Hot Pink Chick

A ball of a time

2012-01-28T22:22:00.004+08:00

Attended 2 birthday celebrations today, a bowling party at Seletar Country Club in the morning for Cameron and Amazonia in the evening for Ananya’s 3rd birthday.

Cameron’s birthday is actually on 9 Feb so this party was very early. Decided to just bring Nat to Cameron’s party so as not to tire Sasha too much before Ananya’s party and also use the opportunity to spend some one on one time with Nat.

Borrowed the car from Kevin the night before and we were late in getting to Seletar as I had to go to the market in the morning first and Ma dilly-dallied as usual.

We somehow got lost after entering the Seletar Camp area and it took another 20 minutes to find the place, plus it didn’t help that I had forgotten my phone…just one of those mornings!

We made it eventually. Nat was reluctant to bowl at first but she soon warmed up and got into it. She had a ball (pun intended) and it wasn’t too difficult feeding her because she was quite distracted.

By 1plus most people had left so we took our leave too. Nat fell asleep in the car but woke up when we reached home and didn’t sleep anymore.

I think she was too excited about going down the big slide at Amazonia which I was surprised she actually did several times on her own, even backwards and played independently with her cousins, she’s usually a scaredy cat.

The insecurity did kick in halfway though, she started crying on the slide after 30mins on her own. She was looking for someone to go down with her and thereafter she clung to me like her usual koala bear and didn’t let go of my hand the rest of the evening.

The coordinators there played some games with the kids, Nat won the prize in a treasure hunt for a red ball, blue ball and watch because I was the only parent accompanying the kids and could help her out.

There was a game they played though that made use of stacks of paper cups and it involved the kids stacking them on the floor to build a tower. However I was appalled when the staff placed the cups back next to the drinks dispenser! Grubby hands + cup rims on floor = dirty cups for kids to drink from!

Reagan has grown so much, eating independently and protesting loudly when Jeanette took her popsicle away momentarily to clean her hand. Sounded just like Sasha…Tiger babies are so fierce!

Speaking of Sasha, she had a ball of a time too (pun intended again!) jumping into the ball pit with gusto.

B is for...

2012-01-28T09:40:00.002+08:00

...Booze (and burgers!).

Dragged the boy out for drinks with the gang last night since the kids slept relatively early. We ended up at No.5 again, and had us some martinis and he also ordered the mini burgers for himself.

It was a chilled out evening, it was just us, the dopes, Ajen and Vim, John, Felina and Mac, with surprise appearances by Sajini, Kaelash and Jeanette. The place was packed, it took a while to get a table.

Swana ordered a number of munchies and even though I was full from dinner, I still whacked some pizza and wings. Now that CNY is out of the way, time to start losing weight for Koh Samui!

CNY Day 2

2012-01-24T22:39:00.004+08:00

Day 2 of CNY and we had nothing much planned except to visit Baba at his house…the annual visit.

Nick was unsure on whether to drive Pierre – the steering wheel was shuddering yesterday, only a few days after installing a replacement tyre so something about the wheels not being aligned. It was one of our last trips, Pierre has been traded in and come Friday onwards we’ll be car-less for a while. I'm going to miss Pierre, he is still in excellent condition and I hope he finds a good new home.

Baba had a lot of cookies on standby and was plying the girls with kueh bangkit and love letters. He also had a stash of Resorts World and MBS bottled waters, somebody’s been a frequent visitor!

We fed Sasha her lunch there and decided to drive to the airport for our own lunch. Was about to queue at the Crystal Jade at T3 when I noticed they had opened a Gurney Drive outlet, somewhere I have been meaning to try.

And since it looks like Penang is off because Nick will be travelling a fair bit in Feb and Mar for work, I had to satisfy my Penang hawker craving by this other mean.

I ordered a crayfish prawn mee, not too bad. Soup was sweet and flavourful but the crayfish was not fresh. Nick had the char kway teow, it had that wok hei taste but was on the oily side. Nat had a tang hoon fishball soup which she ate mostly on her own, good girl!

There was an Angry Bird photobooth in the departure hall and we took a family picture, check it out!

Enter the Dragon

2012-01-23T22:46:00.004+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai! It’s officially the water Dragon year, huat ah!

Had a very low key reunion dinner last night with just Mildred and Amah - Ben and Wendy are away in Germany.

Gave the girls their token angpows before leaving the house for 110 to pick Gigi and Lita up. The dopes have gone on a romantic getaway to Cyberjaya so us and Ma have been taking turns minding Gigi and we brought her along to Amah’s house today.

I had all the angpows prepared and carried them around in my new gold Ferragamo clutch. Also used this occasion to start carrying the Chanel bag bought in Venice last year. Unfortunately I collected runs on my silk dress just from walking from home to 110…must have been the velcro on Sasha’s shoes because I was carrying her.

Nat was very shy once we reached Amah’s, crying when she saw the crowd but Gigi was unfazed. Some of his relatives whom we only meet once a year thought we had a 3rd child! Ha ha.

Cousin Kim who used to be a pre-school teacher entertained them and they seemed quite taken by her, she called herself Aunty Princess. She had some cool French-themed nails too, she did them herself.

Amah looked very happy to be surrounded by her family, not sure if she actually knew what was going on.

Looks like there’ll be a couple more bubs around next year, his cousin Jason is expecting a girl in April and another cousin Hannah is preggers with her second son, also due Apr. That one was a surprise because even some of the aunts and Mildred didn’t find out till today and they see Aunty Susan quite often.

We were one of the last to leave and after napping the afternoon away, we headed to 110 for dinner. Ma made bakwan kepiting, mmmm....

Baba and Aunty Irene had come over, so had Uncle Andrew and family. He has a new stall selling mee pok in Ang Mo Kio, have to check it out soon with my mee pok expert and see whether got standard or not!

A is for...

2012-01-21T18:28:00.002+08:00

...Afternoon Tea.

Yup, our alphabet dates are back in 2012 and we've decided to go in sequence as much as possible. Had some $40 worth of Fullerton vouchers earned from my birthday dinner at Lighthouse last year and they were expiring soon and I was trying so hard to find an A to do there until the boy suggested Afternoon Tea at The Courtyard.

I made a reservation and was all dressed for cucumber sandwiches and scones but en route from the car park, we passed an advert that showed the high-tea buffet at Town. It had a much better spread and was cheaper to boot, at $32++ compared to the $42++ for the English tea set.

I knew he would have a much better time with the local fare so we decided to eat at Town instead. They had popiah, pie tee, rojak, prata, some dim sum, biryani, curry, chicken pie, mee siam, laksa, prawn mee, yong tau fu etc. They also had some scones and sandwiches so all was not lost.

The mee siam was pretty good, so was the laksa, prawn mee and scones. I think the price is reasonable considering it's a 5-star hotel and one can choose to sit by the river too. Think we have to bring the mums and kids one day.

Lo Hei season begins

2012-01-20T23:11:00.002+08:00

It was the start of the long CNY weekend and after work today, we had a lo hei session. It gets earlier and earlier each year, I thought it's supposed to be from the 7th day onwards but everyone has already started.

Over the last few days, we've been getting the girls prepped for CNY, teaching them to offer oranges and say 'Gong Xi Fa Cai'. They've tried on the cheongsams my ex-colleague helped buy a while back, a little big for Nat but it will do. She's gone for the red.

Sasha is not to be left out, she's wearing Nat's cheongsam from 2 years ago, it's only been worn once so I still consider it new. Poor girl will always be getting hand-me-downs.

She peed in the potty yesterday for the first time but it seems to be a one off. She's always sitting on it with her clothes on and I should start soon before she loses interest. After Nat's birthday perhaps.

The dragon is coming

2012-01-14T21:56:00.002+08:00

Chinese New Year is fast approaching and we brought the girls to Chinatown this evening to soak in the atmosphere.

Went for evening mass first followed by dinner at the Hans on Pickering street. We then walked to Pagoda Street and walked down it, avoiding the more crowded Temple Street.

They were curious about the lights and décor and I wanted to buy some cheena ornaments but with Nick hating crowds, we didn’t linger at any of the stalls.

Finally bought one ornament and then headed back. The whole loop took just about 30mins!

Beijing Day 5 (12 Jan 2012)

2012-01-13T16:53:00.003+08:00

I’m home…Beijing was fun and better than expected.

Yesterday I went sightseeing before my red-eye flight. I didn’t know when I’ll get a chance to visit Beijing again so I booked a private car with driver and packed all the major attractions in one day.

My driver Mr Zhang picked me up after I checked out and left my bags with the bell desk. Our first stop was Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Of all luck, even though I had fully charged it the night before, my camera battery indicated it was running low. I had to save some battery for the Great Wall later in the afternoon so I didn’t take as much pictures as I would have liked at the Forbidden City.

Tiananmen is really just a big square, one of the biggest I’ve seen in a major city. It’s connected by underpass to the Forbidden City, and after purchasing my admission ticket, I was transported to a different era, where Qing and Ming emperors ruled.

To be honest, there wasn’t much to really see, just wall after wall and several throne rooms. I thought everything would be much larger and grander but the scale of the buildings left me a tad disappointed.

I was done very fast. Purchased some souvenirs and Angry Birds headgear from an old lady tout and after locating my driver at the exit, we made our way to the Birds Nest Olympic stadium. Before that we stopped by some traditional houses called hutongs, but the one he stopped at wasn’t very picturesque.

Next stop was the Summer Palace, it’s a massive estate that also served as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Qixi at one point and I spotted a lone ice-skater on the frozen Kunming Lake.

I wandered around, climbed lots of steps and saw lots of pavilions but didn’t make it to the top of the grand incense hall, my knees just wouldn’t cooperate.

Last stop was the Great Wall of China, it took 90 mins to reach the entrance at Mutianyu. Luckily it being winter, the place wasn’t crowded and I could take lots of pictures without anyone in the shots.

It was an uphill climb to get to the cable car station, I wasn’t going to be a hero and hike up to the wall. Once up, I only paced a stretch of about 50m, I didn’t want to exert myself in the cold plus it was harder to breath with the thinner air.

It’s amazing when you think about the construction of the wall in those times, and spanning over 6,000 km. Truly one of the wonders of the world.

On the way down, I went on a shopping binge using up the last of my yuan. The stall holders were pretty aggressive and prices were marked up high but I bargained all I could and got more things for the girls.

By the time we reached the hotel, it was before 6pm. I was too tired to go anywhere and just sat in the lobby and spaced out for a couple of hours, till Phil messaged to say he was available for dinner and on his way back to the hotel.

We had beers in the bar, and I ordered a Caesar salad with shrimp. Before I knew it, it was time to depart for the airport and here I am, home sweet home. Oh, bumped into my ex-boss Marilyn when we alighted from the plane, we didn’t know we were a row apart on board!

And now the girls are having fun with the different headgear I bought them!

Beijing Day 4 (11 Jan 2012)

2012-01-11T22:35:00.004+08:00

A relatively straightforward day. We had a meeting at Microsoft this morning, the plan was to stop by the Oriental Plaza office first to offload banners then head out with Sarah but we got stuck in traffic.

Phil then decided to head to Microsoft direct which I conveyed to the driver, only for me to realise we had reached Oriental Plaza. So we managed to get the driver to wait while Sarah rushed down.

The meeting was brief, we discussed doing a joint event in a couple of months time, and then we headed back to Oriental Plaza to unload the banners before continuing on to a nearby mall for a late lunch.

How could I come all the way to Beijing and not eat Peking Duck? That was my meal request and Sarah had duly obliged by reserving a table at Da Dong, an award-winning Peking Duck restaurant which some argue is the best in Beijing.

They cooked their ducks right at the entrance and one could walk up and observe up close. We shared a few dishes, a pork dish that tasted kind of plummy, scallops and corn fried with salted egg yolk, a lily bud and cucumber appetiser, some veggies and of course, the requisite duck.

Food was good, service was slow though. But the duck was worth the wait. It was super crispy and expertly sliced by the chef. There was a burst of fat each time I bit into the skin.

There was a range of condiments to eat it with, along with the pancakes and buns. Fully satisfied, we went back to the office and when I took off my coat, the static attracted my skirt…was quite funny. I look like a matador here! There’s something about static in the cold, I kept getting zinged everytime I touched a door or alighted a cab.

Spent the afternoon and evening training Sarah on some of the programmes we use and orientating her with Misys. Finished work about 8plus and there were no cabs in sight so I showed Phil how to take the subway.

Dinner was spaghetti bolognaise from room service, it’s just too cold to venture out! Oh and the kind housekeeper left me a note saying she noticed my toothpaste was running out and gave me a complimentary tube of Colgate...very good service here! Naturally I will leave her a tip!

