Checking out the Colosseum (Day 3, June 12)

Today was the actual start of touring and the plan was to visit the Colosseum late morning, so we didn’t have to rush. The Vatican was also supposed to have been today but it being Pentecost Sunday, everything would be closed, hence we will go tomorrow instead.

We were provided nifty little headsets and at the Colosseum, we were met with a local guide named Emilia who provided a running commentary of the sights as she walked us through the Arch of Constantine, Palatino and Colosseum.


There was a long, snaking queue to get in but we had a group reservation hence we just whizzed in. She related some background information and stories, then we had some free time to explore. It was high noon and the sun was directly overhead, very glaring for photos!

Once the group met up, we took a short drive to Circus Maximus but it looked a bit sad, compared to how it could have been in gladiator times with chariot races and other spectator events.

We opted to hop out after seeing it, and made our way to the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, which is famous for the Bocca della Verita or Mouth of Truth, that was featured in Roman Holiday.

Of course my trip wouldn’t have been complete without this ‘pilgrimage’ to where Audrey Hepburn once stood so we joined the queue and waited our turn to snap a picture, for the small cost of 50cents euro, before taking a quick look at the church itself.



That done, we crossed the Tiber River and wandered around Trastevere, a charming area known for its restaurants and cobblestoned streets.


Had lunch at a trattoria, aglio olio for ma and a set meal for me. Ma bought some arrabiatta spice mix at Campo del Fiore yesterday and has been bringing it everywhere to add some chilli to her meals!

I ordered the wrong set, thinking I was just going to get a bruschetta, lasagne, drink and dessert for 10 euro but I picked a menu that came with a second plate or second main course and when I thought I was done with my lasagne, out come a plate of pork and oxtail! The waitress was nice enough to doggy bag it, and Ma gave it to a gypsy beggar.


We went into the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere next. The church interior was beautiful and Ma went nuts snapping away. If you think I’m trigger-happy, guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!


After exiting Trastevere, we walked along the river to Ponte Garibaldi to take pictures of Tiber Island before crossing the island and walking back to the hotel. Naturally mummy got distracted along the way, taking to take pictures of everything and anything! And I thought I was bad, she’s way worse!



The sky was a gorgeous blue though so we happily snapped away at roofs and sculptures as we passed by Marcello’s Theatre, the ‘wedding cake’, Campidoglio and Trajan’s Column.


Stopped to tapau some dinner back and once on Via Nazionale we entered a couple of shops that were still open. I bought a top and Ma bought a tee.

Am so pooped and my feet are aching. I don’t know where Ma is getting all her energy from. She’s been taking glucosamine, makes her like an energizer bunny, she doesn’t feel tired from all the walking! We were on our feet for practically 9 hours today!

Going Gaga (Day 2, 11 June)

What an awesome day! Not only did me and Ma cover a ton of sights, the main highlight was seeing Lady Gaga up close, like just a few feet away…but more on that later.

We kick-started the day with breakfast on the hotel’s roof terrace, which afforded us a nice albeit partly obscured view of the city. We feared a typical Continental breakfast with just bread and jams but thankfully there was more variety than that.

After filling up, we took a slow walk towards town, passing the San Carlo Quattro Fontane and Quirinale, which is a presidential palace. From there it was a short walk down to the Trevi and I tried to look for an H&M nearby that I missed yesterday but I couldn’t find it.


I gave up and we continued to the Temple of Hadrian instead. Built in 145 AD and dedicated to Emperor Hadrian, only 11 columns have survived the times.


From there it was a short walk to the Pantheon, which means ‘to every god’. It’s actually a circular building behind the set of columns gracing the front and inside the rotunda is a huge dome.



And despite the hundreds of tourists swarming the place, there was still a sense of peace within...maybe because there was some type of choir competition or rehearsal going on so the crowd was largely quiet.

We heard bits of the singing and there was one particular solo performance that was hauntingly beautiful. I don’t know what hymn it was but it was moving, especially in the confines of such a sacred place. Goose pimple-worthy!

