JBG & A DREAM HOME

On last Friday afternoon while having lunch, I got a call from my long time sister – Cindy and she mentioned that she was on ½ day leave and planned to bring her son – Angus to park for cycling. She asked if we would like to join her and we did. We had a good time cycling at Bishan Park and then we came back to our place to play badminton. Both Anthea and Angus had a fun time together.

On Saturday morning, Anthea told me that she wanted to invite Angus to Jacob Ballast Children Garden to play at the Treetop. So I called Cindy and told her of the plan and she was ok and we made a date for the evening.

Around 4.15pm, we met at novena square where Cindy picked us up to the garden. Adrian was having his test on Monday and did not join us for the outing. Anyway, he was also a bit under the weather so I told him to rest at home.

We reached the Jacob Ballast children garden around 4.40pm and Anthea played guide to Cindy, her hubby and Angus. This was Anthea 3rd visit to the garden and Anders 2nd visit. And it was Angus 1st visit …hehe.

Naturally, Anthea brought them around the fun places – suspension bridge, the log, the “fog” area and of course, the Treetop walk. The 3 of them had great fun at the slide and the climb. While they were busy playing, the adults were busy chatting and playing with our camera and sharing about photography.

After the Treetop, we went to the A-mazing race area and again they had Dave to “run” after them, trying to catch them.

Then our last stop was the playground area. They had fun with the sand and the different play stations.

We walked over to the water area to wash our legs…haha. Then we ended our tour of the garden.

The children were all sweaty and dirty from the sand and running around, we had them changed of clothing before proceeding to our dinner.

Cindy recommended Suki Sushi and this was our 1st time to this chain of Japanese restaurant. I was impressed with their menu and told Adrian we must go and try the outlet in Ang Mo Kio which was near my In-laws place…hehe.

After dinner, the children requested to go to Angus home to try a new toy – YoYo. Yes, Angus had about 7 or 8 of them and he wanted to show Anthea/Anders of his tricks.

So we went to her new home near Novena Square. I was totally in full admiration of her new home.

1st admiration – the property has a private life to each unit. This mean there is FULL Privacy. I know many properties are now built with such a lift but seeing it personally really make a different.

2nd admiration – her unit has a balcony and from the balcony we can see the main city view – flyer & a bit of IR. The night scene was just mesmerizing and the wind was blowing quite strongly on that evening. We had a great time sitting at the balcony and chatting while the children played WII games.

3rd admiration – her master bedroom bathroom has a Banyan Tree style bathtub and also a window view to the city. I can imagine how nice it would be to take a nice hot bath in the tub while the wind blew through your face/hair.

This is the kind of DREAM home for many people, especially me…hee. But I know it’s just a DREAM home, finally I will be back to my HDB Flat. : P

Nope I am not complaining because I know “同人不同命“。 Some people work hard and enjoy such luxury. I can only work hard to enjoy my family…haha.

假期计划和 我的“新欢”

Yes, in about 2 weeks time, the year end school holiday will begin and it will last for a month plus.

Being the family holiday planner, I had been thinking hard of where to go for our family holiday. After some thoughts, I finally decided that we are NOT going away for this December school holiday…hee.

Basically, Adrian is still doing his course and it will end only mid December and by then, it’s almost Christmas time. So I thought it would be too late to go for holiday and 冬至is around the same time, so we must still in Singapore for the reunion dinner..: )

Also at year end, it’s hard to decide which country to visit as most of the countries are in their winter season and it will be too cold for the children.

With these in mind, I am now starting to plan for some local VACATIONS…haha.

Yes, we are now booked for 1 Staycation Vacation at Rasa Sentosa Resort and 1 chalet stay at Aranda Country Club for November & December respectively.

In between the holidays, I have make plans for some local tours – Zoo, Duck Tour, Flyers etcs. As long as I can get off from work, I will bring the children around and enjoy Singapore…haha. We will make ourselves like tourist at home.

I believe the important part of the holiday is the family bonding time that we get when we enjoyed the time together, regardless where we are…: )

新欢

Ever since I started working in my new place, I had joined the morning express. In order to make the train ride from AMK to Raffles Place more enjoyable, I decided to borrow library books and read them along the way.

The other day I was at Bishan library borrowing the children usual reading stuff. At the browser return tray, I saw there was this one and only CHINESE Book and I took it and read a bit. I felt in love with the book immediately and borrowed it. Since then, my morning express is never the same again and I am thinking why the train rides to and back is so fast..hehe.

Yes, my new found love is the series of Chinese romance books – 寻梦圆。After my 1st book, I had followed up & borrowed another few more. There are a few writers in the series and most of the stories are like fairytales where the Prince & Princess finally live happily ever after. I think for me, the thrill is reading Chinese and the dialogue inside the books are so humorous which in real life – I can find none..: P

Now with this new Love discovery, I will be going back to the library for more and more..haha.

人生就是一场梦！！

FB “AGM”

Nope, it’s not facebook I am talking about…it’s Friendship Bond. Chinese say: 朋友。

Yes, via blogging & babies forum, I had known a few good friends and the friendship bond had been ongoing amid our busy work / family routine.