Beijing Day 3 (10 Jan 2012)

2012-01-10T22:14:00.005+08:00

It was D-Day today, the reason I’m in Beijing for. The office opening was scheduled to start at 11 am but me and Phil had to be in much earlier to check on the set-up. As with any event, always expect Murphy’s Law to be in play and today was no different.

First up, there was a thick smog that brought visibility down to 100m. I thought it was a romantic fog only to read in news reports later that that it was a bad smog that resulted in over 100 flight cancellations and the air quality indexes were off the charts.

We had a lady taxi driver and locating our ulu office was a challenge with visibility reduced. At one point we passed the business park but I didn’t know how to tell her to u-turn and had to call a colleague to give her instructions.

We made it to the office eventually, late but so were the others because of the unexpected weather.

There was mad rush to make sure everything was in place, lift floors were lined with carpets, flower stands delivered.

There was an internal town hall first and we had a PA system set up but for some reason, they cleared the system after the speeches even though the microphones were more important for the customer event! Luckily they were able to come back and set up again in time!

The food was a bit late though and had me fretting when it would be set up as customers were already starting to arrive. The event started at 11am but the facility manager only arranged for the food to be delivered at 11, whereas we would have preferred everything to be ready by 10.45am.

At the last minute, there was several changes in the line-up for the ribbon cutting ceremony too which caused confusion but it all worked out in the end, no one in the management team suspected anything amiss all morning!

The whole morning’s proceedings ended ahead of schedule and we then headed back to the Ritz for the scheduled media briefing in the afternoon.

It was a good turnout and everyone was very pleased by the level of interest. Our sales head turned out to be the star of the show, all the reporters wanted a piece of her after the Q&A instead of the CEO, I guess the language was a barrier even though we had interpreters on hand.

While some 1-on-1 interviews took place, I walloped the mini buffet and drafted an article for the intranet that the CEO wanted up by today. That done, Phil stayed on for a management team dinner while Sarah and I ventured out for dinner and a spot of shopping.

We took the super-crowded subway to the Silk Market, a good place to shop but had to bargain a lot. I bought a couple of cardigans, a top for Mildred and some games for the kids.

Then we had beef noodles for dinner at a chain called Yonghe and called it a night. On the way back, I stopped by a supermarket to pick up a bag of chips and just had a nice long soak in the tub. Bliss.

Beijing Day 2 (9 Jan 2012)

2012-01-09T23:26:00.004+08:00

Super long day and there’s still some work to do to ensure everything is ready for tomorrow.

While waiting for Phil in the hotel lobby before we departed to the office, I had time see the sunrise, cam-whore and speak to Nick.

Phil accidentally gave the taxi driver the wrong address for our office at Oriental Plaza instead of the one we were supposed to go at Universal Business Park, and midway I had to somehow explain to the driver the change in location in my halting Mandarin and show him the other address we had.

On the way, I saw the unique CCTV headquarter building designed by Zaha Hadid, very cool.

When we reached the office, I could see snow up close, so exciting! Suaku right?

We spent the whole day in the office, and welcomed a new colleague to the marketing team named Sarah who will look after North Asia from now. What a start for her, she’ll be busy this week!

The new office is nice and big, they have a large pantry and even a ping pong table!

Lunch was Pizza Hut delivery and in the late afternoon we headed back to the hotel for a briefing with the CEO and our PR agency to run through the proceedings for tomorrow.

Then it was back to the office to ensure everything was in place, some deliveries were not in yet so Phil and I went to have dinner at a nearby Yoshinoya. We had a mini steamboat each, perfect on a cold winter’s night!

Ok, back to work...

Beijing Day 1 (8 Jan 2012)

2012-01-08T23:01:00.004+08:00

Can’t believe I’m actually in Beijing! It’s bloody freezing, my first experience with a proper winter, Guilin wasn’t as cold compared to this! Temperature ranges from 5°C to -8°C!

The flight was uneventful, I opted for the beef stew meal and watched ‘Moneyball’ and ‘One Day’, the latter made me cry and got my pillow all wet. Got my first glimpse of snow just as we were landing.

Upon clearing immigration, I spotted a woman dressed for summer in the sea of winter coats, don’t know what she was thinking! I wasn’t prepared for the blast of cold air as me and my boss Phil exited the airport…freaking cold I tell you!

Am staying in a lovely room at the Ritz Carlton Beijing for the next 4 nights. Don’t be too envious - this is not a corporate hotel and purely an exception for logistical reasons because we are holding an event here which involves the CEO and an EVP and they can’t afford to waste too much time shuttling. But still, the bathroom is big-ass and I can’t wait to soak in the tub.

Didn’t venture too far for dinner, just the next door shopping centre called Shin Kong Place. Struggled to find and order a familiar dish at the food court where nobody at the stalls spoke English or had English menus and I didn’t want to accidentally order dog meat or something.

Finally got a preserved vegetable and pork la mian. It was way too salty but I finished it anyway because I was so hungry.

Phil needed to get a warmer jacket and he tried on several coats at the mall, with me acting as his stylist and interpreter in my koyak Mandarin. He finally found one he liked and once back at the hotel, we went to check out the club lounge and spa…swanky.

Time for bed, it's been a long day…goodnight!

Bubbas at Botanics

2012-01-07T23:57:00.004+08:00

We got up bright and early this morning for an outing to Botanics for a bubba playdate. Before everyone else arrived, we fed the fish and swans at Swan Lake.

Swana and Gigi arrived shortly after us, and instead of feeding the fish the bread we brought along, the girls nicely helped themselves to it. Meanwhile, I snapped away with my camera, love taking pictures of them when we’re outdoors.

Sarah and Felina got off at the wrong exit and took a while to make their way to us. Sarah rode on her scooter and had a fall just when they were reaching us. She gave Flea a fright by blacking out soon after, I think maybe too much blood rushed to her head but she was alright after a while.

Kavi came along next, with Ananya on her bike and Riley on her scooter. So all the girls had wheels and whizzed through the park for a short while.

We had lunch at the café that took over the food court. It’s called Food for Thought, prices were reasonable, there was a good enough variety and best of all, there was a little playground outside.

After lunch, Nick played some table games with the girls which had them squealing in delight…you know the kind where everyone stacks their hands and tries to remove it before it gets snapped?

In the afternoon while the kids napped, I went on a shopping spree in preparation for Beijing. Swana drove me to Vivo where I bought ear muffs from M&S and a sweater dress from Warehouse and then we headed to Centrepoint because I decided to get the boots I tried at M&S Wheelock, but was looking for a bigger size, which thankfully they had.

Time to pack, am off bright and early tomorrow!

Ladies Marmalade

2012-01-06T23:56:00.004+08:00

Though it was a short work week for me, it was super hectic with a few late nights at work.

There is a Beijing office opening next week followed by a media briefing and originally, it was supposed to be a small thing but it’s turned into a major event.

Over the holidays, nothing much got done as people were on leave, and I wasn’t really involved till it was just decided this week that the costs would be covered from marketing’s budget hence we had to be more hands on.

The past couple of days we’ve been rushing to get everything organised together with our colleagues in China and because there are a couple of events in one day, my boss needed more help onsite and hence, I’m going to Beijing next week! Woo hoo!

Met JGR for dinner at Marmalade Pantry, ION, a belated Christmas gift exchange session. I hope they liked their pressies, I loved mine!

We shared a few mains namely, crabmeat linguine, Mexican chicken salad, club sandwich and a mushroom risotto. Food was okay, I wouldn’t say it was that great and I was rather disappointed by the sticky date pudding we shared for dessert. The PS Café one was better.

Jane is due really soon, probably a month to go. Her tummy is quite compact though.

After dinner, Rena, Jane and I shopped around for a bit in search of boots for me. Heard it’s cold in Beijing, sub-zero temperatures. I don’t think the winter stuff I have is sufficient especially footwear. They were scaring me about frostbite!

Couldn’t find a pair I liked that fit until I tried on a pair at Marks & Spencer, but it cost $160, even at 50% off. Will have a think about it tonight…

Nursery calling

2012-01-03T19:39:00.005+08:00

It was a big day for Nat and Gigi today, their first day attending nursery at YWCA.

Swana and I were both on leave to witness this milestone which served to remind us how fast the kids are growing.

Nat was all gung-ho in the morning as we got her bag ready and as she got dressed. Sasha wanted in on the action too.

I kept explaining to Nat how she was going to take the bus alone as Gigi had a different bus, but she did not seem bothered till we actually got downstairs. We waited for a while only to receive a call saying there was a mix up and there would be no pick up for Nat for that day and the driver asked if I could send her instead.

A check with Swana revealed she was still waiting for the bus and we headed towards Membina in the off chance that Nat could board Gigi’s bus, which she made in the nick of time.

Gigi was all excited and brave and already on board when we reached but when the bus assistant put Nat on board, she naturally cried but still allowed herself to be belted and before we knew it, they were off.

We tried to trail them but lost them at a junction and by the time we reached the school, they had already gone up to class. We couldn’t resist peeping but we did it at the wrong moment. They seemed calm as they were putting their things in their cubbyholes, but then they spotted us. Nat started crying and clinging on to me as if her life depended on it.

I spent the next 10 minutes in class with her trying to calm her down and excuse myself but she wouldn’t let me go. Gigi was a lot braver, she sniffled but she didn’t look for her mummy. Eventually I escaped and we hung around outside class for a few minutes till the girls settled down.

Lunch was bak kut teh nearby, followed by some dessert prata at Prata Paradise. Then Swana and I made our way back to the school to resume spying on the kids. We lurked behind pillars and fences during dismissal, observing Nat and Gigi from a distance.

They seemed fine, and as soon as they boarded their bus, we hopped into a cab to await their arrival at my block. They came back all excited about having attended their first day of school, t-shirts tucked out like real sam-sengs! They survived their first day, and so did we!

Happy birthday Mummies!

2012-01-02T21:42:00.003+08:00

It’s 2nd January and that means my two mums celebrate their birthdays.

It was a combined celebration this year, we had lunch at Concorde Hotel, they had a mostly Asian spread but the price was reasonable and spread decent, and there’s a buy 3, 1 free promo with most credit cards.

The girls wore matching polo dresses courtesy of Ben and Wendy and Nat loved flouncing in her dress. Mummy said they looked like they were going to play tennis.

Gigi wore a maxi dress newly purchased from Malacca that Swana said she insisted on buying. LOL!

We were so full from lunch that we didn’t really eat dinner. Instead we brought the kids out for a stroll along Merlion Park. Sasha was scared of the Merlion and kept hiding but she would actually say, “I don’t scared”.

The parking was so expensive for just that half hour that we were there but we had fun and I think there will be more evening walkabouts to come.

New Year's Day

2012-01-01T22:13:00.006+08:00

It’s the start of a new year and it being a Sunday we went for mass first.

Headed to Marche at Vivo for lunch, such a stressful affair because Sasha wouldn’t sit still, and I had to keep going from stall to stall to get what everyone wanted while Nick and Wendy minded/fed the kids, and I had to wait for food to be ready so I hardly got to enjoy my rosti in peace.

Coincidentally Wendy dressed Sasha in the exact same dress Nat wore for New Year’s Day last year. Nat had to wait till she was almost 3 to fit, while Sasha can wear the same dress at 21 months.

For dinner we headed to AMK, Uncle Alvin and co were in town because of a recent bereavement on his in-laws side so we all had dinner together.

I contributed a quiche so Mildred could finally try my pie. We had a little cake cutting thing for her since her family was around, but it was more for the kids to have fun blowing candles etc.

At 21 months, Sasha is really trying to assert her independence. She tries to dress herself but most times ends up with her shorts around her knees or she’ll walk around with her tee covering her face.

She likes to pretend to go on the potty, saying she needs to pee-pee and she’ll just sit there fully dressed. I ought to start training her soon.

She’s a regular parrot, repeating everything we say and when you ask her who’s the parrot, she’ll say ‘Sasha!’ Last month I asked her to say Gucci and Prada and she said ‘cookie’ and ‘prata’ instead…a real foodie this one. She never refuses food.

In the car, we are subject to the same songs over and over again because she’ll ask her daddy nicely for “I want ‘God Said It’ please daddy?” and you know he won’t refuse her.

There’s been some regression on the pacifier, she’s more attached to it than ever. Like a junkie but she's got a pretty pout. And she’s starting to have terrible two tantrums early, rolling/kneeling on the floor and stamping her feet with really loud crying when she doesn’t get her way.

