Brunch with the bubbas

Went for mass yesterday and Nat was busy snapping away in church with my camera. I think she's got an eye! Not bad for a 2 year old eh?





I requested to try Nando's at Tanglin Mall for dinner and thankfully the four of us didn't have to wait long though it was Saturday night. I had a mild peri-peri 1/4 chicken, which was just nice for me. My cous cous side was a little too spicy for my taste but I loved the kaffir-lime leaf infused grilled potatoes and the garlic bread was yums.


The kids got restless after a while which was our cue to gobble down everything and leave.

Earlier today, we had a little clan gathering at Prive Bakery at Keppel Marina, Jeanette and Vim can pop anytime!



It was a chance for Jayna to meet Sasha again, but they weren't really interested in each other. It was Sasha's first time in a public high chair though and she held her own.



Sarah, Riley, Gigi and Nat had fun running around and playing while the adults chatted and binged.


It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning and I can't wait till the 2 new bubs join us! And then there'll be 9 baby girls in the posse!

Hi 5 @ Marina Square

Was on leave today but had a dental appointment in the afternoon in Raffles Place, after which I bought a dress from Miso, the sister company for Blum. They had a rack where everything was $59 so I couldn't resist another cocktail dress.

Met the rest at Marina Square where Hi 5 were performing. It's the new cast and the kids queued from 5.30pm onwards so that we could sit in the designated area and take part in the meet and greet session.

Before the show, Nat and Gigi were bouncing up and down and dancing around, waiting for the show to begin. As soon as the music started though, Gigi got freaked out and wanted out. Nat didn't mind the loud music but didn't really participate fully.



After the show, we got to take a picture with the cast. They were patient and friendly, but I could see they were tired. We didn't get to take a proper picture on my camera, Nat and Gigi were shy and didn't want to pose alone. This is the one taken by the contractor, very orangey. Plus we also had a super-imposed picture taken before the show started.



After dinner, we all ate at Billy Bomber's where Sasha admired herself in the mirror. A girl after my own heart!

Piling up

I have no space in my cupboards for new dresses, yet I keep buying them! Latest ones that have arrived or are on the way:

1) Diane von Furstenberg Edythe dress in Dune Flowers - US$99. A bit snug at the bust though it's a size 4. Might have to try selling it off, any takers? Someone with a 32" bust might fit better.



2) Black and white floral 3/4 sleeve dress - US$29. Have seen various copies of this dress, don't know who made the original (pix with the model) but this one on the mannequin is my second version. Have another in silk, this is a stretchy cotton. Love the print and cutting but would be a lot happier with the original!



3) Donna Morgan silk striped dress - US$27. A random find on eBay. Was drawn to the contrast of the pink sash, with the yellow and red stripes.

Happy 1st Birthday Ethan!

Ethan turns 1 on 26 November and Jane celebrated the occasion today at her condo. I brought Nat and hitched a ride with Rena and family, luckily they upgraded to a 7-seater so there was space for me. XC90, I like!

We went a little earlier so we could take the kids to the pool. Nat as usual was a 'fraidy cat and at first only dipped her toes while wearing her dress. After a while I persuaded her to change to her costume and she ventured further - up to her calves!



I was too lazy to change and get in the water with her, am sure that would have helped in getting her more submerged. In the end, she only went as far as her waist, content with splashing the water with her fingers.

It was Joshua's first time 'swimming' too, he's grown so much!



Joanne, Rayhan and Germaine came later and after lunch, Ethan cut his cake. He's such a good boy, very 'kwai' and showed off his clapping skills. I loved the little ladybug in my cake!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Was on leave today and met Rena in town for a Bobbi Brown make-up session. We paid $80 each which was redeemable for products. Since we were due to replenish some of our make-up, we thought why not get our faces done by the professionals and keep a souvenir photo?

For me though, the end result was a little disappointing. I asked for a smokey eye look, but ended up looking like my normal self, except with heavier make-up.



Rena however, looked hot! I was teasing that she looked like some Indonesian tai-tai! Felt like the maid next to her, ha ha.


We spent the rest of the day shopping in town. There was a bazaar sale at Isetan Scott's level 3 selling clothes from Laundry, ABS and Trina Turk. I tried on 6 outfits and ended up with this Trina Turk dress for $100, down from almost $500.


Am sold on Trina though, her prints are soooo me. Actually, there's a romper I' saw on Giuliana Rancic months ago that I've been trying to figure out the brand. I spotted a similar tribal print on one of the sale dresses but in a different colour so I finally found out who made that outfit, thus I can google the image and copy the style when tailoring next!

That was my only motive! For the record, this is the Royale romper in question. And then I saw this gorgeous Spring 2010 dress at Tangs retailing for $899! Shall try to hunt it down on eBay...



We had chicken rice at Far East and then checked out the shops selling marked down 'designer' wear. Could see some shops had authentic stuff, some other shops were questionable but the Chinatown prices are slightly cheaper though the selection at Far East wider.