These few 朋友 are Idy (IT Family), Stardust (All about Vincent) & Clement (Kinigu). Since our very 1st meet up in January 2008, we had been meeting like once a year; it’s also like an AGM…hehe. Since it’s an AGM, of course, there need to be a “Secretary” to take minutes, so I volunteered my service. : P

Since I started working Part time and looking afterAnthea after school needs, lunch meeting is not easy to arrange unless it’s during her school holiday.

Last Thursday when I received an SMS invite from Idy for a lunch meet on Friday, 30 Oct 2009. I told myself I must make an effort to meet them.

So last Friday, after fetching Anthea from school, we made our way to Novena Square for the lunch meet. When we arrived, we were a little late and part of the agenda had been spoken, so I can only partake what was balance on the agenda…: )

Idy – she is currently on a contract and hoping to go on a few months short break before she starts her new term. In her own words, she is facing mid life crisis. Indeed, I had this experience too when Anthea was about to start her primary education. I think it’s a norm for mommies like us who would like to take care of our children after school care needs personally.

There are many logistics issues and arrangement that needed to be settled in order to become a FTSAHM or PTSAHM. So I think all these concerns will make the decision a tough one. That's why she is on the cross-roads. : )

Anyway, I know Idy will find the right answer to her question when her son, Iden ,starts primary school in another 2 years time.

Stardust – she is expecting her No.2 in February 2010 and she is having a baby girl. She is a very pretty expectant mommy and we can see the glow in her face. She also shared with us her experienced on teaching Chinese to her son, Vincent. I know it’s not easy especially when we comes from an English speaking family but talking to them make me realized that I should start to change our language system in our family and introduced a new system.

She is also looking forward to become a PTSAHM when her son starts primary school..hehe.

Seem like more and more mommies are choosing this route.

Clement – he shared with us the progress of Jaimie and how she is becoming more & more ladylike with her new image.

I had never met Angie & Jaimie but by reading their blog, I could tell that this family is a hyper active family and they are always on the GO….there just isn’t a dull moment in their life…I am really envy of their energy level…hee.

The family will be making a short trip to Sunway lagoon for their vacation soon and I am looking forward to reading their wonderful experience.

As for my part, I shared my experienced as a Part time working mommy, it’s not easy rushing up & down but I am glad I am always here for Anthea. To oversee her smooth transition into primary one and also making sure the household needs are taken care of.

It was another very fruitful lunch meet and I am really thankful that each time we had different idea to share with one another.

Another important tip that we got from Clement – there is a $2 coupon saver for purchase of Ovaltine Crunchy drink and I heard the drink is very nice. Must go & find the coupon…hehe.

Last but not least – wishing Stardust all the best in her delivery and till we meet again in our next AGM !!

(ps: I had my camera but was so excited that I forgot to take photo…sigh : P )

Boot camp, anyone??

Ever since I changed to working part time, I had gained back some of my previous lost weight…sigh. Must be the intake of all the sumptuous lunches with Anthea..hee.

And in this coming December I will be attending Adrian’s course graduation ceremony. I had finally bought my Gown and I must really lose some weight to look better in the gown.

Adrian had started his gym routine since his return from the last oversea trip. As the gym membership fees is too expensive for me to maintain. I decided to do my usual jogging routine at the track / park nearby. Well, so far I don’t really seem to be losing what I hope to lose…so I started looking around for some solutions.

Slimming Centers? Nope, this will be my last resort because it will surely cost a bomb for any treatments.

So I start looking around for some affordable gym or workout session. Finally I found this – Fitness Boot camp SG. I read through the website information and found that they had a training session at Bishan on every Sunday. So I wasted no time and registered myself for the trial lesson.

Coincidentally, this is also the same group of people that conducted the Boot Camp session for the Health Promotion Board program – HPB's Lose to Win Challenge. It is telecast on Channel 5 on every Wednesday.

Last Sunday was my 1st time to the session and I had a fun-tastic time. The trainer name was Matt and he was really easy going and fun too. There were another 2 ladies with me at the same session. One of them was also a 1st timer and the other one was a regular. What surprised me most was – both of the ladies were slim & fit and they are doing the Standard Chartered 10KM run on this coming Sunday. This leave me to wonder why do they need to attend the boot camp since they are already so fit…hee.

But after the session, I realized something important – it was the motivational push. When I exercised alone, I felt restless and just do my routine. But when I am doing group exercises, I felt more energetic and also with a personal trainer pushing you along the way, the effect was just amazing. After the 1 hour’s workout, I went home, feeling totally refreshed and my physical felt the fulfillment.

A day and 2 after the session, my whole body was aching but I told Adrian “痛到很爽!!”嘻嘻。

This Sunday I will be going for my 2nd session and hopefully by the end of the whole sessions, I hope I can hit my personal target – losing weight!!

欢乐一周

This week school break had been a pretty fun and enjoyable one for Anthea and myself. As usually my mom was around to help me “babysit” Anthea for 2 days – Tuesday & Wednesday while I was at work.