Her bedtime is getting later and later, she sleeps less in the morning and can stay awake for longer periods so most days now she sleeps at 9.30pm.

Nat will be 4 next month and she’s got a tiny mole above her lip, hope it never grows to as big as mine, though it’s getting more and more obvious.

She and Gigi start school at YWCA this week, they seemed excited when we went down last week to show them around.

She can write her name very simply, just NAT but sometimes she’ll write ANT on purpose. Am trying to teach her simple word recognition and she can read ‘the’, ‘and’ and ‘to’. But they will do all this in nursery as well, so am not too concerned.

We are trying to get her and Gigi to feed themselves more, such a chore it is to them!

Her birthday is just around the corner and she’s getting excited She wanted a fairy theme and we settled on Abby Cadabby. Time to start planning!

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

2011-12-31T23:53:00.003+08:00

Aside from the final Alphabet Date for the year, we also met Joanne and Ray today for breakfast at KFC East Coast and to exchange Xmas pressies. Thereafter, Sasha snoozed while Nat and Ray played on the beach. Ray showed off his skate scooter skills, he's much better than Nat!

Ben and Wendy came to pick the girls for an airport outing so we could complete Z, and in the evening, we all went over to the folks house for dinner before coming home to put the girls to bed.

Only 7 minutes left until 2012, how another year has just flown!

Kids are all asleep, only me and Nick are awake at home and for yet another year, we will be having a quiet countdown in the comfort of home.

Gosh, time really does fly, the years are just flashing by and before I know it, the kids will be all grown up and married! Nat will be 4 in a month, Sasha will be 2 soon... people are trying to get us to have a Dragon baby but no way, I ain't popping out a watermelon anytime next year or the year after but ask me again in 2013.

It's been a good year travel-wise. My wish last year for more travel was granted, starting with the almost-free holiday to the Maldives, a day trip to Johor before the railway station closed for good, 10 days in Italy with Ma which was exasperating yet unforgettable - we saw Lady Gaga up close, a family holiday to Bintan and then work trips to Tokyo, Jeju (twice!) and Hong Kong.

Since the wish came true, I would like for a similar number of trips next year but I think that would be too much time away from the kids. For sure I know we should be going somewhere during the March holidays, and Nick has promised a quick getaway for our anniversary, we may not end up in Penang.

He switched brands to Trafalgar in the second half of this year, and a trip to Europe is on the cards in the name of research for him and I'm keeping fingers crossed it materializes because then I get to go. I also hope I can tag along if he goes to India again. Am counting on all these personal trips because work-wise I don't think I will travel as much once we replace the headcount in North Asia.

It's been a good work year, my boss is cool and we work well together. Have new cubicle neighbours who banter and bitch and they are quite funny, some eye candy moved into the office etc.

Hopefully the kids fall sick less in 2012, for their sake and for mine, because Nick can really be a grouch when they're ill which is no fun for me. But I think he is lightening up, at least I hope so! He's been pretty sweet and patient the last couple of weeks but I guess it's because he was on leave and more relaxed, plus they were not sick to stress him out.

He has been kind enough to humour me with our Alphabet Dates and we're set to continue next year...I'll even let him plan some of them!

I got to vote this year, not in the General Elections where Tanjong Pagar was a walkover, but in the Presidential Elections. The political landscape is changing in Singapore, people are getting more vocal and openly critical of the government and on their part they seem eager to improve and win back the people.

Every year I make similar resolutions, which always end up broken i.e. lose weight, shop less, save more, drink water and 2012 will be no different. I shall endeavor to cook regularly and be more hands-on with the kids...Wendy will be leaving in April and am sure there'll be separation issues.

Ooh, it's past midnight and the fireworks are starting! Luckily we get to enjoy the displays on Sentosa and Mt Faber. Happy new year everyone and may all your wishes come true in 2012!

Z is for...

2011-12-31T21:51:00.002+08:00

...Zion Road.

We did it! We made it to Z before 2011 ran out! I had a fancy option for Z thinking we could end the year on a high but the boy opted for good 'ole hawker fare. Not that we could eat much after a KFC breakfast barely 2 hours before.

Ben and Wendy took the kids off our hands and brought them to the airport while we made our way to Zion Road from East Coast.

Couldn't decide what to eat and we ended up ordering from the same stall, old-school prawn mee that was just $2.50 for a small bowl. He had sugarcane lemon juice and I had soursop with lemon, real refreshing after the heat of the beach.

We parked at Great World so before leaving, I popped in the Zara sale (another Z!) and then we went to Cold Storage to get stuff.

I'm so glad we completed A-Z, nothing like setting a goal and accomplishing it. Though there was some delay and it was hard to commit to fortnightly, we started what we finished and next year is a whole new cycle. Might change things up a bit and do the alphabets randomly, see how. Any suggestions?

Puni's Princess

2011-12-29T23:59:00.000+08:00

I got an SMS last night from Puni announcing that she had delivered the baby and I couldn't resist popping by the hospital to get a look at the munchkin!

She was indisposed when I arrived and I waited outside the ward with a whole gang of her relatives, there must have been at least 15 of them!

I managed to get the lowdown on the gory birth details, she had to have an emergency C-section after the baby's heart stopped for a bit, apparently she was pressing down on her own umbilical cord, cutting off blood supply so the doc didn't waste any time.

Thankfully the bubba is healthy and well, no name as yet until the stars are consulted to see what alphabet suits her. Date and time of birth is officially 28 Dec 2011 at 7.38pm...congrats Puni, Siva and big brother Nik!

After KKH, I rushed down to meet Desmond, Michael and Jeannie for dinner at PS Cafe, Ann Siang Hill. Last gathering for the year and we had a good meal.

I ordered a crab tart, it was full of crabmeat, thought I could have done without some of the cartilage. At $29, it's a pricey tart but at least there's quite a bit of crab.

Michael had a steak sandwich which he claimed was really good, Desmond's cod and Jeannie's prawn pasta looked promising too...I think I have to go back and try more of the menu. For dessert we shared a decadent chocolate cake and a sticky date pudding which was really moist and yummy with the side of ice cream. Oh and we learned something new about Michael, he's OCD about hygiene!

After dinner we adjourned to Ying Yang at Club Hotel for one drink before calling it a night. Nick is away in Taipei and the dopes kindly babysat for me.

MV Logos Hope

2011-12-28T23:27:00.003+08:00

The world's largest floating bookstore, MV Logos Hope called into Singapore a couple of weeks ago and departs very soon so Ma wanted to pay a visit today.

After the girls' dinner, we carted them by bus to Vivo and boarded the vessel docked along the promenade. Nat was excited to board a ship and we bought quite a number of books, all in the name of charity. The prices were very reasonable, they go by units because they sail all around the world, and 100 units was 4 SGD. I spent a lot of units!

The adults had dinner at the Asian Kitchen thereafter and the dopes came to pick us up, Swana is driving Pierre in Nick's absence. Before we left though, we bought some groceries from Giant, and picked up 3 monkeys for our trolley!

Y is for...

2011-12-27T23:39:00.002+08:00

...Yong Tau Fu.

As you can tell, I am in a mad rush to complete the Alphabet Dates before the year runs out and we just did Y today. 25 down, 1 to go!

Since the boy has been clearing leave, we have been clearing the backlog and drove all the way to Upper Thomson to have Ampang Yong Tau Fu. It's been ages since we'd been and it was his preferred choice over all the other Y options.

For 2 persons with wonton soup and drinks, it only cost us $11.30. We had extra tau kee in place of bittergourd and while it still tasted good, the gravy was a bit salty.

After lunch, I popped by Great World for a bit to pick up some ingredients for the quiche I made for dinner whilst he attempted a car wash. Alas it rained and he was thwarted.

The dopes came over for dinner and we had a bacon, zucchini and mushroom quiche with canned minestrone and a side salad. I think nothing beats bacon in a quiche!

Pressie time!

2011-12-26T23:23:00.001+08:00

Today was Boxing Day and the girls were finally allowed to open their Christmas presents. They were very busy during breakfast, tearing open wrappers and inspecting the goods in their matching H&M nighties.

.
Nat's present from us was a Cookie Monster Play-Doh set which she picked out herself a few weeks ago (and helped wrap!), while Sasha received a little tricycle which Nick had to assemble first.

Nat then helped to guide her little sister on the new bike, so sweet.

Headed over to Membina for lunch, where more presents awaited them and then while the girls napped, Nick and I went out for a test drive before returning to Membina for a tapau-ed dinner.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T23:06:00.004+08:00

If I thought last year's Christmas was quiet, this year was practically mute! Not that I'm complaining, sometimes it's nice to just chill and lay low.

We had Christmas eve dinner at Amah's house last night, Nick had requested for steamboat...such a Chinaman! But his wish was granted, maybe we'll have turkey for CNY reunion dinner! Aunty Lillian and Aunty Darrell joined in and we were quite stuffed by the end of the night.

The next door neighbour gave some clips to the girls, they are a family from India and have a little girl named Maji who is in between Nat and Sasha's ages. She's very friendly and cute and we gave her a little Xmas pressie in return.

After the kids slept, Nick and I exchanged our cards at midnight and opened our respective pressies. Funnily enough, our messages to each other were quite similar...it's been an up and down year, of course more good than bad but it's been a challenge trying to juggle work, the kids, their health, managing a household whilst maintaining a personal life AND a romantic life that sometimes we take each other for granted and I felt neglected at times, especially when he dragged his feet for our Alphabet Dates.

The kids frequent sicknesses in the second half of the year didn't help - tempers were frayed, snappish comments made, conflicting instructions led to some disagreements...we never used to argue till the kids came along! I know it won't be the end of it, we have very different styles when it comes to their rehabilitation but hopefully they fall sick less next year!

But at the end of the day, we know where we stand with each other and it's all good. I was pleasantly surprised with the gift he got me, a 3D/2N getaway to Penang for our anniversary next year, he actually made a reservation with a travel agent. Much better than the water dispenser I got last year! LOL!

I got him my traditional 3 pressies - a Ralph Lauren sweater vest, 'Don't Sweat the Small Stuff' book and a Burberry tie I picked up in Hong Kong.

This morning we attended mass at Christ the King with Mildred, Ben and Wendy. Then popped by Amah's to feed the kids and eat some leftover steamboat before heading over to Applebee's for lunch proper with the Dopes, Ma and Aunty Ros, who's down from Malacca.

Nat and Gigi entertained with a 'popcorn' dance after I bought some from Candy Empire. Couldn't really eat lunch in peace, Sasha didn't sit still and Wendy was off but from the little I had, I found most dishes salty.

At night we had dinner with the Gomezs at Toh Yi. Nat and Gigi entertained again, dancing to You Tube videos on Ann's computer...Nat loves the Heineken ad song 'Golden Age' by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour and showed off how she dances to it. Aunty Diana made my favourite fish cutlets - I need to learn how to make them!

And that was how we spent Christmas this year. Quiet eh?

X is for ...

2011-12-24T16:59:00.003+08:00

...Xmas eve lunch @ Xi Yan.

Xi Yan is one of those places I've been meaning to try since they opened but never got down to checking them off my list, till today. I think they've been around for at least 6-7 years, first heard about them back in SingTel where one of the directors was always raving about them.

It's a private dining restaurant at Craig Road so reservations are a must, as they need advance notice to prepare your selected menu. I made the reservation only a couple of days in ahead and was given the week's menu to pre-select my mains.

I knew it being a Saturday, the place wouldn't be crowded but I didn't anticipate being the only diners! I think they cater to the business lunch and dinner crowd mainly so weekends are not profitable.

But that meant that service was attentive and we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. There was a personalised menu awaiting us at the table, that was a nice touch plus the waiter would explain the dish and ingredients each time he brought a course out.

We kick-started with cherry tomatoes soaked in organic apple cider vinegar. The tomatoes were juicy and sweet but slightly tart with the cider, and they did a good job of whetting our appetites along with the sugarcane jelly accompanying the dish.

Next up was an angel hair tofu and mushroom soup. The silken tofu was hand-cut into fine shreds, they were thinner than mee-sua! The base was chicken stock and the soup was the perfect starter for a cold and rainy day...it was pouring outside while we were snug and warm inside listening to Chinese jazz and Christmas-y tunes.

Stir-fried prawns with salted egg yolk was next, am a sucker for anything coated with salted egg yolk and the prawns didn't disappoint. They were crunchy and buttery and I licked every last drop of gravy. The prawns were served together with a black truffle and Chinese ham fried rice. The truffle taste was subtle but evident, Nick thought it was good fried rice.

