my next meeting.

After the meeting, I went back to the hotel to pack and got ready to leave for the airport. At the city station, I was hoping to visit the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. Sadly, it was closed on a Wednesday, so I missed the opportunity to see it.

Thus, I went straight to the airport, did my check in for the flight. As I was still early, I had a quick lunch and did some duty free shopping before boarding the flight for home sweet home.

Melbourne – a place I last visited 10 years ago and re-visiting it give me a sense of belonging and I had really enjoyed this work trip.

I was telling Adrian that maybe Melbourne can be our next family vacation destination….till we meet again,

G’ Day Mate!!