As my eldest brother is also now taking a break from his work, he was available in the afternoon and we had arranged to meet for lunch after my work.

So on Wednesday, together with my parents and the children, I met them at commonwealth MRT and we headed to commonwealth crescent for lunch. Yes, after watching the TV reality show “抢摊大行动“, I had been telling myself that I must go and try the dessert stall- Bee Garden that celebrity chef Eric Teo had gave a “makeover”. Read more of the stall 遭遇from this famous food blog I Eat I shoot.

After a simple lunch, we had our dessert – we ordered the bubor cha cha and durian penyet. As we were already quite full, we didn’t try the mango pamelo and cheng tng, so this mean we will surely go back for more…haha.

Then my brother brought us to Labrador Park for a quick walk and the whole place looked new to me compared more than 10 years back when we were there for our fishing trip with my MJ Kakis. This walk brought back a lot of fond memories:)

On Thursday & Friday, I decided to take 2 days of no pay leave to be home with Anthea. In the morning, we would go to the library and spend about 2 hours for her SA revisions. We would then go for lunch at the nearby food court. She would take her usual afternoon naps after lunch and then in the evening, we would play badminton.

It was a good decision to be home to do the revisions with her, otherwise, I know she may overplay and when Monday comes, she will suffer from it.

Last evening, we went to Rider’s café at fairway place for our dinner. It was another wonderful discovery and again, recommended by my 大哥…haha. When it comes to food, he has many lobangs. We enjoyed a very sumptuous and relaxing dinner at the café and we would be back for more, as usual.

This week has passed by so swiftly and in another 1 more day, we will be back to our normal routine and it’s the final countdown to Anthea’s SA : )

"啊牛进城市"

After working for almost a month at my new temp job, I am getting quite used to the morning express train to Raffles Place.

The energy level is always so high in the morning and people are literally “marching” to work…hehe. This used to be my working place about 10 years ago. : P

Then my working place was changed to the woods and the pace became very laid back..hehe. I enjoyed the greenery and the pace at that time as I embarked on my Part Time working life.

Last year I had the chance to move back to a modern working environment and the workplace was at Novena Square. The pace was fairly ok and I don’t feel the “marching” sensation. I enjoyed Novena as it was about 10 minutes ride from AMK.

On Monday, Adrian was having his off in lieu and he took care of Anthea at home while I went to work. I took the opportunity to meet up with my long time sister – Andrea and had lunch with her. Her office is in Tanjong Pagar and we met there for lunch. Tanjong Pagar MRT station had changed so much and now it has an Exchange itself where they had so many eateries and shopping places. I was truly surprised to see the whole place to be so happening now and it’s really a far cry from the days we were there…hehe.

We had a good lunch and chatted about everything and anything. After lunch, I walked her back to her office and then took a slow walk on Robinson Road. As I walk passed my old office building – SIA Building – it brought back many fond memories. But I noticed the SIA Logo is gone from the building, so guess it’s no longer called SIA Building..hehe.

Along Robinson road, I saw some familiar shops and some newbie’s. The changes are so amazing and if I don’t take a walk this time, I think next time the whole place will be “ulu” to me.

Now that I am doing contract / temp jobs, I had the chance to work in different MNCs and learning the different culture values. I told Adrian that it’s quite good to have such experience to learn all the different cultures.

Hope that i will be able to get my Dream Job again...hee!

Stress or Motivation

Anthea SA2 will be happening in about 2 week’s time. I am preparing her revision papers for next week when school is out for a week due to PSLE markings.

A few weeks back during a family dinner, there was a discussion about Anthea SA2. Well, Adrian had promised Anthea that she gets to chose her holiday destination if she scores 90% & above for her 3 subjects. If any of the 3 subjects fall below 90%, mommy will chose the destination. (Hmm…regardless, she will still get a holiday. Not a bad deal for her…hehe.)

My youngest BIL posed a question to Adrian: “by giving her this 90% targets, are you stressing her or motivating her?”

So this opens the family discussion:

My FIL (an ex-school teacher) asked Adrian: “what were her scores for her SA1?” Adrian told him they were all above 90%. Then my FIL said that the targets are realistic. He cited that if she had been scoring 75% above and we set a 90% target, then it will be STRESSFUL for her to achieve. As it is now, it’s to motivate her to maintain her good results.

My 2^nd BIL – he’s also agreeable to the targets as he mentioned that children need to work hard towards certain achievement and when they achieved it, they will feel proud of themselves too.

Phew…so it was a clean bill of approvals…haha. (I was not presence at the discussions and heard these from Adrian.)

Well, to be honest, we or rather I had never stress Anthea too much on her studies. My requirement is the same as any parents – as long as she put in her best effort towards her studies, I am satisfied. Of course, which parents do not want the child to excel?? I know her area of weakness and I will constantly help her to improve. This is the reason why I chose to become a Part Time SAHM… : )

Besides studying, Anthea still enjoy badminton sessions and DS games with all her friends. So it’s very much balance between study – play for her. Periodically, I will also do a check with her if she’s coping fine with her school & tuition lessons and so far, her feedbacks are positive.