Last main was an oolong tea smoked chicken with mango salsa. Another fine dish with the subtle flavours of the imparted oolong, coffee and rock sugar and I think lychee that the chicken was smoked with. The skin was crispy and the meat tender, couldn't ask for more.

For dessert, the waiter brought out a whole lychee ice cream log cake. For a moment I thought they were serving us the whole thing, but it was just for presentation and photography's sake, he noticed I had been snapping pictures and brought the whole cake out for me to take a picture before he cut us some slices. How thoughtful.

The meringue cream around the lychee ice cream was too sweet for me, so I only ate the ice cream bits but Nick ate most of his.

Overall, it was thoroughly satisfying meal, at $48++ per person, I think it was worth it based on the exclusivity and service, and the food was good too. Finally a place that Nick actually enjoyed and approved of, will regularly check their website for updated menus and go again when I see dishes I want to try!

After lunch, we popped by Alexandra car showrooms for a bit, taking a peep at Volkswagen and Peugeot. COE prices are really high but the boy is in the mood for a change, was this close to buying a Volvo S60 earlier in the week but the COE exceeded his maximum budget by a little bit and the deal fell through. But change is imminent, I will miss Pierre!

Bird poo poo

2011-12-24T02:52:00.002+08:00

Need to buy 4-D asap! Me and Nick got pooped on by birds in the middle of Orchard Road at midnight, just as we were on our way to Orchard Cineleisure after tapau-ing burgers at Heeren!

I got some on the back of my cardigan plus my hair, and he got some on his hair and the subsequent dash to the loo to clean up made us late for our movie "New Year's Eve". Silly birds, why were they up so late? Thank goodness my bag didn't kena!

Today was the start of my leave, no work till next Friday, woo-hoo! We brought the kids to Orchard in the morning for last minute shopping at Tangs and ended up at Ion's Fish & Co for lunch.

Joanne was having a pre-Christmas party in the evening but Ray had been diagnosed with HFMD earlier in the week and Nick being Nick, opted out to be on the safe side for the sake of the girls' health. We ended up eating leftovers from his office Christmas party that he attended in the afternoon. Sorry Jo and Ray, see you another day!

W is for...

2011-12-22T14:23:00.004+08:00

...Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodles.

This stall is supposedly home of Singapore's best prawn mee according to the I Eat, I Shoot, I Post blog and ever since reading about them, I've been wanting to try. Had to recover from my bout of flu from last week though, else I wouldn't be able to taste anything! Was so sick, missed a whole week of work, and coughed up blood too.

The boy picked me up from work and duly drove to Pek Kio Market near Kent Road. He started queuing immediately, it didn't seem that long, only 5-6 people deep it but still took a good 20 mins till we got our food.

The old couple dishes them out slowly, and it didn't help that just before Nick's turn, some young boy was allowed to cut queue and order 5 bowls...think he knew the aunty behind the counter! I could almost see the steam coming out from Nick's ears! LOL!

Anyway, the chor bee hoon I had was very fine, thinner than the usual chor bee hoon. The soup was quite flavourful, I would call it power stock. It was sweet, almost buttery with a dash of spice and tiny bits of lard and I finished all my soup. The prawns were fresh and succulent, however I could still get a bit of freshwater taste as if they were not boiled in stock so I didn't quite like that fishy taste.

Overall, it was a pretty darn good bowl of prawn mee, though my boy begs to differ...he was not impressed, the queuing left a sour taste in his mouth but he did it anyway...he says only for me! Awww...

Dining at Dempsey

2011-12-10T14:50:00.001+08:00

Not long now before Puni pops, and she is looking mighty radiant...sigh, I miss being pregnant sometimes!

We met for dinner at Dempsey last night with Kannaki and Chris and for once they were all early or on time, while I was late! Managed to save some travelling time by hitching a ride with Kannaki halfway.

I had made a reservation at CMPB just in case, and we ended up there. My ears perked up when the waiter said there was a crab soup available, and we were all expecting something creamy.

However it turned out to be a copy of the crab omelette in miso broth served at Salt Grill. At $12, it was pretty good value, lots of crab meat and I slurped up every last drop!

I had a rosti and sausage for my main, it was alright, nothing to rave about. The others had pasta, mostly quite average. We shared a side of mushrooms that was overly salty and decided to proceed elsewhere for dessert, ending up at the Dome cafe where we chatted till past 1am...

Hong Kong Day 3 (7 Dec)

2011-12-08T01:04:00.001+08:00

Just got home a while ago, after opting to take the last SQ flight home.

This morning we had a meeting with our PR agency at their office, and on the way back to IFC where Phil had left his laptop, we stopped at some vendors polishing shoes. He got a kick out of it!

Picked up a sandwich and more poppyseed cake from Pret A Manger for my lunch and we parted ways. I went back to Causeway Bay and bought some jellies for the girls at Sogo, Nat had requested for grape flavour.

Then I quickly packed up and checked out, and went back to Hong Kong Station to do the in-town check in and dump my luggage. Took the airport express to the airport then switched to bus S1 headed for Tung Chung, where the Citygate Outlets are located.

I was planning on visiting the big Buddha on Lantau Island first but it was just too foggy for the Ngong Ping cable car ride so that was scrapped. Killed the afternoon at the outlet shops instead but there wasn’t anything particularly cheap. Plus fashions were all wintery.

I did end up with a passport cover from DVF and a pair of shorts from Esprit plus a little something for Nick’s Xmas pressie. Paused for a wanton mee lunch at the food court and then before I knew it, it was time to head back to the airport to catch my flight.

Went to the Hui Lau Shan at the arrival hall to indulge in some mango pudding, and bought 4 boxes of mango mochi for home. We shall have a mango overload the next couple of days!

Hong Kong Day 2 (6 Dec)

2011-12-07T08:42:00.005+08:00

Oh man, I am knackered, it was a long day yesterday.

Started off with heading to the Sophis office at IFC, took the train to Central. Had me some breakfast at Pret A Manger, they had orange poppyseed cake which I had to have!

The Sophis office has a great view from the 58th floor of IFC, I like! Phil arrived shortly after me and we went to RED Bar & Restaurant during lunch to see the venue again. He had some meetings and a conference call and asked me to make myself scarce for a couple of hours so I went happily in search of the H&M at Queen’s Road Central.

Picked up a few items for me and the girls and then on my way back I bought some silk jackets for their CNY outfits. Grabbed some takeout lunch from the supermarket and then it was time to start preparing for the event.

Truth be told, the turnout was a little disappointing, a much higher drop-off rate than expected. But still, we had more than our Singapore event at Senso so all’s good.

Everything ended by 9pm and the night was still young, so Phil, Didier and I ventured to Lan Kwai Fong. Watched the band at Hard Rock, they were quite good and I pigged out on a few side dishes.

Next up was Zinc, that place seemed quite happening and last was The China Bar, where I didn’t like the music. I felt like a tiang lampu most of the evening, cramping the style of my two colleagues who really wanted to party hard but I was tired so I left first.

By the time I got back it was past 2.30 am and I didn’t sleep till 3 plus. So, so tired but I have to get ready for a meeting now!

Hong Kong Day 1 (5 Dec)

2011-12-05T22:17:00.002+08:00

Woo hoo, my hope for another trip before the year ended was fulfilled. Here I am in Hong Kong where we have an event tomorrow evening, the RSVP kept jumping and my boss needed help...so, yay!

Took the morning flight and the departure was slightly delayed by 30 mins, there was a backlog of planes waiting to take off.

Flight was uneventful, and I took the airport express train to the city. I was a bit apprehensive about coming alone, am not familiar with Hong Kong and the last time I came was almost 6 years ago but it’s been really easy to get around.

Home for the next couple of nights is the Regal Hong Kong in Causeway Bay, all our corporate hotels were full. As soon as I checked in, I scooted out to IFC to check out the restaurant we have our event tomorrow. It’s surprisingly not that cold, I only need to wear a thick sweater.

Had the evening free and decided to skip the Star Ferry to Kowloon I had planned since the sky was cloudy and I wouldn’t be able to see the Sky Symphony show clearly.

Instead I went back to Causeway Bay in search of Sky Brilliant, a replica clothing wholesaler my friend frequents when she’s in Hong Kong. It happened to be just across my hotel but the range was limited and everything was dark and depressing since it was winter. I did spot one red dress and snapped it up, not cheap though at HKD 430.

Next I went in search of Hui Lau Shan to get my mango dessert fix. There was one down the road from the hotel and I took away some mango mochi and a mango sago drink, plus popped by McDonalds for some nuggets. Am here I am back in the room bumming. Yawn...

Spicy Girls take on Dora

2011-12-03T21:39:00.003+08:00

There was much estrogen in the air when the Spicy Girls invaded Raffles City today to catch the Dora show!

I decided to just bring Nat on my own for some bonding time, and we were joined by the Dopes, Danams, Kavi, Ananya and Riley.

Met for lunch at the food court where I bumped into a familiar face, don't think I have seen her for at least 6 or 7 years, if not more. It was Shareen of SES, and she still looked as youthful as ever. Her daughters are all grown up at 18 and 15, gosh! We had a quick chat, and I will seek her out on FB.

The kids were all excited to see Dora, but when it came to showtime, Gigi and Nat turned into chickens and stayed at the back of the audience area while the rest headed to the front. Nat covered her ears the whole time, even though it wasn't loud and Gigi eventually relaxed once the show started.

After the show, the kids held hands and ran riot through the mall, breaking out into 'Ring O Roses' in the middle of the walkways and giggling their heads off.

We all went over to Membina after, except for the Danams. I tried to nap but the 3 older kids came to wake me up quite rudely by stomping their feet on Swana's platform and jumping on the bed!

Kaelash and Jeanette came over in the evening with Bobo and Nick dropped off Pumpkin and Wendy. Bobo was a pie, she let me carry her without too much fuss...that one has an old soul I think, she stares quite intently and has this constant half-amused smile that makes me feel like she knows more than she lets on.

V is for...

2011-12-02T22:36:00.000+08:00

...V Hotel and vinyls.

Tucked away on the 4th floor of the new-ish V Hotel is 12-inch Pizzas & Records, a pizzeria by Timbre and venue for this evening's dinner. Today is also our 11th year as a couple.

I thought the boy would appreciate all the vinyl records on display, but alas, I was wrong. He wasn't taken with the place, I suppose the fact that the restaurant was empty on a Friday night didn't help first impressions.

But nevertheless we went ahead to order some soups, a hoisin duck pizza recommended by the waiter and some ribs. They had cute menus in the shape of records, and there was a record player in the corner that I'm sure Nick would have loved to get his hands on.

I had a corn soup and he had seafood chowder, my soup tasted very fresh with generous kernels of corn. The pizza was a disappointment, a bit jelak to eat after a while because the sauce is sweet plus it was quite oily so I think I will stick with tomato-based pizzas from now except for those from Skinny Pizza.

The ribs were tangy and refreshing with a citrus sauce and sliced oranges, but they weren't like melt-off-the-bone soft and were served lukewarm so there's definitely room for improvement.

I think it will take a while for the restaurant to gain a following, they've only been open for a couple of months and being on the 4th floor is not conducive to walk-in customers but they do provide room service for the hotel guests.

Before leaving, Nick needed to use the loo and what we saw surprised us. The unisex loo cubicles were right in the middle of the outdoor seating section and not in any enclosed area. They are surrounded by tables and chairs and the whole world can see how long you might use the bath room and guess if you're peeing or pooping. Not to mention the smells wafting through the air!

My own opinion is that it's not hygienic to locate bacteria-infested loos so near F&B service areas, even though the loos may be kept clean. Ugh!

Hi 5 at Millenia

2011-12-01T23:56:00.003+08:00

It's the time of the year where malls start hosting kiddie shows as the festivities ramp up for Christmas and HI 5 are back in town again, this time at Millennia.

Of course we had to bring the girls because they watch Hi 5 ALL the time! It was Sasha's first time watching one of these shows, she didn't freak but neither did she get up and dance.

Nat initially covered her ears, afraid of the loud noise but by the end, she and Gigi were singing and dancing along to songs such as Monster Dance and LOVE and other jingles. Altogether Tim, Stevie, Lauren, Fely and Casey sang about 6 songs but it wasn't as put together as last year's Marina Square production.

Still it was fun and next up is Dora!

When we got home, we could just about see some of the Vivo anniversary fireworks. They were launched from a platform in the water so they were pretty low, nothing in the sky. Disappointing.

'Terrible' 20 months

2011-12-01T23:49:00.003+08:00

I think Sasha is hitting the terrible twos ahead of schedule, boy can she cry when she doesn’t get her way! Sometimes we give in, sometimes we distract her and sometimes we hold firm and say ‘no’. All depends on the circumstances.

