Happiness Is...

Happiness is...

Taking it all in during a beautiful sunset with your loved ones.

Improvised Toys

I am sure many parents will attest to this.

When you are out with your little ones and they start to get cranky, what do you do? You improvise toys on the fly! Unless of course, if you are one of those are always well prepared with an entire bag of toys on your day out.

Here is Justin Baby looking satisfied with the camera case. In fact, he really treated it like his new toy and was so entertained by it for the rest of the afternoon.

Our First Trip with Justin Baby

For the first time in my life, I was actually kind of glad to be back in SG after a holiday. You must be thinking I have gone bonkers... who wouldn't prefer to be on vacation?!?!

Of course, it was still a dread to return to the cruel world of endless emails, incomplete tasks and sales targets after pretending they never existed the moment the A380 took off. But I don't think I could survive another day of a 10-day intensive training camp. In another words, it was still a holiday... but minus away the relaxation part. Oh wait... unless if you consider 2 nights of foot massage that sent me straight to deep sleep within the first 10 min.

I half expected that to be the case the moment we decide to take on this challenge of bringing Justin baby to Tokyo followed by Beijing. Wierd combination I know but let's just leave it as " a result of various various factors" and get on with my griping.

I knew it would be challenging (which was supposed to be part of the fun) but not THAT challenging. The last time I felt such physical torment was probably in the labour ward. There was endless flights of staircases throughout the trip (yes, both countries) that we have to overcome as a family of 4 + 1 and sometimes with 4 huge luggages, 1 stroller, 1 humongous baby bagpack and an increasing number of handcarry bags as the trip progressed. What will remain in my memories in many years to come would be the endless walking around with baggages in the merciless hot weather. If you think the Beijing traffic is bad, try the human traffic. Imagine being packed like sardines soaking wet in a human jam on Great Wall. Inconceivable.

To me, hotel rooms had taken on a new definition. It was where I spent every night emptying an entire bag of dirty milk bottles, spoons & containers.... washing them, drying them, refilling them, and repacking before hitting the showers. It was also where I ransacked my luggage (aka the mobile provision store) for the next day's supply.

So was it enjoyable at all? Well, not everyday Justin baby gets to suck milk at The Great Wall, poop in The Forbidden City, crawl around on tatami floor, eat in a bullet train, sleep in a cable car... and always having some place different to go everyday. So my guess is it was most enjoyable for him :)

Putting everything aside, the very simple joy of being able to spend 24 hours over 10 days together and all that extra bonding was totally worth it. And did I mention Justin baby had a stubborn pamper's tan line that still hasn't quite gone away?

Self Service

There are a lot of "self-service" services around us but has anyone experienced self service gift wrapping? Well, I have.

After standing at the gift wrap counter for a few minutes without being attended to by anyone... ah hah... I thought to myself my chance is here. You see... I have always imagined this moment :P

So here was me getting down to work.

But what a pity... I would have loved to perform the most fanciful gift wrapping I am capable of but all I did was grab a pre-folded doggie bag at the counter and threw in my merchandise. I think I just wanted to get out of there quickly before a queue started forming infront of me! Plus... the walkie talkie on the counter kept calling for someone who wasn't really there...

If you zoom in enough, you will realise where that was :P

No marketing budget? No problem!

Yes, I was one of the culprits slowing down traffic on CTE this afternoon :P

Tissue Paper Episode

We found a table at R-Burger Orchard ION and sat down with our food. Someone left behind a packet of crumpled and used tissue which we conveniently dumped into a used tray on the next table.

Along came a young girl, stopped at our table and asked: "Er... I had a packet of tissue here?"

The Man said pointing to the used tray behind us:" Oh, we thought it did not belong to anyone and threw it away."

For someone to actually leave and yet turn back to the eatery for her tissue, she must be in need of some tissue badly. I then reached for my bag and was about to offer her my tissue if she didn't mind when I saw her friend behind her with a tray of freshly bought food.

Ooooo.... Enlightened. That pathetic looking packet of tissue was meant to "chop" the seat!

They then moved away to another table at a corner. (Not after she picked up her packet of tissue from the used tray).

Well, you can't blame us can you? I thought this only happens in hawker centre or foodcourt.

If you really have no choice but to use this "chop-a-seat-" tactic with tissue paper, PLEASE PLEASE use a newer , cleaner and uncrumpled packet. The chance of you getting the seat is much higher... trust me.

