Happiness Is...

Happiness is...

When I open my eyes in the morning and the first thing I see is Justin Baby awake at my bedside, playing blissfully with his toy car.

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?

Some Things Never Change

It recently occurs to me that some things do not change much over the years from one generation to the next.

Maybe it is because my parents still stay in the same old place where I grew up in.

When I was still a tiny toddler, my dad used to bring me downstairs in the evening and sit by one of those old fashioned bench facing the road and watch vehicles go by. He would point out that the buses are approaching and what their service numbers are.
These days my dad still do the same thing... not for me of course :-) but for Justin baby as a grandpa. This soothes baby Justin the same way it did for me.

When I was two plus, I visited the doctor downstairs for fever and my mum always reminds me about how I was once scolded by the doctor for crying too much when given the jab. I think his exact words were "So big already still cry!" By the way, this doctor has a reputation of being stern with his young patients. Yesterday, I brought Justin baby to this same doctor. Yes, the very same one. Age has caught up with him (and me) but I am still a little intimidated by his firm disposition. He pressed down Justin baby's tongue hard to examine his mouth and ordered the nurse to sponge him from head to toe due to his high temperature. In a split second, baby Justin's screaming and wailing filled the entire clinic... and maybe even the shop next door. Mr no-nonsense-doctor showed no empathy except "Why so fierce?!?"

I am sure I will be able to pick up a lot more childhood memories of my own along the way as long as a large part of baby Justin's growing up journey is spent in this little old flat of my parents.

Time To Say Goodbye

We got acquainted just not too long ago

And I had never thought of having you sold

It was definitely not my intention

To make you feel so forsaken

Our affair may be brief

but I am already filled with grief

I am sad but it is not shown on my face

Afterall it was a decision I have made

I will always remember how we used to zip around

East to West and sometimes around town

And how I loved your big round speedometer & quirky buttons

And how I enjoyed flicking to change your night light colours

Oh how you suffered these past months

Soaking in rain and baking in sun

Car wash has been a very rare treat

and I did nothing much to keep you happy and clean

From now on you are no longer with me physically

But I promise you will always be part of my memories

So long, Farewell, my dear MINI

Hope you find someone who will take care of you better than me

Irresponsible Dreams

Initially, I did not think much of it but when it happened twice...

Oh... I can be such a horrible mummy.... at least in my dreams.

Months ago when I just started driving around with Baby Justin in the car, I must have felt a little stressed about the whole safety, comfort, logistics and no-available-parking-lots issues because I had this dream, or a nightmare rather. I was walking towards the lift in my block at the end of an exhausting day with my handbag in one hand and laptop in the other. Then suddenly it striked me that I have forgotten all about Baby Justin whom I have left behind in the car locked up in the dark and faraway carpark!!! I woke up while trying to drop everything and dash back for him.

Just last week, I dreamt again. This time, I was with a bunch of pals hanging around a hotel lobby planning what to do for the night. Then someone suggested we check out this new drinking hole down the street. Somehow Baby Justin was asleep in my arms at that moment and I started thinking how I could sneak away for a couple of hours. The next few scenes that followed were just illogical but in the dream itself, I thought it to be a great idea!

There I was, placing the soundly asleep Baby Justin in the middle of a gigantic bed of a hotel room secured by pillows and bolsters all around. I then left him all alone in there and went down to the hotel reception to pass a hand-written note to a group of hotel staff and instructing them how much milk to make for him should he wake up while I was gone! When I shared this with a friend that day, she questioned: "Shouldnt you tell them to call you instead when he wakes up rather than make milk for him?" That wasn't even the point!

But hey, isnt there a saying that dreams often present quite the opposite of reality?? Maybe I should just seek comfort in that in the absence of any better excuse :P

Forgettable Entertainment

It has been quite some time since I was really entertained by any performance or sorts and the recent three movies/musical did nothing to change that.

Clash of The Titans was my first attempt at 3D movies in a local theatre. My worry of a sea-sick like nausea and dizziness was unfounded but the uncomfortable pair of 3D glasses left a sore mark on my nose bridge. I have not watched the original in the 80's so I am not sure if this is a better version but I am sure the cinematography is. Overall, it just felt like a comic strip come to life and nothing more. Of course, the first few moments of 3D did get me excited like a kid and Sam Worthington, who is quite an eye candy, kind of compensated the rest of the dull moments.

I was very much looking forward to Robin Hood that I even had the opening date jotted down in my phone. With a director and cast like this, what can go wrong. If you ask me, the entire cast did pretty well except for Mr Crowe himself. Yes, he has been criticised for his lack of or inconsistent accent in the movie but I think the bigger problem is that there wasn't much emotions displayed throughout and that makes the famous outlaw a bit bland as a main character.

And then there was Chicago The Muscial which we decided to catch at the very last minute. Well, everything turned out to be... nice... with bits here and there which I enjoyed but the entire production did not really WOW me and make me want to jump out of the chair. I might have enjoyed the film version better years back.

So any good recommendations that are not that forgettable?

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