She’s been refusing to sit in the high chair during meals, squirming and escaping the straps, Wendy has started chasing her around the house for mealtimes. I know I shouldn’t encourage it but it’s really hard to get through a whole meal in the high chair unless the TV is on, so I would rather chase her around the house than let her watch TV.

Her sentences are now 4 to 6 words or even more. In the car, she’ll request for her favourite songs by going, “I want God Said It, Daddy”. When I’m eating, it’s, “I want mummy doonle (noodle),” when we put the tree up, it was ‘I like pink ball”.

She can sing Little Cabin, God Said It, Rock A Bye Baby in full, sometimes she mumbles when she doesn’t know the exact lyric, quite funny especially when she sings the days of the week.

She differentiates between ‘I’ and ‘my’ when she forms her sentences and in the right context too.

She loves to shake her bum, saying ‘I gelek gelek’ when she dances. She can slide down now unassisted and stands on her rocking horse like a stuntwoman. She’ll balance herself then jump off and go, “Whoa!”

Sasha is a real foodie, never refuses to try anything and mildly spicy food doesn’t deter her. She loves blueberries and strawberries and of course, ‘doo-nles’. She is very independent and adept at entertaining herself when we are busy, she can do her puzzles over and over again without getting bored.

She runs and not walks around the house, always chasing after Nat. These 2 can be loving one minute and fighting the next! I foresee a lot of refereeing as they grow older.

Nat is a typical girly girl as she approaches 4. She’s taken to wearing a tiara at home practically all day. She’s got rhythm when she dances and I think she might be opening up to the idea of ballet or some kind of dance class. I really ought to practice more phonics and reading skills with her, the only word she can read is ‘the’!

She had a high fever of 39+ a couple of weeks ago, as usual Nick stayed up to sponge and over-medicate her even though she was generally active.

At one point he even threatened to come home from work and administer paracetamol when I refused too. Had to fib and say I would give her, but in reality I didn’t and she was fine. Same with Sasha, she had mild fever around the same time and I didn’t give her anything and she shook it off within a day. Kancheong spider!

Reagan is 1!

2011-11-26T22:44:00.003+08:00

Reagan celebrated her first birthday today, with a repeat fairy theme that big sis Riley had. She was so adorable in her pink and green fairy costume, just want to squish her!

The kids had sufficiently recovered from their recent bouts of flu and were excited to be reunited with the other kids. There was a fairy bouncy castle that Nat took a while to warm up to but soon she was bouncing around with the rest.

Had to feed the bubs one by one, didn’t bring Wendy along and Nick was stressing himself out for no reason over their mealtime. Nat didn’t want to eat the hot dogs prepared for the kids and opted for plain pilau rice from the adult buffet, which irked her father because he harped on about it not having any nutritional value and he kept topping up the carrots and peas for her. After a while, I sent him away to hang with the other daddies!

Nat did get to try sparkler sticks for the first time, surprisingly they did not freak her out.

Jeanette made the birthday cake, I missed out on a proper slice but from the bite I tried, it was damn good cake! Rich dark chocolate and covered in crushed Oreo.

Earlier in the day, we met a very special baby, Marie. She was almost a month old, but her delivery and the fact that her mum was even pregnant was top secret till after she arrived.

Mark and Grace had good reason to keep it under wraps as they did not want to get their hopes too high after experiencing a full-term stillborn a couple of years ago. Couldn’t be more pleased for them, they went through a lot but persevered, didn’t lose hope and tried again...good for them!

Networking Nite at Senso

2011-11-22T23:32:00.004+08:00

Man, my feet are killing me.

We had a cocktail cum wine tasting networking event for hedge funds at Senso today and I did not wear comfortable shoes.

Turnout was not as great as anticipated, we had over 100 RSVPs but only about 60% showed, apparently the markets were volatile today and that kept some people busy.

Still it was a success, the room was packed and the guests were quite happy, food and wine was excellent.

There's going to be a similar event in Hong Kong in 2 weeks and there's a slim possibility I get to go if the RSVP is as high as this one. Fingers crossed!

Up goes the tree

2011-11-20T22:24:00.002+08:00

Christmas is just over a month away and out came the tree today.

The girls were really excited to see it being set up and helped to hang the lower ornaments (which will be rearranged when they're not looking!). Nat also put on the star at the top.

I love the colourful theme we've had since last year, looks like the tree will keep these riotous colours for a while. I don't need any additional ornaments but when they lelong after Xmas, maybe just a few more swirly balls and butterflies.

U is for...

2011-11-19T23:45:00.002+08:00

...Uncle Leong.

It's been a while since I had butter crab and have been craving for it. Met Colin and Debra for a doubledate at Uncle Leong in Tebing Lane, Punggol.

Have been curious to check out Tebing Lane since hearing about it, there is a Popeye's there, a large pool hall, prawning and a bunch of other restaurants and cafes. For somewhere so ulu, it sure was crowded...Nick had trouble finding parking.

We shared 2 crab dishes - their signature shimmering sand crab and a chilli one. Prices are going up, the crab cost $45 per kg but aside from the crabs, the other dishes were just so-so. We had coffee ribs, scallops with brocolli, salted egg prawns and fried beancurd. The salted egg prawn dish at Jumbo is better. But still I was a happy camper with the shimmering sand crab which essentially the creamy butter crab with cereal.

After dinner, we had a drink at a cafe called Frienzie. I don't know how they do their pricing, their mocktails were more expensive than their cocktails but generally other prices were ok. Might go back one day and bring the kids, since they are situated next to a canal and have a kids menu.

West Coasting

2011-11-19T12:01:00.002+08:00

Brought the bubs to West Coast McDonalds for breakfast after everyone had woken early. Sasha just refused to sit in the high chair or stroller and kept climbing over all the chairs, this one has ants in her pants.

After brekkie, we strolled in the park and then went to check out the boats along the coast. Nat looked like a little diva with Sasha's sunglasses and I wished the pumpkin had looked in the camera when Nick took this shot.

TTFN Caprice!

2011-11-18T23:48:00.001+08:00

Caprice messaged a couple of weeks ago to say she was moving on to Swiss pastures after her hubby received a job offer there and we met for dinner this evening along with Terh Ling and Adri. Adrienne couldn't make it in the end because of a cold so it was a cozy dinner for 4.

Made reservations at Oriole Cafe and killed time before dinner at Uniqlo, purchasing 3 tops. Terh Ling came not long after I sat down, followed by Adri. We shared 3 mains including the crabmeat capellini I have been thinking about, before Caprice arrived after putting Scott to sleep.

It was great catching up, Caprice will be based in Basel...oooh, land of the jewellery and watch fair! Hopefully we get to visit one day. Ooh, and no.2 will be arriving in the new year, can't wait to find out if it will be a boy or girl...she herself is in the dark!

Terh Ling's 2 kids Kimberley and Darren made an appearance after dinner, they were shopping in town with daddy and Kimmie helped us take this group shot, not bad eh?

Food tasting at Senso...hic

2011-11-16T23:04:00.000+08:00

We have an event at Senso next week and the kind people at the restaurant allowed us to have a food tasting of the selected canapes today, along with the wines being served for the wine tasting session of our networking event.

Since they allowed up to 4 diners, I invited Gerry and Didier along and we met Phil there. All the savoury canapes were good but I decided to change the dessert ones to other options.

The wines were all good, not that I can tell one apart from the other but the sommelier kept plying us with bottle after bottle and we tried 8 wines in all, 4 red and 4 white and they were almost full servings, mind you.

I was a teensy bit high from all that alcohol but could still function. I did feel really airy though and eventually forced myself to do a Merlion and felt much better after that. Not an experience to be repeated anytime soon!

Sasha's first haircut

2011-11-13T23:58:00.003+08:00

The mums have been nagging me to trim Sasha's fringe, I was content to pin it up and try to grow her hair to one length but I had to do something before they took matters into their own hands. Out came the scissors this morning and with one snip, my pumpkin has bangs.

I must say she looks rather cute, more feminine.

Went for mass after that, then a trip to Orchard where there were more elephants on parade. Had lunch at Kaffir and Lime at Paragon before a requisite stop at Toys R Us. Need to get cracking on the Xmas shopping!

Chicken, mushroom and zucchini quiche

2011-11-12T23:12:00.003+08:00

Basic Shortcrust Pastry:

- 1 and 2/3 cups (250g) plain flour, sifted
- 125g salted butter, chilled, finely chopped
- 1 egg, chilled
- 1 tbsp chilled water

1. Mix flour and butter in a large bowl until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Whisk egg and water in a bowl until combined, then add to flour mixture. Mix with hands until it begins to form large clumps.

3. Knead gently to bring together. Form into a disc for a round tart. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours. (Can keep in fridge up to 3 days)

4. When ready to use, remove from fridge let thaw for about 10 mins. Dust a work surface with some flour and roll out the pastry to as thin as you can.

5. Fit the crust to a tart pan, and prick the bottom all over with a fork to allow steam to escape. Place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes or longer, then bake in a 205°C oven for 12 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before adding the filling.

The Filling:

- 1 full chicken breast, cut into small slices
- 4-5 button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 zucchini, half cut into quarters and the other half sliced into discs
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely
- 8 cherry tomatoes, cut into half lengthwise
- 60g of tasty cheddar, shredded
- 4 chilled eggs
- 200 ml of fresh cream
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/4 tsp of black pepper
- A pinch of nutmeg

1. Stir fry the onions, chicken, quartered zucchini (save the sliced ones for garnishing), mushrooms (save some slices for garnishing) and tomatoes till the chicken is cooked and the vegetables start to soften. Turn off heat and strain any liquid.

2. Place the mixture in the cooled quiche crust, and sprinkle half the grated cheese.

3. Whisk the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg gently until just mixed. Don't overwhisk, should be ideally a creamy texture.

4. Pour the egg mixture on top of the filling, leaving a few tablespoons behind. Decorate with the remaining zucchini and mushrooms, and top up with the balance egg mixture.

5. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and place in a 190°C oven for 38-40 minutes, or just until the eggs are set (the quiche will continue to cook some after you remove it from the oven, so be sure not to over cook it).

Cool for 10 mins before serving. Serves 8.

Back to back

2011-11-12T22:41:00.003+08:00

I was just running from one appointment to another today but still managed to make a quiche and fruit salad in the morning!

First up was a mums and babes brunch at 'Paris', a farewell for Jayna this time, instead of her mummy. I volunteered to bring a quiche and fruit salad, thought it was about time I attempt a quiche again, only my second ever...plus it seemed like such a perfect brunch dish.

I made the shortcrust pastry last night and when blind-baking it this morning, Nick off-ed the oven by mistake...luckily there was no harm done. The chicken, mushroom and zucchini quiche turned out better than expected, I was quite pleased - it will be my default contribution to pot luck parties now...until I master something else!

The mummies and bubbas had a swell time, the kids were kept entertained and the ladies could chat. Plus there was some bubbly served...we all agreed we should make this a regular affair, perhaps once every 2 months.

We tried to take a group photo but it was very hard to get the kids to cooperate. There were 8 little girls in all!

Once back home, after putting the girls down for their nap, I got ready and went off for my next appointment - my colleague Dian's wedding at Bukit Panjang. Took 190 all the way, then switched to a feeder service. The weather was quite miserable, it poured all day.

Ended up approaching the wrong wedding at first, luckily I bumped into another colleague and we found our way together. I don't remember the last time I attended a Malay wedding, it would have been ages ago so it was nice to just soak in the festivities. I was tempted to wear a sari or kebaya but decided to opt for the comfort of a dress.

Got to meet a number of colleagues' spouses, it was nice to see them with their families and put faces to names.

The bride and groom changed several times that day, I caught 2 outfits...very grand I must say! Had a quick bite and hitched a ride with my big boss who was headed in my general direction.

Next stop was Amah's house where the aunts were celebrating her birthday. I missed everything by the time I reached but tucked into some leftover chicken rice and cake. Sorry Amah!

T is for...

2011-11-11T22:34:00.007+08:00

... Tanjong Pagar.

Not my first choice but the boy was free for lunch so we just met at the hawker centre above the market. The tonkotsu ramen I wanted to eat had too long a queue.

He came in his Trafalgar shirt (that’s T!), and I deviated from my usual Lucky Wanton Mee to try prawn mee from a stall called The Old Stall. They had newspaper clippings and reviews plastered around the stall and I had high hopes but it turned out to be disappointment.

The broth was very ‘prawny’ and the prawns weren’t even fresh and a tad mushy.