I remembered reading on the Straits Times Forum that said HDB dwellers parents do not give enough stress to their children in their studies. That's why they do not become Doctors and Lawyers as compared to those who stayed in private properties.

Let's hope our generation of HDB's children can make a "revolution change"...haha.

BBQ on 双十节

In celebration of 双十节, my brother decided to organize a BBQ session at my place.(Actually it's was impromtu and it happened to be on 10 -10, what a coincidence.)

Yes, at our block podium, there are 3 BBQ Pits for residential use. Having stayed in our home for 10 years plus, we had never once used the BBQ pit..hehe.

Last week, my eldest brother called me and mentioned his keen interest in organizing a BBQ session at our BBQ pit. So immediately I went to the Resident Committee office to check regarding the booking for the pits. I was informed that there is no reservation required and it’s first come first basis. Also the usage is Free of Charge...: )

I informed my eldest brother of my findings and we confirmed our Saturday BBQ appointment. He set off to buy all the food stuff and then gave me instruction of things to bring on the day.

As it was just our own family BBQ, we kept it to the minimum and simplest.

On Saturday around 5pm, we went downstairs to play a game badminton and as well to “chop” a pit. I heard from the RC person that there were few queries for the pits.

Around 6 pm, my eldest brother came with my parents and we started to set up our BBQ pit for the grill. My dad also prepared some bee hoon and potato salad.

We took about 30 – 45 minutes to start up the fire and when the charcoal was ready, it was BBQ TIME. We had chicken winglets, lamp chop, sausages, corn & sweet potatoes.

As we BBQ, we also chatted and shared our happenings as a family. I guess this is the fun part of BBQ. While the adults were busied with the BBQ-ing, Anthea & Anders were busied playing badminton with our neighbor 哥哥 & his friend. They were running all over the place and having great fun.

There was another group of people using the BBQ pit next to us. They were a BIG family group and they were celebrating a baby girl 1 year old birthday. The whole place was very lively and the atmosphere was good.

We ended our BBQ around 9 pm and cleared up the places. It had been a very good 1^st BBQ experienced for our family and I know we will be organizing more as Anthea kept saying that “she hopes we will have more BBQ!!” : P

口试

Last Saturday after her 天下lesson, Anthea told me “mommy, you need to buy oral books for me to revise my Chinese oral. Don’t buy those which need to do exercises, buy those just for oral, okay?”

“Okay, I will go and look for the oral book/s.” I told her.

So on Monday, I went to Popular bookstore to search for the book. Anthea seldom make such request and when she does, I treat it with TOP Priority…hehe.

I went through all the P1 assessment books and saw that they are all the comprehension exercise books with a few other subjects. I don’t think I want to stress her with more such exercises. So I look and look around all the P1 books. Finally at one particular shelf, I saw all the ORAL Preparation books. I was so happy and this was exactly what she wanted. I read through a few and shortlisted one that I thought was nearest to her current school teaching.

I bought a copy of the Chinese oral book. For English oral, her class teacher had all the notes and preparation information in the file, so I will just use that to revise with her.

Her English / Chinese oral tests were scheduled on this week Thursday & Friday. On Tuesday & Wednesday afternoon, I went through a few of the Chinese oral tests with her.

朗读短文- she can read the passage quite well and with little assistance.

看图说话- she can descript most of the things in the picture. But she was also a bit 罗嗦, so I reminded her to keep her sentences “short & sweet.”

听力测验- she score quite well for this section too. (Ahem ^^ credit goes a little to mommy who can read like her teacher..hehe.)

听力选图- this section was also fairly easy for her.

Overall based on our own tests - her Chinese oral was average. On Thursday, she came home and told me that she had her Chinese oral test on that day. I thought it was supposed to be on Friday : P

Then I asked her how the test was – she said it was ok and her tester said to her: “艾妤，很好。“I was happy to hear her teacher’s feedback but I hope she passed well with good marks.

Today she had her English oral and once again she said the tester commented she did very well too for the oral.

I told Adrian that I hoped what she said is for real and not just some “晚报“news which were at times – laughable.

Now that this week of oral is over, we will now put our focus to her SA2 preparation.

One of my GF was commenting on my FB comment and told me to RELAX …guess I can only really relax in about another 2 weeks time when her SA2 is over on 3 November “ )

Montage 2009 & an Officer Sneak Preview

Last Wednesday, Anthea came home with some presents from her teachers in celebration of the children day.

Then she showed me a book titled “Montage 2009” and turned to a particular page that showed her name and an article she wrote.

I was very surprised and happy to see that her written work has been accepted by her teacher and printed on a book and given to every child in the school.

Prior to this, she only mentioned to me her artwork was chosen by her form teacher for some display purposes, little did I expect that her written composition cum artwork was printed into the book.

I am really proud of her little achievement and told her that she should continue her good effort in writing her composition.