Another few hundred metres away was Piazza Navona, a city square in which stands the Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) and Fountain of Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno). There was a rehearsal going on for some concert tomorrow so we couldn’t see the piazza in totality.


I was going to save Campo de Fiore for another day but since we were nearby, we went after Piazza Navona. It used to be a meadow but now functions as a vegetable/fruits/dried goods/souvenir market. We bought some cherries and snapped away at the fresh produce.


From there, we walked towards the Tiber River to catch a glimpse of Ponte Sant’ Angelo and Castel Sant’ Angelo. The bridge was built by Emperor Hadrian to connect the city to his mausoleum, which was what Castel Sant’ Angelo was originally for. It then became a fortress and papacy refuge, then prison and now museum.


We walked to the Spanish Steps to take the metro back to Repubblica which is nearest to our hotel, only to stumble upon the starting point of a Euro Pride march, it was a party in the piazza! Lots of drag queens, rainbow flags and men in tights!



Back in the hotel, we attended a briefing by our tour director, a Bahamian named Mark who has been working with Insight for over 20 years…he must love his job!

We got to see the other group members, me and Ma are the only Asians. The rest were mostly American or Australian and middle-aged. There were a number of teens too, it being holidays and all. Spotted a couple of Vera Bradley bags amongst the Americans!

Mark mentioned Lady Gaga was in town and was going to play at the Euro Pride concert at Circus Maximus in the evening and me and Ma decided we’d try and check her out. But first, I wanted to walk down Via Veneto, the street immortalised in Federico Fellini’s movie, ‘La Dolce Vita’.

As we were walking towards Via Veneto, we noticed a crowd of people loitering outside a building and I suspected it had something to do with Lady Gaga. A check with a bystander confirmed that they were waiting for Lady Gaga to leave the St Regis hotel for the concert.

This was around 6.45pm and we were told the departure was imminent, 7.30pm according to some guys we spoke to. So me and ma decided to wait, and then we wouldn’t have to grapple with the concert crowds to see her.

We stood just inside the hotel’s porch on the right side, and all the paparazzi stood on the left side because that was the end everyone suspected she would exit. The hotel security kept instructing the crowd not to block the way but no one was really obeying. While waiting, we chatted with some Italian teenagers and an American couple.

At just about 8pm with the excitement mounting, little miss Lady Gaga exited the hotel on OUR SIDE and she didn’t just hop into the SUV. In true Gaga fashion, she posed and preened, I think she was wearing a Versace ensemble, plus a blue wig and a Prada bag maybe.

I was already sort of at the front and rushed forward since there was loads of space as she came down some steps. Unfortunately my shots are blurry as others pushed but I did get one or two, plus a short video clip. She was practically a metre away, as she signed some autographs before hopping into her ride. What a coup!


High on the adrenalin, we continued towards Via Veneto, spotting some orange trees along the way. Once at the famous street, I took some pictures of the Fellini plaque and then we passed by a café called Café du Paris.


There were lots of celebrity pictures outside including one of Mr Clooney, I think the café was featured in the movie. At another restaurant we passed by, a waiter called out, ‘Pizza? Pasta? Some kisses tonight? LOL!

Next stop was the Villa Borghese, the largest public park in Rome to catch the last dregs of the sunset and evening skyline. We passed by a wedding couple taking photos in a VW convertible and a group of tourists stopped to admire them, and then impromptu-ly broke into song and serenaded the couple, acapella.


They must have been professional singers or something because they were in perfect sync, complete with finger-snapping and background harmonies. A pleasant surprise!

I persuaded Ma to walk back to the Trevi to see it illuminated at night, and en route we passed the Spanish Steps again, this time we popped into the church at the top and caught a glimpse of a service going on.

Then it was back to the room and we asked for some hot water to make our instant noodles for dinner…after just 2 pizza/pasta meals, ma is sick of Italian food already!

Roman Holiday (Day 1, 10 June)

Here we are in the Eternal City, at the start our Roman holiday before moving on to other parts of Italy.

Parting was such sweet sorrow, was on leave during the day to spend some time with the girls and teared every now and then as they slept.