Remind me never to eat at this stall again!

Nick was feeling flu-ish in the evening but had promised to bring the kids to Vivo for the giant Xmas tree, so I brought Nat instead. There were some elephant statues on parade which Nat and Gigi couldn’t keep their hands off.

We got to see the laser lights and fireworks on Sentosa, the girls were thrilled. I love fireworks!

By the way, it was the 11th of November 2011 today, hence 11/11/11. This kind of thing only happens once in a lifetime, next year it will be 12/12/12 and then there's no 13th month. But it just occurred to me my 10th wedding anniversary will be 1/3/13 and when Sasha turns 4, it will be 1/4/14...must buy 4-D on those dates!

Hari Raya Zoo

2011-11-07T22:19:00.004+08:00

I don’t know what we were thinking to attempt the zoo on a public holiday but it was rather impromptu, after Kaelash said he was going.

Thankfully the weather held up, it was gloriously sunny but the zoo, was well, a zoo! It was crammed with people and we decided to go anti-clockwise and start with the African side.

There was Kaelash, Jeanette, Riley, Reagan, Tse Nar, Khin, Ananya, ourselves and the Gomezs.

Kids had a ball as usual, I missed Sasha’s first visit and am glad to be around for her second. She could name the animals she saw and was tickled by the giraffes we saw peeing and has been re-enacting it since!

We saw monkeys, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, lions, cheetahs, leopards, giant tortoises, komodo dragons, flamingos, snakes, impalas, parrots etc. Didn’t cover the other end with the tigers and polar bears but bumped into Mischa and co at the lion enclosure.

Had lunch at Ah Meng cafe, Kaelash actually brought pasta for all the kids and when Sasha saw the pasta spirals, she didn’t want her mee sua and kept asking for ‘doonles’ (noodles).

We popped by Children’s World for a bit but our kids were tired and bored by then so we left first and they promptly crashed in the car.

Headed back to the north for dinner at AMK, Mildred had lots of leftovers from the day before. Aunty Susan and Aunty Darrell were around and were entertained by the kids.

Kids R Us

2011-11-06T22:53:00.000+08:00

Went to AMK for dinner where Mildred was hosting her friend Regina as well as Sylvia, Cato and Cara. I think we last met at Sasha’s party but Nat and Cara seemed to have forgotten each other.

Mildred made popiah, it was not too bad, I think we don’t need to order from shops anymore!

Cara is so chubby, Sylvia passed on some swimsuits she could not fit into.

Yesterday Joanne came over to Membina where we hung out for the day.

Brought the kids to the playground, there was a brother and sister duo who were quite rough and bratty, and another China kid who peed in his pants while on a rocking rhino but continued playing in his wet shorts plus left the ride wet...don’t know what his grandparents were thinking!

Ray and Sasha interacted more as they are closer in age plus Nat and Gigi had each other. After dinner, Joanne followed us back to Spottiswoode to chill some more before Nick sent her and Ray back.

Farewell Judy!

2011-11-05T14:41:00.004+08:00

Man, I feel like a nangka busuk, fell down some steps at No.5 last night and went boing, boing, boing on my bum...there’ll be a big bruise soon. Kavi fell too, but at a different spot and sprained her hand.

Judy departs for Sydney in a couple of weeks and this was meant to be a farewell. At first we were all cramped on the second floor till Jeanette found a booth seat on the first level. Music was good, too bad they don’t have a proper dance floor...didn’t stop us from boogie-ing towards the end though.

Nick arrived very late, he was supposed to come after Nat slept but he fell asleep himself!

Another fun night, though I had very little to drink, no mood after falling. We all went to Newton for supper when we were done, where we had a feast of sambal stingray, sotong, kangkung, egg foo yong, ohluak, char tow kway and chicken wings! Slurp!

Kavi ordered from her favourite tout, a lady with a beehive who answers to her ‘Simran’. Can’t miss her when you’re at Newton, she has 4 pens in her hair!

Fishy Thursday

2011-11-03T22:38:00.000+08:00

Had two fishy/seafoody meals today, am stuffed!

For lunch, a few of us went to Boat Quay to check out the latest outlet of Smith's, who claim to serve authentic British fish and chips. Phil has tried their Katong outlet and has been raving about how good their fish and chips are. I've been meaning to check them out for a while too ever since spotting them from a bus ride to Katong back in Feb.

Went with Phil, Aaron, Gerry and Austin - 2 Brits and 2 Aussies and they all concurred the fish and chips were good and authentic, down to the curry sauce, malt vinegar and mushy peas. Even came wrapped in paper.

I thought it was pretty good, but oily. I liked the peas and curry sauce, the batter tasted a little like Long John Silver's but I think I like my Skinny Pizza fish and chips best at the moment, with the truffle fries and less oily batter.

Dinner was seafood at Jumbo to eat with Nick's boss Gavin, who had requested to meet me. He's the CEO of Trafalgar and was very friendly and down to earth. He was asking me all sorts of questions about the kids and how Nick and I met, and how he proposed etc. He regaled us with some stories from his travels, he's bumped into George Clooney in Como. Swoon.

He mentioned that he's told Nick he has to try out his own product by going on a Trafalgar tour next year, I'm so going to try and make that happen and tag along! Hmm, Spain, Northern Italy or France? Heh heh. He's also invited us to watch any Chelsea home game, he has box seats. Cool!

Verve Pizza

2011-11-02T22:20:00.003+08:00

Met the SingTel folks for dinner this evening. There was supposed to have been 8 of us, but Richard and Max cancelled so it was just me, Desmond, Michael, Crispian, Hong Wei and Juliana.

Since I organized it, I had dibs on picking the venue and went with Verve at Marina Bay. It's just a bit before the MBS convention centre and faces the CBD so there was a relatively good view, though it would have been better to be closer to the water.

This is the same Verve that used to be at Gilman Village, the food still tastes good especially the pizzas and appetizer like calamari and fish cakes but am not a fan of the homemade pasta noodle texture, the linguine looked just like mee pok!

Juliana was late and though her growing belly is not obvious (yes, she's preggers and I've known for a while, heh heh), Crispian asked if she was expecting and she confirmed it. The rest of the guys were surprised but happy for her, she's almost 6mths along but her tummy is quite compact. And I had guessed right, it's a girl. Yay!

By 9-ish, we all started heading home but not before I had a chocolate cointreau ice cream to end the meal, yummy!

Sasha is 19 months

2011-11-01T16:07:00.005+08:00

I know all moms think their child is the cutest or smartest but I am wondering if I have a potential genius in the house?

Sasha can name all the different basic shapes now and differentiate between them – she’s an expert at her shape sorter plus she can name colours like pink, blue, green, red, yellow, purple, orange, red, rainbow etc.

She can sing the whole alphabet from A-Z and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which I think is quite advanced for her age but that’s just me! We have peg puzzles for alphabets and numbers which she can put back all the letters/numbers quite quickly.

She does 3-word sentences, i.e. ‘Mummy cammy (carry) me’, ‘I put back’, ‘Nat-nat wake up’, ‘I don’t want’, ‘Korek belt’. Recently when she met Nya Nya and Baba after a long while, she would keep repeating their names to herself long after the meeting, going ‘Uncle Baba’, ‘Uncle Ri-shed’. She calls Wendy ‘Ah wenny’.

She jumps on the bed like a wrestler, 2-3 bounces before flopping on her back or butt, doesn’t pay attention to how close she is to the edge of the bed or the wall, such a daredevil!

She does like to put on Nat’s Adidas shoes and walk around the house, I don’t know why that particular pair. Over the weekend we were at Centrepoint and a pair of shoes caught her eye at Bata. She insisted on buying it, repeating ‘Mummy buy’, ‘Mummy buy’ in the store and when I took the shoe away from her to pay, she screamed and brought the house down thinking I wasn’t buying it! There are signs she could be the next Imelda Marcos!

At night I have started reading stories to her before bed, she gets one or two each night but she picks the same stories over and over again. Her current favourite is ‘The Fish That Talked’, “Circus Under The Sea” and ‘Gingerbread Man’ which she can listen to 10 times a day and even complete the last word on each page.

In the first week of October, she was down with a viral fever that hit a peak of 41deg celcius, Nat had it before her. There was a trip to KK in the middle of the night at 4am when she was burning up and shivering, we didn’t know what fits looked like but Nick didn’t want to take any chances. She had fever suppositories inserted a couple of times during that period, poor bub.

Nat is really starting to mature, she goes to the big potty on her own, refusing the padded seat or a stool, just hoists herself up. She brushes her own teeth and is more adept at writing alphabets, including her name ‘Nat’. She can draw caterpillars and funny faces and colour within lines...yay.

She’s starting to display a sense of humour, trying her hand at cracking jokes. Well, at least I find them funny. For example, we have a storybook called ‘Adam Goes To Italy’ and one of the characters had a comment about his leaning tower of ice-cream after visiting Pisa.

When she saw a fallen mushroom on a documentary one night, she called it the ‘Leaning Tower of Mushroom’ and ever since, she’ll just say out that line to make me laugh. Plus she doesn’t pronounce ‘mushroom’ properly so it sounds like ‘mahroom’. And when she knows she’s said something funny, she’ll laugh and go, “I joke you”.

I have new names for the girls...Nat is always digging my bag or drawers so I’ve dubbed her Little Miss Korek. Sasha is Little Miss Puting for the constant pacifier usage and when I asked Nat what should we call Gigi who likes to hide, she exclaimed, ‘Tikus” and so we have Little Miss Tikus as well. LOL!

Of Angry Birds and Prawn Mee

2011-10-29T23:49:00.001+08:00

Went to Sunny Spring this evening, it has been ages! The Sees are planning a trip to Seoul and Jeju next month and I've been helping a little here and there with hotels and maps.

My lovely uncle and aunt helped to satisfy a craving for the Whitley prawn noodles from Old Airport Road, plus a bunch of other yummy food...one day must go there and feast!

Uncle Thomas, Aunty Sharon and Aunty Joyce were also around. Sasha took a while to warm up, she had to be bribed with the Angry Birds game on Uncle Thomas's laptop before she would go near him. Likewise with Nya-nya, out came the i-Phone and all the distractions available on it.

The prawn mee wasn't as good as I remember it though...I need to have the MacPherson one soon for comparison! But I have lined up another prawn mee as the W date, can't wait!

S is for...

2011-10-29T00:42:00.002+08:00

...Supper in Serangoon Gardens.

We were supposed to have dinner at Samy's, but because I was still full from lunch and had already been to Dempsey earlier in the day, we decided to do supper instead.

Left right after Nat slept, this is only the second time he's leaving them alone at home with Wendy and we were gone just over 90 mins.

It was a cool rainy evening and Chomp Chomp was packed. Managed to find a table in the back and I ordered Hokkien Mee, sambal stingray and chicken wings to share.

He was busy on his Blackberry practically the whole time responding to work issues, hardly any conversation!

I busied myself with the food. The Hokkien mee was not too bad, but nothing beats my Hong Heng. The stingray had no oomph, the taste did not linger. Very happy about the chicken wings though, very rare to find $1 chicken wings these days!

Happy birthday Phyllis!

2011-10-28T16:34:00.002+08:00

It was Phyllis’ birthday today and she wasn’t on leave so a few of us brought her out to House @ Dempsey for lunch. Got to sit in a Saab cabriolet to and fro, Swana eat your heart out!

I had my usual risotto and we shared a ginger butter chicken pizza. It being a rainy Friday, we lingered over lunch and though it was supposed to be a shared treat to Phyllis, one of her bosses Wai Leng paid for lunch in the end because our companions Aaron and Phil also had recent birthdays. So I volunteered to pay for Phyllis’ cake instead.

There was a little celebration in the office when we got back, so that her big boss Boon Huat could join in plus the rest of the management team. They gave her a Coach handbag as a present, how nice!

Deepavali 2011

2011-10-26T23:21:00.003+08:00

There went a free stay at Marina Bay Sands, the munchkin is sick...again! Baba had received a free 2-night stay and offered it to us and I was all psyched and had applied for 2 days leave only to end up staying at home on Monday and Tuesday.

The bub has a cold and mild fever, which Sasha will get in no time. Meanwhile Swana, Gigi and mummy lived it up at MBS but at least I got to spend quality time with the girls at home.

Today is Deepavali and we went to 110 for dinner. Mildred came over, so did Kevin’s folks and Ann, plus Baba, Aunty Irene and Uncle Andrew with his family. Anjali and Jana also swung by.

Ma made her usual goodies, I have got to learn some of these recipes, especially the nasi minyak and her fried chicken.