Yes, her form teacher had mentioned to me during the PTC that Anthea is creative in her composition. The area that I should monitor her is her grammar…hee. I am not good in English grammar too, so I shall make an effort to try to learn with her and improve with her in this area. : )

Adrian’s officer course graduation will be in December and he already had his suit tailored for the formal dinner. The other day at the course, his officer wanted all the men & women to bring in their suit for inspection. So he did a try on and I quickly took a sneak shoot of him wearing the suit.

怎么样？ 帅吗？嘻嘻 ：Ｐ

Now I must get myself something decent and formal for the dinner, heard from his buddy’s wife that it’s going to be a very “boring dinner”. Think I should bring along one of the children DS to kill the boredom…haha.

中秋园游会

Anthea School organized a mid autumn festival celebration for the resident living in the area and it took place on Friday, 02 October 2009.

After dinner with my parent in laws, we went over to the school around 7.20pm.Anthea was very excited as her classmates were there too.

There were many events happening at the venue:

- Lantern making competition
- Pomelo peeling competition
- On-the-spot colouring competition
- Lantern parade
- Jigsaw puzzle
- Traditional games and chess
- Lantern riddles
- Chinese tea appreciation
- Mooncake tasting
- Karaoke singing

So there was everything for everyone, from young to old. Once we reached the school, Anthea requested to play with her friends and off she went. I took the chance to explore all the different stalls and Anders was with me.

One of Anthea’s friend’s mommy took part in the Pomelo peeling competition and it was really fun to watch…hee : P then she shared her fruit of labor with us and it was really sweet.

The event ended around 9.30pm and Anthea said she had a fantastic time and said we shall come again next year. It was a very well organized event and I must say the teachers and staff of the school had really put in a lot of great effort for the event.

The actual 中秋节 happened yesterday – Saturday, 03 October 2009. In the evening before meeting my in laws for dinner, I saw the sky was full of dark clouds and told Anthea and Anders that we may not be able to go to the park if it rained.

It started to rain quite heavily while we were having our dinner, so after dinner we decided to go to my in law house instead. We had a good chance to chat and catch up with my in laws and enjoyed a good cup of Chinese tea with mooncake.

This is the 1st year we didn’t go to the park for our annual 提灯笼 ritual but I know the importance thing is we are a family together this year and it meant more than anything to me.

儿童节特写

Today is children day and school is out for Anthea. As for Anders, his childcare was still opened and had planned a Children Day cum mid-autumn festival celebration.

In the morning after breakfast, Anders changed into his new uniforms and we went together to his childcare centre. He was very happy to be in his new uniforms.

The celebration was scheduled from 9.30am to 11am. There was a mini sport day for the children. The event was supposed to be at the open court in front of the centre. However, as the event was about to start, there was a slight drizzle and the teachers decided to hold it in the childcare.

Though the space was a constraint but the event went on very well and the children had great fun.

K1 children did the Bean Bag balancers and Anders team won the event. He was very happy and accepted the prize on behalf of his team. I was really proud of his performance too.

Then the children were told to bring out their lantern and the teachers brought them for a walk around the blocks void deck. As it was still bright day light, most of the lanterns were not lighted up…haha. Still they had great fun showing off all the beautiful lanterns.

The event ended with the lantern walk and the children went back to the centre for their bath & lunch.

While Anders was having his lunch in the centre, I brought Anthea to AMK HUB for our lunch. As Adrian had some New York, New York vouchers, I decided to had our lunch there.

Before lunch we went by to popular bookstore to buy some books and a whiteboard for Anthea.

Then after lunch we went back to the childcare to fetch Anders home. Since it’s Children Day and also his Play day for his DS, so I thought I could bring him home early to enjoy the day.

It’s has been another simple & enjoyable day with the children – 儿童节的欢乐好满足！！

Back In ACTIONS!

Badminton

During the fasting month, the open podium downstair became a very quiet space. No children chasing after the football and no children cycling around. We still played a few games of badmintons but as the Malay boys who played with us do not come & play. Our sessions became fewer and also because of the 7th month festival, I decided for Anthea not to play too often..hee : P

Now that the fasting month is over, the children are all back in action. Last evening, Anthea had good fun playing the game. She came home and told me she really enjoy her games with the boys.

Comes next year, she will have the chance to take a CCA and I believe she will like to join the Badminton team. This game is a family game and I hope our children will carry on this great tradition.

Temp Job

I am currently doing a temporary reception job with a MNC. The pay is considered very low and I got reprimanded by my eldest brother for accepting the job & spoiling the job market …hee.

Anyway, I told him it’s just a temporary job and once I get a better offer, I will surely make the change.

I am a very active person and enjoy working. I cannot sit at home and do nothing, it just make me feel like I am wasting my life away. Now the workplace is in Raffles Place, i can really feel the energy level in the morning..hee : )

Though the monies earned are little compared to my previous Part Time but at least, I am still earning my worth and Chinese say: “积少成多”…: )

Also it’s still a ½ day morning job which really meets my current needs. So I will just pray hard for a better opportunity!

月饼之爱

A week ago, my ex-ex colleagues sent me an email and informed me that the annual mooncakes sales will be happening on Fridays, 25 September & 1 October 2009.