Birds of A Feather Flock Together

An interesting but disgusting sight. First the crows tore up a garbage bag of waste food. Then the mynahs, pigeons and even the hens & chickens joined in the fun.

Thanks anyway :(

How do you know for sure that you haven't lost all those pregnancy fats?

Simple. When someone offers you a seat in the MRT!
Yes, that was what happened to me a few hours ago.

I stared blankly with a puzzled look when her gestured at the empty seat.

Kind ang mo lady: Opps sorry... I wasn't sure and I couldn't tell.

Me (smiling outside, cursing inside) : It is okay, actually I have just given birth.

Kind ang mo lady: Oh I see, maybe you should still sit then.

Me (laughing): In fact, all the more I should stand to burn away those fats! Thanks anyway :)

And boy was I glad that the next stop was mine.

MINI Road Show

Happened to come across a MINI roadshow while roaming half-aimlessly along Orchard Rd and couldn't resist joining one of the many others snapping away.... I mean how can I :)

The Man and I always have this silly habit of going "MINI!" at a few pitches higher than our usual voice whenever either one of us spots a MINI on the road while driving. What follows usually is a "Where?" from the other person. This will then usually turn into a conversation about how did the driver look like, was that a cool or lousy choice of colour, will I re-spray mine to that colour, any special touches done to that MINI etc... ya I know it sounds totally "bo liao" but come on... what more meaningful conversations can you have in the car :P

Anyway, coming back to the road show... here are some shots:

Just look at how gigantic I looked beside this classic! It is like me in Tiny Toons Land! Btw, there was a cute Mr Bean bear hanging inside the car.

Opening the Clubman's door felt like opening up a fridge...

Wish I own these cool looking posters...

Financial Acumen or Pure Dishonesty

I was at Burger King enjoying my mushroom swiss when 3 school boys (think maybe Sec 1) came in and sat down with the woman right at the next table. Apparently, she was one of the boys' mum.

She offered to treat them to lunch and the boys were rather shy and hesitant to accept her offer at first but soon afterwards, they relented. As the "mum" was ordering and waiting for their set meals at the counter, I guess the 2 boys felt bad and took out money from their wallet respectively and passed it to the "son" who then grinned from ear to ear and kept the money in his own wallet sheepishly.

My curiosity (aka KPO-ness) made me stayed around long enough to finish watching the episode. Throughout the meal, the "son" did not mention anything about the payment from his friends nor did the friends. So it was obvious that the "son" pocketed that extra few dollars undetected.

Although it was just a few dollars and perhaps he will come clean with his "mum" when he went home that day but at that very moment... I thought to myself... what if 10, 20 years later this same boy pull the same stunt but in a much larger scale and not to his "mum" but to his own company...

Up went the balloons, Down came the tears

I can't remember the last time I cried at a movie, let alone a cartoon. And I mean really cry, the sort that leaves eyes red and swollen, the sort that is uncontrollable like a spoilt tap, the sort that ends up with a heap of tissue papers.

After exposing my junior to transforming robots and magic spells recently, I thought an innocent cartoon like "UP" would be a nice change. I walked into the theatre expecting a good hearty laugh, like the experiences I had with that of "ICE AGE" and "MONSTER INC".

So I couldn't believe it when I ended up crying through the first part of the movie before the real adventure even started... in fact, I had tears flowing whenever that background music was playing, whenever the camera zoomed in on the Adventure Book and whenever Me Frederickson stared blankly at his house or his wife's photos.

As I walked out of the theatre at the end of the movie, I was still tearing. And just when I thought that was the end of a teary evening, my eyes swelled up again on my way home just by the mentioning one of the scenes. The one which Mr Frederick flipped the adventure book for the last time and saw his wife's farewell note to him, thanking him for the extraordinary adventure he had given her all those years and asking him that it was time that he seek his own.

It must be the most touching and beautiful cartoon I have ever watched but then again, it may be just my preggy hormones taking over and playing tricks on me.

Pole Dancing Redefined

I came across this little scene over the weekend and can't help but find it amusing and cute :)

Great Service

While I have my fair share of disappointments with the kind of service level received in Singapore, I must say my little experience today got me to think that there IS great service around us.

I was shopping around in Uniqlo (for those who still have no idea what this is... you need serious help) and within seconds after I picked out the third piece off the rack, an enthusiastic staff appeared from nowhere with a basket and helped me unload everything from the hangers.