It was so hard to get Nat and Sasha together in a photo but Nat and Gigi loved posing in their new pink dresses.

Building sandcastles...

2011-10-22T16:57:00.002+08:00

Nick had footie today and we hitched a ride to East Coast later in the morning with the Gomezs. Nat and Gigi played on the sand building castles, while I tried and failed to make Sasha nap. Check out Sasha Fierce in her shades.

Once Nick was done, we all had lunch at Long Beach...thank goodness for fish tanks which never fail to entertain restless children!

Q is for...

2011-10-21T22:14:00.003+08:00

...Quality Hotel.

We are sooo behind schedule on our alphabet dates, something always seems to crop up like Nick's travels or the kids being sick. Didn't have time to do Q before the Retrolicious concert hence the jumbled up sequence!

Met Nick after work and we drove to Balestier on the pretext of having dinner and scouting for new lights for the house.

We had eaten at Quality Hotel long ago when their laksa was just $3.80 if I recall, back when we were living in AMK. It was time to revisit the laksa, only I had one, he opted for congee after suffering a bout of food poisoning the day before.

The laksa was now $6.80, double that if you eat in the restaurant but we opted for the al fresco bar area. It was a disappointment, the noodles were overcooked and 'kembang', the gravy average and on the oily side. I remembered more toppings last time like tau kee and quails eggs, these were missing. Oh well.

After dinner, we went in search of lights, popping in and out of shops. We saw 2 potential ones that we both like for the dining area. One of them was really pretty, I was surprised he liked it too!

Ramen King

2011-10-21T15:48:00.003+08:00

Whilst running errands in the Tanjong Pagar vicinity yesterday, Phyllis and I decided to check out Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King, a ramen bar at Orchid Hotel.

I have seen long queues since it opened so we stuck it out and waited about 15 mins for a table to see what the fuss is all about. It was opened by Keisuke Takeda who was crowned TV Tokyo's King of Ramen 2011, so if the Japanese think he is the best, the noodles better be good!

Here they only serve Tonkotsu Ramen, but you can customize your soup and toppings a little bit with the menu sheet they provide plus extra condiments like pickled beansprouts, bonito flakes, hard boiled eggs at the table. I went with a regular tonkotsu ramen and I must say the soup was quite 'power' though a little salty.

The noodles were al dente, the char shu a thin sliver of meat. Instead of seaweed, the noodles come with black fungus and you can add your own sesame seeds too. There were bits of white jelly bits floating in the soup which we realised was actually lard...no wonder the soup so shiok!

How nice to have something this good close to home, I'll definitely go back for more and now I have to check out their other ramen outlet at Millenia which has more variety.

The binging continued today when I met Hong Wei for lunch. We were supposed to have roast chicken nearby but it started pouring so he picked me up and we went to Marina Square instead. Dined at Pu Tien, they've been around a few years and had good reviews but I'd never been.

I let him do the ordering, we shared fried bee hoon, deep fried eggplant with pork floss, sweet and sour pork with lychee, a tofu dish and some corn pancake. Everything was good, except the pancake was a miss. But next time we're at Marina Square, will try and convince the boy to try them.

When I got back to the office, my neighbour Aaron was surprised with a birthday cake by his boss. Because he sits in a corner, everyone snuck up on him singing the birthday song! Mmm, cake was banana chocolate from Awfully Chocolate...yum.

Munchkin playdate

2011-10-18T21:04:00.004+08:00

I worked from home today and Joanne came over with Ray so the kids could play.

Sasha is practically the same height as Ray though they are about 6 months apart, everyone keeps telling me she is tall. She's just a greedy pumpkin, will go to anyone for food!

Nat went back to school after a long hiatus, Nick wanted to let her body rest completely after being sick so frequent but I won't be surprised if she brings a new bug home in a few days.

While Nat was at school, Ray and Sasha interacted, the pumpkin was glad to have a new playmate. Soon enough Nat was home and the 3 of them ran riot around the house, it was like being hit by a tornado...toys everywhere.

I made us a Shepherd's Pie for lunch, and Joanne and Ray ended up staying for dinner too. Now that Joanne is back, there will be more such playdates!

Martini mania

2011-10-16T22:53:00.005+08:00

Oh what a night it was last night! My head is still buzzing!

We had gathered at No.5 for a martini night in honour of John’s birthday and there was a big turnout, I think close to 20 of us.

There was me, Swana, Kevin, John, Ajen, Thanesh, his friend Karuna, Caryn, her new boyfriend Edgar, Sajini & Mac, Kenny & Felina, Kaelash & Jeanette, Vinoth & Sophie and Bernard & Rachel.

We had sooooo many martinis, the bar counter ran out of space! At $16 nett for 2, they’re cheap and good!

Kaelash and Jeanette had celebrated their anniversary before joining us, and had a new Canon camera which I helped show them how to operate. Can’t remember what else we all talked about but I know a good time was had by all, Kevin was wasted and Kaelash apparently puked on the way home!

I had only about 6 martinis and 2 shots of Bacardi Ice but it was enough to make me high, especially the 2 shots in quick succession.

This evening we ate out with the in-laws for a change. Ben and I had agreed to check out Enoteca L’Operetta at Boat Quay and I had high hopes for them based on some reviews I had read and the photos of their interior, and so decided to check them out on the last day of Restaurant Week.

This was their dinner menu:

Appetizers
GARDEN FRESH TOMATOES, BUFFALO MOZZARELLA CHEESE AND LUSCIOUS PROSCIUTTO HAM
or
ROMANA STYLE BEEF TRIPE SERVED WITH TOMATO MEAT SAUCE AND PARMESAN
or
OVEN BAKED HOKKAIDO SCALLOPS FLAVOURED WITH AROMATIZED BUTTER

Mains
FETTUCCINE SERVED WITH STEWED TENDER KURO-BUTA PORK WITH PORCINI
or
RIGATONI SMOKED DUCK WITH CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE
or
"CATCH OF THE DAY" GRILLED AND GARNISHED WITH VEGETABLE STEW
or
BREADED LAMB SERVED WITH TOMATO SALAD AND BALSAMIC REDUCTION
or
PAN-ROASTED VEAL WRAPPED WITH PROSCIUTTO SERVED WITH MARSALA WINE SAUCE

DESSERT OF CHEF'S SELECTION

However the experience was marred by the apparent lack of coordination amongst the staff based on their Restaurant Week menu commitments and their Sunday operating policy, plus the lack of manpower to manage what was probably a busy night for them.

When we arrived, they explained that actually on Sundays they only served pizzas and said we could order any pizza from the menu, even the most expensive ones.

We questioned why we were not informed when the reservation was confirmed, they went on to say that they were hosting an event on the inside and their kitchen was busy and that the mains would take a long time, possibly up to an hour or 90 mins.

When we explained that we had booked them based on the promised menu, they eventually relented and said they would try to expedite. In the meantime we were fed bread and some complimentary appetizers, the minestrone was different - in a good way.

Our food actually didn't end up taking that long. The scallop was the biggest one I've ever had – the size of my fist, though a bit too raw for my liking. I was happy with my grilled fish as a main though it was petite but the pastas the rest ordered was so-so.

Dessert was just sorbet that melted too fast. I would give them the benefit of the doubt and try them again but perhaps not anytime soon. The interior was lovely though! Rating 3/5.

The kids would not sit still throughout the dinner so we couldn’t really eat in peace, hence the lack of photos. Every 2 minutes had to bring them for a walk to see lobsters or fish tanks etc...aaargh!

Tristan and Ray turn 2

2011-10-15T21:12:00.006+08:00

Both Rayhan and Tristan turn 2 next week and their parents chose to celebrate today. Luckily the timings didn’t clash so we could attend both, plus they were both held in the northern part of Singapore so we stayed out all day.

First up was Tristan’s party, which Desmond held at his in-laws place in Yio Chu Kang. There was a magician/clown who went through his show for the kids, Nat actually sat through most of it with Nick, instead of hiding away. Was proud of her for participating in the games, she’s growing up and becoming less shy.

Sasha watched from afar whilst being fed by Wendy and then we all took turns to eat.

The entertainer also made balloon sculptures for the kids, Nat chose a flower for herself and Sasha. She queued behind Cameron, they’re about the same height, or she might be slightly taller.

Tristan looked like a little sailor with his straight cut pants, he and Cameron look quite similar but have their own distinct features, unlike my two which are chalk and cheese!

We rested at Mildred’s place in the afternoon. I ended up napping with Sasha while Nat skipped her afternoon nap.

After looking at the birds downstairs, we headed to AMK Ave 2 for Rayhan’s Mickey Mouse party at Joanne’s aunt’s condo. There was quite a crowd already when we got there, I was tickled by Joanne’s very sporting grandmother wearing a balloon hat.

The balloon sculpturists onsite could make very fancy creations, Nat got an Ariel mermaid, plus ladybug and butterfly.

Rena and her brood were present, so was Jane and company. Germaine came late. We all hardly had a chance to chat while tending to the kids but the kids had fun, scooping up treats from the piñata and watching the fish in the pond outside the function room.

The party continues tonight for me...am off to No.5 for martinis with the cousin gang in honour of John’s birthday!

Restaurant Week

2011-10-14T22:03:00.014+08:00

This week is the second edition of Restaurant Week Singapore, where restaurants including some top ones offer 3-course meals at $25++ for lunch and $35++ for dinner. Of course in Singapore there's always some kind of justification to charge more so the more high-end establishments imposed a surcharge of $15 for lunch and $20 for dinner...so I think it's more worth it to attend dinners.

I had made several reservations which changed throughout the course of the week but managed to secure lunches at Salt Grill, Senso and Ku De Ta and ate very well for 3 days in a row!

Salt Grill was on Wednesday, and I went with Phyllis and Phil - our treat for Phil's birthday. It was a rainy day so the view was somewhat drab. We were seated in their casual section and service was indifferent.

I opted for the 'glass' Sydney crab omelette with miso mustard broth to start. It was a generous portion filled with crabmeat so it was quite value for money, considering the item is sold at $29 I think on the ala carte menu.

For my main, I had grilled free range spatchcock with Middle Eastern spices, currants and pine nuts but it was nothing very special. Phil ordered the gnocchi but the portion was tiny, could finish in 3 bites!

Dessert of the day was a licorice parfait, the taste of the Pernod was distinct and it was quite yummy. Overall as a meal, I rate it 3.5/5.

Yesterday, Phil and I met Germaine at Senso, a post-Jeju thank you lunch - her treat.

When I got there, I was coughing and a waiter noticed and offered me a hot honey lemon drink. I thought that was great initiative on his part and service throughout the meal was faultless.

The appetizer was fixed, it was a pan-fried buffalo mozzarella wrapped in parma ham. Portion was generous like Salt Grill, was full after the first course, coupled with the free-flow of assorted bread rolls they plied to our table.

For my main, I chose the gently roasted cod fillet with eggplant puree and asparagus. It was a thick steak of cod, I have to say that Senso sure doesn't stinge on ingredients unlike some places which would cut down on portion sizes for set menus. Anyway, the cod was lovely...

To round off the meal, we all had a warm chocolate cake served with vanilla ice-cream...done to perfection. Mmmm....

Overall the food and service was excellent, the last time I went to Senso before this was when they first opened and I'm not going to wait that long for my next visit! I rate this meal 4.5/5!

When I got home from work, I found the kids near the playground. Gigi has been isolated from Nat and Sasha while they all recuperate from various ailments and they hadn't seen each other in more than a week and were missing each other. So they had a quick catch up downstairs, careful not to make any physical contact or sneeze/cough. But they were so happy to be reunited, even if for a while.

This afternoon I had lunch with Juliana at Ku De Ta. We had both never been and were looking forward to the meal and the view. Both didn't disappoint, in fact the meal was a pleasant surprise because it wasn't a 3-course set but rather a variety of appetizers and mains served with rice.

These are the modern Asian dishes they served...

The baby spinach with creamy sesame dressing was nice and nutty, the rice crackers with minced porked was crunchy and tart, but I couldn't bring myself to consume the oyster. Am just not a fan. Juliana convinced me to try a little, which I did and nearly gagged...tastes exactly like it smells, slimy sea sand.

For the mains, they served wok-charred black angus beef with young ginger and green peppercorn, crunchy jumbo softshell crab and yellow vegetable curry stew with rice. The beef was really tender but a little too pink for my liking, the softshell crab was full of meat and the curry was lemak and addictive.

Dessert was anti-climatic, some pistachio cake with strawberry coulis that didn't go with the whole Asian meal. Overall, 4/5, aided by the view!