Different vendors would be at the office premise to sell the mooncakes at staff special. Of course, my target is Raffles Hotel Mooncakes. We had been buying the hotel’s mooncakes for my parents for the last few years and they enjoyed it. Also Adrian likes their snowskin mooncake.

Today morning at around 10.30am, I made my way to the office to meet with them for our “shopping spree”..hee.

As expected there was a LONG Q for Raffles hotel mooncake and luckily, my colleagues had gone to Q earlier.

I bought a box of baked mooncake with pine nuts, macadamia nuts & white lotus, a box of Pearl mooncake with single yolk & white lotus paste. And together with my colleagues, we shared the famous snowskin mooncake with champagne truffle & ganache, mocha truffle and dark chocolate crunchy pearl.

I gave a box of baked mooncake to my parents with a mixture of lotus paste & the single yolk. I know they would love the taste of the different mix.

I am so thankful to my ex-colleagues for keeping me in mind and keeping me in the loop as and when there are such special offers : ) 感恩 ！

In the morning, I had the chance to go by Takashimaya to do some interviews with the job agency. Knowing that there is a mooncake event at the event hall, I went by and bought some of our favorite – 恒香老婆饼。

Now we had the luxury to sample all the delicious mooncake slowly and enjoyed the festival mood of 中秋节。

Hari Raya Holiday Outing @ JBG

Since her school learning journey to Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden a few months back, Anthea had been talking so much about this garden and her strong wish to visit it again.

Since Hari Raya falls on a Sunday and we had no other program, so I told her we can plan a visit to the garden on Sunday, subject to weather. She was very happy and on Saturday, she even called one of her classmates – Aloysius and asked if he would like to join us.

We woke up to a bright & sunny Sunday morning. After a good breakfast, Anthea called Aloysius and checked if he would be going with us. She was very happy when Aloysius’s parents allowed him to join us for the outing.

On our way to the garden, we went by to Aloysius’s place and picked him up. We reached the garden around 10.45am and the weather was good.

Both Anthea and Aloysius knew their way around very well and they played “Guide” to us..hehe. We walked around the garden and saw many interesting plants and different species of trees.

Then we reached the Tree House and the children had fun playing the slide. After playing at the tree house slide, we had a short refreshment break. I brought along biscuits and bread for the children.

After re-charging, we continued to explore the garden. When we reached the A-maze-ing Play area, the children had so much fun running in & out of the maze and Adrian was busy chasing them…haha.

Our last stop was the Four sided blocks and the children had the chance to try out using different woods to create ‘music’.

Our tour of the garden ended at 12.15pm. It had been a very wonderful outing & playtime for the children.

Then we headed back to AMK HUB for lunch. The children had requested to have Subways Sandwiches. Adrian commented that this generation are into Subways and no wonder there are more and more outlets coming out…hee. So shall we call them Generation-SUBs…: P

Then we went home to bath and changed. Aloysius came along to our home and had fun time playing all the different games that Anthea & Anders had. His parents came by to fetch him around 5pm..

Then we had dinner with our extended families before calling it a day.

Cohesion Day Event & 便当前面的故事

Friday was cohesion day for Adrian’s company and the company had organized a morning walk session at Telok Blangah Hill. As it was also an off day for Anthea as her school was closed for PSLE comprehension. So we decided to join Adrian for his morning walk.

It was the 1st time that we were at this famous hill. We arrived at around 9.30am for the registration. Then we went up to the meeting point. Adrian showed us the famous Henderson wave and according to the site – it is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore and it connects the 2 hills of Mouth Faber and Telok Blangah Hill.

Then around 10am after his officer had a short brief with the men, the walk commenced. It was a 4.8km walk that covered the Hilltop & forest walk.

Anthea and myself joined in the walk and it was a very good morning exercise for both of us. We truly enjoyed the scenery and the fresh air.

The walk ended around 11 am and the group adjourned to Harbour Front city for lunch. As lunch was optional, we decided not to join them. Instead we headed to Mouth Faber Safra for a swim. I had packed along our swimming gears.

We reached Safra around 11.30am and there was a Mooncake road show at the clubhouse. I had received an SMS a day before and knew of this moon cake road show. Raffles hotel was one of the participating hotel but they were only scheduled to be there on 19 September 2009, so we had no chance to sample their moon cakes.

Goodwood park hotel was at the road show and we sampled their signature D24 durian snow skin moon cake and it was really YUMMY!!

After sampling, we went for our swim and Adrian went to the gym. We had ½ hour of good swim and then showered and changed for lunch. I had heard good feedback of the Japanese restaurant from The Chiah Family and decided to give it a try. Adrian ordered the Sushi set, I ordered the daily special and Anthea ordered the child meal and we had a very filling meal. SAFRA card get discount on the ala carte menu.