I left just after Nat fell asleep, before that she was pleading with me, “Mummy, I don’t want you to go Italy,” which of course released the tear ducts! Kevin sent us to the airport and we walked around DFS to check out bag prices and I bought a money belt.

The flight on SQ was close to 13 hours, mostly uneventful except for the bout of turbulence over the Bay of Bengal which had me clinging on to the seat in front and willing the plane not to crash! It was swaying up and down, left and right and creaking loudly!


Had the Asian options during mealtimes seeing as to how it was going to be all pasta and pizza for the next 12 or so days. Watched 3 movies – Manu weds Tanu, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits and Gnomeo & Juliet.

Upon landing, we queued quite a bit at immigration…Italian men are hot! From the immigration officer to the waiters, no shortage of eye candy here! We met our transfer driver and when I said ‘yea’ at one point, he corrected me and said ‘si’. When in Rome, gotta speak like the Romans!

We passed a number of sights on the way, getting us excited for the days ahead. At the hotel La Griffe, we couldn’t check in before 2pm, and it was only about 10am when we got there so we dumped the bags and decided to start our walking tour.


We walked down Via Nazionale where we are staying towards the Piazza Venezia. Along the way we saw the Foro di Triano and Trajan’s Column, before heading into the Victor Emmanuel Monument, a tribute to Italy’s first king. It’s sometimes called the ‘wedding cake’, you can see why! There was some kind of exhibit going on, of Italy’s unification. It’s their 150th anniversary this year.


There were some nice views of the city from the top and it was connected to the Campodiglio and a very gorgeous church, called the Santa Maria Basilica of Ara Coeli. The ceilings were really something!




Next we walked down Via del Corso, their Orchard Road equivalent but there are limited shops. We stopped for lunch at La Fontana, a café near the Trevi and then went to see the fountain itself. It was packed with tourists, we managed to take some shots before I indulged in a chocolate and hazelnut gelato.


We spent the next couple of hours going in and out of shops, I bought a few items from Zara and then we went into the designer boutiques at Via Condotti which is just at the base of the Spanish Steps. Another crowded tourist hotspot!


We continued the high street shopping, I dragged Ma to H&M but there was nothing appealing, a pretty small store. Nearly lost Ma for a bit, I didn’t hear her tell me she was going to check out the nearby piazza and panicked when I didn’t see her in H&M.

Eventually we were reunited and went back to the Piazza del Popolo, famous for a large gate through which travellers entered the city in the past. There are also two almost identical churches.


From there we took the metro back to our hotel and finally checked in, we had been out for about 8 hours! The room is so-so, I had high expectations with it being termed ‘luxury’ but it’s more 3.5 star. It will do though.


We went to the McDonalds across the road for dinner, I had a weird burger called Ciociaro. A spinach foccacia bun with chicken patty, mushroom mayonnaise and a stinky cheese. A bit smelly and jelak after a while!


And that sums up Day 1!

Next stop: Rome

It's finally here, our departure date for a whirlwind tour of Italy.

Am off on an Insight Vacations tour with Mummy, 10D Best of Italy where we will cover Rome, Venice, Florence, Sorrento and Assisi. Between me and Ma, I don't know who's blood pressure will shoot up first!


I have to thank Swana for stepping in to babysit the bubs while I babysit our mother! We promised to send her to Italy one day and today is that day, and since she had no kaki to go with, I am 'sacrificing' myself! Heh heh.

Thanks to Nick's staff discount, we got a pretty good deal on the tour and we used his miles for flights so we saved tons there too. We have one extra day before and after the tour which will be spent in Rome, I am nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous because I don't know what to expect, everyone's scaring me with tales of pickpockets and gypsies.

I just hope we get through the trip safely and uneventfully, I can't wait to hit H&M, Prada, Gucci, Fendi etc. There's also the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Vatican, Colosseum...so much history and art to cover and so little time! I am most looking forward to Sorrento and Capri, as well as Florence.

Time to finish up the packing, look out for updates!

K is for ...

...Keppel Club.



Had a quick lunch with Nick today, he picked me up and we went to Tables by the Bay at Keppel Club. Was a tad disappointed, there wasn't much of a bay view! There was construction going on for some kind of boardwalk which obscured our view of the waters around Sentosa.