After lunch we wandered around on the sky deck to take in the view. It was a tad hazy unfortunately.

To cap off the day, there were drinks at The Bank in honour of Phil's birthday tomorrow. A few of us gathered there to celebrate with him, Wai Leng bought a cake from her friend's shop called Sweet Blessings, Desserts And Such. It was a rich decadent chocolate, shall have to check out what else they sell!

Spottiswoode gals reunited

2011-10-11T22:02:00.001+08:00

Sham and Sherene came over for dinner and the Spottiswoode bicycle gang was reunited! Been ages since I’d seen Sherene and our plans for a dinner out got thwarted when I had to babysit, as Nick was out of town.

Since we had rescheduled too many times, I invited them over instead. Tapau-ed satay and bee hoon goreng / mee goreng and murtabak from Lau Pa Sat, Sherene brought cupcakes and Sham made tiramisu.

Pops helped me babysit during the day and stayed for dinner. There was a SingTel technician over too, replacing our MIO stuff.

I was busy with Nat and Sasha and didn’t really get to chat much with the girls but it was better than nothing! Will need to plan a proper girls night out, or a trip to KL to check out Sherene’s apartment!

R is for...

2011-10-08T23:48:00.006+08:00

...Retrolicious!

It was time to re-live the 80’s as we attended Retrolicious, an outdoor concert whose lineup this year featured Human League, Belinda Carlisle and Bananarama.

First up though was dinner with Jane and Albert at Gattopardo, Hotel Fort Canning. Jane and I shared a pizza while Albert had pasta and Nick had a pork belly dish. The pizza was very normal, the pork belly thing was very tender but after a while it gets a bit ‘jelak’.

By the time we walked over to the concert venue, it was jam-packed. The concert was sold out, some people dressed to the theme, saw a couple of Cindy Lauper wannabes. We managed to track Rena down and she had secured a good spot, about 20 people deep from the middle of the stage.

The Class 95 deejays were out in force, they screened videos and clips from the 80’s to warm up the crowd and soon enough Human League were invited on stage to kick things off.

They started with a couple of newer obscure songs which was lost on the crowd but it picked up towards the end with ‘Don’t You Want Me’ and ‘Human’. They ended with ‘Together in Electric Dreams’, which was a real crowd pleaser, though that was something lead singer Philip Oakley collaborated with Giorgio Moroder on, and not by the band per se.

After a short break, it was Belinda Carlisle’s turn. She hasn’t aged a bit! She belted out hit after hit, I could sing along to everything! There was ‘La Luna’, ‘Runaway Horses’, ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’, ‘Summer Rain’, ‘I Get Weak’, ‘Leave A Light On’, ‘Circle In The Sand’ and ‘Live Your Life Be Free’ etc. I enjoyed her set the most, and she was the most engaged with the audience.

Last but not least was Bananarama, they’ve been a duo for a while now and are in their 50s! They looked pretty hot for their age and kept chatting to each other in between songs such as ‘I Heard A Rumour’, ‘Venus’, ‘I Want You Back’, ‘Nathan Jones’ and ‘Love In The First Degree’.

We all enjoyed ourselves, it was good fun and I would go again depending on the line up next time. More concerts please!

Before heading home, Nick and I stopped by Robertson Quay to have a drink at TCC, so thirsty after the concert. They had these old-fashioned swing chairs, but the boy did not appreciate them!

Children's Day 2011

2011-10-07T20:47:00.004+08:00

It is Children’s Day today, I don’t know when they switched it from 1st Oct to the first Friday in October but I took the day off to spend with the girls. They have both recovered from their viral fevers and Nat decided upon Vivo, it’s her favourite mall only because she knows where the Toys R Us is!

That was our first stop, bought them some puzzles and card games and a doctor set for Nat, and then we proceeded for lunch at The Queen & Mangosteen. They had kids meals and I ordered Nat a bangers and mash, but she’s a fry girl so she just ate the sausage and stole the fries from my fish and chips while she drew with the pencils provided.

After lunch we took a walk along the promenade where they were both reluctant to leave. Popped into the supermarket for a bit and then Nick came to pick us up and send us home.

In the evening, Nat and I ventured out by bus to River Valley, had made an appointment with Selina to trim her hair. Fed Nat while we waited for her turn and then my vain little munchkin took her seat and kept looking at herself in the mirror as Selina snipped away. The cut only cost $15, which I find a steal for a cut by a professional.

Again Nick came to pick us up after work and Nat proudly showed off her haircut to all at home by tossing her head!

Sasha at 18 months

2011-10-01T00:26:00.007+08:00

Only 18 months and Sasha has taken to asking ‘why?! I would sing one line from Incy Wincy and she’ll ask why, as in why he went up the water spout! Or if I read a paragraph from Gingerbread Man, she’ll also ask ‘why’.

I don’t think she knows precisely in what context to use it, she just likes to say the word!

She can do short 2-3 word sentences like ‘gimme some’, ‘Sasha mabuk’, ‘Mummy read’ and repeats what we say. She now calls her pacifier ‘puting’ instead of ‘mine’ and screams if you take it out from her mouth. Still doesn’t say ‘don’t want’ properly, uses ‘buwan’.

She also screams when you take a toy away from her as Nat is prone to do, poor Sasha always gets bullied by Nat!

She tries to dress herself, or rather strip...pulling down her pants or shorts to show she knows how to remove them. But she doesn’t know how to put them on!

She can push herself around in her toy car and ride her rocking horse like a pro, in fact she rocks a little too hard, I fear she might throw herself off!

She loves food, will try anything at least once but if she doesn’t like it will spit it out. She loves carrots, will keep coming back to me when I have it on my plate, also peas.

Nat is in the habit of saying ‘You know’ and ‘right’ these days at the end of her sentences, real mak nenek. She naps without diapers now and feeds herself a little more regularly. Brushes her teeth herself and is just generally a little more independent, so that’s good!

Jeju-ing (Day 7, Sep 30)

2011-09-30T22:27:00.004+08:00

Just like that, a week has passed. Will be boarding for home soon, just chilling at Incheon now.

A fruitful day it's been. After stocking up on breakfast, me, Phyllis and Aunty Judy headed to the Yeomiji Botanical Garden to stop and smell the roses.

Except there weren't any roses, in fact hardly any flowers. Nothing spectacular, I think give me Botanics anyday. The highlight for me was the cactus display and a cute little Korean boy who looks like a future K-POP star in the making. So stylo!

Next door was the Cheonjeyeon Waterfall, so we made a pitstop there. Our driver Mr Won helped to take many pictures of us, he posed with me too, but stood a little too close for comfort. Kept calling me Cute Susumita!

He brought us to a local market next, we were still looking for dried tilefish but had not much luck at the market. Everything was either frozen or fresh, no vacuum packed ones.

But he tried one more place, a co-op run by Nonghyup in a small coastal town and we hit the jackpot there. I bought a couple of boxes and Phyllis bought lots of packets.

We then went back to the hotel to check out and pick up our bags before heading out again. Phil and the others opted to stay in for massages and shopping at Lotte whilst we ventured to Jeju Loveland for a laugh.

There are a few erotic museums and parks in Jeju and this was one of them, with lots of sculptures, some graphic, some subtle but after a while they all looked the same and I didn't find them that artistic.

Actually a lot of the attractions in Jeju just felt like tourist traps to me, very artificial, small and no value for money. I think it's better to stick to the natural attractions like the caves, craters, cliffs, mountains.

Before we headed to the airport, we made a quick detour to see Yongduam Rock, or Dragon Head Rock. It does sort of resemble a dragon's head but it was smaller than I anticipated. Barely had enough time to snap a couple of pictures before we rushed to the airport to catch our Asiana flight to Incheon.

There wasn't much time for duty free, I just grabbed a large navy Longchamp tote for the sake of buying something, only US$120. Came in handy as I repacked all the stuff me and Phil we hand-carrying.

And can you believe for 7 days I didn't have a proper Korean meal till dinner at the airport today? It was Western mostly at the hotel, had a couple of noodle dishes but they were udons. So me and Phil just had some bulgogi at a Korean restaurant in the airport. Bought some ginseng chicken to bring home...can't wait to see my bubs!

Jeju-ing (Day 6, Sep 29)

2011-09-29T23:24:00.004+08:00

With the event over and the main purpose of today to oversee departures, we had free time on our hands after Phil volunteered to stay behind.

Phyllis, Germaine and I shared a cab to sightsee for half a day. It rained a bit in the morning but it cleared up by the time we arrived at our first stop, the Jeju Glass Castle. It was a bunch of tacky glass sculptures and figurines, nothing spectacular.

Next we headed to the Yongmeori Coast where we tried to look for Haenyo divers but the water was too choppy for them to dive and there were none in sight. We did pull over to take in the rugged seascape, posing for pictures with Mt Sanbangsan in the distance before we went to the mountain itself.

There was a Buddhist temple there and we went in for a while. The weather was lovely, sunny but cool. After exploring the surrounding area, including a nearby smoke stack, we headed to a local shop to try and find the dried fish that Germaine and Phyllis tried at one of our Hyatt food tastings. There was only a couple of boxes of this dried tilefish and the gals snapped them up.

Last stop was the International Convention Centre where there is supposedly some shopping available. There was a duty free store and Germaine attempted to buy some Diesel watches but to cut a long story short, she cancelled the transaction in the end when she realised she had to pick up the goods at the airport, something she wasn't willing to do.

I bought myself a Kraze burger and some Baskin Robbins, ate the burger in the comfort of my room. Germaine departed in the afternoon and we hooked up with Phil, Boon Huat, Wee Ngee, Wai Leng and Phyllis' Aunty Judy to continue sightseeing.

We hired two cabs to bring us to the Manjanggul Lava Cave, it was over an hour's ride away. As we descended the steps, the temperatures dropped, it was around 16 degrees I think, luckily I had a sweater.

Nothing much to see or do except trek through what is supposedly the longest lava tube flow in the world.

Next stop was Seongsan Ilchulbong or Sunrise Peak, a volcanic crater rising out of the sea and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Unfortunately the weather had turned cloudy and misty so the place looked a little dull. Some of the others attempted to go to the peak while Phyllis, Aunty Judy and I stayed down to cam-whore.

For dinner, we headed to Mint. I was a bit hesitant about showing my face there but thankfully no one recognised me and Phil, although service wasn't that great. At first, one of the managers refused to join tables to accommodate our group of 7, insisting we split up even though there were lots of empty tables, just not one big enough and they were too rigid to join.

My boss was prepared to walk out but the guy finally relented and added more settings to a large table that was set for 4.

I had a half lobster and beef tenderloin, I think I've eaten way too much on this trip!

Last stop was Gecko's for drinks. I stuck with my one glass of white wine sangria all night while the guys knocked back Jaeger bombs. Phyllis joined the guys for some pool, she claimed she didn't really know how to play, but her actions proved otherwise!

Jeju-ing (Day 5, Sep 28)

2011-09-28T23:59:00.004+08:00

My joy was short-lived. After the high of yesterday, attendance at today's sessions plummeted by some 70 percent I think, thanks to the customers deciding to skip the conference and blatantly go sightseeing instead!

The main culprits were the Chinese, their absence was conspicuous. But there was nothing much we could do about it, I felt sorry for the presenters who had flown all the way and spent time preparing their material only to present to a handful of people.

Actually the Summit and Sophis attendance was still okay because they had other nationalities, it was just the Opics stream that had a high Chinese registration.

With things relatively slow and running on auto-pilot, Phyllis and I had a chance to go over to the Lotte Hotel and check out their duty free. Was tempted by bags from Tods and Prada but decided to be good.

There was a mix-up during lunch, the hotel cleared the buffet even though a number of staff and crew had not eaten so they compensated by offering us lunch at the Terrace Cafe. Germaine and a few others took advantage of their mistake by having expensive set meals, I opted for just a king prawn main course. It was really yummy!

It was a windy day and before we knew it, the event drew to a conclusion and it was time for a closing cocktail session. Some 'tourist' customers made an appearance after their day of sightseeing, shamelessly coming for the free food. Tsk tsk.

I've been distracted by my colleague's Tiffany Legacy ring the past few days and asked for permission to try it and she didn't mind. Sigh, this is my dream ring...

After we settled things for the night and packed up, Phyllis and I went out with Germaine and her crew to the nearby Gecko's, an American-style bar for a late dinner and some drinks.

Bumped into a customer there, Ranu from Papua New Guinea and he joined our group and later on played pool with Germaine. Some weird Korean guy looked like he was trying to pick him up at one point and our impatient cab driver nearly drove off as Ranu tried to fend of the attention!