Before leaving the clubhouse, we bought the Good Park Hotel moon cake home. Anthea likes the Mango with pomelo while I love the durian, so we bought one of each. These moon cakes will be our after meal dessert for the next few days as the sale person said we need to eat them up in 3 days…: P


便当前面的故事

終于买到了！！！

This is a booked written by a blogging friend – Angie. I started following Angie’s blog few years back. She had another Chinese blog named - Obasan & Ajuma. This blog is co-written with her very good friend – Happy pig. I truly enjoyed this Chinese blog as it was a blog that really shared with readers their 酸甜苦辣。 And the episode on “西游记“leaves a very deep impression in my mind. Till now when I remembered the blog, it still send a smile to my face.

Angie’s family blog on Kinigu is also my daily MUST READ blog. I believe it’s the way that both Angie and Clement writes and their photographs that bring many of us to their blog.

Angie is very expression in her words and her feelings are always very genuine. I had never felt any hidden agendas in her blogs. I really admired her for her courage and free form of writings.

So when she decided to write a book, I was really happy and looking forward to the published of her book.

Finally today – 19 September 2009, I found it on the book shelves of Popular Bookstore. Prior to this, we were advised that the book is out at Kinokuniya but being a typical Aunty, I waited for the books to be out at Popular because can get membership discount..hehe.

Now I have the book, it will be my readings “mate” for the next few days and I know I will draw great inspirations of life from Angie’s book.

祝彦频：新书卖的满堂红！！

Routine & DSLR

On Tuesday, it was my 1st day as a FTSAHM. The 1st thing I did after sending Anders to childcare was I headed for the swimming pool for my 10 laps morning swim. It was a very refreshing swim and the pool was very quiet, unlike the usual Sunday crowd.

On Wednesday, I went to Fitness First @ AMK HUB. Adrian had recently signed up for the gym membership and in return, they gave him some FREE Guest passes. After studying the aerobic class’s schedule, I decided to do the Wednesday 10.15am class. I went to the gym around 9.30am and did some of the usual gym workout.

At 10.10am, I waited outside of the studio for the earlier lesson to end. Once it ended, most of the people rushed in and the class was overcrowded. A few gym members kept telling me that there was not enough space for my step board. So in the end, I had no choice but to forego the class and left.

I was really surprised to see the class to be so “packed” during such “off peak” hours. Guess now people are getting more & more in GYM…haha. Even the HDB “Tai-tai” do the same..: P

Today is my 3rd day and I did my usual household chores in the morning. Then in the afternoon went to buy lunch for Anthea before fetching her.

The new routine is now more relaxing and no more “mad lunch time rush”. I am also enjoying my gym workout and swimming sessions. I will enjoy them as long as I can and meanwhile, I am still looking for a Part Time job diligently.

DSLR

I had seen many blogging parents taking very nice photographs of their children and blogging them. I had always wanted to get such a camera but had some consideration, so till now, I am still faithfully using my Panasonic Lumix F10.

Recently my BIL bought a new DSLR camera and took a few photos of the children. The pictures are really sharp and capture the expression so much better than the normal camera. So now I am very tempted and wonder if I should invest in one?

I must start doing my homework before I make the final decision as Adrian had said “you are the only one using it, so must make sure it does not become another “white elephant”.

So my dear blogging friends, what is your opinion of such a camera and what is a good model to consider for an “amateur photographer”…hee.

K.I.C & OMNIA B7320

Anders childcare had their K.I.C (kids-in-charge) event on Saturday, 12 September. This year the event was held at Toa Payoh Garden and it was a combined event of a few centers.

The event was scheduled from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm. In the morning we fetched Anthea to Tien Hsia for her class and then proceeded to the Garden with Anders.

When we arrived there around 9.30am, most of the teachers/principals were there preparing the different corners for the event. There were story telling corners, games corner and handicraft corners.

We went to the registration area to register and pick up our goody bag. Then I brought Anders around while Adrian looked after the goodies…hee : P

We played the 1st round of game at the stick area. As we were playing under the scorching sun, Anders kept complaining that it was very HOT!

In the end, we had no choice but to return to the “waiting station” where Adrian was waiting for us.

In the end, we left around 10 am and brought Anders to Toa Payoh HUB for a haircut.

Compared to the previous KIC event, I would say the previous one was closer to the theme and we had enjoyed it more. But still the overall effort for this year event is commendable.

Samsung Omnia B7320
My current mobile contract is due for renewal and these few days, I had been going around making enquiries on all the different mobile phones and their current promotion.

Finally, I shortlisted Nokia E63 but when I was at a SingTel exclusive shop, they were out of stock for the mobile phones. So the sales person started “selling” me another model – Samsung Omnia B7230. This was one of the phones I was considering while making enquiries. After a few persuasions by the sale person – I was bought over and ended buying this mobile phone.

At the same time, I bought a prepaid SIM card for Anthea. As she has been going to the tuition centre on her own and making calls from the public phone to report her “arrival” at the centre. So I thought I can pass my old phone to her and let her use it on those tuition days.

A New Role & GOWN

My reporting Managing is now seconded to the USA office and he will be working in the office for about 3 month’s time.

On Tuesday, we had a quick chat about my contract and he confirmed that he would not be renewing my contract for the few months that he’s away from Singapore. He said that he will re-hire me when he’s back in Singapore and he communicated this to the HR.