As the fitting rooms were full, I had to stand in the queue for my turn.  Again, within seconds, another staff came over with a stool and kindly offered me a seat while waiting.

In another shop - Outfitter, a very patient staff helped me pick out the same sizes for all the different designs I wanted to try on (maybe being preggy makes me a bit more fickle-minded).  Even after asking for the sixth or seventh design to be tried on, she still assisted with the warmest smile.  

Lastly in a maternity shop - New Maternity, the staff not only took the initiative to pick out something that suited me when I looked 100% lost (as usual in a maternity shop) but also went on to suggest what could be worn with it to look good.

These may all sound like very simple gestures or standard behaviours that we expect service staff to possess. However, I am really appreciative because don't you find that more often than not, service staff tend to give you that "black long face" when you so much as to ask for another size or colour... or give you the infamous "It is all there on display" and expect us to plough through the entire stack or rack ourselves?

In the end, I did walk away with something from each of these shops.  I must say the great service helped in making those purchase decisions.

So I say, keep it up!

Car Wash Can be Not-So-Boring Afterall

As much as I hate to go for car washes (thanks to those long, painful & boring waits in the car), I had no choice but to bring my little Mini for a good shower.  Mini was all covered in little dots of stains which have been accumulated for god knows how long.  I must admit I have been the most "bo-chap" car owner for the past weeks.

After overcoming my internal reluctance and convincing the guilt-stricken me that Mini should not be punished with dirt and grease for her owner's laziness, the weather turned out to be another obstacle! Urrrggghhhh... and it went on for two days, depriving us of the opportunity to do so.  Trust me, it was not one of those excuses I made for myself.

And finally, it was sunshine after the rain and so... off we went.

I supposed I wasn't the only driver who have been waiting patiently for the last drop of rain to evaporate and then zoomed off to the car wash because I had at least eight cars infront of me.  This is exactly why I am no big fan of car washes... but hey hey hey... me knowing better than to bore myself to death, I went fully prepared this time!

I armed myself with a good old cup of Mr Bean's almond soya milk and a sinful pack of Taiwanese fried chicken.  It is kind of like having pop corns and coke in the cinema :P

So the car wash turned out great - with me satisfied gastronomically and Mini shining proudly once more :)

Marina Barrage

This is my second time at The Marina Barrage.  I remember our first time there was on its opening weekend and I commented back then that I bet the open grass area will be a popular location for activities.

This time round, I am indeed met by a crowd that is scattered all over the place... kites flying, badminton (don't know how they managed in the wind), mini soccer, picnic etc...

Mmmm... a picnic there would be nice... but maybe not in this kind of weather.

Just hope there won't be any proliferating litter problems to blemish this picturesque place .  Already parking is quite a disaster... 

There is a fountain area below that is somehow turning into a kids' swimming area (the photo did not turn out well).  Some kids actually came prepared with swim wear and everything.  I wonder if it is now officially a kids' pool.  Funny thing is I did smell chlorine as I walked past in bewilderment.  

More photos can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79584&id=642711661

Super Hard Sell

I was just a few steps away from getting onto the Mango store at Vivo City when I was suddenly "hijacked" by this tall "ang mo".  Before I could understand what was going on, he started slapping a herbal smelling shoulder pack over my shoulder and boy was I shocked at the heat it was giving out.  Turned out he was peddling his wares from one of those shopping carts,

The next thing I knew he was stripping on a waist pack for me and letting me sniff this mint pillow that supposedly can clear sinuses.  All this while, rattling away non-stop on how these products when heated in the microwave can relieve pains & aches.  It was one of those situations that you just don't have the slightest opportunity to interrupt (unless you get really rude about it).

ang mo: Ok, so this whole set costs only $165 and I can give you a discount.

I stared with disbelief after hearing the exorbitant price.

ang mo: How about you just get this waist pack first?  It is only $65. (shoving me a basket of the colourful mint pilllows in my face)

Me: What is this?

ang mo: You choose one.  You buy the waist pack and I give you a free mint pillow.

Me: Erm, no thanks.  If I really need these, I will come back again.  (walking away)

ang mo: How about $55?

I shook my head politely again and continued walking away.

ang mo: Ok Ok... how about $40 ?!?