I tried on several Herve Leger dresses and channeled my inner Kim Kardashian. Cannot make it. I think I need several girdles to carry these dresses off!


I bought more ornaments and came home to complete the tree. So here is our 2010 tree, Nick will only see it next week when he returns from Japan. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Spicy Girls @ Spottiswoode

Kavi, Kaelash, Jeanette, Swana and Kevin and their various spawn came over for dinner earlier, it was a public holiday for Hari Raya Haji.

Swana bought chicken from Cold Storage and I made potato salad and a pasta dish as sides.



The girls had a blast with Riley as the ring leader. Their toddler conversations are just too cute! Kavi played hide and seek with them, they squealed with excitement when found!


Jeanette can pop any minute and Riley is excited to meet her new sister. She was especially interested in Sasha and how Natalie interacts with her, asking Nat some questions too.



Sasha was not content to be left out, she seems impatient to join her elder cousins. I can't imagine when they hit their late teens and want to go clubbing together, there will be 6 of them! 9 if you count Jayna, Sarah and mini Vim, who will be making her appearance next month. The fathers will definitely have perpetual headaches! LOL!

Here they are from youngest to oldest, they only sat still for 1 shot! Natasha (7.5mths); Ananya (1yr 9mths); Gigi (2yrs 2mths); Natalie (2yrs 9mths); Riley (3yrs 3mths).

Ramen-time

Nickypoo and I had a date this evening, I've been wanting to try the Hokkaido ramen at Aoba for a while now so we met at Vivocity.

We shared some gyoza and mayonnaise prawns and I had one of them cha shiu shoyu ramen thingamajigs. The cha shiu was tender and falls apart easily but I wasn't a fan of the noodle texture, just like thick Maggi mee and the soup was so-so only, don't think we'll be back there anytime soon.



Bumped into an ex-classmate Sharon from Shatec, she sat right next to us and she knows Nick from the trade too so they chatted while I slurped my noodles.

I ended up buying some ornaments for our tree, we decided to go with a multi-coloured theme this year so I have to hunt for colourful balls. This tree is gonna cost me!

The Pumpkin in print!

My daughter is famous, she's in a book! Ok, so she's not the covergirl and only one photo of her was used, but still....she's in print!

Mount Alvernia published a breastfeeding guide recently and used photos from The Studio Loft. Maryann asked permission to use Natasha's newborn pictures for one of the sections on sleeping babies and of course I agreed. So here's my 'model' on page 65, the book is called Successful Breastfeeding.



I've started giving Natasha small amounts of vegetable purees. So far she's tried potato, pumpkin, peas...she'll always make a face at first, but then she'll finish a tablespoon worth. Here's the Pumpkin eating pumpkin...

New age mum

Caprice is about to pop and she invited a few SESers over to her place yesterday. I met Jenesta and Joanne for the first time, and Yus also came along with hubby David and baby Andrea.

Jenesta brought her hubby too, and 2 sons. One is 3.5yrs and the other just 5 months. I went alone with Sasha since it was Nat's naptime, luckily she didn't give me too much trouble, although I lost count of how many times I bent down to pick up her pacifier! She did belch loudly once though and complained a little when she was hungry.

Caprice was so active for one due any minute, her EDD is 3 Dec but she prepared all the food herself. She baked carrot cake muffins, a quiche and made a potato salad and everything was yums. Can always count on her to be an excellent host!


I refer to her as a new age mum because she's determined to go through the birth naturally, without painkillers and even switched gynaes 2 weeks ago to ensure it happens. She also attended hypno-birthing classes and has a doula on call, so very new-agey to me!

She's planning a water birth and coincidentally is using the same gynae as Jeanette, who also just switched for similar reasons i.e. natural birth. And this gynae is Kaelash's boss! Small world, would be funny if they deliver on the same date because they are due at the same time!

Earlier in the morning, we had breakfast with Mildred at Harbourfront's Coffee Club. Their breakfasts are reasonably-priced though the fritatta I had was dry, definitely frozen. It was Mildred's last day of her stay with us, I'll miss having an extra babysitter!




Nick and I ventured out on Friday night while she was still around. Was contemplating a movie but in the end we gatecrashed Rachel and Bernard's staycation at the Fullerton Bay Hotel, along with the Dopes.





It was Bernard's birthday the day before so this was Rachel's surprise for him. The room was lovely and so was the view. We got there at 11.30pm and stayed for almost 2 hours chatting and eating their leftover dessert, and the wine and cheese Swana brought. Love the hotel interiors, especially the lobby, it even smells nice!

On Saturday, I stayed with Pumpkin while Nick brought Nat to IKEA in the morning on his own. He even fed her at the cafe. Swana and Gigi came over in the afternoon for a bit, while we went out to run errands. When we got home, we were greeted by a butterfly and a bumblebee...Gigi and Nat love wearing the costumes in the house!


Went for evening mass and had dinner at Millenia Walk. All in all, it was an eventful weekend and we are now exactly one month away from Perth...can't wait!