We had a set lunch each, minestrone soup followed by pan-fried chicken for me and fish and chips for him. Dessert was some pannacotta thing with a passion fruit cake. Very normal food, the soup was nice but the bread served with it was a bit hard.



That was pretty much it...nothing exciting!

All aboard!

I finally made it to JB via KTM train today, after a couple of unsuccessful attempts to get tickets. The trains will stop operating from Tanjong Pagar come 1st July and I wanted to take the train one last time for sentimental reasons. I’ve lived next to the station practically all my life and we used to take the trains to JB pretty often.

On Wednesday I popped by during lunch only to be told I had to buy tickets 24hrs in advance. Yesterday when I arrived at 9something with the gang in tow to show Nat and Gigi the train station, the guy at the counter told me I was too late, the 8am train for today was sold out!


Decided to try again for 1pm and Ma went to queue early. She somehow managed to score 3 seats on the 8am which we gratefully accepted.

We met Phyllis at the station this morning and took lots of pictures, everyone was snapping pictures of every corner of the station! The queues were long and the train left late but we didn’t care, we had a day of retail therapy ahead of us!





At Woodlands, I came across someone’s immigration card on the floor, it belonged to an elderly man and I returned it to a security officer. In the meantime, I approached several strangers to see if they had lost their card but none had.

But not long after, the security officer informed me they had found the person, phew…was worried the poor guy would get detained by customs, especially since they didn’t stamp our passports but the white cards instead.

We reached JB around 10am, the new train station and immigration complex was impressive! Once at City Square, we had breakfast and then went to Kamdar to hunt materials. Me and Phyllis bought a stretchy piece each.



Back at City Square, we split up from Ma to shop. Phyllis and I tackled floor by floor, saving Vincci for last. I bought a necklace, some slippers for Nat and Gigi, shapewear undies, tee-shirts and 3 pairs of shoes. Yay!




We had a late lunch at Nando’s, it’s half the price there after you convert! Satisfied with our meal, we took the bus back across the causeway and alighted at Queen Street.

Have to thank Nickypoo for holding the fort at home while I shopped, bless him!

Sasha at 14 months and Nat cycles!

The pumpkin is walking fully at 14 months, toddling around the house like a zombie! Her vocabulary is constantly expanding, she says Gigi properly, bird, Nat Nat, mama, daddy. She loves calling out for ‘Dad-ee’! She even greets Pops when she arrives at 110, calling out Papa from the door.


She recognises that when we put shoes on, it means going out so she doesn’t try to take them off anymore. She’ll say ‘walk-walk’ and wait to go out. She would rather not be carried these days, much preferring to exercise her newly acquired walking skills.

She can point to the moon and nod her head for ‘yes’, and she especially likes to nod her head if you sing Baa Baa Black Sheep, in particular the part that goes ‘Yes Sir, Yes Sir 3 Bags Full!’. She loves Barney too, going 'Bar-ee' when she spots the purple dinosaur.

Though she loves bathtime and now stands in the shower for her daily bath, she has not come round to swimming pools. Will have to keep trying!

I think she’s capable of feeding herself, I just have to be more diligent in training her. I let her feed herself her porridge sometimes, she’s actually pretty good at guiding the spoon to her mouth. When she wants what we’re eating, she’ll guide our hand to her mouth too!

She likes to doodle on the magnetic boards and when she gets a shape into her shape sorter, she applauds herself! She has a hearty laugh and is such a manja baby, she’ll lie her head on my shoulder when I return from work or rest her head on my lap, that’s her way of ‘sayanging’.


She understands the command ‘kiss’ and will offer her lips when I say it. She likes to kiss herself in the mirror too, hmm, wonder who she gets that from?



Nat at 40 months can finally cycle properly. She’s had her bike for more than a year now, but she had this habit of pedalling forward and rewinding to inch forward some more. She finally got the hang of pushing the pedals all the way around and is proudly cycling around the house.




Her favourite colours now are purple, pink and green and she’s been in our bed for the past month and it’s impossible to kick her out now!