Gosh... that was almost 40% discount in a matter of seconds.  For a brief moment, I thought I was in Chatuchak market in Bangkok :)

The Awkward Bump

I believe like many others, the earlier stages of pregnancy presented a challenge of the bump that is somewhat in an awkward state.  Why awkward?  Suddenly, my once flat abdomen seemed like it was growing an ugly tummy BUT yet neither was it big enough to kill off those doubtful looks with a definite "No, that is not a spare tyre. I am pregnant!"

A couple of weeks ago, I walked pass the security guard and was making small talk.

Security Guard: How come recently so free? No work?

Me: Oh, took long leave to rest at home.  Not feeling too well.

Security Guard: Oh ya, your lips a bit dry. Flu?

Me: Er no...I am pregnant... cannot see meh? (pointing to my awkward bump).

Security Guard: Orrrh... I still thought... nowadays a lot of ladies got tummy mah... last time hoh don't have one leh... don't know why... Oh congrats & take care uh...

Till today, I am still pondering over why he came up with the comment about more women having tummy nowadays compared to last time.  Is it really true? Yikes!

This week, my awkward bump has finally developed into what I term as a very obvious pregnant bump.  So just when I bid farewell to the awkward stage, I received yet another baffling treatment yesterday.

We passed by a showflat and had time to spare.  So we decided to join the queue to view it under the ridiculously hot sun of what might had been 34 degree celsius.  

There were a lot of suffering faces and the person ushering the viewers went to the lady right behind me and said: Pregnant? Come come, you can go in first.

I turned around upon hearing this but what I got was just a smile from the usher before he led the couple behind me into the showflat.

I then exchanged a puzzled look with The Man and we both burst into a laughter that only both of us understood :)

A Musical Treat

We attended a friend's piano recital over the weekend.  It was a simple yet pleasurable concert and it featured four talented pianists on two grand pianos.

Here is my artistic take of programme sheet against the stage as backdrop... hahaha 

Here are the performers looking smart in black.

The audience were all taken by surprise by a little dance treat in the middle of the serious recital.  It was hilarious.

Here is the badly taken shot of the comical moment.

And of course we can't end the evening without a kodak moment with the hero on the keyboards.

Here are the gals.

And here are the guys.

Satisfying Dim Sum Buffet

Over the weekend, I had a splendid dim sum buffet at Pine Court, Meritus Mandarin with friends. Something I haven't done in a long time.  The restaurant looked quite swank and spacious.

We were delighted that besides the a la carte selections, there was a sumptuous spread at the side which included the unexpected Peking duck, pig trotters in vinegar, huge sauteed prawns, deserts, fruits and many others.

The a la carte selection was also of great quality and came with the options of some main courses and double boiled soups.  

In general, a great experience except for two disappointments:

1. They were quite slow in serving our orders - but that was forgiven quickly given the good selection of the side spread that kept us busy.

2. There wasn't any egg tarts! - no dim sum is considered complete without egg tart :(

Here are some interesting prawn dumplings with a beautiful faded purple on their skin.  They tasted as promising as they looked.

What do you get when you take too long to snap? .... Fogged-out "siew mai"! 

Here are the same "siew mai" again without any special effects :)

All of a sudden while we were hungrily digging in, a plate of complimentary "yu sheng" came and we were like "but CNY is over already?!?". Oh heck, we "lou hei" anyway like it was CNY all over again.  The next table (non-locals I believe) stared at us in bewilderment.

Halfway through our feast, we couldn't help but took a photo of our bags because it was rare of us to be out with such colourful bags at the same time!

Lesson Learnt #1

Lesson Learnt #1: Never buy bleach together with a million other items and when you actually have to walk home.

For the benefit of those who have never bought bleach in their life, I am talking about the 4 litres kind.

My cleaning aunties have been reminding me week after week that my bleach is running out and that I should seriously buy a new bottle before the "running out" becomes "ran out". And week after week, there is no new bottle of bleach ... much to the disappointment of the aunties.

So today I have decided to end all that and go get bleach!

It was all good until I thought, heck, since I am at the supermarket why not load up on some fruits & drinks in the fridge as well ... and some good old instant noodles too ... and hey, isn't that my favourite brand of sausages which was off the shelf for a long time ... ahhh, campbell soups on discount, no harm getting 2 cans to standby for emergency ... and why not grab some buns from the bakery for tomorrow's breakfast ...

And then I began my longest 5 min walk home.

I totally over-estimated my arms' carrying capabilities (it then dawned upon me what all those weight lifting in gyms is all about. To prepare us for trying moments like this! But then, I was never a gym person)

Did I mention it was raining?