So from next Tuesday onward, I will officially become a FTSAHM (Full Time stay at home mom)…hee : P

I had the chance to be a FTSAHM after I gave birth to Anders and at the same time I used the time to guide Siti as she just started worked with us.

Now I have another opportunity to experience that feeling again, only this time, no newborn and maid to look after…hehe.

Well, of course, I know things may take a different turn and whether my Manager will return to Singapore is still a BIG Question mark. I am now looking out for any new Part Time Opportunities, just in case.

Online jobs advertisements are my daily readings and I will write in as and when something suitable turns out.

Adrian is back in Singapore and has been attending some pre-course briefing for his upcoming course.

On Tuesday evening after the brief, he came home and told me: “dear, you need to get a GOWN.”

I was so shocked and surprised at his remark and asked him WHY. He said “for the course graduation, there will be a formal dinner. You will need to put on my new rank for me. Also there will be a military dinner which he claimed was fit for King & Queen.” So that’s why I need to get an evening gown.

The last time I wore a GOWN was at my wedding and it’s almost 10 years ago..haha.

Now I must start to shop around and see if anything suitable for the occasion. Also I told Adrian since I am now jobless; it will be a good opportunity to lose some weight so I can fit nicely into an evening gown.

Anthea's PTC & School's OUT!

This morning I went for Anthea’s school Parent-teacher-conference. My meet up time with her form teacher was scheduled at 8.45am.

We fetched Anders to his childcare around 8.30am before proceeding to Anthea’s school for the appointment.

We reached her class around 8.45 am and waited a while before our turn. Mrs. Koh, her form teacher, went through her topical tests with me and said that she was happy with Anthea’s result and her overall performance in class. She did gave me a few pointers on her weaker area and I know this coming 1 week school holiday will be a good chance to “brush up” on the weaker area.. : P

After the Parent’s teacher conference, we went to the school canteen for a quick “recess” and Anthea ordered toasted bread with a cup of tea.

Then after the break, I brought her to my parent’s place before heading to work.

My current contract will be ending on 14 September and my Manager is now working from USA office, so I am not sure if my contract will be extended since he’s not around. Anyway, I am doing my “homework” by looking at jobs ads and see if there is any Part Time opportunities, just in case.

In the evening, we had dinner around the Hub as I needed to restring one of the badminton rackets. Then we went to Popular book shop, my intention was to buy Angie’s book but I guess I was a bit ahead of the “Full month” celebration. The book was not on sale yet at Popular.

So I took the chance to buy assessment book for Anthea in preparation for her year end SA2. Also I had been recommended to this book titled “Geronimo Stilton” by my ex-colleague. She said that it was a very interesting book for primary children. I decided to buy one for Anthea to let her try reading the book. I hope she will like it.

Today is the last day of school day and next week, Anthea will be having her one week term break. Looking forward to another good break.

Buffet Lunch @ Plaza Market Café & Daddy's HomeComing

Today is Teacher’s Day and Primary schools are closed for the day and Anders childcare was also closed.

So I took time off to take care of both of them at home. Last night I was making plan of where to bring them to?

Both anthea and Anders had been requesting to eat Buffet; they seem to enjoy the part where they can take their own food freely…hee.

With this in mind, I called my MIL last evening and asked if she has any buffet vouchers available for use. My MIL renewed her Raffles Feed membership and besides getting the free nights stay, there are also many meals vouchers.

She readily agreed to let us have the Fairmont Complimentary Buffet Lunch @Plaza Market Café. Immediately I called and make reservation for 3 of us for today’s lunch.

Today, we made our way to the hotel around 11.30am. The children were delighted when I told them that we were going Fairmont for buffet lunch. Yes, I kept it from them till we were at the MRT…haha.

We arrived at Plaza Café around 12noon and were ushered to our seats by the hostess. Coincidentally, we met my MIL’s 2nd sister – Aunty SK. She was with her colleagues at the café celebrating Teacher’s Day. She is a Principal of a secondary school.

Both Anthea and Anders were very excited and kept saying they wanted to take their food. Anthea is very independent at buffet and she helped herself to all the different dishes while I helped Anders to take his pick.

After settling the children, I went around to pick my own dishes. There were as few sections – Nyonya, Indian and Chinese dishes. The nyonya dishes were simply delicious and tasty.

The stir fry counter had also a few very nice dishes like stir fry beef, Prawns and steam fish…yummy!!

Both Anthea and Anders had a great time at the dessert counter especially with the ICE-CREAM.

I had a good cup of coffee with the nyonya kuehs and they were such good combination to complete the lunch.

After a very satisfying buffet, we went to Robinson to walk around. We saw some play dough and I bought it for them. Anthea had enjoyed playing with Play Dough since she played with her niece.

Then we left for home and the children had their power nap.

In the afternoon, while we were on our way to the MRT, I received an SMS from Adrian. He confirmed that he will be coming home this Sunday. He was original scheduled to arrive on Thursday but his officer had allowed him to return a few days earlier to prepare for his course.

Well, it’s good news to us – this means we will get to see him a few days earlier than original. Daddy will be home soon…